Berkshire Bulletin Fall/Winter 2015

B U L L E T I N Fall/Winter 2015

B E R K S H I R E

Remembering Twiggs Myers 1930-2014

I have no regrets. I’m just lucky to have been in a beautiful place, doing what I do with a good deal of success. I think that’s all you can ask for in life.”

– C. Twiggs Myers Hon. ‘57, at his retirement from Berkshire in 1995

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Fall/Winter 2015

Our Mission

Rooted in an inspiring natural

setting, Berkshire School

instills the highest standards of

character and citizenship and

a commitment to academic,

artistic, and athletic excellence.

Our community fosters diversity,

a dedication to environmental

stewardship, and an enduring

love for learning.

Features

22 We Are Malala

28 Remembering C. Twiggs Myers

36 Reunion 2014

Departments

4 Seen Around

6 Reflection

8 Campus News

19 Bears at Play

45 Class Notes

60 In Memoriam

Berkshire Archives

Alice Ehrenclou Cole ’76 CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Pieter M. MulderHEAD OF SCHOOL

Editor: Lucia Q. MulderDIRECTOR OF MEDIA RELATIONS

Class Notes Editor: Kristina Thaute Miller ’97 DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

Design: Hammill Design

Printing: Quality Printing Company

Photography: Gregory Cherin, Anne Day Photography, James Harris, Michael Hayes, Britt Plante, Chip Riegel Photography, Risley Sports Photography, Carol Visnapuu, the Berkshire Archives

Class notes: [email protected]

All other alumni matters: [email protected]

Published by Berkshire School’s Communications and Marketing Office & Alumni and Development Office for alumni, parents and friends of the School.

Berkshire School admits students of any race, color, religious affiliation, national and ethnic origin and qualified handicapped students to all rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students. We do not discriminate in violation of any law or statute in the administration of our educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs.

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2 Berkshire Bulletin

/ From the Head of School /

Greetings from under the Mountain! As you may know, this fall Berkshire embarked on a strategic planning process to chart Berkshire’s course for the next five to seven years. The work of long-range planning has involved, and will continue to involve, the extended Berkshire community. The process has provided a clear avenue for feedback and a forum for discussion about our collective strengths and how we can adapt our best practices to reflect the changing world that our students will enter as adults. As we work to identify the School’s next set of strategic priorities and supporting initiatives, there is both comfort and pride in our enduring commitment to the core values that Seaver Buck embraced when he founded our school over a century ago.

Trustee Chip Perkins ’73, P’14,’14 and Associate Head of School Jean Woodward Maher P’12,’13,’18 are leading the process with the help of a Strategic Planning Committee of faculty, staff, alumni, students, parents and trustees whose members are listed at right. We have enlisted the help of Greenwich Leadership Partners, a firm that specializes in strategic planning for schools and other nonprofits, to help facilitate this important work.

Over the summer, our faculty read The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies, the recent New York Times bestseller. The book, written by two MIT professors, Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, explores the impact of technology on our lives, on the economy and on the future of education, and provided the foundation for an early exercise called “Stop, Start, Continue,” which focused our discussion on what Berkshire already does well, what we can do better, and what we should reconsider doing. Groups of faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni and trustees looked critically at every aspect of living and learning at Berkshire with no assumptions or givens in place. Our challenge as a school going forward is how best to answer the questions that emerged from this exercise.

Collectively, these same groups helped us develop a “Portrait of a Berkshire Graduate,” by examining what skills students should develop during their time here, what values we hope to instill in our graduates, and what experiences are essential to a student’s time at Berkshire. Through surveys and focus groups of alumni and parents,

we have begun to test the groups’ assumptions. Already and powerfully, many areas of consensus have emerged across these different constituencies, and these intersections are important areas for us to study as we continue to draft our strategic priorities through the winter and spring.

With this, we have completed the first phase of the strategic planning process: the thoughtful, inclusive and comprehensive gathering of ideas from all members of our community. I’m particularly proud of our students’ voices in this process. Reviewing their feedback, hearing about the thoughtfulness of their discussions and seeing the consistency between how they regard their Berkshire experience and how our faculty does, leaves us in an exceptionally strong and inspiring position as we move ahead with the goal of presenting a final plan to the Board of Trustees in the fall of 2015.

Frequently throughout this process I’ve been reminded of a line delivered by All-School President Arwen Neski ’15 during her School Meeting address this fall: “Easy never gets you extraordinary.” The work of planning and design—even as well-organized and thoughtfully conceived as it is—is inherently messy, unsettling, disjointed and difficult. In short, it’s like all human endeavors.

As measured against the time, dedication, and thoughtful-ness that our community has brought to this process thus far, however, we are well on our way to extraordinary.

The lasting success of this strategic plan depends on the engagement and contributions of everyone in this process. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with me if you haven’t done so already. On behalf of the School and the Strategic Planning Committee, thank you to all who have contributed to this exciting endeavor. I look forward to sharing our progress with you as we move ahead.

Sincerely,

Dear Friends of Berkshire,

And in many ways, the more difficult work lies ahead of us, as we decide what we will make most important for our students, for each other, and for Berkshire over the coming years.

3Fall/Winter 2015

Strategic Planning Committee

Dana Anselmi, Senior Associate Director of AdmissionPaul Banevicius P’14,’17, Art Department ChairAndrew Bogardus, Director of AdmissionBill Bullock P’14,’17, History faculty, Development Officer April Burch, Director of Advanced Math/Science Research, Science facultyHans Carstensen ’66, Trustee Justin Donawa ’15, StudentDan Driscoll P’13,’16,’17,’18, Director of Athletics, College CounselorRoney Eford ’91, Trustee Tracey Gerber P’13, TrusteeJim Hooper ’69, Trustee Kirk Kellogg ’87, TrusteeRob Lloyd, Director of Sustainability, Science facultyJean Woodward Maher P’12,’13,’18, Associate Head of School & Associate Director of Admission, Committee Co-Chair Ann McKee P’15, TrusteeLara McLanahan ’86, P’16,’16, Trustee Lucia Mulder, Director of Media RelationsArwen Neski ’15, StudentChip Perkins ’73, P’14,’14, Trustee, Committee Co-Chair Peter Quilty P’09, ’11, Assistant Head of School & Dean of StudentsKate Riva, Administrative Assistant for AthleticsSydney Satchell, History faculty, Kenefick Center for LearningWil Smith P’14, Dean of Community and Multicultural Affairs Clay Splawn, Dean of Academic Affairs, History facultyCait Ward ’08, Science facultyJohn Watkins ’73, P’06,’07,’13, Trustee

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Alice Cole ‘76, Chair, Board of TrusteesPieter Mulder, Head of School

Berkshire School is raising an unprecedented $200 million in a capital campaign to preserve and advance our standing as one of the nation’s finest

secondary schools.

For our Faculty: Recruit and retain a talented and diverse faculty through the Twiggs Myers Fund in remembrance of

C. Twiggs Myers Hon. ’57, Berkshire’s legendary master._______________________________

For our Students: Increase the endowment for financial aid to open Berkshire’s doors to the most talented

applicants, regardless of economic circumstance._______________________________

For our Campus: Provide first-rate facilities and programs that support and enhance Berkshire’s

commitment to excellence in all endeavors.

Our goal is within reach.

to reaching the summit.

To complete our campaign, we need your support.

With your help, we will reach the summit by June 2015.

Demonstrate your commitment to Berkshire School. Give today!

Public Phase ($27 Million Goal)

Silent Phase(2008 - October 2014)

Figures as of January 31, 2015

$13 Million

$173 Million

Goal: $200 Million

$186 Million


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5Fall/Winter 2015

SEEN AROUND

... and spotted on social!

1. Half-time rally at the Boys Soccer NEPSAC championship game! #goBears2. JV Volleyball volunteered at Bartholomew’s Cobble where they identified and tagged tree species planted on the Housatonic. 3. This fall’s original theater production Scrutiny took place entirely on the set of a funny, yet not exceptionally friendly, reality TV game show. 4. A picture-postcard pretty early morning walk to class.

Photos courtesy of Michael Hayes, Maura MacKenzie, Gregory Cherin, Britt Plante

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/ Reflection /

In the last issue of the Bulletin, we regrettably misattributed a quote by Bill Mayher ’60 to his good friend, Sam Nichols ’58 who passed away last winter. The quote in question was an excerpt from Mayher’s 50th Reunion yearbook. To set the record straight, it was Mayher who described returning to Maine this way: “...to play hockey when the local mill pond freezes over and once more my quirky pals gather like gulls along the pond’s edge, and we lace up our skates for another go at it.” Both Mayher and Nichols played hockey at the University of New Hampshire, and both set scoring records for Berkshire. Team captain Mayher broke Berkshire’s individual scoring record of 34 points, set two years earlier by Nichols, with 38 points (24 goals, 15 assists).

In a 2004 letter to the Bulletin, accompa-nying an article reprinted from Maine Boats & Harbors on pond hockey, Mayher recalled the move from outdoor to indoor hockey:

Hockey al Fresco

“I went to Berkshire in 1956 and played in my first varsity game in that year on Fawn Lake, down the road from the school toward Sheffield. The next year we played on the new Land Rink, the one with the shades. Two years later, in my senior year, we played the first game in the Rovensky Rink. Both teams were accustomed to playing outside, and the noise of the fans, unexpectedly magnified by the enhanced acoustics of the arched roof, produced such excitement on both sides that we got in a huge brawl that was quelled by the always quick-thinking John Godman, who simply stepped over to the big switch on the wall and turned off the lights.”

Thanks to faculty members Chris Perkins and Dory Driscoll who led the construction and fundraising efforts, and the Sheffield Fire Department who provided copious amounts of water in record time, Berkshire once again has

hockey in the open air, on an outdoor rink on Schappert Field. One wonders what might occur when students return—albeit recreationally—to hockey al fresco. As Mayher put it in his article: “Hockey is fluid. It calls for speed and touch…I find I never tire of the fine adjustments, the poise and counterpoise of feint and acceleration, of searching for the open man—a pursuit made infinitely more complicated by a lack of standardized uniforms and the necessity (when ice conditions are less than perfect) of keeping an eye peeled ahead for yawning cracks, shell ice, and (on occasion) actual open water.”

This winter, while open water may not actually be a hazard, perhaps the uncertain surface, the February chill and the view of South Pinnacle beyond center ice might make something familiar feel brand new.

Some members of the boys varsity hockey team test drive the outdoor rink on opening weekend in January (left). Head athletic trainer, EMT and firefighter Marc Wysocki (center) enlisted help from his colleagues at the Sheffield Fire Department to fill the rink on a cold night in December (above).

7Fall/Winter 2015

/ Reflection /

Going back to school each fall, one would be ever hopeful there might be at least one teacher, inspirational perhaps, but better yet, entertaining. Also, unusual-ly fair with the grades.

One such teacher was the stern Mr. M.M. Stearns (pictured front row, far right) who was my English teacher for sophomore through senior year. On the first day we met with him, he asked the class if anyone could define “infinity.” While we fumbled in our seats wondering if anyone would or could speak up, Mr. Stearns took a piece of chalk and drew a line from one corner of the room, across two blackboards and some double windows, over the remaining walls—including one with a large map—and finally down to the door in the corner. He quickly opened the door and threw the piece of chalk out, closed the door and an-nounced, “Gentlemen, that’s infinity.”

Of course, we were hooked—this would be a good year for sure.We were graded once a week on the scale of zero to 100. But Mr. Stearns also

had his own grading system: three marks on every essay, term paper, test, creative writing project or poem that we turned in. One mark was for substance. The second mark was for grammar. If the writing was too wordy, tedious or boring, he would draw a shovel next to that paragraph. Say no more. Mr. Stearns would combine these two marks for the final grade for the paper.

In addition to reading and studying a great many American and English authors and a few European ones, Mr. Stearns liked poetry and had us memorize works from many well-known poets.

One day when we weren’t too pleased with the new title we had to read, Mr. Stearns picked up Webster’s Dictionary and asked if any of us would like to read this cover to cover and write a report on it. There were no takers. “You might read it anyway,” he said, “It might improve your limited vocabularies.”

Aside from teaching us to write and to enjoy so many worthwhile authors, Mr. Stearns was preparing us for the college entrance board exams. Most of us were hoping to get into a liberal arts college or university, and of course acing those ex-ams would be a big help. We all did well, and a belated thanks to you, Mr. Stearns, for seeing us so well prepared to go our own ways.

I found a career in journalism and have been a writer, reporter and editor (using the English learned in Mr. Stearns’ class) for over 57 years. Would that each student in this new school year gets inspired by their own Mr. Stearns!

The Stern Mr. Stearns

By Charles Sutton ’48

Charles Sutton was the “hardworking Business Manager of the Trail, star of the Dramatic Club, and a consistent scholastic leader,” according to the 1948 Trail. A New England journalist and publisher, he lives with his wife Catherine O’Kane in New Clarendon, Vermont.

Herewith are “The Masters,” as captioned in the 1948 Trail. Back row, from left, Messrs. Bickford, Harrison, Bird, deVillafranca, Townsend, Skinner, Moore, Gurll, Miller Front row: Messrs. Field, Dean, Beattie, Chase, de Windt, Stevens, Eipper, and Mr. M.M. Stearns


/ Campus News /

Dan Mead and Sally Eagle are residents of nearby Great Barrington, Mass. who exhibited their work in Berkshire’s art gallery this fall. They travel extensively around the world, creating powerful images of landscapes, wildlife and diverse cultures. Through their photography, the artists’ hope is to encourage a dialogue among their audiences, about photogra-phy, art, global studies or environmental concerns, all topics that make their work very well suited to a Berkshire audience. The artists particularly enjoy sharing their work with students throughout the Northeast and have exhibited at the Smithsonian Museum, the Berkshire Museum and on BBC Television.

The exhibit, Earth Designs, ran in No-vember and December and focused on the intricate and changing beauty of our plan-et. Orion magazine wrote “Earth Designs is a photographic profile of an elegant and endlessly fascinating Earth. It is a dynamic and alluring convergence of shapes and colors, light and shadow. But more than anything it is a love poem: to a planet worthy of awe, wonder, and whatever other faculties might help us appreciate how truly special it is.” It was a fitting and fascinating show for Berkshire.

Last fall, students had the incredible opportunity to hear from novelist Alex Myers, a writer, teacher and speaker whose recent book Revolutionary tells the tale of a 22-year-old woman who enlists in the Continental Army as a man to fight for freedom in 1782. The story, based on the life of Deborah Sampson, a distant relative of the author’s, is also about the search for the character’s personal freedom as a woman in Colonial times. And, like many stories about the search for freedom, it is also a story about discovering one’s own identity.

No stranger to boarding schools, Alex Myers attended Phillips Exeter Academy as a girl, and there came out as transgen-der, returning his senior year as a boy, the first transgender student in the school’s history. He talked about the search for his own identity, the commu-nity at Exeter that supported him during that search and the importance of storytelling as a means of understanding our own place in the world.

“Talking about the great measures that Deborah Sampson took in order to fight for the country that she loved,” explains Colleen Devanney ’15, a sixth former from Winsted, Conn., “Mr. Myers was able to connect Deborah’s experiences with those of his own and inspire us to think about our own destinies. The best part,” Colleen continued, “was the opportunity to hear Mr. Myers’s suggestions about different ways to approach topics of gender and identity in a boarding school environment.”

Mr. Myers’s visit was initiated by Berkshire’s Health and Wellness program in coordination with the student Gay Straight Alliance. Tess Hutchinson, coordinator of the Health and Wellness program, believed Mr. Myers made a big impact. “Students remarked at his strength in never giving up on himself or letting others discourage him along his journey,” Hutchinson said. She continued, “They appreciated the fact that although Alex was very open about his journey as a transgender person, he did not allow that label to become something that narrowly defined him. Instead, he spoke to them as an author, a teacher and an athlete. My hope for all of us at Berkshire, is that we continue to grow and learn as a community of allies who support and embrace all of our diverse stories and identities.”

Novelist Discusses the Search for Identity

SHOOT GLOBALLY, LIVE LOCALLY

Alex Myers © Lexi Adams

Horseshoe Bend by Dan Mead and Sally Eagle

9Fall/Winter 2015

/ Campus News /

In October, Berkshire welcomed internationally recognized scientist, fu-turist and author Dr. Jack Bacon ’72 to speak during an all-school meeting. Dr. Bacon works for NASA as a member of the management team overseeing the construction and operation of the most complicated technical project in histo-ry: the International Space Station.

A four-year student at Berkshire, Dr. Bacon learned from such legend-ary school masters and coaches as Twiggs Myers, Art Chase, Tom and Susan Young, and Tom Dixon, who was instrumental in bringing him to campus as a guest speaker. From Berkshire, Dr. Bacon went on to CalTech, where he earned his degree in 1976, and then earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in 1978 and 1984 respectively from the University of Rochester, where he worked on laser-fusion power reactors, fusion propulsion systems and micro-gravity fluid surfaces.

Back on the stage in Allen Theater, Dr. Bacon captivated the audience with stories about the effects of zero gravity and its uses in technology and research, international space efforts and how rockets blast off. But he began his story with a failed science project from his youth: growing sea monkeys on his back porch during a Toronto winter.

Undaunted by the early failure, Dr. Bacon decided to follow his dream of studying rocketry. His determination

BRINGING HOME THE BACONReturn of the Rocket Scientist

From left: Dean of Academic Affairs Clay Splawn, Tom Dixon, Dr. Frank Bacon, Science Department Chair Anita Loose-Brown

brought him to Berkshire as a 13-year-old anxious to build the foundation that would help his career take off. Reports that he wrote in grade school still sit on his desk at NASA reminding him of the journey he took and the teachers who encouraged him along the way.

“The mentors—like Tom and Susan Young and Twiggs Myers and Tom Dixon—they shaped my life. And I still remember their character as much as what I learned from them. That is what we’re talking about with Pro Vita Non Pro Schola,” Bacon told the crowd. He continued, “If you see that I have great joy in what I do, it is because of that lesson that I learned at Berkshire: it is about life.”

“ The mentors—like Tom and Susan Young and Twiggs Myers and Tom Dixon—they shaped my life. And I still remember their character as much as what I learned from them.” – Dr. Jack Bacon ’72


/ Campus News /

Christopher Allen joins our science department after 16 years teaching physics at the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, NY. He, his wife Trisha, and their daughter Brie live in de Windt. In addition to teaching all levels of physics, Mr. Allen coaches JV volleyball and assists with the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) program.

Seth Cohen also joins Team Physics, and while working to complete a Ph.D. in astronomy from Dartmouth College, he will be teaching physics and astronomy. Mr. Cohen helps with the fall and spring RKMP programs and also assists with the STEAM program. He and his fiancée Kate live in Eipper.

Kim Cooper teaches English V and Advanced English III, following a stint as a triple-threat at Rumsey Hall School in Washington Depot, Conn. Ms. Cooper lives in Godman and coaches girls’ JV soccer and lacrosse.

Caddie Jackson & Patrick Donovan and their son Bear come to Berkshire from nearby Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, Conn., and live in Godman. Ms. Jackson works one-on-one with students in the Kenefick Center for Learning (KCL) and coaches girls’ JV lacrosse. Mr. Donovan is an assistant director in the Admission Office, and in addition to coaching the ski team, he oversees the fall strength and conditioning program.

Jason Keefer comes to us from the Peddie School in Hightstown, NJ, where he has been a member of the math department for the last five years, following a six-year stint at Deerfield Academy. He, his wife Amy, and their two children, Chad and Isabel, live in Eipper. Mr. Keefer coaches JV basketball and varsity softball.

David McCauley, Berkshire’s director of college counseling, spent the last four years as the foreign director of college counseling at Beijing’s No. 4 High School in Beijing, China. Mr. McCauley coaches JV baseball in the spring. He and his wife Marleny and son Sean live in Sheffield.

Sydney Satchell comes to Berkshire from Howard University. She teaches Modern World History, works with students in KCL and serves as an adjunct dorm parent in MacMillan. Ms. Satchell coaches girls’ soccer, basketball and lacrosse.

Amy Shen teaches all levels of Mandarin. She previously served as the director of curriculum and instruction at Middlebury Interactive Languages. Ms. Shen serves as an adjunct dorm parent in Senior House and assists with the cross country program.

Elaine Tolvo teaches Spanish. She, her husband Tony, and daughter Ana ’17 live in Crispin Gordon Rose while their son Josiah ’16 lives in Buck. Mrs. Tolvo also assists with the cross country program.

Cait Ward ’08 returned to Berkshire after a year as a triple-threat at Hebron Academy in Maine. In addition to teaching chemistry and biology, Ms. Ward lives in Senior House and coaches the girls’ JV soccer and ice hockey teams.

From left: David McCauley, Jason Keefer, Sydney Satchell, Amy Shen, Elaine Tolvo, Christopher Allen, Kim Cooper, Cait Ward, Caddie Jackson, Patrick Donovan, Seth Cohen

I N T R O D U C I N G

New Faces on the Faculty

11Fall/Winter 2015

/ Campus News /

Advanced Economics teacher Chris Perkins brought 19 students on a whirl-wind tour of Manhattan last fall that would make most young entrepreneurs green with envy. After a pre-dawn de-parture in the drizzling rain, the class’s morning stops included the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Na-tional September 11 Memorial in lower Manhattan. Then they headed north for a visit to AOL corporate headquarters in Greenwich Village. The group toured AOL’s offices and studios and even had lunch there. “Seeing the kind of work they do—beyond what everyone knows AOL for—was fascinating, and the office itself proved to be as entertaining as those who work there,” said Peter Dunn ’15, a sixth former from Green-wich, Conn.

A highlight of the trip was meeting one of those employees, David Shing, AOL’s “Digital Prophet.” Shing shared tales of his career trajectory and his view of the ongoing evolution of branding and marketing in the digital age. “His insight into the new age of technology and mar-keting, an age he is confident that we

The Advanced Econ class poses for a keepsake at the New York Stock Exchange (left) and hears from AOL CEO Tim Armstrong on the floor of the Big Board.

students will be fundamental influences on, was remarkable,” said Dunn. “Mr. Shing was unforgettable,” explained Ehan Keator ’16, a fifth former from Lenox, Mass. Keator continued, “He told us that in order to be ahead of the curve with new products coming out, we had to recognize the marketing strategies and patterns of businesses that target our sales demographic.” Good advice for students as both consumers and as future businesspeople.

The day’s final event was the pre-miere on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange of Makers: Women in Business, one in the series of popular documentaries. There, students had the incredible opportunity to meet with both Tim Armstrong, AOL’s CEO and Mr. Perkins’s college roommate, and Dyllan McGee, the producer and visionary behind Makers, the joint AOL and PBS series on the American wom-en’s movement. “My favorite part of the trip was the Makers: Women in Business premiere on the floor of the Stock Exchange,” said Keator. He continued, “It was so exciting to be at one of the

The façade of the New York Stock Exchange, dramatically captured by Chelsea Leeds ’15

hallowed places in the financial world among so many business leaders.”

“Trips like this are so important because they help us test our knowledge by keeping up with the discussions of professionals in the field,” explained Dunn. Students in Advanced Econ will no doubt use this real world experience as they prep for the annual Sabin Entre-preneurial Prize competition this spring, where they will present their business plans before a panel of guest judges.

MARKET BEARS Econ Class Visits Capital of the World


/ Campus News /

A BIG SONG & DANCE! The Fall Concert over Parents’ Weekend is a chance for our performing artists to shine, and this year was no exception. Our singers and musicians, under the direction of Dr. Clive Davis and Dr. Tasia Wu, did not disappoint. In November, our dancers, led by Kristine Water-man, treated audiences to a visually innovative and thought-provoking performance titled Inspire. We were, in turn, inspired by them and by all of our performing artists last semester.

Photos by Gregory Cherin

01 The dancers collaborated with the visual arts department and Greer Gibney ’17 to perform “Untraveled Road,” a work inspired by the All-School Read, I Am Malala.

02 Juyoung Lee ’15 03 Brady Wilson ’17, Hunter Reynolds ’16, Jordan Greco ’15 and Gerry Gimenez-Valdes ’15 on guitar04 Greensleeves05 Rebecca Vandenberg ’16 and Michelle Zhou ’17 06 Alyssa Cass ’15, Andrea Cass ’17, Catherine Quaintance ’17 07 Shuvam Chakraborty ’1608 “Dark Grail,” a dance conceived and choreographed

by Son Nguyen ’1509 Eric Hong ’18, Amy Rowland ’15, Ivan Kulchitsky ’16,

Cooper Tuckerman ’18, Ben Dixon ’17

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/ Campus News /

Below are excerpts of a conversation with the trip leaders whose excursion was so successful that it will run again next summer.

What was the inspiration behind a summer study abroad trip?

Donald Anselmi (DA): Being an educator, I’ve always been interested in leading trips because I think traveling is right in line with our motto, ‘Learn-ing—not just for school, but for life.’ With Berkshire’s focus on global initia-tives in the last few years, I threw out the idea of a trip that would encompass cultural and language immersion.

Britt Plante (BP): I was lucky enough to study abroad for six months in Segovia, Spain, during high school at Proctor [Academy in Andover, New Hampshire], and that experience shaped what I wanted to do in college and what I wanted to do in my pro-fessional career. My goals for this trip were to help students dive in culturally once they arrive, and to help them develop ideas about where they might want to go in the future.

One of our first blog posts outlines our goals for the students— things like collaboration, communication, independence and responsibility. All of those things would have to emerge as we

BEARS ABROAD

Language & Cultural Immersion in Argentina

Faculty members Donald Anselmi and Britt Plante brought eight Berkshire students to Argentina last summer for a language and cultural immersion experi-ence. Their three-week trip featured two weeks of classes in Spanish language and Argentinian culture and history at La Montaña, a school in Bariloche, a town in northwest Patagonia. Students also spent time in the capital city of Buenos Aires to explore its culture and history.

Coincidentally, Mr. Anselmi and Ms. Plante both studied in Madrid during col-lege, a fact that helped them design their ideal trip because they knew what kinds of experiences helped them grow as students and as citizens. They started planning with the question, “What should students walk away with?” and began working backward from there.

When in Rome... (or Buenos Aires), it takes two to tango. Duncan Anderson ’17 was game! Trip leaders Britt Plante and Donald Anselmi

15Fall/Winter 2015

/ Campus News /

navigated living in a new country and communicating in a second language.

How did you select Argentina?DA: Argentina came to mind because

it isn’t a Spanish-speaking country that people usually think of and having spent some time down there, I thought it could provide everything we were look-ing for. We took two 22-hour bus rides. Bus travel is really popular in Argentina. It’s affordable, and it’s really cushy too—like first-class seating on planes.

In a bus, you can see the change in geology as you travel. In most places, including Argentina, the geology deter-mines what the economy will be. When you leave Buenos Aires and head south, there is huge urban sprawl forever. The population of greater Buenos Aires has over 14 million people—one of the larg-est urban concentrations in the world. As you travel south, into the Pampas, you begin to see lowlands with rolling hills like Nebraska. Northern Patagonia is a desert plateau, with reservoirs, rolling hills and sage brush. In the distance, you see the Andes and then you drop into the lake region where we were in Bariloche. The ecosystem changes drastically from a dry, conif-erous climate to a wetter, deciduous climate with a number of endangered species. There was so much to be learned from that first bus ride alone.

What was the classroom experience at La Montaña like?

BP: Students were in classes from Monday through Friday for two weeks. They were able to work and commu-nicate with students from all over the world—Russia, Brazil, Columbia. A lot of the conversations in class stemmed from students’ own experiences, so

our kids had the opportunity to learn about five or six different cultures from around the globe in a second language.

DA: Most of the other students study-ing at La Montaña didn’t speak English, so the kids had to use whatever vocabu-lary they had to figure it out. That varied a lot. There were four different sections of Spanish language ranging from very beginner to students who were fluent. And the whole group was able to get something out of it because classes were tailored to those abilities.

What did students take away from the experience beyond the classroom?

DA: I think students became very comfortable being pushed outside of their comfort zones. On our first day in Buenos Aires, in the La Boca neighbor-hood, we saw people dancing tango in the street, and one of the students de-cided to jump in and join them. Others saw that, and then felt more comfort-able trying new things. That openness set the tone for the trip.

BP: Students came away with even more than the language and cultural pieces. They were able to develop critical thinking skills, leadership skills and the ability to adapt to a whole new culture. It was fun to see that happen firsthand. Because they had so many new challenges, they had to work to-gether: someone became the navigator, some took charge of shopping for and cooking meals, some were more com-fortable communicating in Spanish. When you stay at a hostel, you’re forced to converse with other travelers. You learn about their experiences, why they are traveling, how to communicate. This piece is so important. It’s really about learning the culture of traveling and being a global citizen.

To read more about their adventures, check out the “Berkshire in Argentina” blog at: BerkshireSchoolinArgentina.tumblr.com. For information about the summer 2015 trip, contact Britt Plante at [email protected].

Enjoying their first day in Bariloche at Lake Nahuel Huapi in Nahuel Huapi National Park, are from left: Jeffrey Erazo ’15, Duncan Anderson ’17, Nick Beaver ’16, Jake Kaminetsky ’15, Peter Hoover ’14, Amy Rowland ’15, Carrie Babigian ’16 and Rafael Arredondo ’17

Arriving in the famous Bosque d’Arrayanes, a national park of Argentina widely thought to be the inspiration of Walt Disney’s Bambi


/ Campus News /

Fifty-five new third formers joined Berkshire in August, and this year more than ever, the Mountain played a pivotal role in their welcome to the community. Student leaders helped ease the transition for all new Bears with an orientation that introduced students to parts of the Mountain right before classes began. In addition, this year Third Form Dean Michael Bjurlin organized an overnight leadership retreat for the class early in September. His report on their excursion is below.

As a part of Berkshire’s commitment to developing tomorrow’s leaders, the entire Third Form traveled to Camp Hi-Rock in Mount Washington, Mass., to participate in a two-day leadership retreat. At Camp Hi-Rock, students climbed the low and high ropes courses, hiked up challenging rock faces, tandem canoed and participated in small group orienteering, all while strengthening their leadership and communications skills.

Our goal was to develop the leadership style that worked best for each individual student. This style is derived from tapping into the student’s personality, learning pref-erences, passions, strengths and experienc-es. Helping our students develop and choose their own style to lead a group, in any given situation, is the true art of leadership.

Third Form Mini Mountain Day by Caroline Sugar ’18 PSAT Day was a good day to be a third former. While the fourth and fifth formers took the standardized test, we freshmen took advantage of the Moun-tain and hiked to Guilder Pond or, for the more adventurous, the pinnacle of Mount Everett. The walk up to the pond was challenging, but the company of my classmates made it worth the struggle. After about 90 minutes of walking uphill, we made it to the pond. Some even rewarded themselves with a dip in the water. After the walk back down, we were surprised to see that to end our morning of bonding on the Mountain, there was a barbecue waiting for us. It was a great way to challenge ourselves physically and gave us an opportunity to strengthen relationships with one another. Go Bears!

CLIMBING HIGHBerkshire Welcomes the Class of 2018

Alexander Saslove ’18 takes on the high ropes course.

17Fall/Winter 2015

/ Bears at Play /

THREE-PEAT! An Extraordinary Season for Boys Soccer

The Bears made history in November when the boys soccer team defeated Northfield Mount Hermon 2-0 to capture the New England Class A Championship title for the third consecutive year. The win marked the first time that any team has won the Stewart Cup—given to the top Class A boys soccer team in New England—three years in a row.


/ Bears at Play /

The Cup was named for fabled Berkshire coach Jackman Stewart, the man who launched Berkshire’s tradition of exceptional soccer that is thriving today under the leadership of Coach Jon Moodey.

Berkshire’s talented team was noticed well beyond New England as well. The Bears were the No. 1-ranked Prep Soccer Program in the U.S. for the third straight year. “With so many great teams out there in New England and throughout the United States,” said Coach Moodey, “we feel very fortunate to have come out on top again.” Thanks to some good fortune and incessant hard work, the Bears tallied the longest unbeaten streak in NEPSAC league his-tory: a 50-0-3 tear that stretched from November 2011 – October 2014.

While the stats are truly incredible, it’s the players who made the team so special, and indeed the games so amazing to watch. This year the Bears were led by captains Jack Harrison ’15 of Lancashire, England, and Justin Donawa ’15, of San-dys, Bermuda, both four-year players for the Bears who will share their consider-able talents on and off the soccer pitch at Wake Forest and Dartmouth respectively.

In their time at Berkshire, Harrison and Donawa guided the team to an over-all record of 70 wins, 8 losses and 3 ties

UNBEATEN50-0-3. The longest unbeaten streak in NEPSAC league history, a streak that stretched from November 2011 - October 2014.

RECORD-BREAKING DEFENSEWith a .032 goals against average, the Bears’ defense and exceptional goal tending allowed the fewest goals against in Berkshire soccer history.

PLAYERS TO WATCHThere were 7 Berkshire players on Top Drawer Soccer’s High School All-American Watch List in 2014, the most of any other school in the country.

2014 HIGH SCHOOL ALL-AMERICAN GAME SELECTIONSJack Harrison (59 points, 16 goals, 27 assists) and Justin Donawa (46 points, 20 goals, 6 assists). Only 42 players in the entire country are selected for this honor. Berkshire had two.

2014 HIGH SCHOOL ALL-AMERICAN COACHJon Moodey was selected from a national pool as one of four coaches to coach the East team.

in four years and earned four consecu-tive New England Class A tournament appearances, the last three ending in championships. Together, they have tal-lied 112 goals and 90 assists in 77 games. Moodey, who has been the boys varsity soccer head coach since 2005, calls them, “the heart and soul of the team.”

Mutaya Mwape ’16, a fifth former from Zambia, scored the Bears’ first goal of the championship game with 21 minutes remaining in the first half from about 25 yards out. Facing pres-sure all day from a battle-tested Hog-gers squad (No. 8 seed NMH defeated top-seed Loomis Chaffee and No. 4 seed Worcester Academy), Berkshire goalkeeper Jimmy Coyle ’15, a sixth former from New Hope, Penn., made several saves to preserve the shutout. Donawa scored the second goal with nine minutes remaining.

“It’s very special,” said Coach Moodey of the Bears’ win. He continued, “This is such a great group of guys, and for them to pull together the way we did this season, to win this championship again, and to bring it back to Berkshire, it’s really indescribable.” On earning the three-peat, he said, “We didn’t spend a lot of time talking about winning a third championship. I think the guys really kept things together, they kept their priorities right, they played as a team, they played as a family.”

Congratulations to the 2014 NEPSSA Class A Championship Boys Soccer team! Thank you for keeping the Stewart Cup at Berkshire for yet another year.

2014 BY THE NUMBERS

19-2-1 season record22 games99 goals 16 shutouts7 goals against17 different goal scorers 10 goal scorers with 5 or more goals

Photo by Risley Sports Photography

19Fall/Winter 2015

/ Bears at Play /

Sarah Kinney ’15, the New England Division II Cross Country Champ, two years running!

For more information on all our teams, go to www.berkshireschool.org/athletics and don’t forget to follow @BerkshireBears on Twitter for up-to-the minute news and highlights as they happen. #GoBears!


/ Bears at Play /

01 2014 season MVP Scott Lloyd ’15 in action against Williston Northampton Photo by Risley Sports Photography

02 The Bears celebrate after their quarterfinal upset of No. 3 seed Williston Northampton.

03 Renee Dreher ’15 (left) and Arwen Neski ’15 savor a bronze medal finish at the Spartan Sweepstakes Regatta.

04 The Class B NEPSAC runners-up after a hard-fought Class B championship volleyball match against No. 1 seed Noble & Greenough, which ended 3-2 in their favor.

01

03

04

05

02

21Fall/Winter 2015

/ Bears at Play /

Girls Cross Country / Sarah Kinney ’15 won her second NEPSTA Division II Championship race this fall at Williston Northampton, finishing her season and high school career with a PR of 18:50! Also on the course finishing with a PR, newly-elected 2015 captain Morgan Heilshorn ’18 in 21:37.

Boys Cross Country / At the NEPSTA Division II Championship race, the entire team finished with PR’s on the flat and fast course. Highlights included Derrick Burt ’16 finishing in 17:46, Peter Giordano ’15 18:23, Danny Kim ’15 in 18:23, captain-elect Luke Streett ’17 18:29, Tyler Morse ’17 19:27 and James Donovan ’15 in 19:41. Also note: Coach Rob Lloyd, Derrick Burt, Peter Giordano, and Luke Streett broke Mr. Mulder’s fastest Mt. Everett summit time and were treated to ice cream at SoCo!

Football / The Bears opened the season in dramatic fashion with a 14-13 overtime win against Tabor. This season’s five wins were two more than the previous four seasons combined, which spoke to the commitment and dedication of the sixth formers on the team. The idea of building something new and creating a culture of winning made the season a huge success regardless of the wins and losses.

Crew / Berkshire re-introduced a fall crew program this year designed to develop technical proficiency and expertise in boats of all types. The team worked on refining the basic elements of the stroke with the goal of increased speed in the spring. The Bears participated in the Spartan Sweepstakes Regatta and the Head of the Fish, which differ in length from the sprint races of the spring, and placed well in competitive fields.

Field Hockey / Class B NEPSAC Semifinalists In Classes B and C, the Bears finished the season with 40 goals for and 4 against. Overall, they finished 44 for and 18 goals against with 8 shutouts. The Bears’ semifinal postseason appearance was their most successful playoff run since 2007. The team only lost to one Class B or C team and shut that team out in the quarterfinal match-up. Olivia Good ’15 and Sophia Peluso ’16 were named to the WNEPSFHA All-Star team.

Volleyball / Class B NEPSAC Runners-Up The 14-4 record and finish is the best for the volleyball Bears since the 2006-07 squad had a record of 15-3 and was a finalist in the New England tournament when it was still held in the winter.

In 1984, Bill Spalding ’65 took over the JV volleyball team until the 2001-2002 season

when he joined R.G. Meade in the varsity program. That year, the team finished with

a 13-0 regular season record and was in the New England tournament final.

Coach Spalding remained the varsity assistant until he retired in 2007, when the team finished 15-3 and made another appearance in the New England finals. In 2013, Coach Spalding came back out of retirement to again assist Coach

Meade with the varsity team.

At the athletic awards ceremony last fall, Coach Meade called his colleague

to the stage and addressed the crowd with these remarks: “If you’ve ever been up to

the gym, you know that Coach Spalding bleeds green. He brings a level of passion and positive energy to practices and to games that few people can match. In honor of his years of service to the volleyball program, and his dedication to getting the best out of every single player and the team—because ‘Team’ is his mantra—we are renaming the Berkshire Volleyball Bowl, the William F. Spalding ’65 Spirit Award.” A surprised and emotional Coach Spalding then awarded the first-ever volleyball award in his honor to sixth former Emily Barclay ’15 from Fayetteville, NY.

FALL 2014

Athletic

Highlights

These harriers (and Bear cubs) were treated to SoCo ice cream, served up by Kelly Dempsey ‘12, for besting Mr. Mulder’s fastest Mt. Everett summit time!

The Spalding Spirit

Coach Spalding with Emily Barclay, the first-ever recipient of the William F. Spalding ’65 Spirit Award


– M A L A L A Y O U S A F Z A I

ne child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.”

O

23Fall/Winter 2015

The All-School Read committee selected I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban as its selection for the 2014 All-School Read. Of course Malala’s story is inspirational, but this story also powerfully shows what one young woman can accomplish on her own. Our hope with this All-School Read (ASR) choice was to help students gain a more global perspective.

The story and its setting also allowed Berkshire to build a rich program—beyond a single speaker—with help from alumni with deep connections to the region. We assembled a group of panelists who could provide their unique perspectives on the tensions in the region. Their experiences would also provide a personal and historical context for Malala’s story. Alumni Mati Amin ’08 and Don Goodrich ’61 are heavily invested in

WE ARE MALALABerkshire’s 2014 All-School Read by Stuart Miller ’97, English department chair and All-School Read committee chair

continued on next page


Shiza Shahid, center, with Stuart Miller ’97, left, and Head of School Pieter Mulder. Ms. Shahid is an entrepreneur and social innovator of Pakistani origin. She is the co-founder of the Malala Fund and has been named one of Time magazine’s “30 under 30 World Changers” and to the Forbes “30 under 30” list of social entrepreneurs. Ms. Shahid is on the steering committee of the 30% Club, an organization dedicated to getting 30% representation of women in board rooms and in leadership positions by 2020.

women’s education throughout Afghanistan and each had different yet equally engrossing experiences to share. We also invited Shabana Basij-Rasikh (sister of Mustafa Basij-Rasikh ’08) who is the managing director of SOLA, School of Leadership, Afghanistan, a nonprofit organization that helps young Afghan women access education worldwide and jobs in their homeland. Capping off the All-School Read program was a keynote by Shiza Shahid, an entrepreneur and social innovator of Pakistani origin and the co-founder of the Malala Fund.

Both the panel discussion and the keynote speech brought more to the com-munity than we ever expected. The close dynamic of the panel and Ms. Shahid’s inspirational speech not only delivered a powerful message about taking risks and the importance of service to others, they also allowed those in the audience to hear first-hand about a culture that has become shadowed by war and fanati-cism. Students heard multi-layered perspectives of optimism and determination that we seldom read about in the news. This was only amplified by the fact that Shiza, Shabana and Mati are still in the very early parts of their careers and each possesses powerful platforms to institute change.

The themes of education and global perspective as related to I Am Malala have been running throughout the academic year in various disciplines. Some teachers are even currently piloting a curriculum guide created by The George Washington University’s Global Women’s Institute. (See page 26 for more.)

This year’s ASR is culminating in extraordinary opportunities for Berkshire’s students to learn about their world and begin to understand where they fit within it and beyond.

Scan for more photos and videos from the 2014 ASR, including Sarah Kinney’s winning video and an interview with Shiza Shahid by Gwynne Domashinski ’16.

Nobel Pursuit

The Berkshire community was particularly thrilled to hear news out of Oslo, Norway, in October that Malala was to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. At 17, she is the youngest recipient of this prize and shares the honor with Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian activist who has headed various forms of peaceful protests focusing on the exploitation of children for financial gain. The two were recognized jointly for their “struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.” The day of the announcement, the Malala Fund, which supports girls’ education around the world, tweeted that Malala would be holding a press conference later that day—after she was finished with school.

25Fall/Winter 2015

ALUMNI RETURN FOR POWERFUL PANEL

A panel discussion can offer an audience a variety of perspectives. But a discussion becomes even more interesting when instead, it turns into a conver-sation, and the audience feels like it’s eavesdropping on old friends. That was exactly the case in September when the Berkshire community was treated to a conversation between Don Goodrich ’61, Mati Amin ’08 and Shabana Basij-Rasikh, sister of Mustafa Basij-Rasikh ’08, Mati’s classmate at Berkshire.

Don Goodrich and his late wife, Sally, had three children. Their oldest son, Peter Goodrich, graduated from Berkshire in 1985, and tragically died in the attacks of September 11, 2001. Remarkably, Don and Sally responded to the death of their son not with vengeance but with hope. They established a foun-dation, the Peter M. Goodrich Memorial Foundation, devoted to furthering education in the Pashtun areas of Afghanistan, and less than five years later, a new school in Logar Province, Afghanistan, opened its doors to 520 girls in grades K-12. In addition, Don and Sally and the Foundation played an integral role in bringing Berkshire four fine young men from Afghanistan, the first of whom was Mati, who came to Berkshire in 2006.

After graduation, Mati went on to Williams College and started the Afghan Youth Initiative, an organization which supports democratically-minded young people in Afghanistan through funding for a college education and other initiatives to improve the quality of life of the people of Afghanistan. He is cur-rently the Chairman of the Board of SOLA, School of Leadership, Afghanistan, Afghanistan’s only boarding school for girls. Mati works closely with Shabana Rasij-Rasikh, the co-founder and president of SOLA.

Shabana Basij-Rasikh was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan. Under the Taliban, she dressed as a boy to escort her older sister to a secret school—with dire consequences if they were caught. She attended a high school in America under the YES exchange program and graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont. During college, she founded HELA, a nonprofit organization dedi-cated to empowering Afghan women through education. She also raised funds to build a high school for girls in her ancestral village and to build wells on the outskirts of Kabul to give communities access to clean drinking water.

SOLA began with four students in 2008, when Mati and Mustafa were graduating from Berkshire. It has been expanding ever since, and this year en-

rollment is at 34. The school began with only word of mouth to attract students (attending school being a dangerous proposition for girls in Afghanistan), and now it has an online application in three languages. Shabana was named one of National Geographic’s 2014 emerging explorers, a “designation that honors tomorrow’s visionaries—those making discoveries, making a difference, and inspiring people to care about the planet.”

“Berkshire proudly reached out to our alumni base to create a panel of experts to engage our community in an informed dialogue about Malala’s remarkable jour-ney and barriers facing world education today,” said Bill Bullock, director of development during the planning phase of the 2014 All-School Read. He contin-ued, “All three helped to better inform our community about education trends in Pakistan and Afghanistan and were amazing role models for our students.” It was an honor to host such an esteemed panel. The thoughtful discussion, insight and candor from all three guests were an inspiration to students and faculty alike.

To learn more about The School of Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), visit www.sola-afghanistan.org.


PARTNERING TO PILOT: ASR PAIRS UP WITH GW ON MALALA CURRICULUM

Over the summer, the All-School Read program partnered with The George Washington University’s (GW) Women’s Global In-stitute (WGI) and volunteered to pilot WGI’s resource guide for I Am Malala. This curriculum guide, currently in the beta stage for high schools, is being used by faculty from the history and English departments. Faculty are working with thematic modules, includ-ing memoir as literature, Malala in the media, violence against women and religious extremism. When finished, Berkshire facul-ty members will work with GW professors who wrote the guide to fine tune the modules for use by future high schools.

As part of the School’s collaboration with the WGI, Associate Head of School Jean Woodward Maher, Dean of Academic Affairs Clay Splawn and English Department Chair Stuart Miller were invited to attend the launch of the “I Am Malala Resource Guide for Educators” at GW in November. Here, they listened to a keynote speech by Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, as well as speeches by various professors on the topic of women in educa-tion. During a reception afterwards, they also had the opportuni-ty to speak with Mr. Yousafzai and the professors about the ways Malala’s memoir can be used to discuss women’s education and how Berkshire has incorporated the memoir into the curriculum.

On his visit to GW, Clay Splawn said, “It was a thrill to meet and speak with Mr. Yousafzai. His inspirational message of hope through education of course hits very close to home. That we got to do it at GW and meet with the folks from GW’s Global Wom-en’s Institute made it that much better.”

For their exceptional submissions to the All-School Read contest, Ifunanyachi Achara ’17, Gwynne Domashinski ’16, Sarah Kinney ’15 and Kelly Maurer ’18 were selected to attend the Liberty Medal Ceremony in Philadelphia, where Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai accepted the Liberty Medal from the National Constitutional Center (NCC).

Thanks to the graciousness of Kerry Saun-ter, NCC’s Vice President of Education, stu-dents had a private tour of the NCC as well as the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Here, students were reminded of the connection between Malala’s message and the struggles many have faced in the United States since its settlement over 200 years ago.

The ceremony itself was memorable for all. Gwynne Domashinski commented, “Seeing Malala on stage provided a sense of inspiration I didn’t quite feel watching her videos.” But it was not just Malala who provided inspira-tion. Students also heard from “Little Rock Nine” Minnijean Brown-Trickey. Brown-Trickey reminded us all that little actually separates “Malala” (also referring to herself, since “I Am Malala” has become the battle cry for the protection of girls’ education) from those in the crowd. “There is no preparation for confront-ing oppression,” she said. “We, as Gandhi said, should be the change we wish to see.”

In Malala’s words, students heard the mes-sage that they, too, can make an impact in their community. Reflecting on the ceremony, Ifunanyachi Achara said, “When I saw Malala receive the Liberty Medal, I realized that age has nothing to do with greatness.” – Stuart Miller ’97

From left: Ifunanyachi Achara, Gwynne Domashinski, Sarah Kinney and Kelly Maurer each submitted exceptional entries to the All-School Read contest and were selected to attend the ceremony in Philadelphia where Malala Yousafzai accepted the Liberty Medal.

All-School Read Committee Chair Stuart Miller, Malala’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, Dean of Academic Affairs Clay Splawn and Associate Head of School Jean Woodward Maher at the launch of the “I Am Malala Resource Guide for Educators” at The George Washington University in November

Precious Medal

27Fall/Winter 2015

“Culture is always changing, always evolving. Not just Afghan culture but here in the U.S. as well. There is always room for change.” – S H A B A N A B A S I J - R A S I K H

27Fall/Winter 2015


Berkshire lost a truly exceptional person and a legendary school master last summer with the passing of C. Twiggs Myers Hon. ’57. Twiggs’s tenure spanned 61 years; he came to Berkshire via Harvard Law School in 1953, a young man from Philadelphia with a Princeton degree. He taught history from 1953 to 1995, imparting wisdom inside the classroom and beyond for 42 years. In 1966, he founded the School’s cross country running program. Upon his retirement in 1995, he was named Distinguished Alumnus and then Kellogg Volunteer of the Year in 2000.

Twiggs served as a trustee beginning in 2000, and as the School’s archivist and resident tale-teller, he was our

Remembering

direct link to Berkshire’s giants—Eipper, Beattie, Stevens, Stewart, Godman and Chase—and became one of them (surely not his idea) well before the lobby of Berkshire Hall was named in his honor in 2012.

When the news of Twiggs’s passing stunned us all this summer, emails from alumni of all eras began streaming in, and the letters and cards arrived shortly thereafter. The outpouring of sentiment is a testament to Twiggs’s profound impact on his students, colleagues and friends near and far. What follows is a sampling of the public remembrances, a many-voiced recollection of a man who touched so many lives.

twiggscmyers

With Sassy and his daffodils at “Laywell Farm” in Sheffield

29Fall/Winter 2015

“Twiggs is not really gone. He is walking around in thousands of pairs of shoes right now.”– Jim Dean ’67


“

“Twiggs was our ‘Mountain Man,’ with his love of Berkshire’s hills, the Dome, the Sap Squad, the hiking trails and ski slopes that he cared for and shared with all of us, and all those classes that followed. Twiggs garnered his skills and love of the mountains under the tutelage of the venerable and memorable Art Chase, ‘The Bear,’ taking them to at least 50 more classes that followed us over the years.”

– Mac Odell ’57

“In his letters, Keats talks about ‘living the contributive life.’ Twiggs Myers exemplified it.”

– Robert Louis Stevenson III ’73

“At the beginning of one school year, I asked Twiggs how he was feeling about the start of the year. With complete deadpan, he said, ‘Every year I worry that this is the year they will figure out I have no clue what I am doing.’”

– Molly Dean Bittner, former staff

His example was awesome. He was a Princeton graduate who raised chickens, chopped firewood and loved the banter between local Sheffield carpenters and mechanics, while at the same time relished debating the most complex foreign policy of any time period. He was a shining example of tolerance towards ethnic, gender and cultural differences that we all should emulate. To the young people who read this, I say: Live the way Mr. Myers did.” – Bill Gulotta, faculty

“Twiggs represents the soul and conscience of Berkshire, with both rooted in relationships that spanned Seaver and Ann Buck, the school’s founders, to the current students with us today. His loyal stewardship of Berkshire’s mission and values ultimately defines his legacy, and I find some comfort knowing that this will live on in the lives of all whom he touched. The likes of him we will never see again, but all of us carry his remarkable legacy and his enduring love for Berkshire forward forever.”

– Head of School Pieter Mulder

“Twiggs was our rock. He loved the school, and he loved its history. He was humble, but never shy about letting people know what was on his mind. He saw Berkshire during some of its best years, but never wavered in his belief in Berkshire through some very difficult times. He touched many of us in the classroom and others of us on the running fields—did anyone ever see him run?!”

– Former Board Chair Davis Anderson ’68

Remembering twiggs

31Fall/Winter 2015

“Whatever success I may have had as an educator was due in large part to Twiggs as a role model.”

– Ed Hunt ’61, former faculty

“I would often arrive at the tail end of dinner to find Twiggs. We would talk, while I ate, of everything and anything, and Twiggs would always remark that he had never seen anyone eat so much, and I would say, ‘You always say that,’ and he would say, ‘You always eat that much.’ It was a comforting ritual.”

– Bart Elsbach, former faculty

“When Jenny and I were first married and living in Stanley, one of my advisees got in trouble. The year was 1970 or ’71, and Twiggs, who must have been a dean then, met with the student in our living room. I can’t remember the issue or the upshot, but I do remember two things clearly: Twiggs’s even tone as he asked the student about the events that had taken place, and how well Twiggs listened and considered. Somehow he was compassionate and business-like at once—and no one felt judged.”

– Hilary Russell, former faculty

“Like so many, I loved Twiggs. My entire family did. I will never forget the many meals I shared with him in the dining hall, each one a profound professional and personal development experience. He had a way of making me feel grounded, hopeful and proud. When I think of Berkshire, I think of Twiggs: his pond, his animals and his honest simplicity. For a southerner and a Phillies fan, he was a true Yankee.”

– Bill Clough, former faculty

“Fifty years ago, there were (more or less) affectionate names for the masters who were addressed only as ‘Sir.’ There was a bear, a bird, a rat, a rosemary, a speedo, and a toad, but Mr. Myers was simply ‘Twiggs.’”

– Rick Gibson ’66

“Twiggs Myers has been a colleague, father figure, best friend and part of my family for almost 40 years. He has been the most important role model for me as a teacher and human being. He was truly everything Berkshire and everything right in the world.”– Peter Kinne, faculty

Tony Manthos ’56 sent in this photo of Twiggs with Cricket from the spring of 2014.

With Jake Goldberg ’10, after a relatively disappointing season for the Mets

With longtime Director of Communications and Bulletin editor James Harris, thick as thieves and just as mischievous


The below prizes and funds were established in honor of Twiggs’s dedication and service to Berkshire.

C. Twiggs Myers Prize for Excellence in American History Established in 1994 by Myrtle Ann Mazzaferro, Berkshire’s registrar from 1986-96, the prize is awarded to the top student in American history and recognizes the former history chairman and Civil War scholar.

C. Twiggs Myers Endowed Chair for Teaching Excellence Established by former students, parents and friends in 1994, the fund recognizes and rewards a faculty member for dedication to the intellectual, moral and athletic development of students.

The Class of 1957 Faculty Fund Established by members of the Class of 1957 on the occasion of their 50th Reunion to pay tribute to their honorary classmate. Income from the endowment is given annually to two members of the faculty in recognition of teaching excellence and tenure of service.

twiggstrifectathe

“When I began coming back to Berkshire for Prize Night every May [to present the Allen Buck ’30 Prize for Excellence in Photography], Twiggs and I would talk as the crowd gathered in the ‘spaceship,’ as he liked to call the new athletic center when it was lit up for the night. I wrote to a friend after seeing him, ‘As usual I had a nice visit with Twiggs. Did you know that he had heart surgery in February? He came through it well enough because tonight he went to a pre-ceremony dinner, walked up and down the stairs onto the platform, and headed off home under his own steam.’ ‘Under his own steam.’ What could be more true of Twiggs?” – Don Buck ’66, grandson of Berkshire School

founder Seaver B. Buck

This photo ran on the front page of the Berkshire Record on June 9, 1995, under the headline, “Mr. Myers Retires: The End of an Era.”

Remembering twiggs

33Fall/Winter 2015

“My fondest memories of Twiggs are closely allied with those early days, back when Berkshire was approaching its 50th birthday. After school dinners, faculty wives served coffee—with silver tea service and demitasse cups—to the seniors and faculty. Teachers tended to chat with each other. Not Twiggs. He conversed with the students. His lifelong, genuine interest in them and their thoughts germinated in old Memorial Commons.”

– Em Putnam, former faculty

“Twiggs certainly fulfilled my criterion for a successful life by leaving this world a better place for our having been.”

– Tony Manthos ’56

“Twiggs knew; and when he spoke to you, you were reassured that despite all your fears, everything would turn out as it should. If you excelled, he knew why. If you failed, he knew why. And when you screwed up, he knew why. But it wasn’t the ‘knowing’ that we remember so fondly, it was the way he transferred that knowing into advice that made sense, when at times nothing did.”

– Peter Jennings ’68

“Mr. Myers was a second (and in some cases first) father to many of us. To this day, I attribute my love of running to Twiggs, and I think of him and still adhere to his words of wisdom every time I toe the line at a race.”

– Serge McKhann ’83

“Twiggs was a formidable presence and influence. He was both approachable and a bit magisterial. As I got to know him, he was much more of the former and less of the latter. Twiggs’s words, humor and caring have left me a far better man than I would have been without him in my life.”

– Bob Witkowski ’66

““No words can truly capture all that Twiggs gave to Berkshire School. He was the link between the past and the present. He was our institutional memory. He stands alone in his commitment to telling our story.” – Robert (Robin) McGraw ’70, former faculty

This photo was used in the 1964 Trail dedication to Twiggs Myers, which cited his “genuine warmth and understanding of all the students around him” and “his long devotion to Berkshire School,” a commitment which would span still another 50 years.

Photo courtesy Mac Odell ’57, taken by Jack Swanberg ’57.

With former faculty member Em Putnam, who arrived at Berkshire with her husband E.W. “Put” Putnam in 1953, the same year as Twiggs.

Because of its deep affection for him, the Class of ’57 made Mr. Myers an honorary classmate. Here he’s seen with fellow classmates at their 55th Reunion, with Mac Odell at the wheel of his 1937 Ford and Walt Henrion riding shotgun.


“Twiggs will forever be etched in my memory as the one who imbued me, and countless others, with ‘physical courage and mental toughness,’ when I needed it most.” – Lionel Shaw ’85

“Jog; don’t walk.”

Remembering twiggs


35Fall/Winter 2015

Matt Tice ’81 winning the quads relay

More comments and photos, along with a full recounting of his life in an obituary by James Harris, can be found at www.berkshireschool.org/twiggsmyers.

“I gravitated to this man the moment I met him and loved him like a father. I will never forget what he taught me in school and in life. ‘Jog; don’t walk.’”

– Chris Jennings ’84

“I always called Twiggs Myers, ‘Coach.’ I still remember his talks to the team, his jokes and his countless efforts to teach. Rest easy, Coach. You taught us all.”

– Mo Cassara ’92

“I remember, quite sheepishly, Mr. Myers’s green station wagon creeping slowly up behind me on my first day of cross country practice. He rolled the window down and gruffly said, ‘Jog; don’t walk.’ I jogged the rest of the way back to campus, and I’m pretty sure it was the last time he caught me walking.”

– Dee (Friedenberg) Larimore ’79

“He’d park the green car down near the stream and stand there with the windbreaker, a Stetson and a stopwatch. He would somehow know when you were walking even when he couldn’t see you. That’s when the normally soft-spoken voice would cut through the woods or across the field, and you’d hear his famous ‘Jog; don’t walk.’ And you did jog.”

– Matt Tice ’81

Twiggs and his team, 1979

Timing a meet in the fall of 1993

Cross country co-captain Phil Biker ’79, Rich Armstrong and Twiggs in the fall of 1978


BACK TO THE MOUNTAIN

Amid sunny skies and summer breezes,

the Mountain proved a picturesque

backdrop, as always, for the Classes

of 1944C to 2009, who collectively

celebrated 70 years of Berkshire history

and camaraderie as over 350 alumni,

former faculty, family and friends

returned for Reunion Weekend in June.

The event kicked off on Friday with a “Taste of the Berkshires” dinner and a musical performance by the band Abby’s Agenda, featuring Jim Sheldon-Dean ’69. On Saturday morning, alums enjoyed a pancake breakfast, complete with Berkshire’s own maple syrup, in the Arthur C. Chase Sugar House, followed by a full slate of activities throughout the day.

The evening continued with class cocktails and the Gala Dinner, where we recognized Kellogg Volunteer of the Year Jeremy Miller ’96 and our very first Distinguished Alumna of the Year, Rhonda Bentley-Lewis ’86. The merriment carried into the wee hours with dancing under the tent to the Audiostars and a late-night bonfire. The weekend concluded on Sunday with touching memorials shared during our Service of Remembrance honoring departed alumni and former faculty and staff.

REUNION 2014

37Fall/Winter 2015


REUNION 2014

01

04

06 07

05

03

02

39Fall/Winter 2015

01 Over 30 alums set off from Berkshire Hall for guided hikes on the mountain. 02 Front row, from left: Joan Franz Ebmeier ’94, Jessica Lee Guten ’94, Sarah Gee ’94, Sarah Woodson ’94. Back row: Kevin Thompson ’94, Christopher Klingenstein ’94, Chris Kunin ’89, Bryce Fifield ’89, Dave Dufault ’89 03 The Sharon Audubon Society brought along some local feathered friends, including this red-tailed hawk. 04 Members of the 50th Reunion hit the tent for dessert and dancing. From left: Robert Beaumont, Peter Kennard, Patsy Huban, George Huban, Peter Johnson 05 K.C. Clow ’69 was recognized for his exceptional effort in rallying his classmates who turned up in big numbers for their 45th. 06 The Class of ’69 enjoying the sunny Berkshire Hall steps. Front row, from left: Todd Dickinson, Helen Kalevas, Bert Meek, Gary Wright. Back row: Dave Hibberd and Bill Keeney 07 Gaye and Lee Reichart ’64, back at Berkshire! 08 A wolf and a fox: Tom Wolf ’44C and Abdul Fox ’89 09 The Class of 2009 reunited! 10 The 50th Reunion teed it up at Wyantenuck. From left: Lee Reichart ’64, Frederick Pabst ’64, Bob Beaumont ’64 with Head of School Pieter Mulder and faculty Bill Bullock and Dan Driscoll 11 Michael Gutenplan ’99 performs his magic show to the delight of Bear cubs and their parents as well. 12 1994 in Buck Valley: Jaime Leddy Graham, Sarah Gee, Christopher Klingenstein, Amy Leddy Terry and Jessica Lee Guten

08

10 11

12

09


Celebrating ’64

The Class of 1964 broke the attendance record for a 50th Reunion with 23 classmates returning. Their generosity helped bolster an existing fund for guest speakers, and together they established the Class of 1964 50th Reunion Guest Speakers Fund. Thank you, Class of ’64, for your loyal support!

Another memorable moment took place Saturday evening, when Ted Kratovil ’64 was awarded his diploma. Head of School Pieter Mulder cited Kratovil’s “unwavering love for Berkshire” and “the unanimous support of the Class of 1964” when presenting the diploma before classmates and friends.

During their time at Berkshire, Tom Wolf and John Schofield from the Class of 1944C both were on the editorial board of The Green & Gray; they both were in the aviation program; and they both went on to Princeton after graduation. It’s no surprise then, that they both returned in June to celebrate their 70th Reunion.

At the ’44C dinner, classmate Lee Weil, who passed away in 2011, was represented by two members of the Weil family, Jerry Weil ’73 and Cary Weil Barnett ’76. Special guests in attendance were Pamela Burke, granddaughter of Delano de Windt ’11, who was headmaster during ’44C’s time at Berkshire, and Lara McLanahan ’86, a good friend. Jerry Weil made a touching tribute to the class whose deep connection to Mr. de Windt made them more like brothers than simply schoolmates. In that group of only 13 boys, they found a family. They became “Del’s Boys,” the Class of 1944C.

Before dinner, Mr. Wolf announced a gift to Berkshire very dear to his heart: the Tom P. Wolf ’44C Family Collection, over 20 oil paintings, sculptures, prints and engravings.

When presenting the gift, a choked up Mr. Wolf said, “The four years I spent here were the most formative years in my life, and this is where I formed my most meaningful and lasting relationships.” He continued, “We hope that many generations of Berkshire students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends will enjoy these paintings and sculptures as much as we have.”

“Seagulls,” by Ben Benn, a gift to Berkshire from the Tom P. Wolf ’44C Family Collection

70 Years Strong

Left: John Schofield (left) and Tom Wolf Right: Cary Weil Barnett, Jerry Weil and Pamela Burke gathered to help “Del’s Boys” celebrate their 70th Reunion.

REUNION 2014

B E R K S H I R E

41Fall/Winter 2015

From remarks by Head of School Pieter Mulder:“Our final award this evening is the Dis-

tinguished Alumni Award. This award is the highest honor that Berkshire confers upon one of its graduates. Rhonda Bentley-Lewis, Class of 1986, earned her Bachelor’s degree at Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges. She went on to the University of Pennsylvania to earn her Doctorate in Medicine and earned her Master’s in Business Administration at Whar-ton, focusing on healthcare management. She earned a Master’s in Medical Science from Harvard Medical School, graduating as the class valedictorian with a focus on clinical investigation. Rhonda is currently an Assistant Professor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and an Assistant in Medicine at Massa-chusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Bentley-Lewis’s clinical practice focuses on diabetes prevention, management, and diabetes in pregnancy. She is particularly com-mitted to education and plays a significant role in underserved communities. She speaks regularly on diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk prevention and management and serves as the Medical Director for the Health Ministry of the Morning Star Baptist Church in Mattapan, Mass.

A cum laude graduate of Berkshire and a school prefect, Rhonda returned to serve as a member of the Advisory Board from 2005-2009. In 2010, she joined the Board of Trustees.

Against this backdrop of Rhonda’s renowned career achievements in the field of medicine, for her distinctive commitment

As a four-year student, Kellogg Volunteer of the Year Jeremy Miller, Class of 1996, left his mark on Berkshire. He was a passionate student of Chinese and an active participant with Berkshire’s baseball, basketball, cross country and RKMP programs. Jeremy was also elected by his peers to speak at their gradua-tion as the winner of the Weil Family Prize for Public Speaking.

Jeremy joined the Advisory Board in 2011 and lent his creative and analytic talents to an Advisory Board project that studied the efficiencies of Berkshire’s scheduling and classroom sections. Working closely with Dean of Academic Affairs Clay Splawn, this study produced findings that will shape the curriculum for years to come.

“I knew I wanted—and I fought for it, fiercely—to have an educational opportunity outside of the city [of New York]. Little did I know, Berkshire became so much more than an educational opportunity to me. It really became a home and a family. I’m incredibly humbled and honored by the recognition of tonight as well as the significance of this position in Berkshire’s history.” – Rhonda Bentley-Lewis ’86

Rhonda Bentley-Lewis with, from left: Christian, Candace, husband Eldrin, and Christopher, who all came to campus to help celebrate

Rhonda Bentley-Lewis Named First-ever Distinguished Alumna

to education, and for her loyal service to Berkshire that has come to us in so many ways, on behalf of the School, I am deeply honored to present this year’s Distinguished

Alumna Award to Rhonda Bentley-Lewis. In addition, I am proud to share, as she herself is, that Rhonda is our first female recipient of our Distinguished Alumni Award and, as well, the first person of color to be so honored by Berkshire School.”

Head of School Pieter Mulder presented Jeremy Miller with the Kellogg Volunteer of the Year award for his service to Berkshire.

Jeremy Miller Earns Volunteer of the Year

“There’s something magical about Berkshire, and if you have the opportunity to give your own talents, you can give back. And if you give back, you’ll get back an enormous amount more by being an ongoing part of the community that makes this school so wonderful.” – Jeremy Miller ’96


REUNION 2014

CLASS OF 1944C John Schofield ’44C (left) and Tom Wolf ’44C

CLASS OF 1949 Sparry Sparks, Bob Doyle, Moe England, Roald Schopp, Ben Davenport CLASS OF 1959 Sandy Creighton and Bill Tynan

CLASS OF 1964 Front row, from left: C. Twiggs Myers Hon. ’57, Ken Morris, Steve Ernest, Lee Reichart, Peter Johnson, Peter Zimmer, Bob Beaumont Middle row: Cappy Anderson, John Van Deren, Dave Lanman, Peter Coddington, Bruce Blaisdell, Tom Lott, Peter Kennard Back row: Chip Viall, John Sawyer, George Huban, Ted Kratovil, Bruce Kueffner, Rick Pabst, Geoff Bray Not pictured: Robert Fisher, Tom Lott, Richard Stone

CLASS OF 1969 Front row, from left: Tom Pollak, Bert Meek, K. C. Clow, Steve Peet, Gary L’Hommedieu, Throop Geer, Jim Hooper, Seamus McKeon Middle row: Todd Dickinson, John Borden, John Hermans, John Wayne, Gary Wright, Bob Haywood, Jack Weeks, David O’Hara Back row: Richard Muhlfeld, Gordon Hunt, Jim Sheldon-Dean, Bill Keeney, David Hibberd, Ed Chase, Richard Clark, Guy Randlett

Class Photos

43Fall/Winter 2015

CLASS OF 1994 Front row, from left: Amy Leddy Terry, Jaime Leddy Graham, Jennifer Lizza O’Connor, Jessica Lee Guten, Chris Klingenstein, Ashley Schreiber Ghriskey Middle row: David Tamburelli, Sarah Woodson, Joan Frantz Ebmeier, Jenn Stringham Gaudron, Chris Weiss, Noah Fischel, Sarah Gee, Jennifer Harvey Back row: Paul Pimpinella, Matt Lusins, Fran Blair, Jeremy Fried, Kevin Thompson, Jeff Frank Not pictured: Jen Harvey, Todd Gochman

CLASS OF 1974 Dave Weiss, Arty Havemeyer, Dick MacDonald Not pictured: Peter Lindstrom

CLASS OF 1979 Front row, from left: Kevin McCulloch ’84, David Gefke, Susie Norris, Rick McCullough Back row: Lisa Wardell, Rich Hanson, Ben Barrett Not pictured: David Locke, Anthony Settel

CLASS OF 1984 Front row, from left: Glenn Batten ’85, Greg Roberts, Debra Drucker, Ennis Baker, Julia Pounds, Kirby Ingersoll Back row: Jamie Ward, Craig Powers, Kevin McCulloch, Rick White, David Loudon, Jean Borgman Not pictured: Chris Jennings

CLASS OF 1989 Front row, from left: Jenna Pollock, Annie Tutwiler MacKenzie, Deb Cook Wall, Dave Dufault, Meg Cashen Martin, Christie Dufault, Jackie Ossen Berkowitz Back row: Dave Wanamaker, Andrew Allen, Bryce Fifield, Bill Brouse, Abdul Fox, Nicole Schachnovsky, Sam Burns, Kathy Orlando, Lauren Duryee ‘90, Drew Goldman, Chris Kunin Not pictured: Kirsten Durbrow, Kate Marcum, Coco Rudolf, Titus Stewart

CLASS OF 1999 Front row, from left: Tatiana Duryee, Steven Duryee ’99, Nancy Duryee, Melvin Richey ’99, Sarah Cushwa Divine ’99, Michael Gutenplan ’99, Alex Cutler ’99, Yasmin Cutler, George Scoville ’99, Emily Passini

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 20101965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1995 2000 2005 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 19951975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 1965

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 20101965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

1995 2000 2005 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 19951975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 1965

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 20101965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 200544 Berkshire Bulletin

REUNION 2014

CLASS OF 2009 Front row, from left: Jay Cronze, Shannon Kerr, Jen Stafford, Chelsea Fizell, Molly Ryan, Allie Hibbs, Nicky Picotte, Nikki Benedetto, Whitney MacKay, Ali Appel, Kelly Brennan Bendyn Second row: J.J. Jemison, Misha Hyman, Kristin Wolfe, Ansley Flanagan, Sydney Shapiro, Kelsey Brown, Clara St. Germain, Alena Luciani, Thomas Gutierrez Third row: Klayton Johnson, Matt Spurling, Chris Rinaldi, Margot Horner, Charlotte Fadden, Averill Roberto, Romi Peters, Angela Frate, Geordie Connell Back row: Nick Hazenberg, Richie Pallai, Gus Gardner, George Martinecz, Matt Kopel, Mike Gardineer, Matt Haupt, Greg Piatelli, Paul Piatelli Not pictured: George Haydock

CLASS OF 2004 Front row, from left: Connie Park, Meghan Blume, Kathryn Hollister, Faye Abrams Klein, Bridget King, Kraig Strong Back row: Quinn Soto, Adrian Cushwa, Robert Jacobs, Mike Harrison, Nick Shackford ’03 Not pictured: Alex Morley

Register by:

MAY01

Participate:

33%OF YOUR

CLASS

VEST!Receive a:

If 33% or more of your class registers and pays for Reunion Weekend by Friday, May 1, 2015, each classmate registered by this date will receive a complimentary Berkshire School vest!

Calling the classes of ’65, ’70, ’75, ’80, ’85, ’90, ’95, ’00, ’05, ’10

The Matt Brand ’88 Challenge

SAVE THE DATE REUNION WEEKEND 2015 JUNE 5-7, 2015

berkshireschool.org/reunionweekend

/ Class Notes /

45Fall/Winter 2015

45Philip W. [email protected]

46Gerald B. O’[email protected]

48George Church [email protected]

49Robert W. Doyle, [email protected]

Sparry Sparks writes: “I attend-ed my granddaughter’s wedding in Positano, Italy on August 20, 2014. She and her husband will be living in North Carolina. We all had a great time in Rome, Naples, the Island of Capri, Sorrento, and Positano. Nan and I wish all our friends a happy 2015!”

50Charles K. Elliott, [email protected]

Leonard G. Swartz writes: “I retired after 42 years with the U.S. Government, plus 38 years of military service with the Air Force active reserves and two years on active duty, attaining rank of Colonel in the United States Air Force.”

51John B. Hull III(413) 528-1528

53John G. [email protected]

James McCurrach had a busy summer, mostly continuing with his “heavy” tutoring schedule that contin-ued into the fall. He and his husband of 32 years did get away to spend time in the wine country for some good food and drink.

54David W. [email protected]

After serving in the military as a Navy Flight Surgeon in Japan, David Sauer traveled the world on a Yamaha motorcycle. He worked at Stanford University Medical Center for several years and then moved back to Massa-chusetts to open a private practice of ophthalmology in Gloucester in 1973. He was married with four children until his wife passed away in 1996. He is now again very happily married to Mary Thompson, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Dr. Sauer is now retired and lives with his wife in Tryon, NC.

55Stephen V. R. Spaulding [email protected]

56Mike Gusick writes: “This past win-

ter, Virginia and I moved to a new home in Douglaston, NY. I am still active in the music industry with my record label and law practice. No retirement plans on the horizon. I am looking forward to our 60th reunion in 2016!”

57Walter S. [email protected]

Mac Odell writes: “I am reporting in from Dakar, Senegal, where I am teaching a project design and manage-ment course for USAID folks; similar

courses also conducted recently in South Africa, Egypt, Jordan, Thai-land, Ukraine, Congo, Ghana and El Salvador. Project evaluations have also recently been conducted in Pakistan and Afghanistan and a community de-velopment and women’s empowerment workshop was held in Jaipur, India. Otherwise, I am nursing my vener-able 1937 Ford, featured at our 55th Reunion with C. Twiggs Myers, which was back to health after its engine died. A “new” engine is being installed and promises to be on hand to ferry old-timers and notables at the class’s 60th reunion. I wonder if I will ever retire, but I am having too much fun to think about that just now.”

Walt Henrion writes: “Our 60th Re-union is a go! So far, 16 classmates have said that they will come, if possible. Pieter Mulder has given his blessing that we can have our very own 60th Reunion dinner. It would be nice if our class president, Mr. Burbank, could make it. We have not seen him, al-though we have heard from him, since our 20th Reunion. The biggest outcry has been about my comment that this would be our swansong reunion. There is a movement afoot that we should be the first class to have a 65th Reunion. C. Twiggs Myers would be proud of us. Speaking of Twiggs, we are going to have our own memorial service for Twiggs. Mac Odell is planning on driving his ’37 Ford from South Hamp-ton, NH and is proposing to swing by Jack Swanbergs’ and kidnap him for our 60th. Good luck, Mac; we will be cheering for you. I still have not heard from 13 of you. Please email me so I do not have to call you to get a response. Think 60th and think good health.”

59Richard H. [email protected]

60H. Todd [email protected]

Michael Greene writes: “I showed the video Squeaky Thermal to my classmates at our 50th Reunion with REUNION 2015 will take place June 5-7, welcoming back ‘0s and ‘5s!

70th

65th

60th

55th

David Sauer and his wife Mary Thompson

/ Class Notes /


great success. It is now on Amazon, Kindle and www.sasquatchforsale.com, which provides extensive additional photography, technical information, and documentation.”

Book cover for Michael Greene’s Sasquatch for Sale

Harry MacLean writes: “In July 2015, my novel The Joy of Killing will be published by Counterpoint Press. It is a literary thriller, a mystery, a love story, and a meditation on the origin of violence. This is my first work of fiction. The previous four true crime books were all non-fiction. See www.harrymaclean.com for more information.”

Eric Schmidt ‘60 was back on campus in October en route to his home in Maryland, reminiscing about his days at Berkshire on the varsity football team.

61Peter R. [email protected]

Stephen P. [email protected]

Don Goodrich was on campus in September as part of the All-School Read program. Please read the full story on page 22.

62Andrew S. [email protected]

Stuart Marsh writes: “I have retired from teaching high school history, economics and global studies after 9 years. It has been a very rewarding ex-perience after 35 years in the interna-tional banking world. I was teaching in a great school with students of various academic abilities and with teaching colleagues coming from a wide range of backgrounds and ages, most of whom had advanced academic degrees. Be-cause of the 24/7 schedule, my outside activities were limited. And, as the Bird said, ‘It is good to know when they are laughing with you and when they are laughing at you.’ It was time.”

63Ray H. [email protected]

64 John R. [email protected]

Peter C. Tobin was appointed by the President and took the oath of office on March 12, 2014 to serve as U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio. Tobin had been confirmed by the full Senate on February 12, 2014.

Tobin has been involved with law en-forcement for more than four decades, serving as Superintendent of the Ohio

Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation from 2009 to 2011. He previously served as the Narcotics Division Chief at the Bureau from 1995 to 2004.

Tobin was instrumental in the formation of the Columbus Officer Support Team which assists officers involved in police-involved shootings and other traumatic incidents. He served ten terms as president and later as commander of the 60-mem-ber Columbus Police Honor Guard which represents the Columbus Police Department at funerals, parades and numerous other ceremonial occasions.

Tobin attended the 204th session of the FBI National Academy where he was elected Class Speaker by the student body of 270 police executives from across the U.S. and 23 foreign countries.

65James T. [email protected]

Bill Spalding writes: “I am happy to report that Coach Meade has asked me to assist him in coaching the Varsity Volleyball team again this year. I am looking forward to my class’s 50th Reunion this June.”

Ted Dunne writes: “I am alive and well in northwest New Jersey, still loving the beach and practicing law with a be-lief that mediation is a far better way to resolve disputes than litigation, econom-ically and emotionally. My children are 38 and 36, making me feel a bit creaky, but doing fine in their own lives. My wife and I have a small farm with a few animals, horse, dog, cats, etc., keeping us pretty busy, but youthful. I friended Phil Deely on Facebook and he seems well. I have fond memories of some of our escapades at Berkshire: raiding the kitchen, making midnight speeches off the fire escape at Allen IV, Mountain Day, putting the Green and Gray to bed, C. Twiggs Myers Hon. ’57, The Bear (Arthur C. Chase), Mr. Chaffee, Mr. Putnam and his great Caesar speech, ancient history - how could we stand it? I hope it all hasn’t changed too much for the students there now!”

50th

Brad Hunt ’95 ran the 2013 New York City Marathon for the Michael J. Fox Parkinson Team, in honor of his father, Ed Hunt ’61. Ed, Michael, and Brad were at the Fox Team dinner the evening before the race.

/ Class Notes /

47Fall/Winter 2015

66Harlan J. [email protected]

67F. Woodson Hancock [email protected]

Duncan Smith remembers Bill Burrows in the In Memoriam section on page 62.

68L. Keith [email protected]

69Kent S. [email protected]

In Middletown, RI for the early September 2014 wedding of Mary Courtney Laird, daughter of Angus S. Laird ’69 and Courtney Stibolt Wilson. From left: Gordon L. Hunt ’69, Anne Clarke Hunt, Angus S. Laird ’69 and friends Elizabeth and Joseph Dean Yount

Rob Dwelley, along with partner Mark Bayne of South Carolina, is the new Masters Champion of The Nation-al Boatbuilding Challenge. Quality of workmanship was the only parameter with a time limit of 4 hours. Rob and Mark built the 12-foot Phil Bolger Dory in the competition, open only to former winners of the National Challenge. Rob won the Norwalk competition with this same boat with a time of 1:56 and in San Diego in 56 minutes, although quality was not judged.

Capturing a Working WaterfrontLast fall, Jim Hooper ’69

exhibited a show of his photographs at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, Mass. The show, titled “Portraits of a Working Waterfront,” featured photos of those who work on or for the fishing fleet of Gloucester, one of the country’s oldest seaports.

“Hooper was drawn to Gloucester by the city’s famed past and by the spirit and determination of the people

who draw their living from the sea today,” reports the museum in the show description. Hooper also happens to have first-hand experience on the sea. He shared some of the backstory with the Bulletin:

“Since retiring from my career in commercial real estate, I have returned to my old love of photography with great enthusiasm. I was partially motivated to take on another large-scale photography project due to a formative experience I had as a young man just a couple of years out of Berkshire.

In 1972, in the middle of college, I took what today might be euphemistically referred to as a “gap year” and found work as a mate on a commercial tuna fishing boat. I spent a season fishing the waters between Alaska and southern California. The experience taught me life lessons that hold me in good stead even today.

Forty-two years later and 3,200 miles away, I found myself drawn to another working waterfront; I spent the last year and a half photographing the people who make up the commercial fishing fleet of Gloucester and the shoreside businesses that support them. The exhibit consists of 71 portraits of approximately 154 people. Photographing and producing Portraits of a Working Waterfront has been another formative experience, and it has certainly been an important personal milestone on my journey as a photographer.”

The images from the show have become part of the museum’s permanent collection and will serve as a moving homage to the people who make up the port of Gloucester. See www.capeannmuseum.org/exhibitions for more info.

A show of Jim Hooper’s photography was on display at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, Mass. from October through February 1.

/ Class Notes /


70Robin L. W. [email protected]

Robin McGraw writes: “It is with deep regret and overwhelming sadness that I must report the death of David “Doc” Soliday’s son, Schriver, this past summer just before his 18th birthday. An accomplished athlete, scholar and citizen (like his father was at Berk-shire), he would have been a senior in high school this past fall. Our thoughts and condolences go out to David and his family during this very difficult time.

I received news from School that Geoff Mahon passed away this summer.

The passing of C. Twiggs Myers Hon. ’57 has hit many of us very hard. He was such a fixture that you never imagined he might not be there to call on for counsel or advice or whatever. We miss him very much and are appre-ciative of all he did during his lifetime of dedicated service to Berkshire. There is no replacement.

On a lighter note, please remember that our 45th reunion is June 5-7, 2015. My motivation is to get you all to come back for a little visit. Please share with me, or the Alumni Office, any emails you may have from our classmates. This includes everyone. Please consider this your invitation to our party, and look for our class Facebook page!”

71

A Berkshire mini-reunion, from left: Strick Heilman ’71, Deb Van Vleck, and Charles (Chet) Van Vleck ’71, by a beach near Chet’s house in Nelson, New Zealand in December 2013

72John Y. G. Walker [email protected]

John Walker’s son, Jack, is an avid equestrian and competed last summer at the HITS horse show in Saugerties, NY, in one of his lucky shirts, a Berk-shire rugby. He competed in a jumper class over fences of 2'7", amongst 60 other riders, and won the class! His horse is called Chulainne, a big Irish Sport Horse, who has carried Jack to great success in the show ring.

Jack Walker, son of John Walker ’72, competing at the HITS horse show in Saugerties, NY in his lucky Berkshire rugby

James A.M. Johnston writes: “Cheers! It is quiet in upstate NY. I lived on a boat for 10 years, and now that I have entered the “golden years,” the doctors have their hands out. Good to see Fred Walsh, at C. Twigg’s My-ers Hon. ’57 memorial in July.

Jack Bacon works for NASA in Houston, TX and is working on bring-ing the Space Station back to Earth at some point in the 2020s. He was at Berkshire on October 6, 2014 to talk to the students about “Spaceflight 101.” See page 9 for more.

73Leon Jerome [email protected]

45th

John N. Cooper III ’73 (left) and Peter Dayton ’73 got to hang out a bit in Montauk, NY this past summer, reliving memories of the last 45 years.

Jerry Weil ‘73, Paula Pevzner ‘73 and Marianne Stein Hubert met up for dinner in New York City last fall.

Class of 1973 mini-reunion, from left: Jerry Weil, Thom Mullany, Bill Drake, and Alec Wyeth enjoying a day of spring skiing at Ski Butternut in Great Barrington, MA

The class of 1973 met up at a Berkshire reception in Greenwich, CT at the Belle Haven Club. From left: Charles Morelli, Don Perry, Tim Schieffelin and Jerry Weil

74Louise A. [email protected]

Hunter Judson writes: “Murray Bo-dine and I were able to catch-up a few months ago for a round of golf on the Monterey Peninsula. Murray has game and took $6 bucks from me. A rematch is in the works!”

/ Class Notes /

49Fall/Winter 2015

75Joseph M. [email protected]

76Stephen H. [email protected]

William Bullard recently moved from the business world into education and is now the Director of Commu-nications at Hillside School, a junior boarding school in Marlborough, MA that has sent many fine students and athletes to Berkshire. He is excited about the marketing opportunities in independent schools and glad to be back in New England. William is especially pleased to work closely with Hillside’s headmaster of 17 years, David Beecher, who was a teacher, administrator and hockey coach at Berkshire in the ’80s.

William Bullard ’76 (left) with former Berkshire faculty member and now- headmaster David Beecher, colleagues at the Hillside School

77David W. C. [email protected]

Syd Waldman writes: “I started my own funeral care company in April 2013, Waldman Funeral

Care, LLC, and in June 2014, I opened a second office in Bellaire, TX. I have grown to include a part-time assistant who is working on her one-year funeral director apprentice position.”

78Birney B. [email protected]

Frank Sullivan writes: “This past spring I traveled for the second time as part of a missionary team to Kenya. We visited several orphanages and churches run by an organization called Glory Outreach Assembly. Their main focus is orphaned street children and also children abandoned by their families because they have HIV/AIDS. It is an incredible experience to get to know these children, hear their heart-breaking stories and watch as they are given a chance to live a more “normal” life. As is so typical of mission trips, I went with the idea of doing something special for those in need and ended up receiving way more than I had ever hoped to give to them.”

Frank Sullivan ’78 in Kenya with Glory Outreach Assembly

79Robert D. [email protected]

80Steven P. [email protected]

81Sue Ann [email protected]

Annie R. [email protected]

John B. Voss writes: “After a couple years in Kansas, my wife and I moved to Charlotte, NC last year to be with our daughter and her husband. We were then rewarded with a wonderful grandson. Since my employer decid-ed they didn’t like my relocation, we are now planning more babysitting, part-time teaching, and some extensive sailing this winter.”

Lindsey Fielder Cook writes: “We are still living in Bonn, Germany, where my husband Robin helps run a Fair Trade company, and I am the Representative on Climate Change for the Quaker United Nations Office. My work stretches from the multilateral climate change negotiations to meeting with small groups to talk about anthro-pogenic climate change – the most re-cent science and what we can do about it. I was back home recently, sharing the incredible experience of marching down New York City streets with some 400,000 people calling for action to stem our greenhouse gas emissions, and Sheffield, MA, where I saw my 90-year-old mom, Sally, and sister Rebecca Cook Pitts ’79. My children are well and growing tall, Gabriel, 14, and Anna, 12. We live along the Rhein River in case anyone is passing by and needs a hot meal!”

Lindsey Fielder Cook ’81 (on left) at the People’s Climate March in New York City in September 2014

Allen Maxwell writes: “My family is doing great. One son works as a software engineer, not sure where he gets it, my other son is at the University

40th

35th

/ Class Notes /


of Utah, and my daughter attends the Salt Lake Community College and is trying to transfer to the University of Hawaii (yeah, me too) in the spring. After 18 years I was laid off in August, so now I’m looking for a job! I’ve been doing consulting work and that may turn into a good opportunity in San Francisco, CA, so I’m excited about the possibilities. I continue to volunteer at Snowbird and skied 46 days last year. We’ll see how many times I can get up there this year. Pray for snow!”

Cynthia Montgomery writes: “My son, Garrett, is a junior at Rhodes College, and I’m still adjusting to being an empty nester. So, I tried zip-lining last fall; not my thing. I took a hot air balloon ride last July in Napa Valley, complete with a champagne lunch; definitely my thing! I hope everyone in our class is doing well. I love to read all the updates on Facebook. Keep ‘em coming!”

Tom Boehland writes: “Life is good here in Minneapolis. I bought a drone and have become a very proficient pilot. The other exciting news to report is that I won the Minnesota State Sprint Track karting championship in September 2014! I’ve been racing karts for years and finally took top honors; the smell of victory was great. Kids are grown, and the house is quiet. I look forward to catching up with everyone in 2016 for our 35th Reunion!”

Carrel Crawford writes: “I’ve been living in Amsterdam for the past 7 1/2 years with my partner, Nicky, and our nine-year-old daughter. It is an amazing place to live. I love walking out the door and jumping on my bike to do everything. I am wholly focused on raising my daughter and doing my artwork, specializing in portraits, which I started at Berkshire and have

recently come back to. You can view my work at www.carrelcrawford.com. Feel free to hop over the pond for a visit; seriously.”

Judd Anderson ’81 spent a week on Thompson Island, Lake of The Woods, Northwest Ontario, as he has most years since 1981, with Roby Thompson ’82. It was an incredible time of friends, fishing and reminiscing. He hopes to have Terry Gregory ’82 join next year.

82Thomas Brian [email protected]

Anthony P. [email protected]

83Karen Schnurr [email protected]

Sarah Bakhiet was unanimously chosen by the Seabury Hall Board of Trustees to be the next headmaster at Seabury Hall in Maui, Hawaii; she will assume her duties July 1. She will be the first woman and fifth headmaster for the grade 6 to 12 private school that celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.

84Eric Mellinger writes: “I continue on

my journey exploring the magic of long exposures and photons, which began four years ago after reading an article written by Dean Chamberlain ’73 in the Berk-

shire Bulletin. Since June, I was com-missioned by Squarespace for light art performance photography at the Lower East Side Film Festival and had some of my recent light painting photographs exhibited in Oviedo, Spain at the 3rd Light Painting World Exhibition. I also took part in an all-digital exhibition called “Waves of Light” in Hong Kong this past August.

Steve McGlynn writes: “I live in Skaneateles, NY with my wife, Lisa, and children Cullen (17), Mae (15), William (13), and Anna (10). I am the General Manager for EnviTec-Biogas USA, a renewable energy company with headquarters in Lohne, Germany.”

85Lionel A. [email protected]

Lionel Shaw writes: “I attended the lovely memorial service for C. Twiggs Myers Hon. ’57 on July 12, 2014 in Shef-field. It was good to see Jed Scala and many teachers in attendance, as well.”

Eric Derman and Cathryn Vega of Highlands Ranch, Colorado are engaged and are planning a July 2015 wedding in Denver, CO.

86Rhonda M. [email protected]

Lara Schefler [email protected]

88Walter D. Long, [email protected]

Scott M. [email protected]

Photographs by Eric Mellinger ’84 displayed at the “Waves of Light” exhibition in Hong Kong in August 2014

30th

/ Class Notes /

51Fall/Winter 2015

Ellie Glaccum Debenham writes: “I had a great time this past summer catching up with Paige Robertson Jasaitis ’91 at the Sea Bright Beach Club in NJ. I also saw James Dale and his wife and their three children. Ironically, James and his family recently moved closer to my home town, Unionville, PA when they relocated to Chester Springs, PA about 30 minutes away.”

Ellie Glaccum Debenham ’88 and Paige Robertson Jasaitis ’91 at the Sea Point Beach Club in New Jersey

Wally Long and Valerie Long, former faculty, and their girls Kather-ine, Charlotte, and Gigi have recently relocated to Seattle, WA. Wally is the Director of Alumni and Development for the Northwest School, a 6 - 12 grade progressive independent school in Seattle’s Capital Hill neighborhood. The family loves their return to big mountains as well as their regular swims in Puget Sound.

89David H. [email protected]

Andrew D. [email protected]

Abdul Fox writes: “I’m relocating from Tampa, FL to Atlanta, GA, with the company OrangeTheory fitness, a group personal training facility, with the rights to open six more locations in Georgia.”

90Natalie Dillon O’[email protected]

Natalie Bradley [email protected]

Nina Bradley Clarke writes: “I am excited to tell you that I have joined forces with an impressive, brand new company called Beautycounter, which offers chic, high performing body products that are not only great but also safe. I am passionate about exer-cise and eating healthy, and now I am taking the next step to protect my skin, and my family’s, by using products that are chemical-free. Please contact me directly at [email protected] if you would like to try these products. I look forward to seeing you all in June for our 25th Reunion!”

Sarah Robinson Aird ’90 (left) and Kate Fisher Fitzgerald ’90 with Kate’s husband JT, and all of their children, in London, England where Sarah lives and the Fitzgeralds were vacationing!

91John K. [email protected]

Bo Fleitas ’91 and his family

Bo Fleitas writes: “Life is great. I have three wonderful daughters and a loving wife; we are living in Devon,

PA. My best to all of the ’91s. I would love to hear from you at [email protected].”

92Abram W. Duryee [email protected]

Elisa Marie DiStefano and Richard Morgan “Mo” Cassara were married on August 28, 2014 at St. Thomas More Roman Catholic Church in Hauppauge, NY. Elisa works in Woodbury, NY as a television anchor and reporter for News 12 Long Island. Mo is a New York-based on-air college basketball analyst for ESPN. From 2010 to 2013, he was the men’s basketball coach at Hofstra University.

Mo Cassara ’92 and wife Elisa Marie DiStefano

From left: Scott Smith ’91, Norsung Wodhen ’92, Joe Doldo ’92, Mo Cassara ’92, and Chris LaCava ’92 at the wedding of Mo Cassara and Elisa Marie DiStefano on August 28, 2014

93Tenley E. [email protected]

Hilary A. [email protected]

25th

/ Class Notes /


94Francis A. [email protected]

95Bradley P. [email protected]

Eduardo Rivas writes: “I was pro-moted in July from Senior Counsel to Vice President, Legal Affairs for NBCUniversal where

I primarily work on scripted and un-scripted television development proj-ects as well as current programming. Working for NBC on the Universal back lot has been a truly rewarding ex-perience. Having joined the NBCUni-versal world almost six and a half years ago, it’s exciting to be part of such a resilient and creative industry.”

Brad Hunt ran the 2013 New York City Marathon for the Michael J. Fox Par-kinson Team, in honor of his father, Ed Hunt ’61. Ed, Michael, and Brad were at the Fox Team dinner the evening before the race. See page 46 for a photo.

Javier Winnik and Carey Lee Nava were engaged on October 12, 2014.

96Katherine C. [email protected]

Julie A. [email protected]

Tatum E. [email protected]

97Gordon B. [email protected]

Jessica Morris ’97 and Robert Noll were married May 31, 2014 in Wilton, CT surrounded by friends and family.

Erin Yoffe Halper writes: “I had a big 2014! I gave birth to my second son, Benjamin, in January and bought a house in Summit, NJ, about 30 minutes outside of NYC. Funny enough, a few weeks before moving out of our New York City apartment, I ran into Zach Haberman ’96 in my apartment build-ing; turns out he was my new neighbor! Too bad it was only for three weeks. If anyone lives in the Summit area, I’d love to hear from you!”

Hasan Saiyid and Erum Azam were engaged in November 2014.

Lindsey Spink ’97 and his wife, Kat, welcomed Winston Spink to the world in April. The Spinks, including their two boxers, just moved back to the U.S. after living in London, England for four years. They now reside in New York City.

98Jason C. [email protected]

Malinda L. [email protected]

Lauren A. [email protected]

Crystal Mendez-Covington writes: “I’m now known as Crystal Men-dez-Covington! I married Charles Covington on August 3, 2014, and boy was it a special and fun day. I met

Erin Yoffe Halper ’97 and her son, Benjamin

Alexa Saxton Thomas ’97 and her husband, Gaël, welcomed Luca-Phoenix Neil Jacques Thomas on July 16, 2014 at 3:07 pm, weighing 6 lbs. 2 oz. and measuring 19 inches. 20th

Mary LaMereaux Whitfield ’93 (center) with co-chairs of the Association for Women Attorneys Banquet in Memphis, TN last year where she was named the 2014 AWA president

/ Class Notes /

53Fall/Winter 2015

Charles when we were about 14. We were both freshmen at Bishop Lough-lin in Brooklyn, NY. The following year, I attended Berkshire and he went to Christ the King High School in Queens. We stayed in touch for a while, but once we attended different colleges, we went our separate ways. In the sum-mer of 2012, we reconnected through Facebook (sometimes Facebook can be a blessing) and now we are married! Nakia Howell ’96 and Javier Winnik ’96 attended the wedding.”

Nakia Howell ’96, Crystal Mendez-Covington ’98, Charles Covington, and Javier Winnik ’96 at the wedding of Crystal and Charles on August 3, 2014.

99Michael D. [email protected]

George S. [email protected]

Molly Formel Ferguson ’99 is living in Germany, where her husband, John, is stationed with the Air Force. Their three kids love to explore castles and ruins every weekend!

George Scoville writes: “On Septem-ber 27, my longtime girlfriend, Emily Passini, married me on a small farm in Ashland City, TN, just west of my native Nashville. Emily made her first trip to the Mountain this past June as my date to Reunion Weekend. It was a real honor to celebrate the occasion of our marriage with my Berkshire classmates Michael Gutenplan and Scott Gordon, and my youngest sister Elizabeth Scoville ’02. Scott gave two readings

during the ceremony: an excerpt from a letter Abigail Adams wrote to John Adams while he was abroad in 1782 and a letter that President Ronald Reagan wrote to his wife, Nancy, from aboard Air Force One on the morning of their 31st wedding anniversary in 1983. The outdoor setting for the event reminded me fondly of the majesty of autumn on Undermountain Road.”

A mini-reunion at the wedding of George Scoville ’99 to Emily Passini on September 27, 2014, from left: Scott Gordon ’99, George Scoville, Elizabeth Scoville ’02 and Michael Gutenplan ’99. Photo credit: Joe Hendricks Photography

00Brooke T. [email protected]

01Shannon M. [email protected]

Caitlin M. Hettinger writes: “After moving to Bucks County from NY almost three years ago, we are in the

process of building the restaurant of my dreams along the Delaware River. It is an historic inn built in the 1800’s, and we are working tirelessly to open in spring 2016. Between the restaurant, my consulting firm, our Icelandic po-nies, 26 chickens, 4 dogs and 2 cats, we are nothing short of being incredibly busy, but I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for it to be any other way.”

Adam Morley ’01: two thumbs up--Siskel and Ebert

Morley enjoyed being back on campus for Reunion Weekend 2014. The highlight was listening to Alex Cut-ler ’99, aka Don Blanquito, perform from the best seat in the house on South Pinnacle.

Brooke Beebe Noble ’00 and Troy Daniel Noble were married in January 2014 at Ocean Cliff Resort in Newport, RI. There were several Berkshire alumni in attendance, from left: John Beebe ’06, George Beebe ’61, Brooke Beebe Noble ’00, Troy Daniel Noble, Sarah Cushwa Divine ’99, Peter Beebe ’02, Patricia Schofield, mother of Eve Bruneau ’00, Birdie Cushwa, John Bruneau, father of Eve Bruneau ’00, and Brendan “Kempe” Scanlan ’00.

15th

/ Class Notes /


02Matthew P. [email protected]

Jaclyn Brander Marshall and her husband, Steve, are expecting a baby boy in February 2015. Jaclyn continues to work in commercial real estate and just joined Kidder Mathews as Vice President. Jaclyn and Steve had an enjoyable visit to campus this past September.

Kate Daigh Berry ’02 welcomed Lucas Daniel Berry to the world on May 28, 2014.

Steve Marshall, Jaclyn Brander Marshall ’02, Bruce Miller, Jill Meyer Miller ’02, Libby Murfey ’02, Andrea Caicedo ’02, and Mateo Lleras at the wedding of Julia Hansen Lynch ’02 and Justin Lynch on June 21, 2014 at Belle Mer in Newport, RI.

Former faculty Nancy Duryee-Aas and Bill Spalding ’65 visited with Jaclyn Brander Marshall ’02 and Libby Murfey ’02 in San Francisco, CA in September.

03Jane Walker [email protected]

Morgan Ralph writes: “Life is good out in Boston. I recently moved from New York City with my fiancée Susanna Twarog. Late this spring, on our customary early morning jog around the Charles River, I surprised her with a ring, and added to the surprise a trip to Bermuda. She said yes, by the way! We plan on getting married early next fall on Nantucket. There will be several Berkshire alumni in attendance, spanning a few generations. Hope to see some of you under the Mountain soon!”

Hilary Day Calton is living in Col-orado. Her daughter, Brooke, is in first grade and excels at math and spelling and also enjoys soccer and dance class. Hilary left teaching to pursue a new ca-reer in cosmetology and will complete her schooling next year. Her husband, Bill, takes on new ventures at Comcast, including running the on demand content services.

Abbie Bullard Tendick married Kyle Tendick in Lake Placid, NY in June when the weather, and the weekend itself, were absolutely beautiful. As a former ice hockey player, the weekend festivities kicked off with a pick-up hockey game played by many guests, including dear friend, and former Berk-shire teammate, Julia Palmateer Wall ’03, on the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” rink rented for the occasion. Abbie and Kyle live in Milwaukee, WI.

Abbie Bullard Tendick ’03 and her husband Kyle Ten-dick played hockey with their wedding guests before the big day.

Will Kim ’03 (left) with his boss, the Eighth Army Commanding General, Lieutenant General Bernard S. Champoux from Pittsfield, MA (right) and the infamous Korean national hero, General Paik, Sun Yup. Last year, the Eighth Army made General Paik the Honorary Com-mander and this picture is from his visit to Command Headquarters to see LTG Champoux. Kim interpreted for both generals during the visit.

Morgan Ralph ’03 and fiancée, Susanna Twarog, to wed on Nantucket in the fall of 2015

Brooke, daughter of Hilary Day Calton ’03

/ Class Notes /

55Fall/Winter 2015

ALEXANDER CLARK ‘08

Alexander Clark’s business card reads “Art Advisor Guy.” His roots in the art business reach back four generations. “I grew up in an art gallery,” he says, speaking specifically of Paul Rosenberg & Co. in New York City. This legacy began when his great great grandfather, Alexandre Rosenberg, retired from a career in finance to collect and sell antiques in Paris. His focus soon turned to art, specifically Van Gogh, Manet and the early Impressionists, and Barbizon painters, and a family legacy began.

After interning at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the MoMA Archives, Christie’s and Sotheby’s, and two unsuccessful stints opening his own gallery, Clark co-founded with a friend, The City Firm, a corporate art consulting firm. The City Firm aims to "build bridges and business models for artists, galleries and brands." Clark's role ranges from representing artists, curating exhibitions and serving in an art advisory role to real estate developers.

MAKING THEIR MARK: YOUNG ALUMS IN THE ART WORLD By Susie Norris ’79

Above: Ellie Rines with artist and client Matt Kenny and a view of Rines’s space, 55 Gansvoort, during one of Kenny’s recent shows.(Photos by Jordan Doner)

PAT LI ‘08

“The collision of art and business intimidated me at first,” said art dealer Pat Li. After her two years at Berkshire, she studied

art history at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and then took the big plunge into New York City where she worked and

studied in the Christie’s Art Auctions Master’s program. She got both theoretical and practical experience in the art auction business, with a specialization in the Department of Chinese Art. Originally from Hong Kong, Li sees unique opportunities as global markets expand. “My focus is to bring Asian artists to New York corporate collections, and emerging American artists to Asia,” she said.

In a recent show she curated in the Alex Adams Gallery in Harlem, mask sculptures by the artist Benet Iglesias coexisted with elegant, gold-tinged oils of insects and dramatic landscapes by artist Fumiko Toda. Next, Li brought Toda’s work to the Hamptons Art Fair in July 2014, and then Iglesias’s work to China in September. “Berkshire helped my ability to adapt to new environments, and I use that to build and create new options,” said Li.

ELLIE RINES ’06

Ellie Rines studied Chinese at Berkshire and Union College. “I

loved the language, the history and the culture, and that directed

me to start in Chinese antiquities,” said Rines. When she was recruited by Sotheby’s as an intern because of her interest in art and her artful, bilingual understanding of Chinese culture, her past and future aligned. She went on to work in Chinese antiquities at Christie’s and at the renowned Knoedler Gallery in New York. She then moved on to Craig F. Starr Gallery where she helped curate exhibitions for three years. She now runs 55 Gansevoort, an experimental exhibition space in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District where exhibitions are on view and fully visible from the sidewalk, 24/7.

Her typical day is spent visiting artist studios, connecting with clients, working on her shows and placing artwork in strong collections. “You have to spot artists who can grow and develop. It’s about finding someone who can contribute something new and exciting.” This winter, Ellie coordinated a show of the artists she represents at 55 Gansevoort at a space in Marfa, Texas called United Artists Limited, a renovated gas station owned by the artist Michael Phelan, who, in serendipitous fashion, happened to attend Berkshire in the mid-eighties. The exhibition opens in the second week of March. For more information about 55 Gansevoort, visit 55gansevoort.com.

Alexander Clark, shown here with the artist David Maddy, in a photo shot by Ryan McNamara at Elizabeth Dee Gallery in New York

/ Class Notes /


04William C. [email protected]

Kraig D. [email protected]

05Matthew G. [email protected]

Ryan [email protected]

Kelsey Mullen serves as the Director of Education and Public Programs at The Mount, Edith Wharton’s home in Lenox, MA, and gets a thrill out of wel-coming current Berkshire Bears on field trips to the property.

On September 7, 2014, Ori Goldman ’05 and Christine Lee were engaged on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in New York City. They don’t have a date set for the wed-ding yet, but are planning on this spring or next fall.

06Emily K. [email protected]

Courtney J. [email protected]

Stephen W. [email protected]

Tess Hardcastle writes: “After four years teaching high school English in Athens, GA, I’m back in western Massachusetts teaching, coaching, and dorm-parenting at Northfield Mount Hermon School. I hope everyone is well!”

07Allison A. [email protected]

Casey A. [email protected]

08Erica [email protected]

Melissa M. [email protected]

Christopher J. [email protected]

Abigail I. [email protected]

Kayla Arsenie writes: “I am still in Denver enjoying life in the Mile High City. I recently left work in the hectic world of Major League Baseball, and I now work for the world’s largest travel

club, Inspirato. When I am not cheer-ing the Broncos on at home, I spend my time exploring the mountains of Jack-son Hole, WY and Vail, CO by snow-board or on foot with my boyfriend, Garrett, and our puppy, Diego.”

Kayla Arsenie ’08 cheering on the Denver Broncos with Miles the mascot!

Erica Ginsberg became engaged to Michael Murphy on June 22, 2014 on the beach in Wilmington, NC. They plan to get married somewhere tropical in May 2015.

Jeff Wexler started a new job last summer as a political appointee in the Obama administration. He is working as Special Assistant to the Administra-tor at the U.S. Small Business Admin-istration and has been traveling around the country to promote small business-es. Jeff is living in Washington, DC.

Mati Amin was on campus in Sep-tember as part of the All-School Read program. Please read the full story on page 22.

Suzanne Sperl Knights ’06 married Michael Knights on May 31, 2014, and was thrilled to have classmates Thea Morrison, Hannah Sheldon-Dean, Jacqui Cloud and Stephanie Groom in attendance. Suzanne and Michael welcomed a baby girl, Hailey Marie Knights, on January 18, 2015.

10th

/ Class Notes /

57Fall/Winter 2015

Mustafa Basij-Rasikh ’08 and his wife, Muska, welcomed a daughter, Haska, to the world in 2014. Mustafa and his family reside in Kabul, Afghanistan.

09Gregory T. [email protected]

Molly L. [email protected]

David Grace changed jobs, from working at Warner Brothers, to being an assistant for a talent agent at Wil-liam Morris Endeavor (WME) in Los Angeles, CA.

Last summer, Julia Slyer ’14 completed her first full iron-length triathlon as the youngest finisher at the 2014 Ironman Lake Placid. A devoted triathlete, at Berkshire, Slyer even found ways to integrate her love for the sport into the academic realm, creating a multi-media presentation on the history of youth triathlon for her fifth-form English class.

Talking about triathlons is not new to Slyer, as she has appeared as a colum-nist on the Adirondack Sports & Fitness website. Slyer also offered the Berkshire community a one-week mini-triathlon course with a faculty member, but it was cancelled due to a lack of enroll-ment. She laughs about this missed opportunity on the part of her peers. “People think that triathlon is crazy,” she observes. “They are kind of right.”

Amazingly enough, her training for Lake Placid only started in earnest in June. “I had been thinking about trying it for several years,” Slyer recalls. “I signed up for Lake Placid 2014 the day I turned 17, but I didn’t really have time to train formally until that next summer.” Slyer’s only real goal for her first Ironman was to complete the race. “I knew I could finish once I got off the bike,” she confides. “I had nine hours to run a marathon.”

At the finish of the Ironman Lake Placid! Julia’s official time was 12:13:16.

And run it she did, coming in under five hours to finish with an official time of 12:13:16, good for 8th in her cate-gory and 137th among all women. A parentally-supported trip to the tattoo parlor – “I wanted something to show the world,” she confides – completed her day and left Slyer with a permanent reminder of what she accomplished in Lake Placid.

Farther, Faster, Slyer

by A. J. KohlheppCameron Ashworth ’08 married Sean Blue at Wilton Bap-tist Church in Wilton, CT on June 21, 2014. The couple met at Bellarmine University. Bears in attendance were, from left: Helen Pearsall ’08, Abigail Tufts ’08, the groom, the bride, Jon Wienner ’08 and Allie Hibbs ’09.

A. J. Kohlhepp, Ph.D., a member of the English department and Director of the Writing Center, completed a half-iron (70.3 miles) race in Hunter, NY, this September. He taught Julia Slyer in AP English Language during her fifth-form year at Berkshire.

/ Class Notes /


Kristin Wolfe ’09 and Alex Matthews reconnected and fell in love two and a half years ago, although they met years prior playing hockey against one another. They live in his hometown of Parrsboro, Nova Scotia. He popped the question on October 10, 2014 on the beach, where they spent many hours walking along looking for sea glass. The couple has not yet set a date, but Kristin is very excited to become Mrs. Kristin Matthews!

10Shannon E. [email protected]

Christopher B. [email protected]

Dalisa Espinosa writes: “Hi all, I hope everyone is doing well and having luck in the work force since graduating. After getting my degree in biology from Skidmore, I spent a few weeks traveling to Norway and Spain before working all summer as a chemist at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute. I recently accepted a job at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY where I will work in a research lab focused on im-mune-compromised patients and fungi diseases. Please look me up if you’re ever passing through town, I’d love to get together. I look forward to our 5th Reunion in June!”

Dillon Kollmer graduated from Union College in June and is a business analyst at Single Platform, a division of Constant Contact, Inc. in New York City.

Cyndi Sperl graduated cum laude from Emmanuel College in May 2014 with distinction in education and received her bachelor’s degree in math and secondary education. She is living in Boston doing the math teacher

residency program and pursuing her master’s degree from Sposato School of Education.

Jen Provost writes: “After gradu-ating from Providence College with a degree in Health Policy and Man-agement and a minor in Pre-health Studies, I spent my summer as a nanny and just recently earned my license as an EMT. I plan to volunteer as an EMT and work at Fletcher Allen Health Care to complete my direct patient care hours before applying to grad school to become a Physician Assistant. See you all at Reunion Weekend in June!”

11Mary K. [email protected]

Kristy M. [email protected]

12Juliet E. [email protected]

Anna Johnston writes: “Hi, every-one! I hope you all are well and happy. I recently visited Berkshire with Juliet Shatkin and it made me miss everybody so much! In news for me, I just transferred from SMU to NYU, so if anyone is in New York City any time soon, I would love to see you. I am counting down the days until our reunion.”

Brian Helderman attends the University of Denver, majoring in economics and philosophy. He is currently studying abroad in London, England and on the side has developed, designed, and marketed his own iOS mobile App. The App is called Giggin, which allows users to share and quiz friends on the music from their iTunes library. It’s free, easy to use and very fun. Give it a try!

13Charles G. [email protected]

Steven H. [email protected]

Hattie Waldron is on the golf team at Franklin and Marshall College and is having a blast!

14Samuel G. Perkins [email protected] Emily M. Hubbard [email protected] Jacob A. Grant [email protected]

Former Faculty

Art Charles, Dean of Faculty (1998-2001) announces the publication of Holidays in a War Zone, containing essays from his travels around the world, including Running from the Bulls in Pamplona, Arrested on the Steps of Sacré Coeur, a Tourist in the Khyber Pass, Bloody Blisters in Baños, and the epic poem, Camping with Uncle Bud. This is Art’s third adventure book, following Shadow Rider: A solo transcontinental bike trek at age 55 and Boots on the Camino:A walk on the medieval pilgrims’ trail. He continues to stay busy paddling his boat in Phippsburg, ME and finding heads of international schools for Carney, Sandoe & Associates. He recently hosted Mike Dalton before Mike set off to walk the Camino de Santiago.

Ronn Jos Cabaniol writes: “I have written a short story called ‘A Christ-mas Miracle’ which appeared in Yankee Magazine’s November-December issue. This is the second short story of mine that Yankee published. They published “The Monadnock Roar” in 1990 which can be found and read for free on YankeeMagazine.com. It is considered by the magazine to be one of their ‘Classics’ now.”

5th

/ Class Notes /

59Fall/Winter 2015

Barrington “Barry” Fulton, faculty member from 2005-2007, has worked at two other schools since working at Berkshire. He was a teacher of high school English and Dean of Intercul-tural Affairs at the Pennington School for four years, and then he moved to The Pingry School to join their faculty as a 6th grade English teacher and 6th grade Team Leader. This year, he is taking a leave of absence from Pingry to pursue his master’s degree in private school leadership from the Klingen-stein Center, part of the Teachers College of Columbia University. He currently lives in New York City, and he looks forward to taking a trip up to the Berkshires to see his former students and colleagues at Reunion Weekend in June.

Ted deVillafranca writes: “I retired from Peddie having been Dean of Ad-mission and College Counseling. My business partner and I now run Edvice Princeton, an international admission consulting firm (www.edviceprinceton.com). I love connecting with Berkshire graduates over Facebook and staying in touch with Berkshire. My siblings were both born when my parents were on the faculty at Berkshire, so it’s a family school for sure!”

Molly Dean Bittner Hon. ’57 writes: “I only spent two years at Berkshire, 1990-1992, as the Direc-tor of Annual Giving, but have many cherished memories of the people and the place. I am now in Richmond, VA and am the Senior Vice President for Philanthropic Services at The Com-munity Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia. I am married and have two sons, Bo, 10, and Jimmy, 7. Life is good, and I often think about my time at Berkshire!”

Stephen A. Craig released his first novel, Waiting for Today, in December. The novel is about the meaning of suffering and the inspiring nature of the human condition, which encourages you to believe in life again. It will be available in all formats early in the New Year. You can read more about it on the author’s Facebook page, Steven A. Craig.

Former faculty Cathy Schieffelin-Balanda writes: “I’m happy to announce the birth of my twins, Julia and Eli, born on August 10, 2014. They were early, but eager to meet the world. Born prematurely, they weighed in at around 4.5 pounds each, but they’ve already doubled their weight and are happy and healthy. We can’t wait to take them for their first visit under the Mountain.”

Former faculty Jennifer Gaenzle Smith and Kirsten Durbrow ‘89 found former faculty Procter Smith in the library at Salisbury School, where they have joined him as colleagues. Procter lives on campus and serves as an instructor of English and as director of dramatic productions. Jennifer and Kirsten work in the Rudd Learning Center. Kirsten recently moved back to the area from South Portland, ME after teaching fourth grade in Falmouth. Jennifer lives in Sheffield with her husband Colin Smith ’87 and two girls, Norah and Lena.

/ In Memoriam /


The Berkshire School community extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of the below alumni, former faculty and friends of the school. To send obituaries or remembrances of classmates or family members, please email [email protected].

John E. Hassett ’40 November 18, 2014John Edward Hassett attended Holy Cross and Tufts Dental School. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Navy where he served in Japan during WWII and in Virginia during the Korean conflict. He was the proud owner of two Model A cars and enjoyed participating in cars shows. He always had a joke readily available because he was in the “smile business.”

Frederick Sloane Ford, Jr. ’43 August 1, 2014Frederick Sloane Ford, Jr. was a naval architect, a builder and a sailor, and as such knew boats. Ford set up shop in Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich. His Great Lakes series boats are now being restored as classics. Ford was at the wheel of his own boat until the age of 84. Ashore, he continued to winter on his 58-foot Hatteras until he was over 90.

Craig Hecker ’45 December 8, 2014A Michigan native, Hecker attended Michigan State Univer-sity after the Navy and graduated with a degree in business. He owned the company Ferguson Supply Co. and through his efforts, he added three branches throughout Michigan. He had a great love of the symphony, opera, ballet and art. He also had a deep love of the sea and his beloved Lake Michigan.

Peter H. Jenckes ’47 October 17, 2014Peter “Poppy” Jenckes was a graduate of Washington & Jefferson College, in Washington, Penn. After college, he served in the Army in Korea, during the Korean War. Peter was co-owner of Faerie Silk Mills and owner of Jenckes & Company Investments.

Malcolm MacDougall ’47 October 31, 2014A New York City native, Malcolm “Mal” MacDougall was a Harvard graduate and a Madison Avenue veteran best known for his “just for the taste of it” ad campaign introducing Diet Coke. MacDougall also crafted slogans for the Republican Party and President Gerald Ford’s campaign in 1976 before working for the Democratic Party.

Richard Loring Smith ’52 November 16, 2014A Berkshire graduate like his father and grandfather Roland Maloy Smith before him, Smith piloted aircraft from carriers and was involved in the recovery of several NASA Gemini astronauts and spacecraft from the Pacific Ocean. He was awarded the National Defense Service Medal for his service during the Vietnam War and loved to hunt, fish and ski.

Gustav Fleischmann Watters, Jr. ’52 May 29, 2014Gustav “Gus” F. Watters was born in Buffalo, NY. He was a graduate of Syracuse University and served as a Naval aviator in Vietnam. He was a joint owner of a marina and retired as an insurance agent. Gus was a volunteer for Meals on Wheels in Venice.

T. Richardson Miner, Jr. ’54 May 21, 2014T. Richardson Miner, Jr. became a Navy deep-sea diver while he served in active duty from 1958-1962. He graduated from Middlebury College and earned his master’s from Trinity. After many proud years serving his country, Miner retired as a Commander in the U.S. Navy in 1976. He served on numer-ous boards and was an active community volunteer and loving cheerleader for his family.

Anthony J. Goldschmidt ’61 June 17, 2014Anthony Goldschmidt, the founder of Intralink Graphic Design, was a renowned designer of movie posters including those for E.T., Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise, Apollo 13, Psy-cho, The Perfect Storm, The DaVinci Code and The Dark Knight. Among many accolades, the Yale grad won nine Clio Awards, 10 Art Directors Club of Los Angeles Awards and six Graphic Design Gold Awards.

R.W. Burrows ’67 August 20, 2014R.W. “Bill” Burrows graduated from the Wharton School at UPenn in 1971 and served as a Lieutenant (SC) in the U.S. Naval Reserve until 1974. A 4th-generation papermaker, he worked at Burrows Paper Corporation from age 12 and led the company in hundredfold growth. He was also a founding member of the Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts and found-ed the charitable Burrows Foundation. See page 62 for more.

Geoffrey K. Mahon ’70 September 16, 2014After graduating from MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Ill., Mahon started his career in insurance on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. He transitioned to sales with Spedden Marine in Cambridge for the remainder of his career. Mahon coached soccer, biked, skied and was ranked in MD Seniors Tennis. He enjoyed and encouraged his two sons’ love of sports.

R. Brooke Cadwallader, Jr. ’72 September 20, 2014R. Brooke Cadwallader attended Syracuse University in New York and owned a very successful roofing company. He loved to cook and travel and never knew a stranger. He will be re-membered for his intelligence, caring nature and compassion for people who were in trouble and needed his expertise.

/ In Memoriam /

61Fall/Winter 2015

Scott David Reichel ’87 October 9, 2014Scott Reichel attended Wooster College in Ohio and later lived in California for many years before moving to Rich-mond, Virginia to be near family. Among his passions were music and soccer, both as an athlete and as a coach for the YMCA and the Richmond Strikers.

Luke J. Haran, Jr. ’61 Trustee, Distinguished Alumnus

Luke J. Haran, Jr., 71, of the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township, New Jersey, passed away on October 7, 2014, after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born on March 25, 1943, in Boston, Mass., a son of the late Katherine Haran and Luke J. Haran, Sr.

He was educated at Berkshire and was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2012. A member of student council and one of the school prefects, he also played varsity football, basketball and baseball during his senior year at Berkshire.

Haran attended Yale University, graduating in 1965 with a bachelor of arts degree in Latin American studies. He continued his education at Stanford University, where he earned a master of business administration degree in 1970.

He then moved to New York to begin a career in investment banking, first at Lehman Brothers from 1970 to 1974, then at Merrill Lynch from 1974 to 1989. At Merrill, he served as managing director and head of Latin American Investment Banking.

Later, Mr. Haran was a partner at Prospect Street Invest-ment Management, president of Serfin Securities S.A., and managing director of Citicorp Cross Border Finance Group.

He served on the Board of Trustees of Berkshire School and the New Hampton School, New Hampton, New Hampshire, where he was chairman of the finance committee. He also served on the board of the Student Partnership Alliance in New Jersey.

William M. Dean ’40

William M. Dean, a life-long aviator, died on October 3, 2014 at his home in Moultonborough, New Hampshire, with his five children by his side. He was 92.

Born in Sheffield, Mass., he was raised and educated on the Berkshire School campus where his father, Frederick Dean, taught French. [Frederick S. Dean was a faculty member from 1907 until his retirement in 1953 at which time the school

commemorated his loyal service with the issuing of a trophy in his name.] Berkshire School remained a source of pride and self-identity throughout his life. He also attended school for two years at St. John the Divine in New York City where he was a choirboy and graduated from high school in Gloucester, Mass.

Dean attended Wentworth Technical Institute but withdrew early to enlist in the Army Air Corps during WWII, where he served as a pilot in command of a B-17 Bomber crew. A 1st LT in the Eighth Air Force, he flew 35 missions as a member of the 398th Bomb Group against Nazi Germany. Following the war he began a career as an airline pilot for TWA, residing in Winchester, Mass., where he married and raised a family. Upon retirement as a TWA Captain, he established the seasonal Moose River Flying Service in Jackman, Maine, and relocated his home to Moultonborough, New Hampshire.

Through his later years he remained a masterful tinkerer, indulged his love of music, enjoyed the companionship of his dogs and worked as a flight instructor, attending reunions of the 398th and meetings of the Quiet Birdmen and EAA. His family will remember him as a deeply sensitive and humble man, a charming raconteur who generously shared his extensive knowledge. As he often quoted A.A. Milne, “And so it goes-tiddely-pom.”

The captain of the ski team, shown here in the 1938 Trail.

Robert F. Brownell, Jr., Former Faculty July 18, 2014 Robert Brownell graduated from Williams in 1948. He received an MS degree from Duke and an MST degree from UNH. He was employed by Tabor, Berkshire and, for most of his career, Phillips Exeter Academy. An avid outdoorsman, he loved fly fishing, the West and sports in general.

/ In Memoriam /


R.W. “Bill” Burrows ’67

A remembrance from Duncan Smith ’67:

“No doubt like others who grew up spending large amounts of time away at camps, boarding schools, and universities, I think I was shaped as much or more by my friendships as by my family, and I have been very fortunate. Certainly, I was lucky enough to be Bill’s roommate our junior year at Berkshire. He was unlucky enough to be a composed bridge player saddled with an ill-tempered, scolding partner, and he suffered me wonderfully for years. At the time Art Chase and his wife (both Grand Masters) ran the Bridge Club, membership of which allowed us to stay out past curfew on Mondays (no small privilege) and to play in a few matches with other schools, most cherished of which were trips to all-girls boarding schools.

Bill had many talents and, if I remember correctly, the best vertical jump of any basketball player. He had a keen mind and a soft heart. At the time – adolescence at an all-boys boarding school – there was a typical pecking order, which was sometimes abused by gratuitously cruel remarks directed at those least able to withstand them. What I remember best about Bill, and liked the most, was that in four years together I never heard a mean word come out of his mouth.

I saw him a few times after college when I was visiting my brother, who was also at Penn. I remember having dinner with him one night his junior year when he reminded me of the wonderful, wide-eyed kid from a small town who had arrived on campus with the rest of us in September, 1963: His father had recently told him the specifics of the fortune that the paper company might bestow upon him. It was an eye-opening, substantial sum that could have been the ruin of many of us. Clearly, as his obituary notes (on page 60), Bill didn’t just make good of his opportunity, he made wonderful.”

James Eareckson Maccabe (1949-1964)

James “Jimmy” Maccabe was a member of the Class of 1967. He passed away while a student at Berkshire. Charles Eddy, a close neighbor from Dayton, Ohio, sent in this tribute to his friend:

“In thankful remembrance for our brother, uncle, classmate and friend. Just 15 and a student at Berkshire, Jimmy left us 50 years ago this past November. Still with affection we recall a young man of kind, curious, loyal and generous character. A poem written by his great grandfather, Henry van Dyke, former ambassador to the Netherlands and Luxembourg, and distinguished Princeton scholar and Presbyterian clergyman, speaks to the timelessness of loving memory:”

Time is

Too slow for those who Wait,

Too swift for those who Fear,

Too long for those who Grieve,

Too short for those who Rejoice,

But for those who Love,

Time is not.

We Remember

/ In Memoriam /

63Fall/Winter 2015

Ruth de Windt Hoxton

Sadly, the de Windt family lost two fam-ily members this fall. Daughter of former headmaster Delano de Windt ’11, sister of E. Mandell de Windt ’39 and aunt to Del de Windt ’62, Ruth de Windt Hoxton passed away in her home at Shepherd-stown, West Virginia on October 17, 2014. She was 97. In 1941, she married Archibald R. Hoxton, Jr. of Alexandria, Virginia, and began a wonderful 61-year partnership, which included postings as head of the Fairfield Country Day School in Fairfield, Conn., the Green Vale School in Glen Head, Long Island, NY, and the Episcopal High School in Alexandria.

After retirement in 1981, the Hoxtons moved to the family home, Fruit Hill, near Shepherdstown. For many years, she was active in various local charities, including those at Trinity Episcopal Church and the Entler Hotel. She was a member of the Junior League, the Garden Club of Virginia and the Colonial Dames of America, Chapter XXIII – Virginia.

Delano de Windt II ’62

Delano “Del” de Windt was part of the de Windt family whose roots at Berkshire are long and deep. His father was E. Mandell de Windt ’39, son of Delano de Windt ’11, who served as Berkshire’s third headmaster in 1943. At Berkshire, Del was elected to the student council his first year and was the vice president of his junior class. He captained the baseball team and was the quarterback of the football team. At Commencement in 1962, he won the Calvin Fentress Citizenship Award, given in recognition of loyalty to Berkshire and outstanding citizenship in the school community.

Delano de Windt, age 70, passed away at his home in Harbor Springs, Michigan on September 8, 2014. He was born in Battle Creek, Michigan and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Colgate University in 1965 where he was captain of the baseball team. Del moved to Michigan in 1969 when he was assigned to the Detroit sales office of Republic Steel Corporation. After leaving Republic Steel and three years as marketing manager for the Gemini Corporation, he co-founded Clayton-de Windt Associates. He retired in 2009.

Del’s passion in life was his family. His pride and joy were his children, their spouses and his grandchildren. He loved to talk about and share their accomplishments. Married 41 years, the love of his life was Adriane, with whom he shared everything!

He was a mentor to many. He was known for his genuine care and interest in others. Del had the ability to put people at ease. Known for his quick wit and clean humor, laughter was his gift.

In addition to his notable dance moves, Del was the ultimate sports fan and an accomplished athlete. He won the 1993 Michigan Amateur Golf Championship and participated in several national USGA tournaments. He volunteered with the USGA Mid Amateur Committee and was awarded the Isaac Granger award for his more than 25 years of service. Del was also an avid platform tennis competitor, playing in Midwest national tournaments and qualifying for the one-and-only World Championship at Flushing Meadows.

Del was active in his community and dedicated his time and resources to various charities and was a board member of CATCH, Sparky Anderson’s charity for children.

In remembrance of this caring man, the family wishes you honor his spirit by taking the time to do something thoughtful for someone else, someone close or a complete stranger, as Del always did.


REUNION WEEKEND

Service of RemembranceSunday at 9 am

Celebration of ServiceSaturday at 11:30 am

Plus:

Golf Tourney

Hikes on the Mountain

Activities for the Kids

Pancake Breakfast

Master Classes

Alumni Lacrosse

On Air with WBSL

Campus Tours

Alumni Awards

Gala Dinner

...and more!

Join us for a special

Register today for Reunion Weekend 2015!

Call 413-229-1308

Email [email protected]

Scan this QR code

www.berkshireschool.org/reunionweekend

See you under the Mountain! June 5-7, 2015

&

Questions? Contact Director of Alumni Relations Kristina Miller '97 at 413.229.1223 or [email protected].

Closing ConundrumWhile the previous Bulletin’s Myers Mystery was the last one officially selected by Twiggs, this photo was under consideration first. Twiggs picked up the picture, and a smile stretched across his face immediately. He said, “I know these boys,” and with that, he put the picture aside. (Twiggs would never select a Myers Mystery photo without being 100% sure who was pictured.) So here’s one for Mr. Myers – let’s identify these two boys whose names escaped him that morning in the Archives. It’s fitting that the very final Myers Mystery photo contest features a picture that includes Twiggs. Especially one of him looking like the proud teacher and coach that he was.

To solve the last Myers Mystery, email: [email protected] or write to: Myers Mystery Contest, Berkshire School, 245 North Undermountain Road, Sheffield, MA 01257.

Congratulations to Ed Woodyard ’66 who was the first to identify Dwight Hatcher ’66 as the alumnus in question in the previous Myers Mystery photo. Former faculty member and theater director Peter Arango wrote in with the following back story: “No doubt you will be swamped with the identification of Dwight Hatcher leaning back in insouciant assurance as Art Chase patiently endures the worst in a college applicant [at a talent show]. None of the rest of us could match the Hatcher presence on stage, although John Toffey, as Stage Manager in a production of Our Town, seemed to have been born to play the part. I am grateful to Dwight for bringing me to Berkshire during an era in which a remarkable faculty seemed to do more in a day than humanly possible.”

/ Berkshire School Archives /

For more on Twiggs Myers, see page 28.

245 North Undermountain RoadSheffield, Massachusetts 01257-9672

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Berkshire Bulletin Fall/Winter 2015

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Transcript of Berkshire Bulletin Fall/Winter 2015