the magazine oF noble and greenough school winter 2013 · Fall 2012 Nobles 1 Nobles the magazine oF...

Fall 2012 Nobles 1

Noblesthe magazine oF noble and greenough school winter 2013

A Conversation with Alexa Miller ‘96: How Art Can Make Doctors Better

2 Nobles Fall 2012

Photo of the daySept. 14, 2012

All was quiet in the Class IV Alcove on the morning of Sept. 14, 2012. But what if those backpacks could talk?

phOtO: JUlie gUptill

22 Honoring the Castle Nov. 16, 2012, marked the official celebration of the expanded and renovated Castle.

28 Cover Story: How Art Can Make Doctors Better Alexa Miller ’96 shares how the power of observation can

improve medical care.

32 Homework in Class, Classwork at Home Biology teacher Mike Hoe flips.

2 Letter from the Head

3 Reflections What Nobles folks are saying on

campus and online

4 The Bulletin News and notes from campus

and beyond

18 Off the Shelf All about the books we read

and write

20 Perspectives Nobles faculty member shares

expertise and stories

36 Graduate News Nobles graduate updates: what,

when, where, why and how Nobles grads are doing

72 Archive A moment of Nobles history

captured on film

features

in every issue

Cover photograph by Kathleen Dooher

contentsThe grand staircase is one of five

spiral staircases in the Castle.

winter 2013

—robert p. Henderson Jr. ’76Head of scHool

Noblesletter from the head

FPO / FSC logo2 Nobles winter 2013

winter 2013

EditorHeather Sullivan Director of communicationS

Assistant EditorsJulie GuptillaSSociate Director of communicationS

tiffany tranaSSiStant Director of communicationS

melissa mcclungcommunicationS fellow

Design2communiqué www.2communique.com

Photography Kathleen Doohermichael DwyerJulie GuptillJoel Haskellmelody Koleah laricciatony rinaldoBrian Smithtiffany tran

The Editorial CommitteeBrooke asnis ’90John Gifford ’86tilesy HarringtonBill KehlenbeckSarah Snyder

Nobles is published three times a year for graduates, past and current parents and grandparents, students and supporters of noble and Greenough School. nobles is a co-educational, non-sectarian day and partial boarding school for students in grades seven (class Vi) through 12 (class i). noble and Greenough is a rigorous academic community that strives for excellence in its classroom teaching, intellectual growth in its students and commitment to the arts, athletics and service to others.

for further information and up-to-the-minute graduate news, visit www.nobles.edu

letters and comments may be emailed to [email protected]. we also welcome old-fashioned mail sent c/o noble and Greenough School, 10 campus Drive, Dedham, ma 02026. the office may be reached at 781-320-7268.

© noble and Greenough School 2013

Why Teach?EvEry hEAD of sChool at Nobles has been a classroom teacher. Every one. Teaching has been an important part of the per-sonal and professional identities of each leader. Former headmaster Dick Baker, in fact, continues to teach at Nobles, working his magic every day. When I was hired 13 years ago, my desire to teach likely gave me an advantage during the

selection process, given the weight of this tradition. I continue to teach—and continue to love it—meeting with my AP European History class four days a week.

A strong case may be made, however, that the head of school should not teach. The majority of my colleagues at schools around the country do not. Increasingly, school heads do not attain their position by rising from the teaching ranks. Instead, they enter through various administrative roles, learning from the business end. Many started in teaching but then turned to administrative positions. Others have given up one small classroom for a much larger forum, and in this respect, will suggest that they still teach every day.

The best reasons for heads not to teach are time and professionalism. One class of students can, and should, consume many hours a week, between grading, preparing, extra help and classroom activities. This can be a distraction on the head’s calendar. Moreover, being a good teacher at the secondary-school level requires reading and research in an academic field, staying abreast of pedagogical theory and technological innovations, and being able to implement new developments in classroom practice. Heads argue correctly that they should be fully dedicated to acquiring and manag-ing school resources and setting the institutional imperatives. Many heads must also travel extensively, and they have to be available for minor and major crises breaking over the bow of the school.

I teach because I enjoy it. However, I have built a rationalization that is more compelling than that. Teaching forces me to practice what I preach every day. I have to forge the relationships with my students that are at the heart of our institutional purpose and methodology. I have to write comments and college recommendations like my teaching colleagues. As long as I can retain credibility that I am reasonably competent at classroom teaching, it bolsters my profile with the teachers at the school.

In the broadest sense, I think it has helped me to talk more powerfully about the impact and purpose of this community, and thereby to envision and articulate the future of the school. I recognize that these imperatives are true for me and do not apply to all school heads. Furthermore, I understand that it may not be possible or appropriate for every future head at Nobles to teach an academic class. For me, how-ever, the two roles are fundamentally inextricable and lead me to a more profound understanding of our school mission.

“

”winter 2013 Nobles 3

Want to read more community musings?Go to www.nobles.edu/blogs

One dark night, the fire alarm suddenly awakened us, and under Steve’s guidance, we rolled out of bed, grabbed bathrobes to cover our pajamas, and stumbled down three flights of stairs to the Commons between the then dining room and library to await our fate.

— SID EATON ’50, POSTED TO THE Our CASTlE STOry BlOg

As the mother of three young children, I truly understand how difficult it can be not to try to smooth out hurt feelings, offer solutions to tricky problems, or even suggest corrections to be made on homework assignments. It is so pain-ful to see our children struggling. yet without the struggle and the opportunity to problem-solve, kids cannot develop a sense of competence. And there is nothing like competence to foster true confidence in our children.

—JEN HAMIlTON, POSTED TO THE ExPErTS ON ADOlESCENCE BlOg

I’ve learned more about myself in the first few weeks [at Nobles] than I ever thought possible. I can’t wait for the rest of the year so that I can see what kind of person I am at the end.

—TEACHINg FEllOW lINDSEy TONgE, POSTED TO THE rEFlECTIONS BlOg

A small, light and multifunctional tool, the iPad can serve as a research tool, a repository for all handouts and syllabi, and a creation tool, capable of word processing, and spread-sheet, image and video creation. In a sense, it is the textbook, the folder, the notebook and the computer for this course.

—JENNy CArlSON-PIETrASzEk, ON THE uSE OF IPADS IN THE ClASSrOOM, POSTED TO THE ADMISSION BlOg

Our school motto is spes sibi quisque, a passage from Virgil’s Aeneid, which, roughly translated, means that each person must find hope in himself or herself. The founders of this school recognized that no significant achievement is possible, no hurdle successfully mount-ed, without a core belief in yourself.

— SENIOr MASTEr rICHArD “NICk” NICkErSON, POSTED TO THE rEFlECTIONS BlOg

Trust me, your kids want to be successful as much as we want it for them.

—lEArNINg SPECIAlIST gIA BATTy, POSTED TO THE ExPErTS ON ADOlESCENCE BlOg

assembly highlights

the bulletinnews from our campus & community

4 Nobles winter 2013 photo: brian smith

JoAnn Deak is an educator and

psychologist with 30 years of experience.

Stretching the Brainchallenge your brain early and often, Deak says

JoAnn DEAK, adolescent development specialist, spent Oct. 17 speaking with students, faculty and parents. Deak, who specializes in brain research, disagreed with many standard educa-tion tenets, among them early start times, which interrupt precious adoles-

cent early-morning sleep, and issuing grades as making mistakes enhances learning. She also encouraged teachers to keep memorization- oriented or rote work to a minimum, while she acknowledged the necessity of such tasks.

Deak explained that adolescence is defined as the decade between ages 12 and 22. “Everything you do every day is formatting your brain,” she said to students. The brain stretches when it is challenged or has failed, and when it works hard in an area of weakness.

“Here’s my main message: you don’t have to live with the brain that came into the world,” she said. She explained that in the first two decades of life, the parts of the brain that you exercise get bigger and bigger. “During the first two decades, the brain is designed to grow more with less work.…What you do during adoles-cence doesn’t stay in adolescence.”

Deak told students how to exercise their brains to maximize their intel-lectual potential. She spoke about the importance of eating well, hydrating and getting enough sleep. She also gave students tips on how to stay awake when they find themselves fading in class or during her talk: “Wiggle your feet, and wiggle your butt,” she said.

Deak’s talk with faculty focused on male and female brain development, recommendations for teaching and giv-ing homework, and myths about stress, among other topics.

see www.deakgroup.com for more about Deak’s research and books.

First Assembly of the 2012–13 School YearPresident of the Board of Trustees Jeff Grogan

’74 P’13 ’18 continued the tradition of ad-dressing the Nobles community at the

first Assembly of the year. This year’s talk reminded students to keep a sense of humor and be kind to one another.

Prefect Introductions Twelve Class I prefects introduced themselves onstage by sharing a story of an embarrass-ing moment, bringing

laughter and breaking the ice. Prefects are selected by their class-mates to lead Assem-bly some mornings, and serve as cousel to

the head of school. 9/11 AssemblyNobles commemorated 9/11 with a moment of silence. This year,

castle stories The Castle has come to symbolize the strength of community and the storied history of our great school. In celebration of the opening of the Castle, we invite you to tell us your Castle story. Please contribute your Castle anecdote to the “Our Castle Story” blog at noblescastlestory.wordpress.com or email it to [email protected].

winter 2013 Nobles 5

During long Assembly Oct. 3, English teacher Dick Baker introduced Amor Towles ’83. He described Towles’ time at Nobles, his career in finance and the road to his first novel, Rules of Civility. Although it has been more than 30 years since Towles attended Nobles, Baker said it “felt like yesterday” and described his former student as a consummate actor, outstanding public speaker and deter-mined scholar. “Amor wasn’t a rebel, but he wasn’t conventional.… It’s one of the lessons I think he lives by.”

As soon as Towles began, Baker’s words rang true. The audience would have been easily captivated by stories from his book tour, or details about the probable movie adaptation. But Towles set his book aside and spoke to students about a valuable life lesson, as illustrated by the rock group led zeppelin. uncon-ventional? yes. And everyone was hooked.

Towles detailed the English rock band’s creative process while recording the 1971 album Led Zeppelin IV, and the history behind their remake of kansas Joe McCoy’s “When the levee Breaks.” years later, when lead guitarist Jimmy Page was asked about the album’s suc-

cess and recording process, he responded simply, saying that it was made with “passion, honesty and competence.” Towles has adopted that motto, and urged Nobles students to take a closer look. “If you develop competence, have passion for what you do and approach everything with honesty, the outcome will always be fine,” he said.

Assembly ended with a Q&A session, during which Towles explained how life’s curveballs often lead to better things. Prodded by questions, he also circled back to Rules of Civility. Conventional? Maybe. But with a bestselling author of such tal-ent among them, Nobles students, faculty and staff couldn’t help themselves. —Jg

PaSSiOn, HOneSty and COmPetenCe

Senior Master Nick Nickerson delivered his annual speech at the 9/11 Assembly. Nick- erson shared insight about the school’s mot-

to, spes sibi quisque, and told a story related to 9/11. He told stu-dents that “things don’t always go as planned” and to “find the hope

that lies within you.” To read Nickerson’s speech, “The Way Forward,” visit http://noblesreflections.word-press.com.

Cora Hidalgo Holland AwardThe 2012 Cora Hidalgo Holland Award, named in memory of a Nobles parent lost on Flight 11

on Sept. 11, 2001, was presented to Tessy Smith, database administrator in information systems and support (ISS).

The award recognizes extraordinary staff contributions that make Nobles thrive. Head of School Bob Henderson calls Smith

Great Success in october 2012, nobles hosted an online auction and raffle fundraiser to benefit achieve, a tuition-free educational program that supports 70 low-income, inner-city middle school students from the boston area. nobles families, faculty and staff donated an array of items and services, including a christmas stroll weekend in nan-tucket, patriots tickets, front-row seats for nobles’s 2013 graduation, and a gourmet dinner prepared by chefs/longtime faculty members bill bussey, Dick baker, tim carey and erika Guy.

in addition, more than 3,000 raffle tickets were sold for a chance to win a $1,000 apple store gift card.

thanks to donors, bidders and com-mittee members—carolyn harthun p’14 ’15, pam notman ’80 p’12 ’15 ’16, Kristi Geary p’08 ’11 ’13, pat burns p’04 ’06 ’10 ’13 and mary Dunne p’13 ’15 ’17—the 10-day initiative raised $28,762 for achieve.

“this was our first year holding an online auction to benefit achieve, and it was a great success,” says harthun. “because of the generosity of the nobles community, we can cover more than the cost of five students to attend the achieve program. that’s a signifi-cant impact!”

6 Nobles winter 2013

the bulletin

The Importance of Being EarnestCongratulations to the cast and crew of the fall mainstage play, The Importance of Being Earnest. The show ran from Nov. 7–10 in the Vinik Theatre. Pictured are (left to right) cast members Cat Dickinson ‘13, Ben Perelmuter ‘14, Sophie Franks ’15 and Jonathan Sands ’13.

a “godsend.” Her list of accomplishments, he says, “is long and amazing, touching just about everyone in this community.”

Pop Culture Parody The Asian Culture Club (ACC) created a parody of the viral Korean pop music video “Gangnam Style” by singer Psy,

which has millions of views on YouTube. The student-produced ACC video also garnered a lot of excitement and has more than 5,000

views on YouTube. Curious? See it here: tinyurl.com/c7dp7nc

Distinguished Graduate Award Seth Goldman ’83, co-founder, president and TeaEO of Honest Tea, accepted the

Distinguished Gradu-ate Award. Goldman shared how he began his company with five Thermoses and a Snapple bottle. He

the bulletin


natiOnal SCHOlarSHiP PrOgram

also played a game with students, in which each class guessed the production cost of one bottle of tea. Class III won, with the closest

guess of 26 cents. What was the actual cost? Thirty-six cents. Read more about Goldman’s visit at www.nobles.edu/sethgoldman.

Presidential Talks Throughout the fall se-mester, before Election Day, several students gave talks about the presidential election.

Middle School stu-dents gave a refresher of the U.S. Electoral College system, while Upper School students educated the audience

about Obama’s and Romney’s views on topics such as health care, immigration, for-eign policy, education and abortion.

Recycling ChallengeFaculty member Tim Carey’s dog made another famous ap-pearance on behalf

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation, a nonprofit established in 1955 to honor academically talented students in the united States, has recog-nized 30 Class I Nobles students.

Five Nobles students have qualified as semifinalists, and 22 students have been named commended students in the National Merit Scholarship Program. In addition, three students have been named semifinalists in the National Achievement Scholarship Program.

More than 1.5 million students in over 22,000 high schools nationwide entered the merit program by taking the Pre-liminary SAT/National Merit Scholar-ship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in their junior year. Some 50,000 students

with the highest selection index scores (critical reading, math and writing skill scores) qualify for recognition in the scholarship program.

Commended students placed among the top 5 percent of students. Semifinal-ists are the highest-scoring entrants in each state and can continue in the competition to attain finalist standing and compete for 8,300 National Merit Scholarships in spring 2013.

Semifinalists include Caleb kirsh-ner, Jett Oristaglio, Hannah Peterson, kevin raposo and Daniel Toubman, all ’13. Commended students include Caroline Behr, Matthew DeAngelis, Catherine Dickinson, James geary, Anne Jones, Diana kenealy, Helen kirk, liam

McClintock, Emily McEvoy, Matthew Mcgill, Caroline Monrad, Nathan Perry, Natasha rachlin, Susruthi rajanala, grant rheingold, Nathaniel Shames, ryan Simshauser, Diana Smith, gregory Swartz, Isabella Tuttle, kayla Viriyabon-torn and Elisielle Wilson, all ’13.

Jonathan Sands, Spencer Thompson and Belle Tuttle, all ’13, are semifinalists in the National Achievement Scholar-ship Program. The program recognizes academically promising black students throughout the nation and provides scholarships to the most outstanding participants. Sands, Thompson and Tuttle have the chance to advance to the finalist level and compete for one of 800 scholarships in spring 2013.

Trip Around the World on oct. 5, nobles traveled around the world at the multicultural fair. more than a dozen countries, including colombia, france, ecuador, india, singapore, Japan and haiti were represented through artifacts, activities, music, dance and food. the program also included henna painting, calligraphy, and performances by spanish flamenco dancers and south american mu-sicians son Del sol. the evening concluded with a fashion show during which students modeled costumes from around the world.


the bulletin

Times-Picayune photog-rapher focuses Nobleman

staff on what makes a great picture.

on sEPT. 25, 2012, Pulitzer Prize–winning photojournalist and Times-Picayune pho-tographer Ted Jackson made a day trip to Nobles from New Orleans.

Jackson visited the Nobleman and Photo II classes, sharing his work, including images taken during Hurricane katrina. Jackson won a Pulitzer Prize for public service and breaking news for his coverage of the storm.

He said photography has allowed him to travel the world: He has photographed the Berlin Wall, the Persian gulf War, life in Cuba and the BP oil spill, among other events.

“you don’t have to be in an incredible place to take an incredible photo,” he

said, telling students that in each photo he seeks three elements: the subject, the background and an effect. He encour-aged students to get out of their comfort zones—to be present in the community. “you’ve got to be there,” he said.

Jackson has been with the New Orleans paper since 1984 and has wit-nessed shifts in the newspaper industry. In October 2012, the Times-Picayune, once a daily, transitioned to a publica-tion that is in print three days a week and online the rest of the week.

The Nobles connection with Jackson dates from a post-katrina service trip, when Nobles students and faculty visited the Times-Picayune headquarters.

Capturing the Moment

of the Environmental Action Club. She reminded students how to recycle to help promote the Green Cup Recycling Challenge, a

contest involving other independent schools.

Spanish Farewell Spanish exchange students performed

a flamenco dance on their last day at Nobles as a thank-you to the Nobles community.

Call for SubmissionsThe Calliope staff shared images of books, poems and artwork created in grammar school to

stimulate interest for submissions to the next issue of Nobles’s student liter-ary magazine.

Silly Love SongTom Morrison ’14 played the ukulele and sang a love song set in a morning rainstorm—the perfect choice

Fresh and Funnobles Day camp (nDc) has a new website, with a fresh, young, fun design and improved functionality and naviga-tion. nDc partnered with skyworld interactive—the same firm that managed the 2011 overhaul of nobles’ website— to create the site, which launched in December, just in time for the camp’s busy enrollment season.

nobles Day camp was founded in 1948 by former nobles faculty members Grandin wise and George K. bird Jr. ’39, with a staff of five counselors for 48 campers. today, nDc director emily parker, who has been with the organiza-tion since 2003, oversees two full-time, year-round staff members and employs more than 275 seasonal staff members for 500 to 850 campers a day during the summer.

for more information about nDc, or to check out the new website, visit www.noblesdaycamp.org.

the bulletin


for what was a rainy Friday morning.

Athletic Accomplishment The Middle School

boys soccer team presented Athletic Director Alex Gallagher ’90 with a trophy for their tour-nament win against

Derby Academy.

Sibling PerformanceSisters Michaela ’15 and Olivia Thompson ’18 performed together

for the first time at Nobles. They both played the guitar and sang “Leaving Me Later,” by JT Hodges.

Halloween SpiritHalloween Assembly is one of the most an-ticipated Assemblies of the year. Students came to school dressed

as Olympic gymnasts, superheroes, scary clowns, oral hygiene products and circus animals, among other creative costumes.

did yOu knOw: ■ Plastic degrades but does not biode-

grade. It breaks into smaller pieces, but it never goes away.

■ The great Pacific garbage Patch is an enormous floating mass made up of plastic waste. It measures 2,000 square miles and moves between Hawaii and the Midway Atoll.

■ Plastic acts as a magnet. Pollutants stick to plastic particulates. Fish ingest the particulates and pollutants, and then we eat the fish.

PlaStiC iS FOreVerNobles has initiated a campuswide ban on single-use plastic bottles to encour-age health and sustainability. Students, faculty and staff members are asked to bring reusable water bottles for daily use. Over the summer, the campus was outfitted with filtered-water fountains designed to accommodate various types of reusable bottles.

This ban represents one of many Nobles green Team programs. The team, co-led by Director of Building and grounds Mike McHugh and biology

teacher Deb Harrison, is supported by the school administration, student-led Environmental Action Club and the Parents’ Association.

To understand the motivation for the ban, the group shared some facts with the community from “Plastic Is Forever.” They hope for the continued support of the ban on campus and hope that the Nobles community will consider making changes at home.

sources: www.plaSticpollutioncoalition.org anD www.5gyreS.org.

Chelsea Perry ‘16, with dancer Yury Yanowsky, performs as

Clara in the Boston Ballet’s 2012 production of The Nutcracker.

photo: rosalie o’connor.


the bulletin

Gia Batty and Sara Masucci inaugurated their podcast

in fall 2012.

WE CAughT noBlEs learning specialists gia Batty and Sara Masucci in their office to talk about academic support, study tips and their new podcast series, “The Studies Show.”

First, what is a learning specialist? sArA MAsuCCI: At Nobles, we coordinate all academic support. That can be for kids who have learning disabilities, who might need support throughout their whole time at Nobles. It can also be for kids who are struggling with a particular aspect of a class. gIA BATTy: We give academic support to anyone who wants or needs it.

What is your philosophy when working with students? gB: We think a lot about success. We want kids to know what success means for them, because it’s a little bit different for everybody. When we give them practical strategies and they see the results, that success breeds more success.

What is your # 1 tip for students trying to improve their study habits?gB: Start studying way before the test! Every night for 5 to 10 minutes, on top of your homework, review what you learned that day. sM: A tiny little chunk of time, every day—

Meet the Learning Ladies

the cumulative return on that is huge.

What is something you know now that you wish you knew in school?sM: The idea of active studying. I used to take out my notes and my textbooks, and I would just read them. gB: Passive studying. sM: Now we try to get students to write out notecards, make a list, take their notecards and rearrange them—physi-cally, actively do something.gB: you would have done better in math. sM: Well, who knows? That might have been a hopeless cause. [Laughter.]

Why did you decide to introduce a podcast series? gB: We are always trying to find new ways of communicating information to parents. We imagine that parents listen to the podcasts with their smartphones while they’re waiting to pick up their kids from Afternoon Program.sM: The podcasts each relay a snippet of information that can be useful for stu-dents and useful for parents in support-ing those students.

If you could have a superpower, what would it be?sM: I want to be musical. It’s not a super-power, but to me it would be. gB: Invisibility. I would use that to help the world. [Laughter.]

—MElISSA MCCluNg

go to http://www.nobles.edu/podcasts to hear great study tips from Batty and Masucci.

Bongo Love, a band from Zimbabwe, performed during Assembly.

Political PunditsAt a post–election

Long Assembly, New England Cable News reporters Allison King and Peter Howe ’82, WBUR political analyst Todd Domke, and Car-

men Fields, a longtime figure in the Boston journalism community, shared perspectives on why President Obama won, how the Republi-

cans failed to win voter support, and what they think the citizenry should be thinking about now.

Bloodmobile Faculty member Chris Smick organizes the MGH Bloodmobile that comes to campus each year. Smick encour-

aged the community to give blood because Hurricane Sandy forced the cancellation of many blood drives in the Northeast.

the bulletin


The Foster gallery’s second show of the 2012–13 season highlights the printmak-ing medium, in particular the printing techniques of nine artists from western Massachusetts-based studio zea Mays.

Aptly named “Exploring the Print,” the show is “supposed to be a visual dic-tionary into printmaking,” says student docent Isabella Schumann ’13. Working alongside visual arts faculty member John Dorsey, Schumann and Samantha rosen ’13 helped to curate the show. “We wanted it to be more of an educa-tional show because not a lot of people have really been exposed to printmak-ing,” says rosen.

Throughout the exhibition, printmak-ing techniques are named and explained alongside the prints. Vinyl letters on the wall offer the pronunciation of the different processes. In a description hung near the art, intaglio printmaking is compared to valleys—the ink is trans-ferred from the incised surface to the paper—and relief printing is related to inking up mountains.

underneath some of the prints, shelves hold the original plates used by the artists. Schumann is especially fond of looking at them. “you actually get to see how it happened. It’s not just one step, it’s multiple steps to make this print,” she says of one linocut depicting a car driving along the Massachusetts turnpike.

yet it is not just the printmaking processes that make the art unique. zea Mays Printmaking is no ordinary studio; it is committed to sustainable and non-toxic artistic practices. This is commendable in a medium that relies heavily on inks, metals and solvents. The following is written on the studio’s website: “zea Mays (Sweet Corn) is a plant known for its ability to extract heavy metal toxins from the soil through its leaves and roots. Just as this plant is being used as a natural way of restoring contaminated earth back to health, our mission is to restore the art of printmak-ing to a healthy art form.”

The show ran through Dec. 7.

Clockwise from top: Liz Chalfin, London Shops, 2012, etching: spitbite; Claudia Sperry, In The Garden I, 2012, drypoint, collage, gouache; Elena Betke- Brunswick, Chewonki, 2012, linocut

exPlOring tHe Print

the bulletin


BoYS VARSITY CRoSS-CounTRY

overall record: 7–8Isl record: 7–8Awards: Coaches Award (to the athlete who demonstrates significant ability, improvement and commitment to the team): Nathan Asher ’13 2013 Captains: TBA

GIRLS VARSITY CRoSS-CounTRY

overall record: 12–0Isl record: 12–0 (2nd Place ISl Championships, 4th Place New England Championships)All-league: Julia Fitzgerald ’14, Hannah McNeill ’17 and Olivia Mussafer ’15 Awards: Class of ’99 Team Award (for the athlete who embodies the true spirit of cross country): Arielle D’Angelo ’13. Coaches Award (to the athlete who demonstrates significant ability, improvement and commitment to the team): Savannah Horton and Caroline Monrad, both ’13 2013 Captains: Julia Fitzgerald, Haley Mullins and Meg von Schroeter, all ’14

GIRLS VARSITY FIeLD HoCkeY

overall record: 14–3–1 Isl record: 11–1 (ISl Champions) new England Class A semifinalistAll-league: kimmy ganong ’13, Catherine kurtin ’14, Emily Ott ’14 and Natasha rachlin ’13 honorable Mention: Sarah Haylon ’13 and lexie laing ’14 Awards: Walker Cup (to the player who demonstrates a high degree of skill, love of competition and desire to play within the spirit of the game): Sarah Haylon ’13 2013 Captains: TBA

VARSITY FooTBALL

overall record: 3–5Isl record: 3–5All-league: Alex Beach ’14, John McCarthy ’15 and ryan Vultaggio ’14 honorable Mention: george Farley ’12 and John keally ’14 Awards: Coaches Award (for best improvement and team contribution): Austin Childs ’13. E.T. Putnam Award (for excellence, leadership and dedica-tion to the team in honor of the former Headmaster Eliot T. Putnam): ryan Vultaggio ’14. Marinaro 12th Player Award (to the player whose contribu-tions and spirit exemplify excellence): Paul Henderson and Alex Johnson, both ’13 2013 Captains: Alex Beach, John keally, Max Montgomery and ryan Vultaggio, all ’14

BoYS VARSITY SoCCeR

overall record: 6–9–2 Isl record: 5–8–2

Awards: Coaches Award (for leadership, sportsmanship and skill): Chris gibson ’13. Weise Bowl (for contri-bution to team spirit, in memory of Edward Weise ’54): Jett Oristaglio ’13 2013 Captains: TBA

GIRLS VARSITY SoCCeR

overall record: 12–3–4 Isl record: 7–2–3 new England Class A semifinalistAll-league: First Team All-ISl: Brigit Bergin ’14 and Julianna Chen ’15. Second Team All-ISl: Catherine Beer ’13 and lauren Dillon ’14 Awards: Ceci Clark Shield (for the player who best embodies the qualities of character and camaraderie that Ceci Clark represented): Emily McEvoy ’13. Senior Bowl (to a member of Class I whose standard of sports-manship, ability and leadership has contributed most meaningfully to the team): Catherine Beer and robyn White, both ’13 Captains: TBA

On the Playing Fields

Cross-CounTry:Jordan averill ’16 Javonna corbin ’15nick Jaczko ’15Justin Jimenez ’14Katherine paglione ’16Katie schlager ’14 Justin skelly ’15margaret stimpson ’15sarah toubman ’15, stephanie yandow ’14 shannon Zink ’16

fIElD hoCKEy: allee ayles ’16madeline ayles ’15shanna hickman ’15 lucinda Quigley ’16

fooTBAll: tim barry ’16christopher calleva ’15Dakota fenn ’15hayden folgert ’16michael hazard ’15

Joe King ’15John mccarthy ’14Denery noone ’15matthew o’connor ’15 Geoff weber ’15 ryan Vultaggio ’14

soCCEr: toni abate ’15 Jacob atwood ’15william cary ’14 Julianna chen ’15

claire Dardinski ’15 thomas Durfee ’15 avery Gibson ’16 andrea Gilmore ’16 anna haigh ’16 anya ham ’15makenzie Kent ’14fiona splaine ’15

first-Time varsity letter Winners

the bulletin

winter 2013 Nobles 13photos: michael Dwyer

sports

Clockwise from top: Robyn White ’13; Kimmy Ganong ’13; Ryan Vultaggio ’14; Jordan Brown ’13


MArzuq MuhAMMAD ’01 came to Nobles in 1997 and immersed himself in the community and culture. He participated in the Multicultural Students Associa-tion, Brother to Brother and Shield. He also served as a dorm residential assis-tant, a freshman mentor and a Middle School Personal Development teaching assistant. He was an outstanding athlete, playing football and rowing during one of the most dominant eras in the his-tory of Nobles crew. But Muhammad’s most powerful Nobles experience came through the wrestling team, of which he was captain during his Class I year: “Wrestling was huge for me because it teaches self-discipline, and it compels you to take personal ownership of your own success. At the end of the match, there’s no one to point the finger at but yourself. The sport forces you to prepare for success.”

Muhammad attended Dartmouth College, where he earned a bachelor’s in geography in 2005. He spent a year teaching in the republic of the Marshall Islands and then returned to Nobles as a teaching fellow, where his contribu-tions were many and varied, including consulting on the renovation of the admission office and the construction of a new Castle roof. This experience in particular encouraged him to pursue his interest in real estate, as it allowed him to understand how the development of spaces can influence people and com-munities. He left Nobles in spring 2007 to join Jones lang laSalle, a commercial real estate firm.

Muhammad enjoyed his work at Jones lang laSalle, but after five years he felt that something was missing—he wanted

to improve opportunities for young peo-ple, particularly those in the neighbor-hoods where he grew up. A conversation with a local industry leader re-energized him. He was told, “As long as you remain true to your passion and your heart is in the right place, your career will follow.... There is going to come a time where your 9-to-5 and your passion intersect.” This conversation resonated with Muham-mad: “I’d read about the tragic things hap-pening in my former neighborhood and I thought, ‘That could have been me’ and ‘Why wasn’t that me?’ It made me think about the people in my life who steered me in the right direction. Does that mean that I can be that person now?”

This realization was a turning point for Muhammad. He serves on the devel-opment committee for Southwest Boston Community Development Corporation, is a volunteer at Citizen

Schools, and serves on the board of trustees at the Boston renaissance Charter Public School, the largest elementary school in Boston. Muham-mad was recently selected by Mayor Thomas M. Menino to serve on the Fair-mount Indigo Planning Initiative (FIPI) Corridor-wide Advisory group.

Eventually, as promised, Muham-mad’s work interest and passion con-verged in 2011, when he joined Trinity Financial, a real estate development and management firm in Boston. Instead of constructing commercial office build-ings, he now works at building residen-tial communities, as Trinity’s focus is on revitalizing neighborhoods, strengthen-ing commerce, and fostering opportuni-ties that inspire pride and strengthen the community. Of his work now, Muhammad says, “It’s not just about the bricks and mortar. It’s about enriching the quality of life to help foster healthy communities.... I believe that you can pursue your passion within your 9-to-5 job and work to make the positive differ-ence right now.”

Finally, Muhammad has demonstrat-ed a long-standing commitment to serv-ing Nobles. As a member of the board of trustees, and in other volunteer roles, Muhammad is described as “intense, committed, conscientious and con-templative.” He is both passionate and laser-focused, fun-loving and purpose-ful, gentle and fiercely determined. He personifies the Nobles mission by living a life characterized by service to others and dedicated to leadership for the pub-lic good. Noble and greenough School is proud to present Marzuq Muhammad with the 2012 young graduate Award.

Young Grad HonoredExcerpted from the award citation of Marzuq Muhammad

the bulletin

the bulletin


development

The Challenge Engaging the next generation of do-nors is crucial to Nobles’ long-term financial strength. Last year, 60 per-cent of young graduates in the classes of 2002–2011 gave to the Annual Nobles Fund, securing a $30,000 challenge gift.

“Nobles is incredibly lucky to have so many young graduates who care deeply about their school and an in-novative fundraising team to connect with them in fun and meaningful ways ,” said Director of Development George Maley.

a gift for the archivesOn Nov. 10, members of the Class of 1970 gathered in the Castle study with Bob Henderson ’76, head of school, to recount memories of the Castle and their school days. Henderson thanked them for their participation and gen-erosity in their class gift to name the new Archive Office, which is housed in the Castle.

Tom Simpson ’70 and committee members and classmates Lev Byrd, Steve Kistner and Charlie Putnam led the effort. Simpson said that connecting with old friends at his 40th reunion at Nobles inspired him to support the school.

Archivist Isa Schaff gave members of the Class of 1970 a tour of the archives, and classmates read old yearbooks and joked about the days of yore.

Members of the Class of 1970 who contributed to the gift are: Leverett Byrd, Christopher R. Conley, Christo-pher W. Counihan, David B. Curwen, Denny B. Cutler, Steven Danforth, Philip Ford Jr., William Gray, Nathaniel Hemenway, Robert Hoar, Stephen Kist-

ner, Paul Lowney, Lincoln Lyman, Roy Mabrey Jr., Stephen Malcolm, James Martinez Jr., Alexander Paine, Mark Pape, Charles Putnam, John Reynolds-Bonilla, A.B. Silva, Thomas Simpson and Peter Wheeler. To date, more than half of the class has participated.

Vidya Kagan, director of major gifts, echoed Henderson’s thanks to the class. “Seeing these friends come together in support of their experience here—and the importance of the Castle project—has been a true pleasure. Nobles is grate-ful for their generosity,” she said.

On Nov. 10, Nobles-Milton Day drew fans of all ages. The athletic rivalry between the schools began in 1896.

Pictured from left to right: Olivia Kistner, Steve Kistner ‘70, Denny Cutler ‘70, Tom Simpson ‘70, Jim Martinez ‘70, Charlie Putnam ‘70, Lev Byrd ‘70, Alex Paine ‘70


economics with Brian Day

OPtiOnS aHeadbottom line: we have an unsustainable financial model. what can we do? basically, we have three options. first, we could charge what our product costs—more than $60,000 per student. of course, that would severely limit the pool of students. already, less than 1 percent of the population can afford a nobles educa-tion. option one wouldn’t allow us to enroll a learning community diverse in every sense: talent, interests and backgrounds.

second, we could lower tuition and cut programs. we could increase class sizes to 20 and eliminate things like athletics and experiential learning. frankly, that wouldn’t make us competi-tively appealing and would undermine other aspects of our education that are fundamental to our community.

option three is that we draw more from other sources of revenue: the endowment, the annual nobles fund and nobles Day camp. the camp, however, is restricted by enrollment. no room for growth there. the annual nobles fund has increased tremendously over the past decade. expecting growth beyond 4 to 5 percent is unrealistic. that leaves the endowment.

hot topicsi teach macro-and microeconomics and topics in economics, which i think are the most relevant courses we offer at nobles. (i’m biased, of course.) but look at the news and you’ll see at

least one lead story about economics—how people, countries and governments choose to use resources. i tell my students that a fundamental understanding of economics is imperative if the citizens are going to make better choices.

tHe reality BeHind tuitiOnnobles’ tuition doesn’t cover the cost of educating a student. the full cost is actually more than $60,000. how do we make up the difference? the school has three additional revenue sources: the endowment, the annual nobles fund and nobles Day camp. it’s a constant struggle because we require special-ized labor (faculty), and we live in a part of the country with a high cost of living. the net result is that costs are growing faster than inflation.

underStanding Our endOwmentThink of it as an investment account: the money Nobles invests, and each year, spends is a percentage of the earnings. It’s a pretty conservative formula: the school draws 4.75 percent of the endowment’s value annually, based on a three-year trailing average, so we’re not overexposed to market volatility in any one year. The endowment is our security for the future. It is what allows Nobles to carry out our mission.

Nonprofit entities—schools like Nobles—are unique. We’re dependent on consumers, certainly: families who like what they see here enough to send their children and pay tuition. But since the price we charge doesn’t cover the cost of the product, we’re also dependent on

the generosity of current and past consumers: graduates, parents and parents of graduates who value the Nobles experience.

Like all institutions, for-profit and non-profit alike, Nobles is subject to economic forces like supply and demand. We must offer something that people want, for which they’re willing to pay. Nobles does that. We offer an outstanding education that inspires leadership for the public good. The talented faculty and staff who work here serve as role models who foster that leadership.

We also operate in an environment with fixed and variable costs. Fixed costs are salaries. We want to attract the best teachers possible who mentor and inspire their students.

We have a responsibility to our people and to our “product” to pay competitive salaries. We also need to account for variable expenses, things like health insurance, heat and light. Rising costs in those areas, which we can’t control, affect the bottom line.

Because we can’t look to the day camp or Annual Nobles Fund for significantly in-creased revenue, the only solution is to grow the endowment.

Right now, income from our endowment provides 13 percent of the school’s annual operating budget. We need, for all the reasons described here, to increase that to 20 percent. To do that, we must commit to building our endowment.

This is the first in a short series of articles that aims to clarify “the business” of running a school. Read more about the importance of the endowment in the words of faculty member Brian Day.

the percentage of 2013 gradu-ates who will take more than four credits of science course-work before they graduate.

number of graduates who are currently pursuing undergradu-ate degrees.

625the number of terabytes of data storage nobles uses. one terabyte equals 1,000 gigabytes (Gb). ten terabytes could hold the entire printed collection of the library of congress or about 250,000 songs on an ipod. the prefix “tera” is derived from the Greek word for monster.

29

31%

347

450

105

the average number of wireless devices connected during a school day.

1,412

number of faculty and staff members who live on campus.

number of nobles graduates who live outside the united states.

38


the bulletin

in one year, nobles’s recycling program has saved 246 adult trees, 128 cubic yards of landfill space, 179,546 kilowatt-hours of electricity and 160 barrels of oil.

246, 128, 179,546 & 160

number of graduates who vol-unteered with nobles last year.

since march 2009, the number of students who have traveled on an experiential trip with no-bles, either during march break or the summer. During march 2013, 125 students are expected to travel on an experiential trip.

by the numbers

FIRe In THe ASHeS: TWenTY-FIVe YeARS AmonG THe PooReST CHILDRen In AmeRICAJONATHAN kOzOl ’54(Crown, 2012)

Jonathan kozol ’54 has dedicated his life to advocat-ing for improvement in urban education.

His studies are intellec-tual—but his work is power-fully personal, too. In his latest book, kozol reports on the lives of the initial subjects who were introduced in his prize-winning books Rachel and Her Children and Amazing Grace.

In his introduction to Fire in the Ashes, kozol writes, “It has not been difficult to keep in contact with most of these children because so many of them, as they have grown older, have come to be among my closest friends.” He dedi-cates this work to some of the

subjects of his book: “They prevailed,” he writes.

In one chapter, kozol recounts the story of “Eric and His Sister.” Vicky, Eric’s mother, lived in the poorest neighborhood in the Bronx. Around the time kozol met Vicky, members of a com-munity in Montana, inspired by reading Amazing Grace, invited a struggling urban family to a different setting—the wilds of Montana.

kozol said he nearly discarded the information regarding Montana but decided to pass it along to St. Ann’s, the church in the Bronx where Vicky had been seeking help. So Vicky—over-whelmed by the death of her husband, by poverty and by the troubling behavior of her son, Eric—moved to Montana. kozol remained close with the family. He shared Vicky’s jubilation and pride in open-ing a checking account and getting a job, and offered support even as she descend-ed into alcoholism and despair. ultimately, both Eric, who died of a gunshot wound, and Vicky failed to emerge from the troubles that began in New york. Eric’s bright little sister, lisette, how-ever, is one of the successes to whom kozol dedicates his book. Married with four children and living in Myrtle Beach, lisette survived. At

the time of writing, she was completing studies to become a paralegal.

Throughout Fire, kozol recounts more stories, reveal-ing the struggles of the very poor and the intimacy with which he comes to know and care about them. One of the most poignant is about his godson, Benjamin, who grew up amid addiction, sexual abuse and death. Benjamin survived his own addiction and now works with groups in recovery.

kozol’s nearly half-cen-tury of reporting on the lives of the urban poor followed a privileged education: Nobles, Harvard and Oxford univer-sity as a rhodes Scholar. He was fired from his first teach-ing job in roxbury for using unapproved texts; kozol’s first published book, Death at an Early Age, was his journal from that time.

THe LoST PRInCe By SElDEN EDWArDS ’59 (Dutton, 2012)

Entertainment Weekly called The Lost Prince the Back to the Future for the intellectual set. For me, it was the first book I’ve torn through in three days in ages. I read it before bed, at the dinner table and in the car (but not at the same time I was driving, I promise).

At the close of the 19th century, Edwards’ heroine, Eleanor, travels to Vienna, where she meets and then loses the love of her life. What her soulmate leaves behind


off the shelf

Arnauld did, in fact, adjust to it all well.… His adaptation to teacher of young boys at St. gregory’s School was not quite effortless, but in time even that went well. At first, the young teacher’s “European” demeanor was perceived as “an air of superiority,” as the headmaster reported, but soon the boys began to realize that his bottomless and bound-less command of history and geography would serve them well.… By winter term, Arnauld Esterhazy was a fixture, and no one could remember why they didn’t warm up to him in the first place. Arnauld, for his part, seemed captivated by what he called “the American boy’s independence of spirit, like the country.” And, perhaps predictably, he fell in love with the peculiar sport of American football. “There are adults in Boston,” he told Eleanor, “who actually believe it of capital importance that St. gregory’s defeat its rival in sport.”

exCerPt FrOm The LosT Prince

off the shelf 5


is the ring of a prince and a diary that holds the secrets of Eleanor’s future. Eleanor uses her foreknowledge to build a fortune that allows her to carry out her destiny, which includes marrying a Boston banker and giving birth to the child of a dear friend.

Major cultural and intel-lectual icons are characters in The Lost Prince: Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and Wil-liam James (Henry’s older brother) are all central to Eleanor’s story. Eleanor knows the Titanic will sink, when war will come and whom the flu will claim; she struggles between a belief in the book as destiny and what her role must be in making destiny happen.

Eleanor is a vivacious and brave protagonist surrounded by a believable and brilliant cast. My only disappointment with The Lost Prince is that it ends after only 436 pages. My lingering hope? A Holly-wood film version might come along and be better than Back to the Future.

—HEATHEr SullIVAN

By MArCElA MAlDONADO, HISTOry FACulTy MEMBEr

AmErICAN GoSPEL, by Jon meachammy two favorite topics of conversation are religion and poli-tics—yes, the very things you grow up being told not to discuss at cocktail parties! you certainly don’t have to be a person of faith to enjoy meacham’s book. his is a story about a long struggle em-bedded in our history: the often misunderstood place of religion in american political philosophy and how it has anchored unique notions of “exceptionalism” and “divine providence” that run through this country’s veins.

ThE YEAr of mAGICAL ThINkING, by Joan DiDioni am a huge fan of Joan Didion’s work. her works of cultural and social criticism are incred-ible in their astuteness and laserlike ability to penetrate to the heart of the matter. but this story, about the sudden deaths of both her husband and daughter, months apart, really took me by surprise. it was raw, unfiltered grief, devoid of what i had come to expect from the very “in control” Didion, written instead by a woman on top of the world who watches it all collapse in a split second.

BLACk mASS, by DicK lehr anD GerarD o’neili’m embarrassed to admit how often i’ve seen the Departed or goodfellas and can easily fin-ish most lines from the godfather (both i and ii!). i like these stories for what they teach us about clan mentality, perverse notions of family and loyalty, the impact of local politics and the unmitigated abuse of power. this book is “the true story of an unholy alliance between the fbi and the irish mob.” it has all of the lessons from the movies, but it’s also true—it happened in our own city, even on the very paths through castle island that i’ve enjoyed with my dog on beautiful summer days.

ChArLIE WILSoN’S WAr, by GeorGe crileif i didn’t know that charlie wilson was an actual person, this would be the tallest of tales. the intrigue, nuances, outright craziness and ultimate triumph of one congressman’s single-minded quest to turn back the soviet army’s invasion of afghanistan, and thereby change the tide of history, is just riveting. and he did it by arming a ragtag group of rebels in their quest to be free from soviet domination. Depending on your politics, charlie wilson is either a hero for helping to bring down the soviet union, or the man whose unfettered zealotry and ideal-ism indirectly helped to turn those local rebels into the modern-day taliban.

from BEIruT To JEruSALEm, by thomas frieDmanoriginally published in 1989, this book can be considered “dated” in terms of the issues facing the middle east today. this is not a textbook, and there are no references to 9/11, al-Qaeda or osama bin laden. this is a journey, a memoir of friedman’s 10 years spent reporting from israel and lebanon at the time the former invaded the latter. in the most basic terms, coupled with a unique perspective, friedman outlines the genesis of the israeli-palestinian divide.

nOnFiCtiOn FaVOriteSmy books...


The Power of StoriesSeriousness and laughter help us understand identity. By Steven tejada Dean of DiverSity initiativeS

ne of the moSt important jobs of educators is to push students to get to know classmates from differ-ent backgrounds. What is

the value of diversity if students are not engaging with one another? This goal is complicated by the fact that as humans we are wired to fear difference and to migrate toward those we see as similar. How do we encourage students to break down these barriers? I’ve always been a believer in the power of sharing our sto-ries. Doing so lets us affirm our identity, allows people into our lives, and gives us a way to connect with our experiences.

Assembly is the perfect venue for sharing stories. Four out of five days a week we have a captive audience of more than 600 students and faculty. Of course, a captive audience does not necessarily mean an attentive audience (especially at 8 a.m.!). It is always a challenge to deliver a message to a room full of teenagers and adults still longing for their cozy beds. I’ve always confronted this challenge with a balance of humor and drama. Humor catches people’s attention and encourages them to let their guard down in order to explore more dramatic moments. In many ways, our focus on

seriousness and laughter at Nobles separates us from other communities. How many other schools mention both rigor and humor in their mission state-ment? Below is an excerpt of one of my Assembly speeches that contemplates this balance:

“I am a Latino and extremely proud of my ethnic identity. My parents immigrated to this country from Central America in search of a better future, and my sense of cultural pride was instilled in me at a very early age. This was reinforced via language, food and summer trips back to Latin America to visit relatives. Hispanic pride was even reflected in my family members’ names—my mother, Yameli, my father, Feliciano, my sister, Yesenia, my brother, Jaime, and me, STEVEN. Can you get any more Hispanic than STEVEN? This is probably why my last name (Tejada) has always meant the world to me. It’s a direct connection to my heritage. This is also why I’ll always correct you if you mispronounce my last name. It’s pronounced TE-HADA. Not Tachaida, not Tuchada, and certainly not Medina (Medina is a completely differ-ent Hispanic teacher at Nobles!).

Another aspect of my identity that has always been important to me is that I grew

up in a working-class family. I attended a private school similar to Nobles, and my transition into this school was a huge cul-ture shock. It was mind-boggling to attend a school where the tuition was higher than my parents’ income. Just walking past the student parking lot, packed with expensive cars, was an intimidating experience. My father had worked for years and never owned a new car. I learned a lot in that first year of private school. I learned that some people have summer homes. Don’t get me wrong, I also had a summer home. It just happened to be my fall, spring and winter home all at once. It was what my family liked to call an ‘all-seasons home.’ I also learned about new foreign lands. At the end of that first year, summer was approaching and students started sharing their vacation plans. Many of my classmates kept men-tioning that they were going to Martha’s Vineyard. All I could think about was why this ‘Martha’ had not invited me to her party. Clearly she had enough room if she owned an entire vineyard!

During my first year at that school, I silently wondered if anyone would ever relate to the fact that my family lived pay-check to paycheck. I slowly started to dis-cover that there were other students whose families also struggled financially. Some of us discovered our bond at a party. It was the type of party that rivaled the ones displayed on the MTV show My Sweet 16— the type of celebration where the birthday kid gets a car and a pony as gifts. Everything seems wonderful until the kid gets really angry because the color of the car doesn’t match the color of the pony. I remember sitting at this party with a look of disbelief at the visible signs of wealth that surround-

perspectives

O

Prior to joining Nobles as the dean of diversity initiatives, Steven Tejada toured with a one-man show that he wrote and directed about the experiences of people of color. The performance was inspired by his personal journey and years of experience as an administrator in education working on issues of diversity and equity. He has spoken and performed at venues across the country, including Cornell, Yale, Bates, NAIS People of Color Conference, the University of Pennsylvania and the Museum of the City of New York. Tejada was even a Long Assembly speaker at Nobles before being hired. During the year, he shares some of his stories with the Nobles community via the Assembly stage.

perspectives

ed me. At one point, a classmate leaned over to me and whispered, ‘Where in the world are we?’ He was a white student from a single-parent household. His mother was a teacher, and they also depended heavily on financial aid to attend the school. It was one of my first moments real-izing that socioeconomic issues affected students of all backgrounds. We were two kids from two different neighborhoods and cultures, connected by our experience with class. I was not alone.

For some of you, our school will feel like home pretty quickly. For others, it may take a while to feel completely connected to Nobles. One of our hopes as faculty is that every single one of you in this room gains a sense of ownership of this place. If for some reason that is not happening, let one of us know. I guarantee we will do everything in our power to make things better. It’s impor-tant to remember that regardless of our individual journeys, we’re all in this room together as a community. Please look out

for each other and take care of each other as a community. Be willing to learn from each other. I encourage you to think about what aspects of your identity are important to you—ethnicity, gender, class, religion, sexual orientation, etc. How do you main-tain and grow this pride at Nobles? How do you display and share this pride with the entire community? Remember that you have a great deal to gain from this place, but never forget that you also have a great deal to contribute.” n

photo: kathleen Dooher (top); courteSy of Steven tejaDa (bottom) winter 2013 Nobles 21

Clockwise from top: Steven Tejada at Nobles; Tejada as a teenager with good friends from his neighborhood on Grant Avenue in the Bronx; a young Tejada poses with his mother the day of kindergarten graduation.


Honoring the Castle

“What took shape in the imagination of one man—railroad and textile magnate

Albert W. Nickerson—has helped shape a school culture steeped in history

and focused on community.

In the late 19th century, Nickerson’s ambition became manifest in his

home—his very own Castle. He commissioned imminent architect H.H.

Richardson to design the Castle and landscape architect Frederick Law

Olmsted to design the grounds overlooking the Charles River.

Nickerson clearly intended to leave his mark on the world. What he

couldn’t have foreseen is that his expression of wealth and determination

would become Nobles’ symbol for community and purpose—for caring about

the public good.”

—ROBERT P. HENDERSON JR. ’76, HEAD OF SCHOOL, from Castle video narration

The Campus Gem, Reintroduced


“What is never lost is the sense of continuity and the subtle magic that is so much a part of the Castle.”

—“THE MuSIC ROOM,” BY ISA SCHAFF

How did you incorporate features from the original Castle in the new addition?ellen WattS: In terms of actual historical features, there are principally three ele-ments that had to be relocated for either the opening between the old and the new, or to give way for the elevator shaft. The satinwood fireplace, which has a round beveled mirror, is now the focal point of the link dining [area].

In the main dining wing, you see—off-centered—a massive stone fireplace that was in the lower level [basement], and it is a fireplace so large that it almost created an entire wall by itself. In its new location, it is the focal point, but an asym-metrical feature of the main dining wing.

daniel BernStein: The task in adding to a building like this is that you have to be very subtle and very balanced; we can’t build at the quality level typical in the 19th century. We had to find a way to do the very best we could with contempo-rary materials. The building respects the form of the Castle. It has a different color roof to enable the Castle to be primary. It uses lots of woodwork in a way that’s reminiscent of the old rooms.

We are trying to channel Richardson and ask, “What would he do with today’s materials?” We were trying to make a building that respects the Castle, and is also a counterpoint to it.

What were some of your biggest challenges?eW: The elevator. The building has five levels, which adjoin only in the central portion of the Castle. With limited areas to insert an elevator, we needed a straight way up through five floors, avoiding 22 ex-isting fireplaces and flues. The shaft that

was ultimately found is only two inches bigger than the width that is necessary.

You can imagine how difficult it is to do structural intervention in a building this old and complicated, especially since there were no existing drawings. In the Richardson archives, there are design sketches, but construction drawings do not exist—at least not to our knowledge—so it was impossible to know the layout of beams, the bearing of stone and the complex interconnectivity of all these walls and beams.

Adding to that difficulty, an elevator shaft needs space below it, below the ground floor. That involved digging a 12-foot-deep pit into the solid rock below the floor level, and that was done with hand tools. It was a feat of great chal-lenge, and also courage, for the construc-tion workers who went down the hole.

dB: Everybody sees the beautiful finishes, but 90 percent of what goes on in a renovation is invisible. In one of the rooms, we counted over 20 pipes, and we vowed to the trustees that we would make them go away. And we were pretty successful at that. All the piping for the big radiators is now [replaced with] a hydronic system that runs off of hot water, and fresh air is delivered through invisible ducts from the basement.

Your firm, Architerra, is committed to sustainable design. What are some sustainable features of the Castle? eW: There are about 30 different fea-tures and green design strategies that are enumerated on the list [given to the board of trustees], and the list could have been longer. It was the strong desire of the building committee to have us


Q&A with Ellen Watts and Daniel Bernstein, principals of Architerra A Great Achievement

1883: Albert W. Nickerson, president of the Arlington Woolen Mills and director of

the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, buys land for his per-sonal estate. Nickerson

hires prominent ar-chitect Henry Hobson Richardson, architect of Boston’s Trinity Church and Sever Hall at Harvard University,

and landscape archi-tect Frederick Law Olmsted, co-designer of Central Park and Prospect Park in New York City.

1886: Richardson dies at age 48 before plans for Nickerson’s house are drawn. What remains of his vision is a series of

rendered sketches. The architect’s successors, Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge, a Boston-based firm, completed the actual plans and

castle timeline


oversaw construction of the building.

1887: Castle con-struction begins on June 4.

1890: The Castle is completed.

1893: Nickerson dies, only able to enjoy his home for three years.

1920–1921: The economic depression of 1893 and the failure of some investments affect the family for-tunes, so the property

is put up for sale.

1920: The Castle, known as the River-dale Estate during the time, is nearly sold

to the Third National Film Company for $250,000, according to an article in the Boston Globe on Oct. 8. But the sale falls through.

1921: Noble and Greenough Corporation purchases the building and 101 acres around it for $102,000 on Aug. 30.

Clockwise from top: The new dining wing added an additional 205 seats to the Castle; the fireplace in the new dining hall is one of two original fireplaces, which were relocated to the new addition; the Castle Library has been restored as a meeting space; Architerra managed to incorporate natural light to the building by adding several skylights to the new space.

realize every possibility for making the building energy-efficient, with suitable features and finishes. Water efficiency, day lighting, energy efficiency, reuse and repurposing of existing elements in the new design, sustainable finishes, FSC-certified wood are just a few.

dB: The most important thing from a sustainable point of view is the overall reuse of and rejuvenation of the building. By upgrading the systems in the Castle, we greatly reduced the energy use. We in- sulated the roof with help from some very visionary trustees. We added about 13,000 square feet—including the kitchen, which is high-energy in terms of use—and renovated the entire Castle but did not in-crease the energy use of the campus at all.

What’s the most exciting sustainable initiative to you? eW: A lot of people would shrink from the challenge of renovating the Castle. Not only did Nobles have the courage to take on a major expansion while also continu-ing to operate its campus, but it held to the goal of achieving LEED certification. The project is on track to receive LEED gold certification, which is the next-to-highest level and very challenging for a building of this vintage. The LEED rating system covers a very broad spectrum of sustainable criteria involving energy use, water use, sustainable site design, indoor air quality, recycled materials, etc. This is a great achievement by the school and by those of us who were involved.

dB: There are two additional things that are really important. One is the use of natural daylight. The addition is designed to allow a lot of daylight but not heat gain. The dining hall is asymmetrical

Welcomed by Head of School Robert P. Henderson Jr. ’76, more than 1,000 mem-bers of the Nobles community gathered on Nov. 16 to celebrate the restored and expanded Castle.

“Our talented architects, Architerra, and the remarkable folks at Shawmut Construction have managed to revive and restore the historical Castle, while at the same time rejuvenating the build-ing for the next century,” Henderson said. “We have blended the old and new, traditional and modern, aesthetic origi-nality and pragmatic functionalism, in a magnificent manner.

“All students of every Nobles gen-eration ‘own’ this building equally and together. Everyone knows the creaks in the floor, the quirks of design, the echoes of youthful joy and enthusiasm, and tones created by shadow and sunlight in its various corners and crannies.”

The evening included a tour of the new archive space in the Castle, which was gifted by the Class of 1970 (see page 15 for details), and an open house of the 17 updated faculty residences.

Henderson thanked the Building and Finance Committee, Development Committee, Graduates Castle Advisory Committee, and numerous others whose efforts led to the success of the Castle Project. The school exceeded its initial fundraising goal for the project.

In addition to commemorating a new era of the Castle, Nobles Night also celebrated the Annual Nobles Fund (ANF) and the First Class Fund for Fac-ulty (FCFF). The ANF has raised $2.98 million of its $4.15 million goal. The ANF is led by graduate and parent co-chairs Amy Russell Farber ’91, Matt Mittelstadt

’95, Chip and Donna Hazard P’14 ’15, and Jon and Heidi McNeill P’14 ’17, respec-tively—and the 83-person 2012–2013 Executive Committee, consisting of 26 graduates, 53 current parents and four parents of graduates.

It’s a long-standing tradition for Class I families to raise funds for a class gift, which in recent years has been dedicated to faculty support. The Class of 2013 FCFF Committee has raised $702,000 of its $800,000 goal. Thanks was given to FCFF co-chairs Bill and Kristi Geary P’08 ’11 ’13 and Matt and Mary Dunne P’13 ’15 ’17 for their fundraising efforts this fall.

In a quirky video, which can be viewed on the Nobles YouTube channel, Nobles announced the combined total for the ANF and FCFF: $3,682,588 to date.

The evening also recognized recipi-ents of the Richard T. Flood ’23 Award, Craig Pfannenstiehl ’88 and Lisa Dona-hue Rose ’90, two class agents who have given outstanding service to the ANF.

In addition to remarks from Hen-derson, the evening featured a jazz band and gourmet grazing, with lobster canapés and sushi. But the building itself remained the star of the festivities.

“The response of the extended Nobles community to the needs of [the Castle] initiative has been more than impres-sive,” said Henderson. “This project was indeed expensive, but I hope it is clear to everyone that it has been well worth the investment.” —TIFFANY TRAN

didn’t get to see the Castle videos during nobles night? Check them out at www.nobles.edu/castlevideos


1921–1922: While waiting for the school-house to be built, the Wiggins family lived in the Castle. While prowling around the

Castle, the Wiggins children (Laura, Charlie and Johnny) discovered $2,000 in Confederate money “in a secret closet above

the trap-door leading down to the dungeon.”

1922: The first No-bles event in the Castle is a spring dance.

Twenty-three Students moved in from Boston to Dedham in the fall. The Castle, also known as the Main House, was used for dining,

boarding, school of-fices and a library.

1923: William Minot, treasurer of Noble and Greenough School,

accepts estimates for work to be done in the attic, which costs the school $6,953 for heat-ing, electrical work and general contract.

with an overhang on the south side, which means in the summertime, when the sun is high, the overhang shades the glass. In the wintertime, when the sun is low and we want the heat in the building, the sun can pen-etrate into the floor.

Secondly, we didn’t use toxic adhesives or materials that off-gas in the design. Almost everything we used to the extent possible is a water-based adhesive or water-based finish. That’s a big change in the way buildings can be built.

Is there anything you want to add? dB: At the same time that we were trying to understand Richardson and his approach and wanting to build a building compatible [with his vision], we were doing the same thing with Olmsted. We wanted to restore the Olmsted landscape, take down all the brambles. You couldn’t see the southeast side of the Castle [before]. All of that was cleared away through very careful choosing of which trees to cut down and clearing and sensi-tive landscape design. To the extent that we could, we tried to make the building have the same relationship to the landscape that Richardson and Olmsted gave the Castle.

eW: For our young firm—we’re only now eight-and-a-half years old—to be selected for this commission was such an extreme honor and a bit of a sur-prise. It has been one of our defining moments as a young enterprise.

Ever since I first saw the Castle, I immediately loved it, and I felt it was charming and quirky and very, very special. At the same time, we realized how it could be ruined, how an overly formal or clumsy attention could diminish it, and I really feel that its very best character has been pre-served and enhanced. n

A celebration of the restored and expanded CastleNobles Night


1929: The number of student boarders increases to 48.

1931: A Castle addi-tion houses an infir-

mary and an expanded kitchen.

1972: A fire occurs in the Round Room on the fourth floor around

8:30 p.m. on March 7.

1981: Another reno-vation is performed to update and expand student and faculty

living spaces on the second floor.

2008: Planning for the Castle Project begins, and architects

Architerra view the Castle for the first time.

2011: Renovation of the 13,000-square-foot addition begins.

2012: The Castle Project is completed in the fall. The con-struction phase takes about 18 months.

Clockwise from top: Head of School Bob Henderson; the mirror from one of the original fireplaces in the Castle—now relocated to the new addition—reflects signs of celebration; from left: Jackie Gautreaux, Putty McDowell ‘42 and Bill Warren ‘77; guests mingle in the Usen alcove, named in honor and in memory of Peter Usen ’79 P’11; faculty members Greg Croak ‘06 and Sarah Plumb ‘08 (forefront) with Madison Riley and Matt Bezrah, both ‘08, in the Castle Library; Bob Hender-son welcomes members of the Nobles community to the restored Castle.


AHow Art

Can Make Doctors Better

“You can see a lot by looking.” –YOGI BERRA

alexa miller ’96 holdS the opinion that developing a relation-ship with art—becoming an excellent observer—can be the difference between life and death. Miller’s consulting firm, Arts Practica, aims to improve health care and minimize misdiag-nosis by training clinicians to trust the data before their eyes—people—as much as they trust the knowledge they have spent years accumulating. “Quality creative attention is the differ-ence between good and great in medicine,” Miller writes on her company website.

Miller’s work has been featured on WGBH Boston, as well as in The Boston Globe, The Charlotte Observer, and both medi-cal and arts journals. She is affiliated with medical schools, including Harvard Medical School and Boston university School of Medicine.

Boston university internist and director of medical student education, Warren Hershman, appreciates the value Miller has added to his mission to improve medical education.

“We’ve neglected some of the basics,” he says. “Alexa has done a great job. [Her facilitation of workshops] improves medical students’ observation skills and helps them deal with ambiguity—developing a mind-set that allows them to become more comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

Here, Miller talks with Heather Sullivan, director of com-munications, about her passion.

A Conversation with Alexa Miller ’96photograph by kathleen Dooher


Did you always intend to have art at the center of your career?alexa miller: I knew that art needed to be a part of it. I went to art school in London after college. I had this passion that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but my art training allowed me to follow it. Artmaking is about paying attention to the thing that makes you go, “Hmm”—to sense something that strikes you as dif-ferent, whether or not you can describe it, and then to explore it. That’s how I first started looking at medicine and medical imagery— through making works of art about the way people heal and adapt.

Can you describe those works in more detail?am: It was right after September 11. I was in a vulnerable place and thinking about human healing and resilience in the body. So I started to make artwork about people’s scars: taking photographs of their scars, making them into paintings, collecting their oral histories about their scars, and then exploring some of the narratives of healing in the paintings. To learn about scars and skin tissue, I started to go to this amazing library in London called the Wellcome Trust, which is one of the world’s biggest archives of medical imagery. So I camped out in this medi-cal archive and learned about skin and scarring, and how to diagnose and care for it. unexpectedly, the pictures struck me as having all kinds of interesting, hid-den narratives, and at the same time, the medical texts describing the pictures told just one narrative. It was in making art that I was able to pay attention to those ideas and develop them.

But then it got to the point where exploring those ideas in art wasn’t effect-ing change. It was too complex. It was nonverbal. I realized I wanted to make a difference in the education of care pro-viders, and that art had a very real role in that. I realized a better place to make that difference was in physician training.

How did you develop from making art to teaching others the art of observation?am: My art has become my obsession with misdiagnosis and how people learn to deal with what’s unfamiliar and ambigu-ous. One of my sisters was misdiagnosed

as a kid. It caused so much unnecessary suffering and loss. I saw firsthand the costs of her medical mislabeling. Her childhood was marred by diagnoses for conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, which came with some pretty terrifying drug treatments and real mis-treatment. Later on in her early twenties, she was diagnosed by a nurse and a state social worker with Asperger’s. That diag-nosis aligned her with the right resources. She now lives a productive, continually developing and minimally medicated life.

It was in artmaking that I uncovered my own deep sadness that my fam-ily believed all these diagnoses. That I believed them. I wasn’t really aware that this was the source of my artistic

curiosity at the time of making those scar paintings. I just knew that I really cared about the difference between how we see things that we understand, and how we see things we do not yet understand.

But doctors are supposed to diagnose patients when they are unwell.am: One of the most interesting things I’ve learned about diagnostic errors is that they are very rarely due to faulty knowledge. They are almost always due to faulty data gathering and data synthesis. Diagnosis involves suspend-ing judgment throughout the process of inquiry. This takes real skills—and skills take practice. Any diagnosis is helpful if it gets you what you need. Sometimes there is more than one thing happening. It’s not always one right answer.

Doctors also face many pressures, which lead to overtesting. Every test introduces more cost and potentially more risk. The system makes it too easy to look at a computer screen and order 10 tests, rather than looking at the patient and ordering two. Schooling should develop more of the creative skills that people innately have. Medicine is not the only field that would benefit.

What is the goal of your work?am: The difference I am trying to make is in improving the quality of care pro-viders’ attention. I take an education approach, targeting the teaching of skills like observation, navigating ambiguity, thinking in flexible ways, listening. Those are skills that are very easily learned in art. I call those skills, and the disposition to use them, “aesthetic attention.” They are the basis for the workshops I offer for clinicians and clinical teachers.

It’s not that I am for arts in health care; I am for better attention in health care, and I think art has a role in the development of that attention.

What’s the best way to make change in medical practice?am: My strategy is to work with the people involved in the training of novice physicians. I have found this audience to be curious about cognitive strategies to address the skills of embracing ambigu-ity, teamwork and observation.

While a student at London’s Wimbledon School of Art, Miller began photographing and painting scars. Above are representations of Desmond and Laura. Both are 5-foot-tall watercolor and marker on paper.


How many people are doing what you do, using art in this way?am: Fifty art museums in the united States report doing programming with medical schools or some kind of medical or clinical education. I’m proud to be part of the Harvard program, which helped to catalyze new programs nationally.

You set up a symposium with other practi-tioners this fall. What was that like?am: I worked with the Arts Education Partnership, a national coalition for arts leadership, to design a plenary at their National Forum, focusing on the impact of arts experiences on clinical learning. The other panelists were Irwin Braver-man, M.D., a Yale dermatologist and professor, and Diana Beckmann-Mendez, NP, Ph.D., a professor and family nurse practitioner from the university of Texas, San Antonio, College of Health Sciences. All of us have contributed to research studies on the impact of arts interven-tions on care providers’ education.

One of the goals of the panel was to help emerging arts leaders understand that arts impact can be measurable. [Measurement] shakes some conven-tional wisdom about what art is and what art education does.

You often use El Jaleo, by John Singer Sargent, to teach observation. What other works of art do you use?

am: El Jaleo is a dear friend! It’s one of those pieces that just invites response, from kids, from everyone.

All works of art provoke responses unique to the art and unique to the individual and the group. But generally speaking, the pieces most conducive to learning to navigate a subjective situa-tion with observation and critical think-ing skills have key features. They have elements of the recognizable world as well as vast passages of the unknown or the unrecognizable. This invites viewers to make their way in, recognizing what they know—and contemplating what they don’t know. You want to find works that make for conversation and make for silences. The silences are important.

Helen Levitt’s Masked Children has been great for conversations with clinical faculty. There’s children being children, and then some sense of trouble, but it’s not clear what. Because it’s photography, it raises questions about power, what’s real, what’s objective. And then there’s that…shape…in the foreground. It’s one of those tiny details that could hinge or unhinge an entire story. People have to wonder, “What is that? Is that a hat? Are they collecting money? Is it a cat? Or is that something else?” At a recent workshop at Brown, someone wondered if the shape was symbolic of the atom bomb and provided excellent evidence for what prompted the question. I loved

that. Even if we know it’s not an atom bomb, there is some atom-bomb-ish-ness there—some wild truth that may or may not be intended but that somehow contributes to the overall sensibility of the image. Art is a safe place to welcome and explore these possibilities.

How do clinicians translate what they learn?am: In the Harvard class, one of the most important things we do is take what we do in the museum and put it into practice in the clinic. We go on rounds with the express purpose of learning to observe patients. We ask the patient’s permis-sion, then we just observe them. We look at everything: a rash on the leg, chipped fingernail polish, pictures of her family on the wall. We take it all in.

People don’t necessarily think of observing as data gathering, but it’s an innate capacity for retrieving informa-tion. We are so obsessed with words and numbers as our sources of information. Great doctors know how to elicit the right information and how to translate nonver-bal information into actionable data.

What makes you good at your job?am: I can speak the art language and the science language. I can see the perspective of patient, doctor, student and teacher. I love learning, and I’m not afraid to go out of my comfort zone. n

Miller says that John Singer Sargent’s 1882 painting, El Jaleo, is a great teaching tool. The nearly 12-foot-wide oil on canvas invites observation and interpretation. (John Singer Sargent, American, 1856-1925)

“iT’s noT THAT i AM foR ARTs

in HEAlTH CARE; i AM

foR BETTER ATTEnTion in HEAlTH

CARE.”

photo courteSy of the iSabella Stewart garDner muSeum


Flipped classrooms are a national trend. Like any concept, it’s only as effective as the teacher who uses it. At Nobles, flipping allows for more collaborative, creative and personalized learning.

HOMEWORk in CLASS


CLASSWORk at HOME

photographS by meloDy ko

anD michael Dwyer


Hoe is referring to a short video he created that introduced the vocabulary and concepts he is attempting to solidify in class. Students watched the video for homework and are using the information they learned as they arrange themselves into a classroom-sized atom. Chairs are shifted; two students confer quietly in the corner before moving the basket closer to the center of the room.

Flipped classrooms—described as a “buzzy concept among educators” by Kayla Webley in a July 2012 Time maga-zine article—have caught the interest of many Nobles faculty, Hoe among them.

Popularized by Salman Khan of the online educational website and video les-son database Khan Academy, the flipped classroom philosophy is simple enough: Project-based work should be done in the classroom, and homework should be replaced by video-recorded instructional lessons or other content.

In the typical flipped classroom, teach-ers create videos—sometimes called “screencasts”—of short lectures that have a visual component. Hoe uses a computer drawing tablet to underline important details in PowerPoint presentations or write out equations, all the while narrat-ing from an inset in the right-hand corner of the screen. He then posts the videos online for students to watch.

Hoe became interested in the idea of flipped classrooms because it allows for a more engaging class. By recording 7- to 15-minute screencasts and post-ing them for homework, Hoe breaks the units into digestible chunks and shifts lectures from class to home. Class time that students would have spent listening

and taking notes can now be spent asking questions, reviewing the concepts and doing activities.

“It provides a lot more room for me to experiment with getting them moving instead of staying static the whole time,” says Hoe. “Now we’re doing something different all the time in class, whether it’s presenting in groups or doing activities that illustrate the topic, to better under-stand it and apply it.”

There are other advantages of the flipped classroom beyond the shift toward more interactive learning—one being the mul-timedia possibilities.

Nora Creahan, ceramics teacher, posts videos to her website for students to watch before coming into the studio. By editing and speeding up the footage, Creahan reduces a two-hour wheel-throwing demonstration to a more manageable 30 minutes.

Nobles Spanish teacher Jacqui Cro-nin finds multimedia elements condu-cive to language learning. In addition to being able to hear the language outside of the classroom, videos show the speaker’s body language and facial expressions. “Teaching language is like being an actor or actress. When you’re introducing new concepts, you are acting things out. In this way, videos are a great teaching tool for language,” Cronin says.

Videos also enable students to learn at their own pace. Students can rewind, rewatch, and stop the video at any point until they have mastered the topic. “If students are struggling with a topic after watching the video, they come into class and know what questions they need to ask,” Hoe says.

This way, students take control of their own learning. As Webley writes in Time, “The teacher shifts from being the sage on the stage to being the guide on the side.”

The concept of “blended learning”—face-to-face teaching combined with intervals of computer-based content—has been popping up in headlines and educa-tion journals across the country. The flipped classroom is one such instance of blended learning, and like most educa-tional trends, it is being met with a mix of enthusiasm and resistance. Education scholars, teachers and even First Lady Michelle Obama in her Let’s Move Child Care initiative assert that the last thing students need is more screen time; oth-ers are worried that computers will take over the role of the teacher in education.

All three Nobles teachers insist that a little more screen time at home allows for a lot more face-to-face time in the classroom. “We can go a lot deeper in class now because we have time to spend 20 minutes reviewing a simple detail,” Hoe says. “I have more time to slow down and really check students’ understanding and make it as deep as possible.”

In response to technology replac-ing the need for teachers, Creahan says, “The kids can find the information anywhere, but where they need help is going through the process of failure and figuring out where the problems are. The most valuable thing we can do as teach-ers is support them in that process.”

At the end of the week, Hoe’s class gath-ers around the lab table at the back of the room. The students have just finished decorating tiny, flat slips of paper cut into sailboat shapes. Hoe collects the “boats,” skimming them across the surface of a large tub of water, one by one.

“What do you think I’m demonstrat-ing?” he asks the group.

There is a pause, and then one student speaks: “Didn’t you talk about surface tension in the video last night?”

Hoe nods and lets another small piece of paper flit across the water. Students lean in, some murmur to their class-mates, all eyes on the water, and there is no computer screen in sight.

—MELISSA MCCLuNG

tudentS are SCattered around the classroom, some sitting on strategically placed chairs—“electrons”—others on the periphery looking in. A few run to the middle of the room, count-ing pink paper “protons” and blue paper “neutrons” in the wicker basket “nucleus.” Biology teacher Mike Hoe stands outside of

the circle, observing the students’ creation. “Now, remember from the video that there are only two electrons in the first shell,” he prompts the students.

S

1938

Franklin “Nick” King III ’64 writes, “My mother, Frances ‘Sandy’ King, died at home in Sherborn, Mass., on Aug. 2. She was married to the late Franklin ‘Bunge’ King Jr. ’38 for 61 years and spent a goodly portion of her life raising, transporting and cheering on three Nobles children, including Philip King ’79 and Margaret King ’83.”

1940

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

percy [email protected]

Percy Nelson writes, “It is sad to report the death of our classmate and friend Don Pitkin on May 11,

2012. In his obituary, his son and daughter report, ‘our father touched many people. Sadly, we must inform you that his journey on this earth has come to an end. In return, we’d like to thank all of you who shared part of your world with don.’

As far as we know, this reduces our class size to six remaining members: Dave Arnold, Bill Brush, Tom Cabot, Frank Cunningham, Dick Mayo-Smith and me. We have lost all touch with Henry Wiggin. We hope that those of us who are left will stay in touch and remain friends.”

1942

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

putty Mcdowell 781-320-1960 [email protected]

1946

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Gregg [email protected]

Gregg Bemis writes, “Dick Lucas and Beezah Almy summered in Marion, Mass., with golf and sail-ing high on the agenda, as usual. dick and Anne have unfulfilled plans to become snowbirds, and Beezah continues his helpful work on Nobles projects.

lisa and I celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary in August, with five out of six of our children and nine out of 11 grandchildren. Significant others of all ages were also present for the family get-together. I believe Phil Baker, how-ever, still holds the lead in number of great-grandchildren.”

1948

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Bill Bliss [email protected]

Nat Harris was presented the Joe Frothingham Memorial Award from the dartmouth Natural resources trust (dNrt) in May 2012 for his “dedication to conser-vation, love of the outdoors and pure joy.” Nat has been actively involved in the dNrt for 22 years. He was on the dNrt board of directors from 1990–2000 and

has remained on both its land acquisition and land management committees ever since.

Robert Harrigan writes, “I had a tumor in my kidney. they removed my kidney and the entire tumor. I’m doing very well and do not need dialysis.”

1949

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

John Guilbert520-887-0628

1950

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNtS

peter [email protected]

Sid eaton, [email protected]

In summer 2012, Nancy and Ned Almy took their 14th cruise, spon-sored by the tAUCK travel Group. After a rough landing in paris—a landing that was greeted by fire trucks—they took the high-speed train to lyon, where they boarded a luxurious river barge. the 330-foot vessel had space for 100 folks, who were treated like royalty for a seven- day trip on the rhone river with portside visits each way to riverside towns. Ned describes the visits in each town as educational. “trained guides met us at each town, and did they know their stuff!” A


graduate news NoteS & ANNoUNCeMeNtS FroM ClASSMAteS

Percy Nelson and Bill Brush, both ’40, have remained in touch since they were students at Nobles and Williams College. Their wives, Toni and Harriet, have also remained friends since attending high school in New York. From left: Percy Nelson, wife Toni Nelson, Bill’s wife, Harriet Brush, and Bill Brush.


reunions Save the date if your class year ends in a “3” or an “8.” Go to www.nobles.edu/graduates for more information—you won’t want to miss the celebration!

dividend of the trip was the 15,000 miles of free travel per Almy as compensation for the rough landing in paris—mileage enough to permit Ned and Nancy to take family members to rome, Switzerland and France next summer.

Ned Bliss writes, “Since Anne’s passing almost a year ago, I have been busy going to the office two to three days a week to continue work with a number of clients I have been acquainted with for many years in the investment counsel business. In addition, I continue to drive our German sport ponies, competing in Florida; pittsford, N.Y.; and Stockbridge, Mass. Many hours of training and fun.”

Monty Goodale reports having completed his novel for adoles-cents, Ladd Come, Ladd Sit, Phooey Ladd. He has sent it to down east Books in hopes they will publish it and is already at work on other writings. He also reports that his grandson, now over a year old, is with his parents in southwest-ern China, where Monty’s son teaches ecology at a small Chinese university.

Dudley Hall reports, “We had an excellent family vacation on Cape Cod in July. the beach house in West dennis had no tV, A/C or dishwasher—all those things we can’t seem to live without. perfect weather in a place where I spent many happy hours in my youth.”

Richard McCabe says all is fine with him, and the family is well. He

still gardens a bit and continues to add books to his basement collec-tion, but he regretfully can’t find time to read as often as he used to. He says, “I’m slowing down, I guess,” and agrees with many of us that forgetting information that he heard 30 minutes before is frustrating. He happily reported that the Cotuit Kettleers won their division of the famous Cape Cod league this past summer, but he couldn’t remember the name of the team that defeated them in the playoffs. He’s seeing much of Alden Ringquist, but not so much of the rest of us, as he sel-dom leaves Cape Cod and Cotuit for Boston and its environs. He and Nancy will be off to their Florida hideout soon.

Gordon Rice sold his home and checked out Fox Hill retirement Center in Westwood, Mass., but he decided to lease a new house in Westwood on a yearly basis instead. “I’m not ready yet for Fox Hill,” says Gordy. “I’m too active watching my grandsons play hockey and baseball.” As we talked, one could hear young voices playing hockey in the rink Gordy was calling from. In addi-tion to watching and advising the grandsons, he goes to his office and health club daily.

1951

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Bill [email protected]

Bill Gorham writes, “A memorial service for Bill Yates was held at the United Congregational Church in little Compton, r.I., on Aug. 25, 2012. In attendance were Joe Keith and Mimi and King Foster. Joe and King roomed with Bill in the Castle during their last year at Nobles, along with Marty Mullin, who died earlier this year. Also in attendance were Galt Grant and Dick Willis, who were close friends of Bill’s since graduation from Nobles. later in the summer, I met dick and Galt for lunch, and thereafter I had dinner with King and Mimi in Harwich port on Cape Cod. I have summered there all my life. King summered there when at Nobles, and he and Mimi have lived there full time for 44 years.”

1952 & 1953

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Winston “Hooley” perry [email protected]

Winston “Hooley” Perry writes, “Hurricanes, heat waves, hailstorms, flooding, tornadoes, wildfires, and such. oh my, what an amazing and exciting summer we’ve had!

on Cinco de Mayo, May 5, 2012, I contacted my ‘best buddy’ Jack Tucker ’53 to (a) see how many stallions he will have running in the Kentucky derby this year, and (b) to see whom I should put my money on. Jack gracefully (as he always does) stated that he is

looking forward to next year with three young stallions in training in ocala, Fla., plus he hinted that I should put my money on I’ll Have Another, who eventually won the derby. As always, I am continually astounded by Jack’s acumen in these matters.

periodically, I receive hand-written letters with pictures and remembrances of our many happy years at Nobles from my ‘round room roomie,’ Bob ‘Prascho’ Prash ’53, from his home in Vermont. Bob has an encyclopedic memory of facts from his years at Nobles, in the classroom and on the fields. If any classmates want to know the who, what or when of events at the school back in the early ’50s, give prascho a call.

In July, on our way up north to attend my daughter, elizabeth’s, remarriage on Nantucket Island (yes, young people do that these days), Andrea and I had the distinct pleasure of spending a few days with Carol and Hal Knapp ’52 at their five-star ‘Knapp Happy resort’ in Chatham. If you want to be totally and comfortably entertained, you should do your best to wangle an invitation to this fabulous fun-in-the-sun resort. After being wined and dined in grand style, we were given an entertaining and exciting ride in the Knapp Happy resort’s yacht around Chatham Harbor and Stage Harbor. What better way to relax?

the next highlight of our trip was our luncheon at the Coby


graduate news

Cumings Country Club. (For those of you who don’t know, Coby is Car-oline and Bob Cumings’s ’52 dog, a fun labradoodle who runs and rules the household.) on the deck overlooking the resort’s expansive lake, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch prepared by Bob and traded war stories in everyone’s lives.

While reading Historic Pres-ervation magazine, I came upon an article about the beautiful restoration of the world-famous painter Winslow Homer’s historic studio located in prouts Neck, Maine. It said that Charles Homer ‘Chip’ Willauer ’55, the artist’s great-grandnephew, had sold it to the portland Museum in 2006, and that the museum had restored the studio. I contacted Peter Willauer ’52 to find out the rest of the story. He said, ‘Winslow Homer was my great-uncle, and his brother, Arthur, is my great-grandfather, and my mother is a Homer.’ Wow, a celebrity in our midst. My great interest in this information comes from my living in Florida next to the Homosassa river, where Winslow Homer back in the early 1900s spent a number of years painting many wildlife scenes around the area. I have actually seen his signature on the old reg-istration log at the Mcrae Hotel, where he stayed back then.

Also, speaking of accomplished painters, our classmate lucius, lu or Pete (take your pick) Hallett ’52 has been dabbling over the past few years in painting landscape scenes and has become quite good at it. So if you have a favorite photograph, send it to him and he will paint it for you (for a modest stipend, of course). pete has also contracted a severe case of Apple

iphone-itis and is slowly becoming a consummate geek who collects telephone apps like a squirrel collects acorns in the fall. Also, it is rumored that pete is now lusting after an ipad. I’m not sure if there is a cure for this addiction, but if you know of one, I am sure that his beautiful wife, Carol, would love to know about it.

our classmate Louis ‘Nails’ (as in ‘tough as nails’) Newell ’53 and his wife, emmie, spent a number of weeks this summer flogging (that’s a technical fishing term) the waters of the Miramichi river in New Brunswick, trying to entice any large Atlantic salmon to strike their lure. louis was also joined in this insatiable pursuit by Benny Taylor ’52, who is an accomplished, world-renowned fisherman in his own right, and has often been mentioned alongside the likes of Izaak Walton, among others. I am told that Atlantic salmon quake at the mere mention of Benny’s and louis’s names, so watch out, all you salmon: Ben and Nails are on the prowl.

Benny spends time in his cabin/home in peterborough, N.H. I recently emailed him a quote by Ben Franklin, extolling the virtues of drinking more wine and less water. As Ben said, ‘In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.’ Benny sent me a bit of fascinating, factual family history that his grandfather’s name was Benjamin Franklin Win-slow russell, and that the famous, well-known Ben Franklin was his great-great-great-great-great-great-uncle. that’s a lot of greats, but it might explain why Benny won one of the prizes for improvement in scholarship at graduation, and

why our english teacher Sidney Eaton always liked him best.

I received an email from our Australian wombat classmate, Bo Wakefield ’53. He has finally thrown in the towel as far as work is concerned, and that he and his wife, Catherine, have purchased a pop-top trailer and are leav-ing for an extended travel tour of Australia, or ‘camper vanning,’ as he calls it. After looking at a map of Australia, I am impressed by his bravery and fortitude in under-taking a tour of this magnitude on such a large chunk of land. In preparation for this trip, Bubby (unlike pete Hallett) purchased a Sony Walkman (I didn’t know that they still made them). Fortunately, Catherine is computer literate and has a laptop, so they will get news and send messages while traveling. to Mr. and Mrs. Wombat Wakefield traveling band, happy trails to you.

I want to remind the Class of 1953, we will celebrate our 60th reunion at the school on the weekend of May 10 and May 11, 2013, in the brand new Castle addition, which is a fitting venue for this signature event. the Friday evening cocktails and dinner event in the Castle will start at 4:30 p.m. last year’s Saturday night Class of 1952 60th reunion party hosted by the Hortons and the Cumingses will be a very hard act to follow, but fortunately for everyone, Jean and John Childs ’53 have kindly of-fered their home to host what they call a ‘Cheapee, Spartan, dutch treat, Booze and Food party.’ this year’s event is a not-to-be-missed celebration. Mark those dates on your calendar in big, bold, black ink so that you can join in the fun.

In closing, I am pleased to report that the news of Bob ‘Kitty’ Catlin’s ’52 demise was greatly exaggerated. It is with great plea-

Top: Ted Jennings, Jack Farlow, Jim Sowles and Bill Badger, all ’53; bottom: Jack Farlow ’53, third from right, during the ceremonial Reunion Row at his 55th Harvard reunion


sure, happiness and satisfaction that I can inform you that one of our most favorite and illustrious ’52 classmates is alive and well, and is living the good life on Hilton Head Island. Henceforth, if I have learned anything from this fabled mental exercise, it would be to live and forgive everyone involved. As one great, wise, justifiably famous, witty north Florida philosopher (aka ‘Da Wink’) once counseled me: ‘trust, but verify.’ A lesson well learned. thanks, my friend!”

Jack Farlow ’53 writes, “the crew team members of my Class of 1957 at Harvard have enjoyed a ceremonial reunion row at both their 50th and 55th reunions. the 55th took place on May 23, 2012, at which both photos were taken (see page 38). the locale was the Charles river in Cambridge, not far from the Newell Boat House.

You may recall that the Nobles Class of 1953 first crew also cel-ebrated their 50th Nobles reunion with a ceremonial row on Motley’s pond. See photo on page 38. row-ing is one of the few sports that you can still enjoy well into your senior years (albeit at a slower pace!).

1954

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt


1955

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Bob Chellis [email protected]

Bob Chellis writes, “Well, our class has taken some body blows

this year. our class president, Jim Doty, died in April after swimming ahead of cancer and other assaults for nearly 40 years. our football captain, Franklin “Chub” Newell, who was a leader on and off the field, died in August after several strokes and some difficult years.

At Jim’s memorial service on June 2, 2012, the First parish in Brookline was filled with friends from Jim’s long life of helping oth-ers including friends from dexter, Nobles, Harvard, the l-Street Bath House and his insurance busi-ness. Koko, their three children, along with their spouses and the 10 grandchildren, were all there. Charlie Nichols led off the re-membrances with good-humored anecdotes that went back a long way. old friend dyke Benjamin from Harvard followed, and then Jim’s son, dr. James (Jay) doty, and his wife, Kristen, stood up together. Jay startled and amused the audience by taking their picture from the pulpit—I hope he had a wide-angle lens—and then delivered an animated but serious eulogy. Classmates deserving the ‘traveled farthest’ award included Dave Fisher from California, Mike Jonsberg from Maryland, Chip Willauer from Maine, and Bob Taylor and Bebo Gregg from New Hampshire. I didn’t take notes at the time, so sorry if I missed other travelers. A generous reception at the Country Club was more like a grand reunion and lasted into the afternoon. A table piled with printed kitchen towels, which Jim always had in his car and loved to hand out, offered a few more souvenirs for old times’ sake.

too soon afterward, we were at Chub’s memorial service—the

same church and the same time on a Saturday—on oct. 13. His wife, Judy, was there with their children, Tamar ’84 and Will. Ushers were Sam Gray, Newell Flather ’56, John Harrison, Henry Hall Newell III and peter Andrew Newell (pi’s sons), and Jack rutaigatirwa, Chub’s wonderful helper during his last years. the church was again full of old friends and close-knit families. the music included a beautifully sung rendition of ‘Goin’ Home,’ by his nephew Kurt Walker, ‘onward Christian Soldiers’ and ‘Fair Harvard.’ Cyn-thia and Bill Thayer came from their nearly rebuilt darthia Farm in Maine, and Bill led the remem-brances with stories of Chub’s enthusiasm for duck hunting and fishing, and ringing the bells on Halloween at the very church where the service was held. tare Newbury, Milton ’56, a roommate of Chub’s during his last year at Harvard, took us with them to the running of the Bulls in pamplona, where they greeted a Hemingway who was even more buzzed than they! Larry Flood shared many memories, beginning with blueberry raking in Maine, and in a nice touch asked those of us who had played on one of Chub’s Nobles teams to stand. Gregg, Gorham, Gray, Harrison, Chellis, Willauer, taylor and thayer responded. Willauer and Gregg remembered to wear their letter ties. Wally Stimpson couldn’t come due to prescheduled back surgery, but his wife, Suzy, came. Finishing the remembranc-es, tamar and Will shared stories of trips to the dump and Chub’s adage from football: ‘Hit ’em hard!’ A fine reception at the Country

Club followed, a slideshow of fam-ily pictures.

on a lighter note, after years of enjoying and sharing his inheritance of the Winslow Homer Studio at prout’s Neck, Maine, our classmate Charles Homer Willauer sold his national historic landmark to the portland Museum of Art in 2006. In September, the museum opened the newly restored studio with great fanfare, along with an outstanding related exhibition, Weatherbeaten: Winslow Homer and Maine. they have also raised an endowment fund for the studio and for an edu-cation endowment. the studio, one of the most significant locations in the history of American art, is where Winslow Homer (1836–1910) lived and painted many of his masterpieces from 1883 until his death. Chip used to invite us to visit and enjoy for free; the museum may ask for a little more.”

Larry Flood submitted the photo on page 40 taken by him of his now deceased classmates, Chub Newell, Pi Newell and Don Clifford, on lake temagami, ontario. “the four of us went on a 10-day canoe trip following gradu-ation from Harvard in 1959. We re-turned to temagami, which was the locale for Camp Wabun founded by Nobles teacher Dick Lewis in 1933. All of us, with the exception of don Clifford, attended Wabun for several summers along with gen-erations of Nobles students. We all had marvelous memories.”

1956

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Gren “rocky” Whitman [email protected]


graduate news

Bob Bach writes, “on July 20, I be-came the proud owner of a bovine aortic valve, followed by several unexpected complications. I’m very grateful to be above ground and re-alize that every day is a gift, not to be taken for granted. I am not sure what happened to the poor cow.”

After two weeks of sailing in Majorca, Balearic Islands, in Spain in September, Kit Hayden reports, “Not much sailing, actually, as the Med is windless. After check-ing the local real estate, a small flat [apartment] goes for about 500,000 euros, and a decent villa for 3 to 5 million euros. the island is swarmed with tourists, and the harbors were choked with expen-sive yachts. I saw two monsters from Malta parked (not moored) side by side in port d’Andratx. they must have been worth a half billion each. A boat cruise was advertised at 200,000 euros for a week. Um, what’s this about a euro crisis?”

John Fritts writes, “last spring, we had two garage sales in Welles-ley and Centerville, Mass., with proceeds to the American Cancer Society’s relay for life event. Attics, basements and garages

were cleaned out, and some fools actually bought some of the junk. the rest went to the dump or the Salvation Army. Yet each place still seems to contain just as much stuff. It seems like a losing battle. We spent most of the summer on Cape Cod with our grandchildren, who came as often as possible, swimming in the pool and at Nau-set light Beach. Cameron (8) and Kacey (6) never seem to stop mov-ing. Kathy and I rely on frequent naps and Aleve to keep up.”

Tom Oleson writes, “It was an eventful summer for Kathleen and me. In July, we were in New Hampshire and Mt. desert Island, Maine. In August, we flew to South dakota to visit her brother, and North dakota to visit her sister and her husband, and to check on the three oil wells on her family’s ranch. In September, we hosted takuzo Muneshige and his wife, Ya-suko, who hosted us in Yokohama in 2001. He is part of the Kyoto University old Boys Chorus, which sings in joint concerts with the Har-vard Alumni Glee Club. He stayed at our home with three other singers when we were in Brookline

in 1995. His daughter visited us in 2011, and his son visited us after the tsunami in 2010. He came with two friends whose parents wanted their sons out of Japan at that terrible time. We took them to visit Washington, d.C., to tour the city and visit the Capitol and the Supreme Court. takuzo and his wife wanted the same kind of visit, so we visited Washington, d.C., again and then philadelphia to see the history of the U.S., and then put them on the train to New York City to see several shows before their return to Japan. our last trip this year was to Sea Island, Ga., to compete again in the ‘three Score Years and ten’ tournament.”

Bill Wiese writes, “retired (again) in July from any paid work at the University of New Mexico, where I’ve been since 1971. I am still actively addressing health policy issues in the state. Janislee and I enjoyed a delightful visit from Ced Porter, who was catching up with relatives in durango, Colo. All Nobles ’56ers are welcome to drop by for a visit or free bed en route through Albuquerque to anywhere.”

Babs and Dave Carroll report, “We’ve finished—for this year, anyway—a huge tree- and brush-clearing project in the ravine behind our house. It started when the dexter tornado of March 2012 got us eyeing a huge black cherry tree that could have come down on our house had the tornado touched any closer. the project spread from axing the cherry tree to clearing almost all our property in the ravine, a third of an acre of an immense tangle of honeysuckle, small trees, Virginia creeper, etc. We now have a lovely view out our dining room windows, instead of

a wall of green. Babs topped it off with a lovely red maple. It’s been so busy, a summer for which we haven’t taken one drive in our old car, Samantha. that’s drastic! But we’re happy and sort of healthy.”

Marsh Morgan writes, “We’re homeless. that is to say, Sandy and I sold our farm on Sept. 14, 2012, and we are living in a trailer on a campground for horse people, for now. No, we don’t own a horse; it was all that was available for short-term rent during ‘leaf peeping’ season. this is in Groton, N.H., in the middle of nowhere. the good news is that we are building a new, one-floor house in Campton, N.H., two miles from where our farm was. Sandy’s son, Scotty, is building it, and we hope to move in early November. I still have a year and a half to go as selectman, and then I’ll let the younger folks run the town. If any Nobles ’56ers are up in the Waterville Valley area, tell them to stop at 229 Bog road, Campton.”

Fred Wells and Tim Leland tootled to 10 Campus drive (507 Bridge Street back in the day) to check out the newly reconstructed Class of 1956 path and the new wing of the Castle, which houses a dining room and kitchen “fit for

From left: Fred Wells and Tim Leland, both ’56, visited Nobles to inspect the new and improved Class of ’56 Path.

From left: Pi Newell, Chub Newell and Don Clifford, all ’55, were great campers who loved hunting and fishing. They have since passed.


nobility,” they report, or should that be “Noble-ity”? “I had heard reports of how well the path looks these days,” says Fred, class president and clerk of the works in 1956, when the project was con-ceived and built by class seniors as their graduation gift to the school. “But I had no idea how truly beautiful it is, with its shiny new railings, its blue-stone trim and its understated landscaping. the path is even lit at night,” he notes. “It makes me feel very proud.”

the two returning graduates were equally impressed by the new addition to the Castle, where they enjoyed a lunch surrounded by some of the school’s 500-plus students (most of whom walk up and down the path at least once a day). “the sign at the front gate announces Noble and Greenough School,” says tim. “But with all the new buildings and facilities on the campus these days, it’s hard to believe that this is the same place we attended years ago.”

Fred, who recently sold his house in Ipswich, Mass., and moved into smaller quarters nearby, reports that he left shortly after his visit to Nobles to help a friend skipper his 50-foot Hinckley yacht down the coast to Norfolk, Va. tim has also spent time on the water recently, but his cruise was with his wife, Julie, up the coast of Norway.

John Felton writes, “Judith and I toured our 60th country this summer, when we visited Albania, plus three countries carved out of the former Yugoslavia. then we went on a two-week trek in the dolomites (north of Venice) with the Appalachian Mountain Club. the hike was beautiful and very challenging, a bit beyond my

comfort level. More than half the time, one misstep would result in my falling into a ravine. of course, driving along the Jamaica Way during rush hour is beyond my comfort level as well.”

on Nov. 2, Newell Flather re-ceived the 2012 Community Service Award from the American textile History Museum in lowell, Mass. Calling him “an originator and leader in the field of philanthropy for more than 40 years,” the award noted Flather’s early ’60s peace Corps service in Ghana, his exten-sive leadership in Harvard alumni activities and his work with oxfam America, as well as his Master of Business Administration from Har-vard and his master’s in history and African studies from Columbia.

the orioles may have eva-nesced in their 23rd game with the Yankees, but for the season, plus five playoff games, Rocky Whit-man’s surprising Birds managed 11 wins to the Yanks’ 12. to rag Fenway-oriented fans, a summer highlight was o’s centerfielder Chris davis pitching in relief for the final two innings against the red Sox on May 6, to gain a 17-inning win, 9–6. After a recent Nobles soiree in Washington, d.C., Fred Hitz ’57 and I happily embellished our last 50-plus years over an extended dinner.

1957

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

John [email protected]

Nim Marsh reports that he was one of four Cruising World Maga-zine alumni who met in essex,

Conn., for a three-day small-boat cruise. “dubbed the ‘Confederacy of dunces’ (apologies to the late John Kennedy toole, author of the 1980 pulitzer prize–winning novel of the same name), our cockleshell heroes climbed the minutes on the chart, bound north in the Con-necticut river in late June 2012.

All four skippers, imaginations unbelayed, appeared to stand off the shore, perhaps in fear that a venomous puff adder might drop from the canopy. No, we weren’t plying Kipling’s ‘great, grey-green, greasy limpopo river.’ But in the pre-weekend hush, thick tidal jun-gle on either side, it surely seemed our fleet of little boats was probing the upper reaches of some piranha- and crocodile-infested estuary.

there was paul, former CW art-department denizen and Coast Guard vet, paddling his 16-foot Jensen-designed wilderness canoe; tim, ex-CW editorial free spirit, sailing his 11-foot Shellback dinghy; Bob, another ex-wordsmith, sailing his 13-foot Blue Jay with his 6-year-old son, Noah; and Nim, with his 10-foot english sailing dinghy that had crossed the Atlantic a half-century ago on the deck of one of the lesser-known little ships of St. Malo.

the first night, tim and Bob built a driftwood fire and delivered a sirloin tip and baked potato dinner, washed down with what late Nobles master John McKelvy would have termed ‘Vino Collapso, 2011’ (apparently not a great year). the second evening, after swims, we savored driftwood-fired sau-sages before repairing to our tents.

the last day, when we said our goodbyes, one crewman was missing. the ship’s boy was found in the backseat of his father’s car,

already mourning the loss of three idyllic days ‘in the wild,’ as he called it, with dad and his pals. We tried to console him, promising to gather again soon.”

David Woods writes, “eleanor and I are in Cambodia after two weeks in Vietnam. It’s been an amazing trip, of course, but a steady dose of hot, humid weather while marching around to a trip director’s drummer leaves us enervated. like aging, travel is not for sissies.”

Bill Gallagher reports, “the summer weather in Maine was par-ticularly beautiful and fog friendly, but one of the highlights for me occurred after labor day. this was the occasion of a so-called sail away, when a freshly minted and equipped Navy destroyer leaves its birthplace at Bath Iron Works. It proceeded 10 miles down the nar-row, twisting Kennebec river to the open ocean en route to sea trials, formal commissioning and then to military sea duty.

I had seen several launch-ings. they were exciting to watch, and amidst the sounds of people cheering, horns blowing, and tugs steaming and tooting, I suspect many, like myself, particularly the launch crew and VIps aboard, were silently thinking, ‘do you suppose there’s some small chance this thing won’t float?’

A ‘sail away’ is different, and I had never seen one. Unlike the launchings, they were never publicized for security reasons until this year. there was a large turnout all along the river vantage points. I watched from the Maine Maritime Museum, where the first person I ran into was classmate John Da-mon with his wife, Cathy. John and I


graduate news

are both former Navy officers. Soon after, the new destroyer, Michael Murphy—named for a Navy Seal and Medal of Honor winner who lost his life in Afghanistan—came into view. Unlike the raucous, celebratory environment of launch-ings, the passing ship in its quiet majesty produced a more subdued, respectful admiration from the onlookers—not that there wasn’t plenty of cheering as well.

I suppose that within the crowds there were both devoted Hawks and doves, but I think that for those few minutes when the ship passed by, our spirits were leavened by the background sounds of a band playing ‘Anchors Aweigh.’ there was a shared feel-ing of pride in the beautiful sight of such a magnificent vessel, the result of uniformed and civil-ian personnel having collaborated on and completed yet another enormously complex project with hopes of enhancing protection of American lives and interests around the globe. It was an awe-inspiring day for me.”

John Valentine writes, “Back in the ’50s, you laughed and loved them in Arsenic and Old Lace. then you choked back tears at the grave-yard scene in Our Town as George said goodbye to emily. Now, through the magic of showbiz, you can see them together again, giving vividly moving yet subtle perfor-mances as American legionnaires in Hallmark Hall of Fame’s made-for-tV movie The Makeover.

Yes! Conant and Valentine are back! Check your local listings and keep your eyes peeled for the wrenching 30-second nightmare of the protagonist. the pleasure will be all yours.”

1958

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Bob puffer [email protected]

1959

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

John Gibson [email protected]

Greg Wiggins, grandson of the second headmaster, Charles “Peter” Wiggins II, and brother of Charles Wiggins ’57, was captain of both the crew and football teams his senior year at Nobles and a stalwart on the basketball team for several years. See photo above of Greg and his wife, Margaret, at their home in Grayslake, Ill., a suburb north of Chicago where the Class of 1959 hopes to host a third annual mini-reunion next year.

1961

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Jim Newell [email protected]

1963

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Jim lehan [email protected]

North and Rip Cunningham went to Seefeld, Austria, for the wed-ding of Nicole Berc and Christian Seiffert ’91, son of petra and Tom Seiffert. Christian lived with the Cunninghams during his Class I year at Nobles. Christian’s broth-ers, Moritz ’99 and Stephan ’93, with his wife, Nina, and 9-month-old son, Max, celebrated the day with them and 150 friends.

1964

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Ned Bigelow [email protected]

1966

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

John MartinezOffice: 214-688-0244Cell: 214-675-7543 [email protected]

Peter Harwood moved to rich-ardson, texas, from Colorado in 1996. He was divorced in 1997.

Retired naval officer and pastor Greg Wiggins ’59 with his wife, Margaret, at their home in Grayslake, Ill.

Top (left to right): D.A. Mittell, Paul Pilcher and Michael Burbank, all ’62, at the wedding of Paul Pilcher and Daniel Lawson on Sept. 15, 2012, at the Pilcher beach house in Wellfleet, Mass. This is the same site where the 1962 graduation weekend was hosted; bottom: Rip Cunningham ’63 (right) with wife North (left), and Tom Seiffert ’63 with wife Petra enjoying a Tyrolean dinner at the Klosterbräukeller in Austria


In 1998, in order to pay for two homes—and two wonderful daugh-ters—peter joined a small Houston geophysical exploration company as marine field technician, which had acquired the denver com-pany where he was an operations manager. Following 11 years filled with such things as extraordinary international marine experiences, a couple of weeks in a home for the bewildered, and concurrent wars with the IrS and bankruptcy, peter was made redundant by the dutch conglomerate, which had digested his Houston employer, and in 2009, peter was set free. the last three years have seen an education

in the highs and lows of state and federal “social and medical safety nets,” and other things not in the Nobles syllabi of the ’60s. Finally, this past summer, peter limped into the retirement of social security and Medicare. “I made it! looking forward to my 50th. Many apolo-gies if all this is news to the Nobles community.”

Elliott May writes, “Just start-ing my last ‘new’ business, AAA plus Check Cashing, llC, before I try to retire in Camden, Maine. the plan is to go to Florida for a month or two to see my daughter and grandson in the winter and mooch off friends (like you).”

1967

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

drew [email protected]

Drew Sullivan writes, “the Maine summer contingent of the Class of 1967 gathered in August 2012. We were so excited that we neglected to capture the moment with a pho-tograph. Phelps Brown, Sheldon Hines, and Ginny and Drew Sul-livan sailed aboard Whitetail from deer Isle to North Haven and paid a visit to Dick Byrd.

It was a wonderfully windy

Monday, and dick and his brother, Levy ’70, were competing in the North Haven dinghy race (a dinghy class originated in 1895). We arrived for a visit, when they returned with a second-place finish. phelps skillfully skippered Whitetail through the Fox Island thoroughfare with Sheldon and drew as crew, and we returned to deer Isle before sunset. tired and hungry but thrilled, we dined in Blue Hill and drove back to the midcoast area, stopping at Whit-ney Farm on our return to round pond. Sheldon swung through Appleton and round pond on his way home to Massachusetts. this

1966 & 1967Above: Drew Sullivan and Sheldon Hines, both ’67, at New Harbor, Maine; top middle: Geoff Precourt, Jon Canter and Will Walker in front of Shore Galleries in Provincetown, Mass., in August 2012, while trying to recall the subject of Precourt’s little essay; top right: Ed Simmons ’67 with his wife, Deborah; bottom right: The Class of 1967 gathered at Eric Pape’s home to celebrate their 45th reunion in May 2012; seated, from left: Bezo Cutler, Eric Pape, Sam Lawson, Dan Goldberg, Mark Rivinus, George Wadleigh, Ned Simmons; top row, from left: Phelps Brown, Tim Lee, Steve Wellington, Brad Eaton, Brett Angney, Dick Byrd, Doug Lempereur, Drew Sullivan


graduate news

time I remembered the camera. See page 43 for a shot of us in New Harbor after our visit to the pemaquid point lighthouse. We all hope to add another classmate to the August gathering in 2013. Keep your calendars open.”

Ed Simmons writes, “I’ve been in Newfoundland, Canada, since June and returned to the States on Nov. 3, in time to be the swing vote in Florida. I’ve been thinking a lot about intolerance all sum-mer, and I see it everywhere in this election. Mr. Putnam put up with [Mark] Rivinus and me for years and years, so he was a great example of tolerance. everyone everywhere has something to say. We should all listen more, including yours truly. Miss you all very much.

Come see me in Florida. I have a great golf course with cacti, lots of water, snakes, alligators and rac-coons, which steal your wallet and food while you are hitting and will challenge you low handicappers from the Brookline Country Club like [dick] Byrd. Bring a machete!”

1968

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Andy [email protected]

Ham Clark writes, “After 11 years as the head of school at episcopal Academy in philadelphia, my wife, Ceci, former Nobles faculty from 1977–1986, and I will relocate to Beirut, lebanon, in summer 2013, where I will become the head of the American Community School. It is a school of 1,000 students on the edge of the Mediterranean,

comprising students from multiple countries and different religious and ethnic groups. We are excited about the mission of ACS and ea-ger to continue to learn and grow. If any Nobles grads are traveling in the Middle east next year, please look us up.”

Mike Sherman writes, “‘plus ça change’ [the more things change…]. It’s year 40 at Belmont Hill School, just up the road from the alma mater. I still love teach-ing high school math, riding the technology waves (smart boards, graphing calculators, excel and now the new revolution of ipads in the classroom), helping with the school’s academic scheduling and coaching eighth-grade baseball. A few years ago, I re-encountered a wonderful Belmont Hill grad who plays a mean rock guitar and loves all the ’60s music we grew up with. this reignited my passion for indulging my very amateur garage band skills on guitar and keyboard, and we even put together a very occasional band affectionately dubbed ‘Mike Sherman and the Assisted livings,’ by my true love, trisha. By projecting words and chords at parties, folks can sing along, play along, dance along, drink along—a sort of karaoke meets sock hop. We even got Woodsie to sit in one night on key-board! looking forward to catching up with everyone. rock on!”

Rob Woods writes, “life speeds by despite my furiously trying to slow down. My wife, Shoshi, and I succeed in truly relaxing—at least occasionally— at our little cottage in rockport, Mass. our kids, on the other hand, are typically booked with exciting activities.

eli spent a semester in Spain during junior year and combines studies as a health and society major with some fun, competitive volleyball with the Upenn team. (His high school team won the MA division 1 Championship). our daughter, Maya, graduated from the Upenn nursing program, with a master’s in public health, and much to our delight has moved back to Brookline.

Shoshi continues her marvel-ous work as a special education teacher at the lincoln-Sudbury High School. As for me, I work as a principal consultant for a learning management system software company. It’s been a 30-year run so far in the education and technology field. My home office allows me the freedom for various parallel pursuits, like yoga, a jazz band (on piano) and some pick-up soccer (having given up the competitive cleats at age 60). I am looking forward to seeing many of you other crotchety old guys at our reunion!”

Jim Esten writes, “the best thing in my life is a good marriage. If there’s anything I would tell a new graduate, it’s that such a thing is not to be underestimated. Secondly, I’ve fallen in love with photography again after a long hiatus. It gives me something to do in my old age rather than follow my wife around the house and be a pest. thirdly, I paddled my own dang canoe.”

Andy Lord writes, “I still get a positive charge from my work at lord painting Co., and fortu-nately am still busy. My kids (both graduates of Beaver Country day School) are out on their own and doing well. My son, Sandy, and

his wife, Jenna, presented us with the light in our life, granddaughter evelyn, almost four years ago. I have started oil painting in my spare time and love it. Yes, it is a touch odd that my livelihood and hobby both involve paintbrushes. Hannah and I celebrated our 37th anniversary and are having more fun together than ever despite all the new aches and pains. We have become involved in a yoga program for veterans (U.S. Army, 1969–1972) and spouses that re-ally helps keep me feeling good.”

Rob Lawrence writes, “I had a ball giving my almost 3-year-old grandson, Bobby Hicks, a ‘hard hat tour’ of the Castle in May 2012 at reunion weekend, when my daughter, Perrin ’97, attended her 15th. Bobby just couldn’t get enough as we toured all five levels of the Castle renovations—what boy doesn’t love construction! I have thoroughly enjoyed the Castle expansion and renovation,

Bobby Hicks, son of Perrin Lawrence Hicks ’97 and grandson of Rob Lawrence ’68, enjoys a “hard hat tour” of the Castle.


from the planning that began five-plus years ago to its comple-tion for the opening of school in fall 2012. I look forward to showing my classmates through the Castle, which has not lost the character and quirks that we remember so fondly.”

Donald Harding writes, “Warming up for our own 45th, Andy and I attended reunion last year and were especially grateful to attend the Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony and induction of Wilbur Storer.”

Rick Storer writes that he is retired from his job at Merck research labs in the philadelphia area, where he had worked for 28 years on drug-safety assessment in the preclinical drug develop-ment area. Merck’s merger with Schering plough and subsequent downsizing provided some great opportunities for early retirement. He writes, “I’m keeping busy now with a variety of projects, mainly keeping the home fires burning for my wife, Jane, who’s still hanging on in her career in clinical research at Merck and building a retirement home on a small lot in duxbury, Mass., where my family had an old summer cottage for years. eight years of dealing with difficult legal issues around an old right of way, and the town approval and permit-ting processes for demolition and new construction finally came to fruition in october, when we secured the permits that allowed us to get started. looking forward to getting back to New england in a few years and having some time to reconnect with family, friends and classmates and having the opportunity to attend a few more events at Nobles.”

Rafe Lowell writes, “After being away from rowing for many years, our family has developed a new pas-sion for the sport. My wife, priscilla, has been competing in adaptive rowing. She rows a double out of Community rowing, Inc. (CrI) and has had much success. Her latest accomplishment was a second in the 2012 Head of the Charles.”

1969

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt


David Polk writes, “All is good in the polkie household in West Hartford, Conn. I am executive di-rector of the First tee of Connecti-cut, which is a youth development program that teaches kids from all walks of life core values, life skills and healthy habits through golf. our headquarters are at the tour-nament players Club in Cromwell, with a 7,500-square-foot indoor facility, practice range, putting green and four-hole learning links. We serve more than 51,000 kids a year. Great fun, very rewarding and the kind of job you start your career with, not finish.

My wife, rennie, works for the American School for the deaf, which is rebuilding its facility. My son, Ben, is in Manhattan and tyler is in West Hartford with his wife and daughter, lucy Jane, one mile from our house. It’s quite an experience being a grandparent, especially when so close and accessible.

In summer 2012, as in past years, we got together with Gump Pendergast, Bill Gray ’70 and Peter Owen ’71 for some

competitive golf at a couple of spots around New england. After a short hiatus from the winner’s circle, the group returned this fall to the Country Club in Brookline to represent our Nobles golfing generation with another win. Nobles prepared us well for some things! It’s always great to get together and reminisce.”

Peter Gates and his wife, deb-bie, recently returned from a week of cycling in Crete, Greece, where he reports that they belatedly dis-covered it is a rather mountainous island. He writes, “the good news was that the morning’s itineraries usually included a shuttle to a high point, followed by a ride to the sea for a lunchtime swim.” peter’s son, Sam ’98, earned his Juris doctor degree at Suffolk University and has begun a career as a public defender for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. His daughter, Callie Gates Slocum ’01, is a pro-gram associate at the Smith Family Foundation in Newton, Mass. peter is expecting his first grandchild in december.

Brad Wilkinson writes, “I retired from my medical practice on oct. 12. I know, I know, retiring is for old people, not young bucks

like us. In any event, I plan to keep busy by ramping up my volunteer medical work (I now regret that Spanish wasn’t offered at Nobles in the ’60s), micromanaging the lives of my adult children, and playing with soon-to-be-three grandchil-dren. I was happy to touch base with David Brown over the summer and spent three September days drifting in the rain and fog in my Friendship Sloop on the coast of Maine with Peter Pach. I send my best wishes to all my classmates and their families for a joyous and healthy holiday season.”

Peter Pach adds, “A hectic fall in my world, with hot political cam- paigns in Connecticut, including the Senate race between big-spending professional wrestling magnate linda McMahon and Congressman Chris Murphy. on the Hartford Courant’s editorial board, we inter-view candidates for Congress and other offices to give the paper’s endorsement. our interviews are recorded and played on a Connecticut public service televi-sion channel, which gives hard-core political junkies a full dose.

My son, Sam, graduated from trinity College in the spring and spent the fall in lima, peru, volun-

Left: Peter Gates ’69 and his wife, Debbie, biking in Crete, Greece; right: Peter Gates ’69 with his wife, Debbie, and their son, Sam ’98, at Sam’s graduation from Suffolk University Law School


graduate news

teering at a medical clinic for the poor, doing everything from help-ing an acupuncturist to weighing and measuring incoming patients. He’s thinking about medical school, so this gives him a look at the day-to-day life of medicine and a chance to use his Spanish, not to mention working in some nice side trips to Machu picchu and other points of interest.

Got a couple of brief email hellos from Steve Baker on the Cape and Wes Wellington in California. It was nice to hear from them. A couple of my email ad-dresses for classmates came back undelivered. If only to say hello, send me your emails, so I can keep in touch. My address is posted above these notes.”

1970

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

levy [email protected]

1971

Harry Blackman, John Dewey, Nick Mittell and Win Perkins all contributed in gathering notes for the Class of 1971.

Laird Boles and his stand-up bass can be heard regularly around New england, particularly on Cape Cod, playing a variety of styles from jazz to klezmer to folk. We love the names of some of the groups he plays with; one is called toast and Jam, while another is tripping lily.

Bruce Jones, who lives in beautiful Woy Woy, says that you know you’re from Australia when, among other things, “You can translate ‘dazza and Shazza

played Acca dacca on the way to Maccas’ and you understand that ‘Wagga Wagga’ can be abbreviated to ‘Wagga,’ but ‘Woy Woy’ can’t be called ‘Woy.’”

Jeff Franklin and his partner, Ann Carrico, returned from a de-lightful vacation in southern europe.

Peter Smith and his partner, Jane Soukup, vacationed in Wyo-ming in summer 2012—a week at a ranch and a week of hiking in the tetons. After several visits to the ranch, pete and Jane have become pretty proficient on horseback. Cowboy up!

In early october, John Bailey, Harry Blackman and Nick Mittell attended the memorial service for the mother of their good friend (and former Milton pumpkin-head!) ted Hays. Also in attendance was her choral director and former Nobles faculty member Brian Jones. the eulo-gies, which spoke about Franci’s role in maintaining and expanding her friendships, were an inspiration and reminder of the role friendship plays in a well-rounded life and as the bedrock of true community.

Speaking of friendships, class-mates Win Perkins and Chad Cal-lahan attended a recent patriots football game together. they had planned to hook up with season ticketholders Nick Mittell and Greg Garritt, but a cellphone malfunc-tion prevented their halftime rendezvous. Better luck next time!

John Dewey continues to do his bit to maintain friendships and preserve community with his mini bake-ins/barbecues at his dad’s (revered former Nobles faculty and the original Doc Dewey) place in Chestnut Hill. A recent event included Nick Mittell, Greg Garritt,

John Bailey and Jim Schuh.Congratulations are in order

for a couple of the real doctors in the class. earlier this year, Ken Tyler was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiol-ogy in recognition of his “record of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology.”

Meanwhile, in the past year, John Wright has been quoted in several publications, including the Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker and Boston Magazine, about knee-replacement surgery and his work at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In the article “Big Med,” by Atul Gawande, which appeared in the Aug. 5 issue of The New Yorker, dr. John Wright tells Gawande that “about half the surgeons appreciate what he’s doing to standardize knee surgery; the other half tolerate it at best. one or two have been outright hostile. But the standardized procedures have led to better outcomes: patients are walking more quickly, requiring less physical therapy, and therefore incurring less cost to the health-care system.” In decem-ber 2011, the Boston Magazine article “14 Medical Breakthroughs” discussed John’s participation in a pilot program developed by Har-vard Business School professors Michael porter and robert Kaplan, to test Kaplan’s theory, “time-driven Activity-Based Costing,” in a hospital setting.

Many of you may have read recently about the dire financial situation of the U.S. postal Service. due to significant changes in the way Americans communicate, this venerable institution, founded in 1775 with Benjamin Franklin as

the first postmaster General, is currently losing a staggering $36 million a day. Fortunately, there is room for hope. In March, the USpS launched a campaign to turn its simplified every-day direct mail service into a billion-dollar revenue generator, with our own Ed Newhook set to manage the new program. Good luck, ed! May the force be with you!

In a separate field of endeavor, congratulations to Reed Austin on his new job as national sales manager at edson International. edson’s president, Will Keene, was quoted as saying, “reed’s back-ground as both a fisherman and boater, as well as his broad marine industry expertise will be a great fit for edson. We look forward to hav-ing reed help us grow the power side of our business and know our customers will be in good hands with reed as their contact.”

In fact, “praise and thanks” seems to be the theme of this edition of our class notes. Appro-priate for this time of year! Con-gratulations and thanks to a few of our classmates who are involved in projects or positions that give back to and enrich their communi-ties. Dave Amory’s firm, Amory Architects, participates in the 1%, a program of public architecture, connecting nonprofits with archi-tecture and design firms willing to give of their time pro bono. Peter Smith is currently serving as the chairman of the Warrant Commit-tee for the town of dover. George Parker is a warden at St. paul’s Church in dedham, Mass. Ames Byrd has served on Norwich, Vt’s energy Committee since its inception in 2002. Chris Cutler is on the Harvard, Mass., town Hall


Building Committee and the Historical Commission. Jim Rosen is a volunteer coach and chairman of the St. Maarten Junior Golf Foundation, now in its eighth year of promoting youth development through the sport of golf (for no fee!).

last but far from least, in November of last year, the lake Forest College alumni magazine, The Spectrum, reported on David “Hector” Pendergast riding a bike for 400 miles in six days, to raise money for the Mac pendergast Scholarship Fund, established in the memory of his son, Malcolm, who died unexpectedly in 2007 shortly after graduating from high school and before he could begin classes at lake Forest College. Accompanying david in a spe-cially fitted basket attached to the handlebars was Billie, the family’s beloved 4-year-old Jack russell terrier. the trip was a resounding success and a catalyst for Billie-bikes2, a charity Hector organized to benefit children’s causes. that trip raised approximately $11,000 and built a large following on the foundation’s blog that chronicled the ride from Billie’s perspective. “We started with something like eight followers,” said pendergast. “And we finished with 20,000.” Here is part of what Billie had to say on the blog.

“Not too long ago, we read a book called The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein. He wrote that good dogs eventually die and are reborn as humans. I kind of think it is the other way around. It seems to me that if you are a really good person, you can come back as a dog. Hector thinks that is what happened to me. every once in a

while, I can look into his eyes, and I know he is thinking about Mac.”

In closing, it should be noted that in the classic Nobles tradition of grace and humility, the foregoing news of our classmates’ accom-plishments did not come from them but was “heard through the grapevine.” there was a lot of food for thought in these class notes. ’Nuff said. Best wishes to all!

1973

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Craig [email protected]

1974

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Kevin [email protected]

Kevin McCarthy writes, “this has been an exciting year for me, filled with many wonderful events with my brothers from the Nobles community. this spring, I was able to share some great times with friends that I have not seen for quite some time. I have been in touch with some of my classmates. My Boston College experience and connection have me in touch with some of the younger Noble grads like Matt Lorusso ’07, son of Joe Lorusso ’75.

With all things in life being as they are sometimes, it takes the passing of someone to solidify the relationships of others. the Nobles community lost a great supporter and diversity pioneer when Judge Harry Elam passed away this summer. I was baled together with

some of Nobles’s earliest African American students on that day, as we were there to support my classmate Harry Elam Jr. together with Bob Pinderhughes ’68, Rick Pinderhughes ’73 and Lew Bryant ’73, we had a day of reflection and celebration. president of the Board of trustees Jeff Grogan was there, along with Andre Stark ’76, shar-ing their experiences and how ‘the Judge’ had touched their lives.

In the past six months alone, I have been in touch with and sup-ported by Nobles graduates who range from the Class of 1964–2006, including my good friend Ev Henderson ’76. As I embark on graduate school at Boston College, I am proud of what my Nobles and BC associations have meant to me over the years. As a grads council member, I would like to say to all of you: Get involved with Nobles and share the joy of being a part of Nobles for life. My life is fantastic, and most of all, I have come to find that living a life of service ensures having a life well lived. I currently have the honor of also serving on the board of Heading Home Inc., helping to end homelessness in Greater Boston for good, as well as recently being elected to the Boston Col-lege Graduate School of Social Work executive committee.”

1975


Andrea pape [email protected]

Jed [email protected]

doug [email protected]

From the long-silent Mark Aspin-wall: “leticia Neria and I were married in 2010, and our baby, lila, was born in May 2012—almost a 20-year gap between lila and my next youngest, Bonnie, who is an undergraduate in edinburgh! Son Harry ’06 graduated from Brown in 2011 and is living in Cambridge, Mass. I am still at the University of edinburgh, and I finished my spell as head of the department of politics in december. As com-pensation—I think—we’ll spend 2013 in Mexico City, where I’ll be working at an institute called CIde, doing research on Mexico-U.S. cooperation on the drug war.”

Ted Almy writes that his oldest daughter, Gillian, received her MBA last spring from the rotman School of Management at the University of toronto. “She had a great experience in toronto. She’s now working for Nike in the Bea-verton home office and is enjoying the Northwest. our youngest, Caroline, is midway through Columbia’s nurse practitioner mas-ter’s degree program and is living with my wife, Maura, in the city. Mother and daughter are getting along quite well. Maura reports that she’s been given at least a dozen ‘practice’ physicals so far. She’s never felt healthier! our middle son, Jon, is moving his ca-reer along at Barclays Bank in New York. My investment management practice at UBS in Hartford con-tinues to prosper and grow. I have clients in 23 states now. It’s work I really enjoy and look forward to doing for the rest of my career.”


graduate news

Wendy Taylor Patriquin writes, “the past couple of years have seen major changes for me as my special-needs daughter, An-nie, moved back home to live with me. We are adjusting and have fun, even when we disagree! She is a bright, fun young lady, and I am proud of each and every ac-complishment she makes. I have to give a huge thank you to the Michael lisnow respite Center in Hopkinton for keeping her engaged and happy. It was wonderful to have dinner with Marcia Alevisos, Laurie Pedze-wick, Ellen Quinlan and Edie Keeler late last spring. I’m hoping we might do it again soon! Hint, hint! My son, Josh, was married on oct. 27, 2012. We adore Nan and are thrilled to have another Mrs. patriquin on the team! Josh has completed two tours of duty with the Marine Corps reserves, and we feel blessed that he came home to us safe and sound. please pray for our men and women overseas. their deploy-ment affects so many and in so many different ways.”

Peter Rice writes, “My transi-tion from medicine to education is complete. I teach at poly prep Country day School in Brooklyn, currently teaching ninth-grade biology and Ap biology. I am also the assistant hockey coach (in charge of pucks and opening and closing the doors to the ice for the players). the headmaster, david Harman, taught at Milton and is friends with several Nobles families. Son Henry (18), now a freshman at oberlin, is a pitcher on the baseball team. daughter leah (15) is in the 10th grade.”

Asa Phillips writes, “My son, Asa, is a senior at rivers School, applying to college this fall. My daughter, Molly, is a junior at Weston High, where she enjoys playing three sports and photog-raphy. this summer, I was elected to a second term as president of the Harbor Club in Seal Harbor, Maine. In September, I was elect-ed president of the Massachusetts Charitable Society, a nonprofit organization founded in 1762, and had the privilege of presiding at

the society’s 250th anniversary dinner. I am in my 30th year of practicing law and my 23rd year with my current firm, Clarkin & phillips. For about the past 25 years, my practice has focused predominantly on trusts and es-tates. With the upcoming change in the estate tax laws scheduled to take effect on dec. 31, I am having what is perhaps the busiest fall of my professional career. My wife, Marnie, and I continue to live in the northwest corner of Weston, Mass., near lots of conserva-tion land, and continue to enjoy frequent walks and hikes with our yellow lab, Mya. I have been on a walking/jogging kick for the past 15 months or so and am proud to have logged 597.7 miles according to the Nike + running app. I am working toward 1,000 miles by spring. I enjoy playing guitar and singing with friends, both in Maine and Weston.”

Tee O’Shea shares, “I am proud to tell you that our one and only [child], erin, is attending the University of New Hampshire and loves it. Coach Flood would be happy to know that erin is tight with the UNH Hockey House and is wondering when ‘tee’ can join us to talk hockey stories. I think my erin is protected. She is on the event staff with the athletic de-partment and takes tickets for all events. Coach Flood, erin’s mentor is Brenda Holt, Charlie’s daughter! Hope you are all well!”

1976


tom Bartlett+44 1908 [email protected]

rob piana [email protected]

1977

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

linda [email protected]

1978

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Christopher reynolds Cell: 800-444-0004Home: [email protected]

1979


Holly Charlesworth [email protected]

John [email protected]

dan [email protected]

Dan Rodgers writes, “It seems like the trail of the ’79s has gone a bit cold of late. Should I assume that no news is good news? I would prefer to have something to report about my classmates, but since I have not heard from you, I guess I’ll report about me. As of May 1, 2012, I became the managing partner of the New York office of my law firm, Watson, Farley & Williams. this may seem like a big deal, but the reality is that it comes with a fair amount of extra work for me. on some days, no matter

Wendy Taylor Patriquin ’75 at her son Josh’s wedding in October. From left: Wendy Taylor Patriquin, Josh Patriquin, Nan Patriquin, Annie Patriquin and Billy Patriquin


what I do, I can’t seem to be just a lawyer until after 4 p.m., and that makes for a difficult day. And you may have heard that we had a pretty big hurricane hit on oct. 29–30 in NYC (Hurricane Sandy). We came through quite well at my apartment in Manhattan, but my mother, who’s now 85 and still lives in Weston, lost power for days. NStar can’t seem to keep the juice flowing in Weston. I never would have imagined that growing up there.

Well, enough about me. please let me hear from you for future class notes. I much prefer it that way.”

1980

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

rob [email protected]

1981

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Kim rossi [email protected]

1982

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Holly Malkasian [email protected]

Jeff King writes, “despite our ever-advancing ages, I thought ev-erybody looked great at reunion. It’s always fun to reminisce and live in the past, and I was psyched we had a strong turnout from the illustrious Class of 1982. I was also happy that many of you were able to meet my daughter, Bennett ’11. She grabbed me on her way back from Colgate for the start of her summer break. I toured the Nobles campus for an open house with my youngest child, Zach, an eighth grader. the renova-tion of the Castle is awesome and is truly in keeping with the majestic fortress we all remember. It actually reminded us of Hogwarts (from the Harry potter series), but leave it to the kid to ask why there was no food being offered on Saturdays.

I mentioned this to several folks at reunion, but it may be worth mentioning again: If any of you find yourselves in the White

Mountains skiing this winter, please look us up. Most weekends the King family is on the slopes at Wildcat or Attitash, and we’d love to catch up and carve some turns.”

Haruo Iguchi writes, “I was very excited to be part of the 30th reunion in May. please let me know if a member of the Class of 1982 or anyone I know from Nobles is coming to tokyo, Nagoya or Kyoto-osaka-Kobe area. Doug Mcleod ’83 came for a visit to Kyoto last summer, and we had a great time visiting some temples and shops.”

1983

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Nancy Sarkis CorcoranHome: 508-785-0886 Fax: 508-785-0887 [email protected]

Nancy Sarkis Corcoran writes, “things are heating up for the Class of ’83 as we prepare for our 30th reunion this May (yikes!). It’s been fun reconnecting with class-mates. We are planning a fun-filled weekend, so please make plans to come back to campus.

Stephen and I will host the kick-off cocktail party on May 10, at 6:30 p.m. at our home in dover. Saturday’s activities will include Graduates Assembly, Q&A with Head of School Bob Henderson ’76, a carnival and cookout, athletic games, including the men’s annual graduate lacrosse game in memory of Sam Dawson, campus tours, an art show and the class reunion dinner. All of these events are free, and there will be babysitting during the Saturday night dinner!

If you are on Facebook, please join our Facebook page to share reunion ideas and reconnect with classmates. Go to Facebook and type ‘Nobles Class of 1983’ in the Facebook search field and click ‘Join Group’ in the upper right-hand corner.

As for class news, I heard from George Ryan, who recently visited with Doug McLeod in Maui, Hawaii, where doug is the energy commissioner.

Stephen and I are doing well. our son, Holden, is in seventh grade at dedham Country day School. We look forward to seeing you all at the reunion in May.”

1986


Heather Markey [email protected]

Jessica [email protected]

eliza Kelly Beaulac703-476-4442 [email protected]

Eliza Kelly Beaulac writes, “It’s been an exciting few months for the Beaulac family. We sent our son off to college, and our daugh-ter started high school. Watching from the sidelines as our kids reach and enjoy these special milestones has brought back many wonderful bookend memories of Nobles, so I really enjoyed catching up with some of you while collecting our class notes this fall.

In June 2012, I also had the great pleasure of attending the

Tom Underwood ’80 celebrated his 50th birthday weekend with three classmates from the Class of 1980. From left: Tom Underwood, Hedrick Ellis, Chris Smith and Michael Gorham


graduate news

screening of Pete Nicks’ docu-mentary The Waiting Room at the AFI theatre in Silver Springs, Md. (like a true groupie, I flagged him down while we were in line for tickets.) My husband, Joe, and I were so impressed with the film—its message, the artistry, the storytelling, the characters. pete reports, ‘After opening in New York City, los Angeles and the Bay Area, we are now rolling out across the country. We opened in Washington, d.C., and Boston on

Nov. 30, 2012.’ In addition to the numerous awards and recogni-tions they earned during film festivals throughout the country, pete reports that the film has been nominated for a Gotham IFp award for best documentary, which is watched by the industry and is considered an oscar barometer. ‘We’ve been named by the Hol-lywood Reporter as a ‘major threat’ for an oscar. All very exciting.’ learn more about the film at www.whatruwaitingfor.com.”

Another fan of The Waiting Room, Michael Craig writes, “We’re all settled into our new lives in the heart of Silicon Valley, in the real-life version of the town made famous by Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I got to see pete Nicks at one of his preview screenings in piedmont a few months ago. A great docu-mentary, and it was really nice to reconnect with pete. I truly love working for a palo Alto–based bio-tech/health-care company started almost a decade ago by an amazing young woman who left Stanford at the age of 19 to build her vision. We are poised to make a profound im-pact in the health-care arena, and I can’t wait until we make our public launch, which is looking to be sometime in the next year. Vivian (12) and edith (7) have adjusted to the new climate and schools. Vivian has proven herself to be a powerful force on a local swimming team, and edith is still exploring her options. My wife, Betsy, has started to do some local pilates and actor training/coaching.”

Jeannine Swift Jeffrey writes, “our big change this year was the move this summer back to my childhood home in Woods Hole from Alexandria, Va. our kids love kindergarten in Falmouth (the town Woods Hole is a part of), and they enjoy living near the water year-round. I am very fortunate that the National Archives has allowed me to keep working remotely, and I return to d.C. every five to six weeks. Another nice thing is that I have seen Sue Petro and her family quite a lot as her mother lives in Falmouth, and she and her husband have recently bought their own summer home here. All in all, it was a great fall!”

Jeannine may also run into Andrew Partridge who shares, “All is well with me and my dog, Marcus. With a ton of travel for business, I still cross paths with many of my old Nobles friends, who are now quite spread out. After nearly 14 years with Sperry tents, the business is still prosper-ing and has shown nothing but sig-nificant growth over the past four years, fortunately. our little season niche business on Cape Cod has become a year-round monster with 16 Sperry offices throughout the U.S. I often run into grads, or parents of Nobles grads, in travels. All is great!”

I also heard from Joy Densler Marzolf, who exclaims, “I never know who I will see at work! I keep running into Nobles connections in my job at Mass Audubon’s Broad-moor Wildlife Sanctuary in Natick. At a child’s birthday I ran, I bumped into Diane DerMarderosian ’87. It was really fun to catch up with her.

I continue to teach photog-raphy programs for adults, and I have also expanded my area of naturalist expertise to dragonflies and butterflies.

this summer, I attended Jawsfest on Martha’s Vineyard and met Wendy Benchley, along with others who became well-known because of Jaws but who are now trying to help save sharks. A friend who works for SharkSavers was there as well. they try to raise awareness about the slaughter of 100 million sharks worldwide for their fins, along with gentle mantas for their gills. I am looking forward to this upcoming winter as I help plan and market the next Boston Sea rovers Conference in danvers in March 2013. I am also helping to

1986Top left: Stephen Jordan ’86 with one of his cubs; top right: Bob Savage ’86 met Caley Dickinson ’15 at the International Ski Federation in Chile; bottom: Jamie, top row, far left, son of Holly Haseotes Bonomo ’86, and Will, top row, far right, son of Heather Markey Zink ’86, both attend Tenacre Country Day School and are on the soccer team. Pictured here, they placed third at the Fessenden Tournament.


plan our accompanying Marine Art exhibit. Funny how my work and volunteer hats overlap with envi-ronmental education and planning art exhibits at work!”

Tom Hawkins shares that he recently ran into Kenny Keyes and his kids at the Cleveland Circle Hockey rink. “My oldest daughter, Clementine, and son, Campbell, had just finished playing on their squirt team, and Kenny’s oldest daughter was going on the ice for Needham. He had his son, Campbell, in tow. We had not met each other’s Campbells, and we realized that we both have four kids—very busy house-holds. All is well in Chestnut Hill with everyone back at school and fall sports well underway.”

Steve Jordan writes, “the fall season in Maine is beautiful, with foliage taking place. exploring the woods—backyard—can be fun, except that part of our land is attached to a 600-acre bog, so it can be wet. I recently left Bank of America, seeking a career change from the credit card business. If anyone has contacts in Maine, please let me know; it would be appreciated. I am still spending weekends working at the farm and maintain the website with plenty of new photos for all to enjoy. Visit www.dewanimalkingdom.com. the farm has closed to the public for the season, but the work never ends. Animal Planet may be doing a reality show about the farm, so you may see us on television in the future. We promise not to bring personal drama to the public. We had some great news a couple of weeks ago, when Mufasa obama (African lion) and Maia had three cubs. I consider myself blessed

to be able to hold and care for these exotic animals when they are young. I’d love to have a group of kids from Nobles come visit for a day and experience one of Maine’s best-kept secrets. I hope everyone in the class is doing well and, as always, if anyone comes to Augusta, Maine, send me a note. It is nice to read about everyone’s successes in life, personally and professionally. take care, and long live Class of ’86!”

Bob Savage shares, “two gen-erations of Nobles students were represented at Valle Nevado in Chile in August 2012. My daughter, Maddie, was training with a group of kids, including Caley Dickinson ’15. We got to cheer on Caley competing in an International Ski Federation event against racers from all over North and South America, and I got the opportunity to share Kehlenbeck stories!”

1987

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

emily Gallagher [email protected]

1988

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

John Hesse [email protected]

the 25th reunion Committee has begun to plan for an eventful 25th reunion weekend on May 10–11, 2013, including a Friday night cock-tail party at David Gerber’s home, a full day of family-friendly events at Nobles on Saturday and a reunion dinner with entertainment

not to be missed! If you have yet to see the newly renovated Castle, you are in for a treat! Be sure to check out Nobles ’88 on Face-book for more event information and hilarious high school photos and memories, thanks to Sasha Leland. We have a great group this year on the reunion commit-tee, including Dave Aznavorian, Todd Bourell, George Cadwalader, Paola Buchbinder Cross, David Gerber, Meredith Johnson, Sasha Leland, Missy Daniels Madden, Craig Pfannenstiehl, Stephanie Stamatos, Curt Stevenson and Emi Bague Wieczorek.

Katrina Newbury writes, “A quick update from some of the Wiggins ’88 crew: Nicole [Porter], Heather [Partridge Kolva], Tove [Torgerson Doolittle] and I pulled off a girls’ night within weeks of tove having moved back to the area from North Carolina and the day after Nic’s birthday. lots to celebrate! See photo above.”

David Gerber writes, “I have been pulled closer by the irresist-ible tractor beam that surrounds Nobles. liza, Caroline (5), James (3), Maisy, our 6-year-old tibetan terrier, and I inched closer to the

Castle by moving from Needham to Westwood. rumor is that cur-rent residents John Hauck and Todd Bourell are deeply concerned about local property values. I’m at UBS in Boston, working in a eu-ropean equities sales role, hoping that the euro can stick together! looking forward to a great turnout in the ‘hood’ for our 25th.”

Marisa Zona writes, “I’m happy to report that April 2012 marked five years cancer-free for me, a complicated milestone, but a milestone nonetheless. Although diagnosis reared its ugly head almost two decades from our high school graduation, I’m not surprised that some of my closest supporters were among our classmates. For that, I am eternally grateful and know that I am blessed. on a lighter note, we bought an awesome single-family home in downtown Chicago. there’s plenty of room, so come visit the Windy City!”

Melissa Daniels Madden writes, “I am really looking forward to the 25th reunion. I cannot believe we are that old! Not much has changed here. My husband, rob (a Belmont Hill graduate), and

From left: Nicole Porter, Heather Partridge Kolva, Tove Torgerson Doolittle, and Katrina Newbury, all ’88


graduate news

I are raising three crazy, energetic and hilarious boys. We were both equally unprepared (despite our high school education) for the 24-7, fast-paced nature of this job but consider it our greatest gift. I enjoy keeping in touch with fellow Nobles graduates Paola Buchbind-er Cross, Andrea Gulino Mackey, Chrissy Klotz, Nicole Stata ’87 and Sue Cullinane ’87.”

George Cadwalader’s article “the rules Governing the Conduct of Hostilities in Additional protocol I to the Geneva Conventions of 1949: A review of relevant United States references” appeared in volume 14 of the Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law, t.M.C. Asser press, the Hague, the Netherlands. A link to the article can be found at http://www.springerlink.com/content/l1080j1h38303374/.

the [Bekah] Ham/Carey family took a fun-filled road trip through the southwestern U.S. in summer 2012—Grand Canyon, Bearizona, San diego and up to l.A. to the third annual 46 Mom-mas Shave for the Brave. “My plan was to run the event, not go bald again. But I couldn’t help myself. My daughters, Grace (10), now

five years from her cancer diag-nosis, and Fiona (14), in her first year of high school, are getting aw-fully good at wielding clippers. I’m thinking about wearing my hair like this (see photo above) for the 25th reunion. Who’s with me? For more information on Grace, visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/gracecarey. We still live in providence, r.I.”

Emi Bague Wieczorek writes, “Greetings from poznan, poland! My family and I have been here since summer 2010. I’ve been engaged in campus ministries as well as publications work, and my husband, Voytek, has just finished his MA/MS in engineering and architecture. our kids, Mika (11) and emanuel (6), have enjoyed polish school, making friends and connecting with Voytek’s side of the family. We are looking forward to our return to Boston at the end of 2012 and seeing you all for our big 25th in May!”

Sasha Leland writes, “My world is fun and simple these days. I continue to keep it classy in San diego, working for Cobra puma Golf as the ‘web guy.’ Still no kiddies, though I live vicariously through my sister, who now has a 2-year-old daughter with a giant

mop of red curls. Free time is spent on the motorcycle, camping, taking russian language lessons, golfing and a variety of other warm-weath-er outdoor activities. I haven’t done much traveling lately, though I did manage to sneak away with the family this summer to a dude ranch in Montana. I can’t wait to see everyone at our 25th in May, but in the meantime, if anyone needs a place to crash while in sunny San diego, just give me a shout.”

Paola Buchbinder Cross writes, “My husband, dan, and I have been in Weston, Mass., for six years now and have two won-derful boys, Nicholas (8) and Alex (6). our lives are crazy and fun, running around with all the kids’ activities. I see Andrea Gulino Mackey and Stephanie Stamatos but am so excited to see everyone at our reunion.”

Jane Weintraub writes, “I am living in Burlington, Vt., these days, waiting for a permit approval from the state of Vermont to move into a wacky house in the hamlet of Huntington, Vt. (population 1,800). the house is surrounded by some 300 acres, most of it in agricultural use (sugaring and timber). It is a far cry from the

13-plus years I spent in NYC. Work includes a smattering of projects, all focused on teaching, facilitating and coaching others toward greatness. Have I achieved greatness? Nah, but through my work I find that I am inspired. Corporate coaching work focused on leadership development is a major piece of my professional pie. For those of you seeking coaching for yourself or your teams, please do reach out!”

Tove Torgerson Doolittle writes, “our family moved back to the Boston area in summer 2012, when Andrew joined a practice in Winchester, Mass. We spent six years in Maryland while Andrew worked at Walter reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center, and eight years in Southern pines, N.C. While it was sad to leave beautiful North Carolina, we are happy to be back near family and friends. We have three children: Kierst (15) attends dana Hall, Kath-ryn (13) and odin (11) are both in middle school. I spent much of my time wearing the volunteer hat with the school, the hospital

Matthew, Ben and Nate Madden, sons of Melissa Madden ’88, in Stowe, Vt., during summer 2012

Emi Bague Wieczorek ’88 with her children, Mika (11) and Emanuel (6), and her sister, Bernadette Bague ’87

Bekah Ham ’88 with daughter Grace Carey at the third annual 46 Mommas Shave for the Brave in Los Angeles

Paola Buchbinder Cross ’88 with hus-band Dan and sons Nicholas and Alex


and the military. Can’t wait to see everyone in May!”

Tim Russell writes, “I’ve been living in Naples, Fla., with my wife and two kids, working as Vp, International Markets, for News-Bank, Inc. At the moment I’m on a temporary assignment to Bangkok, where I’m helping our local partner expand across Southeast Asia. the family is here with me, and it’s been a great opportunity to travel with the kids back to Hong Kong, Singapore, Cambodia and India. I hope to get back to the U.S. in time for reunion, since it’s been a long time since I’ve seen everyone.”

Curt Stevenson writes, “My wife, Monica ’90, and I are still living in Walpole, Mass., with three healthy children—Jane (will be 16 by the time this gets published), patrick (13) and lily (10). I still get together every few months with Dave ‘Az’ Aznavorian to play squash, drive through papa Gino’s or read old Nobles student directo-ries. I’ve enjoyed playing on a men’s lacrosse team the past two sum-mers with John Hauck and Mark Epker ’89. I’m pleased to announce that John McManus and his wife, Melissa, have recently moved to my neighborhood and just had their first child, Barbara, on my birthday, oct. 10, 2012. It’s been great to re-connect with so many people while planning our 25th in May.”

Piper Fowler Sheer writes, “Almost as hard to believe as our 25th reunion, is I’m approach-ing my 20th year of working at Boston-based IdG. Having a great time (most of the time!) heading up the Hr function, deal-ing with lots of exciting business changes around the world, and having the opportunity to travel to

great places. For 10 years I’ve been living in Norwell with my husband, peter (yes, we are peter and piper), and two sons, Sam (13) and Jake (10). When I’m not working, I vol-unteer at the kids’ school, dabble in some photography, spend as much time on the water as pos-sible, and hang out with my family, who all still live nearby.”

After years as a magazine edi-tor at Beer, Wine and Spirits, Maia Merrill Gosselin finally figured out how to turn her love of wine into a business. She started Sip Wine education and does in-home or in-business educational wine tastings with a fun, laid-back approach. Business has been growing faster than you can drink a glass of wine! the upside? More wine (and beer and spirits) in her house than she could possibly ever drink. the downside? Well, there isn’t one. Maia lives on the North Shore with her husband, emil (who is very happy about all the libations), and her two young daughters, lilian and Clara, who, of course, do not imbibe but have more wine terminology under their belt than any children should, and a crazy collection of corks.”

Stephanie Stamatos Krepps writes, “My husband, Matt Krepps, and I took our first vacation without our daughter, taylor (16 months). Although we missed her terribly, we had a blast in Banff National park in the Canadian rockies.”

Meredith Johnson writes, “Al and I moved to Beverly, Mass., and are laughing at how little we know about old-home repair. Fortunately, we do not take ourselves too seriously and know when to call in the pros. So far, we are still making progress, and it is not totally em-

barrassing to have guests. In fact, we had friends from France come for three weeks and used our house as base camp. It was wonderful to use some of Mrs. Bernstein’s and Haslett’s French lessons again. We live down the street from the beach and kayak when we can. Guests are invited any time. Finally, I am delighted Amy Freedman, her husband, peter, and daughter, liza, moved back to Cambridge from Newport. It is great to have them closer and have peter working on Curious George. I hope to see Amy back onstage soon.”

1989

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

rachel [email protected]@yahoo.com

Chris Havlicek and his wife are happy to announce the birth of Virginia “Mae” Havlicek on May 15, 2012. Mae tipped the scale at 9 pounds, 13 ounces, and was 23 inches long. She joins Johnny (4) and Grace (6).

From out west, Amy Edwards sends along happy news that she and her husband, perry, are

celebrating 20 years together and 15 years in Utah! She would love to see anyone who finds himself or herself out here to ski, bike or Sundance. See a photo of her adorable kids, Anna (8) and Carter (4), above.

1990

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

elena Weiss MacCartee [email protected]

Gwen Shipley writes, “My hus-band, Kevin, and I had a new little girl, Camille elizabeth dirocco, in March 2012. Millie is 6 months old and very smiley.”

Maggie Birmingham Mittan shares, “My big news is that my son, Benjamin, was born June 7, 2012! He’s a very easy, happy baby, which is great, because his brother, eli, is a wonderful handful.”

Bart Steele writes, “two of my best friends got married this year. George Christodal married Ingrid, the beautiful Norwegian girl I introduced him to in denmark, and Capo [Jaime Capobianco] married rachel, the girl I intro-duced him to when we went to UVM. Any other singles from our

Stephanie Stamatos Krepps ’88 with husband Matt at Banff National Park

Amy Edwards ’89 snaps a shot of her children, Anna (8) and Carter (4).


graduate news

class who need to meet their soul-mates? Have ’em call me! lol.”

Leigh Heyman shares, “It’s been a pretty exciting year! It’s been a little over a year since my wife and I moved from Boston to Washington, d.C. I accepted a job at the White House to run the operations and software development for whitehouse.gov and other executive branch websites. It’s been a pretty spectacular ride so far, but even more exciting is that my wife gave birth to our first child, evalyn rose Heyman, September 2012! We couldn’t be more thrilled. eva is happy and healthy (though she doesn’t let us get much sleep)! See a photo of her on page 67 outside the West Wing in her Nobles outfit—a gift from Brooke Asnis ’90 and the graduate affairs office.”

Elena Weiss MacCartee says, “Congratulations to Gwen, Mag-gie, George, Jamie and leigh, and thanks, Bart, for sharing.”

1991

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Kelly doherty [email protected]

Greg Hoffman reports, “My wife, Jamie, and I welcomed Nola Helena Hoffman into the world on Feb. 13, 2012, joining proud older brother rowan. Never thought I would have to paint a room pink.”

1992

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

lynne dumas [email protected]

1993

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Sam Jackson

Sam Jackson writes, “looking forward to seeing everyone in May as we celebrate our 20th! In the meantime, here are a few updates.”

Ian Lundgren writes, “I will begin a shark-tracking project with Mass State Fisheries and UMass on St. Croix USVI in June. I’ve been hearing about Chris Irwin’s band rocking on St. thomas on the radio.”

Speaking of Chris Irwin, he adds, “I live in St. thomas, USVI, with three kids (all boys) ages 5, 4 and 4 months. I got out of the Navy after 14 years as a SeAl, and I’m still a reservist. I work for an investment research company (13d.com) and also own and operate a CrossFit gym with my wife (reebokcrossfitstt.com) and compete for CrossFit. I still play live music around the island (chrisirwinband.com) and recently wrote and recorded the soundtrack for a movie about fallen SeAl and

Medal of Honor recipient Michael Murphy (murphmovie.com). those are the biggies. life is good.”

Unfortunately, Joanna Meany Gomez is unable to join us in May, and for good reason, as she is re-porting from Hawaii: “I just received my master’s degree in education with a specialization in middle-level education. It’s been a tough 18 months of work (on top of continu-ing to teach eighth-grade science), but I am excited to integrate all that I’ve learned. there have been lots of changes to education since we were in middle school. (I remember going to the library to complete research, now students just Google it.) Many of us may remember the middle school years as painful and awkward, but I really enjoy teaching eighth graders. they just have this incredible energy. they burst into the classroom eager and excited to learn, no matter what the topic (although perhaps without a pencil or homework planner). I get to laugh (really laugh) with them multiple times a day. I really can’t imagine a better job!”

Lydia Langford writes, “All is well. I’m still living in NYC, but I’m

back in Massachusetts often. I would like to thank my classmates for the outpouring of well wishes and fond memories of my mom, who passed away last September. I got so many wonderful notes from my Nobles classmates, and it really meant a lot to me. our child-hood/teenage friends are really so dear, as our parents remember them best. Anyway, it was really nice. looking forward to seeing everyone this spring!”

Sam Jackson shares, “As for me, in May I completed my master’s in aging studies from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. I still work for Benchmark Senior living as a senior executive director overseeing communities in Haverhill and Waltham, Mass.”

1994

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Annie Stephenson [email protected]

Cole Parker reports, “I ran into Jim Hampe at a biotech event in Cambridge last spring. I frequently

A memorable photo taken of the Class of 1994 offspring. From left: Laila Dix (Andra Voldins Dix), Sage Albright (Lawson Allen Albright), Olive and Callie Glenn (Lisa Z. Glenn), Ava Murphy (Annie Stephenson Murphy) a friend, August Dix and Nate Albright


travel to New York for work as part of the job I took in February as the managing director for Cyrus Innovation. the rest of the time I’m in the greater Boston area. My wife, Carla, and I live in Framingham, and we welcomed our first child in September 2011. Whitaker (Whit) embriano parker is now 1 year old.

I support Nobles by frequently eating at one of the many Nobles Class of ’94 cafes in the Boston area, otherwise known as b.good (owned and operated by none other than Jon Olinto and An-thony Ackil).”

Matt Glassman invites “any-one in Baltimore, Chicago, Wash-ington, d.C., or Moscow to please come see my newest performance. It’s called ‘the Grand parade of the 20th Century,’ and I’d love it if old Nobles friends could see it. dates for the tours are on our website, www.doubleedgetheatre.org.”

Keira Lapsley Rogers sends greetings from NYC: “I recently began a new job as the middle school history department chair at the Fieldston School in the Bronx. In addition to finally work-ing at a campus school—one with football and soccer fields and multiple buildings—for the first time in my teaching career, I am also only a seven-minute walk from home. My wonderful commute allows me the time to walk Amina (10) and Moses (7) to school every morning. this sum-mer, I had the pleasure of seeing Phil Higgins, his partner, Matt, and their beautiful little boy, Felix. My family and I also spent some time with Desert Horse-Grant ’96.”

Annie Stephenson Murphy shares, “And finally, I wanted to re-

port that my husband, taylor, and I welcomed a baby boy, Callum ‘Cal’ david Murphy, on Sept. 18, 2012. My daughter, Ava (3), has been a rock-star big sister so far, and I’m readjusting to life with minimal sleep and finding spit-up on most things I wear. We traveled east this summer and spent time with Law-son Allen Albright, Lisa Zeytoon-jian Glenn and Andra Voldins Dix. While celebrating my daughter’s birthday, we reminisced about the crazy things we did as kids at Nobles and cherished watching our seven collective kids play together (see photo on page 54). I also enjoyed a quick visit with Hunter Woolley and his wife, Ann, who had just welcomed their third child, a baby girl, Charlotte Yvonne.”

1995

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Kelly [email protected]

Kelly Flaman and Tyler Roberts were married on Nantucket on oct. 13, 2012. Several people from No-bles were in attendance, including Brian Roberts ’93, Todd Flaman ’97, Molly Haverty Whitridge, Bill Gallagher, Tim McCabe and Jenny Sherman Maloney ’96 (photogra-pher extraordinaire!).

John Manley and his wife, pamela, celebrated the birth of their second child, luke, in May 2012. Big brother Jack is 2 years old. the Manleys live in duxbury, Mass., where pam is a high school teacher and coach. John is a prin-cipal and consultant with Meketa Investment Group, an institutional investment-consulting firm head-quartered in Westwood, Mass.

Alexandra Smith Ozerkis and husband Mark welcomed a boy, Cooper eli, on April 12, 2012. He joins his big brother, davis (5), and big sister, Clara (2).

1996

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Alex Slawsby [email protected]

Kate Wade writes, “I had a great time this summer at the Haystack Mountain Conference about risk, learning and creativity with esteemed Nobles faculty member Vicky Seelen. We had way too much fun, and yet I took incred-ibly valuable lessons back to the rivers campus. No coaching again this year, as I’ve got my hands full as interim dean of students, but I will certainly at-tend lots of girls’ JV games—my husband, Ken, coaches field hockey, ice hockey and lacrosse. our daughter, emily, was the unofficial mascot at homecoming (see picture below) and consid-ers Nobles graduate and rivers superstar Elizabeth Beedy ’01 a kindred spirit! Best wishes to the Class of ’96!

Nichole Cipriani Seaman writes, “We have a little bit of news—our new baby, luke, was born oct. 6, 2012. Big siblings Ava and Christian are thrilled, and I am happy to be off from work for the next few months.”

1997


Bobbi oldfield [email protected]

Jessie Sandell [email protected]

1998

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Melissa [email protected]

Chris Cleary writes, “Colette Marie Cleary arrived in style on Aug. 31, 2012, at 4:19 p.m. Sporting a full head of dark hair that required two rounds of shampooing, and eyelashes as long as her fingers, Colette weighed a healthy 7 pounds, 4

Kate Wade ’96 captures a photo of daughter Emily representing Rivers at homecoming.


graduate news

ounces. My wife, elizabeth, and baby Colette are doing great, and we look forward to introducing her to all of you shortly.”

Congratulations to Drew Besser on his marriage to Bindu dasari on June 16, 2012, in San Sebastian, Spain.

1999


Kate [email protected]

Stephanie trussell [email protected]

Stephanie Trussell Driscoll writes, “lots of updates from the Class of ’99. I apologize for not getting some of these in the last issue. First, congrats to Olivia Achtmeyer, who got engaged on Memorial day. Fiancé Andy Boger proposed on plum Island near their new home in Newburyport. Also, another belated congrats to Alex Foster and his wife, who had a baby girl, Sadie Willa Foster, on May 26!

As for me, I am happy to announce that I started my own company in May, driscoll public relations. It’s been exciting and scary all at the same time, but I have been really enjoying working with my new clients.”

Maggie Goedecke writes, “I moved to Seattle in August 2011 to start a job at Vulcan, Inc., working in their real estate development group. the West Coast is a bit of an adjust-ment, but I’m getting used to it. I also got married to Gauthier Capelle on Sept. 15, 2012, at my parent’s house in Cohasset. Nobles graduate Gabi Herman ’01 was our photogra-pher! See photo on page 65.”

Lindsay Curtis is getting married in June 2013. She moved back to Chicago and is an account director at octagon, overseeing Sprint’s NBA partnership. We miss you, lindsay, but are excited for your new beginnings.

Neal and Emily Holmgren are both working for Cotuit Solar on Cape Cod, installing solar systems on homes and businesses. Neal has almost finished building their new house in Sandwich, Mass., and they can’t wait to move in with their kids, Nettle and James, who, we might add, are absolutely adorable!

Justin Dziama writes, “Danny Ackil married fiancée eve Agna in New Hampshire at the Ackil’s house on Sept. 29! It was a great fall wedding, and Nobles graduates in attendance included Ben Tobey, Gavin Grant, Neil Krause ’00, George Shalhoub ’97, Amanda Green Helming and me. All of the Ackil brothers, Albie ’97, Mike ’94 and Anthony ’94 were in the wedding party. We had a blast, and danny and eve went to Brazil for their honeymoon. In addition, my company, richards Barry Joyce & partners, a commercial tenant advi-sory firm, is excited to be working with Dan Croak’s company called thoughtbot (www.thoughtbot.com). thoughtbot is a unique company that designs and develops Web and mobile apps as well as hosts workshops where they train and mentor designers and developers. they’ve had great success in the Boston area and are opening a new office in San Francisco to accom-modate their growth. It has been fun working with dan’s company, and I have really enjoyed watching a fellow Nobles graduate have this kind of success!”

on May 26, 2012, Phillip Flakes married Abigail Atamian at the playa Fiesta Beach Club in puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Many of their friends and family were in attendance, including Nobles graduates Chris Cleary ’98 and Neil Krause ’00. Congrats!

2000

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

lisa [email protected]

Scott Levy writes, “My wife and I have been in texas for about a year, and after a fantastic vacation hiking in Maine, we are more homesick for New england than ever. Caro-line, Wallee (our 1-year-old pup) and I hope to make our move north in a few years, but if anyone’s down in dallas, hit me up!”

David Urban reported, “In october 2011, I moved to denver and started my own law firm.”

Elizabeth Schultz Bioteau and her husband, Zach, proudly an-nounce the birth of their son, Jona-than Bioteau, born on Aug. 3, 2012.

Lisa Marx shares, “After graduating from business school at emory, I moved back to Boston and

am working as a product manager at tripAdvisor. It’s great to be back in the area!”

2001

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

lauren [email protected]

Lisa Griswold Robbins ’01 writes, “I married Joshua robbins in August 2012. I was happy to have Lisa Ca-han Rhoades as my bridesmaid as well as Jaime Schwartz, Laura Del-gado, Elizabeth Hodgman, Ashley Marks Mahanama and Selena Ali Taliento in attendance.”

Loi Sessions Goulet writes, “I moved to the Bay Area and work at Facebook. I’d love to see other Nobles folks living in this neck of the woods.”

Congratulations to Eliza Drach-man-Jones Quincy and Richie Quincy ’99 on their wedding on June 23, 2012, at tufts University.

Congratulations to Elizabeth Libert Sterner ’01, who married daniel Sterner on June 9, 2012, at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston.

Congratulations to Lindsey Marich Owen ’01 and Chris Owen ’00 on their wedding on Aug. 18, 2012, in Newport, r.I.

Congratulations to Ted Lubitz ’01 who married Katie powell on Sept. 15, 2012, at the eastern Yacht Club in Marblehead, Mass.

tessa emile Novak was born on Nov. 30, 2011, to proud parents Elizabeth Besser Novak ’01 and Will Novak.

olivia Grace Kisielius was born dec. 21, 2011, to proud parents Lindsey Fay Kisielius ’01 and doug Kisielius.

Scott Levy ’00 and wife Caroline in Maine


2002

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

William N. duffey [email protected]

Cece Wedel moved back to Boston from Washington, d.C., and is working at Mullen Advertising.

Samantha Strauss writes, “I am still living in london. I just gradu-ated from business school at Amer-ican Intercontinental University london with a Master of Business Administration with concentration in international marketing. I was hired by a company called UCi2i, where I will head their channel mar-keting. I will also help them open an office in Boston mid-2013.”

Julie Son writes, “I’m at Columbia Business School and have recently launched a social charades game for iphone called Mime-Me. I’ve enlisted help from current Nobles and college student interns on product development, and they’ve been phenomenal to work with!”

Margaret Gormley recently got engaged to david donahue.

Drew Dulberg married rachel Bye on May 19, 2012.

Rob Balanda writes, “After three years of dating and a year and a half engagement, Brandi Buehn, UW ’04, BC law ’09, and I got married on July 29, in poulsbo, Wash., with 90 of our family mem-bers and closest friends present. Nobles classmates Mike Lynch, Mike O’Connell and Chris Miller were groomsmen, while Dave Salmon, John Batemen and Brian Lynch ’04 made the trip for the weekend. Shortly after returning home to Hawaii from our honey-

moon in British Columbia (Sonora resort and Vancouver), I moved to Seattle to join Blackrock Alterna-tive Advisors, where I support the fund-of-hedge-funds products. Brandi will follow at the start of winter and will continue working remotely with her Hawaii law firm, Starn o’toole Marcus & Fisher.”

2004

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Carolyn Sheehan Wintner [email protected]

2005

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Saul [email protected]

Tom Southworth hosted an infor-mal golf outing for some Nobles friends in Haverhill, Mass., in August 2012. See photo above.

2006

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

e.B. [email protected]

E.B. Bartels writes, “First I would like to start by issuing a public apology to Cory Rosenfield for at-tempting to change the spelling of his name in the last issue of Nobles magazine. Sorry, sir. Your first name definitely looks better without an ‘e.’ My bad. Moving on, I guess the guilt tripping finally worked! We have so many updates!”

everyone’s favorite harpist, Krysten Keches, writes, “I spent this past summer studying and performing in Colorado at the Aspen Music Festival. Midway through my program, elijah Forrest o’Connor, whom I met on my first day of college, surprised me with a visit and a marriage proposal!

We are planning a summer 2014 wedding. Forrest is a mandolinist and the co-founder of Concert Window, a company that streams live video performances from mu-sic venues across the country. this fall, I look forward to starting my master’s in harp performance at the New england Conservatory. I’m excited to catch up with everyone now that I’m back in Boston!”

Heather Janey alerted me to many updates in her life via good ol’ Facebook. She writes, “I’m still living in Manhattan, acting and now shooting music videos for Washington Heights (almost signed, fingers crossed) rapper Zack St. Nick. My videos/concepts focus more on the individual, cap-turing a more artistic point of view, highlighting the artist and what he is trying to say, rather than putting 100 women in videos to keep the viewers’ attention. Imagery is the key!” You can check out Heather’s videos on Youtube by searching “tiina luv.” You can also follow her on twitter at @tiNA_lUV_.

Sara Snyder Phillips was married on Sept. 15, 2012, to Will phillips on Squam lake in New Hampshire! Sara and Will are living

From left: Drew DeLorey ’05, Matt Cambria ’05, Tom Southworth ’05, Rob O’Block ’05, Alex Bain ’04, Greg Croak ’06, James Geary ’05, Brendan Armour ’05 and Bob Moore (faculty)

From left: faculty member Tom Resor, Helen Resor ’04, Carrie Resor ’05, Molly Val-le ’05, Kate Parizeau ’05, Molly Parizeau ’11, Sam Parizeau ’15 and Doug Parizeau ’07 catch up in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in July 2012.


graduate news

in oak park, Ill., right outside of Chicago. Check out the picture of the lovely couple on page 66!

Not much has changed person-ally for Greg Croak, who is still working at Nobles as the associate director of graduate affairs. He has, however, moved into the newly renovated Castle! Greg says, “I’m sending out an open invitation to the class to come through and visit. My spot is unreal, and I can’t believe it’s still the same Castle. Alexa Walls and Hilary Segar have already visited the place and can attest!” Apparently the place is pretty “dopesauce,” and I can’t wait to see it.

Sam Dawson writes, “I moved in with ’06 classmates Matt Salmon and Drew Oppenheimer in the Back Bay, near fellow ’06ers Tim Furcillo and Hilary Segar (I think there may be a few others in our neighborhood as well—Abby Mayer, Alex Burns, Alexa Walls). I’ve been building an iphone app called Cahoot, the fun and new way to keep up and meet with the people you want to see. Visit www.cahoot.us and sign up to stay ‘in the Hoot’ to receive an invite when we launch in Boston!”

Brad Caswell is still teaching in Connecticut. He also grew a sweet ’stache but shaved it off. Addition-ally, Joshua Pollack has grown a mustache and has not done much else. His life is very bland.

Caroline Harrison writes us an update in the third person: Caroline Harrison is living in Brooklyn, which she’s heard is the perfect place to live during a quarter-life crisis. When she’s not wondering what it is that she actu-ally wants to do with her life, she photographs live music for blogs,

draws, practices singing and works in marketing.

Chantal Denis Nicolas writes, “this is my first class note since ...well... ever! I am a registered nurse, and I worked for partners HealthCare when I was in Boston. However, my husband, Kerlee Nicolas, and I moved to NWA (No, Bernard Hilton, I am not referring to the rap group but northwest Ar-kansas), and I now work for Mercy. We love our home and the area, so if you are making a pit stop through ‘the Natural State,’ Facebook me! oh, and did I mention that we are celebrating our one-year wed-ding anniversary on oct. 16, 2012! thanks for the love and support KJ, MM, BH, HG, Mp and CF ’05. Keep in touch, Class of 2006!”

Lydia Paine gives us a career update: “After graduating from UVA, I stayed in Charlottesville working at an online advertis-ing firm (rimm-Kaufman Group llC) for a year, and in June 2011, I moved back to Boston to start a new job in the marketing department at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. I work with their reading (K–6) and language arts (K–12) programs. Next up, I’m thinking about graduate school!”

our local actor, Harry Aspin-wall, has much news: “I live in Cambridge. I’m an actor for local plays, including Bye Bye Liver (ongo-ing), Flanagan’s Wake and Blood Rose Rising, and local short films. I also work at Boston tea party Ships and Museum, where I am a guide dressed up in colonial clothes and commit acts of treason. I am also a freelance graphic designer and composer, and I’m developing a Web series set in 1774 with blood, magic and intrigue. My life is pretty

sweet. *cough* www.harryaspinwall.com *cough* ”

Erin Greene left the perpetual sunshine of southern California for the concrete jungle, where dreams are made of. She is the assistant di-rector of stewardship for Columbia Business School and lives in Hell’s Kitchen with her roommate—and renowned class correspondent—E.B. Bartels, who regularly harasses her about submitting updates to Nobles magazine.

2007

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Greg Keches [email protected]

Courtney Monahan can currently be seen in the Nobles Middle School, driving forth a curriculum of ecce romani and roman culture. Can anyone say, “In pictura est puella nomine Flavia?”

Liz Barry began her career at Boston College law. Honorable Barry will undoubtedly drop the hammer on all future lawyers across the table from her. Best of luck to liz in the next few years on the Heights!

Gina Chen is at Brown Medical, becoming the doctor we knew she’d be from day one. Forget WebMd, people, she’s pretty com-petent already. Just give her a call.

Nicholas Tyack is working in omaha, Neb., in a soil laboratory, after finishing his Fulbright program in rome. He is currently pursuing options in environmental econom-ics. this is all to say that he is still the tyack we know and love.

2008

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Aditya [email protected]

Amarilice Young writes, “Shivani [Kumar] has started at UMass Medical School, was elected to the student-body committee and just got a puppy!”

Amarilice and Liz Johnson are living in the east Village and work-ing as paralegals.

Louisa Harrison is serving a corps year with City Year Boston, working in a third-grade classroom in roxbury at the tobin K-8 School. After City Year, she plans to apply

From left: Shannyn Gaughan ’08, Jordan Smith ’02, Liz Barry ’07 and Brendan Armour ’05 found each other at Boston College Law School.


to nursing school.Rick Goode lives in the North

end with Tim Nelson. rick is work-ing at the parthenon Group, and tim is working at KpMG.

After spending his summer in rhode Island, Abram Dawson moved to San Francisco to pursue his interest in the tech startup scene. He’s currently working at SV Angel, a small early-stage invest-ment firm, where he’ll be reviewing companies, listening to pitches, developing software, and learning a lot. He continues to build websites through freelancing and spends his spare time skiing, hiking and climb-ing lake tahoe and Yosemite.

Julianne Bishop graduated from Brown University in May and began work at eMC in Franklin, Mass., as a sales associate.

Alex Lang is living in NYC, working at American express in product development.

Aditya Mukerjee recently moved to Greenwich Village to pursue his newfound dream of liv-ing in a run-down, semi-bohemian loft. When not hard at work at Quotidian Ventures, he spends his time on hobby projects, such as lobbyists From last Night.

2009

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

liz [email protected]

Liz Rappaport writes, “I cannot believe this is my last year of college and the end of a decade of school with Donna Farizan. It is wonderful having donna back in d.C., after her year abroad in Spain, although I did have the pleasure

of visiting donna while she was in Madrid. It was also great seeing Will Kiplinger while we were both abroad in london. In summer 2012, I worked for Senator Scott Brown with Maddy Petrini, who also spent the spring in d.C. working for the senator. We had an amazing summer in d.C., and we also got to see a lot of Arianna Brown every time she came to visit her dad.

Carey Favaloro took a semester off from Middlebury to explore Chile. In South America, she trav-eled, assisted with blue whale re-search, and worked on a farm. She came back to the States in time for a summer job working as a nature camp instructor for the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. All her recent outdoor science experiences have convinced her to change her major to conservation biology. luckily, she has another two years to fulfill the requirements, since she’s now graduating in 2014! She sends good wishes to her class-mates and teachers from Nobles.

Cynthia Rivas had a really good beginning to her senior year at Holy Cross. She is the co-chair of the latin American Student or-ganization and spent her summer

abroad in Buenos Aires. Cynthia’s major is religious studies with a latin American concentration. She hopes to work in a hospital after graduation and is still applying for jobs. Cynthia is considering nurs-ing school a year after graduation to become a nurse practitioner.

Tyler Parsons’s life at Vander-bilt is great. He is an economics major and managerial studies minor (Vanderbilt’s version of finance). In summer 2012, tyler had an incred-ible internship in sales and trading at Morgan Stanley in New York, and he has accepted an offer to work there full time after graduation.

Matt O’Leary is working on his senior thesis on WWI aviation and spends the rest of his time rowing for Harvard’s crew team. the com-bination doesn’t leave him much free time for anything else, really, so it’s a lot of studying and rowing.

Arianna Brown graduated in May 2012 from Syracuse Univer-sity, summa cum laude, with a bach-elor’s in biology in three years. She currently lives in Washington, d.C., with two dogs, Koda and Snuggles. In April 2012, she accepted a job at the Humane Society of the United States as their legislative coordina-

tor of federal affairs. She also worked full time on her father Scott Brown’s campaign and traveled back to Boston often. Arianna is also applying to veterinary school.

Derick Beresford is trying to soak up everything in his senior year and was elected captain of his basketball team. Coming off a great season last year, when his team won the most games in the school’s history, he is looking forward to doing even better this year. derick will graduate as a sociology major and is writing his senior essay on the benefits of the private and public sectors within the construc-tion of brand-new sports facilities. After college, he will be looking for a career within the sports industry, specifically within the fields of marketing, communication and business development.

Lauren Martin has been consumed by lacrosse, lacrosse and, oh yeah, more lacrosse. duke recently had its first tournament, and with the number-two freshman recruiting class, they did very well. lauren is majoring in sociology and minoring in environmental science and policy, with a markets and management certificate. lauren has accepted an offer from her summer internship in private wealth at Gold-man Sachs and is looking forward to working there next year.

Will Macrae is majoring in computer science and math and was recently appointed one of 40 Andrew Carnegie Society Scholars in his class. After he graduates, he will head to palantir technologies in sunny palo Alto, Calif., to write software. Will interned there last summer, and Dan Robinson ’07 currently works there. Will recently started doing research on com-

From left to right: Maddy Petrini, Liz Rappaport and Arianna Brown, all ’09, spent summer 2012 working in Washington, D.C.


graduate news

puter science theory with profes-sor Manual Blum, who has a turing Award, which is the computer science version of a Nobel prize. Now if that isn’t enough to keep him busy, Will has been singing in CMU’s concert choir.

Manny Perez spent his sum-mer in Washington, d.C., as a sci-entific integrity intern at the Union of Concerned Scientists, where he did political analysis research as it pertains to scientific studies. other than that, he is majoring in political science with a concentration in public administration. As for his future, he is hoping to come back to d.C. and work on Capitol Hill.

Max White is the captain of the Boston University men’s soc-cer team and a student-athlete mentor. He is excited to play against the Harvard soccer team, where his former teammate, Scott Prozeller, is captain and his brother, Oliver White ’12, attends school. Max is a sociology major and finance minor. He says senior year is off to a great start, and he is looking to finish strong.

Tory Cameron is working on her thesis this term for her economics major. She has started fall season of lacrosse. After graduation, tory plans to move to Jackson Hole, Wyo., to work as a ski instructor, then go to graduate school in Colorado.

Jerome Tse is majoring in hotel management at Cornell. even though he is still undecided about his plans after graduation, he is leaning toward starting his own company or working in New York City in hotel real estate.

Hanna Atwood is studying abroad in Aix-en-provence, France, which is quite an adorable little

town filled with rich culture and the best chocolate croissants! Hanna is living with a French woman and taking creative writing and French classes at Institute for American Universities. She is also taking an art history and a painting class at the Marchutz School of Art. Hanna says, “there is nothing like painting Mt. Sainte Victoire in the exact same spot that Cezanne himself created masterpieces of the mountain landscape. After this semester, I am back to Colgate to finish off junior year!”

Jamie Shulman is enjoying her senior year in business school at the University of Michigan. Jamie spent the summer interning in the securities division of Gold-man Sachs, where she even met a few Nobles graduates! She hopes to return to New York to work in other areas of financial services after graduation.

Tucker Halpern is beginning his junior year and playing basketball at Brown. He took last year off be-cause of an illness that redshirted him from basketball, but he is really glad to be back! His concentration is history of art and architecture, and he has also taken a lot of music production classes. He loves seeing

a lot of Nobles people at Brown, especially in the fitness center. He is unsure of what he wants to do for a long-term career, but he will likely pursue a professional basket-ball career immediately following graduation from Brown.

2010

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Holly Foster508-404-4616 [email protected]

Holly Foster writes, “Hey, Nobles Class of 2010. It’s been wonderful corresponding with some of you and hearing about all of your ad-ventures! thanks to the classmates who sent in updates. It’s especially great hearing from those studying abroad. I encourage all of you who haven’t been back to make a trip to see the renovated Castle!”

Mollie Young writes, “I spent summer and fall 2012 studying in Cape town, South Africa, at the University of Cape town (UCt). I love Cape town and all the people I have met. My semester abroad was a once-in-a-lifetime experience

that I will never forget. Cape town is a beautiful city with so much to learn and do. I first traveled to South Africa during spring break of my senior year with Ben and Sarah Snyder and 15 Nobles students. After living on my own here, I real-ized what an amazing opportunity Nobles and the Snyders had given me during that trip. I couldn’t wait to come back and feel so lucky that I did. May Henderson was also studying abroad this semester at UCt, and it was so much fun to be together and have another shared experience after attending the Island School together in spring 2009—I can’t imagine leaving home without her! I already miss UCt and my life in Cape town, but I am excited to return to Middle-bury College in January.”

Eliza Goode writes, “living in Barcelona is the best thing that could have ever happened to an adventurous junior in college. I decide my own daily schedule; I can walk on the beach and a mountain in the same day; wander down streets to stumble upon gorgeous plazas; work with people from different european countries; learn more Spanish and a little Chinese; take a salsa class and not care if I step on someone’s foot; meet friends who are studying in Germany and rome; travel to all main Spanish cities as well as small towns in Catalonia; eat authentic and delicious tapas; cook Spanish food with my kitchen-mate from Ibiza. I am so thankful for my Spanish teachers at Nobles who taught me all the Spanish I am using in Spain!”

Sarah Kistner writes, “I’m spending the semester in Granada, Spain, living with a host family and

Donna Farizan and Liz Rappaport, both ’09, spent Valentine’s Day together in Madrid while both were traveling abroad.

May Henderson and Mollie Young, both ’10, on top of Table Mountain in South Africa


taking classes at the University of Granada. All of my classes are in Spanish, and I really enjoy being immersed in the culture. I plan to return to Colgate for the spring semester, where I will continue to compete on the ski team, be a sister at Kappa Kappa Gamma, and pursue a double major in psychology and Spanish. It’s been a wonderful experience being here in europe, and it was great to see Eliza Goode and Will Shames in fall 2012 in Munich.”

Laura Kirk writes, “¡Hola! I am writing from Buenos Aires, where I am currently on a semester abroad, along with Owen Minott and Caitlin Aliquo. I have been studying international relations at Brown University, where I have joined the equestrian team and the Salsa Club. these past two years have gone by in a brilliant flash; I am so fortunate to have found a place very well suited to my interests. Now in Argentina, I am learning un monton (a ton) living in such a dynamic city. Being away gives such perspec-tive, and I am excited to get back this spring with a clearer vision of how I want to spend my time at school and prepare for whatever adventures come next. Best of luck

to everyone! Also, a warning to those visiting Nobles. look out for a couple of troublemakers roaming the halls: cousin Katherine ’14, and little sister Helen ’14.”

Mollie Scheerer writes, “the past two years at trinity have been incredible. time has gone by so quickly; it’s hard to believe we are already upperclassmen again! I have loved being part of both the ski team and riding team at school, and have gotten to know some really great people. I am studying abroad with a trinity program in paris for the semester, which has been an unbelievable experience so far. Unfortunately, four years of Japanese at Nobles with Tomoko Graham did not exactly prepare me for the French I’ve been learning here in paris, but it has been exciting to be completely im-mersed in a culture with very little knowledge of the language. Hope everyone in 2010 is doing well!”

Emily Mansfield writes, “Hello from Spain! I’m here, studying in-ternational affairs through the GW program in Madrid, and it has been wonderful! I’ve also been able to travel and visit other Nobles friends abroad! Mollie Scheerer and I are going to Budapest in November. Hope all is well with everyone!”

Kerrin Smith writes, “After completing my freshman year at Claremont McKenna, I came back to Boston and took an incredible gap year that included a full course load at the Harvard extension School, among many other things! this fall, I transferred to the Galla-tin School for Individualized Study at NYU, where I am currently a junior. At Gallatin, we design our own majors, and mine is called the local economy of fashion. I am working professionally as a fashion blogger and living off campus. I am absolutely loving city life. definitely get in touch if you are ever in NYC!”

Kevin Greenhalgh writes, “I am having a great time at North-western. I am in my junior year, majoring in mechanical engineer-ing with an economics minor. I keep busy outside of class time building a racecar with the Formula SAe team, swimming on the club swim team, and spending time with friends in delta tau delta fraternity. I spent last summer as a manufacturing engineering intern in North Carolina. Hope everyone is doing well!”

Caitlin Aliquo writes, “these past two years at Gettysburg Col-lege have been incredible for me. I am a globalization studies major and a Spanish minor, and I work as an admission tour guide. I also tu-tor for a program called El Centro, where Gettysburg middle school students with english as a second language come for homework help. It is really fulfilling to see the kids improve their english.

As part of my major, I have chosen a focus on latin America with a thematic focus on social changes. I spent my junior fall

semester studying in Buenos Aires. I lived with an adorable elderly woman in the heart of the city. the majority of my days were spent speaking in Spanish about the tumultuous Argentine politics with my host mother, navigating the busy streets, and mingling with the local porteños. I enrolled in five classes at a local university (Uni-versidad del Salvador) and focused my studies on Argentine history, politics and culture. Besides having the opportunity to improve my Spanish, I have been so grateful to be exposed to a culture where protests are not uncommon, punc-tuality is irrelevant, and everyone is greeted with a friendly kiss on the cheek. I cannot wait to go back!”

2011

ClASS CorreSpoNdeNt

Katie [email protected]

Katie Puccio writes, “Hey, every-body! I hope everyone is doing really well. I have been pretty busy since leaving Nobles. At Hamilton, I am playing softball and singing in duelly Noted, one of the co-ed a cappella groups on campus. over the summer, I worked in an Alzheimer’s facility as a music therapy intern. I loved hearing from everyone.”

Christian Hatch writes, “this summer I started a company in Nashville, tenn. our product is Kiwi, an iphone app that is like Instagram but for video. I am the chief product officer, and I built (programmed) the entire app. My co-founders and I hope to close our seed round of funding this fall. I’m

Eliza Goode and Sarah Kistner, both ’10, in Munich

Owen Minott and Laura Kirk, both ’10, at a vineyard in Mendoza near Buenos Aires


graduate news

back at school this fall and pro-gramming Kiwi in my free time.”

Gray Riley writes, “over the summer, and continuing into this semester, I worked with the reXIS team in the MIt Space System laboratory. reXIS is an instrument that will fly to asteroid rQ-36 in 2016 on the NASA spacecraft oSIrIS-reX. It will give a rough map of the composition of the asteroid using X-ray spec-trometry. I worked on the thermal team and modeled the thermal transient and steady-state responses of reXIS to check if it can satisfy the requirements for a successful mission. I also tested components of reXIS in a thermal vacuum chamber. this semester I will be making preparations for the engineering model.”

Roz Watson writes, “this year I’ve been taking lots of pre-med classes. I bartended for a nonprofit art auction event in october. I’ve also joined a dance marathon team to raise funds for AIdS awareness and research, and I’m a member of the Columbia women’s ultimate Frisbee team. Also, my sister got engaged, so I’ve been helping with wedding plans!”

Laura Zwanziger writes, “during summer 2012, I interned at fashion companies elizabeth and James, and Marissa Webb. Marissa Webb is a designer

startup who was the head of all women’s wear and accessories at J.Crew for 14 years before branching off. She presented her first collection at New York Fashion Week, and I came in from Ithaca for the show and helped work backstage.”

Annie Winneg writes, “this summer I was an artistic intern at the New repertory theatre. As assistant to the associ-ate artistic director, I sat in on production meetings, researched and wrote program notes for their upcoming season, and evaluated new plays submitted by local playwrights. the play I have been working on all semester opened in November. It is part of the oberlin theater department’s fall season. I play the lead in a naturalistic thriller called Boy Gets Girl, by rebecca Gilman, about a high-powered New York reporter who becomes the victim of a vicious stalker. For the second half of the semester, I am working as a research assistant for the chair of oberlin’s psychology department. His research focuses on social psychology and specifically how humans react to nature and their environments.”

Shelly Picard writes, “I played on the Women’s National Hockey team that won a silver at the World Championships. Hope everyone is great!”

Martin J. Mullin ’51 died on June 10, 2012, after a brief illness. Born in New York City, he attended the Fessenden School before coming to Nobles in 1947 as a boarder. He was known in the dorms for his seemingly endless supply of food but was admired for his honesty and hard work. Mullin was a strong athlete with a work ethic to match, as he won the decathlon during his Class III year. He played football in the fall and was the goalie for the hockey team during his Class I year. He went on to play goalie for Brown University and was a part of an Amateur Hockey Championship team in 1952 with the providence Maroons. Mullin was also an incredible baseball player. In 1950, he was one of the strongest hitters during Nobles’s championship season. He played baseball for the Falmouth All Stars as a part of the Cape Cod league. Mullin graduated from Brown and was an investment advisor for 25 years and an honorary sergeant in the U.S. Army. He was devoted to his family and will be greatly missed.

He is survived by his wife, Bar-bara; his daughter, pamela; his son, Martin; and five grandchildren.

William F. Yates ’51 died on July 27, 2012, at the age of 79. Yates came to Nobles in 1948 and took advantage of nearly every program. While he was an athlete on the soccer and basketball teams and manager of the crew team, Yates also shined in the dramatic and Glee Clubs. As a member of the Nobleman board and Classbook Committee, Yates always had a camera with him and would happily

oblige his classmates with prints. He also joined deutsche Verein during his Class I year. though he entered the Class of 1951 late, he quickly earned the respect of his classmates through hard work and perseverance in his studies. this work ethic earned him the Biology and Improvement prizes in 1949. Yates graduated from Harvard in 1955. After college, he served in the United States Air Force and was stationed in Germany. He received his Master of Business Administra-tion from Boston University and went on to have a very successful career in finance at several major firms in the Boston area.

He is survived by his wife, Sonja; his daughter, rebecca Velander, and her husband, Fredrik; and his sons, Andrew and tuppett, and their wives, Jennifer and Katja Guenther. He also leaves six grandchildren.

E. Graham Ward ’52 died at his home in Falmouth, Mass., on May 23, 2012. during “Grum’s” six years at Nobles, he won the trustee prize for Scholarship in 1947 and 1951 and was cum laude in 1951 and 1952. He was a varsity wrestler and participated on the 1951 undefeated football team. He graduated from Harvard with a bachelor’s, magna cum laude, in 1956, and a master’s in 1957. After a stint in the army and teaching at the peddie School and phillips exeter Academy, he was appointed head of the english department at the Brooks School. At the time of his death, he was an editor and writer for Spritsail, published by the Woods Hole Historical Collection. He was an avid boater and fished

memoriam

errAtA: In the Fall 2012 issue of Nobles, p. 7, we incorrectly identified one of the members of the winning chess team; the student pictured third from last is Max Jones ’15. on p. 15, Nicole Ferzoco ’14 should have been listed among the varsity crew team members who earned a letter. on p. 39, the class year of Winston “Hooley” perry is incorrect; perry is a proud member of the Class of 1953. John tyler ’72 wrote to tell us he’s pretty sure there aren’t two of him in the same class. the second “John tyler” in the Class of 1972 photo on p. 44 is actually Chip Goode.


around the world, most recently in the Florida Keys.

He leaves his wife, Maria (Coo-per); his daughters, Cordelia russell and Grace Slosberg; his stepchil-dren, Catherine Schilling and John Friedlander; and four grandchildren, one of whom is currently in the Class of 2017 at Nobles.

David B. Pilcher ’52, M.d., died at his home in Vermont on Sept. 4, 2012, after a long battle with prostate cancer. At Nobles, he amassed a stellar academic record while playing soccer, rowing, and serving as “a cheerful stalwart on the notorious Senior ‘Unco’ basket-ball team.” He was well-known on campus “for his strange assort-ment of cars, ranging from a Model t with no motor to a smooth little convertible, which had a top that he put down without even stopping.” After Nobles, pilcher graduated from Amherst College and earned his medical degree from the University of rochester. He spent his surgical residency at both tufts University and UVM and spent two years in the army, one as a surgeon in Vietnam. then he completed a vascular surgery fellowship at UClA. pilcher settled in the Burlington area and built his life as a vascular surgeon and professor of surgery. In addition to directing a Vermont emergency room, he is credited with develop-ing the eMS system that is still in use in northern New england today. Among his other accomplishments, he was the first board-certified vascular surgeon in the state of Vermont, served as president of the New england Society for Vascular

Surgery, and authored numerous articles on topics such as advances in the use of vascular ultrasound. Finally, during his retirement, he wrote Catamount Surgeons, a book on the history of surgery at UVM.

pilcher is survived by his wife of 23 years, Suzanne, one brother, five children and stepchildren, three daughters-in-law, one son-in-law and six grandchildren. He is also survived by his first wife, Jean. He is predeceased by his brother, Stephen, and his sister, Nan.

John R. Quarles Jr. ’53 died on oct. 29, 2012. Quarles spent six years at Nobles. His class yearbook described him as “a born politician” with “a capacity for leadership.” Quarles played football and basketball, sang in the Glee Club, and was a member of the dramatic Club, the Nobleman board (as edi-tor), the debate team and the Cum laude Society for two years. In 1950, he won the trustee prize for Scholarship.

After graduating from Yale, phi Beta Kappa, and Harvard law School, he married his wife, Barbara, in 1961, and they spent their first year in New orleans, where Quarles worked for a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals during the early stages of the Civil rights movement. After a seven-year stint working in Boston, he and Barbara moved to northern Virginia, where he was a presidential appointee at the department of the Interior. then Quarles was named assistant administrator for enforcement and general councel at the newly created environmental protection Agency. After working in govern-

ment for eight years, he went into the private sector, where he worked for a large Washington law firm concentrating entirely on environ-mental regulatory issues. Quarles also served on the board of the Christian Broadcasting Network, which was near and dear to his heart. In addition to Barbara, Quar-les leaves two sons, two daughters and 10 grandchildren.

Franklin S. Newell ’55, known affectionately as “Chub” by his family and friends, died at the age of 74. Chub graduated from the park School in Brookline before he began his six-year campaign at Nobles. While here, Newell served on the dance committee and was also in the dramatic, Choir and Glee Clubs. He was also in deutsche Verein. As a member of the Newell family, he was born with an insatiable love for the outdoors. He played hockey and captained the baseball and football teams.

Newell continued his football career at Harvard, where he gradu-ated in 1959. He then served in Alaska and Florida with the U.S. Coast Guard. He will certainly be remembered for his passion for

conservation, working with organi-zations such as ducks Unlimited, trout Unlimited and the Sudbury Valley trustees.

He is survived by his wife, Judith; his brother, Louis ’53; his sister, Anne; his children, Tamar Newell Taffaro ’84, thomas and William; and two grandchildren.

Christopher C. Brown ’61 died on Sept. 13, 2012, in Kittery point, Maine. At Nobles, Brown played football and baseball, and he served as captain of the wrestling team. He was vice president of Student Council and was a member of the Nobleman board and the Classbook Committee. He earned a bachelor of science degree from Colby College, where he also stud-ied art history. He also earned two master’s degrees, one in ceramics from the University of Wisconsin, and one in art education from the Massachusetts College of Art. He taught art at Hingham High School for 14 years and art education at the Massachusetts College of Art for four years. He also headed the art department at the Weymouth public Schools as part of his life-long commitment to education. For his 50th Nobles reunion in 2011, Brown created a great map of the Nobles campus and was a leading force behind the reunion classbook, a compilation of essays written by the members of the class.

Brown is survived by his wife of 47 years, Susan; his father, Chester; his two sons, eric and ethan; two daughters-in-law, Brooke and Gretchen; his sister, Cynthia; and six grandchildren.

John D. Hodges ’62 died on Chub Newell ’55

July 10, 2012, at the age of 67. Hodges was a lifelong sports fanatic. At Nobles, Hodges was on the football, soccer and baseball squads but specialized in hockey. After playing on the Nobles team, he created a club hockey team at Holy Cross, where he played all four years. He also managed the football team in the hockey off-season. In his later years, Hodges managed to stay active by swim-ming at the Manchester Bath and tennis Club. He was also a diehard Boston sports fan, especially the patriots, Bruins and red Sox.

Hodges earned an impres-sive academic record during his time at Nobles. After earning the Improvement prize in Class VI, he remained on the honor roll for his remaining five years as a student. He also served on the latin Club and debate team.

After graduating from Holy Cross in 1966, Hodges began his career in law. He attended Suffolk law and received his Juris doctor in 1969. After passing the bar shortly thereafter, he established a private practice in Manchester.

He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline; his sisters, lillian and Mary; his children, John, Andrew, Crystal and rebecca; his stepson, Marco; and his grandson, Jacob.

the Honorable Harry J. Elam P’74 ’82, former trustee, passed away on Aug. 16, 2012, at Newton-Wellesley Hospital from compli-cations from heart failure at the age of 90. Judge elam was the first black judge to be appointed to the Boston Municipal Court bench and the court’s first black chief justice. He was appointed to serve as an associate justice of the

Massachusetts Superior Court by then-Governor Michael dukakis in 1983. Judge elam retired from the judiciary in 1988, ending a 37-year career as a lawyer and judge, dur-ing which time he also amassed an incredible record of community and civic involvement.

Judge elam earned his under-graduate degree from Boston Uni-versity and his law degree from the Boston University School of law. He served in the Army Signal Corps in Burma during World War II.

elam’s list of civic leadership is nearly inexhaustible: chairman of the Affirmative Action Committee of the trial Court of the Common-wealth, of the Massachusetts Black Judges Conference, and charter member of the National Judicial Council (organization of Black Judges in the United States), among dozens of others.

His parents; his older brother, Charles Henry; his younger brother, Clarence richard; and his son, Keith “Guru” elam, all preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Barbara; his daughters, tricia and Jocelyn ’82; his son, Dr. Harry J. Elam, Jr. ’74; his daughter-in-law, Michele; his seven grandchildren, Justin, denzel, Nile, Claire, Keith, Casim and Brian; his two sisters, Annetta Capdeville and Harriet elam-thomas; his brother-in-law, Wilfred thomas

William Biddle, former faculty and founder of the Nobles outing Club, passed away on June 7, 2012. Biddle attended Haverford School and dartmouth and served our country in the U.S. Army, Counter Intelligence Corps. He earned a master’s in education at Harvard and then joined the faculty at

Nobles, where he taught from 1956–1965. He later founded and led the outing Club at Holderness School in New Hampshire. Biddle moved to Seattle in 1982 and con-tinued teaching. He worked for the National park Service and took up a third career as a weather journalist.

An avid outdoorsman and passionate teacher, Biddle is re-membered fondly by many Nobles graduates. Alexander Caskey ’64 spoke at a celebration of Biddle’s life in Seattle. Below is part of Caskey’s speech:

“When I think about all the time I’ve had to share with Bill, over the course of the last 53 years, one of the first things that comes to mind is a series of names: names of places that we’ve been to, climbed up to, or canoed down. In memory, they read almost like a litany, or perhaps, as more recently experi-enced, like a mantra.

Here are some of these names: Sourdnahunk, ripogenus, Che-suncook, piscataquis, pemigewas-set, Kancamagus and, of course, Katahdin.

to me, these are magic sounds, and they encode an entire expanse

of experience that I would not have had without the generous and enthusiastic outdoor teach-ing that Bill gave to me and to a number of others, really from his heart. there was no contract that required Bill to create and lead the outing Club… this was a labor of pure love. I am just one of many who still thank him for introducing us to the mountains and rivers of New england, and teaching us the skills and rigor necessary to be at peace in that environment and inviting us, not so much with words as by example, to be constantly entranced by it. I take that as an act of pure generosity, a gesture of caring and love.

Biddle is survived by his wife, Barbara Buchan; his son robert and daughter-in-law Ariel; his son ed-ward and daughter-in-law ridgely; his son peter and daughter-in-law Heather; his daughter, eleanor, and son-in-law tom McCarthy; his grandchildren, elliot, pippa, Sam, Martha, James, liam, Jedric, Abigail, and Flynn; his brothers, david of philadelphia and Craig III of Annapolis; and numerous nieces, nephews and friends.


graduate news

Members of the Nobles Outing Club during a winter ascent of Mt. Katahdin in January 1963, originally published in the Bangor Daily News. Top row, from left: Steve Fisher ’65, Alexander Caskey ’64, Art Watson ’64, and Austin Mason ’63. Front row: Charles Daloz ’65, Bill Biddle, and Alan Gauld ’64

The Nobles crew in Spain for Drew Besser’s wedding. From left: Andrea Berberian Gardos ’01, Jeb Besser ’93, Drew Besser, TJ Hauser, Steve Gardos, Joe Olinto, Justin Cambria and Elizabeth Besser Novak ’01, all ’98 unless otherwise noted

Maggie Goedecke ’99 married Gauthier Capelle in September 2012. Photo captured by Gabi Herman ’01.

Phillip Flakes ’99 married Abigail Atamian in May in Mexico.

announcements

Lisa Griswold Robbins ’01 with husband Joshua Robbins

Nobles friends celebrated the marriage of Eliza Drachman-Jones Quincy ’01 and Richie Quincy ’99 in June 2012. From left, top row: Nat Garnick ’99, Greg Berberian ’99, Jen Flynn Berberian ’99, Alex Foster ’99, Tom May ’99, Jeff Raider ’99, Josh Police ’99, Courtney Weinblatt ’02, Steph Savage Flynn ’01, Lucy Gutman Branca ’01 and Stephen Owen ’66. Front: Dave Costello ’99, Richie Quincy ’99, Eliza Drachman-Jones Quincy ’01, Tracey Roiff ’01 and Hilary Weinblatt Chapman ’98

Engagements

Olivia Achtmeyer ’99 to Andy BogerLauren Kenney ’01 to patrick MurphyMargaret Gormley ’02 to david donahue

Krysten Keches ’06 to elijah Forrest o’Connor

Marriages

Paul Pilcher ’62 to daniel lawson on Sept. 15, 2012Tyler Roberts to Kelly Flaman

Roberts, both ’95, on oct. 13, 2012Drew Besser ’98 to Bindu dasari on June 16, 2012 Phillip Flakes ’99 to Abigail Atamian on May 26, 2012 Richie Quincy ’99 to Eliza Drachman-Jones Quincy ’01 on June 23, 2012

Maggie Goedecke ’99 to Gauthier Capelle on Sept. 15, 2012 Danny Ackil ’99 to eve Agna on Sept. 29, 2012 Chris Owen ’00 to Lindsey Marich Owen ’01 on Aug. 18, 2012Elizabeth Libert Sterner ’01 to daniel Sterner on June 9, 2012


graduate news

Robert Balanda ’02 married Brandi Buehn at Kiana Lodge in Washington. From left: Jake Buehn, Chris Baldwin, Liz Baldwin, Chris Miller ’02, Shirley Cantin, Hillary Lenfesty, Tom Balanda, Brandi Buehn Balanda, Rob Balanda ’02, Aliki Sofis, Jane Qin, Mike Lynch ’02, Matt Balanda, Katy Jo Reinmiller, Mike O’Connell ’02 and Steve Miller

Lindsey Marich Owen ’01 and Chris Owen ’00 celebrated their wedding with many Nobles friends. From left: Peter Owen ’09, Alex Owen ’11, Steve Owen ’66, Tammy Resor, Thomas Resor (faculty), Susannah Jackson Sullivan ’01, Billy Duffey ’02, Lauren Kenney ’01, Jake Clapton ’01, Elizabeth Libert Sterner ’01, Lindsey Marich Owen ’01, Chris Owen ’00, John Al-len ’01, Ben McManama ’01, Patrick Bigelow ’01, Drew McCourt ’00, Charles Wood ’66, Stephen Owen ’97, Steve Woelfel ’01, Rob Owen ’07, Charlie Owen and Peter Owen ’72

Elizabeth Libert Sterner ’01 on her wedding day, with her matron of honor, Lindsey Fay Kisielius ’01, and maid of honor, Lauren Kenney ’01

Chantal Denis Nicolas ’05 with hus-band Kerlee

Sara Snyder Phillips ’06 married Will Phillips in September 2012.

Lisa Griswold Robbins ’01 to Joshua robbins in August 2012Ted Lubitz ’01 to Katie powell on Sept. 15, 2012 Drew Dulberg ’02 to rachel Bye on May 19, 2012Rob Balanda ’02 to Brandi Buehn on July 29, 2012 Sara Snyder Phillips ’06 to Will phillips on Sept. 15, 2012

New Arrivals

Mark Aspinwall ’75 and wife leticia Neria had a girl, lila, in May 2012.John McManus ’88 and wife Melissa had a girl, Barbara, on oct. 10, 2012.Chris Havlicek ’89 and wife Kimberly had a girl, Virginia “Mae”

Havlicek, on May 15, 2012.Gwen Shipley ’90 and husband Kevin had a girl, Camille elizabeth dirocco, in March 2012. Maggie Birmingham Mittan ’90 and husband John had a boy, Benjamin, on June 7, 2012.Leigh Heyman ’90 and wife Ilisa had a girl, evalyn rose Heyman, in September 2012.

Greg Hoffman ’91 and wife Jamie had a girl, Nola Helena Hoffman, on Feb. 13, 2012. Hunter Woolley ’94 and his wife, Ann, had a girl, Charlotte Yvonne Woolley, on May 31, 2012. Cole Parker ’94 and wife Carla had a boy, Whitaker “Whit” embriano parker, in September 2011.


Big brother Jack poses with baby brother Luke, sons of John Manley ’95.

Annie Stephenson Murphy ’94 snaps a photo of her kids, Callum and Ava Murphy.

Blair Rose Owen, daughter of Steve Owen ’97, sleeping peacefully

Elizabeth Schultz Bioteau ’00 with her baby boy, Jonathan

Elizabeth Besser Novak ’01 and daugh-ter Tessa (photo courtesy of Elizabeth Clark Photography)

Leigh Heyman ’90 and wife Ilisa snap a photo outside the White House with their baby girl, Evalyn.

Camille, all smiles for mom Gwen Shipley ’90

Silly Eli poses with baby brother Benjamin, sons of Maggie Birmingham Mittan ’90.

Annie Stephenson Murphy ’94 and husband taylor had a boy, Callum “Cal” david Murphy, on Sept. 18, 2012.Alexandra Smith Ozerkis and husband Mark had a boy, Cooper eli on April 12, 2012John Manley ’95 and wife pamela had a boy, luke, in May 2012.

Nichole Cipriani Seaman ’96 and husband daniel, had a boy, luke, on oct. 6, 2012. Steve Owen ’97 and wife Casey had a girl, Blair rose owen, on July 3, 2012.Chris Cleary ’98 and wife elizabeth had a girl, Colette Marie Cleary, on Aug. 31, 2012. Alex Foster ’99 and wife Claire

had a girl, Sadie Willa Foster, on May 26, 2012.Elizabeth Schultz Bioteau ’00 and husband Zach had a boy, Jonathan Bioteau, on Aug. 3, 2012.Elizabeth Besser Novak ’01 and husband Will had a girl, tessa emile Novak, on Nov. 30, 2011. Lindsey Fay Kisielius ’01 and husband doug had a girl,

olivia Grace Kisielius, on dec. 21, 2011.


reunions

1962 50tH reUNIoN

First row (left to right): d.A. Mittell, ed Blatchford, Frank deland, ted Bent, Ben Soule; Second row: tim Coggeshall and George Welles (former faculty), peter damon, George Bird, roy Boon, dag Sehlin, Ken reiber, dick Stewart, dan Ingalls, peter McCombs; third row: John Bachner, John lord, paul pilcher, paul Foss.

1967 45tH reUNIoN

First row (left to right): Sam lawson, Mark rivinus, eric pape, phelps Brown, Bezo Cutler, tim lee, dick Byrd, Ned Simmons; Second row: George Wadleigh, Sheldon Hines, doug lempereur, Brad eaton, drew Sullivan, Jack Mason

1962

1967

Is your reunion approaching? Join your classmates and friends for reunion on May 10–11, 2013. See how happy last spring’s attendees look?

Are you beginning to reminisce about your Nobles days? If you’re celebrating a reunion in 2013, we would love to hear from you. Please send your reflections about your Nobles days to [email protected]. Put “reunion reflections” in the sub-ject line, and we’ll post them for you and your classmates on our Reflections blog.

We hope to see you in May.

Making Memories


1972


1972 40tH reUNIoN

left to right: John linehan, rob ryder, rob Johnson, ed Shapiro, Art depoian, John tyler, Fritz Spang, dave lawson, peter owen, Chip Goode. dougie peebles in front!

1977 35tH reUNIoN

First row (left to right): Bill Warren, laura Almy Kaplan, larry Childs, Gail Whittemore denman, Carol Gray, Ann Fowler Wallace, William “Hutch” Hutchinson, rob Higgins; Second row: George Schuller, Cas Griglik, duncan Balsbaugh, Stacy Scott, Sam Norton, david Kozol, emmett thomas. other attendees not pictured: Adam Sholley, Brad Wallace

1982 30tH reUNIoN

First row (left to right): Haruo Iguchi, Clift Georgaklis, luke olivieri, Susan Carlson Kirk, Fred Clifford, Holly Malkasian Staudinger, Andrea dogon Stiller, Jeff King, Carolyn Butterworth paquette, Ginny Childs, Frank davidson; Second row: tom Welch, Mary Bartlett petrini, Wendi daniels, lisa petrini Bell, Cathy Findlen Gajewski; third row: peter Henderson, ray Mestre, ted pell, Mark deAngelis, don MacKay; Fourth row: peter Howe, John Cullinane, Genie Simmons thorndike, Joe Novicki, Mark van S. other attendees not pictured: Barbara Fiore, Chuck lelon, Sam MacAusland, Jeannie o’toole McManus, Meg paige Sproul

1977

1982


reunions

1987 25tH reUNIoN

First row (left to right): petra eaton, Beth reilly, liz rosenbaum Von Wagner, Sue Melo Udell, Berni Bague, Chris Keyes, Mark Allen, Amy diercks Allen, rashid Ashraf, Barry Clifford, Marco Buchbinder, peter ross, Mark Gerber; Second row: diane derMarderosian, emily Gallagher Byrne, Chrissy Kelly Baird, elise plunkett Gustafson, Katrina Greenman driscoll, Kristin leary, Becca pratt Bromark, Joia Scully Kirby, lucy Nolen rogan, ren Whiting, pat Noble, Jim Bisson, Chip lewis; third row: Nicole Stata, Ingrid Boonisar Fitzsimmons, Sue Cullinane Jeppson, rick laferriere, rob Kornblum, Hunt roeder, Greg Cheetham, Sean Farley, Kyle Hublitz, don thomas.

1992 20tH reUNIoN

First row (left to right): david Ferrone, pat Mikus, leigh Belanger Moore, Geary MacQuiddy, rob Arena, Cathy rafferty Quinn, rachel levin, Meredith plunkett ellman, Annie Bugeau Clay, Mary Kingsbury perkins, david roby, Chris Sculco, Guido Buchbinder, Sam Glidden, Carl Bridge, Martin Bridge; Second row: dahlia Aronson ehrenfried, Greg Schneider, lynne davis, regan Buckley Fradette, Kaarina Aufranc, lori Baron Ali, edie Carey, Meaghan o’Malley, Mike ober, tripp Woodland, George o’Connor, Ned Bigelow

1997 15tH reUNIoN

First row (left to right): perrin lawrence Hicks, Katie lee Fishbone, Jessie Sandell Achterhof, Mui poopoksakul, Bobbi oldfield Wegner, Melissa Goodrich lyons, Bobby Naumes, Steve owen, Kimi Ching, Mark Wegner, Andy pierce (with son Grady); Second row: Naseem Khuri, Alicia Simoni, Nina Maclaughlin, regis Ahern, Jamie Notman, Kelsey Gollop Mayhall, Mercedes Barletta, Meri d’Ambrose, Meg lippincott, Clark Woolley, tim Mah, Scott Van Broekhoven, Sandra Seru,

1992

1997

1987

2002


1997 CONTINUED

Katie Costello, Matt lieber, rob Sheridan. other attendees not pictured: Jacque Burke, lauren Burke Mills

2002 10tH reUNIoN

First row (left to right): lauren Holmes, Abby Milburn, Yasmin Cruz, Molly lawson, April Watson, Scott Johnson, Susannah phillips Fogarty, Courney Weinblatt, Margaret Gormley; Second row: lindsay Segar, Heather Summe, Chrissie long Marin, Stephanie Nieto, Caitlin Spillane King, Christine Kistner, Margot lynn, Bill duffey, Meg Curley; third row: Senam Kumahia, Cam Marchant, Kellen Benjamin, Joe Gannon, Josh Starr, devon Gilich, laura Bond, thomas Wright, Alex delVecchio, ray lamb, Zach Foster

2007 5tH reUNIoN

First row (left to right): Broghan Cully, Abby Snyder, lex d’Angelo, Jessica Chang, Katie paniszyn, Joanna Clark, Alex Hayes, Courtney Frazee, tara lessard, Molly Kringdon, Kerin Kehoe, Sasha Geffen, Gina Chen, paula Smith; Second row: Allie palmer, Kat Sargent, Maddie pongor, liz Barry, Greg Keches, Brianna Sanders, Kat lawrence, Courtney Monahan, John phillips, Collin McFarline, Casey Johnson, elena laird, Chris dwight; third row: doug parizeau, Maggie Suprey, Alex tober, Kylie Atwood, Jackie Codair, Caroline Kistner, Anne Sholley; Fourth row: Kat tuckett, Jen Mclaughlin, ryan Malone, Geoff Silver, Max revell, Andy Macalaster, Sean Murphy, thomas Gomez, Seth priebatsch, Stephanie Schwartz, Amy Chambliss; Fifth row: tyler Aubrey, Jack Frechette, reed Harris, dan robinson, Will Bardeen, Henry Foote, Ben dawson, Max Mankin, dJ Hatch, Josh Fanklin, Cara Banta, Matt Karis

2007


archive

a man with a grand vision

In a tally-ho carriage, Albert W. Nickerson and his family traverse the estate that will eventually become the Nobles campus. The Metcalf House, where Nickerson

lived during construction of the Castle, is visible in the background.

the magazine oF noble and greenough school winter 2013 · Fall 2012 Nobles 1 Nobles the magazine oF...

Documents

Transcript of the magazine oF noble and greenough school winter 2013 · Fall 2012 Nobles 1 Nobles the magazine oF...