MercersburgVO L U M E 3 5 N O. 3 W I N T E R 2 0 0 8 – 2 0 0 9A magazine for Mercersburg Academy family and friends

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ON THEIR WAYYoung Alumni

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ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Celebrating reunion classes ending in 4 and 9See page 42 for full detailsJune 11–14, 2009

www.mercersburg.edu/alumni alumni@mercersburg.edu 800-588-2550

Anniversary Reunion Weekend

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When I was 14, the short drive from the interstate down Route 16was the most dreaded part of the trip. It didn’t matter that we’d already been in thecar for five hours; I was willing to turn right back around once I saw the Chapel inthe distance.

My Say

School meant sharing my room with someone who ate olives inbed after lights out, speaking French to my teacher outside ofclass, and missing home. Today, this part of the trip means that Iam home. When the Chapel spire rises above the hillcrest, I tellmyself how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place—and howglad I am to be back.

The beginning of this school year brought the kind of excite-ment and anxiety I haven’t experienced in quite a while. I had afew nightmares about missing Rotation 5 or not knowing how todo my math homework, only to wake up and think how lucky itwould be to be a student at the Mercersburg of today. The BurginCenter for the Arts, robotics, and Chinese classes are just a few ofthe offerings that weren’t here just 10 years ago. And since themodern world hasn’t yet mastered the art of traveling back intime, I am happy to settle for being a faculty member at the Mercersburg of today, working in the admission office, and having the opportunity to share how great our school is with newstudents from all over the world.

I was struck by the eloquence and drive of my faculty col-leagues as they shared the impressive details of their continuedlearning during the summer. Despite what our students maythink, we do have lives beyond teaching and coaching. And whileit’s always a pleasure—albeit a rare one—to find time to socializewith each other, it’s an even greater pleasure to work next to SueMalone or Matthew Kearney or Jeff Pierce, whose excitement forteaching our kids is tangible and contagious.

Without the faculty, this place would not be—yet it’s easy totake this for granted. As a student, I was unaware of the time,thought, and care that go into the preparation for the beginningof the year. I have a new respect for how things come together.It’s a true privilege to be a part of a community that dedicates itself to educating our future—it’s a value on which you can’t put a price tag.

While I take my new position very seriously, I do manage tohave a little fun as well. Living in the dorm brings me back tothe days of impromptu dress-up nights, room “parties” with themusic too loud, coloring, and eating ramen noodles just beforebed (I don’t know how our bodies handled it). It’s fun simply to

watch the girls having fun—and just as I was anxious at the beginning, the girls were nervous, too. I reassure them that thisis normal—and that it takes time for nerves to settle and to getinto the rhythm of the school year.

Thankfully, some things never change, while with others, itjust takes time. I still struggle to say “Peter” instead of “Mr.Kempe.” Pretzel pie tastes as good as it did 10 years ago. And I smile every time I hear the Tippetts girls call me “Ms. Flanagan.”

A native of Oxford, New York, Flanagan worked as a paralegal inNew York City and spent two years as a staff member in Mercers-burg’s Office of Alumni & Development before becoming an assis-tant director of admission in 2008. She is one of 18 members ofher family to attend Mercersburg, a group that includes brothersBill ’10 and Tom ’10 and cousin Peter ’11.

BY JENN FLANAGAN ’99

You Should KnowAt Mercersburg’s 116th Opening Convocationin September, Chip Vink ’73 (inset) served asfeatured speaker. Vink, who holds the MaryKeeler Lawrence Distinguished TeachingChair, teaches English and is head men’ssquash coach; he also served as the Academy’sdirector of admission from 1989 until 2000.The Michelet Prize and Culbertson Prize were presented toMagdalena Kala ’09 and Wade Burelbach ’11, respectively.Photos by Bill Green.

Photo credits: p. 2 Chris Crisman; p. 3 courtesy Pomegranate Arts; p. 4 Bill Green; p. 5 (top)John Hutchins; p. 7 courtesyWillWillis; p. 8–9 (all photos except portrait) Mariah Blake,(portrait) Stacey Talbot Grasa; p. 11 Ryan Smith; p. 13 courtesy NACAC/JimMcDonald; p. 14courtesy Jeff Cohen; p. 15 Smith; p. 16 NACAC/McDonald; p. 19 courtesy Ripal Shah; p. 20courtesy Rachna Shah; p. 21 Sandie Cubit; p. 22 American University Department ofAthletics; p. 23 (Larson) Louisiana Tech Athletic Media Relations; p. 24 (Van Ness,Miller)Debra Collins, (Mort) Grasa; p. 25 Duke Sports Information; p. 26–27 courtesy Anjuli Pandit;p. 28 courtesy Pierce Lord; p. 31 courtesy Bill Schindler; p.32–36 (all photos) Green; p. 37(Dalton) Stein Communications, (bottom) Green; p. 38 Smith; p. 39–40 John Hutchins;p. 41 (all photos) Renee Hicks; p. 42 Green; p. 44 Smith; p. 50 (Fleury, Quinn) Natasha Brown;p. 53 Smith; back cover (top) Green.

Illustrations: cover: Paul Cox

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MercersburgA magazine for Mercersburg Academy family and friends

Young Alumni

4,047 WordsSpending some of the summer in South America. Page 8

On Your SideMercersburg students seeking the right college fit havea built-in advantage in Bill McClintick. Page 10

Mercersburg ProfilesThey’ve only just begun; meet some of Mercersburg’snotable graduates of the past 10 years. Page 18

My SayBack home at work with Jenn Flanagan ’99.Page 53

From the Head of School 2Via Mercersburg 3Alumni Weekend 32Arts 37Athletics 38Alumni Notes 42

Mercersburg magazine is published three times annuallyby the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications.

Mercersburg Academy300 East Seminary StreetMercersburg, Pennsylvania 17236

Magazine correspondence: Lee_Owen@mercersburg.edu

Alumni Notes correspondence: NewsNotes@mercersburg.edu

Alumni correspondence/change of address: Leslie_Miller@mercersburg.edu

www.mercersburg.edu

Editor: Lee Owen

Alumni Notes Editor: Natasha Brown

Contributors: Jim Applebaum, Mariah Blake ’09, Natasha Brown, Shelton Clark, TomCoccagna, Jenn Flanagan ’99, Phil Kantaros,Susan Pasternack, Jay Quinn, Dom Schrader ’00, Wallace Whitworth

Art Direction: Aldrich Design

Head of School: Douglas Hale

Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications: Wallace Whitworth

Assistant Head for External Affairs:Mary Carrasco

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The Art of LeadershipFrom the Head of School

to the educational experience at Mercersburg is teaching young peopleto read, write, and speak with greater skill and clarity. We measure

those teaching efforts in many ways, and I can confidently report that the school continues torealize great success in teaching students those critical communication skills.

Every time a speaker visits the campus or a musical group performs or an announcement ismade in the dining hall, I am reminded of another communication skill central to a success-ful educational experience here: being a good and discerning listener. The debates and commen-tary and speeches surrounding this remarkable and historic political season have also served tounderscore the importance of listening well. Although we have a harder time measuring oureffectiveness in teaching this particular skill, we, nonetheless, constantly strive to inculcatebetter listening skills in Mercersburg students.

While being a good listener is unquestionably one of life’s most important qualities, it is alsoone of the hardest things we ever try to do. Listening well is a complicated process and oftenmistakenly thought of only in terms of listening to another person’s actual words. And althoughlistening to those words is certainly part of the deal, we must also listen carefully to what is beingsaid between the actual words—to listen carefully to what is not being said. For example, imaginea parent or friend saying as you are about to leave, “Drive carefully.” Those literal words suggestyou might intend to run every stop sign and red light or break every speed limit. Of course,what is really being said in between those words is, “I love you very much. I don’t want anyharm to come to you. I need for you to be safe.” If we don’t listen carefully both to the wordsand to the reality behind the words, then words can become a source of misunderstanding.

While listening to others is important, listening in yet another way is also vital — beingwilling and able to listen to one’s own inner self and voice and experiences. In his book Nowand Then, Fred Buechner expresses this idea as follows:

“Listen to your life. See it for the fabulous mystery that it is. In the boredom andpain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your wayto the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis, all moments are keymoments. Listen carefully to them.”

The point, of course, is that listening carefully to our own lives will make us more discern-ing about which voices within us have the ability to teach, to heal, and to help make thingswhole, and which voices can hurt and harm and break things apart.

We are ever hopeful that Mercersburg students will become more discerning listeners totheir friends, teachers, coaches, parents, and all those whose principal motive is to help them.We don’t insist, though, that listening well will mean they’ll always want to listen, or they’llalways agree with what they’re hearing, or even that listening well will give them better answers;indeed, listening well more often than not will only give them better questions.

Douglas HaleHead of School

Central

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A roundup of what’s news, what’s new, and what Mercersburg people are talking about.

2009 Dates to Remember

Jan 22–23 Board of Regents Meetings, Philadelphia

Feb 7 Alumni Council Winter Meetings

Feb 27–Mar 5 Irving-Marshall Week

Mar 6–23 Spring Vacation

Jun 6 Commencement, 11 a.m.

Jun 11–14 Anniversary Reunion Weekend(for classes ending in 4 and 9)

The second day will include a perform-ance by Glass and cellist Wendy Sutter. Fullperformance details were incomplete at presstime; visit www.mercersburg.edu for updatesas they become available.

Born in 1937, Glass grew up not far fromMercersburg in Baltimore, Maryland. Hestudied at the University of Chicago, the Juilliard School, and in Aspen with DariusMilhaud. Glass moved to Europe, where he

here in april: Philip Glass on Creativity and Collaborationorld-renowned and prolific

composer Philip Glass iscoming to Mercersburg

April 3–4 for a two-day inten-sive residency with students and faculty.

Glass has had an extraordinary andunprecedented impact upon the musical andintellectual life of his times. His operas—Einstein on the Beach, Satyagraha, Akhnaten,and The Voyage—play throughout the worldto packed houses.

In addition to his many operas, Glass haswritten eight symphonies, eight concertos,film scores, and solo works. He achieved evengreater notoriety during the past decadethrough his Academy Award–nominatedscores for motion pictures The Hours andMartin Scorsese’s Kundun, among others.

On one of Glass’ two days at Mercersburg,the entire student body will have the oppor-tunity to meet and work with Glass—whovery much wants to delve into the Academy’sculture, which translates into working face-to-face with the entire student body.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity forMercersburg students and faculty to share inthe creativity of one of the foremostcomposers of our time,” says Eugenio Sancho,Mercersburg’s academic dean. “Philip Glassis an artist who has helped shape the world’smusical and intellectual life in significantways.”

studied with legendary pedagogue NadiaBoulanger (who also taught Aaron Copland,Virgil Thomson, and Quincy Jones) andworked closely with sitar virtuoso andcomposer Ravi Shankar. He returned to NewYork in 1967 and formed the Philip GlassEnsemble—seven musicians playing key -boards and a variety of woodwinds, amplifiedand fed through a mixer.

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Schedule subject to change; for a full and updatedschedule of events, visit www.mercersburg.edu

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When they arrived on campus late this summer, several newMercersburg faculty and staff members didn’t need a map. Or direc-tions. That’s because, in a way, they all came home.

Five Academy alumni have returned to campus to work at Mercers-burg. The group includes new faculty members Nate Jacklin ’96,Jennifer Miller Smith ’97, Jenn Flanagan ’99, and Morgan Higby-Flowers ’03, along with staff member and Assistant Director of AnnualGiving and Volunteer Programs Nate Fochtman ’03.

“We’re always thrilled to have Mercersburg alumni return to ourcommunity in a professional capacity,” Head of School Douglas Halesays. “To have five alumni join us in a single year is a testament tothe bonds that our students form with this place.”

Jacklin teaches history and is head wrestling coach; Smith is teach-ing science and math and serving as head diving coach; Flanagan,who had previously worked in the Alumni & Development Office,is an assistant director of admission; and Higby-Flowers (the son of

longtime Mercersburg faculty members MarkFlowers and Kristy Higby) is a part-time teach-ing intern in the fine arts department.

“I’ve always had a lot of interests, andworking here allows me to pursue several ofmy passions, while most jobs would have mefocus on one,” Smith says. “I love teachingsuch small classes and being able to focus onindividual students during class time—and inaddition, I was attracted to the idea of bring-ing my family to a place where they can experience cultural events, athletics, and the outdoors in a very safe and intellectual environment.”

Mercersburg welcomed 13 new faculty members for the 2008–2009academic year. Front row (L–R): Wallace Whitworth (marketing &communications), Sayo Yamaguchi (Chinese), Dave Cesa(mathematics), Morgan Higby-Flowers ’03 (fine arts), Gonzalo del Real(Spanish). Back row: John Burnette (mathematics), Jenn Flanagan ’99(admission), Mike Mitchell (admission), Jennifer Miller Smith ’97(mathematics/science), Nate Jacklin ’96 (history), Tommy Adams(admission). Not pictured: Steve Blake (alumni & development),Matthew Geeza (library).

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Planning in Works forNew Turf Field, AthleticImprovementsBeginning in fall 2009, a new synthetic-turf athletic surface will serveas a home field for some Mercersburg athletic teams, including thevarsity field hockey and women’s lacrosse squads. Construction wasmade possible through a lead major gift from an anonymous donor.

“This is a really exciting time for our program,” says GretchanChace, who enters her fifth season as Mercersburg’s head field hockeycoach this fall. “It’s a great recruiting tool; we’re already pointing outto prospective students that the 2009 team will be the first to play onturf here.

“A lot of college programs are going to turf. So when we send ourgraduates to play at that level, they’ll be better equipped to handle thetransition to the college game.”

Additionally, the Academy has chosen Bowie Gridley Architectsto move forward with planning for interior renovations to Nolde Gymna-sium. Mercersburg alumnus and parent Bill Gridley ’69 is a partnerin the firm and is the lead architect for the project. Bowie Gridley,with headquarters in Washington, D.C., previously worked with theAcademy on the development of its campus master plan, its dormi-tory renovations, and several athletic facilities, including the SmoyerTennis Center and Davenport Squash Center.

Dedicated in 1912, the original Nolde Gymnasium has had numer-ous additions, and today is home to the nine-lane Flanagan Pool, the

During my year attending Mercers-burg on an American Field Servicescholarship (1949–1950), gymnas-

tics was not on the official sports program.However, “King” John Miller needed an addi-tional diver for his team, and offered to helpme transfer my gymnastics skills to the spring-board. I gratefully accepted his offer.

But gymnastics was still my sport. CoachFrederick Kuhn located a set of old parallelbars for me, and also arranged for a high barto be mounted between the walls of the towerof the gymnasium. During giant swings on

From the Official Olympic Mailbag

Editor’s note: A native of Finland, Dr. Jean Cronstedt ’50 competed

for Sweden at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, and went on

to become an internal medicine and gastroenterology specialist.

After receiving the summer 2008 issue of Mercersburg, he sent the

following from his home in Trelleborg, Sweden:

that bar, my toes were only a few inches awayfrom the walls!

My gymnastics spurred interest among thestudents and faculty, and I was asked to giveperformances during football games. Whilerepresenting Mercersburg, I won an EasternSeaboard Gymnastics Championship. Duringmy three years at Penn State, I won two indi-vidual NCAA gymnastics championships in1953 and four in 1954. (I am still one of justtwo gymnasts to have won four champi-onships during the same competition.)

On a visit to Pennsylvania in 1996, my

wife, Gerd, and I drove to Mercersburg tosee my old school. Outside of Keil Hall, wemet a girl with a slight accent; it turned outshe was from Lithuania and at Mercersburgon an American Field Service scholarship—just like I had been half a century earlier.

In 1998, I received a surprise letter fromLeonard Plantz, one of my favorite Mercers-burg teachers. We hadn’t had any contact for48 years, but he saw my name in an NCAAchampionship program and found myaddress—and it so happened that we wereon our way to fly to the U.S. for a visit. It wassimply great to see Leonard again.

The article on Mercersburg’s Olympiansin your beautiful magazine brought backmany fine memories. For this, I thank youvery much.

—Jean Cronstedt ’50

Plantz Courts, the Kuhn Wrestling Center, the Davenport SquashCenter, the McDowell Fitness Center, locker rooms, athletic-train-ing facilities, and office space for athletics and physical-educationpersonnel.

The driving force behind this building project was an $11.5 millionbequest from Dwight Goldthorpe ’37, to be used specifically for newconstruction. These additions will help the Academy continue to attracttop-caliber students interested in the well-rounded Mercersburg educa-tional experience.

Meetings to gather input from parents and alumni were held as partof Family Weekend and Alumni Weekend events in the fall.

Members of this year’s Mercersburg student body are citizens of arecord 33 nations and represent 31 states and the District of Colum-bia. Approximately 438 students were enrolled at the beginning ofthe fall term, including 164 new students.

More than 9,000 Mercersburg alumni can be found in all 50 statesand in 76 countries around the world.

The 2008 edition of the Blue Review,Mercersburg’s student-produced literary-arts journal, garnered a Silver Medal fromthe Columbia Scholastic Press Associa-tion. The publication will compete inCSPA’s prestigious Gold Circle Awardcompetition; winners will be announcedin early 2009. Madeleine Foster ’08 andLaura Willwerth ’08 were co-editors ofthe Blue Review this year; Lorraine

Simonis ’10 served as managing editor. Blue Review traces its origins to The Lit, which was first published

on campus in 1901.

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With a goal of reducing waste and minimizing Mercersburg’s dailyimpact on the environment, the school implemented a pair of signif-icant changes this fall in the area of dining services.

In a typical week during the 2007–2008 academic year, the schooldisposed of more than 10,000 paper cups from Ford Hall. As aresponse, 850 white china mugs were purchased to eliminate theneed for paper cups; students or employees wishing to take bever-ages from the dining hall may utilize the mugs, which can be returnedto drop-off bins in each of the dormitories, academic buildings, andother locations around campus.

During the fall term, required dinners on Tuesday and Thursdaynights were served buffet style (as opposed to family style, where plat-ters of food are brought to each individual table; in accordance withhealth regulations, any uneaten food from family style meals mustbe thrown out).

The result, according to Director of Dining Services Jim Butler,has been a significant reduction in the amount of waste generatedin the process. More than 500 students, faculty, staff, and familymembers enjoy meals in Ford Hall each day of the school year. SAGEDining Services serves as Mercersburg’s food service provider.

Between international trips, time spent inthe classroom pursuing advanced degrees,and other endeavors, summer 2008 was afull season for many Mercersburg facultymembers.

Following are just a few of the highlights:Jeff Cohen completed a master of science

for teachers in mathematics at the Univer-sity of New Hampshire; a number of facultybegan or continued work on advanceddegrees, including John David Bennett, Matt Maurer, Chip Patterson, Jeff Pierce, andChip Vink.Mark Cubit, Eric Hicks, John McAfee, and

Richard Rotz explored different corners ofthe world’s map after their names weredrawn in the faculty travel lottery [page 28].Cubit, his wife, Sandie, and three of theirchildren (Colin ’06, Kelsie ’08, and Kendra)visited Colombia; Hicks, his wife, Renee,and children, Elliot and Emma, experi-enced England, France, Denmark, and

Passports, ProfessionalDevelopment, and Preparation

Sweden; McAfee traveled to the Indonesianisland of Bali; and Rotz visited Greece. And Jim Applebaum and Peter Kempe(Germany/Austria) and Will Willis (Chile)accompanied students on exchange visitswith Mercersburg’s sister schools.

Faculty serving as readers and graders fornational AP exams included David Bell,Franklin Bell, Wells Gray, Phil Kantaros, Heather Prescott, Frank Rutherford ’70, AllisonStephens, and Wendy Valenteen… Larry Jonesparticipated in an Oxford Round Table onthe relationship between science and religion… Sue Malone spent 30 days with aNational Outdoor Leadership Schoolprogram in the Pacific Northwest… LaurieMufson visited Prague on an ASSIST travelgrant, and also traveled to Amsterdam toconduct research for Stony Batter’s fallproduction of The Diary of Anne Frank;Mufson and Applebaum are taking a groupof Mercersburg students to Prague in spring

2009… Frank Rutherford ’70 left in August forVisakhapatnam (Vizag), India, where he spentfour months teaching AP environmentalscience and micro -economics courses at theVisakha Valley School through School YearAbroad… Alisa Springmanwon a 50-mile racearound Lake Mead in Nevada, and finished20th in the grueling 135-mile Badwater Ultra-marathon from Death Valley to MountWhitney in California.

Eric Hicks (left) and children Emma and Elliot atWimbledon with tennis legend Guillermo Vilas.

’Burg’s EYE VIEW CCAAMMPPUUSS NNOOTTEESS

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World TravelersIn August, five Mercersburg studentsand faculty member Will Willis became thefirst group from an American secondary schoolto participate in an exchange program withColegio Alemán de San Felipe, a sister schoolof the Academy in central Chile.

Several students from Colegio Alemánspent a month at Mercersburg in January 2008;the exchange program is modeled afterMercersburg’s long-standing exchange withthe Gauss Gymnasium in Worms, Germany,which is celebrating its 10th year in 2008–2009. Head of School Douglas Hale markedthe anniversary with a visit to Worms inSeptember, immediately before a group ofGauss students and faculty crossed the Atlanticfor their annual stay at Mercersburg. NineAcademy students joined faculty members JimApplebaum and Peter Kempe in spendingthree weeks at Gauss in June; the group alsovisited several points in Germany and Austriaon the trip.

“Our relationship with the Gauss Gymna-sium has been an amazing one,” says Willis,director of international programs, who spenta year teaching in the former East Germanyas a Fulbright scholar in the mid-1990s. “It’san important annual experience for theMercersburg community to meet and learnfrom our guests. And when our students travelto Worms, they complement years of classroomlearning with a real opportunity to delve intothe language and culture; the impact of thathands-on learning is hard to calculate, andcertainly memorable for everyone taking part.”

In 2009, Mercersburg plans to offer inter-national trips for students to several localesaround the globe, including the Czech Repub-lic, Costa Rica, Ireland, France, and Spain—as well as domestic trips to Hawaii (for thestudy of marine biology) and New Orleans(community service).

For images of the Chile exchange courtesyof trip participant Mariah Blake ’09, see pages 8–9.

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Top: Mercersburgin Chile. Right:

Students cruisingthe Rhine.

4,047 Words During Mercersburg’s first-ever exchange with Colegio Alemán de San Felipein Chile, Mariah Blake ’09 (inset) snapped thesephotos of her home for three weeks on the otherside of the world, a place where—given Chile’s location in the SouthernHemisphere—cool, winter-likeconditions can be felt in August.

While searching for thatperfect fit between

themselves and a college,Mercersburg students (and

parents) have the advantageof a college-counseling

leader working for themINTERVIEW BYWALLACEWHITWORTH

MM:How did you come to Mercersburg?McClintick: It was a crossroads decision when Wirt Winebrenner ’54, mypredecessor, picked up the phone and called me and said, “Have you everthought about going to the secondary side?” My goals at that time were to

In September 2008, Bill McClintick,Mercersburg’s director of college counseling,was installed as president of the 11,000-member National Association for CollegeAdmission Counseling (NACAC) at theassociation’s annual conference in Seattle.This marks Bill’s 20th year at Mercersburg.Has he seen the field of college counselingchange over the last two decades? You bet.

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MM: How has college counseling changedin the past few decades?McClintick: Thirty years ago, it was a far morecollegial profession, where it was much easierto pick up the phone and have an impact ona decision.There were no U.S. News & World Report

rankings; people were far less obsessed withwhere they went to school than they are now.What we see now is a profession that is besetby all of these cottage industries that preyon the fears of kids and their parents. Thereare commercial interests charging $500 forthis service or that service. Scams exist in avariety of areas, such as financial-aid coun-seling. In the older model, you’d have a deanof admissions that had served at an institu-tion for many years and had some institu-tional memory. Now, you have “enrollmentmanagers” who are being pushed by presi-dents and provosts of colleges and universi-ties to generate more applications so thatthey can deny more applicants and lookbetter in the rankings. And that is their ulti-mate goal, as opposed to thinking about thebest interest of the students.So unfortunately, I feel it really has

changed, and not for the better.

MM: Since we’re on the topic of U.S. News,how do you think those rankings aid or skewpeople’s perceptions and decisions?McClintick: It depends on how sophisticatedthe consumer is. U.S. News & World Reporthas filled a void for many families who don’thave access to good counseling. On the otherhand, Americans have always loved the quickand easy fix. If someone else does all thisresearch to rank colleges for them—givenour national obsession with rankings—thenU.S. Newshas been able to step into that void.

The problem is that it’s not an individu-alized ranking system: It does not, becauseit cannot, take into account the strengthsand weaknesses of every individual child,which, of course, is the most important variable in the college search process.In fairness to the folks at U.S. News, they

are always trying to improve. For example,there are usually some very good articlesabout the search process that accompanythe rankings, but they tend to get lost becausepeople go straight to the rankings. Mostpeople don’t realize that every year U.S.News tweaks the formulas to make sure thatthe rankings shift. The respective institu-tions have not changed a lick, but theyappear to have changed, because U.S. Newsintentionally tweaks variables of theirformula—so that schools move up and downin the rankings.

MM: What are some of the myths aboutwhat college counseling entails, and howdo you and your staff go about dispellingthem?McClintick:The greatest asset that my staffand I bring is helping kids navigate what isnow a very complicated process in ways thatthe average public-school counselor simplycannot. Yes, there are many myths, and tofight nearly every myth, we constantly haveto remind folks of one overriding messageabout getting into a college: It’s the tran-script, it’s the transcript, and it’s the tran-script. If you don’t have the transcript, thenthe rest doesn’t really matter. There are at least three or four primary

myths, all of which assume that there areother factors that can trump or make up fora weak transcript. One huge myth is thatone’s connections matter more than one’s

either become a full-time collegiate soccercoach or a director of admissions—and Ihadn’t even considered working on thesecondary side.I had become particularly fond of

Mercersburg from visits during my years at Kalamazoo College. I always foundMercersburg to be a very unpretentious,accepting place. Coming from a midwesternschool, many of the eastern boarding schoolswouldn’t give us the time of day; that wasnever the case with Mercersburg. We alwaysgot great kids from Mercersburg—kids whowere adventurous and willing to look at newand different and interesting places. So I hadvery fond feelings toward the place.After a lot of soul-searching, my wife and

I decided this would be a great place to settledown, raise a family, and work more closelywith kids. And I have absolutely no regrets20 years later.

MM: It’s obvious that you like college counseling a lot. What are and have beenthe most fulfilling aspects of headingMercersburg’s college-counseling program?McClintick: I enjoy the diversity of studentsthat I get to work with, ranging from kidsfrom affluent families to first-generation[college] kids, whose hands you really haveto hold all the way through the process—along with their parents’ hands. And also thefact that we are, I feel, somewhat unique interms of the variety of colleges that our kidsgo to. We are atypical in the number of differ-ent schools that our kids consider every year.I find that both challenging and rewarding,because there’s nothing more fun thanhelping a kid find a good fit that he or shehad never heard of two years before.

——BBiillll MMccCClliinnttiicckk

“Certainly, for us, the most exciting thing is helping kids open their eyes to

possibilities that they would have neverthought of, but which are great fits.”

be national prep schools—for example, a lotof our peers up in New England are trulyNew England prep schools, where everyonehas a New England-or-bust mentality—Mercersburg sits in a part of the country witha student body that is very different anddiverse. It is every bit as common, if not morecommon, for a student to walk in my doorand say, “I’d like to look in California,” or“I’d like to look in Texas,” or “I want to gosouth,” rather than wanting to go to NewEngland.And that’s what is great about our coun-

seling program; we are truly a national office.We have to know not just 50 or 100 places,but we have to have a working knowledgeof 400, 500, or 600 colleges, because everyyear we will have kids apply to 300 or 400different colleges. Certainly, for us, the mostexciting thing is helping kids open their eyesto possibilities that they would have neverthought of, but which are great fits.

MM: How often do you find yourself in asituation where a parent is pressuring, eitherovertly or subtly, a student to attend an IvyLeague school or similar, but the parentaldesire is totally out of touch with the child’s

transcript; very rarely does this actuallyhappen. People will assume that if their neigh-bor went to College X and writes a letter ofrecommendation for their child, that it willsomehow make a difference. The truth is thatrarely is this the case. There’s also the notionthat good SAT scores can make up for a lack-luster transcript, or that how one performsin the ninth grade really doesn’t count, orthat extracurricular activities can outweighthe transcript—which is never the case, withthe rare but possible exception of a studentwho is a recruited athlete. The reality is that I can’t pick up the

phone, call a school, and make somethinghappen just by snapping my fingers. And Ithink a lot of times people think thatsomehow we can wave a magic wand and gettheir child into their college of choice.

MM: What distinguishes Mercersburg’scollege-counseling program? Does much ofit center on determining what is right foreach student—versus a cookie-cutterapproach, such as trying to push as manystudents as possible toward one of the Ivies?McClintick: We are truly a national prepschool. While many schools may pretend to

—Bill McClintick

EEdduuccaattiioonn:: BB..AA.. ((ppoolliittiiccaall sscciieennccee)),,HHaarrttwwiicckk CCoolllleeggee;; MM..AA.. ((eedduuccaattiioonnaallaaddmmiinniissttrraattiioonn)),, HHoooodd CCoolllleeggee;; EEaassttGGrreeeennwwiicchh [[RRhhooddee IIssllaanndd]] HHiigghh SScchhooooll

AAtt MMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg ssiinnccee 11998899;; sseerrvveedd aasshheeaadd wwoommeenn’’ss ssoocccceerr ccooaacchh 11999900––22000000;;ccuurrrreennttllyy ccooaacchhiinngg ggooaallkkeeeeppeerrss ffoorr mmeenn’’ssssoocccceerr tteeaamm

FFaammiillyy:: WWiiffee,, LLiizz;; ssoonnss,, IIaann ’’0044 ((LLaaffaayyeetttteeCCoolllleeggee ’’0088)),, CChhrriiss ’’0088 ((UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooffRRiicchhmmoonndd ’’1122)),, BBrreennddaann ’’1122

PPrreessiiddeenntt,, NNaattiioonnaall AAssssoocciiaattiioonn ffoorrCCoolllleeggee AAddmmiissssiioonn CCoouunnsseelliinngg ((NNAACCAACC));;ssppeenntt ffiivvee yyeeaarrss aass oorrggaanniizzaattiioonn’’ss lliiaaiissoonnttoo tthhee NNCCAAAA aanndd tthhrreeee yyeeaarrss aass vviiccee--pprreessiiddeenntt ffoorr aaddmmiissssiioonn pprraaccttiicceess;; ppaassttpprreessiiddeenntt,, PPeennnnssyyllvvaanniiaa AAssssoocciiaattiioonn ffoorrCCoolllleeggee AAddmmiissssiioonn CCoouunnsseelliinngg ((PPAACCAACC))

11999988 wwiinnnneerr ooff NNAACCAACC’’ss pprreessttiiggiioouussMMaarrggaarreett AAddddiiss AAwwaarrdd;; nnaammeessaakkee ooffPPAACCAACC’’ss nneeww WWiilllliiaamm RR.. MMccCClliinnttiicckkSSeerrvviiccee AAwwaarrdd

PPrreevviioouuss ssttooppss:: HHaarrttwwiicckk CCoolllleeggee((aassssiissttaanntt ddiirreeccttoorr ooff aaddmmiissssiioonn)),,KKaallaammaazzoooo CCoolllleeggee ((aassssoocciiaattee ddiirreeccttoorr ooffaaddmmiissssiioonn//hheeaadd wwoommeenn’’ss ssoocccceerr ccooaacchh))

OOnn hhiiss ssttaarrtt:: ““UUnnbbeekknnoowwnnsstt ttoo mmee,,JJoohhnn MMuuyysskkeennss,, tthhee ddeeaann ooff aaddmmiissssiioonnssaatt HHaarrttwwiicckk,, wwaass oonnee ooff tthhee lliivviinngglleeggeennddss iinn tthhee wwoorrlldd ooff ccoolllleeggeeaaddmmiissssiioonnss;; hhee hhaadd bbeeeenn tthhee ddiirreeccttoorr ooffaaddmmiissssiioonnss aatt bbootthh YYaallee aanndd SSttaannffoorrddbbeeffoorree ccoommiinngg ttoo HHaarrttwwiicckk.. HHeeaapppprrooaacchheedd mmee aabboouutt wwoorrkkiinngg iinnaaddmmiissssiioonnss,, aanndd hhaavviinngg nnootthhiinngg eellsseelliinneedd uupp,, II aacccceepptteedd;; ssoo,, lliikkee mmaannyy ootthheerryyoouunngg aalluummss aaccrroossss tthhee llaanndd,, II ssttaarrtteedd iinntthhee bbuussiinneessss bbyy wwoorrkkiinngg ffoorr mmyy aallmmaammaatteerr.. WWhhaatt II ddiiddnn’’tt rreeaalliizzee wwaass wwhhaatt aaggrreeaatt pphhiilloossoopphhiiccaall uunnddeerrppiinnnniinnggwwoorrkkiinngg ffoorr MMuuyysskkeennss wwoouulldd ggiivvee mmee iinntteerrmmss ooff tthhee pprrooffeessssiioonn..””

THE McCLINTICK FILE

14 MMEERRCCEERRSS BBUURRGG MMAAGGAA ZZ II NN EE WWIINNTTEERR 22000088 –– 22000099

FFoorr mmoosstt MMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg ssttuuddeennttss,, bbooaarrddiinngg sscchhooooll iiss tthheeiirr ffiirrsstt eexxppeerriieennccee lliivviinngg aawwaayyffrroomm hhoommee.. BBuutt tthhaatt ddooeessnn’’tt mmeeaann ssttuuddeennttss aarree oonn tthheeiirr oowwnn..

MMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg’’ss aaddvviisseerr ssyysstteemm iiss iinn ppllaaccee ttoo mmaakkee ssuurree aallll ssttuuddeennttss hhaavvee aatt lleeaassttoonnee ffaaccuullttyy mmeemmbbeerr ssppeecciiffiiccaallllyy wwaattcchhiinngg oovveerr tthheemm dduurriinngg tthhee ccoouurrssee ooff tthheeaaccaaddeemmiicc yyeeaarr.. AAllll aaddvviisseerrss aarree aassssiiggnneedd aa hhaannddffuull ooff ssttuuddeennttss ((uussuuaallllyy bbeettwweeeenn ssiixxaanndd eeiigghhtt)) tthhaatt aarree aassssoocciiaatteedd wwiitthh tthhee ssaammee ddoorrmmiittoorryy.. AAddvviisseeee ggrroouuppss mmeeeett aattlleeaasstt oonnccee eeaacchh wweeeekk,, aanndd aaddvviisseerrss aacctt aass lliiaaiissoonnss bbeettwweeeenn ppaarreennttss aanndd tthhee sscchhoooollbbyy ccoonnvveeyyiinngg ccoommmmeennttss,, ccoonncceerrnnss,, aanndd aaccccoommpplliisshhmmeennttss oonn aa rreegguullaarr bbaassiiss..

““IInn aa wwaayy,, tthhee aaddvviisseerr iiss aa ssaaffeettyy nneett,,”” ssaayyss AAssssoocciiaattee HHeeaadd ooff SScchhooooll DDeebbbbiieeRRuutthheerrffoorrdd,, wwhhoo oovveerrsseeeess tthhee ssyysstteemm.. WWhhiillee tthhee aaddvviisseerr mmaayy oorr mmaayy nnoott bbee tthheeccoonnffiiddaanntt ffoorr eeaacchh ooff hhiiss//hheerr iinnddiivviidduuaall aaddvviisseeeess,, ““aaddvviisseerrss aarree aallwwaayyss ttaakkiinngg tthheetteemmppeerraattuurree ooff hhooww aa ssttuuddeenntt iiss ddooiinngg,,”” aaddddss RRuutthheerrffoorrdd,, wwhhoo iiss aann aaddvviisseerr hheerrsseellffaanndd hhaass sseeeenn tthhee ssyysstteemm wwoorrkk ffrroomm tthhee ootthheerr ssiiddee aass aa MMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg ppaarreenntt..

““BBeeiinngg aann aaddvviisseerr iiss pprroobbaabbllyy mmyy ffaavvoorriittee ppaarrtt ooff tthhee jjoobb hheerree,,”” ssaayyss ffaaccuullttyymmeemmbbeerr JJeeffff CCoohheenn,, wwhhoo lliivveess iinn MMaaiinn HHaallll.. ““II ffeeeell lliikkee mmoorree ooff aa bbiigg bbrrootthheerr ttoo tthheekkiiddss,, aanndd lliivviinngg iinn tthhee ddoorrmm wwiitthh tthheemm hheellppss mmee kkeeeepp uupp wwiitthh tthheemm ddaaiillyy.. IItt’’ss mmyyhhooppee tthhaatt iitt ffeeeellss lliikkee aann eexxtteennddeedd ffaammiillyy ffoorr tthheemm;; II kknnooww iitt ddooeess ffoorr mmee.. TThhee kkiiddssaallssoo llooookk oouutt ffoorr oonnee aannootthheerr,, aanndd ssoommee ooff tthhee bbeesstt eexxppeerriieenncceess II’’vvee hhaadd hheerreeiinnvvoollvvee sseeeeiinngg mmyy uuppppeerrccllaassss aaddvviisseeeess sshhoowwiinngg nneeww ssttuuddeennttss tthhee rrooppeess——bbee iittssoocciiaallllyy,, aatthhlleettiiccaallllyy,, oorr aaccaaddeemmiiccaallllyy..””

TThhee aaddvviisseerr ssyysstteemm aatt MMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg ttrraacceess iittss rroooottss bbaacckk ttoo tthhee aarrrriivvaall ooff ffoorrmmeerrhheeaaddmmaasstteerr WWiilllliiaamm FFoowwllee iinn tthhee eeaarrllyy 11996600ss.. TThhee ssyysstteemm iiss oonnee ooff sseevveerraall iinn ppllaacceettoo ssuuppppoorrtt ssttuuddeennttss iinn aallll aarreeaass ooff tthheeiirr lliivveess;; ootthheerrss iinncclluuddee rreegguullaarr iinntteerraaccttiioonnsswwiitthh ppeeeerr ggrroouuppss ((wwhheerree aallll 99tthh--ggrraaddee ssttuuddeennttss mmeeeett wweeeekkllyy ffoorr tthhee ffiirrsstt hhaallff ooff tthhee yyeeaarr wwiitthh aa sseenniioorr ssttuuddeenntt lleeaaddeerr)),, iinn--ddoorrmm ffaaccuullttyy,, aatthhlleettiicc tteeaammss,, ssttuuddeennttoorrggaanniizzaattiioonnss,, aanndd eevveenn aassssiiggnneedd ttaabblleess iinn tthhee ddiinniinngg hhaallll ((wwhhiicchh rroottaattee eevveerryy ttwwoo wweeeekkss ttoo aallllooww aallll mmeemmbbeerrss ooff tthhee MMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg ccoommmmuunniittyy ttoo iinntteerraacctt wwiitthh oonnee aannootthheerr))..

hopes, dreams and/or capabilities? Or theopposite, where the student has the castle-in-the-sky view, and the parents are morerealistic? How do you handle those situations?McClintick:The media have actually helpedwork against some of these perceptions,because there’s been so much focus on howhard it is now to get into the Ivies and thehandful of institutions that the nationalmedia love to focus on. So I think mostparents now have a much better under-standing of how exceptionally difficult it isto get in to those elite schools.I think kids get it, too. Kids tend to be

far better about this, because kids are a littlecloser to the process. They see what happensto their peers—whether it’s through Face-book or blogs or what have you, they knowhow tough it is. Sometimes we do have topush kids harder. At 17, some kids are afraidto take the risk, because their greatest fearis rejection.This is the problem that arises when

parents push kids toward unrealistic options.The student knows they’re unrealistic, andhe doesn’t want all those rejection lettersin the spring—but the parents are makinghim apply to these places because theyperceive the social advantage of saying,“Well, Johnny’s applying to College X, Y,and Z.” The kid doesn’t really want to applyto those places, and yet feels he has to inorder to keep his parents happy—those arethe more difficult cases. But students areprobably savvier than the parents, for themost part.

MM: What kind of role does financial aidplay in the college admission process?McClintick:The sad truth is that it’s a verydifferent process for students with financialneed than for families who do not need aid.Talking about financial aid is important,because a lot of families don’t think aboutthat until they get into the process—but formany families, this is a critical factor.Mercersburg has always done such a

THE ADVISER SYSTEM

Jeff Cohen (second from right) with former and current advisees Chris Freeland ’08,Joe Strider ’10, David Strider ’08, and Josh Rosenblat ’08.

wonderful job of supporting kids during their time here, but many colleges can’tafford to be as generous as we are. It’s important for parents and students to havean open line of communication on this frontso we can plan accordingly.

MM: In September, you were installed aspresident of NACAC. Where will leading this esteemed organization take you in thenext year, and how is your presidency abenefit to Mercersburg faculty, students,and parents?McClintick: When you serve as president ofan association like NACAC, you’re servinga diverse national association and repre-senting everything from community collegesand small rural high schools to top prepschools and the most selective colleges inthe country. So everything we do as an asso-ciation is going to be fairly focused on thebig picture. And the big-picture items consis-tently are pushing for access and funding foreducation, outreach efforts for underserved

kids, trying to demystify the process as bestwe can, and keeping control of our ownprofession so that the cottage industries andthe media are not presenting a warped viewof how the process really works.For Mercersburg, clearly the greatest

advantage is that we’ll get tremendous expo-sure nationally within the world of collegeadmissions and higher education and in thenational media, because there will be anumber of occasions where I’ll be able to beinterviewed by national media or travel torepresent NACAC nationally in different

forums. So I think it will be a great oppor-tunity to get our name out there more sothan it already is.

MM: What kind of general counsel wouldyou give parents whose children are nowin the zone for the college search process?McClintick:Try to take a step back and reallyfocus on what’s going to be best for yourchild. Try to focus on their happiness andtheir ability to succeed at the college theychoose—and not on the bumper sticker

“It’s important for kids andparents to take the time

to really do their homework inthe search process. This is not a process to be taken lightly.”

continued on page 17

Mercersburg’s college-counseling staff (L–R):Frank Betkowski, Karla Bingaman, CarolineSanders, Bill McClintick.

IImmaaggiinnee aa rroooomm tthhee ssiizzee ooff aa CCoossttccoo oorr SSaamm’’ssCClluubb——fflluuoorreesscceennttllyy bbrriigghhtt aanndd ssttrriippppeedd ttoo tthheebbaarree eesssseennttiiaallss ffoorr rraappiidd eexxcchhaannggee..

YYoouu wwoonn’’tt ffiinndd bblluuee--lliigghhtt ssppeecciiaallss,, sshhooppppiinnggccaarrttss,, oorr bbooxxeess ooff ccoorrnn ffllaakkeess tthhee ssiizzee ooff aa 33--yyeeaarr--oolldd hheerree.. YYeett tthheerree aarree ““cchheecckkoouutt”” llaanneess,, wwhheerreetthhee bbuuyyeerrss aanndd sseelllleerrss sswwiittcchh rroolleess,, ddeeppeennddiinnggoonn wwhhoo nneeeeddss wwhhaatt ffrroomm wwhhoomm.. NNoo mmoonneeyycchhaannggeess hhaannddss,, bbuutt eevveerryyoonnee aarrrriivveess fflluusshh wwiitthhtthhee ccuurrrreennccyy dduu jjoouurr——aa lliiffeettiimmee ssuuppppllyy ooffbbuussiinneessss ccaarrddss..

TThhiiss wwrriitteerr iiss aalloonngg ffoorr tthhee rriiddee,, bbuutt ffoorr FFrraannkkaanndd CCaarroolliinnee,, tthhiiss iiss sseerriioouuss bbuussiinneessss.. AAss wweeppuusshh tthhrroouugghh tthhee ccrroowwdd iinnttoo tthhee ffaaiirr,, II ccaann sseeeetthhaatt tthhee rroooomm iiss ffiilllleedd wwiitthh rrooww uuppoonn rrooww ooffnnootthhiinngg bbuutt bbooootthhss ssttaaffffeedd bbyy aaddmmiissssiioonnooffffiicceerrss ffrroomm vviirrttuuaallllyy eevveerryy ccoolllleeggee iinn tthheeUUnniitteedd SSttaatteess,, pplluuss aa ffaaiirr aammoouunntt ffrroomm CCaannaaddaaaanndd tthhee UUnniitteedd KKiinnggddoomm..

““TThhiiss iiss oouurr cchhaannccee ttoo ttaallkk ffaaccee--ttoo--ffaaccee wwiitthh aaddmmiissssiioonn ooffffiicceerrss——aanndd ssoommeettiimmeess tthheeaaccttuuaall ddeeaannss ooff aaddmmiissssiioonn——aabboouutt ssppeecciiffiiccMMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg ssttuuddeennttss,,”” FFrraannkk tteellllss mmee aass wwee ggrraabb aa hhuuggee aallpphhaabbeettiiccaall lliisstt ooff tthheeppaarrttiicciippaattiinngg sscchhoooollss.. ””II’’mm ggooiinngg ttoo ssttaarrtt ffrroommtthhee bboottttoomm ooff tthhee aallpphhaabbeett,, ssiinnccee mmoosstt ootthheerrppeeooppllee aarree ssttaarrttiinngg ffrroomm tthhee ttoopp..””

[[EEddiittoorr’’ss nnoottee:: TToo pprrootteecctt ssttuuddeenntt pprriivvaaccyy,, ssoommeeddeettaaiillss iinn tthhee ddeessccrriippttiioonnss ooff ssttuuddeennttss tthhaatt ffoolllloowwhhaavvee bbeeeenn aalltteerreedd..]]

ffiirrsstt ssttoopp iiss YYaallee UUnniivveerrssiittyy..FFrraannkk’’ss aapppprrooaacchh wwoorrkkss;;

tthheerree’’ss nnoo oonnee aatt tthhee YYaallee bbooootthh yyeett.. HHeeiinnttrroodduucceess hhiimmsseellff ttoo tthhee YYaallee rreepprreesseennttaattiivvee,,tthheenn ddiivveess iinnttoo wwhhaatt II ccoommee ttoo sseeee aass hhiiss vveerryyffooccuusseedd ““eelleevvaattoorr ssppeeeecchh”” aabboouutt aa ppaarrttiiccuullaarrssttuuddeenntt.. ““II’’vvee ggoott tthhiiss ssttuuddeenntt wwhhoo iiss nneeaarr tthheettoopp ooff hhiiss ccllaassss…… aa ppoossssiibbllee ssaalluuttaattoorriiaann…… hhee’’ss aann eexxcceelllleenntt tteesstteerr,, ggrreeaatt aaccttiivviittiieess,, vveerryyaaddmmiissssiibbllee,,”” FFrraannkk ssaayyss ttoo tthhee YYaallee rreepp..““MMeeaannwwhhiillee,, aaddmmiitt rraatteess iinn tthhee IIvvyy LLeeaagguuee aarree tteennddiinngg iinnttoo tthhee ssiinnggllee ddiiggiittss,, aanndd II jjuussttddeessccrriibbeedd mmoosstt ooff tthhee aapppplliiccaanntt ppooooll.. HHee’’ss ffrroommAAssiiaa.. [[TThhee aaddmmiitt rraattee ffoorr iinntteerrnnaattiioonnaall ssttuuddeennttssiiss uussuuaallllyy hhaallff tthhee nnoorrmmaall rraattee..]] TTeellll mmee,, ddooeess hheessttaanndd aa cchhaannccee??””

TThhee YYaallee rreepp iiss nnoonnccoommmmiittttaall,, bbuutt iinntteerreesstteedd..AAss wwee lleeaavvee,, FFrraannkk ttuurrnnss ttoo mmee aanndd ssaayyss,, ““HHeewwoonn’’tt rreemmeemmbbeerr tthhee nnaammee ooff tthhee ssttuuddeenntt IIttaallkkeedd aabboouutt,, bbuutt cchhaanncceess aarree hhee wwiillll rreemmeemmbbeerrtthhaatt MMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg hhaass aa vviiaabbllee ccaannddiiddaattee ooffiinntteerreesstt ttoo tthheemm..””

FFrroomm YYaallee wwee ggoo ttoo tthhee UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff TTeexxaass..FFrraannkk rreeaaddiieess,, aaiimmss,, aanndd ffiirreess:: ““II’’vvee ggoott aa ssttuuddeennttwwhhoo iiss aa TTeexxaann,, bbuutt aatttteennddiinngg aa bbooaarrddiinngg sscchhoooolliinn PPeennnnssyyllvvaanniiaa.. IInn TTeexxaass,, hhee’’dd bbee aann iinnssttaannttaaddmmiitt bbeeccaauussee hhee’’dd qquuaalliiffyy ffoorr tthhee ttoopp--1100--ppeerrcceenntt pprrooggrraamm.. BBuutt wwee’’rree oobbvviioouussllyy nnoott aaTTeexxaass hhiigghh sscchhooooll,, aannddwwee ddoonn’’tt rraannkk.. HHooww iiss hhee ggooiinngg ttoo bbee rreeaadd??”” TThhee UUTT rreepp pprroocceeeeddss ttooccllaarriiffyy wwhhaatt’’ss ppoossssiibbllee aanndd wwhhaatt iissnn’’tt,, aannddlluucckkiillyy ffoorr FFrraannkk aanndd tthhee ssttuuddeenntt iinn qquueessttiioonn,,tthhee nneewwss iiss llaarrggeellyy ppoossiittiivvee aabboouutt hhiiss cchhaanncceessffoorr aacccceeppttaannccee..

TThhiiss iiss oonnee ffrreenneettiicc aannnnuuaall rriittuuaall——tthheeggiiggaannttiicc CCoouunnsseelloorrss’’ CCoolllleeggee FFaaiirr aatt tthhee aannnnuuaallccoonnffeerreennccee ((hheelldd tthhiiss yyeeaarr iinn SSeeaattttllee)) ooff tthheeNNaattiioonnaall AAssssoocciiaattiioonn ffoorr CCoolllleeggee AAddmmiissssiioonnCCoouunnsseelliinngg,, bbeetttteerr kknnoowwnn iinn tthhee aaccaaddeemmiiccwwoorrlldd aass NNAACCAACC ((pprroonnoouunncceedd ““NNAACCKK--aacckk””))..

MMoosstt ooff NNAACCAACC’’ss 1111,,000000 mmeemmbbeerrss aarreeccoolllleeggee--aaddmmiissssiioonn ccoouunnsseelloorrss aatt tthhee sseeccoonnddaarryylleevveell,, oorr ccoolllleeggee--aaddmmiissssiioonn ddeeaannss aanndd aaddmmiissssiioonnooffffiicceerrss.. NNAACCAACC iiss tthhee vvooiiccee ffoorr hhiigghh--sscchhoooollssttuuddeennttss aanndd tthhoossee wwhhoo hheellpp tthheemm ppuurrssuuee tthheeiirrhhiigghheerr--eedduuccaattiioonn ddrreeaammss.. FFoorr CCaarroolliinnee SSaannddeerrssaanndd FFrraannkk BBeettkkoowwsskkii,, MMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg’’ss aassssoocciiaatteeddiirreeccttoorrss ooff ccoolllleeggee ccoouunnsseelliinngg,, NNAACCAACC pprroovviiddeessaa nneettwwoorrkk ooff ppeeooppllee tthheeyy ccaann lleeaann oonn aanndd ttaapp iinnttoo iinn oorrddeerr ttoo eennssuurree tthheeyy aarree aass hheellppffuull aass ppoossssiibbllee ttoo MMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg’’ss ssttuuddeennttss aanndd tthheeiirr ppaarreennttss..

BBYY WWAALLLLAACCEE WWHHIITTWWOORRTTHH

GGoo aalloonngg ffoorr tthhee rriiddee wwiitthh MMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg’’ssiinnttrreeppiidd ccoolllleeggee ccoouunnsseelloorrss

RELENTLESS IN SEATTLE

OUR

MMEERRCCEERR SSBBUURRGG MMAAGGAAZZ II NNEE WW IINNTTEERR 220000 88 –– 22000099 17

SSttiillll bboouunncciinngg aarroouunndd tthhee TT--UU--VV aaiisslleess,, wweehheeaadd ffoorr tthhee UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff CChhiiccaaggoo’’ss bbooootthh.. IItt’’ssffaaiirrllyy ccrroowwddeedd.. SSuuddddeennllyy,, tthhrreeee ppeeooppllee wwaallkkaawwaayy,, aanndd wwee mmoovvee iinn ttoo ffiillll tthhee vvooiidd..

FFrraannkk,, oonnccee aaggaaiinn oonn tthhee ssttuummpp:: ““II’’vvee ggootttthhiiss ssttuuddeenntt wwhhoo iiss ggeennuuiinneellyy iinntteelllleeccttuuaallllyyccuurriioouuss.. IItt’’ss aammaazziinngg hhooww mmaannyy ccoolllleeggeess tthheerreeaarree oouutt tthheerree ffuullll ooff bbrriigghhtt,, hhiigghh--aacchhiieevviinnggkkiiddss——wwhhiillee tthheerree aarree ssoo ffeeww ffoorr tthhee ttrruullyycceerreebbrraall.. AAnnyywwaayy,, sshhee’’ss aa rreeaall ‘‘lliiffee ooff tthhee mmiinndd’’kkiinndd ooff kkiidd,, ssoo,, nnoott ssuurrpprriissiinnggllyy,, sshhee hhaass mmoorree BB’’ss tthhaann AA’’ss.. SShhee’’ss aann eexxcceelllleenntt tteesstteerr.. WWiitthhaaddmmiissssiioonnss bbeeiinngg ssoo ccoommppeettiittiivvee tthheessee ddaayyss,, ddooeess CChhiiccaaggoo eevveenn ttaakkee cchhaanncceess oonniinntteelllleeccttuuaallllyy ccuurriioouuss kkiiddss wwiitthh BB’’ss aannyymmoorree??””

WWee lleeaarrnn tthhee vveerrddiicctt:: CChhiiccaaggoo ssttiillll hhaass aappllaaccee ffoorr iinntteelllleeccttuuaallllyy ccuurriioouuss kkiiddss aannddeennccoouurraaggeess tthhee MMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg ssttuuddeenntt’’ssaapppplliiccaattiioonn..

BBuutt eeaacchh ssttoopp ddooeessnn’’tt eennttaaiill aa mmaarrkkeettiinnggppiittcchh ffoorr aa ssppeecciiffiicc ssttuuddeenntt.. TThhee eevveenntt iiss tthheeppeerrffeecctt ttiimmee ffoorr CCaarroolliinnee aanndd FFrraannkk ttoo rreesseeaarrcchhddiiffffeerreenntt sscchhoooollss——oonneess tthhaatt tthheeyy kknnooww wweellllaanndd oonneess tthhaatt tthheeyy’’vvee nneevveerr vviissiitteedd——tthhaatt sseeeemmiinntteerreessttiinngg ffoorr MMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg ssttuuddeennttss..

NNAACCAACC iiss wwhheerree CCaarroolliinnee aanndd FFrraannkk ccaannggaatthheerr iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn nnoott ffoouunndd oonn aa ccoolllleeggee’’sswweebbssiittee oorr iinn iittss aaddmmiissssiioonn mmaatteerriiaallss.. IItt’’ss aallssoo aattiimmee ttoo rreeccoonnnneecctt wwiitthh oolldd ffrriieennddss ttoo lleeaarrnnwwhhaatt iiss ggooiinngg oonn aatt tthheeiirr sscchhoooollss aanndd ttoo iinnvviitteetthheemm ttoo ccaammppuuss ttoo mmeeeett ssttuuddeennttss..

CCaassee iinn ppooiinntt:: WWeelllleesslleeyy CCoolllleeggee.. CCaarroolliinneeaanndd II hheeaadd oovveerr ttoo tthheeiirr bbooootthh.. CCaarroolliinneeddooeessnn’’tt hhaavvee aa ppaarrttiiccuullaarr ssttuuddeenntt ttoo ppiittcchh,, bbuuttsshhee kknnoowwss ooff sseevveerraall ssttuuddeennttss aatt MMeerrcceerrssbbuurrggwwhhoo’’vvee mmeennttiioonneedd WWeelllleesslleeyy aass aa ccoolllleeggee--ooff--iinntteerreesstt.. SSoo sshhee ttaakkeess ttiimmee ttoo qquueessttiioonn tthheeaaddmmiissssiioonn ooffffiicceerr aabboouutt rreecceenntt cchhaannggeess ttooWWeelllleesslleeyy’’ss aapppplliiccaattiioonn pprroocceessss,, wwhhaatt tthheeyy aarreellooookkiinngg ffoorr,, hhooww tthheeyy bbaallaannccee SSAATT ssccoorreess wwiitthhaa ttrraannssccrriipptt,, eettcc.. SShhee ccoommeess aawwaayy ffeeeelliinnggmmuucchh mmoorree cclleeaarr--mmiinnddeedd aabboouutt wwhhoomm sshheesshhoouulldd sstteeeerr ttoo WWeelllleesslleeyy..

TThhee ffaaiirr aanndd iittss ffrreennzzyy llaasstteedd jjuusstt ttwwoohhoouurrss,, bbuutt FFrraannkk aanndd CCaarroolliinnee wweerree ccoonnssuummeeddffoorr tthhrreeee ssoolliidd ddaayyss wwiitthh aallll ooff tthhee ootthheerrffaacceettss tthhaatt tthhee NNAACCAACC ccoonnffeerreenncceess ooffffeerr ttoo ppeeooppllee iinn tthheeiirr ffiieelldd..

OOnnee ooff tthhee sseessssiioonnss tthhaatt ssttoooodd oouutt ttooFFrraannkk ffeeaattuurreedd aa rreeppoorrtt bbyy tthhee NNAACCAACCCCoommmmiissssiioonn oonn tthhee UUssee ooff SSttaannddaarrddiizzeedd TTeessttssiinn CCoolllleeggee AAddmmiissssiioonnss——aa bblluuee--rriibbbboonn ppaanneellcchhaaiirreedd bbyy BBiillll FFiittzzssiimmmmoonnss,, tthhee ddeeaann ooffaaddmmiissssiioonn aanndd ffiinnaanncciiaall aaiidd aatt HHaarrvvaarrddUUnniivveerrssiittyy.. FFrraannkk aallssoo aatttteennddeedd aa ttoowwnn--hhaallllmmeeeettiinngg ffeeaattuurriinngg MMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg’’ss oowwnn BBiillllMMccCClliinnttiicckk aanndd tthhee NNAACCAACC eexxeeccuuttiivvee bbooaarrddssuurrrroouunnddiinngg ttrreennddss iinn ffiinnaanncciiaall aaiidd aanndd tthheeiinnfflluueennccee ooff rraannkkiinnggss oonn hhiigghheerr--eedd ((wwhhiicchhaaddmmiissssiioonn ooffffiicceerrss ggeenneerraallllyy ddeeccrryy wwhhiilleewwiillllffuullllyy ppaarrttiicciippaattiinngg iinn)),, aanndd aa pprreesseennttaattiioonnbbyy SSccootttt AAnnddeerrssoonn,, FFrraannkk’’ss pprreeddeecceessssoorr aattMMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg,, wwhhoo nnooww cchhaaiirrss tthhee nnaattiioonnaall

aaddmmiissssiioonnss pprraaccttiicceess ccoommmmiitttteeee.. AAnnddeerrssoonn’’sssseessssiioonn ddeeaalltt wwiitthh pprrooppoosseedd cchhaannggeess ttoo tthheeSSttaannddaarrddss ooff PPrriinncciipplleess ooff GGoooodd PPrraaccttiiccee——tthheeccooddee ooff eetthhiiccss bbyy wwhhiicchh aallll NNAACCAACC mmeemmbbeerrssmmuusstt aabbiiddee..

CCaarroolliinnee wwaass iinnttrriigguueedd bbyy aa sseessssiioonneexxaammiinniinngg tthhee uussee ooff ddaattaa iinn aaddmmiissssiioonnccoouunnsseelliinngg.. ““TThhee lleeaadd pprreesseenntteerr,, TTrriisshh HHaattcchh ooffSSaann DDiieeggoo SSttaattee UUnniivveerrssiittyy,, iiss aa ttrruuee rreesseeaarrcchheerraanndd tteeaacchheerr,,”” CCaarroolliinnee ssaayyss.. ““TTrriisshh ttaauugghhtt uussttaannggiibbllee wwaayyss iinn wwhhiicchh wwee ccoouulldd ccoolllleecctt ddaattaaiinn aallll tthhaatt wwee ddoo——nnoott jjuusstt aanneeccddoottaall eevviiddeennccee..SShhee hhaadd ggrreeaatt ssuuggggeessttiioonnss ffoorr hhooww ttooddeetteerrmmiinnee iiff aa ppaarrttiiccuullaarr ttyyppee ooff pprrooggrraammmmiinnggwwoorrkkss ffoorr ssttuuddeennttss..””

CClleeaarrllyy,, tthhee aannnnuuaall NNAACCAACC ccoonnffeerreennccee iiss bbeenneeffiicciiaall nnoott oonnllyy ffoorr MMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg’’ssccoouunnsseelloorrss,, bbuutt,, iinn tthhee eenndd,, ffoorr tthhee ssttuuddeennttsstthheeyy ccoouunnsseell.. ““II hhaadd bbeeeenn aa NNAACCAACC mmeemmbbeerr ffoorr yyeeaarrss,,”” FFrraannkk ssaayyss,, ““bbuutt uunnttiill II aarrrriivveedd aattMMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg,, II hhaadd nneevveerr bbeeeenn aaffffoorrddeedd tthheeooppppoorrttuunniittyy ttoo aatttteenndd tthhee ccoonnffeerreennccee.. II hhaadd nnoo iiddeeaa hhooww iinnvvaalluuaabbllee tthhee pprrooffeessssiioonnaallddeevveellooppmmeenntt aanndd nneettwwoorrkkiinngg ooppppoorrttuunniittiieessccaann bbee..””

WWhhiillee CCaarroolliinnee aanndd FFrraannkk aaggrreeee tthhaatt bbeeiinnggaabbllee ttoo aatttteenndd tthhee nnaattiioonnaall ccoonnffeerreennccee eeaacchhyyeeaarr iiss aa mmaajjoorr hheellpp,, tthheeyy aarree nnootthhiinngg sshhoorrtt ooff eemmpphhaattiicc tthhaatt wwoorrkkiinngg eeaacchh ddaayy wwiitthhMMccCClliinnttiicckk,, aa lleeggeenndd iinn tthhee pprrooffeessssiioonn,, hhaassmmaaddee tthheemm mmuucchh mmoorree pprrooffiicciieenntt aasspprrooffeessssiioonnaallss..

that’s going to be on the back of your car.Make it about the child. And know that wewill help open up a world of possibilities to them; we will work with them, we’re acces-sible, and they will get the best advice wecan give them to help them through thisprocess and keep the stress level to aminimum—to the extent that we can.But ultimately, the most important thing

is setting your child up for success in college,and for your child to be happy. Because ifyour child isn’t happy, he or she won’t besuccessful. We want to work with your childto find that place, that fit. To us, it’s all aboutfit—that’s our mantra.

MM: And advice for a group of 11th-graders?McClintick: Don’t limit yourself; it’s a bigworld. This is your chance to think broadly,to take risks, and to be open to consideringplaces you may have never thought of before.Don’t become part of the ESPN generationthat feels as if you’ve never seen a school onESPN, it must not be any good. Or if it’s notin the top 50 of the U.S. News & WorldReport rankings, it can’t be any good.Be flexible. Be a good listener. Follow

your heart, and don’t assume that you knowit all at age 16. Take the time to take a stepback and look at a wide variety of options.

MM: Any final thoughts?McClintick: It’s important for kids and parents

to take the time to really do their homeworkin the search process. This is not a processto be taken lightly; one of the great thingsabout being at a place like Mercersburg isyou don’t just follow your friends or girlfriendto college, and you don’t just go the easyroute. We won’t let you get through it withoutdoing some real soul-searching, and you haveto be prepared to do that. And if you give usquick and easy answers, we’ll probably chal-lenge you to see if you’ve really thoughtthrough some of the things that you’re saying.Are you making choices just because of nameor just because of what your friends or parentssaid, or are you making decisions based ongood research and knowledge? We want tomake sure it’s the latter.

continued from page 15

oarding school, by nature, lends itself toaccelerated development. ¶ Learning to live onyour own in a supportive and focused environment

like the one at Mercersburg—to say nothing of thechallenging academic workload—helps students quicklyprepare themselves for college and beyond. ¶ Some alumnimade an impact before they even enrolled in college.Claire Van Ness ’03 assisted with the teaching of anintermediate-level French course while still a student.Fellow 2003 graduate Zak Zielezinski worked on afundraiser for his Mercersburg class involving the purchaseand sale of used textbooks—an idea that was the impetus forhis early success in the business world.¶ The guidance andcounsel of dedicated faculty living and working alongsidestudents is crucial; Bill Schindler ’02, a sportscaster workingfor an ESPN Radio affiliate in Hawaii, will tell you heconsiders Director of College Counseling Bill McClintick(his Mercersburg adviser) a friend to this day. Teach forAmerica participant Rachna Shah ’03 speaks equally highlyof Tom Thorne, her Latin teacher here.¶ On the followingpages, you’ll find just a few Mercersburg graduates of thelast 10 years who are already making their mark.

Mercersburg Profiles

B

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At Mercersburg, twin sisters Rachna ’03 andRipal ’03 Shah had a lot of proverbial ironsin the fire. Both were active in a number ofextracurricular activities and played on severalathletic teams. In the five short years sincetheir graduation, not only have they notslowed their pace of activity, but each has

RIPAL AND RACHNA SHAH DOUBLE THEIR EFFORTS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY SHELTON CLARK

IMMEDIATE IMPACTfocused her energy toward helping othersand having a positive effect on the world.Both sisters grew up in West Virginia and

enrolled at Duke University, where Ripalbecame involved in the Red Cross and othercommunity outreach programs, and Rachnaworked at the Boys & Girls Club while tutor-

ing Duke athletes and other students. Today,Ripal teaches special-needs children inBoston, and Rachna teaches seventh-gradersat Harlem’s Frederick Douglass Academy.In fall 2009, Ripal plans to start medicalschool, while Rachna will begin law school.Each points to her years at Mercersburg

Ripal Shah with children at an HIV/AIDS orphanage in South Africa

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exposure to so many different demographicsand it being just a part of daily life. “Now, when I’m in a classroom with 95

percent African-American children and 5percent Latino children, with no other ethnicgroups represented in any of my classes, itdoesn’t seem like a barrier to me. I don’t feellike I have any kind of difficulty approachingthese students because I’m used to a highlevel of diversity.”Ripal credits Mercersburg teachers Brent

Gift and Eric Hicks with sparking her inter-est in science, which she used to create twononprofit organizations during her time atDuke. Immediately after the South Asiantsunami on December 26, 2004, Ripal trav-eled to the Nicobar Islands off the coast ofMyanmar to teach CPR and first aid to victimsof the tsunami. She instructed large numbersof Mongolian and African tribal populations,and the training those groups received helpedsave a number of lives when a second tsunami

hit in March 2005. “I came back and friends said, ‘I wouldn’t

even think to do something like that, but ifI’d known that you were taking a trip, I wouldhave gone,’” Ripal says. “I just got to think-ing, ‘Why don’t [college] kids do stuff likethis more often?’ There were so many kids Iknew who were trained as EMTs or para-medics or in first aid and CPR. They wereteaching here in the States, but what theyreally wanted to do was be able to teachabroad to underserved communities—topeople who don’t have access to somethinglike Red Cross centers, as we do in the U.S.”Not only was Ripal moved by a passion

for global health, she was also armed withpublications experience from her days as aneditor for The Mercersburg News and the

as formative to the endeavors that havefollowed.“One thing that helped me a lot was athlet-

ics,” Ripal says. “I didn’t play a sport when Igot to Duke, but having that sort of strictschedule at Mercersburg—sports practice,followed by a newspaper or yearbookmeeting—when I got to college, I basicallydid the same thing. Having that balance oflife,” she says, “Mercersburg helped me tolearn time management.”“In boarding school, there’s so much

emphasis on holistic education: it’s charac-ter development, it’s academic, it’s a hugeamount of extracurricular activities,” Rachnaadds. “All of those things start to shape iden-tity. I don’t know that I would have had nearlyas many opportunities for that kind of iden-tity development in another type of school.And there are so many components that makethe [Mercersburg] education much morepersonal, like living alongside your teachers

and having these close relationships. I stilltalk regularly to my Latin teacher, Mr. [Tom]Thorne. He’s really more like a friend andcolleague now, which is a huge blessing.”In her second year with the Teach for

America program, Rachna is also working ona master’s degree in human rights at Colum-bia University. “The demographic at Mercers-burg is significantly different from any publicschool and a lot of private schools, becauseMercersburg attracts a lot of overseas students;there is a huge emphasis on diversity,” shesays. “Seeing that at an early age is importantfor people when it’s such a significant timefor identity development. I don’t think I wouldunderstand my place in the world and myrelationships with other ethnic groups as beingnecessary and so seamless if I didn’t have

KARUX. “Instead of having to hire someoneto do graphic design, brochures, businesscards, and pamphlets,” she says, “we wereable to do it on our own because of what I’dlearned being involved in the publications atMercersburg. It’s nice that the skills I learnedin various activities at Mercersburg tran-scended those activities.”Ripal then helped bring CPR Centers

Worldwide (www.cprcenters.org) into being.“The whole mission is to make a sustainablecycle of health care education,” she says. “Wetrain people well enough for them to trainother people.” The organization is active inIndia, Thailand, South Africa, Botswana, andZimbabwe, with plans to expand into SouthAmerica and further into Africa.Another nonprofit, From The Ground

Up, arose from a need Ripal saw when sheserved as president of Duke’s Red Crosschapter. “One of the things we tried to addresswas the fact that the campus was completelyinaccessible to kids with disabilities and phys-ical limitations,” she says. “You don’t eventhink about a kid in a wheelchair never havingswung on a swing before or never having beenon a merry-go-round. “While those things seem trivial, when

you think about your childhood, some of thethings you remember the most are recess timeand playing outside with your friends on theplayground. And so, to have those recreationallimitations, it seems appalling that peoplereally don’t think about it.”Again, Ripal brainstormed with fellow

Duke students, and contacted city officialsin Durham, North Carolina, where the Dukecampus is located. Just as she had with CPRCenters, From The Ground Up filled aservice opportunity: “I think [college] kidsoften want to get involved in service activi-ties and want to do something with the skillset they have, and this was the perfect thingfor engineers.”Two and a half years after Ripal made

contact with city officials, Durham’sMorreene Road Park became a fully handi-cap-accessible park. “On our opening day,”she says, “we had mothers of children withdisabilities who were crying, because theywere saying, ‘No one ever thinks about thefact that they didn’t have this growing up.’ Itwas a very motivational day.”

Rachna Shah with students at Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem

I got up too early, did not get enough sleep,and decided to try to make the best of themorning before going to school. A nice longrun is a good way to start the day. I get mygear ready, turn on my iPod, check my train-ing schedule, and I am off to a workoutthrough the German countryside. It is raining,and of course the wind is blowing straightinto my face. The pace is too slow; I bite mylips and long to finish those miles. On a morning like this, I question myself:

Why do I get up to run? Why do I not try tosleep in? Why do I push myself every day?Of course, it is to stay fit, to be part of one ofthe best German running teams, and to winraces and set records and because of theappreciation I receive from my parents,friends, and other teammates.

The message we want to promote is that“the peak has been reached”—the peak ofhuman infection from a virus that threatensthe world. Cape2Cape is the start of theWorld AIDS Awareness Expedition (WAAE);its goal is to climb all of the highest moun-tains of the world and to plant a flag at eachsummit displaying the number of thoseinfected with HIV/AIDS.I had a thought that this guy must be crazy

to want to climb Mount Kenya, Mount Kili-manjaro, and Mont Blanc during a two-month trip. But at the same time, I wasinspired and motivated by the chance to bean ambassador—to meet with the Interna-tional Olympic Committee in Switzerlandand to give third-world countries an oppor-tunity to make the world aware of theirHIV/AIDS situations and to ask for help.I may not be the guy that climbs all the

most challenging mountains, but I will runto the top of the highest peaks in Denmark,Germany, and South Africa. By running, Iwill do some good. And as a photographeron the trip, I will help market this campaignby capturing the moments and some of themost beautiful landscapes.

Schrader, of Wolfenbüettel, Germany, hasspent six summers as a counselor for Mercers-burg Summer Programs. A member of theBraunschweig Running Association, hepenned this essay before the 18-member WAAEteam began its journey from Norway to SouthAfrica during October, November, and Decem-ber 2008. For more information, visitwww.waae.de; look for additional coverage infuture issues of Mercersburg magazine.

But I want to use running as more than acompetitive sport. I heard about a group ofextreme-sport guys—and their leader,Joachim Franz, who wants to fight the spreadof HIV/AIDS and to raise awareness of itsglobal threat by pushing himself and his team-mates beyond limits. He uses different sportsto spread his message; to not give up in thestruggle against HIV/AIDS. He wants otherathletes to join him.Since I knew Joachim through a mutual

friend, I was able to set up a meeting andhear his thoughts and ideas. His latest chal-lenge, Cape2Cape, is an expedition from theNorth Cape of Norway to Cape Town, SouthAfrica—where he and his team will climbthe highest mountain in every country theycross. I have joined this effort.

REACHING

THE

Running to win the mostimportant raceBY DOM SCHRADER ’00 PeakIt was one of those mornings.

As college basketball careers go, the greatest momentsof Romone Penny ’03 will not be replayed on ESPNhighlights, and his accomplishments won’t roll off thetongues of statistics freaks.As far as success stories go, however, Penny’s is an

American classic.Penny earned a degree in business last spring from

American University in Washington, D.C. He landedan accounting job with the prestigious firm Ernst &Young and began working in the company’s Washing-ton offices in October. The future, it seems, is limitless. The past, though,

is what makes Penny’s story so compelling.Penny grew up in a tough urban neighborhood in

Minneapolis. Like many other inner-city children, heplayed basketball, which is a religion in urban settingsall across the country. Rex Holland, an investment banker in Minneapolis,

was coaching a seventh-grade intermediate-level team.Penny was a nondescript player trying not only to earnsome playing time, but to just find a way to get to games.“He was just a kid that was on the team, and one day

a lady came up to me and said, ‘You need to get that kidsome rides,’” Holland recalls. “It was a nice thought, butI told her I wasn’t running a taxicab service. When you’redealing with inner-city kids, you try to get parents to takeownership, and you can’t do that if you’re giving kidsrides all the time. You can get sucked into a trap ofdependency.”But the woman was persistent, and Holland eventu-

ally agreed.“Without Rex, I don’t know where I’d be,” Penny says.

“He’s been a role model, a father figure, and a best friend.”Holland kept giving Penny a ride, figuratively as well

Winning the

ROMONE PENNY’S STORY ISFULL OF RICHESBY TOM COCCAGNA

Gameof Life

as literally. Holland paid Penny’s way throughDeLaSalle High School, a private Catholicschool in Minneapolis. He blossomed as abasketball point guard and drew the atten-tion of Division I schools, including Buck-nell University and Lafayette College.“My SAT scores were not the greatest,

and I was still a little small [5-feet-11-inches,155 pounds] to play point guard in DivisionI,” Penny says. “They said I should go to aprep school, but I had no idea what a prepschool even was.”Holland put together a video package and

sent one to Mercersburg head coach MarkCubit. When Penny visited campus, heimmediately felt comfortable. “There wasjust something different about it that I liked,”he says.“What impressed me the most,” Cubit

recalls, “is that he was so eager to learn. Hewould always ask questions, and he appre-ciated everything you did for him.”Penny also grew to realize basketball was

just a small part of life.“I was an average student, and I would

see the study habits of other students [atMercersburg], and that would push me,” hesays. “I’d see people who aspired to be thepresident, or a doctor, or a CEO, and I metpeople from different countries.”After graduation, Penny decided to attend

Florida State University. He made the basket-ball team as a walk-on and played in sixgames his freshman season. “It was amazing,”he says. “I got to play in some games, evena few ESPN games.”But he also understood he needed to be

somewhere else, so he transferred to Amer-ican and began working diligently toward abusiness degree.

He played in 21 basketball games hissenior year, including one as a starter. “Romone really worked hard and pushed

the guys who got the minutes,” says Jeff Jones,American’s head coach. “He would neverback off, and he would always be positive.He contributed a lot to the team, even if hewasn’t always a big contributor on game day.”Penny finished the 2007–2008 season with

73 minutes played, and totaled 11 points, twoassists, and five steals. More important, theEagles won the Patriot League championshipand made the NCAA Tournament for thefirst time in 41 years.“I just picked up my ring last week,” he

said proudly during a September interview.And now, it’s off to a career that someone

from the tough streets of Minneapolis couldnever have envisioned. “Without the help ofother people, I would not be where I amtoday,” he adds. “Romone is going to pay back what he’s

received,” Cubit predicts. “He’s involved intrying to help others find the path he did.He’s going to be in a position to do things for someone else—and for more than justone kid.”Penny sponsored a charity bowling event

in Washington this fall. He’s also involvedwith Holland’s program, MinneapolisNEXT,which helps inner-city students escape toughneighborhoods and attend private schools.That program, which grew out of Holland’srelationship with Penny, is sponsoring 42 high-school students this year and hashelped more than 200 students in the pastseven years.“And it all started because I gave a kid a

ride,” Holland says. “Thanks to that, a lot ofkids are going to high school today.”

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“[Romone] is going to pay back what he’s received. He’s going to be in a

position to do things for someoneelse—and for more than just one kid.”

—MARK CUBIT, Mercersburg men’s basketball coach, on Romone Penny ’03

MERCERSBURG BRIEFS

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For Claire Van Ness ’03, being in front of aclass isn’t scary anymore.That’s because she got an early start in

teaching—while still a student at Mercers-burg, Van Ness completed a directed studyas a French teaching intern under facultymember Heather Prescott. “After that experience, I knew I had the

power to teach,” says Van Ness, who describesherself as reserved and shy by nature. “I wasn’tsure I could do it before.”Van Ness (who grew up next door to

Mercersburg Honorary Regent Ted Boyd ’60in Canton, Ohio) had studied French since age 6. Upon arriving at Mercersburg as aninth-grader, she was placed in French30H—an honors course populated almostexclusively by upper-middlers and seniors.“It was intimidating—for example, my peergroup leader (a senior) was in my class,” shesays. “But I managed to hold my own.Madame Prescott was amazing and sosupportive. She helped me realize that I wasstrong enough to be in that class.”After taking AP French Language (French

50AP) in 10th grade, Van Ness was the onlystudent enrolled in Prescott’s French 55AP(a literature course) as an 11th-grader. “It waschallenging, but having that one-on-oneattention and not being able to hide in the

TEACHING MOMENTS

background of a class was rewarding,” VanNess says. “I felt comfortable talking to herabout anything; she was always open tohearing my ideas and pointing me in theright direction.”When her senior year rolled around, Van

Ness knew she wanted to continue with thestudy of French—even though she had essen-tially run out of French courses to take. Soshe approached Prescott about serving as ateaching intern, and became just the secondFrench student in Prescott’s 11-year Mercersburg tenure to assist with a class(Mike Krell ’99 was the first). Van Nesshelped Prescott with lesson plans and evenwith the teaching of selected class periodsin French 20H, a second-year honors course.“I remember being nervous and stressed

at first when it came time to teach, but it wasa great experience and certainly helped meprepare for my job now,” says Van Ness, whoearned a bachelor’s degree in Italian fromVassar College and is working with second-graders at Horace Mann Elementary Schoolin northwest Washington, D.C., while shecompletes work on a master’s degree inFrench at Middlebury College. “While I wasnervous at first in front of the class, I hadbeen involved in Stony Batter; it helped meto think of [teaching] as another role on stage.”

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MERCERSBURG BRIEFS

Getting a head start in front of a class

Claire Van Ness ’03 (left) with Heather Prescott

BY LEE OWEN

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The arrangement allowed Prescott toconduct oral evaluations while Van Nessled the class in listening exercises andreviewed student responses. The twofrequently dissected videotape of Van Ness’teaching sessions and critiqued anddiscussed her in-class performance.“Claire is a motivated young woman

who enjoys the study of French,” Prescottsays. “Because there were no further courseofferings, she took the initiative to createa course of study for herself, which led totremendous growth in her self-confidence,in her command of the language, and inher ability to explain concepts to others.”Van Ness spent the summer before her

10th-grade year in Paris as part of a ChoateRosemary Hall program, and studied fora semester in Bologna, Italy, during herjunior year at Vassar. While she was inter-ested in studying abroad while a Mercers-burg student, Van Ness decided that shedidn’t want to leave campus for an entireyear; for the same reason, she decided tospend one semester in Europe as a collegejunior instead of two.“Everyone should have an opportunity

to experience the different cultures thatare out there,” Van Ness says. “As someoneinterested in languages and history, beingable to travel, see places, and hear andexperience the language really opens upa world of possibilities and goals.”At Horace Mann, in addition to her

normal teaching duties, Van Ness workswith students in optional extracurricularenrichment sessions that feature languageinstruction before and after the school day.“During the day, often the studentsinvolved in the enrichment classes willexchange little pleasantries back and forthin French,” she says. “Once the kids learnhow to say three words in French, they getexcited. They say, ‘I can speak French,too.’”

Vincent Rey ’06 (above) led Duke’sfootball team in tackles during the2007 season. Rey, who helped theBlue Devils win three of their first four games(the team’s best start since 1994), returned afumble for a touchdown in a September winover Navy. Rey is one of four Mercersburggraduates on the Duke roster—along withBryan Morgan ’07 (the team’s starting center),Cameron Jones ’07, and Colin Jones ’07.

x2Blue

MM: What has it been like to live in so manydifferent places?AP:Everything is temporary. I lived in SaudiArabia for 10 years, so I still feel most at homein that part of the world. But I could nevercall one country I lived in or one place I’vetraveled to “home.” Home has always beenwhere my parents are, whether it’s Africa ora hotel off the freeway in Pennsylvania. I findit easy to get up and move myself, and havealways been able to pack all my belongingsinto a couple of suitcases. I feel pretty privi-leged to have been given all these opportu-nities and to have met so many amazingpeople from all walks of life. I can get alongwith anyone and find it very easy to be outof my comfort zone—mainly because I amnever anywhere long enough to develop acomfort zone!

MM: What do you remember most aboutyour time at Mercersburg? Did your timehere change you in any way?AP: Coming to Mercersburg was a hugewake-up call; up until that point, I alwayshad my parents around to help make toughdecisions. I learned to understand differenttypes of people from different backgrounds,and I became less judgmental of people basedon their lifestyles, and more interested in whothey were at heart. AP: Academically, I will be grateful toMercersburg until the end of my days.College was a breeze, and being able tohandle the demanding job I have now is alldue to what was expected of us at Mercers-burg. I truly appreciated that the bar was sethigh and we strived to reach it. Multitasking,

taking responsibility, and efficiency are allmajor skills I gained from watching my teach-ers and peers succeed.

MM:When did you first become passionateabout raising awareness of global warming?AP: Having studied in international schoolsmost of my life, climate change and envi-ronmental awareness were always main partsof our curriculum. And growing up in anIndian household, you are always taught toconstantly conserve water and energy andconsume less since so many others havenothing—ask some of the Swank girls abouthow I would go around turning off their tapswhile they brushed their teeth! So it hasalways been part of my life. I have been fortu-nate to have traveled to almost every majorforest or biodiversity reserve in the world, andhave had quite a bit of exposure to the beautyof nature.

MM: How did you become connected withThe Climate Project?AP: During my second year at Miami, AlGore came to speak at our school. I was fortu-nate to be chosen to meet him beforehandand get a signed copy of his book. After hispresentation—which gave me goosebumps—he announced he was training 1,000Americans to give the presentation them-selves. I applied on a whim, thinking I neverwould have a chance. But a few weeks later,I received an invitation to Mr. Gore’s finaltraining in Nashville. I spent four incredibledays in a room full of people twice my age,half my skin tone, and 10 times moreeducated or placed in society. I asked a man

Anjuli Pandit was born inTexas, but has lived in SaudiArabia, Singapore, Nigeria,Kuwait, the Czech Republic,and India in addition to theUnited States. As a studentat the University of Miami,she became involved withThe Climate Project, anorganization founded byformer Vice-President AlGore dedicated to raisingawareness of global

warming. Today, she worksfor The Climate Project-India

in Mumbai, and inSeptember helped presideover the 12-city launch of

the organization’s Go Green@ Crossword initiative, achildren’s awareness

campaign.

Q&A Working for the World: A conversation with Anjuli Pandit ’03

from CNN why this place was full of such aspecific group of people, and he said thatwhether we like it or not, these are the moversand shakers of the country, and if Mr. Gorecan convince them of global warming andto spread his message, then we have a verygood chance of winning the battle.

MM: What’s it like to live in India today?AP: I am so glad that I have chosen to comeback to my home country! The atmosphereis charged with possibilities and you feel asthe pioneers must have felt when they weresettling in America so many years ago—thereis no end to what you can accomplish. Indiais about to produce the cheapest car and themost expensive home (a 27-story monstros-ity), and has recently produced both its firstindividual Olympic gold medal [in rifle atthe 2008 Summer Games], and homemadeterrorist bombs. Good, bad, or ugly, India isbreaking records every day, and being on theground to watch it all happen makes you feellike you live the life one would only find inthe history books.

MM: What are your goals for the future?AP: I plan to be in India for eight years. Iwant to spend two years in the environmentalfield, and then five or six going back to dorural education development all over thecountry. The only goal I want to set is howmany people I can impact in my life—I hopeit becomes a number that is impossible tocount. Maybe that sounds idealistic, but if Ikeep sleeping as well as I have the last fewmonths, then I must be on the right track.—Lee Owen

For an expanded Q&A withAnjuli Pandit, visitwww.mercersburg.edu.

“The only goal I want to set is how many people I canimpact in my life—I hope it

becomes anumber that is impossible to count.”

—Anjuli Pandit ’03

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Last spring,when faculty memberMark Cubit heard his name announced asa winner of Mercersburg’s faculty travellottery, he immediately thought about thetype of students that graduate from Mercers-burg and the passion they have for this place.For him, this gift was surreal. Just a few months later, Cubit and his

family were in Cartagena, Colombia, explor-

By Natasha BrownSSEEEEIINNGG TTHHEE WWOORRLLDDPPIIEERRCCEE LLOORRDD HHEELLPPSS MMEERRCCEERRSSBBUURRGG FFAACCUULLTTYY GGOO GGLLOOBBAALL

ing the historic walled city, enjoying exoticSpanish cuisines, and relaxing under theColombian sun. Cubit was one of fourannual winners of the drawing, which isopen to all full-time Mercersburg facultyand made possible by Pierce Lord ’98, whoprovides $7,500 to each faculty member fortravel abroad. In college, Lord realized the importance

of travel while studying economics inLondon during his junior year at ColgateUniversity. “I grew up very fast when I traveled,” Lord

says. “Not only do you learn about othercultures, but you also learn a lot about your-

self. You’re in a place where you have tofend for yourself, and in doing that, I feellike I learned a lot about who I am and theworld in general.”Lord has traveled to all corners of the

world—to Fiji and New Zealand. He’s beenspear fishing in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, androde an elephant in India. These experi-ences have helped him understand othercultures and people. Through these adven-tures, he realized why it is important foryoung people to travel and explore the worldas he did. “Most of the conflict in the world today

is caused by actual misunderstandings

Pierce Lord ’98

For Zak Zielezinski, one goodidea deserves another

between different groups of people fromdifferent cultures,” Lord says. “So simplyhaving our young people learn more aboutdifferent cultures, in theory, should lead tofewer misunderstandings in the future. It’sthat simple.”He became a firm believer in Mercers-

burg’s focus on global citizenship. So hedecided to give back to his alma mater; hebegan providing aid for international tripsfor Mercersburg students who could notafford them—and, since 2007, for a facultytravel lottery. “If we can make sure that every student

who deserves and wants to go on a trip withthe school can go, the international travelprogram is going to grow,” Lord says. “Thefaculty lottery is a little different. I think it’simportant that Mercersburg retains the besttalent and gets the best new talent. Thatteacher who wins a trip to Fiji and goesscuba diving for a few weeks is going tocome back so much more energized thanhe was the year before.” At age 28, Lord (who lives in New York

City’s East Village) is the chief financialofficer of Lord Capital Management. Hispassion for finance has blossomed from hisdays of trading stocks between classes inLenfest Hall to managing stock portfoliosof city professionals. No matter where histravels or business takes him, Mercersburgremains an important part of Lord’s life. “I really believe in Mercersburg as an

institution for young people,” he says. “Ican’t imagine a better place for someoneto spend four years, grow up, and reallyhave their eyes opened to the world anddiversification. The school really focuseson the person graduating. Part of theMercersburg mission is for young peopleto be good global citizens, and I believe in that.”In October, Lord visited campus to meet

with winners of the faculty travel lottery;Cubit presented him with a Colombiancigar, a T-shirt, and a DVD of his family’strip.

BOOK LEARNING a student in the fledgling Innovation & Entrepreneurship

program at Clark University, Zak Zielezinski ’03 found himselfin the dead of winter in Worcester, Massachusetts, staring at the campusbookstore with a sense of victory.Zielezinski’s business, the Campus Book Brokerage, had taken on

the university’s bookstore as direct competition—and delivered a 10percent return on investment for its shareholders,who were fellow students. Not bad for a businessthat had been organized less than two months before.One reason for Zielezinski’s confidence in his

idea is because he had seen it in action a few yearsbefore. “The whole idea for that stemmed from afundraiser that my class did while I was at Mercers-burg,” Zielezinski says. “We bought and sold usedtextbooks from students. My class operated that as a fundraiser three orfour years in a row, and by the time our senior year rolled around, wehad more money in our class fund than any previous class—by a lot.We had $30,000 by our senior year; the next-closest class had maybe$7,000. And that was what gave me the idea that it could be profitableto buy and sell used textbooks to students.”Soon after his success with the Campus Book Brokerage, a profes-

sor from Clark’s graduate business school gave Zielezinski the idea togo after another market. “He had previously worked with some privatehigh schools in supplying them with their textbooks through onlineordering,” Zielezinski says. “In high schools, you’re not going to becompeting with places like Amazon.com and a lot of online sources fortextbooks. “So I brought on one of my partners from the Campus Book Broker-

age, and we started a new company called Interactive Purchasing Solu-tions (IPS). We expanded upon the original idea of just supplyingtextbooks, to the point where we decided to serve as a single-sourceprovider for all types of school supplies that a student might need inhigh school—school supplies, textbooks, school uniforms, gym uniforms,apparel, and gift-type items. I was familiar with prep schools from mytime at Mercersburg, which was one of the things that made me comfort-able entering a market like this.” IPS creates custom-branded websitesunique to each school.By the time Zielezinski finished college, IPS was already serving a

number of prep schools. Today, IPS’s client base stretches from Massa-chusetts to Florida. In the meantime, Zielezinski moved to Palo Alto,California. “It’s really the hub for my passions and interests, which aretechnology, software, and e-commerce,” he says.“One thing that Mercersburg instilled in me is being a lifelong learner.

I’m always on the lookout for new and exciting experiences which aregoing to expand my understanding of how industries and markets workand help me to acquire new skill sets that I can put to use.”—Shelton Clark

As

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osting a sports talk showon Maui presents somechallenges.There’s the time

difference; catching thelive kickoff of a midday

football game broadcast from the Meadow-lands, State College, or Foxboro can requirea 7 a.m. (or earlier) wake-up call. There’sthe fact that a large portion of your audiencegrew up on the mainland, and thus has aseemingly infinite list of favorite teams aboutwhom they expect you, their beloved talk-show host, to know every last detail. (Who’sgonna play nickelback for the Raiders thisyear? Do the Twins need another lefty intheir bullpen?)Oh, and there’s the fact that you live on

Maui, but spend the most important threehours of your day in a windowless radio booththe size of a closet; you might as well be inUpper Mongolia.But Bill Schindler ’02 sees the bright side.Maui is paradise, and sports are his para-

dise. It’s a match. And needing an encyclo-pedic knowledge of all things sports is apositive—“it keeps you on your toes,” he says.“You know the phone’s gonna ring and some-body’s going to catch you on something ifyou don’t know it.”Schindler co-hosts “The SportsPhone,”

a three-hour radio show each weekday onKMVI-AM, the ESPN Radio affiliate inWailuku, Hawaii. He’s done play-by-play forhigh-school sports and the prestigious MauiInvitational, a Thanksgiving Week traditionin college basketball. He’s been mentoredby a broadcasting legend, worked for a

summer baseball team in Alaska, and lives inone of America’s most beautiful spots—allbecause, he insists, of a year at Mercersburg.Schindler went to public high school in

Cumberland, Maryland; with an August birth-day, he was always one of the youngeststudents in his class, so he was open to theidea of a postgraduate year before going offto college. He remembers talking to his high-school guidance counselor about schools,and expressing an interest in PepperdineUniversity, with its picturesque mountaintopcampus in Malibu, California.“The counselor said, ‘Oh, that’s on Maui,

right?’” Schindler recalls. “It hit me thatperhaps this situation wasn’t going to helpme get into college.”At Mercersburg, Schindler played base-

ball, declaimed for Marshall (“we lost, andI’m still bitter,” he chuckles), and started hispath toward a career in sports media. For hisyear-end senior project, he spent a week withthe nearby Hagerstown Suns minor-leaguebaseball team, interviewing players andcoaches and soaking up life behind thescenes—and received a baptism by fire whenthe team’s radio announcers put him on theair on his final night with the team.“I had never been on the air before, but

they just handed me the microphone andsaid, ‘Here you go,’” Schindler says. “Thescoreboard had been struck by lightning theweek before, so it wasn’t working. I’m justthis kid trying to piece things together, andthere’s this superfan sitting in the stands belowthe press box yelling at me. But it was the firstgame I really ever called, and it was becauseof Mercersburg. It was something where I

told [the school] ‘this is what I’m interestedin,’ and they let me go out and try it. “Mercersburg really set up the domi-

noes to fall in place. Not only for what Ilearned academically, but it was a good lifelesson; I’m an only child, and it was the firsttime I’d lived away from home in a dorm.It really got me prepared for college. WhenI went out to Pepperdine, it wasn’t scary—I’d moved into a dorm before, and now Iknew how to communicate with adminis-trators and teachers.”In his first year at Pepperdine, Schindler

put his communication skills to good usewhen he discovered that several of theWaves’ baseball coaches had played in theAlaska Baseball League, a summer leaguefor college players similar to the Massa-chusetts-based Cape Cod League. Severalphone calls later, the Peninsula Oilersoffered him a plane ticket—and little else—to serve as the team’s color man on its radiobroadcasts for the summer. He jumped atthe chance; his experience in Alaska led toroles on Pepperdine’s baseball and women’sbasketball broadcast teams, and to a stintone summer as the Oilers’ assistant generalmanager.“It was a great experience,” Schindler

says. “I’ll put on the Travel Channel andthey’ll show Alaska and I can say I’ve beenthere eight times. I got to broadcast theMidnight Sun Game, and I’ve been salmonfishing in the middle of the night.”Back at Pepperdine, Schindler’s work

broadcasting events for TV 26, the school’sstudent television station, connected himwith Don Ohlmeyer, an Emmy-winning

ParadiseBill Schindler’s dream job is all sports, all the time

By Lee Owen

FOUND

H

TV executive who served as executiveproducer of Monday Night Football and pres-ident of NBC’s West Coast operations.Ohlmeyer, who has a home in Malibu, wasserving as an adjunct professor at the schooland took Schindler under his wing.“I knew Don was a big deal, but I didn’t

know all the things he had done,” Schindlersays. “I gave him a CD [with recordings ofbroadcasts], and he came back and had allthese notes for me and we started workingone-on-one. I remember the first volleyball

game I ever did; right before it started, hewalked up and announced that he was goingto listen, and that I would be interviewinghim at halftime.“Luckily I was able to Google him during

the game and find out some stuff about him,and we did the interview. It was great prac-tice for thinking on your feet; I think that’swhy he planned it, to see how I’d do with it.Later, I’m standing in line at the concessionstand, and I feel this big slap on the back—it’s Don, and he tells me, ‘Boy, I think you

“Mercersburgreally set up thedominoes to fall inplace. Not only forwhat I learnedacademically, butit was a good lifelesson… When Iwent [to college],it wasn’t scary.”—Bill Schindler ’02

can do this.’ You can’t pay for the kind ofadvice he’s given me.”Following graduation, Schindler broad-

cast Pepperdine baseball games until theWaves were eliminated from the NCAA Tour-nament, and then flew to Maui (where hisparents had built a house after they retired).He thought his island stay would last a coupleof months, until he found a position on themainland—but one thing led to another andhe landed the job at ESPN550 (he alsoproduced a news show on a sister station untilthat show went off the air). “Maui’s nice, and you couldn’t ask for a

better place to get your feet wet right out ofcollege,” Schindler says. “But at the sametime, this is a small market. In 10 years, I’dlike to be working for one of the big sportsnetworks—whether that’s ESPN, the GolfChannel, whatever. To me, this is not work.I enjoy the homework and preparation thatgoes into it. I like to learn the little things. Ilove talking to the players.“And I’m always happy to do things for

Mercersburg. It made a heck of a differencefor me. Coming out of public school in asmall town like I did, would I have gotteninto Pepperdine? Probably not. Would I havegotten to meet guys like Don Ohlmeyer andwork in Alaska and get a job out here? Probably not. Mercersburg was a great expe-rience for me—it was only one year, but itwas unbelievable.”

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Crisp fall weather and a boatload of activities greeted the morethan 500 alumni, family, and friends who enjoyed AlumniWeekend festivities October 17–19. Classes from years ending in 3 and 8 celebrated anniversary reunions. Highlights of theweekend included:• A Friday golf outing at Penn National Golf Club• A brown-bag lunch with Charles Barndt ’58, who spoke abouthis experiences as an aviation engineer with Lockheed Martin

• The Blue & White Swim Meet, plus a recognition ceremonyhonoring Stan Smoyer ’30

• A Burgin Center reception and exhibition by former RegentRobert Kurtz ’52

• A weekend kick-off event, followed by Steps Songs & SchoolCheers and a bonfire

• The annual Alumni Remembrance and Recognition Ceremony• A Saturday barbecue on Tippetts Beach• Athletic contests, including football and women’s tennis winsover Bullis

• Dedication of NoldeGymnasium’s Wein Foyer inmemory of Isadore Wein, fatherof Alan ’58, Robert ’64, andGary ’67

• Class dinners and gatherings• Sunday Chapel service andcarillon recital featuring facultyemeritus James W. Smith

Alumni Weekend 2008

Alan Wein ’58,Douglas Hale, andDirector of AthleticsRick Hendrickson atthe dedication of theWein Foyer insideNolde Gymnasium

Paula Johnson Smith ’83, Megan and Todd Friedman ’83, Laura Sawyer Pitman ’83

Ed Bou ’48 visiting with football players

A bird’s-eye view

Bond Stockdale ’09and father, Jim ’68,celebrate a victory

Steps Songs on thesteps of Main Hall

Stan Smoyer ’30 addressing swimmers and alumni at the Blue & White Swim Meet

Dick Schmidt ’55, Bill Cook ’51, Bill Turpin ’55, John Hornbaker ’55

Scott Mironov, Amber Mironov, Doug Crompton ’83, Susan Blaschak Mironov ’83, John Park ’83

Jonathan “Doc” Shirer ’58, Jack Farrell ’58, Fred Robins ’58, Jim Young ’58

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co-authored more than 830 articles and 20 books, and has morethan 50 multimedia presentations to his credit. His professionalhonors include the Urodynamics Society Lifetime AchievementAward and the F. Brantley Scott Award of the American Founda-tion for Urologic Disease.

At Mercersburg, Wein was a member of the Cum Laude Societyand The Fifteen, captained the tennis team, and was a Marshallman. He remains active in the Mercersburg community as amember of the Board of Regents, and sits on the Board’s Admis-sion-College Counseling and Academic Policy committees. Weinhas three daughters and lives with his wife, Noele, in Gladwyne,Pennsylvania.

The Class of 1932 established the award at its graduation torecognize former students who have distinguished themselvesthrough their character, service, or achievement.

ALUMNI COUNCIL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDJames C. Pfautz ’48Following his graduation from Mercersburg, Pfautz received anEnglish-Speaking Union scholarship to the Shrewsbury School inEngland (where he was honored among its 100 distinguished grad-uates—a list that included Charles Darwin). He retired from theUnited States Air Force with the rank of major general, and is agraduate of the U.S. Military Academy, American University, andthe National War College.

In 1974, Pfautz was named senior military fellow at the Councilon Foreign Relations in New York. He worked as an assistant chiefof staff for intelligence at the Pentagon, and had command assign-ments in France, Egypt, Vietnam, and the U.S., which included188 combat missions flown during the Vietnam War. Pfautz receivedthe Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, the Legion of Merit withOak Leaf Cluster, and the Distinguished Service Medal.

At Mercersburg, Pfautz was a member of Irving and the swim-ming and cross country teams. He has served on the AlumniCouncil, as chair for his 25th and 40th reunions, and as a memberof his 60th reunion committee.

Established in 1997, the award recognizes Mercersburg alumniwho have distinguished themselves not just in their professions,but who also have outstanding records of service to their commu-nities and others.

ALUMNI COUNCIL SERVICE AWARDAndrew R. Ammerman ’68Ammerman’s passion for philanthropy, spir-ituality, and family has guided his life. Duringhis high-school years, he loved Chapel serv-ices and credits the spiritual aspects ofMercersburg for helping him return to hisspiritual roots. He graduated from the Univer-sity of Rochester with a degree in Asian Amer-ican inter-disciplinary studies and a minor intheology, with credits earned at GeorgetownUniversity’s School of Foreign Service.

Ammerman is passionate about education and the future of youngpeople; he has applied this passion to his service to Mercersburg’sBoard of Regents. Ammerman and his mother, Josephine, have endowedthe annual Ammerman Family Lecture Series, the annual Ammer-man Distinguished Teaching Award, and contribute an annual fullscholarship at Mercersburg.

The Ammermans co-sponsor the Fund for the Future of our Chil-dren’s annual Peace Essay Contest for the Children of Abraham. FFCnurtures today’s youth into tomorrow’s peacemakers.

Ammerman serves on the Board of Trustees of Arena Stage in Wash-ington, and on Georgetown University’s Board of Regents as a memberof the Mission and Ministry and Law School Affairs committees. Heis a third-generation member of the Washington Hebrew Congrega-tion and a member of the Army and Navy Club of Washington.

Established by the Alumni Council, this award is given to the personwho has made the most outstanding contributions to MercersburgAcademy.

CLASS OF ’32 PLAQUEJohn K. Lawrence ’58Alan J. Wein ’58Lawrence earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, andreceived a master’s and Ph.D. in physics from Northeastern Univer-sity. His career in physics and astronomy has included teaching at Cali-fornia State University, Northridge, and research in the areas of relativity,cosmology theory, and solar astronomy.

The valedictorian of his Mercersburg class, Lawrence earned theSenior Medal and was a member of Irving and The Fifteen. He servedon the Board of Regents from 1990 until 1999, and remains an HonoraryRegent.

Lawrence has served as director of Helio Research, a nonprofitresearch organization; he is also a director of A Noise Within, a reper-tory-theatre company in California. Lawrence and his wife, Barbara,live in Glendale, California.

Wein is a graduate of Princeton University and the University ofPennsylvania School of Medicine. He holds an honorary Ph.D. fromthe University of Patras in Greece.

A professor and chair of the Division of Urology at the Universityof Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Wein also serves as chief of urologyat the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He has authored or

John Lawrence ’58, Alan Wein ’58, Jim Pfautz ’48, Andrew Ammerman ’68, Head of School Douglas Hale

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LOYALTY CLUBFront row (L–R): Tom Gardner ’48, John Linderman ’55, Tom Browning ’48, Hugh Miller ’48, Steve Heine ’48, Tom Kelly ’38, Tom Diehl ’48, Ray Magill ’48, Chuck Wiley ’48, Ed Bou ’48, Rick Mattern ’58, Jack Farrell ’58, Dick Schmidt ’55. Row 2: Tom Massey ’43, Charles Barndt ’58, Bill Simpson ’58, Tom Heflin ’58, Harry McAlpine ’47, Dick Law ’48, BillLawrence ’48, Frank Harvey ’48, Duke Wellington ’58, Steve Kozloff ’58, Bob Kerstein ’58, Bob Perry ’58, Bob Cullen ’58. Row 3: Bill Cook ’51, Jim Starkey ’58, Martin Myers ’36,Philip Abrams ’58, James Papoutsis ’58, Rudy Torruella ’58, Ched Hultman ’58, Ross Lenhart ’58, Guy Anderson ’58, Frank Richardson ’58, George Porter ’58. Row 4: JonathanShirer ’58, Alan Wein ’58, John Lawrence ’58, George Van Sciver ’58, William Erb ’58, William Vose ’58, George Kistler ’58, Jim Young ’58, Walter Cohen ’58, Fred Robins ’58, JohnEwing ’58, Dale Williams ’54.

CLASS OF 1948 Front row (L–R): Ray Magill, Tom Browning, Tom Gardner, Tom Diehl, Ed Bou, ChuckWiley. Row 2: Steve Heine, Hugh Miller, Bill Lawrence, Dick Law, Frank Harvey. CLASS OF 1958

Front row (L–R): Jonathan Shirer, Jack Farrell, Rick Mattern, John Ewing, Walter Cohen,George Porter. Row 2: Charles Barndt, Bill Simpson, Tom Heflin, Duke Wellington, SteveKozloff, Bob Kerstein, Bob Perry, Bob Cullen. Row 3: Alan Wein, Jim Starkey, PhilipAbrams, James Papoutsis, Rudy Torruella, Ched Hultman, Ross Lenhart, Guy Anderson,Frank Richardson. Row 4: John Lawrence, George Van Sciver, William Erb, William Vose,George Kistler, Jim Young, Fred Robins.

CLASS OF 1963Front row (L–R): Charles Ballou, Harry Eiferle, Jim Goodwin, Richard Loebl, JimCampbell, Geoff Russell. Row 2: Mike Gocke, Paul Sommerville, Charlie Coates, DrewBisset, Marty Sweeney, Witcher McCullough. Row 3: David Millstein, John Miller,William Woods, Hugh Jamison, Kent Price, Bob Adair, Gene Homicki.

CLASS OF 1968Front row (L–R): Philip Barry, Eric Klieber, Bruce Kemmler, John Fox, Robert Magill, CharlieAlter. Row 2: Doug Bressler, Bill Ford, Lou Stanton, Jim Stockdale, Doug Miller, MichaelGery. Row 3: Andrew Ammerman, Rawley Krasik, Kendrick Snyder, Dennis Forney, BarryMarshall, Tucker Shields.

CLASS OF 1978Front row (L–R): Mark Hammond, Ceci Depman Bennett, Chuck Rogers. Row 2: Pilar DiazBenassi, Steven Schmidt, Nancy Lawrence Hill.

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CLASS OF 2003Front row (L–R): Gabrielle Joffie, Charles Cutshall, Wynn Thane,Jennifer Hendrickson, Meredith Knott, Mariel Gallet. Row 2:Whitney Groseclose, Vanessa Youngs, Sarah deVries, NathanFochtman, Morgan Higby-Flowers. Row 3: Victoria Leontieva, JamieBlackburn, Chris Gallon, Joseph Ambrose, Sam Miller, ScottLindquist.

CLASS OF 1998Front row (L–R): Kira Robles, AbbyRussell, Sarah Reed, Jim Kaurudar,Robyn Gdula, Molly Edmonds, TaylorPhillips, Seb Moity. Row 2: KevinHunt, Laura Mullett, Chris DeSimone,Shelley West, Julie Hasson, KristinePierson, Kristen Pelekanakis, MirandaBeVier, Jessica Swope, BradleyCodrea. Row 3: Patrick Lykins, ChesleyBastholm Nonemaker, Sarah Cohen,Elizabeth Curry, Julia Wiedeman,Jaiman Park, Leslie Magraw, AndySprott, A.J. Thieblot, John Mulcahy.Row 4: Kyle Logan, Owen Rice, JeffAdair, Peter Hamilton, TimothyEdmonds, Ryan Chodnicki, PierceLord, Derick Hahn, Jay Lee.

CLASS OF 1988Front row (L–R): Susie Lyles-Reed, Tim Hoover, Todd Hershey, Neil Mendelsohn, Michael White,Meredith Ruble, Andrew Hall. Row 2: Eric Reed, Chris Varner, Lisa Lemley Webber, Julia McMillan-Jones, Natalie Kostelni McGrory, Heather Gibson Wetzel, Jennifer Cutshall Sobich, Suzanne Dysard,Iain Martin. Row 3: Paul Giannaris, Bill Su, Jim Sienkiewicz, Doug Eddy, Alex Keller, Andrew Saulnier,Hans Morefield, Roger Staiger. Row 4: Steve Pessagno, Mark Hjelle, Mike Olsen, Dan Hauschild, DavidNewcomb, Nancy Widmer, Sara Plantz Brennen, Jim Poirot.

CLASS OF 1993Front row (L–R): Sarah Smith, Ashley Bastholm Piraino, Jackie CranePeacock, Paul Royer. Row 2: Rob Pitts, Alyson McKee Humphreys,Bryce Poirot.

CLASS OF 1983Front row (L–R): Carolyn Dickie Lewis, Kathy Hughes, Jonathan Puleo, Paula Johnson Smith, SusanBlaschak Mironov, Jim Worthington, Anne Raugh Keene, Alfredo Baquerizo, John Park. Row 2: JackCrawford, Scott Sundstrom, Laura Sawyer Pitman, Guido Porcarelli, Rich Katz, Janice Jackson, ErikaLaCerda, Tim Burbank. Row 3: Doug Crompton, John Palmer, Ted Smith, Betsy Mitchell, Todd Friedman,Shawn Stouffer-Rodrigues, Robert Wheeler, Jay Bowden.

ArtsFeb 6–8 Stony Batter presents Brigadoon

Simon Theatre (8 p.m. Fri/Sat, 2 p.m. Sun)

Feb 20 Winter Pops ConcertSimon Theatre, 8 p.m.

Apr 3–4 Philip Glass in residence(performance information TBA)

May 1 Student Art Auction begins, 7 p.m.Spring Music Concert, 8 p.m.

2008–2009 Dates to Remember

Seven years ago, after a flashy but short-livedexplosion of dance performances atMercers-burg, Denise Dalton arrived with solid train-ing and educational credentials and beganto construct what has become a key ingredi-ent of the school’s dynamic and diverse artsuniverse—one that was mightily enhancedtwo years ago with the opening of the BurginCenter.This fall, Dalton added to her duties as

director of dance by beginning a five-yearterm as chair of the arts department. In hernew role, she succeeds Laurie Mufson, whoheld the position for six years and continuesasMercersburg’s director of theatre. (Mufsonwas named the school’s inaugural PalmerFamily Chair for the Fine Arts this fall.)When asked about the value and worth of

the arts in an increasingly bottom-line-drivensociety, she exclaims with more than a hintof seriousness, “It’s right brain, baby!” Forthose around campus who participated in anall-faculty seminar on two recent books(Howard Gardner’s Five Minds for the Futureand Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind),Dalton’s exclamation signifies the continua-tion of a powerful advocacy for the intellec-tual and social power of the arts in secondaryeducation. “American culture is one of thefew that devalues the arts,” she sighs. “Butoften, the arts provide important indicatorsof what’s happening in society.”The Mercersburg community is chock-

full of commitments from daybreak to wellpast dusk, and the arts must work hard to insertitself in students’ busy schedules. Yet, asDalton recalls clearly, “my hair stood up when

Stage

KathleenMetcalfe ’06 choreographeda dance that had her peers comingout of their seats—a community thatwas otherwise too busy for suchenthusiasm.”The magnet that ultimately

drew Dalton to Mercersburg (shewas then considering a number ofteaching options, including someat the university level) was thesupport for enlarging and empow-ering the arts by the administrationand faculty. “Academics must beour first consideration—butsurrounded by fully embraced artsand athletics,” she says.Her new role as department

chair, she says, will be to consol-idate andmaintain the gains of recentyears. “Laurie did an incredible job, going

ON

Stony Batter opened its 2008–2009 season with The Diary ofAnne Frank in September in theHale Studio Theatre.Ashton Vattelana ’09(pictured right,withJohn Henry Reilly ’10)was cast in the roleof Anne.

By Jim Applebaum

to bat time and time again for the arts,arguing for increases in graduationrequirements in the arts, runningretreats, and bringing in a visit-ing committee to objectivelyevaluate our programs,”

Dalton says. “Shebrought thearts to a reallysolid place atMercersburg,and I want to

continue that.”As she whisks off for a

session with young dancers in theBurgin Center’s Reeder DanceStudio, Dalton mentions a quoteby the great choreographer TwylaTharp: “Art is the only way to runaway without leaving home.”

Dalton Dances In as Department Head

Schedule subject to change; for a full and updated schedule of events, visit www.mercersburg.edu

A native of South Philadelphia, Mark Cubitplayed his way from Sharon Hill HighSchool to the University of Vermont andthen Syracuse University. A guard on anationally ranked Syracuse team under theleadership of a young coach named JimBoeheim, Cubit (Mercersburg’s headmen’sbasketball coach for the past 10 seasons) stillgoes to upstate New York for basketball; butnow it’s to watch his son, Colin ’06, play forthe University of Rochester.He and his wife, Sandie, estimate that

they receive two or three calls each weekfrom former players, and he proudly servedas best man at one former player’s wedding.Simply put, Cubit thinks and talks basket-ball—and his players, past and present,respond to his philosophy of the game. Readon for some of Cubit’s insights, in his ownwords:• “Practice is another classroom. Coach-

ing is teaching, but it’s not just teachingabout the game. Respect, honor, selflessness,community service, preparation, immersingoneself in something bigger than any oneperson, the ability to see what is really infront of you as opposed to only looking forwhat you expect to see—these are some ofthe most important things we teach.• “Basketball is as close to jazz as you can

get in sport. You have five players playingdifferent instruments and they perform best

AthleticsFeb 13–15 Men’s/women’s basketball at MAPL Tournament

Feb 14 Pennsylvania Independent Schools StateWrestling Tournament

MAPLWinter Track & Field Championships

Feb 20–21 Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming Championships

Feb 28 33rd Annual Burbank Squash Invitational(Davenport Squash Center)

Dates to Remember

Schedule subject to change; for updated schedules and results, visit www.mercersburg.edu

The Game within theGameInside Mark Cubit’sphilosophy of basketball

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SpringVarsity Athletics RoundupBaseball Captains: Chris Freeland ’08, David O’Brien ’08Baseball Award (most outstanding player):Freeland

Brent Gift Baseball Award (most improved player):Tom Timoney ’09

Swoope Baseball Trophy (sportsmanship/goodfellowship): O’BrienHead coach: Karl Reisner (17th season)Record: 18–8 (7–3 MAPL)Highlights: Team earned a MAPL co-championship(with Peddie)… Chris Sintetos ’08 and Tom

Timoney were named first-team All-MAPL, while

Freeland garnered honorable-mention honors and

was named all-area by the [Chambersburg] Public

Opinion… Freeland, Sintetos, Tom Timoney, Collin

Stevens ’08, and Christian Binford ’11 were named

second-team all-area by the [Hagerstown] Herald-

Mail… five players (Stevens, Sintetos, Trevor Smith

’09, Matt Timoney ’11, and Tom Timoney) all

batted more than .400… Binford tossed a no-hitter

against Martinsburg in his first high-school start,

and finished the season with a 6–2 mark and a

1.43 ERA… Tom Timoney struck out 57 hitters in 44

innings and posted a 2.06 earned-run average…

Freeland smashed three grand slams and drove

in 31 runs.

GolfCaptain: Mike Reddy ’09 Golf Award (most outstanding player): Ben Mellott ’09

Coaches’ Award (most improved player): ReddyHead coach: Paul Galey (9th season)MAPL finish: 4thHighlights: Caroline Lovette ’09 became the secondstraight Mercersburg golfer to win the MAPL

women’s individual title when she captured the

league crown by three strokes… Notre Dame

Academy and Bullis fell to the Blue Storm in head-

to-head competition… the team finished fourth at

the MAPL Championship, besting Hun by eight

strokes and Blair by nine; Mellott and Peter

Jones ’09 carded the top team score (86) at

the tournament.

Men’s LacrosseCaptains: Ben Axelrod ’08, Garrett Matthews ’08,Andrew Reichardt ’08, Jay Whyel ’08

Men’s Lacrosse Award (most outstanding player):Reichardt

Lacrosse Alumni Award (most improved player):Mitch Shetter ’08

Nelson T. Shields ’70 Lacrosse Award(spirit/teamwork/sportsmanship):Tad Holzapfel ’09

Special award (sportsmanship/overallcontribution): Hisaki Mizutani ’08

when combining preparation with creativ-ity. At some point, each player has to stepto the front. • “We don’t identify positions on our

teams. We don’t have players playing aposition. A skill set defines what we do,not a job description. In fact, we haven’thad the same offense or defense for twoyears’ running since I’ve been here. Welet them play first, and then we build upontheir strengths.• “In a rapidly changing world, you first

have to understand yourself. By servingothers, you learn about yourself. If youalways put the task first and you focus onlyon that, then you are in the moment. It’snot about you; it’s about something biggerthan you. A player setting the screen is justas important as the person scoring thepoints, but the screen-setter’s role may onlyreally be appreciated by one or two peoplein the stands who really understand the game. • “I learned much of my own philoso-

phy from coaches like Boeheim, who workhard to make better men as well as betterbasketball players. The best coaches inter-sect with players where they live. We spendfive or six minutes at the end of each prac-tice session asking kids how our work onthe court applies to their current and future lives. • “Each week we focus on a different

character trait. For example, we’ll take Aristotle’s quote, ‘We are what we repeat-edly do. Excellence, then, is not an act buta habit,’ and we’ll make that our focus fora full week—both on and off the court.We ask players to do something significanteach week, but to do it anonymously. Wework to appreciate the roles differentpeople play on campus, whether in thedining hall, in the school administration,or in the classroom. We try to become thatperson in the stands who fully appreciatesthe game, who recognizes the contribu-tions of each player.”—Phil Kantaros

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mention)… Dobish, Riley, Rachel Greenberg ’08, and

Destinee Hays ’08 were all four-year letterwinners…

Riley was 11–2 with an 0.91 earned-run average

and struck out 118 hitters in 93 innings of work;

she also led the team in stolen bases (24) and runs

batted in (21)… Duda was the team leader in

batting average (.385) and on-base percentage (.408).

Men’s TennisMen’s Tennis Award (most outstanding player):Stephan Kreifels ’09, Napat Waikwamdee ’09

Coaches’ Award (most improved player): Marcel Wontorra ’09

Head coach: Eric Hicks (14th season)Record: 3–7 (1–4 MAPL)Highlights: Kreifels, who played No. 1 singles,earned first-team All-MAPL honors and was

selected all-area by the Herald-Mail… Waikwamdee,

who compiled a 7-6 mark at No. 2 singles, won

more matches than anyone on the roster… Eli

Littlefield ’11 (No. 6 singles) went undefeated in

MAPL singles play… Kreifels and Waikwamdee

formed the Storm’s top doubles team (3–5 at the

No. 1 position)… the team recorded head-to-head

wins over Blair, Jefferson, and Chambersburg.

Head coach: Todd McGuire (1st season)Record: 2–12 (1–4 MAPL)Highlights: Reichardt was the team’s leadingscorer; other top scorers included Will Fejes ’08,

Whyel, and James Gotoff ’09… Chris Stoken ’09

moved from attack to the net and kept the Blue

Storm competitive in most contests… Reichardt

earned honorable-mention All-MAPL honors…

wins came against Blair and St. James… those

playing collegiate lacrosse this season include

Reichardt (Dickinson), Axelrod (Sewanee),

Matthews (Washington College), and Nick

Rowan ’08 (Gettysburg).

Women’s LacrosseCaptain:Mary Lancaster ’08Women’s Lacrosse Award (most outstandingplayer): LancasterCoaches’ Award (most improved player): Paige Harry ’10

Head coach: Stephanie Bacon (1st season)Record: 9–5 (2–3 MAPL)Highlights: The team, which opened the seasonwith wins in six of its first eight contests, beat

Lawrenceville for the first time in the program’s

history… Jenn Dillon ’09 set a school record (and led

the MAPL) with 67 goals; Annie Birney ’09 added 41

goals and Stephanie Seibert ’09 contributed 144

saves in goal… Dillon and Lancaster were named

first-team All-MAPL, and Birney, Dillon, Seibert, and

Coralie Thomas ’09 garnered first-team all-area

recognition from the Herald-Mail… Lancaster

earned a varsity letter all four years… Sarah Mason

will be the team’s new head coach this spring.

SoftballCaptains: Lauren Dobish ’08, Cree Riley ’08Softball Award (most outstanding player): RileyCoaches’ Award (most improved player): Leigh Saner ’10

Head coach: Nikki Walker (2nd season)Record: 12–8 (4–6 MAPL)Highlights: Dobish won the Ecker Award, which isgiven to the outstanding female athlete/citizen in

the senior class… Dobish was first-team All-MAPL,

while Riley and Sarah Duda ’10 earned honorable-

mention honors… Public Opinion all-area selections

included Riley (first team), Dobish (second team),

and Duda and Julie Garlick ’11 (honorable

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Men’s Track & FieldCaptains: James Finucane ’08, Patrick Morgan ’08,Fleet White ’08

Men’s Track & Field Award (most outstandingathlete): FinucaneEdward J. Powers ’37 Award (most improvedathlete): Nebiyu Osman ’10Robert Fager Black ’07/’45 Trophy(sportsmanship/loyalty): David Strider ’08Head coach: Skip Sydnor (1st season)MAPL/state finish: 4th/7thHighlights: See below for full details about thethree school records set during the season…

Finucane (1600m/3200m), White (400m hurdles),

and Strider (high jump) were individual MAPL

champions… state independent-school champions

included Finucane (1600m), White (300m hurdles),

and the 4x400m relay team of Strider, Morgan,

Finucane, and White… Finucane also earned the

Plantz Award, which is given to the outstanding

male senior-class athlete/citizen... honorable-

mention All-MAPL selections included Morgan,

Osman, Bill Campi ’08, Kareem

Hannoun ’09, Zach Bailey ’10, Ellis Mays ’10, Zach

Olivos ’10, Nikolai Paloni ’10, Ethan Strickler ’08,

Palis Tarasansombat ’11, Will Wongsirikul ’10, Trent

Woodham ’08, and Clayton Young ’08… Morgan

lettered all four years.

Women’s Track & FieldCaptains: Laura Diller ’08, Annie Spencer ’08Women’s Track & Field Award (most outstandingathlete): Lena Finucane ’09Edward J. Powers ’37 Award (most improvedathlete): SpencerRobert Fager Black ’07/’45 Trophy(sportsmanship/loyalty): DillerHead coach: Betsy Willis (7th season)MAPL/state finish: 2nd/4th

Highlights: Finucane swept the 800-, 1600-, and3200-meter runs at the MAPL Championships…

other MAPL champions included Paige

Summers ’11 (discus) and the 4x800m relay team

of Hannah Miller ’10, Joy Mullins ’10, Soso

Buggisch ’10, and Spencer… Finucane (1600m)

and Deborah Adjibaba ’11 (800m) claimed titles

at the Pennsylvania Independent Schools State

Championships… honorable-mention All-MAPL

selections included Adjibaba, Diller, Brea Davies ’10,

Michelle Karbach ’08, Sarah Kolanowski ’10,

Brookke Mahaffey ’10, Whitney Matthew ’08,

Mackenzie Riford ’11, Asia Walker ’09, and Emily

Weiss ’08… Diller and Spencer were both four-year

letterwinners.

Broken RecordsTwo members of the Class of 2008 (James Finucane and Fleet White) posted a totalof three men’s track and field records in the spring. Finucane’s 4:18.59 mile at theprestigious Penn Relays in April was the best ever for a Mercersburg athlete, andcame in front of an estimated crowd of 30,000 at Franklin Field in Philadelphia (he finished eighth overall at the meet). Finucane also set a new school best in the3200-meter run at the West Central Coaches’ Meet in Altoona in May. Finucanewas the Mid-Atlantic Prep League champion in both events.White ran the 400-meter hurdles in a school-best time of 56.08 seconds at the

MAPL Championships in May. Both are running for NCAA Division I programs this year (Finucane at Penn and

White at Navy). And Finucane’s younger sister, Lena ’09, pulled off a rare sweep ofthe 800-, 1600-, and 3200-meter runs at the MAPL Championships.

James Finucane (left) and Fleet White

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ANNIVERSARY REUNION WEEKEND

Connect the past, present, and future � June 11–14, 2009

Thursday, June 116–7:30 p.m. Casual, relaxed dinner in Ford Hall with classmatesand guests. After dinner, join Mercersburg family and friends for agreat time at Flannery’s Tavern on the Square.

Friday, June 1210–11 a.m. and 2–3 p.m. “Faculty Connections”Don’t miss these stimulating discussions with faculty.

4–5 p.m. Alumni Focus GroupsHere’s your chance to have an impact on important school programs.

5–6 p.m. Cocktails & Mocktails for Mercersburg Class Agents andReunion Volunteers at Landis House.

6–8 p.m. Outdoor SoiréeGet out your dancing shoes and enjoy a delicious meal, music, and aMercersburg party!

8–10 p.m. After-dinner Tournaments Show your school spirit by participating in fun activities—familymembers included.

All day Friday and Saturday Legacy CampChildren ages 7 and older can create their own Mercersburg memories.

If your class year ends in 4 or 9, celebrate your five-year anniversary reunion with fellowalumni, faculty, and students this June. During weekend events, connect your past Mercersburgexperiences with the Mercersburg of today, and create relationships that will last a lifetime.

Saturday, June 138–9 a.m. Morning Warm-up Join us for yoga, an alumni run, or a round of golf at Whitetail GolfResort.

9–10 a.m. 50th Anniversary Reunion Breakfast with the Head ofSchool at North Cottage.

9:30–10:15 a.m. Student Discussion Panel Up-close and candid student conversations—you ask, they’ll talk!

10:30–11:15 a.m. Mercersburg Admission Have a family member or friend interested in Mercersburg Academy? Here’s the chance to get an insight into the admission process.

11:15 a.m.–12 p.m. School UpdateWhat’s happening and what’s to come at Mercersburg? Head ofSchool Douglas Hale shares the Academy’s plans.

10:15–11 a.m. and 2–2:45 p.m. Discover MercersburgWalk around the historic district and through the alleys with faculty.

12–2 p.m. All-alumni Luncheon with Keynote Speaker in FordHall. More clues about this exciting keynote address to come.

12–4 p.m. Individual Class ActivitiesLook for more details about what your class volunteers have in store.

6–11 p.m. Class Dinners, Photos, and Dance Party

Sunday, June 1410 a.m. Anniversary Reunion Weekend Chapel Service

Look for the early-bird registration notice in January. For future updates and more information, visit www.mercersburg.edu/alumni.See you in June!

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AlumniNotes

Submit alumni notes and photographs online or by email toNewsNotes@mercersburg.edu or yourclass agent. Submissions may appearonline or in print. Mercersburg reservesthe right to edit submissions for spaceor content, and is not responsible for more than reasonable editing or fact-checking.

’38� Ned Hermannehermann404@comcast.net

’39The late Jack Welsh was inducted intothe University of Pennsylvania AthleticHall of Fame.

’40William A. “Bill” Schneiderwrites, “At 86,I’m getting a little too out of breath totravel great distances, so I am unable tovisit the ’Burg. However, I still ride mySinski scooter around my hometown ofKane, Pennsylvania (in the northwesternpart of the state), distributing Chris-tian tracts and sharing with anyone whowill listen how Christ changed my lifeand I was reborn at the age of 33—and

how He can change anyone’s life thatwill invite Him to do so. Later, I spent 30years as a Methodist pastor—retiringin 1986 from the itinerancy but still being a witness for Jesus.”

’42Tom Marshall relocated to CokesburyVillage near Hockessin, Delaware. Hisformer home will become part of theFriends of Auburn Heights Preserve,which is home to Tom’s inherited col-lection of small-scale steam trains.

’43Ed Young and his wife, Louise, have cre-ated an endowed fund at Mercersburgto support the teaching of Americanconstitutional precepts. Ed and Louisefeel it is critical for young people tostudy the U.S. Constitution and Bill ofRights, and that it is fundamental back-ground in their growth as citizens of to-day’s world. Ed and Louise look forwardto returning to campus soon to visitwith students who are benefiting fromtheir gift; they would also like to hearhow Ed’s Mercersburg contemporarieshave chosen to support the current ac-tivities of the school.

David Smith ’32 with (back row, from left) grandson Joshua ’96 and sons Allan ’64, Paul ’59, Brian ’75, Ronnie ’57, Dave III ’68, andStephen ’68.

Back on campus: Bill Watkins ’49.

’48� Pat Harris(widow of Bill Harris ’48)whatpath@mindspring.com� Ray Magillrmagill@juno.com � Hugh Millerhcmfaia@comcast.net � Jim Pfautzbsgimd@aol.com

’49� Bill Alexander740-282-5810

Bill Watkins writes, “It has been roughfor me since July 2007. As a result of twoseizures, I spent three weeks in FairfaxCounty Hospital, followed by eightweeks as an inpatient in a rehabilita-tion center. This was followed by sev-eral weeks of home care and extendedoutpatient treatment. Both before andafter my seizures, I have spent consid-erable time getting some normality inmy retired life—many years as a MasterGardener under the auspices of the Virginia Extension Service, attendingtraining classes on a weekly basis andworking in the County Plant Clinics inthe growing months. Other volunteerefforts that I enjoy are taking care of

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some of my neighbors’ dogs and sup-porting the North Shore Animal Leagueand Animal Rescue in this area. Recently,Kelly Schoenberger from Mercersburg’sAlumni & Development Office came tovisit. It was a most pleasant experience,which included my thoughts of my timeat Mercersburg as a resident working-boy from 1947 to 1949, and of the Mer-cersburg environment since graduation.Fortunately, I’ve been able to get back forAlumni Weekend many times since retirement from the Army in 1979.”

’51Bert McGann writes, “When I attendedMercersburg in 1950 and 1951, we hadperhaps the best track team in the his-tory of the school. Those were the yearsof Gus Ormrod ’50, Henry Thresher ’51,Larry Lattomus ’51, and Lee Yoder ’50.Gus ran a 4:18 in the Boardwalk Mile atAtlantic City. The various times of Henryin the sprints were incredible, as were

those of Olympian Yoder in the hurdles.I tip my hat to James Finucane ’08 andhis 4:18.59 mile.” [Editor’s note: Since theBoardwalk Mile was run in a straight lineand not on an oval track, it does not qual-ify as an official school record.]

Larry Sheridan is enjoying full retire-ment. He was appointed to the Board ofGovernors of the Lehigh-NorthamptonAirport Authority, which oversees theLehigh Valley International Airport.

James Turney Jr. writes, “I was 65 whenI ran my first marathon, was diagnosedwith prostate cancer just after the second one, had seed implants thatworked, ran another marathon, and nowam in total remission. I run daily withmy 70-pound Airedale, Star Sweetheart.We average 3.74 miles per day; our goalis 1,365 miles for the year. Last year, I felloff a ladder, which cost me 70 miles, soI only had 1,260 miles for the year. Thisyear, it will be much more. Getting better, not older.”

’54� Jack Connollyjackconnolly@cfmr.com

’58� Guy Andersonguykanderson@att.net � George Kistlergwkistler@aol.com� Steve Kozloffriokoz@cox.net� Ross Lenhartrlenhart@sc.rr.com � Jim Starkeystarkyj1@universalleaf.com � Bill Vosewovose@kaballero.com � Alan Weinalan.wein@uphs.upenn.edu

John Stevens retired after more than 15years of work for the Commonwealth ofPennsylvania. He had previously retiredfrom the U.S. Air Force after 23 years of

service. He keeps busy with volunteerwork, reading, and his computer.

’59� Hank Bowishbowis@cox.net� Al Douglassal_douglass@ml.com� Barry Dubbsbdubbs@targetlogos.com� Clem Geitnerhkyleather@aol.com� Charlie Hamburgchamburg@effortfoundry.com� Bob Hechtrhecht@ecovacs.com� Bob Hughesbob.hughes@jgr.com� Frank Lloydfwlloyd@mintz.com

’60Ken Pearlman, head of the Departmentof City and Regional Planning at TheOhio State University, has been inductedinto the American Institute of CertifiedPlanners’ College of Fellows. Only 400 ofthe approximately 15,500 members ofthe group have earned the designation.Election is granted to planners who havedemonstrated excellence in professionalpractice, teaching and mentoring, re-search, community service, leadershipand communication.

’63� Gene Homicki ukey@spiders.com� Dave Millsteinsponte@aol.com � Paul Sommervillepsommerville@hargray.com

Joel Stein writes, “For the last fiveyears, I entered and completed (don’task for my times) the Brooklyn HalfMarathon. It starts on the boardwalkin Coney Island and finishes inProspect Park, near where we live. Ourdaughter, Dana, is beginning collegethis fall at George Washington Univer-sity. In case it’s not obvious, we got alate start. I plan to continue practicinglaw (criminal defense) for at least fivemore years—until my current lease ex-pires, and then I’ll see how I feel andwhether I want to continue.”

After Marty Sweeney graduated fromthe University of Vermont with a bach-elor’s degree in languages, served withthe Army in Vietnam and Korea, and at-tended graduate school at the Univer-sity of New Hampshire, he had to makesome decisions. Marty and his wife, Pam,decided to embark upon a career in thehospitality industry, starting with Sher-aton Hotels. In 1978, they purchased theWildcat Inn in Jackson, New Hampshire,and owned and ran it together until2007. Marty was head chef andconcierge while Pam was the head baker

AVAI LABLE IN THE SCHOOL STORE AND ONL INE AT

www.mercersburgstore.com

Ties, totes, and belts madeexclusively for Mercersburg

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home in Hagerstown, Maryland. (Goinghome was always a treat as my motherwas a great cook.) My aunt and unclebrought us back to the ’Burg, and I canstill remember entering our floor fromthe stairwell and being hit with a sick-ening smell and asking Stokley, ‘What’sthat?’ When I opened our door, I foundthat it was our room; Weiss, John Groh,and Val Deininger had decided that ourcologne was better served on the floorthan on our faces, so our Jade East andEnglish Leather (remember those won-derful aromas? barf!) went onfirst. Then came a layer of shavingcream—about 1 to 3 inches if I recall.But the crowning achievement was thelayer upon layer of magnolia petals thatwere put on the shaving cream; if thecologne was not bad enough, the petalswere. Magnolias smell great outdoors,but inside, the smell is overpowering,and overpowering it was… Jay and (I assume) John and Val—and perhapssome of you unnamed—spent hoursgoing around campus collecting thesepetals. I understand that one or twoteachers may have even helped in thecollection. I am still plotting my re-venge!” On a completely different note,Dick’s vineyard, Knob Hall Winery, is ontap to become Maryland’s largest vineyard and Washington County’s firstwinemaker after 60 acres of grapes areplanted in 2010.

’70� Paul Mellottpmellott@mellots.com

Faculty member and Director of Instruc-tional Technology Frank Rutherford leftin August for Visakhapatnam, India,where he spent four months teachingAP environmental science and micro-economics with School Year Abroad. Frankhas been blogging about his experiences;be sure to visit web.mac.com/frunner/India/Welcome.html, comment, and learnmore about his semester in India.

Lloyd Schaeffer visited campus in August with his father, F. David Schaeffer ’37, and Cindy Compton. Lloydretrieved some information on his classmates and promises to get in touchwith some of you in the near future—watch for his calls or emails. Lloyd and Cindy planned to attend the Candlelight Service in December. Lloyd can be reached at Lloyd_Schaeffer@troweprice.com; he now has a granddaughter, Jaiden Ann Schaeffer, who was born December 11, 2007.

’72� Tom HadzorT.Hadzor@Duke.edu � Eric Scoblionkowekdirscobes@aol.com

In 2005, Thomas Lansdale steppeddown after 10 years as chairman of med-

’67� Allan Rosebyrose@superior.net� Ed Russellmartnwod@bellsouth.net

Albert “A.R.” Perez has two grand-daughters, Reagan Elizabeth Shaw andRyan Jayne Shaw.

Steven Warden continues to practiceurology in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is enjoying his first grandson, Jacob, who is 14 months old and the son of Natalie Warden Wilmer ’98. Steven retired from flying after 40 years, and istaking up sailing on the Chesapeake Bay.His travels will take him to Chile againthis year to visit a close friend.

’68� Charles Alterca@buckeye-express.com� Bill Fordwilliam_ford@ml.com� Rich Helzelrhelzel@mac.com � Bruce Kemmlerkemmler@kemmlerproducts.com � Mike Kopenkopen@goeaston.net � Tucker Shieldsshieldst@mercersburg.edu � Clarence Youngsclarence4150@aol.com

’69� Rick Fleckaspnrick@aol.com � Rich Freedman rfreedman@iqworks.net � Dick Seibertrseibert@knobhall.com

Dick Seibertwrites, “Jay Weisswas quickto remind me that it was about thistime in our senior year. Bob Stokley andI roomed together in Tippetts and wesigned out on a Saturday to go to my

and tended to most of the business as-pects. As a husband-and-wife team,they thoroughly enjoyed their work andmanaged to raise two sons. They soldthe inn last year, but remain connectedwith the neighboring Whitney’s Inn. Thecouple also enjoys catering, and Pamproduces fused glass art that is sold inthe Jackson/Conway area. They have alovely, rambling New England home onthree acres with a beautiful river cuttingthrough their property. If you are in thearea, give Marty and Pam a call; theywould love to show you their commu-nity in the White Mountains of NewHampshire.

’64� Mike Radbillmradbill1@comcast.net

Class Agents Al Rose ’67 and Ed Russell ’67in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

In Hilton Head, South Carolina, before a Mercersburg leadership briefing (front row,L–R): Marilyn Kurtz, Mary Imler, Ariel Imler ’09, Alexis Imler ’05, Jenica Lee ’05 (daugh-ter of Joe Lee ’73). Back row: Robert Kurtz ’52, Gail Reeder (mother of Adam Reeder ’97and Anne Reeder ’00), Head of School Douglas Hale, Joe Imler ’72.

Main Hall roommates Dave Dupont ’80and John Beeken ’80.

Ty Lawrence ’80 and Jim Leberknight ’80rolled their Harleys onto the steps ofMain Hall. Ty lives in Virginia Beach andJim lives in Houston.

icine at Greater Baltimore MedicinePractice at GBMC. He says he has neverbeen happier professionally, and remains in good health “under the masterful care of friend and colleagueJim Porterfield.”

’73� Joe Lee jos.lee@comcast.net

’74� Kevin Longeneckerkklong@epix.net

’78� Heidi Kaul Krutekhkrutek@bellsouth.net

Jim Roywon his fourth career Post-Stan-dard Amateur Golf Championship inJune in Syracuse, New York. His 18-year-old son, Kevin, tied for second; anotherson and fellow alum, Kyle ’07, is in hissecond year on the golf team at the Uni-versity of Tampa.

’79� Gretchen Decker Piercepierce306@embarqmail.com� Carol Furnary Casparianfurnaryc@mercersburg.edu

Judy Russell Purman has publishedTracking Your Carbon Footprint: A Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding and In-ventorying Greenhouse Gas Emissions.For more information, visit www.thepurmangroup.com.

PPG Industries named Greg Wagnergeneral manager of industrial coatingsfor the Americas region.

’81� Dave Wagnerwags1262@sbcglobal.net� Greg Zinngreg@zinn.com

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Mark Montgomerywas interviewed forCarrier, a 10-part PBS miniseries that fol-lows the USS Nimitz during a deploy-ment to the Persian Gulf in support ofthe Iraq War.

’82� Duncan Whiteduncan.m.white@accenture.com� Todd Wellstodd.wells@jetblue.com

Jennifer Cox is a New York–based film-maker. She is a principal in Moto FilmsLLC, and has produced and directedshows featuring the likes of PresidentBill Clinton, Alan Greenspan, and EthanHawke. Her client list has includedShowtime, the History Channel, and Lifetime, as well as corporate clients MetLife and Barnes & Noble. (Formore information, visit www.motofilmsllc.com.) She adds that abouta year ago, while en route to a shootwith author/reporter Tom Friedman, sheran into Kitty Daly Resor, and they’vebeen in touch since.

Raymond Liddy was recognized in theSan Diego Daily Transcript’s list of TopAttorneys for 2008; the list pays tributeto San Diego County’s legal cream ofthe crop.

’83� Mark Pypermark.e.pyper@smithbarney.com � Bruce Ricciutijbr@birchrea.com

’84� Rachel Haines Bowmanrachbowman@comcast.net� Ann Quinnaquinn@scandh.com

More than 20 years after they firstfloated the idea to start a company andwork together, Jose Alonso and JorgeVargas have done just that. In 2004, Jose and his father-in-law foundedForgeHouse Inc., a software solutionscompany based in Alpharetta, Georgia.Jose is the company’s chief operatingofficer; Jorge was hired as its chief fi-nancial officer this spring. The companywent public in January 2008.

Tom Evans started swimming with aMasters group in Denver, and finishedthird in the 1500-meter freestyle andfifth in the 400-meter individual med-ley at the 2007 U.S. Masters Nationals.He also completed all five events in thePostal Championships. For his efforts,the Denver Athletic Club honored him asone of the club’s Athletes of the Year.Tom occasionally trains with some “kids”who swam for John Trembley at Ten-

nessee, and says he also got in a good skiseason this past winter and managed arun with Chris Erdman. “Our childrenhad a good time together, and we got tocatch up a bit,” he says. Tom is vice-president of acquisition and develop-ment at Magnolia Hotels. “I have takenon a new role helping a smaller hotelcompany grow into a brand,” he says.“Our hotels are in the central businessdistricts of Denver, Dallas, Houston, andOmaha; each is in a historic, architec-turally significant building that we havetransformed into a hotel.”

’86Elizabeth Steinhauser Bray is enjoyinglife in Texas. She was recently promotedto vice-president for Cape Classics, aSouth African wine importer. She saysthat the world of food, wine, and travelis great fun, but time at home with husband Christopher and daughters Riley (7) and Casey (5) is more fun thananything in the world.

’87� Kirsten Dryfoos Thompsonkirsten.e.thompson@gmail.com� Louis Najeralouis@davincicomm.com

Amy Konikowski-Lamperti publishedThe Playground Guide, Best of Morris

Births

Isaiah Torohn, son of Yvonne Rodriguez Blanc ’87 and her husband,Glenford, born March 13, 2008.

Children of Paul Moody ’89 and hiswife, Jill: big sister Heidi holdingPaul, who was born June 6, 2008.

Rowan Philip, son of Kim Lloyd ’90and her husband, Jonathan Nessel,born April 23, 2008.

Lily Joon, daughter of Sasha Emral Shaool Nourafchan ’93and her husband, Romyar, born June 8, 2008.

To Marianne Rosini Taylor ’90 andher husband, Steven: a daughter,Regan Patricia, March 10, 2008.

To Tim Putnam ’94 and his wife,Julie: a son, Miles MacKinsey, June 30, 2008.

To Tim Peterson ’97 and his wife,Michele: a son, Kain Alexander, August 16, 2007.

To Masroor Ahmed ’99 and his wife, Suroor Raheemullah: a daughter, Sophia Nasiha Ahmed,August 8, 2008.

To Laura Downs Niedosik ’01 and her husband, Lenny: a daughter,Allison Elizabeth, March 26, 2008.

To Kathleen Fleck ’07 and MorganSiffert: a son, Noah Louis Siffert,June 18, 2008.

Faculty/Former Faculty

To Amy Dickerson Mohr and her husband, John: a daughter, Ann Kathryn (Annie), September 15, 2008.

To Derry Mason and his wife, Sarah: a daughter, Mary Elizabeth,August 8, 2008.

To Todd McGuire and his wife,Michele Poacelli: a son, Gaven Peter,August 27, 2008.

To former faculty member JackSweeney and his wife, Mary: a son,Jackson Robert, July 23, 2008.

Susan Blaschak Mironov ’83 with herchildren, Zachary and Amber, andhusband, Scott.

Todd Friedman ’83 and Rip Esselstyn ’82at the 2008 Masters Swimming NationalChampionships in Austin, Texas.

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County, NJ. The book includes picturesand information on 265 publicly acces-sible playgrounds in the area. Amy saysthe book is getting some press locallyand is available at about 20 differentlocations. She says the next version willbe The Playground Guide, Best of SantaCruz, CA.

’88� Kristin Butterfield Vickerykbutterfield@aapa.org� Jennifer Cutshall Sobichj.sobich@verizon.net � Paul Giannarisnicksinn@aol.com � Susie Lyles-Reedebsl_reed@yahoo.com � Eric Reedereed_md@yahoo.com

Steve Cohn writes, “In 2005, I was diag-nosed with adrenal cortical carcinoma,had a resection, and received chemo -therapy. In May, I received the results ofmy third-year CAT scans. They were negative, and my oncologist told methat he would ‘bet the farm’ that thiscancer will not return. I took that asgood news. Lately, I’ve been settling intomy new life on the ‘left coast.’ I live on ahouseboat in Sausalito, California, justover the Golden Gate Bridge from SanFrancisco. Marin County has lots of nat-ural beauty, and has offered me proofthat even a dyed-in-the-wool Manhat-tanite like me can enjoy taking an occasional hike amid the redwoods ofMuir Woods.”

Suzanne Dysard is co-coordinator of theBoulder CROP Hunger Walk, which raisesmoney for efforts to fight hunger andpoverty internationally (www.bouldercropwalk.org). Suzanne and her hus-band, James, live in Boulder, Colorado; inrecent years, she has traveled to Viet-nam and Kenya to help bring clean water and sanitation to remote villages.

Todd Hershey and his wife, Jennifer, wel-comed a son, Oliver Hayden, on June 2,2008. He joins brothers Henry (4) andJackson (2).

Andrew Saulnier writes, “I live in CedarRapids, Iowa. My family and I have es-caped financial damage from the flood.We are far enough away and elevatedhigh enough to avoid any flood dam-age. That being said, I have severalfriends who have damaged homes, busi-nesses, or both. Travel is limited to onebridge (of five bridges) across the Cedar

River. What used to take 15 minutes todrive now takes 45. Most people inCedar Rapids didn’t have flood insur-ance. The government’s $28,000 willnot help most people enough to gettheir lives back to normal. We will rebuild, but many people will have to start over. Please pray for the peopleof our city.”

’89� Zania Pearson zmp2work@verizon.net � Ames Prentissaprentiss@intownvet.com

Paul Moody is an engineer planner forthe 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood,Texas.

’91� Helen Barfield Prichetthelenprichett@yahoo.com� Laura Linderman Barkerlaura.linderman@t-mobile.com

Kara Adzima is a chemical engineer atNovaTech in Owings Mills, Maryland.She earned a degree in chemical engi-neering from Western Michigan Uni-versity last spring, and had previously received degrees from Oberlin Collegeand the Siebel Institute of Technology.

John Barnes is a new partner with GrantThornton. He leads the firm’s businessadvisory practice in Baltimore, and spe-cializes in internal audit, Sarbanes-Oxleyconsulting, internal controls, and risk-management services. As a CertifiedPublic Accountant (CPA), John has morethan 12 years experience in public accounting with a focus on complexprojects for clients in the manufactur-ing, technology, health care and real estate industries. He is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors, theGreater Baltimore Committee, and the Maryland Association of CertifiedPublic Accountants.

’92� Emily Gilmer Caldwellgilmercaldwell@yahoo.com

Chip Nuttall is a senior consultant withC3 Consulting, a project leadership-con-sulting firm providing personalized serv-ices for companies headquartered inMiddle Tennessee. Chip also serves onthe board of directors for the Nashvillechapter of PMI, and volunteers severalhours a month with the Red Cross, witha focus on disaster preparation.

’93� Danielle Dahlstromdlld93@hotmail.com� Alexis Kemmler Simpsona_kemmler@hotmail.com � Jamil Myriejmyrie@foreyes.com

� Karen Pak Oppenheimerkarenpak@yahoo.com � Rob Pittsrobkpitts@hotmail.com � Sarah Smithsmiths@nbps.org

Sasha Emral Shaool married RomyarNourafchan December 22, 2007, in Bev-erly Hills, California. They live in MarinaDel Rey, California, and would love tohear from Mercersburg friends; theyplanned an East Coast visit for Thanks-giving. Sasha plans on being a full-timemom, and eventually would like to havea studio and paint again when Lily (theirbaby) is ready to be away.

’94� Tim Gocketim.gocke@gmail.com � Rob Jeffersonrmjefferson@venable.com

Jessica Hope Diebold married NicholasEdward Lewis August 11, 2007, in Pitts-burgh; the couple lives in Reston, Vir-ginia. Jessica, who practices emergencymedicine at Pender Veterinary Centre inFairfax, graduated from Edinboro Uni-versity and St. George’s University inGrenada and completed her clinical yearat the University of Florida. Among herprofessional interests are exotic-animalmedicine and surgery.

Tim Putnamwrites, “Seven or eight yearsago, my friend Robert Hicks told meabout a book of collected short storiesby songwriters that he was putting to-gether. He knew I was a songwriter andasked me to submit a story to be con-sidered. Many years passed, and I re-ceived a call from Robert, who had sincegone on to write the New York Timesbest seller The Widow of the South. Hetold me his dream of publishing thebook was finally coming true and mystory made the cut. The book, called AGuitar and a Pen, features contributingauthors Charlie Daniels, Kris Kristoffer-son, Tia Sellers, Tom T. Hall, and manyothers, as well as a foreword by VinceGill.” The book was released in May2008; learn more at www.aguitarandapen.com.

’96� Lori Esposit Millerlori_esposit@msn.com� Geraldine Gardnergeraldide@hotmail.com

Timothy Kim has decided to join hisfamily business as senior vice-president.Tim had worked as an associate at INGBank N.V. in Hong Kong. He will travelfrequently to Nigeria, where main operations are located.

’97� Emily Petersonemilyadairpeterson@gmail.com� Chris Senkerchris.senker@cookmedical.com

Karli Richards has joined OrthopaedicAssociates in Chambersburg, where shepractices alongside her father, Bob ’70.Her grandfather, Robert Sr., was theChambersburg area’s first orthopedicsurgeon in the early 1950s. She special-izes in care of disorders of the foot andankle, and is a graduate of the Universityof Notre Dame and the Temple University

Julia Streeter Berle ’87 and her family.

Billy Jarrett ’91 (right) with two-time Olympic gold medalist Melvin Stewart ’88 at the2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Bebe Lloyd Welch ’94 celebrating theFourth of July with children Charlieand Mattie.

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School of Podiatric Medicine. Karli andher husband, Scott Stenger, married in2006 in the Irvine Memorial Chapel.

’98� Liz Curryecurry@tigglobal.com� Dean Hosgooddean.hosgood@gmail.com� Pierce Lordpiercelordnyc@yahoo.com � Beth Pniewski Bellbethannbell@gmail.com� Owen Riceorice4@gmail.com � Abby Russellrussell04@bellsouth.net

’99� Jenn Flanaganflanaganj@mercersburg.edu� Jess Malarikjmalarik@gmail.com � Jasen Wrightcontactjasen@gmail.com

Cassie Hubbard started a graduate program at Johns Hopkins Universityand is working at the Kennedy KriegerInstitute in Baltimore.

’00� Kevin Glahkevglah@gmail.com � Taylor Horsttaylor.horst@tufts.edu� Andrew Milleramiller@pioneeringprojects.org

� Anne Reederannereeder@sbcglobal.net

Jeremy McGarvey graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and has begun his surgeryresidency in Philadelphia at the Univer-sity of Pennsylvania and affiliated hospitals. He plans on pursuing cardiacsurgery and robotic surgical device development.

’01� Heidi Andereshanderes@gmail.com � Ann Marie Blileyabliley@gmail.com

Mike Best is a medical student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Wes Miller is an assistant men’s bas-ketball coach at Elon University, a Divi-sion I school in North Carolina. Elon isjust down the road from Chapel Hill,where Wes played on the University ofNorth Carolina’s 2005 national cham-pionship team. Wes averaged 19.6 pointsper game during the 2007–2008 seasonfor the London Capitals of the BritishBasketball League.

’02� Noelle Bassinoelle.bassi@gmail.com� Bryan Stifflerbryan.stiffler@gmail.com� Liz Stockdalelstockdale@foxcroft.org� Ian Thompsonianmthompson@gmail.com

Kristin Burkhart writes, “I am workingtoward a master’s in college studentpersonnel at Shippensburg University;I hope to graduate in May 2010. In the meantime, I continue to work as alearning specialist at Penn State MontAlto, mentoring college students andhelping them with study skills. I finishedmy second summer working with PennState Mont Alto’s First-Year Testing,Counseling, and Advising Program,where I advised incoming students andassisted in the Advising Center. I alsotook some time off to visit my youngerbrother, Eric ’04, who graduated in Mayfrom Harvey Mudd College. I welcomeanyone who is passing through FranklinCounty to stop by.”

Jennifer Lee Ware was selected as a2008–2009 Fulbright Scholar and began her research in Kazakhstan inSeptember. There, she will continue herundergraduate research on the Chechendiaspora in Central Asia.

Daniel Wright writes, “After graduationback in 2006, I took a deep breath,closed my eyes, threw everything Iowned into a Honda Civic, and drove toTexas. That fall, I began the counseling

psychology doctoral program at TexasA&M University. After some consider-able Rocky Mountain withdrawal, I cameto the realization that I needed to some-how make Texas ‘home’ if I was to haveany chance of making it through my dissertation. Year one passed withouttoo much trouble. The course load wastypical of grad school, and because my program followed the ‘scientist-practitioner’ model, we began seeingclients by the second semester. Year twowas quite colorful as well; I began facil-itating psycho-educational groups forstudents at some of our sister cam-puses, and group therapy is the direc-tion I’m heading (as of now) in regard topractice. With respect to research, I have been very interested in publichealth, a field in which I am quicklylearning a considerable amount. I spentthe summer in Santiago, Chile, workingwith a research team in the field of international health. I graduated in August with a master’s in counselingpsychology, and it’s another two yearsbefore I apply for an internship.”

’03� Colleen Boothccbooth@comcast.net� Kolb Ettengerwke2@gmail.com � Nate Fochtman nfochtman@gmail.com� Whitney Groseclosewgrosecl@goucher.edu � Jenn Hendricksonjennhendrickson@gmail.com � Gabrielle Joffiejoffieg@dickinson.edu � Eric Wilkinslefty07@aol.com � Vanessa Youngsveyoungs@gmail.com

Gabrielle Joffie coached lacrosse atDrexel University for a year while earn-ing a master’s degree there in fashiondesign. She interned with the MTVwardrobe department in summer 2008.

Jana Podzimkova is studying medicinein the Czech Republic and has two yearsleft to complete her degree.

After high-school graduation in Ger-many, Marius Rosenberg completed a

Luke Swetland ’99 and hisfamily at Luisenpark inMannheim, Germany.

Jacob Hunka ’03 with his wife, Katharine Gill. Jacob returned to the U.S. in July afterteaching in Taiwan; he and Kate married October 11 in the Irvine Memorial Chapel.

Todd Small ’04 greets President George W. Bush upon graduation from the U.S. AirForce Academy.

Andrew Bramhall ’97, Liz Curry ’98, PeteWatkins ’97, and Kevin Hershock ’96 atPete’s 30th birthday party in Pittsburgh.

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The wedding of Jessica Shartle ’00 and Richard Duvall, March 3, 2008, inNegril, Jamaica (L –R): Elliott Van Ness ’05, John Shartle III ’05, Sheila Shartle,J. Adam Shartle Jr. ’60, Jessica and Richard, Emily Lowry Stark ’00. (Jessica isthe granddaughter of the late John Shartle Sr. ’22.)

The wedding of Kelley Keeler ’91 and Austin Short, June 7, 2008 (L–R): AlfredMast ’62, Tim Keeler ’94, Chris Erdman ’84, Rebecca McNulty Randall ’91,Austin and Kelley, Melissa Erdman Holson ’87, Tara Brendle Owens ’91, Han-nah Smith Kudrik ’91, Chris Frisby ’91, Shani O’Neil Calhoun ’91.

At the wedding of Patrick Koch ’99 and Kelly May Fuller, May 10, 2008 (L–R):Jake Koodrich ’99, Kent McGlincy ’99, Heidi Anderes ’01, Dave Holzwarth ’78,Tom McCahill ’99, Patrick, Ian Wauchope ’99, Nick Modha ’97, Kevin Koch ’97, Seth Lando ’97.

The wedding of Catherine Wahl ’99 and Christopher Bove, November 17,2007, in Baltimore. Front row (L–R): Amy Hendrickson, Jenn Flanagan ’99,Catherine and Christopher. Second row: Jennifer Barr ’99, Tom Dugan ’99,Rick Hendrickson. Back row: Paul and Marcia Galey, Heather ReichhartDugan, Colleen Corcoran ’99.

Sasha Emral Shaool ’93 to Romyar Nourafchan, December 22, 2007.Jessica Hope Diebold ’94 to Nicholas Edward Lewis, August 11, 2007.Tim Peterson ’97 to Michele Manouchehri, June 30, 2007.

Robert Snyder ’97 to Michelle Dennis, August 27, 2008.James Hazelrig ’01 to Kirsten Bogue, June 14, 2008.Jacob Hunka ’03 to Katharine Gill, October 11, 2008.

Marriages

year of civil service as an ambulancedriver before pursuing a degree in business administration. This fall, he began work on a master’s degree. “I havethe best memories of my time at Mercersburg, because it taught me toorganize myself, work hard to achievegoals, and to cherish internationalfriendships,” he says.

’04� Katherine Kellerkkeller@bucknell.edu� Nick Mellottmellottn@bu.edu

Eric Burkhart graduated from HarveyMudd College and has been acceptedat Stanford University to pursue a mas-ter’s degree in electrical engineering.

Eric made the dean’s list every semesterof his undergraduate career and wasclass president during his junior andsenior years. He works for Link 4 Corpo-ration in Placentia, California.

Rachel Gray graduated from the UnitedStates Naval Academy and was com-missioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy.

Will Gridley is entering the master’s in architecture degree program at YaleUniversity.

Katrina Honigs graduated first in herclass from Grinnell College with a double major in math and physics. InOctober, she began a one-year master’scourse in mathematics (called Part III) atthe University of Cambridge; she thenplans to enter the math Ph.D. program atthe University of California, Berkeley.

Julia Hopkins graduated with honorsfrom Elon University with a degree incommunications and art. She is a mem-ber of Lambda Pi Eta, the national com-munications honor society.

Matt Jackson moved to Manhattan tobegin work at Vornado Realty Trust.

Adriane Koenig graduated fromGoucher College. She was a double ma-jor in art history and international busi-ness management and was inductedinto Phi Beta Kappa. She will be stayingin Baltimore and working with TheRosen Group, an arts-advocacy firm thatcoordinates the nation’s largest whole-sale craft trade show.

Todd Smallwas part of the U.S. Air ForceAcademy’s 50th graduating class lastspring. He was commissioned as a sec-ond lieutenant in the Air Force and grad-

uated fourth in his class of 1,012 cadets.While serving as an Air Force officer, Toddis pursuing a postgraduate degree atthe Massachusetts Institute of Technol-ogy. His brother, Tyler ’07, is in his secondyear at the Air Force Academy.

’05� Carl Graycarlhgray@gmail.com� Zander Hartungzanderhartung@gmail.com� Alexis Imlerimler@gmail.com� Tammy McBethtammy.mcbeth@gmail.com� Nick Ventrescaventresca.r@neu.edu

Matt Brennan shattered his lower legin an accident this past spring, but con-

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Fleet White ’08 at the U.S. Naval Academy.

tinues work on his degree in politicalscience at the University of Chicago. Thispast summer, he interned at New YorkCity–based hedge fund Lyster Watsonand Company, and next summer heplans to attend the U.S. Marine CorpsOfficer Candidate School.

Hannah Galey competed at the 2008Canadian Olympic Swimming Trials.Hannah, who earned All–Ivy Leaguehonors in five events as a junior at Columbia University, swam 26.82 in the50-meter freestyle to finish 12th of 157competitors; she also competed in the100 free and the 200 free.

Sarah Powell studied at the Institut d’études françaises d’Avignon in Franceduring summer 2007. That fall, she con-tinued her international studies at Paris-Sorbonne University. Sarah was accepted as a 2008 summer intern inthe Washington office of Senator John D.Rockefeller IV, and returned to Haver-ford College in September to completeher senior year as an English major andFrench minor.

Elizabeth Wilber was invited to join PhiAlpha Theta, a national history honorsociety, and was named Academic All-America for the third year in a row at Sewanee. She is vice-president of hersorority and has made the Dean’s Listfour semesters in a row. This summer,she lived in Northern Virginia andworked in D.C. on the majority staff ofthe House Energy and Commerce Com-mittee as part of the Subcommittee onHealth.

’06� Joy Thomasjatho2@wm.edu� Jonathan Wildejt.wilde@furman.edu

Colin Cubit, who plays basketball at theUniversity of Rochester, was named tothe University Athletic Association’s All-Academic Team. In addition to Rochester,the UAA includes Brandeis University,Carnegie Mellon University, Case West-ern Reserve University, the University of

Chicago, Emory University, New YorkUniversity, and Washington University inSt. Louis.

Greg Larson and Jessie Tippen are engaged; they hope to marry in summer2010.

’07� Xanthe Hiltonxanthe89@gmail.com� Bada Kangbadakang@gmail.com� Chuck Robertsgalway989@yahoo.com

Sally Huang is heading back to New YorkUniversity after having finished herschool year abroad in London. She likedLondon very much, as well as the excit-ing trips to Germany and France.

Kyle Roy is in his second year on the golfteam at the University of Tampa.

Emily Gilmer Caldwell ’92 is a graduate ofSyracuse University. She is a seniorassociate director in the Office ofLeadership Giving at Dartmouth College,helping Dartmouth to raise $1.3 billion inits current campaign. Emily has servedMercersburg in various volunteer roles,including as a class agent and reunionvolunteer for her 10th and 15th reunions.She was also involved with the Board of

Regents’ Ad Hoc Committee on Alumni Participation, lending herexperience in development to this group charged with assessingMercersburg’s fundraising program. Emily’s father, J. David Gilmer ’62, is a former president of the Alumni Council. Her sister,Julie Gilmer Schaner ’87, brother, Bryce Gilmer ’95, and brother-in-law, P.J. Schaner ’86, are all Mercersburg graduates.

Lindley Peterson Fleury ’77 earned a bachelor’s degree inmicrobiology from Indiana University in 1982. She later earned anMBA and MHA from Pfeiffer University. Lindley is president ofCarolina Physicians Resources, conducting financial analyses ofmedical practices. She is also a partner with OMNISCAN Inc, a

document-scanning software entity.Lindley has been a national- and world-record-holder Masters swimmer. She iscurrently training for the 2009 MastersWorld Championships in Sydney,Australia. Mercersburg is also a familytradition for Lindley, as four uncles(William D. Clowney ’41, Frank S. Clowney ’40, John L. Kelly II ’45, andDaniel M. Kelly ’42) and her grandfather

New on the Alumni Council

(George W. Kelly ’20) preceded Lindley in attending Mercersburg.Lindley’s daughter, Ashley Doughty ’04, graduated with honorsfrom Auburn University and plans to attend law school. Her son,Gregory, attends Southern Methodist University, where he is onthe swim team. Lindley served on the Alumni Council from 1998to 2005, including a term as president. She is active as a classagent and reunion volunteer for her class.

Ann Quinn ’84 holds both B.B.A. and MBAdegrees from Loyola College in Maryland.She is a senior vice-president with SC&HCapital. Her practice concentrates in thefollowing areas: strategic planning andtransaction advisory services, raisingequity financing, and corporatedivestitures and acquisitions. Prior toSC&H Group, Ann worked at Chessiecap, aregional investment bank focusing onmiddle-market companies in thetechnology industry. She also worked at the Maryland VentureFund-DBED, where she was responsible for overseeing all equity-financing activities for the State of Maryland. Ann was recognizedas one of the top 40 metro-area business professionals under theage of 40 in 2004. She is very active in the Baltimore/WashingtonArea technology and venture-capital communities. Ann serves aschair for the Greater Baltimore Technology Council and is amember of the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association and Associationfor Corporate Growth. Ann also serves as class agent for her class.Her sisters, Ruth ’79 and Judi ’80, and brother, John ’81, areMercersburg graduates; Ann’s father is Mercersburg facultyemeritus Jay Quinn. Ann lives in Baltimore with her husband, JohnAngel, and their three children.

Emily Gilmer Caldwell ’92, Lindley Peterson Fleury ’77, and Ann Quinn ’84 were elected tothe Mercersburg Alumni Council during its spring meeting in May. Colin Marsh ’01 waselected through balloting in the summer 2008 issue of Mercersburg magazine.

Kristina Trudeau was named to thespring 2008 Dean’s List at Wake ForestUniversity.

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Obituaries’30

Henry E. Stanton, April 28, 2008. (Marshall, swimming, Class Day Committee) He was a graduate of Brown University.

’32Reginald B. Gerhardt, December 5, 2007. (Marshall, News assistant editor) A graduate of Lafayette College, he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Prior to his 38-year association with BethlehemSteel, he was on the editorial staff of the Wall Street Journal. He waspreceded in death by his first wife, Jane Goodwillie, and his secondwife, the former Ann Hackett. Survivors include two sons, a daughter,his brother (David ’33), and seven grandchildren.

’33W. Keller Potter, July 12, 2007. (Marshall, Class Prophet, Chapel flag-bearer, Stony Batter, Glee Club, Chapel Choir, cheerleader, football, basketball, baseball) He was a graduate of Northwestern University. In1975, after 25 years as vice-president of corporate affairs and commu-nications, he retired from Allstate Insurance Company. He was pre-ceded in death by his former wife, Muriel, and his wife, Maggie.Survivors include two sons.

’34Forrest B. Leland, July 17, 2006. (Marshall, track) He attended LehighUniversity and served in the U.S. Army in World War II. In 1992, after 47 years, he retired as manager of Thomas Publishing Company. He issurvived by his wife of 68 years, Ruth Spanjer Leland, as well as twodaughters, five grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.

’35Hadley P. Cadmus, July 20, 2008. (Marshall, Glee Club) Hadley attendedRutgers College; during World War II, he served with the U.S. Army Ordinance and Medical Corps. His entire professional career was inthe fuel oil business, spanning a total of 53 years with Cities Service Oiland then with Eastern of New Jersey Inc. He retired to Montclair, NewJersey. Survivors include his wife, Laurel Churchill Cadmus, a son, andtwo grandsons.

’36John C. Yates, August 28, 2008. (Marshall debater, News Board, StampClub, Les Copains) John graduated cum laude from Princeton Univer-sity with a degree in economics. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942and was made a commissioned deck officer. In the Pacific theater, hecommanded LCT-167 and saw combat action during the invasions ofTarawa and Makin Island, for which he received a Commendation Ac-tion Ribbon with star and the World War II Victory Medal. Upon hisreturn to the U.S., he was assigned to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to learnthe Japanese language in preparation for the expected invasion ofJapan. He was discharged from active service in January 1946. John

then joined Harry Ness & Company, became a partner there in 1952,and retired in 1999. Survivors include his wife of 65 years, Jean; threesons, including Philip ’66; seven grandchildren, including ElizabethYates Eppley ’96; and two great-granddaughters.

William H. Stuart, February 28, 2008. (Irving, Marshal of the Field, LesCopains, track) A graduate of Princeton University, Bill was the formerpresident of The Stuart Company, an industrial advertising company inNewark, New Jersey.

’40Robert J. Brown Jr., August 11, 2006. (Irving, Lit, News, Glee Club) Bobleft the University of North Carolina at the opening of World War II.After flight training stateside, he was sent to England with other members of his B-17 crew. On a mission near Paris, his plane was crippled by antiaircraft fire. The crew was forced to bail out; Bob andothers were injured by German fighter planes and captured. He spentsix months as a prisoner of war in Germany before being liberated inJune 1945. Following the war, he began his journalism career, whichincluded a stint at Time-Life. He also worked for United Press (laterUnited Press International) and in publicity for the Idaho Power Com-pany. A freelance writer for many years, Bob was a correspondent forseveral McGraw-Hill publications. Survivors include his wife of 65 years,Betty Nixon Brown, and two daughters.

’42Donald G. McHenry, May 24, 2008. (Irving, South Cottage, Radio Club,cross country) Don attended the University of Michigan and WayneState University, earning degrees in philosophy and law. He was admitted to the bar in 1956. He served in World War II as a flight me-chanic and B-29 pilot, later joining the Michigan National Guard, wherehe continued in its legal services office through the Korean and Viet-nam wars. He retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1972, andcontinued to work in family law until the day he died. Survivors includeLois (his wife of 48 years), three children, and three grandchildren.

’43William B. Johnson, July 21, 2008. (Marshall, Chemistry Club, ConcertBand) Bill was the retired marketing manager of the Atlantic CementCompany in Stamford, Connecticut. He and his wife, Vivian Cass John-son, retired to the Tidewater area of Virginia in 1988. In addition to hiswife, survivors include two sons and a granddaughter.

Mathias S. Hartman, June 10, 2008. (Marshall) He was the retired ownerof M.S. Hartman Funeral Home in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

’46G. Donald Colbert, December 23, 2007. (’Eighty-eight, Marshall, StonyBatter, cross country, track) He was a graduate of Pennsylvania StateUniversity and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

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’47Charles C. Zook, July 16, 2008. (South Cottage, Marshall, football) Curtattended Lafayette College and served with the U.S. Marine Corpsduring the Korean War. He was a mentor to many in business andcommunity areas. Survivors include his wife, Patricia Womeldorf Zook,three daughters, and five grandchildren.

’48Frank P. Heckel, April 22, 2008. (South Cottage, Marshall, News Board,El Circulo Español, Choir, Laticlavii, Glee Club, Concert Band, Stony Batter, swimming, Marshal of the Field, cheerleader) Frank was agraduate of Moravian College and received an MBA from Penn StateUniversity. He was an Army veteran of the Korean War. He was pre-ceded in death by his wife, Barbara, and is survived by three sons andseven grandchildren.

’52Charles R. Beall, May 1, 2007. (Keil, Irving, News Board, KARUX Board,El Circulo Español, Glee Club, Jurisprudence Society, basketball, Stu-dent Council) Charlie was a graduate of Washington and Lee Univer-sity, a U.S. Army veteran, and a retired representative of LincolnNational Life Insurance Company. Survivors include his companion,Anna Crowell, two daughters, a son, and four grandchildren.

R. Sheldon Holmes, June 11, 2008. (Laucks, Marshall, football, basket-ball, Student Council) A graduate of Miami University, he retired in2007 from Great Western Bank.

’55Arnold Gold, March 18, 2008. (’Eighty-eight, Marshall, Lit Board, StonyBatter) Arnie received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pitts-burgh and his medical degree from the State University of New Yorkat Buffalo. He was a physician in Oil City, Pennsylvania. Survivors include two sons, three daughters, and seven grandchildren.

’58David P. Smay, April 17, 2008. (Main, Irving, Rauchrunde, Cum Laude,tennis) Dave graduated from Yale University and received an MBAfrom Harvard Business School. He served in the U.S. Marine Corpsfrom 1964 to 1966 before taking a direct commission in the U.S. Navy,and served as a naval intelligence officer until 1972. David had a 40-year career with Chevron, working as a manager of aviation foreign sales and later as a trading manager for the European region.He subsequently served as Chevron’s foreign-exchange manager. In1984, while serving as the finance manager, he prepared and implemented the $14 billion acquisition of Gulf Oil Company. Prior tohis retirement in 2005, he had also served as assistant treasurer, general credit manager, and treasurer of Chevron products and chair-man of the board of the Chevron Texaco Credit Union. He is survivedby his wife, Claudia, two sons, and a grandson.

Former faculty/staff/friendsAnn Walthall Kittredge, former wife of former faculty/current staffmember Henry Kittredge, June 11, 2008.

Extra space, so maybe put a scenic photohere?

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When I was 14, the short drive from the interstate down Route 16was the most dreaded part of the trip. It didn’t matter that we’d already been in thecar for five hours; I was willing to turn right back around once I saw the Chapel inthe distance.

My Say

School meant sharing my room with someone who ate olives inbed after lights out, speaking French to my teacher outside ofclass, and missing home. Today, this part of the trip means that Iam home. When the Chapel spire rises above the hillcrest, I tellmyself how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place—and howglad I am to be back.

The beginning of this school year brought the kind of excite-ment and anxiety I haven’t experienced in quite a while. I had afew nightmares about missing Rotation 5 or not knowing how todo my math homework, only to wake up and think how lucky itwould be to be a student at the Mercersburg of today. The BurginCenter for the Arts, robotics, and Chinese classes are just a few ofthe offerings that weren’t here just 10 years ago. And since themodern world hasn’t yet mastered the art of traveling back intime, I am happy to settle for being a faculty member at the Mercersburg of today, working in the admission office, and having the opportunity to share how great our school is with newstudents from all over the world.

I was struck by the eloquence and drive of my faculty col-leagues as they shared the impressive details of their continuedlearning during the summer. Despite what our students maythink, we do have lives beyond teaching and coaching. And whileit’s always a pleasure—albeit a rare one—to find time to socializewith each other, it’s an even greater pleasure to work next to SueMalone or Matthew Kearney or Jeff Pierce, whose excitement forteaching our kids is tangible and contagious.

Without the faculty, this place would not be—yet it’s easy totake this for granted. As a student, I was unaware of the time,thought, and care that go into the preparation for the beginningof the year. I have a new respect for how things come together.It’s a true privilege to be a part of a community that dedicates itself to educating our future—it’s a value on which you can’t put a price tag.

While I take my new position very seriously, I do manage tohave a little fun as well. Living in the dorm brings me back tothe days of impromptu dress-up nights, room “parties” with themusic too loud, coloring, and eating ramen noodles just beforebed (I don’t know how our bodies handled it). It’s fun simply to

watch the girls having fun—and just as I was anxious at the beginning, the girls were nervous, too. I reassure them that thisis normal—and that it takes time for nerves to settle and to getinto the rhythm of the school year.

Thankfully, some things never change, while with others, itjust takes time. I still struggle to say “Peter” instead of “Mr.Kempe.” Pretzel pie tastes as good as it did 10 years ago. And I smile every time I hear the Tippetts girls call me “Ms. Flanagan.”

A native of Oxford, New York, Flanagan worked as a paralegal inNew York City and spent two years as a staff member in Mercers-burg’s Office of Alumni & Development before becoming an assis-tant director of admission in 2008. She is one of 18 members ofher family to attend Mercersburg, a group that includes brothersBill ’10 and Tom ’10 and cousin Peter ’11.

BY JENN FLANAGAN ’99

MercersburgVO L U M E 3 5 N O. 3 W I N T E R 2 0 0 8 – 2 0 0 9A magazine for Mercersburg Academy family and friends

page 18

MERC

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ON THEIR WAYYoung Alumni

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Mercersburg Academy330000 EEaasstt SSeemmiinnaarryy SSttrreeeettMMeerrcceerrssbbuurrgg,, PPAA 1177223366--11555511

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Celebrating reunion classes ending in 4 and 9See page 42 for full detailsJune 11–14, 2009

www.mercersburg.edu/alumni alumni@mercersburg.edu 800-588-2550

Anniversary Reunion Weekend