spring mag 2003 cover v - library.standrews-de.org · as a member of the board of trustees since...

SSTT.. AANNDDRREEWW’’SSMM AA GG AA ZZ II NN EE

SS PP RR II NN GG 22 00 00 33

DDeevveellooppmmeenntt DDiilleemmmmaaTThhee ddiissaappppeeaarriinngg rruurraall cchhaarraacctteerr ooff MMiiddddlleettoowwnn,, OOddeessssaa aanndd TToowwnnsseenndd

PPLLUUSS:: TThhee AArrtt ooff RRoobbeerrtt SSeeyyffffeerrtt ’’7711 •• CCoommmmuunniittyy SSeerrvviiccee PPrrooffiilleess

As a member of the Board of Trustees since the1980s, Bob has long felt strongly about supportingSt. Andrew’s School. Back then, the Annual Fundwas still a relatively new concept to St. Andrew’s.With the renovation of the Student Center, Bobhelped introduce the concept of capital giving, andshortly thereafter, launch the Toward the 21st

Century Campaign.

Bob, who is a member of the Finance Committeeand former Board Treasurer, also knows the impor-tance of growing the School’s endowment so it willbe able to provide for future generations of St.Andrew’s students. He has long had a bequest pro-vision in his estate plan.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way...

...to ensure opportunity

and excellence for future

generations of St. Andrew’s

students.

For information on how you can create your own SAS legacy,please contact the Advancement Office at St. Andrew’s, 302-285-4260.

BBOOBB BBLLUUMMJupiter, Florida

Trustee Emeritus and Father of Jay ’84 and Nick ’90

“I am very pleased to see theSchool today in such good

shape on a national level aswell as a school community.The plant and programs are

among the finest in thecountry and I am happy to

support their future.”

ST. ANDREW’S MAGAZINE 1

EDITORGreg Doyle ’87

CLASS NOTES EDITORAmy MacKenzie

PHOTOGRAPHYDon BlakeEric CrossanGreg Doyle ’87Andy Wolfe ’03

PROOFREADERSAnn DoyleFran HolveckMary Loessner

CONTRIBUTORSBill Bean ’72Caleb Boggs ’52George HowellChurch Hutton ’54David Levinson ’53John McGiffMichael McGrathPeter McLeanDan O’ConnellCaroline Rumsey Paxton ’83Bill Wallace

ADDRESS CORRESPONDENCE TO:St. Andrew’s MagazineSt. Andrew’s School350 Noxontown RoadMiddletown, DE 19709-1605

Fax: (302) 378-0429Tel: (302) 285-4257General email : [email protected] notes email: [email protected]

ON THE COVERThe Byerly dairy farm, just west of Middletown, is currently safe from development, but is anexcellent example of the farmland rapidly disappearing from the area. Painting by John McGiff.

DEPARTMENTS

3 TRUSTEE NOTES

4 HEADMASTER’S REMARKS

7 UP FRONT

42 ALUMNI PERSPECTIVES

45 ALUMNI CORPORATION NEWS

49 IN MEMORY

51 CLASS NOTES

ST. ANDREW’SM A G A Z I N E

Volume 25, No. 2 Spring 2003

FEATURES

DEVELOPMENT DILEMMA

The rural character and lifestyle of central Delaware faces thechallenges of rapid commercial and residential development.

ST. ANDREANS IN SERVICE

The second installment of this series looks at local serviceopportunities created by the population growth in the region.

MiGU Press in Warminster, Pa.,prints St. Andrew’s Magazine.

St. Andrew’s Magazine is published four times a year bythe Communications Office forthe alumni, parents and friendsof St. Andrew’s School. Copyright 2003.

Third-class postage paid at:Philadelphia, PA

POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to St. Andrew’s School,350 Noxontown Road, Middletown, DE 19709-1605.

34

14

36 THE SUBJECT OF LIGHT

The work of artist Robert Seyffert ’71 is profiled in an articleoriginally published in American Artist.

The views expressed by writers in this Magazine may not represent the official views orpolicies of St. Andrew's School of Delaware, Inc., or its Trustees or administration.

2 SPRING 2003

William C. Bean ’72Alumni Corporation President

Robert B. Blum Sr.Trustee Emeritus

William H. Brownlee ’44Trustee Emeritus

John Cook ’45

Sabina ForbesParent Trustee

Robert G. Gahagan

Francis Giammattei Jr. ’47

Monie T. HardwickParent Trustee

Paul H. Harrell Jr.

Maureen K. Harrington

Henry N. Herndon Jr. ’48 Trustee Emeritus

Thomas H. Hooper III ’71

Catherine E. Kinsey

Cynthia Primo Martin

Everett R. McNair ’73

William T. Murray III ’50

Timothy W. Peters ’66 Alumni Term Trustee

Steven B. Pfeiffer

Sally E. Pingree

Henry duPont Ridgely ’67

Daniel T. Roach Jr.Headmaster

Winthrop deV. Schwab ’36Trustee Emeritus

Henry H. Silliman Jr.Trustee Emeritus

Scott M. Sipprelle ’81

Edward M. Strong ’66Alumni Term Trustee

Timothy SutherlandParent Trustee

J. Kent Sweezey ’70

O. Lee Tawes III ’65Alumni Term Trustee

Patricia G. Warner

Michael J. Whalen ’84

Wayne P. WrightBishop of the Episcopal Diocese of

Delaware

ST. ANDREW’S SCHOOLBOARD OF TRUSTEES

Katharine duP. GahaganChair

Caroline duP. PrickettSecretary, Treasurer

H. Hickman Rowland Jr. ’58President


Over the course of the February Trustee Weekend, the Board ofTrustees and Headmaster Tad Roach once again hosted the annualEvening of Stewardship, honoring members of the extended St.Andrew’s community who have made significant contributions tothe success of the School.

This year’s event was substantially larger than last year’s, indicat-ing that generosity and enthusiasm for St. Andrew’s abounds.Honored by the ceremonies were a collection of St. Andreans—alumni, faculty, parents and friends—all devoted to the continuingmission of the School.

A cocktail reception at the Headmaster’s house and a banquet inthe School dining hall were followed by the opening night perfor-mance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore, brought to thestage by the talented St. Andrew’s Players in the Forbes Theater.

Evening of Stewardship filled with enthusiasm for St. Andrew’s

TRUSTEE NOTES

Faculty member Darcy Caldwell andTrustee Ed Strong ’66 find a fewmoments to talk before dinner.

Trustees Paul Harrell and Henry duPont Ridgely’67 talk with Gay Browne ’78 over cocktails.

Trustee Monie Hardwick, mother of Thayer ’02and Liz ’04, talks with Andy ’82 and HeatherFlorance.

Faculty member Eddie Chang ’83 catchesup with Richard Vaughan ’88 in the MainCommon Room.

Faculty member Aimeclaire Roche andTrustee Timothy Sutherland, father ofDavid ’03, share conversation at theHeadmaster’s reception.

Arthur Miller ’70, Board President Hick Rowland ’58 andMike Schuller enjoy dinner prior to the winter musical.

Nancy Hance, Trustee Kent Sweezey ’70 and Sandy Hanceconverse with Meg Devereux at the stewardship reception.

Julie Coles, mother of Peyton ’04 and TrusteeCaroline duPont Prickett enjoy a few words duringthe cocktail party.

4 SPRING 2003

We are now a world community brought togetherinstantaneously by photographs, televisionimages, but pictures can and do inspire a variety

of responses from the world’s viewing public. In the fewdays since the opening of the war with Iraq, the world hasbeen bombarded by image after image of the allied assault,but interpretations of the meaning of these images varyquite widely both in America and throughout the world.

We remember the tragic sight of the twin towers burning,smoking, collapsing into the streets of New York onSeptember 11th, 2001. Last Friday we gazed at a newimage of chaos and destruction: the burning governmentalbuildings of Baghdad, the result of the first wave of bomb-ings designed to provoke “shock and awe” in the Iraqileadership.

There is, of course, a direct line to be drawn fromSeptember 11, 2001 to March 21, 2003. President Bushmade that connection absolutely clear in his address to thenation last Monday evening. He said that military actionagainst Iraq was designed to prevent an even more horribleattack on the United States than that perpetrated in NewYork and Washington a year and a half ago. “Before thatday of horror can come, before it is too late,” the Presidentsaid, “this danger will be removed.”

The President believes that Iraq’s weapons, history ofaggression against their neighbors and deep hatred ofAmerica pose an immediate danger to the safety and secu-rity of the American people. We have attacked Iraq to dis-rupt Saddam’s ability to either plan attacks againstAmerica or to share weapons with terrorist groups like AlQaida. Although we have no conclusive evidence linkingIraq to the events of September 11, 2001, the shadow ofthat attack on America has helped inspire military actionand a new definition of American foreign policy for thenew century.

Because of the new threat posed by terrorism to America,we have now articulated a policy designed to enableAmerica to take pre-emptive action against any nation orgroup in the world that has the capacity to become a threatto us in the future or that is a threat to us in the present. Inan article written last month, New York writer HendrikHertzberg discusses this new doctrine as articulated in apamphlet entitled, “The National Security Strategy of theUnited States.” The report, written by members of theBush administration, argues for American use of pre-emp-

tive strategies that will prevent nations or terrorists fromstriking America. The report argues:

America is now threatened less by conquering statesthan we are by failing ones . . . we are menaced less byfleets and armies than by catastrophic technologies inthe hands of the embittered few.

The second key element in the report involves the asser-tion and development and preservation of American mili-tary supremacy in the world. The text argues:

Our forces will be strong enough to dissuade poten-tial adversaries from pursuing a military buildup inhopes of surpassing or equaling the power of theUnited States.

We see both aspects of this doctrine at work today. ThePresident has argued that it would be suicidal for Americaand its allies to wait for an Iraqi attack before moving todisarm a regime clearly bent on destruction. Our airassault on Baghdad is designed to intimidate the Iraqi lead-ership into surrender, and it is designed to send a strongmessage to any and all that seek to rival the power andauthority of the United States.

The present military operation has been titled Operation-Free Iraq—a slogan designed to emphasize another goal ofthe campaign: the liberation of the Iraqi people. No one inthe world can disagree that the destruction of SaddamHussein’s dictatorial rule in Iraq will be a blessing to thebattered and impoverished people of Iraq. Two great writ-ers and thinkers I admire—Salman Rushdie and VaclavHavel—support this war because it will relieve the agonyof the Iraqi people’s suffering at the hand of Saddam.Rushdie writes of “Saddam’s decades-long assault on theIraqi people. He has impoverished them, murdered them,gassed and tortured them, set them off to die by tens ofthousands in futile wars, repressed them, gagged them,bludgeoned them and murdered them some more.” As aman who suffered under the savagery of the Soviet empire,Havel has argued eloquently that war as a revolt againstevil is morally justified. Havel has no problem labeling theman Saddam and the regime he created as evil.

Many people across the world and some in this countryoppose this war, and I will discuss their legitimate questions

HEADMASTER’S REMARKS

Understanding the Iraq crisisChapel Remarks, March 24, 2003


and concerns in a moment. But even those who oppose thiswar should, in all fairness, weigh these factors:

• The events of September 11, 2001 changed and unset-tled America in profound ways. As the President inoffice at the time of the attacks, George Bush feels adeep responsibility to do all he can to prevent furtherattacks. He and his advisors believe Iraq has thecapacity in the near and long term to sponsor andassist in such attacks against America.

• Iraq has refused to disarm and to cooperate with thedemands of the international community set forthsince the end of the Gulf War twelve years ago.Saddam has perfected the art of delaying and compro-mising with the international community and withweapons inspectors. His declaration of December 7,2002 of his country’s military capacities was a 12,000-page evasion of questions posed by the SecurityCouncil.

• Saddam’s treatment of his people has been barbaric.He has tortured his citizens, intimidated and eliminat-ed voices of dissent and caused thousands of childrento die as he has appropriated money designed for reliefand used it for his own security or the building ofextravagant presidential palaces.

In his important book, The Threatening Storm, KennethPollack argues that the United States’ action today is nec-essary—waiting to confront Saddam, Pollack says, wouldlead to an even more deadly and dangerous war later on.

Despite these factors, the United States’ decision to go towar has provoked a storm of protest and controversythroughout this country and the world. Even though theU.N. Security Council passed Resolution 1441 unanimous-ly in November, 2002, the members of the Security Councilfound themselves divided by March of 2003. Manynations, including France, Germany, Russia and thePeople’s Republic of China called for a continuation ofweapons inspections in Iraq and an even more focusedstrategy of containment and ultimate disarmament forIraq. The Chief U.N. Weapons Inspector made a plea tocontinue work that he said was making progress. By thetime President Bush spoke last Monday night, many in the

world viewed war against Iraq as an unnecessary provoca-tion, a threat to world peace and perhaps a dangerous stim-ulus for further unrest and terrorism. In remarks deliveredto reporters last week, Senate Minority Leader TomDaschle attacked the President’s failure to achieve a peace-ful solution to the crisis and lamented that American liveswould be lost due to the administration’s miserable diplo-matic efforts. Senator Robert Byrd scolded his colleaguesin the Senate with these words:

Today, I weep for my country. I have watched theevents of recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. Nomore is the image of America one of a strong andbenevolent peacekeeper. The image of America haschanged.When did we become a nation that ignoresand berates our friends? When did we decide to riskundermining an international order by adopting a rad-ical doctrinaire approach to using our awesome mili-tary might?

To citizens across the world, the images of the assault onBaghdad did not provoke shock and awe; they provokedoutrage, anger and contempt directed against America. Tosome, the war represents a specific expression of Americanarrogance, unilateralism and contempt for internationalopinion. The international community links American mil-itary aggression to American refusals to join in other inter-national agreements designed to address problems of theworld such as global warming.

In a resignation letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell,career diplomat John Brady Kiesling wrote that our pursuitof war is “driving us to squander our international legiti-macy that has been America’s most potent weapon of bothoffense and defense since the days of Woodrow Wilson.”

Kiesling and other writers, thinkers, diplomats and his-torians are worried that the United States’ reaction toSeptember 11, 2001 will ultimately change the idealism,spirit, optimism and priorities of this democracy and ren-der us as a people so fearful for our safety that we end upsacrificing the very qualities of our democracy that makeour way of life so precious and admired.

I have no easy answers to share with you. We live in acomplex, dangerous, evolving world, one full of danger,violence, anger and hatred. This world needs leaders to develop a deep familiarity and understanding of the

6 SPRING 2003

history, language, cultures and aspirations of the nations ofthe world. This world needs leaders with both the courageand authority to confront forces that are destructive andthreatening to humanity. This world needs leaders to workfor peace and reconciliation. I believe St. Andrew’s willprovide each one of you with the spirit, intelligence and dis-cernment to lead the world towards reason, peace andcompassion. I hope many of you choose to work as diplo-mats, governmental officials and world leaders.

I understand the need for military action to protect thesecurity interests of this country and to rescue theoppressed in Iraq. But I suggest that the United States mustalso take specific action towards connecting to and com-municating well with the nations of the international com-munity. To be a force for all that is good in the world,America must be careful about projecting an attitude ofarrogance, military supremacy and unilateralism. I worrythat the media’s sensationalist coverage of the war may domore to isolate America than to make other nations respectour policies and decisions. Those images of a burning cityin Baghdad may haunt the Arab world in ways weAmericans know too well. Finally, we can never purchaseabsolute security and safety through either massive militarymight or obsessive commitment to homeland security.Terrorism is a force that will be with us for the rest of ourlives. We cannot let fear distort our lives, our democracy,our national priorities.

As an academic community, St. Andrew’s will continue tofoster and encourage vigorous, informed discussion of thequestions associated with this war and its aftermath. Iknow that your work in history, religion and philosophycourses will enable you to develop a more sophisticatedunderstanding of the causes and consequences of thismoment in history, and I ask you all to develop flexibilityin your opinions, perspectives and judgments by listeningand respecting the opinions of others. These are emotion-al issues, for as we debate we seek to define the essence ofan America we love. The pacifist and the supporter of mil-itary action share a love of country, a love of democracythat needs to be protected and respected.

As a school of faith, we pray for peace and reconciliationin the world community. We pray for all men and womenand civilians engaged in the conflict. We pray especially forthe children of Iraq and the children of the world that theymay inherit a world of peace and hope.

What we all agree on is that the men and women repre-senting the United States in this war are heroes—peoplestriving to protect the freedom and security of America andto bring humanitarian relief to the people of Iraq. We

salute them, honor them and pray for them and their fam-ilies. We pray that they will return home soon and that wewill never forget what they risk and do for this country. Wepray that they will represent the best in us and in our alliesand embody the spirit described in these words delivered byLt. Col. Tom Collins, commander of the Royal Irish battlegroup:

We go to liberate, not to conquer. We will not flyour flags in their country. We are entering Iraq to freea people, and the only flag that will be flown in thatancient land is their own. Don’t treat them as refugees,for they are in their own country.

I know men who have taken life needlessly in otherconflicts. They live with the mark of Cain upon them.If someone surrenders to you, then remember theyhave that right in international law, and ensure thatone day they go home to their family. . . If there arecasualties of war, then remember, when they woke upand got dressed in the morning, they did not plan to diethis day. Allow them dignity in death. Bury themproperly, and mark their graves.

You will be shunned unless your conduct is of thehighest, for your deeds will follow you down history.Iraq is steeped in history. It is the site of the Garden ofEden, of the Great Flood, and the birth of Abraham.Tread lightly there. You will have to go a long way tofind a more decent, generous and upright people thanthe Iraqis. You will be embarrassed by their hospitali-ty, even though they have nothing . . .

We pray for those who have died and for those in cap-tivity. We pray for grieving children, spouses, parents andgrandparents.

And as we pray we dedicate our own lives to active stew-ardship of human fellowship, world peace and hope. It isnot enough to pray. We have to do something, create some-thing, inspire something in our lives and in the lives of thosein our community that will transform and redeem theworld.

HEADMASTER’S REMARKS

Students learn about history of fingerprints in special program

Author Colin Beavan brought the story of finger-prints and the birth of modern forensic science tothe students of St. Andrew’s School in a Friday nightspecial program in February. Though not a forensicexpert himself, Beavan became intrigued by the sub-ject after researching the human story behind thediscovery that fingerprints could be useful as crimi-nal evidence.

Prior to the use of fingerprints, criminals had beencatalogued and identified by facial characteristicsand distinguishing scars. In his book, Fingerprints,Beavan relates the story of Henry Faulds, a Scottishphysician who had become obsessed with finger-prints after observing shards of handmade pottery atan archaeological site inJapan, where he was serv-ing as a missionary. Afterusing his observations todefinitively identify thethief of medicinal alcoholfrom his supplies, Dr.Faulds began to tout theirutility for criminal science.Unfortunately, as Beavanrelated, his claims wereignored. Years later,another man, Francis

Galton, would get credit for the concept. It was thismiscarriage of historical acclaim that Beavan foundcompelling for the foundation of his book.

As Beavan explained the story of Dr. Faulds’ workin the fledgling world of 19th-Century forensic sci-ence, he also touched upon some more recent prac-tices in criminal detection, including DNA analysisand electronic transaction monitoring.

Professor Mari Matsuda discusses affirmative action with School community

Mari Matsuda, Professor of Law at GeorgetownUniversity, spent an evening with the St. Andrew’scommunity in a March special event examining thetopic of affirmative action. As an Asian-Americanwoman, Professor Matsuda spent much of her owncareer breaking down social and professional barri-ers to minorities. She was the first female lawyer toclerk for the Honorable Herbert Y.C. Choy of theNinth Circuit Court of Appeals. She has writtenextensively on the topics of affirmative action, civilrights, hate speech and feminism. Recently, sheserved on the court-appointed Texaco Task Force onEquality and Fairness, imposed as part of a multi-million dollar anti-discrimination lawsuit.

During her remarks to the community, ProfessorMatsuda explored the value of affirmative action notonly to American society, but also to world politics.She urged members of the audience to become curi-ous about the reasons for anti-American sentiment inthe world and to engage in efforts to change it.

In a special program, authorColin Beavan explained the histo-ry of fingerprinting in forensicscience and criminal law.

PHOT

O BY

GRE

G DO

YLE ’

87

Professor Mari Matsuda (seated) answers questions from students following her presentation on diversity.

PHOT

O BY

GRE

G DO

YLE ’

87

UP FRONT


8 SPRING 2003

Ambassador Frank Wisner discusses world crises

A Friday evening special program in February broughtFrank Wisner to the campus of St. Andrew’s School todiscuss the global security concerns now facing theUnited States.

Wisner is a former United States diplomat to severalnations. He served as Ambassador under several presi-dential administrations to India, Philippines, Egypt andZambia before retiring after 36 years with the rank ofCareer Ambassador, the highest grade in the ForeignService. Along the way, Wisner was also appointed totwo key government offices: Under Secretary of Defensefor Policy and Under Secretary of State for InternationalSecurity Affairs.

In a program held in the A. Felix duPont Jr. Chapel,Wisner outlined the current crises engulfing the UnitedStates and the world. Wisner first examined the U.S.-ledWar on Terror, noting the challenges still ahead butacknowledging the successful disruption of terroristtraining bases and financial resources. He then branchedinto the immediate state of affairs in Iraq and worlddebate on the path forward to disarmament, as well asthe future of Iraq without Saddam Hussein. Wisnerclosed his remarks with an assessment of the threatposed by North Korea and its nuclear standoff with theworld.

Following his prepared remarks, Wisner answeredquestions from the students and faculty. Wisner’s visit toSt. Andrew’s was arranged by Philip Hoon ’72, father ofAndrew ’04.

Diversity workshops examine culture, freedom and equality

Students and faculty at St. Andrew’s participated in avariety of diversity workshops on Saturday, March 29.In the workshops, faculty members led small groups of10-15 participants in examination of cultural differencesand the concepts of freedom and equality.

Jay Hutchinson and Jillian Black ’03 organized aworkshop to focus on the effects of color on everydaydecisions. A number of workshops looked at the historyof racial issues in America. Dana Byrd, Peter Caldwelland Will Speers took a group of students into the neigh-boring town of Odessa to review evidence ofUnderground Railroad stops in some of the historicbuildings. Diahann Johnson led a discussion on thetopic of reparations for past injustices as it applies to anumber of ethnic groups, including African-Americans,Japanese-Americans, Native Americans and Jewish sur-vivors of the Holocaust. Bob Colburn discussed the seg-regation of races in professional baseball, drawing onhis personal interactions with Judy Johnson, Delaware’sHall of Fame Negro League player, and the recordedexperiences of Jackie Robinson in becoming the firstblack player in the major leagues. John Austin ’83 helda workshop in which students listened to some tapes of Dr. Martin Luther King’s best and little knownspeeches and discussed his views on race, democracy,and nonviolence.

Headmaster Tad Roach explored some of the moderndiversity initiatives in education, particularly focusingon affirmative action and a comprehensive study of the

UP FRONT

Ambassador Frank Wisner (center) discusses global issues with faculty and students following his speech in the Chapel.

PHOT

O BY

GRE

G DO

YLE ’

87

This year’s Mock Trial gave students the opportunity toexamine and argue the finer points of free speech, censor-ship and institutional authority.

In the fictitious case of Sandy Hills v. Midway HighSchool, the students wrestled with the legal implicationsof a young woman, Sandy Hills, who claims her choice ofmusic for a student band performance led to the dissolu-tion of the band by school authorities and the loss of aprestigious scholarship for herself. Over the course of tes-timony, the intricacies of the relationships between thewitnesses is revealed to further complicate the matter. Wasthe reprimand censorship? Did the students use schoolinstruments for a non-school function? The plaintiff anddefense fill in the missing pieces and attempt to convincethe jury that their differing versions of events are accu-rate.

Serving as attorneys were McLane Daniel ’04, JohnLupton ’04, Gautam Punukollu ’06, Mary Alice Richter’03, Matt Roach ’04 and John Whitesell ’06. Witnessroles were performed by Sophia Fleischer ’06, BrookeFarquhar ’04, Claire Teigland ’04, Sarah Unger ’04 andElijah Weeks ’04.

In the competition against other schools in Delaware,the St. Andrew’s team won the first round against A. I.duPont High School arguing the plaintiff's case, but were

beaten badly arguing the defense case in the second roundagainst Wilmington Christian School, who repeated aswinners of the entire competition. Brooke Farquhar andSarah Unger each won “Best Witness” awards.

St. Andrew’s was unable to compete in later rounds ofthe contest due to the snow-delayed start and scheduleddepartures for spring break.

Students grapple with arguments of free speech in Mock Trial

McLane Daniel ’04 raises an objection as John Whitesell ’06, Matt Roach’04 and John Lupton ’04 look on during testimony at a Mock Trial rehearsal.


long-term consequences of affirmative action policies onthe lives of college students and the culture of collegecampuses. Eddie Chang ’83 and Louisa Zendt ’78 alsoexamined the current debate over affirmative action inhigher education, reviewing its ethical basis and fairnessin college admissions. Looking at educational issuesalong gender lines, Greg Doyle ’87 discussed the currentfuror over Title IX and gender equality in college sports.Lindsay Brown and Jennifer Cottone examined genderdifferences in education, focusing on recently publishedarticles on the education of boys. Drawing from theentertainment industry, Bobby Rue led students in dis-secting the implications of the television show, “JoeMillionaire,” and its denigration of each gender intopredictable stereotypes.

Students also had the opportunity to learn about cul-tures outside of the United States. Mike and JoleenHyde led a workshop on the culture of South Africa,sampling South African food, examining the range ofdifferent ethnic groups that comprise the nation and dis-cussing its troubled political and social history. KevinSchroedter explored racism in contemporary France,starting with its colonial practices in the 19th and 20thCenturies to the more recent political scandals of the

2002 presidential elections. Finally, a few of the workshops used the creative and

performing arts as a medium for diversity analysis.Charles Worrall brought African-American writer andpoet Dana Crum to a workshop that explored diversityand literature. Fred Geiersbach recruited several studentand faculty musicians to present a workshop on theevolution of jazz styles and their relevance to the cir-cumstances that fostered them. Dave DeSalvo workedwith students to determine the perceptions of race indifferent genres of popular music. David Miller and AnaRamírez held a workshop on Salsa dancing. Carol-AnnPala brought a certified Svaroopa® yoga teacher to leada class in exercises and share her breadth of knowledgeabout Eastern religions.

In recent years, the diversity workshops had beenscheduled to coincide with the celebration of MartinLuther King Day in January. However, the new academ-ic calendar and the timing of examinations made thatscheduling inappropriate. The workshops were thusmoved to the spring in order to ensure vigorous partici-pation by the students, free of testing obligations andexam stress.

PHOT

O BY

GRE

G DO

YLE ’

87

PHOT

O BY

GRE

G DO

YLE ’

87

PHOT

O BY

GRE

G DO

YLE ’

87

10 SPRING 2003

Basketball tournament brightens winter weekend

The last Sunday of the winter season at St. Andrew’sbrought nearly the entire community to the CameronGymnasium for a 3-on-3 basketball tournament. Teamsbattled in half-court games during the afternoon beforegathering at 9:30 p.m. for the marquis matchup of thebest teams.

Organized through the efforts of faculty member EddieChang ’83 and V Form students Andrew Hoon, LizHardwick, John Lupton and Daphne Patterson, the tour-nament pitted 24 teams against each other in a raucousbut friendly competition. Joe Turley ’03 served as a rogu-ish master of ceremonies.

Emerging as the two best teams at the conclusion of theafternoon rounds were one led by Headmaster Tad Roachand another led by history teacher Nigel Furlonge. In theend, it was Roach’s team that prevailed. The combinationof Roach, John Lupton, Daphne Patterson and ElijahWeeks ’04 proved to be too much for Furlonge, MeganDieterle ’04 and Damon Wilson ’04. Furlonge’s team lostthe contributions of Andy Carroll ’03, who injured hisankle in first round play.

In a lesser but still quite popular event, the two worstteams from afternoon rounds played for bragging rightsto the title of “only the second-worst team.” While thebasketball lacked some of the grace being displayed at thefar end of the court in the championship game, the play-ers were no less committed. Peyton Coles ’04, Alex Ernst’04, Cuth Hutton ’04 and Tarlton Long ’04 walked awaywith the nefarious title after a blistering display of aggres-sive, if not accurate, court skills.

UP FRONT

Vestry Auction Raises FundsThe annual winter Vestry Auction proved to be a

smashing success as students raised over $3,000 forSt. Mark’s School in South Africa. The most popularitems on the block were home-cooked meals from thefaculty, while the bargain table offered an assortmentof small goods. Spring fundraising efforts will bedirected to Camp Lenape in Delaware, a summercamp for children and young adults with cerebralpalsy or other developmental challenges.

Far left: Headmaster Tad Roachguards history teacher NigelFurlonge in the finals of the 3-on-3 basketball tournament.

Left: Megan Dieterle ’04attempts to drive past DaphnePatterson ’04 while NigelFurlonge looks on.

PHOT

O BY

GRE

G DO

YLE ’

87PH

OTO

BY G

REG

DOYL

E ’87

The creative spirit is alive and well at St. Andrew’s.

Your contribution helps it stay that way.Every year, your gift to the Annual Fund is used to cover some of the expenses in the School’s operating budget.

Unrestricted gifts support financial aid, faculty salaries, technology, athletics and co-curricular activities.

Unrestricted gifts to the Annual Fund protect the endowment, ensuring that St. Andrew’s School

remains a great school, open to all, regardless of means, for generations of students to come.

This year’s Annual Fund closes on June 30.Contact Mary Cameron in the Advancement Office, (302) 285-4267,

or make an donation online at alumni.standrews-de.org.

12 SPRING 2003

On February 21 and 22, the St. Andrew’s Playersdelivered energetic renditions of Gilbert andSullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore, bringing the lively

and comedic operetta to the stage with an enthusiasticchorus and strong lead performers.

Sam Baroody ’05 was a perfectly humble RalphRackstraw, the lowly sailor who pines for the seeminglyunattainable love of the daughter of his ship’s captain.Margaret Hoffecker ’03 played the daughter, Josephine,and skillfully blended the passion and absurdity of hercharacter’s dilemma to marry for love or social position.

Captain Corcoran was played by Peyton Coles ’04,who mastered Corcoran’s bewilderment at the conflicts ofnaval duty and societal obligations. Adding to Corcoran’sproblems is the presence of the commander of the queen’snavy, Sir Joseph Porter, brought to life by John Allen ’03with delightful comic persuasion.

Micah Levinson ’05, as the ill-intentioned sailor DickDeadeye, provided some of most entertaining moments ofthe evening, scheming to stop the happiness and frivolityon board the H.M.S. Pinafore.

Woven through the plot is the presence of LittleButtercup, a shipside vendor played by Amanda Purcell’04, who reveals a secret that upsets the characters’expectations and preconceptions of social class. AsCaptain Corcoran and Ralph Rackstraw comprehendtheir new positions in life, the romantic aspirations ofthose on board the Pinafore are finally realized.

Chad Shahan ’05, Sarah Unger ’04 and PeterZimmerman ’05 were key members of the supportingcast and led the sections of the chorus in several songs.Director of Instrumental Music Fred Geiersbach conduct-ed an 18-piece orchestra that provided a rich yet tem-pered sound for the stage vocalists.

Director Ann McTaggart ’86 put forth extraordinaryefforts with the entire cast and crew after a shaky dressrehearsal unnerved some of the players on Thursday.With some additional afternoon preparation prior to thefirst performance, the cast bounced back and exhibitedtheir talents before packed houses on both nights.

H.M.S. Pinafore sails smoothlyH.M.S. Pinafore

Clockwise from top left: Micah Levinson ’05 as DickDeadeye, the cast of H.M.S. Pinafore, John Allen ’03as Sir Joseph Porter, Margaret Hoffecker ’03 and SamBaroody ’05 as Josephine and Ralph, and PeytonColes ’04 and Amanda Purcell ’04 as Captain Corcoranand Little Buttercup.

CCaarrddiinnaall PPooiinnttss •• WWiinntteerr 22000033Boys’ BasketballRecords: Varsity, 14–6; JV, 9–8; 3rd, 0–4All-Conference: First Team: Eric Boateng ’05;Second Team: Elijah Weeks ’04; Honorable Mention:Dan McAlaine ’03

Girls’ SquashBoys’ WrestlingRecord: 7–4All-Conference: First Team: Alec Bear ’03, Ray Demere ’04,

Boys’ Swimming & DivingRecord: 5–3; 13th out of 24 at StatesAll-Conference: First Team: Eddie Hickman ’04, EliotDalton ’03, Ryan Stow ’06; Second Team: Will Clary ’05,

Boys’ SquashRecord: 1–5–1

Girls’ BasketballRecords: Varsity, 7–10; JV, 2–11All-Conference: Second Team: LizHardwick ’04; Honorable Mention:Lizzie Burns ’05, Margaret Farland ’03,

PHOT

O BY

AND

Y W

OLFE

’03

PHOT

O BY

AND

Y W

OLFE

’03

PHOT

O BY

AND

Y W

OLFE

’03

PHOT

O BY

AND

Y W

OLFE

’03

PHOT

O BY

DON

BLA

KE

PHOT

O BY

DON

BLA

KE

Girls’ Swimming & DivingRecord: 2–8; 18th out of 24 at StatesAll-Conference: First Team: Liz Lingo ’03; Second Team:Molly Ruane ’03, Danielle Morello ’03, Rachel Maran ’05

PHOT

O BY

AND

Y W

OLFE

’03

ddeevveellooppmmeenntt ddiilleemmmmaaby

greg doyle ’87

Words of disbelief escape the lipsof most alumni who view theMiddletown-Odessa-Townsend

(MOT) area after extended periods awayfrom St. Andrew’s. The quiet rural townsmany remember from their school days arenow overwhelmed by land developmentthat not only threatens the traditional agri-cultural lifestyle of central Delaware, butalso places the region’s economic future indoubt.

The School is still encircled by acres offarmland and protected wildlife habitat.Noxontown Pond is still the ultimate envi-ronmental exhibit and the envy of otherprivate school biology departments.However, the world beyond the boundariesof St. Andrew’s has been radically transformed. Asthis ever-expanding MOT suburb emerges, thegrowing pains are placing enormous strains ontowns designed for a different era and lifestyle.

THE ST. ANDREW’S ERASt. Andrew’s School has not been caught unpre-

pared by the rampant growth in theAppoquinimink region of Delaware. Over its 73-year history, the Trustees of the School have care-fully monitored development in the area and havetaken proactive steps to preserve the open spaceand access corridors surrounding the campus.From the original 360-acre site purchased for theconstruction of Founders’ Hall and various supportbuildings, the land holdings of the School havegrown to encompass approximately 2,200 acresthat include farmland, forests and waterways. Thecore campus itself now sits in the center of a sub-stantial oasis amid the rapidly changing regionallandscape.

When A. Felix duPont purchased the ComegysFarm where he would found St. Andrew’s, centralDelaware was firmly rooted in a stagnant but

secure agricultural lifestyle. While the U.S. 13 high-way connected the State, the Chesapeake andDelaware Canal provided a psychological marketbarrier to profitable real estate or commercialdevelopment. The rich soil of the AppoquiniminkWatershed proved easier to till than that of otherregions in the State. Agriculture was clearly thebest use of the land at the time, and life “below thecanal” became known for its relaxed pace. It waswithin this setting that duPont and the Trustees feltthat St. Andrew’s School would flourish:

The site was selected at a considerable dis-tance from a city of any size with the idea thatthe discipline should allow as much freedomamong the students as is consistent with goodorder and good work. The site further offerslarge opportunity to keep the student body busyduring the hours of recreation in out-of-dooroccupations, farm work, tramping, scouting,fishing, and athletics of any kind.

(from newspaper reports on the January 4, 1929 Founders’Conference, as recalled in Rev. Walden Pell's A History of St.Andrew's School)

An aerial view of St. Andrew’s in April 2003 shows some of the farmland buffers around thecore campus. Recent development to the north along Del. 299 and Silver Lake Road is vis-ible in the top of the photo.

PHOT

O BY

ERIC

CROS

SAN


16 SPRING 2003

Early History of the Appoquinimink RegionDelaware was divided by order of William Penn in

1682 into regions of land known as hundreds—eachregion deemed the appropriate piece of land capable ofsupporting 100 families. The history of the local townsthat developed in these hundreds is thus one of colonialcommerce and farming.

In the two sections that comprised central Delaware,the St. George’s Hundred and Appoquinimink Hundred,several towns emerged as centers of activity. One suchcenter was a town whose activity was crucial to the area,and indeed to the future founding of St. Andrew’s, butone that would not survive as a populated and bustling

community. Noxontown formed along the corridors ofaccess to a mill and pond built by Thomas Noxonaround 1740 on the Sassafras Branch of theAppoquinimink River. The waters of the Appoquiniminkwere navigable to this point, and Noxontown flourishedas a small agricultural production and trading center. Asoverland routes became more viable, Noxontowndeclined in activity and eventually became overshadowedby Middletown and Odessa. In 1870, a man namedWilliam E. Evans purchased the mill and it remains inhis family today, now owned by his great-granddaughter,Hope Motter.

Settled by the Dutch, the town of Odessa was foundedin the 1660s as Appoquinimink, the name also given tothe creek that provided access to the Delaware Bay. In1731, a man named Richard Cantwell constructed a toll-bridge over the Appoquinimink, and the town becamemore commonly known as Cantwell’s Bridge. After theDelaware railroad laid its tracks through Middletown in1855, the economy of Cantwell’s Bridge began to sufferas its utility as a shipping port was overshadowed by theconvenience of rail service. The town voted to change its

The village of Noxontownappears on this map from1750, but Middletown ismarked as “Petersons,”after Adam Peterson, thefirst man to hold a warrantfor the land.

UNITE

D ST

ATES

LIBR

ARY

OF C

ONGR

ESS

The farmland provided a backdrop of serenityand simplicity that would allow boys (and eventu-ally girls) at the School to appreciate the gifts ofthe Creator and avoid the distractions of denselypopulated communities.

For the next 30 years, that premise wouldremain intact. By the 1950s, however, it becameclear that development might eventually take rootbelow the canal. Post-World War II economicgrowth had bolstered the chemical, petroleum andother aggressive industries in northern New CastleCounty, and residential development accompaniedit to provide the workers with homes. Suburbanexpansion in the north would continue until densi-ty and economic pressures finally began to pushreal estate interest over the C&D Canal.Accordingly, over the years, St. Andrew’s began toacquire some of the farms along its borders.

THE LAND RUSHFour permanent automobile bridges in Delaware

now cross the Canal, as well as a fifth in nearbyChesapeake City, Maryland. As each of the bridgescame on line and replaced earlier, outmodedcrossings, convenient access to central Delawareincreased and so, too, did the appeal of the areafor non-agricultural use. The completion of a six-lane highway bridge in December of 1995, as partof the Delaware S.R. 1 turnpike project, was a sig-nificant factor in the acceleration of real estatedevelopment. With a striking modern design andits integration into a limited-access expressway,the S.R. 1 bridge helped lower travel times to andraise the profile of the area south of the C&DCanal.

The increased accessibility of central Delawarealso combined with an unfortunate five-year


name to Odessa, after a well-known Ukrainian grainport, in an attempt to improve its declining market iden-tity. The attempt failed, leaving commercial and residen-tial growth in Odessa relatively unchanged until the20th Century.

Middletown’s prosperity arose from the success of theCantwell’s Bridge shipping and grain industries. Theland itself had been sparsely settled since 1675, when aman named Adam Peterson first acquired it. His widowlater remarried and, with her new husband, settled atthe crossroads of town, then known as Mrs. Blackston'sCorner. Half the distance from Cantwell's Bridge toBohemia Landing on the eastern branch of the BohemiaRiver in Maryland, the crossroads soon began to flour-ish. The passage of the railroad in 1855 along what isnow Broad Street marked a significant upturn inMiddletown’s fortunes and gave rise to the municipalitywith which most St. Andreans are familiar.

Townsend’s origins are not chronicled as well as thoseof Middletown and Odessa, but a few facts are wellknown. It was an area settled by African-Americans andcalled Charley Town, after a resident named CharlesLloyd. In 1855, Samuel Townsend purchased much of

the land, and the town officially adopted his name.Townsend shared in the prosperity of a successful peachindustry in central Delaware until blight destroyed thecrops in 1875. Like Middletown, Townsend was alsobuoyed by the introduction of the railroad.

With the rise of industrialization in the northern partof the State, the economic importance of centralDelaware diminished in the twentieth century, though itstill provided modest sustenance to the families thatcontinued to work the land.

The Noxontown mill and the Noxon House and farm are some of the last remainingstructures of the village that once flourished along the Appoquinimink River.

drought period that began in 1997. As farmersstruggled to maintain their family businesses inthe face of poor growing conditions and a nationaleconomy that focused on technology, developersswooped in and extended lucrative offers. In shorttime, the region began to lose thousands of acreseach year to residential development. In response,the local towns were forced to address the rapidlychanging demographics and, in some cases, re-evaluate their identities.

THE FARMING LIFEGary Simendinger tills nearly 2,000 acres in the

Middletown area, including just under 1,000 acresowned by St. Andrew's School. By his marriage toCarol Simendinger, Gary is the third generation towork the property officially known as the 950-acreSchool Farm. Carol’s father, Lee, and grandfather,

Fred Johnson, poured their hearts into the samesoil that Gary presently farms. The journey startedwith the Johnsons working the lands and living inthe historic Naudain House along what is now Del.Route 71. The School Farm itself is a collection ofmuch smaller farms that once existed along thiscorridor, bordered by Noxontown Road to thenorth. Gary claims that, at one time, nine familyfarms were operated successfully within theacreage he and Carol now till. One by one thesewere consolidated into larger parcels and eventual-ly acquired by St. Andrew’s. The small SchoolFarm that provided produce for the students andwas part of the original Comegys parcel wouldtriple in size with these acquisitions.

For Gary and Carol, the School’s position as land-lord has been a God-send over the years, and con-tinues to only get better. “Thank God we’re with

PHOT

O BY

GRE

G DO

YLE ’

87

18 SPRING 2003

the School,” lauds Gary. On St. Andrew’s farmland,Gary pays rent for the opportunity to grow hiscrops. The rent is a nominal amount, consistentwith the School’s commitment to preserving theagricultural character of the land and balancedwith the high expectations the School puts forthregarding farming practices.

In fact, due to the unique arrangement struc-tured by the School—nominal rent in exchange forconservative methods—Gary admits there is a per-ception of prestige to farming St. Andrew’s landamong the local farmers in the region. “If you'renot doing it right, you wouldn’t be at St.Andrew’s,” he coyly remarks.

“Roberts, Isaacs, Emerson, Filasky, Fenimore,Brooks, Lovett,”—Gary rattles off the names offamilies who have accepted the buyouts on localfields. “Nobody blames them,” he adds, “It’s smartbusiness.” Some have taken the opportunity for anearly retirement from their life of hard work. Somehave plunged into the real estate market them-selves, using their personal experience to identify

other areas of Delaware subject to developmentgrowth. In other cases, the farmers have taken theprofits from the high-priced deals in MOT and havesimply moved south to Maryland along the U.S.301 corridor and bought less expensive land. This,however, tends to be the exception rather than therule.

For those left behind, the scenario only worsens.With their fields left stranded among housingdevelopments, they find it troublesome to accesstheir crops. New residents and commuters showlittle patience for the lumbering tractors and har-vesters that must share the roadways. And whenthe State or County steps in to widen roads or laysewer and utilities to accommodate the newcom-ers, the farmers lose field productivity along theedges that border the new infrastructure. Worseyet, the new residents complain about the dustand noise of farming near their backyards.

If the social and cultural pressures are notenough to discourage the farmers, the financialimpact usually finishes off the rest. Besides the

price of renting land, the costs of equip-ment, seed and fertilizer are quicklybecoming prohibitive, often exceeding$150,000 each year for even the smallestfamily farm. “It’s still a good life,” saysGary, “but not as much as it used to be.”Undeterred by the lifestyle changes in thearea, and thankful for the blessing of St.Andrew’s, Gary just looks forward to thenext planting season and determining hisupcoming strategy according to the cropfutures market. “Crop reports come outsoon,” says Gary, “and if the midwest hasany bad predictions on corn, I'll plantcorn.”

SMALL TOWN LIVINGFarming wasn’t the only thing for which

central Delaware was well known whenthe School first opened. The relaxed paceof life and the close-knit communities

The Naudain House dates back to around 1750 and sits on the main School Farm. No longerinvolved in agricultural operations, the house is now a faculty home.

(continued on page 21)


After graduating from theUniversity of PennsylvaniaVeterinary School, my father,

Louis Levinson, enlisted in the UnitedStates Army. He was stationed inOmaha, Nebraska during the last year ofWorld War I, where he served as a 2ndLieutenant and inspector of meat thatwas to be sent to our boys overseas.Upon the end of the war and upon theadvice of one of his professors from veterinary school, he settled inMiddletown, Delaware, where he began a72-year practice of veterinary medicine.From 1918 until he married my motherin 1934, he lived in a room on southMain Street above Miss Hallie Gray’sbeauty parlor. Middletown was a villagethat, even by 1950, only numbered 1,200

in population. All of the streets wereunpaved. There were no sewers. Andthe town was totally dependent uponagriculture for its existence.

My father’s coming to Middletown wasnot the first record of Middletown play-ing a role in my family. The first men-tion of Middletown in our family’s histo-ry came from my mother’s side of thefamily. Her father began his career as apeddler. And a post card mailed fromMiddletown by him in the early 20thCentury addressed to my grandmotherin Wilmington informed her that he hadarrived in Middletown, presumably fromsouthern Delaware and presumably withhis pack on his back, and that he shouldmake it home within two days. Theirdaughter married my father in 1934, and

they made their home on North BroadStreet for a few years before moving to206 North Cass Street. They paid$4,500 for our home and spent$15,000 on repairs. The house wasalways known in Middletown as theRecords House, named after the familythat had occupied it prior to us. Manyyears later I asked a town elder if itwould ever become known as theLevinson House. “Yes”, he answered, “assoon as your family moves out of it.”Such was the tradition in Middletown.

In 1929 my father was elected Mayorof Middletown. He was reelected everytwo years until he had served a total of12 years. During that time the streets ofMiddletown were paved and sewersinstalled. The town supported itself withthe proceeds of a town owned electricplant created during my father’s tenureas Mayor, allowing taxes to be reduced tovirtually nothing. During my father’s12-year tenure as Mayor, the averageannual crime rate of Middletown was“one.” The town police officer’s responsi-bility was to stand at the “four corners,”the intersection of Main and BroadStreets, and assist women and children, aresponsibility that I do not quite under-stand even today. Homes were notlocked, nor were cars. It was not untilthe mid-1950s, when I returned homeone summer from college, that mymother gave me a key to the house. Iasked in wonder what I possibly neededthat for. Because, she told me, there hadbeen a couple of burglaries in the townthe preceding year, and people were nowlocking their homes. In 1937 the “grate-ful citizens of Middletown” presented

Middletown—A Family Historyby David Levinson ’53

With the exception of St. Andrew’s farmland in the foreground, the Middletown of 2003 barelyresembles the rural town of 1,200 residents that Dave Levinson’s father served as mayor. If allcurrently filed plans are built, Middletown will have more than 8,000 homes within the next fiveyears.

PHOT

O BY

ERIC

CROS

SAN

20 SPRING 2003

my parents with a grandfather’s clock,which I wind weekly still today, for myfather’s service to the town.

Volunteer Fire Companies and theirbands played a significant role in boththe social and political life ofMiddletown and many other townsthroughout the State of Delaware in thefirst half of the 20th Century. And asany Delaware politician will tell you, thefire companies play a significant roleeven today. The bands, however, havesadly become a thing of the past, onlyone remaining today. When I was 12years old, having taken music lessons onmany instruments since the age of fivefrom Dick Barron, the music teacher atSt. Andrew’s School, I was recruited toplay trombone in the MiddletownFiremen’s Band. Knowing this wouldinvolve spending the summer marchingall over the State in band contests whiledressed in a heavy wool uniform, I askedmy father if I absolutely had to do it.“Only”, he replied, “if you ever want torun for political office in Delaware.” Sofor two summers I traveled the Statewith the band, learning, among manyother things, that Mr. Berkman only car-ried the trombone, presumably becausehe could not really play it.

Education in Middletown consisted oftwo schools, one for colored and one forwhite, and a small library located in whatis now the Town Hall. The white schoolwas located on the outskirts of town onSouth Broad Street and consisted of asingle three story building, which housedall twelve grades, plus a vocational train-ing room for those students who wishedto remain in school after their 16thbirthday but did not have the ability tocomplete a high school education. Thatbuilding, with additions, stands today.

Promotion was automatic until the 6thgrade. So the 6th grade was filled withmany students, some as old as 15, waitinguntil their birthday so that they couldreturn to the farms and work full time.Even before then, there was always ahigh absenteeism during planting andharvesting time, since the children wereneeded on the farms.

When I was in the 8th grade, my par-ents were called to the school to beinformed that, although the school knewthat my parents hoped that I would go tocollege, in fact I could not graduate fromhigh school and that the following year Iwould be placed in the vocational train-ing room. Apparently this resulted froma “D” that I had received in a mandatoryagriculture course and was based uponmy refusal to plant potatoes at recess, arefusal based entirely, I insisted, uponmy fear of being caught without adultsupervision in the remote potato patchsurrounded by some of the more vicious,or so I believed, farm boys.

After the 8th grade, those studentswhose parents aspired to college for theirchildren generally left the Middletowneducational system for private schools.In my class, Georgia McWhorter left forTatnall School, then an all girls’ school.Her brother had left earlier for St.Andrew’s School, and Georgia eventuallymarried one of his St. Andrew’s class-mates. Bill Lee, son of the town physi-cian, left for Wilmington Friends School,eventually to become a family courtjudge in Delaware and a candidate forgovernor, a position that his grandfatheron his mother’s side once held. CraigWallace left for Tower Hill School. AndI, who the Middletown educational sys-tem had deemed incapable of completinghigh school, left for St. Andrew’s School

where I led my class academically forthree of my four years there and where Ireceived the School’s Founder’s Medal asleading scholar in my form, before leav-ing Delaware to attend Harvard Collegeand Harvard Law School.

The founding of St. Andrew’s Schoolwas a major event in the life ofMiddletown. My father often told of hisworking with Reverend Walden Pell, theSchool’s first and long-time Headmaster,to clear some of the political roadblocks.During the depths of the GreatDepression, my father headed up theWorks Progress Administration (WPA)for lower New Castle County. The WPAconsisted largely of “make-work” projectsto provide employment. One of the pro-jects chosen by my father was a sidewalkleading from the edge of town toNoxontown Road. He said theSt.Andrew’s boys would use it some day.And, of course, they have done so formany years. And my father was proudthat, when I was born, Reverend Pell vis-ited the hospital and said that he hopedwhen I was old enough my parentswould send me to St. Andrew’s. Fromthat day forward my father was a vigor-ous supporter of St. Andrew’s. And healways attributed whatever accomplish-ments I may have had in life to theSchool.

As Middletown enters the 21stCentury amid a flurry of developmentand growth, I remember how manytimes my father told me that in the1930s he had planned the “area,” bywhich he meant Middletown, Townsendand Odessa, to become a community of50,000 people. To my father,Middletown, Delaware, was God’s coun-try and his country. It was his home andhe felt at home nowhere else.


defined the area in stark contrast to the industrialand dense suburban north.

A lifelong resident and former mayor of Odessa,Rachel Mandes is the daughter of Louis C. Mandes,Sr., who supervised the construction of St.Andrew’s in 1929 for her grandfather’s masonrycompany. When the Mandes family came toDelaware to begin work on A. Felix duPont’s nobleproject, Rachel’s mother, upon crossing the C&DCanal, fell in love with the farmland and naturalbeauty. Impressed by the sights, they decided tomove from the posh suburban life of Philadelphia’sMain Line and settled in Odessa.

Though it always had a small-town feel, therewas never much farmland within Odessa townlimits, Rachel recalls. The distance between thetowns and the vast farmland between them oftenimparted a feeling of isolation. For most suppliesthey had to go to Middletown, and Rachel remem-bers driving the miles back along the dark roadsand hoping to see the lights of car or two just toknow someone else was there. Now, she wishesthere were only one or two cars.

The creation of U.S. 13 brought greater trafficthrough the north-south corridor of the town.When an upgrade of thehighway trisected the town inthe 1950s, with northernlanes 150 yards crosstown ofthe southern lanes, Odessawas no longer a contiguouswalkable town, and thebustling thoroughfares, carry-ing commerce or beachtourists, polluted the adjacentstreets with exhaust andnoise. Odessa now receives ahigh volume of commercialtraffic looking to “cheat” thebridge toll on S.R. 1, a roaddesigned to bypass the town.

Hope Motter’s memories ofthe Appoquinimink area go

back a little further. As owner of the NoxontownMill and neighbor to St. Andrew’s throughout itshistory, Hope recalls the dirt roads that lined mostof the region, save for the western approach to St.Andrew’s. Beyond the entrance to the School, therest of Noxontown Road was unpaved in the1930s and where the concrete met the dirt roadprovided a pooling area for mud. Trips back to themill from town often involved getting precariouslystuck in the mess.

If Middletown and Odessa were quiet and peace-ful rural towns, the village of Noxontown, or whatportion remained in the early 20th Century, was avirtual secret paradise. Hope was living at thenorth end of the pond and the fourth generation toown the mill when St. Andrew’s became herneighbor in 1929. Still residing in the same dis-tinctive yellow house, Hope has come to appreci-ate the buffer zone that St. Andrew’s has createdbetween the Noxontown area and what she terselycalls the “grotesque development” of Middletown.

THE BEST-LAID PLANSAs residential development replaces farmland,

the reality of change becomes resoundingly clear.

Farmland along the Appoquinimink River just two miles from St. Andrew’s borders has been rapidly devel-oped since 1999. Lands once considered too marshy or problematic for home construction have been con-quered with modern sewer lines, drainage ponds and sump pumps.

PHOT

O BY

GRE

G DO

YLE ’

87

22 SPRING 2003

The Founder of St. Andrew’s School, A. Felix duPont,surely had the mind of a land use planner in hisvision for the School. This vision encompassed the

setting around the School as an integral part of the mis-sion for the School and the community that he wanted tobuild. Like so many aspects of duPont’s vision, this wasdecades ahead of its time. Faced with the currentonslaught of development in southern New Castle County,Delaware, many people are beginning to appreciate therole of open space in our lives. Felix duPont knew it allalong. Only recently have professional land use plannersarticulated the role of open space in the life of viable com-munities—that is except for one planner deeply affected bySt. Andrew’s.

Last year when William Hollingsworth “Holly” Whyte ’35passed away, I became fascinated by this man’s distin-guished work in land use planning in America. Thoughwell known outside New York City for his book, TheOrganization Man, Holly was best known there for hiscommitment to understanding and planning for livablepublic spaces in great cities. Less well known was his earlywork in open space and farmland preservation. In a 1959

technical bulletin for the Urban Land Institute titled,“Open Space for Urban America: ConservationEasements,” Whyte outlined a concept for what hasbecome the major tool for protecting farmland around theworld: the conservation easement.

Holly Whyte could not have known that nearly 30 yearslater his alma mater would use this legal device to tem-porarily preserve some 700 acres of land in, what we callin Delaware, an “Agricultural Preservation District.” Hedid, however, clearly see that the health of cities—of com-munities in general—depended on the surrounding openspaces. He saw that preserving these spaces helped ensurethe compact density of population and activity that makesa community exciting and viable, while giving us respitefrom urban sprawl. I believe his experiences at the close-knit School, surrounded by fields, forests and waterways,showed him something vibrant and unique. As a micro-cosm, St. Andrew’s must have been Holly Whyte’s arche-type for the lively city surrounded by undisturbed land.

A. Felix duPont understood that open space was the nec-essary complement to the concentration of buildings andresidences at St. Andrew’s. Farm fields and woodlands,

Land preservation is a St.Andrew’s core valueby Michael H. McGrath

There’s no turning back. Every homesite is landaltered forever. You never hear about a housingdevelopment being razed for farmland.

The only recourse, therefore, is to control andconfine the development to specific areas, to pre-vent poorly planned, random and wanton home-building. New Castle County as a whole claims torecognize the problem and has undertaken effortsaimed at smart growth. Unfortunately, there ismuch disagreement about how to do so. InDecember of 1997, the County adopted theUnified Development Code (UDC), aimed at regu-

lating development at the planning and approvalstage. In addition to attempting to ensure the prop-er infrastructure (utilities, roads, schools, etc.) is inplace prior to development, the UDC advocatesgreater use of green space in land planning, requir-ing riparian buffers along waterways and moreplantings along road and field borders. The UDCalso lowers the allowable density of developments,a move that some experts and developers havecharged is actually detrimental to encouragingsmart growth and preserving open space.

One aspect of the code affecting Middletown and


together with the Gothic architecture of the School, createthe physical community that is one component of theSchool as a living organism. Can St. Andrew’s make landuse decisions today based on duPont’s vision of a compactcommunity nestled in farms and forests? Yes, it can. Forthe sake of the remaining small towns in southern NewCastle County we need to make that connection quickly.

The School today stands at a crossroads, as doesDelaware. In the past few years the State has accomplishedmuch in preserving our remaining farmland. AgriculturalPreservation Districts, preserving farms for at least tenyears, now encompass almost 130,000 acres. Of that totalsome 65,000 acres are now permanently preserved by theowners, voluntarily, through the sale of conservation ease-ments to the State. This total sets Delaware as first amongthe states in the percentage of our land preserved for agri-culture. But this record is sullied by the continuing loss ofover 4,500 acres of farmland a year in Delaware over thelast decade; and that number is accelerating. In southernNew Castle County, if drastic steps are not taken in thenext five to ten years, farming could disappear as an indus-try in a decade. St. Andrew’s is showing us a better way.

The Trustees took the step some years ago of creating anAgricultural Preservation District on over 700 acres ofSchool’s farmland. An additional 1,500 acres of Schoolland are under no form of legal protection. Protectingthese open spaces is crucial to the future success of theSchool community. These lands are the setting for our“jewel.” As a parent of two graduates, Joy ’92 and Hope’01, I am keenly aware of the importance of this setting toour students and the St. Andrew’s experience. A. FelixduPont and Holly Whyte speak to us from the past. Theirvoices are alive in St. Andrew’s fields and woods. They tellus to cherish, protect and preserve what they have left us.

Michael H. McGrath is the Chief of Planning for Delaware’sDepartment of Agriculture, Director of the Farmland PreservationProgram, a member of the American Institute of CertifiedPlanners and the father of Joy ’92 and Hope ’01. In addition tohis work with farmland preservation, he has led efforts to stop the construction of a controversial Wal-Mart distribution centerin his hometown of Smyrna, Delaware.

St. Andrew’s is that areas annexed into a town arenot governed by the code. Any properties annexedby Middletown need only meet the codes of thetown, often circumventing the stricter rulesimposed by New Castle County. This is the prima-ry force driving the recent geographical expansionof Middletown. Developers are eager to be incor-porated in the town borders in order to havegreater freedom of planning. Since 1996,Middletown has annexed more than 3,900 acresinto its borders. In mid-September of 2002, therewere plans filed for more than 6,700 homes in

Middletown, with nearly 4,600 of those not yethaving broken ground.

From the State level, a number of laws passedunder the “Livable Delaware” initiative are bring-ing a halt to some of the excess. Thanks to suc-cessful rounds in the State legislature, local govern-ments are now prevented from further annexationof outlying lands without the establishment ofcomprehensive plans that show future growthareas. Towns must adequately show how serviceswill be provided to annexed lands. All municipalentities, county or local, must adopt zoning regula-

24 SPRING 2003

tions that conform to the plans. In par-ticular, the State aims to avoid the“cracks” into which many developershave conveniently slipped.

To the south of St. Andrew’s,Townsend updated its 1974 plan withthe able assistance of St. Andrew’s ownLand Use Coordinator, Ed O’Donnell. InTownsend’s plan, the first key recom-mendations deal with implementing thetools of governance, including town hallspace, a zoning committee and properrepresentation of town residents in plan-ning decisions. Though the town-limitspopulation was recorded in the 2000 USCensus to be 346, the plan expects thatto grow to as many as 2,800 residents.

In addressing their land-use goals,Townsend’s plan seeks to provide apleasant and vibrant location for resi-dents, allowing for the preservation ofopen space and planned parks, and pro-moting an acceptable level of commer-cial and selective industrial develop-ment.

Northeast of St. Andrew’s campus,Odessa has updated its 1969 plan, con-tinuing their focus on preserving the his-toric character of the town and shyingaway from annexation of the neighbor-ing developments that have cropped upin the last few years. The only areas thetown would even remotely consider forannexation are the remaining southernand western regions naturally delineatedby the highways and the AppoquiniminkRiver. In recent months, the town coun-cil declared a moratorium on the smallamount of development within townborders. The majority of recommenda-tions in the Odessa comprehensive plancall for actions that will curtail develop-

THE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK FOR CENTRAL DELAWARE

From an infrastructure perspective, the current residentialdevelopments are already a losing proposition. The various gov-ernments spend more than residents provide in property taxes.The deficit would ordinarily be offset by the more “profitable”taxation of commercial and industrial properties, but oftenthere aren’t enough of these properties to balance the books.

The situation becomes even more challenging when you factorin the “NIMBY” (not-in-my-backyard) response of many resi-dents to most proposed commercial or industrial development.Few want to live next to such sites, yet most would prefer not topay higher property taxes either. If that logic keeps going, some-where along the line somebody gets stuck with the bill and isn’thappy about it.

One of the State organizations that can help avert collapses ofthese unbalanced economic models is the Delaware EconomicDevelopment Office (DEDO). Across all sectors, DEDO worksto market Delaware as a prime location for businesses to oper-ate. The Office engages in a range of activities from small busi-ness assistance to employee recruitment to location consultingto tourism and film promotion. Of particular interest to centraland southern Delaware is that DEDO may hold the key to sav-ing the farmlands.

Along with commercial and industrial, agriculture is one ofthe more “profitable” uses of land from a taxation perspective.The challenge is how to make farming attractive and profitablefrom a business perspective. Jack Tarburton, father of St.Andrew’s alumni Ed ’80, Bob ’82, Sandy ’87, is the Director ofAgricultural Development at DEDO. The purpose of his sectionis to develop agricultural business opportunities that create andmaintain jobs, as well as preserve open space and agriculturalland.

Tarburton knows the difficulty of farming himself. He grewpotatoes, corn, rye, wheat and soybeans for many years just eastof Dover. In the wake of the business challenges facing farmerstoday, Tarburton believes the solution to preserving agriculturein Delaware is diversification on two levels. First, the State’s pro-duce needs to be marketed beyond its own boundaries. Findingnew markets for Delaware produce can help ensure competitiveprices. Second, instead of producing crops solely for simplisticanimal or human consumption, niche markets need to beexplored. Plants grown for enzymes, vaccines or other pharma-ceutical ingredients would blend 21st-Century technology withtraditional farming practices and could offer enormous opportu-nities for Delaware’s farmers.

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the efforts will saveDelaware’s farms. The lure of cashing out to the big money ofdevelopers may still be hard to resist, but finding ways to rein-vigorate the potential of agricultural lands at least provides a fewoptions before the farmers take that final deal.


ment for all but the most narrowly-defined circum-stances. The only pro-development policies areaimed at improving the town’s small commercialdistrict along southbound U.S. 13 and allowing forpossible construction of clustered residential unitsthat match the historic character of the town.

St. Andrew’s more conspicuous neighbor to thenorth and west, Middletown, has proved most vul-nerable to helter-skelter development. With fewexceptions, all corridors of access to Middletownnow or soon will have substantial development

plans underway. At rush hour and school dismissaltimes, it is nearly impossible to get through thecenter of town without waiting in traffic for 20minutes. The backlog of automobiles along Del. 71and Del. 299 can sometimes stretch as far as aquarter-mile.

Middletown reworked its comprehensive plan in1998 and again in 2001. The plan acknowledgesthat at full build-out of all approved plans and con-ceptual plans currently known, Middletown willend up with a total of 8,000 housing units, includ-

A frequent subject of John McGiff’s paintings, the Wilson Farm is one of the School’s properties along Noxontown Road and is a classic exampleof rural Delaware architecture.

The motivating idea behind my recent landscape paint-ings is the appreciation and documentation of the singlefamily farms that, for centuries, have worked the richsoil of the Middletown area. Having marveled with apainter’s eye at the unique character of these places everytime I drove down by Levels Road, up Rt. 71, down Rt.301 or over on Marl Pit Road, I started to go down someof the long dirt driveways and ask the owners if I couldset up my easel and paint their working yards and/orhouse. I’ve met six families so far; they've been invari-ably intrigued with this project and shared some of theirfamily history, all of which has served to heighten myrespect and admiration for their perseverance and theirhard working way of life.

As I was allowed to study more working farms, Ibecame very interested in the character of the old housesand the unique design of the outlying buildings. Eachplace had a human scale to it and was totally differentfrom the others depending on what their business was-raising steer or dairy cows, chickens or horses, plantingvegetables or grain. Each building has to be functionaland well placed in the design of the whole yard, and eachconfiguration of buildings is the result of a gradual grow-ing process that has, in some cases, been going on forover 150 years. And each farm has its own aestheticcharge to a painter’s eye, for the textures of bothmachines and buildings bear frank witness to the dailyrituals of work for which they serve as stage and actor.

Vanishing Landscapes-The Delaware Family Farmby John McGiff

26 SPRING 2003

ing the existing homes. While they seek to pre-serve the mix of housing that has existed in thepast, it doesn’t change the fact that this representsthousands more vehicles along the roadways, thou-sands more students in the Appoquinimink SchoolDistrict, and significant upgrades to services requir-ing intergovernmental cooperation. The problemsthat Middletown creates are becoming problemsfor New Castle County and the State as well.

The rapid and unchecked growth of Middletown,particularly through the annexation of outlyingland parcels, finally caught the full attention ofState and County legislators inlate 2000. Though it was nosecret prior to that time, oppos-ing viewpoints on land use start-ed coming to a head asMiddletown reviewed annexationplans that would increase itsoverall size by 25 percent. InFebruary of 2001, Town Councildecided to halt further considera-tion of annexations until thecomprehensive plan wasreviewed by the State. The paceof development soon slowedfrom that peak of activity, though

it has not abated. The public hearingson land use and zoning are now a pop-ular event for residents. With moreeyes focused on the future, at least theresidents won’t be caught unawareagain. The renewed activism resulted ina battle to prevent a Wal-Mart frombeing approved for land along Del. 299across from the new Middletown HighSchool. Wal-Mart eventually withdrewits controversial plan, but there hasn’tbeen a clear sign that the battle is over.Not surprisingly, anti-sprawl platformswere a favorite during the recent elec-tion season.

Of the three towns, Middletown is in the mostimmediate peril of succumbing to the symptomsof sprawl. Much of the infrastructure improve-ments required for accommodation of the residen-tial growth are beyond the immediate jurisdictionof the town. For many of the recommendations intheir comprehensive plan, Middletown must waitfor DelDOT and New Castle County to take actionon roadways and sewer upgrades. In the interim,the town suffers in the existing gridlock and plan-ning limbo. Middletown isn’t quite a city, but it haslong since stopped being a small town.

The May 2003 completion of Delaware S.R. 1 will increase access to the Appoquinimink regionand inevitably promote further development of the surrounding farmlands.

The northern end of Silver Lake Road now supports an apartment complex, Middletown HighSchool and local athletics fields. A new shopping center and housing development are alsounderway.


Learning from the mistakes of planning and developmentby Dan O’Connell, Peter McLean and Bill Wallace

One major objective of the life sciences at St.Andrew’s School is to foster awareness andappreciation of the natural world and to

promote its stewardship. In the life sciences, we havetried to meet this objective a number of ways. We usethe biology barge to put students on NoxontownPond where they can assess water quality and notethe diversity of the trees, birds, and wildflowers. Wealso have placed nesting boxes and structures aroundthe Pond, including those for wood ducks, ospreys,kestrels, screech and barred owls and bluebirds.Students involved in the forestry and wildlife project,an athletics alternative in the winter and spring,have established a walnut grove and more than threemiles of trail along the Pond. Together with environ-mental science students, the forestry group hashelped in returning a 15-acre hayfield to forest.Already over one acre has been planted with a mix-ture of 10 native species of trees.

Our hope is that these efforts not only improve ourhabitat and water quality, but also educate andempower us, so that, as ambassadors, we can do thesame for others. We hope that some of what we doserves as a model especially for our neighbors andnearby communities. Dismayed by the rampantgrowth and the loss of community in theMiddletown area, environmental science studentshave written the Town Council, the Mayor, and theCounty Executive urging sound planning and appre-ciation of the qualities and benefits of the existingcommunity.

In 2001, students in the Environmental Scienceclass took part in a yearlong partnership withDelaware’s Department of Natural Resources andEnvironmental Control (DNREC). Our project was ariparian inventory of the Appoquinimink RiverWatershed. Under the direction of DNREC’s AquaticsSpecialist Lyle Jones, the students traveled off campusto designated study sites in the Middletown areaencompassing tributaries of the Appoquinimink fromDel. 71 to Del. S.R. 1. The survey required the stu-dents to walk overgrown—sometimes nearly impass-able—stream banks with clipboards, completingchecklists and taking global positioning system mea-surements. Students catalogued sources of pollutionand noted areas of erosion.

The students felt a sense of accomplishment andcompleted the project feeling as though they hadcontributed to a body of knowledge that may some-day influence land-use policy in a positive way inMiddletown.

Faculty members have been involved as members ofthe Appoquinimink Tributary Action Team, a citi-zens’ group that has worked to identify the sources ofand establish limits to pollution that reaches theAppoquinimink River and its tributaries. After morethan two years of deliberation, the team has submit-ted a strategy for cleaning up the water in theAppoquinimink River to DNREC, which must nowreview the strategy and determine implementation.

With this task completed, the Tributary ActionTeam’s latest efforts have focused on the establish-ment of “Friends of the Appoquinimink,” a perma-nent group dedicated to water quality and habitatenhancement, and ultimately, the protection of oneof Delaware’s major watersheds.

With each passing year, the development of theMiddletown area makes the need for environmentalprotection ever more urgent. Currently, Friends ofthe Appoquinimink is discussing the best strategy forprotecting the land immediately adjacent to the river.Purchasing land and obtaining conservation ease-ments appear to be the first priorities of the Friends.That’s a mission St. Andrew’s can certainly respect.

Bill Wallace maps tributaries of the Appoquinimink in 2001 withSarah Moser ’02.

28 SPRING 2003

AGAINST THE RISING TIDEOpposition to development practices in Delaware

is varied and presents itself on many fronts. In a 2000 report, “The Costs of Sprawl in

Delaware,” the Delaware chapter of the Sierra Clubhighlights the financial resource exhaustion causedby housing developments. They cite a recent studyof the MOT area that shows a negative cash flowfor taxation and provision of community services.For every $1.00 of tax revenue provided by resi-dential areas, $1.20 is spent on providing variousquality-of-life services to those areas. For businessand agricultural areas, there is a positive cash flow,

with government spending only 50 to 70 cents forevery $1.00 received. These figures, they claim,are consistent with data recorded in other parts ofthe country. According the Sierra Club, it simply iseconomically unsound to focus exclusively on resi-dential development.

The organization Green Delaware raises publicawareness of environmental and public healthissues, including the importance and preservationof biodiversity. Under the guidance of ExecutiveDirector Alan Muller, Green Delaware works toinfluence legislators, sometimes through inflamma-tory means. The organization decries the powerful

One of the many St. Andreans working in the fieldsof environmental science or land conservation, ChrisPupke ’88 is part of a movement to take farming andland management to the next level. Working at the

Chesapeake WildlifeHeritage (CWH), aprivate nonprofitorganization inMaryland that focus-es on the ChesapeakeBay Watershed, Chrisand his colleagues areredefining agricultur-al practices.

While developmentmoratoriums andpreservation districtsprevent the wholesaleconversion of farm-lands and open spaceinto housing units,they still miss thegreater problem facedby the ecosystems—

unnatural imbalances caused by excessive human inter-ference. The challenge for CWH is undoing the damageof centuries of land exhaustion and “industrial” agri-culture.

At Barnstable Hill Farms near Kent Island, Md.,CWH is working on restoring true natural habitat—grasses, forest, wetlands, etc.—and practicing sustain-able agricultural techniques that reduce the amount ofpollutants that are normally generated by modernfarming. By adopting different techniques and sched-ules, CWH shows farmers how to kill cover crops with-out using herbicides, how to treat harvest crops withmore accurate band spraying instead of broadcastspraying, how to prevent soil erosion and nutrientrunoff—in short, how to find harmony with natureinstead of fighting it.

The efforts of CWH at Barnstable Hill Farms andother areas of the Chesapeake Bay have found somesuccess and recognition thanks to renewed interest inthe health of that waterway. But similar efforts need tohappen along the Delaware Bay as well as other partsof the country. “In many areas,” Chris points out,“agriculture as practiced now is the biggest polluter ofwaterways.”

Redefining Farm, Land and Wildlife Management

Chris Pupke ’88 stands amidst the longgrasses of Barnstable Hill Farms.


mechanisms of government on behalf of thechemical industry and municipalities whoengage in polluting practices. They also takethe State’s news media organizations to taskfor failing to inform Delawareans of theenvironmental perils that exist. In 2003,Muller finally began to receive some positiverecognition after successfully taking on thenotorious Motiva Industries in Delaware City,north of the C&D Canal.

The Southern New Castle CountyAlliance is an association of different civicgroups between the C&D Canal and DuckCreek in Smyrna that joined forces in the 1990s toinfluence legislative agendas that affect the region.In recent years, the Alliance has opposed theannexations of County land by Middletown, citingthe town’s appetite for growth as perilous for theschool system and a cause of other infrastructureand environmental strains.

Though the State’s Livable Delaware initiativemay have been welcomed by some pro-environ-ment and anti-sprawl groups, there are those whosee it as either a case of “too little, too late” or“missing the forest for the trees.” Much of the ini-tiative grapples with development that has alreadyoccurred. In describing the program to the media,Gov. Ruth Ann Minner explained, “LivableDelaware is a comprehensive strategy to getsprawl under control and direct intelligent growthto areas where the State, county and local govern-ments are most prepared for new developments interms of infrastructure, services and thoughtfulplanning.” There are parts of the initiative that doaim to prevent development in some areas alto-gether, but the main thrust has been to exert con-trol over rather than to inhibit development. Theend result is that development still comes andinfrastructure is still strained, but hopefully con-fined to regions better able to handle it. Historyhas proven, however, that it rarely stays contained.

THE PATH FORWARDWhile St. Andrew’s may always be nestled in

lush fields and forests, there may come a daywhen it is the only such oasis for many miles. Thecombined efforts of sparsely funded programs andinitiatives working to preserve Delaware’s openspace may save a few farms from the developers,but the trend of 5,000 to 10,000 acres lost peryear isn’t likely to subside without more coopera-tive action from governmental stakeholders. Keyplanning and zoning decisions cannot be leftentirely to the whims of small towns. Towns needto have a voice, but they need to be in harmonywith State and county governments. The coopera-tion will reap solid benefits for all parties con-cerned. Most towns do not have the political mus-cle or the resources to challenge the developers,and the State and county governments are far toobusy to monitor every change occurring at thelocal level. Working together, they stand a chance.

Time and options are running out for Delaware,and as one of the smallest states in the nation, sotoo is the land.

The author extends sincere thanks to the many individuals whoprovided interviews and information toward the completion of thisarticle, including David Levinson ’53, Rachel Mandes, John McGiff,Mike McGrath, Joy McGrath ’92, Dave McKelvey, Peter McLean,Hope and Ralph Motter, Alan Muller, Jon O’Brien, Dan O’Connell,Ed O’Donnell, Caroline duPont Prickett, Chris Pupke ’88, MikeSchuller, Carol and Gary Simendinger, Jack Tarburton and BillWallace.

The Rutkowski Farm, near the intersection of Silver Lake Road and Del. 299, standsbehind the construction equipment poised to carve out the Dove Run ShoppingCenter.

As the extended campus map shows, St.Andrew’s is well insulated from the more tangibleintrusions of development. Along each corridor ofaccess to the core campus, open space sheltersthe road for one or two miles. Even against thestark reality of the new shopping center and hous-ing units at the northern end of Silver Lake Road,the forest and fields lining the southern end soft-en the approach to St. Andrew’s. Visitors passfrom the unattractive suburban landscape andcatch a glimpse of Delaware as it once was. Bythe time they reach Founders’ Hall, all evidence ofthe overdeveloped outside world is gone.

Early acquisitions by the Trustees in the 1950sand 1960s captured areas immediately adjacentto the core campus and provided an initial buffer.Starting in 1986 and continuing throughout the1990s, the School aggressively increased its landholdings, purchasing all of the remaining farm-lands along Noxontown Pond. Not losing sight ofits northern borders, the School also purchasedthe two major farms along Silver Lake Road.

Achieving this feat was not easy, made possibleonly through the resolute purpose and mindset ofTrustees and School administrators. When formerHeadmaster Jon O’Brien arrived at St. Andrew’s in1977, Middletown was surrounded by farmlands,but he and the Trustees knew that the situationwould soon change. Recently, O’Brien reflectedon his thoughts at the time. “It didn't take agenius to realize that a huge tidal wave was build-ing momentum north of the Canal,” recalledO'Brien. “As one drove to Wilmington one couldsee one farm after another trading in crops for

houses.” A defining moment for O’Brien involvedtaking the old School dump truck to various partsof the campus, standing on its roof and looking inall directions. “I felt it was essential for the Schoolto own all the land I could see,” said O'Brien.

O’Brien acknowledges that, at the time, therewas never any specific intent to always keep theland in agricultural use. “What the entire Boarddid agree on,” said O’Brien, “was that it was inthe long term best interests of the School to con-trol its horizons.” Indeed, after some of the sub-stantial land acquisitions in the 1980s, the Schoolexplored options for planning some light develop-ment on the southern edge of Noxontown Pond.In the end, those plans never moved beyondpaper, and the shores remained pristine.

Trustee Caroline duPont Prickett is the currentChair of the Board's Land Use Committee. Joiningthe Board in 1987 after the death of her husband,Kip duPont ’55, Prickett has brought her passionfor land preservation—engendered by Kip’s moth-er—to her work on the Land Use Committee. “St.Andrew's was very forward thinking in acquiringthe lands around Noxontown,” said Prickett. Nowthat the School is in control of its surroundings,Prickett aims to keep that mentality moving in apositive direction. The future goals of theCommittee include working with the St. Andrew’sfarmers to properly care for the land and plantcrops that maintain the health of the soil andwaterways, as well as exploring the formation of alarger conservation group for the Appoquiniminkregion.

St.Andrew’s Land Holdings in 2003


Early in the morning Bill finished his breakfast witha second cup of hot black coffee. He had been uplong before sunrise tending the new-born calf and themeager herd of cows. Although the calf had beenfound lying in the fresh new-fallen snow, it had, bymeans of Bill’s skilled care, survived. Bill’s wife,Lettie, was now in packing lunch for their nine-year-old son to take to school. Bill told her that he wasgoing to make a trip to town and asked her if shewanted anything. The trip to town for provisions wasusually a weekly occurrence, but during the long win-ter months, with no crops to till, it came more fre-quently.

Bill spent most of his time at the post-office wherehe had just picked up the usual amount of circularsand seed catalogues. Having situated himself com-fortably near the radiating chunk-burner, he joined inthe talk with the other farmers who had also come totown for the day. The discussion went from the coldweather and next spring’s plowing to fishing and thehigh cost of hired-help. Before leaving town, Billbought some sweets for his son, Junior, and a rag dollfor his infant daughter. For Lettie he chose with pridean apron with colorful designs.

Bill picked up Junior at school, thus relieving theboy of a solitary trek home. As they drove up the laneto the house, Bill observed that the ruts in the laneneeded to be filled soon and that, come spring, thebarn would need a new coat of paint. Havingchopped wood for the fireplace, the pair went rabbithunting in the pasture. It was easy to find and tracethe wildlife imprints in the snow, but they neverseemed to lead to an animal. They went around incircles or got lost in the bushes. At last a sitting rab-bit was sighted, and when it attempted to flee itsaggressors, it was shot. When Junior saw the deadrabbit close up, tears filled his eyes.

As blackness took the place of the overcast grey thatevening, the family gathered around the large dinner

table in the middle of the warm kitchen, and Lettie,holding her young daughter in her arms, said theblessing. Although his mother and father were eatingrabbit, Junior, having lost his appetite, nibbled at thechicken left over from the previous Sunday.

Having put their young daughter to rest in herhomemade cradle, Bill and Lettie washed the disheswhile Junior pondered over his school books. It wasBill’s plan to have his son finish school before follow-ing in his father’s footsteps. Bill had left school whenhe was twelve years old in order to assist his fatherwith the farming, and he realized the hardships anddifficulties that plagued those lacking an education.The wild winter wind howled around the corners ofthe house, and some gushes of air even penetrated thecracks in the large front door.

Later that evening after Junior had gone to bed, Billand Lettie sat in front of an old, well-used oil burner,Bill reading the paper and Lettie finishing a rag-rugfor the hallway. At intervals Bill would look up fromhis paper and inform Lettie of various news items.He read such headlines as: “World Unrest Grows asReds Gain Seoul. Broker Loses Fortune in StockMarket, Kills Self. Expedition Planned to Africa inSearch of Riches.” After having tired of reading thepaper, Bill began to talk to Lettie, who was now plait-ing her long silver-streaked hair in preparation forbed. The couple discussed plans for raising largercrops and buying some extra land to add to the farm.

Another day in the life of Bill and Lettie had passedpleasantly away.

This article was originally published in the 1951 Andrean. J. Caleb Boggs, Jr., a 1952 St. Andrew’s graduate, has been a lifelong resident of Delaware, except while flying in the MarineCorps and with Pan American Airlines. His father, J. CalebBoggs, Sr., was Delaware’s Republican U.S. Representative from1947-1953, Governor from 1953-1961 and U.S. Senator from 1961-1973. In the Senate, he was one of the key supporters of the1970 Clean Air Act.

Delaware Days by Caleb Boggs ’52

32 SPRING 2003

The barn and prize dairy herd at the School Farm in theearly days of St. Andrew’s School.

The original farmhouse on the School Farm.

Students pose while cornhusking.

The School map as published in the 1931 Admission booklet.

The barn, silo and other outbuildings at the Farm in 1930.


Part Two of a year-long look at St. Andrew’s community service efforts

St. Andreans

IInnOpportunities for community service workexpand with growth of local school district

The growth of the Middletown-Odessa-Townsend (MOT) area has been particularlyhard on the Appoquinimink School

District. In the June 2000 issue of American SchoolBoard Journal,Appoquinimink’s challenges were pro-filed in an article on the nationwide problem of ruralschool district expansion in the face of sprawl.Appoquinimink’s early response to the increase instudents—which was ranging from 7 to 10 percenteach year—included the addition of modular trailersto existing school buildings, and eventually to theconstruction of new facilities altogether.There arenow an early childhood learning center, four ele-mentary schools (a fifth is scheduled to open in thefall of 2003), two middle schools and the new highschool, which together serve than 5,800 students.

Already there is talk of building a second high schoolin the district. St.Anne’s Episcopal School and theMOT Charter School are two local alternatives tothe district schools, and there are others at furtherdistance.The summary result of all these schools isthat there is an overwhelming number of students inthe MOT community with additional needs.

Through the efforts of DyAnn Miller,Advisor toCommunity Service Programs, St.Andrew’s studentshave pitched in to help the situation with a numberof service initiatives.Although the typical St.Andreanschedule is rigorous and full of many obligations,Miller has worked diligently to provide accessibleopportunities for the students.

As Elementary School Tutors, students work asteachers’ aides, usually one-on-one with students

34 SPRING 2003

needing additional help or taking missed tests.Thisopportunity has been available to students since thelate 1980s and averages around 12 student volun-teers each week.

The Adaptive Aquatics program dates back almostto the opening of the Genereaux Aquatic Center atSt.Andrew’s. Special needs children from theAppoquinimink School District are brought tocampus every Tuesday after lunch to swim with stu-dents.Working in pairs with each child, studentsfocus on range-of-motion and basic swimming skillsfor some, and on more advanced skills for childrenwho intend to compete at the Special Olympics.Around 50 students are participating in the programthis year, taking turns in groups of 25 every otherweek.

The Host Program enables St.Andrew’s studentsto work one-on-one with young children whoneed assistance to reach the appropriate readinglevel for kindergarten.At the Early ChildhoodCenter located behind Middletown’s EverettMeredith Middle School (the old high school), stu-dents meet with the children three times a week,spending one visit on motor and social skills andtwo visits on reading.Although the scheduling forthis program is more difficult, Miller is able to findsix or more students to make the trip into town.

Also taking place at the Early Childhood Centeris the new Reading Buddies program.These chil-dren are more at risk of falling behind than the chil-dren in the Host Program.They are enrolled in thefull-day program rather than the standard half-daykindergarten.The ten students who participate inthis program spend all of their time reading with thechildren and playing assorted word and languagegames.

The rewards of these programs with theAppoquinimink School District are many. First, thevanloads of students that depart campus most after-noons carry fine and upstanding representatives ofSt.Andrew’s School into the local community—apositive and desirable outcome. Second, the studentsgain a more thorough understanding of their com-munity’s needs, not always apparent within the con-fines of the St.Andrew’s campus. Finally, every smileof a child served by the programs demonstrates theeffectiveness of the students’ efforts, and mostimportantly, one more step forward for the child.


36 SPRING 2003

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

The paintings of Robert Seyffert ’71 were profiled in the February 2003 issue ofAmerican Artist. Robert is the third generation in a family of accomplishedpainters, joining his uncle, Richard and grandfather, Leopold. Robert’s parents,Peter and Eleanor, taught Spanish and Art, respectively, at St. Andrew’s for 13years. Eleanor taught the first full-time art classes in the studio that once existedabove the Irene duPont Library.

Robert has a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design and aBachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from Maryland Institute, College of Art. He cur-rently works full time in his studio in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City,in addition to directing the Alfred and Trafford Klots Residency Program forpromising artists in Rochefort-en-Terre in Brittany, France. His wife, Nilda Mesa,is also an accomplished artist.

Henry Island, Farm, 2001, oil, 25 x 32.

All artwork in this articlecollection of the artist.

This article is reprinted withthe kind permission of the

publishers of American Artist.


Oil painter Robert Seyffert has a penchant for nostalgiaand an eye for symbols of time and endurance.“Whether it’s a big tree or a 1965 Pontiac,” he says,“there’s something about the light hitting the subjectthat excites me, and that’s what I paint.” But no mat-ter the subject or setting, the artist is no literalist. “I’mtrying to get the sensation created by the thing I’mlooking at, and not just copying it,” he explains. “Inoils, an artist is painting a thick heavy substance oncanvas, but it’s important that it have a sense of reali-

ty, and that it relates to the physical sensation of light. But the work’s nota photograph—it’s a painting.

Consider Seyffert’s “portraits” of vintage cars on the streets of NewYork, where he lives, and in Baltimore. He began painting cars in the early1980s when he happened across an abandoned car on a dairy farm heoften painted. “I started painting these cars just like Dutch painters wouldapproach a still life, how they’d carefully place fruit on a table to catchthe light in a certain way,” he explains. “I get the same kind of excitementfor light on chrome.”

To translate that initial sensation into an animated, tantalizing painting,Seyffert often scales down his subjects, literally treating a city street as astill life. “When I reduce the scene into something smaller,” he describes,“the viewer can say, ‘Wow! This is an experience.’ I pack it all into thissmall exciting scene.” Pointing to the classic pink car in T-Bird, Village,the artist says, “When I paint on the street, the car is close up to me, but

The Subject of

LIGHTTo convey the physical sensation

of light, New York artist Robert Seyffert conceives of each subject as a still life.

B Y G E O R G E H O W E L L

38 SPRING 2003

I’ll make it smaller, so it looks fartheraway. The viewer wouldn’t know thisby looking at the painting, but if youused your thumb and forefinger toscale the actual car on the street,you’d see that it should be much larg-er than it appears.”

To begin a new painting, the artistmakes a line drawing with a dilutedearth color in a turpentine wash,applied with a small- to medium-sized round brush. “As I’m doing thedrawing,” he explains, “I stand backmaybe 10 feet, because that’s where Ican tell if there’s a problem. Then Imake corrections with a rag, remov-ing the parts that don’t work. Youhave to get the drawing right,because if something’s wrong, it willbe obvious in the finished painting.”

Next he blocks in areas of the

drawing with pigment. “I paint thedarks and the halftones first and savethe lights for last,” he says. “I likethe darks really dark. Most peopledon’t realize there is as much color indarks as in lights.” Referring again tothe Thunderbird, Seyffert notes, “Ifyou look carefully at the windows,you’ll see green in them. Because I’venoticed that automobile glass isslightly green, I paint the windowswith a mix of viridian green andalizarin crimson. Those two colorstogether give me a good variety ofdarks.”

Seyffert’s approach to color comesfrom the ideas of Charles Hawthorne,a student of William Merritt Chaseand the founder of the influentialCape Cod School of Art inProvincetown, Massachusetts.

“Hawthorne taught something hecalled ‘spot painting,’” Seyffert says.“that is, the way colors work againstone another. You take small spots ofcolor to create the illusion of the col-ors’ natural vibrancy, but you onlystart to see color relationships whenyou put the colors together on thecanvas.” Seyffert explains that afterselecting the part of the wash draw-ing where he sees strong color con-trasts, he takes three colors andmixes them on his palette as he seesthe color relationship in the scene. Heputs each color on the canvas quicklywith a palette knife, then paints inthe whole area with those colors.When he paints another area, hekeeps adjusting the colors as heapplies them.

“There are two issues with color,”

Evening Beach, Maine,2001, oil, 22 x 27.


he observes. “You have the literal color,the local color of a brick, say, which is aparticular red, but put a brick wall in apainting with a lot of light and sky, andthe colors change. Because colors varywhen they’re placed next to one anoth-er, it’s the color relationships thatcount.”

Regardless of his subject, Seyffertalways uses the same palette. Choosingthe fewest colors for the greatest range,he favors what he calls his “essentialdarks”—ultramarine blue, alizarin crim-son, burnt umber, and viridian green—along with cadmium yellow light, lemonyellow, and cadmium red light, “amidrange, medium-value color,” henotes. Lately, he’s started using black aswell.

Sometimes, however, the colors don’t“talk to each other,” as Seyffert puts it.To show what he means, he pulls outHenry Island, Farm, one of hisfavorites, although he says the paintingdid not begin well. “I was standing inthe shadows and pretty close to thescene,” he recalls. “The painting givesthe impression that you are very faraway, but it’s very hard to paint some-thing that is so close to you. With suchstrong shadows against bright sunlight,I was having trouble painting a ‘dark’shadow. Darks reflect light differently;some become shiny and others matte.The problem is you don’t always seehow shiny. I worked on this canvasthree or four times outside.”

As a solution, Seyffert combinedalizarin crimson and ultramarine blue,which tend to produce shiny surfaces,“and if you don’t mix them with othercolors, they dry shiny,” the artist adds.He mixed in some burnt umber, becauseit’s a matte and modifies the shine ofthe other colors. When he was finished,he retouched the painting with a mattevarnish to even out the darks.

Seyffert finally got the colors to talkto each other, and now he is particularlyhappy with certain passages in thepainting. “I wanted to include the sky,”he comments, “because it adds light tothe composition and re-creates the sen-sation of place. I liked the color rela-tionship between the flat violet sky, therocks—which are green, purple, andblue—and the shadowy area below therocks, which are alizarin crimson andblue.”

Top: Cour d’honneur,2002, oil, 18 x 22.

Above: Inside—Chateau Entrance,2001, oil, 26 x 32.

40 SPRING 2003

The settings of Seyffert’s paintingsreflect the places his life and careerhave taken him. He earned a B.F.A.degree from the Maryland Institute,College of Art, in Baltimore, thenstudied with Paul Resika at ParsonsSchool of Design, in New York City,where he earned a M.F.A. degree in1981. Besides showing inWashington, D.C., and Baltimore,he has had shows in the NationalArts Club in New York City, AristosGallery in Mexico City and theMuseum of Rochefort-en-Terre in

Brittany, France, where he also runsa summer residency program spon-sored by the Maryland Institute,College of Art.

“We always get applications frommany more good artists than we cantake,” Seyffert says of the program,run out of a chateau that oncebelonged to Trafford Klots, anAmerican portrait and landscapepainter. “We select four artists andgive them a room in the chateauand a shared studio. We’ve startedinviting alumni back in July and

August, so the whole place is full allsummer long.” Rochefort is notSeyffert’s only commitment to ser-vice. He is a past president of theArtist’s Fellowship, a New YorkCity service group that providesgrants for artists in crises.

The old, rich culture of Brittanymakes for perfect subject matter,considering Seyffert’s “wickedattachment to all things old,” as hesays. Two paintings from Rochefort,Cour d’honneur and Inside—Chateau Entrance, show the range


of the artist’s interest and talents. Cour isalmost surreal in its geometrical shrubsand landscape, while Chateau is exotic indetail and mythic ruins. “But they’re bothfrom the same location,” the artist says.“The buildings are only 25 yards fromeach other, and I spent roughly the sameamount of time on both paintings. Courd’honneur is more geometrical because thisis a painting of a formal garden; it’s veryorganized, with the shrubs trimmed andshaped. It’s more like a still life withobjects, but the Chateau is more ‘natural,’even though the bushes are taken care of,too.”

Thinking about the many places he haspainted, Seyffert reflects, “The experienceof painting France is different from that inMaine or Nova Scotia, because the place

where I paint is right out of my back door.I see this every day, I walk past it everyday. Maine and the beach paintings aretravel painting, things I don’t see all thetime.” Then, thinking about the ancientoaks near Rochefort that he has yet topaint, he adds, “Everything is a still life—the rocks, the cars, the trees—they’re allmonuments to a period of time.”

George Howell writes about art and cul-ture in the Washington, D.C., area, wherehe lives.

This article is reprinted with the kind per-mission of the publishers of AmericanArtist.

Above: T-Bird, Village, 2002, oil, 25 x 30.

Opposite page, above left: Car on set of Pollock, 2001, oil, 28 x 34.

Opposite page, above right: Hard Top, 1996, oil, 25 x 30.

Opposite page, below left: T-Bird, Tribeca, 2001, oil, 25 x 30.

Opposite page, below right: T-Bird, Hard Top, 1999, oil, 25 x 30.

42 SPRING 2003

Nothing in life can prepare you for the realizationthat against all odds, your newborn child does in facthave an irreversible, dreaded disability. Your senses gonumb, except for the sensation of an excruciatingweight that steadily bears down on your chest. Dreamscrumble away taking with them a part of your verysoul. How can one of the happiest occasions in life sud-denly take such a cruel twist? Reddened, pained eyesdon’t know how to offer comfort, for they too areafraid. Who is this imperfect little being? What iswrong? Why are you mine? Slowly, with each passingminute and hour, the enormity of the truth sets in. Adeep, deliberate breath slightly eases the pressure onyour chest, and you try to accept that your whole worldhas dramatically changed, and everything in it willnever ever be the same.

Lying in the hospital, holding my rosy cheeked, slan-ty-eyed newborn, I thought about a particular memoryfrom my St. Andrew’s days that’s so poignant now. It’slike a single glimpse in time that has always stood outin my mind for some reason. I had gone into

Middletown to get something at the grocery store, and Isaw a young fellow in his mid-twenties standing by thedoor apparently waiting for a ride. I remember seeinghis face and thinking to myself, “that is amazing, helooks just like a guy in my hometown I sometimes seeriding around on a bike. They look SO much alike, theyMUST be related.” How coincidental, I thought, thathere in a small town in Delaware there could be a closerelative of a person from my small hometown inVirginia! At 16 years old, I had never heard of DownSyndrome.

Grace Rumsey Paxton came to be in this world by amiracle in my eyes. Our long awaited second child wasconceived in a test-tube by in-vitro fertilization and herarrival was a greatly anticipated family event. Asophisticated Level II ultrasound showed a perfectlyhealthy baby girl. But, a couple months before she wasborn, doctors became concerned with her size. She wasmeasuring smaller for her gestational age and the amni-otic fluid surrounding her was low. We were both close-ly monitored. During this time, and up until her birth, Ibegan to have my own fears. A voice told me that mychild would be different. It was a strong, clear voicethat came to me at different times—picking up the car-pool, in church, in the doctor’s office and once when Inoticed a mother in a store. Her toddler was wailingbut he stopped long enough to stare at a very pregnantme. I looked away quickly hoping the mother did notsee me flinch when I saw her child’s distinguishing fea-tures, once described as ‘mongoloid.’

Everyone, family and professionals, brushed off myfears as an overly anxious mother’s paranoia. Specialistseven confirmed that my chances of having a child witha chromosome problem were less than 1 percent. So Itried to ignore the voice and just focus on having ahealthy baby. The voice never went away, andmoments before my daughter’s birth, it was so loud andclear I felt I had to somehow prepare my husband.Without even knowing what I was saying, the wordscame out something like, “this child is going to make orbreak us. Are you ready? Can you handle it if anythingis wrong?” He looked at me bewildered, but squeezed

Caroline Rumsey Paxton ’83 and daughter, Grace, enjoy a book together.

Gifts of GraceCaroline Rumsey Paxton ’83

ALUMNI PERSPECTIVES


my hand and said he was ready. In the operating room,and in the delirium of a cesarean delivery, I was the onewho could clearly see that my 2-minute old baby girllooked like she had Down Syndrome.

The late night hours that followed were like a movieplayed at too slow a speed; everything was warped anddistorted. No one knew what to say to me. Alone inmy hospital room, I dared to carefully examine thisalien pink bundle. Was she a freak of nature?Deformed? Her fingers were so short and pudgy, andthe bridge of her nose was non-existent. One ear stuckout and the other looked as if it had been turned insideout. Her big blue eyes had an upward slant that wasnot ugly, just different. I was so exhausted and emo-tionally spent, I will confess that I found myself staringin the mirror, looking at myself as if for the first time,the mother of a child with Down Syndrome. My owneyes have a slant and it occurred to me for at least twosincere seconds that maybe I had Down Syndrome andnever knew it. I realized this small helpless creature wasnot hideous. She was a bit odd and imperfect, but shewas precious, and she was mine.

I cried that night like I have never cried before. Icried for myself and I cried for my family who was sodisappointed, and mostly I cried for my little girl. Icould not even imagine what her life would be. In mymemory bank of knowledge and life experiences I couldnot pull up an image of a woman with DownSyndrome, not even a little girl. Would we ever do thethings that mothers do with daughters? Will she havefriends? What do I tell my son who has wanted a sib-ling for so many years about his new sister? They werepainful questions with no answers. The only certainty Icould hold onto was that I loved this abnormal littlebeing dearly and completely. In the quiet predawnhours, the familiar voice came back to me, as clear asever. “You have been given a life changing gift that willenrich you and your family’s lives more than you canimagine. Open your heart. Open your mind. Yourdaughter will accomplish great things.”

The life-changing journey began with so much tolearn and so much to do. First, I had to accept that Icould not fix her. This took months to fully understand.Then, my biggest fear was whether I could be a goodenough parent to our child who would face seemingly

enormous challenges. Thanks to the Internet and manygreat books, I learned that in fact the future for mydaughter is far from grim. Children with DownSyndrome have considerable potential. And our Gracedoes not suffer from any of the serious birth defectsand health complications so common with Trisomy 21,the extra 21st chromosome that identifies DownSyndrome. The extra genetic material, however, is notdormant, and basically wreaks havoc on the immunesystem and causes many annoying health problems.

I researched the latest health information on DownSyndrome and became the coordinator and manager ofa hand-picked healthcare team. An everyday part of theteam includes as many as six different specialists inspeech, physical and occupational therapy. Therapiesare based on the concept of Early Intervention whichaddresses how crucial the first three years are in achild’s development. Children acquire so many skillsduring this time, and those with developmental delaysneed the guidance of specialists to help them reach theirpotential and developmental milestones as close to tar-get as possible.

Grace poses with her older brother, Coalter.

44 SPRING 2003

Our milestones are coming, one by one, slowly butsurely. Each one, no matter how small, brings immea-surable joy. When you work so hard on something, thereward is 50 times greater! Our daily routine includesteaching her things that most parents take for granted.Usually, a child will figure out how to stack blocks, orcruise around the room. Children like Grace have to beencouraged and taught how to do everything it seems.We have even had to teach her to chew! But, the keywords here are that she can be taught and she willlearn; it just takes tremendous amounts of perseveranceand patience, two things I used to say I was short on.

Grace, who is now two, is the delight and joy of ourfamily. She is loving, funny, mischievous and clever. Shewants to learn, and she loves attention. There’s a twin-kle in her eye as she laughs and wrestles with her broth-er, and snaps her fingers to some good funk music, thattells me that everything is going to be okay. Yes, shewill be different, but her “different-ness” is part of who

she is and what makesher so wonderful. Toimagine life without her,or without that extrachromosome is impossi-ble now. The horriblefeelings in the hospitalwhen she was born seemlike light-years away.When I recently asked myten year old if he was sadthat his sister had DownSyndrome, he was puz-zled, and casually replied,“no, I’m just glad I havea sister.”

The extra chromosomeI have come to learnmeans just that, some-thing extra, somethingmore. Could it be morejoy, more love, more hap-

piness, more appreciation, more challenges and morerewards? This little person has taught my family andme what really matters in life. We celebrate the simplethings, and take nothing for granted. She has openedmy eyes so that I am seeing the world as if it is now fivedimensional instead of three. I am able to see people forwho they are, not what they look like or what their dis-ability may be. I see a handicapped child holding ontoa new walker taking tentative steps, and my heartbeams with pride for him and his family. Before Grace,I would have looked away, perhaps with pity and sad-ness. Families with special children deal with challengesand issues much harder and more stressful than theaverage family, but we also experience joys and tri-umphs that I’d dare to say are indescribably richer.

In life’s most difficult, challenging and heart wrench-ing times, I believe you make a choice as to how youare going to face what lies ahead. You can either growand triumph or wither away and flounder. We havetaken the challenge with heart and soul, and so far thebumpy road has been an enlightening journey, mybiggest adventure. And what will the outcome be?Maybe it depends on how we define success. To us, it ishappiness. Isn’t that what success should be about? Isn’tthat what all parents want for their children when theygrow up?

I am not sure yet exactly what the voice meant whenit said, “Grace will accomplish great things.” But in hertwo years with us, she already has, and I’m certain shewill continue to. For many of our friends and family,Grace is the first person they have known with a mentaldifference, and it has been a deeply moving experienceto have others realize how fun her personality is and thejoy that she brings. Grace has opened a door for themand us to a new understanding of different people.Special kids make our hearts bigger, making us, andtherefore the world, better. I am so proud of her. Grace,which means “gift from God” truly is a blessing.

“….to each one of us grace has been given….”Ephesians 4:7

ALUMNI PERSPECTIVES

Grace is now two years old and providing thePaxton family with wonderful joyous moments.


Anne Rhodes Amos ’78William C. Bean ’72, President

Desiree E. Bliss ’95E. Buck Brinton Jr. ’61

Gordon E. Brownlee ’75Taylor F. Cameron ’90, Secretary

Lawrance M. Court ’62Eric A. Ellisen ’81Jerry Fogle ’67

A. Kearney Harrington ’93Garrett J. Hart ’78

Norris S. Haselton Jr. ’54Hugo M. Heriz-Smith ’85

John D. Hukill ’50Jennifer Hurtt Mullins ’88P. Churchill Hutton III ’54

Carey McDaniel Koppenhaver ’90, Vice PresidentDavid N. Levinson ’53

Ian B. Montgomery ’85John M. Pinney ’61

Catherine S. Pomeroy ’89Franchesa M. Profaci ’80, ex officio

W. Barrett Register ’51Andrew L. Seymour ’82Charles H. Shorley ’71

William Sibley ’88William B. Smith ’69

Judi Skelton Spann ’80Walter W. Speakman ’38, Emeritus

William B. Spire ’89Jonathan F. Starr ’77

Charlton M. Theus Jr. ’45Dionne A. Thomas ’94

Earl E. Walker Jr. ’90Davis A. Washburn ’44L. Herndon Werth ’52

Randolph L. Williams ’61Matthew E. Wolinski ’00

Mary Blair Zakaib ’87

AC BAlumni Corporation Board

I am pleased to say with great confidence, that theAlumni Corporation Board, due to Chesa, the staff, andan increasingly precocious team, has real and significantmomentum to continue this work in support of ourfounder’s vision, for the school of today, and for ourover 2700 alumni.

I have felt both blessed and charged to serve in thisvery vibrant, multi-generational and increasingly earth-spanning community. St. Andrew’s is like a special“radium,” infusing all who touch it. By definition, thiscommunity considers all of its stakeholders critical,equal partners – past and present students, staff, par-ents, trustees and friends. They are of every vintage andvariety, all blended together.

Our Founder’s vision is certainly not a quaintanachronism. A. Felix duPont’s 1929 purpose statementfor a school devoted to providing a full secondaryschool education of a definite Christian character is nota means without an end.

This “end” is in the form of endless ripples of a steadystream of alumni from the Pond, from 1934 to 2002and counting… people who have been equipped andwho have experienced a combination of so many won-derful values and important (if at times painful) experi-ences. These alumni are profoundly positioned to leadlives that reflect what they have gained.

It is to these over 2700 (and growing) alumni that theACB is committed to serve in every appropriate and use-

ACB Winter Meeting - Flourishing Beyond These GroundsRemarks by Bill Bean ’72, ACB President —February 22, 2003

ALUMNI CORPORATION NEWS

The mission of the Alumni Corporation Board is to nurture stewardship of the St.Andrew’s community, making possiblethe total involvement of all members of the St.Andrew’s family, to facilitate communications within the St.Andrew’s

community, to plan and participate in events and to support the experience of current students. Board members are electedfrom within the greater Alumni Corporation, the association of all St.Andrew’s graduates and former students.

46 SPRING 2003

ful manner, in the spirit in which theSchool supported us so faithfully. We willat every turn seize every favorable oppor-tunity to keep learning and growing—alumni helping alumni—to do our part insustaining the current and future School.We will lead productive, constructivelives as positive catalysts of change insociety, in this modern, tumultuousworld.

In so doing, we honor and carry forthbeyond these grounds, the experience andlegacy of the sacred community whichhas bred not only learning, knowledge,and skills, but also humility, vision andthe conviction to be servants. And under-lying the aspiration—that we as alumnieach fulfill our outward calling—is at thesame time an aspiration to lead a life ofdefinite Christian character of faith, hopeand love.

This afternoon the Alumni CorporationBoard is embarking on a new leg of our journey. Ourchallenge? How can we best serve our alumni communityso that it may flourish?

In the coming years you will see more regional alumnimobilization, such as is already forming in the D.C. area,North Carolina and New York. Many kinds of communi-cations are driven to meet specific community needs. Forexample, each alumnus will have his or her own SASemail to facilitate ongoing contact, friendships and news.Special events and travel programs will range and alwaysembrace all members of the SAS family… from “localgolf” to the “Lower Yangtze.”

In sum, our passionate goal is that every engageablealumnus and alumna be drawn into and be a participantin this wonderful, rewarding life-long experience – enrich-ing themselves, their world and their School. We labor foran unprecedented era of flourishing, that most of ouralumni be happily connected in this community for all theright reasons. Year by year, we aspire that our legacy bean ever-rising tide of growth, giving and gratitude.

The match has been struck, the fires lit, and the flamesare being fanned across our community. I will forever begrateful to have attended this School and to have servedwith you in this incredible experience and rewardinglabor.

Alumni Corporation Board President Bill Bean ’72 speaks to members of the ACB gathered forthe winter meeting at the new plant facilities building.

PHOT

O BY

GRE

G DO

YLE ’

87


Horace Harrison ’39 Bequeaths Substantial Gift to St. Andrew’s SchoolIn December, St. Andrew’s School received its largest bequest—apart

from A. Felix duPont’s original endowment—in the amount of$313,000 from the estate of Horace Harrison ’39. This gift is unrestrict-ed, according to Harrison’s wishes that it should be used where it wasmost needed. Harrison claimed he was “giving because of the SAS heknew and from which he benefitted.”

Many St. Andreans will recall Horace as one of the regular players inthe St. Andrew’s Scholarship Golf Tournament. A lifetime golfer andmember of the first St. Andrew’s Golf Team in the late 1930s, Horacewas a member of the first winning team in the Scholarship GolfTournament, as well as the net champion in 1995. For this he receivedthe red jacket which he proudly wore at social functions.

A self-employed insurance broker by profession, Horace was also aninternationally renowned philatelist who left his stamp on the wide-spread hobby by producing an all-risk insurance policy for philatelists.

Horace graduated from Princeton University after St. Andrew’s andserved in the Navy both in active and reserve duties. He passed away inthe fall of 2002.


At a March 3 luncheon at the Army-Navy Club,Ambassador Hume Horan ’51, US Foreign ServiceRetired, spoke to 30 alumni on trends in the MiddleEast. As a former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretaryof State, and Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and otherAfrican and Middle East nations, Hume analyzed thistroubled region in terms that were at various timeshumorous, tragic, profound, iconoclastic, brilliant andblunt.

He began by noting that France and Germany, hidingbehind a US shield, have allowed their military andother powers to atrophy. Unable to bear serious externalresponsibility, they have had no need to face harsh reali-ties or to test their judgment against results. By contrast,the United States has had to test its judgment againstexternal realities many times in 50 years, and haslearned from past mistakes. Lacking our confidence,blaming the United States for their inadequacies, andunsettled by the heavy hand of US power dealing with aproblem that they wish to avoid, France and Germanyoppose US policy in Iraq.

Hume said he was a reluctant interventionist due tothe likely costs of war and reconstruction, but addedthat the United States had a strong case for militaryaction in Iraq, given the high likelihood that Saddamwould soon acquire nuclear warheads and because UNinspectors could not prevent the proliferation ofweapons of mass destruction (WMD). Burned bySeptember 11, determined not to repeat the errors ofMunich and Pearl Harbor, and vulnerable to terrorism,US policy “to prepare for intervention” is forward-look-ing and realistic. Because an advancing calendar closesout good options, we do not have the luxury ofEurope’s “Waiting for Godot” attitude. We have todrain the swamp that supports the WMD threat, as partof the War on Terrorism.

The culture awaiting the United States in Iraq, torn byinternecine conflict among clan, tribal, ethnic and otherfactions, has been led for 3000 years by Assyrian,Ottoman and other regimes of historic cruelty. Tyrantssuch as Ashur-Bani-Pal, Sargon II and Saddam have cre-ated a vision that central power must be total, ruthless,and confer privilege not responsibility.

A ramification of this legacy, which should benefit theUnited States if conflict occurs, is a mindset that over-whelming force provides its own justification. The Arab“street” was in full cry against the West before the 1991Gulf War, and again before the United States enteredAfghanistan in late 2001, but its uproar melted silentlywhen US resolve and capability became clear.

The dark side of that legacy, however, is that it willimpede development of a new polity. After establishingan initial military government, it is not clear how weshould proceed. Iraq will need a new constitution—butof what kind? It has virtually no experience in real poli-tics or democracy, and the United States lacks theinsights to develop a viable social contract between thepeople and a new government. None of the petty Iraqiexile groups are fit to lead—like the Bourbons inLondon after the French Revolution, they have learnednothing, forgotten nothing and strut about in bespokesuits. Nor do we want any of the Islamic fundamentalistgroups, who seek only power and have no sense ofresponsibility. A US presence might thus be required forfive to ten years, depending on how much help it gets.

Until such problems are solved, the outlook for theMiddle East will be poor. The combined non-oil GDP ofthe 18 nations traditionally considered Arab is less thanthat of Spain, and the value of their non-oil exports isabout that of Denmark. Women are treated badly, jobsare few and social frustration is very high. Resentmentat the glaring failures of Arab culture compared to thesuccesses of Western culture is a major root of terror-ism.

The most difficult issue, attributable to many factors,is a soaring birth rate. The current Arab population of280 million will double in less than 20 years to 560 mil-lion, creating huge demographic pressures, especially onnearby Europe where most populations are already indecline. Islamic minorities, however, have so far beenunable to acculturate to European life. Hume drew amajor distinction between that pattern and the speedand vigor with which Latin immigrants integrate in theUnited States. Differences between Catholicism andIslam may help to explain that divergence, andEuropean racism is clearly a major factor; but the heartof the problem is that Arabs are different and want tostay different.

A key reason for this is that Arabs see Islam as the tri-umphant last vision for Man, but that God, on Islam’sside for 800 years, seems now to have abandoned it.Arab views are thus full of despair, anger and cynicismthat conflate fact with fiction, i.e. that America wants totake permanent control of Iraqi oil, that US soldiers areruthless mercenaries, that the motives of those trying todelay conflict are purely humanitarian and so forth.Israel is hated because its success next door is areminder of Arab incompetence, poverty and weakness,not because of any affection for the Palestinians. Indeed,during times of domestic crisis, Arab regimes “wave the

Ambassador Hume Horan ’51 Speaks at Alumni Luncheon in Washington, D.C. On Trends in the Middle Eastby Church Hutton ’54

MMaarrkk yyoouurr ccaalleennddaarrss ffoorr ......

HHoommeeccoommiinngg WWeeeekkeennddSSeepptteemmbbeerr 2200,, 22000033

CCoommee aanndd sshhooww yyoouurr SSAASS ssppiirriitt!!

bloody shirt” of Palestine, while continuing to oppressor even expel their Palestinian expatriate populations (ashappened during the 1991 Gulf War).

Hume speculated that Kuwait and the other small Gulfstates offer the most promise to breathe change intomainstream Arab culture. Freshened by seaports, alivewith financial and commercial activity, thronged withforeigners, and increasingly well educated, they offered abeacon of common sense to help restore the self-imageof the Arabs.

Responding to questions, Hume made a number ofother points seldom in the public eye:

• Pakistan is on the road to becoming a failed state.Only the Army holds it together. US leaders regular-ly pray for the health of President Musharrafbecause there are no other figures in the countrywho appear able to replace him if he should go.

• The United States might have been able to bring theallies together in 1992 to deal with the Iraqi WMDproblem but did not, and military action is nowessential.

• This was part of a larger US failure to define threatsafter the USSR collapsed and to coordinate policiesand alliances to deal with them, one of the burdensof civilization.

Hume concluded his remarks by saying that USForeign Service, military and other officers in the federalgovernment do not have the luxury of retrospection orfantasizing. They must predict what is likely to happenand design common sense and realistic plans to meet it.Though there is much that America cannot do, its influ-ence blows like a wind across the globe, advancinghuman rights, freedom and other ideals that havealready had profound effect. With God’s help, we canbring some of those to Iraq to help the Middle Eastemerge from its long misery.

Hume Horan retired from the Foreign Service in 1998,after serving overseas as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia,Sudan, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.He had earlier been a Principal Deputy AssistantSecretary of State for Consular Affairs during aWashington assignment. Hume graduated fromHarvard with Honors (B.A. in American History) andlater an A.M. in Middle Eastern Studies. He has taughtat Georgetown and Howard Universities, HankukUniversity in Korea, and directed the InternationalSchool in Guinea, Conakry. He will accompany his wife,a Foreign Service Officer, to Japan this summer and isnow studying Japanese.


48 SPRING 2003

J.J. Packard “Packy” Laird ’37The following obituary is reprinted from The News Journal in

Wilmington, Del.:J.J. Packard “Packy” Laird, 82, formerly of Wilmington, Del., peace-

fully made his transition on March 23, 2003, in Santa Fe, N.M.Packard was trained as a minister and spiritual healer. He practiced

and taught homeopathy, herbology and alternative therapies for 30years. He was also the co-founder of The Love Healing Group inWilmington, Del., and Philadelphia, Pa., with his late wife, Margie W.Laird. Packard Laird had a strong affinity for the Philippine healers andvisited there 19 times to learn from and serve the people there.

He also became an I Am student, attending services in the I AmTemple in Philadelphia and the I Am Sanctuary of Santa Fe, N.M. In1995, he was inspired in the Philippines to write a card titled, “TheyPlay by the Rules,” and handed out 20,000 of these cards to peoplearound the world.To everyone he met, he had this message,“If you everhave a problem with a person, take this card out and read it and yourproblem will go away.”

He graduated from Episcopal High School in Alexandria,Va., wherehe was later a trustee, and in 1942 from Princeton University with adegree in mechanical engineering.The American Society of MechanicalEngineers awarded his senior thesis on motorcycle behavior as the bestin the nation in 1942.

After serving in the Special Devices division of the Navy duringWWII, he joined the duPont Company, where he was one of the earlypioneers with analog computer applications. During his time withduPont, he received several patents and company awards for inventions.

He was later associated with Wilmington College and retired toSanta Fe in 1999.

He is survived by his wife, Nicole Serpe Laird, also formerly ofWilmington; and three children,Tillie Page Laird Brown of New YorkCity, N.Y., Clinton S. Laird of Wilmington, Del., and Frances Lee LairdJohnson of Buffalo, N.Y.; and six grandchildren.

Allan T. Norris ’39The following obituary is courtesy of Allan Norris, Jr., and reprint-

ed from the Baltimore Sun.Allan Turnbull Norris of Dorset,Vt., and formerly of Ruxton (Md.),

died Saturday, December 28, 2002 after a long battle with Alzheimer’sDisease. He was born in Baltimore on July 16, 1921 and was the son ofthe late Alexander Murdoch Norris and Mary (nee Hoge) Norris.Aftergraduating from St. Andrew’s School in Middletown, Del., in 1939, heattended Johns Hopkins University prior to serving with the Navy dur-ing World War II. He graduated from Rutgers University in 1948 andserved as a First Lieutenant with the Air Force during the Korean War.He married Nancy Maynard on July 22, 1956 on Nantucket. Theyresided in Princeton, N.J., while he worked for the Opinion ResearchCorp. In 1959, they moved back to Baltimore to join the family winesand spirits business, Maynard & Child. He was a member of theL’Hirondelle Club and the Bachelors Cotillion.

In 1981, Nancy and Allan moved to Dorset,Vt., where they ran abed and breakfast named The Little Lodge at Dorset for 17 years. As a

youth,Allan spent his summers at Gibson Island and especially enjoyedsailing on the Chesapeake Bay. He also loved to play tennis, paddle ten-nis, swim, ice skate and, more than anything, be with his family.Allan issurvived by his wife, Nancy, of Dorset; his son Allan T. Norris, Jr. ofSouth Burlington, Vt., and his two daughters, Susan Norris-Berry ofGranville,Ohio, and Laura Norris Deady of Underhill,Vt.He is survivedby his sister Anne Norris Poole of Baltimore and predeceased by hisother sister Polly Norris Rulon-Miller. He also has five grandchildren,Tucker and Dakota Deady, Ryland Berry, and Ashley and KimberlyNorris.

Robert Whyte ’41The following obituary was submitted to the St. Andrew’s Magazine

by Katharine Whyte.Robert Whyte of Eastham, Mass., died on January 20, 2003, at the

age of 80. He was born in West Chester, Penn., and graduated from St.Andrew’s School (1941) and the University of Pennsylvania (1948)where he was active in the Mask & Wig and Zeta Psi fraternity.

During World War II, he served in the Western Pacific in the ArmyAir Corps. He later joined Air Shields, Inc., a manufacturer of theIsolette infant incubator in Hatboro, Penn., where he served as vicepresident of marketing until 1956. He then joined Warner Chilcott ofMorris Plains, N.J., where he served as director of sales training until1970 when he became Vice President,Training for Hornblower WeeksHemphill Noyes, a brokerage firm.Very active in the National Societyof Sales Training Executives, Mr.Whyte was elected special honorary lifemember in 1988. He also served as Vice President, Sales and Marketingfor Porter Henry Company, a NYC-based sales training consulting firm.He retired in 1986 and settled in Eastham, Mass.

Mr. Whyte was a long-time member of the St. Mary’s EpiscopalChurch, Tuxedo Park, N.Y., where he served as a junior warden andvestry member for many years. He was a member of the Church of theHoly Spirit in Orleans.

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Katharine, and two sons,Robert, Jr. of Canton, Conn., and Samuel of Honolulu, Hawaii, and twograndchildren.

Harkness “Hardy” De Voe ’50Hardy De Voe’s obituary was published in the Asbury Park Press on

January 16, 2003.Harkness Gregory “Hardy” De Voe, 71, of Long Branch, N.J., died

Tuesday, January 14, at Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch. Heworked for Coldwell Banker Real Estate, Rumson, where he was a salesassociate and a member of the NJAR Million Dollar Sales Club through2002. He was active on the Monmouth/Ocean County Board ofRealtors, where he served on the R-Pak and Public RelationsCommittees. Prior to his career in real estate, he was a computer salesrepresentative for the Control Data Corporation. He was a graduate ofSt. Andrew’s School, Middletown, Del., and Rutgers University.Whileat Rutgers, he was a member of the varsity tennis team, Rutgers GleeClub and Zeta Psi fraternity. He was a member of Sea Bright BeachClub; Sea Bright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club, and served as vice pres-

IN MEMORY


50 SPRING 2003

ident of both clubs. He was a member of St. George’s by the RiverEpiscopal Church, Rumson, where he was past treasurer. He served inthe Korean War as a first lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers.Born in Red Bank, he was a resident of Rumson and Little Silver beforemoving to The Marina Bay Club seven years ago.

He was predeceased by his parents, Harold and Victoria DeVoe; andtwo sisters,Victoria Taylor and Maydawn Smith. Surviving are his wife,Lesley D.DeVoe; a son, John P. DeVoe of Coral Springs, Fla.; two daugh-ters, Dale D. Leach of Little Silver, and Susan D. DeVoe of Rumson; twostepsons, Steven F. Kingsbury of Ellicott City, Md., and Todd M.Kingsbury of Pennington; a stepdaughter, Elizabeth van Dusen ofBrooklyn; a sister, Christina DeVoe Johnson of Danville, Calif.; and ninegrandchildren, Kristin Chandler,Aimee Chandler,Gregory Leach, FrankLeach, Steven Tramonte, Olivia Kingsbury, Caroline Kingsbury, LaurenKingsbury and Tyler Kingsbury.

Armistead “Ted” Guthery ’51The following obituary for Ted Guthery was published in the

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on November 18, 2002.Armistead “Ted” Guthery had a knack for bringing people together.As an administrator for the University Health Center, a precursor to

today’s UPMC Health System, he worked in the late 1970s to meld themyriad operations and personalities of the different hospitals inOakland. Before that, he was Executive Director of the South Hills AreaCouncil of Governments, with the task of harnessing 12 separate com-munities into one regional entity. In a 1973 Pittsburgh Press storyannouncing his appointment, a council official said members chose Mr.Guthery because “he has both expertise and tact.”The article also notedthat Mr. Guthery “is one of the few persons in town who can get onthe phone and reach Pittsburgh Mayor Pete Flaherty right off the bat.”

Before taking the council of governments position, Mr. Gutherywas Director of Urban and Community Studies for the PennsylvaniaEconomy League, a private governmental research organization fundedby local businesses.

Mr. Guthery, 69, died Wednesday at his Squirrel Hill home where hehad lived the past 30 years with his wife of 41 years, Frances ReshGuthery. He was undergoing treatment for cancer at the time of hisdeath. “He enjoyed meeting people,” said Mr. Guthery’s son, John, of

Natick, Mass.“He was always one of the first to welcome newcomers tothe neighborhood.” He also was one of the first presidents of theSquirrel Hill Neighborhood Coalition and was instrumental in theacquisition of the Wightman School Community Building.

Mr. Guthery grew up in Washington, D.C., and after his tenure withthe health center, he opened up an antiques store in Georgetown, whichhe managed from Pittsburgh. He sold the store and retired in 1990.

In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Guthery is survived by anotherson, Charles Guthery of Seattle, and two grandchildren. A memorialservice was held Saturday.The family requests that memorial contribu-tions be made to The Children’s Institute, 6301 Northumberland St.,Pittsburgh 15217-1396.

Classmate Barry Register also noted,“Ted was always good company,had a good sense of humor and was very supportive of the School.”

Bruce Bahr ’54Bruce Bahr, 66, of Greenville, Del., died at home after a valiant battle

with cancer on Sunday, September 29, 2002, surrounded by his family.He was born in Painesville, Ohio, to Blanche Thompson Bahr and JohnLorne Bahr. He moved to Delaware when he was seven. Mr. Bahr grad-uated from St.Andrew’s School, attended the University of Virginia andgraduated from the University of Miami. He was a Delaware StateTennis Junior Singles and Doubles Champion. Later, he became an avidgolfer. Mr. Bahr was a member of the Vicmead Hunt Club and theWilmington Country Club.

Mr. Bahr was a Vice President of Investments at the former FarmersBank. He retired in 2000 after 32 years as a Senior Vice President ofMorgan Stanley.

He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Joanne Killoran Bahr; his sis-ter, Marion Bahr Ingley of Shaker Heights, Ohio; two daughters, NancyCorroon Bahr of Wilmington and Gina Bahr Finn of Stevenson, Md.;and one son, John Killoran Bahr of Chapel Hill, N.C.; and five grand-children: Emily Killoran Finn, Eliza Thompson Finn and John AshburnCalvin Finn of Maryland; Molly Killoran Bahr and John Macklin Bahrof North Carolina. He is also survived by a daughter-in-law, MeganGranda Bahr, and a son-in-law, Patrick Finn.

In Memory NoticesThe Trapnell House received notice that the following alumni have passed away. However,we were unable to find any additional information and welcome remembrances, recollec-tions or copies of the death notices. Please send them to Amy MacKenzie,[email protected].

George Buckner II ’39Gregory L. Gibson ’48

IN MEMORY

Help us continue to build the

St. Andrew’s SchoolArchives

The 75th Anniversary of St. Andrew’s School is rapidly approaching!!

As you come upon photographs and memorabilia from your days at St. Andrew’s,consider sending items to the School as we focus our attention on organizing andprotecting the archives. Important items can be photographs, pennants, school silverware (?!), School publications, oars, game balls from football games, artwork,letters written by faculty—you name it!

We're especially interested in films/videos and pictures taken inside of the buildings,in dorm rooms, the Dining Hall and Chapel, as well as photos of faculty and students around campus.

Please email us a note at [email protected] or contact Trapnell AlumniHouse at 302-285-4257 if you have an item you would like to contribute.

72 SPRING 2003

This issue’s article on development wasa particularly personal one for me.Having grown up in Delaware's rural

Kent & Sussex Counties, lived in the high-density suburbs of northern New CastleCounty, spent many years in major EastCoast cities, and now settled in one of thenew developments near Odessa, I have expe-rienced mixed feelings about the current situ-ation.

As a homeowner, I am glad my family andI were able to obtain affordable housing,and I am certainly pleased that the demandfor housing is strong. With the passingmonths, I know that our single largestinvestment is retaining or increasing itsvalue.

As an adopted-Delawarean-for-life, I amsad to see lands once lush with forests,meadows or rows of wheat and corn nowreplete with rooftops, driveways, decks andfences. In my hometown of Milford, strad-dling southern Kent and northern Sussexcounties, all of my favorite fishing holes,save one, have been obliterated by homesfreshly planted along the shores. I think ofall the years I would explain to people fromelsewhere that, yes, Delaware was indeed astate and, in fact, had quaint little towns,beautiful open spaces and some of the rich-est farmland in the Mid-Atlantic region.

As a former resident of urban and densesuburban regions along the East Coast, Iworry that central Delaware faces a stagger-ing number of challenges to avoid the pit-falls suffered in those areas. If we are tobecome a suburb for Delaware Valley cities,

where is the infrastructure to support it?One long-overdue and soon-to-be-completedstate turnpike cannot bear the full responsi-bility of preparing an area for development.

It was in the context of these perspectivesthat I committed myself to understandingthe many factors behind the transformationand the future that awaits Delaware. I hadthe distinct pleasure to interview and speakwith many Delawearans—nearly all withsome St. Andrew’s connection—and learnmore about the forces at work.

As I sat down to compile all of the collect-ed research and anecdotes into one article, itbecame increasingly obvious that there wasno single story to tell. Despite the simplicityof life in once rural Delaware, the circum-stances bringing about the change are variedand complex. There wasn’t any one personor groups of persons upon which blamecould be laid. Chris Pupke ’88 provided alasting analogy for me when he related thecurrent troubles of suburban sprawl to the“frog in boiling water” story. The frog(always the hapless victim in such cruel labanalogies) thrown into hot water will quick-ly jump out, recognizing the danger, whereasthe frog placed in water which is slowlybrought to boiling will not seek escape, fail-ing to recognize the growing peril. That’s apretty vivid and morbid thought. The finali-ty of the outcome is equally disturbing.

As I watch the final months of labor onDelaware’s new highway nearing completionand I spy bulldozers carving shopping cen-ters from the good earth, I’m feeling a bitwarm. The question is, when should I jump?

FROM THE EDITOR

onee-mailfor life!

Now you can stay in touch with fellow St. Andreans no matter how often e-mail addresses change.

The Advancement Office introduces the permanent St. Andrew’s e-mail address:

[email protected]

Simply keep your forwarding information updated with theAdvancement Office and all e-mails sent to your permanent SAS

address will be routed to the address where you currently receive e-mail, whether that be college, your latest job,

or even web-based e-mail accounts.

For more information visit the Alumni Website:alumni.standrews-de.org

Tired of bounced e-mails to old classmates?

How many times has your own e-mail address changed?

Would you prefer one e-mail address you could give out to people knowing it will always be yours?

ST. ANDREW’SM A G A Z I N E

350 Noxontown RoadMiddletown, DE 19709-1605ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 5

PHILADELPHIA, PA

The winter musical production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore was a crowd-pleasing success.

PHOT

OBY

GREG

DOYL

E ’87

spring mag 2003 cover v - library.standrews-de.org · as a member of the board of trustees since...

Documents