the magazine of the episcopal academy fall...

T h e M ag a z i n e o f T h e e p i s c o pa l ac a d e M y FA LL 2 0 0 5

ConnectionsAchieving BAlAnce Through The ArTs“A balanced life involves an aesthetic component—a chance to participate in productions, to do hands-on work in a studio, and to get a sense of what is beauty, what is creativity.”

Also inside: agreement with saint Joseph’s University finalized

Transitions supplement

The Magazine of The episcopal acadeMy FALL 2005

Connections, The Magazine of The episcopal academy, is published three times a year by the office of communications. class notes, comments, and photographs should be directed to:

Office of Communications 376 n. latches lane Merion, pa 19066 Tel 610-617-2248 Fax 610-617-2268 E-mail [email protected]

Office of Alumni 376 n. latches lane Merion, pa 19066 Tel 610-617-2247 Fax 610-617-2268 E-mail [email protected]

Editors Michael f. letts clayton T. platt ’73

Contributing Writers courtenay h. Bond clayton T. platt ’73 anne Marie heil Jeffrey day

Contributing Photographers sarah M. Karp ’99 Katherine Maguire ’05

Art & Production Karp graphic design

www.ea1785.org

On the cover: Posing before a recent performance in Christ Chapel, 2005 graduates Emile Gogenini (violinist, standing at left), Sunita Saligram (vocalist, standing at right), and John Kamfonas (pianist, seated) are just a few of the numerous Episcopal graduates that have found mentors, uncovered talents, and embraced creativity through the arts programs at Episcopal. The photographer for this cover shot, Katherine Maguire, (also a 2005 graduate) is another.

C O n T E n T s

Features 2 Agreement with Saint Joseph’s University Finalized

3 Message from New Board of Trustees Chairman

4 Creating Balance Through the Arts

6 A Brief History of the Performing Arts at Episcopal

38 Transitions

D E PA R T M E n T s

11 Academics

16 Athletics

19 Arts

21 Alumni

25 Spirituality & Community Service

27 Class Notes

37 Milestones

Connections

Agreement with Saint Joseph’s University Finalized

A momentous day in Episcopal Academy history. Signing the paperwork that finalized the deal are (l to r): Episcopal’s lead counsel Frank Leto ’77; Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Gretchen Burke; President of Saint Joseph’s University, Rev. Timothy Lannon, S.J.; and General Counsel for Saint Joseph’s University, Debra Fickler.

and to creating the brightest possible future for the Episco-pal Academy.”

“This is a momentous time in Episcopal’s history,” said Burke. “At its core, this move is simply about providing our students, faculty, and staff with the resources they need to reach their full potential.”

A little after 1 p.m. on Wednesday, August 17th, Epis-copal Academy took a huge step toward its new campus in Newtown Square by finalizing an agree-ment with Saint Joseph’s University to acquire the

Merion facilities.After lengthy negotiations, and a vast amount of work

by many dedicated individuals, it took less than 15 minutes for Episcopal Academy Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Gretchen Burke, and President of Saint Joseph’s University, Rev. Timonthy R. Lannon, S.J., to sign the paperwork.

The school’s attention will now focus on the disposition of the Devon Campus and on launching a capital campaign to help finance the move to Newtown Square. Episcopal’s Cap-ital Campaign Planning Committee has completed its work and will seek approval of its plan from the board of trustees in October. The leadership phase of the campaign will begin at that time. Several advanced leadership gifts have already been received.

“The signing of this agreement with Saint Joseph’s Uni-versity is another major milestone in our planned relocation to Newtown Square,” said Ham Clark, Episcopal’s head of school. “As we move to design, construction, and a capi-tal campaign, we continue to be focused on maintaining the excellence that has long been associated with our school,

f a l l 2 0 0 5 2

Planning and design work for the Newtown Square Campus is ongoing. This is the new master plan as of July 26th.

“The signing of this agreement with saint Joseph’s university is another major milestone in our planned

relocation to newtown square.” –ham clark

3 c o n n e c T i o n s

it is with a sense of both pride and humility that I assume the

chairmanship of the board of trustees at Episcopal Academy and

I’m honored to become a part of the school’s esteemed tradition

of leadership during this momentous time. Particularly, I would

like to acknowledge the strong advocate and tireless leader that

Rush Haines, ’61, has been over the past six years. His guidance and

foresight have provided us with a very solid foundation for the future.

When my family moved to the Philadelphia area nearly seven

years ago, I had no idea that the wonderful school we found for

our five children on North Latches Lane was one with an incredible

ambition—to be one of the best day schools in America. Having

served on Episcopal’s board for the past four years and as chair of the

Development Committee, I am keenly aware of the challenges that lie

immediately ahead and I am confident that we will succeed.

To that end, my focus over the next three years will be on finalizing

our move to Newtown Square and managing the construction

process, securing the necessary funds to build our incredible new

campus, and strengthening our endowment to ensure a vibrant

institution over the long term.

Our resources are significant, beginning with our talented Head

of School Ham Clark. We have an outstanding faculty and academic

program, a dedicated administration, a supportive community of

students, alumni, parents, and friends, and visionary leadership from

the trustees, Alumni Board of Managers, and EAPA. The work that

we achieve as a community over the next few years will define this

institution for generations to come.

I hope you share my excitement as we begin this pivotal phase in

our continued pursuit of excellence and I look forward to working

with you as we seize this unique opportunity together.

Gretchen Burke

New Board Members

Gretchen Burke received her M.B.A. from Harvard University and her B.A. from Colgate University. She has held executive positions as a Vice President for Strategic Planning at Security Pacific and as an Assistant Vice President at Manufacturers Hanover Bank. She is the first woman elected as chairman, has served on the Episcopal Academy board for four years, and has chaired the Development Committee. In addition, she serves on the Finance and Development Committee of the Steppingstone Foundation, is a member of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Associates, and is chair of the Investment Committee at the Philadelphia Zoo.

Peri W. Higgins, a graduate of Harvard University (B.A.) and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania (M.B.A.), is the director of Radnor Holdings Corp. in Radnor, PA. She is also a member of the Benefactor Society Board of the Franklin Institute.

Francis J. Leto ’77, a graduate of St. Joseph’s University (B.A.) and The Delaware Law School (J.D.), is a partner at Celli and Leto LLP in Rosemont, PA. He is a board member at Baker Industries Inc., The Bryn Mawr Trust Company, the Main Line Art Center, and the Nantucket Preservation Trust.

Richard R. S. Northrup ’70, a graduate of the University of Virginia (B.A.) and The University of Pennsylvania (M.S. and M.B.A.), is managing partner of Portico Capital Securities in Greenwich, CT. Between 1975 and 1980, Northrup was a faculty member in mathematics at Episcopal.

Charles W. Ogelsby, Jr. ’63, a graduate of Temple University (B.S. and M.B.A.), is the president of investment and financial services company Ogelsby and Co. in Bryn Mawr, PA. Ogelsby has served on the Episcopal Academy Alumni Society Board of Managers since 1998.

Anne M. Robinson, a graduate of Drexel University (M.S. and M.B.A.), is the President of the Episcopal Academy Parents Association. Robinson has held management positions at the Pennsylvania Resources Council, Mellon Bank, and CIGNA Corp.

Message From Gretchen Burke, New Chairman of the Board of Trustees

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ArTS

AchievingThrough

Balance

the

sunita Saligram has lived in Wisconsin,

South Korea, Hong Kong, and Atlanta.

“I’ve moved around so many times, but

I’ve never been at a school that gives so

many students so many opportunities to perform,”

says Saligram, who graduated from Episcopal last

spring.

A singer of classical, jazz, and crossover music,

Saligram organized a spring concert with her peers,

violinist Emile Gogenini and pianist John Kamfonas

(also 2005 graduates), for their senior projects. They,

along with many other students, frequently sang and

played in chapel, as well as in the winter, spring, and

cabaret concerts at school. Hundreds of Episcopal

students have also performed in the annual music

trips, which rotate between Disney World, Boston,

and New York.

“I think I was able to perform at least once a

month at EA,” Saligram says. Part of why she

valued her Episcopal education was be-

cause of these chances to sing in front of

audiences. “Performing is the best way to

learn what kind of singer you are.”

However, whether they are chapel performances,

evening concerts, spring musicals, or art shows, public

exhibitions of student talent represent only some of

the ways that Episcopal promotes the arts.

by Courtenay H. Bond

ArTS


episcopal begins intensive theater, music, and drama in-struction in the Lower School and encourages students to

pursue all three fields in the Middle and Upper schools. Teachers integrate content students are studying in their academic classes into the arts curricu-lum to improve critical thinking and connection-making skills. Episcopal is expanding its Upper School offerings in the visual and performing arts. And the administration dedicates considerable resources in financing and in sched-uling to the arts—perhaps more than most area independent schools, admin-istrators say.

“Our intention is not to produce art-ists,” says Lee Pearcy, who served as curriculum director for five years until returning to his position as Classics De-partment chair this fall. “Our intention is to produce informed, critically think-ing, classically educated students.”

Upper School Head Geoffrey Wagg agrees. “Our philosophy has been that students should be able to participate in multiple aspects of the school si-multaneously,” says Wagg, admitting that students are busy juggling their arts commitments with their academ-ic, athletic, and other extracurricular pursuits. But developing such well-rounded learners and thinkers is what Episcopal is after—and what it holds as its calling card.

“Balance is really the key in all we do here,” says Head of School Ham-ilton Clark. “To me a balanced life is one that not only involves rigorous ac-ademics and athletic competition, but also an aesthetic component—a chance to participate in productions, to do hands-on work in a studio, and to get a sense of what is beauty, what is cre-ativity.”

“Episcopal was always a school that valued being well-rounded,” agrees John Powell. An alumnus and longtime teacher of Middle School math and English and now Upper School Eng-lish, Powell also served as Episcopal’s director of the arts for 12 years until 2000. Hired to reorganize the arts pro-grams, Powell oversaw the bolstering of the curriculum in drama, music, and the fine arts at Episcopal and put tal-ented department chairs in place, such as Robert Cronin and Dolores Lombar-di who respectively strengthened the theater and visual arts. With exciting spring musicals, increased curricular offerings, an after-school program with the Barnes Foundation, and cutting-edge arts facilities planned for the new campus, Episcopal’s focus on the arts has continued to grow.

“One of the things that we’re very excited about on the new campus is that the arts will be front and center, and they’ll be integrated,” Clark says. For instance, the new campus plan

call for a state-of-the-art main stage, a secondary performance space, and a Lower School multi-purpose room with a stage. “All the arts for Middle and Upper School will be brought together in the new school center with outstand-ing facilities for music, drama, and all the visual arts,” Clark says. Giving the arts a central focus on the new cam-pus will help people see Episcopal not just as a rigorous academic and athlet-ic institution, but also as a school that promotes and fosters artistic interests, Clark adds.

Even if many students do not become professional artists, musicians, and ac-tors, the benefits they gain in increased self-esteem, enhanced communication skills, and broader minds are why Epis-copal invites students to explore these areas and provides them with resources for doing so at all levels.

Bringing the Fine Arts to Life

Three fundamentals guide les-sons in Episcopal art classrooms, says Middle School art teacher Naomi Knecht. If the students are embarking on a project in surrealism, they will study Salvador Dali and other artists of the genre. They will explore spe-cific design concepts, such as shape and form. Ultimately, students will cre-ate a project, allowing them to execute what they have been discussing and make the learning active, Knecht ex-plains.

To help with the students’ creative and critical thinking, Knecht will sometimes play the “what if” game. “Whenever we do surrealism, we start by looking at artists,” Knecht says. “Then we analyze: What if you draw a room, and a cup is on the floor, but then you turn the paper upside down, and the cup is now on the ceiling, and then what if there is a mermaid in the cup.” This type of brainstorming helps students tap into their creativity and become excited about the project at hand.

Mary French, Art Department chair, says the goal at Episcopal is to make the arts “vibrant.” To help students become art appreciators, the depart-

“ One of the things that we’re very excited about on the new campus is that the arts will be front and center, and they’ll be integrated,” Clark says.

f a l l 2 0 0 5 6

As incredibly important as the Performing Arts are at Episcopal today, it is interesting to note the role they have played in the school’s history. There is no apparent record of any dramatic or musical group, either instrumental or vocal, existing at Episcopal until 1911 when the first orchestra was formed (see picture at right). About the same time, perhaps a year earlier, the Domino Club and Glee Clubs were founded at the DeLaney School, another private school in the center of Philadelphia which merged with Episcopal before the 1915-16 school year. The first performance by the Domino Club at Episcopal was The Dictator by Richard Harding Davis on December 21, 1915, in the ballroom at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel. The Glee Club sang during breaks in the show. During these early years, the orchestra was formed and disbanded several times until disappearing completely until 1988. The Domino Club flourished until the early 1930’s, was reborn in 1937, and reached an early pinnacle with performances of Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore in 1939. In 1940, there was a full-fledged music department at Episcopal, which offered music lessons to the boys, along with music appreciation classes. The music teachers were musicians from the Curtis Institute. The first Chapel Choir was formed in 1937, coinciding with the increasing focus on music in general at Episcopal under the direction of Hugh McClelland and then Dr. Alexander McCurdy. During this time, the first a capella group was formed as a quartet, and the Glee Club began the practice of having concerts jointly with other schools, especially the girls schools of the time, such as Agnes Irwin and Shipley. Meanwhile, the Domino Club all but vanished in the early 1940’s.

A Brief History of the Performing Arts at The Episcopal Academyby Clayton T. Platt ’73

The Academy 14 (formerly 13) became known as the Academy Blues in 1980, and the Blusettes (later the Seasons) were formed in 1984 with the first graduating class of girls at Episcopal. The late 1980’s brought some major developments to the performing arts at Episcopal as the Jazz Ensemble was born in 1988, marking the first time in almost half a century that a formal instrumental music group existed at the Academy. With the untimely death of John Muir in 1987, the Bob Cronin era began, and in the early 1990’s theater was everywhere on the Episcopal campus. In the late 1990’s, the music program began to look the way we know it today under Joe Buches, with the addition of the String Ensemble, the Orchestra (later the Concert Band), and the Jazz Combo. The Glee Club has become the Concert Choir and the Blues and Seasons have morphed into the Vocal Ensemble.

Curtis York came to Episcopal in 1948, and the popularity of the Glee Club soared. During his first year, the quartet was expanded into the Octet, and concerts were scheduled with five different schools, concluding with what would become a traditional concert with Atlantic City Friends School. The Domino Club had a brief resurgence at this time (for the first time in almost a decade) as Tony Ridgway ’34 became the drama coach. In 1951, girls from other schools were used to play female roles for the first time. In 1956, the Domino Club production was done jointly with Baldwin, but shortly thereafter the club took another hiatus until John Muir came on board in 1962. Music was extremely popular under Curtis York, and students formed a number of new clubs, such as the Guitar Club (1960) and the Folk Club (1965). In 1962, the Glee Club reached 70 members, and the Octet was expanded to the Academy 13. The fall of 1963 marked the beginning of a 20-year tradition of joint Domino Club productions with Agnes Irwin. The Caine Mutiny was staged by an all-faculty cast in 1965, apparently the only time this happened in the school’s history. The first Shakespeare production at Episcopal was Hamlet in 1973.

The 1920 Domino Club production of “Hawthorne of the U.S.A.”

The 1940 Music Department production of “The Pirates of Penzance.”


ment takes students on field trips to the Barnes’ Foundation, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and other area mu-seums. Students showcase their work during school art shows and the spring Arts Festival, giving them peer recog-nition.

In addition, Lower School students build skills and develop creativity through classes that meet twice every six-day rotation. Middle School stu-dents follow a rigorous program that emphasizes the elements and princi-ples of art through a project-based curriculum that encourages students to “produce, perceive, and appreciate art.” Upper School students begin with a new Foundations Course and then move onto offerings in photography, ceramics, woodworking, painting and drawing, architectural drafting, and computer design. At each stage, the les-sons and projects are appropriate to the students’ developmental stage, en-abling them to conquer challenges and feel satisfaction, French says.

“Mrs. French would give us a proj-ect and let us run with it,” says Anna Strong, a ninth grader, recalling her Lower School art days at Devon. “She would give us help where we needed it, but that sort of freedom is important.”

Strong was so engaged by her Low-er School experience in the visual arts that she went on to be a top student in Knecht’s Middle School honors art class and plans to take photography and oth-er arts courses in Upper School.

What is it that excites students when they enter an art classroom at Episco-pal? Part of it is that “there’s some real visual learning that goes on in an art classroom that doesn’t go on anywhere else,” French says.

Hank Albrycht, who teaches Upper School woodworking and mechanical and architectural drawing, agrees. “A lot of what goes on in a student’s life is memorization and book learning, and here they have an opportunity to work in three dimensions. It really attracts them,” Albrycht says.

Furthermore, when students solve problems in woodworking, such as learning a certain kind of joinery, they achieve something tangible. “It

just gives one a sense of utter satisfac-tion when you finally put something together and realize it’s not only well-constructed using good materials, but it’s also pleasing to look at, and it might serve some social purpose,” Albrycht says. “When they make something,” adds Upper School art teacher Dolo-res Lombardi, “they achieve it, and it’s theirs.”

Senior George Hastings, who won a prize in last year’s Dora Khayatt art competition for his drawing and painting and who has pursued every opportunity from Middle School hon-

ors art to woodworking and Upper School honors art, says Episcopal has offered him ample outlets for his cre-ativity. “Last year I built a stool in the art show,” Hastings reflects. “I used a lathe to make the tapered legs and a ta-ble saw to cut out the top and a lot of sanding and stain work. I completely enjoyed it. It wasn’t really work to me. I was always looking forward to work-ing on it during the school day.”

Amy Rea, who graduated last spring, says that the opportunities Episcopal offered helped motivate her to study arts education at the University of

Worth His Weight in CopperTen lucky students, faculty, parents, and staff received a warm welcome and spent the day with John Madarasz ’81, coppersmith, in his workshop in Frazer, PA. John shared how his years at Episcopal and his work with Hank Albrycht first fueled his interest in the arts and prepared him to start and run his own very successful business. For 26 years, John has followed his passion and has created beautifully ornate, custom-made artistic and functional works in copper, iron, and other metals for clientele in Philadelphia and on the Main Line. John and the students exchanged excited views and ideas about the arts at Episcopal and talked with enthusiasm about the bountiful opportunities the new campus will provide. You may view John’s work at www.copperwork.com. Jeffrey Day

Back row (l to r): Visual Arts Chair Mary French, Hon., Chelsea Scott ’06, teacher Hank Albrycht, Hon.,

parent Wicker Francis, and teacher Nancy Reinhard, Hon. Front row (l to r): Kelsey Reinhard ’05, John

Madarasz ’81, John Heil ’12, and Margaret Heil ’10.

f a l l 2 0 0 5 8

Pennsylvania. The multi-faceted arts requirements force students to explore new avenues. “Having to try different things makes you realize you can cre-ate fantastic things you never thought you could,” Rea says.

Pursuing painting and drawing, woodworking, and mechanical draw-ing in the Upper School has helped her problem-solving skills, adds senior Chelsea Scott. “Sometimes the answer doesn’t come all that easily, and then you take a piece of wood or a piece of paper and try them a couple of dif-ferent ways and make it work,” Scott explains. “That is very rewarding. You know you accomplished something that didn’t come easy.”

When reflecting on their work in the fine arts at Episcopal, students not only talk about gains they have made through the challenging projects, responsive cur-riculum, and superior instruction, but also the opportunities they have had to work alongside their peers. Help-ing organize last spring’s Arts Festival with classmates and graduates Paul Heavener and Margaret Burgess was one of the highlights of her Episco-pal education, says Susanna Franks, who is now attending Barnard College. She felt satisfaction in helping to pull off the day of music, jewelry making, tye-dying, and other art-related activi-ties, and in helping her peers share their work.

Improving self-Esteem through Drama

In addition to its strong visual arts program, Episcopal offers an intensive theater curriculum that starts in pre-kindergarten and spirals all the way through the Upper School—a conti-nuity and depth that few, if any, other area independent schools can boast, says Theater Department Chair Gabri-elle Bernard.

Lower School drama teachers be-gin with age-appropriate exercises that help students build confidence and learn social interaction. In Middle School drama, students continue to work on team-building, self-expression, and pub-lic speaking skills through annual shows, a required sixth-grade theater course,

and seventh- and eighth-grade electives such as “Fairy Tale Theater: The Untold Story” and a Monty Python class, taught by Middle School Head Mark Devey. Upper School students participate in fall plays and spring musicals and take everything from technical theater to basic and interme-diate acting.

“In our department, we’re real-ly interested in the process of creating something together as a team, where each person is important—everybody from the lead in the show to the person running props backstage,” Bernard ex-plains. “They’re all equally important because they’re all co-dependent.”

“Theater is a very collaborative pro-cess,” agrees Lower and Middle School drama teacher Susan LaPalombara. “It’s about ‘us,’ not ‘me.’” Even if they do not go on to become professional actors, students take these teamwork skills into other parts of their lives. Students also learn to apply the self-expression and confidence they gain in theater to other classes and beyond, teachers say.

“The fact that the students are as ar-ticulate as they are by the time they reach the Upper School—the fact that they can get up in chapel and make those speeches—that doesn’t just hap-

pen overnight,” LaPalombara asserts. Those are skills she and the other dra-ma teachers work on with Lower School students. For instance, in one improv exercise, LaPalombara will tell young students a story, such as Yertle the Turtle, exploring questions such as what makes a strong leader. Then she and the students will act out the story, changing it along the way and impro-vising lines.

“Sometimes the students will look at me and say, ‘What do I say,’” LaPalom-bara explains. “And I’ll say, ‘Whatever you want.’” This process builds con-fidence and problem-solving skills. “This is the place where students can shine, where they can all be confident,” LaPalombara adds.

Mandie Banks, who teaches Lower School drama at Devon and choreo-graphs the dance numbers for the Middle and Upper school musicals, shares LaPalombara’s philosophy. “It’s not just about performance,” Banks says. “It’s about building skills that help students become comfortable with their bodies and voices, and then they become better creative and critical thinkers.”

Seeing students such as seniors Sara Orr and Tucker Brown, both in the classroom and on stage, shows that

Episcopal third grade students take part in a production on the Harlem Renaissance.

“ There’s some real visual learning that goes on in an art classroom that doesn’t go on anywhere else,” French says.


Episcopal drama teachers are succeed-ing in their goals. Brown, who has, since fifth grade, “done every available play,” says he loves being on stage. “I just love the rush you get on opening night when you’re out there in front of people.”

But Brown and Orr agree with their teachers that it is about more than the performance. In pursuing drama at Episcopal, they have learned life skills. “You learn to deal with pressure re-ally well and being put on the spot,” Brown says. Participating in theater at Episcopal has also helped him form in-timate relationships. “I like the feeling the whole group gets by the end of the show,” Brown explains. “We’re really close.”

“For most of the academic class-es, you are sectioned off directly with students from your grade,” adds Orr. But in drama classes and produc-tions, all-star athletes and students of all ages interact, breaking down barriers.

“There are strengths that a senior will have that a freshman won’t have and vice versa,” Bernard says. In the-ater at Episcopal, students of different

levels learn from each other in a safe and open environment. “Doing a scene together and really working together as a team, the social boundaries are bro-ken,” Bernard says.

Many teachers and administrators credit former Theater Chair Robert Cronin, who founded the department, with creating that kind of energy and excitement about drama at Episcopal. As director of the Domino Club, the student theater group, Cronin brought spring musicals to life, beginning with the legendary first Episcopal production of Godspell in the late 1980s. “That spring musical really became an event and an attraction,” says Lee Pearcy about Cronin’s work. Cronin also be-gan the annual freshmen plays, and he helped bring theater into the classroom, visiting English and history classes to discuss everything from Greek to Rus-sian theater and playwrights. “He was a one-man band that was a pied pip-er that enlarged drama and brought it into the classroom,” John Powell says.

Cronin says that one of the reasons he loves working with students in the theater is because the risks they take in a drama production or class help them

grow. Students are perhaps more willing to take risks in a drama class because theater is a great equalizer. “It’s a place where there are no experts,” Cronin says. Drama is also an enduring expe-rience. “If you allow a person to have a creative experience—once they’ve discovered that, they never cease to dis-cover that,” Cronin adds.

Working with the students in a drama class or on a production is energizing, Bernard says. “The enthusiasm and en-ergy these students put into it while having an incredibly difficult academic and athletic schedule—they must re-ally love it and have a passion for it,” Bernard says. “And to watch these stu-dents have a passion for something is really special.”

Learning the Language of Music

“If students are music literate, it be-comes another language for them,” says Lower School music teacher Janet Albrycht. The cornerstone of Episco-pal’s Lower School curriculum is the Kodaly Method, a musical literacy pro-gram with the aim of helping students not only learn to analyze and appreci-

Former Theater Department Chair Bob Cronin, Hon.

The Spring 2005 Domino production of Guys & Dolls

“ Doing a scene together and really working together as a team, the social boundaries are broken,” Bernard says.

f a l l 2 0 0 5 10

ate music from around the world, but also to perform it. “The idea is that if given a piece of music, it isn’t foreign,” Albrycht explains.

One of the most exciting exercises she does with her fourth- and fifth-graders, after they reach a certain skill level, is to give them a piece of music they have never seen before and ask them to decipher it—without her play-ing it or singing it for them. “By the time the lesson is over, they are able to sing it for me,” Albrycht says. “I stop and say, ‘Do you realize what you’ve just done?’…and I tell them, ‘I would venture to say that most of you have parents who couldn’t begin to do that.’”

Such a strong music program in the Lower School means that students are ready to take advantage of everything Episcopal offers in the Middle and Upper School music programs. Each Middle School student participates in some kind of music ensemble experi-ence, such as Middle School Singers, Jazz Band, or Chamber Ensemble. Seventh- and eighth-grade students also have an arts elective block dur-ing which they can take choir, band,

orchestra, guitar, music technology, or percussion. Upper School students have an ensemble period in which they can participate in concert choir, concert band, chamber orchestra, and other offerings. In addition, Upper School students may audition for select ensem-bles, such as the Jazz Combo, Chamber Ensemble, or Vocal Ensemble, and take classes such as AP music theory and ear training and music technology. Furthermore, Episcopal makes pur-suing music feasible for busy students by scheduling it during the school day. “The school has demonstrat-ed that music is really important in the curriculum and that they want to see it as part of the curricular day,” says Music Department Chair Joseph Buches.

Devoting these kinds of resources to music encourages students. “The stu-dents are really taking pride in what they’re doing and it shows through their dedication, through their perfor-mance, and through their willingness to make a positive contribution,” Bu-ches says. “When we play together as a tight ensemble, people notice it,” adds former instrumental music teacher An-

drew Bugosh. “The students feel good about what they’re doing.”

As in the visual arts and drama, pursuing music all the way through their Episcopal careers helps students develop valuable life skills. “They un-derstand the importance of repetition and analyzing what they need to do to make difficult passages playable or dif-ficult passages of music sound good. That’s the problem solving, the critical thinking,” Bugosh says.

Senior Alex Terzian, who has won Dora Khayatt music prizes for his guitar playing and is part of the Jazz Combo, agrees with his teachers that the process is what is important. “It takes so long to learn a song, and after putting so many hours into learn-ing something, you have a real sense of satisfaction when it all comes together.”

From pre-kindergarten on, Episco-pal Academy is opening up new worlds to students through the arts. “The arts are the programs that really reach to a person’s soul and really make a person human,” says Devon Choir Director Susan Johnson. “These creative outlets for people are so necessary.”

The Episcopal Academy Vocal Ensemble performs the national anthem at Citizens Bank Park before a Phillies game in 2004.

Senior Michael Chang, one of Episcopal’s most accomplished musicians, during a recent performance.


AcademicsAcademics

commencement exercises and graduation of the 111 members of the Class of 2005 were held

on Thursday evening, June 9th in Christ Chapel. Head of School Ham Clark and Head of Upper School Geoff Wagg presented the class to Rush Haines, ’61, former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and the Rt. Rev. Charles E. Bennison, Jr., Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania.

The program included wonderful addresses from salutatorian Nicholas Morris and valedictorian Greg Snyder and musical performances by violinist Emile Gogineni, pianist John Kamfonas, and vocalist Sunita Saligram.

After commencement, the Class of 2005 and their families gathered under the tent on City Line Avenue to enjoy their final hours as students at Episcopal.

CLAss OF 2005 COLLEGE LIsT

Micah David Albrycht Elizabethtown College, Dean’s Scholar

David Edward Allen Gordon College, Challenge Scholar

Zachary Payne Arbitman Haverford College, Ira Reid Scholar

Asia Nicole Archey Trinity College

Courtney Richelle Asher Williams College

Halimah Shakura Barnett Dickinson College, Samuel Rose Scholar

Caroline Nicole Biden Georgetown University

James Cameron Billmyer University of Pennsylvania, Nelson Foundation Scholar

Alyssa Kelly Boente University of Pennsylvania

Elizabeth Walsh Brennan Princeton University

Jeffrey William Brown Wake Forest University

Dylan Michael Brown Ohio Wesleyan University

Michael Adolphe Kennedy Brun Tulane University

Margaret Elizabeth Burgess Ursinus College, Anna M. Bomberger Scholar

Louis John Calabrese United States Naval Academy

Chelsea Gray Calio University of Central Florida

Matthew Russell Carrington Rhodes College

Peter Laughton Cohn Dartmouth College

Nicole Jeanine Connelly Villanova University

Stephan Thomas Connelly Georgetown University

Carolyn Thomson Crawford Fordham University

Andrea Rachel Cross George Washington University

Stephanie Morgan Davidson Columbia University, National Merit Scholar

Alicia Taylor DeSantola Stanford University

Patrick Michael Devine Villanova University

Matthew Winn Dobbins Virginia Polytechnic Institute

Elisse Karen Douglass Columbia University

Emily Frances Doyle University of Georgia

John Patrick Dunphy University of Pennsylvania

Elyse Robbins Familetti University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Todd Moyer Fernley Clemson University

Brian Shane FitzPatrick Cornell University

James Beswick Francis, III University of Richmond

Susanna Rees Franks Barnard College

Samantha Carolyn Gagnier Georgetown University

Kristin Leigh Gatter University of Georgia

Martha Elizabeth Gimbel Brown University, National Merit Scholar

Emile Shanthi Gogineni University of Michigan

Megan Faye Grannan Harvard University

Kerri Louisa Hadden Providence College

Paul Aden Heavener, II New York University

Bridget Elizabeth Henwood Colgate University

Alexandra Sparks Hillyard Washington and Lee University

Spencer Maeve Hoffman Cornell University

Alexa Cahn Houser University of Southern California

Nicholas John Imbriglia Brown University

Gregory Daniel Isdaner Georgetown University

John Spyro Kamfonas Columbia University

Jessica Jeana Kim Wellesley College

Kimberlee Samantha Knecht University of Delaware

Taylor Anne Knox Dickinson College

Alexandra Leah Lambert Cornell University

Jessica Anne Leighton Vanderbilt University

Clifford Charles Lewis University of Wisconsin

Shari Lauren Long New York University

Stephanie Lugo West Chester University

Madeline Anne Lurio Dartmouth College

Katherine Hughes Maguire New York University

Edward Degman Maiwald University of Pennsylvania

Commencement 2005

Blake Halle Mammuth Franklin and Marshall College

James Ambrose Mathisen Purdue University

Julia Bray McClatchy Georgetown University

Patrick Joseph McCormick Duke University

Christopher Bosler McMeekin Hampden-Sydney College, Dean’s Scholar

Andrew Joseph Mehalick Franklin and Marshall College, H.M.J. Klein Scholar

Patrick Dominic Melvin Villanova University

Kurt Spencer Miller Colgate University

Eric Ballantyne Minnick Stanford University

Nicholas Allen Morris Wake Forest University

Jeffrey Mark Nansteel Wake Forest University

Daniel Timothy Nealis Dickinson College

Ashley Paige Orleans University of Wisconsin

Patrick Samuel Pasquariello, IV Franklin and Marshall College

Anne Marie Person American University

Mara O’Neill Powers Union College

Kimberly Marie Pringle University of Pennsylvania, National Achievement Scholar and George A. Weiss Leadership Scholar

Simone Maxine Prinsen Cornell University

Abigail Courtney Tumpson Pyeritz University of Delaware

Amy Frances Rea University of Pennsylvania

Christina Lauren Recchiute Dickinson College, Dickinson College Scholar

Dana Janina Reilly Georgetown University

Janel Kristin Robertson University of Pennsylvania

Kelly Marie Robinson Columbia University

Joseph Anthony Rosati Villanova University

Sunita Chandini Saligram New York University, Presidential Honors Scholar

(l to r) Soon Kim, Michelle Kim ’08, Jessica Kim ’05, Steven Kim, and Yong Kim

(l to r) Dan Connelly ’99, Tom Connelly, Nicole Connelly ’05, Stephan Connelly ’05, Josephine Connelly ’01, and Daniele Connelly

(l to r) Robert Fernley ’40, Todd Fernley ’05, and Taylor Fernley ’68

(l to r) Michael Archey, Asia Archey ’05, and Dorothy Archey

(l to r) Susie Talbot ’04, David Talbot ’05, and George Talbot ’66

Matthew Jackson Satell Franklin and Marshall College

Frances Godwin Shafer Northeastern University

Christopher Andrew Sherwin Washington and Lee University

Ryan Mitchell Shmokler Villanova University

Alexandra Nicole Smith Bowdoin College

Kevin Michael Smith Pennsylvania College of Technology

Gregory Daniel Snyder Princeton University

Jennifer Lynn Soowal Clemson University

Ryan Steven Spagnolo Cornell University

Henry Edward Stewart Roanoke College

Bruce Warden Stone, Jr. Northwestern University

Matthew James Sutton Catholic University, Catholic University Scholar

David Harrison Talbot Yale University

William Noble Thompson Boston University

Lara Anne Turner Syracuse University

Jonathan Jason Jwei-Lin Uitto Villanova University

Peter Nicolaas van der Vlugt University of Vermont

Molly Jane Waldron Davidson College

Craig Thomas Wallace Wake Forest University

Elizabeth Rose Waples St. Bonaventure University

Ashley Brooke White University of Southern California

Dana Elizabeth Whiteley Washington College

Peter Randall Wichmann Catholic University

Patrick William Wilkinson Northwestern University

Bernard Robert Yaros, Jr. Williams College

Christopher Stephen Zipf United States Naval Academy

(l to r) Tony Morris ’67, Jake Morris ’09, Nick Morris ’05, Dave Morris ’02, Chris Morris ’99

f a l l 2 0 0 5 12

2 0 0 5 Academic A w A r d w i n n e r s


Academics

(l to r) Blake Shafer ’08, Francie Shafer ’05, Cannie Shafer, Hon., and Win Shafer, Hon.

(l to r) Niza Davidson, Matt Davidson ’02, Ste-phie Davidson ’05, and Jeremy Davidson ’10

(l to r) The Familettis – Jay ’19, John, Hon., Chris ’04, Elyse ’05, Lisa, Maggie ’12, and Jeffrey ’10

(l to r) Heather Flick McMeekin ’91, Andrew McMeekin ’91, Chris McMeekin ’05, and John McMeekin ’86

(l to r) Jim Minnick ’88, Eric Minnick ’05, and Andrew Minnick ’03

(l to r) Julia Crawford ’03, Alan Crawford ’44, and Cally Crawford ’05

The Sportsmanship Cup – GirlsElisse Karen Douglass

The James L. Crawford, Jr. Sportsmanship Cup – BoysJoseph Anthony Rosati

The 1992 Junto Officers’ AwardFor the greatest contribution to the JuntoPeter Laughton Cohn

The Vincent R. Michael Memorial PrizeFor proficiency and originality in computer studiesKatherine Hughes Maguire

The Episcopal Academy Art PrizeFor most creative talent in artAmy Frances Rea

The Erwin W. Drexel PrizeFor demonstrated outstanding talent and proficiency in the technical artsJames Berwick Francis

The Francis L. Jackson, Jr. PrizeFor excellence in SpanishGregory Daniel Snyder

Alumni PrizesFor the members of the graduating class with the highest standing in:

English – VI Form Nicholas John Imbriglia

Mathematics – VI Form Megan Faye Grannan

French – VI Form Stephanie Morgan Davidson

Latin – VI Form Martha Elizabeth Gimbel

The Dorothy and Alan Hume ’44 Scientia MedalFor interest, aptitude, and achievement in all scientific disciplines that embodies the qualities of a future scientistMartha Elizabeth Gimbel

The Karen and Nikos Pharasles Greek PrizeFor excellence in the study of the Greek language and Hellenic cultureMartha Elizabeth Gimbel

The William Jonathan Davis, Jr. Memorial PrizeFor history other than AmericanMartha Elizabeth Gimbel

The Class of 1890 PrizeFor the best essay in religionDavid Edward Allen

The Class of 1966 Curtis R. York Memorial Music PrizeFor the greatest contribution to the music programMichael Adolphe Kennedy BrunEmile Shanthi GogineniJames Ambrose Mathisen

The James H. Mck. Quinn PrizeFor the greatest contribution to the drama programJohn Patrick Dunphy

Faculty News &

NotesLee Pearcy (Classics Department Chair) spent the summer

working on an article on writing and speaking in the Hippocratic

Corpus (an early version of which will turn into a lecture at

Bryn Mawr College in November), a paper for the Classical

Association of the Atlantic States meeting in October, and a

book review for Bryn Mawr Classical Review. In addition,

his book, The Grammar of our Civility; Classical Education

in America, will be published by Baylor University Press

this fall… Kristen Powell (Middle School Science Chair)

was selected this spring by the Pennsylvania Department of

Education as a Keystone Technology Integrator. The award

is given for creative approaches to using technology as a

tool for teaching and learning. Only two independent school

teachers from across Pennsylvania were given the honor... Sue

Cannon (Middle School English and Social Studies), who is

on sabbatical this year, worked with a group of 28 educators

selected by California State University at Fullerton this summer

to teach English in China for four weeks. She spent two weeks

teaching middle school students and two weeks working

with teachers in Rugao… Over 46 members of the faculty

and staff participated in the Summer Technology Initiative,

which was made possible through a grant from Episcopal’s

Class of 1944. The program offered teachers from Episcopal

and other schools the opportunity to participate in hands-on,

innovative technology workshops… Susan LaPalombara

(Middle and Lower School Drama) and Mandie Banks (Lower

School Drama) attended the American Alliance for Theatre and

Education Conference in Chicago from July 26th through July

31st. Said LaPalombara, “It always gives us great new ideas;

provides us with lots of resources (plays, in particular); and

both renews and creates new connections with our colleagues

across the country”… Lisa Allen (Upper School French)

was a mentor at the 2005 Pennsylvania Governor’s Institute

for World Language Educators at Villanova University. She

(l to r) Hank Albrycht, Hon., Francis Thoumsin ’37, Janet Albrycht, Hon., Micah Albrycht ’05, and Abby Albrycht ’01

(l to r) Chad Billmyer ’97, Jamie Billmyer ’05, and Amanda Billmyer ’99

Omission in Last Connections…

The 11 students named

to the Cum Laude

Society in the last

issue of Connections

join an additional 11

Episcopal students

who were named to the

Cum Laude Society in

the fall of 2004. They

were: Courtney Asher,

James Billmyer, Alyssa

Boente, Peter Cohn,

Stephanie Davidson,

Alicia DeSantola, Martha

Gimbel, Megan Grannan,

Christina Recchiute,

Gregory Snyder, and

Bernard Yaros.

The Phi Beta Kappa PrizeFor the best all-round scholar in the senior classStephanie Morgan DavidsonMartha Elizabeth GimbelGregory Daniel Snyder

The Jefferson Shiel PrizeFor greatest general developmentHenry Edward Stewart

The William H. Ortlepp Memorial Prizefor Service to The Academy Alexandra Sparks Hillyard

The James B. Markoe Memorial (84th) AwardFor honor, unselfishness, and thoughtfulness by vote of the classLouis John Calabrese

The Class of 1877 (116th) AwardFor scholarship, athletics, character, and popularityGregory Daniel Snyder

(l to r) Kelly Robinson ’05 and Courtney Robinson ’02

(l to r) Jeff Nansteel ’05 and Jenn Nansteel ’96

continued on page 15 >>>

f a l l 2 0 0 5 14


Mindy Hong Begins Work As New Curriculum Director

episcopal announced last spring that Min-dy Hong will be the school’s new cur-

riculum director. Hong will take over for Lee Pearcy, who served as curriculum director for four years and will now focus his attention on return-ing as chair of the Classics Department.

Most recently, Hong was chair of the Upper School Eng-lish Department at Episcopal and has taught III, V, and VI Form English literature. She has held adjunct faculty positions at Rowan University and Drexel University, and was Language Arts Director at Greene Street Friends School in Philadelphia. Hong received her B.A. from Columbia University, her M.A. from New York Univer-sity, and her M.Ed. from Harvard University.

“Episcopal Academy’s rigorous academic program and its top athletic program are based on a firm spiritual foun-dation,” said Hong. “As the new director of curriculum, I hope to continue the fine work started by Lee Pearcy. EA is only as excellent as its faculty. Through a coordinated ef-fort, my first goal is to provide meaningful opportunities for faculty growth and scholarship to enrich the curriculum. Ad-ditionally, the goal is to collaborate and celebrate what we do best pedagogically, through open communication and co-ordination as each form and division responds to the overall curricula needs of the school.”

Four Faculty and staff Members recognized for 25 Years of service

Four Episcopal faculty and staff members were recog-nized on Wednesday, June 8th for 25 years of service to the Academy. Middle School teacher Win Shafer, Hon., Director of Admissions Lynn Hay, Hon., Low-

er School teacher Joyce Gavin, Hon., and Director of Food Services John Familetti, Hon., were all presented with bibles by Head of School Ham Clark and were congratulated by their peers during the Faculty and Staff Appreciation Dinner.

Faculty News &

Notesspent a week working at the institute with teachers from all

over Pennsylvania… Chuck Bryant (Upper School History)

attended the Wesleyan Writers Conference, which featured

a number of outstanding authors and teachers of writing,

including The New Yorker’s Jules Pfeiffer… Lee Billmyer

(College Guidance Counselor) attended a one-week program

of seminars and lectures in Boston run by the Harvard

Institute on College Admissions… Mireya Yaros (Upper

School Spanish) traveled with her family to Argentina and

Uruguay with for three weeks in July. The trip’s focus was

on the Andean Northwest provinces of Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán,

and Mendoza in Argentina exploring archaeological sites,

colonial monuments, and diverse natural landscapes… Mark

Mandeville (Upper School Science) has been going through

the screening process and is donating blood samples to

become a possible bone marrow donor… Tim Gavin (Form

Dean and Upper School Religion) had two poems published

in The Schuylkill Valley Journal and two poems published in

the New England Journal of Poetry. He also spent many of his

summer mornings training for the Philadelphia Marathon…

Bob Parr (Upper School Science) attended the ChemEd 2005

Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia from July 31st to

August 4th. The conference includes numerous presentations,

demonstrations, and lectures and is hosted by a consortium of

Canadian science educators… Kaveh Saidi (Lower, Middle,

and Upper School Music) spent time this summer at the

Governor’s School of North Carolina, conducting, coaching,

and performing with the youth orchestra. He also attended a

two-week seminar to take violin lessons with Burton Kaplan of

the Manhattan School of Music.

<<< continued from page 14

AthleticsGirls Lacrosse Takes Inter-Ac League and Tournament TitlesCome from behind twice in one week to shock Germantown Academy

The 2005 girls’ lacrosse team shocked their competition this past spring by coming from behind to capture the Inter-Ac League Tour-

nament title and a portion of the Inter-Ac League regular season title. Despite suffering a one-goal loss to Agnes Irwin early in the season, Episcopal

beat Germantown Academy on the road 12-11 on May 7th to share a piece of the Inter-Ac Championship. That win gave Episcopal a number one seed for the Inter-Ac Tournament, which was held May 12th through May 14th. The team beat Penn Charter for the second time this season in the first game, 8-7, to set up a rematch with Germantown Academy in the final. For the second time in a week, the girls stormed back from a two-goal deficit with less than two minutes to play to beat GA in the final seconds 9-8.

The 2005 Inter-Ac Champions in girls lacrosse: Back row (left to right): Head Coach Kim Piersall, manager Cally Crawford, Ali Hillyard, Callye Komlo, Emily Doyle, Madeline Lurio, Liz Waples, Anne Marie Person, Britt Steidle, manager Caroline Cannon. Middle row (left to right): Abbie Pyeritz, Jane Gartland, and Lara Turner. First row (left to right): Assistant Coach Jessica Rice, Kerri Hadden, Logan Greer, Megan McFarland, Ashley Aruffo, Kelly Robinson, and Alyssa Boente.

From Teammates to rivalsGerald Henderson and Wayne Ellington commit to Duke and UNC, respectively

in a series of widely attended press conferences held this past spring, senior basketball standouts Gerald Hender-son and Wayne Ellington announced their intentions to

attend Duke University and the University of North Carolina, respectively, beginning in the autumn of 2006. Both players were recruited heavily and their announcements garnered na-tional media attention.

During their respective press conferences, Henderson was quick to note that playing basketball for Duke has always been a dream of his, while Ellington remarked that his enviable po-sition was a blessing from God. Both students also thanked each other for the support and encouragement they received from one another, and they expressed their deep gratitude to boys basketball coach Dan Dougherty, their teammates, and their families.

When asked how they would make the adjustment from teammates to rivals, both students just smiled and said they wanted to remain focused on repeating as Inter-Ac champi-ons this year.

From left: Senior Wayne Ellington, Boys Basketball Head Coach Dan Dougherty, Hon., Episcopal Athletic Director Gina Buggy, Hon., and Senior Gerald Hender-son pause for photographers at a press conference this past May.

f a l l 2 0 0 5 16

Reed Valutas Finishes Second at Inter-Ac Golf Championships

episcopal Academy senior Reed Valutas placed second in the Inter-Ac Golf Championships

this past spring with a score of 72. Valutas made a great late run at the ti-tle, birdying the 15th and 16th holes, but he missed a 10-foot putt on the 18th to force a tie. An unlucky finish to a great year, Valutas finished as the low scorer for both teams in nine out of 16 matches for Episcopal.

Valutas followed up his great spring with Episcopal with some of the best golf in his short career in July. On July 8th and 9th, he scored a one-over-par 145 (73-72) in the Pennsylvania Junior Championships at Penn National Golf Club in Fay-

etteville with eight birdies during the two rounds. He finished eighth out of 117 players and received an exemption on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) tour. He entered matches in Hartford, CT, Summit, NJ, and at French Creek in El-verson, PA, all of which he played during the month of August.

He was also invited to play in the International Junior Golf Tour (IJGT) Invita-tional at Hilton Head, NC in August.

Joe rosati named Main Line Times’ Athlete of the YearFootball, Basketball, and Baseball standout is the ninth episcopal student-Athlete to win Award

Joe Rosati, who graduated this past spring, was named the Main Line Times’ 2005 Ath-lete of the Year for Private School Boys. Previous Episcopal students that

have won the award include Chris Roe (1986), Gabby Roe (1987), Jim Shanahan (1990), Sonja Volla (1995), Trevor Walker (1999), Kyle Eckel (2000), Katie Spof-ford (2001), Adam Murray (2002), and Lauren Bobzin (2004).

According to the Main Line Times, Rosati won the award for his “excellence in three sports.” Rosati was a leader on the football team’s defensive unit and helped the team capture a share of its first Inter-Ac title since 1983. On the bas-ketball court, his tough all-around play was again an integral part of Episcopal’s first Inter-Ac title in 14 years. On the baseball field, Rosati set school records for career hits and led the team in batting average, runs scored, RBIs, on-base percent-age, and hits.

Rosati accepted a baseball scholarship from Villanova University and is looking forward to suiting up for the Wildcats next spring.


AthleticsCathy Hall Takes Over Girls Soccer Program

cathy Hall, Episcopal’s Director of Technology, has been named Episcopal’s new Varsity Girls

Soccer coach. Hall, who was the assis-tant coach last year, attended high school in the Washington, D.C. area and was named to all-district, all-region, and all-state soccer teams. She participated in the Olympic Development Program for the state of Virginia and played for her alma mater Princeton University.

“I am really looking forward to coach-ing the team this season. We have a very talented and hard working group, and I anticipate a great season,” said Hall.

Broad Street Run Follow-up...

Two eA participants finish in the Top 10

A s we noted in the last is-sue of Connections, over 15 members of Episcopal’s facul-ty and staff took part in the

Broad Street Run on May 1st. While all of Episcopal’s participants showed well, two in particular performed excep-tionally. In the 45- to 49-year-old age group, Athletic Director Gina Buggy finished 6th out of 396 competitors. In the 21- to 24-year-old age group, Mid-dle School science teacher Laurie Smith finished 5th out of 673 runners.

Joe Rosati

Reed Valutas

Cathy Hall

ELISSE K. DOUGLASS The 1995 Girls’ Track Award

KIMBERLY PRINGLE The Scholar Athlete Award – Girls Track

KIMBERLY PRINGLE The Mind, Body and Spirit Prize – Girls Track

JAMES C. BILLMYER The Class of 1912 Medal

SAMANTHA A. ARONCHICK The Athletic Service Award

DAVID E. ALLEN The David A. DeMoss Memorial Award

The Tri-sport AwardsRICHARD N. KNOx The Borkowski Coaching Award

CHERYL MCLAUCHLAN The Keegan Awards

Alumni Achievement AwardsJOSEPH A. ROSATI The Sportsmanship Cup – Boys

ELISSE K. DOUGLASS The Sportsmanship Cup – Girls

First Team All Inter-Ac – spring sportsJOSEPH A. ROSATI Baseball

REED M. VALUTAS Golf

LOGAN E. GREER, ALExANDRA S. HILLYARD, ABIGAIL C. T. PYERITz Girls Lacrosse

ANNA M. IMPERATRICE Softball

PETER H. CALLAHAN, TODD HARRITY, JOHN S. KAMFONAS, PETER E. C. VALE Boys Tennis

JEROME M. HENDERSON, MATTHEW J. SUTTON Boys Track

ELISSE K. DOUGLASS, ALLISON D. FITzPATRICK, SOPHIA N. LAMBERTSEN Girls Track

First Team All Main Line – spring sportsJOSEPH A. ROSATI Baseball

REED M. VALUTAS Golf

DYLAN M. BROWN, ROBERT J. MCCALLION Boys Lacrosse

LOGAN E. GREER, ALExANDRA S. HILLYARD, ABIGAIL C. T. PYERITz Girls Lacrosse

ANNA M. IMPERATRICE Softball

PETER H. CALLAHAN, JOHN S. KAMFONAS, PETER E. C. VALE Boys Tennis

JEROME M. HENDERSON, PATRICK J. MCCORMICK Boys Track

ELISSE K. DOUGLASS, ALLISON D. FITzPATRICK, SOPHIA N. LAMBERTSEN Girls Track E

pis

co

pa

lJOSEPH A. ROSATI The Eddie Collins Bat, Most Hits

JOSEPH A. ROSATI The Bob Scott Memorial Cup

JOSEPH A. ROSATI The Class of 1914 Gold Baseball

CHRISTOPHER S. zIPF The Class of 1999 Baseball Award

CHRISTOPHER A. SHERWIN The James W. Straub Memorial Prize

zACHARY M. MORSE The E.A. Oar Award – Boys

DAVID H. TALBOT The Scholar Athlete Award – Boys Crew

DAVID H. TALBOT The Mind, Body, and Spirit Prize – Boys Crew

ANDREA R. CROSS The E.A. Oar Award – Girls

ELIzABETH W. BRENNAN The Scholar Athlete Award – Girls Crew

FRANCES G. SHAFER The Mind, Body, and Spirit Prize – Girls Crew

REED M. VALUTAS The Helen Wilson Trophy

MICAH D. ALBRYCHT The Scholar Athlete Award – Golf

MICAH D. ALBRYCHT The Jacques H. Houdry ‘43 Golf Award

DYLAN M. BROWN The Stick Lacrosse Award

ROBERT J. McCALLION The Team of 1977 Lacrosse Award

PETER L. COHN The Episcopal Academy Lacrosse Award

GREGORY D. SNYDER The Donald J. Reape Memorial Award – Boys Lacrosse

ROBERT J. MCCALLION The Coach John H. Wynne, Jr. Lacrosse Award

ANNEMARIE PERSON The Team of 1983 Girls’ Lacrosse Award

ALExANDRA S. HILLYARD The Championship Team of 1995 Girls’ Lacrosse Bowl

ALYSSA K. BOENTE The Scholar Athlete Award – Girls Lacrosse

LOGAN E. GREER The Ground Ball Award – Girls Lacrosse

BLAKE H. MAMMUTH The Team of 2000 Softball Award

ANNA M. IMPERATRICE The Trophy for Excellence in Softball

MORGAN T. WOODWARD The EA Gold Softball – Softball

ANNA M. IMPERATRICE The EA Golden Glove – Softball

PETER E. C. VALE The John T. McCullough Cup

JOHN S. KAMFONAS The George C. Shafer, Jr. Tennis Award

JOHN S. KAMFONAS The Scholar Athlete Award – Boys Tennis

MATTHEW J. SUTTON The Class of 1910 Medal

PATRICK J. MCCORMICK The Scholar Athlete Award – Boys Track

PATRICK J. MCCORMICK The Mind, Body, and Spirit Prize – Boys Track

Spring Athletic Award Winners

f a l l 2 0 0 5 18


Artsseveral changes For Theater Department in 2005-2006Additional courses, One-Act Festival on the schedule

s everal changes will be made in the Theater Department this year, including more cours-es being offered in the Upper

School. The new couses are Film Ap-preciation, Acting, Technical Theater, and a new Play course that will be offered in both the English and Theater Depart-ments and involves reading plays and attending local per-formances.

Also, a new One-Act Festi-val is being introduced this year. Chair of the Theater Depart-ment, Gabrielle Bernard, will be producing the festival and is ac-cepting play submissions from students for consideration.

In other news, Brandon Koe-nig, Episcopal’s new Technical Director, just returned from the Spoleto Theatre Festival and head-ed straight to the Bard Summer Stage as a technician. Both festivals are world-renowned and Koenig worked with some of the top names in the industry.

Lastly, next year’s theater season will include an autumn production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It, while the spring musical will be Oklahoma! The audition schedule for the fall play will be posted on the theater Web site. In the Middle School, new Drama Director Susan LaPalombara will over-see the production of the musical Honk! and the spring show The Phantom Tollbooth.

Middle School Presents The Jungle Book

This past May, the Episcopal Academy Middle School staged their final production of the year. Over 75 students were involved in producing R. Rex Stephenson’s adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book.

This adaptation was very close to the book and included a Greek-style chorus that moved the story along. Under the direction of Gabrielle Bernard, Middle School Drama Director and Theater Department Chair, the show opened with an exciting view of the jungle complete with swinging vines, a rising sun, and all of the characters dancing their own “Jungle Boogie.”

This was a great show that was enjoyed by all who attended the performances. A wonderful job was done by all of the cast and stage crew.

(Center l to r) Dylan Williams and

Abby Kloppenburg

(l to r) Hilary White, Taylor Platt, Eliza Crawford, Elizabeth Galib, Devi Loftus, and Amanda Terzian

The Merion kindergarten classes presented The Ani-mal Parade on May 10th, featuring poems and songs about both popular and some not-so- common ani-mals.

The classes had the opportunity to hear and write their own poetry and research certain animals, and the Animal Parade was a culmination of this work.

The focus of the presentation was to give the students the opportunity to have fun creating and working together on a project that would integrate a variety of skills and styles. The process of choosing parts, learning lines and songs, creat-ing scenery, and choreographing movement was one that built positive teamwork and individual self-confidence.

Merion Kindergarten Stages Animal Parade

f a l l 2 0 0 5 20


Alumni

Fred Weaver ’55, Henry Winsor ’55, Dave McMullin ’55, and David Scott ’56

Rich Aldridge ’85, Omar McNeill ’85, and Todd Pride ’85

Ed Buckley ’45 and Joan and Jeff Gardiner ’45

Reunion Weekend 2005 A Rousing Success

A lumni Weekend 2005 arrived under threatening skies and, unfortunately, the poor weather arrived on Saturday morning. But the rain had no impact whatsoever

on the success of each reunion, and by all accounts, those who participated felt the weekend left them reconnected with old friends and highly energized about the present and future state of Episcopal Academy.

As always, the 50th Reunion Class was in the spotlight, and this year the focus was on the great Class of 1955. Highlights of the weekend included: the inaugural 50th Reunion Address in chapel on Friday morning, delivered by Ralph McLean ’55; tours of both the Merion Campus and the site of the new campus in Newtown Square; the student a capella group (the Vocal Ensemble) singing at Friday’s alumni lunch; the Jazz Combo playing at the alumni reception Friday evening before a wonderfully diverse group of reunion classes; the presentation of the 50th Reunion Class Gift to Ham Clark and Rush Haines, ’61, former Chairman of the Board of Trustees (see page 41); the dinner hosted by Ham for the Class of 1955 in Ryan Hall Friday night, replete with some of the funniest stories one could imagine; a student violin quartet serenading the 50th Reunion Dinner; the Memorial Service for the Class of 1955’s fallen classmates on Saturday morning with many poignant memories shared of those gone but not forgotten; the Old Guard Lunch welcoming the Class of 1955 into their ranks; a rollicking indoor picnic for the Class of 1985 and their families; a wildly popular series of presentations by various members of the Class of 1955 on the topic of their “out of the box” careers, hobbies and life choices at the Merion Cricket Club; and a host of very well attended class parties at private homes, the Devon Campus, and Citizens Bank Ballpark.

To top it off, a number of classes continued the tradition of Five School Parties as well. As several astute alumni pointed out, this was the final Alumni Weekend the classes ending in 0’s and 5’s will celebrate on the Merion Campus. Such is the bittersweet nature of reunions.

Members of the Class of 1970 present a check to Ham Clark in support of the Annual Fund. Their contribution was a new 35th Reunion Class Giving record.

Leighton McIlvaine ’55 and Geoff Worden ’57

Maurice Heckscher ’60 and Barry Pinheiro ’60

R.T. Toland ’40 and Hughes Cauffman ’34

Britt Murdoch ’75, Jeff Stanton ’75, and Jim Dornberger ’75

David Robb ’55 and his wife Frances watch the Episcopal boys battle Haverford in lacrosse.

Norm Fitzpatrick ’80, Bill Giles, Joe Giles ’80, and Philip Trimble ’80 celebrate the 25th Reunion at Citizens Bank Park.

Jay Mitchell ’80, Court Ebeling ’80, and Steve Cunningham ’80

Heather Buchanan ’85, Wendy (Zug) Brown ’85, Kathy (Miller) Daly ’85, Cathy (French) Ackerman ’85, and Kristin (Lisi) Conway ’85 reunited at the 20th Reunion Picnic on the Merion Campus during Alumni Weekend.

FALL 2005 Upcoming Alumni Events

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1b Philadelphia Regional Alumni Event Newtown Square Campus

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29 b EA Varsity Football @ McDonough b Baltimore / DC Regional Gathering 1:00 p.m.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11b Alumni Awards Dinnerb EA / Irwin’s Day

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12 b EA/Haverford Day @ Episcopal

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24 b Alumni Thanksgiving Soccer Game 10:30 A.M., Merion Campus

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25b Class of 1990 – 15th Reunionb Class of 1995 – 10th Reunion

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26b Class of 2000 – 5th Reunion

f a l l 2 0 0 5 22

Beloved Teacher Philip Spear, Hon., Receives Bishop William White Award

Philip J. Spear, Hon. was awarded the 2005 Bishop William White Award presented each year by the Alumni Society to an effective and dedicated member of the faculty whose influence on the edu-

cation and growth of Academy students extends beyond the classroom or subject.

Phil dedicated 30 years of his life to the Episcopal Academy, serving 19 years as Chair of the English Department. He “tru-ly represents the quintessential Episcopal Academy teacher and demonstrates the professionalism and commitment that all teachers strive to achieve,” said one colleague.


Alumni

2005 MacBean Bowl Awarded to Patrick Mccormick ’05 and spencer hoffman ’05

The MacBean Bowl, which the MacBean Family pre-sented to Episcopal as a prize for the winners of the annual debate tournament, was awarded this spring to students Patrick McCormick ’05 and Spencer

Hoffman ’05. The event was held on May 9th. Numerous alumni served as judges for the tournament, including: Nabi Moghadam ’90, Pete Yeremian ’03, Andrew M. Brown ’01, John Little ’04, Sean Seelinger ’03, Nick Crews ’00, Gayle Laakmann ’00, and Shaan Sheikh ’03.

eA Alumni lacrosse Team Defeats gA counterparts

Fourteen Episcopal alumni returned to the Philadel-phia area for a lacrosse game versus Germantown Academy’s lacrosse alumni on Saturday May 7th at Germantown Academy. The Episcopal team

easily defeated GA’s alumni 10-4. Those in attendance includ-ed (l to r): (Front Row) Eric Seestedt ’86, Omar McNeill ’85, Dan O’Donnell ’97, Gene Linkmeyer ’83, Brian Mann ’81, and Matt Bailer ’97. (Back Row) Chris Fallon ’98, Eric Gregg ’96, Tim Muir ’99, Kurt Lunkenheimer ’95, Scott Reynolds ’96, Coach John Wynne, Hon., Jamie Creed ’00, Burke Galla-gher ’97, and Josh Hollinger ’00.

Members of the Alumni Society present the Bishop William White Award to Philip Spear, Hon.: (l to r) Rex Gary ’73, Philip Spear, Hon., and Bill Keffer ’84.

Loyd Pakradooni ’65, Alanna Wren ’92, and Ellie Rettew (spouse of John Rettew ’50) manning the grill at the Class of 2005 Senior Picnic hosted by the Alumni Society.

The Alumni society hosted a picnic for episcopal seniors this spring welcoming them into the alumni community and congratulating them on their im-pending graduation. Food was prepared and served

by members of the Alumni society. seniors had the opportuni-ty to vote for their class representatives and received information on upcoming alumni events and gatherings.

Ryan Shmokler ’05, Craig Wallace ’05, Pat Melvin ’05, and Lara Turner ’05 at the Senior Picnic.

Class of 2005 Enjoys senior Picnic

Community Forum Unveils 2005-2006 ProgramThis Year’s Program Celebrates excellence and Honesty

Two fantastic speakers and one great excursion make up the 2005-2006 Community Forum Program. For more information on any of the events, please contact Nancy Taylor, Alumni

Secretary, at 610-617-2249.

Trudy RubinWednesday, November 16th Merion Theater; 7:30 p.m.

Trudy Rubin is the foreign affairs columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer, and a member of its editorial board. Rubin has 30 years of experience covering the Middle East, including six years in Jerusalem and Beirut. Her coverage of Iraq, before and after the Gulf War, have given her exceptional insights into the ongoing insurgency and the Bush Administration’s current policy in Iraq.

Tina deVaronWednesday, January 18, 2006 Merion Theater; 7:30 p.m.

Tina deVaron is a successful singer/songwriter. She has had a dance-club hit with Wake it Up, and her current releases include If I Close My Eyes, the smash first single on dance diva Reina’s album debut, and If Mama Ain’t Happy.

Tour of Christ ChurchWednesday, May 17, 2006 Reception at 6:30, tour at 7:00

Located at 2nd Street above Market, Christ Church is known as “The Nation’s Church” because of the famous revolutionary-era leaders who worshipped there. Founded in 1695, it was the first parish of the Church of England in Pennsylvania. It is also where the American Episcopal Church was born. Those who worshiped regularly at Christ Church include George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Betsy Ross.

2005 episcopal legacies

During commencement exercises this past spring, the following graduating seniors posed with fam-ily members that are also Episcopal alumni. They are (from left to right; front row): John Fami-

letti, Hon., Elyse Familetti ’05, Katie Maguire ’05, Kimmy Knecht ’05, Naomi Knecht, Hon.; (second row) Todd Fern-ley ’05, Bruce Stone ’76, BJ Stone ’05, Albert Maguire ’78, Lee Billmyer, Hon., Jamie Billmyer ’05; (third row) Taylor Fernley ’68, Pat Pasquariello ’05, Hank Albrycht, Hon., Janet Albrycht, Hon.; (fourth row) Nick Morris ’05, Dan Polett, trustee emeriti, Micah Albrycht ’05; (fifth row) Tony Morris ’67, Francie Shafer ’05, John Smith, Hon., Kevin Smith ’05; (sixth row) Win Shafer, Hon., Cannie Shafer, Hon., David Talbot ’05, and George Talbot ’66.

Six Faculty and Staff Members Presented with Honorary Alumni Award

Honorary alumni awards for 10 years of service were presented by the Alumni Society at the closing dinner on June 8th: (left to right) Bill Keffer ’84, Cheryl McLauchlan, Hon., Betsy DeNatale, Hon., Lois Earnest, Hon., Anthony Sabatino, Hon., and Rex Gary ’73. Missing: Michael Klaasen, Hon. and Sandra Vaughan, Hon.

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Spirituality & Community LifeUpper School Students Help Some of the Country’s Most Impoverishedservice-Learning Project on Pine ridge reservation a “Profound experience”

Most students seeking “cultural immersion” secure passports, learn a foreign language, or prepare for a lengthy trip away from home. But 20 Episcopal Academy Upper School students experienced a true cul-tural immersion this summer and never left the country.

This past summer, the Community Service Department sponsored a trip to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, home of the Lakota Sioux Nation. The reservation encompasses 11,000 miles (roughly the size of Connecticut), is the 3rd poorest county in the United States, and has a population of approximate-ly 40,000 people. Life on the reservation is bleak. With an unemployment rate of 85%, a per capita income of $3,400, and the lowest life expectancy and the high-est infant mortality rate in the nation, the Lakota Sioux at Pine Ridge experience a life unlike any other in the U.S.

Episcopal students worked with Re-Member, a faith-based organization that encourages dialogue and action regarding the treatment of the Native American population in the United States and works to mend the fractured relationship. Working alongside other students from Nebraska and Missouri, the students tack-led a major carpentry project – building and installing bunk beds in homes on the reservation.

The students also learned a great deal from the Lakota themselves by attending daily “Wisdom of the Elders” meetings and evening sessions with guest speakers. The students were able to supplement these stories with visits to the Red Cloud Museum, the Wounded Knee Memorial, Crazy Horse Memorial, the Badlands, and Mount Rushmore.

The value of the experience for Episcopal students went beyond doing good works. “This was not a community service trip; it was a service learning experi-ence,” says Rob Trumbull, Director of Community Service. “The students were totally immersed in current Native American culture and the situation lent itself to new levels of introspection and value definition and to seeing things in a differ-ent way.”

“The first-hand experience of seeing the conditions and the hardships was eye-opening. It was difficult to hear the stories told by children and grandchildren of the Lakota who had been part of the American Indian Movement,” said senior Claire Pelura.

Sophomore Mark Nakahara added, “There is a lot of drink-ing, a great deal of poverty. Overall it is a very sad situation.” The experience has led Mark to want to help even more and to hopefully return next summer with anoth-er group of Episcopal students.

Several of the students work on staining the pieces used to construct the beds. From left are: junior C.J. Murdoch, junior Rachel Daddona, junior Jon Trum-bull, sophomore Michelle Kim, and senior Rosie Trumbull.

Pastoral news now Posted on episcopal Web site

important news and announcements from Chaplain Jim squire are now being posted on the episcopal web site. Off the home page, just go

to More News/Pastoral News from the Chaplain or Spirit/Pastoral News from the Chaplain. if you have any questions or problems, feel free to email the Communications Office at [email protected].

A Lakota boy enjoys his new bed.

Episcopal to Take Part in 4th Annual Dragon Boat RaceThree teams will paddle for west Philadelphia Alliance for Children

A number of Episcopal’s community members will be taking part in the Fourth Annual Philadelphia International Dragon Boat Festival, which will be held on Saturday, October 1st from 8 a.m. through 6 p.m. on the Schuylkill River.

There are 128 teams competing this year, and Episcopal will be well represented. The school has three teams entered: The DragonEArs, captained by Dawn Eringis; The GrEAt Blue Dragons, captained by Susan Swanson; and the Episcopal Navy captained by Becky Brinks.

The teams are composed of parents, students, faculty, staff, administration, and friends. The teams are paddling to raise money for West Philadelphia Alliance for Children, one of the organizations Episcopal’s Community Service Department works closely with. The school will have its usual big tent pitched right on the riv-erbank and an all-day picnic is planned. Everyone is welcome. Come down and cheer Episcopal on!

episcopal introduces new lower school chaplainRev. Heather Patton-Graham Comes to Episcopal from Christ Church in Wilmington, DE

episcopal parents may rec-ognize a new face on campus this fall. rev. Heather Patton-Graham

has been hired as the new Lower school Chaplain at episcopal. Previ-ously, rev. Patton-Graham was the Assistant rector for Children, Youth, and Young Family Ministry at Christ Church in wilmington, de. Prior to that she served as Youth Minister at st. Bartholomew’s Church in new York city and was director of Chil-dren’s Ministries at st. Luke’s Parish in darien, CT.

rev. Pattion-Graham has a strong music background and received a B.A. in American studies from the University of delaware and earned her Masters of divinity with Honors from The General Theological seminary of the episcopal Church.

rev. Patton-Graham has a daugh-ter who will be attending the Lower school at Merion in the fall.

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Class of 1945 60th Reunion George Edward Robinette writes: “The grand and glorious Class of 1945 held its 60th Reunion at my home in Rosemont on Friday evening, April 29th. Ten classmates attended, each accompanied by his wife, with the ex-ception of Ed Buckley, who came up alone from his base in Florida. The attendees were: Mick Black, Don Meenan, Ralph Brenner, Jeff Gardin-er, Jim Thorington, Bud Nagle, Cliff Hood, Ed Buckley, Rod Finkbiner, and the undersigned. A fine time was had by all—an open bar, great food, and, above all, wonderful company!”

47 Robert Montgomery Scott was honored by the Union League in Phil-adelphia with the Crystal Award in recognition of his lifetime achievements in the arts and humanities.

Class Notes EDITED BY The Alumni OffiCe


(l to r) Front row: Judy Gager, Dorothy Yarnall, Hannah Rudolph, Rosamond Richardson, Mitsie Toland, Sibby Toland, Mary Hopkins, and Alice Fernley; Back row: Forrest Gager, Charlie Yarnall, George Harding, Bill Richardson, R.T. Toland, George Neall, Harry Toland, Jack Hopkins, Bryan Bostwick, and Bob Fernley.

(l to r) Front row: Cliff Hood, Ed Buckley, and Rod Finkbiner; Back row: Mickey Black, Don Meenan, Ralph Brenner, John Gardiner, George Robinette, Jim Thorington, and Bud Nagle.

35 Nicholas Biddle, Jr. has announced the birth of twin great-grandchildren, Norah Anne Plummer and Evan Nich-olas John Plummer, to parents Lauren Biddle Plummer, daughter of Nicho-las Biddle, III ’63, and David Plummer. The twins were born June 20th.

Stanley Harris, Jr. writes that “Jane Powers Harris, my wife of 55 years, died in 1995. Now I am fortunate to have Clara McClure as a partner to share in my life. We are involved with Audubon and Sierra Club; give our sup-port to the Shawnee National Forest in its efforts to balance recreation and the natural environment; travel; and enjoy a wonderful relationship with our families. I especially enjoy weekly participation in my daughter, Janet’s, pre-K class of three- and four-year olds. I engage—mostly on the floor—in their activities and then tell a story. The kids call me ‘Pa’ and that hour-and-a-half is the highlight of my week. I do ap-preciate the teachers, the friends and the environment of my EA days! Fam-ily members gathered over the 4th of July weekend to celebrate the marriage of my granddaughter, Marion Adams, to Mustafa Sai, from Morocco. I have eight great-grandchildren.”

Class of 1940 65th Reunion Harry Toland writes: “Ten members of the Class of 1940 returned for our 65th Reunion on April 30th. That’s 10 out of the current 22 still living—45 per-

cent. Not bad at all, we thought. The main event was an excellent dinner supplied by EA at the Devon Campus. Along with the 10 members were eight wives or significant others, looking bet-ter than ever. The only formal action of the evening was the unanimous elec-tion of Development Director, Meg Hollinger, as an honorary member of the class. The members gave her an in-scribed watch and plate. The reunion attendees were: Bryan Bostwick, Bob Fernley, Forrest Gager, George Hard-ing, Jack Hopkins, George Neall, Bill Richardson, Harry Toland, Bob (R.T.) Toland, and Charlie Yarnall.”

41 J. Tyler “Ty” Griffin welcomed his first great-grandchild, James Erik Richards, on June 24, 2004. Ty and his wife Sonia moved to Beaumont, a re-tirement community in Bryn Mawr, in May 2003.

Class of 1940 65th Reunion


(l to r): Dick Bond, Steve Fuguet, Walter Buckley, Bill Rawle, Jack Lindy, Howard Rockett, Fred Weaver, Dave Robb, Bill West, Ralph McLean, Fred Haab, Rog Colley, Charlie Roselle, Joel Tobias, Leighton Mc-Ilvaine, Bill Master, Dana Lerch, Dave McMullin, Rod Farmer, Nick Whitridge, John Lloyd, Felix Jackson, and Dom Degnon.

(l to r): Chuck Chadwick, Dave Crockett, Dick Hiers, Roland Smith, John Rettew, Ellie Rettew, Elaine Pitkin, Joe Pitkin, and Jane Hiers.

Class of 1950 55th Reunion John B. Rettew, III writes: “Here’s to the Class of 1950 for an enjoyable reunion and for your support of Episcopal Acad-emy! Reunion Weekend saw many of our classmates attend the chapel service that honored the Class of 1955. During the weekend, Bil and Anne Aulenbach traveled the longest distance, from California; Dick and Jane Hiers were here from Florida; while Ned and Pat-ty Campbell drove up from Baltimore. Sandy Beecher, Chuck Chadwick with Sue, Dave Crockett, Joe and Elaine Pit-kin, Ed and Anne Pringle, Frank and Gail Reichle, Markley Schellenger, Rol and Audrey Smith, and Ellie and yours truly enjoyed recalling old and new times. Mike Shouvlin was unable to make it, as was Walt Heppenstall (who was still recuperating from his quintu-ple by-pass surgery). Head of School Ham Clark and his wife Ceci joined us at the Devon Campus for dinner Saturday evening. Many of our class who had not been to the new campus site in Newtown Square had a chance to visit there. We could not have had a more enthusiastic person to show us the beautiful site for EA (in 2008) than Dave’s son, Rich Crockett ’82. I think all went away with the impres-sion that this will be a great adventure in a picturesque location. Friday of Re-union Weekend there was a Memorial Service in Christ Chapel for “Beettle” Fiero. He was fondly remembered for his extraordinary work in community

service, scouting, the school, and the church. The Alumni Community Ser-vice Award will be presented to him posthumously later this year. Check out the Class of 1950 Web page on the Alumni Web site for updated informa-tion about our classmates as well as photos from the weekend.”

Class of 1955 50th ReunionRoger Colley writes: “Celebrating an Alumni Weekend with the number ‘50’ attached turns out to be something very, very special. Attendees from the Class of 1955 experienced the sensa-tion with a rousing weekend that was

beyond expectations. First, our 50th Reunion Tabula somehow arrived just prior to the start of activities on Friday morning, April 29th. After greeting classmates at registration, we attend-ed a moving service at Christ Chapel, highlighted with honored classmate Ralph McLean’s address to students. After receptions and a luncheon, the afternoon was filled with tours to the Newtown Square property, the Barnes Foundation museum, the lacrosse field, and the Philadelphia Country Club. By 6 p.m. we were all ready to relax over cocktails and fabulous hors d’oeuvres at EA’s annual Alumni Meeting. Af-ter the head of school’s welcoming remarks, our class presented a remark-able gift to the school, one dedicated in loving memory of our fallen classmate, David Haslam, the son of our headmas-ter during our years at EA. Lastly, the nightcap was a delicious dinner host-ed by EA on our behalf at Ryan Hall, spiced up with hilarious recollections by various classmates of extracurricu-lar fun times during our youth.”

Dave McMullen writes: “Saturday morning started with a memorial ser-vice for those 12 of our classmates who have passed away: Harry Arndt, Bill Barclay, Dave Haslam, Bill Ken-nedy, Gordon Liechty, Walter Miller, John Orsi, Arthur Seebach, Seth Smith,



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Class Notes

Frank Tucker, Leo Tyrrell, and Graham Wentz. Jack Lindy read the necrology and paused after each name to allow for individual members of our class to get up and tell a story or mention something typical or even humorous about the particular classmate. It was quite moving and brought back a lot of fond memories. The stained glass win-dow in memory of Dave Haslam was pointed out and will be moved to the new campus.

“Breaking with tradition, the panel dis-cussion ‘Out of the Box’ was moved to the early evening and held just be-fore cocktails at the Merion Cricket Club. Of course, cocktails were served throughout the panel discussion, so when we continued right through to dinner, nobody missed the designated cocktail hour. Jack Lindy was our very able moderator who guided separately the six opening speakers through their truly entertaining comments. Nobody who was there will ever forget Dom Degnon showing how he would get dressed in the dark into his foul weath-er gear for the 2 a.m. watch on his sail boat, as he traveled for seven years around the world. Bill Lilley’s anti-ter-rorism power-point presentation took us all to a new level as to just how com-plex the whole issue is for the world. Fred Weaver had us all right there in the cockpit, as the Eastern Airlines plane he was co-piloting was hijacked to Cuba. Howard Rockett took us through several of the very creative ads that his agency down in North Carolina has made. After dinner, he played the piano, which he still does professionally with his own jazz band. He even played the old tune, which most of us only know, to ‘Episcopal, Episcopal.’

“Many returning members of the Glee Club, Dick Bond, Walter Buckley, Fred Haab, Dana Lerch, Tom Longstreth, Bill Master, Ralph McLean, Leigh-ton McIlvaine, Dave Robb, and Nick Whitridge led the singing. Continuing with the panel discussion, Joel Tobi-as entertained us with his trip through medical school, the Navy recruiting station where he did not realize the Marines were part of the Navy, Viet-

nam where he was second in command of a Marine Mash unit, building five different boats to include a 14-foot canoe that weighs 20 lbs., driving his souped up old Fiat car painted yellow and black 160 m.p.h. down the back-stretch at Daytona, and his current role with a Benedictine monastery. Jack Lindy’s pictures and discussion of post traumatic stress brought on by such events as the West Virginia Flood; Cov-ington, Kentucky Night Club Fire; and 9/11 opened a lot of eyes.

“A number of our classmates stood up during dinner to regale us with sto-ries, such as that of Rod Farmer being a regimental commander in an Amer-ican Revolution re-enactment scene. We really do have a lot of characters in our class with truly ‘out of the box’ life experiences. We just wish we had been able to get all of those who were unable to come to have been there to share the many laughs and eye-opening experiences that represent the class of 1955.”

Class of 1960 45th Reunion Bill Walker writes: “The Class of 1960 had 14 strong with 13 spouses or sig-nificant others and four members of the Class of 1960 from Agnes Irwin to celebrate our 45th Reunion at Bill and Margot Walker’s house in Devon. Head of School, Ham Clark, and his wife Ceci, plus Meg Hollinger and Clay-ton Platt, stopped by. George Burden, Allan Chagan, James Grant, Mau-rice Heckscher, Wayne Jarvis, Richard Koelle, Jack Mace, Jim McVey, Barry Pinheiro, Walter Poole, David Surbeck,

Bill Walker and David Wetherill were all in attendance. A good time was had by all and we are already making plans for our 50th!”

Class of 1965 40th Reunion Loyd Pakradooni writes: “We 65ers had such a great time for our 35th reunion five years ago, we called for a replay! We were 32 in all for dinner on the Delaware at Corinthian Yacht Club on Friday evening, including out-of-town-ers Larry DeFuria, Jack Heckscher, Ralph Pitman, and John (Dick) Tatum, (Middy Tilghman and John Waite ar-rived on Saturday), and former faculty Messrs. Crawford, Burdick, Borkows-ki, Denlinger, and Orr.

“Saturday night we once again took part in a Five School Dinner-Dance at The Radnor Hunt in Malvern (175 or so attended), and a party that included the classes of ’63, ’64, ’66, and ’67 as well. The 45th Reunion should find us at the Newtown Square campus!” 66 Steve Dittmann reports that his daughter Emily, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2003, is a recruiter for Teach for America in New York City; his son Tim graduat-ed from Princeton University in May of this year and lives in Seattle; and daugh-ter Christina is enrolled at Columbia University in the Class of 2009.

Gerry Erskine is happily retired, living with his family in Bradenton.

David Wood, Jr. reports, “My son, Da-vid, will be attending ‘The Southern Part of Heaven’, a.k.a. the University

(l to r) Front row: Geb Burden, Jim McVey, Fred Jones, David Surbeck, Bill Walker; Back row: Barry Pin-heiro, Dave Wetherill, Wayne Jarvis, Allan Chagan, Walter Poole, Maurice Heckscher, Dick Koelle, Jack Mace, and Jim Grant.


of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, this fall. He intends to study physics with a possible minor in business.”

67 Larry Light’s first mystery, Too Rich to Live, a “fast-paced thriller set in the world of New York big business,” has been published. In 2005, Larry be-came a member of the Mystery Writers of America and the Thriller Writers of America.

68 Guy Croyle is now living in Eu-rope (near Budapest), working for the Hungarian Ministry of Education and teaching German and English as foreign languages in technical and ac-ademic secondary school. Guy and his wife Jane recently completed a week-long socio-cultural study tour in the Transylvanian region of Romania with university students and professors from Berlin, Budapest, and Krakow. Next summer they will be hosting a college alumni study tour in Greece.

69 Scott Bullitt has been very active in local performing arts organizations. In the past year he played the part of Mr. Snow in Carousel with the Rose Valley Chorus and Orchestra, and was in The Gypsy Baron with the Main Line Op-era Guild.

Class of 1970 35th ReunionJumper Dautrich writes: “Thank you to all that helped make our 35th Re-union a success and an enjoyable event for everyone who participated and at-tended. It was terrific to see everyone again, and for those local guys, we have committed to see each other more frequently than every five years.

“The count totaled 26 members in attendance for various events: the Friday reception at Episcopal, the Five-School Reunion Party at the IAC in Wayne, lunch at Landis restaurant in Wayne, and dinner at Jumper’s house in Strafford—highlighted by a surprise appearance of Ceci and Ham Clark (head of school), Clayton Platt (di-rector of alumni) and Meg Hollinger (director of development). The follow-ing individuals were in attendance: Bob Batt, Bill Berlinger, Don Best, Jeff Col-

lins, Eliot Dalton, Jump Dautrich, Skip Feimster, Peter Fritchman, Bill Hay-ward, Ron Hedges, Pete Holston, Peter Kingsley, Bruce Kneeland, Ken Lefe-vre, David Markus, Pete Munger, Rick Northrop, Dave Parker, John Rice, Ron Rothrock, Bill Sargent, Witty Schneid-man, Ted Stehle, Alex Stephanoff, Jim Vick, and Graham Zug.

“I’d also like to send a special thanks to the following: John Rice for supply-ing a case of wine and arranging for the last minute printing of 25 copies of Bill Berlinger’s millennial scrapbook from the 30th Reunion; Bob Batt for being the master ‘griller’ on Saturday night; those of you who supplied pic-tures that will hopefully get posted on the future Class of 1970 Web site; and the surprise attendees at our class party Saturday night: Ceci and Ham Clark, Meg and Chip Hollinger, and Clayton Platt ’73.

“And very special, extra thanks goes to Don Best who worked tirelessly to put this entire weekend together and is the ‘unsung hero’ of this reunion. He spearheaded the Five-School Party on Friday night (renting the facility, buy-ing food, contacting people, following up, etc.) and is the greatest person to be around. He was instrumental in plan-ning every event that occurred over the weekend. Our class is fortunate to have him in our midst.”

71 Dick Fenimore and teammates on the Radnor United over-40 soccer team secured a second straight first-division national championship at the 2005 Na-tional Veteran’s Cup, held June 22nd to 26th in North Carolina.

73 Bill Clark writes, “I was in Philadel-phia for a family reunion at the Cricket Club in June (descendants of Charles Byely Hart, my grandfather’s dad) and ran into Dick Fiemster ’72 and Corky Hart ’63, as well as all the Heckschers. More than 60 people were there in all. Back in Vermont, I went to a cash ma-chine in Londonderry and bumped into Bill Knowlton only to find out he lives five minutes from home.”

Dave Cunningham sent along a won-derful description of the home he built with his wife Mary. It took over five years to design and build and was completed in April 2000. The 7,000-square-foot home is entirely built out of straw bales for the outside walls’ thermal insulation qualities. The home uses the free resources of the earth by tapping the geothermal constant earth temperatures and passive solar tech-nology for heating and cooling. The home has roof rainwater collection systems and basement walk-in green-house for gardening, draught, and food preparation.

(l to r) Front row: Skip Feimster, Peter Kingsley, John Rice, Peter Fritchman, and Jeff Collings; Back row: Bill Berlinger, Peter Munger, Byron Hedges, Graham Zug, Bill Sargent, Ron Rothrock, Bob Batt, Don Best, and Jumper Dautrich.


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Class Notes


Chip French has recently joined Duffy Real Estate in Wayne, PA, as a licensed real estate broker.

John Hayes is working for the Scher-ing-Plough Research Institute in Kenilworth, NJ developing drugs for veterinary projects.

Gary Hodder continues to practice law in Toronto with the firm Polten and Hodder, and has promised to help lo-cate and motivate other Quondams (those who attended but did not grad-uate from Episcopal) to attend their 35th Reunion in 2008.

He writes: “How much fun would it be to see our friends who moved on to other schools, but who remained in our hearts after all these years? Speaking of which, Peter Willis and Peter Church-man were spotted at a certain 50th birthday party for a recently returned classmate. One of them was overheard suggesting our new alumni director had to wait for the statue of limita-tions to expire before he came back to Episcopal. That is strictly untrue…the limitations haven’t expired, the school just has a short memory! Also attend-ing that party were Craig Renfrow and Jerry Holleran. Craig was kind enough to host several EA students for their senior projects at his construction com-pany. Watch out for Craig’s son Justin who is entering his freshman year at Penn Charter (we’ve already asked the obvious). Justin is already on some college radars for his exploits on the basketball court. C’mon Coach Doc, bring him over here!”

Bill Knowlton and his wife Deb ad-opted a beautiful girl from Japan on March 17, 2003. Her name is Hope Qianyi Knowlton, and she was born on June 10, 2002. The Knowlton’s will soon move to a new address to make more room for their growing family, but will remain in the Beacon Hill sec-tion of Boston. Bill is a partner at the law firm Ropes and Gray in Boston.

Mark Lewis is currently the director of bioresearch at BIOQUAL, a small bio-tech in Rockville, MD.

Class of 1975 30th Reunion Jim Garrison writes: “When our re-union committee met in March, we only knew two things—the party would be at Britt Murdoch’s house and, for once, Alumni Weekend wasn’t on Derby Weekend. These two things inspired a phone-canvassing effort that brought over 20 members of the class, and many spouses, to a memorable event on a rainy Saturday evening. Ted Tsaltas, making the trip from Knox-ville, TN, traveled the furthest, while Jeff Stanton even stumped Britt’s father with his trim appearance.

“While a band entertained inside, an adjoining backyard tent was the center of refreshments, where reunion com-mittee members Chris LeVine, John Williams, Dave Crockett, Brian Tier-ney, and Jim Garrison socialized with fellow classmates, including: Jim Dorn-berger, Carl Shafer, Dave Cloetingh, Will McLean, Bill Shoemaker, Ted Tsaltas, Geoffy McClain, Dave Langfitt, Jeff Stanton, Mark Teti, Fred Hencken, Harry Wagenheim, Andy Curtin, and Ed Fenimore. We also caught up with Chip Clothier who had left EA in Mid-dle School for boarding school but still lives in the area. The phone campaign leading up to the party also gave us the opportunity to catch up and resulted in several other ‘mini reunions’ that keep the Class of ’75 connected.”

76 George Maschmeyer is working as a Web designer. He recently com-pleted work for the Fairmount Park Council for Historic Sites. You can see this Web site at: www.fairmount-parkhistoricsites.org.

77 Michael Eisner, CEO of Disney, wrote a book called Camp about his experience at Camp Keewaydin. Pe-ter Hare—alumnus, long-time teacher, and Upper School modern language

department chair at Episcopal—is head of Keewaydin Camps. His father, Wa-boos, who was head of the camp for years, figures prominently in the book. Peter is mentioned also.

Class of 1980 25th Reunion Joe Giles writes: “The Class of 1980 held their 25th Reunion on April 30th in a group party suite at Citizens Bank Park during a Phillies game against the Florida Marlins. The game was played despite threatening weather and over half the class attended the event, most with their wives. A special thank you goes out to Norman Fitzpatrick for working behind the scenes to get such a great turnout.

“U.S. Marine and classmate Nick Ma-rano received the ‘Longest Road Trip’ award coming all the way from Iraq (via California) to join the festivities. Runners up for the award included Phil Trimble and Landy Kampf (Chi-cago), Pete Mattoon (Boston), and Mike McNally (North Carolina). Dan Dougherty received the ‘Looks Most Like His Dad’ award, while Bob Unter-berger received the ‘Smartest Returning Classmate’ award.

“At the first opportunity Phil Curtin grabbed the microphone in the room and acted as the master of ceremonies for the affair, while Rob McCallion, Steve Cunningham, Sean Verdeur, and Bob Zullinger egged him on. Others in attendance included Jim Niness, Paul Lawson, Jay Mitchell, George Wood-ruff, Court Ebeling, Bing Brinkworth, Eric Guenther, Luke Borda, Jay Hil-berts, Mike Williams, Bill Susskind, Bryan Bushick, Keith Ford, Mike Baer, and Paul Binnion. Even though there were several rain delays during the game, no one seemed to mind as ev-eryone enjoyed catching up with old friends.”

(l to r) Fred Hencken, Britt Murdoch, Dave Cloetingh, Brian Tierney, Chris LeVine, Dave Crockett, Jim Dorberger, John Williams, Jeff Stanton, Ed Fenimore, and Jim Garrison.


Eric Guenther was featured in July’s Main Line Today as a member of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, commonly known as First City Troop. Main Line Today reported that Guen-ther commanded a guard unit on a six-month peacekeeping mission in Bosnia in 2002. Forty other members of the First City Troop also served in Bos-nia as part of Troop A, 1st Squadron, 104th Cavalry, 28th Infantry Division —the troop’s official designation in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. Guenther also spent time in January training at Fort Lewis, a U.S. Army base where mock-up tanks negotiate simulated battlefields.

81 Dave Ebby is a real estate attor-ney with Hangley Aronchick Segal and Pudlin in Philadelphia.

84 David Bradley’s editorial trib-ute to Arthur Miller was published in The Philadelphia Inquirer in February shortly after Miller’s death. He is the associate artistic director at the Peo-ple’s Light and Theater Company in Malvern. He directed Miller’s A View From the Bridge in 2003.

Karl Mayro was recently chosen as a Who’s Who in America.

Class of 1985 20th Reunion Kristin (Lisi) Conway and Ann (Mada-ra) Kraftson write: “The Class of 1985 Reunion Weekend was full of activi-ties for alums and their families. On Friday evening, the festivities began

with an on-campus cocktail party hon-oring the Class of 1955. Although we expected few people to show, we were pleased with the turnout. Those in at-tendance included Rich Aldridge, Jim Dugan, Brad and Laura Frank, Craig Singer, Paul and Heidi Tirjan, Omar McNeill, Pogie (Daniels) Sangiray, John and Elsa Yoo, Richard Quinn, Todd Pride, Joe Nastasi, Gordon Getter, Don Kraftson, and Ann (Madara) Kraft-son. Afterwards, the caravan moved to the Great American Pub in Narberth where classmates arrived from Lon-don (Andrew MacIntosh), New York (Bill Stelwagon) and Philadelphia (Neil Rubin and George Milner) and we con-tinued to catch up late into the night. We appreciated Edwin and Cannie Shafer and Len and Edna Haley joining us as well - we enjoyed seeing them!

“Thanks to Omar McNeill and his fam-ily who lead the organizational efforts, a Saturday picnic (in the cafeteria and

the old gym due to inclement weath-er) was quite successful. ‘Children/big adults’ threw balls, played basketball, rode scooters, danced, and ran. Many of the attendees from the previous night were there, as well as the follow-ing alumni and their families: Kristin (Lisi) Conway, Dave Valentine, Mike Tierney, Kathy (Miller) Daly, Won Shin, Suzy Cole, Cathy (French) Ack-erman, Nancy (Phillips) Lavalle, Brian Callahan, Wendy (Zug) Brown,

(l to r) On floor: Bentley Saul, Craig Singer, Brett Batoff, Nancy (Phillips) Lavallee, Ann (Madara) Kraftson, Alison (Byers) Reilly, Won Shin, and Andrew MacIntosh. Seated: Gordon Getter, Don Kraftson, Kristin (Lisi) Conway, Brian Callahan, Jim Dugan, John Susanin, and Cathy (French) Ackerman. First row standing: Bill Stelwagon, Rich Quinn, Dave Valentine, Rich Aldridge, Todd Pride, Kathy (Miller) Daly, Suzy Cole, Catherine Hollis, Andrew Hauser, and Wendy (Zug) Brown. Second row standing: Mike Tierney, George Milner, Omar McNeill, Paul Tirjan, Chris Kreusser, and Joe Nastasi.

(l to r) Standing: Mike Baer, Dan Dougherty, Phil Curtin, Keith Ford, Paul Lawson, Court Ebeling, Bing Brinkworth, Bob Zullinger, Mike Williams, Paul Binnion, Norm Fitzpatrick, Nick Marano, Jay Hilberts, Luke Borda, Landy Kampf, Steve Cun-ningham, Bryan Bushick, Mike McNally, Joe Giles, Jim Niness. Seated: Sean Verdeur, Rob McCallion, Eric Guenther, Phil Trimble, Jay Mitchell, and Bill Susskind. Missing from photo: Pete Mattoon and Bob Unterberger.



f a l l 2 0 0 5 32


Class Notes

Heather Buchanan, and Andy Hauser. We were all exhausted by 3 p.m.!

“The weekend events concluded Sat-urday evening with an adult dinner at Evivva Restaurant in Narberth. Those who joined the previously listed class-mates were: Brett Batoff, Bentley Saul and his fiancée, Chris and Lisa Kre-usser, Scott and Lisa Pinherio, Alison Byers, Catherine Hollis, and John and Amy Susanin. The evening flew by quickly as we enjoyed catching up with everyone.

“To those who attended and made it such a great weekend: thank you! Now we have a complete class email list. Please send any updated information to Ann Kraftson ([email protected]) and we will pe-riodically email you so no one looses touch!

“Footnotes: Everyone who attended the weekend’s various activities signed a large note that was sent to Captain David Casey in Iraq! Stay SAFE and THANK YOU! Congratulations to those classmates getting married this summer and to the many newborns this year who will be listed in Connec-tions! We apologize in advance if we left anyone out!”

86 Amy Donohue married John Ko-rman on Friday, April 22nd in the Highlands, a historic house in Fort Washington, PA.

Andrew Kwak M.D. and his wife Gina announced the birth or their son Nich-

olas Andrew Kwak, who was born on November 1, 2004. Andrew and wife Gina have two other children, Kyra and Sophia. Andy is an interventional radiologist at the Hospital of the Uni-versity of Pennsylvania.

John McMeekin was noted as one of Rawle and Henderson LLP’s Pennsylva-nia Super Lawyers 2005 in Philadelphia Magazine.

88 The Philadelphia Inquirer report-ed that M. Night Shyamalan cast Paul Giamatti, of Sideways, and Bryce Dal-las Howard, of The Village, for his new film Lady in the Water, to be shot in Philadelphia.

89 Lars Beck was the director of the first City of Philadelphia Triathlon, hosted on June 25th. He completed the Floridian Ironman triathlon last year.

Patrick Chambers was recently appoint-ed as assistant coach for the Villanova University men’s basketball team. He was the coordinator of basketball op-erations during the 2004-2005 season.

Brett McGovern and wife Sally wel-comed Anne Elizabeth, a black-haired beauty, on June 21st. She joins big sis-ters Maggie (4) and Sarah (3).

90 Tiziana Auteri-Simpson is an editor at Intralink, a motion picture market-ing company that manages theatrical marketing for feature films. The com-pany’s work includes trailers, teasers, television spots, and print advertising.

Jason Avicolli is currently attending LaSalle University for his M.Ed. and a secondary teaching certification in his-tory. He and his wife Kristin welcomed their first child Dante Michael Avicolli on June 3rd.

Katie Bowes is a fourth grade teacher at South Elementary School in Colleg-eville, PA.

Brendan Reedy is the assistant golf professional at Waynesborough Coun-try Club.

Sharon Molinoff Sevrens has retired from investment banking and is open-ing a fine wine store in Monclair, NJ this fall. The store will feature approxi-mately 500 wines that she hand-selected from boutiques around the world.

92 Brian Dougherty is now a member of the Philadelphia Barrage, Philadel-phia’s Major League Lacrosse team. He played two seasons for the Long Island Lizards before joining the Barrage and was named Warrior Goalie of the Year in 2003. He spent the 2001 and 2002 seasons with the Rochester Rattlers.

94 Arthur O’Brien currently lives in Palm Beach, FL. He is a real estate de-veloper concentrating on the area from Miami Beach to Palm Beach. He still rides horses and travels overseas as of-ten as he can.

95 Amanda Bradford just finished a year of graduate school in Monterey, CA where she’s been working on a

Michael Tierney ’85 and his wife Margaret with their daughter Madeleine in her new Episcopal sweater.

Olivia Tirjan with her father Paul Tirjan ’85 at the Class of 1985 20th Reunion family picnic.

Class of 1990 15th Reunionsave the Date: Friday, november 25, 2005 Time and location to be determined. Want to help? News to share? Questions? Contact Director of Alumni, Clayton Platt ’73 ([email protected]) or Assistant Director of Alumni, Jen Slike ([email protected]). Visit the Alumni Web site for updated information at www.ea1785.org.

masters degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TE-SOL). As of mid-July, she was in the Utah desert in the midst of a two- to three-month cross-country tour that eventually put her back on the East Coast at the end of August. This Fall, she’s off to Mozambique for a couple of years where she’ll be getting quite a bit of teaching experience and will learn Portuguese. She plans on finish-ing the degree in 2007 when she comes back to the United States. After that, she imagines she’ll either be off globe-trotting somewhere again, or going for a Ph.D. in applied linguistics in our sec-tion of the globe.

Tobin Fisher is living in San Francisco and has started a fuel cell technology company, having recently completed a master’s degree program in product de-sign at Stanford University.

Since graduating college, Demetrios Hadgis has been living in New York and working for Bloomberg Financial Markets where he oversees development of fixed-income analytics and trad-ing software. He recently completed post-graduate study in mathematics and finance at Columbia University, and in August moved to Colorado to attend the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver to obtain his M.B.A. Over the past six years, he has been active in multiple volun-teer organizations in New York, one of which, 9/11 Together We Stand, is a special program for children who

lost a parent in the terrorist attacks of September 11th.

Katie Kurz McComb participated in the Philadelphia Triathalon on June 26th. She finished 494th out of 995 individual competitors with a time of 2 hours, 55 minutes and 57 seconds.

Daria Natan is still living in New York working in marketing and investor relations. She also started working on her executive M.B.A. at Columbia University in January. Daria is engaged to Patrik Nelson. They are planning a September 2006 wedding in Philadelphia.

Gabby and Owen Ridder, children of Debbie Ridder ’90.

Juda McGannon and Katie Kurz McComb ’95 after Katie finished the Philadelphia Triathlon.

Andrew Kwak M.D. ’86 and son Nicholas Andrew Kwak born November 1, 2004.

Message From the Class of 1995 Reunion Committee Doug Macbean, Katie Kurz McComb, Laura Rooklin, and Austin Whitman:

As hard as it is to believe, our graduation from Episcopal was 10 years ago! It’s true; an entire decade has passed since our lives centered upon figuring out whether it was blue week or white week, making it through the dreaded hour-long period after chapel, pleading for off-campus lunch privileges, enjoying actual free time to play sports, and the occasional one-on-one “chat” with Mr. Lees.

save the Date: Friday, november 25, 2005 Building on those memories and shared experiences, as well as our fantastic five-year reunion back in 2000, we hope you will come to a reunion cocktail party in downtown Philadelphia on Friday, November 25th. We encourage you to bring spouses or significant others. We will communicate the exact time and location in the coming weeks.

Pre-Reunion gathering In addition, on that Friday during the day, you will have a chance to visit Episcopal’s Merion Campus for what may be the last time before the upcoming campus move. We’ve considered taking on the Class of 2000 in a wiffleball or kickball game in the quad behind the main building (with ample food and drinks). Teachers and administrators will be invited to attend as well. We encourage you to contact us with other ideas and/or suggestions.

send us the latest Finally, we want to know what you’re up to. Started a new career? Gone back to school? Engaged? Married? Seated next to Lindsay Lohan or Ping Shen at Dolce last week? Any news…let’s hear it.

News, questions, comments, suggestions, whatever. Send it all to us at [email protected]. We’re really looking forward to our 10th and will be in touch again soon!

f a l l 2 0 0 5 34


Class Notes

Austin Whitman recently completed the first of the three-year dual masters pro-gram in business and the environment at Yale University (M.B.A./M.E.M.).

96 Gail Grandbois is excited to announce she recently became a homeowner in Salem, MA. Gail teach-es kindergarten at The Dexter School in Brookline during the year and serves as camp director at The Brimmer and May Summer Camp during the summer.

97 Robert Hunt has returned from Vietnam after working for two years for a private equity firm. He is now in the M.B.A. program at Stanford Busi-ness School. This summer he is working in Chicago and Mumbai.

98 John Salvucci and Mike O’Connor ’96 were honored at a banquet held at the University of Pennsylvania celebrat-ing the 100th anniversary of its soccer program. Both John and Mike were se-lected as members of the All-Decade Team. Mike was captain and MVP of Penn’s 1999 team, and John was cap-tain and MVP of Penn’s 2001 team. They were both first-team Mid-Atlan-tic Regional All Americans, Mike for his excellence during the 1996 season, John for his outstanding play during the 2001 season.

Anne Brown married Brian Wagoner on Cape Cod on June 25th.

Brett Grifo is pursuing his M.B.A. at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

Drew Grifo is currently living in Phila-delphia and works for Coventry First.

99 Jen Bambach currently lives in Maryland and works at a psychiatric hospital for adolescents.

Aaron Brill accepted a position as a second grade teacher at the San Fran-cisco Day School through its Associate Teaching Program. He will also be an assistant coach for the eighth grade soccer team.

Mercedes Griffin works for the Depart-ment of Defense in Southeast Asia.

Catherine Hunt is currently attending Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government to get her grad-uate degree in economics and policy.

Amanda McDermott is working for a district attorney in South Jer-sey. She also coaches girls’ high school lacrosse.

Thad Roberts was a four-year member of Trinity College’s seven-time nation-al championship squash team. His record at graduation was 24-0. He’s been teaching and playing squash as a full-time assistant at the Union Club in New York. He won the 2005 U.S. Squash Nationals 5.5 skill level and the 2005 Big Apple Open Tournament. Thad also recently received the Ed-win Bigelow Cup by the Metropolitan Squash Racquets Association for out-standing performance in competition.

Steve Wade is working full time in re-tail as the assistant manager of The Pro Shop at the Pond Ice Arena while at-tending the University of Delaware part time for his B.S. in engineering technology and a duel minor in Spanish and mathematics. He is also attending DelTech for his associate degree in au-tomotive technology.

00 This summer, Laura Bracken was an intern for the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program, assisting in research and training of dolphins and sea lions. She will begin graduate school at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in

the fall. Laura will be pursuing a mas-ters of marine affairs and policy.

Jamie Creed was proud to report he passed the Series 7. He played in the Episcopal Alumni Lacrosse game on May 7th and plays for the MAB Paints club lacrosse team in the Philadelphia area.

Geoffrey Henisee is engaged and will be getting married in June 2006. He was deployed to Afghanistan as a civil-ian with the Department of Defense for three months in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Cheo Scott was accepted into the un-dergraduate Business School program at Emory University as a sophomore and graduated from its business school in May 2004. He is currently working at the Vanguard Group as a fund ac-countant.

Jen Sharpless currently lives in Mana-yunk and works for Greystone Benefits, Inc. in Berwyn.

01Evan Coughenour is still traveling with the Whiffenpoofs of Yale University. The group set off on a summer world tour visiting various locations around the globe. Some of the city stops in-cluded on the trip were: Queenstown, New Zealand; Sydney, Australia; To-kyo, Japan; Beijing, China; Phuket, Thailand; Cape Town, South Africa; Cairo, Egypt; Istanbul, Turkey; Prague, Czech Republic; Moscow, Russia; and Stockholm, Sweden.

Message from the Class of 2000 Reunion CommitteeKimmy Gardner, Jamie Creed, Cheo Scott, Ben Rogers, and Ashley Kennedy

Episcopal Academy’s Class of 2000 5th Year Reunion!!!

Five years have passed since we walked out of Christ Chapel to begin a new life beyond the Episcopal Academy.

save the Date: Friday, november 26, 2005 The location and times are still undetermined. Updates will be sent to the class shortly. On Friday Nov. 25th, there is a tentative whiffle ball game on campus against the Class of 1995. It might be the last time we reconvene in Merion before the big move! Please email Jen Slike, Assistant Director of Alumni, [email protected] if you have any questions or any news to share!! We can’t wait to see everyone!

Steve Decker graduated cum laude from Johns Hopkins University on May 26th. Steve is currently working for U.S. Liability Insurance Group in Wayne.

Ruth Kelley is living in Chelsea and works for Keefe, Bruyette, and Woods, a medium size full-service investment banking firm in New York.

Princeton graduate and women’s la-crosse player Elizabeth Pillion was named to the U.S. Women’s Lacrosse Developmental Team. The 28-member U.S. Developmental Team will compete in exhibition games throughout the 2005-06 season. They participated in a clinic as part of the 2005 World Cup in Annapolis, Md., June 25th. The devel-opmental team also serves as a feeder squad for the U.S. Elite team that com-petes in international competition. Pillion was a first-team All-America selection in both 2004 and 2005 for Princeton University. She earned first-team IWLCA/USLacrosse All-America honors for the second straight year, was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy choice, and finished her senior season with 27 goals and 11 assists despite missing three games late in the regular season due to a hamstring injury. She finished her career with 104 goals, and her 46 career assists rank in the top 10 all-time at Princeton.

02 Pete Havens spent his summer interning with the Commission on El-

Evan Coughenour ’01 while travel-ing with the Yale Whiffenpoofs in Beijing.

Kristin Decker, James Decker ’98, Cathy Decker, Steve Decker ’01, Rich Decker and Kelly Decker ’99 following Steve’s graduation from Johns Hopkins University.

C.J. Walsh, III ’98 (Duke ’02) and Sarah D.A. Baker ’01 (Duke ’05) in front of the gothic church at Duke University the night before Sarah’s graduation.

ementary Schools at the Bala Cynwyd office for the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. He’ll be back at La Salle University as a senior in the fall.

Erick Henkelman was on the roster for the Duke University Men’s Lacrosse team this year. They won a berth to the 2005 NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Final Four held at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. They beat third-seeded Maryland University 18-9 in a semifinal win, but unfortunately lost the championship game to undefeated Johns Hopkins University.

Kristina McCue is a junior studying physics at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

03 Hobart College sophomore, Tucker Crockett, received honorable mention All-Liberty League in squash. He was 13-10 this season playing in the middle of Hobart’s lineup and is 30-17 over the past two seasons. Tucker is a two-time All-Liberty League honor-able-mention selection.

Jason Eskin had a summer internship at Electric Entertainment in Los Angeles, the production company of Dean Dev-lin (producer of Independence Day, The Patriot, and Stargate among oth-ers). He competed in the Bulldog 50K (31 miles) Ultramarathon Trail Run in the Santa Monica Mountains in Mali-bu on Saturday, August 27th.

Reed Kendall was selected to partici-pate in an online “Battle of the Bands” in the Freedom of Choice Tour on www.musiclink.com. The site noted, “In a world of 18-year-olds with gui-tars, Reed Kendall is a rare and genuine find. His songs, filled with real lyrics, unconventional chords and delivered in his smooth and honest voice, capture the listener instantly.” The contest ran through July 15th. Currently, Reed is in New Zealand with a study abroad program.

04 Lauren Owens was on the roster of the U.C. Berkeley women’s crew team. The Golden Bears won the Division I team championship.

f a l l 2 0 0 5 36


Milestones

MarriagesHayri & Aletha Daniel Sangiray ’85June 24, 2000

John Korman to Amy Donohue ’86April 22, 2005

Valerie Miller to Matthew Schaeffer ’89Aug 19, 2000

Kathryn Foster to David Shields ’90June 25, 2003

Kaitlin Nealon to Kevin Cardone ’91July 10, 2004

Ezra Suveyke to Shira Orfanelli ’94July 5, 2003

Brian T. Wagoner to Anne J. Brown ’98June 25, 2005

Jesse L. Wilkins to Erin Sampson ’98June 4, 2005

Births and AdoptionsJulie & Frank Langfitt ’82Katie Langfitt 7/25/2001Christopher Langfitt 3/16/04

Kim & Rob Baron ’84Michael Benjamin Baron 4/27/04

Hayri & Aletha (Daniel) Sangiray ’85Aidan Todd Sangiray 6/25/2002Zeky Daniel Sangiray 11/2/2003

Gina & Andrew Kwak ’86Sophia Kwak 6/22/99Nicholas Andrew Kwak 11/1/04

Wendy & Frank (FX) Masse ’87John “Jack” Masse 2/28/04

Christopher & Lauren (O’Connor) Sullivan ’88Jack Connor Sullivan 3/31/05

Sally & Brett McGovern ’89Anne Elizabeth McGovern 6/21/05

Valerie & Matt Schaeffer ’89Michael Leonard Schaeffer 8/4/03

Kristin & Jason Avicolli ’90Dante Michael Avicolli 6/3/05

Kathryn & David Shields ’90Reid Christopher Shields 5/13/05

Claudia & Walter “Rob” Milbourne ’91Theodore Araujo Milbourne 11/20/01Gabriel Araujo Milbourne 2/12/05

Deidre & Chris Person ’93Jason William Person 2/2/05

Todd & Anna (Morgan) Cassidy ’94Tyler Morgan Cassidy 6/5/05

Emily & Brian Person ’97 Lilly Alice Person 5/4/05

DeathsWillam D. Horrocks ’29 3/31/05

Augustus P. Clarson ’369/22/2003

Trevor Wright, Jr. ’395/26/05

Frank Foster Brown ’463/30/2004

Richard T. P. Kennedy ’544/16/05

Curtis D. McLaughlin ’817/13/05

a s U p p l e M e n T f r o M T h e d e v e l o p M e n T o f f i c e

a T T h e e p i s c o p a l a c a d e M y

The Buckley Scholars Program Helping deserving young men and women fulfill their aspirations and reach their full potential.

39 T r a n s i T i o n s

AMH Can you discuss the experiences in your life that led you to establish the Buckley Scholars Program?

WB I have long felt that every child who has the talent and desire to attend a school like Episcopal should have the opportunity, although realistically, that’s unlikely. It is possible, however, to widen the doors to admission so that deserving and qualified youngsters can attend regardless of the family’s ability to pay.

While in college, I ran into kids from every socioeconomic background. Many were at Cornell (Buckley’s alma mater) only because somebody or some institution had provided them financial aid. It was illuminating. And it occurred to me that if I ever had a chance to help youngsters who wanted to take on

the challenge, I would. In fact, I was part of a small group of Episcopal alumni—which included Jack Tompkins, Mike Shouvlin, Bryan Bostwick, and others—that back around 1965 started to raise funds annually to help finance a handful of what we called “scholar-leader-athletes.”

AMH So, it sounds as though you personally experienced a broad and diverse community and recognized the benefits socially and academically.

WB Well, I did; particularly in college and graduate school. However, it is at the high school level where the needs are greatest today. Public education is in disarray and so many talented kids are left behind. It’s a terrible waste.

AMH Has the program changed or grown from your initial vision of it?

WB I would say it hasn’t changed significantly. It has grown to three full scholars per year starting in grade nine. So there are 12 scholars in school at all times. And, frankly, I am hoping that it will expand to 16 sometime in the next few years. Also, it is my hope that others will join in the effort. As you know, it was our class’ (Class of 1955) decision to create, as our 50th reunion gift, the Haslam Scholarship Fund (see page 41), to provide financial aid to deserving youngsters.

AMH It seems that as more and more people see what scholarship programs like this can do, they will realize it is a great way to contribute to the school. The rewards on all fronts seem enormous.

WB They are enormous. Obviously, lots of disadvantaged kids are provided a terrific opportunity. As for the donor, there is a psychological kick. I suspect I will keep up with some of these kids for years. The point is you have helped provide young people with the advantage of four years at Episcopal and the opportunity to go to college. It is an extraordinary feeling. So, I agree with you. I think there will be much more of this.

AMH A recent issue of Connections highlighted the achievements of the Buckley Scholars and included quotes from them. How did you feel when you saw the program aggregated in one place?

WB The Buckley Scholars program has to be one of the highlights of my life. Just think about this year’s three graduating youngsters. Kimberly Pringle, who took all honors courses, made A’s in all of her classes her senior year, except one B+, and is now going on to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Elisse Douglass is headed off to Columbia University’s School of Architecture. Both of those youngsters will attend college on scholarship. And third, Lou Calabrese is off to the U.S. Naval Academy and perhaps a career in the Navy. He was also the recipient of the prestigious Markoe Award (for honor, unselfishness, and

Making a Difference One Student at a TimeAn interview with walter Buckley, Buckley scholars BenefactorConducted by Anne Marie Heil

The Following Endowment Funds, Earmarked for Financial Aid, Have Been Established since 2000

Total dollars, not including the Buckley Scholars Program, approach $4 million

n class of 1940 James l. crawford, Jr. ’57 discretionary fund

n class of 1950 scholar, leader, athlete, artist fund

n class of 1955 david r. haslam fund

n Burke family scholarship fund

n christopher W. church ’72 scholarship fund

n Jeffrey a. coale Memorial scholarship fund

n Kurz family scholarship fund

n Thomas J. Meehan scholarship fund

n amanda Moses Memorial fund

n alexandra Wake ’05 Memorial scholarship fund

n Tobias v. Welo Memorial scholarship fund

n ricky Whelan ’00 Memorial scholarship fund

Pledges and deferred gifts included

thoughtfulness by vote of the class). By the way, such results reflect the superb job done by the Department of Admission, the faculty, and the administration in integrating these youngsters into life at Episcopal.

AMH The Buckley Scholars program seems different from other scholarship opportunities in that more than tuition is offered. The students are able to take advantage of summer and travel programs too.

WB That is a product of trying to emulate the Morehead Scholarships at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Morehead Program is merit based, not need based, but it has a summer enrichment component. So (former Head of School) Jay Crawford and I talked about this at considerable length and Jay actually went down to Chapel Hill to talk to the folks there. We both concluded it was a great idea. Quite frankly, it has far exceeded our expectations because I know the difference it has made in some of the kids’ lives already.

Nothing is more poignant than Kimberly Pringle traveling to Spain after her sophomore year and making a life-changing discovery while she lived with a family there. Elisse Douglass went to the Malvern School in England for one full semester where she met kids from Russia and Germany and all over Europe, not just England. She had an extraordinary experience.

Every student has taken advantage of this program one way or another and I think that in every instance there has been a positive result.

AMH What contributed to your decision to invest in Episcopal?

WB There are a number of things at work here. First, I am an alumnus, as is one son, (Walter “Buck” Buckley, III, ’78). And, I’ve had numerous cousins, and my nephew (James “Brad” Bradbeer, ’80), graduate from Episcopal too. One need only to have read the article last April in The Wall Street Journal, entitled “The Price of Admission” (published April 2, 2004), which painted such an extraordinarily positive picture of Episcopal when measured against most of the nation’s most prestigious independent day and boarding schools, to realize that Episcopal has achieved national prominence. Of course, this program started before that article was written, but I have felt for so many years that Episcopal has set itself apart from most private schools in the area. So, it was an easy decision.

One final point: because I am planning to do this on a small scale at other schools—and I have already started with another school up in this neck of the woods—I wanted to start with Episcopal for the reasons mentioned because I knew the people and the school so well.

AMH So, do you end up feeling like you have several dozen grandchildren?

WB As I have said, I am not sure who the biggest beneficiary is in the end because I get an enormous thrill out of watching and getting to know these youngsters. It is by no means a one-way street. The one thing I don’t do is to try and direct any of these students in any way. They have all got to do things their way. I will remain in the background always interested, and, if necessary, willing to help. But, that is all.

f a l l 2 0 0 5 40


D edicated to the memory and life of David R. Haslam, a classmate who died soon after graduation from Episcopal, the Class of 1955 50th Reunion Fund will make it possible for gifted students who demonstrate financial need to attend the Episcopal Academy.

Said Class of 1955 Gift Fund Chair David McMullin, “Too often in today’s world people seek instant gratification and their own reward. It is all too easy to forget their roots and the institutions and people who provided them a foundation for life. In contemplating a gift to the David R. Haslam Fund, many of the members of the Class of 1955, including myself, have reflected deeply on what Episcopal has done for us. Although I know I will never be able to fully repay my debt to the school, I am happy to be able to support this fund and its mission to make an Episcopal education available to talented and motivated youngsters regardless of financial means.”

The fund continues to grow with a current total of $544,840. “We are grateful to the members of the Class of 1955,” said Head of School Ham Clark, “for their generosity and for honoring the memory of their classmate David Haslam who demonstrated remarkable courage in battling cancer for six years while a student at Episcopal. Episcopal is honored by this gift and delighted to have another opportunity to keep the Haslam name and spirit alive for generations to come.”

If you are interested in making a gift or if you have any questions, please contact Meg Hollinger, Director of Development, by phone at 610-617-2245 or by email at [email protected].

Dedication of chapel Painting celebrates student Talent and Parent generosity

For this past Starfest auction, members of the Class of 2010 and 2011, under the direction of faculty member Janet Cusack, created a painting of Christ Chapel. The painting raised over $3,000 and parent

donors subsequently gifted the art to Episcopal where it will eventually be displayed on the new campus.

The student artists were: Class of 2010 (B Form): Emma Ciccotti, Jeremy Davidson, Christie DiSil-vestro, Jeffrey Familetti, Christopher Greenwood, Sydney McElwee; Class of 2011 (C Form): Jenna Rose Banky, Amanda Chikowski, Samuel Dupre, Xander Greer, Kaila Hamdani, Andrew Laboz, Anders Lindgren, Marian Lurio, Claire MacManus, John Moltz, Julia Philips, Eliza-beth Picciani, Ian Robertson, Chase Seegars, Bobby Svigals,

Taylor Wright, So-phia Ahl, Perry Bachstein, William Breskman, Scott Cheloha, Ciar Col-gan, Noelle Farook, Jack Freese, Ni-cole Kutteh, Devi Loftus, Connor McElwee, Andrew McGuinness, Jor-dan Peskin, Zach

(Standing l to r) Bobby Kutteh, Janet Cusack, Carol Kutteh, and Head of School Ham Clark. (Seated l to r) Libby Wodjak, Niza Davidson, and Lori Kelly.

Pryor, Paul Riley, Amanda Terzian, and Maddie Wojdak. The art patrons were: Ken and Edna Adelberg, Shelly and

Larry Brown, Gretchen and Steve Burke, Emily and Bob Cro-nin, Niza and Richard Davidson, Robin and Michael Gordon, Susan and Rush Haines, Jackie and Mark Juliano, Lori and John Kelly, Carol and Bobby Kutteh, Dee Dee and Jack McK-eever, Sandy and Bob Owens, Sharon and Roy Simpson, Kathy and George Steele, and Libby and Steve Wojdak.

The Reverend Albert Zug blessed the painting and its cor-responding plaque, which was designed by former faculty member Ishaq Deis. The painting currently hangs in the C and B Form classroom corridor.

Student artists with Janet Cusack and the painting of Christ Chapel.

David R. Haslam Fund Established by Class of 1955Fund surpasses half-million mark and continues to grow

to establish a Char-itable Remainder Unitrust (CRUT). A CRUT can be set up to provide income to the donor and/or spouse for life (or for a predetermined time, up to 20 years). Be-cause the remaining principal will benefit one or more charities of choice, the donor qualifies for a sub-stantial income tax deduction. In addi-tion, by using highly appreciated stock to fund the trust, the donor avoids the tax on the capital gain.

“This seemed like the best of all worlds,” says Jim. “It en-ables us to transfer estate assets to both our children and to educational institutions without the burden of heavy estate taxes.”

For more information about the Charitable Remainder Unitrust, or other planned giving opportunities, please vis-it Episcopal’s Web site at www.ea1785.org/plannedgiving. If you would like a custom illustration to learn exactly what your benefits could be from either a Charitable Remainder Trust or a Charitable Gift Annuity, please call Carolyn Jaeger, Director of Major Gifts, at 610-617-2252.

episcopal alumnus James O. Siegel, II ’52 and his wife Patricia have demonstrated their interest in helping deserving students gain access to an Episcopal edu-cation by naming the Academy as a beneficiary of

their Charitable Remainder Trust. The Siegels’ generous gift will ensure that more qualified applicants in future years will be able to benefit from an Episcopal education regardless of their financial situation.

Reflecting on how Episcopal shaped his own life, Jim noted: “At Episcopal I truly learned the importance and value of a good education. The personal tutoring I received from Mas-ters Quinn, Balsley, and Keegan was crucial to me and has inspired me to be a tutor to young people today. My expe-rience at Episcopal influenced my life in a very positive way. With great gratitude to the school, Pat and I are pleased to provide scholarship support to qualified future students.”

After receiving a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Drexel, Jim rose steadily in sales and marketing with the Otis Elevator Company, where he served in several senior management positions. While living in North-ern New Jersey, Jim became a founding board member of Operation Link Up, a mentoring program that brought ninth graders from Patterson’s inner city schools into local business offices for the tutoring and support they needed to complete their high school education and prepare for college.

The idea for the Siegels’ gift to Episcopal was spawned a few years ago when Jim and Pat met with Episcopal classmate Bob Gerhardt ’52, a financial planner and asset manager, to formulate their estate plans. Providing for family members was their first concern, but when they asked about giving highly appreciated stock directly to their children, Bob had another idea. He recommended that Pat and Jim use the stock

siegel gift Will Provide Funds For scholarships

o ver the last four months, the Campaign Planning Group—which includes Ham Clark, Gretchen Burke, Al Hume, Chris McConnell, Patsy Porter, Jay Sherrerd, Mike Shouvlin, Brian Tierney, and

Jim Zug supported by members of the development, alumni, and communications teams—have held a series of intensive meetings to develop a formal campaign plan. The group will present their plan to the Development Committee in September and will seek approval and endorsement from the Board of Trustees in October.

In addition to recommending a working campaign goal, the group was charged with the following:n Developing a case/marketing statementn Identifying naming opportunities for the new campus and Episcopal’s endowmentn Updating the institutional gift acceptance policyn Developing a campaign timetable

n Creating a campaign gift tablen Instituting a communication plann Developing a campaign budgetn Formalizing a prospect screening processn Implementing the volunteer structure and trainingn Preparing campaign reportsn Producing campaign pledge forms.

Once the Board of Trustees approve of the plan, the Campaign Steering Committee will be finalized. Volunteer recruitment is an on-going process, solicitor training will take place in early November, and the leadership phase of the campaign will begin following the completion of that training.

If you would like to learn more about the campaign please contact John J. Zabinski, Capital Campaign Director, at 610-617-2251 or by email at [email protected].

Capital Campaign Update

f a l l 2 0 0 5 42


Alumni respond to support Annual giving

in the last two years, Episcopal’s alumni have increased their participation in Annual Giving from 24% to 32%. This is clearly a good trend, and what is most heartening about the rise in percentage participation, is that classes from all decades are heeding the call.

In fact, the following classes garnered their best participation ever, according to our Annual Giving records, so congratulations go to: 1935, 1937, 1941, 1943, 1945, 1949, 1950, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1970, 1973, 1980, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003.

There were a dozen classes that came close to their all-time record in par-ticipation, and we look forward to celebrating with them next year when they break through. Thanks go to all the hard working class agents and volunteers who helped achieve this year’s success.

Episcopal’s 2004-2005 Annual Giving Campaign Sets Record

Thanks to the generosity, hard work, and dedication of dozens of people, episco-pal’s 2004-05 Annual Giving

Campaign was able to set a new re-cord of $1,872,328 raised. Under the leadership of co-chairs Lori Kelly and ed Jones ’87, over 160 volunteers en-listed the support of the episcopal family in helping to make this past year a very special one.

Annual Giving plays an important role and provides the vital margin needed to balance the operating budget each year.

Highlights of this year’s campaign include:

n 476 Advocate donors (gifts of $1,000 and above) contributing over $1,500,000

n An increase in alumni participation from 29% to 32%

n 100% participation from the classes of 1937 and 1950

n record reunion class gifts from 1940, ’50, ’70, ’75, ’94, and ’99

n An increase in parent participation from 69% to 71%

Plans are already underway for the 2005-06 campaign, which will again be led by Lori Kelly and ed Jones. we look forward to your continuing sup-port as we move toward new records next year.

if you would like to help with next year’s campaign, or to make a gift, please contact Bruce Konopka, director of Annual Giving, at 610-617-2233 or [email protected].

Episcopal Passes Halfway Mark in Goal to Meet The Edward E. Ford Foundation Challenge

in January 2005, Episcopal was awarded a challenge grant in the amount of $50,000 on a matching basis of $1 for every $5 raised. The grant prom-ised an endowment for need-based financial aid. Under the guidelines, new and increased gifts to Annual Giving may be credited between January and

December 2005. With the challenge grant as incentive, Episcopal constituents have respond-

ed generously and we are more than halfway to the goal of $250,000. Head of School Ham Clark reiterated his appreciation, “We are grateful to the founda-tion and to those members of the Episcopal family who are helping our school realize this goal and achieve the objective of attracting a diverse and well-quali-fied student body.”

If you are interested in contributing to the Edward E. Ford Foundation Schol-arship Fund, please contact Meg Hollinger, Director of Development, by phone at 610-617-2246 or by email at [email protected].

“For as long as we can remember, the Selmer Paris clarinet and

saxophones stood in the corner of our living room—waiting to be picked up

and played by our father in his spare moments. The sounds that came out of

those instruments were always the sounds of jazz. On some weekends, he

would invite fellow EA and Stardusters band mates Lloyd Kirk and Bob Clark

over and they would jam late into the night.

“Eventually, the instruments were passed down to us, and Anne’s son

carried on the music tradition by playing his grandfather’s clarinet in his

school band. We would like to offer our thanks to Episcopal for recognizing

our father’s contribution to the school’s music program.”

— Anne Morris Taylor, Edward Morris ’66, and John Morris ’74

egacy Benefits music Department

[ ]L

Stardusters dance band members and Episcopal graduates, Edward

Morris (foreground, clarinet), G. Lloyd Kirk (seated right, saxophone), Bob Clark (back right, drummer).

A gift to Episcopal can provide your company with a substantial tax credit through the Educational Im-provement Tax Credit (EITC) program.

By making a contribution to Episcopal’s scholar-ship fund, your company can save in Pennsylvania state tax as much as 90% of the value of the gift. Please take a few moments to review this opportunity with your company’s tax advisor. Your support of Episcopal through the EITC pro-gram will help in the Academy’s efforts to make its educational experience available to the most capable stu-dents regardless of their financial circumstances.

How does it work?n A total of $20 million is available on a first-come, first- serve basis for contributions to scholarship organizations like Episcopal.n Applications for tax credits for program year 2005-06 will be accepted through June 30, 2006. n Tax credits are given for 75% of your business’ contribu-tion to Episcopal Academy’s financial aid program up to a maximum of $100,000 annually. (A business would contrib-ute $133,333 in order to obtain the maximum tax credit amount.)n A business that agrees to make the same contribution to the scholarship fund for two consecutive years may receive a tax credit equal to 90% of its contribution, again up to a maximum of $100,000 annually. (The business would con-tribute $111,111 each year for two years in order to obtain the maximum tax credit amount.)

n Simply apply to the Department of Commerce and Eco-nomic Development (DCED) for the EITC program. Application forms are available online at www.newpa.com, or you can contact the DCED office at 717-787-7120.

The following Pennsylvania taxes are eligible for credit:n CNITn Capital Stock Franchise Taxn Bank and Trust Company Sales Taxn Title Insurance Company Sales Taxn Insurance Premiums Taxn Mutual Thrift Institutions Tax

For further information, please contact Meg Hollinger, Director of Development, by phone at 610-617-2246 or by email at [email protected].

Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program episcopal’s scholarship Fund Grows through Participation in Pennsylvania educational improvement Tax Credit Program

{ }“Kathy and I have made the choice to help provide an Episcopal Academy education for students from culturally diverse backgrounds through our company and the EITC Program. It makes sense from a business standpoint and enables talented children who would not otherwise be able to attend this great school. We feel this program helps to enrich the experience for the entire Episcopal community.”

— Joseph Zoll, Arbor, Inc.

egacy Benefits music Department

f a l l 2 0 0 5 44

an article in the Winter 2004 issue of Transitions announced the establishment of the G. Lloyd Kirk ’41 Fund for Music, which provides monies for instrument rentals for Episcopal students who

demonstrate need. Accompanying it was a photograph of Lloyd Kirk in a dance band, the “Stardusters” (shown at right).

In response to that article, the Development Office received a letter from Anne Morris Taylor who recognized her father, Edward K. Morris ’41 as one of the musicians. The result: Anne and her brothers, Episcopal graduates, Edward K. ’66 and John M. ’74, decided to gift the valuable musical instruments to Episcopal.

“These beautiful instruments have special meaning to us because they were used by Mr. Morris while a student at Episcopal,” says Music Department Chair Joe Buches. “Now we have come full circle and a new generation of musicians will benefit from this meaningful gift. We are most grateful.”


soon after former Episcopal Academy Parents As-sociation (EAPA) president Niza Davidson and her husband Richard won the cash raffle at Starfest, the Development Office received a call. In a unanimous

decision, the family had decided to offer Episcopal the oppor-tunity to begin a fencing program with the proceeds.

“Fencing is a lifetime sport that attracts non-traditional athletes. It requires analytical abilities and physical and men-tal discipline, a sort of ‘physical chess,’” says Niza Davidson. “Fencing also teaches self-confidence. A successful fencer must believe in himself and act with total confidence. That belief in oneself and the courage to act on that belief is what parents and educators strive to foster in their children. We have seen this happen first-hand in our son, Matthew ’02, who started fencing at age 13. Fencing continues providing Matthew with physical exercise and conditioning; it also of-fers him intellectual and creative rewards. In helping to start a fencing program at EA, we are confident other students will find similar benefits.”

Initially, fencing will be an intramural offering with a plan to assimilate it into the varsity program by the time the school moves to Newtown Square. When it assumes varsity status, the Davidsons plan to endow a fencing award.

Episcopal Dedicates New Crew Shell

Thanks to a generous donation from the Episcopal Academy Parents Association (EAPA), the crew team was able to christen a new eight-oared crew shell on May 22nd. Shown above are (l to r): EAPA members Laraine Ballard, Deb Dupre, Tracie Lee, and the 2004-2005 crew captains David Talbot, Elizabeth Brennan, and Andrea Cross.

In keeping with tradition of naming each shell of the Episcopal fleet after one of the school’s 10 stripes, the latest addition is named “Self Control.” The student athletes and coaches involved with the crew program are deeply appreciative of this wonderful gift.

Using funds won from the EAPA Starfest cash raffle, the Davidson family (l to r: Richard, Niza, Jeremy ’11, Stephanie ’05, and Matthew ’02) will begin a fencing program at Episcopal.

Davidson Family Seeds Fencing Program for Episcopal Students

Technology coordinator Jennifer Kolodner Assumes new role

J ennifer Kolodner, former Upper School Technology Coordinator and member of the Technology Depart-ment, will broaden her responsibilities and share her knowledge and expertise with the Development and

Business offices when she moves to Ryan Hall this year. Since earning her master’s degree specializing in technology in edu-cation, Jennifer has designed and implemented a wide variety of administrative and executive training programs. Jennifer came to Episcopal in September 2004 from the Transporta-tion Security Administration headquarters in Arlington, VA, where she was instrumental in developing the new agency’s online learning center.

“I’ve really enjoyed learning how Episcopal’s academic side functions and helping faculty and students to stretch their technology boundaries,” said Kolodner. “My goals for the upcoming year include learning as much as I can about Epis-copal’s development and business offices, as well as positively supporting the technology needs of Episcopal’s staff.”

Annual giving 2004-2005 exceeds goal

Annual Giving 2004-2005 worked overtime for students, raising a total of $1,872,328.

That total beats the $1,650,000 goal by $222,328 thanks to generous supporters like you.

The 2005-2006 Annual Giving Campaign is set to launch in October with a goal of $1,700,000 and the hope of demonstrating how each contribution helps every student every day.

with your participation, Annual Giving 2005-2006 will again meet or exceed its goal and help make the difference between a good education and educational excellence.

Thank you for your support.

Contact Bruce Konopka, director of Annual Giving, at 610-617-2233 or [email protected], for more information.

goal $1,650,000

Alumni $546,174

Parents $754,133

grandparents $52,855

Past Parents $157,766

Matching gifts $67,786

other $293,614

RAiSed $1,872,328

f a l l 2 0 0 5 46

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Upcoming Events

Scholium subscription

if you would like to receive the

2005-06 Scholium, ea’s student

newspaper, please contact nancy

Taylor in the alumni office at

610-617-2249 (phone),

610-667-8629 (fax) or e-mail

at [email protected]. annual

subscriptions are offered to alumni

free of charge, but you must register

with us each year.

Keep in touch!

September 26 Annual Giving Volunteer Breakfast Ryan Hall, Merion Campus

September 28 Annual Giving Volunteer Breakfast Devon Campus

September 29 Annual Giving Volunteer Breakfast Ryan Hall, Merion Campus

September 30 Advocate Council Reception Newtown Square Campus

October 1 Philadelphia Regional Newtown Square Campus

October 2 Harvest Day & 5K Run Newtown Square Campus

October 3 Tom Meehan Memorial Golf Classic White Manor Country Club Malvern

October 6 Maura Murphy Lecture Chapel, Merion Campus

October 16 AIDS Walk 8:00 am to 1:00 pm

November 11 Alumni Awards Dinner At Episcopal

November 12 EA/Haverford Day At Episcopal

November 24 Alumni vs. Varsity Thanksgiving Soccer Game Merion Campus

November 16 Community Forum with Trudy Rubin Merion Campus

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