toaxnoes winter 2009

1 1 7 t h C O M M E N C E M E N t R E U N I O N 2 0 0 9R E P O R t O N G I V I N G S t U D E N t , F A C U Lt Y & V O L U N t E E R A W A R D S

Albert R. Sutter1914-2009

A.The6thgradersstartedtheiryearwithanexcitingandadventuroustriptoCampAlleghany.

B.HeadmasterRickBryanandBillGisel’70,PresidentoftheBoardofTrustees,metTonyBlairatareceptionpriortohislecturefortheDistinguishedSpeakerSeriesatSUNYatBuffalo,whichNicholssponsored.

C.MadalynVershay’10(left)tookfirstplaceintheHalloweencostumecontestforhercreativecostume:D-Val,aportrayaloffacultymemberandalumnaDanielleVallas’95(right).

D.EmilyHeitzhaus’13picksupherbookstheweekbeforethestartofthe118thschoolyear!

E.GregCastiglia’84,IanJones’80,JimEnnis’81andJenniferJarvisHamberger’81workthegrillattheAlumniBoardBBQ.

F. ShaheenHassanali,motherofKarim’15andMikyle’17,AlexRoehl,motherofJames’13,andSuzanneAnderson,motherofMichael’11,meetattheNewParentWelcomeReception.

G.DickWebb’58,GeorgeOstendorf’59andJimCampbell’69watchtheHomecomingfootballgame.

A. B.

C. E.

Campus ClipsEditor’s Note

E. F.

D.

F. G.

People talk about the rhythm of a school year and it’s true: they are cyclical in nature and our magazine follows suit. As we finish an issue of the magazine, we compile a list of stories to be included in the next issue. Some are staples – those important Nichols events taking place around the same time each year – and others are more unique, even once-in-a-lifetime.

Last May, we were treated to a visit from Hugh M. Jones IV ’87, who gave a presentation at our Headmaster’s Society Reception and also spoke to the Class of 2009. June brought a whirlwind of fun, hosting hundreds for the 117th Commencement and welcoming back alumni for Reunion.

Many wrote to us about Albert Sutter, sharing memories and stories about their dear teacher, mentor and friend. Jeff Simon ’62 expressed the influence of his inspirational teacher in his column in The Buffalo News, which he graciously allowed us to share with you. This issue also includes an article about our exceptional Dance program from writer, Nancy Galeota-Wozny ’73, and a compilation of moments throughout the history of Nichols Football from Varsity Football coach, Colin Brinson ’85.

As I write this, construction on the Class of 1963 Center for Math and Science is rapidly nearing completion. Students and faculty are energized to get into the building in the coming weeks and maximize the amazing learning environment. Picture a Middle School science class examining the eco pond on a spring day. Imagine an Upper School language class gathering in the lecture room to greet their exchange school counterparts via the live feed. The building’s green roof was suitably dedicated in honor of Headmaster Richard C. Bryan, Jr. in late September.

We look forward to showing you the building next time you’re on campus!

Keep in touch,

Nina M. BaroneDirector of Marketing and Communications

Editor’s Note Fa l l 20 09

EditorNinaBarone

[email protected]

Contributors

RichardC.Bryan,Jr.

ColinBrinson’85

CarlyBuchheit’09,DevelopmentOfficeIntern

SarahGelmanCarney’92

NinaBarone

HollyFewkes

NancyGaleota-Wozny’73

ElizabethStevensGurney’75

AnnetteKellogg

ConnieKlinckKloppN’73

JimKramer

ChuckPtak

JillC.Robins

MaryRechRockwell

JeffSimon’62

TaliaWhyte,GlobeCorrespondent

DesignerKelleyRechin,DuffyMoonDesign

PhotographyNinaBarone

J.MatthewKiankaWm.F.“Kim”Kimberly’47

TomMaynor’81

– means “that which is true” and is pronounced “taw alay théss.”

is published twice a year by the Development Office.Telephone: 716-876-3450 • Fax: 716-875-3931Third Class postage paid at Buffalo, New York

Nichols is an inclusive community. Acceptance granted to qualified students.

Nichols School 1250 Amherst St., Buffalo, NY 14216 • 716-875-8212 • www.nicholsschool.org

Front Cover: Read tributes to our friend, Albert R. Sutter, longtime Nichols faculty member, on page 11.

Staff

Corrections & ClarificationsInlastissue’sClassNotes,weprematurelyannouncedthematrimonyofDr.GarethLema’95andDr.PenelopeChun.Thenoteshouldhaveread:“Dr.GarethLemaandDr.PenelopeChunweremarriedonSept.19,2009atNiagara-on-the-Lake.”Congratulationstothecouple!Weapologizeforanyconfusionthiscaused.

ContentsHeadmaster’sReport.................................................................................. 5AlumniBoardAppointments...................................................................... 7NewFaculty&StaffAppointments........................................................... 8NewMembersoftheBoardofTrustees....................................................... 10TributetoAlbertSutter.............................................................................. 11HonoringFritz.......................................................................................... 14The2009WilliamNicholsAward............................................................... 15WilliamS.Wright’34AwardandMitchellAwardRecipients..................... 16OliveR.RingoAwardRecipient............................................................... 17PenPals................................................................................................... 18The117thCommencement..................................................................... 22Reunion2009...........................................................................................23MakinganEntrance:DanceatNichols.................................................... 302008-2009StudentAwards........................................................................ 32EndowmentFundsEnableProfessionalDevelopmentforFaculty&Staff.................................................................................... 34ReportonGiving...................................................................................... 36AVisitfromHughM.JonesIV’87........................................................... 38GreenRoofDedication............................................................................ 40TheClassof1963CenterforMathandScience..................................... 42GigiGatewood’99andtheNicholsArtCollections................................. 44AfterNichols–ArthurHayes’04.............................................................. 45Homecoming........................................................................................... 46SpiritWeek.................................................................................................. 48SeniorReflections.................................................................................... 49SportsFocus–NicholsFootball................................................................ 50Legacies.................................................................................................. 54AfterNichols–SaskiaSubramanian’84.................................................. 60Bequests:WilliamNicholsSociety.......................................................... 62RamsiP.TickBringsWorldRenownedMusicianstoNichols................... 64Classof2009MatriculationList.............................................................. 64InMemoriam........................................................................................... 65ClassNotes............................................................................................. 66FacultyProfile–MaryR.Rockwell.......................................................... 71

Letter to the Editor

HappyHolidays!

Please join us for the2009 Alumni Holiday Gathering

Wednesday, Dec. 23

Honoring:Susan Schapiro – Honorary Alumna

Jane Cox Hettrick ’78 – Distinguished Alumna

Frederick G. Pierce II ’73 – Distinguished Alumnus

5:00 p.m.Awards Ceremony

Glenn & Awdry Flickinger Performing Arts Center

Reception immediately following

Spouse or guest welcome

RSVP by Dec. 5 to 716.876.3450 or

[email protected]

Mark Your Calendar!Out of Town

Alumni Gatherings Jan. 21: Boston

Feb. 23: Los AngelesFeb. 25: San Francisco

March: FloridaApril 20: New York City

Thanks for sending the GIT – we enjoy it! We took it separately and each scored 82. (We thought it a bit easier this year – not as many current topics.)

Best wishes,Lucy and Sherman Maisel ’35, who fund the Upper School’s annual General Information Test

4 NicholsSchool

Green Roof• Protects and extends the life of the one-

story wing roofing system components;• Augments the building’s insulation

package in resisting the transfer of heat and thereby reducing energy consumption;

• Assists in sound dampening space beneath;

• Enriches the natural habitat for birds, insects through a rapidly renewable resource.

All these features are complementary of the Big Green Initiative, which was established three years ago. Its mission centers on our commitment to environmental stewardship in our strategic planning, our daily practices, and our educational direction. Nichols seeks to encourage environmental awareness and responsibility in the daily life of the School and in the actions of individual community members.

At its core, this initiative operates on four fundamental principles: Nichols School will strive to undertake those actions and policies that will continually help our school community become more environmentally sustainable; we seek to reduce our carbon footprint on a yearly basis; we seek to increase environmental literacy among all members of the school community; and

Headmaster’sReport

Site Selection and Building Orientation• Selection of sites for construction allowed

for increase of about 12% in green space within campus boundaries;

• Orientation of building optimized benefits of daylight within the building.

Landscaping• Use of native plant materials, which

require little more than natural rainfall to subsist;

• Use of roof-generated water to sustain the eco-pond;

• Re-use of existing trees and shrubbery in landscape design;

• Use of eco-pond feature to partially manage storm water.

Energy UseBuilding Management System control

packages to monitor energy consumption, including temperature controls for heating and cooling, three-step lighting controls to adjust light levels to maximize benefits of natural daylight, occupancy sensors to activate and deactivate lighting and timers to control site lighting;

High efficiency boilers as part of heat pump-based HVAC system;

Low flow plumbing fixtures and auto-sensor faucets and flushing devices to reduce water consumption;• Efficient lamp and ballast packages with

light fixtures;

External, Vertical and Horizontal Sun Shading Devices• Use of these aesthetic components of the

building façade to also provide static, year-round control of the influence of sunlight on the interior environment from both glare reduction and heating and cooling perspectives.

byRichardC.Bryan,Jr.

We began the 118th year in a far different way than we imagined just a few months earlier: with

a full enrollment. Despite the economic climate, our re-enrollment rate was 97% and we attracted strong and robust classes in both the 5th and 9th grades. Quality of the educational program, talented faculty and staff, and the opportunity for participation in a wide variety of arts, athletic and extra-curricular activities were cited as reasons for seeking admission to Nichols.

Another factor cited by our returning students and families was the recognition that Nichols is committed to educating students for the rigors and skills needed for the complex world of the 21st century. New courses in Principles of Engineering, Computer Programming and AP Human Geography were added to the curriculum this year, as well as the expansion of our modern language program in the 5th grade to include Mandarin Chinese.

But it is the construction of the Class of 1963 Center for Math and Science that is attracting everyone’s attention. Architecturally, it is a stunning building, with its design complimenting our historic buildings in the quad, but with features that reflect the possibilities of the future. Educationally, the labs and classrooms are equipped with the latest technology; the 45-seat lecture space, the math/science library, the physics project room, and wireless technology throughout the building are eagerly anticipated.

Further, the sustainable features of our new building are talked about with pride by students. Made possible by a generous donation from Delaware North Companies and the Jacobs family, we anticipate the building to become a living experiment for our students. These features include: conntinued on next page

5 Fall2009

Nichols will build and renovate, and operate our campus facility in a manner that is energy efficient.

These principles have been central in developing the recycling and composting projects on campus among the students, as well as the considerable reduction of paper use by the faculty. New capital projects incorporating this initiative include the replacement of the dated steam heating systems in Albright and Mitchell Halls with a hot water system, and the replacement with new energy efficient windows throughout the campus.

What’s next on the School’s horizon? We are beginning a new international cultural exchange program with a school in Wuhan, China, complementing our global relationships with schools in France, Costa Rica and Spain. To facilitate stronger communication between the Middle and Upper School faculties, we have merged our separate Department Chairs into one position overseeing grades 5-12. Finally, one of our students, Isaiah New ’10, who has been instrumental in promoting multicultural understanding, was honored by the Buffalo Urban League in November.

It is a terrific time to be a part of Nichols School, as we take a leadership role in educating young people for the complexities and challenges of the 21st century.

NicholsFamilySkates

Please join us for a free skate at the Dann Memorial Rink.

All are welcome!

Saturday, Nov. 2112:00 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 1912:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 87:10 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 296:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 1312:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.

Friday, March 197:10 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Showyoursupporttoday!GiftsmadebyDec.31arewelcome.

OurdriveendsJune30.Allgiftsaretax-deductible.

Visit www.nicholsschool.org or call 716.876.3450.

$770,0002009-2010

Annual Fund goal

TheAnnualFundsupportsthepeopleandprogramsofNichols.

30%of students

receive need-based financial aid

6 NicholsSchool6 NicholsSchool

After completing his second year as Alumni Board President, Hugh M. Russ III ’78 will continue to serve in the role for 2009-2010. We are pleased to announce that Mary Giallanza Carney ’89, Vice President of the Alumni Board, will be succeeding Hugh next year.

We welcome the following new members to the Board:

Todd Brason ’76Todd Brason ’76 is the CEO of Willcare, Inc. in Buffalo. A graduate of Buffalo State College, he is a current parent of Evan ’16 and Sydney ’14.

Adam Greenberger ’89Adam Greenberger is Managing Partner of Albright Capital Partners LLC. A graduate of Middlebury College, Adam also received a master’s of business administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He previously worked in investment banking at Deutsche Bank Securities and did international development work at Dreyfus Health Foundation. Adam currently resides in New York City.

Bill Reich ’88Bill Reich ’88 is Vice President of M.A Reich & Co. and Finn & Reich Diamonds, LLC. A graduate of Marietta College, he has been in the jewelry business for over 15 years. Bill has an eight-year-old son, William. He enjoys playing squash and golf in his spare time.

Christen O’Mara Smith ’92Christen O’Mara Smith ’92, currently a full-time mom and wife, earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Vermont and a master’s of business administration from Canisius College. Previously a sales and marketing representative for John Hancock, Christen now spends her days with daughter, Elise (6), and son, JoJo (4).

Membersofthe2009-2010AlumniBoard

BillReich’88,ChristenO’MaraSmith’92andAdamGreenberger’89

Alumni Board AppointmentsbyNinaBarone

The 2009-2010 Alumni BoardJaneK.Arcadi’05JesseE.Baier’05ToddW.Brason’76B.KevinBurke,Jr.’91JamesS.Ennis’81EdwardP.Franz’91DianeGardner’79MaryGiallanzaCarney’89AdamC.Greenberger’89JenniferJarvisHamberger’81EllenM.Hassett’84IanW.Jones’80SeymourH.KnoxIV’73RakhiKohli’95MichelleRosenbergParentis’86WendyLebowitzPressman’83WilliamL.Reich’88HughM.RussIII’78W.ScottSaperston’90CraigE.Semple’98ChristenO’MaraSmith’92DavidD.Tiftickjian’78BlakeS.Walsh’98MichaelK.Walsh’70

ToddBrason‘76

7 Fall2009

Bryan EckenrodeCellist Bryan Eckenrode is principal cello with the Western New York Chamber Orchestra and the Southern Tier Symphony. Bryan also is the conductor and music director of the Chautauqua Regional Youth Symphony, as well as the Vivace String Camp at Houghton College.

Bryan graduated cum laude from SUNY at Stony Brook and holds a Master’s of Music degree from SUNY at Buffalo.

Bryan joins the Arts Department as our new Middle School Strings Instructor.

Jack FlatauLast fall, Jack was our JV Boys Soccer Coach, and he has substituted on many occasions in the Middle School. A 30-year veteran teacher, Jack has taught physical education and coached soccer at the elementary, high school and collegiate levels. His experience has largely been at schools in Texas, especially from 1997 to 2008, while at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.

Jack grew up in Kenmore and attended Kenmore East High School. He received a B.S. in Physical Education at SUNY at Cortland and his M.Ed. in Physical Education Educational Administration from Southwest Texas State University.

In 2004, Jack was the national chair of the NCAA Division III Women’s National Championship Committee. Six separate years, he was named District Soccer Coach of the Year.

Jack will teach PE in both the Middle and Upper Schools, and will become the Varsity Boys Soccer Head Coach.

Erin HabeltErin earned an A.B. in Geosciences from Princeton University in 1997. Following her graduation, she taught math at Cate School in Carpinteria, Calif. Erin has taught at all levels from Algebra I to Calculus AB. She has served on the Cate Disciplinary Committee, served as a dorm parent, and the Associate Director of Admissions.

In 2005, Erin was granted a sabbatical to attend SUNY at Buffalo to complete her Master’s of Education in Math. In 2004, she was named the Coach of the Season for Cate, and in 2008 she received the Pattee Fellowship for outstanding teaching.

She is an accomplished clarinet player and, for the 1998-99 season, was the principal clarinet in the UC-Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra.

Erin will teach Geometry and Precalculus.

Larry HillerFor the past 10 years, Larry taught physics at North Tonawanda High School, including AP Physics. He also served as the school’s coach of the Science Olympiad team that advanced to State Level competition five different years. On two occasions, Larry has received the Excellence in Coaching Award at the regional Science Olympiad competition.

Larry received a B.S. in Physics from Buffalo State College in 1998, and was awarded the Physics Faculty Award and the Rusti Memorial Award for Undergraduate Research at graduation. In 2003, Larry received a Master’s in Education with a Physics Major at SUNY at Buffalo.

He is the site leader for the new Quarknet Center founded at SUNY at Buffalo. This center is dedicated to providing high school students, teachers and physicists working together on physics research projects to explore the hidden nature of matter, energy, space and time.

Larry will teach Physics at the III and VI form levels. He will coach both the Middle and Upper School Science Olympiad teams.

New Faculty & Staff AppointmentsbyNinaBarone


J. Matthew KiankaMatt most recently worked at Mueller Marketing Studio, where he designed internal and external marketing materials, including web site design, print materials and photography, for insurance companies including Allstate and Geico. Previous to that, Matt worked for RealtyUSA in marketing and print design.

A graduate of Canisius College, Matt earned a B.S. in Digital Media Arts and had dual minors in Photography and Studio Art. Matt is a native of Syracuse and an alumnus of Christian Brothers Academy; he stayed in Buffalo after graduating from Canisius.

Matt joins our Development Staff as a Digital Media Specialist. He will help maintain our web site and oversee our digital communication, working with both the Director of Marketing and Communications and the Information Technology Director.

Danielle Printz

Danielle most recently served as Information Technology Specialist at Bridgton Academy, an independent boarding school in North Bridgton, Maine. Danielle also brings significant experience in the area of school counseling and guidance, having served as a school counselor at Oxford Hills High School and Lake Region High School.

She earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Southern Maine and a Master’s of Education in Counseling and Psychological Services from Springfield College.

Danielle and her husband, Jamie, Nichols Upper School math teacher and hockey coach, moved to Buffalo in August with daughters Callista and Hayden.

Danielle joins the Nichols Middle School faculty as a part-time 5th grade math teacher.

James PrintzJamie earned a B.A. in Mathematics/Statistics in 1999 from the University of Southern Maine and an M.A. in Leadership from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Since 1999, he has been a math teacher and Head Hockey Coach at Bridgton Academy in Maine where he taught Algebra II and Statistics. Prior to coaching at Bridgeton, Jamie held the position of Assistant Men’s Hockey Coach at the University of Southern Maine in the ECAC East conference.

Jamie also has experience advising students as a dorm parent and as the Director of Advisor and Advisee Program and the Director of Student Activities at Bridgton Academy.

Jamie will teach Algebra II and AP Statistics. He also will be the Head Coach of the Boys Varsity Hockey Team.

Lisa SauerBefore raising her children, Lisa was a science teacher at Orchard Park High School. In the past two years, she has been Director of Community Resources and a Medical Assistant at Good Neighbors Health Care in Buffalo, serving as the Student Volunteer Coordinator and a child and adult patient educator.

Lisa attended City Honors School in Buffalo. She graduated summa cum laude

with a B.A. in Biological Sciences at SUNY at Buffalo, and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She received a Master’s in Education, concentrating on Secondary Science Education and was named the Outstanding Science Student Teacher.

Lisa will teach Biology in the Upper School and will teach aerobics after school.

Amanda SimmonsWe are excited that Amanda is returning to Nichols. She has had two stints at our school, from 1996-2001 and 2002-2006. She taught Upper School math, was the Math Department Chair, Scheduler for six years, and helped coach Girls Cross Country. She introduced a significant revision in the math curriculum in the Upper School.

She has also taught mathematics at two boarding schools: Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., and Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H. At Exeter, Amanda has taught a wide variety of courses from Algebra to Multivariable Calculus.

Amanda was a reader for the 2009 AP Calculus exam, and was a speaker at the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics. She earned a B.A. in Mathematics from Wellesley College, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in ZMathematics from Northwestern University. In 1992, she was a Visiting Scholar in the Mathematics Department at UCLA.

Amanda will teach Advanced Geometry, Precalculus and AP Calculus BC. She also will coach the Girls Cross Country team.

Anne Thomas: 26YearsofServiceAnne’s husband, Dennis Rosen, was appointed Chairman of the NYS Liquor Authority, causing Anne to resign from Nichols as she and her family moved to Albany late in the summer. Anne began her 26-year career at Nichols in the summer of 1983. She was a member of the history department, a Model U.N. Advisor, a Mock Trial Advisor and a Nichols News Advisor. From 1998-2005, Anne was the History Department Chair.

Anne will long be remembered for the great care and compassion that she had for her students, her want for the success of her colleagues, her dedication to her craft as an educator and for sharing her beautiful mind. Thank you so much for the love, support, knowledge and humor that you shared with us for the past 26 years. We know we join hundreds of Anne’s former students in wishing her continued happiness and success.

9 Fall2009

Jennifer Lee McNamaraJennifer is a trustee of the Patrick Lee Foundation and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute Alliance Foundation. A resident of Orchard Park, she also acts as a NYS Republican committee member. She received a bachelor’s degree from SUNY at Buffalo. She previously served as a transition team member for Chris Collins and former trustee of the Leukemia Society of WNY.

Jeff MeyerJeff is president of Baillie Lumber Company. A resident of Orchard Park, he is a graduate of Wheaton College and Harvard Law School, having received a bachelor’s degree and juris doctor with highest honors. Jeff serves on the boards of Opportunity International, Wesleyan Church of Hamburg, Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic and Jericho Road Legal Aid Clinic. He previously served on the boards of National Hardwood Lumber and Wheaton College.

Alexandra Llugany Montante ’86Alex, a graduate of the Nichols class of 1986, is on the board of directors for the Buffalo Zoo, the Maria Convalescence Fund, the Hauptman-Woodward Institute and the WNY Women’s Fund, and is a past president of the Junior League of Buffalo. A resident of Clarence Center, she is a graduate of Smith College and earned two master’s degrees from SUNY at Buffalo. Alex is slated to co-chair the Bison Scholarship lunch and also is an active volunteer for Catholic Charities, Sister’s Hospital, Women and Children’s Hospital and the United Way. She most recently taught at Nardin Montessori.

Departing TrusteesDonna FernandesAsPresidentandCEOoftheBuffaloZoo,itwasgreattohaveDonnaFernandes,awellrespectedcommunityleader,onourBoardofTrustees.WeappreciateherwillingnesstoserveandactasagoodneighbortoNichols.DonnaservedontheEducationCommitteeandgavehersupportwherevershecould.Shehelpedexpandourcommunityserviceandwasinstrumentalinthefacilitationofthereuseoftreesandplantsduringourfieldconstruction.Donnaalsoaidedtheneighborhoodnegotiationsduringconstructionplanning.

Clotilde Perez-Bode DedeckerWhileontheBoardofTrustees,ClotildePerez-BodeDedeckerwasactiveinformulatinganewvisionstatementandwasveryinvolvedinstrategicplanningfortheSchool.ShefacilitatedtheAugustcolloquiumwithfacultyandwasinfluentialinadvocatingitsimportancewiththeBoard.SheservedastheChairoftheMarketing-CommunicationsCommitteeandpromotedtheimportanceofmarketingefforts.Anesteemedcommunityleader,aswellasaparentandwifeofanalumnus,Clotildeofferedadistinctandvaluableperspective.AninstrumentalpartoftheHeadmaster’sSociety,sheandherhusband,Trey’70,areparentsof,Adie’07.

Dick Shaughnessy ’51ThiswasasecondtimestintforDickShaughnessy’51ontheBoardofTrustees.Anactivealumnus,hehasservedontheDevelopment,Facilities,EndowmentandTrilateralCommittees.HeservedasChairoftheTrilateralCommitteefrom2007-2008.In2001,hereceivedtheDistinguishedAlumniAward.Dickalsoactedaschairforhis50thReunionandbrokethe$100,000recordfor50thReuniongiving.Hehashelpedallsubsequent50thReunionclassesplantheireventsandencouragetheirfundraising.HehaschairedtheAlumniDivisionoftheAnnualFundformanyyearsandservesasHonoraryChairfortheAnnualFund.DickhasservedasClassAgentoftheClassof1951foryears,makingitoneofourstrongestclasses.Dickattendsallourevents,fromtelethonstoawardceremonies,andwe’regratefulforhisdedication.

New Members of the Board of TrusteesbyNinaBarone

Board of Trustees 2009-2010Mr.RobertL.Battel‘56Ms.LiseJ.Buyer‘78Mrs.RameyGriffin

Caulkins‘92Mr.ThomasDonahoeMrs.CorneliaDopkinsMr.JamesS.Ennis‘81Mr.JohnC.Farmelo‘77Dr.RobertJ.GencoDr.CarolJackson-Gibson

Dr.LiveleenM.GillMr.WilliamG.Gisel,Jr.‘70Mr.ClayW.HamlinIII‘63Mrs.JaneCoxHettrick‘78Mr.JeremyM.Jacobs,

Jr.‘81Mr.EdwinM.Johnston

III‘78Mrs.JenniferL.

McNamara

Mr.JeffreyS.MeyerMr.LarryA.MontaniMrs.AlexandraLlugany

Montante‘86Mr.JamesD.Newman‘79Mr.FrederickG.Pierce

II‘73Mr.JonM.WilliamsMrs.AleksandraYerkovichDr.ValerieA.Zingapan‘84


Our friend and longtime Nichols faculty member, Albert Sutter, died on Aug. 28. Albert was 94 and passed away peacefully with Hospice care.

A Spanish scholar, Albert spent his entire professional career – 37 years – at Nichols teaching language and culture, mostly Spanish and a bit of French. He served as Head of the Foreigh Languages Department for 30 years, acted as a faculty advisor to the Verdian for 22 years, as Secretary of

the Cum Laude Society for 27 years, and was a chairman or member of three School Committees, including playing an integral role in updating the curriculum.

In 1987, Albert was named an Honorary Alumnus of Nichols. He received the Centennial Medal in 1991 and was honored by the School most recently when a Chair was named for him.

Albert requested that memorial gifts be made to The Albert Sutter Chair for Teaching Excellence. Albert left a substantial bequest to Nichols, to be split between his fund and for unrestricted use.

The longest living member of the Sutter family, Albert is survived by his three nephews, Robert J. Sutter, Richard H. Sutter and John A. Sutter. The three were very involved in the planning of Albert’s service, which was held at Nichols in the Flickinger Performing Arts Center on Thursday, Sept. 3.

Many joined us or wrote to us to celebrate Albert’s life. On these pages, you will read some of the tributes we received.

Tribute to Albert Sutter

IjustthankGodthatIthankedhimforhisinfluenceonme. ThelasttimeIsawAlbertowasinthemid-’90s,Ibelieve,athisapartment. WeconversedinSpanishandthenhewentintogreatdetailaboutanewreligionhejustdeveloped!!! That’shim.Therewillneverbeanotherlikehim…AlbertSutterwasmymentor,myguide. Outsideoffamilylosses,Ihaveneverfeltalossthisdeeply.Ray Peters ’65

I find myself indebted for life to Mr. Sutter’s gentle and fun-laden

introduction to the Spanish language and its rich literature. I continue to

speak and read it in everyday work and leisure. And I am a teacher, though

not as effective as he. My kids and students have been indirect beneficiaries

of his life. Many thanks and fondest regards to a favorite teacher.

Jay Dickinson ’67, Professor of Family Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

11 Fall2009

He was unquestionably the most impressive educator I have ever known and his influence in my own life has been significant. Bill Watson ’67

’El Supremo.’ He started one of my Spanish classes on verb conjugation recitals with the following dictum: ’We are going to play beisbol. YOU are the batter. I am the pitcher, and the catcher, and the umpire. AND I MAKE the RULES. NOW PLAY BALL!’ A memorable and very effective teacher I found out 25 years later when I landed in the Panamanian Planning Ministry.

Thomas H. Eighmy, Ph.D. ’55 Appletree Consulting--Foreign Affairs & Assistance

byJeffSimon’62

“Everyone has one.” That was the way I was going to begin this column – until, that is, I quickly realized that it’s not even remotely true. Most people, in fact, go through life without ever having one inspirational teacher who changes everything they are or ever will be.

One of mine – by far the most important one – died last week at the age of 94. His name was Albert R. Sutter, and to a few generations of us, he was an authentic legend at Nichols School.

Albert Sutter was my Spanish teacher for four years, but that doesn’t begin to cover his influence on my life. It is to him, more than any other single human being, that I owe my understanding of the life of the mind and the sustaining role of culture.

In those final two years of Spanish – especially that last year as a Nichols senior – he’d dash through the business of teaching us a foreign language (all those vocab tests, new idioms, language lab sessions and increasingly complex translations) and then lead us all in far-ranging discussions of music, art, literature and philosophy. We were, at the ages of 17 and 18, having daily free-form cultural seminars with a passionately intellectual man who had no interest whatsoever in affirming the blandness, mediocrity or social privilege that might well have been expected. By the time of that fourth and final year, there were only eight of us in the class, more than half of whom went on to Harvard, Yale and Princeton. (Not me. Money, self-discipline and grades were insurmountable issues.)

The ’60s were knocking at the door and about to blow it open. Albert R. Sutter was the sole authoritative adult voice I knew in what was, at the time, a very conservative school hinting at what was coming and the cultural immensity behind it.

Albert Sutter’s generations of students are now flung far and wide – many, no doubt, with similar feelings of gratitude, even awe. Because I remained in Buffalo and wrote for his local newspaper, I had the rare and wonderful luck to get an occasional precious “attaboy” e-mail from him every couple of years.

To fully understand how liberating he was, you have to understand how utterly terrifying he was for those first two years when his classes were full of the city’s sons of privilege who sat

at their desks cowering in fear and seething with resentment at the imminent humiliation that was certain when Sutter – with unerring pedagogical instincts – called on those who were least prepared to falter in front of the class. (Nichols wasn’t yet coed, an eventuality that Sutter, on the faculty, advocated with rare staunchness.)

Imagine me, an undersized pubescent pipsqueak of 13, watching the toughest guy in school, the upper class-man who was the school’s fearsome and bruising hockey team “enforcer” (with the broken front tooth to prove it) as he

quivered in dread at being called on by Albert R. Sutter.And then took his public drubbing when his translation

unpreparedness resulted in a thicket of error, stumbling and stuttering.

Not surprisingly, Albert R. Sutter’s class was where I first heard the then-unfamiliar word “machismo” and had it explained to me. Just as unsurprisingly, it was the first place in life where I realized just how hollow an idea it could be.

That such a once-terrifying man could, four years later, trust a couple of handfuls of students enough to play them, in class, his 78 rpm records of Schoenberg’s “Pierrot Lunaire” (which I still dislike) was an education of its own way beyond education.

And it was just what that extraordinary man did, one way or another, every day of his professional life.

Jeff Simon: Recalling teacher Albert SutterAs seen in “The Buffalo News” and reprinted with permission.


Tribute to Albert Sutter

13 Fall2009

Al Sutter was the best language teacher I ever had (and I have had perhaps four dozen or more). In the one year of French I had with him my freshman year at Nichols, I struggled for the first half of the year. He called me over the Christmas break to tell me that I had done well on the first trimester exam, and I recall that he was even more pleased than I was. I learned more French in one year with Al than I did in the following three years at Nichols (French II - IV), four years at Dartmouth (where French was my minor), and one year at the University of Montpellier in France combined. And he taught me the foundations of learning a language that permitted me in later years to more easily learn some Swedish, German, Russian, and Korean. I last saw him when I had lunch with him and with Pliny Hayes ’35 at Coles in 2003. As always, he was charming, insightful, and totally dedicated to teaching me about whatever subject came up in conversation – on that day it was the cathedral in Seville. An awesome man. I am tremendously saddened that I will never see him again but grateful beyond words for having had him as a teacher and friend.

Chuck Hobbie ’63

Who can forget him who sat in his class?!Steve Gurney ’51

I remember oh so well, his Spanish lunches. My dad would ’recommend’ that I sit in on them. I would find a friend to quietly sneak into the back of his room, only to have him notice and invite us to join the circle. Then, we would listen to the conversation and not understand a word until Mr. Sutter would ask us a very basic question that we could actually answer. Quickly the conversation would move thankfully but we were hooked and actually came fairly regularly…Rick Zeller ’73

Inthelatterhalfofthe1980s,whenIjoinedtheForeignService,IwassothrilledandproudtobeabletokeepDonAlbertoabreastofitall. Webeganatthatpointtohaveamoreregularcorrespondence,oneinwhichIfeltforthefirsttimethatIwasbecomingmorethananex-studentinhiseyes.HisresponsewasbeyondanythingImighthaveexpected. HeDELIGHTEDinreceivinglettersande-mails. Hewouldreadthemcarefully,re-readthem,andthencitepassagesfromthemwhenwritingback--evenmonthsoryearslater!WHOELSEEVERDIDTHAT? Mothersdon’tdothatfortheirsons;spousesdon’tdothatfortheirmates;loversdon’tdothatfortheirsweethearts! And,independently,fromhisownlatestengagementwithtopicsofinteresttohim,alwaystherecameaslewofnewinformationandrevelation:theology,history,computerscience,genetics,linguistics,pedagogy,food,music,economics...Itwasendless.

Bennett Lowenthal ’76

He was wonderful.Mike Roizen ’63

Albert Sutter’s name remains indelible in my memory, along with several other great teachers I had the good fortune to study with in high school and college…all great teachers who prodded and poked until I found a new, higher level and could say, ’I did it!’ My, it feels good to look back and think about the experience and the men who were there to make it happen for me.

Jim Karet ’54

What boundless enthusiasm for languages he had! I recall, I think, the summer of 1953, when we were rising seniors, he ’recruited’ me and two other classmates (Henry Porter ’54 and Jim Halpern ’54, both brilliant language students, who went on to become outstanding attorneys) to study German with him, which he wanted to explore himself, at his house over at least two months of evenings in July and August. Can you imagine the pull and charisma he must have had to get three red-blooded 17-year-olds, studying Deutsch during a long, hot summer vacation? It was really interesting too, although a lot of work!

David Sternberg ’54Professor Emeritus of Sociology, John Jay College of the City University of New York

Albert Sutter made an indelible impression on generations of Nichols Students...He taught me Spanish that I still remember from 40 years ago. He was really a great teacher who held himself and his students to very high standards. They don’t make ’em like Mr. Sutter any more.

Jonathan Wright ’66

As we reported in the last issue, our great friend and mentor, Fritz Zeller ’47, passed away on May 15. For many Nichols alumni, Fritz was a very important part of their growth and development.

In response to the outpouring of support for Fritz, Bill Gisel ’70, President of the Board of Trustees, asked William B. Loweth ’63 and P. Jeffrey Birtch ’64 to form a group to come up with an appropriate way to honor and remember Fritz. The group has met on several occasions, the end result of which is the Zeller Fund for Ethics and Character.

The Fund will provide money for a Zeller Scholarship and other initiatives, such as a senior course entitled “Ethical Leadership Seminar,” an Ethics and Leadership Orientation for students, and a Symposium for Ethical Leadership of Faculty and Staff.

Fritz was not a guy who looked for recognition, but we think these initiatives would bring a smile to his face, and what a face it was. We wish that everyone could have known that look, that handshake and those unshakable, unbreakable rules for life.

To assure the sustainability of the Zeller Fund for Ethics and Character, the group has desig-nated a fund in the Nichols endowment.

If you are interested in making a contribution in Fritz’s memory – a contribution that will help pass along Fritz’s legacy to young men and women who choose to make Nichols a part of their lives – please take this opportunity to do so.

All contributions to the Zeller Fund for Ethics and Character can be spread over a three- to five-year pe riod and will qualify as contributions to the current nicholsfuture.org Capital Campaign. Contributions should be separate from any contributions to the Annual Fund, as those funds are needed on an an nual basis.

Gifts should be sent to Nichols School, Attn: Zeller Fund, 1250 Amherst St., Buffalo, NY 14216. For questions or more information, please contact Elizabeth Stevens Gurney ’75.

Honoring Fritz

The Zeller Fund CommitteeKristanCarlsonAndersen’80

GeorgeO.Bergantz’67P.JeffreyBirtch’64

AlexandraStathacosCrowe’76WarrenB.Gelman’63WilliamG.Gisel,Jr.’70

PeterD.Graves’76WilliamF.Kimberly,Jr.’47

WilliamB.Loweth’63H.ErnestMontgomeryII’47

GeorgeH.Ostendorf’59DanielT.Roach,Jr.’75

HowardL.Schweitzer’64KarlA.Spangenberg’65

MichaelK.Walsh’70HenryD.Waters,Jr.’73

2010 Nichols Athletic Hall of FameNominate alumni today!

TheInductionCeremonyandCelebrationwilltakeplaceonFriday,Oct.15andSaturday,Oct.16,2010.TheeventswillcoincidewithHomecoming2010.

Pleasee-mailalumnioffice@nicholsschool.orgorvisittheAlumniAwardspageoftheNicholswebsiteandnominateonlineatwww.nicholsschool.org/alumni/association/awards.asp.

2010 Selection CommitteeGeorgeJ.KloepferII’68,ChairmanDavidE.Carlson,Jr.’82SarahGelmanCarney’92DavidP.Comerford’73WarrenB.Gelman’63AnthonyJ.Hejna’86WilliamG.Hennigar,Jr.’66JamesKramerAdrienneDeCarloPtak’98AlanR.Randaccio’82MichaelJ.Roach’84RobertStewartBethR.StoneDanielleN.Vallas’95JosephT.Vanini’87AmandaJ.“Tina”Wagle’92RichardL.Webb’58

“The Zeller initiative is a win-win situation. It’s a unique opportunity for Nichols and a perfect way to preserve Fritz’s legacy.”Callie and George Ostendorf ’59

“I’m supporting the Zeller initiative not only for Fritz, but the entire Zeller family. Good citizens, good students, good athletes. To me, the Zellers are a shining example of what the Nichols experience is all about.” Michael K. Walsh ’70

"How fortunate I was to call Fritz my friend; his was a life well-lived: steadfast and principled...fairly predictable – day to day "he did it his way"...laughter erupting until the tears roll down; generosity of spirit...How blessed we were to have known and loved him and to have had him know and love us in return."Ellen and Ernie Montgomery '47


Awards

KristenTrippKelleyreceivesthe2009WilliamNicholsAwardfromAlumniBoardPresidentHughM.RussIII’78.

15 Fall2009

In order to recognize members of the faculty and staff who have significantly contributed to the overall quality of the Nichols education, the Alumni Board established the William Nichols Award in 1985. This year’s deserving recipient is Kristen Tripp Kelley, Upper School Arts Department Chair.

Alumni Board President Hugh Russ III ’78 announced the prestigious award at the 117th Commencement ceremony. The following was read about Kristen:

Without a doubt, one of the most important events at Nichols in the last 25 years was the opening of the Flickinger Performing Arts Center. It sent a clear and exciting message to our community: “the Arts are alive and well at Nichols School!” This jewel on our campus provides spacious classrooms and a state of the art performance space to showcase our talented students like never before.

However, a building is just a building. The real strength and substance of the Arts program at Nichols is our talented faculty. And you are a prime example. You are well recognized in Western New York as one of our community’s finest actors. We are justifiably proud when you receive well-deserved accolades for one of your performances whether at the Kavinoky Theatre, The Irish Classical Theatre or as Juliet in Delaware Park.

Your talent as an actor is impressive; however, it is your talent as a teacher that makes you such a special person. You share your professionalism and love of the theatre with your students and they respond with enthusiasm, energy and hard work. Even those students not destined for a life on the stage learn important lessons about expression, empathy and self-control. You make it very clear to your students that it is not so much about talent, but commitment and personal growth.

The annual Fall Play and Cabaret are your two most visible

triumphs. Your creativity, patience and dedication make these performances a joy for both our students and our audiences. Also important, though, are the small performances that happen everyday in your classroom. With humor, encouragement and respect, you teach lifelong lessons that your students never forget. You are a respected voice on the Student Conduct Committee, and your leadership and

commitment to the Core Group has made its work behind the scenes a valuable component of our guidance and counseling program.

Your leadership as the Department Chair of the Arts program has been equally valuable. You have vision, conviction and dedication, plus an unlimited supply of energy and enthusiasm. Under your watch, Nichols has been on the international stage at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; our students have excelled at the state level in music, dance, fine arts and theatre; and you have encouraged a thriving program that is

one of the cornerstones of the Nichols experience. Part of the success of our program is your willingness to undertake any endeavor that furthers the interests of the arts at Nichols.

For all you have done for your students and the Nichols community, we admire you. For your unparalleled passion and commitment, we thank you. It is our great pleasure to name you, Kristen Tripp Kelley, as the recipient of the 2009 William Nichols Award.

The 2009 William Nichols AwardbyNinaBarone

StephanieAngelakosreceivestheMitchellAwardfromElizabethStevensGurney’75.

OliverRuss’09andCarolineRuss’10standwiththeirfather,HughRuss’78,theWilliamS.Wright’34Awardrecipient,andBillGisel’70.

At the Headmaster’s Society reception on May 14, the William S. Wright ’34 Award and the Mitchell Award were presented to two outstanding members of the Nichols community – Hugh M. Russ III ’78 and Stephanie Angelakos, respectively – in recognition of their exceptional service to the School.

The William S. Wright ’34 Award was presented by Bill Gisel ’70, President of the Board of Trustees. He noted that our most successful Annual Fund volunteers are those who dedicate their time and energy by writing personal notes to their classmates or friends, making phone calls and writing e-mails. In general, they are enthusiastic workers, fans and friends who make a commitment to establishing and maintaining a relationship between Nichols School and its community. Hugh embodies this notion. This cultivation, partnered with the diligent and effective work put forth year after year, ensures the success of the Annual Fund.

Honoring Hugh is natural. Since his graduation in 1978, he has remained supremely loyal to the School and loyal to his classmates. Recently, he has done an outstanding job as our President of the Alumni Board and the Chairman of the Annual Fund.

We thank Hugh for his incredible generosity, his agreeable nature and sense of humor. We appreciate his dedication to our great School and the tangible impact he has made on the lives of past, current and future Nichols students. He and his wife, Linda, are parents of a terrific Nichols graduate and students: Oliver ’09 and Caroline ’10.

The Mitchell Award, established in 2000, was named in honor of Jock Mitchell ’66. The award is presented “to that individual or individuals whose volunteer efforts have made [the] School stronger and whose commitment to the mission of Nichols School is outstanding.”

Elizabeth Stevens Gurney ’75 honored Stephanie Angelakos with the award. She said of Stephanie, “She gets down and dirty organizing the lost and found. She spends hours on the phone listening to parents, fielding questions, concerns and an occasional complaint! She works tirelessly to match volunteers with the perfect opportunities to best use their talents, and then she usually works alongside them.”

Stephanie not only organized, but manned the refreshment booth at Homecoming, and baked, decorated and served on the clean up crew. Speaking of crew…she does not miss a meet, she drives, bakes, sews, helps new families learn the ropes, and rallies support for the crew team all year long. Determined to get equal time for the arts, she collected donations for the gift baskets and sold raffle tickets at plays and concerts all year long, raising over $2,000.

If Stephanie is not attending a Nichols event as a guest, she is working the event. She has been a grade rep, party planner, an envelope stuffer and an Auction fluffer. She has been a Derby Day mainstay, chairing Gift Gathering, chairing Acquisitions for a few years and co-chairing the 2006 Auction. For the 2008-2009 school year, she chaired the Parents’ Council. Her meetings are informative, efficient and very well attended. The Big Green, the International Dinner, you name it, she worked it and chaired it, and she has done it all with poise and confidence.

She is as comfortable leading people as she is serving under them. She makes everyone feel welcome and valued. Her enthusiasm for Nichols and its mission is infectious; she is among our best ambassadors. In addition to all of this, she and her husband, Peter, raised three talented children, each of whom we have been privileged to have at Nichols: Megan ’02, Michael ’05 and Matthew ’10.

William S. Wright ’34 Award and Mitchell Award RecipientsbyNinaBarone


The Olive R. Ringo Faculty Award was established to recognize outstanding contributions by members of the Nichols faculty to the education of Nichols students. Each year’s recipient was nominated by his/her peers and selected by a committee made up of previous faculty awardees. The 2009 recipient is Coleman “Coley” Felser, physical education teacher and coach, who has occupied a variety of roles during his longtime Nichols career.

In addition to years of service to Nichols and obvious contributions to the School community, professional and personal characteristics are considered, including: enthusiasm about teaching and learning; ability to communicate clearly and effectively; knowledge of subject area; organization, flexibility, and dedication; respect for students and a genuine concern for their development; intellectual curiosity and creativity; and high standards of excellence.

George J. Kloepfer II ’68 and Gordon Gannon ’50, co-trustee of the Olive R. Ringo estate, presented the award at the Faculty and Staff Luncheon on June 11. The following was said about Coley:

It is hard to imagine anyone who has worked with more students on a daily, yearly or career-wise basis than you have. From the classroom to the playing fields to off campus excursions near and far, you have shared your zest for new experiences with a vast array of students. As a math teacher in the once “Lower” (now Middle) School and as a seasoned denizen of the athletic sidelines, you have made a science of passing on fundamentals to all of your students and athletes.

There have been few challenges thrown your way that you have not embraced as seen by the many hats you have worn during your years at Nichols: math teacher, Assistant Athletic Director, Athletic Director, Head Girls Basketball coach, Junior Varsity Soccer and Lacrosse coach, Middle School Athletic Director, coach of three 7/8 grade interscholastic teams a year, PE instructor, and Director of Nichols Day Camp. You have directed the Nichols Ski Club on Fridays since its inception and have chaperoned several foreign exchange trips. The joy of seeing a young person master a new concept or athletic move is palpable in nearly every

school-related conversation of which you are a part. Listening to you describe a new skier’s progress from the bunny hill to the t-bar to his first descent of the big hill…or hearing you recount a magical moment where a young basketball player makes his first foul shot ever at a key point in the game…or watching you coach someone who has never played goalie

before coming up with a critical save on the lacrosse field is to rediscover why we find the art of teaching so intoxicating. It is that overt joy of working with young people that you have brought to your craft each day for the past 42 years.

You have not only been a great advocate for your students, but you have been a great representative for the school in everything that you do; having seen first hand what a Nichols education means, you promote the school in your myriad community activities. A proud father in your two permutations as a Nichols parent, you relished first the successes of your step-children Betsy ’85 and Ricky ’84 and then, with your beloved wife Sue, delighted in the achievements of Matt ’05 over the past 12 years at Nichols and at Williams College.

Your joyous presence will be missed on campus next year as you head off to embrace your well earned

retirement with the same esprit that you once grasped the Peace Corps and then your over four decade journey at Nichols. For all that you have done over these many years to make Nichols a better place, we are pleased to present The 2009 Olive R. Ringo Award to you – Coleman “Coley” Felser.

Olive R. Ringo Award RecipientbyNinaBarone

Awards

ColeyFelser,the2009OliveR.RingoAwardrecipient,standswithGordonGannon’50afterreceivingthehonor.

17 Fall2009

The Pen Pal ProgramIn1998,NicholsinitiatedthePenPalProgrambetweenthefifthgradeclassandthe50thReunionclass.ThepurposeistoinstillineachchildanappreciationofwhatitmeanstobeaNicholsstudent,andeventually,analumnus.Atthesametime,itgivesthe50thReunioncelebrantauthenticinsightintothelifeofacurrentNicholsstudent.

InMarch,Classof1959alumnireceivedlettersfromtheirPenPalsdescribinglifeatNicholsandaskingabouttheirexperiences.Thestudentsanxiouslyawaitedthearrivalofeachday’smaildeliveryuntiltheirPenPal’sresponsearrived.

OntheFridaymorningofReunionweekend,membersoftheClassof1959hadtheopportunitytomeettheirPenPalataninformalgatheringwiththestudentsandtheirclassmatesinReganHall.

All50thReunionclassesfeelthatthisPenPalgatheringisoneofthehighlightsoftheReunioncelebration.Welookforwardtocarryingonthetraditionforyearstocome!

Class of 1959, Meet the Class of 2016

Lindsay Hogan ’16 to Richard Laub ’59

In fifth grade, a lot has probably changed

since you were here. We have three trimesters

and we also have four quarters. Every quarter

we have a different language (Latin, French,

Spanish and Mandarin Chinese) and next year

we will chose only one to study.

Richard Laub ’59 to Lindsay Hogan ’16

I look forward to attending my 50th Reunion

(how time flies) and I have so much to be

thankful for having attended Nichols School. I

do hope we will have the opportunity to meet

during my visit.

NicholsSchool

1250AmherstSt.

Buffalo,NY14216

byAnnetteKellogg

Benjamin Brason ’16 to Charles Seilheimer, Jr. ’59Let me tell you about life at Nichols today. Nichols Middle school is way different from 50 years ago. Our lunches are healthy and unhealthy. My favorite lunch is nacho day. We just ended hockey and now we’re starting lacrosse and baseball. I heard when you were here you only had one building at Nichols, now we have five buildings. So that is some stuff that is about Nichols and me.

Charles Seilheimer, Jr. ’59 to Benjamin Brason ’16In many ways Nichols has changed a great deal over the years and affords its students a far broader educational experience than in my day. All of our lunches were in the Rand

Dining Room, but our lunches were all served by masters (teachers) who sat at the head of each table. Although I can understand the necessity of changing to buffet style, the formality of our dining experience quite honestly appealed to me.

JacobSiegel’16,EvanBrason’16,CharlesSeilheimer’59,StephenDhillon’16andAlecYerkovich’16


Class of 1959, Meet the Class of 2016Pen Pals

Maxwell Scott ’16 to Jerome (Jerry) Platter ’59

I really enjoy skiing and try to go every weekend during the winter. This year I started hockey at Nichols and I enjoy it. I look forward to science class where we go outside and study birds and trees.

Jerome (Jerry) Platter ’59 to Maxwell Scott ’16

My favorite classes were General Science, History and English. However, the most influential teacher I had was Mr. Sutter. He taught Spanish in which I was average. But what Mr. Sutter and Mr. Boocock really taught me was to reach as high as I could and, most importantly, never give up on my dreams for the future, never forget that I have an obligation to help those less fortunate than I am, and always try to make the world a better place.

LeytonJohnston’16,MaxwellScott’16andJerryPratter’59

ErikaCromwell’16,PamelaHenrich,JoshuaHobika’16,JohnHenrich’59andIanNash’16

DanielKraft’59(back),ThomasKubiniec’16andWilliamHibbardIII’16

19 Fall2009

Colin Wright ’16 to Brian Ferrel ’59I’m 11 years old and love to play tennis, soccer and ski. I come from Canada and find that Nichols is much more challenging than my other school. I like hiking and going on adventures on top of cliffs, on frozen lakes and through dark caves.

Brian Ferrel ’59 to Colin Wright ’16I received an excellent education at Nichols from excellent teachers such as Mr. Fox (English), Mr. Sutter and Mr. Sessions (History). I played varsity soccer, basketball and baseball. I car pooled to school from Snyder, N.Y., and often hitch-hiked home after sports. That would be too dangerous in today’s world.

Lauren Cromwell ’16 to Irving Barrett ’59

Let me tell you about myself and life at Nichols School today. I take drama, which I think is really fun. Your other pen pal is my best bud. We do almost everything together. I’m in the middle of a research project on St. Joan of Arc. My gym teacher is Mr. Felser who is an amazing athlete himself. I am a legacy student. My dad’s side of the family went to this school too. I’ll be studying Chinese for the rest of the semester, but I’ll be taking Spanish for the rest of my school years.

Irving Barrett ’59 to Lauren Cromwell ’16

You also mentioned that you’re studying Chinese this year and will be moving to Spanish for the remainder of your school years. Why is that?…It would seem to me that both languages will be very important throughout the rest of your life. I wish I was better in languages. I studied Latin for two years and Spanish for two more when I was at Nichols, but neither were my favorites and I never went back to seek further studies in either.

MadelineWelchoff’16,JoanMay,HenryMayIV’59andTimothyPringle’16

ElizabethAndersen’16,KeithAlford’59andAnnabelBacon’16

AubreyBorgesi’16,IrvingBarrett’59andLaurenCromwell’16


Pen Pals

Claudia D’Auria ’16 to Robert Yost ’59My favorite thing to do at Nichols is theater team. I like theater team because you can express yourself and learn about plays coming up. Sports are fun! I play soccer and hockey outside of school. I also play the violin. Did you play any instruments or sports?

Robert Yost ’59 to Claudia D’Auria ’16My mother came to every soccer game I played and we had a big game against The Cranbrook School in my junior year. During the first half of the game I went up for a header and collided with another player. We were both knocked unconscious for a few seconds. When my mother saw this, she ran onto the field and yelled at the other player and said it was his fault! She never came to another game! I admire you for playing the violin. I took lessons for six months but I was so bad I gave up.

Erika Cromwell ’16 to John Henrich ’59

My name is Erika, and I am a fifth grade student at Nichols Middle

School. I hear that your 50th Reunion is coming up in June, and I’d

like to congratulate you on this special occasion.

John Henrich ’59 to Erika Cromwell ’16

It sounds like you love Nichols School. It is a great place. Our four

children all graduated from Nichols. Our oldest, Christian ’86,

is a lawyer, and he lives in Orchard Park with his wife and three

children. Next is our daughter, Rachel Y ’87, who lives in San

Diego with her husband and is a teacher. Our son, Adam ’92, is a

gunsmith and farmer and lives here in Eden with his family. And

our daughter, Abigail ’94, is a minister and lives with her family

near Boston, Mass. We hope our grandchildren go to Nichols also.

They would be the 4th generation in our family to do so.

RobertYost’59,ClaudiaD’Auria’16andSchuylerYost

LizaRyan’16,GeorgeOstendorf’59andMaeannaMerrill’16

21 Fall2009

For the 117th Commencement on June 5, Nichols had the pleasure of welcoming Commencement speaker William H. “Bill” Donaldson ’63, Chairman of Donaldson Enterprises, a private investment firm, and a member of President Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board.

Sam Zakalik ’09 served as the student speaker and presented his own memorable Musical Moment by playing Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” on a stereo, while he and his classmates sang along.

Bill’s speech was inspirational and motivating. He covered the following 10 points for successful entrepreneurial leadership:1. Have the ability to conceptualize – to see what others see, but

from a slightly different perspective. It means having vision. Donaldson also stressed the willingness to try new things, even if it risks “cannibalization.”

2. Be internally motivated or driven – being self wired is essential. The demand for excellence comes from within.

3. Have a sense of anticipation – have a plan B because plan A is not a guarantee. Leaders should have a plan to fall back on; don’t put all or nothing on red and always try to see around the corner.

4. Act like an owner – have a sense of ownership of your company. As an individual, you should be your own CEO, despite where you are in the company’s hierarchy. Care about your work whether you are a telephone operator, night cleaner or U.S. Marine Corps Pfc.

5. Be capable of operating on a “bi focal” level – see the big strategic picture, but also get the operating job done. Mohammed Ali said “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” Strive for the ability to have great thoughts and be able to deliver results.

6. Be blessed with high energy – possess a sense of physical and mental well being. If you are not born with it, it can be enhanced by health habits.

7. Have a sense of optimism – be upbeat and positive in a realistic sense. See the glass as half full.

8. Define the system – rather than being defined by the system. Do not be captive by the bureaucracy and make an effort to identify your own role.

9. Have a sense of fun – not just ha-ha fun. Working together toward a common goal has countless enjoyable qualities.

10. Have a DNA of integrity – possess a strong sense of an internal moral fairness.

Bill has spent more than 40 years at the highest levels of business, government and academia. Until 2005, he served as the 27th Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, making him the chief regulator of America’s securities markets and chief enforcer of the nation’s securities laws. His tenure marked the greatest period of activity of the Agency since its founding in 1934.

Prior to heading the SEC, Bill was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aetna, Inc., one of the nation’s largest providers of health insurance and related benefits; before that, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive of the New York Stock Exchange. Earlier in his career, he was the Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the investment banking firm of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and helped found its wholly owned subsidiary the Alliance Capital Management Corporation. He was selected as Business Man of the Year by the Associated Press when DLJ became the first NYSE firm to sell its shares to the public.

A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, Bill is a Chartered Financial Analyst. He also spoke at the Reunion program that evening.

The 117th CommencementbyNinaBarone

Studentspeaker,SamZakalik’09,andKaitlinDonahoe’09 BillDonaldson’63andBillGisel’70leadtheprocession.


We heard the wisdom of Hon. William Donaldson ’49 who has spent more than 40 years at the highest levels of business, government and academia. He served as the 27th Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and was selected to be a member of President Obama’s Economic Recovery Team.

Lastly, alumni celebrating a 50th Reunion or those who previously celebrated a 50th Reunion, were invited to dinner in the Rand Dining Room, hosted by Rick and Judith Bryan.

All attendees agreed it was a fantastic Reunion program and the audience thoroughly enjoyed hearing from each participant. Reunion festivities carried into the weekend with a variety of events and activities for each celebrating class. Everyone had a wonderful time!

Thank you to every volunteer and each member of our Reunion planning committees. We could not have a successful Reunion without your hard work and enthusiasm. Thank you to everyone who came back to Nichols to celebrate. Come visit again soon and keep in touch.

bySarahGelmanCarney’92

Ninety degrees and sunny. It was an amazing day at Nichols. On Friday, June 5, we welcomed back the Reunion classes and other alumni to celebrate on the Nichols campus.

Alumni and friends gathered in the Glenn and Awdry Flickinger Performing Arts Center where we recognized this year’s Retirees: Don Cockerill (42 years), Coley Felser (41 years), John Mendenhall (23 years), Patty Sheehan (28 years) and Bob Guldner (38 years), with remarks from Coley.

Following Coley was “.21, No. 2” by Pablo de Sarasate, performed by alumna violinist, Mary Edge ’08, who recently began her studies at The Julliard School. We also enjoyed a Musical Moment from alumnus and pianist Kenneth Sullivan ’69 who traveled from New York City for his 40th Reunion with the Class of 1969.

“City of No Illusions,” photography by Gigi Gatewood ’99, was on exhibit in the Flickinger Gallery. Gigi was celebrating her 10th Reunion.

Recap

1939 1944BudKreiner'39,JackWalsh'39andTomDanforth'39 DannStevens‘44andDougLewis‘44

23 Fall2009

1949


1964

196925 Fall2009

1974


1984

198927 Fall2009

1994 1999


A. B.

A.RickSmith’79andTipPutnam’55

B.ChrisHamill’79,JennaBrinkworth,JohnDarbyandCandyKelloggDarby’84

C.ClarkBanach’99,DawnDenecke’99,BrianMroz,LindaGroffMroz’99,ValerieHill’99,MarquisWoolford‘99andSharoneA.Woolford

D.RachelMoog-Lage’89,ErinMastersonQueen’89andJulieMidlikMichels’89

E.EdBush’79,RickHerrick’79,JoelSciandra’79,JamesMiddleton’79andThompsonHerrick’74

F.TracyLippes’84andDavidSherris’79Reunion

C. D.

E. F.

29 Fall2009

As seen in “Studio Talk”, a supplement to “Dance Magazine” and “Dance Teacher,” and reprinted with permission.

Elaine Gardner’s Upper School students pile into a vintage gym turned dance studio with their snowcaked boots, drop their coats, scarves, hats and gloves, put out the barres, and get down to serious dance business. “Anyone sore from yesterday?” Gardner asks the group of 15–18 year olds, who have just returned from a long winter break. Today, she eases the dancers back into shape with an eclectic technique class that combines a slow ballet barre, yoga stretching, and expansive across the floor sequences. She’s sensitive to the fact that it’s only day two of the semester; still she sets a “no slackers need apply” tone right from the get go.

Nichols School is a prestigious prep school in Buffalo, NY, for grades 5–12. Despite its academic focus, the arts have always been a priority. Founded in 1892, the school inherited a dance program when it went coed with Nottingham Academy in 1973. Students are exposed to dance as early as 5th grade and all Upper School students are required to take eight weeks of dance training.

Gardner, 51, has been on faculty since 1986—she’s only the third dance teacher in the program’s 43-year history. Her students include many who are serious about dance

and just as many who will never set foot in a dance studio after graduation. An accomplished dancer and choreographer herself, Gardner takes seriously her charge to make the experience worthwhile for both groups. She’s convinced that dance provides an ideal entry into a larger creative arena.

The petite but muscular brunette with wisps of gray derived her no-nonsense attitude from her own background as a dancer. She began her training at 4 with highland dancing in her native Scotland. But it was an after-school program, much like the one she now runs, where her life’s path became clear.

After two years at Arizona State University, where she took every technique

class she could, Gardner went to Los Angeles to apprentice with Bella Lewitzky. (She eventually completed her degree at Empire College in New York.) She’s performed in works by Margo Sappington, Bill Evans, Charles Weidman, Donald Byrd, Kei Takei, and Doris Humphrey. In 1980, she founded Pick of the Crop Dance in Los Angeles, and then in 1982 relocated the company to Buffalo. She began teaching early in her career, both to support herself and to explore more fully all that she was learning.

“I was blessed with a good eye and an ability to cull the best from all my mentors. I put myself in rigorous domains where my teachers were strongly principled people,” she says. “I was attracted to Lewitzky and Byrd’s ability to push anatomical boundaries.” Additional training with Mia Slavenska and Maggie Black influenced her approach to shaping a ballet class for modern and jazz dancers.

Two-Track Approach to DanceThere are two ways Nichols’ Upper School students can approach dance: They can fulfill their physical education requirement by joining the after-school Ensemble that Gardner runs much like a dance company; and they can enroll for elective courses in a creative track that focuses on developing dance appreciation and history and placing dance into the larger framework of creative

Elaine Gardner’s inclusive approach to dance at Nichols School

byNancyGaleota-Wozny’73

Makingan Entrance

NicholsSchoolDanceEnsemble,after-schoolchoreographyclass,opencompanywarmup


expression. (See sidebar: Nichols’ Creative Arts Curriculum.)

Students often take both tracks simultaneously. “The dance students who [also] take the creativity track end up being better choreographers and performers,” she says. “They are simply exposed to more. I’m trying to expand the definition of what dance can be.”

The Ensemble is open to students, without regard to previous training, who want to dance every day. They meet every day for technique class and to choreograph and rehearse for performances. Participation fulfills the physical education requirement and students are free to come and go semester by semester.

“It’s not unusual for students to play field hockey in the fall and join the Ensemble in the winter months, which is an especially popular time for dance,” Gardner states. “I have to embrace those students as well.” She has become fluent in keeping students of various skill levels engaged. “Beginners work on grasping the sequence,” she says, “while I urge my more advanced students to delve more deeply into their biomechanics.”

She also has a handful of students who head from Ensemble sessions to their competition teams or extra ballet classes. “It varies from year to year, but I am

more than happy to steer them to studios that will fit their needs,” Gardner says. “I encourage them to study outside of school, especially if they are considering a career in dance.” Former students have pursued dance degrees at such institutions as CalArts, North Carolina School for the Arts, and SUNY Brockport. “I tell them, if they want to dance professionally, they’d better make sure they are obsessed with it,” she says. “I’m a bit brutal about the realities; it’s not a part-time adventure.”

As Nichols is a highly competitive prep school, even the beginners have a strong drive to succeed and are gifted learners. Gardner says that the mixed ages and levels of the Ensemble members enhances a sense of camaraderie among the students. “They are drawn to the casual intimacy and the closeness that develops between all of us,” Gardner says. “Worried freshmen are comforted by know-it-all sophomores and sage seniors. They often act as a support system outside the studio.”

Much is expected from Nichols students, and Gardner is sensitive to the pressures upon them. It’s not unusual for her to offer a comforting yoga or mind/body class during exam week. She also finds that the students respond positively to

NICHOLS’ CREATIVE ARTS CURRICULUMEntryintodanceattheNicholsSchooliswith“IntroductiontotheArts.”Theeight-weekclassrequiredofallUpperSchoolstudentscoversbeginningdancetechniqueandbasicconcepts,suchasweight,line,flow,andtime.

Thosewhoareinterestedcancontinuetakingdanceelectivesallthewaythroughtheirsenioryear.Asfreshmen,theygobeyondpliéstoshortcompositionalstudies.“Iwantthemtoexperiencetheirbodyasanaesthetictoolandtoexposethemtobasiccompositionalprinciplesthatareshared,”saysdancedepartmenthead,ElaineGardner.

SophomoresareexposedtotheworksandtechniquesofDorisHumphrey,MarthaGraham,andMerceCunninghamin“ClassicModernDance.”“ThisclasssupportshowmoderndanceistrulyanAmericanformbasedonthevoiceoftheindividual,”saysGardner.Duringthesecondsemester,Gardnerleavesthewestandintroducesthestudentstoworlddance,wheretheylearnyoga,aChineseribbondance,andmudrasfromIndianclassicaldance.“Myagendahere,besidesbroadeningtheawarenessofnon-Eurocentricwork,istoshowhowspirithasbeenlinkedtothebodyinAfrica,India,andAsia,”shesays.

Asjuniorsandseniors,thestudentsbegintoflowbetweenvariousartisticdisciplinesin“StudyandPracticeofCreativity.”TheyexperimentwithwritingandthevisualartsandtakeadvantageofBuffalo’sculturalinstitutions,suchastheAlbright-KnoxArtGallery,theBurchfield-PenneyArtCenter,andFrankLloydWright’sDarwinD.MartinHouse.GardneralsointroducesHowardGardner’stheoryofmultipleintelligences.TheyviewDVDsofworkbyAngelinPreljocaj,MaguyMarin,MatsEk,JifiíKylián,andAnneTeresaDeKeersmaekerascompellingexamplesofstrongEuropeanvoices.“Isetthestageforthemtoappreciatemoreexperimentalwork,”Gardnersays.“Thisclassisallaboutopeningthedoortomorepossibilities.”—N.W.

continued on page 33

FreshmanSurveyoftheArtsclassatNicholsSchool

31 Fall2009

Middle School AwardsWestern New York Spelling Bee:1st Place: Anna Sophia Magavern ’152nd Place: Jack Daniel Hourihane ’14

Red Jacket Poetry Contest:1st Prize: Clara Dorothy Keavey ’142nd Prize: Paige Fiona Spangenthal ’15 and Elizabeth Ladds Marlette ’13

Purdy Short Story Prize:1st Prize: Lorena Guifeng Lyon ’14 Geography Bee:1st Place: Nicola Marcucci ’142nd Place: Samuel Dennis Sendziak ’15

Music Awards:OrchestraMost Improved Musician: Cullen Scot Lampasso ’16Outstanding Musician: Jason Wei Zhou ’14

ChorusMost Improved Musician: Ryan William Cromwell ’13Music Leadership Award: David Joseph Kowalski ’13Outstanding Musician Award: Anna Elaine Tantillo ’13

BandMost Improved Musician: Evan Frederick Brason ’16Music Leadership Award: Geoffrey Grant Hobika ’16Outstanding Musician Award: Jessica Wei Zhou ’15 National Latin Exam Recognitions:Summa Cum Laude: Anna Elaine Tantillo ’13Maxima Cum Laude: Erin Grae Gould ’13 and Christina Brooks Robinson ’13Magna Cum Laude: Emily Elizabeth Ardalan ’13Vergil Award for Excellence in Latin: Hayley Ilana Weinberg ’13

H.R. MacKinder General Information Test (G.I.T.): 5th Grade: 1st – Leyton Walker Johnston ’166th Grade: 1st – Samuel Maxwell Jones ’157th Grade: 1st – Nicola Marcucci ’14 and John J. Tomczak ’148th Grade: 1st – Erin Grae Gould ’13

Middle School Overall G.I.T. Winner:Sam Jones ’15

Cornelia L. Dopkins Awards:5th Grade: Maeanna Mary Merrill ’166th Grade: Anna Sophia Magavern ’157th Grade: Anthony David Tirabassi ’148th Grade: Anna Elaine Tantillo ’13 Henry D. Waters Awards:Liza B. Ryan ’16Emma A. Elia ’15Will Edward Yerkovich ’15

Pliny H. Hayes III Award:Caroline Mary Hogan ’14Anthony David Tirabassi ’14

The Bruce Anderson Award:Ryan William Cromwell ’13

The Nichols Coaches Awards:Ashley Ann Lyman ’13

E. Webster Dann Faculty Awards:Joel Patrick Almand ’13Trevor Maxwell Berninger ’13Kathryn Ennis ’13George Warren Rossney McKnight ’13Alexandra Maria Nash ’13

The Charles I. Kleiser Award:David Joseph Kowalski ’13Anna Elaine Tantillo ’13

The Robert A. Gillespie-Vincent E. Walsh Award: Anna Tantillo ’13

2008-2009 Student AwardsOn May 29, Verdian Day, students, parents, faculty and staff gathered in the Glenn and Awdry Flickinger Performing Arts Center to celebrate Middle and Upper School student accomplishments in separate ceremonies.

Upper School AwardsSenior Awards:Cottle Award: Hannah Kloepfer ’09Faculty Prize: Brian Griffith ’09Williams Cup: Benjamin Meyer ’09McCarthy Prize: Lyman Munschauer ’09Joseph L. Hudson, Jr. ’49 Award: Kevin Hughes ’09Headmaster’s Awards: J. Nicholas Williams ’09, Adele Jackson-Gibson ’09, Isabel Farhi ’09, Amanda McLaughlin ’09, Alexandra Logel ’09, Jules Stephan ’09, Sabrina Gill ’09 and Derek Robins ’09

Junior Awards:Dudley M. Irwin, III ’45 Memorial Award: Ed Spangenthal ’10Nottingham Award: Kelsey Ryan ’10Harvard Prize Book: Siobhan Hanley ’10Williams College Book Awards: Seb Augustine ’10 and JP Gillmeister ’10

Sophomore Awards:Yale Awards: Alexandra Mathews ’11 and Emily Pfalzer ’11

Freshman Awards:Christopher Wadsworth Awards: Trinithas Boyi ’12, Harrison Bacon ’12 and Tom Noonan ’12

English Department:George Knight Houpt Senior English Prizes: Melanie Corwin ’09, Isabel Farhi ’09 and Penelope Hamilton ’09, Hannah Kloepfer ’09, Amanda McLaughlin ’09 and Tory Nachreiner ’09Brown Junior English Award: Jacob Herskind ’10 and Kelsey Ryan ’10

Red Jacket Poetry Award:1st: Julia Accetta ’102nd: Tarik Abdel-Nabi ’103rd: Charles Abdel-Nabi ’10


Purdy Short Story Award:1st: Karissa Whiting ’092nd: Alexandra Mathews ’11

Art Department:Faith Davis Visual Arts Award: Eliza Cheyney ’09Nichols Dance Awards: Rachael Moreland ’09 andKarissa Whiting ’09Nichols Theatre Award: Hannah Kloepfer ’09 and Brian Griffith ’09Nichols Vocal Music Awards: Alayla Henry ’09, Marcy Perez ’09, Brian Griffith ’09 and Anthony Giangreco-Marotta ’09Nichols Instrumental Music Award: Derek Robins ’09Charles E. Balbach Art Prize: Elaina Behringer ’09

Science Department:Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award: Siobhan Hanley ’10Keating Science Award: Rami Sherif ’10Baldwin Science Award: Sabrina Gill ’09Mayer Science Award: Emily Pfalzer ’11

History Department:Millard Sessions History Award: Siobhan Hanley ’10Senior Social Science Awards (for AP Economics: Sabrina Gill ’09 and Derek Robins ’09Senior Social Science Awards for AP Art History: Isabel Farhi ’09 and Tory Nachreiner ’09Senior Social Science Award for AP Government: Molly Austen ’09

Mathematics Department:Tracy E. Tuthill Mathematics Award: Anthony Giangreco-Marotta ’09RP I Mathematics & Science Award: Samuel Milito ’10James W. Waltz Award: Derek Robins ’09American Mathematics Competition Awards: Anthony Giangreco-Marotta ’09, Will Savino ’10 and Austin Kubiniec ’12

Foreign Language Department:Latin Award: Isabel Farhi ’09French Award: Hannah Kloepfer ’09Spanish Award: Ilona Haidvogel ’09Dual Language French/Latin: Oliver Russ ’09Chinese Award: Bennett Kenyon ’09

the disciplined environment she creates when it comes to daily technique class and rehearsals. Navigating between these extremes is a big part of her job and possibly why her talents are such a fit for the school.

Greater Buffalo CommunitySince the birth of her daughter, Pearl, in 1999 and her retirement from dancing, Gardner has re-directed the focus of Pick of the Crop. Recently, the NYDance Force funded POCD to work collaboratively with the American Dance Legacy Institute (Etudes Project), LehrerDance, Dance Masters of America, and the Western New York Institute for Arts and Education to create educational and public dance performances in Buffalo. Under Gardner’s direction, performances have taken place at University at Buffalo, Elmwood Festival of the Arts, and in Western New York’s public schools.

Jon Lehrer knew Gardner by reputation when he was an undergrad at the University at Buffalo. “You can’t talk about

Athletics:Alumni Cup: Kaitlin Donahoe ’09, Dan Franz ’09 and Jacqueline Greco ’09

Community Service/Involvement:G. Robert Strauss, Jr. ’79: Eric Larson ’09Bonnie Lerner Posmantur Award: Kaitlin Donahoe ’09Dann ’49 Community Service Award: Max Ruotsi ’09NFJC Award: Marcy Perez ’09

GIT:Lucy and Sherman Maisel ’35 General Information Test: John P. Clinton ’09

Cum Laude:Ben Meyer ’09, Isabel Farhi ’09, Sabrina Gill ’09, Hannah Kloepfer ’09, Derek Robins ’09, Adele Jackson-Gibson ’09, Kateryna Kolesnikova ’09, Amanda McLaughlin ’09, Tori Nachreiner ’09, Nick Williams ’09, Penelope Hamilton ’09, Jules Stephan ’09, Karissa Whiting ’09, Ilona Haidvogel ’09, Alyssa Murrett ’09, Erin Collins ’09, Joe Trapp ’09, Kevin Hughes ’09 and Alayla Henry ’09

dance in Buffalo without mentioning Elaine,” he says. Lehrer Dance has been a frequent guest artist at Nichols, Gardner guest teaches his company class, and they all work together for the Etudes Project. “I want my dancers to be exposed to classic modern dance forms, and there is no better expert in Buffalo than Elaine,” says Lehrer. “Her range of study comes through in her technique class.”

Performance OpportunitiesAs Gardner’s Ensemble regroups after holiday break on this snowy January day, they’ll have a week to get back into the swing, then it’s time to put the pedal to the dancemaking metal as they prepare for their annual Choreography Showcase in February. Anyone can choreograph for the show, but seniors have priority. Gardner provides support in everything from composition to musical choices.

“I encourage them to go beyond picking their favorite song,” she says. “When they do, they usually find it’s a dead end; but they have to make that leap for themselves.”

Improvisation is a big part of Gardner’s approach, and it’s tied into a deeper form of self discovery. “I want them to really investigate how their body moves, to know their strengths and weaknesses and not to just regurgitate combinations,” she says. “We really work toward finding one’s personal movement vocabulary in the showcase.” The Ensemble performs at the Flickinger Performing Arts Center on the Nichols campus, one of Western New York’s finest theaters, where Gardner’s husband, Curt Steinzor, is the technical director.

As she wraps up the class, Gardner loosens up a bit, sending a signal to the students to do so as well. She punctuates her comments with a beaming smile, and the dancers bob to the beat while they wait their turn to soar across the floor. At exactly 5:00 pm, and not a minute sooner, Gardner sends her charges back into the steel gray skies of Buffalo, but not without with a gentle reminder to be on time tomorrow.

Nancy Wozny writes about the arts and health from Houston, TX.

Making an Entrancecontinued from page 31

33 Fall2009

Nichols is fortunate to have a number of funds donated by generous alumni and friends to enhance professional development of faculty and staff. With four different funds in place, members of the faculty and staff are able to pursue opportunities ranging from advanced degree programs to travel/study experiences.

Endowments funded the following activities and projects during the 2008-2009 fiscal year.

Kenneth Strachan Memorial FundEstablished by David G. Strachan ’51 and Malcom “Toby” Strachan ’48The Kenneth Strachan Memorial Fund, was established in 1959 by David Strachan ’51 and his brother, Malcolm Strachan ’48. This fund provides income for faculty to participate in enrichment and professional growth activities. It has been used for faculty attending conferences, revising curriculum or attending graduate programs.• Yajie Zhang, Upper and Middle School

Chinese teacher, attended a “Teaching Chinese Skills” Training Program in Changsha, China. The course included training in teaching oral skills, teaching characters and vocabulary, and teaching grammar.

• Michele Speach, Dean of the 7th and 8th grades, attended a workshop entitled “Balancing Your Contrasting Roles as Dean of Students.” This workshop covered disciplinary procedures and due process, philosophies of deanship, successful leadership, adolescent development and crisis management.

• Mary Rockwell, veteran AP European History teacher, attended an Advanced Placement conference to revitalize her knowledge of the AP European History course and update lesson plans in light of new scholarship and innovations in technology.

• Jake Morris, Upper School science teacher, pursued coursework toward a master’s degree in educational administration at Canisius College.

• Dan Collins, Upper School English teacher, finished his Master’s Degree in Social Work at SUNY at Buffalo.

• Kelly Ostendorf, Upper School history teacher, took a course entitled “Using Statistics in the Social Sciences.” She also attended the National Conference on Geography Education where she took workshops on teaching AP Geography, using GIS in the classroom, and Web based mapping.

• Reed Harlow, Middle School history and mathematics teacher, continued his Master’s Degree program at the Breadloaf School at Middlebury College.

• Andrew Sutherland and Roddy Potter, the cross country team coaches, attended the Nike Sports Camps’ Cross Country Coaching Clinic. They learned techniques for training, injury prevention, motivation and competition strategy.

Robert E. Dillon Memorial FundEstablished by Robert E. Dillon Jr. ’49, James M. Dillon ’51 and Marion A. DillonFounded by former Trustees Robert ’49, and James Dillon ’51, this fund was established in 1986 to support the professional growth and development of the Nichols faculty and staff. It provides grants for faculty pursuing further study such as attending seminars, workshops and conferences.• Jody Kuhns, Dritan Muca, MaryAnne

Hejna and Don Wagner: Phillips Academy, Exeter Mathematics Conference

• Jason de Groat: Computer Programming class

• Kristen Tripp Kelley, Kate Olena and Sheila-Zohara Zamor: New York State Theatre Education Association

Conference• Freedom from Chemical Dependency:

training for middle and high school students

• John Dare and Don Wagner: calculator workshop

• Holly Fewkes: National Conference for Athletic Directors

• Magdelena Sidell: Spanish Teachers’ Conference

• Patty Sheehan: Physical Education Conference

• Rebecca Torres: Music Teachers’ Conference

• Phil Coburn: courses in Physics Education• Beth Stone: Lacrosse Conference• John Dare and Don Wagner: created new

lessons for the math classroom• Greg Plumb ’96 and Mike Menenga:

Basketball Clinic• Kelly Ostendorf: AP Geography class• Magdelena Sidell: classroom management

seminar• Danielle Vallas: coursework for Master’s

Degree, SUNY at Buffalo• Laurie Ousley: Plagiarism Conference• Allan Hayes: National Science Teachers

Association Conference• Stipends for the following faculty

members to create curriculum benchmarks during the August colloquium II: Middle School – Sandy Smith Cunningham ’93, Debbie Howe, Greg Plumb ’96, Sheila-Zohara Zamor; Upper School – Susan Allen, Phil Coburn, Dritan Muca, Josh Ring and Yajie Zhang; Joe Bach, Aranya Maritime, John Munro, Mary Rockwell also attended the colloquium.

34 NicholsSchool

Endowment Funds Enable Professional Development for Faculty & StaffbyMaryRechRockwell

35 Fall2009

Established by Awdry Flickinger, Thomas R. Flickinger ’50 and William S. Flickinger ’55The Glenn W. Flickinger Sabbatical Program was established in 1988 through the generosity of the Flickinger family to support the continuing professional growth of Nichols teachers by providing full or half year sabbatical opportunities for veteran faculty members. It allows individuals to apply for one semester or one year away from school to work on a project of their own design.• Kelly Ostendorf, an Upper School

history teacher, spent the year learning to use GIS software in the social sciences curriculum. She also attended the National Geography Education Conference and a seminar for teachers of AP Geography. Due to her efforts, we added AP Human Geography to our course offerings this year.

• Sandy Smith Cunningham ’93, a Middle School science teacher, will take the spring semester to work with teachers at the Teton Science School and the Journeys School in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Both schools stress outdoor and experiential education. Sandy is a Nichols graduate of the class of 1993,

attended Amherst College, and earned an M.A. in Environmental Engineering at SUNY at Buffalo. She created and teaches an interdisciplinary curriculum involving water. Last year, she introduced a project called “Trout in the Classroom” a program where students learn about the growth of trout by raising them from the egg stage.

Hardner Family Summer StipendsFunded by the Hardner FamilyThrough the Norbert H. Hardner Foundation and Dr. Gerald and Sara Hardner, Sara ’81, Margaret ’82, Rebecca ’84, Jared ’88 and Elizabeth ’01, the stipends offer financial support for faculty members to pursue professional development in the summer months, beyond the course work or workshops covered by our endowment funds. The hope is for faculty to explore their passions, enhance their teaching skills, examine best practices in their area or seek personal renewal through travel or experience during the summer months. In the summer of 2009:• Jason de Groat developed a Computer

Science curriculum.• Thomas Michaud studied language and

culture in Flanders.

• Bella Stack visited schools and studied language teaching in Chile.

• Andrew Sutherland studied at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh.

• Sheila-Zohara Zamor studied French and Italian in Paris and Rome.

• Sandy Smith Cunningham ’93 created a curriculum for a study of Scajacquada Creek.

• Allan Hayes created a Teacher’s Manual for Field Guides and attended a select meeting of curriculum developers held by FOSS (Full Option Science), the leading supplier of science kits in the country.

Faculty Currently Pursuing and Recently Completed Graduate Degrees• Danielle Vallas ’95: M.S. in Mental

Health at SUNY at Buffalo• Dritan Muca: Ph.D. in Mathematics

Education at SUNY at Buffalo• Phil Coburn: M.A. in Physics Education

at SUNY College at Buffalo• Reed Harlow: M.A. in English at

Middlebury College• Franny Antoniadis: received her M.S. in

Differentiated Learning from Canisius College

SomefacultymemberswhohavereceivedHardnerFamilySummerStipends:(back,l-r)MaryAnneHejna,LarryDesautels,JohnMendenhall,RonMontesano,AndrewSutherlandandAnneThomas;(front,l-r)KateOlena,SusanAllen,CorrineDamerau-Best,AllanHayes,AranyaMaritimeandSandySmithCunningham’93.

If you thought you missed our Annual Report in your mailbox earlier this fall, you didn’t. As part of our Big Green Initiative and a great cost savings, we decided not to print a full Annual Report for the 2008-2009 school year and to only publish two issues of . We have increased and improved our electronic communication through e-mail and our web site, and we hope that you will make a habit of checking our web site for news and information. Over the coming months our web site will undergo a complete redesign to better serve the needs of

our constituents. We hope that you are enjoying the new video feature and we look forward to sharing our new site with you later this school year.

We plan to continue with two issues of each year as we believe it remains an important and effective means of communication. Please continue to send us news and Class Notes and let us know of any story ideas or topics you would like to see. We invite your thoughtful comments and suggestions anytime.

Though we aren’t printing the Annual Report, we remain extremely grateful for the generosity of the Nichols community, which continues to sustain us year after year. Philanthropy is tradition at Nichols – one that has been with us since our founding – and has perhaps never been more important to our success than it is today. This past year was particularly tough for giving, so we are especially grateful to all those who were able to support the people and programs at Nichols. We are pleased to report that despite the dismal economic news, overall giving to Nichols increased from the previous year.

Alumni Co-chairs John C. Farmelo ’77 and Hugh M. Russ III ’78 teamed up again to lead the Annual Fund effort. We appreciate their dedication and enthusiasm along with that of our outstanding volunteer leadership, the Board of Trustees, the Alumni Board and the Parents’ Council

The Annual Fund closed with $744,984 from over 1,600 donors. These unrestricted dollars were used to directly support the people and programs at Nichols. These gifts made it possible for us to carry out our mission of “training minds, bodies and hearts for the work of life, and to carry into all we do the highest ideals of character and service.” Restricted gifts and revenue from our special events contributed over $600,000 to the budget as well. We are especially grateful to Wayne and Mary Bacon for their leadership of the Derby Day Auction, Barb Regan and her team for their support of the Big Green Dinner, and Heather Williams for her continuing leadership of our wrapping paper sale.

Under the leadership of Jerry Castiglia and the Board of Trustees, new gifts to our nicholsfuture.org Capital Campaign totaled over $3.7 million in the ’08-’09 school year, bringing the total to $20.7 million as of June 30. An outstanding 100% of our faculty and staff have supported our Capital Campaign and the Board of Trustees has set the pace with over $6 million in pledges. All parents were invited to special receptions over the last school year and we are grateful to all who chose to support this important campaign.

We are grateful to each and every person who made a gift or pledge to Nichols and to anyone who attended or supported one of our events. Your gifts provide direct support to the people and programs at Nichols, which allows us to enhance the educational experience for students and faculty everyday.

Report on Giving

byElizabethStevensGurney’75

Breakdown of 2008-2009 Annual Fund Gifts

Total $744,984

Trustee $78,853

Alumni $419,925

Parent $90,179

FormerParent $46,460

Friend $42,926

Former $33,093

Grandparent $28,190

Faculty/Staff $1,625

Others $4,329

Headmaster’sSociety $489,030

(Note:GiftstotheHMSareincludedunderdonor’sprimaryconstituencyaswell.)

2008-2009 Gift Summary

AnnualFund 744,984

Restricted 47,464

FinancialAid 283,450

Endowment 29,350

Auction 226,888*

WrappingPaperSale 10,499*

BigGreenAuction 26,087*

Subtotal 1,368,722

Grossamountsfromevents*

nicholsfuture.org Capital Campaign Gifts

Unrestricted 1,089,581

Building/Grounds 373,800

Endowment 1,504,169

Total Gifts to Nichols 4,336,272

nicholsfuture.orgcampaigntotalasof6/30/09:$20,773,080


CongratulationsandthankyoutothefollowingclassesandClassAgentsfortheiroutstandingcontributionstotheAnnualFund.Theirhardworkresultedinrecording-breakingalumnigiftstotheAnnualFundforthe2008-2009drive.

Alumni Division of the Annual Fund 2008-2009 Award WinnersCarl N. Reed ’19 Memorial AwardHighestpercentageofparticipationClassof1929/100%Classof1931/100%Classof1934/100%Classof1942/100%Classof1959/100%

Hubert L. Perry ’26 Memorial AwardLargestdollaramountbyoneclassClassof1963

James G. Hurley ’40 Memorial AwardMostimproveddollarsraisedforanon-ReunionclassClassof1941

Lars S. Potter ’06 Memorial Award “OldGuard”classwiththehighestdollaramountandparticipationClassof1949

John N. Walsh, Jr. ’39 Edward F. Walsh ’43 AwardMostimprovedparticipationforanon-ReunionclassClassof1970

Class of 1949 AwardCollege-ageclasswiththehighestpercentageofparticipationClassof2006

Class of 1947 AwardMostimprovedparticipationforaReunionclassClassof1959–100%

E. W. Dann Stevens ’44 AwardMostimproveddollarsraisedforaReunionclassClassof1984

FinancialAid58.54%

FacultyEnrichment7.55%

Unrestricted26.95%

DepartmentandOther6.59%

Prizes.26%

Library.11%

EndowmentFund6/30/09TotalMarketValue=$17,756,990

Rentals,Interest,StudentandStateSupport10%

GiftsandFundRaisers10% TuitionandFees

72%

Endowment7%

OperatingIncome2008-2009Actualsat6/30/09

PlantReserve3%

SalariesandBenefits64%

UtilitiesandPlantOperations6%

InstitutionalandAdministrative6%

Instructional,AthleticandStudent7%

FinancialAid12%

OperatingExpenses2008-2009Actualsat6/30/09

37 Fall2009

Nichols was thrilled to welcome back Hugh M. Jones IV ’87 to speak at the Headmaster’s Society Reception in his first visit to Nichols since his graduation in 1987. In addition to addressing our most generous donors at a reception in the Rand Dining Room, Hugh spoke

to the Class of 2009 on their last official day of classes at Nichols. He charmed both audiences with his wit and self-deprecating humor as he shared stories about his journeys over that past 20-some years since his graduation. Excerpts from his masterfully delivered talks titled, “Embracing Disaster for Personal Enrichment,” follow:

“Nichols is a tough place. Tougher in many ways than college will ever be…

I didn’t take the tough AP Calc courses. I didn’t take physics – I left such matters to my gifted twin sister. I struggled for years trying to make heads or tails of the Spanish language. And there was absolutely no chance that I would ever willingly take Mr. Stratton’s English class. I didn’t excel at sports and I never made a varsity team. I wore glasses and still do, even in an age of Lasik and fetchingly colored contacts.

I showed up for the first day of X-county with a walkman…and, sadly…the coach Mr. Kryder didn’t seem to accept my point of view that it would improve my stride…

During these years of my distinct mediocrity, the teachers at Nichols seemed to band together and argue as a united force that one’s thoughts need to be collected, reviewed, organized and communicated only after looking at the argument from end to end: from the topic sentence, to the thesis, to the support, and finally the conclusion. Unfortunately for me – I was terrible at it. And teachers such as Mr. Kloepfer, Mr. Kramer and others worked hard to force my mind into the form of a disciplined tool as opposed to a loose amalgamation of thoughts.

One teacher in particular made an impact upon me. Ms. Mary Rockwell. Meeting Ms. Rockwell in my tenth grade year was deeply unsettling. She was the first to argue that my thoughts weren’t coherent enough to award a high grade. She forced me to think through the argument before committing pen to paper. During the grueling days of her class she always seemed to pair a poor grade with the Letters K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stupid. She had two key points. First, if an insight is thoroughly conceived, it is also simple to communicate. Second, complexity typically masks sloppy thoughts.

Despite my track record at Nichols, I did get into college. I entered college with the following profile:• I had no idea what I wanted to do• I was convinced that I was the dumbest guy on campus• I believed I only got in because I was a legacy…I went to the same

school as my father, grandfather and great grandfather

But here’s what I found• It’s harder to get into college than to do well once there• You will be far better prepared than most of your peers• Your Nichols-taught writing skills will likely be far superior to

those of your peersLooking back, however, it’s apparent that many successes in my

life have emerged from what could have been and should have been disastrous moments.

I especially like looking at it this way because you are graduating into the worst economic environment since the early 30s. On a relative basis, you should prepare yourself to manage the almost certain fact that:• Jobs are scarcer• Competition is greater • Parental funding is tighter

The traditional hide-outs (grad schools) may not confer the historical advantages (such as short term payback outpaces the debt incurred)

Let’s suppose we are in fact at the bottom and that your time in university and immediately thereafter is associated with a long slow climb out of a very deep trough. Even if that happens, the current economic situation is significantly more difficult than the world I faced. The question is how do you prepare yourselves now for a challenging future?

Despite the fact you are graduating into the worst economic environment of the last 70 years, I expect that you too will find success.

Especially if you consider the following:1. In every new scenario (college, internship, job, relationship)

you have a very short time to construct an image of yourself. Human beings will always seek to categorize you. It’s our nature.

People who are known to perform at a high level are given greater latitude and flexibility. Those that irritate are given nothing at all. Beware of the image you project.

2. At every milestone, you can reinvent yourself. This is an opportunity.

Few things are actually as bad as they seem. I’m sure that out there we have the seniors who are known as walking embodiments of greatness, and we also have folks who are known as…well…something less than that. We have bold folks. We have shy folks. We have beauties. We have people that should never stride down a catwalk. When you go to college, or enter a new job, or enter a new relationship I believe you should pause and filter yourself. What did you do in your past that you’d rather not be associated with again? You don’t do this one time (between high school and college), you do this at every milestone.

A Visit from Hugh M. Jones IV ’87


3. There is no longer a distinction between your private life and your on-line life.

I should mention that Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and Linked-in can all work for you. You can use this to your advantage or it can be used against you to your disadvantage. Do you really think that schools, employers and others don’t quickly scan the web looking for you? They do. Every CEO I know uses firms to online screen every applicant and they dig back at least five years in history. So beware. You should expect that every word you write on one’s wall and every picture you post can easily be captured. Every image you post makes a statement of you.

4. Prepare “your story” as you move through life. You never know when three minutes can change it.

Not all jobs are handed out at an interview. I am proud to mention that I got my current opportunity because of an Investment Banker I met while playing roulette. He was playing poorly, and I helped him win that night – which is good for a silly NPV negative game. He thought so too, and asked me how I got so good with determining expected value of a risk based game…a three minute story later, and I had an interview.

Alumni Visit

5. It’s better to be the aggrieved neighbor than win every fight. Put the handsome side of the fence facing your neighbor. Let little

slights pass by under the banner of good manners. You don’t need to win every fight…in fact it’s unwise to do so. It’s much better to win when it matters and let the small stuff roll off with a chuckle in your voice. By the way, this is useful to remember when dealing with your Board, your Boss, or your spouse. With your children, on the other hand…I like to win everything you can – you are the boss – and they all win in the long run anyway.

6. Networking is a fancy term for keeping in touch and being helpful for others when they need it.

You never know when you need a friend. You don’t know where you’ll be or when you need a reference or a job, or health benefits. But networking isn’t about getting in touch with people when YOU need something from THEM. It’s about doing something for THEM because someday YOU might need something. (And it’s just good karma)

7. K.I.S.S. Keeping it simple involves more thought and effort…not less.

People don’t spend the time to understand nuance. If you have prepared thoroughly in advance, you should be able to explain very complicated concepts in very simple terms. But you have to think your position through from start to stop before you speak or write.

My Nichols teachers were correct, and despite how I felt about Mary Rockwell then, I now realize she wasn’t trying to be my friend for a year in high school: she was trying to teach me something I could use for a lifetime, and that is far more valuable. Until I figured out how to communicate effectively by distilling complex thought to easily digested bits, I certainly wouldn’t have been able to motivate at a senior level, and, she’s right, I didn’t deserve a higher grade.

I should probably end by saying that I still am scared of Dick Stratton, but finally 20 years later, I think I’d take the chance and try to pass his class.

Top:HughM.JonesIV'87speaksattheHeadmaster'sSocietyReception.

Bottom:HughshowstheClassof2009acomparisonofhiscollegeoutlookandtheirs.

39

Green Roof Named in Headmaster’s HonorbyNinaBarone

Nichols hosted a reception for donors to the nicholsfuture.org Capital Campaign on Sept. 24. The evening featured a sneak preview of The Class of 1963 Center for Math and Science.

Following remarks from Headmaster Rick Bryan and Board President Bill Gisel ’70, former Board President and campaign committee member Jock Mitchell ’66 announced that the green roof on the new building will be named for Rick in honor of his superior service to Nichols over the past few decades.

As Jock read that evening, “beginning with the opening of the Flickinger Performing Arts Center,

and continuing with the consolidation of the Upper and Middle School campuses, the dramatic improvements to the athletic fields and facilities and culminating with the new Science and Math building, Rick has presided over an incredible transformation of our

campus.”Rick’s family, a group of

current and former Trustees, and many friends contributed over $500,000 toward this effort. Jock mentioned that with just under $2 million to go to reach our goal of $23.3, additional contributions are welcome!

A (back,l-r)JimandConnieBrown,KateBrownandMichaelHalberstam;(middle,l-r)KCBryanWhite’97,Rev.JudithandRickBryan,GinnyBryan’00andGingerVanWagenen;(front)MacWhite.

B.JockMitchell’66presentsRickBryanwithabeautifulpaintingofthenewbuildingfeaturingthegreenroof,byartistandcurrentparent,LeslieZemsky.

C.DonWagner,mathfacultymember,leadsagroup,includingStuart’58andJoyceAngertintothenewclassroomsof1963Center.

D.TedPierce’73andShellyDrake

E.BobBattel’56,RickBryanandClayHamlin’63

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100%ofclassroomsequippedwithSMARTBoardsTM

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ConstructioncontinuesonTheClassof1963CenterforMathandScience.ThebuildingwillopeninJanuary2010.


8math

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Alumna Gigi Gatewood ’99 was one of our exhibiting artists last spring. Gigi recently graduated from a two-year master’s program at the Rhode Island School of Design with an MFA in Photography. She was most pleased and surprised when her former Nichols photography teacher, Gary Stanton, appeared at her thesis show. Her collection of photographs “City of No Illusions” was on display in the gallery in the Flickinger Performing Arts Center in April and May, which coincided with her 10th Reunion from Nichols.

Through the Colby Art Fund, Nichols purchased one of her photographs, “Bowling Shoes,” for the School’s permanent art collection. Gigi was also kind enough to donate an additional photograph to the collection. Currently, Gigi is doing freelance work and is an artist in residence at the Philadelphia Art Hotel in East Kensington.

Gigi Gatewood ’99 and the Nichols Art Collections

The Nichols art collection has grown significantly over the years. What began as a collection of Western New York artists donating works to Nichols in the 1970s and early 80s has grown significantly over the years. The Balbach Collection is a collection of selected student works. Alumnus Ray Pierce ’64 donated a large collection of works to Nichols several years ago; the Colby Fund, established in 1987 by Patricia O. Colby, has allowed us to purchase several additional pieces over the past few years. The majority of the collections are hung throughout the School for student and visitor enjoyment.

Barbara Baird, honorary alumnus and former parent, Andrea Mancuso and Elizabeth Stevens Gurney ’75 have collaborated to have five to six exhibits throughout the year, which often include a presentation and visit or workshop with students. The collection was recently documented and the School is building a database to track the work. Exhi

bits2009-2010

UpcomingExhibitsGlenn and Awdry Flickinger Performing Arts Center Gallery Art ExhibitsFunded through the Colby Art Fund

Nov. 6 - Jan. 11Laura SnyderAteacherofphotographyatVillaMariaCollege,herrecentworkisphotographsoflight,projectedandreflected.

Jan. 16 - March 8Julie McIndooAteacherofadultwatercolorclasses,herworkinwatercolor,oilandacrylicreflectshertravels,familyandgardens.

March 12 - May 11Gerald MeadAlecturerindesignatBuffaloStateandanotedcollagist,thisexhibitionwillnoteNichols’118yearhistorythrough118collagesusingcollectedephemerafromtheNicholsatticandpiecesdonatedbyfriends.

OurcommunityisencouragedtodonateanythingrepresentingthehistoryofNichols,suchasoldVerdians,awards,letters,magazines.

May 14 - June 18Leslie Zemsky and Larry DesautelsThiscollaborationwillpresentpaintingsaboutpoemsandpoemsaboutpaintingsandtheexplorationofwordsandimages.


After Nichols

Where did you go to college? I attended the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Where do you live?I currently live in Hong Kong, China.

How did Nichols prepare you for college and the life ahead of you?The high school college transition is hard for some because their high school didn’t adequately prepare them for the level rigor that college courses possess. Nichols, through solid Math, Science, English, Social Sciences and Language programs, prepared me well for college. The AP courses also helped a fair amount. Mostly this was because they eliminated many lower level classes that I would’ve had to take. Just having a general knowledge on a fair amount of things helps eliminate a lot of time guessing what a professor is talking about. Nichols gave me a broad and deep knowledge base from which to draw. This helped me in college, and continues to help me in my professional life.

Tell us about your career at the Deutsche Bank in Asia Pacific.When I decided that I wanted to work in the finance industry in Asia, I applied online at several firms for a summer internship. I applied to 12 firms and got rejected by every one of them except Deutsche Bank. During the summer after my junior year in college, I did a 10-week internship spending half my time in Hong Kong and half in Singapore. I received a full-time offer after that, accepted and began my training program in London a year later. After six weeks of training, I began rotating through four areas across Deutsche Bank Hong Kong. I ended up working on the Asia Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) desk, which is where I currently work. I market ETFs on behalf of Deutsche Bank. It’s been a great start; I’ve been given a lot of responsibility at a very junior level and I enjoy what I’m doing.

Have you always pictured yourself living in a different country?For a while before I started college, I thought I wanted to relocate to either New York City or Miami. However, after reading “The Ugly American,” I realized that the most opportunity for me was in Asia. So from freshman year on, I was determined to work in China. To that end, I started taking Chinese and did so for two and a half years. I also did a semester abroad in Hong Kong. So I guess that ever since I arrived in college, I have wanted to live abroad.

What advice do you have for others who may want to work in Asia?I really do believe that Asia is the place to be if you want to do business. So, if anyone is thinking of starting a career in Asia, I have some suggestions for you. If you’re not ethnically from any part of the region or don’t speak the language, learn to speak Chinese. If you want a job in Asia, it’s very hard for an employer to take you seriously unless you’ve lived out here for a period of time. I would suggest doing a semester abroad. My semester in Hong Kong was probably the most fun I’ve had in a four-month time span.

I understand that you won the Senior Social Science Award for AP Economics at Nichols. Does your present career involve that subject area?My current role uses economics at the periphery. The most valuable skills I can posses as a junior trader are speed and accuracy. Economics gives you the “why” of what’s going on. Having a good understanding of the macro forces that drive the markets I cover help me to understand why major events affect the markets in the way that they do. I think it’s a good foundation to understand what people around you are talking about, but in my current role I’m not asked to turn my economic views into specific buy and sell trades. The more senior you become in the bank, the more you are allowed to express your macro-economic view in the trades that you put on.

What is your favorite Nichols memory?I have to say my fondest memories of Nichols were in Mr. Cockerill’s math class. I took Geometry, Pre-calc and AP BC Calc with him. Through the years we had a lot of back and forth that I’m sure my classmates remember. Lots of laughing and good times in that classroom.

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?I think my greatest accomplishment was setting a goal for myself and achieving it four years later. As I mentioned, when I started freshman year of college I was determined to work in Asia. Five years later, I find myself exactly where I wanted to be. I’m happy that I was able set a goal and achieve it.

Arthur Hayes ’04byCarlyBuchheit’09

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45 Fall2009

Homecoming

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A.

B. C. D.

A.KatieFlaschner’10,leadscoreroftheVarsityFieldHockeyteam,helpedteammatesachieveanundefeatedseason.

B.KaelaParentis’17,KendraJones’17,SusanKowalski’17andGraceMontante’17hangoutatHomecoming.

C.Despitetheweather,ValerieZingapan’84worksthegrillwithchildrenBradley,OliviaandAlexandra’15.

D.BenBrason’16getshisfacepainted.

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F. G. H.

E.MatthewBenedict’11runswiththeball.

F. MembersoftheBoysJuniorVarsitySoccerTeamprepareforplay.

G.MichelleRosenbergParentis’86andWendyLebowitzPressman’83worktheAlumniBoardBBQ.

H.AlexandraMatthews’10,TessWilliams’10,HannahSorgi’10,ShannonNachreiner’12,NJSolis’10andTimSochasingthenationalanthembeforegamesbegin.

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A.AnnieNewallgetstheteamsfiredupforFieldDay.

B.CoumbaWinfield’13andPearlGuerin’13

C.MichaelAngelakos‘10

D.AlienaAubrecht‘10,KatielynnJaniga‘11,JoeFennie‘12,JordanKeane‘12andTaylorCole‘12

E.BriSmith‘10andAndrewToenniessen‘10

F. AlexaAyers’14andElizabethBourne’15

G.WillZacher‘12,LukeYerkovich‘12,TomMediak’12,IanMcQuestion‘12andCoreyBothwell’1248 NicholsSchool

What will you miss most about Nichols?Kevin: I will miss the many sports I played while at Nichols and the other players, and coaches that I met through them.Isabel: As cliché as it sounds, I’ll miss the people most. Not only my friends, as wonderful as they are – imagine, for the first time in eight years, I’ll have to make totally new friends! – but also the vague acquaintances the campus is filled with, whom I may or may not have even said a word to in my time at Nichols but are still staples in my life there. We may not talk, but they are a part of the setting, and I’ll miss that comfort and the atmosphere that makes almost anyone on campus either a friend or a familiar face.Kristin: I’ll miss my friends and all of the great people I met throughout my journey at Nichols.

What would you do differently, if you had the chance?Kevin: I would have liked to take different classes in the arts, like music, photography, or video.Isabel: I would get a life sooner. I did not get one until junior year, when I stopped concentrating so fiercely on school and sports and started to hang out with my friends more, especially out of school. I missed a lot of great potential moments then, and I wish I could get them back, because the stuff you learn in high school you can always refresh, but I’ll never have those sorts of moments again with those people.Kristin: I would put more time into studying, and overall manage my time differently.

Do you have any advice to underclassmen?Kevin: Try to do your best in school and go looking at colleges early so you can really get a sense of what type of school you would like to be at.

Isabel: Keep an open mind. Don’t choose a school you want to go to early in junior year or before and then refuse to consider other possibilities. Not only does that set you up for inevitable disappointment when the universe takes its revenge, but it also blinds you to a lot of other schools where you could be just as or even more happy. If you find a school you like, great – go look at others too. You might surprise yourself.Kristin: Make challenging decisions – take risks when you apply to college. You never know your potential if you don’t step outside the box.

Is there a faculty member at Nichols that influenced your time here?Kevin: Mr. Desautels has helped me all throughout my years at Nichols in the class room and through sports.Isabel: Every teacher I had, and even some I didn’t. I’m a nerd; I like to learn enough that every one of them fed my thirst for whatever they were teaching. Mr. Greene and Mrs. Thomas encouraged my historical scholarship; Dr. Stinger helped me to challenge myself in Latin. Mr. Cockerill led me to tolerate, if not enjoy, math for its complexities and elegance (and he never compared me to my brother, none of them did); Mr. Brunner and Mr. Mendenhall gave me some appreciation for sciences, though they were never my passion. All the English teachers influenced me somehow, either by the books I read in their class or the way they improved my writing or simply teaching me to enjoy reading even more than I already do. So, to sum up – every teacher I had.Kristin: Mr. Potter as a coach and a teacher. Also Mrs. Carney – she helped me out a lot with my senior project and she was a great person to talk to.

Senior ReflectionsbyCarlyBuchheit’09

The past four years of my life went by extremely fast. During the past two that I spent at Nichols, I met classmates and teachers that I will never forget. And although my classmates and I were eager to graduate and go to college, I know that there are parts of us that want to stay here and continue to experience all that Nichols has to offer. The fact that graduation day approached us so quickly is unreal to me – and now, my classmates and I are nervous freshmen in our first semester of college. When our Nichols careers came to an end, I spoke with Kevin Hughes ’09, Isabel Farhi ’09 and Kristin Via ’09, who reflected on their time here at Nichols.

Kevin Hughes ’09 – Canisius College

Isabel Farhi ’09 – Yale University

Kristin Via ’09 – Roanoke College

49 Fall2009 49

Nichols Football: A Tradition of ExcellenceCompiledbyColinBrinson’85

Nichols Football is one of the oldest football programs in Western New York. Since 1895, there has been a litany of championships, traditions, star players, and inspirational coaches that are unparalleled in prestige, accomplishment and sportsmanship. Nichols’ oldest sport has a rich tradition to celebrate as it begins its 115th season in 2009.

Early Nichols FootballEvidence of Nichols’ first football season is found in the unpublished autobiography of A. Conger Goodyear. Goodyear, the first president of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, also earned the distinction of being the first quarterback of a Nichols Football team in 1895. The early game of football was brutal, and Goodyear noted that he broke his collar bone but continued to play because there were no substitutes.

Even in the dangerous days of the “Flying Wedge,” Buffalo’s most legendary doctor, Roswell Park, valued the critical lessons to be learned in football, and allowed his son, Roswell Park Jr. ’01, to play offensive guard. Park’s team earned a 5-1-1 record in 1900.

Early Nichols Football reached its apex in 1923-24 when it went undefeated for two consecutive seasons under Coach John Dowd. Nichols soundly defeated Canisius and St. Joe’s in both seasons and outscored its opponents 281-19. Most impressive, however, was a

7-6 victory over Harvard Cup Champion and perennial powerhouse Masten Park High School in 1924.

The Waterman Years (1935-1948)Don Waterman is the longest tenured Head Coach in Nichols history, serving from 1935-1948. His teams were undefeated in 1936, 1937 and 1946.

Numerous Nichols legends played during the “Waterman Years.” Hal Gerard ’42 (Gerard Gymnasium) captained the 1941 team that went undefeated against local competition. Don Scully ’45 (Scully Athletic Complex) captained the 1944 team that easily disposed of St. Joe’s, 18-6. Throughout their years of service after college, both men touched the lives of countless Nichols student athletes. Both were early inductees into the Nichols Athletic Hall of Fame.

Nichols football won 14 consecutive games from 1936-1938. Captains Trey Coley ’37 and Fred Deringer ’38 led defenses that allowed only seven touchdowns in two years, and registered eight shutouts.

Waterman’s most storied team went undefeated in 1946. The team included George Stevens ’48, Fritz Zeller ’47 and Henry Waters ’48. George Stevens went on to star on Princeton’s Lambert Cup winning team in 1951. He was an All-Ivy League blocking back for the sixth ranked team in the nation before returning to

50 NicholsSchool

Sports Focus

coach football at Nichols for eight years. His teammates, Fritz Zeller and Henry Waters had long careers at Nichols as well.

Upon his retirement, “Nichols Field” was renamed “Waterman Field” and became the sight of gridiron glory for many generations of Nichols football players.

Nichols Football in the 1950sAfter Princeton, George Stevens returned to Nichols as Head Varsity Football coach in 1952. Stevens, along with Norm Pederson, would successfully lead the team for most of the decade. Fritz Zeller coached with Stevens and Pederson for three years before beginning his fabled career as a soccer coach.

The 1955 Nichols team, captained by Charles Ward, went undefeated, shutting out University School of Cleveland, 12-0, and dominating St. Joe’s 25-6. In 1957, Hall of Fame inductee Dick Webb ’58 rushed for over 1,000 yards. He continued his football career at Rutgers University.

The 1958 team may have been the strongest of the decade. Finishing with a 6-2 record, it lost narrowly to strong teams from St. Joe’s and Shady Side Academy. Captain John Henrich ’59 went on to star at Princeton University and was selected to the Nichols Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.

Nichols Vikings of the 1960sGeorge Stevens’ final year at Nichols in 1962 would begin a decade of unprecedented success. Mike “The Bomb” Quinlan ’63 rushed for a school record 1020 yards, leading the team to a 7-1 record and its first win against St. Joe’s since 1955. Quinlan became the first Nichols player selected to the Courier-Express All-WNY team.

In 1965, Nichols had its first undefeated season in a decade. Sophomore quarterback Greg Conrad ’68 threw nine touchdown passes, and Halfback Grant Hennigar ’66 was selected First Team All- WNY. Hennigar went on to play at Colgate University, while teammate Jon Wright ’66 continued his football career at Princeton.

The team’s winning streak ended at 11 games in 1966, but a 16 game winning streak was quickly started and team captain Bill Pettit ’67 was named All-WNY. Petit continued his athletic career at Amherst College.

The 1967 team is one of the best teams in WNY history, shattering the WNY scoring record with 329 points. Wide receiver Fred Hunt ’69 caught a WNY record 13 TD passes, while tight end Dan Phalen ’68 caught a school record 38 passes.

Although Phalen was the only member of the team to be selected All-WNY, Hunt’s record for touchdown receptions in a season set a WNY record that lasted for years. Greg Conrad ended his

51 Fall2009

career with 42 touchdown passes (still a school record), and had career record of 23-2 as a starting quarterback. Conrad starred at quarterback at the University of Rochester, and was inducted into both his College and High School Halls of Fame in 2005.

It was during the 1967 season that the Nichols team began to be called the “Vikings” because of the Defense’s similarity to the famed Minnesota Vikings “Purple People Eaters” defense at the time. George Kloepfer ’68 anchored the first team defense that only allowed eight points all season. He became the second of a long list of Nichols football players who played at Amherst College for legendary coach Jim Ostendarp.

Nichols Football in the 1970sAn opening day win against Orchard Park in 1970 began another undefeated season and another 11 game winning streak. Sophomore Gary Ogden ’73 emerged as a standout on defense, and the coaching staff implemented a “run and shoot” offense long before the style of play became prominent in the NFL. Quarterback Jim Harkins ’71 set a WNY record for passing yardage when he threw for 418 yards against Kiski. Later in the year, he broke his own record by throwing for 420 yards against Cranbrook.

The Vikings continued to dominate WNY and the Interstate Prep League in 1971 and 1972. Standout running back John Mineo ’72 and the nearly unstoppable tight end Dave Comerford ’73 led physical offensive attacks that compiled a 12-2-2 record. Ogden went on to play at Northwestern University, and Comerford had an excellent career at Amherst College. Ogden joined his teammate Comerford in the Nichols Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.

In 1978 and 1979, the Big Green nearly matched the perfection of the earlier years with consecutive 6-2 seasons. Wins against Timon and Canisius demonstrated that Nichols was still a top large school football program. Ted Nagel ’80 was named All-WNY at tight end in 1978, and Mike Sullivan ’80 was selected for All-WNY at offensive guard in 1979.

The Bill Fitzhenry Era (1964-1984)Bill Fitzhenry was already a WNY coaching legend before coming to Nichols in the early 1960s. He was the head coach at St. Joe’s during its unprecedented four consecutive undefeated seasons from 1956-1959. His teams won 33 consecutive games, including all four against Nichols during that span.

Nichols Football had been consistently strong throughout the first part of the 20th century, but when Bill Fitzhenry arrived, the program went from good to great. A lawyer by trade, Coach Fitzhenry was a head coach at Nichols for only two seasons (1975-76). However, he was a de facto co-head coach for many years, and was responsible for many excellent student athletes attending Nichols. The team earned a 92-62-5 record during the years that Coach Fitzhenry was at Nichols, including three undefeated seasons, and two seasons with only one loss.

Coaching talent was deep at Nichols during Fitzhenry’s tenure. Norm Pederson was head coach (1963-1968) when “Fitz” first arrived on campus. Don Cockerill served as assistant coach from 1966-1968, and head coach from 1969-1973. George Mayer, a member of the first ever All-WNY Football team in 1958, served as assistant coach from 1969-1973. George Kloepfer ’68 began his

teaching and coaching career at Nichols in 1972.Jim Waltz began his career at Nichols in 1966, coaching the

Freshman team. For roughly a quarter century, nearly all Nichols Football players played for Mr. Waltz before moving to the Varsity. Waltz was most influential on the development of younger talent, and a large reason for the success of Nichols Varsity teams of that time.

Nichols Football after the Interstate Prep LeagueIn 1980, Nichols dropped out of the Interstate Prep League after 53 years of competition and 10 league championships. Since that time, Nichols Football has played a schedule largely made up of Monsignor Martin League teams. More important than league status to Nichols Football, however, were two other major factors that affected the competitive level of the program.

First, the dynamics of Nichols enrollment changed when it began to admit girls. As an All-Boys’ school in 1970, Nichols would have been classified as a Class B school by public school enrollment guidelines. By 1984, as a co-educational school, Nichols would have been classified a Class C school, under the same enrollment standard. Nichols’ enrollment has remained at a Class C level for boys sports ever since.

Second, the local competition changed. During the late 1970s and 1980s, six local Catholic High Schools closed. As a result, St. Joe’s, St. Francis and Bishop Timon all gained a recruiting advantage, and their programs improved dramatically.

Therefore, Nichols Football was faced with an impossible task: defeat some of the best large schools in New York State as a co-educational Class C school. In the first 11 years after it left the Interstate Prep League (1981-1991), Nichols teams earned a cumulative 2-24 (.077) record against Catholic school powers St. Joe’s, Timon and St. Francis.

A Successful Program in the 1980s and Early 1990sNot surprisingly, however, Nichols teams were among the best small schools in WNY in the 1980s and early 1990s. Discounting the 26 games against the three large Catholic school powerhouses, Nichols’s record from 1981-1991 was a wildly successful 48-20, a .705 winning percentage.

The “Air-Kloepfer” years (1980-1984) produced several excellent receivers, including Mark Schmidt ’81 (SUNY at Buffalo), Mike McDonnell ’85 (Hamilton College) and Joe Tomizzi ’83 (Canisius College), who earned All-WNY honors while setting a Nichols record for career pass receptions and yards. Quarterback Matt Sullivan ’83 threw for 1,304 yards in 1982. Each of these student athletes were three-sport athletes for Nichols.

The Buffalo News ranked Nichols 7th in its Small School Poll in 1984, and 8th in 1988, the last year it defeated St. Francis. In 1991, Nichols came within several minutes of an undefeated season, with a 7-2 record. Both St. Joe’s and St. Francis needed 4th quarter comebacks to defeat the Big Green.

South Buffalo was the home to many of the best players for Nichols during the 1980s and early 1990s. Three sets of South Buffalo brothers were particularly influential as leaders of their respective teams. The Sullivan Brothers (Mike ’80, Matt ’83 and Joe ’84), the Danieu Brothers (Paul ’82 and John ’84) and the


Petrik Brothers (Mike ’85, Chris ’87 and Martin ’88) led their teams to six winning seasons in the 1980s. Other South Buffalonians, Brian Gasuik ’81 (HOF ’05), Patrick Long ’85, Mike Parentis ’86, Ernie Mata ’88, Jerry Hughes ’89 and Jack Plunkett ’91 served as captains for the Big Green as well.

In 1985, Nichols turned to South Buffalo for its Varsity Coach. After decades of coaching the South Buffalo Little League Tigers, Ed Pitz spent five years at the helm of the Nichols Varsity. His teams had three winning seasons and a combined record of 23-18. Owen Harrison quarterbacked the team during two of those winning years, throwing for 1,456 yards in 1987.

Nichols Football in the 1990 and 2000Starting in 1993, Nichols began to schedule Class C public schools from the “Expressway League” in Section V. Nichols had two winning seasons (1994 and 1995) under new head coach Duke Ziegler. Quarterback Gregg Barton ’97 set a WNY record for career passing yardage, with 4,152 yards from 1993-1996. He was named first team All-WNY in 1996.

This success, however, was short lived, and Nichols had its first ever winless season in 1997. Over the next decade, undermanned Nichols teams continued to play valiantly, but interest in the sport declined as losses mounted.

Nichols Football at a CrossroadsAfter a column in The Buffalo News maligned the Football Program as a “cupcake” opponent, the administration of the School became concerned about the ability of Nichols students to play football at any competitive level.

Because of these concerns, and to ensure that future Nichols students would have the chance to play football, Patrick J. Long ’85 and Colin Brinson ’85 returned in 2007 to coach the team along with Alex Jones, a holdover from two previous Nichols staffs. Under Long, the team broke a 13-game losing streak and made the Monsignor Martin League playoffs.

Longtime Nichols Freshman Coaches Tim McCarthy, Tom Franz ’76 and Charlie Dingboom led the Nichols Modified team to an undefeated season – its first since the days when Jim Waltz coached the Freshman team.

In 2008, Charlie Cannan ’04, who won seven varsity letters in his Football and Baseball career at St. Lawrence University, was added to the coaching staff and the team won three games for the first time in eight years.

Nichols Football in the FutureThroughout the 20th century, Nichols Football has achieved excellence without becoming a “Football Factory.” Nichols Football players generally support the School by playing one or two other sports and often participate in many other extra-curricular activities.

Mike Parentis ’86 is one of many former players who exemplify the spirit of Nichols Football. After earning eight varsity letters in three high school sports, he became an All-American Lacrosse defenseman at Yale University. Currently, he is an orthopedic surgeon in the Buffalo area.

Nichols players have proven that they can play at the highest levels of college football. (Most recently, Jeff Tamulski ’92 was an all Yankee Conference selection for nationally ranked New Hampshire in Division 1-AA). However, before they do, they will learn how to be teammates with players who have balanced priorities and a range of healthy interests.

Nichols teams will continue to succeed by playing the way they have since 1895: hardnosed football played by student-athletes who strive for excellence in academics, extra-curricular activities and athletics. Nichols Football remains proud of its tradition, and expects to add to that rich tradition in the years to come.

Sports Focus

The2009-2010VarsityFootballteam

53 Fall2009

Julia L. Accetta ’10DaughterofLynnAzurinAccetta’80

Martha H. Alford ’11DaughterofJulieGencoAlford’84

DaughterofJ.ScottAlford’84GranddaughterofJ.KeithAlford’59

Nina C. Amato ’16DaughterofWendyCastigliaAmato’86

Elizabeth A. Andersen ’16DaughterofKristanCarlsonAndersen’80GranddaughterofCharlesC.Carlson’52

M. Noel Andersen ’13SonofKristanCarlsonAndersen’80GrandsonofCharlesC.Carlson’52

Jayne Appelbaum ’17DaughterofMarkJ.Appelbaum’85

Kendall G. Appelbaum ’13DaughterofMarkJ.Appelbaum’85

Aliena R.M. Aubrecht ’10DaughterofChristianF.P.Aubrecht’86

Wilhelm M. Aubrecht ’17SonofChristianF.P.Aubrecht’86

Aidan C. Balbach ’17SonofC.TeoBalbach’86

Amber L. Ball ’10DaughterofJohnE.Ball’79

Elliot L. Biltekoff ’14SonofRobertA.Biltekoff’80

GrandsonofMurrayA.Yost’58

Bradley A. Bourne ’12SonofJamesA.Bourne,Jr.’79

GrandsonofJamesA.Bourne’54

Elizabeth E. Bourne ’15DaughterofJamesA.Bourne,Jr.’79

GranddaughterofJamesA.Bourne’54

Evan F. Brason ’16SonofToddW.Brason’76

Sydney M. Brason ’14DaughterofToddW.Brason’76

Isobel C. Brinkworth ’16DaughterofDennisJ.BrinkworthIII’79

Larkin P. Brinkworth ’10SonofDennisJ.BrinkworthIII’79

Joel Brinson ’14SonofColinM.Brinson’85

Paul Brinson ’17SonofColinM.Brinson’85

Matthew J. Buyers ’14GrandsonofJohnW.Buyers’61

Colin J. Campbell ’11SonofJayB.Campbell’79

Emily J. Carlson ’11DaughterofRichardA.Carlson,Jr.’72

Zachary A. Carlson ’14DaughterofRichardA.Carlson,Jr.’72

John M. Carney ’17StepsonofMaryGiallanzaCarney’89

Legacies


Alexandra M. Castiglia ’15DaughterofGregoryJ.Castiglia’84DaughterofValerieA.Zingapan’84

Jeremy J. Castiglia ’12SonofGregoryJ.Castiglia’84SonofValerieA.Zingapan’84

Barton W. Chambers, Jr. ’11SonofBartonW.Chambers’82

SonofKarenKellerChambers’82Great-grandsonofRobertE.Chambers’34

Dieter M. Clauss ’10SonofJuliaLaddsClauss’75

Erika Cromwell ’16DaughterofBrianG.Cromwell’76

Lauren Cromwell ’16DaughterofBrianG.Cromwell’76

Rachel A. Cromwell ’10DaughterofBrianG.Cromwell’76

Ryan W. Cromwell ’13SonofBrianG.Cromwell’76

Jeffrey J. Davis ’14GrandsonofMarshallE.Davis’43

Stephen A. Dhillon ’16SonofLisaA.Hansen’83

John A. Ennis ’15SonofJamesS.Ennis’81

Kathryn Ennis ’13DaughterofJamesS.Ennis’81

Nicholas G. EnnisSonofJamesS.Ennis’81

Caroline Fenn ’12GranddaughterofJamesA.Bourne’54

Elizabeth A. Fitch ’13DaughterofAnnetteHolzmanFitch’82

John A. Fitch ’17SonofAnnetteHolzmanFitch’82

Brian T. Franz ’11SonofThomasA.Franz’76

Haley A. Fromen ’10DaughterofJohnJ.Fromen,Jr.’79

Hannah Gardner ’12DaughterofJonathanH.Gardner’77

Charles “Bo” H. Gurney ’10SonofElizabethStevensGurney’75

SonofCharlesL.GurneyIII’75GrandsonofE.W.DannStevens’44GrandsonofCharlesL.GurneyII’38

Great-grandsonofHoraceW.Reed’22

Georgia Gurney ’17DaughterofWilliamH.Gurney’80

GranddaughterofCharlesL.GurneyII’38

Schyler Gurney ’14Granddaughterof

StephenSpauldingGurney’51

Cameron A. Hejna ’14SonofAnthonyJ.Hejna’86

Ethan A. Hejna ’16SonofAnthonyJ.Hejna’86

John L. Hettrick III ’13SonofJaneCoxHettrick’78

SonofJohnL.Hettrick,Jr.’73Great-grandsonofAdrianJ.Allard’28

Robert Hettrick ’16SonofJaneCoxHettrick’78

SonofJohnL.Hettrick,Jr.’73Great-grandsonofAdrianJ.Allard’28

William D. Hibbard III ’16SonofWilliamD.HibbardII’80

55 Fall2009

Caroline M. Hogan ’14DaughterofKatherineB.Roach’83

Lindsay K. Hogan ’16DaughterofKatherineB.Roach’83

John D. Hourihane ’14SonofWendyZimmer’81

Sophie R. Hourihane ’16DaughterofWendyZimmer’81

Edwin M. Johnston IV ’10SonofEdwinM.JohnstonIII’78

GrandsonofEdwinM.Johnston,Jr.’51Great-grandsonofNelsonT.Montgomery’16

Leyton W. Johnston ’16SonofEdwinM.JohnstonIII’78

GrandsonofEdwinM.Johnston,Jr.’51Great-grandsonofNelsonT.Montgomery’16

Alexandra W. Jones ’14DaughterofIanW.Jones’80

GranddaughterofAlbertM.JonesII’39

Kendra J. Jones ’17DaughterofPeterM.Jones’74


Lauren D. Jones ’11DaughterofIanW.Jones’80


Leeanne J. Jones ’17DaughterofPeterM.Jones’74


Samuel M. Jones ’15SonofPeterM.Jones’74

GrandsonofAlbertM.JonesII’39

Ava B. Karet ’15DaughterofMichaelA.Karet’87

GranddaughterofJackA.Karet’52

Brendan Karet ’11SonofMichaelA.Karet’87

GrandsonofJackA.Karet’52

Chloe Keating ’15DaughterofLisaMassaroKeating’82

Lachlan C. Kellogg ’12SonofStephenKellogg,Jr.’81

GrandsonofStephenKellogg,Sr.’55

Stephen Kellogg III ’10SonofStephenKellogg,Jr.’81

GrandsonofStephenKellogg,Sr.’55

Colin W. B. Kennedy ’11GrandsonofWilliamR.Kinkel’46

John C. Knox ’11SonofSeymourH.KnoxIV’73

Great-grandsonofSeymourH.Knox,Jr.’15

Anna S. Magavern ’15DaughterofSamuelD.MagavernII’81

GranddaughterofJamesL.Magavern’51

Caroline L. Magavern ’17DaughterofSamuelD.MagavernII’81

GranddaughterofJamesL.Magavern’51

Nicola Marcucci ’14GrandsonofJohnM.Wadsworth’55

Great-grandsonofIrvineJ.Kittinger’23

Teodoro Marcucci ’17GrandsonofJohnM.Wadsworth’55

Great-grandsonofIrvineJ.Kittinger’23

Derek R. Marks ’11SonofTheodoreE.MarksII’78

M. Graham Marks ’10SonofTheodoreE.MarksII’78

Theodore E. Marks III ’14SonofTheodoreE.MarksII’78


Alexandra M. Mathews ’11DaughterofKarenL.Mathews’71

Frederick G. Maynor ’14SonofThomasG.Maynor’81

SonofClareT.Poth’81

Sarah A. Miller ’12DaughterofRobertL.Miller,Jr.’73

GranddaughterofRobertL.Miller,Sr.’45

Grace Montante ’17Daughterof

AlexandraLluganyMontante’86

Peter O. Montante ’14SonofAlexandraLluganyMontante’86

Benjamin M. Muggia ’15GrandsonofDonaldE.Miller’60

Sydney M. Muggia ’12GranddaughterofDonaldE.Miller’60

Shannon G. Nachreiner ’12Daughterof

LorraineHoffmanNachreiner’79

Grace “Sara” Newman ’17DaughterofJamesD.Newman’79

Matthew O’Connor ’16SonofScottH.O’Connor’85

Hanna O’Neill ’12DaughterofWendeA.Mix’77

George H. Ostendorf III ’11SonofGeorgeH.Ostendorf,Jr.’83

GrandsonofGeorgeH.Ostendorf’58Great-grandsonofRobertE.Chambers’34

Great-grandsonofRenwickA.Ostendorf’25

Great-grandsonofEdwardG.Zeller,Jr.’25

Oscar C. Ostendorf ’13SonofGeorgeH.Ostendorf,Jr.’83

GrandsonofGeorgeH.Ostendorf’58Great-grandsonofRobertE.Chambers’34

Great-grandsonofRenwickA.Ostendorf’25

Great-grandsonofEdwardG.Zeller,Jr.’25

Jacob N. Parentis ’15SonofMichaelA.Parentis’86

SonofMichelleRosenbergParentis’86

Kaela D. Parentis ’17DaughterofMichaelA.Parentis’86

DaughterofMichelleRosenbergParentis’86

Max G. Pergament ’11SonofDianeGardner’79

Ralegh R. Petri ’16SonofPeterPetri,Jr.’57

Jack B. Pfalzgraf ’17SonofDavidR.Pfalzgraf,Jr.’88

David W. Pierce ’11SonofFrederickG.PierceII’73

GrandsonofFrederickS.Pierce’35

Jonathan Plotkin ’10SonofSusanPittermanPlotkin’79

Nicholas J. Prise ’11SonofKevinM.Prise’82

James A. Randaccio ’11SonofAlanR.Randaccio’82

Lauren Randaccio ’13DaughterofAlanR.Randaccio’82

Caroline M. Russ ’10DaughterofHughM.RussIII’78

GranddaughterofHughM.Russ’47

Parker S. Sanders ’17SonofStephenK.Sanders’82

GrandsonofTheodoreR.Sanders’45

Hayley Scamurra ’13DaughterofPeterScamurra’73

Maxwell M. Scott ’16SonofPatrickV.Scott’84

57 Fall2009

Daniel R. Scully ’13SonofCarolHaarScully’80

David A. Sherris, Jr. ’13SonofDavidA.Sherris’79

Matthew P. Sherris ’15SonofDavidA.Sherris’79

Edward G. Spangenthal ’10SonofEdwardJ.Spangenthal’79

Paige F. Spangenthal ’15DaughterofEdwardJ.Spangenthal’79

Jacob Stark ’10Great-grandsonofCameronBaird’22

D. Brady Stevens ’15SonofGregoryD.Stevens’74

GrandsonofE.W.DannStevens’44Great-grandsonofHoraceW.Reed’22

Annawade M. Stevenson ’14DaughterofWadeStevenson’63

GranddaughterofCharlesP.Stevenson’36

Brian Tank ’17SonofEricaProcterTank’79

John H. Tank III ’13SonofEricaProcterTank’79

Anna E. Tantillo ’13DaughterofTheresaGiallanzaTantillo’81

Joseph F. Tantillo ’11SonofTheresaGiallanzaTantillo’81

Kristen E. Tiftickjian ’14DaughterofDavidD.Tiftickjian’78

Great-granddaughterofBrainardE.Prescott’28

William L. Tiftickjian ’11SonofDavidD.Tiftickjian’78

Great-grandsonofBrainardE.Prescott’28

Tyler A. Trammell ’15SonofMarkH.Trammell’78

Alexandra Viti ’13DaughterofSusanSchoepperle’80

Step-granddaughterofW.LarryGriffis’42

Lucas H. Walsh ’12SonofTheodoreB.K.Walsh’73

GrandsonofJohnN.WalshJr.’39

Christopher M. Walter ’11SonofJosephR.Walter’76

Madeleine D. Waters ’10DaughterofHenryD.Waters,Jr.’73

GranddaughterofHenryD.Waters’48Great-granddaughterofJesseC.Dann’18

Andrew. J. Welchoff ’14SonofTracyNarinsWelchoff’83GrandsonofRichardB.Narins’55

Madeline Welchoff ’16DaughterofTracyNarinsWelchoff’83GranddaughterofRichardB.Narins’55

Christopher P. White ’11SonofW.MichaelWhite’81

Catherine Williams ’12DaughterofJohnD.Williams’80

GranddaughterofReginaldV.Williams,Jr.’49

Brice U. Winder ’16GranddaughterofJ.BruceForbush’49

Nicolette M. Winder ’11GranddaughterofJ.BruceForbush’49

Andrew E. Wolney ’14SonofAnnFlynnWolney’78

Colin R. Wright ’16SonofErinTeachWright’76

SonofJonathanR.Wright’66GrandsonofRichardI.Teach’50

GrandsonofWilliamS.Wright’34

Alec E. Yerkovich ’16SonofEdwardD.Yerkovich’80


Luke A. Yerkovich ’12SonofEdwardD.Yerkovich’80

Will E. Yerkovich ’15SonofEdwardD.Yerkovich’80

Sommer H. Zacher ’13DaughterofDarcyDonaldsonZacher’88

DaughterofWilliamR.Zacher,Sr.’86GranddaughterofDanielR.Donaldson’58GranddaughterofWilliamH.Zacher’55

Great-granddaughterofCharlesH.Augspurger’35

Great-granddaughterofWilliamK.Donaldson‘33

William R. Zacher, Jr. ’12SonofDarcyDonaldsonZacher’88

SonofWilliamR.Zacher,Sr.’86GrandsonofDanielR.Donaldson’58GrandsonofWilliamH.Zacher’55

Great-granddaughterofCharlesH.Augspurger‘35

Great-granddaughterofWilliamK.Donaldson‘33

Jacob A. Zimmer ’11SonofGreggL.Zimmer’80

Rachel L. Zimmer ’13DaughterofGreggL.Zimmer’80 Ev

entsUpcoming

EventsWednesday,Dec.9UpperSchoolWinterConcert,FlickingerPerformingArtsCenter

Friday,Dec.11Parent-TeacherConferences,Noclasses

Thursday,Dec.17MiddleSchoolWinterConcert,FlickingerPerformingArtsCenter

Friday,Dec.18WinterBreak,Beginsatendofschoolday

Wednesday,Dec.23AlumniGathering

Monday,Jan.4Classesresumefromvacation

Saturday,Jan.16&Sunday,Jan.17AlumniHockeyTournament

Monday,Jan.18MartinLutherKing,Jr.Day,SchoolClosed

Thursday,Jan.28&Friday,Jan.29BoardofTrusteesMeetings

Friday,Jan.29WinterSportsNight

Saturday,Jan.30AlumniHockey&Basketball,Oddvs.Even

Monday,Feb.15&Tuesday,Feb.16Mid-WinterBreak,SchoolClosed

Friday,Feb.26Choreographers’Showcase,FlickingerPerformingArtsCenter

Monday,March8ProfessionalDay,NoClasses

Friday,March19Cabaret,FlickingerPerformingArtsCenter

Friday,March26SpringBreak,Beginsatendofschoolday

Monday,April12Classesresumefromvacation

Thursday,April22EarthDay

Thursday,April22-Saturday,April24UpperSchoolSpringPlay,FlickingerPerformingArtsCenter

Tuesday,April27FlickFest,FlickingerPerformingArtsCenter

Thursday,April29UpperSchoolSpringConcert,FlickingerPerformingArtsCenter

Friday,April30ProfessionalDay,NoClasses

Saturday,May1DerbyDayAuction

Pleasevisitourschoolcalendaronwww.nicholsschool.orgformoredetailedinformation.

59 Fall2009

After Nichols

Where did you attend college? I attended Bryn Mawr College, where I did a combined AB/MA in Sociology. I went straight to grad school at the University of Pennsylvania and finished a Ph.D. in Sociology in 1995.

What are you up to now?My husband and I moved to Los Angeles right after graduate school, and I was fortunate enough to land a position at UCLA as a research Sociologist in the Department of Psychiatry. My research group is called the Center for Culture and Health, and we are an interdisciplinary team of social scientists working on a range of projects related to physical and mental health. At home, we have two boys and two dogs, all of whom keep our lives noisy and busy.

Your documentary, “Beyond Breast Cancer: Stories of Survivors” was selected to screen at several top film festivals. Tell us about this experience.After working for almost a decade as a researcher, I started to really question how we, as academics, share the information we gather with the rest of the world. I have always liked visual media – it’s a really powerful mode of communication/expression – and I started to think about how to translate my work into the realm of documentaries. I took an undergraduate course on documentary filmmaking at UCLA (I was double the age of the youngest students, which was a bizarre experience), and my professor from that course later agreed to team with me in making a documentary. Sometimes ignorance is a blessing; I knew so little about the process of filmmaking, really, that it never occurred to me that I couldn’t do it!

It’s been exciting that the film has been well received and that we’ve been able to reach a wider audience with our research than if we had just published academic articles. The festivals are fun, and I very much enjoyed returning to Buffalo after several years to screen our documentary at the Buffalo-Niagara Film Festival. I was touched that several current and former Nichols faculty came to the screening, including Mimi Dow, who herself has done some amazing documentary work through her WomenStories project.

We understand your film is being used by the American Cancer Society’s Reach to Recovery as a worldwide training tool. How did this come to be?Our first festival screening was last fall at the Baltimore Women’s Film Festival. With funding from the Susan G. Komen Foundation, we made several hundred copies of the film, and we give them away to whomever can use them. One audience member was a Reach to Recovery volunteer (they are an amazing organization; trained volunteers offer support to women through the entire breast cancer experience), and she passed the film along to a regional director, who in turn asked me for copies to distribute to international coordinators. It was all very unexpected but wonderful.

What motivated you to get involved in this line of work?A series of strange coincidences led me to study breast cancer survivors. I met a professor in Women’s Studies at a function several years ago, and when she realized I had a background in medical sociology, she asked me if I would substitute teach her course while she was on medical leave. It turned out that she was experiencing profound and crippling fatigue since her breast cancer treatments. Other women in her support group complained of chronic symptoms, but at that time, doctors generally thought the symptoms were psychosomatic. Now, of course, there is quite a bit in the medical literature about how chemotherapy and radiation can cause long term adverse symptoms in cancer survivors, including memory loss, joint degeneration and acute pain. But at that time, patients kept hearing that their symptoms were “in their heads,” which meant that family, friends, and employers were largely unsympathetic to their condition. It made me so frustrated and angry that this would be the case, and I was determined to get funding to document that these were real medical conditions and to tell the stories of survivors with symptoms.

Coincidentally, my late mother was diagnosed with breast cancer as I was starting to write grant proposals; a former nursing professor, she actually copy edited the version that was funded by the Susan G. Komen Foundation, but she died before we received word of our funding. Certainly her experiences spurred me to greater lengths as we conducted our research.

In our study, we conducted in-depth qualitative interviews and focus groups with nearly a hundred women and were really stunned by the data we collected. In the end, we were able to produce both the documentary and a book called “After the Cure: the Untold Stories of Breast Cancer Survivors.” The book is available at Amazon and other bookstores, but I am still distributing the film free of charge. For information about either, you can visit our web sites: www.afterthecure.com and www.reeldoctors.org.

Saskia Subramanian ’84byNinaBarone

60 NicholsSchool

Who are your inspirations?Both of my parents were very inspirational to me. They were very involved in a range of charitable endeavors throughout their lives, and I think I learned enormously from their examples of compassion, empathy, and service to the community. I have also derived great inspiration from the women in my study/film; many of them are terribly disabled by their post-treatment symptoms, and yet they evidence such courage and grace and determination in the face of chronic ill health. It is really quite humbling to watch them.

How did Nichols prepare you for college and the life beyond college?I think Nichols gave me a very solid educational background and prepared me well for college overall, but the two most valuable areas were in providing me with an excellent writing program (particularly in senior year), which is really the foundation for everything I do professionally, and fantastic language training. Living in Los Angeles, I cannot tell you how necessary Spanish is, and my course work at Nichols as well as being an exchange student my senior year of high school really prepared me well to speak, read and write in another language.

What is the most valuable lesson you learned at Nichols?The importance of communication. Aside from learning to write at Nichols, I was also part of a great debate and speech team, the lessons from which have been of great help in my professional and personal life.

What do you like to do in your spare time?I have two small children, so a lot of my “spare” time is spent chasing after them! Beyond that I am a big foodie and spend an abnormal amount of time cooking and reading and thinking about food. To stave off the effects of so much food, I just started dancing again after a 20 year hiatus, and my kids and I were all in the same dance recital this past spring. It was comical, to say the least!

Are You Missing Out?

Yourclassmates,friendsandteachersaremak-ingnewNicholsconnections.Ifyouarenotapartoftheonlineconversation,checkitout:

Become a fan of Nichols School.

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JointheNichols School Alumni Network.

Save the date and come back to Nichols!

June 4, 2010

61 Fall2009

William Nichols SocietyThe William Nichols Society honors those who have advised us that they have named Nichols in their will or in a trust.

AlumniClass of 1914Mr. Clark T. Roberts (D)

Class of 1916Mr. Edward B. Archbald (D)

Class of 1921Mr. Harry D. Yates (D)

Class of 1924Mr. Robert L. Crane (D)

Class of 1926Mr. Wilcox B. Adsit (D)Mr. Hubert L. Perry (D)

Class of 1929Hon. Henry P. Smith III (D)Dr. Robert Warner (D)

Class of 1931Mr. Matthew N. Hayes (D)Mr. George B. Kellogg (D)Mr. Julian R. Oishei (D)

Class of 1932Dr. Warren R. Montgomery, Jr. (D)Mr. Harry B. Pinkerton, Jr. (D)Mr. Philip M. Schneckenburger (D)

Class of 1933Mr. Richard R. Chellas (D)Mr. Bryant H. Prentice, Jr. (D)

Class of 1936Mr. Scott McFarland (D)

Class of 1937Mr. Karr Parker, Jr. (D)

Class of 1938Mr. Richard E. MootMr. Robert S. ScheuMr. Edward C. Schlenker Jr. (D)

Class of 1939Mr. Thomas H. DanforthMr. Richard P. Hunt (D)

Class of 1940Mr. James G. Hurley (D)

Class of 1941Mr. Edwin C. AndrewsMr. John BradyMr. John P. HalsteadMr. R. Alfred Kirchhofer (D)Mr. Richard C. Smith (D)Mr. S. Thompson VieleMr. Murray W. Warner (D)

Class of 1942Mr. Roderic B. MacDonald (D)Mr. Donald S. Rumsey (D)Mr. Edward M. Scheu, Jr.

Class of 1943Mr. Allen ShortMr. Edward F. Walsh

Class of 1944Mr. Fulton M. CookeMr. John R. GriffisMr. E.W. Dann Stevens

Bequests: William Nichols SocietybyNeilFarmelo

A bequest to Nichols School is a gift that represents the donor’s concern for and commitment to the school’s excellence in education. The William Nichols Society cites and honors all persons who have named Nichols School in their estate plans, usually by will or trust.

Bequests were first tracked in our giving records as a specific category in 1991. Since then, Nichols has received 42 bequests totaling $1,302,487. Following are the names of alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends who are members of the William Nichols Society. Please note that (D) represents a deceased member.

Class of 1945Mr. John P. Hoffman (D)Dr. James M. OrrMr. Donald B. Scully (D)

Class of 1946Mr. Lawrence Osgood

Class of 1947Mr. Whitworth Ferguson, Jr. (D)Mr. Rodney W. GartnerMr. Allan S. Lerner Mr. Carlton K. NicholsonMr. John G. Putnam, Jr. (D)Mr. Calvin G. RandMr. John A. WilliamsMr. G. Frederick Zeller, Jr. (D)

Class of 1948Mr. Walter G. Goldstein (D)Mr. Charles S. LauerMr. William H. OrrMr. Malcolm Strachan IIMr. Henry D. Waters

Class of 1949Mr. Richard W. Cutting Mr. Robert E. DillonMr. William H. DonaldsonMr. Hoyt M. LongDr. J. David SchnatzDr. Bernard D. WakefieldMr. Reginald V. Williams, Jr.Mr. Charles L. Yeager

Class of 1950Mr. Thomas R. Flickinger

Class of 1951Mr. James M. DillonMr. Stephen S. GurneyMr. Edwin M. Johnston, Jr.Mr. David W. McCainMr. William J. Regan, Jr.Mr. Alfred W. Rossow, Jr. Mr. Roger D. Severance Mr. Richard W. ShaughnessyMr. John H. Wood (D)

Class of 1952Mr. Harold M. Graham (D)Mr. Richard W. Miller (D)

Class of 1953Mr. Willard C. Frank, Jr.


Class of 1954Mr. Denis DoyleMr. James H. ParkMr. Kalman Ruttenstein (D)Mr. Albert B. WendeMr. C. Penn Wettlaufer (D)

Class of 1955Mr. Wyndham EatonDr. John M. Wadsworth

Class of 1957Mr. F. Peter BoerDr. James R. ColeMr. James W. Greene II (D)Mr. John B. HenryDr. Charles A. Smith IIMr. David Wharton III (D)

Class of 1958Mr. Stuart H. AngertDr. William F. ClaytonMr. Howard T. Saperston, Jr.

Class of 1959Mr. John W. Henrich

Class of 1960Mr. William N. Hudson, Jr.Mr. Donald W. Koch (D)

Class of 1961Mr. Richard B. AdamsMr. G. Robert Moeschler, Jr.Mr. Kenneth M. Neil

Class of 1962Mr. Robert P. Lentz III

Class of 1963Mr. Warren B. GelmanMr. William B. LowethDr. L. Sandy Maisel Mr. John N. Walsh III

Class of 1964Mr. P. Jeffrey BirtchMr. Howard L. SchweitzerMr. Kevin M. Wyckoff

Class of 1965Mr. Richard B. Benson

Class of 1966Mr. Theodore C. Jewett IIMr. Bertram B. ParkerMr. John A. MitchellMr. Robert F. Rahn

Class of 1969Mr. Jerry S. Ivers

Class of 1970Mr. William G. Gisel, Jr.Mr. Edward W. Suor

Class of 1972Mr. John MineoMr. Edward F. Walsh, Jr.

Class of 1974Mrs. Eliz. Rydzynski HulleyMr. Gregory D. Stevens

Class of 1975Mr. Neal V. Fatin IIIMrs. Elizabeth Stevens Gurney

Class of 1976Mr. Brian D. DillonMs. Katharine Jebb NortonMr. Stephen J. Wydysh

Class of 1977Mr. John C. FarmeloMrs. Anne Desbecker Sofarelli

Class of 1978Mrs. Stacey Fell Milne

Class of 1979Mr. Jeffrey T. Clifford

Class of 1980Dr. R. Reed Stevens

Class of 1984Ms. Susan E. Hanifin Ms. Joy C. Trotter

Class of 1987Mr. Mark H. Yellen

Class of 1990Mr. W. Scott Saperston

Class of 1991Mr. Kenneth R. Robinson

Class of 1992Capt. Elizabeth Boll-Faris

Faculty and StaffMr. Richard C. Bryan, Jr.Dr. Anne R. ClaussMr. Neil R. FarmeloMr. Guy M. JohnsonMr. H. Richard MacKinder (D)Mr. Millard SessionsMrs. Mary SykesMr. Albert Sutter (D)Mrs. Ginna Walsh

FriendsMrs. Marian C. Arms (D)Mr. Charles E. BalbachMrs. Margaret C. Balbach (D)Mr. James Benson (D)Mr. Keith A. BlakeleyRev. Judith B. BryanMr. David N. CampbellMrs. Gay CampbellMr. Joseph J. CastigliaMrs. Virginia L. Duffy (D)Mrs. Doris FarmeloMrs. Sue GardnerMrs. Patricia GelmanMrs. Marion Goodyear (D)Mr. Richard M. Hemenway (D)Mrs. Gerald B. Henry (D)Mrs. Margaret W. Henry (D)Mr. Sherlock A. Herrick, Jr.Mr. Charles R. HoffMrs. James G. HurleyMr. Clinton F. Ivins, Jr.Mrs. Thomas A. JebbMr. N. Michael Keiser (D)Mr. Chauncey C. KennedyMrs. Patricia M. KennedyMrs. Jean KnoxMr. Seymour H. Knox III (D)Dr. Richard LeeDr. Oscar J. LluganyMrs. Kate Ennis Mabette (D)Mrs. Claire McGowanMrs. Garfield L. Miller, Jr.Mrs. Elizabeth S. MitchellMrs. Alice L. PeekMrs. Jane Perry (D)Mrs. Sharon A. RandaccioMr. Wayne R. ReillyMrs. Mary SaperstonMrs. Martha S. Scheu (D)Mrs. Carolyn SchnatzMrs. Catherine SchweitzerMrs. Alma C. ScullyMr. Robert L. StoneMrs. Marilyn Stradella (D)Mr. Gerald R. StraussMrs. Sue W. StraussMrs. Harlan J. Swift (D)Mr. Christopher WadsworthMs. Peggy Jane Wells (D)

63 Fall2009

JimmieW.AdamsJr............MorehouseStateMollyJ.Austen....................UniversityofRochesterSarahC.Bassett..................ColgateUniversityElainaR.Behringer...............St.LawrenceUniversityAlisonD.Bellows.................JohnsHopkinsUniversitySamuelM.Benatovich.........TuftsUniversityMadelineA.Bender.............CornellUniversityDennisJ.BrinkworthIV.......St.LawrenceUniversityCarlyJ.Buchheit..................UniversityofColoradoatBoulderAustinM.Burger..................ManhattanCollegeMoriahM.Camp..................St.John’sUniversityZacharyP.Cappola...............ManhattanCollegeWilliamL.CecereIV.............NiagaraUniversityElizabethR.Cheyney............SyracuseUniversityJohnClinton........................UniversityofTorontoErinB.Collins.......................GeorgetownUniversityCaitlinC.Collins...................BostonCollegeJohnF.Collins......................DeerfieldAcademyAmandaK.Cook...................SUNYatBuffaloMelanieJ.Corwin................NewYorkUniversityKevinM.Crowley.................ClarksonUniversityDevonM.Curran..................TrinityCollegeDublinJessicaG.Demakos.............DenisonUniversityEricDeRose..........................HobartandWilliamSmith CollegesSaraM.Dexter.....................UniversityofVermontKaitlinC.Donahoe...............BowdoinCollegeKevinJ.Donahue.................AlleghenyCollegeAllieM.Faitelson.................UnionCollegeIsabelF.Farhi.......................YaleUniversityBrandonP.Fink.....................AlleghenyCollegeDanielK.Franz.....................ClarksonUniversityMatthewG.Franz.................SUNYatBuffaloAnthonyS.Giangreco-Marotta...............RensselaerPolytechnicInstitute

Class of 2009 Matriculation ListMargueriteT.Gilbride..........NewYorkUniversitySabrinaK.Gill.....................YaleUniversityWilliamJ.Gisel....................UniversityofN.Carolina atChapelHillJacquelinA.Greco...............SyracuseUniversityBrianW.Griffith...................OhioStateUniversityHaleyM.Habermehl............SUNYatAlbanyIlonaM.Haidvogel...............ColgateUniversityPenelopeA.Hamilton..........GeorgetownUniversityAlaylaJ.Henry.....................CanisiusCollegeLauraA.Hettrick..................CollegeofCharlestonZacharyE.Hoefler................RochesterInstituteof TechnologyJosephHoerner....................ElonCollegeKevinP.HughesII.................CanisiusCollegeAdeleJackson-Gibson.........YaleUniversityConnorM.Kenney................WhittierLawSchoolBennettM.Kenyon..............CornellUniversityHannahA.Kloepfer..............ColumbiaUniversityKaterynaKolesnikova...........UniversityofRochesterFrancescaC.LaMonte..........WellsCollegeMadissonR.Lank.................SenecaCollege(ON)CurtisR.LoFaro‘09..............SUNYatBuffaloAlexandraP.Logel................HobartandWilliamSmith CollegesWilliamD.Maloney.............St.LawrenceCollege (Toronto)CaryL.Marlette...................HobartandWilliamSmith CollegesGraceC.Marlette.................CollegeofCharlestonNadiaR.Martinez................SUNYatBuffaloAmandaMcLaughlin............WilliamsCollegeBenjaminJ.Meyer...............WheatonCollegeStephanieG.Militello..........CollegeofCharlestonKathrynM.Moloney............HobartandWilliamSmith Colleges

Ramsi Tick had a simple, yet profound idea: bring world acclaimed musicians to Buffalo and create a high-caliber recital series. His plan included that the series would be totally funded by its membership base with nearly 100 percent of the subscription price paying the artists’ fees.

Nichols School is pleased to be the new host of the Ramsi P. Tick Concert Series. The 2009-2010 season includes the following internationally renowned musical artists:• Orpheus Chamber Orchestra on Dec. 4• Pianist Radu Lupu on Feb. 9• Violinist Jennifer Koh on March 2• Chanticleer Vocal Ensemble on April 6• All concerts will take place at 7:30 p.m.

in the Glenn and Awdry Flickinger Performing Arts Center.

A subscription is $160 for a full season membership, including four concerts. Reserved seating is available for an additional

$40. Student tickets may be purchased at a special rate of $100 and are tax deductible. Payment can be made by credit card (Visa or MasterCard) or check, sent to Nichols

School (1250 Amherst St., Buffalo, NY 14216), payable to The Ramsi Tick Series. Call 716-759-4RPT (4778) to purchase. For more information, visit www.ramsitick.com.

RosemaryL.Montani...........CatholicUniversityofAmericaCameronM.Montour...........LeMoyneRachaelI.Moreland.............NortheasternUniversityLymanB.Munschauer..........HamiltonCollegeAlyssaH.Murrett.................BostonCollegeVictoriaL.Nachreiner............. VirginiaCommonwealthUniversityEmilyR.Oakley.....................GeorgeWashingtonUniversityAndrewJ.O’Hara.................NortheasternUniversityRachelE.O’Neill..................SUNYatGeneseoMarcyI.Perez.......................SanFranciscoSt.UniversityCarolineE.Pierce.................DenverUniversityLeeS.Randaccio..................VillanovaUniversityPhilippA.Rimmler................BostonCollegeDerekC.Robins....................HarvardUniversityCharlesC.Rockwell.............UniversityofRochesterAlisonJ.J.Root...................UniversityofSouthernCaliforniaBrianM.Ruotsi....................CollegeofCharlestonOliverJ.Russ.......................HarvardUniverstiyAlecT.Schappert.................LoyolaUniversityMs.MaryEllenScherer.......CollegeofWoosterMs.JoannaB.Solis.............SUNYatBuffaloChristopherR.Stegemann...ElonCollegeJulesR.Stephan..................UniversityofChicagoJosephG.Trapp...................ColgateUniversityAaronJ.Valenti...................CanisiusCollegeKristinC.Via.........................RoanokeCollegeEvanR.Walton.....................SUNYatBuffaloKelseyA.Welch...................SyracuseUniversityKarissaA.Whiting...............NewYorkUniversityJosephN.Williams..............UniversityofRochesterDrewT.Winkel.....................MaristCollegeWilliamR.Yood....................CurryCollegeSamuelH.Zakalik................SUNYatBuffaloMeganA.Ziske....................DenisonUniversity

Joining Forces with Ramsi P. Tick: Bringing World Renowned Musicians to NicholsbyNinaBarone

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64 NicholsSchool

In MemoriamAlumniJeffrey R. Bradley ’80 – July 20, 2009John B. Fisher ’58 – Sept. 1, 2009Roland Forsyth, Jr. ’47 – April 19, 2009Keith S. Herbst ’55 – June 16, 2009Paul P. Poth ’87 – Aug. 22, 2009

FriendsDavid K. Anderson – Aug. 15, 2009 – father of J. Steven B. Anderson ’96

Robert Buyer – Oct. 12 – father of Lise Buyer ’78

Rita Cheyney – July 20, 2009 – wife of H. Stanton Cheyney ’45; grandmother of Will ’05, Charlie ’07 and Liza ’09

Adeline Davidehik – Aug. 19, 2009 – grandmother of Peter Randaccio ’07 and Lee Randaccio ’09

Frank G. Evans – Sept. 17, 2009 – father of Frank ’73; grandfather of Evan Baskin-Evans ’07

Walter H. Johansson – April 23, 2009 – father of David Johansson’82

Samuel L. Kasimov – Aug. 30, 2009 – grandfather of Cory Kasimov ’90 and Eric Kasimov ’95

Thomas Lofaro – Aug. 16, 2009 – father of Curtis ’09 and Sandy ’11

Victoria Lindstrom – Sept. 1, 2009 – mother of James M. Lindstrom ’90

Harry Oliver – Sept. 6, 2009 – father of Erik Oliver ’89

Albert R. Sutter – Aug. 28, 2009 – former faculty member and Honorary Alumnus

Paul Poth dedicated his life to serving those who were most vulnerable in society, friends said.

“He had a passion for life,’’ said Bob Popeo, chairman of the Boston law firm of Mintz Levin, where Mr. Poth started working as a litigator in 2000 after leaving the office of the Suffolk district attorney.

“He was not only a great lawyer who was informed with a sense of purpose, but he was also a great human being,’’ Popeo said.

Mr. Poth, a decorated former Suffolk prosecutor, died of cancer Aug. 22 at his childhood home in Buffalo while in home hospice care. The Cambridge resident was 39.

In addition to being a respected litigator for Mintz Levin, he enjoyed reading, listening to music, traveling to Martha’s Vineyard during the summer, and entertaining his family and friends with his culinary skills.

“Paul loved coming into a room and being around people and telling stories,’’ said Jim Palma of Cambridge, Mr. Poth’s brother-in-law.

He also was known for his sense of humor. He was one of many lawyers to participate in a stand-up comedy night last year to benefit the Women’s Bar Foundation’s pro bono work with various nonprofits, such as the Family Law Project for Battered Women, the Framingham Project for Incarcerated Women, and the Women’s Lunch Place.

Those who knew Mr. Poth said he put others first.

Originally from Buffalo, Mr. Poth graduated from Boston College in 1991 with a degree in political science and received his law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 1994. He then began working as an assistant Suffolk district attorney under Ralph C. Martin II.

During his time at the DA’s office, in the summer of 1999, he took part in Operation Galadriel, a four-month undercover collaborative operation run by the district attorney’s office and the Boston Police

Department, which investigated the recruitment of adolescents for prostitution. Bob Tully, who was a detective, worked closely with Mr. Poth and found him to be dedicated to the welfare of the underage girls they were working to save from prostitution.

“He would finish his work for the day at the DA’s office, go out undercover with us at night and patrol the Combat Zone, and then go to court in the morning,’’ Tully said. “On many of those nights out patrolling, Paul would just talk to these girls and make

sure they were OK. The man was a hard worker and truly dedicated to getting these girls off the street.’’

Once Mr. Poth was able to recruit the young prostitutes to testify in court, he went the extra mile to make sure the girls had the confidence to put their pimps in jail, Tully said.

“Paul believed it was important to make sure the girls had confidence in him in what he was trying to do,’’

Tully continued. “He would buy them pizza and talk to them about why their testimony was important in the case, to help ease their discomfort. It was a brilliant idea.’’

Mr. Poth was widely recognized for his work on teen prostitution, including by the Massachusetts House of Representatives, the Neighborhood Crime Watch unit of the Boston Police Department, and the Bay Village Neighborhood Association.

“Many judges and attorneys had a great deal of respect for him because he was a tough adversary who stood up for what was right,’’ said Gerry Stuart, a fellow assistant district attorney who worked with Mr. Poth at the time.

Mr. Poth also was very charitable with his spare time. He cycled in support of AIDS research in the Boston-New York AIDS Ride, volunteered for Project Hope, and mentored city youth through hockey leagues and the Boston public schools’ Mock Trial program.

In November 2007, Mr. Poth was

diagnosed with hepatobiliary duct cancer. He was told that his best hope would be surgery. He had an operation soon thereafter, but his surgeon was unable to completely remove the cancer. Mr. Poth received various forms of chemotherapy.

Based on his own experience, earlier this year Mr. Poth created TargetCancer Inc., to promote research and treatment protocols for underfunded and rare cancers. According to TargetCancer’s website, it had raised more than $10,000, with plans for a concert series and music CD. The organization made its first donation of $7,500 to Massachusetts General Hospital to advance the group’s cancer initiatives this past spring.

Mr. Poth leaves his wife, Kristen, and a son, Luca, of Cambridge. He also leaves his mother, Mary Ann Eichelberger, his father, Peter, and a sister, Clare, all of Buffalo.

As seen in “The Boston Globe”on Sept. 2, 2009 and reprinted with permission.

Paul Poth; Suffolk prosecutor dedicated to helping others, 39byTaliaWhyte

65 Fall2009


Former FacultyMimi Dow, longtime beloved member of the Nichols English department and breast cancer survivor, created a TV series with a young physician as they were both recovering from breast cancer. After retiring from Nichols, Mimi has been working on the project for the past 10 years. Visit www.womenstories.org for more information.

Charlie Hamlen was named Chairman of IMG Artists, the company he co-founded 25 years ago. As Chairman, he will work closely with senior management worldwide in guiding the company and in developing, as well as implementing, new projects.

1940Save the date and join us at our 70th Reunion on June 4, 2010.

1945Bob Miller is thrilled that his granddaughter, Sarah Miller ’12, is a member of the Nichols Class of 2012 and hopes classmates and friends will save the date and return for the 65th Reunion on June 4, 2010.

1951John Burke was recently re-elected to the Piedmont Behavioral Healthcare Board and to the N.C. Council of Community Agencies, MH/DD/SA.

1955Save the date and join us at our 55th Reunion on June 4, 2010 – “55455.” Please contact Jim Warner at [email protected] or 913-383-9889 to discuss the plans for a great weekend at Nichols.

Richard S. Fischer writes, “As my 50th Harvard Reunion approaches, I am struck by how vivid the solid preparation Nichols provided remains in my mind. While it is easy to glamorize such past history, Nichols was the real deal. May it ever be so.”

1957Robert E. Greene was honored by his selection as Manatee County Veteran of the Year 2008 by the 40 veteran organizations of Manatee County Florida. He was selected for this volunteer service to veterans, their families and the veteran community.

1960By this fall, our 50th Reunion Committee was hard at work calling and e-mailing all classmates in order to save the date for the 50th Reunion on June 4-6, 2010. So far, the following members of the class are coming back to School: Benatovich, Block, Constantine, DeSilvey, Diebold, Dold, Carlson, Bill Donaldson, Dave Donaldson, Harwood, Hudson, Klepfer, Kritzer, McCormick, McGennis, Bob Mikulec, Milch, Miller, Moeschler, Regan, Sari, Stoesser, Art Yates and Taylor Yates. We hope you will join us!

1964Daniel Botsford writes, “I am still working as a neurologist in Manchester, N.H. I am married to Carol Andersen with two children, David, a psychologist, and Lauren, a Spanish teacher.

1965Save the date and join classmates at our 45th Reunion on June 4, 2010.

James R. Biltekoff has been appointed Chairman of Hauptman Woodward’s Board of Directors. He also has been appointed chair of the 2010 United Jewish Fund General Campaign.

1967Dale B. Haidvogel writes, “Our daughter, Ilona, graduated from Nichols this year. Congratulations to the Class of 2009!”

1969Thomas Botsford writes, “We have three children almost all grown up. Ted has finished his master’s degree in Bass Performance and will gladly take any orchestra job. Annabell just graduated from Cornell and is going to start veterinarian school at Virginia Tech next fall. Sam has completed his freshman year at St. Olaf College in Minnesota. I am still in a large pediatric group in Rockville and Jessica works in D.C. as an attorney at G.A.O.”


1972Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel, LLP, a full service corporate law firm announces that Charles C. Swanekamp was elected as a member of University at Buffalo Law School’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. He is a partner in the Firm’s litigation practice group and has extensive experience in the areas of business law and


Class Notes

67 Fall2009

commercial litigation. Charles has regularly counseled and litigated the interests of clients in the areas of trade regulation, general contract and commercial disputes, securities, anti-trust, intellectual property, environmental and accountant professional responsibility matters.


1977Writer Nick Bakay’s “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” was a huge hit at the box office over this past year. The film’s DVD release was on May 19 and sold 1,702,832 copies in one week.

After overseeing an effective financial recovery process at New College, Principal Rick Halpern, a history professor, has been selected as the new Vice Principal (academic) and Dean at the University of Toronto, Scarborough. Halpern is a senior fellow at Massey College and previously served as principal of New College. His work there included a restructuring of operations, staffing and student support, as well as new resource-generating initiatives. He has been actively involved in successful advancement endeavors, alumni activities, recruitment strategy and programs, and has been committed to creating a focus on students.

1979Karen Heath writes, “So sorry to not make the 30th Reunion – very busy with work and family. Most exciting news was a recent trip to China as guest of the Chinese government where I participated in an educational leaders’ seminar. I was in Lijiang, in southwest China, which very few westerners seem to have discovered. It was culturally and professionally amazing and inspiring!”

Richard Smith and wife, Jen, welcomed Augustus Paul Smith on Sept. 2, 2008. He joins big sister, Norah, who attends Westminster Early Childhood Program. Norah loves Swan Lake and Gus loves Moose A. Moose on Noggin.


As many of you may know, sadly, our classmate and friend, Jeffrey Bradley, passed away on July 20, 2009. Bill Gurney, Dick Tiftickjian, Ray Walter and John D. Williams are helping organize a scholarship fund for his three girls – Bradley Scholarship Fund, M&S Bank, 7000 SW Archer Rd., Gainesville, Fla. 32608. Jeff graduated from Hartwick College where he met his wife, Patricia Keohane Bradley. He and his young family moved to Florida 18 years ago, where he continued a long and successful career as a Nursing Home Administrator. His hobbies included playing lacrosse and golf. His passion was his wife and three daughters. Celebrating their achievements and growth as a family brought him great joy. His outstanding character, loving heart and kindness to others were an inspiration to all who knew him.

1981Lynn Ewart-Paine was named Woman of the Year by the Rhode Island Commission on Women. This annual award program honors women who have made significant contributions to improve the quality of life for women in the state of Rhode Island through their individual work as role models, mentors and/or who are pioneers in fields not traditionally open to women. Since beginning her career at NUWC Division Newport in 1996, Dr. Ewart-Paine has earned an international reputation for her expertise on transduction materials. Her career has been marked by swift advancement, making novel scientific discoveries and leading engineers and scientists in research to support the Navy’s sensor and sonar technology. Today, as the Deputy Chief Technology Officer, she serves as a senior advisor to NUWC Headquarters and to the NUWC Division Newport leadership team for science and technology issues.

Sam Magavern, writer, public interest lawyer and instructor at SUNY at Buffalo Law School has written, “Primo Levi’s Universe: A Writer’s Journey.” Check it out at www.sammagavern.com.

1982Annette Holzman Fitch writes, “My son, John, just started fifth grade at Nichols and my daughter, Elizabeth just moved up to the ninth grade. Both love this school!”


1984Piper Campbell writes, “I have moved back to the United States from Cambodia this past spring. I am buying a home and consolidating possessions from around the world which has been both a huge task and a pleasure. I expect to be in Washington, D.C., for at least the next three years.”

Pamela Bos Kefi writes, “For the past four years, I have been the Executive Director of the International Institute of Buffalo, where I have been honored to support immigrants and global education in Buffalo. I resigned in June of ’09 in order to spend more time with my three kids and husband.”

Back in 2005, Edwin McGowan joined the Palisades Interstate Parkway Commission as Director of the Trailside Facility and also as Science Director for the Palisades Park system. He lives in Garrison with his wife, Ann, a Boston native and their eight-year-old son, Ben.


Colin Brinson writes, “I have been coaching the Varsity Football team at Nichols for the past two years. It is an honor to return to the place where I began my teaching and coaching career. I taught and coached football at Nichols from 1989-1992 before moving to the JFK High School. I still teach Social Studies at JFK, but I bleed Nichols green and white! Watch out for the Big Green in 2009!”

Kami Pomerantz, writes “Please tell Mr. Stratton that I read Dostoevsky for pleasure. I appreciate the foundation in literature that I received at Nichols and I hope to pass that to my children.”

1987Christina Held-Hulsing writes, “We welcomed Lila Maeve Hulsing to the family on March 8, 2008; she joins big sister Emma.”

1988David Pfalzgraf, Jr.’s son, Jack, began 5th grade at Nichols this fall. David is a partner at Rupp, Baase, Pfalzgraf, Cunningham & Coppola in Buffalo.

1989

The Laub boys enjoyed a terrific get together over last year’s Reunion weekend June 4-6, 2009. (l-r) Derek C. Laub ’89, David C. Laub, Sr. ’56, Richard A. Laub ’59, and David C. Laub ’84.

Emily G. Park writes, “I live in Oakland, Calif., where I work as a Pilates personal trainer and circus skills instructor. Over the past few years, I have simultaneously been expanding my knowledge of exercise science, including anatomy and nutrition, while developing my skills as a director and performer of Circus Theater.”


Jim Lindstrom and his wife, Lizzie, welcomed Mary Isabel “Izzy” Lindstrom on March 27. The family lives in Greenwich, Conn.

1991Kevin Burke and wife, Tyanne welcomed son, Fox Luke Burke, on Sept. 7.

Jen Levine-Fried and husband, Mathew, welcomed daughter, Ava, in January, joining her big brother, Jonah at home in Boston. Jen returned to work part-time in April and loves her schedule. She is working as the Membership Manager at

Public Responsibility in medicine and research, a research ethics education non-profit.

1992Kelly Quigley Giacobbe, Franco Giacobbe and brother, Franco (2), welcomed Vivienne on July 29 to the family.

Priscilla Jakubowski Miller writes, “With great joy, love and thanks, we welcomed Paul Trenton Joseph Miller IV to the family on June 27. He joins big sister, Blair.”

Stephanie Baker Katzman and husband, Josh, are the proud parents of Myles Daniel, born May 30. Myles joins big sister, Hadley, and big brother, Drew. Stephanie has recently left her position of Director of the Rhinelander Nursery School and her family moved to Manalapan, N.J. Stephanie is thrilled that her niece, Taylor Levin ’13, is in the Nichols Class of 2013 and Mr. Steve Moscov is Taylor’s Spanish teacher.

Pictured are Nylah and Noora Qureshi, twin daughters of Aaleya Koreishi and Jawad Qureshi. The family lives in Colleyville, Texas.

Aashiyana Koreishi writes, “My husband and I will be moving out west to Seattle, Wash., in June of 2009. I will be starting a surgical pathology fellowship at the University of Washington and Adam will be starting as a full-time pathologist at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash. We are excited about the new changes, but sad to be so far from Buffalo.”

1993Suneet Kaur and husband, Jaspal, are now living in Charlotte, N.C. They both teach faculty physicians at Carolinas Medical Center and enjoy two beautiful daughters, ages five and two.

69 Fall2009

Andrew Constantine married Cara Starosielec. The couple is currently looking for their first home in Virginia, and renting a townhouse in Springfield, Va., at the moment. Andrew works for Perot Systems as a Multimedia Specialist and Cara works for a small marketing company doing marketing for FedEx and HP. Nichols friends pictured (l-r, top-bottom): Walter Constantine ‘60, Holly Constantine Ortman ‘96, Jad Cordes ‘69, Robert Constantine ‘65, Bill Constantine ‘62, Betsy Constantine ‘93, Jenny Constantine Keuleman ‘91, Emily Constantine Doren ‘00, Cara Starosielec Constantine, Ted Constantine ‘94, Andrew Constantine ‘00, Allison Drake ‘00, Kji Helffenstein, Jonna Wopperer ‘02, Spencer Carbone ‘00, Bret Blakely ‘00, Oliver Leon ‘00, Christina Hynes ‘00, Matthew Kwasek ‘00, Wyatt Arthurs ‘00, Aaron Santarosa ‘00 and Robert Drake ‘00.

The Foundation of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers announced Allison S. Drake, MS, as the 2009 recipient of the Whitaker Prize for MS Research, awarded in memory of the late Dr. John Whitaker. Dr. Whitaker was Chair of the Neurology Department of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and an exceptional clinical scientist who first developed the Research Track for the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers’ Annual Meeting in 2001. Allison is currently in a clinical psychology Ph.D. program studying to become a neuro-psychologist. She spent three years working with a neurologist and neuro-psychologist at the Jacobs Neurological Institute, after completing her master’s.

2001Joseph Small returned to Buffalo for his dance debut, “A Performance of Japanese Music” (Shakuhachi and Taiko).

1997James Gutow writes, “It was good seeing classmates at the Nichols Reunion in New York City. Looking forward to next year!”

Sarah B. Kloepfer married Robert Livingston McLynn on Sept. 19 in Tarrytown, N.Y.

1999Harper Collins will introduce “Zombie Chasers #1” by John Kloepfer this spring. This is John’s first in a middle-grade series about kids warding off a zombie invasion.

Geoffrey Fichte writes, “I was sorry to have missed celebrating our 10-year Reunion with classmates, but couldn’t make it back to Buffalo from Hong Kong where I have been living for the past year working for HSBC International. This followed a five-year stint in Mexico City as Head of Strategy, Latin America.”

Germaine “Gigi” Gatewood writes, “I recently graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with an MFA in Photography.”


Virginia A. Bryan writes, “I graduated on May 9 with my Master’s in Social Work from SUNY at Buffalo in very good standing. I had two excellent internships, made amazing friends, and had professors that would go above and beyond for students who wanted to work hard. Overall, an amazing experience for which I grew both professionally and personally.”

1994

Brian Mathias married his wife, Lucia, in Riccione, Italy on Aug. 29. Nichols friends pictured here (l-r) Andy Mathias ’91, Bill Mathias ’63, Bruce Baird ’63, Heather Smith ’94, Jud Bruzgul ’94, Teddy Mathias ’88


1996Congratulations to Scott M. Barry and Martina J. Miranda on their wedding, which took place in Orchard Park on Saturday, Sept. 12. The couple lives in New York City.

Joanna Enstice Kerpen and Philip Gabriel Kerpen, were married June 13 at the Cosmos Club in Washington. Rabbi Joel I. Braude officiated, with the Rev. John J. Mudd, a Roman Catholic priest, taking part. Some of the wedding party consisted of Anthony Enstice ’99, Matt Enstice ’91 and Jessica Jacobs Enstice ’93.

Suzi Yoonesi’s film, “Dear Lemon Lima,” won the award for Outstanding Performance in the Narrative Competition in the Los Angeles Film Festival.


which hosted President Obama at its Commencement. He is now an Ensign (junior officer) in the Navy and is attending the U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Power School in Charleston, S.C., in preparation for Submarine Service.

2007Christine E. Penfold spent her summer in Washington, D.C., doing an internship with the National Security Agency. She is a senior at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Eileen McIver is doing well at Cornell University; she will spend a semester abroad in Australia at the University of New South Wales, where one of the first topics she will be studying is the ecology of the Great Barrier Reef.

A recent Thespians, Eh? production of “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,” Tom Stoppard’s masterful re-telling of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” featured performances and production work by several Nichols students and alumni. The cast included: Sean Pegado ’07, Elisa Peebles ’08, Brian Griffith ’09, Nick Williams ’09, Eric Larson ’10, Paloma D’Auria ’14, Jules Stephan ’09, Alexandra Mathews ’11, Matt Franz ’09, Joshua Oakley ’07, Max Yellen ’07, Max Ruotsi ’09 and Nora Williams ’07.

Sean Heidinger’s clothing business, Dazzle Me Formal, is releasing a new line with a sense of purpose and a mission to address domestic abuse. The Smooth Criminals Line features four celebrity faces that either facilitated or were the victim of said abuse. The line will include signature New Era 5950 caps and a high quality T-shirt collection, designed, manufactured and packaged in the United States.

2009Hannah Kloepfer is thriving in her first semester at Columbia University.


Adam Goldfarb writes, “I just graduated from Colby with a major in Classical Civilization and a minor in Philosophy. I played squash for Colby for three years and this past year for the winter season I got back to the snow and was snowboard coach at Sugarloaf Mt. in Maine. I have a job working for Americorps Massachusetts Campus Compact at Framingham State College as a community service learning specialist.”

Michael Angelakos is on the road again! Along with his Passion Pit bandmates, the tour began with two sold-out shows in New York City’s Central Park and, traveling west, will end in California before flying out to Europe for a two-month stint. Along the way, they performed at Austin City Limits in front of 50,000 strong, receiving accolades. Michael has been interviewed and appeared in numerous magazines, including Spin and Rolling Stone, as well as being featured on the cover of Clash. Recently, he was on the cover of the Boston Phoenix. The band won four awards in the Boston Music Poll – Best Album, Best Male Vocalist, Best Song and Best Local Act. The group also was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award. Michael’s music was recently played on the show, Gossip Girl, and is being used in a number of commercials, including the Budweiser handshake. His latest album, Manners, is featured on the Frenchkiss/Columbia label.

Will Olena recently graduated with a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy,

2002Meg Angelakos writes, “I’m working at Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group, a marketing and sales company for luxury real estate. I’ve also been busy training to complete the ING NYC Marathon on Nov. 1, raising money for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.”

First Lieutenant Nicholas Arnold ’02 received his Wings of Gold on June 5 at NAS Whiting Field, Milton, Fla. He is now a naval aviator with the United States Marine Corps. He has moved to Jacksonville, N.C., where he is learning to fly his selected aircraft, the MV-22 Osprey. Pictured (l-r) are Arnold brothers Matthew ’00, Nicholas ’02 and Christopher ’07.

Tracy A. Lundquist writes, “I am living in Manhattan and finishing up my final year at NYU School of Law.”

2003James McIver, currently a graduate student in Physics at Harvard University, was awarded a 2009 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. The three-year fellowship provides a $30,000 per year stipend in addition to covering other educational expenses supporting his doctoral research in Condensed Matter Physics.

2004Karl Hohn’s band, Yes Giantess, won for best new act in the Boston Music Poll by the Boston Phoenix.

What is your position at Nichols?I am the Director of Studies and I teach history. I coordinate curriculum for the entire school, head the professional development committee and curriculum committee, and teach two sections of history. They include AP European History and senior electives in Urban Studies and China and Japan.

How long have you been teaching at Nichols?27 years

What was your path leading to Nichols like?I graduated from Skidmore College and took a sales position after college. I quickly realized that was not my calling. I decided to pursue secondary education and interviewed at Nichols because I was getting married and moving to Buffalo. Once I started teaching here, I studied for a master’s degree and eventually earned a Ph.D. in history from SUNY at Buffalo.

What extra-curricular activities are you involved in?Over my career at Nichols, my extra-curricular activities included such things as coaching JV Basketball, Swimming and Squash. I’ve advised many clubs, including the Students for Multicultural Awareness. These days I advise the World Quest team, travel with exchange programs whenever possible and enjoy watching our athletic teams compete.

What are some new curricular initiatives you were involved in this year?This year we began a partnership with the UB Humanities Institute and riverrun called Scholars in the Schools. They already run the Scholars at Muse program bringing faculty members from the University to speak at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. The new program brings a scholar to Nichols to teach a class and give an evening lecture, which is open to the public. It allows our students to engage with scholars at the leading edge of their fields of study.

Another exciting initiative is the start of a Chinese cultural exchange program. The school is affiliated with the Huazhong (Central) University of Science and Technology in Wuhan province. Our students will live with Chinese families for two weeks over spring vacation and 20 Chinese students and two faculty members will visit Nichols in January.

What is the best part of your job?Working with talented students and faculty.

What is your favorite Nichols memory?Receiving the yearbook dedication from the Class of 2007 and receiving the Austin M. Fox Endowed Chair.

What do you like to do on the weekends?Run, bike, swim, walk, play squash, read.

What is your favorite vacation spot?Paris, France.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us? After my sabbatical year in Paris, France, I returned to Nichols determined to help our students adopt a more global perspective through our curriculum, extra-curricular offerings, and through travel and hosting experiences with our exchanges. We are making great progress in educating our students about the wider world and helping them understand how others view our country and our government.

Faculty Profile

Mary R. Rockwell

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In the Next Issue: Alumni Holiday Gathering & Awards Ceremony and the First Chinese Exchange

toaxnoes winter 2009

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