Fall 2011 Brewster Connections

Fall 2011BrewsterConnections

Inside:

Celebrating 125 Years

Alumni Who Embody Brewster’s Core Values

Return to Campus: Reunion MomentsSummer Programs Office • 603-569-7155 • [email protected]

For endless summer opportunities,contact the oFFice oF summer programs at Brewster academy.

For your child or grandchild’s summer school experienceFor your wedding

expect to return

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parents of alumni:If this magazine is addressed to your son or daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please e-mail us at [email protected] with his or her new address.

Brewster AcAdemy

80 AcAdemy drive

wolfeBoro, NH 03894

Daniel T. Mudge, President(Tapley-Ann ’98, Ashley ’02)

Leslie N. H. MacLeod, Vice President(Todd ’97)

Roy C. Ballentine, Treasurer(Brian ’97, Susan ’94)

Douglas H. Greeff, Secretary (Hilary ’11)

Michael Appe

C. Richard CarlsonEstate Trustee

David L. Carlson ’54

Arthur W. Coviello Jr.

Candace Crawshaw ’64

Claudine Curran(Alex ’06, Gen ’11)

George J. Dohrmann III (George ’05, Geoffrey ’12)

Stephen C. Farrell Sr.(Stephen Jr. ’12)

Karey Fix(Will ’11, Keenan ’13)

Peter Ford ’80

Michael Keys (Matthew ’04)

Barbara Naramore

Arthur O. RicciEstate Trustee

The Reverend Nancy Spencer SmithEstate Trustee

Steven R. Webster (Brooke ’08, Tori ’11)

Trustee Emeriti

Walter N. “Rink” DeWitt ’54 (Kate ’86)

P. Fred Gridley ’53 (Deborah ’81)

Grant M. Wilson (Grant ’87, Kirsten ’88)

Brewster AcAdemy

2011-2012Board of Trustees

Expect to Stay Cool: Brewster Academy Summer Session students enjoy the lake on a hot July afternoon.

retiring trustees

Helen S. Hamilton, Secretaryboard member since 1974

A.B. Whitfield(Trey ’89)board member since 2008

Who knew it could be so easy?

dominique aubry ’03 has a lot on her plate:

• Facilities contract manager for the Philadelphia school district

• Active volunteer roles for UPenn and Brewster

• A new consulting business with her brother Pierre.

• With so many demands on her time, she is happy that one

of her priorities is so easy to fulfill. Dominique set up a

recurring gift to Brewster’s Annual Fund. Each month, she

makes an automatic gift to Brewster via her credit card.

To Do LisT:

Pick up dry-cleaning

Book vacation

Caitlin’s Halloween costume

Change oil

Make my annual gift to Brewster

Monthly Debit Annual Gift $10 $120 $25 $300 $50 $600 $100 $1,200

“Being so busy, this is the easiest way for me to give, making

smaller monthly gifts while making a great impact annually.

I just set it and forget it! I’m so glad Brewster offers this.”

Just as your monthly gifts will add up, your giving, combined

with that of other alumni, makes a significant impact for Brewster.

To learn more about setting up a recurring gift with Brewster, please

contact Beth Hayes ’81 at [email protected].

For a spotlight on Dominique, please see the Hoopla column on page 30.

Fall 2011

Inside

BrewsterConnections is published twice a year

and mailed to alumni, parents of students, and friends of

Brewster Academy80 Academy Drive

Wolfeboro, NH 03894www.brewsteracademy.org

©2011 Brewster Academy. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

BrewsterConnectionsHead of SchoolDr. Michael E. Cooper

Director of Admission and External AffairsLynne M. Palmer

Editor, Director of CommunicationsMarcia Eldredge

ContributorsSarah Anderson, Jim Bastis, Steve Burgess, Mike Cooper, Marcia Eldredge, Beth Hayes ’81, Matt Hoopes, Kristy Kerin, Lynne Palmer, Bob Richardson, Shirley Richardson, Sally Smith, Martha Trepanier ’83

PhotographySteve Allen, Andrea Cooper, Marcia Eldredge, Paul Horton, John McKeith, Sally Smith, Phil Stiles

Departments 19 On the Road 20 Newsmakers34 Class Notes40 In Memoriam42 Writing Brewster’s History

2 Headlines The Year Ahead, the Years Behind

4 Celebrating 125 Years of Strength and Spirit

5 Grace Tells Graduates “Life is About Extra Credit”

10 We Know What They Did Last Summer Students share stories from summer “vacation”

12 Opening of School: Giving Meaning to the Brewster Principle Also, meet faculty award winners, Curvey Scholars, and new faculty

17 After 37 Years of Service, Helen Hamilton Retires

22 Return to Campus: Reunion 2011

26 Core Values: Matt Hoopes Profiles Graduates Serving Themselves and Others With Their Best

2 BrewsterConnections – Fall 2011

At our opening faculty meeting,

I spent a few minutes sharing a

portion of The Beloit College Mindset

List. First created in 1998, each year’s

list reflects the “world view” of college students

entering their freshman year. Since our seniors are

close to the same age as these students, I thought

it was worth taking a few minutes to get everyone

in the “mindset” of some of our incoming students.

Here’s just a sampling from the list:

The only significant labor disputes in their

lifetimes have been in major league sports.

Ferris Bueller and Sloane Peterson could be their

parents.

As they’ve grown up on websites and cell phones,

adult experts have constantly fretted about their

alleged deficits of empathy and concentration.

Refer to LBJ, and they might assume you’re talking

about LeBron James.

Their school’s “blackboards” have always been

getting smarter.

They’ve always wanted to be like Shaq or Kobe:

Michael Who?

Life has always been like a box of chocolates.

Now that you can relate to the “world view” of some

of our students, let me offer a few demographics on

this year’s student body.

The Year Ahead, the Years Behind

We welcomed 144 new students to campus. For

the first time in the school’s history, girls represent

65 percent of the freshman class: 35 girls out of 54

freshmen! This year’s overall student body represents

20 foreign countries and 28 states. Of our 364

students, 295 are boarding students and 69 are day

students. With three freshmen entering as Curvey

Scholars, we now have nine area day students

benefiting from the generosity of the Curvey family

(Meet the scholars on page 13).

HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE YEAR


The 2011-2012 year is special in that we begin

celebrating 125 years since the founding of Brewster

Academy. The “Academy” dates back to 1820 when

it was founded as Wolfeborough and Tuftonborough

Academy; however, in 1886, upon his death, it was

the will of John Brewster to provide for an Academy

in his home village of Wolfeboro. Through John’s

wishes and his endowment, the following year the

school would become known as Brewster Academy.

Born in Wolfeboro, John had attended Wolfeborough

and Tuftonborough Academy before enjoying a

successful career as a Boston businessman. John

never forgot his roots and understood the value of

an education and how important it was for young

people to have the prospect of attending school to

gain the skills and knowledge to pursue a career.

It was John’s determination to make a difference

in the lives of young people that led him to make

a remarkable contribution to educating not only

the youth of this small village but to students who

would travel to central New Hampshire to enroll as

boarding students. Through his lasting endowment

to the Academy, he left a wonderful legacy and

example for us all.

Throughout this year, special note will be made of

these remarkable 125 years of teaching and learning

at Brewster Academy. To read about our efforts

to celebrate the Academy and leverage its strong

reputation, see the article on page 4.

Next Phase of Project-Based Learning

Our academic program continues to evolve to

ensure that we are instilling in our students the

skills needed to meet the challenges they will face

as college students and professionals in a rapidly

changing world.

Work completed on the curriculum this summer

will allow us to expand the two-week project-based

learning period that all sophomores and juniors took

part in last year to include freshmen. For seniors,

the project-based learning experience will take on

an even more significant role. Seniors will have the

opportunity to work all year on a capstone project

that will be an engaging and stimulating way for

students to integrate and express the range of

skills that they have developed over their time at

Brewster. This has been designed as a constructive

and authentic way for seniors to demonstrate their

preparedness for graduation.

3www.brewsteracademy.org

Blended Learning

Additionally, we are piloting two significant

enhancements to our use of technology as we

continue to take advantage of new resources that

can help us deliver our program. We have introduced

Rosetta Stone into some of our foreign language

classes as a way to bring more personalization to

that learning experience. We also are piloting the

use of the course management system Moodle in

some selected courses as a way to support us in

delivering our curriculum to students in a robust,

uniform online environment. We are excited about

the opportunities that these two tools will provide

for making the classroom experience even richer for

our students.

Social and Emotional Literacy

After a year of intensive training with faculty and

administrators, this fall marks the beginning of

bringing the RULER Approach to our students. We

knew from the initial discussions in our training that

in order for the approach to be effective, it would

take the whole school. Feedback from researchers

at Yale who have worked with our trainers and staff

attests to our readiness and ability to introduce the

RULER Approach to our students.

Throughout the year, we will continue to partner

with researchers at Yale, along with collaborative

help from the University of New Hampshire, as

we embark on the implementation of the RULER

Approach: Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling,

Expressing, and Regulating emotions. Evaluation and

monitoring of our progress is a priority and to this

end, students will complete a baseline assessment of

their emotional literacy skills in the fall and then will

complete a follow-up evaluation in the spring.

On the athletic fields, in the dormitories, and in

classrooms students will be engaged in strategies

to assist them in skills essential and integral to

learning, becoming more self-aware, making sound

judgments, and achieving success in school and

beyond. We are confident that our commitment

to social and emotional literacy will enhance our

students’ experience and overall development. At a

time when adolescents can benefit the most from

knowing more about their emotions and how they

can impact themselves and others, we are providing

them with a vital ingredient in their growth and

development in a most intentional manner.

We will continue to update the website on RULER

and implementation of it, so please refer to

www.brewsteracademy.org/headlines for updates

or to become familiar with it.

The Face of Campus

Over the summer six residence halls underwent

extensive renovations. The dorms on Lamb and

Mason courts – some of you may remember these

as Houses One through Six – received new roofs

and windows; insulation upgrades; and individual

room heating controls, all of which will help tighten

the buildings, increase energy efficiency, and add to

the comfort of our students. Additionally, they all

received new carpets, furniture, fixtures, and painting

throughout.

A section of the lower level of Hughes House was

converted into a “quad” (a popular space) for four

lucky boys assigned to this dorm.

The front of Avery House received a facelift thanks

to the efforts of faculty member Matt Found and

alumnus Cory Hunter ‘95. Hydrangeas and window

boxes have replaced the shrubs, offering a more

open and welcoming walk up to this small girls’

dorm. Cory also further enhanced the beautification

project begun in Mason Court a few years ago by the

Tambone family.

The tuned track in the Smith Center was replaced

with a more solid decking and a new generation of

track surface material. This track surface is in use

in several schools and colleges in the Northeast

and will be the track material used in the 2012

London Olympics. Additionally, the lanes alternately

incorporate Brewster colors adding to the Bobcat

spirit of this showcase facility.

Finally, in helping to get into the mindset of our

students, I’m pleased to announce that I’m on

Twitter. I hope you will follow me at: BA_DocCoops

Dr. Michael E. Cooper, Head of School


Over the past 10 years, Brewster has spent much time and

attention considering and researching Brewster’s image and

perception to develop the strongest brand value that alumni,

students, parents, and friends can be proud of when they talk about their

school and their experiences. Overwhelmingly, the Brewster brand is

strong and continues to attract families who prioritize education and are

seeking Brewster because of the strength of its reputation that delivers on

the promise of a truly customized learning environment.

This enrollment year witnessed some measurable accomplishments that

attest to Brewster’s strength of program, including:

• thestrongestenrollmentyieldfromspringRevisitDays;and

• thelargestpercentageoffemalestudentsinthelowerschoolinthe

history of Brewster.

Your personal experiences with Brewster – whether as a day student

during the Cold War era, a boarding student during the early period

of laptop computers, or a new parent today – are linked to images

remembered and recalled from time to time or are now envisioning for

your child.

As we begin this year celebrating our 125th anniversary as Brewster

Academy, there are many milestones to reference and more achievements

ahead. We hope that the images that you recall or experiences yet to

happen will generate a sense of familiarity, inspire you to become more

connected with your school, and provide a valuable source of pride.

To that end, we have worked with our resident graphic designer and

faculty member, Steve Burgess, creating the logos and images on this

page (and the cover) that will now become a consistent and celebratory

representation of Brewster Academy in the area of the arts, athletics, and

our 125th anniversary year.

The images that you see here are extensions of the branding exercise that

we have applied most recently to all of our recruitment materials and

publications and incorporate the colors and existing designs that have

been associated with those programs. We hope that these images will

become recognizable elements of Brewster Academy as we weave them

throughout our efforts to promote the school to prospective families,

celebrate the lives and achievements of our alumni, and celebrate our

accomplishments as a school.

Strength of ReputationShowing the Brewster SpiritBy Lynne Palmer

5www.brewsteracademy.org 5www.brewsteracademy.org

Spencer Montgomery and Meredith Haynes

Maggie Hess and Markus Kennedy

Yutaka Morino

and Maria Found

Ryan Ingram

and Peter Mann

Sarah MacDonnell

and Mitch Chapman

Brewster Alumnus TOPHER GRACE Tells Graduates THAT LIFE IS ABOuT ExTRA CREDIT and FINDING A DOOR and GOING THROuGH IT

By Marcia Eldredge

On May 28, Brewster Academy graduated 117 students at its 191st

Commencement, and graduate Topher Grace ’97 returned to campus

to deliver the commencement address to the Class of 2011.

The ceremony took place in the Smith Center for Athletics and Wellness with

Head of School Dr. Michael E. Cooper presiding. Day students Beth Duffy and

Dana Hughes were the valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively.

“JuST DOING wHAT IS ExPECTED IS NO LONGER ENOuGH”

Grace began his remarks by recalling his own graduation and how familiar he was

with his fellow Bobcats’ Brewster experience.

“I have done this all before. I know all about being a Brewster Bobcat and living

in Sargent Hall and eating every meal at the Estabrook. I know about having an IS

teacher and trying to get JBS scholar. I know all about the Ac and study hours and

work hours and the long winters up here at Wolfeboro and the Polar Bear Club

and the winter carnival and the BAPA book and the Bubble and headmaster’s

holidays and how beautiful it is when it all turns to spring here. I know about the

great teachers here.”

He promised to be brief and to the point but wanted to make sure the Class of

2011 knew that “just doing what is expected is no longer enough.”

“As wonderful as it is to go off into the world – and there are so many great

experiences that lie ahead for you guys – high school graduation is the end of

something. It is the end of anyone else really caring about what you do with your

life. Sure there is homework and grades in college and when you go to work you

have to be on time, and I promise you, if you do something illegal, you will be

arrested, but the days of adults really getting into your business are over.

“What a relief some of you are saying to yourselves, and you’re right. It’s great to

have all that freedom. But no one is going to be there anymore to pester you to

hand in an assignment or try again to make it better, or no one is going to make

you sign up for sports or encourage you to paint or do theater. Your parents and

teachers here at Brewster have given you the tools but now it is up to you, no

one is going to force you to do a good job, in fact, no one is going to force you to

do anything.

“And I promise you, if you want to get by and be average, it will work. The world

is not only full of average people who do only the minimum required, it is built

for them. See it’s hard to find opportunities, and it’s even harder work to take

advantage of them.”

Topher Grace ‘97

6 BrewsterConnections – Fall 20116 BrewsterConnections – Fall 2011

He then reflected on all the well meaning advice he received at his Brewster

graduation. What stayed with him, however, was something his father said: “Life

is like a hallway. And if a door opens, go through it.”

“I didn’t really get what he meant when he first said it to me. It didn’t make a lot

of sense until I got a call from Bonnie and Terry Turner, the parents of a friend of

mine here at Brewster, my freshman year at USC. They had seen me in a musical

that I did here with Mr. Campbell, and they wanted to know if I wanted to

audition for That ‘70s Show.

“I had no intention of becoming an actor. I’d never been to an audition in my life.

In fact I was pretty nervous that I was going to really stink and embarrass myself.

I didn’t know how to act with other professional kids there. I didn’t know how to

memorize lines. Hell, I didn’t even know how to find the building. But I’m pretty

glad that when that door presented itself, I went through it.

“Life is about extra credit. It’s about finding a door and going through it. Yes, it

will take more work, it will take hard work but here’s the good news, there are

doors everywhere and college is the perfect place and time to explore different

hallways, different doors, and find out what you’re passionate about. So freshman

year of college when someone asks you if you want to try out for an a cappella

group but you can’t sing and you get terrible stage fright, or join an ultimate

Frisbee league but you’re a total klutz, or intern at a Fortune 500 company for

peanuts or go on a date, or try pottery or go skydiving, say yes, go through that

door … you never know what’s going to be on the other side.

Trust me, when I was sitting here at my Brewster graduation, I never thought that

going through one of those doors would lead me to standing up here at your

Brewster graduation. Thank you.”

Following Grace’s remarks, the HOWL chorus performed “On My Way,” as sung

by Phil Collins in the movie “Brother Bear.”

Next, and perhaps most exciting for the graduates, was the awarding of diplomas.

Yearbook dedicatee and Associate Director of Athletics Kate Turner read the

names of the diploma recipients as they were presented.

Before closing the ceremony, Cooper reminded the graduates to

remain steadfast to the kind of legacy they want to leave

behind in their journeys. In referring to their recently

published Winnipesaukean yearbook, he said “All one has to

do is to look at the theme of your yearbook to know how

important the notion of legacy is to the class.”

He referred to the recent death of professional baseball

player Harmon Killebrew, saying that although his prowess as

a power hitter was one part of his legacy it was his character

and the class that he brought to the game that was perhaps

his most important legacy.

“So, Class of 2011, your goal of wanting to leave a legacy helps

to put you on the path to lasting happiness, but it doesn’t

guarantee happiness. Your

challenge will be ‘Do I want to

leave the kind of legacy of a

Harmon Killebrew? And what

will it take to accomplish

that?’

“I know I speak for

everyone when I wish you

all the best in your next

chapter and hope that

there is lots more to be

written in your book of life

and that the notion of how

you want to be remembered

only further guides and directs

how you continue to grow

across adulthood. Don’t ever

lose that sense of obligation.”

Cooper then congratulated

the Class of 2011 in the eight

languages of their home countries.

Following the

benediction by

The Rev. Harry

G. Widman,

graduates

recessed out

of the Smith

Center into the

congratulatory

arms of their

teachers,

families, and

friends.

Mike Cooper presents the Arthur

M. Hurlin Award to Taylor Booth

Laura Duffy, Lynne Palmer, and Jaime Laurent

Mike Cooper and the 46 “Lifers” (four-year students) were

ready to celebrate at a May dinner in their honor.

Commencement speaker Topher Grace ’97 and underclassmen

7www.brewsteracademy.org 7www.brewsteracademy.org

The Ivy

The Ivy Address marked the opening of the Commencement celebration and

took place on the eve of commencement exercises. Keeping with tradition,

the top academically ranked postgraduate and the third academically

ranked senior offered reflective remarks to graduates, their families,

and faculty. The ceremony concluded with Academic Dean Marilyn Shea

presenting the senior prefects with an ivy plant – a lasting and living symbol

of the graduating class. The ivy was planted in the gardens around the

Academic Building where it will comingle with the ivy of previous classes.

This year’s Ivy Address speakers were senior Stephanie Menezes and

postgraduate Max Hooper. Dana Hughes, a three-year student from Wolfeboro, offered the salutatorian

address to his classmates. In his introduction of Hughes, Mike Cooper referred

to Hughes as “a distinguished scholar whose work ethic and readiness to reach

out and help many students helped him earn the Math Department Award his

sophomore year and the Harvard Prize Book Award for science his junior year. His

senior year, he earned the role as president of our National Honor Society. He

has served admirably in our Math Tutor Center and excels at tennis … He has

captained the boys’ junior varsity hockey team and received the MVP award. He

has led teams over the past two years to participate in the highly competitive

Moody’s Math Challenge.”

Hughes told his fellow graduates that rather than talking about class memories

and the great times he had at Brewster, he owed them something meaningful

and chose to speak about the one thing he felt was most important to achieving

success no matter where someone is in life: prioritizing.

“You need to know what takes priority in your life and when you figure that out,

it becomes considerably easier to make the right choices,” Hughes said.

He encouraged his fellow graduates to always give 100 percent to all that they

do. “It’s important that you put work and effort in on a regular basis. … No

amount of studying at the very last minute will ever equal the work put in over

a long period of time. … A two-week project with one day of effort will not have

the same successful outcome as 14 days of effort.”

In reference to this he recalled his interview with the director of admission of

the College of Engineering at the University of Miami. The director reminded

him that a grade of 91 in physics might seem good enough, and in fact it is

an accomplishment to be proud of, but if an engineer only has 91 percent of the

relevant knowledgeable of the task at hand that doesn’t make for the best engineer.

Hughes asked his classmates to consider his favorite quote by basketball coach

John Wooden: “If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to

do it over?”

In closing he said, “You all – current Brewster students and the graduating class

of 2011 – are some of the most benevolent individuals I have come across in

my lifetime and created one of the kindest communities that you can’t just find

anywhere in the world. … I most certainly would not be the person I’m today

without the influence of this great community. Thank you everyone for the past

three years [that] I will not be forgetting anytime soon.”

EFFORT DOES MATTER

Putting Down Roots: Senior prefect Jolie Wehrung holds the ivy to be planted on behalf of the Class of 2011. She is joined on her right by Ivy Address speakers Max Hooper and Stephanie Menezes, on her left by senior prefect John Wadlinger; and Mike Cooper and Dan Mudge (P ’98, ’02), president of Brewster’s board of trustees, are in the back.

THE CLASS OF 2011 BY THE NuMBERS

117 - number of graduates

46 - number of graduates who were Lifers

54 - number of graduates who held leadership positions

33 - number of graduates who will play sports in college

13 - number of graduates who left behind at least one sibling at Brewster


Beth Duffy, a four-year student

from Wolfeboro, delivered

the valedictorian speech. In

introducing Duffy, Mike Cooper

said: “Our next student speaker

this morning is a Brewster Lifer

whose history with us actually

began at age 3 in 1995 when her

mom joined the Brewster faculty.

She was one of five students

selected to the National Honor

Society in her junior year. She has

been a member of the Judicial

Board for the past three years and

this year was named one of the

three chief justices of the board.

A four-year member of HOWL,

she has also favored us with her

talented performances on the

Brewster stage, including her much

celebrated role as the princess in

our winter musical production of

Once Upon a Mattress.”

Duffy’s remarks focused on all the inevitable changes that she and her

classmates encountered during their years at Brewster. Admitting that she was

not very comfortable with change, she nonetheless learned that life without

change leads to a stagnant and boring existence and, that although she doubts

she will ever be in love with the unknown and unexpected, she has come to

accept them.

“Many of my classmates were in the same boat of awkwardness and confusion

as to who we would become. Tiny boys and girls crowded the Bubble, and, above

the sounds of cracking voices and shrill screams, we forged bonds and friendships

that are still in place today. As time went on, those scrawny boys were replaced

with their more muscular counterparts, and the awkward girls grew into

confident young women.”

“These physical transformations were accompanied by other changes in maturity

and respect levels. Brewster has turned even the most scatterbrained, frazzled

individuals into well-organized students ready to succeed. Our school has also

taught us to advocate for ourselves. Instead of students turning to indifference

toward their schoolwork and grades, we were taught to communicate with a

teacher if we were confused about an assignment or redo a test or paper if we

weren’t fully satisfied with our grades.”

Duffy thanked her classmates and almost-graduates for being a group filled with

such camaraderie and acceptance. “We’re now headed towards real life, but if we

take what we’ve learned, from Brewster and from each other, and if we accept

the changes that are sure to come our way, things will only get better from here.”

Members of the Class of 2011 are attending the following colleges and universities:Assumption CollegeBabson CollegeBentley CollegeBoston University (4)Bowdoin CollegeBrooklyn CollegeBryant CollegeCalifornia Lutheran UniversityColby-Sawyer CollegeCollege of IdahoCollege of the Holy Cross (2)Concordia University, CanadaDalhousie University, CanadaDePauw UniversityElmira CollegeElon UniversityEmerson CollegeEndicott CollegeFairfield UniversityGettysburg CollegeGilmore SchoolHartwick CollegeHarvard UniversityHigh Point University (4)Hobart and William Smith Colleges (5)Keene State CollegeLewis & Clark CollegeLoyola UniversityMarist CollegeMarymount Manhattan CollegeMiami UniversityNew Jersey City UniversityNew York University (2)Northeastern University (3)Norwich University (1)Pennsylvania State UniversityProvidence College (2)Purdue University (2)Quinnipiac University (2)Roger Williams University (3)

Rollins College (2)Rutgers UniversitySiena CollegeSmith CollegeSouth Kent SchoolSt. John’s UniversitySt. Michael’s College (3)Stetson University (3)Suffolk UniversitySusquehanna University (4)Syracuse University (2)Texas A & M UniversityTexas Christian UniversityTrinity UniversityUniversity of ArizonaUniversity of Colorado, BoulderUniversity of Connecticut (2)University of HartfordUniversity of KansasUniversity of Massachusetts, Amherst (2)University of MiamiUniversity of MississippiUniversity of New HampshireUniversity of PittsburghUniversity of Prince Edward Island, Canada (2)University of RedlandsUniversity of Rhode IslandUniversity of Tampa (2)University of Vermont (4)University of Washington (2)Villanova UniversityVirginia Military InstituteWentworth Institute of TechnologyWestern State CollegeWhittier College (2)Wittenberg UniversityXavier University

Athletic Director’s Award • Chelsiea Goll • Yegor Bezuglyy

The Headmaster’s Prize • Beth Duffy

The Postgraduate Award • Max Hooper

Faculty Service Award • Hannah Pope

Faculty Service Award • Ashley Rose

Ronald “Buzzy” Dore Memorial Award • Will Fix

Jill Carlson Memorial Award • Chelsiea Goll

Faculty “Growth Achievement” Award • Hilary Greeff

Mabel C. Tarr Award • Beth Duffy

David Sirchis School Service Award • Stephanie Menezes

Arthur J. Mason Foundation Award • Calder Billings

Burtis Vaughan Award • Sarah MacDonnell

Arthur M. Hurlin Award • Taylor Booth

To learn more about these awards, visit: www. brewsteracademy.org/commencementawards


EMBRACE CHANGE 2011 Commencement Awards


Number of books: ($22.95 per book)

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YOu ALSO MAY ORDER BY CREDIT CARD ONLINE: https://www.brewsteracademy.org/thebrewsterstory

RETuRN FORM, wITH CHECk MADE PAYABLE TO BREwSTER ACADEMY, TO: Campus StoreBrewster Academy80 Academy DriveWolfeboro, NH 03894

Name

Address

City, State, Zip

Country Code, Country

E-mail Address

Phone Number

The Brewster Story: The Definitive History of Brewster Academy

“The Brewster Story is a must read for anyone who has attended the school or

has an interest in the Academy. The Story relates the early philosophy of John

Brewster and how the school has followed those ideals in creating the current

Academy. It was of great interest to read of the many hurdles that were overcome

in the early years and to see the perseverance of a number of key people that

kepttheschoolfunctioningduringwaryears,fires,personneladjustments,and

financialwoes.…Thankyouforthehistorylessons,BobandShirleyRichardson.”

Bruce H. Crowther ‘64 (GP ’14)

Grandparent Chair 2011-2012

GIFTS OF HISTORY

With the publication of The Brewster Story in May, Brewster Academy wishes to

acknowledge the individuals who contributed their time and resources to bring

the history of the Academy alive in the pages of The Brewster Story:

Former faculty members Bob and Shirley Richardson, who, upon their

retirement in 2004, spent seven years researching, conducting interviews, poring

over archival material, writing, and editing The Brewster Story;

Richard Joseph (Sam ’11) for donating the publishing and printing costs of

The Brewster Story. “With a page count at 352 and an initial printing of 600

books it was no small undertaking, and Brewster is forever grateful for

Richard’scontributiontothehistoryofBrewster,”saidMikeCooperin

acknowledgingRichardJosephattheIvyAddressinMay;and

Alumni, faculty and staff, and friends for sharing their stories and photos with

Bob and Shirley


REBECCA

MARISSEAu

‘12 (Wolfeboro)

spent two weeks

at an Archaeology

Field School at

Strawbery Banke

Museum in

Portsmouth, New

Hampshire.

wHY ARCHAEOLOGY? The Field School was excavating near the 1762 Chase

House, which belonged to Stephen Chase, a wealthy Portsmouth merchant.

Recently, Strawbery Banke staff began looking at old 18th century insurance

maps and noticed that there were other structures on the property in 1762 that

are not currently standing. Further research and archaeological investigation

revealed that the structures were the original privy and carriage house.

wHAT REBECCA LEARNED: Archeologists are very interested in excavating

privies because when they were no longer privies they were used as trash

receptacles. The families would throw food scraps, ceramics, glass, and anything

else they deemed trash into the privy. This leaves evidence of day-to-day 18th

century life for the archaeologists.

I participated in the excavation of the former carriage house and privy

foundations. Though I was fortunate enough to not have to dig in the privy itself,

I was given a unit with many artifacts in it!

wHAT REBECCA AND HER TEAM ExCAVATED: Two 1780-1820 pearlware

teacups, Victorian thimble, animal bones (shows what they ate), part of a carriage

wheel, leather, keys, horseshoes, thermometer, and a toothbrush.

RAYMOND SORIANO ’12 (Laredo, Texas) enrolled in a six-week course in

astronomy and oceanography at the University of California, Berkeley. When he

wrote the following, Raymond was in the middle of a two-week research project

on the 15 exoplanet transit observations at the Central Texas Astronomical

Society (CTAS).

In particular, I am recording the luminosity of the exoplanets with various

calibration filters as a means of taking into account signal-to-noise ratio, cloud

cover, and light from

nearby stars to obtain

accurate photometrical

measurements.

wHY THIS COuRSE?

I chose this endeavor

because of my strong

interest in astronomy,

which was inspired

when I competed in

the New Hampshire

Astronomy Bowl last

March.

wHAT RAYMOND

LEARNED: I learned

about stellar/galactic

formation, sky geography, atmospheric interference, and planetary processes. At

the CTAS, I am learning how to set up and operate the observatory telescope,

use various filters to determine the quality of camera exposures, and that the 15

different exoplanets change in position and luminosity as they interfere with the

light of nearby stars.

My experience at CTAS has taught me to pay close attention to every detail

on the computer data, since any error can possibly result in inaccurate

measurements that can change the overall outlook of the transit observation(s).

I have three mentors who are highly educated in physics, chemistry, and

engineering. They are very detailed in all that they do in sharing their knowledge

of astronomy. At UC Berkeley, I learned from my experience that life in a large

university requires a huge responsibility from an individual to succeed because

there is no supervision inside and outside of class.

AMY MISIRA ’12 (Cockeysville,

Maryland) interned for the nonprofit

Children Across Borders headquartered

in Tampa, Florida. This organization

provides sustained support in the form of

education, health, housing, and wellness

to underprivileged children throughout

the world.

we know what They Did Last SummerBrewster students are adventurous and giving of their time. Here Connections shares the stories of how some students spent their summer days and, for at least one stargazer, his nights.


wHY THIS ENDEAVOR? Some day I would like to start a foundation, and I

was offered the opportunity by family friends, so I could learn the inner workings

of a nonprofit organization (NPO).

wHAT AMY LEARNED: I learned it is a lot of work to start and maintain a

nonprofit. I know it’s not just about raising money. You need a lot of connections.

I learned that running an NPO is a team effort. Everything works better when

you have people who believe in the cause and are there for you. For my nonprofit,

I want to support and offer supplies to Orphanage 2 in Samara, Russia.

ALBERTO RIVERA-

BARLETTA ’13 (Mexico City,

Mexico) spent three weeks

on a 50-foot sailboat with 11

other teenagers in the waters

off the British Virgin Islands.

wHY A SAILBOAT wITH ALL THOSE TEENAGERS? One reason I chose

this ActionQuest adventure program is the fact that it was a different summer

experience. Most summer programs, students/campers, stay in cabins or tents.

But we lived on a sailboat. This unusual set up for a summer program intrigued

me. They offer a variety of programs, from community service to marine biology.

wHAT ALBERTO LEARNED: After two summers in ActionQuest, I have

become an advanced diver and have received my sailing license and community

service hours picking up trash in a local town.

Being out there for 21 days without TV, cell phones, Internet, cooking the meals,

cleaning the boat, being with great staff, and 11 other people my age on a 50-

foot sailboat is different. You learn how to be comfortable with yourself. It helps

to realize who you really are. As I began realizing who I was becoming, who I

really was, I began to define future goals.

HOw HE GREw FROM THIS ExPERIENCE: The three weeks I spent with

ActionQuest, was the best three weeks of my summer. I feel I have become more

aware of global issues, my self-confidence increased, I have developed social skills

I use today, and I have defined future goals. The BVIs, which, believe me, is not

the most modern or sophisticated region in the world, does have its own spark.

That spark made me more aware of countries like the BVIs, and that they are not

as lucky as many of us. It made me feel more thankful for what I have.

Overall this experience was amazing, and I will always treasure it.

MORGAN ROBINETTE ’12 (Gilmanton Iron Works, New Hampshire) was part

of a team of volunteers helping to keep a public island on Lake Winnipesaukee

“beautiful and running smoothly.”

wHY RAGGED ISLAND? Ragged Island used to be a part of the Loon Center

in Moultonborough. When the center decided to sell it, it was passed into town

ownership and became a public island.

To preserve the island, the houses not being used were taken off island, leaving

their sites to be cleaned up. Our priority was getting rid of glass, pipes, and

anything with nails, including wooden shingles, structural planks, and siding.

There are two main beaches open to the public, as well as a set of bathrooms, so

we need to keep it clean.

I chose this project originally because of the loons. I love the loons on the lake.

From our lake house on Cow Island, you can hear them every night, calling to

each other. It’s magical. Ragged Island is a very popular nesting site for loons and

after I had learned that they were becoming endangered, I wanted to help them.

I have found that I now do it because I enjoy it. I love seeing the island loved by

so many taken care of. I like seeing the happy people when they go to the island.

It gives me a feeling of worth to have seen this island grow from being dirty and

unkempt to being a well-respected destination on the lake.

wHAT MORGAN LEARNED: I learned many things but mostly about work

ethics and about striving for something bigger than myself. I volunteer because

it helps me feel like a part of a community, and I feel it’s my job to commit to

something that is bigger than myself. My mom always told me that helping

others was the right thing to do, and now I can relate to it.

HOw SHE GREw FROM THIS ExPERIENCE. I believe that what you do will

always affect who you are as a person. I feel as though I have more to contribute

to this world. I know that I will not stop here. My work on Ragged Island has

confirmed that for me. I grew as a person on this project, more aware of my

impact on others, and how I can make it positive.

Morgan also spent much of her summer interning in Brewster’s Technology Office.

DAISY LEPERE ’12 (Belmont,

Massachusetts) travelled across the

globe to northern India to participate in

a community service project with the

nonprofit Mountain Cleaners in the state

of Himachal Pradesh. Mountain Cleaners

is committed to cleaning up India, little

by little, through a combination of direct

action, liaison, and awareness raising.

wHY INDIA? I chose to go to India because I love to travel, and I wanted to get

a sense of what life was like for other people, and we got to work with kids.

wHAT SHE LEARNED AND HOw SHE GREw: I learned about the customs

and traditions in India as well as the problems there. I grew from this experience

by seeing the differences between how life is for me and how life is for others. It

was very eye opening and very humbling.


This year the opening All-School Assembly coincided with the 10th

anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11. It seemed appropriate

then that Dr. Cooper focused his remarks on the connection that

those events had to the Brewster community.

“Asyouwalkthroughcampusorheadouttotheathleticfields,youwill

no doubt notice two signs: one that reads Fry Field and one that reads

PalazzoField.Youmightalsonoticetheplaqueinthe“flagpolegarden”

neartheSmithCenter,”Coopersaid.

“Today, especially, the names on these signs and the plaque deserve our

pauseandreflection.Theybarethenamesoftwograduateswholosttheir

livesintheWorldTradeCenteronSeptember11.”

Hesharedalittleabouteachalumnus.PeterFry,classof1983,wasjust36

years old, married with two young daughters. Tommy Palazzo, class of

1975, was 44 years old, also married and with three daughters.

“AtBrewster,Peterwasastabilizinginfluence,aleaderbyexample,

“Let’s Give Meaning

to the Brewster

Principle”By Marcia Eldredge

Mike and Andrea Cooper and senior prefect Evan Cohn greet a new student.

One of a few bouquets placed on September 11 at a campus memorial.

It wouldn’t be orientation without the annual swim test!

Welcome Back! Returning students at registration.


a young man who knew what was the right thing to do under any

circumstance, both cool and cool headed. He always represented what

was right and that combination led to his being highly respected by the

entire community. At Curry College, he became an All-American lacrosse

player,”Coopersaid.

Tommy and his brother Robbie ’74 (to whom Palazzo Field is also

dedicated) were outstanding athletes. At the dedication of Palazzo Field,

Robbie spoke about how much Brewster had meant to the brothers and

howtheyhadmaturedatBrewstersaying,”Theywerethefinestyearsof

ourlivesaswelearnedhowtobecomeadultshere.”

Mike continued, as students Peter and Tommy were respected by their peers

in the Brewster community. As adults they lived honorable lives. “I ask you

to honor them by upholding the Brewster Principle: Respect, Integrity, and

Service:serveyourselfandotherswithyourbestinallyoudo.”

“Lets give meaning to the Brewster Principle. Let’s have a great year and

let’shavesomefun.”


Mike Cooper and James C. Curvey at a spring luncheon with Patrick Perry, Sean Cassidy, and Rebecca Jones, now sophomores; and Bianca Barcelo, Ashley Rogers, and Cristina Adams, current juniors.

Class of 2015 Curvey Scholars: Tre Galligan, Chase Gardner, and Bella Monzione with Mike Cooper on the first day of classes.

The 2011-2012 school year marks the

third year of welcoming Curvey

Scholars to the Brewster community.

In December 2008, James C. Curvey and his

family donated 11 acres of waterfront property

in Alton to Brewster Academy. Through the

land donation, it was Curvey’s desire to create

scholarships so that more local students would

have the opportunity to attend Brewster.

InSeptember2009,thefirstthreeCurveyScholars

entered Brewster as members of the Class of

2013. A year later, three more local students

entered as freshmen. The most recent scholars

bringthetotaltoninestudentsbenefitingfrom

the generosity of the Curvey family.

Thisyear’sfreshmanscholars–Thomas“Tre”

GalliganIII,ChaseGardner,andIsabella“Bella”

Monzione – are leaders in their class and will no

doubt take advantage of all the opportunities

that await them at their new school.

The ScholarSTre is from Gilford and wanted to attend a

school that encouraged the development of the

learner and the athlete in order to challenge him

on both levels. Tre’s former teachers describe

himas“aquietleaderwholeadsbyexample”

and a hard working young man who is a

positiveinfluenceintheclassroom.Afootball

player, last season Tre was named offensive

player of the year, which he attributes to his

constant positive attitude.

Chase Gardner is from Wolfeboro where he

earned a 4.0 GPA in an accelerated curriculum

at Kingswood Regional Middle School. He has

been playing basketball and soccer for eight

years and also plays the trombone. His most

rewardingsubjectisEnglishbecausehebelieves

that “having the ability to read and write is

Brewster welcomes Three More Curvey ScholarsCurrently nine local students are recipients of the Curvey family’s generosity

invaluable – I like expanding my vocabulary by

beingexposedtonewwords.”

Chase’s former teachers describe him as an

active member of the team’s leadership group,

highly respected by faculty and peers. “Chase is

well balanced and very thoughtful for a person

hisage.”

Bella is from Alton and attended Cornerstone

Christian Academy. She is an avid equestrian,

enthusiastically committed to all aspects of

horsemanship. She was looking for a school

with the same small community aspect as

Cornerstone Christian as well as diverse

opportunities where she could get more

involved. Bella’s former teachers see her as

“very inquisitive, taking the initiative to learn

andtobesuccessful.”

Tre,Chase,andBellajoincurrentCurvey

ScholarsjuniorsCristinaAdamsandAshley

Rogers from Alton and Bianca Barcelo from

Wolfeboro;andsophomoresRebeccaJonesand

Patrick Perry from Wolfeboro and Sean Cassidy

from Alton.


Teachers Gorrill and O’Blenis at the Top of the Class

By Marcia Eldredge

Each year since 1997 Brewster has honored two or three faculty

members for their outstanding efforts and accomplishments in

one of two areas, Excellence in Teaching and Career Growth. They

are nominated by faculty, administration, students, parents, and trustees.

At the opening All-School Assembly in September, Mike Cooper

announced that this year’s faculty award recipients were long-time faculty

member Bruce Gorrill and Rob O’Blenis, both science teachers.

career GrowThGiven in recognition of the faculty member who, over the course of the

year, has demonstrated the most accelerated professional growth within

the Brewster program, the Career Growth Award was presented to Rob

O’Blenis, science teacher and community life parent who started teaching

at Brewster in 2005. In nominating Rob for the award, colleagues had the

followingtosayabouthim:“Thisawardistheperfectmatchforhim.”

“He has been extremely supportive of colleagues as they step into the

classroom.”“Hehasgreatintegrityandagreatattitude.”

In 2010, Rob was asked to become one of a select group of faculty and staff

to be trained in and then become a staff trainer in the newly introduced

EmotionalLiteracyprogramandhehasdone“anamazingjob.”Infact,

“heisthe‘meta-momentking’.”

Additionally,“Helovesworkingandlivingataboardingschool,”and

“Hestepsintohelpinotherareasoftheschoolwhenheseesaneed.”

“OurstudentsandBrewsterarefortunatetohavehim.”

Students also praised ‘Mr. O,’ as he is known, for his dedication and

teaching style.

exampleS of career GrowTh aT BrewSTer: • Utilizingsupportoffered

• Productivityanddegreeofexcellenceinthecurriculumthey have developed

• Highevaluationsinfivedifferentclassesfromtheirdirector, peers, and students

• Demonstratedexcellenceinthedeliveryofbestpracticepedagogies

• Strongandvaluablecontributionsmadetoallteamefforts

• Significantuseoftechnologyincurriculumdesignand delivery and taking advantage of the Internet

• Buildinganawarenessandsensitivitywithinthecommunity of the needs of the students


Current faculty who are past recipients of the

Excellence in Teaching AwardLaura Cooper (2010)

Bret Barnett (2009)

Matt Butcher (2008)

Janis Cornwell (2006)

Raylene Davis (2005)

Barb Thomas (2004)

Julianne Lopez (2003)

Kim Yau (2003)

Bruce Gorrill (2001)

Maria Found (1997)

Current faculty who are past recipients of the

Career Growth AwardTom Sullivan (2010)

Jamie Garzon (2009)

Lauren Shealy (2008)

Lauren Hunter (2007)

Matt Butcher (2006)

Bret Barnett (2005

Yu Lui (2003)

Raylene Davis (1998)

exampleS of excellence in TeachinG aT BrewSTer: • Professionalisminallaspectsoftheirendeavors

• Assistingothersinsupportofstudents

• Fairassessment

• Efforttoassistcoreteachersintheireffortsinsupportoftheir students

• Tenacityanddrivetoseethatstudentsarefairlyassessedand assisting in the development of adaptations for them

• Consistency,fairness,andqualityofactionplansandgreatfollow through—Team primacy

• Positiveattitudeinallinteractions

“I think that Mr. O is a really good teacher. I really like that his teaching

style is very hands on. I am doing very well in science this year, and

I think that is because of the way he teaches and the fact that he is

organized with homework and well organized in the classroom, which

makes it that much easier to understand. I also appreciate the fact that he

is always there for extra help and he really wants us all to be the best we

canbe.”

“Your class is my favorite class this year. I love how you do notes in class,

that you always make sure I understand what is going on, and all of the

opportunities you give to help me. You seem to love what you are doing

andthatmakesmewanttoloveit,too.”

excellence in TeachinG This award is given in recognition of demonstrated excellence in teaching

practices and overall contributions within the Brewster program. The

recipient of the 2011 Excellence in Teaching Award is Bruce Gorrill, science

department chair. This is the second time that Bruce has been awarded the

ExcellenceinTeachingAward,havingfirstreceiveditin2001.

Bruce’s colleagues have a lot of respect for his abilities and in nominating

him for the award, praised his high standards and leadership. “He is an

excellent role model in the classroom, creating and maintaining a very

student-centeredclassroom.”

Colleagues agree that Bruce is one of the most technology-savvy faculty

members, taking the time to learn how new classroom technology tools

canbestbenefitstudentsandhisdeliveryofcoursework.

“He has an impressive use of technology in the classroom and within

thecurriculumdevelopedinhisdepartment.”“Hisuseoftechnology

encourages other faculty to incorporate technology and to embrace new

ideasandchangesintheirclassrooms.”“HeisoneofthereasonsBrewster

maintainsourtechnologyedge.”

“He has been at the forefront of Brewster’s programmatic changes, such

astheBrewsterModel,project-basedlearning,andMoodle.”

“Bruce has never lost the sense of ‘it’s all about the kids.’ He is very vested

inourstudents.”

Students,too,havehighpraiseforBruceGorrill.“Goodjobkeepingthe

classalwaysontask.Ilikethefactthatyouusealotoftechnologyinclass;

itreallyadvancesmyskillsnotonlyinphysicsbutalsoforotherclasses.”

“Science isn’t usually my strong point, but I’m loving physics this year.

Mr. Gorrill is an amazing teacher and I’m learning a lot. I feel challenged

butnotoverwhelmed.”

“Mr. Gorrill, I like the fact that you always are there to answer any

questions and that you are willing to go over a problem if people don’t

understandhowtodoit.Greatjobdrawingeverythingoutonthesmart

boardforvisuallearners.”

“Mr. Gorrill cares about each individual in our class and he is willing to

helpeachstudentinawaythattheycanlearnthebest.”


Some of Brewster’s new community members: from the top Carrie MacDonald, Maureen Edmonds, Sally Smith, Elizabeth Bonsu, Karl Edmonds, and Jen Smith

KristyKerinjoinedtheAlumniandDevelopmentOfficeteamon

June 1 as the director of advancement. In this role, she oversees

theAnnualFund,majorgifts,andcampaignplanning.Most

recently she was the director of donor relations at Middlebury College in

Middlebury, Vermont, her alma mater.

Kristy brings broad experience working with leadership donors, annual

fund campaigns, events, and donor stewardship. As a member of

Middlebury’s annual fund team, she helped establish strategies that led

to record-breaking alumni giving rates as high as 62 percent participation.

Kristy credits these outstanding alumni participation results in large part

to alumni volunteers, and she is eager to help build robust volunteer

networks at Brewster.

When asked what it was about Brewster that attracted her, she replied:

“This is an exciting and critical time for the Academy. I was impressed

with the school’s leadership under Dr. Cooper, the unique teaching model,

the personalized approach to education, and the inspirational vision for

the future. I am excited to partner with Brewster’s alumni, parents, and

friendstohelpadvancetheAcademy’sgoals.”

KristyalsoservedastheassistanttrackandfieldcoachatMiddlebury.

Shewasrankedinternationallyasahighjumperandcompetedinthe2004

U.S. Olympic Trials. Her husband, David, and their two sons, Daniel and

Matthew,joinKristyhere.

CarrieMacDonaldhasjoinedthecommunityasthedirectorofstudent

health services. She began her career as a pediatric nurse on a medical

surgical unit at Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical

Center. Most recently she worked for a behavioral, developmental, genetic

pediatric specialist where she worked with children and adolescents with

ADHD, anxiety, depression, and autism. She has a B.S. in Nursing from

the University of Southern Maine.

SallySmithjoinedtheOfficeofAdmissionandExternalAffairsonJuly

1 as special events and programs coordinator. She comes to Brewster

with 20 years experience in higher education and independent boarding

schools. Her experience includes director of alumni relations at Plymouth

State University where she received her master’s in counseling and

human relations.

Sally’spreviousworkinofficesofalumni,admissions,andcollege

counseling involved extensive event planning and provides her with the

insight for comprehensive implementation and streamlining of events

at Brewster Academy. She looks forward to working with numerous

campusofficesintheplanningandoversightofeventsonandoffcampus

involving different constituents.

“My years as a student at Williston-Northampton School naturally

influencedmydesiretoserveinaboardingschoolenvironment.Iam

fortunatetobepartoftheBrewstercommunity,”shesaid.

A native of the Lakes Region, Sally lives in Center Harbor with her

twochildren.HerdaughteriscurrentlyinherfirstyearatHighPoint

University in North Carolina and her son is a sophomore at Inter-Lakes

High School.

New Community MembersOver the summer, Brewster Academy welcomed three new administrators and seven new faculty members to the community.

NEw FACuLTY

Elizabeth Bonsu is an instructional support teacher on the freshman

Team Cooper. She has worked with both adolescents and adults in

community health resource centers and organizations in Connecticut and

Massachusetts. Elizabeth has a B.A. in psychology from Curry College.

JonathanBrowheristeachingU.S.historyonthejuniorTeamThomas.His

history background includes a primary concentration in U.S. history and

a secondary concentration in Latin American history. He holds a master’s

in education from Plymouth State University and a B.A. in history from

Bates College. He is the community life parent in Bearce Hall.


Not many people can say they

have been involved with an

organization for 37 years, but

Helen Hamilton of Bow, New Hampshire,

can.Atage80,shejuststeppeddownfrom

Brewster’s board of trustees, having served

as secretary of the board and chair of the

education and personnel committees.

Despite ending her long tenure on the board,

sheisfarfromfinishedwithdedicatingher

life to helping others. Her commitment to

education is life-long.

Not an alumna or even an alumni parent,

Hamilton was drawn to Brewster simply

because of her passion for education. She

brought much expertise and experience,

having been the dean of students at

SpringfieldCollege,thedeanofstudent

affairs at the University of New Hampshire,

and a YWCA executive/administrator in

Springfield,Massachusetts,Toledo,Ohio,and

Manchester, New Hampshire. She also taught

Trustee Steps Down After Long TenureHelen Hamilton’s Passion for Education Still Strong

By Sarah Anderson

Karl Edmonds teaches algebra and geometry on the freshman Team

Cooper. He also is the boys’ varsity soccer coach. Originally from Liverpool,

England, Mr. Edmonds came to New Hampshire in 1989 when he earned an

athletic scholarship to play soccer at Southern New Hampshire University.

He holds a master’s in international business and a B.S. in business

administration from SNHU.

Maureen Edmonds is an instructional support teacher on the senior Team

Yau and the community life parent in Brown Hall. Maureen has extensive

teaching experience at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She

has a master’s in education and a B.A. in communications and English

fromNiagaraUniversityandhasspecialeducationcertificationfromthe

University of New Hampshire.

Ellissa Popoff teaches modern world history on the sophomore Team

Martin and is the head coach of the girls’ varsity ice hockey team. She has

a master’s in psychology from Connecticut College and undergraduate

degree in history and psychology from Williams College.

Zach Ross, a 2005 graduate of Brewster, is an instructional support

teacher on the sophomore Team Martin and the community life parent

in Sargent 3. Previously at Brewster he has been a substitute teacher and

assistant coach in the boys’ crew program. He has an MBA from the Royal

Melbourne Institute of Technology and an undergraduate degree from

Susquehanna University.

JenSmithisamathteacheronthejuniorTeamLopez.Shehasadegree

in mathematics and education from Shippensburg University and is the

community life parent in Haines House.


in Manchester and at Easthampton High School,

in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts.

Hamilton worked as the executive director

of Kids Voting New Hampshire Inc., a youth

development organization, and she founded

the Capital Area Student Leadership Program

(CASL) for high school sophomores.

Clearly recognized as an active member of her

community, Hamilton and her husband were

named Distinguished Citizens of the Year in

Concord in 2004.

Not only has she been active by contributing

to her community, she also has always been

physically active. An athlete all her life,

Hamilton did not start running road races until

shewasabout42.Thenformorethanfiveyears,

she became nationally ranked as number one in

her age category for the 5K. “I love racing, and I

stillmissittoday,”Hamiltonsaid.

In a recent interview, Hamilton spoke about

her time as a member of Brewster’s board of

trustees. She addressed some of the changes the

school has experienced during this time. “It was

averydifferentscenein1974,”Hamiltonsaid.

She highlighted the implementation of

technology as a positive change. “We were

reallyaleaderinthatarea.”Shealsospoke

abouttheBrewsterModelasasignificantshift.

Hamilton was on the selection committee for

now Head of School Dr. Michael Cooper. She

said that choosing a new head of school was a

longprocessandthattheboardmade“aterrific

decision.”ShecommentedonDr.Cooper’s

steadyprogressandthe“significant,intelligent

changes”hehasbroughtabout.Hamiltoncalled

welcome, karey Fix

Brewster parent Karey Fix of Chicago has

joined the board of trustees. She and husband

Bob are the parents of Keenan ’13 and Will,

who graduated from Brewster in May. Karey

previously taught at a private elementary

school in Winnetka, Illinois, before beginning her

own business, Fix-Tex: a line of high-end hand

painted fabric and furniture.

She was actively involved in Keenan and Will’s

elementary school, chairing the school’s primary

fundraiser for eight years. She has served on the

boards of The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago,

Lincoln Park Zoo, and Rush NeuroBehavioral

Center and has been an active participant of the

Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation.

them“tremendouschangesineducation,”

referring to those in the disciplinary realm,

faculty and student retention, technology, the

leveling of the classroom, team teaching, and the

Emotional Literacy Program.

“Students are really getting into more places

and being able to attend the colleges and

universitiesoftheirchoice.”Hamiltonalso

praised Brewster’s athletic department, saying,

“All of the students are in programs in which

thecoachingisfarsuperior.”

Whenasked“What’snext?”Hamiltonlaughed

andsaidsheisalwayspursuingprojects.She

still works with CASL and is on the scholarship

committee for Concord Hospital.

She is always involved in education somehow.

“What it will be now, I don’t know, but it will

be something. Maybe I will go back to school

myself!”

Hamilton stressed the crucial role education

plays in her life. “Education is a very important

thingforme,”shesaid.“Iamreallyconcerned

about what’s happening in public schools. These

kids (Brewster students) are really lucky to be

able to go to a private school and to learn how

tobegoodcitizensandcontributingones.”

Hamilton learned about being a contributing

member of society at a young age. After

attendingSpringfieldCollegeandthe

University of Maine, she was travelling into

theinnercityofToledo,Ohio,andSpringfield,

Massachusetts, at night by herself to work with

individuals from all walks of life. “I really had a

good perspective on people from all categories

ofwealth.”Sheisconfidentthatthiskindof

experience – contributing to one’s community

–benefitsone’sgrowthanddevelopment.She

encourages young people to start early with this

kind of involvement.

Always fascinated by education, Hamilton

continues to expand her mind and is currently

reading a book about language and how it

begins as she watches her baby grandchild

begin to navigate the world of language.

“Intoday’sage,itisveryraretofindsomeone

likeHelen,whoselflesslydevoted37yearsas

a trustee to an institution. Her guidance and

wisdomwillbemissed,”saidboardpresident

Dan Mudge. “We will continue to treasure our

long-standingfriendshipwithHelen.”

LIVE LEARN LEAD

new York citySeptember – Current parents and friends of

Brewster gathered for a reception at the home of

Lisa and Michael Kurtz (Zoe Lindgren ’13). Mike

Cooper and Lynne Palmer shared news about the

opening of school and updates from campus.

While in New York City, Mike Cooper had the

opportunity to connect with young alumni at a

business breakfast hosted by Colin Foster ’88 at his

downtown office of Virtual Doorman.

BermudaSeptember

– Mike and

Andrea

Cooper and

Lynne Palmer

represented

Brewster at a

boarding school

fair in Hamilton,

Bermuda.

In conjunction

with the fair, Mike, Andrea, and Lynne visited with

current Brewster families at a reception at the

Rosemont Guest Suites, hosted by Samantha and

Neal Stephens (Wilson ’12, Keely ’13, and Holly ’15).

Boston, head of the charlesOctober 23 – Join us at the Head of the Charles to

cheer on Brewster rowers as they compete in the

world’s largest crew regatta. Stop by the Brewster

tent expected to be near the Finish Area Launching

Site (FALS) and the Elliot Bridge.

The middle eastOctober 20 - 23 –

Admission officer

Jay Anctil will

represent Brewster

at boarding school

fairs in Dharan,

Saudi Arabia,

sponsored by Saudi Aramco. Jay will discuss the

Brewster program with prospective students and

families. Currently five students attend Brewster

whose families live in Saudi Arabia.

nevada and TexasNovember – Lynne Palmer will represent Brewster

at a boarding school fair in Las Vegas on November

5 and at a national conference for educational

consultants in Dallas on November 10.

asiaNovember 7 - 17 – Jim Bastis, director of alumni

and development, will visit with parents and alumni

in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, and

Taipei and Taichung City, Taiwan.

massachusettsJanuary 15, 2012 – The Brewster boys’ basketball

team will play in the 2012 Spalding HoopHall Classic

in Blake Arena at Springfield College in Springfield.

Game time is tentatively schedule for 4 p.m. and will

be broadcast on ESPN. For more information:

www.thehoophallclassic.com/index.php

RoadBrewster

On The

The Stephens siblings – Keely ’13, Wilson ’12, and Holly ’15 – are among 10 students from Bermuda studying at Brewster this year.


Brewster parent representative Maria- Dulce Smith (Max ’12, Sarah ’05) at a school fair in Saudi Arabia last year.

Newsmakers


national Geographic features nieman photo

Simply Beautiful Landscapes, National Geographic’s

2011 Engagement Calendar, features a photo by

David Nieman ’11 (Wolfeboro). Nieman’s image of

Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, was

among 52 “evocative nature scenes” selected for the

calendar.

He took the photo a few years ago in late December

while visiting family on the Maine coast. “I noticed

the snow on the roof of the lighthouse first. The

contrast between the powdery snow and the dark

rocks creates a really nice effect. I think what really

pulls the shot together is the black and white quality,

the fog, and the crashing water.”

Nieman is now studying film and photographer at

Emerson College.

mcGary Blogging for eSpn, played in elite For the upcoming school year, Mitch McGary ’12

(Hinsdale, Indiana), the top-ranked power forward in

the ESPNU 100, has agreed to chronicle his thoughts

on everything from his recruitment to pop culture in

a blog for ESPNHS.

In August, McGary played

in the Boost Mobile Elite

24 event, which featured

24 of the top high school

basketball players in

the United States. The

game was televised live

on ESPN. McGary is the second Brewster player to

be selected for this showcase game. will Barton

‘10, who now plays for the University of Memphis,

played in the 2009 game.

Tw foundation honors Blair and francis

Recent graduate

keshia Blair ’11 and

Najee Francis ’15

were among the

academic honorees at

the 19th Annual Trey

Whitfield Foundation

Awards Banquet.

Both students are

graduates of the Trey

Whitfield School

(TWS) in Brooklyn,

New York.

Blair, an honors student and lifer at Brewster,

is originally from Guyana. She is now studying

humanities and Spanish at Stetson University and

working toward her dream of becoming a criminal

justice attorney.

A Brooklyn native and salutatorian of TWS’s class of

2011, Francis carries on the legacy of Trey Whitfield

graduates continuing their education at Brewster.

The Trey Whitfield Foundation was founded in 1989 to

commemorate the life and spirit of Trey Whitfield ’89.

Its mission is to pursue Trey’s dream that everyone,

regardless of ethnic background, has equal access to

the educational opportunities that they need to reach

their potential in life; that every child will have a

helping hand and every young person will get support

from someone who cares about their future.

wolfeboro Brochure features walker’s workMarlee walker’s ’11 (Wolfeboro) photo of

downtown Wolfeboro appears in the 2011

Wolfeboro Area Chamber of Commerce brochure.

Walker captured the photo as part of an assignment

in her digital photography class. She is studying at

the University of Vermont.

all-american mitch chapmanLacrosse player Mitchell

Chapman ‘11 (Oshawa,

Ontario) was voted All-

American, which is the

highest distinction a high

school lacrosse player

can achieve. Chapman is

the seventh Brewster lacrosse player to receive this

honor. He will play for Bryant University next season.

Shaw is pitcher of the YearBrennen Shaw ‘11

(Presque Isle, Maine)

was named Lakes Region

Pitcher of the Year. Shaw

plans to play hockey at

Assumption College.

www.brewsteracademy.org 21

all Stars around the DiamondSteve Balsamo ’11

(Atkinson, New

Hampshire), Spencer

Montgomery ’11

(Kensington, Prince

Edward Island), and Josh

Gallant ’12 (Exeter,

New Hampshire) were

named Lakes Region

League All-Stars. Despite

these honors, Balsamo

and Montgomery

plan to play hockey in

college at Hobart and

William Smith Colleges

and the University of

Prince Edward Island,

respectively. Gallant will

be back on the diamond

for his senior year at

Brewster.

first Team lax all Stars

Lacrosse players Jimmy Murphy ’11 (Duxbury,

Massachusetts), Trey Adams ’12 (Akwesasne, New

York), Calder Billings ’11 (Bridgewater, Vermont),

and Patrick Eaker ‘11 (Redding, Connecticut) earned

First Team All Stars this spring. Next spring Murphy

will play for the University of Hartford, Billings for

the University of Vermont, and Eaker for Marist

College. Goaltender Adams will return to Brewster

for his senior year.

For the girls, Emma Jones ‘11 (Wolfeboro) and Sarah

MacDonnell ’11 (Quispamsis, New Brunswick,)

earned All Star lacrosee team honors. Jones plans to

play lacrosse and soccer at Susquehanna University.

MacDonnell will play ice hockey for the University of

Connecticut.

Dearborn competes in world mountain running championships

Former Bobcat runner

krisztina Dearborn

‘11 (Mirror Lake, New

Hampshire) competed

in the World Mountain

Running Championships

in Tirana, Albania, on

September 11. She led

her U.S. teammates and

placed 24th out of 45

female runners in the 4.5

km up/down lap course.

This summer, Dearborn became one of three women

and four men selected to the under-19 U.S. Junior

Mountain Running Team.

She is a sophomore at Central Connecticut State

University where she is a member of the cross-

country and indoor and outdoor track teams. Until

June 2011, she had never run a mountain race.

“You definitely have to get your mind out of the

track setting and think about your strength rather

than your speed to get yourself up the mountain,”

she said. “This is beyond what I could have imagined

a year ago,” Dearborn said. “It’s unbelievable.”

ceo Drouin raises $1.2m for Startup

In July Nate Drouin ’10 was the subject of articles in

Bloomberg News and Boston Business Journal. Drouin,

originally from Wolfeboro, is CEO of Fundraise.com,

an online fundraising company that he launched

in March 2011. In July, the company was infused

with $1.2 million from investors. Fundraise.com is

marketed as an easy to use fundraising platform for

charities large and small spanning a variety of causes

and fields including education, politics, sports, and

faith-based organizations. Drouin expects Fundraise.

com to generate more than $2 million by the end

of 2011.

campbell part of 9/11 composition for Symphony

Brewster music director

Andy Campbell was

commissioned to

compose a piece for

the New England Wind

Symphony for their

concert honoring the 10th

anniversary of 9/11. In creating the composition,

Campbell worked closely with Clayton “Skip” Poole,

the music director for the symphony, and Elliott

Markow, the guest violin soloist.

It is an arrangement of Scott Joplin’s Solace, a fitting

title for the piece that was performed at the Capital

Center for the Arts “Salute to the American Spirit”

concert on September 11.

Standing: Sarah (Fallon) Morrison ‘82, Jock Bradley ‘80, Kristianne Widman-Johnson ‘80, Beth Hayes ‘81, Andy Laubi ‘81. Seated are Sam Kramer ‘81, David Gorfine ‘81, Bill Esty ‘81, Peter Engisch ‘81, and Barry Sanel ‘81. The banner was for Griff Campbell ‘80 who could not attend but helped to get many folks back to Reunion!

Reunion 2011Return to Campus:

Celebrating their 50th Reunion are 1961 classmates (front row) Carol

Chamberlin-Clough, Dottie (Fuller) Leonard, Tony Leitner, Rollie Rodrigues,

Victor Elios, Dom Gentile, Dick Flaherty, (row two) Donna (Wagenfeld) Cann,

Noel (Wright) Cantwell, Linda (Stevens) Roeder, Marion (Barrows) Rines,

Joanne (Michaud) Moody, Barbara (Hersey) St. Gelais, Jim Maxwell, Bob Berry,

Posey (Leavitt) Funkhouser, Judy (Wasson) Kelley, Kay (Lord) Witham, Mickey

(Pineo) O’Brien, Gail (Bourden) Antonucci, Martha (Letteney) Wlajnitz, Emery

Trowbridge, (row three) Patsy (Perry) Jones, Rick Rain, Ralph Ferguson, Jim

Nelson, Tiffany (Eckoff) Philman, Dotti (Johnson) Kay, Mark Whitehead, Head of

School Michael Cooper, Joe Hassett, Rick Hale, Barbara (Kimball) LaPlume, and

Bob Kennington. Missing from the photo but in attendance at Reunion were Jim

Clough and Joyce Brown.

Compiled by the Office of Alumni and Development June 3-5, 2011 – Brewster alumni were welcomed to Reunion Weekend by sunny

Wolfeboro skies and a sparkling Lake Winnipesaukee. From the Class of 2006 to

the Class of 1941, alumni came together from around New Hampshire, across the

country, and from Canada, Bermuda, Germany, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Turkey.

Across campus and throughout the weekend were alumni gatherings of all sizes,

from quiet reflections by the lake, to the All-School Assembly and Reunion dinners,

friends old and new came together for a memorable celebration weekend.

While alumni and former faculty come from varied places and different

generations, our alumni family is bound together by their shared Brewster

experiences. Here’s a look back at that June weekend.

REuNION HIGHLIGHTS …50 Years Later: the Class of 1961 More than 30 members of the Class of 1961 returned for their 50th Reunion

dinner. It was the first time this group had gathered in 50 years! “We had a

wonderful, wonderful time,” wrote a class member in a thank you note.

The hard work of four energetic and organized class members – Linda Stevens

Roeder, Dotti Johnson Kay, Noël Wright Cantwell, and Posey Leavitt Funkhouser –

pulled this celebration, and all those who made it a wonderful evening, together

(see page 28 for an article on the teamwork that went into planning). One of the

highlights of the evening was watching a presentation of their senior yearbook on

video. There were many laughs and even a few tears.

So many of those who attended had not been on campus since the day they

graduated. All promised not to stay away again for too long. Saying goodnight was

not the easiest thing to do for many in this group.

25 Years Later: the Class of 1986 On a beautiful night on Wolfeboro Bay, the Class of 1986 enjoyed a special dinner

in their honor on Saturday at the Pinckney Boathouse. They were joined by Head

of School Mike Cooper and wife Andrea, former Headmaster David Smith and wife

Sheila (P ’91, ’93, ’95), Tim and Peg Radley (P ’90, ’92), Doug and Mary Fallon (P ’94,

’00), Ed Rothfus, Bob and Maureen Simoneau (P ’90, ’93, ’02, ’07), Matt Hoopes,

and Bob and Shirley Richardson (P ’77, ’81, ’84).

After cocktails and a sunset class photograph, alumni and faculty enjoyed a

delicious three-course dinner. During dinner each class member received a booklet

of bios, written by classmates, about their “Life After Brewster” adventures.

To see more photos or to purchase photos

from Reunion 2011, please go to:

www.brewsteracademy.org/Reunion2011

Enjoying the 1991 20th Reunion were (back row) Brian Corsi ‘91, Megeen Simoneau ‘02, Hadley Clark ‘91, Heather Tarter ‘91, Susan (Aranosian) McTague ‘91, Beth Dales ‘91, Jen (Dabney) Nystrom ‘91, (front row) Henry Lord ‘91, Lee Edwards ‘91, John Burfeind ‘91, Colin Douglass ‘91, and Max Holzman ‘91.

Celebrating their 25th Reunion at the Pinckney Boathouse were (back row)

Geraldine Griffin ‘86, former Headmaster David Smith, former faculty and alumni

icon Matt Hoopes, former admissions officer Sheila Smith, former faculty member

Ed Rothfus, Jaime Bonazoli ‘86, former faculty Doug Fallon, Head of School Mike

Cooper and Andrea Cooper. (front row) former faculty Shirley Richardson, Bjorn

Otterness ‘86, former faculty Mary Fallon, former faculty Bob Richardson, Betsy

(Lurie) Ross ‘86, Liddie (Kimball) Hayes ‘86, Rob Shickel ‘86, Kate (DeWitt) Nelson

‘86, faculty Bob Simoneau, and (kneeling) Peter-Bruce Wassitch ‘86.

The Class of 1986 extended a special invitation to Ed Rothfus, to whom they had

dedicated their yearbook. It was the first time he had visited in 25 years. “I will

never forget the great weekend with my family at Brewster,” wrote Ed about the

weekend. Alumni received individual videos of their yearbook, which they watched

on a large screen TV, bringing down the house with reels of laughter.

Class member Peter-Bruce Wassitsch and wife Ana Elissa traveled the longest

distance – from Nassau, Bahamas – to attend Reunion. Peter-Bruce had not been

back in 25 years but was obviously enjoying himself, pointing to the sailing team

banner hanging on the wall above him, which announced his team’s winning season.

Alumni All-School Assembly

Mike Cooper began the alumni assembly on Saturday by commenting on a remark

he often hears from alumni, which is that “Brewster has changed so much.” He

couldn’t disagree with this refrain; however, he reminded those in attendance that

if we didn’t change, we wouldn’t be the great school that we are today.

Cooper, along with Lynne Palmer (P ’08, ’09, ’12), director of admission and

external affairs, and Matt Lawlor, athletics director, then shared some of Brewster’s

points of pride with those gathered.

In preparing students for college and careers, Brewster has a commitment to its

students to prepare them to achieve success and adapt in a rapidly changing world,

Cooper explained. This means evolving the curriculum to best position our students

for such success.

Part of Brewster’s curriculum evolution is educating the whole person by giving

students the skills to effectively relate to and work with individuals in all areas of

their lives. Extensive research on success and readiness in the workplace shows

that social and emotional intelligence is more important to professional success

than IQ, Cooper explained. Equipped with this knowledge and a partnership with

researchers at Yale University, Brewster is implementing an emotional intelligence

program to ensure that students have all the skills – academic, personal, and social

– necessary for success in a university or college and for life.

Palmer spoke about leadership athletics in the admission process. Explaining

that about 10 years ago Brewster made a decision to identify specific sports and

focus on recruiting both student-athletes and highly qualified coaches for these

teams. The sports are girls and boys’ soccer, basketball, ice hockey, and lacrosse.

Anyone who follows Bobcat sports knows that most of these teams have met with

considerable success in the past decade, including earning numerous New England

and Lakes Region League titles and even one national championship.

Celebrating their 5th Reunion, members of the Class of 2006 (back row) Sam Brown,

Steve Hard, Leif Cameron, Stephen Lopez, Andrew Reyes, Malcolm Collins, Luke Pelz,

Ashton Tierney, Henrik Schmitz-Sieg, (Front row) Molly Dorko, Rachel Berman, Liz

Bennett, Tori Neal, Sarah Moin, Erin Wadlinger, Veronika Payne, Tara Gangi

Celebrating their 10th Reunion are (bottom row) Margery Grella and Alana

Diaz; second row: Shannon Thibodeau, faculty member Shadow Gorrill, Georgia

Christofouro, Matt Dacier, Chris Lake, Liz Hutchins; back row: Zac Tartol, faculty

member Bruce Gorrill, Carrie Richards, faculty member Andy Campbell, and Matt

Sykes.

Lawlor followed by offering a few specifics, such as nearly 25 percent of the Class

of 2011 will play sports in college, including 12 students at Division I schools.

Currently, Brewster counts 58 alumni playing at the Division I level. This past year

Brewster celebrated a Lakes Region Runner of the Year, a US Lacrosse Coach of

the Year, an All-American lacrosse player, watched two students represent their

countries in world games, and, for the first time in many years, sent sailors to a

national competition. The year ended with the boys’ baseball team earning the

Lakes Region League title, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since 1983!

The Brewster Story During the assembly, Cooper

recognized former faculty

members Bob and Shirley

Richardson, who began

researching and writing

Brewster’s history in 2004.

After hundreds of interviews,

endless hours of poring over

long-ago archived photos,

news articles, and internal

documents as well as

documenting history in the

making, they wove together

The Brewster Story: The

Definitive History of Brewster

Academy, published in May.

“They have gone above and beyond to bring an exciting project to fruition,”

acknowledged Cooper before presenting the Richardsons with a framed panoramic

photographic of campus.

Reunion attendees, led my the Class of 1961 and Mike Cooper, “paraded” to Saturday’s lunch in the Estabrook.

Save The DaTeReunion 2012

June 1-3

Classes ending in 2 and 7 will celebrate special

reunions in June. The Alumni Office is working

with volunteers from these classes to make

Reunion an amazing and memorable event. If

you would like to be a Reunion volunteer, please

contact Beth Hayes ‘81 in the Alumni Office at

[email protected]

(603) 569-7133

Rick Rain ‘61 and Jim Clough ‘61

share a laugh at their 50th

Reunion dinner.

From the Class of 2001: Margery Grella, Georgia

Christoforou, Alana Diaz, and Shannon Thibodeau.

Lucinda Mayberry-Ming ‘79, Brewster faculty member Shamar Whyte, Marona Graham-Bailey ‘02, a friend, and Sonette Gilbert ‘80 front right.

Tiffany (Eckhoff) Philman ‘61 and Helen Chamberlain ‘49 share a moment in the Estabrook Dining Hall.

The Rev. Harry Widman was honored at the Saturday luncheon for his

many years of service and dedication to the Academy. Head of School Mike

Cooper acknowledged Harry’s years of teaching history (1972-1981),

many subsequent years of substitute teaching of nearly every subject, and

his role at Commencements over the years, delivering the invocation and

benediction. Following a few remarks of his own, and in true Harry Widman form,

Harry blessed the Reunion luncheon meal and received a loud round of applause.

Joining Harry at Reunion were his children Greg Widman ‘78 (seated next to Harry)

and (l to r) Greg’s wife Cheryl, Jeanne (Widman) Vargus and her husband Charles,

Sara Widman ‘76, and Kristianne Widman-Johnson ‘80.


HOOPLAby Matt Hoopes

I’m not sure most readers would believe the

incredible number of cards, phone calls, or e-mails

that I’ve received over the past almost 40 years that

have included variations of “What I learned during

my years at BA has been the core that’s directed me

through my life.” Others have ended their praises

with statements such as “... And I don’t mean just the

classes ... really the whole experience, the spirit, the

bonding, community serving ... all of it!”

This same feeling is echoed each June when alumni

return to campus for Reunion Weekend and the

praises of their Brewster years continue. Over the

years it has become obvious that Brewster has helped

make many lives more meaningful, more productive,

and more successful.

Brewster’s approach to educating young people has

remained grounded in responding to the needs of its

students with programs that reflect best practices

in education. Whether it was the first-of-its-kind

Learning Skills Program begun in the 1970s or the

comprehensive school reform initiative of the early

1990s, Brewster has always sought to apply proven

education research to evolve its program and provide

a truly student-centered approach to learning.

As a former faculty member and now alumni

correspondent, I feel that Brewster has always found

a way to reach and connect with every student

(even those few not particularly interested in being

reached). In some cases, it was a class, a sport, a

teammate, a teacher, a coach, or one enlightened

classroom discussion that helped connect students

to their education and what could be their path after

Brewster. Regardless of the decade, the relationships,

adventures, and new found knowledge were rolled

together into a life-lasting “Brewster Experience.”

The stories of the alumni profiled in this Connections

illustrate the personal successes that have come in

part, small or large, due to their Brewster experience.

While the program has evolved and may look

different for today’s students than it looked 40 years

ago, the core values of a Brewster education have not

wavered and to this day find their basis and direction

from “The Brewster Principle: Respect, integrity, and

service: serve yourself and others with the best in all

you do.”

Through their accomplishments we have attempted

to illustrate specific core values – character education,

teamwork, service, and best practices – embraced by

alumni.

I hope you will agree that these alumni, like so many

others, have served themselves and others with their

best in all that they do.

Matt Hoopes was a faculty member from 1975 to

1996. During this time he and his journalism students

founded The Brewster Browser, the Outcroppings

literary magazine, and the BAPA (Brewster Academy

Photo/Address) book. Since his “retirement” from the

classroom in 1996, Hoopes has worked as the Young

Alumni Correspondent from his hilltop banana farm on

the island of Eleuthera, The Bahamas, helping to keep

the alumni connection alive. In each issue he brings

life-after-Brewster stories to the pages of his Hoopla

column.

Core Values:Serving Themselves and Others With Their Best


HOOPLA

Dogus has had on our program. He truly defines the

term student-athlete. He has been a great team

leader and the ultimate teammate. Everyone in our

program who has played with Dogus respects him.

More important, I can’t tell you how many players

and coaches from opposing teams have mentioned

their respect level for Dogus. Because of his work

ethic and perseverance and the way he has carried

himself throughout his career.”

Although Dogus spent 17-hour days training with

team Anadolu Efes this summer, he found the time

to offer his perspective on his own character and

success thus far.

Dogus Balbay ’07, the point guard who led the

Bobcats to a 29-6 record and a runner up finish

at the 2007 NEPSAC Class A Championship, took

his talents to the University of Texas and quickly

became known throughout Texas and the college

basketball community as one of America’s top

players. His junior and senior years at Texas he was

named an Academic All-Big 12 Men’s Basketball

Team honoree, having maintained a 3.2 GPA or

higher. In June the point guard signed a three-year

contract with the Turkish professional team Anadolu

Efes S.K. and also is a member of Turkey’s senior

men’s national team.

As talented a player that he is, however, it is often

his character that distinguishes Dogus both on and

off the court.

To cap off his U.S. basketball career, he was awarded

the Most Valuable Student for the Class of 2011, an

honor bestowed on Balbay by Study In America Inc.,

an organization that helps Turkish and Azerbaijani

students research and apply to universities and

colleges in the United States.

“In selecting the Most Valuable Student for the

Class of 2011, we looked for the student who not

only achieved extreme success in and out of the

classroom but also one who possesses a character

that inspires and impacts others. A student who

is well rounded and demonstrates intelligence,

strength, and character,” explained Tamer Turkman,

president of StudyInAmerican.com.

“A team that drafts him will gain a player of

enormous talent and even higher level of character,”

he added.

Dogus’ Texas coach, Rick Barnes, couldn’t agree

more. “You can’t put into words the impact that

Character Counts Former Bobcat Dogus Balbay Named Most Valuable Student “A team that drafts him will gain a player of enormous talent and even higher level of character.”


HOOPLAHow did Brewster influence your development and success?Coming to Brewster without knowing a word of

English was very frustrating for me. My friends,

coaches, and the teachers at Brewster helped me

out to pick up the language in six months. The

environment at Brewster was extremely friendly,

from international students to staff members, from

equipment managers to dining hall members; they

were all friendly and made my journey at Brewster

much easier and smoother.

How is teamwork a factor in your life, and how has it strengthened your character?Being thousands of miles away from my family

and friends I knew that I had to organize my life by

myself and take some responsibility. That’s when the

“teamwork” factor actually came into my life. Having

a good relationship with my teammates, classmates,

teachers, and the coaches has strengthened my

character and leadership skills, because I earned their

trust by doing my job. Not just on the court, off the

court and in the classroom as well.

Your Texas coach says you truly define the term student-athlete and that you are a “great team leader and the ultimate teammate.” Can you think of a time at Brewster where you felt that you succeeded as a teammate with your classmates and in your classes?Well, that’s one of the reasons I came to the

States. It’s been always my dream to play basketball

and continue to get my education at the same time.

When I came to the BA, I wanted to be perfect at

both. Since I have taken four different ESL classes, my

classes were all diverse. There were many students

from different countries. Just having conversations

with them and interacting with a group of people

who came from different cultures changed my

perspective and actually opened my mind to the

world.

In the classroom we always had group assignments

where we had to help each other to basically

complete the puzzle. We all needed each other

to finish the assignments, and I felt like I was

succeeding when I helped my classmates doing work.

One of the most important things in learning a

language is being talkative and outgoing. I felt like I

led my classmates to be more talkative and outgoing

rather than being shy and being afraid of talking in

front of class.

Your character was a significant factor in your being selected Most Valuable Student for the Class of 2011. where do you feel your strength of character comes from?It definitely comes from my parents. All my family

members are well educated. They always wanted me

to have very strong personality. Knowing that they

will have my back whatever decision I make in life

also made me a better person and leader.

How did you learn about Brewster? Being a basketball player opened lots of new doors in

my life. At the age of 14 I received a scholarship from

Fenerbahce Egitim Kurumlari (high school). I was a

decent student in high school, but I had missed a lot

of classes since I was traveling at least once a week

with the professional club team. That’s when I realized

that school and basketball were not going well

together especially in Turkey. After I made my decision

to come to the States, the University of Texas offered

me a scholarship, but I did not know enough English

to pass the required tests to attend the college. One

of the assistant coaches at UT suggested I go to

Brewster. He is also a good friend of Coach [Jason]

Smith. After doing a little research about Brewster’s

athletic program and education system, without any

question I decided to come to BA.

I read that you felt it important to educate friends about Turkish culture and history. why? As aninternational student, how did Brewster’s diverse student body impact you? I think Turkey is one of the most significant countries

in the world, because of its culture, history, and,

most importantly, its location. It is a bridge between

Europe and the Middle East. It has a mixture of both

cultures. I have tried to educate my friends and

teammates about my country. I wanted to change

the perspective of people on Middle East. Not all the

Middle East people are bad or terrorist. Most people

in the states are predetermined about what they see

on TV. They think that’s what happens in the Middle

East on a daily basis. That’s why I wanted to change

this point of view and try to educate people about

Turkish history and culture. Brewster had a lot of

international students from different countries. It

was a little easier for me to have a conversation with

my classmates about international relationships

among countries.

luncheon meetings whenever we could get together.

Ideas were bandied about as to just how we would

accomplish all we wanted to do. Communication was

key as was allowing each committee person to work

on what she was most interested in.

Getting valid phone numbers and e-mail addresses

was a priority in order to contact as many

classmates as possible and encourage them to come

to our 49th reunion as a “rehearsal” for the BIG one.

The Brewster Alumni Office supplied us with much

The “self-appointed” committee of four: Posey Leavitt

Funkhouser, Linda Stevens Roeder, Dotti Johnson Kay,

and me started work about two and half years before

the big event in June 2011. The first official meeting

was held on campus on the senior patio, followed by

Teamwork and Early Planning: The key to a Great Reunion By Noël Wright Cantwell ‘61


The fabulous four from 1961: Linda (Stevens) Roeder, Mary-Ann “Posey” (Leavitt) Funkhouser, Dotti (Johnson) Kay, and Noël (Wright) Cantwell.

1960 Lakes Region Champs (l to r): Victor Elios, Rollie Rodrigues, Joe Hassett, Dom Gentile, Bob Berry, and Dick Flaherty celebrate at their 50th Reunion.

of the information. We also searched the web for any

missing or invalid addresses.

In the 12 months leading up to Reunion, we sent

four separate letters encouraging classmates to join

us on our 50th. The Alumni Office kindly supplied

the postage. The letters went out on a rotating basis

so each classmate would received a letter from a

different committee member each time. After the

letters were completed, we all gathered to address

the envelopes, write a personal note, and sign them.

The first letter was a tri-fold flyer, loaded with color

photos of the 15 classmates who attended the 2010

Reunion with our personal notes mentioning how

much we missed those who hadn’t attended.

The letters were printed in the Brewster colors

and included visuals of our era. They contained

information such as the reunion dates, missing

classmates, a request for permission for their e-mails

and telephone numbers to be published for all to

see, hoping that there would actually be groups of

classmates encouraging each other to attend. In

one letter we included “remember when” of people,

events, and sayings that we all could relate to from

our Brewster days. Classmate Debbie Davis Keniston

helped set up a Class of 1961 blog and website.

This, along with e-mails, helped us tremendously!

Enclosed in one letter were the “save the date”

Brewster magnets, supplied by the Alumni Office.

The purpose of the letters and e-mails were three-

fold: to update the classmates on the progress

of the reunion; communicate who was attending

and encourage each to contact one another; and

to solicit ideas for a class gift and suggestions for

reunion souvenirs. Rather than have the committee

make all the decisions, we wanted it to be a class

effort. The committee members’ names, addresses,

and telephone numbers were all listed.

Of course, there are always those who would neither

respond nor give reasons as to why they could not

attend. Unfortunately, as well, there were some who

were not well enough to make the trip to Wolfeboro. If

anyone was “iffy,” we continued to keep them on our

call list with the hope that they would change their

mind. In some cases, it proved to be a positive effort.

Brewster graciously hosted a

private 50th Reunion dinner

in Hall of Fame at The Smith

Center where we had a great

time getting re-acquainted

with each other. Along with the

delicious sit-down dinner and

open bar, each classmate was

presented with a 50th class

pin and a coffee mug with the

50th Reunion and Brewster

logo. Upon arrival, we were

given a yearbook photo, which

hung from a necklace. We were

entertained with and each

class member presented with

a video of our 1961 yearbook with interludes of

memorabilia from our wonderful years at Brewster.

It brought back many fun memories of our days

there!

We encouraged everyone to bring in memorabilia for

all to see. A table was set up for the display. At the

reunion dinner, the committee had a memory board

of the 12 class members who are deceased. Their

photos from the class yearbook, along with their

date of birth and death, were nicely displayed on a

large poster board.

Along with the event filled weekend planned

by Brewster, there were many class parties held

throughout the weekend. Some members traveled

from as far a way as Mississippi and Florida.

Classmates had such a good time, they promised to

recruit even more so that our 51st would be even

larger! And we also held several get-togethers over

the summer for those unable to attend in June,

extending our fun for two additional months.

Our 50th class reunion gift was dedicated to the

Burtis F. Vaughan Memorial Scholarship Fund. All

donations, great or small, were greatly appreciated.

Although the fund had about $6,000 as a base, and

while we received some generous donations, we

were still unable to meet our goal to fully endow

this fund at the $25,000 level needed to generate

scholarship funds. Our hope is that next year we will

be able to complete it so that a deserving local day

student will reap the benefits.

The classmates were very much impressed with the

campus buildings and the whole campus atmosphere

in general, finding Brewster and Wolfeboro just as

wonderful as the place they left 50 years ago!

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the

wonderful assistance from the Alumni Office.

They were very

receptive to any

and all of the ideas

we presented as

well as we were

theirs. It was great

teamwork and we

thank them, so

very much, for all

they did to help

make it the best

reunion ever!


HOOPLA

Dominique Aubrey ’02 is the director of

talent, strategy, and operations for Teach For America

Miami-Dade in Florida. She holds a master’s in

education policy from the University of Pennsylvania

and a B.A. in political science from Lehigh University.

She spent a year as a City Year AmeriCorps member,

dedicating 1,700 hours of service teaching sixth,

seventh, and eighth grade students with emotional

support needs. While a corps member she designed a

service learning curriculum, implemented math and

science programs, and designed, organized, and led a

300-person school-based service day. She serves on

the boards of numerous professional organizations

and associations, including the Brewster Academy

Alumni of Color Group. Dominique is a shining

example of serving herself and others with her best

in all she does.

what first attracted you to volunteering? At what age did you start? I think it is first important to note

that if individuals are not naturally inclined to

volunteer (through school or your parents or church

or the Girl Scouts) they probably never will. It

doesn’t mean that they do not care but that they

would rather give their money than their time

unless they have a particular cause that moves them

enough to give of themselves. However, I find that

to be rare.

I started volunteering regularly in middle school. I

was the president of Future Homemakers of America,

and we went regularly to the local nursing home

and played games with senior citizens. I think from

a young age I always cared about issues that would

cause people distress or pain and wanted to fix

them. In addition, my family was very giving and

we often had exchange students and foster students

stay with us, which gave me insight into other

worlds and perspectives. Lastly, but probably as im-

portant, I am of Haitian decent (which is only more

relevant now because of the recent earthquake). But

when you are first generation (both my parents were

born and raised in Haiti), even though you did not

have the same struggles you understand struggle

much more clearly. I believe that is one of the

reasons why I always wanted to volunteer because

I realized quickly that everyone is struggling in one

way or another and sometimes all people need is a

little help to make it through. I believe volunteering

was and still is my way of giving back and thanking

the world for my life and opportunities. I believe

that volunteering is part of service and your “thank

you” for being on this earth … especially if you are

healthy and happy because you have even more to

be thankful for.

When I got to Brewster I believe I started the first

community service club under the tutelage of Mr.

Radley, who was so kind and helpful that he made

you want to help. Our first service project was vol-

unteering at a nursing home every two weeks. I also

connected with the local high school’s afterschool

center where I would help out once a week for an

hour or two. I even got Brewster to do a coffeehouse

at the location with donations going to the center.

We also did various candy and food drives for local

nonprofits in the area. There were about 20 students

in that club – I made everyone I could participate –

and since volunteer hours were required, it worked

out really well and people enjoyed it all around,

which was the most important part.

Often people don’t want to give, because they feel

they have so little or they feel like they have their

own issues and so they can’t or won’t help others. It

was important for me to help students understand

A Life of ServiceA volunteer from a young age, Dominique Aubrey’s time at Brewster allowed her to continue helping others, a passion she continues to embrace.


why they volunteer and to make it as easy as pos-

sible for them to get involved. I hope this made a

lasting impression on my peers.

Gap Year with AmeriCorps

After I graduated from Brewster, I deferred college

for a year and became a City Year AmeriCorps

member. I worked in Philadelphia teaching sixth,

seventh, and eighth grade students with emotional

support needs. AmeriCorps members are required

to participate in numerous community service

opportunities as well as become engaged citizens

(i.e., obtain a public library card, attend town hall

meetings). I think that my experience during City

Year solidified the relationship between volunteering

and citizenship and what it means to actually be

an engaged citizen. Engaged citizens are no longer

outsiders or exempt from what is happening around

them; they are not only part of the environment

but they are part of the change and the solution to

problems around them. Volunteering is a hands-

on approach to understand the world and your

relationship to it. If it does nothing else (not even

help) it does show the individual a glimmer of the

impact they can have and the joy they can bring. In

its purest form volunteering is probably one of the

few true win-win situations.

Volunteering Takes Many Forms

Upon beginning college at Lehigh University, the

way in which I volunteered changed. It was no

longer nursing homes and weekly tutoring. Instead,

I became involved in many organizations supporting

endeavors I cared about. As you volunteer more, you

begin to understand where you fit and what your

skill sets are. Volunteering is a great way to soul

search. I began looking at how I could assist large

institutions and ideological frameworks, how I could

make a large-scale impact, and how I could affect

decision making as a volunteer.

Volunteering is not just about finding a cause

to contribute your time; it also is about sharing

your skills and adding value to an organization or

institution simply because you care. At Lehigh I

participated in the Association of Student Alumni,

working to bring alumni back to campus. I also sat

on the student judicial board wanting to contribute

my student perspective and insight to the board. I

was president of our campus step team, which was

the first year my school had a multi-cultural step

team, and we were asked to perform at various

school events to exemplify diversity and camara-

derie. I became the first and only student to sit on

the University’s summer reading committee with

all the school deans. I also created a multi-cultural

recruitment program for which my alma mater used

a template for a new position they created.

Should students be required to volunteer?

Yes, the young should be required to volunteer and

not just their time but also their efforts in finding

solutions to problems. The beautiful thing about

students is that they still have an imagination

and can think of awesome ways to do things that

reinvigorate adults. Though volunteering should

be something that one chooses to do, I liken it to

making children eat their vegetables; they may not

want to but it’s a good thing. And, in a sense, even

if students are reluctant about volunteering, often

once they get involved most enjoy it and have a

little fun.

Volunteering should be something a young person

is required to do until they leave college; it must

become a habit. If an individual is not forced to see

hardship then he or she is not likely to be grateful

(unless they are extremely thoughtful) but most

need one to understand the other, as most people

see things and understanding things in dichotomies

and simply cannot assess something without being

able to assess the absence of that thing. Either way,

it is important for all humans to feel heartbreak for

another person who is unlike them for one reason or

another, from that experience they realize that our

humanness is what connects us to each other and

are able to feel for them and experience empathy.

why do you volunteer? I volunteer foremost because I believe it is a civic

duty. Second, it is a way to share my God-given

talents with the world, and third because it makes

me feel good (and it helps the person on the other

end). I give my time (and not money) because that

is the way in which I believe I can have the most

impact. Currently, I sit on a lot of organizations’

boards, helping them grow and become sustainable

entities. I also help with event planning and

community building.

what advice do you have for the many folks who have busy lives? I think like everything else, if you want something to

get done you have to make it a priority. Choose one

to three events or organizations to be involved with

and help where you can. Many boards, organizations,

and steering groups have committees where people

can volunteer at a less formal and time-consuming

level. For those who want to work directly with

individuals contact a few organizations that serve

children or the elderly and learn what some of

the specific needs are. Perhaps they need a small

donation basket for school supplies or volunteers to

hand out water for a cancer walk.

There are a million ways to get involved. The first

step is acknowledging your interest to become a

volunteer. Then consider what you like and find an

organization that supports this interest. Next, look

at your schedule to figure out when and where you

can help. Don’t worry if what you like is obscure,

there is always someone who is doing it – and if

there is not, then it is a great place for you to build

something new.

what are your thoughts on the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps as possible alternatives to military service, and do you think individuals should be encouraged to volunteer for a year between high school and college?

I believe volunteering is great whatever the time. I

volunteered between high school and college and it

was a great time for reflective pause before I started

my next journey in life. Although volunteering during

this time is not for everyone, it can be helpful in

framing and positioning their college experience.

However, volunteering in any capacity, especially for

a year will definitely increase a person’s level of civic

engagement and this is always a good thing.

And, yes, I support the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps

as alternatives to military service.


HOOPLA

his 48th birthday, he was told that his services were

no longer needed.

After months of reflection about his future, in

2001 he and wife Anne decided to start their own

business. They purchased Arborguard Inc., and

upon Anne’s suggestion, re-named the company –

Arborwell Professional Tree Management.

Under Peter’s leadership the company has grown

into one of the fastest growing businesses in the

country, earning a place on the Inc. 5000 list for

the past four years. The tree management company

now services commercial, residential, and estate

properties as well as municipalities and golf courses

from Sacramento to San Diego.

For the past five years Arborwell has appeared on the

San Francisco Business Times fast 100 list. Peter is an

ISA-certified arborist and in February 2011 became a

board member of the Tree Care Industry Association

(TCIA), a leading industry resource and accrediting

body for tree care companies and professional

arborists nationwide.

Learned Leadership SkillsWith the founding of Arborwell, Peter said he was

both excited to leave the corporate world and, for

the first time in his working career, he was happy

to be using his learned leadership skills to create a

“people business” in which communication between

his team members allowed the company to grow,

quickly, in the right way: “Hire the right people, give

them the tools needed to succeed, and let them do

their job.”

Peter credits his dorm parent and mentor, a very

young David Smith (who would become headmaster

within two years of Peter’s graduating), with instilling

the basis for his organizational and leaderships skills.

Peter was a student leader, helping bring student

concerns and desire for change, such as the student

dress code, to the administration. At times, he and

other leaders would work late into the evening with

David working on their plans for change.

David recollected the late 1960s and the early 1970s

on campus, noting that their were few students

who were somewhat conservative and preppy in

Upon graduation from Brewster in 1972, Peter

Sortwell wanted to be an artist. “Photography was

my passion,” he said. Faculty member Bob Richardson

– who many may remember wore many hats at that

time – was the photography teacher and convinced

Peter’s mother to buy him a telephoto lens.

Although Peter did not pursue the art of

photography following his Brewster graduation, he

found his passion in the potential of landscapes,

specifically trees.

After Brewster he went to neighboring Maine

to study the science of plants, trees, and soil –

knowledge that would serve him well in his family’s

landscaping and tree business where he spent

summers working. Upon completing his degree

in plants and soil sciences from the University of

Maine, he returned to the Beverly Farms area north

of Boston to help run S&S Tree and Landscape, the

family business.

Breaking GroundAfter working for nearly 10 years at his family’s

business, a business that Peter described as seasonal

and dysfunctional, he decided to uproot and head

west, settling in the San Francisco Bay area. Realizing

that tree management was what he knew, he took

a job with one of the leading company’s in the

industry, Davey Tree Expert Company, as their San

Francisco district manager. According to Peter he

worked long hours but learned a great deal about

the business and how to organize and manage a

growing company.

Next he joined Environmental Care Inc. (now Valley

Crest) with the goal of opening a tree care division

for the largest landscape maintenance company in

the country. This same year, 1986, he would achieve

that goal when he opened Arbor Care in San Jose

as a division of Environmental Care Inc. He spent

15 years growing and developing Arbor Care to 12

operating locations throughout the country. Then on

Best Practices in Professional Tree ManagementPeter Sortwell ’72, CEO of Arborwell


these days. “We didn’t have many students then

that would fit the mode of the preppy, but we had

one in Peter. He both dressed the part and acted the

part,” David shared. “I can still picture Peter riding his

bike through a foot or so of freshly fallen snow after

formal dinner, wearing his checkered jacket, tie, and

pressed pants.”

Peter has lots of enthusiasm for his years at Brewster

and remembered activities and friends with fond

chuckles. He was well thought of by friends with a

dorm mate, Bob Arnold, ‘70, commenting “Great guy.

We had lots of fun with Pete: music, long hair, he

wore the best mod ties of anyone in the school!”

Arborwell’s website is evidence that Peter has not

lost his excellent taste in handsome ties.

Best Business PracticesAsked about the best practices in putting together

an organization that has grown to 15 operating

locations in California and produced over 16 million

dollars in revenues, Peter explained that it was

a combination of leadership and management

skills committed to early on in the company’s

development.

Because Peter knew many in the tree business in

the Bay area, including the best in the business, he

was able to recruit many talented experts to join

the Arborwell team, and he credits his team of 128

employees (125 more than he had at S&S!) with the

company’s success.

“I quickly learned to delegate, let everyone contribute

their ideas. I bought laptops for all so that they could

work from home. I learned not to micro-manage, but

to give various levels responsibilities so that they

actually were part of the team,” he explained.

In a profession that is very high risk, Peter has

created a culture of safety, with some employees

even certified by the TCIA in professional tree care

safety.

Arborwell also counts 21 ISA-certified arborists

among its employees, including Peter. These certified

individuals have passed a comprehensive knowledge

and competency exam, adhere to a professional

code of ethics, and must continue their education to

maintain their certification.

As a former board member of the National Arborist

Association (now Tree Care Industry Association

or TCIA) he has been involved in developing many

industry safety and quality standards that have

contributed to Arborwell’s success.

Additionally, Arborwell is one of about a

dozen companies in California to receive TCIA

accreditation. This certification ensures customers

that Arborwell has implemented best business

practices, among other important safety, quality,

ethical, and government standards.

“TCIA accreditation is important because it ensures

our customers of professionalism, proper insurance,

and up to date on all industry and government

standards,” Peter said.

Peter’s industry awards are a testament to his

commitment to best business practices. As a former

board member of the National Arborist Association

(NAA), he helped develop industry safety and quality

standards, including the A-300 pruning standard,

that have played a role in Arborwell’s success. He is

a past recipient of the President’s Award for his work

in designing the Excellence in Arboriculture Awards

program for the NAA. The East Bay Business Times

named him 2007 Entrepreneur of the Year, and

in 2009 the San Francisco Business Times

named Peter the Most Admired CEO.

As a current TCIA board director his focus is

on helping the tree management industry

better itself.

“I would like to build on the marketing of

accreditation and begin the process of

establishing industry metrics and

measurements for standards of learning

and education for running a tree

company. I want to give back and to

help our industry better itself.”

Peter’s volunteer efforts aren’t directed solely within

his industry. He also is a member of JobTrain, which

assists educational and job training preparation

for youth aged 14-21; the Students Rising Above

program, which invests in low-income, first

generation college students who have demonstrated

a commitment to educational achievement and

strength of character in overcoming tremendous

odds of poverty, homelessness, and neglect; and the

San Mateo Rotary Club as well as TCIA’s Voice for

Trees PAC.

Peter lives in San Mateo with his wife Anne. They

have two sons: Alex, 20, and Tom, 18, who, no doubt,

both want to be photographers too! Peter confessed

that the name of their powerboat is “Swell,” and no

doubt it is a wooden boat!

TuRNING BuSINESS GROwTH INTO ENERGYAs Arborwell grew, so did the ‘landfill’ and when

the company reached the point where they were

hauling 300 tons of wood chips a day, Peter

knew there had to be another way, another use

for the limbs, logs, and brush or biomass.

When Arborwell initially approached California

electric companies about recycling the biomass,

it was turned down because other companies

had made similar offers but were unable to

produce the quantity and quality of wood

chips needed to produce enough electricity.

With Arborwell’s commitment to meet the

requirements, both entities soon benefited.

In fact, Arborwell was able to reduce its

transportation and landfill costs – approximately

$300,000 annually – while the state gained

power: wood chips are burned in a furnace,

which provides heat that produces steam. This

steam turns the turbines and generators that

send power into California’s electrical grid.

According to Arborwell’s website: “Through

Arborwell’s wood chip recycling program, we

generate enough clean energy to power an

average of 330 three-bedroom houses every year.”

Class Notes


1957

Cecily (Ballou) Quimby writes: “Celebrated our 50th

anniversary July 1, enjoying our grandchldren and all

of their activities.”

1965

Frank Jaarsma retired after 32 years with Celanese/

Ticona Corporation as a staff engineer “I will be

relocating to Florida with my wife to enjoy the mild

winters and lots of sunshine.”

1970

Zeke Bates has been happily married to Kathy

Strout for eight years and lives in Epping, New

Hampshire. His son Chris works at Zeke’s store, Tiles

GoneWild, while his other son is working on his

doctorate in chemistry at Northeastern.

1976

Peter DeJager, wife Karen, and their children Jeff and

Jaime live in Wolfeboro. Peter owns and manages

Patricia (Glidden) Hanson ‘53, Patricia “PD” (Quinlan) Dawson ‘53, Monie Zarinksy ‘54, Ron “Red” Curran ‘54 and his wife Sally during Reunion brunch.

1981

Michael kiesling writes that while business in

surgical implants has picked up, with the uncertainty

of future health care reimbursements, he is

searching for a career opportunity with a bigger

medical company. “The family is great, and my wife,

Susan and I are enjoying watching our kids grow,

though I’m still getting used to my sons now being

6 and 10! They both love fishing, boating, and

swimming. I can’t get them to water ski ever since I

broke some ribs showing off!”

1982

Harold Parker wrote that he was appointed

prospects director for U.S. Congressman Charles F.

Bass and works in Concord.

1983

kenneth Benson was tired of the congestion in

New York City and moved to Stamford, Connecticut,

where he is a territory manager at Lane Sales Inc.

Mary Ann Stewart, her partner Michele Yelk, and

their Papillon puppy Casey live in St. Petersburg,

Florida. In March 2011 Mary Ann wrote: “Enjoying

spring training here in Florida. Going to Disney World

for our birthday, April 14. Both Michele and I have

it on the same day! We will be having a meal with

Mickey Mouse, family, and friends.”

1984

Glen Gordon writes: “Our restaurant just celebrated

its five-year anniversary. I live in Durham, North

Carolina, still single, and enjoying living in the South.

After five years, I love just saying ‘Ya’ll’ at least 10

times a day!”

commercial properties in southern New Hampshire

and is actively involved as men’s ministry director at

the First Congregational Church of Ossipee and leads

the weekly Lakes Region Men’s Fellowship Meeting

at the Pinckney Boathouse.

Stephen Tarbell writes: “[Matt] Hoopes said it

was 421 months since I was last in touch, which

struck me as a long time. I’m still living in Walpole,

Massachusetts, and managing Rocky’s Ace Hardware.

Suits me just fine as I get to give advice to my

friends and family all day long.”

1978

Chip Tothill writes: “I am still finding my main

income to be from ‘professional house painting.’

Yet, I do have an eclectic range of other skills and

trainings ... I have tried the last two years to actually

get a job at Brewster Academy. No openings for me

(as yet!).”

Experienced Alumni Recall Their Brewster Days

Recollections


Mary Roberts Goodrich ’41 Alton, New Hampshire

In June Mary attended her 70th reunion at Brewster

“There were about 100 students when I came in my freshman year. Most were from Wolfeboro,onlymyfamily–fivebrothersand sisters – came over from Alton. My older brother Leslie was 16 when my twin brother Preston and I enrolled. Leslie had an International pickup truck, which he drove over in. We all had farm chores to do so as soon as classes were over, we’d all drive directlyhome.”

When asked to compare today’s Brewster campus with that of the late 1930s, Mary laughed.

“Therewasjusttheonebuilding,theAcademic Building. No gym, no library, no tennis courts, but we did have an ice rink, toboggantrack,andfieldsforfootballandhockey. The day students ate their lunches in thelockerroomsinthebasement.”

“Alargegroupofstudentsenjoyedskiing,and my brother usually carried skies in his pickup while the Thurrell brothers often drovetheirhigh-sidedtruck,filledwithagoodly amount of hay for the other skiers to sit on, and would drive over to the Ossipee slope. More often they’d go to the Abenaki Ski slopes where there was a rope tow available so as to make the skiing more enjoyable.Ourcoachesoftenspentmoretime keeping the tow running than they did coaching. It was fun to watch the boys and all weregoodsports.”

A favorite memory: The annual spring dance held at the Wolfeboro Casino near the lake. “The students all chipped in and did the decorationsandtherefreshments.”

Nina Assimakopoulos and her children, Ibana, 16,

and Isaac, 12, live in Bowling Green, Ohio, where

she is a flute professor at Bowling Green State

University. “I still enjoy running and watching my

kids swim in meets. I have accomplished many of the

life dreams I had as a student at Brewster, including

producing a CD recording, getting a Fulbright

scholarship to study flute in Germany, and remaining

physically fit.”

Jon Brown lives in Penfield, New York. He heads up

the interactive group for an advertising agency and

is president of a local mountain bike club. His wife

Mio teaches arts at a local college, sons Avery and

Ciaran are in college, and daughter Amy is in high

school.

Chris Butler lives in Plymouth, Massachusetts,

with his wife Michelle and their son Ryan, 7. He is

a U.S. Army veteran, holds a master’s in criminal

justice from Curry College, and is a sergeant with

the Plymouth police department. With his family,

he enjoys traveling and spending time on their boat

around Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard.

Alex Dexter is still commercial fishing and recently

appeared on the TV show, “Lobster Wars.” “I’ve

captained my boat for 11 years. I’ve been married for

21 years, and my wife and I worked with the Disney

Channel for four years. No children, just one spoiled

rotten dog and one nameless cat.”

Mike Farraher and wife Allison welcomed their first

child in January, daughter Calabrese.

Steve Frothingham lives in Colorado with

his children Andrew, 16, and Elizabeth, 13.

“After a few years with The Associated

Press, I returned to my cycling passion

(and the Rockies) three years ago. I’m

editor of VeloNews.com, a bike racing

website and magazine in Boulder.”

Shon Greenblatt grew tired of Los

Bill Moore writes: “Karen and I are still doing well,

living in sunny Ft. Lauderdale. I’ve changed jobs and

am now the director of quality for a turbine engine

shop. We overhaul engines for 747s and DC10s.”

Rhonda (Valade) Vappi is back in the business of

helping people, working at Northern Human Services

in the Human Resources department. “My daughter

is finished with school and is a licensed massage

therapist. Our son Dan is going into 10th grade and

working to become an engineer. All is good!”

1985

Andy Russell just moved to Florida and has a

condo in St. Thomas. “I plan to spend the warmer

months back in Vermont and Maine. I still run a

manufacturing company, and when I’m not traveling

to one of my factories, I’m working via the internet.”

1986

Julie (konheim) Abt and husband Jon have three

children: Austin, Jordon, and Dylan. They live in

Highland Park, Illinois, where Julie is a stay-at-home

mom.

Eliot Assimakopoulos lives in Niskayuna, New York,

with his five children. He is the global sales director

for GE Digital Energy’s Smart Substation business.

He also is the commercial leader for GE’s Microgrid

Solution. He was a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps,

is a graduate of Virginia Military Institute, and holds

an MBA from American Intercontinental University.

Liddie (Kimball) Hayes, Betsy (Lurie) Ross, and Geraldine Griffin at their 25th Reunion dinner in June.

Class Notes


Angeles so he moved his family east to New York

a few years ago. “I fell into the exciting world of

online advertising and marketing, where I work

today for Media Holdings in the financial district of

Manhattan.”

Geraldine Griffin is a former criminal defense

attorney who is now a professor of legal writing at

Suffolk Law School in Boston. She and husband Tom

have two daughters, Caroline, 7, and Jane, 4. Tom is

an attorney and a writer.

Lucy Hartford has been working in the private jet

industry since 2007. “Amidst all my different careers,

I’ve traveled the world from Mumbai, India, to

Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the coast of northern

Africa. In my spare time I raise funds for Children’s

Hospital in Los Angeles.”

Chip Haselton and wife Pam have two children. “I

worked for Sears for 20 years, leaving when Sears

merged with Kmart. Worked for Best Buy until I

started my own company five years ago.”

John Heyl lives in the Wolfeboro area. “I’m trying

to slow down in masonry as it accelerates the

aging process. Considering writing or teaching.”

His daughter Ashley, 21, is a graduate of Hallmark

william Merrill lives in Lafayette, California,

northeast of San Francisco. He is married with two

children: Jared, 3, and Sylvie, 1. “I work as a senior

vice president of trading at First Republic Securities,

a broker-based dealer in San Francisco.”

Bjorn Otterness lives in Ledyard, Connecticut, and

earned an MBA in Organization and Management

from the University of New Haven in 2000. “A fluke

accident occurred in the summer of 2002 when I

fell 50 feet onto an incline and some bushes. When I

woke up the next day, I learned that I was paralyzed

from the waist down. I have since adjusted to life

in a wheelchair. I drive my own car and returned to

school to receive my BS in accounting from Eastern

Connecticut State College. I do taxes three months

of the year, and I enjoy traveling.”

Bruce Pennypacker works in information technology

at Tufts University. “I’ve helped run five statewide

and regional theater festivals. I’m currently on the

board of directors of a community theater and

also the executive vice president of the Eastern

Massachusetts Association of Community Theaters.

Lastly and most importantly, I’m engaged to a

wonderful woman, Heather.”

Dennis Phipps lives in New York City where he started

DKP Media Group (www.dkpmg.com) “It has been a

really adventurous 25 years working with some fun,

talented, difficult, insightful, … world renown artist/

performers, along with a few business mavens.”

Susan (Janfaza) Poverman has a master’s in

severe special needs and worked in the Lowell

(Massachusetts) public schools for seven years

before taking time off to raise sons Max, 9, and

Adam, 6. “I changed careers three years ago, and I am

now a weight loss consultant with Jenny Craig.”

Trey Rhian and wife Stacy live in Hattiesburg,

Mississippi, with their three children: Regan, 13,

Alden, 10, and Jillian, 10. Trey and his brother run

Parthenon Envelope Company. He also owns the

recycling company Renewable Options.

Institute of Photography and son Tommy is a senior

at Hebron Academy.

Jamie Hill is the founder and CEO of admarketplace.

com “I’m still not married but have been dating the

same wonderful girl for the past two years.”

Joy Lambert lives in St. Maarten where she teaches

art and works as the college counselor at the

American school on the island. “There isn’t much

time to develop my own art, and I’m not painting

every day as I’d like. I can’t complain, life is good, and

I have a fantastic view of the beach from my porch.”

Matt Libby lives in Florida where he started a tile

and marble company. He has twins, a girl and a boy.

Jon Linde and Sara (Merrena) Linde were married in

1998 and live in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Jon is

an attorney, practicing antitrust and transportation

regulatory law. Sara is a senior marketing analyst.

They have two children, Teddy, 8, and Caroline, 6, and

a geriatric mutt, Prudy.

Valerie (Norfleet) McMorrow writes, “I’m loving

Vermont and our snowy winters and skiing and

snowboarding with my three beautiful children.”

Dave Merrill lives

in Neptune Beach,

Florida, and writes: “I

graduated from Eckerd

College, got married,

had four kids, started a

company, got divorced,

played some golf, got

fat, got skinny, got fat

again. Got married last

May to a wonderful

person. Now I spend

time running my

company, traveling,

and hanging out with

my kids.”

John Burfeind ‘91 and former faculty member Barbara Douglass.


Jim Rice Is a principle software engineer for Dassault

Systemes. He and his wife have two daughters ages

7 and 5 and a son almost 1. “I still have family and a

summer home in Wolfeboro.”

Joanna (Lavarello) Robenson is an ER nurse. She

has been married for five years and became one of

Jehovah’s Witnesses 17 years ago. “I’m busy with

building projects, disaster relief, and teaching people

the Bible. So, actually, I’m saving lives in my secular

career and in my real career!”

Mark Roelli lives in Rockaway, New Jersey, and works

at General Electric’s corporate flight department as

an avionics technician. Mark and wife Simone have

two daughters: Gabriella, 5, and Sofia, 3. “Life is good,

but hectic!”

Betsy (Lurie) Ross and her husband have three

children: Ben, 11, Veronica, 9, and Boula, 4. She

volunteers with the Community Garden movement

in Columbus, Ohio.

Tom Rossi, married to Jordana, is a self-described

“Brewster rebel/poet/musician” and current

“Brooklyn singer-songwriter/music producer/

multi-instrumentalist/music therapist.” He has

studied in Africa, Cuba, and Brazil, and taken spiritual

journeys to Turkey. He plays healing music for

hospice patients and has released several recordings

in a few musical genres (www.TomRossi.com).

katie (wolfe) Ruesch is a teacher assistant for St.

Ann’s School, working with a special needs class. “I

was hoping to get my degree in special education,

but with three daughters – Emma, 13, Charlotte, 12,

and Grace, 9 all playing soccer – I just don’t have the

time right now.”

Chris Seifert lives in Boston and is married to

Patricia. He is the father of Mila and Lily and

stepfather to Clementine.

Rob Shickel lives in Hingham, Massachusetts,

with his wife and two children. “Summers are

spent on the coast of Maine and the beaches

of Massachusetts. Winters include skiing and

snowboarding while spring and fall are full of

baseball, lacrosse, and horse riding.” He is vice

president of Risk Management and Operational

Security for Devonshire Investors in Boston, a part of

Fidelity Investments.

Peter Stein lives in Aventura, Florida, and has

two girls ages 4 and 11. “I’ve had my own online

marketing business (www.steindigital.com) for

over 10 years.”

Mike Sullivan is a partner at Schlesinger Associates,

a global market research company that specializes

in qualitative and quantitative research. He and wife

Catherine have three children: Nick 11, Will, 8, and

Cate, 2. “We spend a lot of time skiing in Vermont

and sailing in the Florida Keys and the Northeast

when we can get away from the kids’ sports

schedules.”

For 18 years, Matt Symmes has worked for the

Massachusetts Department of Corrections. His wife

is a nurse for a local Visiting Nurse Company in

Rhode Island. They have two boys, ages 12 and 9.

To support his car racing habit, will Turner started

a BMW parts supply company in 1995. “Turner

Motorsport employs over 35 people in its parts

division and our three BMW race teams compete

in the Grand AM ROLEX Sports Car Series. In 2002

I married my college sweetheart. We have two

beautiful girls, 4 and 6.”

Bobcat Cheer: The first alumna/alumnus to identify all five of the cheerleaders in this 1958 photo will win a $25 gift certificate to the campus store (on campus or online). Send your answer to [email protected]

Congratulations to katie O’Brien ’06 who was the first person to correctly identify the staff member celebrating her silver anniversary at Brewster. Katie identified Kate Turner by her silver shoes and the silver anniversary clue that appeared in the Spring 2011 issue.

Mystery Photo

Class Notes


Peter-Bruce wassitsch and wife Ana Elisa have two

children Helena, 14, and Max, 10. “I’m in the business

of building vacation homes and the work has taken

me to most of the Bahamian islands. We still live

in Nassau and continue to enjoy boating, sailing,

fishing, and the island life.”

1988

Randy Berenson writes: “Hi, All! I hope that life is

treating you well wherever you are. I teach high

school math at an international boarding school in

Squaw Valley, California, and absolutely loving it!

Imagine the irony ...”

Pamela (Pisciotta) Munoz and husband are “busy

raising three boys, one bird, and one rescue beagle.”

Eric Schwartz is out of the seafood business and

working at SkylineBoston, which designs and

manufactures trade show exhibits. He was married in

2000 and has a daughter, 1.

1989

Dobro Goodale writes: “Life is cruising right along

California style! Luna got a full scholarship to

Groton. Kiteboarding season just started and still

playing lacrosse. Brewster remains a strong thread

in my life!”

Grant Hays writes: “Things are going well for

me in Los Angeles with lots of opportunities in

broadcasting at the highest possible level. I am

currently working for the California Angels baseball

team. The corporation owns AM 830 KLAA. I

broadcast games, edit highlights and production, and

produce talk shows.”

Corey Levy has moved back to the States after 10

years in China. “I still need to travel frequently, but

Boulder, Colorado, is home again and I love it here,

though I do miss the beaches and close proximity to

diving there.”

Michael Snyder and Jennifer Riley live in Hampton

Falls, New Hampshire. He writes: “We are still living

the fairy tale, going strong, and

loving life!” After the brutal

New Hampshire winter he

just went through, Michael

is thinking of moving in with

Hoopes next winter!

Michele (Giannone) Talwani

is the director of economic

development and marketing

at Families in Transition.

“We provide transitional and

permanent affordable housing

and services to homeless

individuals and families in Manchester and Concord,

New Hampshire. An incredible organization and one

in which I’m happy to be a part. Friends, find me on

Facebook – let’s connect!”

kristin Van wagner wrote that in May she was

leaving her desk job to try her hand at earning a

living on small expedition cruise ships: first stop –

Borneo and Southeast Asia this fall.

Matt woodward confessed that time has flown

by since his marriage to Monique last year. Before

their marriage they completed the restoration of

Matt’s house before they put it on the market and

started the remodeling of their 1894 Denver home.

Matt offered that while 100+ years is not old for

a New England home, it is for Colorado! Along the

way they managed to plan a wedding in Colorado,

small enough so they could spend time with their

guests. Matt and Monique honeymooned in Guyana,

Suriname, and French Guiana.

1990

Matthew Baker is doing well in Northfield, Illinois,

and says hello to everyone. “I will hit the big 40 in

October.”

Jonathan Dewoskin and his girlfriend remodeled a

loft in downtown Chicago. “I started a new company,

Roam Free Solutions LLC, to put a brand on my

consulting services. We install large scale wireless

networks for apartment buildings and public venues.”

keith keeler and wife Kim are approaching 10 years

of marriage and son Paul is 6. “We have been back in

New England for about five years, nice to see family

and friends (five winters – we will be going back to

warmer weather soon!). Hope everyone is well!”

1992

Jennifer Finn-Gonzalez and husband Eric welcomed

daughter Reagan in summer 2010. They live in Silver

Spring, Maryland. Jennifer works with abused women

and children as a mental health counselor, and she

loves her job. She said that she and her family live

very busy and wonderful lives and thanks Brewster

for the part the school played in her development.

Laura (Sills) LeBrun writes: “Hi, everyone. I am busy

being a second grade teacher and a mom. My family

really likes Steamboat [Springs] because we enjoy

our time outside. Quinn is in first grade and likes

skiing. Ryan is playing hard in preschool. My husband

Paul is a chef.”

Gregory McLean writes that “Life is good! I’ve been

married to Elizabeth for four years, and we have two

sons, Deelan, 17 months and Mason, 4 months.”

kate Radley ’92 and Lynn Ellis were married in June.

Among those attending the Denver nuptials were TJ

and Lynne Palmer; Peg and Tim Radley and son Mark

Shayla Coleman ’96, Jill Penrose ‘96 and Katie Boote ’96 reunited in June.


‘90; David and Sheila Smith and sons James ’95, Tim

’91, and Dan ’93, along with his wife Inese.

The mother of the bride reported, “The ceremony

was a beautiful reflection of Kate and Lynn’s love

and values and was officiated by our own David

Smith. A familiar David sentiment celebrated the

conclusion of their union as he declared it the

beginning of ‘the first day of the rest of their lives.’”

Russell “Rusty” Starmer and wife Kristin live in

Truckee, California, with their Labradoodle, Ponzi.

In March, 2011 Rusty wrote: “We had a great ski

season in Tahoe this winter. Soon I will be preparing

customer boats for the 11th season of All-Star Boat

Care, but first we will be headed back to Baja for a

month of fishing and kiteboarding.”

Topher Grace ’97 with recent alumni at Commencment in May. Greyson O’Donnell, son of Jenna (Marks) O’Donnell ‘99

1996

Hamilton Cochran has lived in San Francisco, New

York City, and Rochester, New York, in the recent

past. “I hated being at a desk all day, but the two

years of experience and training at a well known

IT company in Rochester led me to my new job in

Aspen, Colorado.” He works in IT support for a resort

with mountain and hotel properties and on occasion

in the winter he has to ski to the various properties

to offer support. “Basically my dream job!”

1998

Scott Bixler was planning to wed Kathleen Kissane in

his parents’ backyard in Maryland on September 17.

Lee Denslow writes that on a recent visit to the

Bahamas he couldn’t make it to Eleuthera to visit

Matt Hoopes. “I am the vice president of sales

and marketing for Tradewinds, the Bloomberg of

commercial shipping. I am also in the process of

selling the clothing company GreenLobsterUSA,

which I created with two friends from St. Lawrence

University six years ago.”

Tapley-Ann (Mudge) Paxson and husband Dave

welcomed Tavin Ann Paxson on July 17. Everyone is

healthy and life is good. David and Tapley-Ann live in

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where Tapley-Ann teaches

children with learning disabilities at The Janus

School. They look forward to Tavin Ann’s first tour of

Brewster soon.

1999

MaryJane (Haynie) Dowling and husband Carl

live in Atlanta with their three children: Sophia, 4,

Mya, 2, and Garrett, who they welcomed in March.

MaryJane wrote that she is “the proud mom of three

beautiful children and so lucky that I get to be a

stay-at-home mom. I live in Atlanta and volunteer

for Youth for Understanding, a nonprofit exchange

program that I participated in during high school.”

Travis Larsen and Melissa Harding live in Oak Bluffs,

Massachusetts, with their daughter Violette born in

January and their two dogs, Sophie and Phoebe.

Jenna (Marks) O’Donnell and husband Mark

welcomed son Greyson George on May 2. Jenna

describes Greyson as a mini-version of Mark and is

enjoying every moment of her time with him and

feels incredibly blessed.

2000

Dustin Carlson writes that “Life out here in

Minneapolis has been very blessed. Jessica and I just

celebrated our third anniversary. No kiddies on the

horizon, but our friends are very busy with that stage

Class Notes


In MemoriamClass of 1930

Valma (Long) Elliott

July 3, 2011

wolfeboro

Class of 1935

Philip J. McBrien

March 2, 2011

union, Maine

Class of 1938

Lillian (Osgood) Brookes

March 20, 2011

wolfeboro

Class of 1940

Mary C. Brewster

February 1, 2011

wolfeboro

Class of 1948

Joseph P. Ford

August 9, 2011

Lee, New Hampshire

Class of 1949

Mr. John C. Rico

October 26, 2010

wolfeboro Falls

Class of 1951

Delbert C. Haley Jr.

December 31, 2010

Melvin Village, New Hampshire

Class of 1953

Alfred L. Bickford

December 28, 2010

Homosassa, Florida

Class of 1953

Orion M. Lord

March 28, 2011

Ellijay, Georgia

Class of 1955

Susan K. Broman

December 16, 2010

Bow, New Hampshire

Class of 1957

Donald A. Clark

April 2, 2011

Bedford, New Hampshire

Class of 1959

Matthew L. Collins

November 3, 2010

wake Forest, North Carolina

of life. .. and it’s been fun to watch and see it unfold.

The family is doing well. Plenty of challenges came

along … over the past two years, but we all banded

together to face them and it feels like we’re coming

through the other side now.”

Morgan Huntley

was married to

Jennifer Fulham

on June 11 in

Newport, Rhode

Island. Morgan’s

Brewster

roommate

for two years,

Hunter Strupp,

and his wife

attended.

Blair Pyne Facebooked an update: “I got married

in October 2010 and moved to League City, Texas,

just south of Houston and across the lake from

NASA. I’m now working for my uncle at his company,

Kirby, which is the barge company that transports

petroleum products via the inland waterway. I am

in a new position that deals with treating the water

that we use to wash the cargo tanks of our barges.

I’ll have help doing the lab work, which will be nice,

hopefully saving my hair from falling out!”

2001

katie McCarthy wrote that she is married and

expecting a baby in December. She has opened an

organic farm, www.KatesOrganics.com. She received

her masters in secondary education, is a realtor

(Green/ABR/Notary), and is currently studying for an

LPN-RN nursing program.

Douglas Miller, brother Patrick Miller ’03, and Marie

Maseng ’02 work together at the Ascend Realty

Group in Boston. Doug is a managing partner and

Patrick and Marie are associate brokers.

2002

Ashley Mudge has relocated from Wyoming to New

York City where she is teaching at The Cathedral

School.

Rylan Okie is living and working in Boston.

2005

George Dohrmann graduated from the University

of Denver in June with a degree in economics and is

going to graduate school. He still plays competitive

hockey and enjoys spending time with his two-year

old Bernese Mountain dog, Bentley.

Gabrielle “Bri” Gatta is back in New York City and

still working for UBS the Investment Bank. “I work

in the Leveraged Finance Group and was recently

extended a third year offer as a financial analyst. I

spent my first year concentrating on UBS’ oil and gas

industry in the Houston office, but am now covering

every sector (healthcare, energy, retail, media,

gaming). I moved back to Manhattan in October

2010, and it has been an incredible experience.

Newlyweds Morgan and Jen Huntley in June.

Marianna Sychterz, 2, joined mom Kim (Rawson) Sychterz ‘01 at Reunion.


In MemoriamClass of 1961

George Lee Eldridge

June 29, 2011

Jamestown, California

Class of 1962

John B. Kelley

May 27, 2011

Arlington, Massachusetts

Class of 1965

Kathleen (Nichols) Lucas

February 23, 2011

wolfeboro

Class of 1975

Richard S. Joyce

November 11, 2010

Andover, Massachusetts

Former Faculty

Marie D. Forsberg

February 15, 2011

Lakeport, New Hampshire

George H. “Pete” Hall

June 17, 2011

wolfeboro

Margaret “Peg” Hertz

(spouse of the late former faculty

member walter P. Hertz)

June 20, 2011

Newburyport, Massachusetts

NYC is my second home, and I am happy to be

back. I am still juggling the 100-plus-hour work

weeks, which initially was an adjustment but is now

a welcomed challenge. I am training for the New

York City Marathon in November.” Bri was looking

forward to reuniting with the Cabin Crew up at Lake

Winnipesaukee over the summer.

Roger Greene finished a Brewmaster’s course in

Germany in June and is working on a master’s in

brewing and distilling in Scotland.

2006

Joe Montana visited Hoopes on Eleuthera, Bahamas,

last winter. Joe is living in San Francisco and is the

marketing media coordinator at Rickshaw Bagworks.

Mary Seaman wrote in April 2011 that she was out

in California working at Mammoth Mountain with

Ginger Leib, bringing a little bit of Brewster to the

west. Mammoth Mountain had record-breaking

snowfall and in December 2010 was home to the

most snow in the world.

Congratulations to Columbia graduate Niko Scott

on being named 2010-2011 England Basketball

League Division 1 Player of the Year. Scott plays for

the Reading Rockets.

2007

Alyssa Palazzo has moved to a new apartment in

Boston to finish her final year of college and live

closer to her Brewster friends.

2009

Daniel Csete spent the summer interning for head

coach Mario Cristobal and staff on the Florida

International University football team. He is back

at Goucher College for his junior year and playing

varsity tennis. Daniel suggests that we “Keep those

tennis courts busy at Brewster!”

In the spring Peter Rizzo studied abroad at Regent’s

College in London. “When I wasn’t studying theatre,

the history of England, or Shakespeare, I was

traveling. Over the course of fours months abroad, I

visited seven countries. My most profound experience

was visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp

in Poland. It was an indescribable trip. … I witnessed

the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. It

was incredible to be immersed in the British culture

during such a historical event. To be a part of the

festivities as the royal family drove by was an event I

will never forget.”

Peter was back on campus over the summer working

with the Brewster Academy Summer Session students.

Joe Montana ’06 and Matt Hoopes in the Bahamas.

Douglas Miller ’01, Marie Maseng ’02, and Patrick Miller ’03 outside their Ascend Realty Office.

Former classmates Mary Seaman ’06 and Ginger Lieb ’06 worked together at Mammoth Mountain last winter.

Send us your Class Note, and we will do our best to include it in the next BrewsterConnections:

[email protected]


HistoryHistoryHistoryHistoryWriting Brewster’sHistory

THE BEGINNING OF MAJOR CHANGES

TheadditionofthefirstKenisonLibrary–asaseparatebuildingbehind

the Academic Building – in 1978 was the hallmark of what was to come. In

justoveradecade,significantimprovementsandadditionsweremadeto

the physical plant and campus, including:

• EnhancementstothemainAcademicBuildingtobetteraccommodate

new academic programs and a new front entrance design

• RenovationstoTheEstabrook:anewbookstoreandmailcenter

withindividualstudentmailboxes;renovationofstudentand

facultyquartersonthetopfloor;expansionofthekitchenand

diningfacilities;andanadditionofaStudentCenteronthesouth

sideofthebuildingthatgreatlyexpandedstudentservices;

• Anewmasterplanforroadwaysandwalkwayswasdeveloped

andimplemented;

• Theconstructionofsixnewfaculty/studentresidenceswithinthe

areas of what is now known as Lamb Court (Harris, Lamb, and

Vaughan houses) and Mason Court (Spencer, Mason, and Hughes

houses)

The 1980s Brought a New Look and Feel to Campus Students React to Changes

As we completed the manuscript for The Brewster Story, we were

frustratedwhenthefinalformatofthebookrequiredthatwe

trim the manuscript by more than 150 pages. Fortunately, an

unabridged copy of The Brewster Story manuscript soon will be included in

theBrewsterAcademyarchives.Here,in“WritingBrewster’sHistory,”we

will share material that was omitted due to space limitations. In this issue

we report on the tremendous campus change and growth of the 1980s.

If there is one common experience that students of the 1980s lived

through, it was this observable fact: on campus there was earth-moving

equipmentinconstantmotion;constructionworkersseemedtobea

permanentfixtureacrosscampus;newbuildingswereerectedwhileothers

weremoved;andlawnsdisappearedtobereplacedbynewpathways.

The norm became ongoing confusion and change, and one was never quite

sure where a new path would lead and where an old path would end.

Headmaster Smith thoroughly understood this dilemma. While observing

thelastfewinchesofsnowfallfromhisofficewindowoneafternoonand

noting the various footpaths created by the students, he remarked, “When

it is time to build sidewalks, we will know exactly where they should be

placedforallwehavetodoisfollowthestudents’tracksinthesnow.”

By Bob and Shirley Richardson

Campus circa 1980. Note the library, and the tennis courts but the absence of the Wilson Center,

the Pinckney Boathouse, the dorms of Mason Court, and Brown Field.


• ThepurchaseandremodelingoftheAdmissionHouse,which

provided prospective students and their parents a comfortable

place for interviews

• TherelocationoftheAlumniandDevelopmentOfficebuilding,

followed by the redesign of the space into an arts and writing

center;

• ThedesignandconstructionofthePinckneyBoathousetoserveas

the headquarters of the sailing and crew programs (downstairs)

whiletheupstairsofferedmeetingandgatheringspace;

• ThepurchaseofBerryandPiperhousesandtherenovationof

Kimball House.

And as the physical facilities grew, so did the Academy’s academic,

athletic, and community life programs.

From interviews and written reminiscences, we were fascinated to learn

how students, faculty, and parents adapted to changing circumstances,

facilities,andprograms.Belowwesharethereflectionsoftwostudents

from this busy decade: Chuck Michaels ’88 and Matt Woodward ’89.

Theircommentariesfirstappearedin1988indifferenteditionsofthe

student newspaper, The Brewster Browser.

CHuCk MICHAELS ’88

When a student came to Brewster four years ago, the campus seemed

pure, lush with natural tradition. There was no growth, no construction.

The groomed campus lacked facilities, but the young student managed.

Since then he has watched the needed buildings bring new opportunities.

Hewasanunopenedflowerwhosebloomingwaswelloverdue.He

and the school underwent growth together. Sadly enough though, the

boyblossomedfirstandwillmissthegloriousawakeningofhisschool.

More growth will come to both the boy and the school. Both will change.

Graduation will come and what he knew the school to be will not be the

same in years to come. Each will go about new business, but knowing, too,

they both will grow and change.

Brewster is indeed a different school from

whatitwasthreeyearsago.…It’seasytosee

the school’s progress. We are strengthening

our standards in academics, thrashing our

opponents in sports, and charging full speed

ahead in campus development.

Future students will receive their mail from

personal mailboxes, and I’ll remember the days

when Dean of Students Dick Weeks wandered the

halls handing out stacks of mail. When the future

athletes can’t make up their minds as to whether

to take crew or track, I’ll remember walking past

Mt. Brewster’s grave of tennis courts. If there

comes a time of a future headmaster, one who’ll

be able to relax, as most of his work will have

Chuck Michaels ’88 at the

new Admission Office, which

was relocated from its office

in the Academic Building to

its own building in 1982.

The building that is the current Arts Center sits between Memorial Field and the Estabrook. It was

moved to its current location on the other side of the Estabrook in 1988.

additions are completed and formal dinner has had to be revised. When

the school meets together in the First Congregational Church, the building

isfilledtoitsmaximum.

While Brewster’s growing pains are yet to be over, they have been exciting

to live with for our class, especially the 12 lifers, and now as seniors we are

fortunatetobethefirsttobenefitfromthenewfacilities.Theschoolyear

hasjuststartedandtherewillbemanymonthsaheadforustoenjoythe

new campus, but although the school has grown and changed, the people

are the same. And our friends and faculty will be with us forever as we

remember Brewster.

BREwSTER’S SuCCESS

Why did Brewster continue to be successful and attract new enrollment

whileotherschoolswerehavingdifficulties?Wasitthebeautifullocation,

the expanded facilities, or a program that was earning a reputation of

educating the whole person? All of these factors were likely reasons.

Headmaster Smith often reminded faculty and staff that they were here to

serve the needs of young people during a crucial stage of their lives. Those

teachers who have walked the Academy’s halls since the school’s founding

and long after have known what a great opportunity Brewster has to

positivelyinfluencethenextgenerationwithinthisbeautifulenvironment.

ButasthereflectionsofChuckandMattremindus,theessential

ingredient of Brewster Academy is its community of students, faculty, and

staff who bond together to support each student in his or her growth into

self-confident,respectfuladults.

already been done for him, I’ll remember Mr. [David]

Smith dreaming of improving the community. I

dread leaving my beloved school. I’m unsure of

whatitwillbelikewhenInextvisit.PerhapsIjust

envy those who will follow me in that they will have

opportunities I didn’t have. Yet I had the chance to

grow with Brewster. I will always be proud to have

been a part of that growth. One aspect, I’m sure, won’t

change, and that is the community. I bid farewell to my

BrewsterandsayhellotofutureBrewster.”

MATT wOODwARD ’89

At the end of our freshman year Houses One, Two, and

Three were built. The construction of the three dorms

improved living conditions for both the students and

the faculty. The new buildings and the area around them

soonbecamethefocusofthecampus.Thenextmajor

changecameduringourjunioryearwhenHouseFourwas

constructed in the Bearce Hall area. While this put two dorms in the area,

they were still rather isolated from the rest of the campus.

During these three years the school’s population continued to grow,

slowly but steadily. In order to help accommodate the increased student

body,twonewclassroomswereconstructed.TheBusinessOfficewas

moved to a newly leased building on the far side of the campus and the

buildingthathousetheAlumniandDevelopmentOfficebecamethenew

[Arts and] Writing Center. The greatest changes have taken place during

this past summer and as seniors we are the only class to have been able

to watch the new growth all come together, and the only class to really

appreciate what we have in the new facilities.

WereturnedfromthesummertofindHouseFiveandSixcompletedand

this construction has made the Bearce Hall area the focus of the campus.

The completion of the boathouse that our class has lived with in one stage

or another for our four years has changed the waterfront dramatically

and has given the school an area where the entire school can gather for

meetings. Not only have new buildings been built, but also old buildings

have undergone a lot of renovation. New siding has been put on Sargent

Hall, making it conform to looks of the new houses. All of the smaller

dorms along Main Street have also been insulated and covered with

siding. The three entrances to the Academic Building have had new steps

and brickwork completed and the main steps have been greatly enlarged.

All the old buildings look much better than when we arrived for our

freshman year.

Along with all the new buildings, the student and faculty population has

grown to be the largest in the school’s private boarding history. With more

people on campus there is less space in the dining area until the Estabrook

Bob and Shirley Richardson were long-time faculty members who retired in 2004. They are the authors of The Brewster Story: A Definitive History of Brewster Academy, published in May 2011.


Today they are Spencer House and Mason House but in the 1980s they were simply Houses One and

Two, the first of the six residences built in the mid- to late eighties.

Daniel T. Mudge, President(Tapley-Ann ’98, Ashley ’02)

Leslie N. H. MacLeod, Vice President(Todd ’97)

Roy C. Ballentine, Treasurer(Brian ’97, Susan ’94)

Douglas H. Greeff, Secretary (Hilary ’11)

Michael Appe

C. Richard CarlsonEstate Trustee

David L. Carlson ’54

Arthur W. Coviello Jr.

Candace Crawshaw ’64

Claudine Curran(Alex ’06, Gen ’11)

George J. Dohrmann III (George ’05, Geoffrey ’12)

Stephen C. Farrell Sr.(Stephen Jr. ’12)

Karey Fix(Will ’11, Keenan ’13)

Peter Ford ’80

Michael Keys (Matthew ’04)

Barbara Naramore

Arthur O. RicciEstate Trustee

The Reverend Nancy Spencer SmithEstate Trustee

Steven R. Webster (Brooke ’08, Tori ’11)

Trustee Emeriti

Walter N. “Rink” DeWitt ’54 (Kate ’86)

P. Fred Gridley ’53 (Deborah ’81)

Grant M. Wilson (Grant ’87, Kirsten ’88)

Brewster AcAdemy

2011-2012Board of Trustees

Expect to Stay Cool: Brewster Academy Summer Session students enjoy the lake on a hot July afternoon.

retiring trustees

Helen S. Hamilton, Secretaryboard member since 1974

A.B. Whitfield(Trey ’89)board member since 2008

Who knew it could be so easy?

dominique aubry ’03 has a lot on her plate:

• Facilities contract manager for the Philadelphia school district

• Active volunteer roles for UPenn and Brewster

• A new consulting business with her brother Pierre.

• With so many demands on her time, she is happy that one

of her priorities is so easy to fulfill. Dominique set up a

recurring gift to Brewster’s Annual Fund. Each month, she

makes an automatic gift to Brewster via her credit card.

To Do LisT:

Pick up dry-cleaning

Book vacation

Caitlin’s Halloween costume

Change oil

Make my annual gift to Brewster

Monthly Debit Annual Gift $10 $120 $25 $300 $50 $600 $100 $1,200

“Being so busy, this is the easiest way for me to give, making

smaller monthly gifts while making a great impact annually.

I just set it and forget it! I’m so glad Brewster offers this.”

Just as your monthly gifts will add up, your giving, combined

with that of other alumni, makes a significant impact for Brewster.

To learn more about setting up a recurring gift with Brewster, please

contact Beth Hayes ’81 at [email protected].

For a spotlight on Dominique, please see the Hoopla column on page 30.

Fall 2011BrewsterConnections

Inside:


Alumni Who Embody Brewster’s Core Values

Return to Campus: Reunion MomentsSummer Programs Office • 603-569-7155 • [email protected]

For endless summer opportunities,contact the oFFice oF summer programs at Brewster academy.

For your child or grandchild’s summer school experienceFor your wedding

expect to return

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parents of alumni:If this magazine is addressed to your son or daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please e-mail us at [email protected] with his or her new address.

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Documents

Fall 2011 Brewster Connections