Issuu

SPRING 2010

Andover at Oxford On Location with Our Two Rhodes Scholars Andoverâ€™s Diplomats

Music Faculty & Gospel Choir Present

Concert for Haiti

Photos by Gil Talbot

March 2010

CONTENT S

Farewell to Faculty

A special photo gallery pays tribute to near;y 450 years of service

Andover at Oxford: On Location with Our Two Rhodes Scholars

Jisung Park ’04 and Abigail Seldin ’05, members of the same Rhodes Scholars class, take us inside the ancient, hallowed halls and the legacy of Cecil Rhodes

ACE Scholars Program’s First Students Graduate

A Rocky Mountain sojourn proves its value to students caught in the preparation gap

Andover’s Diplomats: A Long History of Global Impact

From John Brown Cutting (Class of 1781) to our current deputy secretary of state, Jim Steinberg ’71, Andover’s international commitment has filled the diplomatic ranks at home and abroad

Closing the Door on PA’s Secret Societies

Former society member Donald Goss ’49 tells the story of Headmaster John Kemper’s courageous effort to end their reign

MLK Jr. Day at PA Turns 20

In 1989, senior Brian Gittens started it all when he sat with his boom box blaring Dr. King’s famous speech on the steps of Sam Phil

Andover Wit, Wisdom, and Wisecracks

A sampling of Andover alumni’s contributions to the new Yale Book of Quotations

BLUEprint, the newsletter of The Campaign for Andover 47 Exploring the joy of reconnection and what it can mean for alumni of all ages

DEPARTMENTS

Lorna Fisher Vanparys ’63 ...77

Dateline Andover .......................6 On Course....................................15 Sports Talk....................................16 Old Blue .........................................37 Faculty Showcase.....................42 Connection..................................43 Andover Bookshelf ................46 Class Notes ..................................51 In Memoriam ..........................112 Tales Out of School.............116

Attitude, Altitude, and an Abundance of Courage Byung-Kook Kim ’78............91

Building a Mountain

Andover | Spring 2010

Gil Talbot

CLOSE-UPS

FROM T HE EDIT O R SPRING 2010 Volume 103 Number 3 PUBLISHER Tracy M. Sweet Director of Academy Communications EDITOR Sally V. Holm Director of Publications DESIGNER Ken Puleo Senior Graphic Designer ASSISTANT EDITORS Jill Clerkin Sharon Magnuson DESIGN ASSISTANT Sally Abugov CLASS NOTES COORDINATOR Joanne Smith CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Sandra Butters, David Chase, Andy Cline, Kathleen Dalton, Nicholas Danforth ’60, Stacy Gillis, Donald C. Goss ’49, Susan H. Greenberg, Thomas Hamel ’10, Victoria Harnish, Matt Hill, Thomas Hodgson, Adam Levine, Amy Morris ’92, Lily Schaffer ’10, Fred Shapiro, Paula Trespas PHOTOGRAPHERS Jim Daves, Neil Evans, Ji He, Matt Hill, Sally Holm, Rob Judges, Andrew Shurtleff, Sabrina Simon, Gil Talbot, Peter Watt, Dave White, Yuto Watanabe ’11 © 2010 Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Andover, the magazine of Phillips Academy is published four times a year—fall, winter, spring, and summer— by the Office of Communication at Phillips Academy, 180 Main Street, Andover MA 01810-4161. Main PA phone: 978-749-4000 Changes of address and death notices: 978-749-4269; alumni-records@andover.edu Phillips Academy Web site: www.andover.edu Andover magazine phone: 978-749-4677 Fax: 978-749-4272 E-Mail: andovermagazine@andover.edu Periodicals postage paid at Andover MA and additional mailing offices. Postmasters: Send address changes to Phillips Academy 180 Main Street Andover MA 01810-4161 ISSN-0735-5718

The opportunity to experience Oxford with current Rhodes Scholars Abigail Seldin ’05 and Jisung Park ’04 in February took me to the legendary intellectual eminency on the Isis, whose gifts to the world cannot really be counted—a “bucket list” destination for this writer. Oxford has given the world so much. As Richard Tames writes in A Traveller’s History of Oxford, its contributions include “the Arthurian legends, the English and the Douai bibles, Anglicanism and Methodism, The Pre-Raphaelites and Aestheticism, Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings, the OED and the DNB, Oxfam and Mensa, penicillin, the sub-four minute mile and Inspector Morse.” And the list goes on: the exalted Oxford University Press; the ancient Bodleian Library which inspires new levels of hush and awe; Oxford shirts and shoes; and, of course, Oxford Blue—not to be confused with Andover Blue, but these shades bear more than a family resemblance. What made the experience so memorable was less about place—as powerful as it was—and more about people. Specifically two people, both of them once Andover’s children—Park and Seldin—but who now belong to Oxford and (as you will see in these pages) to the world. They represent the thousands of our graduates stretching far back into history who have played major roles on the international stage, as Susan Greenberg’s feature on diplomacy in this issue reveals…so many men and women who have made or are making their marks in a world that grows paradoxically both smaller and increasingly complex by the day. They have become, as articulated by our 2004 Strategic Plan, “thoughtful, versatile, responsible participants in the global community.” Jisung and Abigail will never be content to just participate. Macro Mystery M They are primed and eager to lead in the global future—so true of so many whose blood runs Can you identify the location Andover Blue. This certainly is no accident, but of the photo below? the result of hard thinking, hard work, and many committed minds. At a faculty meeting not long after the Oxford assignment, PA’s Global Perspectives Group—led by Temba Maqubela and Peter Merrill—asked several faculty to speak of their recent Andover-sponsored trip to South Africa. As each described in articulate detail a personal experience of transformation and how it will inspire their classroom work, a palpable excitement about our deepening global capability hummed through Kemper Auditorium—acknowledgement that as our teachers become ever more globally enriched, so do our students gain and grow in their abilities to meet the challenges facing our world. —Sally V. Holm

Cover: The Radcliffe Camera reflected in

rainwater on the cobbled streets of the Oxford University campus Photo by Rob Judges from his book, Reflections of Oxford Andover | Spring 2010 www.robjudges.com

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Cert no. SW-COC-002508

We begin a new feature with this issue, inviting our readers to identify where on the Hill photos were taken. If you think you know, send your answer to: andovermagazine@andover.edu The prize? Your name in print!

TO THE ED IT O R Dear Editor:

Dear Editor:

I have two comments regarding the Winter 2010 issue.

With reference to pages 28–29 of the Winter 2010 issue of the magazine, “What Alumni Say About Their Favorite Andover Teachers”:

The first pertains to John Kane’s “Thoughts of a Recovering Homophobe.” I am about a half generation before him, but I have gone through the same recovery process, though I did not have the close personal reasons he shared with us. I am not ashamed of my homophobic feelings when I was younger because they were the cultural norm then. But I am proud that I have been able to use my intellect to see how hollow and false those feelings were. This was an evolutionary process for me, with many factors involved, including the intellectual development I went through at Andover.

Three men stand out as incomparable—Allan Cook, Arthur Darling, and Freddie Watt, each in his own way a revelation of what is meant by “Intellectual Excitement.” And a chance remark that Cookie made one dark winter afternoon, “…he knows how to enjoy his own mind…” has stayed with me all my life. I will always be grateful to the wonderful teacher who showed me that possibility. Yours cordially,

The second pertains to the “What Alumni Say About Their Favorite Andover Teachers” section. I only took one course from William Schneider (who passed away last year) and had only brief contact with him outside the classroom, but his “music appreciation” course has had a profound influence on my life. Not in a materialistic way. His course was my introduction to classical music and, though I am not a musician, my life has been enriched by it ever since. Even now I occasionally get goosebumps when I hear a beautiful piece of music that I may have completely ignored had it not been for that class.

Richard P. Leavitt ’45

Charlie Townsend ’51 Dear Editor: First, I would like to compliment Ken Puleo on his inspiring design for this [Winter 2010] issue. Having taught in PA’s art department from 1968 through 2001, offering over 30 different art courses, I’m very impressed with his graphic design. It has brought the magazine to life! Ted Sizer was one on my heroes. I studied at the Harvard Graduate School of Education under him and then served at PA during his tenure. I admired his ideas, particularly term limits. I could never have survived serving as art department chairman from 1980 to 1985 without that exit point. My only disagreement with him was joining the International Baccalaureate, which would have crimped PA’s freedom for teaching. Victor Henningson’s article, “Why We Teach,” was also very significant to me. With his kind permission, I will quote from him in my next of many courses I’ve taught at the University of Maine in Machias. Keep up the good work!

Gil Talbot

John McMurray, instructor in art emeritus 1968–2001

PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH US Andover, the magazine of Phillips Academy welcomes your comments, suggestions, and involvement. Letters may be edited for length, grammar, and style. Please e-mail andovermagazine@andover.edu or call 978-749-4677.

Andover | Spring 2010

Gil Talbot

Andover | Spring 2010

Gil Talbot

D ATE L INE AND O VER

An Extravagance of Cellos The rise of three student cellists through the ranks of a number of prestigious musical competitions seems to mirror the growing popularity of the instrument itself. Twenty years ago the Academy Orchestra’s string section was blessed with large numbers of experienced violinists. But today, in the golden age of Yo-Yo Ma, that distinction belongs to the cellists. Bobby Chen ’10, Rainer Crosett ’10, and Maddie Tucker ’11, all from the greater Boston area, are not only major contributors to the Academy Orchestra and other PA ensembles, they play in the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra at the New England Conservatory of Music. They also compete—and win. In January in Miami, Chen was the only cellist selected in the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts’ “Young Arts” category; he was awarded a Level 1 prize of $3,000 in music scholarships and was recently named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. In March, he competed as a semifinalist in the Stulberg International String Competition in Michigan—his fourth international competition while at Andover. Chen has been making music since learning the piano at age 4; he later switched to violin and ultimately found his true voice in the cello. Crosett recently won the Concord Orchestra’s Ehlers Young Artist Competition and the Quincy Symphony Orchestra’s Young Artist Performs Competition. He has soloed with each orchestra in the last two

Andover | Spring 2010

months. Crosett has been interested in the cello since age 8, but didn’t begin serious study until he was 12. Also an accomplished pianist, Crosett hopes to become a cello soloist as his life work. Tucker played Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme with the Seven Hills Symphony Orchestra in Holden, Mass., in their concerto competition in February. Having won state and division levels in the senior strings category in the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), Tucker competed in the national competition held in Albuquerque, N.M., in March. Also in March, Chen played Tchaikovsky’s Pezzo Capriccioso on the National Public Radio show, “From the Top,” hosted by concert pianist Christopher O’Riley. The weekly program, aired nationally, features the country’s best young musicians. In fall 2008, Crosett also was a guest on the popular NPR show; he played the Requiebros by Gaspar Cassado, with O’Riley at the piano. Christopher Walter, PA instructor in music and director of performance, knows that the school is fortunate to be working with all three students. “We’ve never had a year like this for cellists,” says Walter. “The field has exploded. Some of this growth, I suspect, has to do with the inspirational musicianship and personality of Yo-Yo Ma.” Ma has strong connections to Andover. His son Nicholas ’01 and daughter Emily ’04 are graduates, and in 2000 Ma generously performed before a large and enthusiastic audience in Cochran Chapel.

PA Drops 270,000 Pounds In academic year 2008–2009, PA reduced its trash mass by 135 tons. That’s a 20 percent drop, compared to the previous year, in the weight of junk that gets hauled away to an area incinerator. As more and more on campus are learning, however, there is no “away.”

Feeding the “Pig”

Two May 2009 initiatives—to be expanded in 2010—deserve special note: the reuse-recycle bazaar and the Green Move-Out.

The reuse-recycle bazaar was tied in with the popular Spring Carnival. Students and faculty brought clothes, small electronics, books, A highly motivated force of faculty, students, lightbulbs, sports equipment, used printer and staff, led by sustainability coordinator cartridges, bookshelves, bikes, rugs, art, and and science instructor Patricia Russell and other unwanted items to the East Lawn near grounds and vehicles manager Ron Johnson, the Gelb Science Center. Some items were is determined to post equally imsold, most given away, and the pressive figures for 2009–2010. Parallel reductions rest donated to local charities. And educating the campus sought in water, fuel, A few weeks later, after students community is a big part of their and electricity use determined which items not effort. “NOTHING that can to take home—and numerous be reused or recycled is EVER permitted in a faculty and staff had tackled their garages and campus dumpster,” warned the campus-wide basements—Green Move-Out volunteers e-mail in November—which also included sorted, hefted, and ultimately found homes for details about what, when, where, and how to literally tons of unwanted treasure. recycle at PA. √ A temporary shelter for families in crisis “Too often, caring people make random efforts in Lawrence, Mass., received a truckload to do the right thing environmentally, but of furniture, clothes, and housewares. feel like they are grasping at straws,” says John Rogers, dean of studies and advisor to the head √ The Salvation Army received a truckload of school for sustainability. “Trish [Russell] of clothes, linens, lamps, strollers, and has been tremendous in seeing the big picture kitchen items. and bringing the key players together so that √ Faculty spouse and Lawrence High School individual efforts could bear fruit.” teacher Graeme Griffith salvaged several Trash-trimming efforts to date include: boxes of school supplies for his school. √ improved recycling systems for all Academy buildings √ increased recycling of wood, metal, electronics, books, shoes, and clothes √ enhanced education of proctors/prefects, student council, and faculty about where our trash goes and the costs associated with tossing it √ a commitment to “reduce, reuse, and recycle” at all campus-catered events √ a sustained reduction in post-consumer food waste—about 100 lbs. less per day— since the “trayless” reopening of Paresky in spring 2009 (graphic at right)

√ Andrew Pohly ’09, founder of the charitable group Kleats 4 Kids, filled four large boxes with sneakers and cleats.

1) Pulper “devours” each day’s dining hall ort, biodegradable napkins, and selected kitchen prep waste

2) Slurry travels to basement’s hydra-extractor, which squeezes out 50%–70% of liquid.

3) Liquid is recycled daily in the closed system.

√ Faculty spouse Hossiri Godo-Solo packed four boxes of jeans to ship to West Africa. √ Thayer Zaeder collected 50 abandoned bikes to be recycled by the charitable organization Bikes Not Bombs. “Our goal for 2009–2010 has been to harness this ‘green’ momentum, test and adopt new systems, experiment with new events, and institute new incentives for parallel drops in water, fuel, and electricity use across campus,” says Russell. “We hope all these efforts will have a lasting effect on student and community habits.”

4) Dehydrated organic matter is trucked twice each week to a local farm for composting.

BRICK ENDS FARM Ken Puleo

Russell and Johnson’s enthusiastic efforts have been buttressed by those of Recycling Task Force chair and art instructor Thayer Zaeder, Spanish instructor Mark Cutler, food service director Mike Giampa, and a committed crew from Office of Physical Plant.

√ Toan Nguyen ’10 collected four boxes of test prep books to ship to students in Vietnam.

From July 2009 through February 2010, 64.6 tons of organic matter were trucked to a nearby farm for composting—thanks to the pulper-extractor system installed in Paresky in spring 2009.

—Jill Clerkin Andover | Winter 2010

D ATE L INE AND O VER

PA’s Longtime German Connection Retires Otto Vehrenkamp, second from right, is retiring after more than three decades as PA’s admission representative in Germany. He interviewed German applicants to the Kemper Scholars program, which has brought hundreds of international students to Andover since its inception under Headmaster Ted Sizer. Vehrenkamp also came to PA as a German teacher and housemaster, in 1962 and again in 1969, to fill temporary vacancies. In August 2009, Kemper Scholars old and new gathered for a reunion hosted by Vehrenkamp at his home in Goettingen, Germany. From left are Jonas Allerbeck ’07, PA International Student Coordinator Susanne Torabi, Carl Koeckert ’09, Pia Aehnlich ’10, Anne Köehler ’03, Laura Moreno Morales ’10, Anna Ulrichs ’00, and Vehrenkamp and his granddaughter Svenja ’09. His daughter Dunja ’77 also attended Andover. Susanne Torabi

Moore Honored with McKeen Award Diane Moore, the founding director of the Brace Center for Gender Studies and a former PA instructor in philosophy and religious studies, was this year’s McKeen Award recipient. The award—which honors outstanding individuals who help make the school community a more successful and equitable coeducational environment—was presented by Kathleen Dalton and Tony Rotundo, Brace Center codirectors, at a February gathering of Moore’s friends, former students, and past colleagues. Moore created several Brace Center programs, including the Brace Student Fellow Program, the Brace Faculty Fellow Program, and the Hearsey Community Fellow Program. She also began the Hearsey Resource Room, which contains hundreds of books and numerous other resource materials about gender. “Diane was at the heart of discussions of gender issues and policy on campus, bringing candor, warmth, insight, and commitment to those conversations,” says Rotundo. “She also worked tirelessly to keep alive the memory and traditions of Abbot Academy.” Moore is currently a professor of the practice in religious studies and education and director of the Program in Religious Studies and Education at Harvard Divinity School.

Andover | Spring 2010

R ead Vehrenkamp’s reflections on his years of service to Andover, posted at www.andover.edu/magazine.

Neil Evans

Preeminent Archaeologist Group Marks 75th Anniversary In special recognition of the significant role played by the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology in 1935 in the formation of its now 7,000-member organization, the Society of American Archaeology (SAA) executive committee visited Phillips Academy on March 12. The meeting, celebratory lunch, and campus tour also were attended by, among others, Head of School Barbara Landis Chase, museum benefactor Marshall P. Cloyd ’58, and David Hurst Thomas, curator of North American archaeology for the American Museum of Natural History, who, in addition to sitting on the Peabody’s advisory committee, is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. According to Thomas, eight professional papers were delivered in Samuel Phillips Hall on December 29, 1935, at the first annual meeting of the SAA, which was attended by “approximately 75 of the world’s most famous archaeologists.” Bonnie Sousa

Peabody Museum Director Malinda S. Blustain and SAA President Margaret W. Conkey cut the celebratory cake.

From Fighting Fit to Fighting to Live English instructor Jonathan Stableford ’63 wrote about his near-death experience and road to recovery in the winter 2009 edition of the medical journal Dartmouth Medicine. In “The Longest Run,” PA’s longtime crosscountry coach looks back on the summer of 2006 when a scratchy throat escalated into near-fatal pneumonia within a matter of days. After a two-week coma, the once robust marathoner woke to find a fragile shell of his former self. R ead his story online at http://dartmed.dartmouth.edu/ winter09/html/longest_run.php

Chinese-language teaching fellow Ji He captured this unusual image of tranquility—pomegranate slices adrift in infused waters—during the lunchtime bustle in Paresky Commons. Andover | Spring 2010

D ATE L INE AND O VER

The 24 Hour Play

11 p.m.—Anticipation Adrenalized students gather for introductions and assignments.

11 p.m.—It’s A Wrap! An exhilarated, albeit exhausted, cast and crew celebrate backstage.

An Ultimate All-Nighter The countdown for PA’s fourth annual 24 Hour Play began on the evening of Friday, January 8, when a gutsy group of 48 students first convened in Steinbach Theatre for introductions and casting assignments. Over the course of the next 24 hours, the all-student company of actors, directors, playwrights, and producers managed to conceive, write, and rehearse six 10-minute plays, culminating in two live performances that next evening. As theatre instructor Mark Efinger ’74 sagely observed at the top of hour one, “the entire thing does not yet exist, and by 11 o’clock tomorrow night, it will cease to.”

8 p.m.—Showtime A protective mother (Rachel Coleman’10) advises her boarding school son (Charles Horner ’12) about appropriate friends in “Make the Right Choice,” written by Julianna Meagher ’11 and directed by Patrick Brady ’11.

2 a.m.—Midnight Oil With most of the crew off to grab some sleep, writers and producers dig in for an all-night brainstorming session, which must culminate in six 10-minute scripts by dawn—when the directors and actors return.

Photos by Yuto Watanabe ’11 and Neil Evans

4 p.m.—A Dry Run Did we mention costumes? And props? Julie Xie ’10 watches the harried dress rehearsals from the technician’s booth.

10:30 a.m.—Take One Lily Shaffer ’10 directs Adam Tohn ’10 in a battle scene for the play “Confessions of a Demi-God,” written just hours earlier by Michael McKay ’11. PA’s 24 Hour Plays are licensed from the 24 Hour Company in New York City.

Andover | Spring 2010

PA’s Second Annual “Why Teach India?” Conference Examines Caste More than 100 public and private secondary school educators attended an April symposium presented by Andover on the topic of teaching about India. Hosted by The South Asia Initiative at Harvard, the conference, titled “Why Teach India? Caste and Its Controversies,” was cosponsored by the Winsor School of Boston.

culture that will provide students with a true understanding and appreciation of this colorful and dynamic culture.” Shaw, a conference steering committee member, recently authored the article “Befriending the Saffron Tiger: Balance in Teaching the Indian Economy” for the journal Education About Asia.

Mridu Rai, associate professor of history at Yale, delivered a kick-off keynote about the evolution of India’s caste system from British colonial rule to present day. Indian scholars then led various workshops on methods of teaching secondary school students about Indian literature, colonialism, and contemporary politics as they relate to caste.

Shaw also ran a similar workshop in February at the nonprofit Primary Source in Watertown, Mass., which aimed to help high school educators globalize their teachings.

Gil Talbot

“Today’s students face a future global economy where India has a very large seat at the table,” says PA history and social science instructor Christopher Shaw ’78. “The conference presents ways to teach about Indian history and

Rajesh Mundra, PA instructor in biology and assistant dean of Community and Multicultural Development, founded the “Why Teach India?” conference in 2009 to help fellow secondary school teachers integrate issues related to the subcontinent into existing curriculum. Mundra is on sabbatical in India this year. History and social science instructor Chris Shaw ’78

PA Archaeologist Awarded Prestigious Grant Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology educator Donald Slater, pictured left rappelling out of a cave last June near the modern Maya village of Chimay, has been awarded a field study grant from the National Geographic Society and the Waitt Institute for Discovery. Slater is studying ancient Maya cave ritual as a basis for his doctoral dissertation at Brandeis University. Grant funding will enable Slater to pioneer an expedition to explore Maya caves on Mexico’s central Yucatan peninsula this summer. A second team of archaeologists, including Kristen Gilleon ’07 and a current Andover student yet to be named, will conduct preliminary excavations in a group of Maya caves previously visited by Slater. Sabrina Simon

Andover | Winter 2010

D ATE L INE AND O VER Students Change Lives Abroad with Microloans

Sally Holm

n 2007, when he was just a lower, John Yang-Sammataro ’10 took a bank; Indonesia, where Mi3’s first loan enabled three young women small campus club that met occasionally to discuss microfinance and to rent computers to run home businesses; Cambodia, where Mi3 transformed it into Micro Investment Initiative Inc., or Mi3, a 501c3 is talking with a nonprofit group that runs a rural school about helpnot-for-profit organization. As he learned more about microfinance— ing schoolchildren and their families by microfinancing domestic animaking small loans to entrepreneurs in underdeveloped countries to mals; and Tanzania, where farmers used their loan to fund a device that support fledgling businesses—he grinds corn using bicycle power. thought, “This is way too cool to Mi3 principals (from left) John Yang-Sammataro ’10, Josh Feng ’10, and Tori Loans, all to sustainable projects Morgan ’13 gather on Tuesday mornings in the G.W. mailroom with boxes of just be talking about.” and facilitated by Mi3’s partners fresh goodies from Perfecto’s Caffé to sell to fellow students. on the ground in various counAs he thought about a business tries, all have been paid back— plan and how to raise funds, with interest. Yang-Sammataro concluded that With the help of his team, Yangselling food—specifically snacks Sammataro has been Mi3’s loan —to ever-hungry teenagers was administrator, gopher, salesman, a no-brainer. So he and other and go-to guy. Together they’ve club members approached a established nine fully functioning local bagel café, and the owner Mi3 chapters in other schools agreed to provide his specialty at and colleges around the country wholesale discount. The first day and are planning to open two Mi3 opened shop in G.W. Hall, more in Korea. Yang-Sammataro and his fellow entrepreneurs, all students, sold A high-honors student from out their entire stock—about Andover, Mass., Yang-Sammataro $100 worth of the crusty, circular knows he’ll be leaving the organidelicacy. A business was born. zation z in good hands when he goes off to Stanford in Any CEO worth his or her salt thinks about ut expansion, and Yang-Sammataro was no exception. SSoon oon his group was selling various other snack items directly ecctly in dormitories, and it proved to be a fund-raising bonanza. nanza. In nanza its first year of operation, 2008, Mi3 cleared $900 and made their first loan. This year’s take is more than $2,000. Yang-Sammataro recruited an enthusiastic team to head different aspects of the club and work with more than 50 additional volunteers: Rachel Coleman ’10, microstores in dormitories; Josh Feng ’10, oncampus advertising; Marilyn Harris ’11, advisors sales; Sophia Jia ’10 and Isabella Uria ’10, outreach programs and chapter development; Shefali Lohia ’10, on-campus awareness events; Michael Ma ’10, loan research group; Daniel McMurtrie ’10, outreach in China (while a School Year Abroad student); Jackie Wallace ’10, Tuesday snack sales; and Kevin Song ’11, technology coordinator. As the organization expanded and Yang-Sammataro saw the advantages of incorporating as a tax-exempt nonprofit in Massachusetts, he faced a learning curve that would stagger a law school student. He borrowed a stack of books “this high” from the library. He surfed the Internet. He got advice, pro bono, from a lawyer (John Kim ’83) and an international accountant. “You don’t need to hire a law firm to incorporate,” says the clever, motivated, no-nonsense organizer. “You can do it on your own.” From a pebble thrown in Andover, ripples have reached China, where McMurtrie has been investigating the logistics of making microloans there; Haiti, where an Mi3 loan will help establish a microcommercial 12

Andover | Winter 2010

thee fall, where he’ll continue working on Mi3 projects. He ssays his passion is “to take on jobs where I can make a direct impact. im mp ” It seems he’s off to a great start. —Paula Trespas

Mi3 in Haiti: an Update Mi3 has entered into a joint microcommercial venture with the Île à Vache Development Group (IAVDG), a nonprofit run by Haitian Americans who are working to turn the Haitian island of Île à Vache (population ±20,000) off southwestern Haiti into an example of economic development for the rest of the country. With $4,000 in starting capital—half raised by Mi3 and half by IAVDG—Banque du Village, their first joint project, made loans on April 1 to 64 female entrepreneurs on the island. “We hope that as loans are repaid with interest and capital expands, more islanders can benefit from these loans,” says Yang-Sammataro. The project, in the works for five months, faced setbacks after earthquake refugees flooded the island, but Yang-Sammataro believes these loans can have an even greater impact in the aftermath of the crisis.

For more, go to Mi3’s Web site, www.microinvestmentinitiative.com

Trustees Set Budget Framework for FY11

The winter Board of Trustees agenda included assessment of the Academy’s $6 million budget restructuring and determination of parameters for the 2010–2011 budget. Board President Oscar Tang ’56 said that he was particularly impressed by the innovative thinking and teamwork that went into the multimillion dollar budget recalibration. “This took a tremendous amount of sacrifice and a lot of extra work,” he said. “We asked the administration to permanently reset the budget, and this has been executed very effectively.” The board also set the framework for the 2010–2011 budget, including rates for next year’s tuition: $41,300 for boarding students and $32,200 for day students. The board also approved a financial aid budget at a level sufficient to preserve need-blind admission. In other business

• A generative session focused on how learning communities—groups of faculty across disciplines that together develop coursework on a contemporary issue—can spark curricular innovation and, ultimately, lead to a more globally informed student body. Trustees and faculty considered two questions related to strategic planning and funding: 1. As we consider how to educate young people to depart as thoughtful, versatile, responsible participants in the global community, what knowledge, skills, and understandings should our programming impart? 2. Following the example of the Financial Aid Task Force, how can the proposed task force help the Academy focus, promote, and raise funding to support students, faculty, and program innovation? • Students also had an opportunity to engage with the board. Oscar Tang hosted a dinner with alumni trustees Susan Urie

Photos by Gil Talbot

Winter meetings also focused on global initiatives

Nearing completion of its renovation and addition, the Addison Gallery of American Art was of keen interest to visiting trustees Ron Takvorian ’66, Mary-Ann Somers ’82, Susanna Jones ’77, and Susan Uri Donahue ’73. Their tour, led by Addison Gallery Director Brian Allen (far left) and Associate Director Susan Faxon (far right), was joined by Associate Head of School Rebecca Sykes.

Donahue ’73, Ronald Takvorian, MD ’66, and George Ireland ’74 at which 22 students shared their experiences “engaging in the world beyond Andover” from Washington, D.C., to Mumbai, India. • Secretary of the Academy Peter Ramsey reported that the Campaign for Andover has raised $194 million in gifts and pledges toward a goal of $300 million. • Chief Investment Officer Amy Falls ’82 reported that the endowment continues to rebound from last year’s negative returns. She also reported that her January trip to Hong Kong to lead the Academy’s fourth Future of the Endowment Conference yielded a wealth of new contacts and insights. “It is very clear that we have a powerful competitive edge given the depth and experience of our community in Asia,” she said. • During the course of construction at the Addison Gallery, it was discovered that the roof on the original Charles Platt building needed significant repairs. The board has approved a plan to make immediate short-term repairs to the structure, while proceeding with design and engineering to determine the best approach to replacing the roof. A final proposal will be presented to the board at its fall meeting. • Pending board approval, the Addison plans in 2011 to extend its usual summer closure for completion of the roof replacement. Meanwhile, the Addison expansion and

renovation project, which began in summer 2008, remains on track, and the gallery is slated to reopen this fall. • With a generous gift from Marshall P. Cloyd ’58 in place, modest improvements to the Peabody Museum are set to begin. Facility upgrades will make the second floor available for public use and will allow people with disabilities full access to the first floor. —Tracy M. Sweet Director, Academy Communication Faculty Instructorships Awarded

Ansin Family Instructorship— Lixia Ma, instructor in Chinese

Francis C. Robertson Bicentennial Instructorship— Christopher Odden, instructor in mathematics

Harris Family Teaching Instructorship in English— David Fox, instructor in English

Andover | Winter 2010

T HE WO RLD CO MES T O AN DO V ER Barbara Ehrenreich Writer, Journalist, Cultural Historian

“Nickel and Dimed: Class, Race and Gender in America” was the title of Barbara Ehrenreich’s presentation to a packed Cochran Chapel in January. She talked about her experiences trying to make a living in minimum wage jobs—as a waitress, a housecleaner, and a retail clerk—which revealed that America’s working poor have no economic security and often cannot make ends meet without working two or more jobs. Inequality based on class and on gender have been two of the central concerns of Ehrenreich’s writing career. She is the author of the best-seller Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America; Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream; Re-Making Love: The Feminization of Sex; and several other works. Sponsored by the Brace Center for Gender Studies in cooperation with CAMD and the Dean of Studies Office, Ehrenreich’s visit helped fuel the PA community’s yearlong discussion of the meaning of class. —Kathleen Dalton, codirector, Brace Center for Gender Studies; instructor in history and social science Albie Sachs Human Rights Activist

More than 120 students and faculty filled the library’s Freeman Room in January to hear Albie Sachs describe his often harrowing experiences as a protest marcher, freedom fighter, defense attorney, and “enemy of the apartheid state” who was subject to raids, torture, imprisonment, and a car bomb attack that cost him an arm and sight in one eye. A law professor, legal researcher, and legal consultant, Sachs was an influential framer of both the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Appointed by newly elected President Nelson Mandela, he was an original member of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. A rapt audience hung on Sachs’s descriptions of time spent in solitary confinement, in recovery from the car bombing, and on work that helped heal South Africa’s wounds as it struggled to recover from the legacy of apartheid. Following a Q&A session, attendees lined up to purchase signed copies of his latest book, The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law. Sachs visited Andover as part of a book tour arranged by NGO South Africa Partners, Inc. —Tom Hodgson, instructor in philosophy and religious studies Jana Mashonee Native American Recording Artist

In mid-January, Jana Mashonee performed before a fully engaged All-School Meeting audience. In addition to sharing several songs and a dramatic video from New Moon Born, her latest CD, Mashonee talked to students about her Native American heritage and her thoughts on the importance of education and giving back to society. She later answered questions, signed autographs, and had lunch with students. Before leaving campus, she and her entourage also toured the Peabody Museum.

A member of the Lumbee Tribe from North Carolina, Mashonee is the founder of Jana’s Kids. Through her foundation, she reaches out to Native American youth living on reservations, encourages them to pursue their educations, and offers academic scholarships. In lieu of payment for her performance, Mashonee accepted a $4,000 check from the Academy to help further the work of Jana’s Kids. The donation was presented by Tristin Moone ’10, a Native American from New Mexico. Mashonee was introduced to PA by David Boyle, father of Carter ’07. Boyle “discovered” the singer in his hometown of Greenwich, Conn., and has been working with Mashonee and her foundation for several years. —Sandra Butters, director of parent giving Nikki Giovanni Poet, Professor, Social Activist

Invited by CAMD to speak as part of Black History Month, Nikki Giovanni visited Andover in early February. The author, whose works include Black Feeling, Black Talk, Black Judgement and Bicycles: Love Poems, spent part of the day in class sharing her wisdom with current lowers studying poetry. She answered many questions regarding her creative process, poetry as activism and truth, and views on leading figures from the Civil Rights and Black Arts movements. During her evening lecture, she touched upon Obama’s presidency, her changing role and goals as a writer, her teaching career, and her steadfast commitment to integrity. She spoke artfully, honestly, and humorously about specific events (including her early experiences as a poet and her fascination with Star Trek and Deal or No Deal) and related them to overarching and critical concerns about success, development, and sincerity. A testament to Giovanni’s magical and magnetic attraction, students flooded the stage following her lecture. Giovanni’s visit was sponsored by the Ullman Fund. —Adam Levine, teaching fellow in English Vanessa Hidary Actress, Performer, Writer, Director

Vanessa Hidary visited campus in late January to augment senior Lily Shaffer’s CAMD Scholar presentation, “The Changing Face of Judaism: A Search for Jewish Identity in North America.” Hidary, aka “The Hebrew Mamita,” shared her poetry, short stories, and experiences growing up as a Sephardic Jew. She is perhaps best known for “Culture Bandit,” a solo show written and performed by Hidary that chronicles her coming of age during the golden age of hip-hop. She has performed the show around the country and has appeared several times on HBO’s Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry. Although she focused on Judaism, Hidary’s discussion of her identity struggles were universal and well received by the audience. Her wonderfully engaging, funny, and honest presentation shed a new light on how to approach the topics of race, religion, and ethnicity. Many meaningful conversations followed. Hidary’s visit was funded by a grant from The Curriculum Initiative, a nonprofit based in New York City that supports Jewish culture and identity within a multicultural framework. —Lily Shaffer ’10, CAMD Scholar

Andover An And A nnddover ove oov vveer | Sp SSpring riing ing 22010 in 0110 0010 10

Gil Talbot

ON C O URSE

Physics 600: Relativity and Quantum Mechanics

Or, Why Should We Care What Rutherford Was Up To? by Sally Holm

o say that renowned physicist Ernest Rutherford was ahead of his time would constitute serious understatement. A staunch social liberal and outspoken proponent of female equality early in the last century, he also created a mathematical formula that first described the highly concentrated matter that gave birth to the idea of the nuclear atom—nearly a hundred years before there were many practical applications. His result, for which he won the Nobel Prize in 1908, has gone down in history as the Rutherford Scattering Formula and was the subject of Peter Watt’s Physics 600 class one April morning. The teacher wanted students to know that Rutherford had a full life beyond physics and math. But not before they understood his concept.

Watt took his 16 students—primarily seniors, three quarters of them boys— through 45 intense minutes of complex equations in rapid-fire sequence that covered three of the Gelb Science Center’s state-of-the-art sliding blackboards. He rarely came up for air, and when he did, it only was to make sure they were following him. They spoke a foreign language (i.e., Coulomb force, scattering , alpha particles, impact parameter, angular momentum, particle flux) not decipherable by the lay writer. And it’s just the beginning of the term.

He wants his students to appreciate relativity and quantum mechanics in different ways. In quantum mechanics, experiments are done that can’t be explained and need theories to be developed to explain them; in relativity the theoretical had to wait a long time for experimental confirmation of the predictions. A clear understanding of advanced calculus and fluency in this “different language” are prerequisites.

Photos by Gil Talbot

This course is about as far as students can go in physics at Phillips Academy— and its subject matter isn’t usually encountered until science majors enter their sophomore and junior years of college, Watt says. Developed in the mid-1980s by former physics and math instructor Robert Perrin, only five to six students regularly qualified for the course in those early years. But as stronger and better-prepared students have enrolled, the course has grown to its limit of 16 and is full every year. Watt has been teaching it since 1994.

Adam Levine ’11 is one of those students. He says he waited a long time to take this particular course. “The breakdown of classical mechanics adds a whole new dimension to science and our perception of the physical world. Topics like Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle really stretch the mind, but in a good way,” he explains. He says Watt has had a tremendous influence on him: “Dr. Watt imparts his love for the subject so naturally, and he also doesn’t take this super-academic subject too seriously. He leaves time for fun. He has definitely helped to change the course of my interests. The only problem is that this will be my last class ever with him!” Another student, one of four girls, says she loves Physics 600 for the subject itself and for the enthusiasm and humor of its teacher. Like Levine, Jae Shin ’11 is planning to pursue advanced physics in college and graduate school, and has her sights set on a physics-oriented career. Shin is interested, she says, in both theoretical and applied physics. Watt, a serious Canadian with a very dry wit, brought a PhD degree in geophysics from Harvard and 10 years of research and college-level teaching with him when he arrived on the Hill in 1988. He loved teaching, he says, but “got tired of spending so much time and energy trying to raise grant money” for his graduate students’ work. Andover offered “the top students in the world” without the other responsibility, and he hasn’t looked back. His schedule stays full— house counselor at Carter House, coordinator of the ACE Scholars Program (related story, page 29), intramural basketball coach, core admission reader, supervisor of the physics laboratory, and advisor are the many hats he wears. But back to Rutherford for just a moment. In case you’re feeling little connection to his esoteric physics concept, consider this: the nuclear atom began the 20th-century physics revolution that has given us transistors, integrated circuits, computers, lasers, mobile phones, and GPS systems, all based on these ideas, Watt explains to the physics-impaired. What life-altering concepts could he be preparing this next generation of physicists to divine?

Andover | Spring 2010

SPORTS TALK

Off the Bench, the Walk-On Makes an Impact I

Asked what stood out about Sherrill in his time at Andover, Leon Modeste, who coached him in both football and basketball, succinctly cited “his grit.” Sherrill, he says, “is emotionally and physically as tough as any kid I’ve ever coached.” Indeed, during his senior season as Big Blue quarterback, Sherrill played part of the second half of the Prep Bowl football championship game with a broken wrist. 16

Andover | Spring 2010

Will Sherrill ’07 When Modeste learned that the lanky forward with a sweet stroke and great work ethic had a chance to enroll at the University of Virginia, he was enthusiastic about his chances of succeeding there as a walk-on. Modeste says Sherrill shared an important quality with other top players, such as Chris White ’93 and Titus Ivory ’96, who played Division I basketball at Brown and Penn State, respectively: “They all had that winning thing.” They could take over a game down the stretch, lead their team to victory, and often not even need the ball in their hands to do so, he added. A sometime starter and regular contributor off the UVa bench this season, Sherrill makes up for not being as quick or as powerful as some of the forwards he must face with good positioning and aggressive defense and rebounding, plus his ability to knock down open jumpers, including three-pointers. He also does a host of things his coaches value that help the team but don’t show up on a stat sheet—like setting picks, reading defenses, spacing the floor, and going after loose balls. Sherrill is the “hardest worker on the team,” says his roommate, starting guard Sammy Zeglinski. He is also one of the team’s smartest workers. With a double major in history and economics, Sherrill was honored as one of 12 players on the 2010 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Men’s Basketball Team.

Andrew Shurtleff

t’s a big jump from basketball at Phillips Academy to Division I ball in the powerful Atlantic Coast Conference, and Will Sherrill ’07 had to make the leap without the safety net of a scholarship offer. But when the lineups were announced for the opening game of this year’s ACC tournament in the Greensboro Coliseum, the Virginia Cavaliers’ starting five included the 6' 9" junior forward from New York City and former three-sport standout at Andover. After two years of busting his butt in practice and spending most of every game on the bench, Sherrill has made the most of his opportunities this season and has earned a regular spot in Coach Tony Bennett’s rotation.

And his smarts are certainly not limited to off-the-court activities. PA English instructor and former baseball coach Tom McGraw, who played basketball at Notre Dame in the ’70s, urged Sherrill to maintain a cerebral approach and let the game come to him rather than frenetically trying to outjump or outmuscle his opponents. “I knew that once he got his legs under him, he’d help his team by his sheer physical presence and his heady play,” says McGraw. Division I basketball at the highest levels is dominated by scholarship players, and most walk-ons do not play meaningful minutes. Sherrill knew that he would face an uphill battle for court time when a Virginia assistant coach—impressed by his performance at a Cavaliers’ summer camp—offered him a nonscholarship spot on the team. His hard work, energy, and passion for the game earned praise from the coaching staff, but not much in the way of playing time during his first two seasons. What has made the difference this year? Sherrill worked harder than ever during the offseason, training and competing with top-level players, and improving his strength and quickness. “I’m in the best shape of my life,” he reports. “Also, the new coaching staff ’s expectations seemed to fit my skill set and my willingness to do the dirty work.” In a game against Cleveland State this season, Sherrill came off the bench to score 18 points, making 7 of 9 shots, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range. He also notched 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and a blocked shot in an all-around effort that sparked the team to a 76–65 victory. More importantly, his play—even when he’s not filling up the stat sheet—has led to better ball movement, spacing, and scoring opportunities for his teammates.

Jim Daves

Sherrill, whose father Steve ’71, brother Stephen ’05, and sister Katherine ’10 also have been multisport athletes at Andover, says that his two fondest athletic memories of PA are the football team’s 43–14 victory over Exeter his senior year and the baseball team’s Central New England Tournament championship that spring. As Big Blue’s quarterback, Sherrill played a big role in shredding the Red in that annual fall showdown, completing 8 of 14 passes for 151 yards and 3 touchdowns. By contrast, his innings were severely limited in the spring due to injury, and yet he still found myriad ways to help his team. Both Modeste and McGraw—and no doubt his teachers at both Andover and UVa—would agree with Coach Bennett’s assessment that Will Sherrill is “one of those glue guys or X-factor guys who is willing to do what it takes.” —Andy Cline Sports Information Director Editor’s note: Many thanks to retiring Sports Information Director Andy Cline for 10 years of enthusiastic service to the magazine and the Office of Communication.

PA Crowned: Boys’ swimming and diving, 2010 Interscholastic Champs Coach: Jacques Hugon ’79 Captains: Curtis Hon ’10, Conor McAuliffe ’10 Broken: In swimming and diving, five school records Boys’ 500 Freestyle—Jun Oh ’12 (below); 4:34.90 vs. NMH Boys’ 200 Freestyle—Jun Oh ’12; 1:40.71 at Interschols Boys’ 200 Medley Relay—Conor Deveney ’11, Didi Peng ’12, Ben Morris ’11, Curtis Hon ’10; 1:36.86 at Interschols Boys’ 400 Freestyle Relay—Jun Oh ’12, Conor McAuliffe ’10, Alex Nanda ’11, Curtis Hon ’10; 3:09.75 at Interschols Girls’ Diving—Kendall MacRae ’11 (below); 267 pts. vs. NMH

Advanced: Girls’ basketball, to the NEPSAC Class A tournament finals for the second straight year Medaled: As individual champions at the Class A wrestling tournament: Colton Dempsey ’12 (130 lbs.) Duncan Crystal ’10 (135 lbs.) Ryan Gaiss ’11 (140 lbs.) Anthony Tedesco ’12 (145 lbs.) Drafted: Chris Kreider ’10, in the first round by the NHL’s New York Rangers Vaulted: Colleen Flanagan ’10, 8 ft. 7 in. for a new Girls’ Indoor Pole Vault record Selected: Shannon McSweeney ’11, to the USA Field Hockey Women’s U19 National Team Promoted: Gus Quattlebaum ’93, to assistant director of amateur scouting by the Boston Red Sox Andover | Winter 2010

FE ATURE S

Farewell Great Teachers, Old Friends In gratitude for nearly 450 cumulative years of teaching, mentoring, coaching, and guiding generations of students, we bid farewell to our retiring faculty members. R ead more and add your own tributes at www.andover.edu/magazine. See them “the way they were,” page 51. Photographs by Dave White george DIX

instructor, spanish 1972–2010

susan McCASLIN

Andover | Spring 2010

instructor, philosophy & religious studies 1981–2010

elwin SYKES

jonathan STABLEFORD ’63

instructor, english 1973–2010

instructor, english 1976–2010

Andover | Spring 2010

david PENNER

instructor, math 1966â€“2010

carl BEWIG

Andover | Spring 2010

associate director, college counseling 1986â€“2010

maxine GROGAN

dean of admission, summer session 1989–2010

vincent AVERY

instructor, philosophy & religious studies 1976–2010

alice PURINGTON

andrew CLINE

instructor, math 1979–2010

associate director, college counseling 1986–2010

derek WILLIAMS ’65

instructor, history & social science 1980–2010

stephen WICKS

instructor, art 1972–2010

Andover | Spring 2010

And at ver xford On Location with Our Two Rhodes Scholars by Sally Holm OXFORD, UK – They have landed in this fabled kingdom of the mind in The Cotswolds of England where they are among the chosen ones to take advantage of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, created to promote the public good. And what better preparation than Oxford University, that 800-plus-year-old bastion of intellectualism? And what better preparation for Oxford than Andover? These two students reveal hauntingly similar drives and motivations, though they come at them from different directions. Both seemed poised on the edge of forging new interdisciplinary approaches that may well become new fields of study. Jisung Park ’04 is keen to better integrate considerations of environmental sustainability into the world’s social and economic choices. Abigail Seldin ’05 is passionate about making anthropologists and museums not just repositories of facts and artifacts, but agents of change that help us understand Earth’s people through the lenses of identity and social justice. For both, these are unquestionably intentional non sibi quests.

A Non Sibi–like Mandate Seldin and Park seem almost too natural a fit for the vision of the controversial Cecil Abigail Seldin ’05 and Jisung Park ’04 at Magdalen Hall

Rhodes, the DeBeers diamond merchant, ruthless empire-builder, and philanthropist who gave vision and means to this most distinguished of academic scholarships. Rhodes’ objective, as explained by current Warden of Rhodes House Donald Markwell, was to bring the most outstanding young students in the farflung “Empire” of the United Kingdom to Oxford and give them the opportunity to use their gifts to “make the world a better place.” The Rhodes criteria have a familiar ring: the highest levels of character, intelligence, leadership capability, and commitment to service “to make a difference for good in the world.” At the start of Michaelmas (key at right), Park and Seldin found themselves among the newest 32 Rhodies—as the scholars long have called themselves—in a nearly 100-year history of more than 7,000. Prior to arriving they each had selected a college from among Oxford’s more than 35 separate colleges, where they likely would live and study, and from which they likely would graduate during their time here. But the stately Rhodes House with the green dome and formal gardens on South Parks Road is clearly “home base” to most of them. They were welcomed last fall by the new warden, a Rhodes Scholar in 1981 from Australia, to what he called “this truly transformative experience…that exists to nurture leaders for the world’s future. I hope that you will be such a person. I know you can be.”

Are We in Narnia? For Seldin, the realization of where she had arrived came as she first laid eyes on the fabled lamppost and stone table immortalized by former Oxford don and author C.S. Lewis in The Chronicles of Narnia, a childhood favorite. She was inspired to start a “Rhodie reading group,” meeting every Tuesday night during the terms to read aloud Lewis’s words—in fair weather at the lamppost, and in foul at the head of a narrow stairwell in Lewis’s old (founded 1247) college, Merton. “It seemed situationally appropriate,” Seldin remarks. On a wintry night, seven students—from such places as Zimbabwe, Bermuda, Kentucky, New Zealand, and Nova Scotia—huddled

around Seldin’s ubiquitous cookie jar (she is famous here for her baking, but more on that later) reading to each other about Uncle Andrew’s troubles in The Magician’s Nephew. In spite of the cold and snowy outside, it is a warm, singular Oxford moment, not missed on any of them. Park’s arrival at Oxford was not so full of surprises—he had studied in Lady Margaret Hall during his junior year abroad before graduating from Columbia. His surprise was being selected as a Rhodes Scholar, something he began dreaming about at Andover, but never expected. He chose Magdalen (pronounced Mawd´lin) College this time, which is the largest and one of the most beautiful of the colleges, with its own deer park, streams, gardens, and medieval architecture. But clearly his greatest joy is finding a likeminded community of articulate, thoughtful seekers from diverse backgrounds. Lunching with fellow Rhodies in the Hogwarts-like Magdalen Hall dining room, Park is surrounded by his closest friends—among them, Abdul, an engaging Muslim medical student from Detroit, and Aaron, a former high school dropout with a rapacious wit. Aside from typical teasing (they call Ji the guy with the great hair), their talk is deeply philosophical, their enthusiasm palpable, their chemistry electric. So much so that they have formed a discussion group called the Phight Club (cobbling together philosophy and “fighting the world’s fight”), meeting in an old lecture room in Magdalen for several hours each week to explore such issues as finding meaning in life, the most effective ways to effect change, and the nature of love. “Ji was the catalyst for this group,” offers Aaron Polhamus, a bright and energetic character from Seattle.

Advancing Their Studies “The Oxford Way” The majority of Seldin’s and Park’s days are spent in idyllic pursuit of intellectual questions, striding or biking over the worn cobblestones of this ancient town, delving into texts both topical and esoteric, plumbing the minds of fellow Rhodies and Oxonians as they guide themselves through their courses of study.

A Key to Oxford Speak Blue—a person who has represented the University in a particular sport against archrival Cambridge DPhil—the advanced academic degree, doctor of philosophy, known as PhD elsewhere Don—a fellow or tutor of a college Fellow—a senior member of a college and member of its governing body Fresher—a new student who becomes a full member of the University during the matriculation ceremony on the first Saturday before Michaelmas term (October–December) Go down—to go home from the University, either on break or dismissal Head of House—head of the college; may also be known as warden, master, principal, resident, provost, dean, and rector. Isis—the Thames River, from its Latin name, Temesis The Other Place—Cambridge Porter—person who staffs the porter’s lodge guarding the main entrance of a college Rustication—a year’s suspension Schools—the final university examinations; the building in which they take place Sent down—going home in disgrace permanently Subfusc—full academic dress (from the Latin for “dark brown”), worn for matriculation and graduation Terms—the divisions of the academic year, Michaelmas (October–December), Hilary (January–March), and Trinity (May–July), which consist of eight weeks of academic work, followed by six weeks off Editor’s note: With thanks to the Pitkin Guide to Oxford Colleges

Andover | Spring 2010

And that’s the key to understanding this unique academic opportunity. The Oxford tutorial approach is a grand expansion of independent study at Andover—of which both students took advantage. Students are not “taught” in traditional ways, but choose their subject areas, then meet with an advisor once a week or so to discuss the paths their explorations have taken them down and to joust over gnarly questions either may pose. “The Oxford Way,” as Warden Markwell explained it, “is generally designed to challenge you to master a subject and not just a reading list, and it requires initiative and discipline.” At the end of the term, examinations are given, and an essay generally is required. Seldin says the Rhodes Scholarship was “a spectacular way for me to continue to pursue my interest in secret religious groups” after finishing both BS and MS degrees at UPenn. As a student there she became deeply involved in uncovering and then curating an exhibition of the stories and artifacts of the Lenape Indians as part of her academic work. Chosen by the Lenape Tribal Council to tell their story after many generations in hiding, Seldin, working with two tribal leaders as cocurators, helped the long-secret tribe to come into the open. Fulfilling a Prophecy: The Past and Present of the Lenape in Pennsylvania was a twoyear gallery exhibition at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia. It has drawn significant media attention. With her cocurators, she also has published and presented several research papers on the topic. The Rhodes has put her on a three-year track to a Doctor of Philosophy degree in social anthropology. She joined St. Antony’s College—one of the youngest (founded in 1953 in a former nunnery), smallest, and most international, and it is all graduate students, although she has chosen to live in a small flat downtown. She takes no courses, but attends lectures she finds useful, makes good use of the college’s computer lab and library, and meets occasionally with her advisor. She indulges her independent streak by working in quiet off-hour corners in one of Oxford’s oldest pubs, The Eagle and Child, 26

Andover | Spring 2010

where C.S. Lewis and his colleague J.R.R. Tolkien sparred for years over pints of bitter. (Seldin prefers the mulled cider.) Her work is serious and solitary. She launches into her recently approved doctoral topic: the crypto-Jews of New Mexico. Dark eyes flashing with enthusiasm, she describes its anthropological and historical underpinnings—the riots and massacres of Jews in late 14th-century Spain, their desperate hated conversions to Catholicism for survival, their further persecution during the Inquisition that drives them into diaspora. Some flee to Mexico, where the Spanish pursue them, until they can escape to the mountains of New Mexico and lose themselves among the Spanish towns on the frontier. She will study these emerging crypto-Jews, some of whom are just beginning to come to grips with their Jewish heritage, and will spend next year among them in New Mexico. As she was with the Lenape, Seldin is motivated by questions of their identity, of social justice, and of the impact this process of identifying themselves to the world will have on them. Park relishes his second exposure to Oxford for “giving me all the freedom of the world to figure out what kind of life I want to lead.” Oxford and the Rhodes provide the scaffolding, he says, on which to build a life. But first there was the struggle to get over “the crushing sense of inadequacy” on entering the Rhodes realm. He is evolving, he says thoughtfully. “My sense of self is not so rooted in achievements, but more defined by the supportive, noncompetitive, mutually respectful environment among Rhodies. He confesses to feeling very much at home here, which he has not felt quite so strongly since Andover. Park’s schedule is more structured than Seldin’s, as he works toward double master’s degrees—in economics and development and in environmental management—in his two years here. He attends several lectures and seminars each week. This day’s lecturer happens to be the founder of Oxford’s Centre for the Environment, Dr. Andrew Goudie, a climate change expert with an impressive international resume. His topic is desertification

PA’s Rhodes Scholars Frances Howard Forbes 1900 William W. Thayer 1902 Scott H. Paradise 1910 Ned Bliss Allen ’18 John Porter Carleton ’18 William Edwards Stevenson ’18 C. Terry Sedgwick Keep ’24 John B. Martin Jr. ’27 Thomas Mendenhall ’28 William L. Sachse ’30 Louis J. Hector ’33 Harlan Cleveland ’34 Jeffrey D. Bush ’46 Peter J. Urnes ’47 Richard Ullman ’51 Edward I. Selig ’52 Langley C. Keyes Jr. ’56 Robert C. Darnton ’57 William W. Sterling ’57 W. Scott Thompson ’59 Charles S. Abbot ’62 Keith H. Chiappa ’62 Edward W. Campion ’63 David Roe ’65 Eric Redman ’66 Richard J. Balfour ’67 E. Grant Gibbons ’70 S. Neil MacFarlane ’72 Jody Greene ’84 Viva Ona Bartkus ’85 Akash Kapur ’93 Ian Klaus ’97 R. Jisung Park ’04 Abigail Seldin ’05

R ead more at www.andover.edu/about/ notablealumni.

and its relationship to climate change—a question that can be argued back to God or to nuclear physics, he laughs. The two hours are chock-full of information and questions, punctuated with humor and closed with applause. Park already has coauthored several articles at Oxford, one of them—with another don, Dr. Cameron Hepburn—on the role of economics in climate change, which will be published this spring. Where is he headed? Park says the job he wants someday doesn’t exist yet, but he is preparing himself to create it. He is

1. At Rhodes House, Abigail Seldin ’05 joins friends learning to salsa. 2. Seldin finds study time and inspiration in the old pub once frequented by Oxford dons C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien 3. Seldin stays close to Andover friends— like Tyler Hill ’05—who also are studying at Oxford. 4. In C.S. Lewis’s old college, Merton, Seldin and fellow Rhodies read of Narnia.

5. In Magdalen Hall, Jisung Park ’04 dines and debates with friends and fellow Rhodies Abdul El-Sayed and Aaron Polhamus. 6. Park, wearing Oxford blue, is a fierce competitor in the matchup against archrival Cambridge. 2

Magdalen 1458

St Antony 1953

All photos by Rob Judges

Andover | Spring 2010 4

27 5

interested in sustainable development and the role economics play in climate policy. He wants to learn how to integrate the earth’s environmental challenges with the way resources are managed, not necessarily from the ivory tower, but in a more pragmatic application that leverages his academic/intellectual expertise.

It Isn’t All about Academics Both Park and Seldin are carving out full and expressive lives in their Rhodes experience. Seldin, an inveterately social being, has emerged from her studious isolation to attend salsa dancing lessons for fellow Rhodies in the cavernous formal hall of Rhodes House. “1–2–3, turn, 4–5–6…” echos to the beat of the music in the chamber as 16 of them struggle through their paces, the unsmiling visage of Cecil Rhodes staring down from the wall. Seldin also has become an inventive and prolific baker, using her skills as a way to gather friends and colleagues. “I am such a foodie,” she admits, and seems eager to infect everyone around her. Every Monday night, for instance, she invites Rhodies and friends from different parts of the university to her flat for whatever the treat-du-jour might be. This night she is visited by a host of students from different cultures, religions, and disciplines, as well as two close Andover friends attending Oxford on their own: Tyler Hill ’05, who is studying philosophy, and Jane Park ’05, whose field is international relations. The talk is of current events, current theatre, best coffee in town, April break plans to travel all over Europe—all plied by homemade cookies and tea. Clearly Seldin, like Park, is a community-builder, a magnet for a diverse and fascinating group. Park’s passion also plays out on the basketball court to which he devotes up to 10 hours a week. The 5' 10" b-ball fanatic—who breathed exceptional spirit into his PA JV team but didn’t play college ball—is living a dream on the Oxford varsity team. This night was the big game versus archrival Cambridge. Park laughs comparing the “ancient” 230-year-old Andover-Exeter matchups to the 800-year-old rivalry about to unfold in Oxford’s gymnasium. 28

Andover | Spring 2010

You don’t yell “Go Blue!” here. Yes, Oxford is blue, but so is Cambridge—albeit a lighter, almost Abbot blue. But no worries, Oxford is soon in control. Park comes off the bench to spark a runaway second half, and Oxford triumphs 117–64 before a small crowd. Coach Justin Hardin, a lanky Texan who teaches in one of the theology schools, is pleased. “Ji’s a great combination of speed and composure and gives the first five no end of hassle!” Both Park and Seldin also find time for their non sibi activities. Seldin serves on the Rhodes Spring Ball committee and makes (you guessed it) cookies to sell for St. Antony’s social fund. Park and his buddy Abdul El-Sayed organized a talent show for Rhodes House that raised more than £1,500 in ticket sales for several Haiti charities.

Blue-Blooded Long Before Oxford No question, Andover is honored and complemented by the presence at the Rhodes table of these two ferociously bright and generous young people. Warden Markwell agreed it was highly unusual to have two Rhodies from the same high school in the same Rhodes class, yet both, he says, “are outstanding examples of exactly what the Rhodes Scholarships seek to identify and encourage.” Both Seldin and Park are effusive about the role Andover—and particularly certain teachers—played in preparing them for this stage. Some of the parallels in the goals and philosophies of Phillips Academy and the Rhodes Scholarships are obvious— the core values of leadership and serving the world community, the emphasis on intellect and character—and both students acknowledge their readiness to meet the Rhodes tests. “The Rhodes ideals were certainly not new to us,” Seldin says. On another level, each also spoke of PA’s academic rigor, interdisciplinary approach, international emphasis, and attention to time management and independent study skills that have given them a huge advantage in undergraduate school as well as at Oxford. Park credits Chris Shaw ’78 and Carroll Perry, both instructors in economics, with instilling in him academic integrity, mak-

ing their subject relevant, and “opening up a whole new way of looking at the world.” His close relationships with them and others, including his house counselor, Jim Ventre ’79, were hallmarks of his PA experience. In fact, Shaw was invited to, and attended, Park’s Columbia graduation. Park also believes there is an “Andover mentality” among the PA faculty that is characterized by “a hunger for students’ understanding” of their subject areas and the drive to convince students “that they had something important to add to the discourse” even as high school students. Park and Seldin agree that they found these attributes significant contributors to their confidence and eagerness to take academic and personal risks. Among the many faculty Seldin praises, several stand out: two are retired history instructors, Robert Crawford and Ed Quattlebaum ’60, who kindled her love of history. Quattlebaum, with Malinda Blustain, director of the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology, shepherded her first research into the Norse settlements in Newfoundland and Greenland, fanning an interest in archaeology that began with childhood museum trips with her father. Seldin also credits Blustain with encouraging her fierce desire to connect her anthropological studies with issues of social justice and the role museums play as “de facto arbiters of identities” of the peoples whose culture they exhibit. Seldin’s dream is to one day become the director of the Smithsonian, to put these ideals into practice on a major stage in her field. If the goal of the famous Oxford Tutorial is to teach students how to think, then Seldin and Park were well on their way there before ever setting foot on the cobbled streets among the medieval towers of their adopted home. And if the goal of the Rhodes Scholarships is to prepare leaders to “fight the world’s fight,” then both young adults demonstrated their worthiness for that responsibility years ago, when they grasped the alchemy of “goodness and knowledge” in their coming of age on Andover Hill.

The Power of Preparation ACE improves access to math and science curriculum by Jill Clerkin “I had never been to Colorado, so living out in the mountains for five weeks was actually a lot of fun,” recalls Billy Fowkes ’10, “but it was certainly much more schoolwork than I had ever done over any summer.” Back in early 2007, Fowkes, fellow juniors in 100- and 150-level math, and a handful of entering lowers were invited to participate in Phillips Academy’s first-ever ACE Scholars Program, designed to elevate math skills prior to lower year so that students could more fully explore Andover’s robust curriculum—including courses in calculus and advanced chemistry and physics. Independent research, conducted in 2008 and 2009 under the direction of Assistant Head for Enrollment, Research, and Planning Jane Fried, has confirmed that ACE is achieving its intended purpose—as has student feedback.

No longer lagging behind

A program crafted by experts The ACE (accelerate, challenge, enrich) Scholars Program was devised in response to the Academy’s 2004 Strategic Plan mandate to “redress uneven academic preparation.” The framework for the new initiative—and its acronym—were created by Temba Maqubela, dean of faculty and assistant head for academics, who drew from his experience as former director of the Academy’s highly successful (MS)2* program. In June 2006, he gathered a hand-picked team of colleagues: Peter Watt, physics instructor and also a former (MS)2 director; Lou Bernieri, English instructor and Andover Bread Loaf director; Suzanne Buckwalter, math department chair; and Kevin Cardozo, chemistry department chair. Their intense three-week planning session was funded by an Abbot Academy Association grant.

“When I arrived back at PA in the fall, I was no longer behind all of my friends in math,” says Fowkes. “Since then, I’ve reached levels of math and science that I never could have reached without ACE.” ACE’s first class, now seniors, is on track to graduate in June. Many, including Fowkes, have been accepted at their top college choices.

Although the program originally was expected to operate on the Andover campus, ACE planners agreed that a “fresh” locale might benefit students and faculty alike. So in July 2007, new program coordinator Peter Watt, six PA instructors, four teaching assistants, and 21 students convened on the picturesque campus of the Colorado Rocky Mountain School, about 30 miles northwest of Aspen.

Fried is not surprised. “ACE’s acceleration allows students to increase the rigor of their course of study to levels expected by the most selective colleges and universities in the country,” she says.

Mandesa Mjamba ’10 of South Africa, then a newly admitted lower, also was a member of that first ACE class. “Being with my future peers in a different place, studying and learning together, was probably the best part,” she

says. “ACE boosted my self-confidence and changed the way I look at school and academics, the way I handle myself in class, and the way I approach my teachers.”

An unintended benefit Now entering its fourth year, ACE continues to focus on geometry but also includes a taste of lower year chemistry and instruction in expository writing. The program also is proving to be an excellent training ground for new teaching fellows. “Matt Hession [PA instructor in history and social science] was a great mentor and let me teach two small expository writing sections of my own last summer,” says current teaching fellow in history Sam Ng. “I was able to experiment and discover my own style. Plus, time spent with PA faculty provided valuable insights about teaching at Andover.”

Beyond access to success Maqubela sees ACE as a clear example of how the preparation gap can be tackled by intervening early and not allowing geography, previous school affiliation, or any other marker to be a predictor for success at PA. “It’s a manifestation of what we mean when we say we go beyond access to success.”

*(MS)2 is PA’s Math and Science for Minority Students summer outreach program.

ndover’s iplomats: A Long History of Global Impact by Susan H. Greenberg

hhen John J Brown Cuttingg graduated from Andover in 1781, he couldn’t have imagined that less than a decade later he would be negotiating in London for the release of a group of American sailors who had been conscripted into the British navy. Whatever he had studied at Andover—Latin perhaps, and history, certainly oration and writing—likely prepared him well for his role on the global stage.

Cutting may have been the first Andover graduate to venture into diplomacy, but he charted a course that scores of other alumni have navigated since. They have served as ambassadors, consuls general, military attachés, envoys, ministers, secretaries of state and defense, and presidents. Richard Greener (Class of 1865), the first African American graduate of Andover, was appointed U.S. consul in Bombay and Vladivostok. Chentung Liang Cheng (Class of 1882) became China’s minister to the United States as well as ambassador to Germany. And as secretary of war under FDR and then Harry Truman, Henry L. Stimson—an 1883 graduate who once described life at Andover as “perfect freedom, tempered by expulsion”—led the fight against Nazi Germany and oversaw the 30

Andover | Spring 2010

atomic bombs development of the ato atom dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Na More recent diplomatic alumni have served at the ambassador level by appointment by both Bush presidencies. George H.W. Bush ’42 appointments included Walter Curley ’40 (France, with an earlier appointment to Ireland), Hilary Paterson Cleveland ’44 (U.S. representative to the International Joint Commission, U.S.–Canada), Bruce Gelb ’45 (Belgium, and as U.S. Information Agency director), and Robert Pelletreau Jr. ’53 (Egypt, with earlier appointments to Bahrain, and Tunisia, and as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs). George W. Bush ’64 appointments included William Timken ’56 (Germany), L. Paul “Jerry” Bremer ’59 (Netherlands; ambassador-at-large for counterterrorism; top U.S. administrator in Iraq from 2003 to 2004), John P. Leonard ’58 (Suriname), Robert Dieter ’64 (Belize), Ford Fraker ’67 (Saudi Arabia), and Thomas Foley ’71 (Ireland). Ian Bond ’80 served as Britain’s ambassador to Latvia from 2005 to 2007 and is currently working in the British Embassy in

Washington, D.C., as a counselor on the foreign security and policy group. While it’s impossible to credit an Andover education alone for sending anyone down the diplomatic road, many faculty and alumni see the Academy as instrumental in giving students a global perspective. The curriculum always has placed a strong emphasis on history, foreign languages and communications skills, as well as the non sibi component of community service. Especially post–World War II, “the curriculum was designed to teach the leaders of the 20th century,” says Vic Henningsen ’69, a history instructor for the past 30 years. “The message was, ‘You guys ought to be taking a role in the world around you.’ ” History instructor Chris Gurry ’66, who teaches a senior elective in international relations, recalls the reaction he got when he went on sabbatical at St. Andrew’s University in Scotland four years ago: “They were amazed that [a high school] offered courses in economics, international relations, and comparative government.” The rise in the number of international students and faculty has further increased student exposure to other cultures. The Academy’s first two international students were admitted to the Class of 1785; one came from Jamaica and the other from the French colony of Hispaniola—now Haiti. Today, students come from as far afield as Kazakhstan and Myanmar; in the fall of 2009, eight percent of the student population was international, says Susanne Torabi, International Student Coordinator and a native of Germany. Gurry and Henningsen believe the most eye-opening cross-cultural encounters occur not in the classrooms but in the dorms. “Living with kids from other countries makes students want to know more about what’s going on in those countries,” says Gurry. “A lot of kids feel that becoming an investment banker is not their goal. They want to broaden themselves.” Five notable alumni who did just that share their experiences.

CHESTER CROCKER ’59 The James R. Schlesinger Professor T of Strategic Studies, Georgetown In the m middle of his 11th-grade year, Chester Crocker decided he’d had enough of PA. “I felt very constrained, so I parted ways with Andover,” he says. He moved to New York in spring 1958 and “changed my name, dyed my hair, went underground. My parents were not happy, but I was charting my own course.” He never received a high school diploma. Yet his time at Andover left a lasting impression. He remains in close touch with his former roommate and believes that the curriculum gave him the foundation he needed to succeed. “Andover helped me learn to think and write—in whole sentences and paragraphs,” he says. He also immersed himself in foreign languages, studying French, Latin, and Greek as a way to access other cultures. After working a series of odd jobs and taking classes in New York, Crocker enrolled at Ohio State University, where he began to forge his worldview. The student body was more racially and economically diverse than Andover’s. As a junior and senior, he had an African American roommate, and together they read everything they could find about Africans' efforts to free themselves from colonial rule. He wrote his honors thesis on British imperialism and colonial policies in Africa and the Middle East—an area of expertise that would prove central to his career. “If I had followed the straight and narrow path—Andover to Yale—I might never have blossomed academically,” he says.

In the Oval Office with President Reagan in November 1984, discussing the U.S. policy to vigorously oppose sanctions on the South African apartheid regime

While working toward his doctorate at Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies, Crocker met his future wife, Saone Baron, a white Zimbabwean who had escaped southern Africa’s racial polarization to study in America. After a brief stint at the National Security Council, Crocker returned to academia, becoming the director of Georgetown’s graduate foreign service program, which he effectively rebuilt. In 1981 Ronald Reagan appointed him assistant secretary of state for African affairs, and Crocker spent the bulk of the 1980s crafting America’s Africa policy. He was the chief architect of “constructive engagement” in southern Africa—the strategy of using diplomacy with all the major regional players to wind down regional wars and encourage South Africans to end apartheid. And he succeeded in securing Namibia’s independence and the departure of Cubans from Angola through a series of difficult negotiations involving Angola, Cuba, and South Africa. He was motivated by “genuine curiosity and interest,” he says, and the opportunity to “give people a chance to shape their own destiny and improve their situation so they would have a political basis for solving their problems.” Crocker says he was fortunate to have had as a boss “one of the great public servants and diplomats of the 20th century”: George Shultz. The secretary of state provided “guidance on a long leash,” he says, a perfect mix of delegation, downward support, and occasional blunt realism—as in, “That won’t work.” Still very engaged in teaching at Georgetown University, Crocker is encouraged by the value today’s students place on community and foreign service. He notes that volunteerism has become part of the culture, with major Wall Street companies and law firms urging pro bono work. “At Georgetown, grad students are dying to spend their summers in places like Darfur, which back in my day you couldn’t do,” he says. He’s clearly made up for lost time. Andover | Spring 2010

GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH ’42 A Magnanimous Envoy Helps Warm Worldwide Relations

crewmen were killed, and Bush spent four hours in a life raft before being rescued.

The future 41st president of the United States couldn’t wait to get to Andover. In 1937, his older brother, Prescott, was already there, and young George pleaded with his parents to let him go a year early to join his beloved brother. He blossomed at PA, becoming captain of the varsity soccer and baseball teams, presiding over a community service organization, and serving on the editorial board of the Phillipian. During his senior year, he contracted a staph infection that sent him to the hospital for six weeks. He ended up repeating the year, which placed him back with students his own age and allowed him to spend five years at Andover instead of four. That’s also when he got his first taste of the campaign trail: in his senior year, he was elected class president.

After the war, Bush married Barbara Pierce and enrolled at Yale, graduating in two-and-a-half years. He moved his young family to Texas, where he quickly got rich in the oil business. He served as chairman of the Harris County Republican party, then decided to run for office, aiming brashly for a Senate seat, an election he lost. He was elected to the House in 1967, becoming the first Republican to represent Houston. President Nixon convinced Bush to run again for the Senate in 1970, but he lost to Lloyd Bentsen. Nixon launched his diplomatic career, appointing Bush ambassador to the United Nations. “The most difficult issue I had to deal with as U.N. ambassador concerned China’s representation in the United Nations, especially who would sit in China’s seat on the smaller, powerful U.N. Security Council,” he writes in All the Best. Until then, Taiwan had always represented the mainland, but that was becoming less and less tenable, so the United States adopted a policy of dual representation.

Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in the middle of that school year, and Bush resolved to enlist. At his graduation six months later—which happened to coincide with his 18th birthday—Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson (Class of 1883) gave a rousing speech praising public service but urging the young Andover grads to go to college first. He suggested that the war would be protracted and they would have plenty of time to fight later. “I listened closely to what he had to say, but I didn’t take his advice,” Bush recalled in a 1993 speech at West Point. “After the ceremony, Dad asked me if I had changed my mind,” he wrote in All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings. “I told him no, I was ‘joining up.’ Dad simply nodded his okay.”

U.N. Ambassador George Bush in 1971

On that very day, Bush went to Boston and enlisted in the navy. “One thing Andover instilled in all of us was the importance of service to others,” he says. “It was why I felt so strongly about joining the navy as soon as I graduated from Andover. And it was why years later I sought to serve in the government and the public sector.” He became the Armed Forces’ youngest naval aviator, and was deployed to the Pacific Theater, where he flew missions against the Japanese. On September 2, 1944, the Avenger he was piloting was hit by anti-aircraft fire. He managed to complete the attack against Japanese installations in Chichijima before bailing out; two of his

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President Ford appointed Bush envoy to China in 1974, and during his 14-month tenure SinoU.S. relations warmed considerably. As director of the CIA, he helped restore credibility to an agency tarnished by allegations of illegal activity. He returned to the private sector in Texas for a few years before his fateful 1980 run for the presidency, which he lost in the primary to Ronald Reagan—who gave him the No. 2 slot. As vice president, Bush attended myriad state ceremonies and funerals, establishing good relationships everywhere he went. Eight years later he became president at a time of great transformation: the verge of Communism’s collapse. “A new breeze is blowing, and a world refreshed by freedom seems reborn; for in man’s heart, if not in fact, the day of the dictator is over,” he said in his inaugural address on January 20, 1989. “The totalitarian era is passing, its old ideas blown away like leaves from an ancient, lifeless tree.” But of all the triumphs of his career, says Bush, “I especially enjoyed my years serving as a diplomat—first at the United Nations; then as the U.S. envoy to China; and then later, as both vice president and president of the United States. Diplomacy is vital to our country and our national security, and I was honored to do whatever I could to further our relations with other countries around the world.”

DANE SMITH ’58 A Diplomat’s Great Gift to His Alma Mater They we were revolutionaries in, then refugees from, apartheid-torn South Africa. In hiding in Botswana, Temba Maqubela and his wife, Vuyelwa (“Vuvu“), newly married, had secured teaching jobs—Temba in Maru-A-Pula School, where the diplomatic corps, among others, sent their children. One day a student of Temba’s asked him to write a letter of recommendation to a boarding “academy” in the United States. “Why do you want to go to a military school?” Temba asked Nita Smith. Her diplomat father was being transferred to another African country without a high school. She would have to finish high school back in the states, and PA had educated her father. It was the first time Temba Maqubela was to encounter the name Phillips Academy. He was to learn how unmilitary the “academy” actually was.

Temba and Vuvu were living in a “safe house,” Smith remembers, and life was tough for them. They feared armed raids from across the border by soldiers of the South African government; their lives were frequently in danger. So the young family had applied for resettlement in the United States—a slow, complicated bureaucratic process that had to be worked through the U.S. Mission. Smith kept a careful eye on the proceedings.

Neil Evans

Nita’s father, Dane Smith, was the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Botswana at the time, the winter of 1986. His family had gotten to know the Maqubelas through Smith’s wife, Judy, who taught school with Vuvu. They had become friends, sharing South African meals and family events, such as the birth of the Maqubela’s first-born. “They were classy people and popular teachers,” Smith recalls, ”very gifted, warm, and enthusiastic.” Judy Smith remembers also their seriousness, loyalty, and strength.

At Andover, Temba would begin a legacy that continues to change the lives of generations of students. He was one of the first black or Latino faculty members to become department chair and to rise to a senior administrative position as dean of faculty. He served as director of the (MS)2 summer outreach program and then went on to spearhead the development of the ACE Scholars Program (see page 29) and the evolving Global Perspectives Group. Vuvu found time to return to teaching, first at the Pike School in Andover and now at PA as an English instructor, while raising the family’s three sons—Kanyi ’03, Pumi ’06, and Tebs ’11. Meanwhile, Dane and Judy Smith were continuing their work in Africa. In their nearly 20 years on the continent, Dane would serve the U.S. Department of State in Botswana, Sudan, Guinea, Liberia, and Senegal, having first served as Peace Corps volunteers in Eritrea, then part of Ethiopia. In 1990 Smith was named U.S. ambassador to Guinea, a country entering the throes of political and economic reform. Five years later he was appointed special presidential envoy for Liberia—working with West African leaders, Western governments, and the U.N. in an effort to wrap up the Liberian Civil War. He played a role in the forging of the Abuja Agreement that temporarily ended that war and set the stage for elections. He subsequently became ambassador to Senegal and hosted President Clinton during his historic 1998 visit to Africa. Retiring from State in 1999, Smith became president of the National Peace Corps Association, the alumni and service organization of the Peace Corps. After four years, he moved on to become the senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and an adjunct professor at American University, teaching “peace-building in Africa” and “U.S. experiments in peace-building.” He is the author of several books, including the just-published U.S. Peacefare: Organizing American Peace-Building Operations.

Eventually the paperwork came through. The Smith won’t take credit for the Maqubelas’ Maqubelas spent the first year in New York, Dean of Faculty Temba Maqubela and his wife, landing at Andover, though he clearly had struggling to establish themselves. They kept Vuyelwa, instructor in English, in front of their influence on the process. He says now, lookin touch with their friends, the Smiths, who home, Samaritan House, on the campus. ing back, “It’s hard to imagine someone from had moved on to Sudan. Nita, accepted to South Africa in the 1980s becoming such a her father’s alma mater, was braving the winsenior faculty member at Andover. It speaks to Temba’s great talent ter in Andover. It was 1986. That next year Temba and Vuvu began and to PA’s openness to South Africa and the situation there at the looking for teaching jobs in private schools like the one their friend time. Temba and Vuvu would have been successful anywhere,” he Dane and his daughter had chosen. It came down to two—Temba notes, “but since their real gift is teaching, I’d say the whole thing will name only one of them. He found jobs at both—at one, teachworked out remarkably well.” ing introductory physical science as a two-year trial before possibly teaching his subject, chemistry. At Andover, he remembers, they —Sally Holm said here are our chemistry courses, which ones would you like to teach? “Which would a 27-year-old revolutionary choose?” Temba now asks rhetorically. “They had confidence in me.” Andover | Spring 2010

ANTHONY QUAINTON ’51 A Truly Global Career Anthony Quainton has lived and worked on six of the seven continents, but his long career in diplomacy started with French. When he arrived at Andover at the start of his lower year, he enrolled in a Frenchlanguage immersion class, which sparked his interest in foreign languages and the avenues they opened. His housemaster, Emory Basford, urged him to apply for an English-Speaking Union Schoolboy Fellowship, which sent him to a boarding school in England after graduation, allowing him to travel widely in Europe and gain exposure to students from all over the world. “Even back then, PA cared about broadening the horizons of students,” he says. He recalls taking Dr. Arthur Darling’s required senior course in American history, which “was not just about how the West was won, but focused on U.S. actions overseas and started my thinking about a wider world,” he says. “The other thing Andover did was give every student a solid ability to write in the English language. In a bureaucracy like the state department, the ability to communicate in writing is as important as communicating orally.” After graduating from Princeton and spending a year at Oxford on a Marshall Scholarship, Quainton traveled to Australia on his first overseas posting. It was just the beginning. He spent 15 years in Southeast Asia—including Pakistan, India, and Nepal—as well as time in Paris and the Central African Republic, where his French came in handy. He also served as U.S. ambassador to Nicaragua, Kuwait, and Peru and headed up the state department’s office for combating terrorism—the subject of a number of articles he has written. And with all his overseas experience, it was only natural for him to spend a two-year stint as the director general of the Foreign Service, from 1995 to 1997. For Quainton, speaking other languages is key. “Diplomacy is about advancing American interests in another country,” he says. “You have to have the capacity to explain your government’s policy in a coherent way.”

Newly appointed ambassador Anthony Quainton presents his credentials to Kuwaiti officials in 1984.

One of his favorite postings was in Nicaragua during the Sandinista revolution—though he says there are advantages to being in out-of-the-headlines places, such as he was in the Central African Republic. “In countries of high political visibility, you’re carrying out the president’s policy,” he says. “In countries off the beaten path, you have much more flexibility and control. You have a chance to influence that policy by what you recommend and report.”

Quainton believes there’s no room for partisanship in the Foreign Service. He tells his students at American University, where he currently holds the post of distinguished diplomat in residence: “If you’re going to have a career in government, you’ll serve Republicans and Democrats, and some you will disagree with. Going to work for the government implies your willingness to use your skills and knowledge to help the president achieve what he was elected to achieve.” By that measure, his career has been a spectacular success.

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JIM STEINBERG ’70 The Obama Administration’s T De Deputy Secretary of State Like many m of his Andover classmates, Jim Steinberg roots his interest in the wider world in the Vietnam War. The Kent State shootings occurred during the spring of his senior year; Andover canceled classes, and some students and teachers traveled to Washington in protest, he recalls. Teach-ins on campus helped students grasp the political and social dynamics of Southeast Asia. “We were all facing the draft,” Steinberg says. “We developed not just an awareness of how much our lives are affected by world events, but also a sense of the citizen’s role in our country.” Steinberg credits Frederick “Fritz” Allis ’31’s American history class with opening his eyes to the growing role of the United States in world affairs and a course taught by Leonard James to China, which James managed to make relevant to Vietnam. Steinberg also studied Russian—a practical choice at the height of the Cold War. And he was profoundly influenced by the Civil Rights Movement; back then, diversity on campus meant an influx of African American students. One of his early jobs was working for the City Council in Boston, his hometown, where racial tensions ran high. A graduate of Harvard and Yale Law School, Steinberg clerked for federal appeals judge David Bazelon before being appointed special assistant to the U.S. Attorney General. He had high-level security clearance, and during the 1979–1981 Iran hostage crisis, advised the state department on sensitive negotiations and coordinated all litigation involving Iranian assets. He served as Senator Ted Kennedy’s top aide on the Senate Armed Services Committee from 1983 to 1985. Bill Clinton appointed him deputy national security advisor in 1996; he focused on the humanitarian crisis in the Balkans and acted as the president’s personal representative at the G8 summits in 1998 and 1999. In between government jobs, Steinberg has done stints as a foreign policy strategist at various think tanks, including the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, the Brookings Institution, and the Markle Foundation. Most recently, he served as dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. As President Obama’s deputy secretary of state, Steinberg is responsible for developing foreign policy, with a special emphasis on Asia and the On tour in Japan, China, and South Korea last year, Balkans. He has a close working reU.S. Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg greets South lationship with Hillary Clinton, and Korea Foreign Minister Yoo Myung-Hwan in Seoul. has found that, like all the secretaries of state he’s known, her diplomatic approach stems directly from her personal experience. “Condi [Rice] had a very traditional national security background, Madeleine [Albright], a Czech immigrant, had a very strong background in democratization and human rights, and Hillary, who’s had a lot of experience with NGOs at a grassroots level, is pursuing a development agenda.” The key to effective diplomacy, says Steinberg, is understanding where others are coming from. “You have to take their view of the world seriously even if you disagree with it.” And that ability stems from studying the past. “If you don’t understand history, you can’t understand the present.”

Among Other Major Notables in Diplomacy The following list of mostly very senior diplomats in the service of the United States and other nations is drawn from the Academy’s ”Notable Alumni” Web page. Yu Lin Liu (Class of 1882)— First Chinese consul-general to South Africa; Chinese Ambassador to the U.K. Edwin Morgan (Class of 1886)— Ambassador to Cuba, Uruguay, Paraguay, Portugal, Brazil Ira Morris (Class of 1892)— Minister to Sweden J. Hall Paxton ’18— U.S. representative to China, Iran; hero of Panay Incident Paul Daniels ’20— Ambassador to Honduras, OAS, Ecuador; negotiated Antarctic Treaty Harlan Cleveland ’34— Ambassador to NATO Julia Tavares de Alvarez ’44— Dominican Republic’s Ambassador to the U.N. James E. Baker ’52— Ambassador to South Africa Edward E. Elson ’52— Ambassador to Denmark For a complete list, R ead more at www.andover.edu/about/notablealumni.

Writer Susan H. Greenberg is the newly appointed faculty coadvisor to the Phillipian. She also serves as culture editor of Newsweek International and has written and reported for Newsweek for nearly 20 years. She lives in Andover with her family, including her daughter Devon Burger ’13, and has taught journalism in PA’s Summer Session.

Andover | Spring 2010

THE AUGUSTUS THORNDIKE JR. INTERNSHIP | 2010 RESEARCH PAPER

William Wheelwright Class of 1814

Agent of Change in South America by Tom Hamel ’10 Visitors to Valparaiso, Chile, wonder at a large statue of a ro rotund, tund, balding man standing in that city’s main square. What did William Wiilliam Wheelwright, PA Class of 1814, do to deserve such recognition ognnition in a far country? An early example of Andover’s impactt on o the larger world, Wheelwright revolutionized South American Am merican transportation, reviving a continent ravaged by war, and he helped elped make Valparaiso the most important west coast seaport in North N and South America. While we know little of his Andover career, we do know that haat the Newburyport, Mass., native didn’t accompany his classmates sm mates to college, preferring to ship out as a cabin boy on a So South outh America–bound merchantman. Dodging the British blockade ckaade of American ports during the War of 1812 was only the first r of many dangers he encountered; shipwrecks, disease, an and nd mutiny all threatened to cut short Wheelwright’s career. eerr. Becoming a captain at 19, he first saw Valparaiso in the early arlyy 1820s. Wheelwright instantly understood the city’s potential ntial to become a commercial colossus despite the fact that it, lik like ke most of the continent, was suffering the aftermath of war waar for independence from Spain. Moving on to Ecuador, hee developed a profitable mercantile business and became me United States Consul in Guayaquil in 1824. In 1828,, returning from his honeymoon, Wheelwright found he’d lost all of his property—almost $100,000—because of a partner’s financial mismanagement. This disaster drove Wheelwright back to Valparaiso, where he slowly rebuilt his fortune and began to fund his dreams for the port city. With the right additions, he believed, the destitute city could become a crucial commercial center. He built docks, storage facilities, and other basic port necessities, culminating in the completion of a lighthouse in 1837. His work succeeded. Prior to the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, Valparaiso was the center of trade on the west coast of the Americas. All shipping to or from the Atlantic had to stop there to prepare for or recover from the rigors of rounding Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America. Wheelwright also conceived a revolutionary idea: a steamship line between Europe and the west coast of South America by way of the Isthmus of Panama, a much easier route than the established one through the stormy weather and violent waters of Cape Horn. Althoughh South American officials deemed him insane, Wheelwright ighht persevered, raising funds in England and establishingg the 36

Andover | Spring 2010

Pacifificc Steam Navigation Company in 1840. Originally linking Valparaiso Valp pa and Callao, Peru, it eventually would run all the way to Europe Eur ro by way of the Isthmus of Panama. Among Wheelwright’s many m an customers were the forty-niners, gold-seekers eager to ttake the fastest available route to the California gold fields. Wheelwright’s ships took the forty-niners to the isthmus, which they crossed on horseback before boarding another Wheelwright vessel bound for California.

Valparaiso

However, Wheelwright’s ambitions did not end on the H watte Obsessed with the idea of developing another method water. of transportation tr in South America, he built the first railroad on tthe continent between 1849 and 1852, connecting the Chilean Chile ea coast with the Andes, and hoped to extend the railroad across tth the Andes to Buenos Aires. In a letter to Chile’s president, Wheelwright Wheelw wr wrote, “…This line will produce results which cannot be measured measuur by human comprehension. Ten years of traffic will not only payy the t cost of construction, but will also develop sources of wealth hitherto hhit unknown.” But Chile refused to heed his advice and denied W Wheelwright permission to build the railroad. Undeterred, he went to Argentina and began construction from that end in 1870. Unfortunately, Unfortun na war between Argentina and Paraguay would delay completion completio on of the trans-Andean railroad until 1910. Wheelwright, who died iin 1873, didn’t live to see it finished. Over the ppa past few decades, globalization has become a key issue in politics, religion, reel and society. Andover prides itself on educating youth to ccontribute positively to this phenomenon as societies become ever ever more closely linked. But this is not a recent development. Andover ha has as been teaching students to learn for the purpose of serving ot others th since its founding in 1778. William Wheelwright is an early example exampple of non sibi in action.

Tom Hamel Hameel of Methuen, Mass., is the sixth recipient of the Augustus Th Thoorndike Jr. Internship, which annually supports the work of aan upper selected by the chair of the history department for the purpose p of researching and writing a short biographical sketch skettch of an alumnus or alumna of Phillips or Abbot academies. Funded Funnd by John L. Thorndike ’45 and W. Nicholas Thorndike ’51, ’551 the internship is a memorial to their brother, Aug gu “Gus” Thorndike ’37, honoring his lifelong Augustus ppa passion for history. It also promotes history as a lliterary art and serves to help the Phillips Academy community develop a rrenewed appreciation for its rich and diverse heritage. Hamel, a four-year PA student, is particularly interested in South America and will explore international relations, sports management, history, Spanish, and perhaps writing. His college plans are still undecided.

SPEAKING at ANDOVER, SPEAKING to the WORLD

by David Chase

This spring we mark the 70th anniversary of Andover’s most consequential commencement speech: Board President Henry Stimson’s address to the Class of 1940. His words helped change the course of history. Stimson spoke on June 14, 1940. War then raged on three continents; Germany had occupied Paris just hours before; Europe would fall to the Axis powers in days. Yet in the United States, opinion still favored neutrality. Not Stimson. “You are leaving Andover in what is certainly a very dark hour,” he began. Stimson described a world beset by nations recognizing only “the rule of force without and within,” a world “confronted by the clearest issue between right and wrong which has ever been presented…. That is the world before you now, that is the issue which you must help to solve.” Born in 1867, Henry Lewis Stimson graduated from Phillips Academy in 1883. At 16, more boy than man, “Kid” Stimson returned to Andover to study German, graduating once more in 1884. After Yale and Harvard Law, and 15 years in private practice, Theodore Roosevelt made Stimson a U.S. attorney in 1906. President Taft named Stimson secretary of war in 1911. Out of government during the Wilson Administration, Stimson volunteered for the army in World War I. Coolidge posted Stimson to the Philippines as governor general in 1927. Herbert Hoover appointed Stimson secretary of state in 1929. When Franklin Roosevelt replaced Hoover in 1933, Stimson was again out. A lifelong Republican and no friend of the New Deal, Stimson was a confirmed internationalist, a firm believer in the

rule of law. Unfettered by office, he decried escalating predations by rogue nations—from Manchuria to Ethiopia to Estonia—and their broader implications. Stimson became America’s Cassandra, favored to foretell the future, condemned to be ignored. Citizen Stimson was not without a bully pulpit: the New York Times published his long letters opposing “ostrich-like isolationism” and proposing an activist foreign policy. The Times covered Stimson’s pronouncements on page one. In response, his alarms were dismissed by the public and decried in Congress. Franklin Roosevelt, hamstrung by neutrality laws and widespread fear and apathy in the face of renewed world conflict, played a calculated game during the 1930s, opposing aggression by word, taking little action, knowing where the nation must eventually stand. The events of June 1940 could not be ignored. Henry Stimson’s June 14 address at Andover set the ethical context for opposing aggression; his broadcast on the 18th offered policy specifics. Both were widely reported. On the 19th, Democrat Roosevelt telephoned Republican Stimson. They had not spoken since 1934. Roosevelt asked Stimson to become secretary of war. Stimson accepted. The Roosevelt-Stimson alliance was a signal understood around the world. In 1911, Stimson had supervised an army of 100,000. In June 1940 the army numbered 227,000. Three months later, Roosevelt and Stimson pushed through conscription to man an army of 1,500,000. A year later, the army in Stimson’s charge was five-million strong. In June 1940, Henry Stimson spoke; destiny responded.

Andover | Spring 2010

A Courageous Headmaster Takes On the

Closing the door in 1950 opens a bigger one in 1973

by Donald Carpenter Goss ’49 ven as Colonel John Mason Kemper, Andover’s 36-year-old headmaster-to-be, looked out over the friendly, enthusiastic throng gathered on the Great Lawn to celebrate his inauguration in 1948, he knew a battle loomed. And he knew that if he were to take the Academy forward, victory was imperative.

This year, 2010, marks the 60th anniversary of the resolution of a deeply rooted conflict—a resolution that would affirm the true character of Phillips Academy. The conflict that came to a head in the late 1940s was whether Andover’s seven “Secret Societies” should be allowed to continue on campus or forced to close. Each society, lodged in its own privately owned building, was a college-like fraternity in every sense of the word—except that students did not actually live in the houses. In most cases, these “social units” had secret rituals, fraternity pins, clandestine initiations, hazing, an exclusive and exceedingly loyal alumni organization, and the requisite Greek letters. The first such society, KOA, was organized in 1874. In the decades that followed, headmasters were compelled to deal with their proliferation. Kemper was well aware that his 38

Andover | Winter 2010

predecessor, Dr. Claude Moore Fuess, one of Andover’s most respected headmasters, had tried to abolish the societies in 1943. Even with the trustees firmly behind him, Fuess had been routed, embarrassed, and thoroughly thrashed by the powerful Secret Society lobby. The houses themselves were the societies’ primary lure. A place to escape some of the Academy’s restrictions, they typically included a billiard or ping-pong room, a kitchen stocked with hamburgers, hot dogs, sodas and other comfort foods (which were a tremendous relief from the “Spam with the purple sauce” served at Commons), a spacious living room with a radio playing the likes of the comedic Bob and Ray broadcast, and an expansive lawn for touch football. Restrictions on smoking were not enforced. And then there was the unspoken lure—of prestige, popularity, and image. While the societies adhered to most Academy rules, two were frequently violated. Girls got into the houses far more often than was permitted (but far less often than the brothers would have liked), and hazing, sometimes vicious, was disturbingly common. The first night of initiation was often so violent that pledges were actually

black and blue and terribly swollen by the time they got back to their dorms; it was the rare pledge who didn’t return to his room in tears. Showing up for the second and final night of initiation, this time knowing how harsh the hazing might be, took an enormous amount of courage. By the time Kemper inherited the situation, enemies of the Secret Societies, particularly the faculty, had grown strong enough to challenge their continued existence and their powerful, well-financed alumni. Adding support for Kemper’s brave campaign was an increasing number of alumni who had been denied society membership and resented it. The societies were attacked as elitist and exclusive, divisive, and detrimental to the admissions process; many parents were sending their children elsewhere rather than subject them to potential humiliation by a society. Pro-society advocates fought back, claiming that despite 75 years of societies, the Academy still was universally regarded as the best of the best, and Andover graduates, whether in societies or not, had achieved extraordinary success. Furthermore, it was argued, society men were far more loyal to the school after graduation—and far more generous to the Alumni Fund. Kemper discovered persuasive statistics when taking a close look at the first class that would graduate under his leadership, the Class of 1949: Fifty-six percent were either rejected by or chose not to be involved with a Secret Society. Of those in a society, 73 percent were varsity athletes and 84 percent had never earned honors. Only 26 percent of the Academy’s cum laude graduates were society men. Finally, there was the embarrassing reality that there were few, if any, society members who were Jewish. It became apparent to Kemper that the core value of academic achievement was being undermined, and the Academy’s ability to attract out-

standing students was being compromised. The time had come to put his popularity and prestige on the line. Kemper gained the backing of the trustees and further employed his fairness, political savvy, and personal charisma in numerous meetings with the interested parties, including the “Kings” of each of the seven societies. Finally, at Commencement in 1949 it was announced that the Secret Societies would voluntarily close in one year, at the next year’s Commencement. The conflict was over.

FORMER SOCIETY HAUNTS Top: Cooley House, built in 1908 by PAE Center: Graham House, built in 1915 by AUV Bottom: Davison House, built in 1928 by FLD Far left: Alumni House, built in 1901 by KOA

The alumni house corporations of the seven societies generously and graciously donated their real estate to the Academy and, in some cases, gave other equities as well. Kemper’s success with the Secret Societies may have greased the skids for resolution of the second great conflict of the 20th century: whether or not to embrace coeducation. Had the societies still existed in the 1970s, the trustees likely would have had to 1) force the existing societies to accept female members; 2) create seven sororities; or 3) eliminate the societies altogether—which, combined with the incendiary issue of coeducation, could have deadlocked opposing factions for years. Time has validated the extraordinary wisdom of a brave headmaster, an equally brave Board of Trustees, and hundreds of enlightened faculty, students, and alumni who 60 years ago changed Andover forever. By shutting the door on the Secret Societies, Kemper helped open the door to coeducation, thereby contributing to Andover’s future as a world-class independent school. Editor’s note: The writer, an enthusiastic member of PBX, also was an enthusiastic supporter of Kemper’s quest to abolish the seven societies—whose buildings still exist. Not pictured: Benner House (AGC), Anderson House (EDP), and NewtonHinman House (PBX). Andover | Spring 2010

Echoes from the Boom Box: Bethany Versoy

MLK Jr. Day Events Mark 20th Anniversary Brian Gittens ’89 brought his wife, Cheryl, back for Reunion 2009.

Al Pereira

Gittens’ dream, shared by the students and faculty who supported him, became a reality one year later when PA, in keeping with its values to promote inclusiveness and tolerance, began preempting classes to continue King’s work by offering workshops, service opportunities, lectures, and performances. The idea was to create forums for discussion, to prompt the right questions, to stir the waters of any premature complacency about race. On Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday 20 years ago, Brian Gittens ’89 (far right) urged a sympathetic crowd of students and faculty to persuade the school to cancel classes on the national holiday. The Academy’s ongoing MLK Jr. Day workshops and special events began one year later.

by Tracy M. Sweet

boom box, a mix tape, and a dream: When Brian Gittens ’89 sat on the steps of Samuel Phillips Hall on January 15, 1989, trembling from frigid temperatures, adrenaline, and a case of the nerves, he had no idea that his silent protest would mark a milestone on the Academy’s path to honor the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. A four-year senior at the time, Gittens had grown increasingly dissatisfied with the Academy’s chapel assembly, which for several years had marked Dr. King’s birthday. Three years after it was recognized with an official federal holiday, the 18-year-old from inner-city Baltimore was moved to take action. “I had been learning about the idea of social justice and nonviolent protests in my rel/phil classes,” says Gittens, now associate director of human resources at Virginia Bioinformatics Institute. “To me, the lack

Andover | Spring 2010

of consideration for MLK Jr. Day at PA showed a lack of consideration for students of color.” Ironically, he says, it was his time at Andover that gave him “the knowledge, the confidence, and the gumption” to skip class and begin his own social justice movement. “I wanted to effect change, but most importantly, I wanted to demonstrate integrity.” Gittens says he was fully prepared to sit alone on the steps of Sam Phil—buoyed by the words of King’s speeches and inspirational songs like Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” blaring from his boom box. A core group of about 50 eventually joined him, while 200 or so students and faculty sat for anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours during the day. “I think the protest appealed to students on many levels—those who had conviction to believe in something and those who had a rebellious spirit but wanted to do something constructive,” he says.

Twenty years later, that concept is alive and well. Filmmaker Spike Lee served as keynote speaker this past January, provoking Andover students to wrestle with questions about diversity, civil rights, and, in particular, affirmative action. Lee’s Cochran Chapel presentation, which included a Q&A session, spurred a series of classroom conversations and op-eds in the Phillipian. Some students took exception to Lee’s comment that he supports race as a merit in college admissions. The Spike Lee event and its aftermath signaled to Linda Griffith, dean of Community and Multicultural Development, that “the need for dialogue about race in America persists.” She hopes to develop further opportunities for students to explore race relations, and to offer safe environments in which they can express themselves and learn about their peers as individuals—their histories, struggles, and triumphs, she says. “Andover, in an ideal state, can help diminish stereotypes and teach students to become aware of their own assumptions. We can encourage them to get to know real people; only then will they truly understand what diversity means.”

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Probably no other secondary school in the United States has produced as many renowned graduates as has Andover. One way to assess the impact of these alumni is through their words, the famous quotations they have written or uttered, many of which have resonated through our history and culture.

“We are a nation of communities, of tens and tens of thousands of ethnic, religious, social, business, labor union, neighborhood, regional, and other organizations, all of them varied, voluntary, and unique…a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky.”

For this first of a series of four listings, Fred Shapiro collected famous quotations and used state-of-theart research to accurately trace their origins. Enjoy the eloquence, wit, and wisdom of just a small sampling of the larger universe of illustrious Andover alumni.

Acceptance speech at Republican National Convention, Aug. 18, 1988

“The Revolut ion Rising Expect of ations.” Title of speech at Colga te University, 1949

Harlan Clevel

and ’34

“Voodoo economics.” Campaign remarks, March 1980 George H.W. Bush ’42

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“My country, ’tis of thee, Sweet land of liberty, Of thee I sing: Land where my fathers died, Land of the pilgrims’ pride, From every mountain-side Let freedom ring.” First stanza of “America,” 1831

Samuel Francis Smith, Andover Theological Seminary 1832

Andover | Spring 2010

FACULTY SH O WCASE Stephanie Curci:

Gil Talbot

A Lifelong Passion for Haiti

Then came Princeton and Brown, where she wrote her master’s thesis on the Haitian Revolution, in which Haiti gained its independence from France in 1804. The first black republic, “Haiti highlighted the multiple failures of America to live up to its own foundational document, the Declaration of Independence. While African American writers saw Haiti and heroes like Toussaint Louverture as avatars of independence, its history had been largely suppressed and misrepresented by pre–Civil War American writers, who feared the successful uprising might send a dangerous message to slaves in America,” Curci explains.

by Sally Holm

The 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti

Throughout this time, the wanderlust she traces directly to her father drew her back to Haiti, where she spent several summers translating and writing grants to help build clean water sources and new classrooms, into publishing, and then to St. Croix to teach English in a day school.

on January 12, 2010, was shattering to the Maine-raised English instructor at Phillips Academy. Stephanie Curci vividly remembers feeling nearly immobilized by the first news. By the time she tried to contact friends there, communication had become close to impossible.

But fate intervened. Her Princeton roommate and friend was a Kalkstein, as in Emily ’94, daughter of PA English teacher Paul Kalkstein ’61. He was retiring and suggested Curci look into Andover. The public school– raised teacher hadn’t really planned on such a career, but she survived the hiring process and jumped in—in typical Curci fashion—and six years later teaches two of his former courses.

She says it was several weeks before she could actually talk about it in her classes. Eventually she found that all her friends—except one—had survived. But the situation was desperate. Since then, Curci has been a veritable whirlwind of Haiti-related activity, continuing to visit other teachers’ classes to integrate information about Haiti into their ongoing curriculum, cochairing (with Chad Green, director of community service) efforts to raise money for victim services, updating her Web site on the cultural and architectural history of Haiti, and working with Lou Bernieri and Rich Gorham ’86 to bring Haitian teachers to Andover Bread Loaf in summer 2011, for a start.

She has continued to travel to Haiti in the summers and over school breaks, studying and photographing works of art and architecture, eager to capture the history and culture and, as she says, “make a contribution” to the country that had become so much a part of her life. In 2007, she applied for and received a Kenan Grant to create a Web site, www.mappinghaitianhistory.com, to display a visual record of colonial and early-national ruins that were largely undocumented and crumbling. The site has grown and its mission expanded to include more recent works. Now, after the events of January, much of that culture and its artifacts lays in ruins, greatly increasing the historical value of Curci’s efforts to preserve it.

Curci’s passion for Haiti has deep and early roots. From the time she was a toddler, she spent her summers there as her dad worked as a pediatric surgeon at the Albert Schweitzer Hospital, in conjunction with Dr. Paul Farmer’s Partners In Health, while on leaves from Maine Medical Center in Portland. When she and her sister were old enough to wander, they were unsupervised during the day—free to make friends, learn Creole, travel the countryside, and grow to love this largely impoverished but hospitable people.

Undaunted, Curci continues to pour energy into fund-raising and education efforts—more than $14,500 had been raised by press time. In August she will make her way back to what remains of Port-au-Prince and its suburbs to visit with schools and teachers who are interested in creating teacher-support networks within Haiti and beyond. “While so much of the response to the earthquake has been about fund-raising, academic institutions like Andover have a responsibility to educate students about Haiti’s past, present, and future with an eye to social justice,” she says. “Not only will the United States have a prominent role in Haiti’s rebuilding process, but understanding Haiti’s political, economic, and cultural role internationally can go a long way toward understanding how the world works.”

“When I was younger, I was humbled and embarrassed when we visited someone’s home and

Andover | Spring 2010

Stephanie Curci

they would give us coffee with their last sugar; I knew Americans weren’t that generous with strangers,” Curci remembers. “But hospitality is a point of Haitian national pride, and now I just wish we were better at returning that generosity with grace.”

Stephanie Curci’s love of Haiti grew out of accompanying her father, Dr. Michael Curci (far left with his daughter), on summer trips to volunteer his medical services. Below: A children’s soccer team proudly wears “recycled” Andover sports uniforms Curci scrounged and donated several years ago.

CONNECT IO N Alumni Admission Reps Needed to Help Meet Interview Demands

E T HE D

E AT

SAV

AARs may conduct interviews in their homes, at coffee shops, even via Skype. Volunteers receive a training manual with admission statistics, sample questions, interview reports, and instructions on how to submit reports online. Volunteers are needed in the United States and abroad. If you are interested in serving as an AAR, please contact Bill Leahy, senior associate dean of admission, at wleahy@andover.edu.

NON SIBI DAY

Broadening Horizons Brings a Broad Mix of Alumni Talent to Campus Twelve distinguished Andover alumni returned to their alma mater on a sunny April morning to speak to students about their diverse career paths and the importance of identifying and pursuing their passions. After engaging in small group discussions, alumni and students gathered for lunch in McKeen Hall. Clockwise from upper left, alumni participants were: Macky Alston ’83, Susan Goodwillie Stedman ’59, Tim Mahoney ’65, George Smith ’83, Lincoln Chafee ’71, Peter Smith ’64, Paul Finnegan ’71, Josh Pechter ’93, Zoe Pechter ’95, Buzz Bissinger ’72, Stephen Bronstein ’93, and Tony Accetta ’61.

Yuto Watanabe

With applications at a record high, the Office of Admission seeks to increase its team of AARs in order to meet the demand for interviews. “Since the 2004 Strategic Plan, the admission staff has increased its recruitment of talented youth from every quarter. This past season we visited 70 cities across the country and around the world,” says Jane Fried, dean of admission. “This additional outreach, coupled with the Academy’s new need-blind admission policy, has inspired many more families to consider Andover as a secondary school option. AARs have been indispensable in our effort to meet the demand for local interviews and to educate students and parents about the Andover experience. We are very fortunate to have such a loyal volunteer group, and we are eager to extend its reach.”

Matt Hill

Andover’s Alumni Admission Representatives (AARs) conducted 890 interviews this past year, an increase of 20 percent over the previous year and an increase of 107 percent since 2003. More than 380 AARs from major cities and remote communities around the world play a critical role in the recruitment of the entering class.

Connecting for Good in Rural India Plastic surgeon Chris Weatherly-White ’50 (right) and Raj Mundra, instructor in biology on sabbatical in India, met unexpectedly in Guwahati, a city in remote Northeast India. Both were part of a mission for Operation Smile Inc., an international, nonprofit medical-services organization that provides free care to those suffering from treatable facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate. Weatherly-White invited Mundra into the operating room to observe a complex cleft lip surgery. This was Operation Smile’s largest mission in its 27-year history; the organization donated 1,871 medical evaluations and corrective surgery for 967 children and young adults.

A Friday Night Light Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, author, and sportswriter Buzz Bissinger ’72 was on campus Friday, April 9, to offer his take on writing and journalism in the age of the Internet. Early on, he warned the audience of students and alumni of his pessimism. “Are we [writers] on the verge of obsolescence?” he asked, describing the future as “bleak.” Two of his many concerns: the repercussions of Internet misinformation that “people think is news” and the woeful decline in investigative reporters. Bissinger is the author of numerous books, including Friday Night Lights, and a frequent contributor to Vanity Fair and other periodicals.

OCTOBER 2, 2010 Andover | Spring 2010

CONNE CT IO N

the Buzzzzz

Susan Chira ’76, foreign editor of the

New York Times, won a Matrix Award from Women in Communication in April honoring extraordinary achievements of outstanding women in the communication industry… Andrew Fenlon ’02

didn’t advance on American Idol, but drew attention to his voice and his ’tude… The Spotted Pig’s Annie Myers ’04 has been dubbed New York’s “only official restaurant forager” for her hunter-gatherer forays into the Big Apple’s local produce markets to snag only the best forr her restaurant’s chef… Writer Julia ulia Alvarez ’67 has been named thee 14th recipient of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Award for Outstanding Achievement in American Literature… The hit TV show Cougar Town aired an episode penned by Peter Saji ’96… David Kunian ’87 was honored for Individual Achievement in the Humanities by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities… The hot new beauty salon in St. Louis, adjacent to the Washington University campus, is owned and operated by one of its sophomores—Atima Lui ’08… Shirlie Dowd ’97 traveled to Phayao, Thailand, last winter on a two-week mission trip withh a team tea of fellow eye docs from OneSight who performed 17,000 exams… Car racing ffan Frank Stella ’54 designs ext exterior decoration for classic cars, including a 1976 BMW coupe that is part of a collection of diecast miniatures… Former trustee and former U.S. ambassador to Denmark Edward Elson ’52 delivered a lecture on American foreign policy in Palm Beach 44

Andover | Spring 2010

in January under the auspices of the nonprofit United Nations Association of the United States… Actress Olivia Wilde ’02 has starred in a new film, Fix, directed by her husband, Tao Ruspoli, and loosely based on a personal story of a crisis in his family… MDs Richard Pieters ’66 and Jesse Ehrenfeld ’96 have been elected speaker and vice speaker, respectively, of the Massachusetts Medical Society… Cablevision Systems Corp. has promoted Charles SSchueler ’78 to executive vice presid president for communications and com community relations… Selfdescribed “adoption addicts” des Rex Armstrong ’69 and his R wife, Leslie Roberts, recently w welcomed their ninth and 10th w children from China, both boys, ch tto their Oregon home… SELF magazine editor in chief Lucy Schulte Danziger ’78 has coauthored The Nine Rooms of Happiness: Loving Yourself, Finding Your Purpose, and Getting Over Life’s Little Imperfections (Andover Bookshelf, page 46)… Congratulations to medical students Elizabeth Grieg ’97 and Jason Extein, who managed to happily marry in March despite Grieg’s heeding the non sibi call to Haiti with Project Medishare in the midst of planning her wedding…Bill Cunliffe ’74 won a Grammy Award in January for his instrumental arrangement of “West Side Story Medley” from Resonance Big Band Plays Tribute to Oscar Peterson… And finally, Facebook cofounder Chris Hughes ’02 announced the development of a new social network, called Jumo, to help people find causes and nonprofits to engage in.

Sentimental timental JJourney ourn Way back ack ck iin n 19 1999, 999, 99, Ho 99 H Hoboken obo bokeen Municipal Court employee Cheryl pal Co pa C ourtt em empl p oy o ee Cher D’Anna found a big gold Ando Andover class ring on the floor of th the courthouse. When no o one came forward to claim it, she gave the ring to her mother for safekeeping. “Every now and then I tried to find the owner on the Internet,” says Joyce Del Sontro, now in her mid-70s. “I moved twice, so that ring did a lot of traveling.” In early January, Del Sontro posted a notice on Andover’s Facebook page—which caught the attention of Sam Darby (father of Michelle Darby ’07)—who contacted Del Sontro—who called Jenny Savino, associate director of Alumni Affairs—who determined that the ring’s 1990 class year and inscribed initials (J.W.G.) indicated two possible owners. Savino e-mailed both. It was Joseph W. Gillam’s lucky day. “OMG!!!” was his e-mail reaction from Ithaca, N.Y. “I was pursuing a dance career in New York City and doing a lot of pounding the pavement,” Gillam explains. “While living across the river in Hoboken, I had to report for jury duty. During lunch break one day I realized the ring was no longer on my finger. I had no idea when or where I’d lost it and assumed it was gone for good—probably at a pawnshop.” When Gillam called to thank Del Sontro, he recounted how his parents had bought rings for him and his brother, Harold ’85, to symbolize their shared Andover experience—and how devastated he had been to lose his. In a follow-up e-mail to Darby, Del Sontro wrote: “What an exciting day I am having thanks to you. To think that after all these years we were able to make someone very happy. I am probably just as excited as the owner!” —Jill Clerkin

London

Phillips Academy Alumni/Parent Events Aprilâ€“June 2010 Please visit the Alumni Affairs event calendar at www.andover.edu/alumni for more information. Worldwide Events

Summer Events

April 8

Boston, Mass.

Young Alumni Event

Cape Cod, Mass.

April 9

Andover, Mass.

Regional Event

Marthaâ€™s Vineyard, Mass.

April 10

Andover, Mass.

Broadening Horizons

Nantucket, Mass.

April 13

New York City

Young Alumni Event

April 24

Los Angeles, Calif.

Regional Event

May 12

Charlotte, N.C.

Regional Event

May 13

Washington, D.C.

Regional Event

June 11

Andover, Mass.

Reunion Weekend

Florida

New Student Gatherings April 24

Hollywood, Calif.

Jim Henson Studios

May 13

Washington, D.C.

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Additional dates and locations to be announced.

Florida

California

Andover | Spring 2010

California

A NDOV ER BO O KSH ELF Strength in What Remains

The Pure Heart of Yoga

by Tracy Kidder ’63

by Robert Butera ’83

Harnessing America’s Wasted Talent: A New Ecology of Learning

Random House

Llewellyn Publications

by Peter Smith ’64

Pulitzer Prize– winning author Tracy Kidder tells the inspiring and powerful true story of a man who survives genocide in his native Burundi, escapes to the U.S., lives in Central Park, and learns English by reading dictionaries in book stores. He eventually attends Columbia University and Harvard Medical School and returns to Burundi to open a medical clinic that treats 20,000 patients annually.

Robert Butera, the founder of the YogaLife Institute in Devon, Pa., and publisher of Yoga Living magazine, elucidates 10 steps in the practical and spiritual practice of yoga and also provides a catalog of yoga poses.

Jossey-Bass

Money for Nothing by John Gillespie ’71 and David Zweig

Smith lays out nothing less than a vision of revolution in American higher education, seizing the potential of Webbased teaching and learning to open access to untold millions of learners. His insights bring fresh direction and hope to those concerned about the future of our workforce and our democracy—students, educators, politicians, and business leaders.

Free Press

Banning Weapons of Mass Destruction by Frederick N. Mattis ’69 Praeger Security International

Frederick Mattis, a scholar of nuclear and chem-bio weapons, lays out a strong, clear, and appropriately urgent case supporting a treaty banning nuclear weapons and extending worldwide the current bans on chemical and biological weapons.

Investment banker John Gillespie exposes the greed, lack of corporate accountability, and excesses paid to CEOs (all approved by corporate boards) in his timely book subtitled How the Failure of Corporate Boards Is Ruining American Business and Costing Us Trillions. The Nine Rooms of Happiness by Lucy Danziger ’78 and Catherine Birndorf

Skipjack

Hyperion

by Christopher White ’74

Women are often distracted by the things in their life that are less than perfect, preventing them from enjoying what is going right. Using the metaphor of a nine-room house to examine nine areas of one’s inner emotional architecture, this book, subtitled Loving Yourself, Finding Your Purpose, and Getting Over Life’s Little Imperfections, helps one do just that.

St. Martin’s Press

A “skipjack” is a historic wooden sailboat used for dredging oysters. A diminishing number still ply Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay. Christopher White worked as a crewman for a winter oystering season to chronicle the saga of backbreaking work, storms, overfishing, pollution, rivalry between skippers, and the tall tales told to blow off steam.

Harvard Beats Yale 29–29 by Kevin Rafferty ’65 The Overlook Press

As its cover claims, this is “the story of the most famous football game ever played in the Ivy League…as told by the players,” including Harvard guard Tommy Lee Jones and Yale captain and quarterback Brian Dowling, after whom the Doonesbury comic character “B.D.” was modeled. Kevin Rafferty also directed a documentary with the same title. The Bathers by Jeannette Williams ’70 Duke University Press

This largeformat book of photographs of women of all ages in public baths in Budapest and Istanbul was created by photography teacher Jeannette Williams over the course of eight years of trips to Hungary and Turkey. —These capsule notices were prepared by Sharon Magnuson.

Been published recently? Please send your book to Sharon Magnuson, Office of Communication, Phillips Academy, 180 Main St., Andover MA 01810-4161. After your book is announced, it will be donated to the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library. Autographed copies appreciated! Regrettably, due to the high volume of books written by alumni, we cannot announce self-published books, but will forward them to the OWHL.

Andover | Spring 2010

The newsletter of The Campaign for Andover

A Growing Appreciation by Victoria A. Harnish Rick Kimball ’74 feels a closer connection to Andover today than he did at his 20th Reunion. “As time passes, I appreciate my Andover education more and more,” he explains. For decades following his graduation, the New England native experienced a distancing between himself and the school, partly attributed to the 3,000 miles that separate him from the campus. A graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Chicago, Kimball moved to Silicon Valley in the 1980s. “Technology was a small world when I moved here,” says Kimball, “and anyone could become a part of it.” Now, as the founding general partner of the privateequity ﬁrm Technology Crossover Ventures, Kimball considers himself—and his wife, daughter, and son—“true Californians.” Though he and wife Kathy are very involved in several nonproﬁt organizations, including Dartmouth and Schools of the Sacred Heart, he has not forgotten Andover. In 2000, the couple created the William W. Marvin ’75 Scholarship Fund. “Will was a wonderful man who developed leukemia and passed away during his college years,” Kimball says of his friend. Since creating that scholarship, Kimball has discovered a new, inspirational connection with Andover. “Kathy and I receive enormous pleasure from learning about the students who receive support from that fund.” Motivated by that gratifying student feedback, Kimball—a member of The Campaign for Andover’s Financial Aid Task Force—and his wife created an endowed scholarship fund last year. “The endowment provides a level of perpetuity and permanence,” Kimball says. “And, particularly in economic times like these, it’s critical that the endowment be in outstanding hands, as it is with [chief investment officer] Amy Falls ’82 under the Investment Committee’s guidance.” Because of their trust in the Academy’s leadership, their commitment to endowment giving, and their interest in helping future generations of students attend Andover, the Kimballs generously created the scholarship fund with a $1 million pledge to The Campaign for Andover.

Andover, In Fact

20/20 Foresight: Young Alumni Address Peer Participation

by Stacy Gillis

by Victoria A. Harnish

• When Commons ﬁrst opened in 1930, three meals each day were served to 659 people. Today, Paresky Commons serves a total of 3,650 meals each day to approximately 1,400 students, faculty, and staff.

In 2007, Fiona Chin ’98 wondered why only 29 percent of alumni from the 20 youngest classes supported Andover. As an Annual Giving Board (AGB) member, Chin would regularly review alumni participation rates and talk about the dismal statistics with her peers.

• In 1927, Thomas Cochran, a member of the Class of 1890, established a senior faculty chair in memory of his wife. The Martha Cochran Teaching Foundation, which was endowed with Thomas Cochran’s gift of $160,000, is now worth more than $2 million. • The Addison Gallery of American Art opened on May 17, 1931, with 423 objects in its collection. Today, as the museum prepares to reopen after renovations, there are 16,670 objects in its collection. Paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, and works on paper, along with some furniture and decorative art, comprise the collection. • As of February 1, 2010, there were 89 new donors to the Andover Fund this ﬁscal year, with 68 percent of their gifts being given online. The average number of new donors by February 1 of the previous three years was 30. • There are more than 3,000 members participating in PA’s online alumni community. They range in age from 17 to 90 and represent classes from 1937 to 2009.

“We knew the trend in participation was downward,” says Jenn Schraut, associate director of annual giving, “but we were struggling with the best way to approach it.” In 2007, Schraut, along with Diane Glynn, assistant director of annual giving, and Jenny Savino, associate director of alumni affairs, gathered 20 alumni volunteers from the 20 youngest classes and asked for their feedback. The group formed the 20/20 Advisory Board and began by seeking out alumni who had lost touch with Andover. “‘What would make you interested in maintaining a connection to Andover?’ was the most important question we could ask,” says Savino. The many different reasons alumni gave for why they had stopped thinking about the Academy ranged from not enough events in their area to the infrequency of child-friendly events to simply a lack of time. Yet one comment resounded: “Over and over again, I heard ‘Why should I give $25 to Andover when those dollars go further at the local shelter?’” says Rejji Hayes ’93, 20/20 Advisory Board member.

www.andover.edu/af “When we heard that,” says Schraut, “we knew we had to do a better job telling Andover’s story.” The reality, she says, is that 76 percent of all gifts to the Andover Fund are under $500, and the average gift is $100. Those gifts, combined with Non Sibi support, totaled $11.1 million in FY09.

When thinking about the youngest classes, the message—and the vehicle used to send it—are equally important. In FY07, about 64 percent of the gifts from those classes were made online. As a result, the 20/20 Advisory Board suggested online “retail philanthropy” as a new approach that likely would appeal to their contemporaries. This type of giving offers donors a chance to engage in philanthropy at a level they can afford and in a way they can understand, by showing examples of what the gifts support. In conjunction with the creation of The Campaign for Andover Web site, the annual giving and communication teams discussed ways to inspire and empower donors and to reinforce the impact of small gifts. Last fall, the Giving Guide (www.andover.edu/af) debuted and in many ways changed online giving at Andover. “We wanted to be more transparent,” says Ann Harris, director of class, reunion, and parent giving. “For an alum to understand the importance of every gift, we needed to break down the areas of the school that the Andover Fund supports and share that in a fun and thoughtful way.” Separated into 12 main categories, the Giving Guide includes a dollar goal, deadline (June 30), and a bar graph—updated in real time—that shows how close the Academy is to reaching each goal. In addition, each category details several items that a gift might help the school “buy,” from $25 for energy-efficient lightbulbs to $1,000 for a laptop computer for a student on financial aid. In this fiscal year already, 67 percent of Andover’s young donors have given online. And, 9 percent of those alumni are first-time donors. Those statistics, along with the 9 percent increase in young alumni giving in three years, illustrates the impact of the 20/20 Advisory Board. “Although we reached 38 percent participation in the youngest classes—which is wonderful—we’re always brainstorming,” says Schraut, “and we know the 20/20 Advisory Board will continue to keep us on our toes.”

Visit the Andover Giving Guide at www.andover.edu/af.

STARs Shine in Intraclass Competition Celia Lewis ’10, STARs member and Green Team cocaptain, provides an overview of Class of 2010 senior class gift participation.

Shared Values

As of early March, with fewer than 100 days until graduation, more than 50 percent of the Class of 2010 had made a contribution to the senior class gift. Through social events, e-mail updates, and conversations on campus paths, the 26 seniors who comprise the Student Alumni Representatives (STARs) board are ﬁnding new and exciting ways to encourage our classmates to give back to Andover.

by Stacy Gillis Dave Stoldt and Connie Wright came to their shared value from very different perspectives, but both see a parallel between their upbringings and their commitment to education today. “My father was a ﬁfth generation doctor. It was simply an expectation that education would determine your future,” explains Wright. “I had a very different experience,” says Stoldt. “My father was the ﬁrst of our family to attend college. For me, education represents the opportunity to change yourself, to become someone entirely different. On a larger scale, education has the power to break down barriers and help us recognize our shared humanity.” Whatever their journeys, the end result is a couple that believes passionately—and actively—in education. As parents of Conner ’07, Emerson ’09, and Camerin ’12, they have been Parent Fund volunteers for six years and now chair the Parent Campaign Committee with Alumni Trustee Ron Takvorian, MD ’66 and Kathy Takvorian, MD, P’02, ’03, ’06.

“We’ve tried to make giving as convenient and as fun as possible for our team,” says STARs member Courtney King ’10. In late winter, STARs hosted the annual 100 Days Celebration for seniors in Paresky Commons, raffling off PA apparel and the grand prize of ﬂoor-seat tickets to a Celtics game, donated by a generous alumnus to help spur the competition.

SPRING 2010 Volume 1, Number 2 BLUEprint is published three times a year as an insert in Andover, the magazine of Phillips Academy, by the Office of Communication. Editor Victoria A. Harnish Director of Campaign Communications vharnish@andover.edu Assistant Editors Jill Clerkin Stacy Gillis Designer Kenneth Puleo

“I think we have what it takes to make it to 100 percent participation!” says King. The seniors are striving to surpass the Class of 2009’s record-setting participation rate of 93 percent. We have until June 30, 2010, to meet our goal.

Photographers Neil Evans Jane Fried Ronald S-C. Leung, P’11 Michael Malyszko

The STARs board voted earlier in the term to direct the senior class gift toward support for teaching and faculty. “Seniors have been incredibly willing to give,” notes another STARs member Sascha Strand ’10.

At the onset of winter term, the STARs board divided the 246 members of the Class of 2010 into six color-coded teams. As of this writing, the Green Team has reached the highest rate of team participation with 89.8 percent making a donation. The Brown Team, in second place at 73.5 percent, is gaining ground. Seniors Serena Gelb, Calista Small, and Micere Johnson

“Our daughter Camerin sips life from a ﬁre hose,” quips Wright. “Andover not only embraces that life view, it cultivates it.” “Looking into your children’s eyes, you see a glimpse of the world Andover has opened to them and their passion for it,” says Stoldt. Moved by their children’s Andover experiences and inspired by the Academy’s mission, Wright and Stoldt have pledged $100,000 to The Campaign for Andover. They have asked that their gift be used as a challenge to encourage other parents who are capable of giving at similar levels. Wright and Stoldt believe education is the most important gift they can provide for their children. “We see education as a right, not a privilege,” says Wright. “We support education because today we can—and so we should.”

Back row: Charles Shoener, Will Lindsey, Ryan Marcelo, and Trevor Braun Front row: Faiyad Ahmad, school president, and Garnet Hathaway

You can follow each team’s progress at www.andover.edu/seniorgift.

III

CAMPAIGN TRAIL | JANUARY 2010 | Asia

Asia Welcomes Andover by Victoria A. Harnish Phillips Academy took Asia by storm last winter—or perhaps it brought the storm. On the day that Head of School Barbara Landis Chase arrived in Seoul, the city was reeling from its worst oneday snowstorm in more than 70 years. Six hundred miles away in Beijing, Jane Fried, dean of admission, and Peter Ramsey, secretary of the academy, touched down to an equally historic snow event. A series of warm welcomes from area alumni, parents, prospective students, and friends, however, more than compensated for the blustery weather. Fried and Ramsey greeted prospective students and parents at an admission reception hosted by Yichen Zhang ’82 in Beijing. The next day, the Andover duo brought together prospective students and parents at an admission reception hosted by XD Yang ’83 in Shanghai.

Theresa Leung, P’11 and Catherine and Tony Choi, P’12

alumni and parents to discuss the Academy’s investment practices, with particular emphasis on Asian markets. Following the conference, Charter Trustee Chien Lee ’71 hosted alumni and parents at The Hong Kong Club. “The Academy’s relationship with Asia has indeed been long and significant,” says Lee. “Andover’s connection to China dates back almost 130 years with the first student from China enrolling at the Academy in 1878.” That student eventually held the title of Sir Chentung Liang Cheng and became the Chinese Minister to the United States in the early 1900s. Lee continues, “Reflecting the importance that he ascribed to this special relationship, Headmaster Alfred Stearns chose Sir Chentung to be the principal speaker at Andover’s 125th Anniversary in 1903.” In an effort to strengthen Andover’s century-plus relationship with Asia, connect alumni and parents, and develop programmatic opportunities, the Office of Academy Resources, along with alumni and parents in the region, recently created a group to be known as the Asia Council. While in Hong Kong, Chase and Ramsey convened a meeting with several alumni, hosted by Henry Cho ’83, to discuss how best to engage—and reengage—alumni and parents.

Barbara Landis Chase (center) with Young-Ah and Byung-Kook Kim ’78

Meanwhile, Chase began her 12-day visit to Korea and Hong Kong by addressing alumni in Seoul. Byung-Pyo Kim ’79, P’05 helped to gather more than 70 alumni and parents to hear Chase speak about Andover’s strategic plans. That evening, Class of 2011 parents Eun Jin Chang, Eun Jeong Kim, and Hyunjeong K. Bang presented Chase with a check representing $167,150 in pledges to the Andover Fund from 58 donors. Byung-Pyo Kim had spearheaded the grassroots fund-raising effort by personally calling nearly 100 alumni, parents, and friends in Korea. “The hospitality of our Andover community in Asia—and the widespread response to Byung-Pyo’s philanthropic efforts in Seoul—is indicative of the degree to which Andover continues to inﬂuence the lives of alumni,” says Chase. “Throughout our visit, many described an enduring commitment to non sibi and how they are continuing to apply the knowledge and habits learned at Andover.” The second leg of the journey took the Andover team to Hong Kong. Events included an admission reception hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ng, P’98, ’99, ’01, and the Future of the Endowment Conference hosted by Joe Bae ’90. Chief Investment Officer Amy Falls ’82 led the conference, which presented an opportunity for BLUEprint | Spring 2010

“Our priority is to build bridges and make the most of the passion and enthusiasm of our regional alumni and parents,” says Ramsey. “We look forward to introducing the members of the Asia Council in the upcoming months and to returning to Asia later this year.”

THANK YOU! The Campaign for Andover Surpasses $200 million We mark this achievement with profound gratitude to the more than 16,000 alumni, parents, and friends whose support gives us the inspiration and motivation to advance this campaign further still. We are steadfast in our commitment to the future of this great Academy and conﬁdent that donors understand what is at stake. If Andover is to remain a world leader in secondary education, then its bold ideas and intellectual capital must be matched by a sound ﬁnancial investment through philanthropy. —Oscar L. Tang ’56 President of the Board of Trustees; Chair of The Campaign for Andover

Visit www.andover.edu/campaign for details about the $300 million campaign goal.

TAL E S OUT O F SCH O O L

det

gine Pen ri O is in F f o le a T A : Louis Davis by Nicholas Danforth

’60

ught happy Sometimes singing bro rse I hid or sad tears, which of cou think s day wa no ds learned gra I r Andover from the guys. Years late mer in sum a ing nd spe breathut of abo ng nothi that what Louis taught t so in the no y; ntr cou the upg by pin ed elo fi pli dev a ing and singing, am r followed the bb du he e early 1960s. Yet the summe fac per part of the to Africa. ologysi ph ved pro ing graduation I traveled ,” cup “inverted tea rap the eu? I think ically and psychologically Of all places, why Africa onstrated the contitic—as he had always dem I went in part because becoming without scientific proof. nent was a bit like me, ce. lian f-re sel ng rni ver, it was independent, lea More than singing, howe “do to ng goi t no s coaching Clearly I wa Louis’s public speaking to s: son rea sh fi sel for more than good,” but that changed me. For posas far as s, wa I o avoided wh discover three years at PA I had . PA and ily fam out in my ng m aki fro sible “speaking in public”; spe Irish my e itat im tured to I loved to And maybe, in part, I ven hard enough. But as a kid s wa ce’s ss Joy cla of ts par d d lou t I’d learne d to read ou Africa because of what was my first ,I ny ’s brogue, and at PA I like he sed nan ugh ear ho reh Alt un . vis ost Da Alm uis r, Lo as a Young Man. tist Ar con the from my favorite teache of me it tra ped PA hel Por t A petition for ’s , it was not his color tha and read Joyce in the com ent I at acc h wh African American friend Iris d, tea my d Ins e. use rac my amazement, I was rarely talked about ze in public speaking. To dy Pri r bo nect to Africa; we only ape em Dr to ual lity abi ann y nar was his extraordi began to learn from him adversity. picked as a finalist. ct, even in loneliness or spe f-re imagine talkconfidence and sel s petrified and couldn’t wa I uis and Lo w d ho tol I r— mo hen W urs, insisting I efatigable style and hu l, he coached me for ho oo sch no ole f, He showed me—with ind wh sel my the ng to bei ing ected confidence. I in public, and enjoy ech, filling me with unexp spe use ho why I could sing, speak my r, e riz che mo tea m me oo ssr s. W hen they came, I’ll ough not my cla til look for ward to the final un to matter how I “fit in.” Th 58 an 19 beg m n fro , eve nd frie the podium, s a mentor and without notes, leaning on master, or coach, Louis wa never forget standing up amazed bei at everybody, and ng his death last July. g silently for a moment kin . Hall loo G.W in ear and ing every eye as a chaplain’s hav ty d du oye ive enj act ly ual saw act I and i nd fi nat to Louis grew up in Cincin at Oberlin, he g WWII. After studying tuned to me. rin du nce Fra in nt and ista ass , rvator y of Music nse Co nd gla ny people love teaching En w Ne t later: no wonder so ma later earned degrees at the ugh he e, tho I rop w, Eu Wo h wit e lov g fallen in Boston University. Havin he became, preaching , and politics! nna, and Florence, where Vie is, Par in d ite I won first prize— studied opera Un the to man.” Returning nderful—especially when e wo s anc wa iss ena trip “R ego a at s, Th nd he told frie Louis, who loved to II Army support of another WW thank my operatic friend g ays on str alw I the n ich wo wh n for soo he States, t him to that, work in Africa, a n Kemper, who brough wed me I could too. After Joh sho er and ast m ly dm for hea per PA n, er vetera ulty memb been something I not on half centur y, has always the school’s first black fac a e g am tin albec las uis and trip Lo ne . alo ver the do ch of An director etimes feeling ver y mu c speaking and, in time, cope with—despite som ch. as an instructor in publi —but enjoy, often ver y mu rity ways being in the mino PA Chorus. Reunion will be a no interClass of 1960, our 50th sing, let alone orate, I had the to in ce e den som fi r con Fo the ng Lacki re and marvel at how g under his up to remember who we we uis changed that. Singin nce Lo t cha e bu , iqu rus chers un cho the s, in day est wnbeat l think about those tea high point of my often do wn. Many, like me, wil gro ’ve s and we on dem ir gh the tou beat direction became a e roughthem fac ic pickup in an era when ouraged them, who helped enc o wh d oye a surprisingly therapeut enj n I eve er consider counseling. begin to find themselves. Andover men would nev in Carmina ls gir ing rsu pu lad ty lus a ica. Finis origine pendet, singing in Latin, either like for me, like a , and thanks—from Afr ly uis tab Lo sui ell, re ew mo Far or, ) la” ellu Burana (“Si puer cum pu ions that Louis indeed! chanting medieval notat nk mo n ria ego Gr us pio taught us.

Danforth wrote this “tale” during a three-month health-care consultancy in Africa, where he has lived and worked off and on since that summer of self-discovery 50 years ago.

116

Andover | Spring 2010

At Andover, I was transformed—both as a student and as a citizen.

Remembering Andover by Tristin Batchelder Mannion ’82 Thinking of my time at Andover, memories flood back: the chiming of the Bell Tower, the blue clock face on top of Sam Phil, Dickie’s welcoming smile, and my lower year oneroom double in Johnson South. But there was far more to my Andover experience. At Andover, I was transformed—both as a student and as a citizen. I credit rigorous classes, such as History 35, and exceptional teachers, such as Henry Wilmer ’63 and Chuck Willand ’70, and many others, for broadening my perspective on the world. The friendships I formed with smart, engaged schoolmates will stay with me for a lifetime. Andover made this all possible by granting me a scholarship. Now as parents, my husband, Marty, and I are instilling in our five

children the value of education and the importance of non sibi. As prudent and fiscally savvy individuals, we have chosen to create a tax-effective estate plan that demonstrates our commitment to support Andover into the future. We benefit, our children benefit, and the Academy benefits. Supporting a school that has an incredibly positive impact on so many lives brings us great satisfaction. Tristin is on the board of a venture philanthropy fund that invests in growing effective nonprofit organizations in the fields of education, workforce development, social mobility, and health care. She is a member of Phillips Academy’s Gift Planning Committee, Campaign Steering Committee, and Financial Aid Task Force.

www.andover.edu/giftplanning | 978-749-4297 | giftplanning@andover.edu

Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts 01810-4161 ISSN 0735-5718

Periodicals Postage Paid at Andover MA and additional mailing offices

Households that receive more than one Andover magazine are encouraged to call 978-749-4267 to discontinue extra copies.

Continuing the Work of Dr. King Film director, producer, actor, and writer Spike Lee headlined Martin Luther King Jr. Day at PA in January, on the 20th anniversary of Andover’s special observance of the national holiday. Lee—alternately pensive, persuasive, and provocative—generated intense discussion, fulfilling the purpose of MLK Jr. Day’s design. Story, page 40.

Gil Talbot