KIT
Marcia Ruff
School Historian
Denita Banks-Sims
Director of Development & Publications
PASSINGS
It is with great sadness that we share news of the recent passing of seven Roeperians. Each was a vibrant member of the Roeper School community, and we know that many of you will recall the wondrous impact they made on our lives.
JOHN BURDICK ’76
John Burdick passed away July 4 of cancer at the age of 61. A professor at Syracuse University, John’s remarkable humanity and commitment to peace, justice, and social change were warmly acknowledged by the university: “As a professor of anthropology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences for nearly 30 years, Burdick deeply engaged his students in working toward the betterment of communities and neighborhoods, from the west side of Syracuse to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In all of his work he led by example — listening deeply and living his values.” The full memorial from the university can be found at https://www.maxwell.syr. edu/news/stories/Professor_John_Burdick_remembered_for_his_teaching_and_advocacy/
BARCLAY PALMER Former Upper School English teacher Barclay Palmer passed away on September 27 at the age of 88 in Brunswick, Maine. Barclay taught at Roeper in the early 1970s and left a lasting impression through his passion for literature, especially Shakespeare, poetry and myth; his style (handsome and dashing enough to be a model); and his wicked softball skills. Barclay was the advisor for the Dubious Muse, as the school’s literary magazine was called then, and an ardent advocate for the Roeper Philosophy and the challenges of living it. In online tributes from Roeper alumni, the most common remark was what “a huge presence” Barclay embodied while he was here. A lifelong educator, Barclay taught at independent schools in New Jersey and Manhattan after leaving Roeper. He became active with the National Association of Independent Schools and helped propel a nationwide shift from memorization and testing toward critical and creative thinking, and moral, racial and social awareness. Barclay’s very full life is described at https://www.pressherald.com/2020/10/16/ obituarywilliam-barclay-livingstone-palmer/
PAUL REEKIE ’89 Paul Reekie passed away suddenly on October 2 as the result of an accident while he was working outside his home in Boca Raton, Florida. Paul was 48 and a beloved figure in the South Florida theatre community as the musical director and arranger for countless productions, cabaret performances and other musical shows. When he was at Roeper, Paul played Mozart in Amadeus and Seymour in A Little Shop of Horrors; as a junior he played piano for the appearance of Pope John Paul II at the Pontiac Silverdome. Paul earned a degree in computer programming at Michigan State University and worked for EDS in Florida, playing piano largely for himself. In 2004, he began to move full-time into the theatre world. He was particularly admired for his ability to reduce large orchestral arrangements to a few instruments while still maintaining the complex aural nature of the original score. Paul was a generous mentor and quiet philanthropist. http://www. floridatheateronstage.com/news/paul-reekie-beloved-musical-director-arranger-dies-at48/?fbclid=IwAR33Y9U_69J1sVmseF8Cl1_3QNcxAfzBsD1xwIZUA4nuYvvll-StLRTFRjE
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