Moses BrownCupola

Spring 2014

Performing Arts

Schoolhouse News | Performing Alumni | Alumni Events | Class NotesCommencement 2014 | In Memoriam: David Burnham

Paul Adler P ’14 ’16Greg Baldwin ’87 Neil S. Beranbaum ’86 P ’22 ’24 Russell Carpenter ’59Amy Curell P ’14Elaine Dickson P ’18 ’22 ’27 Ted Fischer ’83 P ’12 ’14 ’17 Gary Goldberg ’87 P ’17 ’19 ’20 Clerk, Campaign Steering Committee

Brian Goldner P ’14 Habib Y. Gorgi ’74 P ’08 ’10 ’12 ’17 Clerk of the Board

Clerk, Executive Committee

Karen Hammond P ’10 ’14 ’14 Melissa Crouchley Hem ’85David HoldtLee Jaspers P ’11 ’14 Recording Clerk

Kathleen Levesque P ’12 ’14 ’17 Assistant Clerk of the Board

Frederick MartinDonald McNemarKeith Monchik ’90 P ’24 ’27 Clerk, MB Alumni Association

M. Willis Monroe ’04 Clerk, Nurturing Friends Education

Mary Lee Morrison Elizabeth Morse Neal R. Pandozzi ’91 Clerk, Trustees Committee

Jaymin Patel P ’16 ’17Lisa Rocchio ’85 P ’14 ’15 ’21 Clerk, Nominating Committee

Martha Schwope Friends Coordinator

W. Bradley Shipp ’83Carol SmithNia ThomasHeather Tow-Yick ’94 Dawn Tripp P ’19 ’24 Clerk, Parents’ Association

Steven Tripp P ’19 ’24 Clerk, Buildings & Grounds

Carl Weinberg P ’90 ’94 ’16 ’24 Treasurer

Clerk, Budget & Finance Committee

Cecily Ziegler P ’22 ’24

Matt Glendinning Head of School

Jackie Stillwell Clerk of NEYM

Moses Brown School Board of Trustees 2013-2014

Moses Brown, a Friends school, exists to inspire the inner promise of each student and instill the utmost care for learning, people, and place. — Moses Brown School mission statement

This issue of Cupola showcases alumni launching and reflecting on

careers in various aspects of the performing arts. Spencer Novich ’06 can

now be found practicing his craft in Las Vegas; he launched his career

using a Class of ’48 Award. See page 9 on for more from Spencer and

other performing alumni. We hope to hear from more performing

alumni. Thank you to Jason Weiss ’93, guest editor for this issue!

About Our Cover

Keith Monchik ’90, ClerkGeorge Panichas ’83, Assistant Clerk Brian Panoff ’94, Treasurer Albie Dahlberg ’87, Recording Clerk Taylor Rotondi Anderson ’02John Baldwin ’94Jason Engle ’98 Thomas Frater ’82Gina Guiducci ’97Adrian Hendricks ’58Hugh Hysell ’83

Austin Jaspers ’11David Keyser ’89Jane Knowles ’81Todd Machtley ’00David Murdock ’93David Murphy ’91John Pariseault ’97Joss Poulton ’07Brad Shipp ’83Ahvi Spindell ’72Richard White ’84

The mission of the Moses Brown Alumni Association is to foster lifelong relationships

with the school and fellow alumni.

Get the MB Connects App today!

2013-14 Alumni Association Board

Cruz Goler ’89, 25th Reunion Alumnus Achievement Award

Cruz is Chef di Cuisine at Lupa Osteria Romana in New York, having begun

his cooking career making fresh pasta with his grandmother while an MB

student. Cruz has worked in the kitchens of some of the country’s best

chefs, including Luma, Union Pacific and Mercer Kitchen. In 2005, he joined

the Batali-Bastianich group as executive sous chef to open Del Posto and

stayed there for two years while they earned two Michelin stars and three

stars from the New York Times. Cruz has been lauded in the press for his local

sourcing and efforts to reduce waste in the foodservice industry.

Matt Runci ‘64, Distinguished Alumnus Award Recipient

Matt’s career in the jewelry industry spans four decades, including serving

as CEO of the Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America. His career is

marked by a dedication to responsible business practices, with a strong

commitment to improving supply chain transparency and consumer

confidence in the fine jewelry industry and its products. He is founding

chairman of the Responsible Jewelry Council. Matt’s present company is

Sustainable and Responsible Solutions. Matt has been a consistent MB

volunteer and has attended his reunions for the last 20 years. He has two

grandsons at MB and his son Chris is a 1988 alumnus.

Congratulations to the MBAA’s spring award recipients, recognized at Reunion:

Phot

o: B

rad

Har

ris

Send comments, news, updates, address changes,

photos or leads to alumni@mosesbrown.org. We

hope to hear from more performing arts alumni!

Also visit www.mosesbrown.org for

videos of MB today

Fan/post at facebook.com/MosesBrownSchool

Comment on this issue at

www.mosesbrown.org/cupola

Visit the new MB blog at www.mosesbrown.org

to see more school life and voices

CupolaA bi-annual magazine for Moses Brown School alumni

Managing EditorKristen A. Curry

EditorRyan Vemmer

Class Notes EditorSusan Cordina P ’16

Director of Alumni RelationsKarin Morse ’79

Director of Development and Alumni RelationsRonald Dalgliesh P ’19 ’21

PhotographyPeter GoldbergDavid O’Connor

DesignerBridget Snow Design

PrinterColonial Printing,Warwick, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council

The Cupola is produced by the Office of Alumni Relations for alumni and friends of Moses Brown. Your feedback is welcome. Please send comments to: Cupola, Moses Brown School, 250 Lloyd Avenue, Providence, RI 02906. Send suggestions, class notes, and address updates to MB Alumni Relations via mosesbrown.org or alumni@mosesbrown.org; 401-831-7350 x114. Moses Brown School is a nonprofit institution.

www.mosesbrown.org

Letter from Matt Glendinning 4

News from Moses Brown Today 5

Schoolhouse News 7

MB Showcase 9

MB Alumni Association Events & News 22

Class Notes 25

Commencement 2014 43

In Memoriam 45

On David Burnham 48

CupolaSpring 2014

4

THIS SPRING ISSUE OF CUPOLA, DEVOTED

TO PERFORMANCE AND STORY-TELLING,

seems the perfect occasion to announce that

MB alumnus Adam Olenn ’91 will become

our new Director of Communications and

Community Engagement, effective July 1, 2014.

A musician, actor, and master storyteller,

Adam was most recently a web producer

at Berklee College of Music in Boston and

formerly was an experience designer for

ZEFER. Adam has a deep appreciation for

performance and all forms of communication

that touch the heart and soul. While at MB,

he taught magic to students at the Rhode

Island School for the Deaf, played the lead

in Water Jar Boy, Barry Marshall’s first all-

original spring musical, and reimagined “In

the Shadows of the Elms” as a punk-rock

anthem with fellow alumnus Paul Hecht ’91.

As a candidate in our national search,

Adam made a profound observation during

one of his interviews: “If creativity is the

single most important trait students will

need in this century,” he said, “then the skill

they most need to cultivate is improvisation.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Improvisation is the art of spontaneous

creation. Most often associated with per-

forming arts such as jazz and comedy,

improvisation requires risk-taking, responding

to incoming stimuli, trying and discarding

ideas with a sense of freedom and fearless-

ness. It’s an act of spontaneous problem-

solving that often results in something

unexpected and beautiful.

In this issue of Cupola, you’ll meet some

highly successful artists and improvisers.

They seem to have in common a zeal for

storytelling and self-expression that was

nurtured by generations of excellent teachers

at MB.

As we look to MB’s future, we have

ambitious plans to accelerate improvisational

thinking across the school.

MB currently offers 17 different music

and theatrical performance groups, and we

are proud to be moving ahead with plans for

a new facility to showcase the creativity of

our performers. As announced last fall, MB

received a lead gift of $5 million for this

project from Dean Woodman ’46, great-

grandson of the headmaster who first

brought vocal and instrumental music

to MB in the late 19th century.

Fostering the agile thinking of a jazz

musician won’t be limited to the new

Woodman Center, however. Creative

problem-solving also lies at the core of MB’s

new Expert Thinking Model. Pedagogies such

as Project-Based Learning and programs

like Engineering are providing students

with mastery of core content and a chance

to apply their knowledge to real-world

problems.

Similarly, MB TRIPs – the Travel, Research

and Immersion Program – broadens students’

horizons, presents them with unforeseen

circumstances and fosters teamwork and

resilience. And new teaching spaces — such

as a 21st century tinkerer’s studio called an

Innovation Lab (iLab) – will set the stage for

experimentation and creative collaboration.

Whether a project or trip lasts one day or

one semester, students confront obstacles,

learn from mistakes and try new ideas.

They improvise.

I hope that you will draw inspiration

from the amazingly talented and creative

alumni featured in these pages. And fasten

your seatbelt as we harness the creative

spirit of the next generation of MB students.

A letter from Matt Glendinning, Head of School

Performing Arts: Improvisational Thinking – New Riffs on an Old Standard

5

News from Moses Brown Today

Lloyd

MB TRIPs Our commitment to TRIPs (Travel, Research and Immersion Programs) is growing. Established trips continued, such as the healthcare service trip to the Dominican Republic. This year, two students’ participation was made possible by the Jake Bliss ’93

Memorial Award for International Service. Dr. Molly Bliss ‘86 established the award in memory of her brother Jake ’93, with whom she ran the trip for many years. In Yellowstone National

Park and Montana’s Centennial Valley, upper and middle school students worked with the Nature Conservancy and U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife for the third year. The Colorado Rocky Mountain adventure continued for students, and added a faculty group. In June, two exciting new trips took off: rising fourth, fifth and sixth graders hiked the White

Mountains with the Appalachian Mountain Club; and rising juniors and seniors traveled to Kenya to help refurbish rural elementary schools. Plans continue for new adventures: Head of Upper School Debbie Phipps, English teacher Meg Fifer and history teacher Jon Gold traveled to India and China to gather ideas for future trips.

Collaborations beyond the campusUpper, middle and lower school jazz band and wind ensemble members visited San Miguel School, where MB’s director of instrumental music Steve Toro has introduced a music curriculum. Later, San Miguel’s fifth graders spent a hands-on morning in MB’s band room, as upper school musicians introduced them to the instruments. Middle school’s CARS (Conversations about Reading Sessions) program organized a drive that donated more than 400 books to the Urban Collaborative Accelerated Program. Freshman English classes shared language-based conflict resolution skills with fourth graders

at MLK Elementary School, using original tools such as puppet shows, board games and video. The initiative emerged from a first-time interdisciplinary unit adding Friends Education perspective to their study of Antigone.

Expert thinking, global awareness: visitors bring the world to our classroomsFormer U.S. Poet Laureate Philip Levine’s visit inspired poetry collaboration in classrooms campus-wide, as upper, middle and lower school students explored poetry together. Three Afghan women enrolled in U.S. colleges shared rare insights with students and faculty in all three divisions. Mexican printmaker Hugo Anaya worked with student artists during his exhibition in Krause Gallery. Diversity speaker Dr. Jennifer

Bryan led the community in discussions of gender identity and inclusiveness. Mary

Fernandez inspired students to pursue STEM fields. Sensei Charles Colton introduced mindful-ness-based movement, the kinesthetics of spirituality and conflict resolution to lower and upper school classes; and aikido, “the art of peace,” to the wrestling teams.

Performing arts highlights 24 student musicians earned ensemble seats in the annual RI Music Educators Association All State

Festival. Bassoonist Lydia Parr ’15 ranked first in the state, as did cellist Nick Pohl ’14 (for the second time). On stage in Alumni Hall, upper school talent shone in A

Midsummer Night’s Dream and Urinetown. The middle school warmed hearts with Oklahoma! Retiring performing arts teacher

Barry Marshall was honored by the Moses Brown Alumni Association as faculty member of the year.

6

KudosMB’s sailing team won the state championship for the fourth time in five years; our ice hockey team won their first championship in the new league; our golf team won its first state championship behind individual champion Will Dickson ’17; boys and girls track and field won the SENE champion-ships; and our field hockey team repeated as state champions. Dan Brandes ’14 received a National

Merit Scholarship. Four seniors were Presidential Scholar finalists: Will Atkinson, Dan Brandes, Margot

Creamer and Sydney Harrington. Singne Brown ‘14 was a National Medalist (Gold Key) in the Scholastic

Art & Writing Awards. The Class of ’48 Award for Independent Study and Inquiry will support indepen-dent summer study by three rising seniors: Andrew Fay, in Normandy for the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of D-Day; Charlotte Flynn, in the prestigious Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre Summer Intensive; and Molly Freeman, volunteering with pediatric cardiology patients and studying heart disease at Brown.

New faces!13 new faculty and staff joined the Moses Brown community this academic year.

Friends Education ConferenceThe first annual conference of Quaker schools in New England took place at Moses Brown in November, focused on the testimony of peace and organized by Director of Friends Education Galen Hamann. Faculty members Ruffin Powell, Elizabeth Grumbach, Maureen Nagle, Abby Phyfe and Sarah Barnum were also among the presenters.

Thanks! Best wishes to departing longtime facultyBarry Marshall taught theater and performing arts across divisions since 1985, and played a key role in the evolution of our performing arts program. He directed the upper school fall play and spring musical, and shaped the vocations and avocations of countless alumni (as you’ll read in this issue). Lee Clasper-Torch arrived in 1989 to join what was then the Department of Religion and Human Values. Lee’s interest in developing students’ spiritual awareness and encouraging them to look inward as well as outward led to courses such as Existential Literature and Religion and Society. As a coach, Lee urged his wrestlers to embrace the grace of the sport. Debby Neely began teaching middle school English in 1986, and rapidly set the standard for cross-divisional collaboration and curriculum development. She modeled creativity, self-reflection, and the importance of meaningful connections, while demanding excellence and critical work from both students and herself.

Curriculum enhancementsNew upper school classes will debut in September, such as an enhanced Engineering class; Civics in Action/Public Policy; Spanish for Heritage Speakers; Literature of War; Tinker Tailor Maker; Global and Local Ecology; Detective Fiction; Literature of the Mind; and a chamber music element for String Orchestra. New inter-departmental

team-taught courses include The Art of Social Change; Peer Leadership; and Engineering Design. This year’s interdisciplinary projects included a commedia dell’arte

workshop for students studying Italian and theater arts.

Service Day Upper school’s annual Community Service Day is always a favorite. This May, students and faculty worked at 27 sites.

7

Showtime: our future starts now

“MB Believes, a vision for learning, people and place, is an innovative

plan for an innovative school. It will provide a transformational

experience for generations of students.” —Matt Glendinning, Head of School

World-Class Teaching: inspiring

mentors who foster passion and curiosity

Expert Thinking: applying acquired

knowledge to solve real problems

Global Awareness: preparing students

for a globally-interconnected world

Ethical Leadership: to act and lead with

integrity, to view the world from multiple

perspectives, to stand up for what’s right

with the desire to make a difference

MB TRIPs: travel, research and immersion

programs that bring our classrooms to the

world, and the world to our classrooms

Open Access: dramatically increasing our

scholarship budget over the next five years,

engaging the best minds with the broadest

perspectives

After two years of community discernment about Moses Brown’s future, our school

is moving ahead boldly. Guiding us is our new strategic vision, MB Believes.

“Teaching is what Moses Brown has always done best, and to my mind,

it’s the most vital part of the school’s future. Although the world is

changing rapidly, great teaching will remain as important as ever, and

this program will help the school adapt to the needs of education in a

globalized world.” —Russ Carpenter ’59

The Carpenter Fund supports our faculty’s professional development; publishing and

presenting at national conferences; team-taught, interdisciplinary courses; and funding

to sustain competitive salaries and benefits. Six new faculty leadership positions will

develop MB’s Expert Thinking model and TRIPs.

The Carpenter Fund for Teaching Excellence: an endowment gift from Russ Carpenter ’59

8

Campus planning: In March, MB’s Board of Trustees reached

consensus around a new campus master plan, one that will guide

the creation of the three buildings envisioned in MB Believes:

• a community and performance center

• an expansion of lower school

• a new “maker space” called the Innovation Lab (iLab)

With architect Trung Le, our community engaged in a rigorous

process: hundreds of hours of exploration and discussion to gain

clarity on the best location, functions and projected costs of the three

buildings. The need is driven by the realities of a shifting educational

landscape. We need new teaching, learning and performance spaces,

as well as environments that foster 21st-century skills such as

creativity, collaboration and problem-solving. These new facilities

Expo, an extraordinary October weekend: a 3-day, participatory festival displaying how play, passion and purpose develop creativity

and innovation. What will Expo 2014 have in store? Stay tuned!

A new space for performance and community gathering will

serve and expand the functions previously filled by Alumni

Hall, which was built 150 years ago for a student population of

225. The new flexible facility will seat 500 and will host musical

and theatrical performances, meeting for worship, exhibitions,

workshops and gatherings for every facet of our community.

The Community and Performance Center will be at the heart of

the campus, connected to the Walter Jones Library, which will be

renovated to meet a variety of social and academic needs. With

abundant seating, several teaching spaces and nooks for indi-

vidual quiet study, Jones will become the hub of student life.

The Community and Performance Center, made possible by a historic gift from Dean Woodman ‘46

“It’s really gratifying to think about my great-grandfather

Augustine Jones introducing vocal and instrumental music

to MB as headmaster more than a century ago, and for me

to be in a position now to help the school build the new

Community and Performance Center.” —Dean Woodman ’46

will significantly enhance the school’s ability to prepare students for a

rapidly changing world. At the same time, our campus enhancements

highlight one of MB’s greatest strengths — our sense of community.

Alumni Hall will house the new Innovation Lab (iLab), supporting

project-based learning, design thinking and engineering, programs

that together comprise MB’s Expert Thinking Model. Our Lower School

Expansion will serve every child with a multi-disciplinary discovery

center for art, science, library, music and an iLab.

Now: In the schematic design phase, Trung Le and his team are

building conceptual models and architectural renderings to capture

the essence of the buildings and the rooms inside. This is an exciting

moment for Moses Brown, as our dreams begin to take shape.

TEDx Expeditions MB Challenge MB UpClose Open House and Homecoming

9

ESTABLISHING AND SUSTAINING A CAREER

IN THE ARTS IS NO SIMPLE TASK. There are

no blueprints, step-by-step guides, or maps

one can follow to find success. Many

supremely talented artists toil in obscurity

for the majority of their lives before they

find even a modicum of appreciation, all the

while holding down two or three side jobs

just to pay their rent. Simply stated: art is a

labor of love. An artist must love her art and

pursue it with unbridled passion, or success

will prove to be most elusive. This love and

passion is what prompts most people

outside of the arts to consider artists

dreamers. In their view, artists aren’t

pursuing a tangible goal or a viable career,

but rather, “following their dream.” I can

understand that and I can see why that

sounds romantic and poetic but, in reality,

it’s the furthest thing from the truth.

Much like doctors, lawyers,

businesspeople, teachers, military officers,

and politicians, many artists have been

studying their craft for years. Some have

earned advanced degrees from sterling

institutions and others have spent decades

apprenticing under true masters.

Dedication, sacrifice, and focus are

paramount when pursuing a career as

subjective as the arts. This is why it should

come as no surprise that Moses Brown has

produced such a slew of creative people.

Future actors, musicians, directors,

producers, writers, painters, sculptors, and

many more have all walked the hallways of

Moses Brown and I’m proud to say that I am

one of them.

I am excited to be a part of this

Performing Arts issue of Cupola and am

honored to be the guest editor. Over the

past few months I have had the pleasure of

talking to many MB graduates who are

working in a vast variety of artistic fields.

Many of you reading this issue might think

that you’re alone in your artistic pursuits,

but — take my word for it — there are a lot

of us out there and we would love to hear

from you. For those of you who have what I

like to call “Job” jobs, this issue is for you,

too. Hopefully, you’ll be inspired by the

stories in these pages to go see a play at

your local theatre or a performance at the

ballet. Perhaps you’ll bypass the latest

blockbuster film and take in an independent

feature at the Cable Car. And maybe, just

maybe, you’ll realize that life is short —

you’ll gather your courage, shake off your

nerves, and pick up a paint brush, dust off a

neglected copy of Shakespeare, pluck at

your old six-string, sign up for an improv

class, or even audition for a play at your

community theatre. We all have a creative

soul, my friends, and you’ll be amazed what

you find when you feed it. Thank you for

your indulgence, and I hope you enjoy this

issue.

Jason Weiss lives in West Hollywood, California,

working as an actor and director for the stage

and screen. He graduated from Moses Brown in

1993 and went on to major in theatre at the

University of Miami and eventually earn an

MFA from the University of Florida. Jason’s

professional career led him to New York City

where he performed in dozens of plays, films,

TV shows and commercials. He has also taught

acting and performed at multiple regional

theatres and Shakespeare festivals around the

country. Contact or follow Jason at jason.weiss@

mac.com / @TheJasonWeiss.

By Guest Editor Jason Weiss ’93

MB Showcase “We all have a creative soul, my friends, and you’ll be amazed what you find when you feed it.”

It’s no surprise that Jason Weiss has helmed a Cupola focused on performing arts. In his yearbook page in the ’93 Mosaic,

Jason quoted Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley and Willy Wonka! Thank you to Jason for taking a lead role in

guiding and editing this issue of our alumni magazine. Jason interviewed two fellow alumni for this issue — Will Mackenzie ’56

and Rick Turner ’62. Jason hopes to connect with more performing alumni.

If you are working in performing arts in any way, anywhere, we want to know. Share information for a future MB event or

networking. Jason and MB are hoping to stage some gatherings for performing arts alumni. “If someone from MB called me,

I would always talk to them,” says Jason. “I would love to get whoever is out here in L.A. acting. I’d love for people to get

together and talk and see what’s what.” Reach out!

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, MB fall 2013

10

Per

form

ing

Art

s /

Per

form

ing

Alu

mn

i

WILL MACKENZIE’S LIFE IN THE PERFORMING ARTS GOT ITS

START IN ALUMNI HALL. After graduating MB in 1956, Will

launched a career that took him to the lights of Broadway and TV

sets of Hollywood. It all goes back to Headmaster Ralston Thomas

and his wife Editha who “discovered” and nurtured Will at MB. “I

found my place at Moses Brown,” he says, “and my career.”

Will’s acting career includes his Broadway debut in 1965 in Half a

Sixpence; the role of Cornelius Hackl in the original run of Hello,

Dolly!; and TV appearances on Route 66, The Mod Squad, Rhoda,

Maude, All in the Family, and The Bob Newhart Show. After many

years working as an actor, Will moved into directing. He made his

directing debut with The Bob Newhart Show and went on to direct

WKRP in Cincinnati, Bosom Buddies, Reba, and Scrubs. He received

three Directors Guild Awards for Moonlighting, Family Ties, and

Everybody Loves Raymond and is a six-time Emmy nominee. On

stage, Will directed acclaimed shows in New York City, L.A. and

at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut. Today, Will keeps

busy doing staged readings on the West Coast to benefit various

charities.

Did you always know that you wanted to be an actor?

I knew from the time I was in fifth grade at MB. I had great teachers.

My mother and I made a puppet show — Dun Gifford, Charlie

Stuart, Gordon Holmes and I did the marionettes together; our stage

was made of orange crates. We piled into my mother’s station

wagon and visited schools to do history skits. When I was in eighth

grade, I got a part in the Proscenium Club, overseen by the head-

master’s wife. I played a dope fiend. Then I started playing leads.

Did you go right to New York?

I went to Brown and did tons of theatre. I nearly flunked out

because I was in five or six shows a year, rehearsing from 7 to 11

nearly every night. I started with As You Like It, did Shakespeare

and musicals, and played the leprechaun in Finian’s Rainbow.

I did every show I could. One summer, I was at the American

Shakespeare Festival carrying spears and taking any parts I could

get. I heard about the Fulbright program — though I wasn’t a

straight-A student, I decided to apply. They were looking for

people who were enthusiastic. I studied at LAMDA [London

Academy of Music & Dramatic Art] for a year which was fantastic.

I got a job with Gian Carlo Menotti at Festival of the Two Worlds

in Spoleto, Italy. From there, I went to New York and got into the

Boston company of The Fantasticks. It was my first professional job.

I read recently in the New York Times that The Fantasticks, which

opened in 1960, is the single greatest investment anybody could have

made. If you invested in the original production, you would have

made more money than if you had invested in Apple because it’s

been playing for so long.

It’s a great show. We get a Christmas card from Harvey Schmidt

every year. I took a lot of theatre jobs for ten years and that was

my very first. In ’65, I got into Half a Sixpence on Broadway which

was great but I was only in it for four months because Gower

Champion saw me and brought me across the street to put me in

Hello Dolly! That was one of the highpoints of my life. I got to play

it with Carol Channing, Ginger Rogers, Martha Raye, and Betty

Grable. I was in it for two and a half years, 941 performances…

This doesn’t have much to do with Moses Brown?

Stagecraft: Will Mackenzie ’56Interviewed by Jason Weiss ’93

stage

tv

Will Mackenzie ’56 (left) shown with Guest Editor Jason Weiss ’93 in L.A. in 1997.

11

I think it has everything to do with Moses Brown!

This gal, Editha Thomas, encouraged my family.

When I’ve gone back, I’ve seen the drama

teacher there now.

Barry Marshall! He was my teacher.

We didn’t have Barry, we had Editha. Sweet

lady, had been an actress. She married the

headmaster and directed our plays. She was

able to come to me as a non-parent and say,

“I think you have a lot of talent, you should

pursue this dream.”

One of the things I found at MB is that they

don’t try to pigeonhole you. They want to find

what you are interested in, what you excel at,

and see if they can foster that. I just went back

for the 20th reunion; it’s amazing how much the

school has changed. The values are the same,

but it’s so modern now. Great classrooms.

I haven’t been back since 2006 for my 50th

reunion. I was amazed.

That Moonlighting episode you did, “Taming of

the Shrew” (1986), is one of the greatest epi-

sodes of anything I have ever seen on television.

That is very kind. It was a great script, the one

script the creator never changed, all in iambic

pentameter. They had to learn the script but

the show turned out to be fantastic. That

Shakespeare episode ended up being a classic.

That episode launched all the TV show musicals

they do now.

I did the Shakespeare thing because I grew up

on Shakespeare but I never directed it until I

was called for that episode. Cybill Shepherd

and Bruce Willis never did Shakespeare in

their lives so we rehearsed a bit and it turned

out great. I got the Scrubs musical because I’ve

done a million musicals — one of the gals who

was a writer was a huge musical theatre fan; she

had the guys who did Avenue Q write it. That was

a big deal.

When you look back, what made MB special

to you?

The faculty. To me, the joy of being in a private

school is that education is so important. Miss

Wilson was my third grade teacher and I can still

remember her, Miss Pixley, Miss Chappell, Mrs.

Monahon, Mr. Paxton, Mr. Whitford, Frank Fuller,

Doc Odell. Here I am 75 years old, still remember-

ing these names — that means they made a very

positive impression on me. They were strict, but I

learned a lot. I got into Brown, Wesleyan, and

Bowdoin because of my MB education. So to me,

it’s the faculty.

I did not at that time understand how gracious

you were to open your house to me. I was 22

and didn’t know how great connections were.

I thought I was the next James Dean.

Ignorance is bliss. If you knew then what you

know now, you wouldn’t have done it and taken

the chances. I’ve been married for 48 years in

June because Patsy was an adorable dancer —

lust at first sight and we fell in love. I took a

chance. You take a chance when you go into the

business and you have to believe in yourself. To

me, I was the greatest thing to come out of MB

and Brown, thinking I was hot s--t. I got a

Fulbright and went to New York the exact same

year Alda Alda’s there, Jon Voight, Dustin

Hoffman, William Devane, Sam Waterston and a

million others, but thousands did much better

than I ever did. We were all auditioning together.

I think you must have self-confidence, chutzpah,

you go, “By God, I’m gonna knock this town on

its ear.”

Editha Thomas

“The faculty made MB special to me. The joy of being in

a private school is that education is so important. Miss

Wilson was my third grade teacher and I can still remember

her, Miss Pixley, Miss Chapel, Mrs. Monahon, Mr. Paxton,

Mr. Whitford, Frank Fuller, Doc Odell. Here I am 75 years

old, still remembering these names — that means they

made a very positive impression on me.”

Jason and Will both got their dramatic start at MB with Gilbert and Sullivan.

Jason performed in Pirates of Penzance and Will in Iolanthe.

Will directed TV shows for Reba McEntire (top)

and Ray Romano (bottom), also shown with

Will’s wife Patsy.

In the late 1990s, Jason moved out to

L.A. and, via the MB connection, lived

in the Mackenzies’ guest house. While

there, Jason observed Will at work

including on the Everybody Loves

Raymond set.

Jason says: “The stuff I learned from

watching Will Mackenzie in the

rehearsal hall and on the Warner

Brothers set, they don’t teach in

school. It was incredible.”

In 1996, Will delivered the

commencement speech at MB.

Chloe Johnston ’95: On Performing & Teaching

PROFESSOR, PERFORMER, WRITER, DIRECTOR,

DEVISOR: there’s no simple job title for

Chloe Johnston ’95. Consider her latest

project, where she collaborated with artists

and musicians on a performance art instal-

lation adapted from an early 20th-century

collection of Zen stories. Chloe’s unusual

approach to theater began at Moses Brown.

“Like a lot of little girls, I wanted to be

an actress. I was in A Christmas Carol at

Trinity Rep for four years, at least! At MB, I

loved theater classes with Barry Marshall.

But playwriting class changed things for me

— suddenly we weren’t just interpreting a

story, but creating the story.”

Chloe chose the University of Chicago —

“it seemed like a place for weird people, so

it might be good for me” — and studied the-

ater with Curt Columbus, now Trinity Rep’s

artistic director. He encouraged her to finish

a play she’d started at MB, and helped her

to find other mentors. “Young artists can

take chances in Chicago: there’s a thriving

artistic community, and affordable spaces to

work and live. Some cities offer one or the

other — New York, Atlanta — but Chicago

has both. When I graduated, you could just

put on a show and the Chicago Tribune would

come. I started a company with my friends,

and suddenly we were in American Theatre

magazine. That was enough: we had a good

script, and people paid attention.”

Chloe joined The Neo-Futurists, writ-

ing and performing in their late-night cult

show, Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go

Blind. With her Ph.D. in performance studies

from Northwestern, Chloe began teaching,

as well; she’s now on the faculty at Lake

Forest College. “I’ve been lucky to bring my

creative work and my teaching together. My

university advancement is contingent on

my creative work: on a practical level, work-

ing on a show is part of my teaching. My

students work on my shows off-campus, so

I make connections for them.”

Her advice to her students: “Don’t think

too much. Make as much as you can. Find a

situation where you’re forced to create a lot

of material. You’ll be fearless — you won’t

have time to be afraid! This won’t just make

your career — it will make you happy. For

me, it goes back to those early days with

The Neo-Futurists, creating and performing

tons of work every week. We didn’t choose

between writing, performing and direct-

ing. We did it all. Now that I teach acting, I

sneak in a little devised work, encouraging

students to make their own text, not to see

themselves as ‘just’ actors. That mindset

started in Barry’s classes at MB.”

Remembering MB: “Aside from Barry, I

learned a lot from Tom Andrew. Jamie

German made a huge impression on me:

her honesty, her rigor, the way she lives

her life … such an inspiration. In Jamie’s

Seminar on Scientific Thought, we read

texts that were so beautiful, they’re still

with me now. And from Jason Gross, I

learned that part of being a good teacher is

simply listening to your students.”

Coming home: “A few years ago Barry put on

a festival of student playwriting, and I was

thrilled to be back at MB when one of my

plays was read.” Another full-circle moment

came in 2008, when Trinity Rep premiered

Paris By Night, a musical Chloe’s husband

André Pluess wrote with Curt Columbus.

“It was amazing to see actors I’d idolized

as a Christmas Carol kid, creating this lovely

show.”

Seen anything good lately? “I see a lot of

theater. I see my friends’ work and I take

my students to shows almost weekly. I’m

most interested in experimental work, but

the older I get, I find I just appreciate talent.

I’m still a dorky theater kid at heart.”

12

Per

form

ing

Art

s /

Per

form

ing

Alu

mn

i

See videos and learn more about Chloe Johnston’s work at chloejohnston.org/solo-work.

theatre

experimental

“Don’t think too much. Make

as much as you can. Find

a situation where you’re

forced to create a lot of

material. You’ll be fearless

— you won’t have time to be

afraid! This won’t just make

your career — it will make

you happy.”

Photo: joe mazza — brave lux inc.

13

Melissa Fontes Maxwell ’81: Making a Career

acting

director

MELISSA MAXWELL ’81 MADE AN IMPRESSION AT MB — with her ener-

getic voice, expressive personality, and beautiful, handmade outfits

(including her prom dress). A serious student and thoughtful voice on

the disciplinary committee, clearly Melissa was already developing

stage presence. A member of the Proscenium Club, Melissa remembers

taking field trips to Trinity Rep and being completely enthralled by the

experience. Born Yesterday and Waiting for Godot still come

to mind vividly for her. Melissa had been accepted into

three different schools in fashion design and was well on

her way to a career in fashion, until drama instructor

Mrs. Gunion and those trips to Trinity Rep altered the

course of her trajectory. She headed to Boston University

for her BFA in theatre arts performance.

Today a veteran of stage, screen, TV, print and radio, Melissa

has been busy since visiting MB in 2012 to deliver a TEDx talk on

“Taking Ownership,” including a second TEDx talk “On Courage” at

TEDxBarnardCollegeWomen. Melissa also directed several shows:

a children’s musical, Show Way, which received an Off Broadway

Theatre Alliance “Best Family Show” nomination; Intimate Apparel at

the University of Texas; and several productions at the famed Stella

Adler Studio in New York.

For the past eight years or so, Melissa has primarily worked as a

director though she still acts on occasion (last year, she shot an IBM

commercial and appeared on an episode of Hostages) and writes. Her

play Salt in a Wound was read at Queens Theatre in April as part of

their New American Voices series. She says directing lets her use

more of her skill set.

Melissa also is director of American Slavery Project’s Unheard Voices

(www.americanslaveryproject.org), which commissioned 18 contempo-

rary African-American writers to give voice to the 419 graves of the

anonymous men, women and children who lived in colonial New York

and are buried at Manhattan’s African Burial Ground. The short “auto-

biographical” pieces are about these people’s lives, based on the goods

and remains discovered in their graves. This living legacy theatrical

work is built to travel and has been performed at the New York

Historical Society, the Shabazz Center, CAP21, Ensemble Studio Theatre

and various educational institutions.

Today, Melissa enjoys doing work that tackles political and contem-

porary issues. “Now, with the Internet and social media, there are

soooo many ways to engage an audience,” Melissa says, “which is

exciting and empowering.” This is one reason that she decided to adapt

her one-act play, Fetus Envy, into a short film and post it to the Internet.

“Unhappy with what was going on politically, for me this was a form of

activism, a way to reach more folks than I would through theatre.

Though my goal was to inform and affect U.S. voters, it was thrilling to

have a woman from Poland reach out to me asking permission to use it

at an organization there (similar to Planned Parenthood) because it

spoke to issues they were experiencing, or to have someone from

Ireland email to tell me how much the film affected her. That being

said, nothing takes the place of live theatre. There is something about

that up-close and personal, in-your-face experience. Theatre is palpable

and visceral in a way that film or any other medium simply cannot be.”

Fetus Envy won an AAPEX Filmmaker Award, second prize at the

ARTLightenment Film Festival, and has been screened at colleges and

other venues across the U.S. and internationally.

Why? “I believe that theatre should not just entertain but educate. I am

always interested in works that have a statement to make, push the

envelope or test boundaries in some way, or challenge us to rethink

what we thought we knew to be true.”

What inspires you? “I am fascinated by what humans are capable of. I

was glued to the TV watching snowboarders in the Olympics, in awe of

their audacity, athleticism and skill. I also enjoyed a piece on a 19-year-

old who developed a plan to clean plastic waste from the ocean, blown

away by the level of intelligence and ingenuity it takes to tackle such a

problem, let alone solve it. A few years ago I saw Brief Encounter on

Broadway three times because the illusion they pulled off in that show

was simply breathtaking. I respect and appreciate talent in almost any

form and am inspired by those playing at the top of their game.”

Now: This spring, Melissa headed to Ithaca’s Kitchen Theatre to direct

the world premiere of Slashes of Light, a co-production with Civic

Ensemble. She is currently directing East Village Chronicles at Metropolitan

Playhouse in New York. Melissa also serves on the board of the League of

Professional Theatre Women, which aims to promote visibility and

increase opportunities for women in professional theatre.

And then: Melissa has appeared in The Thomas Crown Affair, Law & Order,

The Sopranos, All My Children, and countless TV commercials. Melissa

started as a voice-over artist at WGBH in Boston and played Eliza in the

radio drama Uncle Tom’s Cabin to James Earl Jones’ Tom. A few years ago,

she had the honor and privilege of directing the American premiere of

Taboos at the Soho Playhouse, written by Carl Djerassi, the scientist who

invented the birth control pill (now in his 80s, he has spent the last decade

or so writing plays based on the science that has been his life’s work).

Melissa shown (top) with cast on opening night for Intimate Apparel at the

University of Texas and (bottom) at Barnard College.

WARWICK “RICK” TURNER CAME TO MB

FROM NORTH SHORE MASSACHUSETTS,

with a banjo under one arm, a guitar under

the other and a fabulous collection of

records. He has fond memories of his days

boarding at Moses Brown: “Mr. Howe was

the shop teacher when I went to MB, and he

let me use the shop for some little projects.

I just loved that building, and the smell of

pine sawdust was like that in the boat yards

in my hometown of Marblehead.”

Since then, Rick has built a career build-

ing and repairing guitars for Fleetwood Mac,

the Grateful Dead, the Police, Jefferson

Airplane, the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Doobie

Brothers, Van Morrison, Ry Cooder, David

Crosby, Graham Nash, Joni Mitchell, the

Beach Boys, Ricki Lee Jones, the Allman

Brothers, and John Mayer. Rick restored

Buddy Holly’s original guitar and even

helped engineer the Grateful Dead’s legend-

ary “wall of sound.”

Rick says there were several musicians

in the Class of ’62: “Lorenzo Weisman was a

pretty good flamenco guitar player. More in

my scene was Joel Zoss who went on to

write ‘I Gave My Love a Candle’ and ‘Too

Long at the Fair’, made famous by Bonnie

Raitt. Joel and I were MB’s bohemian proto-

hippie musicians.”

At the time, MB offered chorus and

drama for arts. Rick appeared as Peter in

Diary of Anne Frank and as Stage Manager in

Our Town — although his dramatic career

conflicted at times with his role on the MB

track team.

14

Per

form

ing

Art

s /

Per

form

ing

Alu

mn

i

Why MB?

Despite living near some fine schools in

their own right, Rick’s family sent him to

MB: “Quaker education is really interesting

and the Quakers in general because they’re

conservative in the best meaning of the

word. They want to conserve that which is

good but they’re very liberal socially. So, the

conservative part: the formal jacket and tie

of the time, yes sir, mister, and all that. The

tradition of politeness and so on. At the

same time, anti-war and very open sexual

equality, racial equality, you name it. It’s

built into the Quaker tradition. My parents

thought the best spiritual and ethical guid-

ance, in addition to top-grade academics,

would be found at MB.”

After graduation, Rick headed to Boston

University, but was seduced by Boston’s

growing folk music scene. Rick now looks

on MB fondly as his real education: “Moses

Brown was fantastic. MB essentially

replaced college for me, and I moved into

my profession pretty much by what would

have been my sophomore year. Boston

University was not the right place for me,

though Boston was perfect! For me, Moses

Brown served as my college education.”

At college, Rick did meet other like-

minded people, including musician Lowell

“Banana” Levinger. Rick played around

Cambridge with Banana and the Bunch,

“Old Time Music with A-Peal” (two of whom

later were in the Youngbloods). “The coffee-

house scene in Boston was fantastic,” he

says. He began apprenticing with a down-

To His Own Beat: Rick Turner ’62Interviewed by Jason Weiss ’93

town guitar repair shop, learning the craft

that he’s still working at.

In 1965, Rick was tapped to play lead

guitar for Canadian folk singers Ian &

Sylvia. Rick toured all over the U.S. and

Canada with them, played guitar at the

Newport Folk Festival, Hollywood Bowl,

Lincoln Center in New York, Symphony Hall

in Boston, and Orchestra Hall in Chicago

(and “most of the hockey rinks in Canada”).

“I got to play on some phenomenal stages,”

Rick says. Eventually, he migrated to

Greenwich Village, New York and played

legendary folk clubs like Café au Go Go and

the Night Owl — and one memorable gig on

top of the Chelsea Hotel, which was shut

down by the police.

Rick then went on to play in a psyche-

delic rock band, AutoSalvage, who had the

luck of opening for Frank Zappa’s Mothers

of Invention on their first New York appear-

ance. An album Rick’s band made for RCA

got great reviews in Rolling Stone and other

publications, and was featured on Terri

Gross’ Fresh Air in 2011, leading to a reunion

at South by Southwest just last year.

Despite the freewheeling vibe of the

time and that place, Rick took his work

seriously, studying acoustics and the

science of sound. He continued repairing

guitars and rebuilding them out of broken,

discarded pieces. He built one guitar that

eventually went to Jerry Garcia; Jerry took it

on tour and played it on a couple of albums.

Rick even played bass on Don McLean’s first

album before American Pie.

Rick Turner says he was a

“proto-hippie” at MB in the

early ’60s: “We were of the

rebellious type but we also

realized we had a good thing

going at Moses Brown.”

music

15

Eventually, he fell into the Grateful Dead scene. “I was the missing

technical link to this vision of having a brain trust of electronic sonic

recording and gear designers,” he says. Rick was the Dead’s designated

guitar guy and the legendary company Alembic was formed.

Creative chance

Upon meeting the Dead crowd, Rick started working with electronics

expert Ron Wickersham — they began doing controlled sound experi-

ments together: “We have 3,000 turns of 38-gauge wire — what happens

if we go to 4,000? Keep the magnet structure the same. Change the

number of windings, change the gauge of the wire, learn what those

changes do, change the magnet structure, and keep the wire the same.

A lot of it is common knowledge now but in 1969/70, nobody knew this

stuff. We experimented.” In the industry, this revolutionary approach led

to new sound possibilities. Rick and Ron also designed and supervised

the building of the infamous Grateful Dead Wall of Sound. “I got to play

in some amazing sandboxes,” he says.

Been There, Mixed That

“A couple of years ago, one of my guys in the shop was playing a live

tape of a Grateful Dead gig and I’m thinking, ‘Man, that sounds familiar,

what concert was that from?’ ‘Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, 1971,’ he

said. No wonder it sounds familiar, I mixed that! It’s weird to hear all

this Grateful Dead stuff and to recognize your mix.”

Eventually Rick set up shop in Sonoma, building instruments for Greg

Lake, John Paul Jones, John Entwistle, Stanley Clarke, and John McVie —

“We were building for the gods of bass.” Rick met Fleetwood Mac while

they were recording Rumors and

started spending time with them in

studio — “Lindsey and I started

talking about what would be the

ideal guitar for him. He wanted

the roundness and warmth of a

Les Paul with the clarity of a

Strat.” Rick created three proto-

types and took them to Lindsey

while they were preparing for the

Tusk tour, “rehearsing on a sound

stage in Hollywood that had been

Esther Williams’ swimming pool,

filled in at that point, with ginor-

mous sound stages!” Rick took the

guitar to rehearsal and put it on

stage. Lindsey came in, picked up

the guitar and didn’t put it down for

three hours. Rick says, “Lindsey

yelled, ‘Leave the Les Paul and the

Strat and the Ovation at home — this is

all I need!’”

Rick later worked for Gibson Guitar

for a stint. “I was president of Gibson Labs for

an eye blink,” says Rick, but corporate life was

not for him. He also managed the repair department

at Westwood Music in L.A., then eventually ended up in

Santa Cruz, where he is now.

Master Teacher

Rick teaches a course, “Build a Mandolin or Ukulele in Four Days.” He’s

taught it everywhere from the West Coast to Australia and the Telluride

Bluegrass Festival — and this fall, he’ll take it to Amsterdam. Rick is also

helping to start a multi-disciplinary research and development committee

at Stanford, delving into acoustics, music, and electronics. He’ll be work-

ing with the university’s Center for Computer Research in Music and

Acoustics, the technical licensing and music departments, and possibly

the physics department.

MB memories: Rick was editor in chief of the 1962 Mosaic. Looking back,

he says what he most appreciates about his MB education was “small

classes with great teachers. For me, Moses Brown was preparation to go

out and live an independent life.” Rick was also president of the judicial

board, a UN delegate, and a member of Providence Junior Rotary. He ran

track and played for MB’s first soccer team.

See videos and learn more about Rick Turner’s work at rickturnerguitars.

com. On what it’s like to see musical virtuosos play the instruments he’s

built, Rick says, “It’s a mind-boggling experience. It’s incredible, a perfect

moment.”

“I got to play in some amazing sandboxes.”

16

Per

form

ing

Art

s /

Per

form

ing

Alu

mn

i

SASHA ALPERT WEARS TWO HATS IN HOLLYWOOD: documentary

filmmaker and reality TV casting director. Her documentaries and

specials have aired on PBS, CBS, MTV, TBS, HBO and Disney

Channel, and Forever Hollywood has played continuously at the

Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles for 14 years (and counting). Sasha

has cast 21 seasons of The Real World, seven seasons of Project

Runway, and all seasons of Best Ink, Starting Over, and The Simple

Life, as executive v.p. in charge of casting for Bunim/Murray and

BMP Films. Since 2006, she has simultaneously run BMP’s award-

winning documentary division.

Sasha’s love for film took hold on Thayer Street. She recalls, “I

used to go to the Avon all the time. I’d walk there. I’d see anything:

weird things, foreign stuff, documentaries. I loved the escapism,

the dark room.”

Sasha enrolled at MB as soon as coeducation began (1976), for

her junior and senior years. “I’d grown up within walking distance,

and I was at Classical when my mother heard about coeducation.

She said ‘Why don’t you do this?’ I didn’t realize I was being brave.

It was tough in a way I didn’t expect…but I never felt I had to

prove anything academically to the guys. Many of us girls were in

Beth Taylor’s feminist lit class, and she pushed us to develop our

own voice. She was an inspiration.”

After MB, Sasha studied film at Wesleyan. “Film theory, honing

our craft and taste and voice — production came later,” she says.

“During college, I got an internship with the State Department,

documenting overseas endeavors such as building wells in

Bangladesh. I used the cameras and the editing equipment, tried

things on for size… and they paid me! Then I spent nine years in

New York, doing various jobs in film. I started out getting coffee

for people, and worked my way up to cappuccino. I knocked on

every door. Finally I was producing documentaries for PBS.

Documentaries became my passion.”

Autism: the Musical (2007), Sasha’s first documentary film

Stories Should Be Told: Susan “Sasha” Alpert ’78 production for Bunim/Murray, won two primetime Emmys, includ-

ing Best Non-Fiction Special and numerous festival awards and

premiered on HBO. Her latest documentary, Valentine Road (2013),

was also broadcast on HBO after its Sundance Film Festival pre-

miere. “I’m drawn to stories about people whose stories might not

otherwise be told,” Sasha explains, “stories that might get lost

otherwise. Valentine Road is about an eighth grader who shot another

kid in the back of the head at point-blank range. The national

media wasn’t covering these stories a decade ago, but attitudes are

changing and we’ve come a long way. It’s hard for us to believe

how previous generations treated African-Americans, for instance.

One day, our kids won’t believe how gay people used to be treated.”

Reality TV might have been a temporary detour for Sasha.

She had moved to L.A. for her husband’s job, and when they had

children, wanted more stability, less travel. She was surprised by

how much she liked reality TV. Variety is built in: “You never know

what’s coming down the pike. You meet a lot of people you’d never

meet otherwise. Until I worked on Best Ink, I knew nothing about

tattoos. There’s some gorgeous body art out there!”

On casting reality TV: “For Project Runway, you have to be talented.

For The Real World, you need a compelling personality. Every show

is interview-driven, so we look for people who are charismatic,

authentic, articulate … and we want diversity. We used to liken our

shows to WWII genre movies: the rube from Arkansas, the awkward

intellectual, the tough guy from Brooklyn with a heart of gold…”

On watching it: “There’s a huge audience appetite for competition

shows, docu-soaps, so many forms. Everyone lives through heart-

break, romance, career drama. It’s fun to watch other real people go

through it, not actors. The Real World is in its 29th season! That show

broke a lot of barriers: it was the first time some people saw gay,

HIV+ or transgender characters … and not characters, real people.”

“I’m drawn to stories about people whose stories might not otherwise be told,”

Sasha explains, “stories that might get lost otherwise.”

tv

film

See the trailer for Sasha’s most recent documentary: http://valentineroaddocumentary.com/trailer

Photo courtesy of the Television Academy

You might not recognize Matthew Jacobs from the

MB stage or other performance venues — but

chances are, you’ve seen his work. Matthew is an

award-winning art director and production designer

who got his start at Trinity Rep and has had a var-

ied career in television and film since then. Matthew

is the visual creator behind shows such as Lost,

Heroes, General Hospital, Justified, Homeland,

Revolution, and Under the Dome, plus notable

movies and videos.

MATTHEW ATTENDED MB FOR UPPER SCHOOL,

after moving to Rhode Island with his family

from Ann Arbor, Michigan. He commuted from

Narragansett, played soccer and hockey, and

belonged to the Chess Club. After MB, Matthew

went on to the University of Rhode Island to

study theatre. After graduation, he began

working as an assistant to Eugene Lee, the

award-winning set designer for Saturday Night

Live and Trinity Repertory Theatre.

Building things came naturally to Matthew.

“My family had a construction business in

Chicago led by my Swedish great-grandfather

who worked until the age of 89. I grew up with

sawdust in my nostrils!” Spending formative

years in Ann Arbor, while his mother pursued

her doctorate, was another influence: “My

brother and I were raised in a very creative

environment, taking in plays like Waiting for

Godot, spending Friday nights at the Cinema

Guild, watching old black and white movies,

vintage films with Buster Keaton and

Humphrey Bogart.”

17

Behind the Scenes: Matthew C. Jacobs ’73 “I’m a visual storyteller. I interpret the story that’s been written. I put it into an

environment and build the sets that help tell and illustrate the story. I read the story

or script — what I call ‘the Book of Words’ — and then start designing from there.”

Matthew has served as production designer or art director for

> TV – Army Wives, Under the Dome, Revolution, Homeland, Teen Wolf, Lost, Justified,

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Heroes, General Hospital, The Scarlet Letter (PBS)

> Features – Trespass, Tekken, Dream a Little Dream, Aria, Hammett, The Guyver

> Emmy nominations - Lost, Heroes, Live from Baghdad, On Golden Pond, General Hospital

> Art Directors Guild Award for Live from Baghdad (HBO)

> Production designer on more than 20 music videos, including Tom Petty’s Alice in

Wonderland-inspired “Don’t Come Around Here No More”, which won an MTV and

Billboard Award

> Has designed more than 50 award-winning plays, ballets and operas.

> See more at mcjart.com.

art

design

Once in Rhode Island, Matthew’s mother

was a season ticket holder to the fledgling

Trinity Theatre. From age 12 on, Matthew saw

every play there — until college and even after.

This led to his introduction to Trinity set

designer Eugene Lee, whom he would later

work for.

Matthew says he wasn’t a great student at

MB: “I was more interested in girls and sports.

But I loved my English class with Mr. Leonard,

who was very smart and thoughtful. He taught

me how to conceptualize what I was reading

about and how to understand things at a very

concrete level.”

All of these factors were a powerful combi-

nation, and he decided to pursue a career in

set design. He began working for Eugene Lee

fresh out of college, which led to work for PBS

and films like Easy Money. He moved to L.A. in

the mid ’80s where he still lives with his wife

and daughters, and began designing videos for

the new MTV channel. He even got a Billboard

Award. “I said, ‘I can design anything. The

more unusual, the better.’” Matthew designed

plays, operas, musicals, even a TV soap opera

for ten years. He’s also designed for ballet — in

fact, 20 at venues around the world.

Most recently, Matthew has enjoyed work-

ing on the Lifetime show Army Wives and the

feature film Purge 2 Anarchy. “In the last half of

my career, process has become more important

to me than the final result — not that I’m not

concerned with the result, but it’s really impor-

tant to me to be happy about who I’m working

for and with, to have good communication and

enjoy the process.”

MB memories: “I’m a big fan of Moses Brown.

It was a great place for me where my individu-

ality was uncovered and encouraged. I felt free

to be creative at MB. It was not a restrictive

environment in any way. Moses Brown let me

be curious.”

Heroes

18

Cen

ter

St

age:

Yo

un

g A

lum

ni

Spo

tli

ght

SAM DALY NEVER THOUGHT HE WOULD BECOME AN ACTOR. He

went to Middlebury planning to major in economics — until he

took macroeconomics that first semester and realized it was not

the major for him. However, the film class he took was … and

when Sam found that he could get credit for watching his favorite

movies and writing about them, he was hooked. He majored in

film, moved to California after graduation, and never looked back.

Sam has been getting a wide range of roles recently, from Justice

League and Red Tails to The Office and Hot in Cleveland. He enjoys

playing all kinds of roles. Recently, he’s been working on a new

show called Murder In the First where he plays a Mormon pilot. Last

fall, he depicted a “crazed, creepy” drug addict in a movie titled

Redwood Highway. Each role brings a new challenge and forces him

to tap into different emotions that help him grow as an actor and

person: “It’s a constant learning experience because you’re always

evolving as a character in every story. I enjoy the challenge. As for

whether I prefer movies or TV... as an actor, I just prefer working!”

Tim grew up around actors — his parents are Tim Daly and

Amy van Nostrand, though he does not count that as an influence

(“I thought my parents were nuts for being actors”). In his young

career, he’s weathered the writers’ strike, worked with George

Lucas, and been booked on The Office, but says, “The coolest part of

my career has definitely been being the voice of Superman in the

new Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox animated movie! Once

you’re in the Superman family, you never fall out.”

See Sam: You can catch Sam on the upcoming TNT show Murder

In The First and on Hot In Cleveland (shown with co-stars above) on

TV Land, plus the upcoming films After Darkness (starring Kyra

Sedgwick) and Submerged. The Daly Show is Sam’s recurring, and

very funny, web series with his dad, found on YouTube.

MB memories: Sam sang and beatboxed in the a capella group

Voices and is one of the few MB students to score 1,000 points in

basketball. Sam also was a member of the 2000 (New England) and

2001 (R.I.). championship football teams. A possible sign of his

future career track, he was part of the stage crew in freshman

year for the play Get Smart.

Sam Daly ’02Superman

THE MOMENT STILL FEELS CLEAR TO NATE

SILVER. He donned a wig and dress, climbed

onto a table in Gifford, and performed the

balcony scene as Juliet with his eighth-grade

scene partner. “I’m not saying it was then and

there that I decided I’d make a career for

myself in theater, but it certainly was the first

time I considered it,” he reflects. Two years

later, Nate played Giorgio in Barry Marshall’s

Museum. After that, theater facilities played

an integral part in Nate’s college search. He

headed to Vassar planning to double-major in

drama and political science, take the LSAT in

senior year, go to law school, and become an

attorney by age 25. But “along the way the poli-

sci major fizzled to a passionless minor (ulti-

mately just a handful of classes I took freshman

year), I took no LSATS, applied to no law

schools, graduated with a B.A. in drama, and

moved to Chicago with no real life plan,” Nate

says. “And somehow it’s worked out just fine.”

In his junior year of college, Nate was

approached to start the high school theater

program for the National Student Leadership

Conference. The perfect blend of his love

of theater and interest in leadership (he was

in the MB Student Senate, after all), working

for the NSLC eventually became a year-

round job in Chicago and New York. The

flexible schedule lets Nate pursue theatrical

opportunities and explore his interest in

directing and theater management. He is

now managing director of Jackalope Theatre,

an exciting young company in Chicago.

The future is bright for the company, as

Time Out Chicago named Jackalope the best

up-and-coming theater of 2013.

Nate Silver ’06Chicago-bound

Chi-Town: “Chicago theatre is porous and

welcoming. Full of artists who work desk jobs

by day and rehearse by night, people here

make theater out of a desire to tell stories and

a love for the collaborative form. Sure, there

are commercial powerhouses in town, theater

companies with budgets rivaling anything in

New York, but even at those companies, any-

body — even the artistic director — will answer

your email or call and be happy to meet with

you. They all want to welcome you to Chicago

because you, like them, made the conscious —

not obvious — choice to be here.”

19

BILLY DOMINEAU WAS ALWAYS

INTERESTED IN COMEDY GROWING

UP, favoring comedians with off-

beat sensibilities — think Monty

Python, Conan O’Brien or The

Simpsons. In his freshman year,

Billy joined MB’s improv troupe. A

turning point came in sophomore

year when Seth Weitberg ’99, at the

time with Chicago’s iO Improv

Theater, visited MB to lead a workshop. Billy says, “That introduc-

tion essentially laid out the path that’s taken me where I am

today.” He became a mainstay of the MB theater department and

also excelled in debate, earning the MVP award one year.

After MB, Billy attended the University of Chicago, drawn to

the school’s academic structure and Chicago’s comedy scene.

Realizing that he wanted to focus more on comedy, he transferred

to Tisch/NYU to study television writing. Eventually he joined

forces with other NYU alumni, including Spencer Novich ’06, to

create Gentlemen Party, the improv/sketch group he now performs

with at The People’s Improv Theater in NYC. Billy says, “Spencer

and I speak the same comedic language!”

Perhaps the top moment of Billy’s young career came when he

got a joke on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update. As a freelance

contributor, he is one of about 100 comedians submitting jokes

every week.

BEN HUGHES WAS A NOTED MUSICIAN AT MB. Aided by perfect pitch,

he pursued his love for music with energy and shared his talents widely.

When the MB wind ensemble needed a tuba player, he even learned the

instrument in order to strengthen the program.

After MB, Ben attended Colby. Since college, he has shared his

passion for music with others, teaching music at the Boys & Girls Club

in Pawtucket and at the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island.

Two of Ben’s teenage students even started their own business teaching

music to underprivileged youth. They now have taken on his former job

and are running the B&G Club’s music program.

Ben plays a variety of instruments and venues and, while in Providence,

played sousaphone and trumpet in Providence’s Extraordinary Rendition

Band; with them, he traveled across the country performing in music

festivals. He composed and arranged songs that the ERB still plays in

their current repertoire — and says it’s inspiring to know that people

are playing music he’s created.

Now, you can find Ben in New York, composing, playing music,

busking in the Village, and teaching in afterschool music programs: “I

love the big city and hope to meet people here who can help me spread

my music to a global audience.”

Listen in: Hear Ben’s music at Facebook.com/benhughesmusic.

Billy also is a freelance contributor for the Onion News Network

and performs with the NYC-based children’s theatre group Story

Pirates. “Since you can end up playing to an audience of 500 kids in

an old gym with awful acoustics,” he says, “it demands a high level

of precision to convey story and character in a way that will translate

at the back of the room. It’s fun to play big and goofy. Meeting the

kids and seeing how appreciative they are is extremely gratifying.”

Navigating the professional comedy scene can be daunting, but

Billy is hoping to showcase his unique sensibility and plans to

move to L.A. to go after TV jobs. First, he needs an agent!

Advice for young performers: “Find a medium that you are terrible

at yet enjoy immensely, enough to willingly do it terribly in front

of your peers and the public. That’s probably the medium for you.

If you have the presence of mind and critical skills to recognize

how bad you are, you’re probably actually pretty good.”

Comic tweets: Sample Billy’s humor at @midschooldance, @plausi-

blegeico and @existentialbuzzfeed. Billy says, “Twitter is a lot of

fun because I can test an idea and get instantaneous feedback.”

MB memories: Billy says math teacher Bruce Shaw showed him the

comic value of underplay — “I really look forward to the day when

he learns that an asteroid is seconds away from destroying the

Earth so he can blink, nod his head, and say ‘Okay.’”

Photo: © Sasha Arutyunova

Billy Domineau ’07Story pirate

Ben Hughes ’03Mobile musician

20

Cen

ter

St

age:

Yo

un

g A

lum

ni

Spo

tli

ght

Gabriel Long ’04Passing season

AFTER GETTING HIS FILM DEGREE FROM

CORNELL, Gabe moved to New York and

began working jobs in and out of film,

from carpenter and bartender to equipment

technician and location scout. He secured a

filmmaking fellowship through an organiza-

tion called Cinereach.

Kim Kalunian ’07Radio days

ALTHOUGH WELL-KNOWN AS AN MB THEATRE KID, with roles on

the Alumni Hall stage in Oliver, The Crucible, and South Pacific, Kim

Kalunian can now be found working in media, an interest sparked

by her MB senior project. “I knew I could have spent my senior

project focusing on theater, but wanted to push myself out of my

comfort zone and learn something new,” Kim says. Her senior

internship at the Warwick Beacon eventually led to a full-time

position at the newspaper.

Kim got her start in theatre on the Trinity Rep stage with her

first professional performance in Nine Armenians at age 9. She also

served as dance captain for the Radio Disney Dancers. Kim has

performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, interviewed

celebrities like Liza Minnelli, and hosted the Boobstock breast

cancer fundraiser. She’s also performed on stage at Carnegie Hall

and Theatre-by-the-Sea. Kim joined the Actors’ Equity Association

in 2012.

Now an anchor and reporter at News Talk 630 WPRO, Kim

blends skills she mastered on stage — diction, inflection, storytell-

ing — with what she learned at the Beacon: accuracy, consistency,

efficacy. “It’s a thrill every time I get behind the microphone,” Kim

says, “an adrenaline rush not dissimilar from those I got years ago

at MB!”

Working at WPRO has been a learning experience: “Each day,

the news is fast and furious, which keeps things exciting and

challenging.” She says meeting radio greats at WPRO, 92PROFM

and LiteRock105 has been a humbling, educational bonus.

Working in journalism has given Kim the opportunity to inter-

view legends and heroes like Tony Bennett, Ina Garten, and

Arianna Huffington. She’s also participated in fundraising events

like Gloria Gemma Flames of

Hope and the Imagine Walk for

the Autism Project. In her free

time, Kim teaches dance and

choreographs youth theatre. She

says. “It’s rewarding to be able

to share in the experience of a

child’s first play, first routine or

starring role. I see glimmers of

myself in every theater kid.”

“Being a performer comes

with all sorts of challenges,”

Kim comments, “from dealing

with rejection to the physical

exhaustion of getting up at 5

a.m. for a dance call. But we do

it because it’s so rewarding.” A

few years ago, Kim was performing in Honk at the Wheelock

Theatre in Boston. The show was a musical retelling of “The Ugly

Duckling.” Afterwards, the cast lined up in the lobby to sign auto-

graphs. “So many children came up to us with awe in their eyes,”

Kim recalls. “For some of those kids, I knew that was the begin-

ning of a lifelong love of the arts. Knowing that theater can inspire

is one of the greatest rewards of performing.”

Kim hopes to continue to blend her love of the arts with her

passion for news: “Five years ago, I never would have thought I’d

have such a rewarding career in broadcast journalism. Now, I can’t

imagine it any other way.”

The Rhody media landscape: “Being a part of the local media land-

scape is like being a part of a large, outspoken family. Everyone in

Rhode Island media knows each other; in addition to the healthy

competition, there’s a deep camaraderie and respect.”

Gabe Long ’04 directing a music video for

Danielle Brooks (Taystee on Orange is the New

Black) and the band Oh Honey, who recently

had their song “Be Okay” performed on Glee.

Also pictured is Uzo Aduba (Crazy Eyes on

Orange).

Photo: Brad Smith Photography

21

Last year, Gabe began getting hired to

direct commercials and branded content.

He still does editing to supplement but says

getting hired as a director made the dream

feel much more real. Today, he has directed

narrative and documentary short films,

commercials, music videos and news pieces.

His shorts have screened at NewFest, Inside

Out Film Fest and on PBS, and his commer-

cial work includes spots for Sony, ESET and

Cate McNabb.

Gabe’s interest in film grew out of his

interests in photography and storytelling.

At MB, Gabe took classes with Kris Street,

took photos for The Quaker, and took photo-

graphs in Cuba as part of his senior project.

Gabe says he became interested in creative

storytelling through English classes with

Lenke Wood, Abby Phyfe, and Ransom

Griffin: “I figured the way to bring together

narrative storytelling and photography

was film.”

Gabe’s films include Adán, which was

an official selection at the San Diego Latino,

Sin Fronteras and Tulipanes film festivals.

Gabe really enjoys the collaborative

aspect of directing, where he gets to literally

blend photography and storytelling:

“Fundamentally, I like stories (whether

documentary or fictional) that have a strong

narrative, a simple story that’s at the heart

of the drama and keeps the audience

engaged.”

MB memories: As an MB student, Gabe Long

was well known for his hockey prowess.

Gabe’s team even won the state champion-

ship in his senior year, a memorable MB

highlight. After graduation, Gabe took a year

off to play junior hockey in Canada and

Boston. He also was a thoughtful leader in

the diversity student group RISE.

Summer season: Gabe’s newest film will be

filmed in Rhode Island this summer. The

Passing Season centers on Sam, whose pro-

fessional hockey career has come to an end.

He returns to his Rhode Island hometown

and reconnects with old friends, but finds

recapturing youth is more complicated than

he imagined. Gabe says returning to Rhode

Island lets him film his first feature in a fea-

sible, affordable place and gives the script

an emotional connection — “Rhode Island is

a place I know well and feel very connected

to, so that gives the script a lot of its heart.”

www.passingseasonfilm.com.

SPENCER NOVICH IS AN ACTOR AND CLOWN. While a student at

NYU’s Tisch School, he performed at the New York Downtown

Clown where he received the Audience Award for Best Clown

Character. After NYU, he relocated to Las Vegas for a lead role in

Cirque du Soleil’s Kà. He later appeared in the Cirque film World’s

Away, worked with his comedy troupe Gentlemen Party (with Billy

Domineau ’07), and appeared in Cirque du Soleil special events

and a Parisian TV show.

Spencer has performed original work all around the world and

has a passion for improv and sketch comedy. He is now appear-

ing in his biggest project yet: Spiegelworld’s production of “Vegas

Nocturne” inside Rose. Rabbit. Lie. at Las Vegas’ Cosmopolitan.

Rose. Rabbit. Lie. is an evolutionary venue that blends entertain-

ment, restaurant, night club, and full-length show within a single

evening: “Everyone who arrives has an individual

experience — while they sip drinks at the bar they

might see me perform a ribbon dance in hopes of

wooing a beautiful woman, or they could witness

(and engage in) a huge ping-pong ball war during the

10pm show.”

Spencer appreciates the people he’s had a

chance to work with in his career so far: “Every project

I have worked on has had its own unique set of

challenges that have pushed me and forced me to

grow — whether executing acrobatic choreography

100 feet above the ground or creating three shows’

worth of performance material in six weeks.” He

hopes to keep challenging and pushing himself to

grow in multiple mediums. If a project feels too

comfortable, chances are it’s not the right step.

MB memories: Spencer’s first role at MB was in seventh

grade — Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls. He launched

his off-campus career with a Class of ’48 Award to participate in

Circus Smirkus — his first foray into the circus world.

Special Skills: Extreme limbo, mime, eccentric dance, juggling (balls,

clubs, knives, torches).

Off stage: Outside of work, Spencer tends to relax with his pup and

recently picked up a squash racquet again (though “it brings back

the awful memories of getting cut from the MB team”).

Advice for young MB performers: “Create your own work. Write your

own plays, choreograph your own dances, film your own movies,

compose your own music. One of my favorite quotes is, ‘If you don’t

build your dream, someone else will hire you to build theirs.’”

Spencer Novich ’06Stage presence

Connect! The MB Alumni Association is looking to engage young alumni and share opportunities for networking in

performing arts and other fields. If you wish to learn more, please contact Karin Morse at kmorse@mosesbrown.org.

22

MB hosted two great events in Beantown this year, a winter Happy Hour and MB Connects in April with Alex Benik ’94. Thanks to Brian Panoff ’94 for moderating.

The Washington Art Club was the venue for an MB Connects event with Marie Ewens Brown ’95. The Weinshel sisters (with Maggie Moran ’08) had the

largest family presence. A Happy Hour event was also held at Edgar Bar & Kitchen.

Homecoming & Expo

Many alumni returned for this fall’s events during Expo, including our alumni soccer players. Save the date

for fall Homecoming – October 17-18.

Alumni gathered for five MB Connects around the country this year.

Mark your calendar for MB Expo Homecoming Weekend! October 17-18

Alumni Connections Coast to Coast The Alumni Association and Moses Brown have partnered to provide many opportunities for alumni to engage with each other and the school, locally and from coast to coast. If you would like to host an event or serve on the Alumni Association Board, please contact Karin Morse ’79 at kmorse@mosesbrown.org or 401-831-7350 x191.

Moses Brown Alumni Association

Boston

D.C.

Providence

N.Y.C.

23

Karin Morse ’79 and Zach Florin ’94 travelled to San Francisco and visited

local alumni in the Bay Area.

MB Connected with Richard Fain ’65 in Palm Beach (hosted by Don Dwares ’55) and at a Vero Beach reception hosted by Dick Chadwell ’51.

MB Connects with Hugh Hysell ’83 in January

Hockey

MB’s annual alumni hockey match was held in December. Thanks to Anthony

Lambrese ’84 and Coach Larry Tremblay for their years of service to MB hockey!

Florida

San Francisco

Providence

Turkey Tailgate on Moran Field in November. Hosted and cooked by Sue and Vinnie ’83 and Sonny ’11 Porcaro.

Family Skating Party at the Downtown Rink

Developer Evan Granoff ’77 hosted the Prov Happy Hour at the revitalized Arcade.

Alumni Lacrosse Game

Newport Quaker Classic Golf Tournament in October

24

Reunion 2014

Moses Brown Alumni Association

1944

Classes celebrating their 5th-70th Reunions came together in May to spend time in the shadow of the elms, see old friends, recount memories, and reconnect to MB.

1959

1974

1979

1984

“Seeing all the old boys again was a treat. I would have loved to add on another day. Enjoyed visiting with old friends. I had a wonderful time!” —Bob Chamberlain ‘64

For more Reunion photos, visit www.mosesbrown.org.

25

Recent posts on MB’s new blog – www.mosesbrownblog.wordpress.com

An eye-opening quest to India, by Debbie Phipps, head of upper

school • An MB scholarship story: Rufus Jones • Bonjour, Quebec!,

by Jerrett Wilson, world languages • Create, explore, improve:

inspiring senior projects • Crowd-sourced haiku • Help break India’s

cycle of poverty and child labor • Ice Side: Michael Farber ’69 •

Inspiring Service: Jake Bliss ’93, by Kayla Imperatore ’12 • MB

Student Senate’s 26 Random Acts of Kindness Project • Mindfulness

and reading: a natural fit for Maureen Nagle • Mindfulness, yoga

at MB help get your attention back where it belongs • Science

electrifies Carol Entin and her students • Take it from Pete Seeger

This diploma for Alice M. Howland, Class of 1893, hangs outside of Hugh Madden’s admissions office. It’s faded, but

the Howland name is clear; it’s a prominent name in Rhode Island history. Ms. Howland was certainly a notable early

female graduate of MB. Her graduation dress was highlighted in an exhibit at the University of Rhode Island earlier

this year, in its Historic Textile and Costume Collection. The exhibit was titled The Other White Dress: Non-Wedding

Dresses of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. Among the historic objects selected for gallery display was the

white dress worn by Alice Howland to her 1893 commencement ceremony at Moses Brown. Alice was born in 1874

and died in 1968. She graduated from Vassar College in 1896 and then returned to Hope, Rhode Island where her

family was based. There, she became the Hope Village librarian.

Alice was a generous supporter of URI’s textiles program and land conservation in Rhode Island and even helped

secure a new home for the Hope Public Library. She also founded Hope Associates, Inc. in 1950, a community stewardship program for the portion of

the Pawtuxet River which flows through the village. While we don’t have a photo of Alice, we share here a photo of a female graduate from that time

period. It was traditional for MB female graduates to wear white for Commencement — and, as shown on page 43-44, they still do today.

1942Hap Poole writes, “Only eight

years before our 80th!”

1944 Reunion 2014

Zenas Bliss writes, “I’m very

busy with travel, boating and

running a cattle ranch at my

summer home.” Zene’s ranch

is in Wakefield.

1945Elizabeth and Wen Phillips live

in New Hampshire. He has a

house under construction at

Loon Mountain South Peak

Resort in Lincoln. They have

three married children. Jim

lives in Norfolk, Massachusetts

with a daughter at Marymount

Manhattan College. Margaret is

in Holliston and has a daugh-

ter at Becker and a son in high

school. Eleanor lives in Arling-

ton, Washington and has a

daughter who graduated from

Seattle Pacific College and a

son in food service.

John Townsend writes, “I am

now 86 and in good health.

Unfortunately, my wife is ill

with diabetes. I have now been

retired for a couple of years

from the Harvard Divinity

School, where I taught Jewish

studies for 15 years after my

retirement from the Episcopal

Divinity School in Cambridge,

where I am professor emeritus.

I still write and have just fin-

ished a couple of articles this

past year. One will appear in

the Oxford Dictionary of Bible

and Ethics. Also I hear that my

friends are preparing a

Festschrift in my honor.”

Eliot Roberts shared a thought-

ful response with MB, reflect-

ing that “educating ethical

leaders is a lifelong challenge.”

Eliot studied soil chemistry at

Rutgers, receiving his Ph.D. in

1955. He married Beverly in

1951 and now their family

totals 47. He’s taught at five

state universities, specializing

in golf turf. They live in Ten-

nessee, the Volunteer State.

Eliot’s family tree has many

Quakers. Ancestors John and

Sarah came to the U.S. from

England in 1677 and settled on

farmland purchased from Wil-

liam Penn in 1682. Eliot and

Bev are the tenth generation of

this family in America. Now

retired, he continues lifelong

learning through “The Great

Courses” series.

Class Notes

Members of the Class of

1944 enjoyed themselves

at Reunion this May.

Wen Phillips ’45 and his wife

Elizabeth are retired, living in New

London, N.H. where he continues

to work from his architectural

home office, designing homes.

They have three children and five

grandchildren.

Eliot Roberts’ 45 shared a photo of the field marker where his ancestors

John and Sarah Roberts settled, plus a comprehensive manuscript on

learning and leadership. Eliot’s roots run deep at MB. His mother Ruth is a

graduate and his cousin Clarkson Collins ’1872 wrote “In the Shadow of the

Elms.” Dr. Roberts credits a love of writing to Mr. Paxton and appreciates his

family’s Quaker heritage. “MB’s mission is of major importance,” he says.

1945

1945

26

enjoyed time in Hawaii and

L.A. While the Staples seem to

travel all the time, they are

still very connected to their

“retirement” community in

Chicago, involved with First

Unitarian and the Chicago

Cultural Center.

1949 Reunion 2014

Blake Cady was a professional

surgeon at Harvard and Brown

medical schools and had a

satisfying career as a surgical

oncologist. After retiring from

Harvard Medical School, he

worked for ten years at

Women & Infants and Rhode

Island hospitals, 1997-2007.

At 82, Blake is still active in

teaching and publishing in

his field.

William Greenough continues

to work full-time in the

medicine division of geriatric

medicine at Johns Hopkins

University and is also professor

of international health at the

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg

School of Public Health. He

also is a safety monitor for

Phase III of the clostridium

difficile vaccine trial and a

founding trustee of the Child

Health Foundation.

Barrie Shore writes, “Having

completed my studying and

work, I occasionally reminisce

about my MB experiences.

Among my more poignant

memories are one of William

Paxton, a tyrant of English

grammar and head of the

English department. For him,

grammar was a religion, rather

than a subject. However,

we did learn English grammar

extremely well and, for the

most part, never forgot it.”

1950Tom Campbell volunteers at

the Littleton Regional Health-

care with his wife Pat. They

sing in two choirs, belong to a

clergy study group and ski at

Cannon Mountain in the win-

ter. Tom earned a doctor of

ministry in 1995. They have

The Class of ‘49 enjoys

Reunion. Thanks to Bob Kellar

(above, second from left), an

energetic Reunion volunteer!

Harris “Hershey” Rosen retired 15 years ago from

the candy manufacturing business and lives in

Providence. He recently published a book, Creating

A Guide So Your Loved Ones Can Go On Living!

(available at Books on the Square).

1947Joan and Chuck Staples

celebrated their 50th wedding

anniversary last year. They

also travelled to Panama and

Colombia, exploring the

Panama Canal, beautiful

Cartagena during fiesta time,

Panama City, a visit to the

Embera tribe, El Valle, the cal-

dera of a volcano and Gamboa.

They cruised the Panama

Canal on a 24-passenger

catamaran. In January, they

Moved by MB: Dean Woodman ’46 “’For the Honor of Truth’ and ‘The Pursuit of Excellence’

moved me while I was at MB but also throughout the rest of

my life. Also, Moses Brown ‘moved’ me to Amherst College,

where the experience there reinforced the aims set for me

by MB. I am forever grateful.”

Dean Woodman shared these thoughts as part of our

new Moved by MB effort (www.movedbymb.org). Dean

studied economics at Amherst, and after serving in the Naval

Air Corps, had a distinguished career in investment banking.

While he brokered many significant deals in his career, he

didn’t have to look far for perhaps his most important one.

He was an early backer and investor in Woodman Labs and

its signature product, the GoPro video camera, invented by

his son Nick Woodman.

Dean also showed his appreciation for MB at an eventful

October weekend; see page 8 for more. Dean’s generous do-

nation will help support the new Community & Performance

Center for future performing alumni at MB. Accompanying

Dean for the October announcement was his wife Jane and

son Curtis, also an MB graduate (1978) and the fifth genera-

tion of the family to attend the school. Thank you, Dean!

Wondering, like Martin Cassidy ‘51,

about other MB alumni in your area?

Download the new MB app to find out!

1950

1949

27

1951Class Correspondent

J. Parker “Scotty” Scott

38 Fountain Avenue

Barrington, RI 02806

401-245-2428

jpscott7779@gmail.com

Martin Cassidy writes, “I am re-

tired, but active, with teaching,

research and volunteer activi-

ties. Are there are any other

alumni in the Houston area? If

so, an alumni event may be in

order.” [Editor’s note: there are

44 alumni in Texas, 11 in the

Houston area! Austin follows

close behind with ten alumni

in the area. Download the MB

App to see who lives in your

area.]

Charles Christie had dinner

with Fred Goodrich during his

visit to Cape Cod last summer.

Charles and his wife Eleanor

have been in Chatham for 15

years and enjoy it greatly.

Robert West was one of three

P.G.s in ’51 and says it was an

adjustment moving from the

freedom of public school and

Martha’s Vineyard to the strict

behavior expected at MB! He

graduated from Brown. After a

two-year Army stint, he began

a banking career which lasted

through the late ’70s. He then

became an independent

contractor on Cape Cod.

During that period, he also

was a single parent to several

children. Robert and his sec-

ond wife moved to Florida a

dozen years ago, where he

plays golf and manages a

league. They have six children

between them, all doing well.

1954 Reunion 2014

Margaret and Richard Burton

celebrated 53 years of mar-

riage in April; they have two

sons and four grandchildren.

He still works full-time at the

University of Rochester Medi-

cal Center, where he has been

on the faculty since 1974 in

many capacities including

chair of orthopedics and the

senior associate dean for aca-

demic affairs. Dick is currently

writing a book on leadership.

1955Class Correspondent

Jack Houriet

2525 Turner Rd.

Willow Grove, PA 19090-1625

215-657-3786

jwhour@jwhour.cnc.net

Andrew Tothy continues to

enjoy advising corporations

and their shareholders. He

also travels. Andy is bringing

his son and family (including

his two grandsons) to Hun-

gary to show them where he

was born and raised.

Class Notes

1953

two children and eight grand-

children. “We spend more time

than we like going to visit

doctors, but it is keeping us

healthy,” Tom says. “Two

weeks ago I called on 14

patients; 12 were younger than

me and two were in their 90s.

I think I’m getting older.”

Harris “Hershey” Rosen is now

retired and lives on the East

Side. He and his wife have five

children and ten grandchildren.

Hershey recently published a

book; see previous page.

Robert West ’51 is shown with his

grandson at his 80th birthday last year.

Expert Thinking: Fifth grade teacher Lance Evans

participated in his first Teachers As Scholars professional

development seminar in January, attending “The Amazing

Brain” at Harvard with Dr. John Dowling ’53, author of

Creating Mind, How the Brain Works. “Dr. Dowling was a

fantastic instructor,” says Lance. “He was clearly an expert and had a wealth of

information to share. He was easygoing, approachable and presented information

in a way that was accessible to all. The program was fascinating. I was grateful to

spend time with other teachers learning something new, from an absolute pro. The

experience piqued my interest in brain development and how it can impact teaching.

I also enjoyed getting some great MB stories from John! Thanks to MB for giving me

the opportunity to attend.”

Fred Blakeman ‘52 (front row, third from right) belongs to a men’s barbershop group, The Bull Run Troubadours, in Virginia.

The last time he sang in an organized group was with the Naval Aviation Cadet Choir while in flight training in 1955.

1952

1951

Harvard Public Affairs & Communications

1956Class Correspondent

Norman Baker

1164 Riverwind Circle

Vero Beach, FL 32967

772-569-9606

normandjr19@gmail.com

1958Ed Pease has lived in Tucson,

Arizona for 49 years. He’s

married, with two daughters

and six grandchildren. Ed has

been retired for almost ten

years now from a career in IT

systems management. He now

volunteers at the Arizona-

Sonora Desert Museum doing

animal care work with approx-

imately 75 animals used for

interpretations on the mu-

seum grounds and in outreach

programs. Ed writes, “It’s

rewarding. I love to hike and

read and don’t miss the snow

and cold. Absolutely love the

desert and mountains here, it’s

a very special place.”

1959 Reunion 2014

Victor Field was appointed by

Governor Deval Patrick to the

Ludlow Housing Authority in

January. Keystone Commons,

an assisted living facility in

Ludlow which Victor founded,

is in its sixth year of healthy

occupancy.

Larry Kilham completed Saving

Juno, the third novel in his Juno

trilogy (available on Amazon).

Larry’s synopsis is that the

NSA’s major computer center

is being taken over by an inter-

national plot to control the

world. Juno, the AI supercom-

puter guiding the free world

is endangered, and Dr. Tom

Renwick, Juno’s developer, are

kidnapped. Civilization as we

know it is threatened!

Stephen Dashef writes, “At

MB, Basil Meserve and Scott

Corbett facilitated my self-ex-

pression and the evolution of

my confidence as a critical

thinker, a reader and writer.”

In the last 35 years, family and

psychiatric work have been

central for Stephen and writing

poetry has also been a creative

avocation. Since retirement,

Steve and wife Carolyn enjoy

taking college courses, travel-

ing, family, their Vermont

vacation home, and supporting

the Amherst College women’s

basketball team. He also is

helping kindergarten/first

grade students develop their

reading, writing, and listening.

He is grateful for the loving

support of friends and family

who helped as he recovered

from two recent strokes.

In response to an invitation

to join their 55th Reunion

Committee, Joel Davidsen

vounteered Steve Thornton.

Steve writes, “Apparently Joel

ratted me out that I am in the

witness protection program.

He is, however, correct in stat-

ing that I am related to many

Quakers in my genealogical

28

Russ Carpenter ’59 endows teaching program at Moses Brown Russell Carpenter ’59 has made a generous $3.6 million gift

to MB. A new endowed program, the Russell H. Carpenter

’59 Program in Teaching Excellence, will advance teaching

and learning in innovative ways at Moses Brown. The gift

constitutes the single largest contribution to the school’s

endowment in its 230-year history. Members of the faculty

were the first to hear about Russ’ historic commitment at a

special meeting in March.

Russ is an attorney in Washington, D.C. He was counsel to

the International Law Institute and to the Russian American

Institute for Law and Economics; has been actively engaged in

pro bono international human rights work; and serves on the

board of directors of the human rights organization Global

Rights. He speaks Russian and is fluent in French.

“The most important part of MB has always been and

will always be its teaching,” Russ commented, citing French

teacher Ted Whitford as the faculty member who had the

most impact on him in the upper school. He only had King

Odell for a year, for eighth grade geography, but says Doc

taught it so well, “that it’s the hardcore learning I most

carried with me for the rest of my life.” Russ has traveled

extensively in his career — 49 states, 65 countries — so that

geographic knowledge came in very handy.

Will Mackenzie ’56 shares for this issue on page 10. Will and Patsy

stay busy hosting performance dinners for charity-related causes.

They travel frequently and visit Maine every summer. Will enjoyed

a visit with Matt Glendinning this spring.

Ed Pease ’58 lives in Arizona

and volunteers at the Arizona-

Sonora Desert Museum. Ed

says, “It’s quite a change from

working with computers and

codes.”

Nat White was voted Citizen of the Year in Flagstaff, Arizona in December. Nat, an astronomer,

not only keeps his eyes on the stars, but also his community. Nat was instrumental in getting the

downtown Flagstaff Public Library built.

1958

1956

1959

past including one who was

headmaster of a Quaker

school in North Smithfield that

predated MB and who worked

with Moses Brown in planning

MB. Also, my early relatives

sold land in Providence to

Moses which became part of

the campus.” Amazing roots!

We are grateful for Steve’s

work to rally the troops to

attend their 55th.

1961Melanie and Rick Presbrey live

on the Cape; they have four

children and six grandchildren.

He has been CEO for a non-

profit affordable housing

agency for 40 years: “I love the

work and have no intention of

retiring. I still love cars, as I did

in the MB days and have a

small collection of vintage

sports cars.” Rick has been

racing for 20 years, along with

two of his three sons.

Anita and Bill Greenberg

(parents of David Greenberg

’92 and Tanya Greenberg

Weinstock ’94) have four

grandchildren. They will be

attending the 50th reunion this

month of his hockey team’s

trip to the Frozen Four Tourna-

ment in Denver in 1964. Bill re-

cently backstopped Minnesota

to a second place finish in the

USA Senior Games Champion-

ship. He applied for his third

U.S. patent in March. For his

70th birthday, Bill reactivated

his flying license and is

progressing to re-qualify his

instrument and multi-engine

ratings. Bill is president of

Mercury Products, a fashion

jewelry company tracing its

roots back to 1910.

1962David Gass writes, “I work for

the Highlands Coalition which

is empowering a low-income

neighborhood in Lynn, Massa-

chusetts. In a city park, we are

replacing gangs with gardens.

View our page, www.facebook.

com/CookStreetParkCommuni-

tyGarden. Since my by-pass

surgery, I am 98% vegan.”

29

Class Notes

Bill Greenberg ’61 (goalie) recently competed in the USA Senior Games.

Luthier Rick Turner ’62 shares more on his post-MB path on page 14. In the

’80s, Rick stepped back from music and spent time doing everything from

construction to furniture to cabinetwork. He was even foreman on a remodel

of a San Francisco hotel owned by Peter Dwares (the Emperor Norton Inn).

Joan and Arnie Gass ’59 visited India in February, with a two-day trip through Kerala. Arnie

was especially taken by its physical beauty. They are pictured in front of the Taj Mahal.

Dr. Clifford Brown ’60 and

colleagues recently published

a book, Solomon Northup: The

Complete Story of the Author

of Twelve Years A Slave. This

biography recounts Northup’s

life, recently made into the Oscar

Award-winning film. Cliff is a

professor at Union College and also

a descendent of Roger Williams; he

is president of the Roger Williams

Family Association.

Stephen Loeber writes, “I was married August 26,

2013 in Santa Fe, New Mexico after 37-1/2 years

of a committed relationship which was validated

by the New Mexico Supreme Court Ruling,

December 19, 2013.” Congratulations to Steve

and his husband John!

1959

1959

1962

1960

1961

1959

‘59 alumni enjoyed

a visit with Ruth

Whitford at Reunion.

1965Richard Armstrong lives in

Hawaii. He writes, “I also have

a nice house in northern Luzon

in the Philippines. I travel

often to Southeast Asia, China,

Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan,

and Thailand.”

After decades of wandering the

globe for Uncle Sam, the Asso-

ciated Press and Bloomberg

News, Ab Katzman settled in

Greenwich, Connecticut with

his Dutch wife Marlou, doing

forestry and conservation work

for the local Audubon Society.

Ab shares, “My son David is

studying law at Cornell, daugh-

ter Becky graduated McGill in

May and is working for a cos-

metics marketing website in

Manhattan and 13-year-old

Jonathan is one wild and crazy

guy, barely kept in check by

his mother. We’re considering

sending him to summer camp

in North Korea.”

Peter Rapelye and his wife

Janet are still in Princeton,

New Jersey and spend frequent

time in Duxbury, Massachu-

setts. She is still at the helm of

Princeton admissions. Their

daughters are doing well.

“After 40 years in education,”

Peter reflects, “I am thankful to

have chosen a career with so

many dimensions, memorable

moments, and enduring rela-

tionships. The learning process

never stops.”

Peter Franchot has many fond

memories of MB: “My favorite

teachers were Ms. Jensen, Mrs.

Woodbury and, of course, Mrs.

Wilson. My least favorite

course was ‘shop’... just could

never get those little bookends

to look right. I sometimes won-

der where all my classmates

from those days ended up.”

Peter went to Amherst, spent

two years in the Army, at-

tended Northeastern Law,

worked in Washington for the

Union of Concerned Scientists,

was staff director for then-

Congressman Ed Markey, and

was elected to the Maryland

House of Delegates. Eight years

ago, he ran successfully for

comptroller of Maryland. “I

love the job,” he says, “and will

be running for my third term

this fall. Any visitors to Annap-

olis or the Washington area,

feel free to look me up or call

me at (301) 332-1961.”

Peter has been married to

Anne for 34 years. They have a

second home on Cape Cod and

two children, Abbe and Nick. “I

love my friends from politics,

but family is everything,” says

Peter. “I still remember like it

was yesterday, my first day in

kindergarten which was not a

happy day for me, when Mrs.

Woodbury came over and sat

down next to me and read The

Carrot Seed which cheered me

up. I bought a copy of it the

other day for old times’ sake.

Still a great read!”

1966

Bill Wheeler lives in Colorado

and has fond memories of his

three years as a boarder at MB:

“MB helped me develop com-

munication skills which have

served me well throughout my

life. I have great respect for the

education I received there.” Bill

has been married to Anne for

35 years; they have three chil-

dren. Bill has spent most of his

career developing sales and

marketing organizations for

medical device companies.

Nine years ago, he became an

entrepreneur in the medical de-

vice space. They sold that com-

pany in 2013 and relocated to

Colorado to continue their ac-

tive lifestyle. Anne and Bill live

in Berthoud and run an eques-

trian operation at their ranch.

He would love to reconnect

with classmates; contact him at

bill@raptorridgeinc.com.

Curtis Mays lives in Ketchum,

Idaho where he writes and

practices holistic healing. He

writes, “I ski most every day in

the winter. I hike and play golf

in the summer. I live with my

son, Kirby, 28, right next to

Bald Mt. at Sun Valley. I am

very liberal, politically. All

alumni, staff/former staff and

friends of MB are invited to

look me up; I will give you a

tour of our beautiful valley of

recreation.” Contact Curtis at

cmays22@hotmail.com or on

Facebook as ‘Curt Cod Mays’.

30

World Stage: the 2014 Olympics Michael Farber ’69 wrote to MB from his tenth Winter

Games (18th overall). Michael is leaving Sports Illustrated

after Sochi although he will stay on as a special contrib-

utor. What made these Games special is they were the

first for his daughter as a journalist. Gabrielle Tétrault-

Farber is a reporter with the Moscow Times, the English

daily newspaper in Russia. Michael covered the men’s

hockey tournament in Sochi, his principal Olympic as-

signment since joining SI in 1994. “Starting with The

Miracle on Ice in Lake Placid 1980, I have had the best

seat in the house for some of the sporting moments that

have gripped the globe,” he says. “I have had the most

privileged professional life of anyone I know. I have

travelled the world, seen where-were-you-when?

moments and had many laughs in the course of four-

plus decades of sportswriting.” Michael will still write

and do features and short documentaries. He is a weekly

regular on TSN (“the ESPN of Canada”) and a consultant

with NBC Sports. He is shifting some of his energy to

enjoy a new granddaughter, Myriam, and celebrate that

his cancer has been in remission for almost three years.

Follow Michael on twitter @michaelfarber3.

Kenneth Copans ’64 enjoyed Reunion in May. Ken has been a practicing CPA for the last

44 years. He continues to work as a CPA/financial planner focusing on eldercare, estate

planning and individual taxes. He also represents 10-plus NFL coaches.

1964

Peter Franchot ’65 is comptroller

of the state of Maryland and

also served 20 years in the Mary-

land General Assembly. He has

fond memories of his MB days.

1965

1964

Class of ‘64 at Reunion.

Ron Weaver practices internal

medicine in Inglewood and

West Los Angeles, California.

He writes, “I devote 100% of my

practice to EECP which is a

Medicare-approved non-inva-

sive treatment for cardiovascu-

lar disease. I recently went to

Macau and Vietnam and will be

traveling to Japan to ski. My

brother John Weaver ’62, also a

doctor, works with me.”

1967Alan Reider is a senior partner

in the Washington office of

Arnold & Porter LLP, specializ-

ing in health care law. He says,

“Last year, I celebrated my

40th wedding anniversary and

both of my children are hap-

pily married. I have been very

fortunate.”

Alan Devalerio is retired and

living in Frederick, Maryland.

Alan says, “I enjoy hiking and

am still playing basketball. I’m

writing a book on the history of

White House entertainment.”

1969 Reunion 2014

Thatcher Harvey has started a

new job as engineering man-

ager at DGSI - Durham Geo

Slope Indicator. “I’m glad to be

back in the design realm,” he

says. “We’re planning a two-

phase trip to Europe this sum-

mer — a choral concert tour

and a motorcycling in the Alps

and Dolomites.” Alan lives in

Lake Forest Park, Washington

with his wife Yawei and can be

reached at thatchh@yahoo.com.

1970Steven Buckler’s children,

Jeffrey and Rebecca, graduated

from MB in 2001 and 2005. His

big news is that he and Wendy

became first-time grandpar-

ents to Sammy. They live in

Narragansett and Highland

Beach, Florida. Steve is presi-

dent of ACS Industries, Inc., a

Rhode Island-based manufac-

turer of auto components with

plants in Mexico and China.

1971Peter Gross rows regularly at

the Narragansett Boat Club

and competed in the Veterans

Single in the 49th Head of the

Charles Regatta. He says, “I

still have fun rowing!” Peter

was recently elected president

of the Hope Club.

31

Class Notes

Michael Tross reports from Canada, “I have great memories of Doc Odell who coached me in

track which was my interest at the time. As I was a scholarship student from the U.K., I was

one of the weekend and evening phone receptionists. That was a perk of the award as it was

felt that we would be able to handle the phone duties and homework. I recollect that my call-

ers received a semblance of first-class service, but my teachers received indubitably second-

class assignments. I was the youngest boarder at the time (age 12) and reveled in the freedom

to walk to Thayer Street and beyond which was so different from my rigidly-bounded English

boarding school. I’m afraid I went through my ‘allowance’ in short order as I bought far too

many green grapes and pizza, virtually unknown treats at that time in England. MB had

wonderful teachers and the atmosphere all round was outstanding. I’m pleased to see that

it is continuing to offer children a fantastic learning experience in an amazing setting.”

Thanks to Rob Wilson ‘67 for bringing Veterans Education

Project to speak with English classes this past year. The

vets he brought shared powerful stories about serving in

Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, and their experiences upon

return. English teacher Abby Hertzmark Phyfe arranged the

visit to complement students’ study of The Odyssey. The

occasion was dedicated in honor of Capt. Larry “Roo”

Yacubian ‘93 who passed away in October.

“The Play’s the Thing …”Phyllis Gunion, Head of Drama, 1967-1985 Phyllis Gunion was the drama and public speaking teacher

at MB (and Lincoln) for many years. Mrs. Gunion had a

profound influence on many MB students and even helped

MB stage its first musical — Mame. Always ready with a

funny story or anecdote, Phyllis lent sparkle and flair to

any situation.

Mrs. Gunion saw the larger purpose to her work.

“Those who participate in Drama Club productions have

those growth-producing experiences that occur when a

small group of people, over a long period of time, work very

closely on a project whose success is dependent upon each

participant’s best efforts,” she said once.

Longtime language faculty and current school Archivist

King “Doc” Odell says, “Phyllis had a sense of warmth that

was remarkable. She never wanted to join the cast on stage

for the applause, but rather preferred to stay just behind the

curtain.”

Ahvi Spindell ’72 was one student greatly influenced

by Mrs. Gunion. He reflected in a recent Reunion survey:

“Phyllis Gunion taught me how to stand still and breathe on

stage. It applies to every moment of life. Listen and focus.”

Phyllis had her own career in NYC before teaching. At

one time an actress and model there, Phyllis also made film

shorts for 20th Century Fox Studios, appeared in summer

stock in New Hampshire, and performed in productions on

and off Broadway. In the 1950s, she appeared on the local TV

program, Let’s Play Charades. Mrs. Guinion was active in

Rhode Island community theatre.

In 1987, the Alumni Hall stage was dedicated to Phyllis

Gunion. Her special spark and talent ignited the dreams of

hundreds of MB students. It is fitting that the stage where

she shared her creativity and love still bears her name.

Peter Rapelye ’65 is pictured with

students from Princeton Junior School

where he was headmaster from 2005-

2012 before retiring from a 40-year

career in independent schools.

1965

1970

1967

1973Neurologist and epilepsy

specialist Andrew Wilner has

written a book, Bullets and

Brains: “Our brains are crucial

to everything we do, but most

people have very little under-

standing of how they work and

what we can do to keep them

safe. I wanted to write a book

that would demystify the

brain, using real life examples

— from the tragic brain injury

of former Congresswoman

Gabrielle Giffords to Shaquille

O’Neal’s snoring problems —

to help people make sense

of it all.” Andrew is medical

director of Lingkod Timog, a

medical mission group that

travels annually to the Philip-

pines. Follow him @drwilner.

1974 Reunion 2014

Jacques Bauer writes, “The Alps

are still standing, one last haven

of peace.” Jacques lives in Lyon,

France and can be reached at

bauer.jacques@free.fr.

1979 Reunion 2014

Amy Roebuck Jones writes, “All

is well in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Ally is 15 and in ninth grade.

She runs for the Great Bridge

High cross country and track

teams, carrying on the running

tradition just like her mom.

Andy is retired from the U.S.

Navy and now works as a

civilian for the same group. ”

32

Matthew Jacobs ’73 shares more of his post-MB

path on page 17. Raising two daughters in L.A.

with his wife Jerrilyn, Matthew has kept busy

working. Matt says he sent his daughters to the

best private school in L.A. (Marlborough) as he

went to the best private school in Rhode Island.

“MB was a great environment for me,” he says,

“as well as for my brother. Private school educa-

tion is worth that money!” One of his newest

projects is art-directing the new Maya Rudolph

show for NBC. After much travel over the last sev-

eral years for work, Matthew is enjoying being

home and enjoying all on offer in L.A. “I love

California and being part of this amazing city.” He

enjoys returning to Narragansett each summer.

Susan “Sasha” Alpert (profiled

on page 16) says she shares

her love of cinema with her

husband, a film critic, and their

kids who enjoy everything from

classics like Buster Keaton and

Star Wars to The Godfather

and Girls.

Sue Minter ’79 delivered MB’s Commencement address in early June.

She also returned to campus in May for Reunion. Sue is Deputy

Secretary of Transportation in Vermont and was head of the state’s

response to the devastation wrought there two years ago, following

Tropical Storm Irene. Sue served in the Vermont state legislature for

six years and has worked as a professional planner for two decades.

She was one of the first girls to attend MB in its return to coeducation

in the late 1970s. Sue got her start in public service at Moses Brown —

she was the first girl elected President of the MB Student Senate.

‘79 classmates Sue Minter and Roger

Goodman returned to speak at Reunion

weekend and snap this fun photo. Both

work in government. Roger is finishing

his fourth term in the Washington State

House of Representatives. He is chair of

the House Public Safety Committee with

jurisdiction over the criminal justice

system. His district represents the Seattle

suburbs of Kirkland and Redmond.

Cliff Faintych ’79 and Deb Graziano

completed a trek in Solukhumbu,

Nepal this past November. They are

pictured at Mt. Everest Base Camp in

Nepal at 17,598 feet.

Congrats! Legacy graduates 2014

Congrats to many of our ’70s-80s alumni celebrating children graduating from MB this

spring: James Brown ’76 | Steven Calabresi ’76 | Carl DeLuca ’78 | John Rooks ’78 | Cynthia

Hyatt Shorris ’78 | Neal Steingold ’78 | Jim Stallman ’79 | Paul Ardente ’81 | John Scungio

’81 | Wesley Keigwin ’82 | Joseph Voccola ’82 | John Cariati ’83 | Ted Fischer ’83 | Vince

Giordano ’83 and Lisa Rocchio ’84 | J. Clark Donatelli ’84

Congratulations to neurologist

Andrew Wilner ’73 on his new

book. He says he wanted to write

a book that would demystify the

brain, using real-life examples.

1979

1979

1979

1973

1978

1981

1973

See what Melissa Maxwell ‘81

is up to now — page 13.

33

1986Elizabeth Worrell Carroll hosted

an MB alumni event at her

home in Newton in November.

Elizabeth shares, “It was a very

nice, intimate gathering. My

17-year-old is in the process of

applying to colleges, always a

daunting process. Our 16-year-

old, a junior at Dana Hall, just

played squash against MB. Our

other two kids are plugging

along in middle school. I have

a bit more time on my hands

now so I am taking advantage

of that and doing some travel-

ing — biking in Santa Barbara

with girlfriends and traveling

to Cuba. Jamie ’85 and Hope

’87 are both doing well. Jamie’s

son William is a freshman at

MB and loves it!”

This past summer, Marnie

Patterson Cochran traveled

with her husband and kids to

Barcelona and Stockholm. Last

fall, she had a terrific dinner in

Boston’s North End with

Heather Parker Beliveau, Randi

Bean Diemand, Elizabeth Wor-

rell Carroll, Tracy Abedon Filosa

and spouses – “Lots of fun!”

Marnie also enjoyed seeing

several old friends at Eliza-

beth’s MB fund-raiser in New-

ton, including Hope Worrell

’87, Larry Specht, Missy Crouch-

ley Hem ’85, and Min Ahn ’85.

Kimberly Sousa Panton’s boys,

9 and 10, became ill last year

with an autoimmune disease

called pediatric autoimmune

neuropsychiatric syndrome

(PANS). “We traveled the

country seeking treatment,”

she says. After finding out how

widespread the disease is and

how few doctors know how to

treat it, Kim founded the NE

PANS/PANDAS Parents Associ-

ation (www.nepandasparents.

com). Their recent conference

in Providence drew more than

480 people from 30 states, the

U.S. and Canada, and more

than 100 doctors. Kim is now

working with national experts

and the head of the NIMH’s

pediatric division to increase

access to care for families

needing help. Kim still runs

her toy store, Rock Paper

Scissors, in Duxbury.

In February, Brian Nichols ’83 toured MB with

daughters Alexandra and Sophia, mother

Mildred and wife Geri.

Kimberly Sousa Panton has become a

health advocate after her sons became

ill with the autoimmune disease PANS.

Kim (front row, left) founded the NE

PANS/PANDAS Parents Association.

They coordinated a conference in

Providence which drew more than 480!

Hugh Hysell ’83, Tony Award winner and Theatre Producer, NYCInterviewed by Emily Pinkos ’13

I sat down with alum Hugh Hysell to chat about his past and

present business ventures in the world of New York theatre.

Hugh — who used to have his own key to Alumni Hall — boasts

a network he has been steadily crafting throughout his entire

career, as well as being a Tony Award-winning producer.

So, talk to me about HHC (Hugh Hysell Communications). I was

vice president of a company called the Walton Group, until

three years later, when I bought it out. All our clients decided

to stay on and work with me, and thus, HHC was born. Over

the course of HHC Marketing, I marketed more than 200

Broadway and Off-Broadway shows.

What happened next? Well, in 2004 I became friendly with an

Israeli couple who had created a site in their spare time called

Broadway Box, where people could share discount codes for

show tickets. That year it was launched as a commercial ve-

hicle, and then became a sought-after e-mail blast system. A

little over a year ago it was sold to Broadway.com.

Where are you now? Clearly, judging by the location of your

office, still firmly planted in theatre in some way. I’ve been

at NYU as a director of marketing and development at NYU

Skirball. I still run a portion of HHC Marketing called The Men

Event, which is an event company for the LGBT community in

New York. And I’m currently performing on Broadway in two

shows right now, My Big Gay Italian Wedding and My Big Gay

Italian Funeral. [Congratulations to Hugh on his new position

at GrouponLive! See below for more.]

Do you love it? I love it. I love marketing. Every day is entirely dif-

ferent; it demands the creative spirit, as well as follow-through,

charm, and anal-retentiveness, which seems to be my area.

Are you happy? You love your life? Hell yeah. I love my life.

Emily Pinkos is a theatre student at Drew University in Madi-

son, New Jersey.

Thanks, Hugh, for sharing your time with Emily and MB! Hugh

is the Tony Award winning producer of Vanya and Sonia and

Masha and Spike (winner, Best Play, 2013) and Peter and the

Starcatcher (2012). Hugh also connected with other alumni in Janu-

ary, at an MB Connects event at the Snapple Theater Center in New

York. Hugh spoke about his work in theater and the influence of

MB. Hugh was previously director of development and marketing at

NYU Skirball. Hugh also has opened an Off-Broadway performance

center at 601 Eighth Avenue and was recently hired to lead National

Broadway and Live Arts for GrouponLive.

Young alumni, or alumni of any age: if you wish to

interview another MB graduate for Cupola, please

let us know! Email alumni@mosesbrown.org.

Congrats to comic Tom Cotter ’82

— recently inducted into the Rhode

Island Comedy Hall of Fame!

Phot

o: F

ran

k O

’Don

nel

l

Former Development Director Tom Rouillard and his wife

Joan, parents of Kent who attended lower school with

Ted Fischer ’83, met at a Friday night hockey game at

Meehan Auditorium. Kent and his wife Rachel teach at

Charles River School in Massachusetts.

1982

1983

1983

1986

Elizabeth Marks Lizotte sent

her son to college in Vermont

in the fall; he is studying

sustainability and mountain

recreation. She writes, “I be-

came a licensed mental health

care provider and work as an

emergency room clinician at

Butler Hospital. I am trying to

survive the empty nest which

became easier when I met up

with Janelle Grand-Anson again

recently.”

Steve Toulmin lives in Lyme,

New Hampshire with his wife

Heather and children. He suc-

cessfully ran for school board

in the only contested election

in town. Steve is on the special

education staff at the Ray

School in Hanover.

Bob Donahue is glad to get

back in touch with MB and

connects to the performing

arts theme of this issue. Bob

worked at the Iron Horse

Music Hall in Northampton,

Massachusetts way back at the

beginning of his career. Bob

was a sound engineer for the

Iron Horse and Pearl Street

Night Club then: “I basically

cut my teeth there,” he says.

Bob then worked for a couple

of sound companies including

Audio Pro Media. From there

he started touring nationally,

working for various artists and

record labels. He eventually

ended his touring career as

FOH engineer and production

manager for Bill Morissey.

After coming off the road, Bob

started working for a loud-

speaker company called

Technomad; he has been with

them for the past 18 years and

is currently the company’s

operations supervisor.

1988Don Jones, vice president and

learning officer for Natixis

Global Asset Management in

Boston enjoyed meeting Mary

Lynn “ML” Banchoff ’86 re-

cently. They learned they both

were English Speaking Union

Scholars after MB, as well —

Don at Hustpierpoint College

in West Sussex, England and

ML down the road at the Ro-

dean School in Brighton. They

enjoyed catching up on all

things MB, Rhode Island, and

England!

34

1987Allison Baird writes in response

to the alumni/ae soccer game

invitation last October, “After

playing lacrosse throughout

college, I reacquainted myself

with soccer post-college and

have played in a few corporate

leagues. Lately, I’ve been en-

joying a weekly family soccer

pick-up game I organized with

some folks in my town. My el-

dest daughter loves the game

and plays on two teams.”

Rachel Littman left full-time

work last March to spend more

time with family and volun-

teer. She is a member of MB’s

Trustees Committee and

comes to MB almost every

month to participate in meet-

ings. She writes, “Our 11-year-

old, Adam, has been dancing

with the School of American

Ballet for a few years and just

finished his second Nutcracker

with the NYC Ballet Company.

I stay in touch with Marc Lon-

don; our daughters have been

friends since pre-K. My 9-year-

old Amanda is happily at the

new Avenues School down in

Chelsea and doing gymnastics.

We recently moved to a

brownstone closer to Central

Park and subway, a great

quality of life change.”

Beth Vadala Zerilli ’88 ran the Boston Marathon in honor of Martin Richard, the boy who died in last year’s bombing and the son of

friends. Beth ran for TEAM MR8, raising funds for the Martin W. Richard Foundation.

Don Jones ’88, v.p. for Boston’s

Natixis, was pleasantly surprised to

learn his facilitator from the Effective

Edge was ML Banchoff ’86.

Rachel Littman ’87 is busy with family and volunteering. Her son Adam dances with

the School of American Ballet and has appeared in Nutcracker at Lincoln Center.

They live in New York.

MB has a new student group this year — Equal Voice — and students want to hear from

you. Upper school girls formed the club out of a desire to explore issues of women in

leadership at MB and the larger community. Alumnae: do your part. Please send a note or

update, suggest a female classmate, or say yes if asked to share your story. MB strives for

gender balance in its alumni publication — we need your help to accomplish that!

1988

1987

1988

Mark Lasser has been named,

by the U.S. State Department

appointment in Macedonia, as

the Senior Justice Advisor for

the Bureau of International

Narcotics and Law Enforce-

ment Affairs. Mark has been

based at the U.S. Embassy in

Skopje since December.

Beth Vadala Zerilli ran the

recent Boston Marathon in

honor of Martin Richard, the

little boy who died in last

year’s bombing. Beth ran for

TEAM MR8, which raised funds

for the Martin W. Richard

Foundation. Bill and Denise

Richard (Martin’s parents)

were college friends of Beth

and her husband, Sal. “Since

then, we were looking for a

way to help an impossible

situation,” she says. Having

previously run Boston in 1998

and 2000, Beth applied and

was selected as runner #1 for

Team MR8. By marathon day,

35

Class Notes

they had raised just over

$1,000,000. Anyone interested

in donating to Martin’s foun-

dation can do so at http://

www.firstgiving.com/fund-

raiser/BethZerilli/team-mr8-

boston-marathon-2014.

“Money raised will go directly

to peace initiatives, which

promote the things Martin

loved: school, athletics, and

community,” says Beth.

1991After four years working as a

creative director for Burt’s Bees

Baby, Isabella Califano Ehrlich

resigned last summer to focus

on her boys. Her husband Tim

(a Belmont Hill alum) is a law

partner in Boston. Isabella’s

sister Sophia Califano Spaete

’98 is now in Durham, North

Carolina with her husband

Josh. She’s a fellow at UNC

Chapel Hill, getting her

master’s in public health.

1992Class Correspondent

Kelley Ciampi Wigren

8 Juniper Rd.

Wellesley, MA 02482

781-235-4512

kelleywigren11@yahoo.com

Congratulations to local busi-

ness owner Davide Dukcevich

‘92, one of four Rhode Islanders

invited to this year’s State of

the Union address in January.

Shown in October at the Quaker Classic at Newport Country Club: Doug

Morrison ’87, Scott Miller ’88, Tim Ehrlich (husband of Isabella Califano

Ehrlich ’91) and Rich Horan.

Isabella Califano Ehrlich ’91 with husband Tim, and boys, Julian

and August, in Little Compton last summer. They live in Concord,

Massachusetts.

Gaia Liotta ‘09 launched a Kickstarter campaign to pro-

duce a film about her late father Peter Liotta ’74. “MB

was a highlight in our lives,” says Gaia. For the last two

years, Gaia has produced/ directed a film called Nel

Mezzo Cammin, which deals with loss and how to deal

with it through the narrative lens of Dante Alighieri.

She launched a Kickstarter campaign for finishing funds.

“Ransom Griffin would revel in that my obsessions with

Dante continued,” says Gaia. “In fact, the artwork fea-

tured in the Kickstarter promo was from my senior art

show, which dealt with Dante-inspired work. I credit my

passion for film, literature and the arts to my MB educa-

tion. Like my father, MB taught me to look deeper than

the surface and discover further connection and insights

into our world.”

Welcome back to MB, Adam Olenn! See page 4.

19911989

1991

Class of ‘89 at Reunion.

1993Jon Rappoport writes, “Danielle,

Ryan, 4, and I were thrilled to

welcome three new babies into

the Rappoport family in

October: twin sisters Reese and

Mila, as well as rapid fig LLC

(www.rapidfig.com), Daddy’s

new strategic and creative

facilitation and idea genera-

tion consultancy. Happy to

report that all six of us are

doing well, though “ReeMee”

are winning the cuteness com-

petition by a long stretch! Best

to all my MB schoolmates,

teachers, etc. from Chicago!”

In January, Connecticut

approved four state licenses

to grow medical marijuana.

Ethan Ruby’s company

Theraplant was one — scoring

highest in the evaluation

process. The company will

convert a former Watertown

industrial building into a large-

scale marijuana-cultivation

operation. Ethan has been

wheelchair-bound in constant

pain following a spinal cord

injury 14 years ago. More and

more patients are getting

certified for medical marijuana

use and the numbers are

expected to climb. Ethan says,

“I think we can show that this

industry, done responsibly,

can help a lot of people. I

would love to bring the relief

I have found in this palliative

medicine to others.” Ethan’s

company will focus on strains

that treat the 11 debilitating

medical conditions approved

by Connecticut.

1994 Reunion 2014

Semia George Dunne’s florist

business Flowers by Semia,

Inc. had its work featured in

the fall 2013 issue of Martha

Stewart Weddings magazine.

Congratulations, Semia!

36

Thanks to Jason Weiss ’93, guest editor

and interviewer for this Cupola. (Jason

is shown with Rick Turner ’62.) Jason

joined MB drama in his junior year

after a sports injury. “I started with

Pirates of Penzance,” he says, “but I

was horrible. I got better though.”

Jason lives in West Hollywood,

California and hopes to see future MB

gatherings with other performing arts

alumni. “Let’s get together and talk!”

he says.

Alex Benik ’94 was the

guest speaker at MB

Connects in Boston in

April.

Debut: Dan McKinnon ‘94 Congratulations to Dan McKinnon ’94 on his new film,

Missing William, released this spring. “MB holds a special

place in my heart,” says Dan, who was an MB “lifer,”

attending from N-12. Dan wrote the screenplay three

years ago and through a lot of hard work and effort —

including securing funding, producers, directors, and

locations. His dream became a reality this spring when

Missing William appeared on big screen nationwide.

Missing William was filmed in Portsmouth, Newport,

Roger Williams Park, Federal Hill, and Edgewood and is

a romantic drama starring Brandon Routh (Superman).

The film highlights love that lives through loss, following

Abby, a 30-something artist living in Rhode Island. The

film is touching, poignant, and concludes with a realiza-

tion that’s as profound as it is beautiful.

William’s opening weekend was a huge success. The

movie sold out the Cable Car. Dan is co-owner of Aloris

Entertainment and has several projects in works. See the

film trailer at http://www.alorisentertainment.com

Performing alumni: In 2012, Adam Machado ’94 won a Grammy for

Best Album Notes for the 136-page book he wrote to accompany

Hear Me Howling! Blues, Ballads & Beyond: The Arhoolie 50th

Anniversary Box Set. Adam works for Arhoolie Records, in El

Cerrito, California. This small record company has captured more

than 50 years of traditional American roots music.

1994

1993

1994

In the business? If you are work-

ing in performing arts in any way,

anywhere, we want to know. Share

information for a future MB event/

gathering or networking. Email

alumni@mosesbrown.org

1994

Class of ‘94 at Reunion.

37

Class Notes

Elisa Magendantz Barton

reports from the United King-

dom, “My husband Sam and I

had our third child, Stella, in

September. I’ve recently left

my job running the corporate

events team at the Wallace

Collection in London, to

concentrate on Stella and her

siblings Robbie and Nina.”

1995Andy King ’95 returned to

Providence this winter to read

at Books on the Square in Way-

land Square. Andy and his wife

Jackie now own an artisan

bakery (A&J King Artisan Bak-

ers) in Salem, Mass. Their new

cookbook is Baking by Hand.

Andy says the Square was his

stomping grounds as an MB

student, when he and his friends

ate at Newport Creamery.

1999 Reunion 2014

Class Correspondent

Kirstin McCarthy Boehm

3613 13th Street, NW, Unit2

Washington, DC 20010

401-447-5770

kirstincboehm@gmail.com

Sylvia Scharf and her wife Jane

recently bought a two-family

house in Wakefield, Massachu-

setts with Sylvia’s parents. MB

theater students will know

Paul from set design and con-

struction. They are chronicling

the work on the house at old-

newbarn.wordpress.com.

Chihiro Yokouchi publishes

English-Japanese musical

children’s books and is per-

forming, too, reading plays

with a dancer and live painter.

She hopes to return to the U.S.

to perform someday.

Congratulations to Andy

King ‘95 on his new book!

See what Chloe Johnston’s

up to on page 12.

Looking back, moving forward: Thanks to former faculty member Roxie Bratton (shown catching up with former

colleagues), Stephanie Ogidan-Preston ’97, and Len and Judy Cabral for hosting a panel on diversity at MB this past

winter, with Karim Sow. Several former alumni of color and parents returned in February for an evening dinner discus-

sion. What stood out amid the range of experiences described that evening was the significance of human interaction

in shaping a student’s time in our community. Insights gained from this evening will be distilled into a set of lessons to

catalyze new initiatives at MB. If you weren’t able to attend but wish to offer thoughts or join future events like this,

please contact Erik at ewilker@mosesbrown.org. Is there a particular memory that still resonates with you, something

that speaks to your experience at MB? What helped you most in your time at MB; what might have helped you more?

Are there other organizations that you are connected to or aware of that are doing things that MB could learn from?

Are there ways that you would like to stay connected and active with the MB community?

Ashley Earle Weiderman ‘01 and

Cabot Earle ‘97 both had children

within a day of one another!

Cabot’s oldest Henry is all smiles

in his grandmother Anne’s arms.

Alexandra and Theodore were

both born in November.

Seth Weitberg is working in L.A. as a writer/

producer. He is co-executive producer for Season

2 of Drunk History on Comedy Central.

1995

1995

1997

Eric and Kate Sullivan Fleming’s

daughter Parker turned 1 in

December. They live in Brooklyn,

but are pictured on the Cape with

Elton. Kate left her teaching job at

the West Side Montessori School

to focus on family.

1996

1999

38

2001Matt Monbouquette stopped

by campus last fall with his

new bride. Matt and Elizabeth

live outside Seattle in White

Salmon, Washington. Matt

says, “My wife and I got

married in July at the Husum

Highlands B&B. My wife is

from Northeast Washington so

I get to root for the Seahawks

when the Patriots are playing.

We just bought our first house

here in the Columbia River

Gorge.” In addition to manag-

ing Mountain View Cycles,

Matt also is a level one Cross-

Fit instructor.

2002Class Correspondent

Liz Donat

519 N 40th Street

Seattle, WA 98103-7714

401-864-9600

emdonat@gmail.com

Elizabeth and Matt Monbouquette stopped

by campus last fall. They live in White

Salmon, Washington, where Matt manages

the Columbia River Gorge’s premier bike

shop, Mountain View Cycles.

Jake Duhaime (center) is shown at the Sochi Olympics with figure skaters

Simon Shnapir and Marissa Castelli, from Cranston. Jake worked for the

Olympic News Service as a hockey reporter and assisted at USA House.

Jake recently joined a startup company, Thuzio, which organizes VIP

athlete experiences for clients. He also is involved with the City of

Boston’s exploration of bidding to get the 2024 Olympic Games.

Georgia Mischak ‘03, a Hollywood actor, and her friend Nelson Franklin,

were unable to be at Moses Brown for last year’s Reunion festivities, but

visited for a tour of the school, including a look at her senior tile.

Lauren Bono Sunshine ’02 shared a lovely

article on her recent Quaker/Jewish inter-

faith wedding in New Orleans. Lauren says,

“I think back fondly on my time spent at MB,

and the Quaker education I received shapes

my life and family daily.” Lauren’s rabbi,

David Gruber, beautifully describes Quaker

traditions and the importance of acceptance

within all religions. Read the full article at

www.interfaithfamily.com.

Sara Farley recently married Will Hart in Boston. MBers at

the ceremony included Sara’s brother Matthew ’99 plus

Laura Jackson ’01, Maddie Gray, Charlie Means ’69, Caro-

line Laye ’00, Kai Schwertner, Hillar Schwertner ’06, Laura

Gruber, Stephanie Sabra, Ben Simon, Matthew Fishbein,

Derek Freeman, Sam Daly, and Adam Freedman.

Scott Robbin and his wife Hannah are excited to

announce the birth of their daughter Ayla, born

in March. Scott writes, “Mom and baby are both

doing great.”

2001

2002

2002

2002

2003

2003

Photo courtesy Claire Hutchinson, Claire Elyse Photography

2004 Reunion 2014

Class Correspondent

Kori Burnham

6 Searle Ave., Apt 1R

Easthampton, MA 01027-1133

508-954-3981

kori.burnham@gmail.com

Ted Parker took this year away

from teaching high school

English to study private school

leadership at Teachers College,

Columbia University. He

writes, “I’ll be working my way

toward administration, hope-

fully making more schools look

like MB.” Thanks, Ted!

Skyler Fernandes recently

launched the Simon Venture

Group, to focus on investing in

the future innovation of retail,

including in-store and online/

mobile shopping, logistics, in-

ternet of things, and data ana-

lytics. Simon Venture Group is

the largest retail tech focused

fund in the U.S., or as he says

the “Google Ventures” for the

retail tech space. The fund is

backed by Simon, the largest

commercial real estate com-

pany in the U.S. and an S&P

100 company. Sky writes, “I’ll

be leading the group as the

founding managing director. I

also lead my own seed fund

called One Match Ventures.”

He gave the first TED Talk on

venture capital called Innovat-

ing The Financing of Innovation

and has created a number of

resources for entrepreneurs

including one that went viral

called ‘The Best Startup

Investor Pitch Deck’.

2005Dan Winston writes, “Natalie

and I are still in D.C. and doing

great.”

Jessica Gazin packed up and

drove from Connecticut to Col-

orado. She spent a ski season

working in Vail, then went to

Denver to work as a toddler

teacher, before moving back to

the mountains. She’s working

at Target while figuring out

what to do next — “If you’re in

the area, visit!” (jessica.gazin@

gmail.com)

2006Class Correspondent

Nate Silver

2046 W. Cortez #2

Chicago, IL 60622

401-272-3319

silver.nate@gmail.com

After graduating from Skid-

more, Lucy King spent a year in

Beijing teaching ESL and two

years at Boston Children’s Hos-

pital as a research assistant

examining stress and trauma

in low-income mothers and

their children. In October, she

moved to New Orleans to work

on a large project integrating

mental and behavioral health-

care into schools and primary

care clinics in areas affected

by the Deepwater Horizon oil

spill and past hurricanes. She

writes, “I have particular inter-

est in the effects of exposure to

stress and trauma in early

childhood on long-term devel-

opment, and plan to continue

research and clinical work in

this area. I love the beautiful

city of New Orleans and am

excited to support a project

that helps strengthen its sur-

rounding communities!”

Thanks to Amanda (Wayne) Perry ’88, Sarah Lindblom ’07, and Derek Simpson ’08 for

sharing with MB upper school students earlier this spring!

Skyler Fernandes ’04 gave

a recent TED Talk on

“Innovating the Financing of

Innovation” at Connecticut

College. He has launched a

$100M venture capital fund

and leads his own seed fund,

One Match Ventures.

See page 18 for our spotlight on

young alumni launching careers

in the performing arts.

Jessica Gazin ’05 says hello from

Colorado. She lives outside Keystone

with her boyfriend Stefan and their

Lab, Hank. They welcome visitors!

Devon Hopkins ’06 married Marc Whet-

stone last May in Kansas City. Her wed-

ding party included sister Kirstin ’01,

brother Tristan ’03, and Georgia Hoyler.

They are going to Ireland this summer

for their honeymoon.

After completing her voice/

music degree at Eastman and

teaching and performing

for two years in Rochester,

Meredith Achey ’06 and boy-

friend Laudon (here in Paris)

are now in Baltimore. She is

completing premedical studies

at Johns Hopkins and hopes to

begin medical school in 2015.

40

2004

2006

2006

2005

2004: Reunion!

Devon Hopkins Whetstone

married Marc Whetstone

last spring in Missouri in her

parents’ backyard. Nate Silver

and Erik Duhaime attended.

Devon is finishing her master’s

degree in psychology at James

Madison University.

2009 Reunion 2014

Class Correspondent

Betsy Tammaro

69 Londonderry Way

Uxbridge, MA 01569

401-477-6545

betsy.tammaro@gmail.com

Marcela Donat finished up her

fifth year at Northeastern

University, graduating this

May with a B.S. in rehabilita-

tion sciences. She will continue

for one more clinical year,

graduating next May with a

doctorate of physical therapy.

After MB, Hannah Pearson

attended Roger Williams

University and had a “blast,”

after shaking off freshman-

year homesickness. Hannah

ended up with a double major

in marine biology and Spanish.

She also studied American

Sign Language and photogra-

phy, played softball, and dis-

covered RWU’s Luther Blount

Shellfish Hatchery. And that is

really where Hannah’s adven-

ture began. She started out as

a lab assistant and quickly re-

alized that it was something

she was interested in and

ended up spending the major-

ity of her free time working!

Hannah spent her senior year

researching the larval culture

of the Eastern oyster, working

with URI graduate students.

She knew this was a passion

that she wanted to continue.

Hannah is now the hatch-

ery manager at Island Creek

Oysters in Duxbury, Massachu-

setts. “I never thought this

dream would come true,” she

says. “I work seven days a

week growing clams, surf

clams, and oysters in the

Island Creek Hatchery. It’s

tough work and a lot of man-

ual labor, but it’s very reward-

ing and I couldn’t be happier!”

After college, Melissa Gordon

spent a year living in Costa

Rica, working for the School

for Field Studies, a college

study abroad program focused

on sustainable development.

Liam Miner is now in Colorado.

His final year in college was

spent researching relations

between the U.S. and Latin

American countries, specifi-

cally regarding the drug trade

from Mexico. Liam has taken

a job as a consultant for a

software firm in Denver that

helps Fortune 1000 companies

analyze their customers’

experiences.

Kaia Simmons is finishing up

her master’s in engineering at

Stanford and will be moving to

NYC to work in private equity.

Congrats to the Class of ‘09, celebrating their first MB Reunion this May!

Sarah Lindblom ’07: Performing at MB Then and Now Sarah Lindblom ’07 was involved in theatre and dance

during her time at MB, appearing in A Midsummer Night’s

Dream and Anything Goes. Sarah also performed with an

outside dance company, Fusionworks II.

After MB, she went on to major in classics and dance at

Smith College where she was elected vice-artistic director

of Smith’s resident dance company. Next, Sarah attended

the University of Maryland to earn a master’s in library

science, concentrating on archives and the performing

arts. She worked in a performing arts archive, curated her

own dance exhibit, and found her passion for preserving

cultural treasures.

“Performing arts are still a huge part of my life now,”

says Sarah, “as I’m a contractor working in the Music

Division of the Library of Congress. I archive performing

arts collections and aid in their preservation for future

generations.” She continues to dance in and around D.C.

and participates in a choreographic collective.

Working at the Library of Congress: “I feel so lucky to have

the opportunity to archive the nation’s cultural memory

every day. As with any privilege, responsibility is not far

behind. I feel responsible to my superiors, the researchers,

and really to the country for making the collections I work

with preserved, inclusive, and accessible.” Sarah is now

archiving the materials of the famous actor and comedian

Danny Kaye and his wife, composer and lyricist, Sylvia

Fine. “I’m humbled and gratified every day,” she says.

Worth checking out: Sarah highly recommends the LoC’s

Performing Arts Encyclopedia (http://www.loc.gov/perform-

ingarts/pae-home.html), which has detailed entries and

links to finding aids of the Library’s performing arts collec-

tions and names such as Jelly-Roll Morton, Martha Graham,

Aaron Copland, George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and

Leonard Bernstein.

41

MB’s second TEDx event,

in October, celebrated

endeavors that advance

understanding of the

world and appreciation

of human potential.

Attendees heard power-

ful presentations from

Albie Dahlberg ’87, Andres

Idarraga ’95, Alisha Pina

Thounsavath ’96, Jessica

Mastors ’05, Peter Ferry

’09, and Ava Anderson ’12.

See all talks at tedxmoses-

brown.com.

Phot

o: E

rika

Niz

bors

ki P

hot

ogra

phy

2010Class Correspondent

Jamie Gilson

100 Prospect St.

Providence, RI 02906

401-421-1640

jmgilson425@gmail.com

From the “unparalleled foun-

dation” that he received at MB,

Ben Levine says some nice

things have happened to him

recently — “These events

might be helpful in advertising

the value of an MB education.

These are recent, tangible ex-

amples of why I am so grateful

for my years at MB.” Last year,

Ben was one of the first ju-

niors to be admitted to Teach

for America; he will be teach-

ing math in L.A. He also won

Best Delegate in the Harvard

National Model United Nations

2014 Conference and is getting

a Fulbright Scholarship to be

an English T.A. in Indonesia

next year, after graduating

from Pitzer. Ben is looking for-

ward to Reunion next May!

2012Class Correspondent

Emma Dickson

201 Fifth Street

Providence, RI 02906

401-273-2356

emdi@verizon.net

Jessica Litwin got to perform at

the White House with her col-

lege a cappella group, the

Nor’easters. Jessie also had the

chance to compete in and win

the ICCAs (International

Championship of Collegiate A

cappella) last spring in NYC.

The performance at the White

House was a thrilling way to

end her fall semester. Jessie is

taking this semester off from

the group to work on other

projects of interest.

2013 Class Correspondent

Áine Russell

6 Jody Way

Attleboro, MA 02703

ainerrussell@gmail.com

(508) 838-8672

Jessica Magro is on a gap

year before attending Yale

University. She is currently

working as an SAT tutor and

college admissions consultant

for Revolution Prep.

The new MB blog featured a beautiful piece this spring,

by Kayla Imperatore ‘12 on the late Jake Bliss ‘93. As many

classmates know, Jake was a lifelong Quaker who donated

his time to help the homeless in California and in the Do-

minican Republic. Jake passed away from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s

disease) in 2012 but his work and impact are still felt.

Kayla worked as Jake’s scribe while in the DR. She

shares what it was like to meet Jake: “Jake made each per-

son he talked to feel important. Each morning it took about

an hour on the bus to get to the poor villages where we set

up the clinics, and each day he tried to sit next to someone

different. Though the bus rides were long, they were always

entertaining in Jake’s presence. It wasn’t until I worked

with him, though, that I truly understood him. I admired

Jake’s ability to just enjoy the moment; to laugh, to take

risks, and to make others smile. I appreciated his ability to

let go of his worries; to know that he may not have much

longer in the future, but at least he has now. Amazed by

Jake’s ability to live in the moment instead of dwelling on

how much more the future might hold for him, a part of

me changed. I have always heard people say the clichéd ex-

pression ‘life is short,’ but being in Jake’s presence gave the

expression a new meaning. Sure, life really is short, but it’s

what you decide to do with it that matters most.” Read the

full post at http://mosesbrownblog.wordpress.com.

Emma Dickson was featured on Rhode Island Public

Radio’s This I Believe. Emma is a Providence native, MB

lifer, and Brown sophomore. Last summer, Emma interned

at the R.I. State House. Listen to her essay at http://ripr.

org/post/i-believe-rhode-island-silence.

Emily Pinkos ’13 interviewed

Hugh Hysell ’83 for this Cupola

(see page 33). Emily is a student

at Drew University in New

Jersey, studying theatre. Young

alumni, if you wish to inter-

view another MB graduate for

Cupola, let us know! (alumni@

mosesbrown.org)

42

Jessica Litwin ’12 (front row, third from left) was excited to perform at the White House last

semester with her college a cappella group, the Nor’easters, in a private performance for the

President and the First Lady.

Inspiring Service: Jake Bliss ‘93

From the MB music archives

Some of today’s young alumni

had a powerful experience in 2002

when the lower school chorus met

with the legendary Pete Seeger and

performed together at a concert

event at Rhode Island College. When

Seeger passed away this winter, the

MB-Seeger connection was recalled.

In 2002, the lower school chorus met

with Seeger at a concert event at Rhode

Island College, held in the wake of 9/11.

MB students were led by Mary Pollart

2012

2012

2013

and performed with a chorus from MLK

Elementary. Read the full story at moses-

brownblog.wordpress.com.

43

Making their Debut: The Class of 2014!

Next acts:

Best wishes to the Class of 2014 heading to:

American University (2)

The American University of Paris

Amherst College

Auburn University

Bates College

Baylor University

Bentley University (2)

Berklee College of Music

Boston College (7)

Boston University (6)

Brown University (2)

Bryant University (2)

Bucknell University

College of Charleston

University of Chicago

Colby College (5)

University of Colorado at Boulder

Connecticut College (2)

Dartmouth College (2)

Davidson College

Denison University

Duke University

Elon University

Emory University

Franklin & Marshall College (2)

Gap Year: Internships and Travel (2)

As the Class of 2014 heads off to freshman year at college and adventures beyond MB,

Moses Brown School wishes them the best. Come back to MB for Homecoming this fall!

Congratulations to 2014’s Legacy Graduates!

See full list on page 32.

Keeping it light: Members of the Class of 2014 celebrated their day with music, a crowd-wide “wave” and some dancing to John Mellencamp’s “Jack and Diane,” one of

the songs on the playlist for their last-day-of-class cookout.

Sue Minter ’79 delivered this year’s commencement address. Now deputy

secretary of transportation in Vermont, she was head of the state’s

response to the devastation wrought there two years ago, following Storm

Irene. Sue got her start in public service at MB — she was the first girl

elected president of the Student Senate. “The experience of coming to

Moses Brown became a truly positive contribution to my life,” she said.

Kudos! MB thanks Barry Marshall, Lee Clasper-Torch

and Debby Neely for all their years of service and

impact. They walked their last Commencement as

faculty this June.

44

George Washington University (2)

Gettysburg College

Hamilton College

Harvard College

Haverford College

High Point University

College of the Holy Cross

Ithaca College

Kent School (PG)

Kenyon College

Lehigh University (2)

Loomis Chaffee (PG)

Maryland Institute College of Art

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Miami University

University of Miami

University of Michigan

Mount Royal University (Alberta, Canada)

Northwestern University (2)

Ohio State University

University of Pennsylvania

Princeton University (2)

Providence College

University of Rhode Island (3)

University of Richmond

University of Rochester

Rollins College (2)

University of San Diego

Skidmore College (3)

Taft School (PG)

Trinity College (2)

Tufts University (3)

Tulane University

University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts

University of Vermont (2)

University of Virginia

Washington University in St. Louis

University of Washington

Wellesley College

Wesleyan University

Wheaton College

Williams College

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2)

Yale University (2)

Instrumental Music

Director Steve Toro

celebrated his 20th

Commencement this

spring. His colleague

Mary Pollart (lower

school music) celebrated

35 years at Moses Brown.

Bravo!

Kat Achey ’14 (left) received the 2014 Thomas Prize. Mr. Thomas was Headmaster 1925

through 1955 and Mrs. Thomas taught music and drama. The award recognizes a senior

who has labored hard to develop a talent of great value, and has exemplified a willingness

to share this talent with others. Other performing arts awards presented this spring include:

The Award for Drama – Robert Calabresi ’14, Rebecca Kestin ’14, and Eliza Radeka ’14

Performing Arts Award – Brooke Goldner ’14

Choral Music Award – Remy Fischer ’14

Wind Ensemble Award – Ben Curell ’14, Caroline Ohlson ’14

String Ensemble Award – Nick Pohl ’14

See mosesbrown.org for all awards.

MB Survivors 2014! MB “lifers” here since lower school.

Keep in touch!

Whether you’re a newly minted alumnus or a longtime graduate:

See past editions of Cupola at www.mosesbrown.org/cupola

Share a note for the next issue at www.mosesbrown.org/classnote

Follow MB at www.facebook.com/mosesbrownschool

Share or follow MBlog at mosesbrownblog.wordpress.com

Send us your email to get alumni e-news and event invitations

(www.mosesbrown.org/alumni)

Send news/notes/photos/feedback for Cupola to

alumni@mosesbrown.org

Follow MB on Twitter @Moses Brown

Check us out at instagram.com/mosesbrownschool#

Find MB on Vine - https://vine.co/Moses.Brown.School

45

Theodore Tucker, Class of 1938, a CPA, served his

country in the Army during World War II. Ted was the

1991 Willis McLean Citizen of the Year and a member

of the Walpole Chamber of Commerce, the Walpole

Scholarship Foundation, and the Walpole Appropriations

Committee. He was a member of the board / treasurer

for the Norfolk Lung Association, Norwood Hospital,

the United Church and Black Cat Island Civic

Association. A golfer, traveler, and avid reader, he

loved boating. (8/13)

Henry Lind, Class of 1939, earned his bachelor’s at

Princeton and law degree from Harvard. He served in

the Army during WWII as a staff sergeant in military

intelligence and continued to serve in the Army

Reserve, retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer. Henry

practiced law and was selected to be the reporter of

decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. He was founder

and first president of the Association of Reporters of

Judicial Decisions; an award in Henry’s name is given

each year to a person making an outstanding

contribution to law reporting. His book, The Long Road

for Home, was published in 1992. (11/13)

Granville Beals, Class of 1941, attended Dartmouth

but left to enlist in the Marines, later becoming a

Navy pilot. He completed his B.A. while serving as a

recruiting officer. After the Navy, he joined Harbridge

House, a management and consulting firm. Later,

Granville earned an M.B.A. from the University of New

Haven, obtained a mariner’s license, and worked on

various Northeast harbour projects. He volunteered at

Mystic Seaport, taking visitors along the Mystic River

in their 100-year-old coal-fired steamboat. (10/13)

Nicholas Mumford, Class of 1942, spent his first six

years living in Cuba while his father worked as a

chemical engineer for United Fruit. He received

bachelor’s and master’s degrees from MIT and served

in the Navy. Nick worked in aerospace, including as

head engineer for the development of the Lance

missile. He co-authored the college textbook Jet

Propulsion for Aerospace Applications. Following

retirement, Nick worked for the Episcopal diocese of

Michigan. He also discovered he was a descendant of

the Mayflower’s John Howland and two signers of the

Declaration of Independence. (1/13)

Donald Ashton, Class of 1943, an MIT graduate,

served in the Pacific aboard the USS Grimes during

WWII. He worked as an industrial engineer before

joining his father at Thomas J. Ashton & Son, Funeral

Directors (later the Waring-Sullivan Homes). Don was

president and CEO of Union Savings Bank, serving

until the bank’s merger with Citizens, where he became

senior v.p. He was a 32nd degree Mason and avid sailor,

fleet captain of J-24 Class Fleet 47, and member of

Narragansett Bay Yachting Association. (2/14)

Thomas Cary, Class of 1943, served with the Army’s

11th Armored Division, which landed on the beaches

of Normandy days after the invasion; he later

deployed to Belgium, part of a tank battalion at the

Battle of the Bulge. Tom received the Purple Heart and

Bronze Star. His battalion has been recognized by the

U.S. Army’s Center of Military History and the U.S.

Holocaust Museum for liberating Mauthausen, one of

the Nazis’ largest internment camps. Following his

Army discharge, Tom earned his B.A. from Brown,

then began a sales career in electronics. (1/13)

Robert Kinder, Class of 1946, graduated from Brown

and GWU, served in the Navy, and completed his

residency and fellowship at Jackson Memorial

Hospital and Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary. Bob

was professor of ophthalmology at Brown and

surgeon-in-chief in R.I. Hospital’s ophthalmology

department. He served as president — medical staff at

R.I. Hospital. Since 1968, he volunteered yearly,

providing eye care at St. Jude Hospital in the West

Indies. The clinic was named the Robert S.L. Kinder Eye

Clinic and Bob received the St. Lucia Medal of Merit,

the only non-St. Lucian accorded this honor. (7/13)

Willard Freeman, Class of 1947, attended Rhode

Island State College (URI). Willard grew up riding

horses in South County and was a steeplechase rider

before becoming a thoroughbred trainer. He trained

for Sagamore Farm, the American thoroughbred

breeding farm in Maryland owned by Alfred

Vanderbilt II, owner and president of Baltimore’s

Pimlico Race Course. In South Carolina,Willard was

president of Aiken Training Track and owned Chime

Bell Farm; he summered in Saratoga. (4/13)

Robert Straight, Class of 1947, a v.p. of R.I. Hospital

Trust Bank, received his bachelor’s degree from

Bryant and completed post-graduate courses at the

universities of Chicago and Oklahoma. He was an

Army veteran of the Korean War. Bob was a Shriner,

past director of Providence Court No. 7 Royal Order

of Jesters, treasurer of the Masonic Veterans

Association, a life member of Providence Lodge #14

BPO Elks, and a member of the Greenville Volunteer

Fire Company. (9/13)

Marshall Cannell, Class of 1948, was a dedicated

member of the ’48 class and a mentor, historian and

contributor to MB’s theatre program. One young

alumnus said, “Marshall was such an important

presence for all of us drama kids — he really helped

instill in us a sense of the history of MB’s program.”

An MB “lifer,” Marshall went on to get a degree from

Brown and a master’s from Northeastern. His varied

career included work as a computer programmer and

minister. He worked for the Coro manufacturing in

Providence, the Strategic Air Command in D.C., and

Wellesley Public Schools in Massachusetts. (3/14)

Memoriam continued on next page

In Memoriam

Moses Brown publishes memorial notes based on published obituaries. Please forward to Office of Alumni Relations,

Moses Brown School, 250 Lloyd Avenue, Providence, RI 02906; fax (401) 455-0084; email alumni@mosesbrown.org.

46

M. Howard Triedman, Class of 1948, graduated

summa cum laude from Brown. He received his

medical degree from Columbia University. Howard

served in the Navy before establishing his neurological

practice and joining the staff at Rhode Island and

Miriam hospitals. He was professor emeritus at

Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School and chief of

the neurological service at Miriam, where he was

president of the medical staff. He was also a member

of the investment board of Lifespan and the R.I.

Workmen’s Compensation Board. (12/13)

Donald Chirnside, Class of 1951, a Korean War

veteran and graduate of Bryant, was a self-employed

businessman. He was a member of the Little Rhody

Model “A” Club, the R.I. Beekeepers Association and

the Eastern Apicultural Society where he served as

treasurer. Don was a member of East Greenwich

United Methodist Church. (7/13)

Wayne Paton, Class of 1952, graduated from Harvard

and completed an M.A. in English at the University of

Columbia. He moved to London to pursue research on

Henry James and was appointed lecturer at the

University of Leeds. During the course of his lengthy

career there, Wayne taught across a number of areas

of literature, drawing on his background in classical

literature and wide knowledge of English, American

and French literature. (1/14)

Charles Silva, Class of 1953, served in the Navy for 12

years and was a naval aviator during the Vietnam era.

He worked in the tennis court contracting business

and retired as owner and operator of Silva Associates.

Chick lived in Chesapeake, Virginia. (10/12)

Charles Lyons, Class of 1956, spent his early years all

over the world, including England, Italy, and Turkey.

He spent his later youth in the Boston area and as a

teenager sold hot dogs at Fenway Park, becoming a

lifelong Red Sox fan. Chuck earned his A.B. from

Brown and was a member of ROTC. He served with

the Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, as 1st Lieutenant,

Marine Corps. He received his LL.B. degree from

Suffolk Law and worked as in-house counsel for the

Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance

Company. (2/14)

Thomas Paolino, Class of 1959, graduated from

Brown and George Washington School of Medicine

and did his psychiatric residency at Harvard Medical

School, the first student from his medical school to do

so. After two years of service with the Coast Guard,

Tom was appointed as a unit chief at Butler Hospital

and joined the faculty at Brown. He was an assistant

professor at Harvard Medical School, author of numerous

articles and books on psychotherapy, and a practicing

physician in R.I. for more than 30 years. (2/13)

Allan Cokin, Class of 1960, graduated from Cornell.

He was a world-class, professional bridge expert and

teacher, highly respected and liked by his colleagues.

Allan lived in West Palm Beach, Florida. (1/14)

David Curtis, Class of 1964, attended Boston

University and served in the Air Force, stationed on

Guam as a staff sergeant and aircraft mechanic for

C130 transport planes. David had a successful career

as an ASE-certified auto mechanic. He began to fix

cars as a teenager, developing a passion for Chevrolets

and Corvettes. This passion developed into circle track

racing, then to drag racing with his sons. He often

traveled to NASCAR and NHRA events and was

especially fond of Talladega Speedway. (10/13)

Peter Scull, Class of 1964, graduated from Roger

Williams College, receiving a degree in literature. He

was the first selection on the “People to People”

baseball team that toured Latin America in 1964. Peter

served in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War.

He held a property management degree and was

owner of CPM Management Company as well as co-

owner of Video Showcase in Jamestown. (11/13)

Charles Round, Class of 1965, was a graduate of

Roger Williams College. Throughout an evolving

career, he was salesman, promoter, owner of a

security alarm company, fisherman, carpenter/house

builder and commodity trader. His great joy was

sailing and working on his boat. (1/14)

Alan Mason, Class of 1967, graduated from Harvard

before earning a doctorate in mathematics from the

University of Illinois. He was a gifted childhood

musician whose Providence recital at age 14 was

reviewed by the New York Times. Later, he composed

several organ concerti. Alan taught himself many

languages and worked for Plenum Publishing

translating Russian and Chinese physics journals.

Recently, he wrote a Chinese translation program and

was fascinated by developments in computational

biology, chemistry, and genetics. (3/14)

Robert Sondheim, Class of 1968, worked at the

Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission for 26

years. He coached youth and Sharon High School

swim teams and was the voice of Sharon basketball

and football. He became athletic director for Sharon

Public Schools 11 years ago. Bob was proud of his

English Channel swims to benefit various local

charities. He loved singing, often performing with the

Sharon Community Chorus. In honor of his late wife,

he was developing a device to assist those handling a

wheelchair along with a walker or other necessary

items. Current faculty member Jeff Cruzan, who

knew Bob, says, “He epitomized the role of an MB

grad in the world. Bob never had an unkind word for

anyone.” (4/13)

Benjamin Nutt, Class of 1969, loved traveling,

photography and music. He was the son of former

MB English teacher Richard Nutt. Ben lived in

Ticonderoga, New York. (7/13)

Andrew Richardson, Class of 1971, a graduate of

Brown and Suffolk Law, started his legal career at R.I.

Legal Services. He became a court-appointed trustee,

presiding in 14,920 cases. Andy was the designated

trustee of several of the State’s most prominent

bankruptcies, including Newport Creamery and Rocky

Point. He successfully argued in front of the R.I.

Supreme Court, U.S. District Court, First Circuit Court

of Appeals and was qualified to argue in front of the

U.S. Supreme Court. He was treasurer of the R.I.

chapter of the Federal Bar Association. (4/14)

Robert Accola, Class of 1977, a hiker of the

Appalachian Trail, was known on the trail by the

nickname “Lucky 10.” He loved the Trail’s camaraderie

and was known as a supportive member of the AT

community. Bob attended Brown and lived in North

Carolina. (7/13)

David Stallman, Class of 1978, a graduate of Boston

College, received his master’s in accounting from

Bryant and law degree from Roger Williams. He

worked as the chief estimator for Troika Stone and as

director of operations for M. H. Stallman Company.

Dave was an accomplished drummer in many local

bands, and an avid skier. He played lacrosse for the

Olde Dogs in the ONELL lacrosse league and coached

youth lacrosse in Westerly. (7/13)

In Memoriam

Continued from previous page

47

Kurt Hall, Class of 1985, attended Saint Lawrence

College in England and Boston College. He especially

enjoyed his time studying and teaching in Madrid.

Kurt lived in Providence. (9/13)

J. Michael Weaver-LaMountain, Class of 1985,

graduated from Colby. For the last ten years, he

worked as coordinator of marketing and community

relations at the Maine Center for Integrated

Rehabilitation in Fairfield, and also at Kids Peace

National Centers of New England and at the Good

Will-Hinckley School. He enjoyed sports, board games,

weight lifting, music, and semi-pro football with the

Central Maine Storm. (6/13)

Lawrence Yacubian, Class of 1993, graduated from

BU. An accomplished horseman, having trained in

Switzerland as a young man, he competed

successfully at major horseshows throughout the

eastern U.S. “Rooster” volunteered for the Virginia

National Guard, where he proudly served with

distinction in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as an

infantry officer, earning a Bronze Star and several

Distinguished Service medals. He rose to the rank

of company commander and was commended for

his leadership during the presidential inauguration.

(10/13)

Joseph Ryter, Class of 2005, was captain of MB’s

basketball team. He attended Loyola University and

focused his studies in marketing and finance. Jay was

an active member of the community and served as a

lifeguard in South Kingston for five years. An avid

golfer, he pursued a career in golf at English Turn Golf

& Country Club in Louisiana. (8/13)

Former Faculty/Staff

Jacqueline Fellow was the lower school secretary

1992-2005. During her many years at MB, Jackie was

respected for her careful work, attention to special

events, and concern and support for the needs of

others. Jackie and her husband Doug Fellow had three

sons, who were the delight of her life. Jackie had a

wonderful sense of humor and a smile for everyone.

Much appreciated by the LS faculty, Jackie loved

gardening and cooking. One of her specialties was

Mexican food — every year, her special recipes

continue to appear as special snacks in the LS faculty

room. (5/14)

Louise Heckman was an inspiring teacher and mentor

to many in her years at MB. Many have fond

memories of Mrs. Heckman in the classroom, on team

trips and while travelling with faculty and students.

In addition to being a thoughtful and demanding

English and Latin teacher from 1967 to 1998 (and later

substituting in middle school and working in

Archives), Louise is remembered for her kindness,

caring and compelling expectations. One 1991

alumnus reflected, “I have vivid memories of Mrs.

Heckman and the great passion she had for teaching.

She had a strong and lasting impact on me through

her strict, yet very caring and positive attitude. She

prepared me well for the years ahead not only

academically, with a better appreciation for the values

that she and MB represent. Her family should be

proud to know the inspiration and positive impact she

had on so many at MB.” (2/14)

Lynwood Hoxsie taught at MB after completing his

education degree at Rhode Island College after WWII.

As a bombardier with the 390th Bombardment Group,

Lynwood flew 35 missions over Europe. He was

particularly proud of the Polish Home Army Cross

Award and the Warsaw Uprising Cross, decorations

that he received from the Polish government for his

role in dropping supplies to the Warsaw uprising. He

was promoted to colonel and served as U.S. property

and fiscal officer for Rhode Island. (6/13)

Manuel Ribeiro worked at MB for 24 years, 1989-2013,

as head of maintenance and security. With great pride

for the school, Manny played a key role in helping MB

run smoothly every day. His pride in and loyalty were

evident to all, and his kindness, generosity and wry

humor are missed. Born in the Azores, and brother of

Jose Ribeiro, Manny was a graduate of Bristol High. (3/13)

48

DAVID CAMPBELL BURNHAM, Moses Brown’s Head of School

from 1978 to 1994, died on June 5, just hours after his wife of 62

years, Anne Webb Burnham, passed away. Dave led Moses Brown

during a time of transition, navigating the return of coeducation,

stabilization and growth of the endowment and annual fund, and

renovation of our historic buildings.

Dave and Anne were lifelong educators: they met at Mount

Hermon School (later Northfield Mount Hermon School), and came

to Moses Brown after several years at Loomis-Chaffee School. Born

in Larchmont, N.Y., Dave attended Loomis, Yale and the University

of Massachusetts. He was an avid sailor who won the national

championship of the Bullseye Class several times, and was chair of

the board of trustees of the Herreshoff Marine Museum. He was

also on the board of the Providence branch of the English-Speaking

Union and coordinated its Shakespeare competition.

Looking back over his 16-year tenure at MB, he wrote: “Providence

was just recovering from the Blizzard of ’78 when I arrived.” Just

11 years after the return of coeducation, the class of ’87 enrolled

boys and girls at an even 50/50. The endowment grew more than

tenfold, from $750,000 to over $8 million. The annual fund climbed

from $62,000 to $460,000. Under Dave’s leadership, building

renovations began; East Middle House was later rededicated as

Burnham House.

In memoriam: David Burnham

“When I first came to Moses Brown 28 years ago,

I was the single parent of a young daughter. I

will never forget how kind both Dave and Anne

were to me and to my daughter. Anne rooted

for me to get a job at Moses Brown, when I was

working with her at Lincoln. Dave helped us get

faculty housing. They were kind, good folks

whom I remember with gratitude.“

Debby Neely, former faculty

“After my interview with David in April 1994, he

offered me the only available opening at that

that time: a part-time position. When he read

some hesitation in my eyes, he leaned towards

me: ‘Have one foot inside and it will be up to

you to take the next step, in or out.’ 20 years

later, here I am — feet, head and body all inside.

Since then, every time he saw me around, he’d

joke: ‘I dragged him in, and I left!’”

Karim Sow, faculty

“Dave hired me in 1981, and I have fond

memories of conversations with him. He used

to attend retreats with the upper school

students and religion faculty, and was most

supportive of our efforts to energize the

Quaker spirit of Moses Brown. He was a

kind and thoughtful man, and a real school

person through and through.“

John Baird, former faculty

“I hope we can find ways as teachers and parents and grandparents to keep their

sense of wonder from fading.”

49

Dave created a lasting legacy to the community, shaping the

experience of thousands of students who learned and grew here,

as well as dozens of faculty he hired and mentored. One of his first

hires was Jack Craig, who wrote of Dave in 1994: “The man has

incredible energy and incredible caring and concern for people.

When I first came in 1978, Dave was in his office at 5:00 a.m. and

didn’t leave until 11:00 p.m.” Jack continued: “If asked to describe

himself, Dave would clearly place himself in the teacher/counselor

position.”

In fact, Dave described himself as an optimist. In a 1980 guest

sermon at Central Baptist Church (later Community Church of

Providence), he said: “I’d like to share with you why I am an

optimist. It is because the process of growing up has been my

business all my life. I mean very literally that as a schoolteacher

and a head of a school, I have been involved in helping people grow

and this has forced me to keep trying to grow myself. We may get

tired and discouraged and feel overcome by giants but God

constantly gives us a fresh supply of children… Helping children to

grow up in this complex world with so many amorphous giants is

a hard job. I hope we can find ways as teachers and parents and

grandparents to keep their sense of wonder from fading.”

Marking the end of his tenure, the class of 1994 dedicated their

Mosaic to him: “He came to this school in a rather unsettled period,

and quickly brought order and pride back to our campus. By dint of

Dave and Anne Burnham brought hope and an understated set of expectations and confidence to many

who were part of the Moses Brown Community and beyond. Dave had an uncanny ability to recognize and

help to build upon a young person’s strengths while also gently exploring weaknesses, often far better

than that person ever came to realize. He was famous for accurately predicting friendships. Anne and

Dave’s care, compassion and thoughtful guidance were lifelong. Dave would extract important bits of

evidence or insights about a situation, but one could always tell that it was Anne who helped to synthesize

the data.

Dave would often subtly appear at games, performances or special moments without ceremony, but his

presence would be felt. When he occasionally sought guidance or counsel, he asked for help with a task,

and while the work was being completed, one barely noticed that a series of queries had been framed,

problems had been solved or direction clarified. If one were headed for a strange sea or a cold mountain,

Dave could turn one around in a heartfelt way that did not squelch one’s optimism, hope or sense of

adventure. Dave was the humanist whose aspirations were balanced by Anne’s steadfast realism and

analysis of all situations. Dave’s mentoring and leadership and Anne’s support and care were represented

by the thousands of cookies and the lasagna that she shared, and the booties that she knit. Their kindness

and generosity of spirit will live on through many of us.

Karin Morse ’79, faculty

“Anne and David Burnham were wonderful

people, not only for Moses Brown, but also

those of us who sought their guidance and help.

I always felt wrapped in their warm humor and

kindness. I feel honored to have known them.”

Barbara Heavers, former faculty

“I was one of the first boarding females in

1978. David became Headmaster at that time.

He and Anne were the core of MB. He once

raced around the track with me to help with

my self-esteem… I was the only girl on the

cross-country team. He was a fast runner!”

Amy Roebuck Jones ‘79

“I had a bit of a rocky senior year and the

disciplinary committee voted to boot me out

of school. Dave vetoed the decision on a couple

of conditions, one of which was that I meet with

him every Monday morning until graduation.

I did, managed to graduate, and successfully

grew out of adolescence. I’ve always appreci-

ated the ‘save’ from Dave, and have fond

memories of our Monday morning meetings

more than 30 years later.”

Charlie von Simson ‘82

50

his warmth and empathy, he re-established MB as The School of Rhode Island,

and perhaps one of the best among private schools of this country. His vision

and desire to reach out touched us all in both obvious and not so obvious ways.

Parents, alumni, Friends, and above all, students have come to see and value him

as a close and sincere confidant. He has brought us a fine faculty and has been

instrumental in the renovation and revival of our time-treasured facilities. While

he moves away into well-deserved retirement, he can feel assured that his efforts

and devotion to the school will last well into the future.”

After his retirement from Moses Brown, Dave accepted successive one-year

appointments as an English teacher in Japan and interim headmaster at St.

Andrew’s School in Barrington, RI, and Northwood School in Lake Placid, NY.

He then helped found a charter school in Providence, the Paul Cuffee School,

which merged his love for education with his passion for all things maritime;

Cuffee graduated their first senior class in June.

Dave and Anne continued to sustain their interest in MB for many reasons, not

the least of which are more than 1,400 students who graduated during Dave’s

tenure. “When one sinks heart and soul into a school for a long time, one grows

through the experience,” Dave said once. “Moses Brown became part of us and

we hope our presence still lingers within the school.”

ANNE WEBB BURNHAM DIED ON JUNE 4 AFTER AN ILLNESS, the evening before her husband

of 62 years, David Campbell Burnham, also died. Anne was a math teacher at the Lincoln School in

Providence. She had previously taught at Miss Porter’s School, where she was chair of the math

department, and at Northfield School (later Northfield Mount Hermon School). She was a graduate

of both Northfield and Oberlin, where she majored in Physics.

As an active member of the Community Church of Providence, Mrs. Burnham was moderator, treasurer

and a member of the choir for more than 35 years. She was a member of the Providence Singers and

a supporter of Music on the Hill, among many of Rhode Island’s arts organizations. She was the

longstanding secretary to the American Friends of the Collège Cévenol, the Fishers Island (N.Y.) Yacht

Club, and the Island People’s Project, as well as the Providence Branch of the English-Speaking Union.

A caring and vital part of the Moses Brown community, Anne welcomed newcomers to the Moses

Brown community by knitting a gift for each arriving MB baby.

“Dave always made it a point to make each of us

feel seen as an individual. I still have the letter

he wrote to me for graduation.”

Ann Risen Katis ‘89

“A lasting memory for me is that of Mr. Burnham

running up and down the sidelines of football

games yelling for us to ‘kill’ them, and ‘crush’

them. I always thought it odd that a headmaster

at a Quaker school would say such things, but

his passion for our teams was inspiring!”

Paul Rocchio ‘82

“I have very fond recollections of Dave and Anne,

including being met at the Boston airport when

arriving in the USA in 1993 for my year at Moses

Brown; spending my first weekend on Fishers

Island with them; and trying to beat the record

length of homemade pasta created around the

perimeter of their living room.”

Katie Rook ‘94

“In seventh grade, I needed to interview an ‘old

person’ for an oral history project. Mr. Burnham

was then serving as interim head at St. Andrews.

He received me in his office, taking me very

seriously as I marched through my questions. I

never forgot his empathetic example and his

profound respect for his students, a lesson I take

especially to heart since I have gone on to teach

myself. Mr. Burnham encapsulated the school I

came to know, the community so many of us

have tried to preserve and protect over the years.”

Geoff Nelson ‘01

Gifts by bequest or will are the most common ways

people plan their legacies.

Why consider a legacy gift to Moses Brown School?

Give back to what is important to you.

Plan for your future gift while keeping control of your assets

during your lifetime.

It’s easy to include a provision in your will or to complete a

beneficiary-designation form for an insurance plan or retirement

account.

These gifts are flexible and can include a specific amount, a

percentage of your estate, a portion of what remains, or many

other options.

Tax benefits may result from your gift.

The information contained herein is offered for general informational and educational purposes. You should seek the advice of an attorney for applicability to your own situation.

Copyright © Pentera, Inc. All rights reserved.

“Moses Brown has by far the greatest need, and the gift can have, by many times, the greatest impact—an impact that I can foresee, understand, and appreciate.”

Russ Carpenter ’59 shares his motivation for making an historic legacy gift to MB rather than to the other alma maters he supports.

MB’s new gift planning website has arrived, and with a few mouse clicks,

you can be on your way to creating your own MB legacy.

Find out how Russ and others made MB part of their estate plans.

Confidentially create personalized gift planning scenarios.

Compare options to find one that fits your personal needs.

For more information, contact Perry Buroker, Director of Leadership

Giving, at (401) 831-7350, ext. 289.

Let us help you create your MB legacy. Contact us today and/or visit us at www.mosesbrown.giftplans.org!

Moses Brown School250 Lloyd Avenue, Providence, RI 02906www.mosesbrown.org401-831-7350

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PaidProvidence, RI

Permit No. 3264

For the Honor of Truth

Alumni parents: If this Cupola is addressed to a graduate no longer

residing at your home, please contact alumni@mosesbrown.org or

call x114 to update his or her address.

MB Faculty: Take a Bow!On the morning of Commencement this June,

MB paused to gather and celebrate faculty with

25+ years of service to Moses Brown. Faculty were

gathering on the steps of Middle House before the

traditional commencement processional. See more

photos of Commencement on page 43-44.