nmh 1965 sample

35 0 T H Reunion Class Book

NMH CLASS OF

atFifty

1965


Table of ContentsReunion Committee ..................................................... 4Dedication ..................................................................... 6 Northfield Our Revolution A 50th Reunion Retrospective by Pris Prutzman .......... 21 Northfield Memories ........................................... 25 Northfield Classmates ......................................... 32 Carillon ................................................................... 208 Other Classmates .................................................. 210Reunion Alumni Awards ..................................................... 213 Reunion Photos ..................................................... 214Mount Hermon The Events of Our Lives A 50th Reunion Retrospective by Warren Ayres ........... 217 Mount Hermon Memories .................................. 221 Mount Hermon Classmates ................................ 232 Other Classmates .................................................. 376 Faculty Memories .......................................................... 381 In Memoriam .................................................................. 399

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his book is dedicated to all members of the Class of 1965. Whether you shared a few months or four years with us, whether you attended Northfield or Mount Hermon, whether you had fond memories or bittersweet

recollections—we share a time in history. Some of us found friendships after graduation, or in places beyond the campuses, or at earlier reunions. But however we know one another and wherever we are, we all together are the Class of 1965.

As you read this yearbook, remember classmates who have shuffled off this mortal coil over the last 50 years. We miss them all and wish we could have one more chance to exchange stories and tell them that we valued their friendship.

Next, think of teachers and coaches and staff who were there on campus with us 50 years ago to help us become the people we are today. D.L. Moody is said to have commented: “Preparation for old age should begin not later than one’s teens. A life which is empty of purpose until 65 will not suddenly become filled on retirement.” Well, here we are at retirement, folks. We thank the adults who helped us create those fuller lives. Does one week go by when you do not remember or rely on something you learned all those years ago? We are grateful for the people who ignited in us a vision that the world can be a better place and challenged us to make it so.

Here’s to us—the great Class of 1965

50th Reunion Committee

TDedication


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I the Lord do keep it;I will

water it every moment;Lest any hurt it,

I will keep it night and day. Isaiah 27:3*

* motto chosen by D.L. Moody for his school when Northfield first opened


NorthfieldClass of 1965

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Northfieldmemories

The Foundation of a Friendshipby Siri Lewis and Cathey Hyde Gage

Siri: As I sit in the sun on the front porch of my Northfield roommate and pal’s house, I think about the upcoming reunion and what feelings it conjures.

There’s so much to love and appreciate from the Northfield experience. First of all, the sheer beauty of the campus and hillsides, as well as the dedicated, talented teachers who insisted on high standards, were our mentors, and shared the strong positive Northfield philosophy. The friendships that were being forged among all of us, though, were probably the most important and lasting gift from our years in East Northfield, Mass.

Life is about relationships. Dummy taught me responsibility and teamwork, and encouraged me to be part of other groups, such as social committees. Cathey

was one of my best pals at Northfield starting at the tender age of 14. We became roomies for all three years at Hibbard. I always loved Cathey’s spirit, her smile, her outlook, and her superior skiing expertise.

Beyond these traits, I can say Cathey is someone I need to be close to. She is my friend who reflects and embodies that important time when I learned so much about life and when so many positive values were being formed.

Cathey: Like the rest of us, my experiences at Northfield were formative and confidence building.

I felt I could accomplish anything in the fall of 1965. Then, a traumatic brain injury three weeks into my freshman year at UVM erased all memory of my life, including my four Years at Northfield.

Because of my enduring friendship with Siri, which started at Hillside in 1961, the Northfield experience is part of my life again. Coming back to the campus for reunions and renewing friendships with forgotten friends, which I never would have done without Siri, has given me back a lost, precious part of my life.

The friendship and bond that we share is something that we never would have had without Northfield.

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My Uplifting Northfield Experienceby The Rev. Beverly Lancaster Lindsey

My sister preceded me at Northfield (’62), and she invited me to attend Sacred Concert. When 1000-plus voices sang the opening words of Schubert’s “Omnipotence”—Great is Jehovah the Lord!—the floors and rafters of the old Auditorium shook from that blast of sound. What a thrill! I had goose bumps all over, and I knew I wanted to be part of that uplifting, soaring music. With the financial help of a generous great aunt, Northfield’s scholarship fund, and a merciful admission office, I did become part of an uplifting experience at Northfield.

Sacred choral music was the initial lure, but my soul was also well fed on a fairly steady diet of powerful preachers, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and William Sloan Coffin, who challenged us to live the faith we were singing about. They convinced me that it was our moral responsibility to work for social change, peace, and justice. For some, required daily chapel and Sunday worship may have been a burden, but as a “Preacher’s Kid,” I was already in the habit. For me, worship and courses on the

Bible and Christian ethics meant a higher education in my faith tradition—something I could not get in public school.

Mr. Raymond and the choral experience inspired me to major in music in college. The powerful worship and enlightening religion courses were “bread for the journey” that eventually led me into ordained ministry. My uplifting Northfield experience was a true blessing.

The Strength of NMHby Nan Waite

I finally began to really appreciate what Northfield had given me after I moved to New York City because of my marriage and was feeling like a displaced person. I connected with the Greater New York NMH area association and in the same general period helped plan the 15th reunion for our class. I found myself renewing friendships and making acquaintances and new friends with Northfield and Mount Hermon and NMH alums of all ages—from the class of 1920 and up. My feelings of loneliness and being without roots gave way to a sense of being part of a community that shared one bond—the school. It was far more than shared space but a kinship of people who were willing to be intellectually challenged, who felt a responsibility to their neighborhoods and the world beyond, and who did not measure a person’s worth solely by job title or income. The link had been there before I got to New York, I’d just not understood how special it was. It is a gift that I cannot ever fully repay.

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Northfield School Class of 1 9 6 5

555 State Route 129, Walpole ME 04573

Phone207-563-6167

[email protected]

Years at NorthfieldFour

Spouse/partnerMark Hamilton

FamilyWilliam Curtis Tawney, 37; stepsons Justin Hamilton, 32; and Nathaniel Hamilton, 27; Grandson Chase Hamilton

College & Degree EarnedSyracuse University, B.A. in English, 1969; The Pennsylvania State University, M.A. in English, fiction writing emphasis, 1987

Occupation(s)Editor and writer

Focus of Adult LifeNorthfield introduced me to my professional life in publications when I served as a section editor for the 1965 Highlights. I loved the work and decided that was the path for me. Journalism seemed to be the only choice, but I quickly discovered when taking my first course in the subject that being a reporter for a newspaper was not my cup of tea. I switched to English as my major and worked on my college yearbook for two years.

My first job after college was as an advertising representative for a weekly Thoroughbred magazine. Then, when I was at home with my son, I returned to school and earned a master’s in fiction writing.

While in the middle of that program, I became the public information officer for one of Penn State’s colleges at the main campus in University Park. I loved it, minus the newspaper work. Eventually, I landed my first editorial position, that of editor of Bucknell University’s alumni periodical. From there, I edited alumni periodicals at the University of Florida, MIT, and Northfield Mount Hermon. I also did a stint as a managing editor at a comprehensive testing company—definitely not my gig but close to home—another as a marketing communications representative for continuing education, and spent a period of time as a freelance feature writer and independent contractor.

Being married to a pastor meant I also had an unpaid, part-time job in the church. I always sang in the choir, served on committees, and entertained parishioners in our home. In Florida, our church was the host for a cold night shelter for the homeless, when the temperatures dropped into the 30s. Since my husband was senior pastor and we lived next door to the church, we were involved every night the shelter was open. That experience made clear to me that many people are one paycheck away from living on the streets.

Sally and Mark in South Bristol Maine, 2013

Sally Atwood HamiltonMaiden name: Sally Atwood


Life TodayIn September 2014, we retired and moved to Maine. By then the only publications works I was doing was editing the class notes section of NMH Magazine. I loved remaining part of a production team and having close contact with so many NMH alumni, but retirement was the right direction. To ease my transition out of the field, I volunteered to be editor of our 50th reunion yearbook, ending my publications career exactly where I started.

We are slowly finding ways to contribute to our new community. We joined a chorus that convenes once a year to present a Christmas concert. Then we joined the chorus of a local production of The Mikado. I still remember those songs from the Northfield production

more than 50 years ago. We look forward to taking our road bikes out of the garage and exploring the back roads of this gorgeous state before we start traveling elsewhere.

Significant life achievementsCompleting three century rides on my bicycle (100-mile rides, the cycling equivalent of running a marathon).

Winning a national Ozzie Award for the best redesign of a nonprofit magazine while working at the University of Florida.

Editing and producing the latest NMH history book, Lift Thine Eyes, A History of the Schools as seen through its landscape and architecture. Over four years, I worked with nine alumni authors; former trustee Becky Parfitt Kennedy ’67; retired NMH teacher and administrator, Carol Lebo; NMH Archivist Peter Weis ’78; Mark Vokey ’70; the NMH History Projects Team; and dozens of others to make this beautiful and unusual book possible. Northfield influenceThe most important thing that Northfield taught me was the knowledge of my own strength. I was challenged intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually while at Northfield. The school pushed me to reach way beyond anything I imagined possible, and it showed me that I could succeed under almost any circumstance. Throughout my career, when things piled up to seemingly impossible levels of stress and expectation, I knew I could get through it and do well because Northfield had shown me that I possessed that strength and the capability to succeed. I believe that the person I am today was totally influenced by my four Years at Northfield. I cannot separate Northfield from the fabric of my life.

Favorite Northfield memoriesThere are so many, including the obvious ones of Christmas Vespers, Sacred Concert, the Chat, Mountain Day, Tree Day, Seating Day, but there are many that were the daily fabric of the place—dummy, linen napkins, singing grace, milk station, daily chapel, the senior door, date lists on the dorm bulletin boards confirming whether you had a date on Saturday or not, denim skirts, sturdies, snow pants days, and the never-ending and subtle expectation that you were among the smartest young women in the country, and you would be successful in life, whatever you chose to do.

Life lessonsCompassion and an open mind—even though someone may look different and believe different things from you and come from a different station in life, they have as much value as you, and their words should be heard and their perspectives be respected.

Sally, middle back row, celebrating her mother’s 90th birthday in 2013 with her sister, Carol Atwood-Lyon ’62, left, and her sister-in-law, Cindy, right

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NicknameKay

714 Hillside Drive, Solvang CA 93463

Phone805-688-9366

[email protected]

Years at NorthfieldTwo

Spouse/PartnerKen Day

FamilyEmily Ross, 40; Jasmine Day, 34

College and degree earnedUniversity of New Hampshire, B.S. in biology, 1969; Creighton University, B.S.N. in nursing, 1980

OccupationRegistered nurse, retired, a lady of leisure

Focus of Adult LifeFamily—my husband was an Air Force officer for 20 years and traveled frequently. In his second career as a radio frequency engineer, he traveled just as much, so I ran the home and worked as an R.N., usually part-time. I have always enjoyed creating goods for charity giving. I hand knit 1,300 preemie hats and developed my own line of knitting patterns, which are sold locally.

Life TodayOur 8-year-old granddaughter lives nearby, and we spend a lot of time with her. Four grandsons are moving close after a few years 3,000 miles away—lots of fun to come!

I create earrings for women who are undergoing chemo treatment, and I knit stoles and shawls for women who are ill. On my eight antique

and repro circular sock machines, I knit wool socks mostly for donation to charities, such as the Navajo elders. I aim to knit 200 pair per year (am woefully below that this year).

I’ve just finished a six-year commitment to the homeowners’ association board, serving three years as president. And, I serve on the Board of Solvang Friendship House, a small...and wonderful...facility that cares for people with dementia.

Kathleen Beckett DayMaiden name: Kathleen Beckett

Kay and her dog Hooligan


I’m working on three art courses to improve my skills, and it’s working. I published two children’s books—wrote and illustrated them.

Significant life achievementsRaised two daughters who are assets to the community. Have a wonderful marriage, still, after 45 years. I figure it’s a good start.

Favorite Northfield memoriesChapel—hymn sing, especially. The Beatles songs blaring from the cop’s room. Christmas Vespers and Sacred Concert music. Roommate Judy Mintie Scollay and A.F.S. sister Joan Milne Bischoff—still close friends. Mountain Day celebrations—October 1, both years.

Kay and Ken,with their daughter, Emily, and her four sons


Mount HermonClass of 1965

223

Mount Hermonmemories

The Gatewayby Stuart Bethune

Driving through the entrance to the school, the memories from four years at Mount Hermon in our formative years in the sixties come flooding back—fond memories of singing in the choir and the a cappella choir; playing ice hockey on Shadow Lake; working in the Student Store making sundaes and frappes for fellow students; walking to the dining hall from Crossley in T-shirts on ice-cold mornings, feeling tough and immortal; immersing my thoughts in a wonderful class senior year relating religions and literature; learning to use the English language properly and to write very well. These are just a few of the memories.

These were heady times. Gerry Mulligan and Judy Collins whispered of things to come. We sang and played air guitar to Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin’”; listened to Miles and Mingus and Monk, the Who, and the Zombies and many more; made excursions to the Newport Jazz Festival in the summer, marveling at the flower-painted buses and VW vans from California; hitchhiked from Hermon to D.C. one Thanksgiving vacation, Kerouac’s dharma in our heads.

It was a time of great change, and underneath it all, having passed through those gates, the memories are not mere memories; they are part of me. Sure, I had a great time often going outside the prescribed system, but there are many, many core values I gained from the Hermon experience. I feel fortunate to have made several lifelong friendships and to have received a strong, life-affirming and academic education, even though at the time I was not a diligent student. At the core, I learned to become independent. Hermon gave me the foundation to be self-reliant, to be generous and open to others, and to be an engaged citizen of the planet.

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Reflections on Academic Training & Musical Opportunities

by Paul Houston

I retired recently, or at least I stopped getting paid for what I do. It is a tribute to the Mount Hermon preparation that even in retirement I still do many of the same things that I became interested in at Mount Hermon. It taught me three important skills—to learn, to teach, and to enjoy music.

To William Hawley, I am indebted for teaching me English grammar; now, though not then, I appreciate being required to diagram sentences. Carroll Bailey was a great inspiration for all things literary and personal. John Zilliax taught us to appreciate Dos Passos and Steinbeck. In retrospect, writing clearly has been as important to me as my scientific training. Carl Stinchfield and Joe Turner inspired interest in the sciences, with help from

math teachers Timothy Greene and Albert Higgins. The basic skills that they provided were important, surely, but not as important as the love for the topic that they encouraged. I started teaching as a math tutor at Hermon. In the end, I chose teaching chemistry as a profession, but I combined it with research in topics on the border with physics—combustion, atmospheric chemistry, and laser science. Later in life, as I became more involved in college administration, the English and communication training that served me well for teaching and writing research reports became even more important for my career.

To Albert Raymond we all, I think, owe gratitude. The musical opportunities he provided, and trained us to attain, were extraordinary. I have continued to sing, somewhat intermittently, since then. I have taken up harpsichord and cello, and I have become increasingly interested in opera. Some of the interest goes back to early days indeed—taking out records from the Mount Hermon library (I probably still owe them a fine!), and listening over and over to a recording of the 1962 Hermon Knights.

In the end, two core values learned at Mount Hermon are perhaps the most important foundation of my career: tenacity and organization. Even when I’ve lacked the smarts, keeping at it and allocating my energies have often helped me to overcome life’s problems.

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Scattered Vignettesby Mark Boeing

Rarely do I sit and reminisce about the Hill, and so putting the pieces together 50 years later is like picking up a stack of pictures that someone put in a box and shook up. There is no order.

I remember vividly shoveling out molten chunks of coal remnants with a highly polished, extremely long-handled shovel in that mystical power plant that kept the school alive. My coworker, Richard Miller, didn’t finish with us, but he was a solid dude, putting one foot in front of the other, making his way through this precarious stretch of life like most of us.

Everything began for me in Cottage II with a handful of extraordinarily varied personalities like my roommate,

Jon Cole. You couldn’t know he’d play at Woodstock in a few years with his band Quill, but we did know he was intense and fun. Every day was filled with the wonder of it all, sensing and then exploring the many paths that skittered all over the campus. Some we were meant to find and others maybe not so much.

While I was trying to figure all this out, there were many peers who just seemed to know where to step and what life had in store for them. I was and remain fascinated by how they could have grown up so quickly and found this sense of purpose. Four years of being in the midst of more opportunity than I knew what to do with and amongst extraordinarily varied personalities was daunting, so I sought out kindred spirits and let it fly.

Walter Banks—Bush—was one suave, athletic, and highly intelligent dude full of life. Before Sunday chapel, we would both pretend to the rest of the hall that we were cool and would strut around in our underwear. Little did Rauschenbach or Schwanda across the hall, or any other of our third-floor mates, know we had our clothes laid out on our beds, ready for a high-speed dressing event that we’d typically do in less than 20 seconds. As people would start to leave, we’d casually stroll into our room and—WHAM—dressed and en route. Oh, we thought we were the balls.

There was the crisp, fall morning when Chris Chambers, who died shortly thereafter in a motorcycle accident, and I were watching Brooks Hurd practice the 100-yard dash on the track, when in the heat of the moment of extreme effort, he closed his eyes and his path wavered just enough for him to catch a low hurdle that was turned backward. He was cut down, face first into the coal cinders that were popular on tracks then.

Either freshman or sophomore year, roast beef was served to our table in West Hall, and a new student from Africa looked at the beef, then at the table and asked innocently, “Hyena?” The breadth of personalities at the school was remarkable. Over time I came to greatly appreciate the diversity of Mount Hermon when compared to Deerfield, Exeter, Andover, and other schools. I can honestly say I never thought of our school as a prep school.

Sitting in chapel amongst Banks, Barber, Betts, and Backstrom has scarred me for life. I never laughed so hard, so quietly, at the dumbest things we managed to bring to our collective attention. Beating Deerfield in lacrosse our last two years, the incredible football team, Frank Shorter on the run, the wonderful ladies of Northfield on Wednesdays and Saturdays, Basil Rathbone, the Kingston Trio, Judy Collins, the genius of Stu Feldman, and much, much more are all part of the quilt we made with one another.

Now, we are those old geezers who come back for reunion. Sure doesn’t feel that way.

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Mount Hermon Class of 1 9 6 5

314 Midland Avenue, Wayne PA 19087

Phone610-964-8286

[email protected]

Years at Mount HermonFour

Spouse/partnerSusan West Ayres

FamilyEdward Ayres, 37; Robert Ayres, 35; Sarah Turnbull, 30

College and degree earnedHarvard, A.B., history, magna cum laude, 1969; Harvard Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1974

OccupationLawyer

Focus of Adult LifeFamily—marriage and child rearing; private practice of law; piano playing and singing; Episcopal church

Life TodayI’m still practicing law (tax and corporate) full time in a mid-sized Philadelphia law firm and hope to continue to do so until 70. My wife and I have enjoyed being empty nesters for quite some time. We keep busy with travel, concert-going, volunteer activities, hobbies (including photography), etc. Because our children and grandchildren are not close by (Beverly, Mass., and Salt Lake City, Utah), we look forward all the more keenly to our few opportunities for being with them. I play the piano for several hours

each week, primarily for my own enjoyment (and, I hope, my wife’s), but occasionally in a trio. My wife and I sing in the church choir, and I belong to two other small singing groups.

Significant life achievementsI consider my marriage and Family my most significant achievement. There are also some notable projects I have helped to bring to fruition as a lawyer, including the rehabilitation of Amtrak’s 30th Street Station in Philadelphia and the preservation of Erdenheim Farm near Philadelphia’s northern border.

Warren W. Ayres

Warren and his granddaughter, Violet Ayres


Mount Hermon influenceMount Hermon prepared me well for college and graduate education. It broadened my horizons by exposing me to classmates whose backgrounds were different from mine. It made me face athletic challenges, which I probably would have done my best to avoid in my home high school, and it taught me how to be a good winner and loser. It nurtured a love of singing, which has been one of my life’s greatest delights. It gave me a grounding in religion, which has done so much to support and comfort me. Finally, from my years as a West Hall table-setter and waiter, it gave me a respect for work—and the ability to arrange a large number of dishes and glasses on a tray and carrying the tray without dropping it.

Favorite Mount Hermon memoriesThe spectacular beauty of the campus and its surroundings, with the dramatic changes in season; some of our more colorful teachers, most notably Judson Stent (Bible) and Thomas Donovan (English); Christmas Vespers and Sacred Concert.

Life lessons

See page 215 for Warren’s 50th reunion retrospective essay.

Warren and his wife, Susan

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NicknameJamie

316 N. Rossmore Ave., Los Angeles CA 90004

Phone323-481-2750

[email protected]

Years at Mount HermonThree

Spouse/partnerCarolyn D. Bennett

FamilyKatherine “Katie” B. Bennett, 35; Lucy W. Bennett, 32; John Brooks Bennett, 27

College and degree earnedUniversity of California-Berkeley, B. A. in social sciences, 1970; Harvard Graduate School of Business, M.B.A., 1972

OccupationCBS Television, 1972–1985, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, ending with five years as vice president and general manager of KCBS-TV Los Angeles.

Walt Disney Company, 1985–1991, executive vice president, domestic (syndication) and international TV production.

ACI television, CEO, 1991–1996

Pearson Television (Now Fremantle Media, London), CEO World Wide Production, 1996–2002

Tech angel investor, 2002 to present

Southern California Institute of Architecture (graduate and undergraduate school of architecture), COO/CFO, 2009 to present

Focus of Adult LifeI went to Berkeley right after Mount Hermon—like all of us—that timing was right in the middle of the Vietnam War, the Beatles, drugs on campus, free speech, etc. And all of that was amplified at Berkeley. I loved it there. I took broadcast journalism in freshman year (easier than English), and I wound up as a part-time freelance reporter while in school, covering all of the activities at Berkeley for AP and UPI Radio News. I also worked three summers in Washington, D.C., in great summer internships at the Labor Department, OEO, and the White House. Also ran the campus jazz festival, radio station etc., and all that stuff got me into the M.B.A. program at Harvard, cause it wasn’t my grades. When I graduated from Harvard, the only industry I knew was broadcasting, from my

James S. Bennett


freelancing in college and other part-time jobs. So I went to work for CBS and wound up in Chicago. Three years into the CBS career, I became program director of the local TV station. And there I met my wife, Carolyn, who worked for the ABC-TV station. I joked; I could either date her or hire her. I did the former. After three years of marriage and one child, we moved to Los Angeles with CBS, where I ran the local TV station. Then I went to Disney as Eisner and Katzenberg moved there from Paramount. I was running a start-up internal TV production division there,

where we produced “Regis (a former neighbor in L.A.) and Kathie-Lee,” “Siskel (a friend from CBS Chicago) and Ebert,” and a bunch of game shows appearing on network and local stations. It was a great time to be at Disney, and we had three children by then, who loved the fact that we had a season pass to Disneyland. I was recruited away from Disney to do an independent start-up TV movie and mini-series company, a consortium of eight of the most prolific producers. I agreed to do it if we could sell the company five years after we started it. (I was not one of the producers in what was a bit of a club.) So five years later, we sold ACI to a British company, Pearson, a large publishing company. Carolyn, the three kids, and I moved to London after the sale, where I was the head of worldwide production. I traveled around the world buying up local production companies and formats (think, “American Idol”). After six years, the Pearson TV interests were merged with Bertlesmann’s (we were bought out), and I was out of a job. We stayed in London for another year while my wife finished a master’s degree, and I consulted a private equity firm. Our two oldest were in the U.S. in college (Trinity in Connecticut), and after a year, we moved back to the U.S. with our son, who was a rising high school sophomore.

Upon our return, I began to invest in small start-ups—not in the media—with a group called Pasadena Angels. They’re a bunch of guys in Pasadena (yes, mostly men), around 100, who meet weekly and examine and invest in these start-ups. Most cities have these groups, and I have found that activity very satisfying, and somewhat rewarding financially. Five years ago, someone pushed a job at me on the Internet—the COO/CFO position at a school of architecture in L.A., and it caught my fancy. I have had an avocational interest in architecture and had sat on several school boards and capital campaigns. I figured I could help them out with buying their campus, raising a bond issue, fundraising etc. So, I went back to work for someone, after a semi-retirement period as an investor. When we get together for the reunion, I may still be doing this COO job, or I may have moved on. (The school has just selected a new CEO, an architect, a guy I like, and he takes office in September. We’ll see what he wants me, and others, to do, if anything.)

Life TodayLike many of us, my wife, our children, and friends are the centers of my life. Career is mostly behind me. Three years ago we up and sold the Family house in Los Angeles and bought a small hobby farm in Ojai, Calif., and an apartment in our old neighborhood in L.A. While

Lucy, Brooks, Carolyn, Katie, and Jamie

244


I’m continuing to work, I stay in town at the apartment during the week and in Ojai on the weekend. A nice pattern at the moment. Our kids are all single, live in California, and enjoy their Occupations: a garden construction project manager, a television producer, and an entrepreneur who has just started a cider company. We see them all regularly. They love the farm.

Significant life achievementsI spent 10 years on the NMH Board of Trustees (1999–2009), nine of those years I was the chair of the building and grounds committee—the most meaningful opportunity to serve I could have imagined. I loved the opportunity, as we had to make important decisions about the future of the school in that period, and I got to work with the board and the head to build out the Hermon campus to accommodate the single-campus, consolidated school. There were wonderful colleagues on the board who were all dedicated to the school and to making the difficult choices we had before us.

Mount Hermon influenceLet me count the ways. The single most important lessons learned were from my parents. Close behind were the lessons learned from my experience at Mount Hermon.

Favorite Mount Hermon memoriesThe community we had at meals, chapel, football games, rope pull, and so on; the feeling that our lives could have great purpose; pride in the economic and racial diversity we had, unique among prep schools; and a sense of awe at the natural beauty of the Hermon campus, were all inspiring to this little kid from New Jersey.

See page 225 for Jamie’s Mount Hermon memory essay.


FacultyMemories

386


William R. Compton ‘44 When you left your alma mater for wider fields in 1965, my

Family and I stayed on at Mount Hermon, until our retirement in 1992. Your class had known me primarily as a college counselor, but you didn’t see a lot of me your senior year, as I was director of research at Revell on the Northfield campus, where I got students and alumni to fill out questionnaires to try to find out the correlation between how students did at Mount Hermon versus how they did in their careers. We determined that persistence and hard work as a student was much more important to career success than the grades students received at Mount Hermon. I only did that for one year and then took on various responsibilities, including director of studies, dean of

the Mount Hermon campus in the early days of the merger, and from 1976 on, director of summer programs.

In the meantime, my three children grew up and graduated, one from Mount Hermon and two from the merged school. While I was involved with the summer school, my wife Mary ’44 became an assistant librarian, a role she thoroughly enjoyed. After our retirement, we stayed in Northfield for three years in a home we owned. But snowless winters attracted us, and we decided to move to Beaufort, S. C., a thoroughly charming old coastal town. We relished our 10 years there, made good new friends, and got to know a great deal about that part of our country.

But as we grew older and feebler, we felt the need to be closer to Family. So we moved to a retirement community (Loomis) in South Hadley, Mass., which is where I am now living. My wife died October 14, 2012, after a fortunately relatively short illness. I miss her a great deal, but I am learning how to take care of myself.

Dale L. Conly ‘52Being a Mount Hermon graduate, I went to one of

America’s top liberal arts colleges, Oberlin, graduating in 1956. I then had a government opportunity when I was drafted after graduation. After protecting the country from the communist threat in Germany (serving with Elvis), I received a master’s degree from Ohio State University, which led me to teach at Mount Hermon, starting in 1960. I also qualified to marry the woman of my dreams, Jeanne, in 1961. I was extremely fortunate to be part of an outstanding faculty in the ’60s while learning how to become an effective teacher and coach. It is also true that I learned a great deal from the students I was trying to communicate with,

especially the perceptive members of the class of ’65.

Carroll Bailey and I were trying to run North and South Crossley, which was a daunting task given the circumstances of the times. Fortunately, Carroll was a night person and took over the late shift while I did the early one. Jeanne and I had three children born in Greenfield: Shawn, Kimberly, and Todd. In 1970, I went to the frontier to try to spread civilization and


spent the next 30 years teaching, coaching, deaning, directing athletics, and being head of the history department at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio. While there, I had the opportunity to both teach and coach my three children, which was a great thrill for me.

Soccer has been very good to me; I was a collegiate All-American and have been selected to be in the Hall of Fame at Northfield Mount Hermon, Oberlin College, and the state of Ohio. We retired in 1999 to our home in New London, N.H., where we could “live free or die.”

Sally Curtis I first got to Northfield in September of 1948. As a new teacher

there, I felt a lot of personal security. Miss Wilson was head of school. I knew as long as she was head with Miss Daboll as her assistant, everything would go smoothly.

At the time my sister was in nurse’s training and was in uniform from head to toe. She asked me, “What do you wear as teachers?” I told her skirts and ankle socks. “Ankle socks!” she exclaimed. “I would have no respect for a teacher who wears ankle socks.” Respect was not an issue at Northfield. We had the respect of the kids there. My sister and I had been brought up in public schools

and teachers there wore stockings and sensible shoes.

When we realized that Miss Wilson and Miss Daboll both had cancer, our foundations were shaken, but we knew we’d keep going on in the Northfield way. They both died in 1952. They had been letting people there do their own thing. It was a comfortable situation.

I stayed because they kept finding other things for me to do. I had been there five years when they decided I should be head of hall in West Gould. I did that for seven years, until 1961. I was co-head of the math department. Then my co-head died and Ned Meany said one hat is enough, and someone else became head of West Gould.

In the 1960s, the school was very similar to when I first came. Northfield girls were good natured, eager to learn, willing to work, willing to ask questions and to admit they didn’t know something.

My favorite part of Northfield was being able to teach what I wanted to teach as I wanted to teach it. I taught everything from Algebra I to Calculus A & B. My favorite was trig because it was a challenge. I enjoyed it in high school and built on it when I got to college. It’s what led to my career.

I keep going back to reunion because of the huggers. There are so many people at NMH who are huggers. There are warm friendships and lots of connections and lots of people who would never have hugged a faculty member. I go to all reunions because I don’t want to miss anyone. I always know someone.

Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, Miss Curtis was in the hospital and did not make is back to reunion in 2014. She passed away on 9/11/14.

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Jerry DavisI arrived at Mount Hermon in September 1964, a novice history teacher despite my two-year tour with International Voluntary Service in Liberia. Headmaster Art Kiendl advised me to stay at least two years, even though the salary was minimal. I followed his advice and then some, staying for 36 years.

On my first day of class in Beveridge, while I fidgeted nervously at the pencil sharpener, master teacher Tommy Donovan told me: “Just go in there and let them know you’re in charge.” Well, I managed. Observing how quiet T.D.’s students were before class, my students informed me that he

gave a quiz at the beginning of each class. I developed my own style but learned much from T.D., Jack Baldwin, Fred Bauer, Dale Conly, Joe Curry, Chuck Sanborn, and Charlie Pierce.

I was hired to teach history, coach, and be a dorm master, but with the assassination of Dr. Martin L. King Jr. in 1968, I took on the additional responsibility as adviser to the new Afro-American Society. For the next 20 years, I played a leading role in helping students, faculty, parents, and trustees deal with issues of diversity. I introduced new courses on African and Afro-American history and culture, and helped recruit minority faculty at NMH and other independent schools.

I am convinced that the school, as it changed over the years, remained committed to a more diverse student body and faculty. It was a major challenge, especially as other schools competed for the limited pool of students and faculty, but we made progress.

Throughout the years, NMH has held steadfast to its tradition of helping deserving students realize their potential and develop into fine adults in a safe and beautiful environment. As a faculty member, it afforded me the same advantage. During my years at Mount Hermon, I was privileged to teach and learn with talented students from many countries, share ideas with friendly and creative colleagues, pursue graduate degrees, and travel abroad through the faculty sabbatical program.

It’s been 50 years since the class of 1965 graduated. However, I have fond memories of some of the guys, (I was only 10 years their senior). Tim Schiavoni, my floor leader and varsity football player, helped me immensely; John Eagar hid in his closet as I gathered my wards for the trip to West Hall for breakfast; Geoff May’s fist fight with Steve Zabel at the North Crossley softball game and the resulting visit to the hospital emergency room; Peter Goelz, swimmer, football player, and history student, who I see from time to time on television when there’s a plane crash; Henri Rauschenbach in class and later a Beacon Hill delegate; Frank Shorter, excellent history student and athlete on the world stage; Bill McCue, who visited school after graduating; and Bob Wood, the class conservative who campaigned for Barry Goldwater in 1964. Thank you guys for helping me through my freshman year.

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In MemoriamClass of 1965

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Carol BraytonCarol received her doctor of medicine degree from Albert Einstein University in 1978, was co-director of emergency services at the Mount Vernon Hospital in Virginia until 1998, and was a member of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Carol was married to Beal Lowen, M.D., and they had two daughters, Gena and Eliza.

Comments

Carol and I were at Barnard together after Northfield, lived in the same dorm, and crossed paths often. She was as bright and bold at Barnard as she was before and after—twinkling eyes, ready smile, and that vaguely husky voice.

Beth Zelnick Palubinsky

My favorite times with Carol were when we miraculously coerced some rather attractive young men to drive us to the Newport Jazz Festival. Quite pleased with having arranged this, we were not prepared for more than the transportation, ditched said attractive young men, and passed ourselves off at the festival as members of the press. Looking back, and at photos of us at the time, I doubt anyone believed us, but I also doubt anyone cared. Carol was fun and always up for some adventure. She was certainly a bright moment in my life.

Deborah Monroe

My recollection is that Carol decided to become a doctor years after she graduated from college. She returned to school to get some of the science courses she had missed and then went to medical school. I want to say she was in her late 20s or early 30s when she made this turn, and I was in awe of her determination and saddened that she died far too soon after she had managed this feat.

Nan Waite

Carol lost both her parents while at Northfield—her mother freshman year, her father her junior year. I visited Carol that summer. Her father’s sister managed the parentless household of Carol and two older siblings. Carol and I spent a few days sailing, smoking, listening to the Beach Boys, and flirting with her brother’s friends. At school she was an inlligent rebel, very smart, and talented. She taught herself to play the guitar, did very well academically, and was so much fun.

Alison Marshall Zanetos

7/22/1947–2/18/2001

1/16/1948–11/1/1992

Katherine Binder Walsh Comments

Katie and I were West Gould dormmates. She personified every lovely, corn-fed, midwestern stereotype: smiling, gracious, kind-hearted, full of faith, pink-cheeked, and oh, so nice. She sweetly scolded us when we mispronounced Wisconsin, telling us that “it’s not Wiss-kon-sin, it’s Wiss-skon-son,” and watching our eyes glaze over when she said “Oconomowoc.” She was one of the first classmates we lost, years back, and her passing always stuck with me, as we were all so young when she died. Beth Zelnick Palubinsky

On the class of 1964 reunion web page, Norma Chatfield mentions, in her list of what memories bring a big smile to her face: “Around West Gould—Katy Binder’s huge mop-like slippers.” Dave Stone



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Sara Conrad 9/18/1966

Carol Walsh Wright 8/14/1947–2/9/1983

Paula Smith 5/24/1946–12/12/1969

Nicholas AfentakisAfter Mt. Hermon, Nick graduated from Tufts University School of Engineering. He worked for many years at Digital Equipment Corporation in Maynard and Marlboro, Mass., and in Galway, Ireland; Ayr, Scotland; and Kaufburen, Germany. He also served as a project manager at Invensys, specializing in oil and gas process industry in the Middle East and Far East. During his retirement, he worked as a fishmonger in Brewster, Mass. Nick was married for 35 years to Mary Ellen Lavenberg

Walter H. BanksWalter went on to Stanford, where he earned a bachelor’s in journalism. His career evolved from proofreader to copy editor at the Wall Street Journal in Palo Alto, to paralegal specialist at Thelen Law Firm and Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Service (JAMS) in San Jose, and the Fortino Law Firm in Gilroy, Calif. Throughout his adult life, Walter nourished his love for people and problem solving while serving as a tutor, mentor, big brother, and bartender on weekends and holidays at various establishments in and around Palo Alto. He often took people under his wing, providing guidance, encouragement, and financial assistance, as needed. He was well known for his intellect, wit, humor, and generosity, and his love of football. He was an avid reader and compassionate philosopher. His wife, Sondra, two daughters, a sister, a nephew, four grandchildren, and numerous aunts and cousins survive him.

Comments

Walter was a fantastic guy with a wonderful sense of humor. I entered Mount Hermon halfway through sophomore year, and he always made me feel welcomed as the “new kid.” Walter will be missed by many, both Family and friends.

John Sellar

10/15/1947–5/8/2011

10/24/1948–12/27/2014



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The Lord bless thee, and keep thee,The Lord make His face shine upon thee,

and be gracious unto thee,And be gracious unto thee,

The Lord lift up His countenanceHis countenance upon thee,

and give thee peace!

nmh 1965 sample

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