When in Sydney...

By some magic coincidence, Whit Sheppard and daughter Emily, while vacationing in Australia, bumped into Margarita (and Manning) Curtis!  Looks like fun was had by all.

Still driving success for the 80s...

A big THANK YOU to '83!

The results from Deerfield’s Day of Giving are in:

"Overall, we’re thrilled to report that Deerfield received a total of $537,656 from 1,119 donors, surpassing last year’s record of $403,000 from 1,057 donors. And of these new totals, the Great Class of 1983 contributed $5,210 from 17 donors, the second highest of any of the ’80s classes! (In first was the Class of ’80 with a whopping 55 donors—they had the most of any class that day—and in third was the class of ’87 with 14 donors.) 

Congratulations, and thank you for your help and support."

Many thanks to those of you who gave during the "day".  

A face from your past....

So great to get this contribution from Mark Czuj - especially for the day students among us!

Do you remember this man on campus?

Custodian for nine years at DA, in the day student lounge I suspect?, this is Charles B. Cronk!

"Mellow" Ed Reade has passed

Edwin G. Reade, Jr. died peacefully on March 15, 2019 in his home at the Lathrop Retirement Community in Easthampton, MA. He was 98, and his daughter Kate and son-in-law Josh were at his side. Reade grew up in Watertown, CT, spent his teaching and coaching career at Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, MA, and in retirement split his time between Vineyard Haven, MA and Tampa before moving to Easthampton in 2015. 

Reade was born in 1921 to Dr. and Mrs. Edwin Reade in Watertown, CT. His one brother, Colonel Robert A. Reade, predeceased him in 2011. Reade graduated from the Taft School in 1939 and Williams College in 1946, after serving in the military. In 1950 he married Florence Anne (Petey) Hofmann of Montclair, NJ. They had three children: Ned, John, and Kate. Following Petey's death in 1993. Reade married Mary Lee (Lippy) Rogers in 1995, a long time friend from Martha's Vineyard. The couple spent a joyous 20 years together, playing tennis and golf and enjoying their friends on the Vineyard and in Tampa. 

When World War II began, Reade left Williams and joined the Army Air Corps. He served from 1942 to 1945, including 18 months in New Guinea as a pilot in the 5 Air Force where he was a first lieutenant and won the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal. Reade returned to Williams for his senior year, was elected to the Gargoyle Honorary Society, and played varsity tennis and squash. 

Dr. Frank Boyden, Headmaster of Deerfield Academy, hired Reade in 1946 to teach Spanish and French and coach varsity squash and tennis. Reade remained a respected teacher, coach, and mentor at Deerfield for 38 years. During that time he also completed graduate work in Spanish at Middlebury College and Tufts. At Deerfield, Reade was honored with the Scaife Chair in the Humanities. While living in Deerfield, the Reade's were devoted congregants of St. James Episcopal Church. Reade was an active member of the Deerfield Volunteer Fire Department. 

Upon retiring from Deerfield in 1984, Reade and his wife Petey moved to Marth's Vineyard. The Reades were active members of the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club and Trinity Episcopal Church in Oak Bluffs. The civic-minded Reade served as Senior Warden at Trinity Episcopal Church - Oak Bluffs; chairman of the Williams Street Historic District Commission; member of the Tisbury Zoning Board of Appeals; and on the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club's Board of Directors. 

An avid sportsman, Reade called himself a racketeer. He played tennis into his 90s and squash for more than 40 years. While coaching at Deerfield, he often determined that lads who could beat him while he played lefty would make junior varsity; those talented enough to compete against Reade's right hand would rise to varsity. Ed Reade spent many summers teaching tennis and participating in tournaments in Massachusetts, Florida, and Bermuda. He relished golf as well, especially in retirement at Farm Neck in Edgartown and at the Palma Ceia Club in Tampa. Though never a club champion, he did score a hole-in-one at 89! This lifetime of sports forged enduring friendships far and wide he treasured. 

Ed Reade is predeceased by his brother and his two wives. He leaves three children: Ned (and Maria) Reade of Pawling, NY and Arlington, VT; John (and Masumi) Reade of Tokyo, Japan; and Kate (and Josh) Rosenblatt of Easthampton, MA. He also leaves three stepchildren: Betsy(and Ed) MacMillan of Los Angeles, CA; Tom (and Melissa) Rogers of Rockville, MD; and Robin (and Tim) Kirkpatrick of Atlanta, GA, in addition to three granddaughters -Sarah, Allison, and Lisa - and one step granddaughter, Leigh Ann.

Contributions in Ed Reade's honor may be made to Trinity Episcopal Church, Ocean Avenue, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557. A memorial service will be held on Martha's Vineyard later this summer. Mitchell Funeral Home www.mitchellcofuneralhome.com



https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/gazettenet/obituary.aspx?n=edwin-g-reade&pid=191866176&fhid=15495

Fair's Fair

Congratulations to Dexter Wood's son on achieving Eagle Scout rank, like his Dad.  Who knew?

With the boss...

JK was thrilled to have Head of School Margarita Curtis back in Denver for her last visit.  She retires in June.  King's Academy (Jordan) Head of School, John Austin, takes the DA helm in July.  (Dean of Studies at DA, Peter Nilsson, will become King's Academy's next Head of School!) 

It was a nice turnout and the wheels are turning for Denver's Deerfield family to keep connecting!

Top o' the heap!

Here's a great video of Don Hindman being the stellar COO he is!  This from recent the Colorado Business Awards... "It was such an honor to receive the #TopCompany award at the Colorado Biz Awards last week! Here's a clip from our COO & President, Don Hindman, on the company's success. #PrepareToBeMoved"

Cheers to '83 on this DA Day of Giving!

Don Hindman tracked down Brian Steward during a recent business trip to San Antonio.  Here they are toasting our class and especially all those classmates who take advantage of the anonymous match to double their impact by making a gift to Deerfield today!  (giving link here).

THURSDAY is DA Day of Giving!

Gents:

If you are inclined to donate the the Annual Fund at Deerfield but haven't gotten around to it - Thursday is your day!

Gifts will once again be matched.  Last year over 1,000 donors gave in the 24 hour period and DA hopes to surpass that record....

Be ready! The link is HERE.

Ski season!

Hardie Jackson and Dave Madden were recently able to get in a few runs together in Sun Valley, ID.  Lookin' good fellas!

Are you on DACONNECT?

Deerfield launched a online mentoring platform a while back.  Now there is a jobs board too!  If you have a LinkedIn profile, it's really easy to set up your DACONNECT profile and become and advisor or look at jobs posted by fellow alumni.

Check it out at https://deerfield.firsthand.co/

Congratulations Ozzie!

Scroll

You should read the current Scroll.  Lot's of opinion from current students in reaction to the Boston Globe article titled "Better Dead Than Coed*".

http://deerfieldscroll.com/

* original article: https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/12/28/better-dead-than-coed-deerfield-academy-confronts-its-male-only-past/63sZu3NRllpW2N9cu1fGkM/story.html

Hot ATL

Kudos to PB and Hardie for connecting over breakfast while PB was in town for "work" events related to the Super Bowl.  Looking good fellas!

Hank Style

Leave it to Hank Lemieux to still have a crisp DA83 tie in his closet to wear for his recent attendance at a DA in NYC event.  He's pictured here with Director of Parent and Alumni Engagement, Jenny Hammond.  Way to represent Hank!

Slope Style

Peter Geary (r) joined Doug Cruikshank and friends during his annual ski weekend.  The posse from metro NYC spent a fun filled weekend in the mountains of Colorado and enjoyed the great conditions.  Nearby Colorado classmate John Knight was unable to attend this year and was much maligned by his classmates.  Deservedly so.

Rest In Peace, Sam.

Sam Zales 53, of Tucson AZ, died on January 15th, 2019. Avid reader, writer, beloved son, brother, and uncle. He will be missed by his mother, Ruth, sister, Melissa (Tim), three nieces, Katherine, Emily, and Juliana, stepfather, Ken, and many more aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. (On left in photo).

“Everything passes, only truth remains.” – The Brothers Karamazov.

Gifts in his memory may be made to the Arizona Repertory Theatre in the University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film and Television.

Gifts can be mailed to CFA Development Office, PO Box 210004, Rm 113, Tucson, AZ 85721-0004 or by calling the Development Office at (520) 621-9057.

From Carl Levinger's post on Sam's FB page:

I just learned here on Facebook that one of my best friends from Deerfield and some years thereafter, Sam Zales, passed away. Sam made freshman year especially bearable. I can still remember his Renfield in Dracula all these years later, and I will cherish his trumpet playing in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which I have on DVD. He had to leave at intermission, so only the trumpeter playing harmony can be heard in the second act. The photo below, taken by Rich Royce, is a wonderful memory of my favorite weekend in New York. It's pretty devastating to think that I'm the only one still alive of the three of us in the photo. I was never expecting to see Paul Gleason again, but I guess I figured I'd see Sam at least one more time. I'll miss you.

Like a BOSS!

Did you catch Leigh Guyer's plunge into the Columbia River (at 41 degrees)? See his FB page!

https://www.facebook.com/leigh.guyer/videos/10156939142874851/

Happy New Year!

Kudos to Doug Cruikshank for making the effort to reach out to the Nottages in the Bahamas over the holidays.  It's not difficult to find classmates on your travels - reach out to Knight or Schmidt for classmate info - or use the DA App! (info here: https://deerfield.edu/alumni/notes-and-social-media/)

Executive - ly

You may remember that Chris Flagg and JK are both on the Executive Committee of the Alumni Association now - so you'll be happy to know that your class continues to have a voice in the engagement efforts for alumni.

Chris and JK only vote as a block and only talk just to each other during meetings.  Then they retire to the Deerfield Inn for refreshments!

The recent meetings coincided with the dedication of the new athletic facility (think "renovations" totaling $68 MM).  It's a "game-changer" for many sports and with the recent Morsman Pavilion added over 6 of the tennis courts, there are really no weather related excuses for not practicing anymore...enjoy some pictures of the event. (And here's a link to 100 more pics of the facility/opening)

The new Class of 1993 Rink is built into the hillside with the new field house above it...

The rowing facility looks like the National Team training center - two rowing tanks and a roomful of ERGs next door.  There's a Weymouth on the wall of honor!

There's a golf simulator room, puck shooting room, two yoga studios etc. etc.

Chase Coleman '93 and family enjoyed the first skate on the ice.  Chase was instrumental in the funding for the rink...

Former grounds crew and rink manager Jim Antone was on hand to admire the new Jim Antone Skate Room - donated by five former DA hockey players...

Robe Hale '84 was given the great honor of a renamed facility - the "New Gym" is now the Hale Family Gymnasium - Rob spoke eloquently about the faculty members who shaped his talents and why he and his wife are so passionate about supporting financial aid at DA.

And of course, the ageless and still employed at DA Norm Therien of socks and jocks fame, was on hand to enjoy the festivities!

Reality Check - Patton interviewed by AARP

More great publicity for Ben, but a fact of life that we are all welcome to become members of AARP too!

https://www.aarp.org/home-family/voices/veterans/info-2018/ben-patton-interview.html?intcmp=AE-HF-FFR-VC-VET-R1C1

Caring About Veterans Runs in the Family

Q&A with filmmaker Ben Patton, grandson of George Patton Jr., on how he helps vets deal with PTSD

by Andrew Carroll, AARP Bulletin, November 2018 | Comments: 0

BRYAN DERBALLA

Your grandfather George Patton Jr. is one of the most famous generals in American history. Your father was a major general who served with distinction in Korea and Vietnam. That’s a unique way to grow up.

My father used to say, “We’re not better than anyone or worse than anyone. We’re just different.” We definitely were made to feel different insofar as we had a responsibility to act a certain way, behave appropriately and have a service-oriented mind-set.

You didn’t join the military. Was there pressure for you to do so?

I think I felt pressure from history. I had a very strong, but somewhat challenging, relationship with my father. I grew up thinking that that’s what he most wanted — for me to go into the military. I think deep down what he wanted me to do was to find my own path and to lead an authentic life.

What inspired you to become a documentary filmmaker and teacher?

I got interested in film. I wanted to find a way, beyond just going to veterans’ events and representing my family, to apply those talents and skills to the service of veterans and military families. That led me to seek an opportunity to teach film to veterans — to use film as a therapeutic approach for veterans transitioning home from a combat theater, often with post-traumatic stress.

And that led to the work of helping those veterans capture their experiences on film?

Yes. Initially, I was focused on combat veterans who just weren’t able to communicate with their family in the same way as when they had left. There were things they experienced that they simply couldn’t articulate in normal conversation. We began to see that the medium of film could be a wonderful conduit for a veteran to express something without even having to use words.

Your grandfather won lots of glory but was criticized for slapping two soldiers suffering from what was then called combat fatigue. It’s ironic you work with veterans with PTSD.

I’m not an apologist for my grandfather. I would say that generation of the military really just didn’t understand this phenomenon. I don’t excuse him because the actions that he was responsible for, particularly in the summer of 1943 in Sicily, were inexcusable. He had a warrior aura about him where sometimes going into military hospitals had its consequences, setting back his career. But I’m inspired by the fact that both he and my dad were very well-known for caring for their soldiers. What I’m doing is shifting the way we understand what “care” means and broadening it. Fortunately, we have learned a great deal more about these mental health challenges over subsequent generations.

BRYAN DERBALLA

How many films has the Patton Veterans Project produced in the past few years?

I’d say between 300 and 400 films at this point. We’ve worked with close to 1,200 veterans. My mission is to reduce the distance between a veteran and everyone he or she interacts with, be that a battle buddy, boss,  neighbor, spouse, son or daughter, or parent. If we can see veterans be closer and more communicative with those around them, then I think everyone will be better off.

Why did you think that filmmaking would resonate with service members today?

Younger veterans are part of the YouTube generation who understand the medium of video better than past generations. We are all carrying around a video camera in our pocket that, with a little bit of software, can be used to edit video. Because we are so familiar with this technology, we can slip into a creative process almost instantaneously. It’s a very easy and quick way for someone to create a narrative. 

And that’s what makes your work different from other PTSD projects?

There are wonderful writing programs and theater programs, but there is something about being able to create narrative in this way. Many of the clinicians we work with have said this medium allows the veteran to switch sides. They can observe themselves in a video but also be a participant in it. We can really begin to help them get support they need and actually enable them to take control over their lives.

Learn more about the Patton Veterans Project at pattonveteransproject.org.

Our Comcast Newsmaker - Ben Patton

Congrats to Ben on the great interview with Comcast! 

https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2018/10/30/A-New-Approach-to-Treating-PTSD?autoPlay

Welcome Heather!

Dear friends, on October 30 at 9:21 pm, little Heather Ellison Clark was born at the  Taiwan National Hospital in Hsinchu, Taiwan. She arrived a couple weeks earlier than expected, under some rushed circumstances, but it  is with tremendous joy and gratitude that I can say both Mother and Daughter are doing well. They should both be ready to check out of the hospital tomorrow November 4. I am truly blessed. 

Best wishes to everyone,

Nelse, Vivian & little Heather

--

John G Knight
413.522.2555 mobile
http://www.linkedin.com/in/johngknight

Gratitude

Our contact in the DA Development Office has noticed some newer and some larger donors to the Annual Fund from our class this fall and Doug Schmidt and I wanted to say thank you.  We've come a long way together, with trials and tribulations shared or held close, but when asked, we're the kind of class that will step up, for Deerfield and each other.

Here's some stats for the last 6 years.  Congratulations on hitting 50% in 2018!!!
(Sorry for the blurry screen grabs)

Class of 1983

2018 Stats:

Donors- 63 of 126 solicitable - exactly 50% (highest participation since 2011!)

Dollars-$52,317 for the Annual Fund (plus $32,035 capital = $84,852 total from your classmates last year)

Of our 63 donors: 51 gave online, 11 gave via mail and 1 gave cash in person!

We like our challenge contests too: 23 gave in March challenge and 26 gave in the June challenge.  (Some gave in both! Thanks!!)

Here's how we compare to the decade of the 80's over the past 3 years:

Finally,  Thanks to the specific donors who made our epic charge to 50% possible.  WORTHY!!! *

ARMSTRONG WHITNEY B

AVERILL CHRISTOPHER M

BADENHAUSEN JAMES M

BEAUBIEN MARK C

BRESNAHAN KEVIN A M.D.

BROWN JOHN L

BROWN SPENCER L

CHASE FREDERICK C

CLARK NELSE H

CRUIKSHANK DOUGLAS A

CZUJ MARK E

DAVEY CHRISTOPHER R

EHMANN JOHN C

EHRHART TIMOTHY G

ELEFTHERIO PETER J

ELLIMAN WILLIAM B

FLAGG CHRISTOPHER S

GAGNE CHARLES R

GEARY PETER C

GOTTSCHO JONATHAN A

GREENBERG JOSHUA D

GREGORY BRUCE W

GUYER LEIGH J

HARDIGG ARTHUR P

HARRIS CHRISTOPHER J

HINDMAN DONALD D

JACKSON HARDIE S

KERR ALEXANDER K

KNIGHT JOHN G

LAFLAMME MARK T

LELAND JEFFREY B

LEMIEUX HENRY F JR.

LOTSPEICH CHRISTOPHER C MPPM, MES

LYNCH CHRISTOPHER J

MADDEN DAVID C

MAGEE PAUL D

MAYS DOUGLAS A

MCGILL R. ROBERT JR.

NOTTAGE D. SEAN

NOURSE NATHAN S

PATTON BENJAMIN W

PETERSON ERIC F

PIERSOL WILLIAM B III

PRYCE SCOTT F

REHBERGER FREDERICK F IV

ROBINSON JAMES F

SCHIFF ANDREW N M.D.

SCHMIDT J. DOUGLAS

SINGEWALD DEAN R II

SMITH DAVID A

SORY JOHN B

SPADAFORA JEFFREY S

STEWARD BRIAN C

STEWART ANDREW M

SULLIVAN VAN K

TOWNSEND PETER R

TRITSCHLER CHARLES G

WARECK JAMES L

WEINBERG ADAM S

WESTER C. WILLIAM II

WEYMOUTH PHILIP B III

WOOD DEXTER E JR.

WRIGHT ERIC E

*Non-donor classmates are just as worthy my friends.  Just a bit of bragging.  But lets keep it up!!!

Battle at Baltusrol...

SPORTS UPDATE: Team New England fell to proud Team New York in a battle that was 75% class of '83.

Spence Brown and partner Ben Patton edged Peter Townsend and Stuart Strong '84 in a recent tilt.  Brown quipped that he and Ben "Beat them like a rented mule", so I'm sure the score was very close...

Parenting...Redux

Chris Flagg and Sean Nottage reconnected during Family Fall Weekend at DA.  Sean was visiting a niece I believe - as he makes the most of every excuse to get to the Valley...

Looks like they met up at our 35th reunion unofficial headquarters...The Deerfield Inn!

Nice work fellas.