News from the Academy
The April issue of The Scroll arrived last week. Of particular interest is that the number of applicants this year reached an all-time high of 1,595, and the admittance rate dropped to 21%. Even with that low admittance rate, the total enrollment of 608 is about 10 more than the dormitories can accommodate comfortably. Another front page story on the uneven enforcement of the dress code asks the pointed question, “Will girls ever dress as equals?” On a final note, there are reports of paranormal activity on Main Street which is something that should come as no surprise to some members of the Great Class of 1969.
The Boys Varsity Lacrosse team hit a bump in the road last week and lost a squeaker to Loomis, 11-10. For a write-up on how the team lost an early lead on a rain soaked afternoon, here’s the link: Boys' Varsity Lacrosse. The team is now ranked # 3 in New England and plays # 2 ranked Salisbury on May 18th.
Class News
I recently visited with Todd Stone and his family at a reception honoring the artists whose works were chosen for the award ceremonies for the Tribeca Film Festival. Todd’s career as an artist has been personally affected by 9/11, most obviously because he looked out on the Twin Towers from his apartment which he had to vacate for several months afterwards because of its proximity. Initially he did a series of watercolors of the downtown area on 9/11 and the immediate aftermath Witness, however, he is now focused on the rebuilding in his series called “Seven Rising” in which he is documenting though his painting the construction of Seven World Trade Center Seven Rising. A work from this series was selected as the award for the Best Documentary Film at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Rob Almy, who has moonlighted as a lacrosse referee for the past 25 years, is returning to ref the alumni lacrosse game on May 21st, after which he will officiate the DA-Exeter game (not that we need an 11th man on the field).
Graduation ceremonies the weekend of May 28th are rapidly approaching for this year’s Senior Class which includes daughters of Tom Merrigan and John Shanholt. If you have any news for the next issue of Deerfield Magazine, please e-mail it to Class Notes. Submissions for the next issue need to be received by the end of May.
Annual Support Update
With only two months left in the fiscal year, the most recent update arrived today, and it served to underscore the importance of “finishing strong”. I took a minute to look back at the Classes of ’67 and ’68 to see what they had produced in the year following their 35th reunions, and the Class of ’67 went from 51% participation to 43%, whereas the Class of 1968 (hardly a model) managed to stay constant at 32%. At this stage, we are running at 31%, down from 43% last year. My objective remains to have 50% participation this year. For those of you to whom this pertains, this is the time to step up and to renew your commitment to Deerfield. The consumers of secondary education have affirmed the appeal of the Academy and what it has to offer with the record setting number of applications. Please join me in supporting a worthwhile cause by logging on to Deerfield Alumni and clicking on the link to the left "Giving to Deerfield".
Answers to Last Month’s Class Trivia Quiz
Jamie Rawles took the guessing out of last month’s photo trivia when he identified John Marchiano as the mystery Classmate and hit “Reply All”. In any case, the other members of the Class who went into law enforcement include Michael Buerger who started his career as a municipal police officer in New Hampshire and has alternated between academia and police practice. Michael is currently Associate Professor in the Criminal Justice Program at Bowling Green State University. In addition, Zech Chafee, when last spotted, was working in the US Attorney’s Office in Providence, RI, and Tom Merrigan (now in private practice) is former first justice of the Orange District Court in Massachusetts.
Other lawyers in private practice include the following Classmates: Skip Allen, Bill Bowman, Steve Calder, Will Colwell, Mark Ewing, Paul Galuszka, Neil Jacobs, Dave Kahn, John Marchiano, Dan Perry, Casey Reed, Jere Sullivan and Ed Vena. Other members of the Class with law degrees include Nat Brayton, David Colker and Christian Liipfert.
This Month’s Class Trivia Quiz
Can you name (without hitting the “Reply All” button), the following Classmate and, more importantly, provide his e-mail address?
This Classmate, among his many claims to fame, was drafted in the 15th round in 1973 by the Oakland Raiders and is regarded as a guru in the field of sports medicine who, on the side, has been the team physician for a number of professional teams.
Over dinner at the Reunion I confidently told David Pond, Associate Headmaster for Alumni Affairs and Development, that I was sure that the Great Class of 1969 had every possible malady covered in the event any of the attendees needed medical attention. Can you tell why I was so confident and how many members of the Class took the Hippocratic Oath after leaving Deerfield?
NYC Area Events
For those of you in the Greater New York Area, the Deerfield Club of New York City will be hosting its second annual wine tasting at Café St. Bart’s on May 19th from 7:00-10:00 PM. There is no charge for members and $40.00 for non-members. Call (413) 774-1801 if you want to reserve a place. If you’d like to see The Odd Couple on November 9th, you’ll need to call Mimi Morsman at (413) 774-1586 by May 4th to reserve a seat ($150 a head, including pre-theater buffet at Sardi’s).
Please let me know if your preferred e-mail address has changed or if you have the e-mail address of another Classmate I should add to the distribution list.
Best wishes to all in the Great Class of 1969.
