The 50th Reunion

To the GRAND Class of 1969:

As I said in my comments before the Class Dinner in the new Athletics Complex, we have transitioned as a Class from being merely Great to being truly Grand. Nearly half the living alumni in the Class attended as did two erstwhile Classmates who left before graduation.

Those who were at the Reunion know that it was a magical weekend under perfect weather conditions. The anecdotal feedback has confirmed that the weekend exceeded the expectations of many who had returned in trepidation, which was particularly gratifying to those of us who had spent so much of the last two years cultivating attendance and planning events. In many ways we remained true to form as products of an iconoclastic era and chose the road not taken by our elders at previous 50th reunions:

• We chose as our Class Gift the restoration of the Soldier on the Civil War Memorial at the entrance to the Academy and had our Class photo taken there rather than on the steps of the Memorial Building. The unconventional gift served as an acknowledgment of the unique bond between the Academy and the Town after which it is named. A PowerPoint video documenting the restoration of the Soldier is accessible to members of the Class on our Google site Albany Road Redux;

• We honored the twenty members of the Class no longer with us in unprecedented detail at a Service of Remembrance in the Brick Church that made them a part of the weekend. The program as well as the complete collection of remembrances also have been posted on Albany Road Redux; 

• We heard presentations by nine Classmates - a new record since the format of the weekend was changed several years ago - on medicine, the arts, religion, law and volunteerism - that showcased their interests and considerable skills; and

• We rewrote history at the clambake on Saturday night by admitting Margarita Curtis - the retiring Head of School who also graduated from high school in 1969 - as an Honorary member of the Class, thereby achieving co-education ex post facto, something previously accomplished only by the Class of 1957. 

It was a grand time for a Grand Class. For those who did not attend, I hope you will take the opportunity to return for a future reunion or, if just passing through Deerfield, to admire the Soldier who will be gazing down on Old Main Street long after we are all gone thanks to the generosity of the Class of 1969.

DWS

Winter Term Report Card - 2019

To the Great Class of 1969:

The Academy let out for Spring Break on Saturday following some strange fluctuations in the normal weather for the time of year.

News of the Academy

Within months of the announcement that the Head of King's Academy would be decamping to Deerfield, King's Academy snared a Deerfield teacher while on sabbatical to be its new Head of School. In case it slipped your mind, Margarita Curtis's predecessor (and the Academy's ONLY alumnus since 1797 to serve as Headmaster), was also the first Head of School at King's Academy.

A cursory review of The Scroll revealed a surfeit of articles on the genders but no information for those who devoted the time to answer the endless questionnaire as to how, if at all, the dress code will change. In a throwback to the 60's, the former head of the Weather Underground (NOT to be confused with the weather service of the same name) was invited to speak on campus. A review of the Pocumtuck from the '40s through the '70s by The Scroll revealed compromising photos of students posing as racial caricatures.

A member of the Class of 1993 generously donated the hockey rink which replaced the Barn, and the results of the upgrade were gratifying. For the first time in recent memory, the Boys Hockey team compiled a winning record, finishing the season 15-9-3. In other sports, Boys Swimming had its best season since 2014-2015, going 9-2 with its only losses to Exeter and Andover. Girls Squash, a perennially strong program since the new squash courts were built in 2007, ended a 12-3 season with a second place finish in the New England Championships. Things look promising for Boys Squash next season on account of the JV's 16-0 record. Could any of this success have something to do with the fact that the position of "Captain Deerfield" is being shared with a girl for the first time this year?

News of the Class

Clough, Carter, Squires, Young, Louis, Berkowitz

A week ago Rusty Young provided the tickets and Richard Berkowitz supplied the spread for the motley group to the left at the fourth and final mini-reunion before the main event, June 6-9. The six of us were in Fort Lauderdale for a concert by the Fab Faux, the foremost Beatles tribute band for the past twenty years.

Our quinquennial Attendance Chair Lacey has put the finishing touches on a communique encouraging you to register which should go out this week. There's no good reason to procrastinate as the price only goes up as the date approaches. As of Friday, 33 Classmates had registered. The list of attendees is updated each Friday afternoon, and you can find it by going to Who's Coming.

In other news, Margarita Curtis has been making her final tour as Head of School before her formal retirement on June 30th. Doug Arnstein and Ben Walbridge were among the attendees at a Deerfield event in San Francisco last week which was billed as a celebration of her legacy, and I attended a similar gathering in Palm Beach the week before. John Mills recently attended a "DACONNECT" networking discussion in Washington, DC where he volunteered to provide career counseling to recent graduates. John is one of NINE Classmates who will be making presentations at the Reunion. A detailed invitation describing the program for the Reunion is scheduled to be sent at the end of the March.

Please mark you calendars for June 6-9 and register for the Reunion now. Lacey's feeling the pressure to deliver a record turnout which seems within reach.

Best wishes to all.

DWS