VOLUME XXXII, NUMBER 4 Fall, 2018 ALUMNI NEWS If It’s Fall in Silver Spring, It’s Blair Homecoming Time Inside: More Stories from the Alumni Hall Wall of Honor, plus…. Montgomery County’s Performing Arts Pioneer Retires (with appropriate fanfare) 1968’s Eliot Pfanstiehl Leaves a Legacy That Started at Blair NOW AVAILABLE: “Once a Blazer, Always a Blazer” Alumni T-Shirts Order your new Montgomery Blair Alumni T-Shirt $25.00 each A great gift for new grads, Alumni, parents/grandparents who went to Blair, etc. Available in Medium, Large, and Extra Large Sizes (trust us – they run small) Order Yours Now at http://www.blairalumni.org/montgomery-blair-alumni-tshirt/ Why not order one for all of your Class Reunion attendees? Contact us at [email protected] for quantity discounts. All proceeds go directly to our Scholarship and Special Projects Fund even an award named for Morgan that is given to the National Player of the Year, who WHAT’S INSIDE is chosen from among these great players not only for athletic ability but also for Blair Alumni T-Shirts Inside Front Community Service activities. A fitting type of Editorial 3 award to bear Morgan’s name. Reunion Corner 4 There is an article inside this issue that Scholarship Contributors 5&9 recounts several more times I recently heard Stories from the Wall of Honor 6-8 the name Montgomery Blair mentioned in Homecoming: Now and Then 10-11 the most unexpected places (including a We Hear “Blair” Everywhere 12-14 tribute to Morgan Wootten on PBS). What’s Happening at Blair 15 -16 Montgomery County’s Performing 17-18 Keep your ears open. “Blair” is here, there, Arts Icon Retires and everywhere. Wall of Honor Tile Program Inside Back Welcome New Members Back Cover _____________________________________ Me and my new BFF. No, this EDITORIAL isn’t the Ron Do You Hear What I Hear? McDonald that hired me to I long-ago stopped being amazed – or even speak but I think surprised – at how many times the “Blair he’s the one Connection” pops up in my life who catered the luncheon. Here is another example. I was asked to speak at a conference at As we head into the end of the year, it’s just Hamburger University in Oak Brook, IL. (Yes, natural to take a look back at the events of it’s a real place, and if that wasn’t enough, I was this past year and start thinking about what the future is going to bring. In 2018, your hired by a man named Ron McDonald. I kid you Alumni Association was able to continue not). making an impact on the quality of the educational experience Blair students receive through the culmination of our efforts to have the school auditorium officially renamed ALUMNI HALL. To fund that project (and to enhance our annual Scholarship Program), our Wall of Honor Tile Program was an overwhelming success, thanks to your generosity. (I didn’t think you’d believe me, but I really did speak at Hamburger University) 2019 will start the buildup to Blair’s 85th When I arrived, I went to the Museum, and, sure Anniversary, which coincides with the th enough, the “Blair Connection” hit me right in the celebration of the 20 anniversary of the face. In the entrance to the area featuring the University Blvd Campus. It’s also time for the McDonald’s All-American Basketball Teams, induction of the next “class” into the Alumni there was a display showing the Trustees and Association Hall of Fame. Founders of this program that has contributed It should be a great adventure! millions to the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Sure enough, there is a photo of Best wishes to everyone for a happy and Blair’s own Morgan Wootten (’50). There is healthy holiday season. 3 REUNION CORNER The Class of ‘63 Celebrates 55 Years On Saturday, October 6, 2018, the Blair Class of ’63 had its 55th year reunion at Clyde’s Tower Oaks in Rockville. Fifty-six classmates enjoyed an evening together with former teacher Richard Pioli, who directed all the wonderful The Class of 1969 is already Blair plays and traveled from Florida to enjoy making plans for next year’s big the festivities. 50 Year Reunion September, 2019 . For info contact John Sharman [email protected] Join your Class on Facebook Susie Finkelstein, Rick Rosen, Sharon Braver, Karen Gutwerk Benjamin, Arthur Benjamin enjoy the ’63 55-Year Reunion at Clyde’s Sunday was a brunch at Hunter’s Bar and Grill in Potomac, owned by classmate Sylvia Colen Berman and her husband, Murray. Everyone agreed it was a wonderful weekend, enjoying company with friends. They are already planning to do it again in five years! The class of 1984 is planning its 35-year reunion in September 2019 to be held at a location in Silver Spring. Contact: Benjamin J. Hendrickson Sr., PE, PMP. [email protected] - email (410)398-8087 - home phone (410)920-1096 – cell 1-866-460-1948 - fax 4 2018 Scholarship and Special Projects Fund Contributors Our thanks to these Blair graduates, faculty, family members, and friends for their generous support of the Blair Alumni Association (as of September 30 , 2018) PLATINUM LEVEL SILVER LEVEL (cont’d) CENTURY LEVEL (cont’d) Scott Kennedy ’67 The Class of 1964 Lorraine Barth Harding ’55 John Kuhns ‘68 Bill Mason ’62 Alan Harvey ‘58 Rob Levin ‘65 Dan Dickson ’62 Richard Hoag ’57 Robert Levin ’68 George Dorsey ‘67 Marjorie Persion Hobart ’54 Jane Richmond Lynn ’51 Bill Gise ‘66 Richard Hozik ’69 Jack Maa 2018 Joe Pavlock ‘70 Gordon Kennedy ’65 Tom Manger ‘72 Jeffrey Weisleder ’64 Esther Leise ’71 John McDonald ’80 Charlie Wendal ‘64 Barbara & Bruce Lieske ‘52 Judie Goldberg Mopsik ’61 Ben Stein ‘62 Marianne Szwec Leizure ‘70 William Oppenhein ’62 Popey Doten Xander ’46 Robert Lowe ’68 Amy Myer Phifer ’79 George Davies, ‘56 Susan Sinclair Loy ‘54 Susan Babin Paper ’62 The Class of 1962 William Luther ’57 Rob/Robin Brownfield Platky ’73 The Class of 1956 Judy Margolis Macaluso ’62 Charles Polinger ‘62 Peter Margus ‘69 GOLD LEVEL Lois Proctor Porter ‘45 Jack Martinelli ’55 Laurence Abramson ’58 Peter Remsen ’62 Robert “Bob” Marques ’67 Allen Chauvenet ’63 John Sharman Jr. ’69 Ben McCeney ’53 Connie Chung ‘64 Bruce Smith ‘79 Jeff McClelland ’60 Steve Howard ‘68 Norm Stant Faculty Georgia Claxton McGraw ’53 Ed & Nancy Kendrick Hunter ‘50 Marguerite Wason ’71 Howard Metcalfe ‘51 Bruce MacDonald ’68 Roberta Smith Wilhelm Mike Michaelson Faculty Greg Mullendore ’63 Tom Windes ‘61 Joel Nathan ’68 Judith Atwood Pinkston ‘56 The Class of 1946 Harry Packard ’55 Ken Shifrin ’70 The Davis Family Tom Patterson ’55 Joan Bulkeley Stade ’58 The Branson Family Eileen Powers ‘73 Margaret Moose Swallow ’71 The Remsen Family Robert Reher ’69 Hollace Goldberg Weiner ‘64 Maxine Rheingold ‘69 Morgan Wootten ’50 C ENTURY LEVEL Donald Robertson ’62 Larry Acker ’53 The Pinkston Family Eva Roessler ‘69 Jim Arend ‘66 The Lewis / Beall Family Joy Ford Rogers ‘68 Linda Saperstein Baggish ‘61 The Dickson Family Terri Ziebert Sanker ’69 Darlene Landis Ball ’58 The Class of 1950 Ramona Scott ‘80 Arlene Bassin Begelman ‘64 The Class of 1954 Lorin Sarbacher ’65 James Beadles ’65 The Class of 1955 Nancy Pursell Schulze ‘59 Carol Whiting Bowen ‘71 The Class of 1957 Christine Sheridan ’68 Bill Bronrott ’73 The 1962 Chair Committee Anne Whitmore Smawley ’46 Pat Gary Chemis ‘51 The Class of 1966 Ilene Sinsky Solomon ‘62 Everett Childs ’64 The Class of 1967 Dr. Alan Smith ’55 Ron & Rita Cima ’71 The Class of 1968 Robert Smith ‘61 Donald Clark ‘52 The Class of 1970 Stanley Sobel ’59 Richard Cohen ‘59 The Clss Officers of 1970 Don Sperling ’67 Vera Lynn Blana Coulam ’63 Rick Tavan ’66 SILVER LEVEL Janis Crichton ‘70 Dennis Theoharis ’67 Allan Akman ’60 Richard Dale ‘53 Michael Thieroff ‘59 Janet Gessford Buhler ’74 David DeJong ’68 William Turner ’58 Phil Byer ’66 Sandra Clevering Drimal ‘66 VanBuren Vaughn ’75 Anna Fayard Connellee ’67 Dave Eden ‘55 Joel Versh ’61 Kathy Crabtree ‘81 Edith Roby Edwards ’45 Barbara Piquet Villafranko ‘63 Roy DeLauder ‘68 Jane Hill Egly ’60 Binky Varey Westervelt ’54 Harry DeMoll ’61 Jeffrey Ellis ’70 Jean Erickson Wiley ’61 Alan Dodd ‘47 Bruce Feinman ‘78 Brearley Carroll Wilson ’49 Lewis Fisher ’66 Delmar Furlow ’55 Tim Wilson ’66 Allan Goldberg ‘61 David Freedman ‘65 Dennis Winson ’57 Chick Hernandez ’81 Pam Pavlock Freyer ‘65 Harold Wyckoff ’66 Phyllis Harwell High ’66 Richard Glass ’58 Kay Sneiderman Woodruff ‘64 John Holt ‘55 Jim Griffin ’50 John Yerrick ’58 Renay Johnson, Blair Principal Gerson Grosfeld ‘64 Bob Zeidner ‘70 Hubert Jordan ‘64 Susan Kantor Zepeda ’63 5 Stories from the Alumni Hall Wall of Honor Lowell Scott Ensel: 2013 Blair Grad Was “All In” to Everything He Tried, From Sports to Music to His Beloved Filmmaking “He put me in one of his films,” Renay noted, “and sent me a copy of his final film.” Lowell eventually made more than 20 films. After Blair, Lowell went on to be the same outgoing, friendly person at the University of Maryland, which he attended on a Banneker/Key Scholarship. He was a member of the IMAGES (a Maryland tour guide organization), the Maryland Filmmakers Club, When we talked to Lowell Ensel’s family and an active member of his fraternity (Beta about the inscription on the Wall of Honor tile Theta Pi). they placed in his memory, our first question was “Mr. Sunshine?” He was also in the Honors Humanities Program, where his 45-minute film, “In the “That nickname actually has more than one Midterm” won the program’s Keystone Prize.