Fall 2019 KENT Quarterly KENT CONTENTS Quarterly Volume XXXVI.1 Features Fall 2019 18 18 1959 Hoax Havoc Editor Robert E. DesMarais, Jr. (Hon) ’99,’01 by Larry Gile ’73 Class Notes Editor Laura Martell 22 Alumni Entrepreneurs: Design 22 The Next Level Cheney & Company Be the Change Contributors Katy Armstrong Todd Marble by Megan Tady Cortney Duncan Alicia Moniz Kibbe Fitzpatrick ’53 Burr Purnell ’90 Deborah Rinehart Julie Saxton 28 The Conquest of the World Fowler ’69 Rev. R.W. Schell ’69 28 by the English Language Larry Gile ’73 Lynn Doe Shipway ’66 Elaine Griffin (Hon) ’70 Megan Sokolnicki by Kibbe Fitzpatrick ’53 Eric Houston ’80 Hoyt Spelman III ’54 Jesse Klingebiel Megan Tady Sarah Kruger RoseMarie Wallace 44 Kent Authors: Belonging Shermin Luo ’12 by Burr Purnell ’90 Denny Mantegani (Hon) ’67 44 Departments The Kent Quarterly invites all readers —alumni, parents past and present, From the Headmaster trustees, faculty, staff and students— 1 to contribute to the magazine. We also welcome letters to the editor and look 3 Between the Hills and River Shore forward to your comments on articles and issues concerning the School as well as suggestions for future articles. 16 Memory Lane Robert E. DesMarais, Jr. (Hon) ’99, ’01 is the editor for Kent Quarterly. The 34 Alumni News and Events email address for letters to the editor is [email protected]. To submit class notes, go to kent-school.edu/alumni/ 47 Class Notes submit_class_notes. Changes in address should be emailed to Laura Martell at [email protected] or mailed to her 63 In Memoriam at Kent School, Box 2006, Kent, CT 06757. To reach the Alumni and Development office, please call 877-770-5368. 64 Grace Note . Kent School adheres to a long-standing policy of admitting students without regard to their race, color, ancestry, national origin, religious creed, sex, disability, genetic background, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected under federal law or Connecticut state law. Kent School also does not discriminate on the basis of any such protected ON THE FRONT COVER: Boys varsity soccer coming together as a team, characteristics in administration of its educational having fun doing it! Photo by RoseMarie Wallace policies, financial aid decisions, employment practices and other School-administered programs. From the Headmaster Chapel Service in the Garden SEPTEMBER 8, 2019, THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST TODAY, AS EVERY YEAR, WE BEGIN in the Garden, thrust into the daily schedule of school with all its mar- this beautiful chapel garden—and on a lovely afternoon— velous opportunities to learn and solemn responsibilities where our Founder, Fr. Sill, and his family and the first to serve, into real life with its ups and down, likes and teachers and their families are buried. Right over there. dislikes, joys and sorrows. Judging from the age of the And where generations of Kent students have sat, on Biblical story and the heritage of our tradition, at least this hillside in the shadow of the Bell Tower and looking we know that we’re not the first to live the human expe- at the north façade of St. Joseph’s Chapel, a landmark rience, not the first to be born, nor the first to die. And at Norman chapel that has stood here since 1930. I sat least we know we are in this together. where you are sitting. Your devoted and exceptional teachers and staff Everything begins in the Garden, as the story of members, many of whom have dedicated their lives to Adam and Eve is set in the Garden of Eden—Paradise teaching and working at Kent, are excited that you are with a capital P—where they are instructed not to eat of here. To you, our new students, we all extend the warm- the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but the ser- est of welcomes. We will have a great year ahead! Kent pent seduces them to eat the forbidden fruit and so they is a very special place. And this, I know, is a special time are expelled from the Garden… and into real life. for you. Well, we have a little more time now—these few min- If there’s one important message for today that I utes of prayer and praise—in the Garden before we are would like to convey to you it is this: that we are not FALL 2019 1 alone in the Garden or in the School or in life… we have arrogance, our insecurity and fear… to see the light and one another and God is in the midst of us. God is above do the right. It’s pretty obvious from watching the news and under us, before us, inside us, beside us, between all around the world that compromise and cooperation, and among us… creating, redeeming and inspiring us. collaboration and sharing are not the first things that We are His. come to mind in humans. We have to work at it, to learn And since we all are children of God, we are all to listen, to learn to be compassionate, to learn to be brothers and sisters. The human family… the human fam- human. Getting our own selves out of the middle of our ily living in a large ecosystem that needs constant care as lives is a challenge. My grandfather used to tell me that well, more care than those who have gone before us gave whenever I was down, I should just get up and do some- to other living things and the planet itself. thing for someone else and I’d feel better. The fact that we are children of God and thus broth- He was right. It was good advice. Getting the self out ers and sisters is what makes Jesus’ stunning statement of the middle is hard, but worth doing. Whenever I got in today’s reading from the Gospel of Luke (14:25–33) myself into some difficulty, it was because I put myself understandable. Otherwise it would be too hard to first. Whenever I forgot to listen to the “still, small accept. “Whoever comes to me and does not hate his voice of God,” I made a blunder. Whenever I thought I father and mother, wife and children, brothers and could get something without paying the price, I lost big. sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.” Whenever I thought I could go it alone, I found out I (“Disciple” is another word for follower.) Is he kidding? couldn’t. No, he’s using figurative language, hyperbole; he’s try- Put God first, get those priorities right… and all else ing to get our attention. He’s got mine! We have a big will follow. Love your neighbor as yourself. And by the spiritual family already… God is our parent, we are the way, be good to your family at home and your family children, we are in this life together before we consider here. We love you. our own, smaller families, our real and immediate fami- May God bless you all as you begin this year—your lies, if you will, the ones we talk to every day by phone or year—at Kent. text or email. Jesus shocks us by calling us to acknowl- edge God first… to listen to and hear his call, to learn and Faithfully yours, live by the Commandments, and in the imagery of the Temperantia, Fiducia, Constantia. Christian story, “to carry the cross and follow Him.” And to make the sacrifices necessary to do the right thing. To Richardson W. Schell ’69 get our priorities right. Again, in powerful language that Headmaster & Rector hardly any of us can take literally: “None of you,” He says, “can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.” Well, he’s making a point. First things first, and God is first. We are not always right, but God is. We have to work through our pride and confusion, our stubbornness and EDITOR’S NOTE: WITH GRATITUDE, TO KATHY NADIRE: I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Director of Development—and former editor of the Kent Quarterly—Kathy Nadire for her enthusiastic support of my new role as editor. Quite frankly, I don’t know how she managed to supervise six issues of the publication over the course of three years while meeting and surpassing her responsibilities as Director of Development. Talk about an additional, ten-gallon hat to wear! The magazine continued to thrive under her care and I can only hope that I’ll be equally successful, fully confident that she’ll be more than happy to provide any advice that I might need during these early days. Best wishes and thanks, Kathy. R.E. DesMarais, Jr., Editor, Kent Quarterly 2 KENT QUARTERLY Between the Hills and River Shore Admissions Holds West Coast Receptions Kent Pianists Reach the Winner’s Circle On May 11, four students participated in the Music Teachers National Association Select Student Piano Auditions in Farmington, Connecticut. The winners included (left to right) Inga Neyshtadt ’20, John Garbi ’21, Steven Sui ’21 and Chris Yi ’22 (not pictured). On September 28, Steven and Jennifer Heroux, parents of Steve ’23, hosted a reception at their home in Hidden Hills, California. Alexander Liao ’20 Published in IEEE Xplore Alex Liao’s article “Deep Neural Network Based Subspace Learning of Robotic Manipulator Workspace Mapping” has been published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ IEEE Xplore, a research database focused on engineering, computer science and electronics.