John Taylor Babbitt '07 Memorial Field | alumni ... - Pingry School

34
the pingry review
[ alumni News ]
A Message from the PAA President
As I begin my leadership
of the Pingry Alumni
Association, I want to thank
E. Lori Halivopoulos ’78 for
her excellent work during
the past two years. Lori was
a great leader for the PAA,
organizing many successful
events. I look forward to
building on the momentum
she generated and pursuing
the PAA’s mission of promoting
a closer relationship
between Pingry and its
alumni/alumnae.
Pingry’s well-earned reputation for
excellence extends beyond the classroom
to the performing arts venues
and the athletic fields. When they
were students, Pingry’s current
alumni enjoyed many memorable
moments; some were widely visible
and record-setting. However, if you’re
like me, some of the most enduring
memories were of the camaraderie
and excitement of working hard
together toward a shared goal. As I
attend the various alumni games we
host each year, some of the conversations
recall conference championships
won and rivals defeated. But,
much more often, the stories are
about funny incidents that happened
along the way. Every year, the PAA
hosts alumni/alumnae games, including
soccer, ice hockey, basketball,
and lacrosse. Many of us attend, even
though we didn’t play that sport,
to see classmates and share in the
stories. We also sponsor an annual
Golf Outing in June where many
alumni who were never on a golf
team (including yours truly) enjoy
a terrific day with fellow
alumni and faculty. I encourage
you to join us in the
fun at these events.
The pinnacle of the Pingry
community’s recognition for
athletic excellence is the
Athletic Hall of Fame. The
induction ceremony for the
Hall of Fame is a special tradition
in the spring, when
we recognize the accomplishments
of selected alumni,
whether they are being
inducted as individual players
or as members of a team.
The induction ceremony
is always a wonderful evening—seeing
alumni come
to the Martinsville Campus,
some for the first time, to
recall the glory years and catch
up with old teammates and coaches.
You can read more about the Hall of
Fame, including how to nominate
someone, on page 43 of this issue.
One area we are targeting for significant
progress this year is using technology
to connect better with our
alumni community. Pingry is developing
a new web site and alumni
portal, which will also play an
important role in keeping alumni
athletes up-to-date with their teams’
scores and other news. Stay tuned
for more details.
Among our most popular annual
events is Career Day, which was
held on Friday, January 30 at the
Martinsville Campus. In the past,
we have invited alumni from specific
fields to visit Pingry to talk to seniors
about career advice and options.
This year, for the first time, we
expanded Career Day to make it a
networking opportunity. All alumni
New PAA President Steve Lipper ’79
were invited to come to Pingry and
network with the speakers in their
fields. Also, in addition to the
seniors, we included the juniors
for the first time.
Finally, I hope you are making your
plans to come to Reunion 2009,
which takes place Thursday, May 14
to Saturday, May 16 at the
Martinsville Campus. The schedule
features a Pen Pal breakfast for the
Class of 1959, the Fifty-Year Club
Luncheon, a reception to celebrate
25 years of the Martinsville Campus,
the Hall of Fame induction ceremony,
and class parties for years ending
in 4 and 9 on Saturday evening.
It is always a terrific weekend. I hope
you can attend.
Sincerely,
Steve Lipper ’79, P ’09, ’12, ’14