IS RIVERS CREAtING - The Rivers School

Riparian
T h e R i v e r s S c h o o l • s p r i n g 2 0 0 9
Rivers is a school that maximizes
the potential of its young people
as students, as a†hletes, as artists,
Creating
Is Rivers
and, most important ly, as human beings.
The school fosters the enthusiastic
The
Renaissance
Student
pursuit of excellence in a caring community
in which students are given the freedom,
the responsibility, and the opportunities to explore
new interests, test themselves,
discover their †alents, and gain self-knowledge.
Jim Lowell ’79 Looks at America’s Future | Food for Thought: Restaurants Redefined

Round up for Rivers Rodeo
MacDowell Athletic Center • April 25, 2009, 6:30 p.m.
All proceeds from this year’s Parents’ League auction will support
Faculty Development and Enrichment Programs at Rivers,
providing opportunities for professional growth so that the faculty
in turn will challenge and inspire our students to grow and
succeed.
• Through workshops and courses, teachers have the opportunity
to learn from and share information with educators at
other schools.
• During the summer, the faculty examines and develops curriculum,
creates manuals, improves content, and devises programs.
• Grants are awarded for special study, travel, graduate school
tuition, and sabbatical projects.
• Excellence in teaching is rewarded by attaining Senior and
Master Teacher status through rigorous evaluation.
Contact: Coordinator of Parent Relations Amy Dunne
at 339-686-2235 or a.dunne@rivers.org
Board of Trustees 2008–2009
President: Roy S. MacDowell, Jr.
Term Trustees
Michael A. Bell
Benjamin Bloomstone
Robert E. Buonato ’81
Karen L. Daniels
Howard G. Davis ’70
Robert J. Davis
T. Christopher Donnelly
Maria Furman
Clinton P. Harris
Andrew N. Jaffe ’93
Daniel A. Kraft
Frank H. Laukien
Thomas L. Lyons
Deborah H. McAneny
Michael E. McGuinness
Patricia Mordas
James C. Mullen
Geoffrey S. Rehnert
Alan D. Rose, Jr. ’87
Solomon B. Roth
Laurie Schoen
Mark S. Schuster ’72
Steven J. Snider
Michael Stansky
Roger E. Tackeff ’72
Cai von Rumohr
Joan C. Walter
Life Trustees
David M. Berwind
Charles C. Carswell
Joan T. Cave
Stephen R. Delinsky
Peter A. Gaines
G. Arnold Haynes
Harriet R. Lewis
Kenneth P. MacPherson ’42
Edward R. Perry
Joel B. Sherman
William B. Tyler ’43
Joan A. Vaccarino
Frank S. Waterman III ’41
Dudley H. Willis
Honorary Trustees
of the Corporation
Joan T. Allison
Thomas P. Beal, Jr.
Richard A. Bradley
Mida van Zuylen Dunn
Marie Fitzpatrick
Louis J. Grossman ’67
Joshua M. Kraft ’85
Warren M. Little ’51
Virginia S. MacDowell
Deborah S. Petri
Frederick G. Pfannenstiehl ’59
Eleanor Pyne Prince
A. Tozzer Spalding ’62

V o l . XX I V • N u m b e r 1
Riparian
T h e R i v e r s S c h o o l • spring 2009
E d i t o r
Christine Martin, Director of
Donor Relations
C o n t r i b u t o r
Adam Conner-Simons
P h o t o g r a p h y
Adam Conner-Simons, Christina
Grady, Tim Morse, Tom Kates
I l l u s t r a t i o n s
Leigh Carroll ’09
D e s i g n e r
David Gerratt, NonprofitDesign.
com
P r i n t e r
Signature Printing & Consulting,
Brian Maranian ’96
H e a d o f S c h o o l
Thomas P. Olverson
D i r e c t o r o f D e v e l o p m e n t
Janice H. Hicinbothem
A s s o c i a t e D i r e c t o r o f
D e v e l o p m e n t
Marney Hupper
C o o r d i n a t o r o f
P a r e n t R e l a t i o n s
Amy Dunne
D i r e c t o r o f
C o m m u n i c a t i o n s
Alexia Monsen
2
3
4
7
8
10
12
16 17
18
19
20
21
Message from Head of School Tom Olverson
Board of Trustees Welcomes Sol Roth
In Memoriam: Edward L. Hutton
F e a t u r e :
Food for Thought: Restaurants Redefined
Senior Parents’ Reception
Student News
C o n v e r s a t i o n :
Jim Lowell ’79: A Positive Take on America
Rivers’ 2009 Alumni Excellence Award Recipient
F e a t u r e :
Is Rivers Creating The Renaissance Student
Homecoming and Grandparents Day 2008
Alumni Council News and Events
Run for Rivers: Marathoners Hit the Road
Jarzavek Chair Affair
Profile: Stephen Salny ’73, Fascinated for Life
Class Notes
The Rivers School
333 Winter Street
Weston, MA 02493-1040
781-235-9300
www.rivers.org
Riparian: “One that lives or has property on the bank of a river or lake.”
The Riparian is published twice a year for The Rivers School alumni, parents, students, faculty and friends.
To save on the cost of mailing the Riparian, Rivers has consolidated multiple mailings addressed to the same
household so that your home will only receive one copy. If you have reason to receive additional copies at
your address, please call Chris Martin at 781-235-9300, ext. 230.

Message from the Head of School
Learning for a Lifetime
By Thomas P. Olverson, Head of School
In these difficult times, I find it very reassuring that here at
Rivers we have a mission to fulfill that not only remains valid
in this changing world, but has become increasingly crucial
for our students. Never has it been more important to educate
students who understand the world around them, who are
prepared to go out and work diligently, creatively, and ethically to
change it for the better.
Rivers is a constant in these students’ lives, a place where they
come not to escape the world but to prepare for it. They learn to
work as a team, share ideas, debate issues, and step up and lead
with confidence and compassion. The faculty are here to share
their knowledge, mentor our students, and model a love of learning.
The strengthening of our culture of Excellence with Humanity
over the last several years is, in no small way, attributable to an
enthusiastic corps of teachers who are willing to go the extra mile.
A few years ago, in anticipation of developing
our current strategic plan, we
had an educational consultant interview
the faculty about their experiences at Rivers.
In his report to the Board of Trustees,
he said that Rivers’ faculty morale was one
of the highest he had ever seen—9 on a
scale of 10. Key to their enthusiasm was
the culture of collaboration and collegiality
at Rivers and the extensive professional
We are committed to helping our
faculty pursue their professional
goals and dreams and every
member of the Rivers community
can join in that commitment.
growth opportunities available
to them.
During the course of the
year, there are numerous conferences,
seminars, enrichment
projects, and graduate
courses available to our faculty. A number of our teachers are
working toward advanced degrees in their disciplines. Eight teachers
each year are able to enroll in the Teachers as Scholars Program,
which offers dozens of multi-day seminars at area colleges.
Our Faculty Enrichment Program provides nearly two dozen
grants a year for teachers to take summer courses, travel to the
countries whose literature and history they teach, and enrich their
minds and bodies in myriad ways.
We are committed to helping our faculty pursue their professional
goals and dreams and every member
of the Rivers community can join in that
commitment by supporting the various
funds and activities that promote professional
development. In fact, this year the
Parents’ League is designating the proceeds
of the spring auction for professional development.
They know that ultimately it
is our students who benefit from their
teachers’ knowledge and growth.
Rivers’ Board of Trustees Welcomes
Sol Roth P’09, ’11, ’14
Solomon Roth is a former investment manager at Convexity Capital Management in Boston, a hedge
fund founded in 2006. Previously, he was a fund manager at the Harvard Management Company.
A graduate of the University of Illinois, he has an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Roth has been an invaluable member of The Rivers School Investment Committee since 2003.
He previously served on the board of trustees at the West Suburban YMCA and is currently on the
Greenlight Fund advisory board and the Best Buddies of Massachusetts board. Roth and his wife
Donna live in Newton and are the parents of Adam, Rivers Class of 2009; Jacob, Class of 2011; and
Sarah, Class of 2014.
• Riparian • Spring 2009

In Memoriam
E d wa r d L . H u t t o n
With the recent passing of Edward
L. Hutton at age 89, The Rivers
School has lost a generous benefactor
who impacted the lives of
Rivers students in two critical ways. Not only was
he a major contributor to the Defining Moment
Campaign, which financed the construction of
the new athletic center, he also established the
Hutton Scholarship Fund in honor of his daughter,
Rivers English teacher Jennie Hutton Jacoby.
For the past five years, Hutton Hall, Hutton
Commons, and Hutton Terrace have been a focal
point of the Rivers campus. At the heart of the
MacDowell Athletic Center, these spaces, given in
honor of his daughter and grandson, Miles Hutton Jacoby
’07, have hosted everything from trustee meetings to brownbag
science seminars, study halls to alumni barbecues, as well
as legions of cheering Red Wings fans.
“My grandfather was a storyteller,” said Miles Jacoby. “We
would sit for hours as he told and often retold stories of his
youth, impressing upon me the importance of a good education,
strong character, and moral compass, and of leaving
the world a better place than I found it. He was a teacher and
an inspiration; I have and always will follow my grandfather’s
example. I only hope to one day be as loving and giving as
he was.”
Mr. Hutton wrote in a letter to Jennie Jacoby that “education
for our youngsters is the great hope—perhaps the only
hope—for this world.” His generosity was not limited to Rivers,
but enjoyed by other institutions, such as his high school
in Bedford, IN and Indiana University (IU), where he earned
his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. In recognition of his philanthropy,
he also received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree
from IU in 1992 and the IU Foundation’s Herman B.
Wells Visionary award in 2002.
The years he spent in the U.S. Army in Germany, and
subsequently in Berlin working for the occupational government,
gave him a global perspective that he felt every student
should acquire during their education. He once wrote, “In a
rapidly changing world, if we are to discharge our international
leadership duties in a responsible manner, we must
produce at an accelerating pace hundreds of thousands of
new leaders with some international experience.” Years later,
Edward Hutton with Miles
and Jennie Jacoby
he established the International Experiences Program at IU to
encourage and support foreign study. He also established a
new Political and Civic Engagement Program and Hutton
Honors College at IU, as well as the Hutton School of Business
at Cumberland College in Kentucky.
Mr. Hutton was the founder and chairman of the Cincinnati-based
Chemed Corporation. He was chief executive
officer of the company from 1971 until 2001, and continued to
serve as chairman of a Chemed affiliate, Omnicare, until his
retirement in 2008. According to a recent Wall Street Journal
obituary, he was a firm believer in hard work, loyalty, and
fairness, and his conservative business practices were key to
his success.
“Mr. Hutton was the embodiment of Rivers’ core values of
Integritas et Sedulitas, integrity and perseverance,” said Head
of School Tom Olverson. “He was a well-respected and hardworking
businessman who used his success to improve the
educational opportunities of hundreds of students. He had
great respect for teachers like his daughter Jennie and understood
the impact a teacher can have on a student’s life.”
Mr. Hutton summed up his outlook on life in his autobiography
as follows, “Be thankful for your success and repay the
debts to those who have helped you. Put back into this world
more than you take out of it. Be most appreciative of your
blessings and give a helping hand to the less fortunate.”
“From his ‘rags to riches’ journey to his tremendous
philanthropy, my father’s life story has been quite inspirational
for my family and me,” said Jennie Hutton Jacoby. “He was a
remarkable man.”
Spring 2009 • Riparian •

Student News
Food for Thought:
Restaurants Redefinedl
By Adam Conner-SimonS with illustrations by Leigh Carroll ’09
The grim economic
news of the past few
months has translated
into less shopping,
fewer trips, and
penny-pinching seemingly
at every turn. But everybody’s
gotta eat, right
“I’ve never seen a situation
impact as many people in
the restaurant business as
strongly as this.”
Stephen Simmons ‘77
ment, and an inn for George Lucas’ Skywalker
Ranch in Marin County).
Industry insiders say that patrons
are cutting back on their habits, with
everyone from the regulars to the bimonthly
customers eating out less frequently.
For many diners, even the
experience itself has become a
less extravagant affair. “People
are still going to have their
glass of wine,” says Scott Allen
’79, who serves as general manager
of M.S. Walker, a wholesale
distributor of wines and
spirits. “They just might not go
for a $100 bottle.” In addition
to customers’ more discretion-
A Fiend of Fromage
Matthew Jennings never intended
to run a stable of culinary institutions.
Like the food he makes,
it just happened naturally. “The whole life
cycle of our business has been organic and,
in a sense, reactive,” says Jennings ’94,
owner of Farmstead Inc. “The bottom line
is that we listen to our customers.”
The customers have certainly been
talking. Ever since 2003, when Jennings
and his wife Kate started up a modest, 500-
square-foot Providence cheese shop named
Farmstead, his selections has found a sizable
clientele of retail customers, as well as
30 or 40 wholesale clients from high-end
restaurants all over Rhode Island. Over
time, the regulars began inquiring about
Yes and no. Certainly, we all have to get
our three meals a day. That, however,
doesn’t change the fact that, for many
Americans, dining out has become a
luxury that they are increasingly willing
to forgo.
“I’ve never seen a situation impact
as many people in the restaurant
business as strongly as
this,” says Stephen Simmons ’77,
who has more than 25 years’
experience as an executive chef
for an eclectic mix of restaurants,
hotels, and corporations
in the San Francisco area (including,
most recently, three
restaurants, a catering departbeing
able to have a glass of wine with their
Farmstead cheese, and when a space adjacent
to the store opened up in 2006, the
Jennings family turned it into a wine bar,
which they then later expanded to become
a full-service bistro. Last year, the duo extended
their brand to the business of artisan
sandwiches with Farmstead Lunch.
The expansion process has been exciting
for the 32-year-old New England Culinary
Institute graduate, who shuttled between
restaurant jobs for several years
before getting his self-proclaimed “cheese
education” at the nationally renowned Formaggio
Kitchen in Boston in the summer
of 2000, where his globetrotting to farms in
France, Italy, and beyond helped stir his
passion for artisan cheese. “You can’t really
put a price on those experiences,” he says.
“It helped me become a better cheesemonger,
and, eventually, a better chef.”
Nowadays, his position entails overseeing
30 employees, running three separate
food institutions, and often logging 16- or
17-hour days. “It’s delightful madness,” he
says of the job, which finds him doing
everything from preparing
sauces and stocks to replenishing
the petty
cash. “I’ve built my
role to be flexible
so I can be the
‘pinch hitter’ for
all situations.”
• Riparian • Spring 2009

ary spending, the restaurant business has
also been affected by double-digit price increases
on food items like rice and wheat,
as well as unprecedented fuel surcharges.
Such obstacles have forced
many owners to economize in
the form of cheaper cuts of
meat or simplified menus.
Damien De Magistris
’97, general manager
of dante in Cambridge,
says his
restaurant recently
started offering a $35 three-course prixfixe
menu. Josh Huggard ’94, co-owner of
the Upper Crust pizza chain, has reduced
spending at his restaurants by streamlining
everything from trash pick-up to office
supplies.
Others have used more inventive methods
to keep customers’ interest. Matthew
Jennings ’94, owner of the Farmstead cheese
shop in Providence, Rhode Island (see accompanying
profile), has been organizing
workshops about cheese, beer, and wine for
many years. “We started it because we really
value the importance of educating our
customers about our food,” he said. It
doesn’t hurt that it’s also a sure-fire way to
help maintain profit margins.
Many chefs hypothesize that the recession
will hurt high-end establishments
but may not have the same
effect on waiter-free “fast-casual”
brands like Panera Bread or
pizza places such as Upper
Crust. “You’re not going to
lose that many customers if
all they’re ordering is a pizza,
a salad, and a glass of Chianti,”
says Michael Buchhalter ’94, who
owns the Upper Crust franchise in Salem.
But while the sheer size and scope of franchises
put them on slightly more solid
ground, they are far from immune, with
even chains such as The Cheesecake Factory
reporting significant decreases in revenue
over the past year.
Rising concerns about energy use and
other environmental issues have also made
sustainability a hot buzzword for the food industry.
“Restaurant owners are getting on
board, just like everyone has to,” says Simmons,
who is currently pursuing a master’s
in green business. “Customers are aware of
sustainability, and are demanding it.”
And while not always practical for restaurants,
many more niche-minded locales
“People are still going
to have their glass of wine.
They just might not go for
a $100 bottle.”
Scott Allen ‘79
“At how many other places
can you finish your meal
and go next door to buy the
prosecco vinegar that was
used on the salad”
Matthew Jennings ‘94
Jennings proudly emphasizes the importance
of culinary education, regularly
holding workshops and tastings of Farmstead’s
cheese, beer, and wine. “We like to
see ourselves as the ambassadors for these
foods,” he says. “The more we can educate
customers, the better.” For many years, Jennings
has organized the annual Pasture-to-
Plate Excursion, in which he takes chefs on
trips to New England farms to meet their
cheese producers. “It helps the chefs gain a
whole new appreciation for the craft of
cheese-making,” he says. “There’s nothing
like seeing some city chef ’s eyes when he
first sees an animal getting milked.”
The Farmstead businesses are also
unique for offering a side-by-side food retail
and restaurant environment. “This is
the all-encompassing culinary experience,”
he says. “At how many other places can you
finish your meal and go next door to buy
the prosecco vinegar that was used on the
salad”
Even with all of his ventures, Jennings
is always looking for more opportunities to
expand and has kicked around ideas for a
dessert bar and a “classy dive bar.” As he
puts it, “even in these rough financial times
it’s important to continue to seek opportunities
to solidify our name in the marketplace.”
Jennings is most proud of the fact that
his customers run the gamut from welltraveled
cheese connoisseurs to college history
majors. “Heck, we have even turned
cheese haters into fiends of fromage,” he
says. “No matter what category you fall
into, artisan cheese has its place.”
Spring 2009 • Riparian •

pride themselves on buying local. “For us, it’s all about forming
relationships with farmers and supporting local agriculture,” says
Jennings, who also co-owns La Laiterie Bistro. “It allows you to
have what I call ‘honest’ food.”
For many chefs, this emphasis on back-to-the-basics culinary
arts takes precedence over any particular business strategy in the increasingly
shaky restaurant industry. “Keep it simple,” Jennings says,
when asked about the take-home message of dealing with the current
economic climate. “Focus on buying great quality ingredients, and let
the food speak for itself.”
“For us, it’s all about forming
relationships with farmers and
supporting local agriculture.”
Matthew Jennings ‘94
Nantucket, Naturally
If you ask Christopher Willis ’93 what
keeps him excited about the food industry,
the discussion inevitably turns
to the adrenaline-fueled restaurant atmosphere.
“Everything’s accelerated in the
kitchen,” he says. “Things have to be done
quickly, efficiently, and correctly. It’s a rush
unlike anything else.”
Willis’ rise in the restaurant industry
has been surprisingly rapid. In 2001, with
one cooking job under his belt, he was
given the chance to work under famed chef
Jody Adams at Rialto in Boston, which ultimately
opened up opportunities at a variety
of two- and three-star restaurants
in both Beantown and
New York City. Since 2007,
he has served as chef
de cuisine at Nantucket’s
Sfoglia, where between
September and June he is
essentially the restaurant’s
head chef. “It’s definitely
more about dealing with people
and personalities now,” he says, “but
I’m still very hands-on.”
Having spent time cooking in cities
ranging from Boston to rural Vermont,
Willis has a breadth of experience at restaurants
that vary significantly in size and
intensity. Nantucket, for instance, certainly
gives off a more relaxed vibe than New
York—particularly during an off-season in
which it has only 10,000 residents. For Willis,
that translates into a more manageable
work schedule, even if he still has to work
his fair-share of 10-hour days.
For the formerly metropolitan Willis,
however, one of the biggest appeals of
working on Nantucket is being able to build
connections with local farmers. “In the city
it’s all middlemen and sales reps, but here
you’re speaking every week with the farmers
themselves,” he says. “It’s a very visceral
experience to be able to get your hands
dirty and taste the vegetables
coming right out of the
ground.”
Willis’ love for buying
local generally supercedes
his desire to “buy organic,”
especially given the nebulously
defined nature of
that certification. By the
same token, he also emphasizes
the importance of understanding the full
context of a purchase’s environmental ramifications.
“Buying organic isn’t the solution
if the food’s coming over to the island in a
giant, fuel-guzzling ferry-boat,” he says.
One trend Willis has noticed is the sizable
contingent of friends turning to the
farming industry rather than deal with the
hustle and bustle of running, say, a highend
restaurant on the Lower East Side.
“After six or seven years, people get to a
crossroads where they’re either going to
pursue cooking as a lifelong career path, or
“It’s a very visceral
experience to be able to get
your hands dirty and taste
the vegetables coming right
out of the ground.”
Christopher Willis ‘93
do something in the food industry that is
less rigorous,” he says.
He sees the latest economic woes for
the industry as a challenge to work more efficiently
with limited resources. “As chefs
focus more on the quality of their ingredients,
they will begin to more closely examine
the character of the product being sold
to them,” Willis says. “I think of it as a way
to respond to these challenges with enduring
changes that benefit the long-term future
of the industry.”
• Riparian • Spring 2009

Student News
Parent News
Senior Parent Reception
Spirits were high as parents of the Class of 2009 gathered this fall
at the home of Laurie and Scott Schoen to kick off senior year.
History teacher Amy Enright spoke briefly and passionately about
how much she has benefited from faculty enrichment grants at Rivers,
including grants to chaperone a student trip to China and to take graduate
courses at Harvard University. The Schoens both echoed her feelings,
reminding parents that the students are the ultimate beneficiaries
of their teachers’ enthusiasm and expertise. Gifts from parents of seniors
are traditionally designated for faculty development through the
Faculty Enrichment Fund.
John Barstow and Genie Ware
Nina DelFavero and Deanna Cowan
Hosts Scott and
Laurie Schoen
Scott Schoen with Robert and Jackie Lapides
Deirdre and Corey Griffin
Ellen Ades and Head of Upper
School Patti Carbery
Tom Bigony and
Jim Connors
Head of School
Tom Olverson,
Laurie Schoen,
and Jack
Dempsey
Genie Barstow, Peggy Walsh and faculty
member Amy Enright
Spring 2009 • Riparian •

Student News
earning awards in all of the different disciplines
we teach,” says Art Department chair
David Saul. “It clearly demonstrates the
passion and energy of the Rivers faculty
working with our student artists.”
On Campus
Winter play How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Accolades
Rivers Musicians
Take Home Jazz Awards
In January, both the jazz combo and big
band at The Rivers School were selected
from a pool of more than 100 schools in
the Northeast to compete in the first annual
Charles Mingus Competition at the
Manhattan School of Music (MSM) in New
York. The two groups were each among the
five finalists in their respective categories at
the event, which took place as part of a
three-day “Mingus Summit” at MSM in
February.
Casey Berman ’09 and Tom Chalmers
’10 both received individual awards for
Outstanding Soloist during the summit.
Fall musical Much Ado About Nothing
“I wanted to personally congratulate
you for the fine work you’ve done with your
students,” wrote Sue Mingus, the widow of
the acclaimed jazz composer for whom the
festivities are named, to Rivers jazz director
Philippe Crettien. Mingus commended
the school for having both of its groups
chosen from a competitive applicant pool
consisting predominantly of large music
performance schools.
“It’s great to be honored by Ms. Mingus
and such an esteemed school as MSM,”
says Crettien. “This truly is a huge achievement
for Rivers.”
22 Rivers Students Honored
with Boston Globe Art Awards
In February, 22 students from Rivers were
honored with Boston Globe Scholastic Art
Awards. Selected from more than 5,200
applicants across Massachusetts, Rivers students
won a total of 13 Honorable Mentions
and four Silver Key awards, while five
students won the prestigious Gold Key
Awards—Adrienne Anderson ’09, Shylana
Roman ’09, and Charlie Rugg ’09, Page
Cochran ’12, and Katherine Mecke ’13.
Gold and Silver Key art was on display in
Boston during the month of February, after
which the Gold Key pieces traveled to New
York City to be juried on the national level.
In all, more than half of the school’s entries
were honored in the competition.
“These awards are a testament to the depth
of the arts program at Rivers, with students
Rivers Goes Global
with International Dinner
In November, Rivers held its fifth annual
International Night in the Berwind Auditorium.
With food, music, and art from 16
distinct cultures, the event featured Greek
dancing and performances by the Rivers
jazz combo and the Afro-Mediterranean
musical group Atlas Soul. More than 200
students, parents, faculty, and staff attended
the festivities, representing countries that
include Guatemala, Indonesia, Ethiopia,
and Columbia, among many others.
Rivers Gives Back
with Thanksgiving Food Drive
The Rivers School Council organized a
successful campus food drive the week before
Thanksgiving, with several hundred
pounds of food collected and distributed to
the Natick Food Pantry, the Weston Senior
Center Food Pantry, and A Place to Turn in
Natick, among other places.
International Night
• Riparian • Spring 2009

A Rivers tradition for nearly 20 years,
the annual drive featured strong participation
from students, staff and faculty as they
donated, organized, and shipped out nonperishable
food items ranging from soup
cans to cake mix. “It’s Thanksgiving, and
helping people is what you do,” said Rivers
Director of Community Service Jeanette
Szretter. “Throughout the years this has always
been important for us, and in the current
economic climate, the need is greater
than ever.”
Athletics
Rugg Named All-American,
Leads Soccer to N.E. Finals
In addition to his All-State and All-New
England honors, Charlie Rugg ’09 was one
of four high school soccer players in Massachusetts
to be named a National Soccer
Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)
All-American this past November.
The boys’ soccer team captain, who led
the Independent School League (ISL) in
scoring this year by a commanding 21
points, helped Rivers finish second in the
ISL and earn a spot in the finals at the New
England Preparatory School Athletic Council
(NEPSAC) tournament.
Packing
up for the
Thanksgiving
Food Drive
Rivers girls’ basketball wins
NEPSAC Title
The Rivers girls’ basketball team won the
New England Class B Championship over
Pomfret Academy last month. Forward Tayra
Melendez ’12 had 19 points, 10 rebounds
and four assists to earn tournament MVP
honors.
The Red Wings (18–6) also got a strong
performance from guard Megan Kerbs ’12,
who added 12 points, and guard Sara Berthiaume
’11 with eight points. Center Clare
Sullivan ’11 had four free throws at the end
of the game to help seal the win for Rivers.
“It went as well as we could have ever
hoped,” said coach Bob Pipe. “We played
our very best basketball.”
The winning season included the title
at the 39th annual Rivers Holiday Tournament
in December when the team defeated
Milton Academy in the championship
game. The boys’ team found success as well,
advancing to the second round of the tournament.
The games drew strong attendance
even in the midst of a massive snowstorm.
The girls’ ice hockey team capped off
their own impressive season with a tournament
run. Defeating North Yarmouth Academy
(ME) 7–0 at home, the Red Wings lost
a tough semifinal contest against Southfield
School.
Jillian Dempsey Helps US Hockey
Win Gold at World Championships
In January, Jillian Dempsey ’09 won a gold
medal playing for the USA Women’s
Hockey Under-18 National Team at the International
Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)
World Championship in Fussen, Germany.
Dempsey helped the US defend its world
title by defeating Canada 3–2.
“As soon as [the winning goal] went in,
we were all jumping off the benches into a
big pigpile on the ice,” says Dempsey. “It
was an exhilarating feeling.”
Jillian was one of only 22 players across
the country to be selected for the U-18
team. Jillian will continue to play hockey
next year at Harvard University, hoping to
qualify for the U-22 and, ultimately, the US
Olympic team.
“It was so great to put on that USA jersey
and represent my country,” she says.
“And I’m hoping that it won’t be the last
time.”
Jillian Dempsey ’09
Spring 2009 • Riparian •

Alumni Profile
Jim Lowell ’79, P’15:
A Positive Take on America’s Future
By Christine Martin
Jim Lowell has been analyzing the
stock market for more than twenty
years as editor of Fidelity Investor,
ETF Trader, and The Rankings Service;
chief investment strategist for Adviser
Investments; and president of Fundworks,
Inc. He is the author of several books on
investing as well as a steady stream of poetry
and appears regularly on Marketwatch
and NECN. Jim will be the recipient of the
Alumni Excellence Award at the Reunion
Dinner at Rivers on May 16.
We caught up with him recently and
found a bit of optimism in his outlook for
America’s financial future.
When the Riparian interviewed you in
2002, the market was reeling in the
aftermath of 9/11. Where are we today
The current crisis is unprecedented in
scope and scale. It has shaken not simply
companies and even industries to their
core, but it has underscored a pervasive
sense of helplessness and hopelessness
which has shaken investors to their core
beliefs in investing. It is not the belief that
Capitalism has hit an iceberg, it is more a
sense that perhaps Capitalism was the iceberg
to begin with. Nothing feels safe. No
assumptions are secure. It is, as the German
Romantic philosopher G.W.F. Hegel
once quipped, “The night in which all cows
are black.” That being the case, I take solace
from history’s unyielding desire to repeat
itself; better days will turn up. Between
now and then, I’d recommend watching
the news with the sound off and taking any
sound bite about our current predicament
with more than a grain of salt. Put it another,
more hopeful way—Holderlin, in his
poem Patmos, proposes, “Wo aber Gerfahrist,
wachst/Das Rettende auch”—where danger
lies, there the saving ground presents itself.
Has your own “belief system” in investing
changed drastically
Since my awakening at Rivers in 1977, my
own belief system continues to evolve; the
market has a random chance of uplifting or
upbraiding my views, no matter how well
considered they are. I’m a staunch advocate
of diversification among types of investments
across different asset classes to better
account for the fact that today’s sage is
often tomorrow’s fool. I have also always
focused at least as much of my time and attention
on managing risk as I have on delivering
return. I enlist a unique tool and
perspective in my pursuits: one of my companies
holds the largest proprietary database
of individual manager track records.
This database allows me to answer a key
question: which managers have (or lack)
the skill sets to manage whatever environment
we’re in. Currently, I’m focused on
managers who weathered the 1989-1992
real-estate led banking crisis and resultant
market meltdown well. Cleverness and
luck are haphazard. Knowledge, intelligence,
and experience matter.
Overconsumption has received its share
of the blame, and yet we’re told to start
buying again to get the economy going
Where’s the healthy balance
We’re witnessing the convergence of several
types of overindulgence and the desire
to first control then better manage them.
Whether it’s our culture’s ironic obsession
with obesity and celebrity chefs, or Washington’s
command for obeisance to fiscal
conservatism and profligate stimulus, or
Wall Street’s projection of prudence and
pell-mell pursuit of profits, a healthy balance
is hard to find. In such moments of
imbalance, however, we all learn the necessity
of balancing acts as opposed to merely
acting balanced. That’s a healthy inclination.
At the end of the day, I believe that
we’ll be in better shape for having gone
through this current crucible. Meister Eckhardt’s
plaint that ‘pain is the quickest beast
to carry you to perfection’ rings true. So
does Chevy Chase’s Ty Webb quip in Caddyshack,
“A flute with no holes is not a
flute;” the sour, sub-prime note of products
that claimed to be one thing, turning out to
be nothing, are nothing new. Neither is the
fact that good and bad policies may get unjustly
punished or rewarded; that’s politics.
But the bottom line for investors will be
that good companies will survive based on
being able to balance, rather than cook,
their books. And, as my daughter knows
thanks to her 6th grade Latin teacher, Ms.
Favreau, caveat emptor.
10 • Riparian • Spring 2009

You have studied and taught religion,
so you must be attuned to morality and
ethics. How do you reconcile this inclination
with being in a profession where
people seem to be increasingly unethical
I have never seen a separation between
Capitalism and morality, which is not the
same thing as saying that I have never seen
immoral and/or unethical capitalists. I
don’t wake up thinking, “today I will make
money and that will make me a better person’
anymore than I might think that if I
am a better person,” I am more likely to be
a better money manager. Crooks have to
live with themselves just like we do, and if
conscience isn’t a good guide, it will be the
bars which tax the soul even if one lives
scot free. If ethics can be viewed as a code
of conduct for a community, and morality
can be viewed as the mannered expression
of that code among that community’s
members, then history has only revealed
the indominatable desire for, and the imperfect
of achievement of, a state of either
in any construct: religious, political, social,
economic. Greed has its converts, fear has
its adherents, power its proponents. Ideology
and idolatry are always clapping. The
current cult of personality, which seeks to
elevate or scapegoat individuals and misalign
stereotypes with archetypes, feels as
democratic as a coronation at a witch trial.
Matthew 10:36: The foes shall be they of
your own household.
Americans hear about impact on the
US and other major markets, but do you
think they realize the effect this situation
is having on third world countries
Global growth and global risks are two
sides of our age’s coin. It’s hard to put that
coin into an ethical jukebox and not hear
the blues. There have been such significant
advancements in human care from cultural
awareness to major pharmaceutical treatments
that it is nearly overwhelming to see
how uncaring and inhumane the treatment
of whole populations still can be. Now,
with the health of the most powerful countries
in the world in question, the concerns
of uplifting the downtrodden are vulnerable
to being downtrodden themselves. But,
as has always been the case, our unique
strength as a country is that we are, in the
main, a composite of those who once were
downcast and downtrodden. We have more
than an educated notion of doing the right
thing; we have an ingrained, empathetic
understanding of helping not only our
neighbors but those completely unrelated
to and geographically far removed from us.
Americans are strongest in times of greatest
weakness. We give no quarter to failing
to pursue inalienable rights for all.
Do you keep your poetry writing separate
from your business writing
On the surface, I suppose I look like Yeat’s
swan—calm and collected and gliding on
an air of certainty. But, like Yeat’s swan, I’m
mostly tumult and business underneath.
The tumult is born of being open-eyed and
open-minded in a world often motivated
by and celebratory of blinders. Sometimes,
I’m moved to champion what I see, other
times I feel compelled to challenge what’s
Nominate an Alumnus
there, sometimes I watch football with a
passion that would make a crow blush—
and if my passion didn’t make that crow
blush, my vocabulary would. I don’t make a
big distinction between writing about the
world while investing in it and investing in
the world while writing in it. I do think
that the markets have rhythms all their
own; it’s my job to be attuned to them. I
do think that writing poetry is part of my
own rhythm—as I go on, that beat goes on,
and vice versa. Interestingly, what moves
me to invest in writing, and through writing
to invest, is the existential enjoyment I
derive from the infinity of my finitude—
what the pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus
phrased as not being able to step in the
same river twice. I’ve never stepped into
the same market twice. I’ve never stepped
into the same poem twice. I’m certainly not
stepping in the same Rivers today with my
daughter as when I was fortunate enough
to be here before. Yet, I enjoy the ability to
appreciate distinct moments equally as
much and have yet to tire of trying to better
comprehend and express what being a
part of such rivers means to and for me,
sink or swim.
E
stablished in 2001, The Rivers School Alumni Excellence Award is presented
by the Alumni Association to members of the Rivers community who display
extraordinary achievement within their career field or through an outstanding
commitment to social, political, or other volunteer causes. The purpose of the
Award is to highlight the professional and volunteer achievements of select members
of the Rivers community and in so doing inspire Rivers students to pursue
their passions.
When nominating a Rivers alumnus, please include the following information:
• Name and class year
• Address, phone number, email address
• Title, company or industry
• List of professional achievements, professional, and civic commitments
• Other information relevant to the candidate’s professional contributions
Please submit nominations to Christina Grady at c.grady@rivers.org.
Spring 2009 • Riparian • 11

I s R i v e r s C r e a t i n g
The Renaissance Student
By Adam Conner-Simons
Tall and soft-spoken, carrying
himself with a calm confidence
and a gentle smile, Charlie Rugg
’09 is a quiet and unassuming
character on the Rivers campus. If his demeanor
does not suggest an All-American
soccer player so much as, say, a
pensive sketch artist, it may be
because…well, he’s both.
Emily Creedon ’09 is similarly
tough to pin down. While
she is frequently involved in
school theater productions and
plays piano for the jazz band,
you wouldn’t want to box her
in as the artsy type—she’s also
an All-Scholastic softball player
and was the only high school
student in the country to present research
at an international science conference this
past summer.
Rugg and Creedon are undeniably interesting
personalities at Rivers, and the
school is not shy about acknowledging
their accomplishments (and those of many
of their peers). But the stories of these students,
with their diverse experiences mixing
art, academics, athletics, and more, beg
the question: are they truly representative
of Rivers Perhaps just as important, does
Rivers actively foster such Renaissance men
and women, or would they turn out that
way regardless of the school they attend
The answer, it seems, is not as cut-anddried
as one might hope. Rivers certainly
deserves much of the credit for instilling in
students the importance of a liberal arts
education - for starters, by requiring students
to take six full trimesters of art
classes, including three upper-level courses.
“It’s a continuous learning process, usually
spread out over three or four years,” says
Head of Upper School Patricia Carbery.
“This challenges students to go far beyond
their comfort zones and develop creative
skills they never thought they had.”
For every uninterested kid who may
gripe at the prospect of taking two full
years of arts courses, there’s a
student like Rugg who might
not have otherwise thought to
take such classes but ended up
enjoying it and excelling (if his
slew of student art awards is
any indication).
Besides the art requirement,
there is also the simple
fact that Rivers organizes sports
practices, music rehearsals, and
other events without significant
scheduling conflicts. “You can do three
seasons of sports and still play in the school
bands year-round,” says athletics director
Jim McNally, “which is hard to come by at
a lot of high schools.” Henry Eisenhart ’08,
for instance, was on the soccer, basketball,
and baseball teams at Rivers while also
playing trombone in the jazz band.
And while it would be difficult to discern
between causality and correlation, many
members of the Rivers community cite special
programs and workshops
that they believe help inform
students’ perspectives as early
as middle school—including the
mandatory 7th-grade media
literacy class and the annual
three-day leadership program,
which Head of Middle School
Susan McGee says “fosters a
sense of exploration and risktaking
that permeates into the
classroom and becomes completely integrated
into the Rivers environment.”
More influential than any individual
classes or activities, however, is the open,
inclusive culture that Rivers tries to promote.
At another school, a 18-year-old soccer
star like Rugg might be ostracized by
his sports team if he professed a love for
fine art. At Rivers, though—a school that
holds weekly meetings that feature announcements
of arts and sports awards
alike—interests of all kinds are encouraged
by students, faculty, and staff. “One week
six different people came to the art room
asking if they could see Charlie’s latest portrait,”
says art teacher Catelin Mathers-
Suter. “At other places it might not be cool
to excel in the arts, but here it’s something
students strive for and celebrate.”
Such a culture also in some small part
diverges from the typical high school experience
filled with jocks, nerds, theater
geeks, etc. While students certainly don’t
pretend that Rivers is completely immune
from such clique distinctions, the school’s
status as a small private institution—with
intimate classes, special academic programs
and unique curricular requirements—helps
encourage exploration, self-discovery and
a community conducive to Renaissance
students. “There definitely are cliques here,”
Rugg says, “but you wouldn’t be
judged harshly if you stepped
out of your group.”
Students’ freedom to explore
numerous paths is further
re-affirmed by their teachers’
mirroring multiplicity of interests.
From science department
chair Stewart Pierson, a former
semi-professional soccer player
who also dabbles in music and
12 • Riparian • Spring 2009

Softball Science
It looked like any other science
conference. In a 27-story hotel in
Reno, a group of more than 30
professionals from the cutting-edge
field of mass-spectometry imaging
(MSI) were gathered in a room with a
PowerPoint. All the usual suspects
were there: distinguished-looking professors,
middle-aged researchers, and
a smattering of twentysomething graduate
students, all dressed in suits and
engaging in good-natured banter about
their work.
In the middle of it all was 17-yearold
Rivers senior Emily Creedon. Surrounded
by researchers who had been
conducting MSI research for decades,
Creedon had learned the technology
in seven days and done lab work for
all of seven weeks.
“I guess you could say I was a little
nervous,” Creedon says with a laugh
as she recalls her presentation at the
Federation of Analytical Chemistry
and Spectroscopic Societies (FACSS)
annual conference. At the same time,
after finishing a Rivers science internship
over the summer at Bruker Daltronics,
a science manufacturing company
in Billerica, she took the challenge
in stride—particularly for someone
who had never done lab research
before.
Paul Kowalski, who served as
Creedon’s supervisor at Bruker, wasn’t
surprised with her impressive knowledge
of the material. “These are ideas
that most advanced Ph.D. students
are trying to grasp,” he said, “and yet
here she was, piecing the concepts
together herself.”
In addition to her duties in the
lab, Creedon was also able to dabble
in other aspects of the operation, from
making sales visits to meeting with
the company’s R&D department. “It
“These are ideas that most
advanced Ph.D. students
are trying to grasp, and yet
here she was, piecing the
concepts together herself.”
Paul Kowalski, Bruker Daltronics
was great to see a big corporation from the
inside,” she said. “The business experience
I gained was invaluable.”
Besides her science research and a
course load that includes four AP classes,
Creedon has been involved in numerous
extracurricular activities. She has performed
in several Rivers stage productions
(including last year’s “The Mouse That
Roared”), plays piano for the big band, volunteered
for State Representative candidate
Brian O’Connor this fall, and is an All-
Scholastic softball player at Rivers. Free
time What’s that “I had to give up my
fantasy football team this year,” she says
with a sigh. “But I’m never bored!”
Most recently, she started Rivers’
first debate team with the help of head
of school Tom Olverson and advisor
Bill McGinty. “I love debate because
I’m very opinionated and logical to a
fault,” she says. “It’s like a tennis match,
where you’re volleying back and forth
and trying to beat your opponent’s
point.”
While Creedon isn’t sure what she
wants to major in at college—she is
looking mainly at liberal arts colleges,
and may go to business school after
that—she’s happy to keep her options
open with a plethora of academic and
extracurricular interests.
“The good thing about being involved
in so many things is that I have
a broad range of experiences and can
connect with many different types of
people,” she says. “I know that whatever
I end up doing, I’ll be prepared.”
Spring 2009 • Riparian • 13

Student News
but I didn’t really know that much about
soccer,” says Rugg. “My coaches helped
me develop the skills that I needed mentally—like
staying focused and making
the right decisions on the field.”
This past season was a successful one
for the Red Wings, as Rugg led the team
to a second-place finish in ISL and a spot
at the finals of the New England Preparatory
School Athletic Council (NEPSAC)
tournament. Rugg’s athletic prowess garnered
considerable attention from college
scouts, with schools ranging from Boston
University to the University of Connecticut
vying to offer him scholarships. He
ultimately elected to stay close to home at
Boston College. “It’s a perfect fit for me,”
he says. “It’s a great school, academically,
and they really support athletes there.”
And while he’s open to pursuing art in
college, he speaks cautiously when discarpentry,
to Tim Clark, an art teacher
who also serves as a boys’ tennis coach, the
faculty’s varied concentrations
re-enforce the unspoken ethos
of well-roundedness at Rivers.
“When you’ve got a teacher who
plays a sport, and an instrument,
and does community
service on the side,” Head of
School Tom Olverson says, “it’s
inevitable that that kind of behavior
is echoed in his or her
students.” The school itself also
helps encourage such talent and
diversity through annual faculty enrichment
grants for special study, travel, graduate
school, and sabbatical projects.
Beyond the question of whether wellroundedness
at Rivers is the exception
rather than the rule is an equally important
chicken-and-the-egg conundrum: are these
students successful because of Rivers or because
of their own inherent abilities and
motivations
“There are definitely kids who would excel
here anyway [without Rivers’ help],” says
Rugg. Indeed, Director of Admissions
Gillian Lloyd says that
Rivers is drawn towards applicants
who exhibit a variety of
passions, though she cautions
that there are benefits to making
efforts to recruit more singularly-focused
students, as well.
“We want the core of the community
to have well-rounded
attributes so they can spill into
all of the different
campus activities,” she says, “but
you also want to have kids who
are, in a sense, ‘specialists,’ because
they are going to help
drive the programs and really
give that hockey team or orchestra
something extra.”
Furthermore, a lot of the
students make their mark in
ways that cannot be attributed
to Rivers-related activities. Jake Solomon
’09, a strong student who plays drums for
the jazz band, spends his weekends as a
concert-lighting director and has lent his
technical expertise to such music venues
as the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston.
Bryan Schoen ’09, a varsity basketball
player and top scorer for the math club,
started up his own business selling paintball
equipment at the age of 14 and has
earned the unusual distinction of being
the inspiration for a character in an upcoming
Xbox video game. As tempting as
it may be to focus on the typical
trifecta of academics, athletics
and arts, it’s important to
recognize that well-roundedness
extends to community
service, work experience and
even examples of entrepreneurship
that you wouldn’t
necessarily see on campus.
At the same time, just
because students prosper out-
The Art of Soccer
His soccer accolades are impressive
and extensive—Rivers team captain,
the league-leading scorer in
the Independent School League (ISL) by a
21-point margin, an All-American, and an
invited member of the New England Revolution’s
under-18 youth team.
What many people might not be aware,
however, is that Rivers senior Charlie Rugg
has a flair for another, seemingly divergent
talent: art. An award-winning portrait artist,
he’s been taking drawing and painting
classes all four years at Rivers and has what
teacher Catelin Mathers-Suther describes
as “an amazing eye and an almost photographic
understanding of space.” He won a
first-place award at last year’s Small Independent
School Arts League (SISAL) show,
as well as a prestigious Boston Globe Gold
Key Award this year. “You could profile
14 • Riparian • Spring 2009
“You could profile him on just
his art or just his athletics.”
Robert Pipe,
Associate Director of Athletics
ing since 3rd grade. A casual player in elementary
school, he got more serious about
the sport in 6th grade when he joined the
FC Greater Boston Bolts club team under
Boston University assistant coach Francis
Okaroh. Rugg credits Pipe and Okaroh as
important mentors for developing his game.
“Before 9th grade I had physical speed,
him on just his art or just his athletics,” says
Robert Pipe, who has been his soccer coach
at Rivers for four years. “He’s a special kid in
many different ways.”
Rugg’s first and still strongest passion,
however, is soccer, which he has been play-

Student News
side of the Rivers environment doesn’t mean
their school experiences play no part. The
general emphasis on student involvement
and the substantial arts and sports requirements
at Rivers often steer kids towards
interests that they might not normally pursue.
“Rivers does a great job of not limiting
students in any way,” says Science Department
chair Kim Kopelman. “If they’re interested
in science, they could still do art,
or sports, or something else entirely.”
Ultimately, there is a prevailing sense at
Rivers that students are the sum of their
collective experiences, rather than molded
completely by one influence over another.
“I think it’s a combination of the strength
of the teachers and programs, the high
standards we set, and a school environment
that is supportive of many different
pursuits,” says Olverson. “I wouldn’t claim
that we are creating Renaissance students
out of thin air, but I definitely think we do
a good job of providing opportunities and
a culture conducive to well-roundedness.”
cussing his future plans. “Going pro is
always in the back of my mind,” he says,
unveiling a smile just ambiguous enough
to make you wonder which profession he
might be referring to . . .
Lighting Up the Stage—
Do you ever think about how a rock
concert gets put together Contrary to
what you might assume from Spinal
Tap, band members don’t just pile out of their
dressing rooms, stumble onto the stage and
start playing. Each show requires significant
amounts of time, effort and money that go into
set-up, sound and lighting, and just one snafu
from someone on the sidelines can be the difference
between perfection and disaster.
Jake Solomon is one such person who
keeps things running smoothly backstage.
Scaling the high ladders, double-checking the
bulbs, and overseeing the lighting boards, he
has done lighting work at the 5,000-seat Bank
of America Pavilion and has a regular weekend
gig at The Center for the Arts in Natick
(TCAN). He’d help out during the week, too,
but he’s got another job that occupies his 9-to-
5: full-time high school senior at Rivers.
“For me, doing the lights
is kind of like being an
extra instrument.”
Jake Solomon
Solomon has been immersed in the music scene from an early age, his father
Frank having spent more than 20 years managing rock artists that include Dreamtheater
and Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse. “Every time we went to shows and he
had to take care of some business, I’d get dumped in the lighting area,” Solomon says
with a smile. “So I watched people working backstage for a long time.”
In 2004, the then-13-year-old Solomon decided to give it a go himself. A Natick
native, he talked to TCAN executive director Dave Lavalley, who also happened to be
his former soccer coach. Helping out with high school rock shows, Solomon proved
to be a quick study and has since been promoted as the chief lighting designer for
TCAN’s weekend concert programming.
While lighting is relatively straightforward for simple “guy with a guitar” gigs,
bigger concerts allow Solomon to flex his creative muscle as a lighting technician.
“For those shows, I try to learn the music ahead of time,” he says. “I’ll get there early
to set up different spotlights and pick out specific parts that I’ll change the light for.
A lot of it, though, I end up figuring out as it happens.”
Solomon’s experience reflects his commitment to volunteering, a quality that
Rivers highly encourages through its programs. Says Lavalley: “Jake has really demonstrated
service to the community with this nonprofit work.” Having logged more
than 1,200 volunteer hours at TCAN, Solomon can safely say that he’s “quite a bit
over the required 30 hours [of community service].”
As for his future prospects, Solomon is interested in a career as a booking agent
or manager, just like his father, and has been looking mostly at colleges with music
business programs. Even if he doesn’t continue his career as a lighting director, he
says he’ll never forget his experiences at TCAN: “For me, doing the lights is kind of
like being an extra instrument,” he says. “In a way, you really get to be part of the
band.”
Spring 2009 • Riparian • 15

Grandparents Day
Simone Blake ’14 with Daniel and Berthe Blake and Grady and Lloyd Cox
Grandparents’ Day brought more than 100 grandparents of Middle School students to attend classes
and get a better sense of their grandchildren’s educational experiences at Rivers. All across campus,
they listened attentively to discussions ranging from current events to algebra, participated in science
classes, sketched self-portraits, and conversed in Spanish, French, Chinese, and more. Guests ended the
morning with musical performances and a luncheon with the students.
Max Rubin ’15 with Michael Rubin and Ginny
and Roy MacDowell
Homecoming
Alison Kraft ’15 with Myra and Bob Kraft
Justin Snider ’15 with David Snider
and Leonard Ansin
Under picture perfect skies and warm breezes, Rivers fans turned out to cheer on the Red Wings.
Alumni, parents, and students alike enjoyed the chili and chowder on Hutton Terrace, and the Class
of 2008 in particular enjoyed comparing college stories.
Waiting for the action to begin
Superfans!
2008 classmates reunite
Getting a
jump on
Halloween
More ’08s
catching up
16 • Riparian • Spring 2009

Student News
Alumni News
Message from Alumni Association
President Charlie Abrams ’88
Charles
Abrams
’88
It seems the only thing on the upswing
recently has been Rivers. Alumni have
been turning out in force for our
events. People everywhere are anxious
to talk, about the economy, about jobs, about
where we’re headed as a country. The power
and benefits of networking have never been
more apparent, whether it is to offer advice
or to find reassurance. Reaching out to others
in the Rivers community can be a great
resource these days. The Special Events
Committee has been working along with the
Alumni Office to increase the opportunities
for alumni to network as well as just have fun
socializing. Take a minute to look through the
alumni section for familiar faces at our recent
events and think about joining us at one of
the many activities planned for this spring.
I also want to mention the increasingly
important role that the Alumni
Association plays in Rivers’ financial aid
program. The proceeds from the annual
golf tournament, now in its ninth year,
provide direct tuition assistance to Rivers
students. Alumni and parents, as players
and sponsors, have enabled the Association
to offer aid to a growing number
of students each year, ranging from talented
athletes to musicians to dedicated
community service volunteers. The tournament
is always a great day of golf and
socializing and a positive way to support
deserving students at Rivers.
So please add Rivers to your calendar
when an invitation arrives at your
door or in your e-mail. You’ll enjoy reconnecting,
networking, and helping strengthen
the Rivers community along the way. If you
have any suggestions for improving our Alumni
Association or you are interested in taking a
more active role, please contact me at cabrams@
delaquality.com or Associate Director of Development
Marney Hupper at m.hupper@
rivers.org.
Evon Burroughs ’98,
Matt Williamson ’98,
Ben Henry ’99
Jessica Panaccione
’00 and Lindsay
George ’00
Thanksgiving Tradition
Dozens of alumni came and went in a steady stream throughout
the evening at the pre-Thanksgiving gathering for alumni in
Boston. The event, held at Boston Beerworks, has become a
Rivers tradition for students returning from college for the long holiday
weekend as well as local alumni stopping by before heading home.
Jessica
Panaccione
’00, Dave
Garsh ’99,
Ricki Askin
’00, Bridget
O’Connor
’00, Melissa
Greenberg
’00, Marc
Stroum ’98,
and Sofia
Teixeira ’00
Alex Chadis ’98, Marc Stroum ’98, Chris Fuller ’99, Dave
Garsh ’99, David Meropol ’03, Scott Olser ’98
Spring 2009 • Riparian • 17

Student News
Alumni News
Run for Rivers:
Marathon 2009
Growing up in Ashland,
Ian Greenblatt ’04 was a
perennial fan of the Boston
Marathon. While not a longdistance
runner himself, Ian saw
his own passion for soccer and lacrosse
mirrored in the runners’
dedication to their sport. He was
as enthusiastic a fan along the race
course as he was on the balconies
of Haffenreffer and Benson Gymnasiums,
where he watched Rivers’
basketball teams run the floor.
After his untimely death in an
automobile accident less than a
month after his Rivers graduation,
Ian’s family established a scholarship
fund to support Rivers students
who shared Ian’s dedication
in the classroom and on the athletic
fields.
This year, Rivers is fielding a
team to run the Boston Marathon
to raise money for the Ian Andrew
Greenblatt ’04 Scholarship Fund.
“This is a great way to help grow
the fund and keep Ian’s memory
alive,” said his mother Stephanie
Greenblatt. “We’re thrilled so many
from the Rivers community are
running or walking, volunteering,
or supporting the runners and the
fund,” she said. She has also recruited
friends and family members
who are runners for “Team Ian.”
New York City Reception
About 30 Rivers alumni living and working in the New York City area
gathered this fall for a reception at Club Metropolitan at Arbitron, Inc.
Alumni Association President Charlie Abrams ’88 welcomed the lively
group and encouraged continued involvement with the Rivers community,
while Head of School Tom Olverson updated them with some of the current
achievements and future goals of the school’s strategic plan. The reception was
organized courtesy of Pierre Bouvard ’79, president of sales and marketing
at the international media and marketing research firm Arbitron.
Head of School Tom Olverson
and David Olverson ’02
Elissa Hintlian ’99, Becca Roblin ’99,
David Snider ’99
Charlie Abrams ’88 and
Brian Snerson ’86
Above: Tim
Ward ’03, Dave
Olverson ’02,
Grady O’Gara
’03, Carolyn
Bass ’01
To participate in any way, contact
Chris Martin at c.martin@rivers.
org or 339-686-2230. Contributions
to the fund may be mailed to the
Alumni Office at Rivers or made
online at www.rivers.org, click
on “Giving.” Write Greenblatt
Marathon in the comments field.
18 • Riparian • Spring 2009
Melissa Greenberg ’00 and
Ricki Askin ’00
Jared Gerstenblatt ’93, Leigh Gerstenblatt,
Tracey Kaplowitz ’93, Kevin Reilly ’93

Student News
Alumni News
The Jarzavek Chair Affair
The memories flowed along with the wine at the inaugural Jarzavek
Chair Affair—an Italian food and wine tasting at La Campania
in Waltham in November. Alumni, parents of alumni, current
parents, and faculty gathered to honor one of Rivers’ most dynamic former
teachers and support the endowed teaching chair established in his name.
Susan Cohn, John Rozario ’80, and
Lewis Cohn ’81
Honorary
trustee of the
corporation
Louis
Grossman ’67
and former
trustee
Arnold Scott
Greg Cahill ’77, trustee Joan Walter, and Jack Jarzavek
Jack Jarzavek with Carolyn Snider,
Jamie Carlin ’81 and Jeff Snider ’82
Hank Miller ’77, Jeff
Lowenstein ’77, and
Scott Allen ’79 with
one of the sommeliers
(second from right)
Steve Sugarman ’92 with
former faculty member
Tom Walsh
Student Reps Have Voice on Council
For the third year, student representatives on the Rivers Alumni Council have helped
council members gain insight into the concerns and priorities of the student body.
This years’ representatives, seniors Liza Warshaver, Becca Nichols, and Kat Gourinovitch,
run the spectrum from student advisor to school co-president to Russian language
aficionado. Their interests range from ice hockey, tennis, yearbook, and advanced
art to co-founding a local Special Olympics basketball team.
In addition to attending Council meetings, the student representatives act as liaisons
to the senior class and volunteer during Annual Fund phonathons. “The phonathons are a
great opportunity to chat with the many people who love our school and are very generous
in giving towards the fund,” said Liza Warshaver. “It was difficult this year because of the
economy. Rivers alumni, however, are very supportive, and I was very impressed to hear
from so many people donating even in these tough times.”
Kat Gourinovitch, Liza Warshaver, and
Becca Nichols, all Class of 2009
Spring 2009 • Riparian • 19

Student News
Alumni News
Stephen Salny ’73: Fascinated for Life
It all began in college while cruising the
posh neighborhoods of Lake Forest, 30
miles north of Chicago. Stephen Salny
found himself drawn to a dozen or so
French, Georgian and Mediterranean-style
houses dotting the countryside. Further investigation
revealed that they had all been
designed by one David Adler in the first
half of the 1900s. That led to a three-decade
fascination with Adler, his sister, interior
designer Frances Elkins, and her greatest
disciple, Michael Taylor. And the 75-page
independent study he wrote on Adler as a
college senior, under the auspices of Franz
Schulze, renowned art and architectural
historian, has led to three lavishly illustrated
books published by W.W. Norton
& Co, with the latest one published in
January.
Writing, researching, and lecturing,
however, is not Salny’s real job. By day, he
oversees a third-generation property management
business in Baltimore where he
has lived for 32 years. “My grandfather was
a New England labor attorney who invested
in real estate down here years ago. I always
knew I’d go into the family business,” said
Salny. “In fact, at Lake Forest I majored
in economics because it was as close as I
could get to a business major at a liberal
arts college.”
At night and on weekends, Salny writes,
or chases the endless details needed to document
his subjects’ work, be it floorplans,
photos, correspondence, or interviews with
owners. “I enjoy the chase and I enjoy the
challenge,” said Salny. “I’m what I like to
call ‘diplomatically aggressive’ in getting
what I need for a book.”
Despite his lack of formal training, Salny’s
books have met with world-wide critical
acclaim. For the new book on Taylor, he
did a two week tour on the West Coast,
with receptions at design centers, museums,
and cultural centers. He is a frequent
lecturer at architectural forums such as
those held at the Winterthur Museum in
Delaware. He has contributed numerous
articles to Architectural Digest and has also
been profiled in the New York Times.
“I published my first piece on Frances
Elkins and David Adler in 1980 in Architectural
Digest. Then, in 1995, an archivist
from Lake Forest College asked my opinion
about a room thought to be by Adler
and his sister, and I realized, with the urging
of Schulze, that I should really publish
my research in a book.”
New Englanders might recognize David
Adler for his design of “Castle Hill,” the
famous Crane Estate on the North Shore.
He often collaborated with his sister, Frances
Elkins, who designed the interiors in
many of his houses, albeit with a more dramatic
and avant-garde flair. She established
her own thriving business on the West
Coast at a time when women were a rarity
“I enjoy the chase and
I enjoy the challenge,”
said Salny. “I’m what
I like to call ‘diplomatically
aggressive’ in getting
what I need for a book.”
in the work place and interior designers in
the United States were few and far between.
She in turn had tremendous influence on
Michael Taylor who created the traditionbreaking
“California Look,” bringing outdoor
elements indoors, mixing trees with
antiquities, warm whites with bright accent
colors.
Salny’s day job does impact his writing
projects. “There is a lot of legality and business
negotiation in doing a book like this
with licensing rights and so on, so it is similar
to the skills I use on a daily basis,” he
said. Plus, he has had some fun putting
those design theories to use in the model
apartments for his properties.
—Christine Martin
20 • Riparian • Spring 2009

Student News
Alumni News
Class Notes
Veterans’ Day
at Rivers
Rod MacPhie, Court Dwyer, John Lafferty
and Steve Cline, all Class of ’66 at the
wedding of Court’s son
C l a s s o f 1 9 3 6
Theodore C. “Ted” Haffenreffer, Jr. passed
away on Dec. 27, 2008 at home in Chestnut
Hill, Massachusetts. He is survived by
his wife and five children. Ted studied
chemistry in England, trained at the Tuborg
Brewery in Copenhagen, then oversaw
his family business, Haffenreffer &
Co., until its closing in 1964. The Haffenreffer
Gymnasium is named in honor of
the family and their dedication and generosity
to Rivers.
C l a s s o f 1 9 4 2
Ken MacPherson wrote, “Our first great
granddaugher was born a year ago on
my birthday. We were given a joint party
this year in honor of both of our birthdays!”
C l a s s o f 1 9 4 3
Pax Stodder e-mailed: “Thanks for the
“old” news about classmates. I have been
retired from Internal Medicine for five
years and trying to stay connected from
here in Los Angeles.”
C l a s s o f 1 9 4 8
Jim Hoftyzer has been retired for 12 years
and is happily living in Northern California’s
“Wine Country.”
C l a s s o f 1 9 5 1
Stew Sanders wrote, “I attended from
1945 to 1949. My two older brothers attended
during that period; R. Wyman
Sanders was two years ahead of me and
lives in Los Angeles; Henry M. was three
years ahead and passed away in 2008.”
C l a s s o f 1 9 5 4
Henry Bentley Bradley recently reconnected
with Rivers. He spent a half year at
Rivers in 1949 before being hospitalized
with polio for a year. He graduated from
Stanford, worked in the auto industry as a
car designer, and designed matchbox
cars for Mattel. He recently donated his
design collection to the Museum of Fine
Arts in Boston and had an exhibition of
his Matchbox car drawings at Children’s
Hospital this winter.
C l a s s o f 1 9 5 5
Jim Scharnberg e-mailed, “I’m a retired
advertising and creative art director, living
in Malvern, Pennsylvania. I work with
area land and watershed conservation
organizations in Chester County to protect
working farms and woodlands from
rapid, uncontrolled development. I am
also a master of a pack of hounds, and
our hunt has been recently recognized
by the Pennsylvania State Senate for its
conservation efforts and its 60th anniversary
of hunting in the county.”
C l a s s o f 1 9 6 9
Jim Schuknechts wrote regretfully that
Mark DeGuzman passed away in March
of 2008 as a result of complications following
a long battle with kidney disease.
C l a s s o f 1 9 7 1
Rick Bedrick wrote, “I was unable to
attend the Jarzavek Chair Affair event in
November, but Jack’s influence on me at
Rivers was profound and still felt today. I
am thrilled he is being honored in this
way!”
Mark Kelly wrote, “I gave a eulogy for
Jack Falla, brother of Patrick Falla ‘85.
Jack worked at Rivers in the late 1970’s in
public relations and development and
was the varsity hockey coach. After Rivers
Spring 2009 • Riparian • 21

Student News
Alumni News
he went on to write books, worked for
Sports Illustrated and the NHL, and taught
at Boston University until his death.”
C l a s s o f 1 9 7 3
Wayne Durkin and his wife Rita welcomed
their third grandchild in September.
“Rita and I spend summers at our
home on Northwood Lake, NH, and thoroughly
enjoy the quiet boating ventures
on this 880 acre lake. We also do some
kayaking, as well as vacationing at Gulf
Shores, Alabama. I retired from HP after a
25 year career in Supply Chain Management.
I now work for Expeditors International,
a freight forwarding company,
with Marc Manna, father of Tom ’10.”
C l a s s o f 1 9 7 9
Patrick Crowley e-mailed, “Thought Rivers
might be interested in my new pastime—winter
mountain climbing. I use
Mt. Washington in NH as a training
ground in the winter. It’s a nine hour up
and back climb. Once last October the
gusts at the top were clocked 92 mph
and we had to wait until they dropped to
below 80 mph to start our descent.”
Patrick Crowley ’79, right, atop Mount
Washington in December 2007 with
climbing companion
C l a s s o f 1 9 8 1
Stu Birger wrote, “I have been living in
California for 14 years and have two children
with my wife Debi. Allyson is 9 and
Blake is 6.”
C l a s s o f 1 9 8 8
Baker Bent is living in Ridgeway, Colorado
with his wife and two children.
Dave Liddell noted, “I am truly thankful
for my education at Rivers and later at
Providence College. I wish everyone were
as fortunate as I to receive such a gift.
Take care all and I’ll try to make it to a
reunion one of these days. Veritas et
Libertas.”
C l a s s o f 1 9 8 9
Andrew Neustadter wrote to Jack Jarzavek,
“It is great to hear from you. Wish I
knew you were in Italy as I live here now!
My partner Claudia and I moved from
London to Ravenna a few months ago. It
is her childhood home and for me well...it
is a great adventure! Liam Jay Neustadter,
our first child, was born December 4, and
all is well with everyone, mother and
father included.”
C l a s s o f 1 9 8 9
Chris von Rumohr and his wife Amanda
welcomed baby boy Oskar November 11.
C l a s s o f 1 9 9 0
Wiley Osborn was married on November
1, 2008 to Ann Cheng. He works for Conta
Costa County as a GIS coordinator and
they live in El Cerrito, California.
C l a s s o f 1 9 9 1
Parker Bent lives in Los Angeles and is a
children’s musician. He stays in touch
with classmates Greg Paraskos and Ben
Tuck.
Christopher Burdick wrote to Jack Jarzavek,
“Noelle Moore and I were married
at the Country Club in Brookline on June
21. Geoff Harris ‘90 was in attendance,
along with my brother Will ’95 who
served as the best man, James Cater ’95,
and G. West Saltonstall ’61. We honeymooned
in Venice, Florence, Barcelona,
and Marbella. The museums, food, and
wine were just spectacular and it couldn’t
have been a better trip.”
Dave Kirk and wife Christy welcomed
their third child, Keenan David Kirk, on
August 12.
Jeremy Levine e-mailed, “I am getting
married on March 7 to Lisa Russo and
we’ve planned a nice, long honeymoon
to Thailand and the Maldives to follow.
We are very excited to see the Thai art
and Temples which I understand are
spectacular. I’m currently the vice president
for sales & associate publisher of
Billboard/Billboard.com and have been
here since September, prior to which I
was the associate publisher at Men’s
Journal.”
C l a s s o f 1 9 9 2
Susie Godino Ellis is living in Wellesley
with husband Chris, and enjoying their
two-year-old son, Brady Patrick Ellis.
Andrew Lannon wrote, “I am happy to
keep up with old classmates through
Facebook or LinkedIn. I am working as a
deputy city attorney for the city of Palm
Bay, FL.”
C l a s s o f 1 9 9 3
Jared Gerstenblatt and his wife Leigh
welcomed baby Stella on August 1.
T.J. Hill has been living in Los Angeles for
almost six years. “I’m currently working at
the Disability Rights Legal Center as one
of the program directors. I teach law students,
which is fun. I’m on the Board of
Directors for the ACLU of Southern California
and Vice Chair of the Santa Monica
Disabilities Commission. I’ll be the new
Mental Health Policy Director for the Association
of Community Health Service
Agencies starting in March. It’s a big step
and change for me professionally.”
22 • Riparian • Spring 2009

Student News
Alumni News
C l a s s o f 1 9 9 6
Danielle Bartone is the Director of Special
Projects and Business Development
at Jacob’s Ladder, a neurodevelopmental
learning center founded in 1999 in Atlanta
to treat children with neurological
disorders.
Ben Curtis wrote, “I’m living in Denver
now, working for a production studio out
of LA. I’m working on a Nascar Hotpass
on DirecTV as an associate producer.”
Front: Elizabeth Leary
(Soule) ‘98 and Conan
Leary. Back (L-R):
Mina Kaddis ‘98,
Lauren Mirel ‘98, Kate
McCourt ‘98, Brooke
Hegarty ‘98, Margaret
O’Conor Dean ‘98, Jill
Hoffmeister ’01, and
Becca Soule ’01
Max Praver e-mailed, “Life over here in
Kobe, Japan has been busy as usual but
Chiemi, Emma, and I are doing great! I
will be in Temple University’s doctoral
program in September at their Osaka
campus, pursuing a D.Ed. in Curriculum,
Instruction, and Technology in Education
With Specialization in TESOL. I’m looking
forward to the challenge.”
C l a s s o f 1 9 9 8
Liz Leary, along with a number of Rivers
classmates attended Elizabeth Soule’s
wedding in August. Elizabeth and her
husband Conan met and still work as
teachers at Tabor Academy.
C l a s s o f 1 9 9 9
Jeffrey Berman married Amanda Bromberg
on October 19th in Ojai, CA. Elissa
Hintlian and Esme Williams attended.
Chris Fuller e-mailed Jack Jarzavek, “I’m
currently working at Yahoo! selling advertising
which is going well. I finished
up my MBA from Babson in September
which felt good.”
Dave Garsh e-mailed, “The last ten years
have been flying by. I started a small company,
www.knotboardsetc.com with my
father, and started working at an advertising
agency. I have been working here
In Memoriam: Ian McVey ’03
Looking at photos of Ian McVey from his Rivers’ days is a study in contrasts: from a mud-splattered, triumphant football
player to a laurel-crowned Latin prize winner and graduation speaker. Ian’s interests and achievements ran the gamut
from sports to academics with a heavy dose of technology and jazz thrown in.
He kept adding to that list of accomplishments during his years at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he was a dean’s list
student with a dual major in computer and systems engineering as well as computer science with a concentration in robotics.
While there, he was elected to membership in two national computer science honor societies, and was enrolled in the institute’s
ROTC program.
After graduation, Ian was commissioned in the United States Marines Corps as a Second Lieutenant. He was a Combat
Engineer Officer assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Camp LeJeune, N.C. His personal awards
included the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.
Ian’s death last summer as a result of a motorcycle accident near his base was a blow to his family and the Rivers community.
Ian and his brothers Jeffrey ’95 and Evan ’05 had practically grown up on the Rivers campus where his father John McVey has
taught Latin for nearly two decades. His family has established a financial aid fund in Ian’s name, to give other students the
opportunities he had here at Rivers to develop so many facets of his personality.
“Ian was a lifelong athlete and an avid public servant who felt compelled to join the Marine Corps in order to help others,”
said John McVey. “Rivers helped him become that person, and we want others to have that chance too.” A memorial service will
be held during Alumni Weekend, on Sunday, May 17 at 2:00 p.m. in Corkin Auditorium.
Contributions to the Ian Thomas McVey Financial Aid Fund may be mailed to the Alumni Office at Rivers or given online at
www.rivers.org, (click on “Giving”).
Spring 2009 • Riparian • 23

Student News
Alumni News
Susanna Donahue and US Marine Corps
2nd Lt. David Donahue ’03 at Veterans’ Day
at Rivers.
for three years, and just recently we have
opened a marine division. I am looking
into going back to business school.”
Aislynn Rodeghiero works as executive
director of the Abundant Table, a meal
program for those in need in the suburban
cities/towns outside of Boston. “I also
own my own consulting business and offer
non-profit management, organizational
buildups, strategic planning, team
building, educational reform, and general
therapeutic counseling. I will be beginning
my Ph.D. coursework next fall.”
C l a s s o f 2 0 0 1
Jonathan Karelitz is working at Oppenheim
Funds as a financial advisor.
New at www.rivers.org
C l a s s o f 2 0 0 2
Charlotte Lewis wrote, “I completed my
first marathon on June first in the San Diego
Rock N’ Roll Marathon, and I just
wanted to thank all of my classmates for
supporting my fundraiser for the Leukemia
and Lymphoma Society. We raised
$18,330! I’m currently living in New York;
I’ve been hanging out with Maggie Lahey,
Amelia Hutchinson, and Kathryn
Jigarjian as well as Sammy Yazdensetta
and Melanie Platten. I’m happy to say I
have made wonderful friends at Rivers!”
C l a s s o f 2 0 0 3
Liz Maynard wrote, “I am living in NYC
and going to grad school at Teachers College
at Columbia University, getting a
masters and certification in elementary
education. I love living in the city on the
Upper West Side and recently ran into
Tim Ward, Grady O’Gara, and Dave Donahue,
all of whom seem to be doing
great!”
C l a s s o f 2 0 0 4
Ricky Kaufman just graduated from the
University of Colorado with a degree in
molecular biology.
Thai Nguyen was featured on Fox News
recently showcasing his new online job
auction site. Called jobaphiles.com, the
site enables workers to post their qualifications
and target salary for a position
listed by an employer. Like an eBay for
jobs, the website allows young workers
to find jobs and employers to stay within
their budgets.
We’re happy to announce that Rivers recently launched Riversblog; visit
www.theriversschool.blogspot.com to read more! Also, don’t miss
the new ‘Notable Alumni Athletes’ section of our website on the Athletics page.
Please help us keep this section of our website up to date by sending submissions
to Jim McNally, Athletic Director, at j.mcnally@rivers.org .
C l a s s o f 2 0 0 5
Elise Traub, a senior at Wellesley College,
spends much of her free time on various
animal welfare causes, such as gathering
signatures for the recent petition to ban
dog track betting and volunteering at
Buddy Dog Humane Society Best Friends
Animal Society in Utah. She hopes to attend
law school and work in animal welfare
law.
C l a s s o f 2 0 0 6
Derek Stenquist started at center midfield
for Dartmouth Men’s Soccer this fall.
The team went to the Division 1 NCAA
tournament at the #16 seed. They were
the Ivy League champs in 2008 and lost
to #1 Wake Forest in the first round. Derek
studied biology in Costa Rica for the winter
of 2008.
C l a s s o f 2 0 0 7
Bryan Kaufman is a sophomore and is
currently in England at NYU’s London
campus majoring in finance.
C l a s s o f 2 0 0 8
Caite Cutler wrote, “I’m at Villanova and
loving the nursing school.”
Nicole Stenquist won the NESCAC tournament
with Williams’ Women’s Soccer.
They went to the NCAA Division 3 Final
Four and Nicole was named to the All
Tournament Team as a freshman.
D e c e a s e d
Alice Canaday, Sept. 24, 2008, former
piano teacher, The Rivers School
Conservatory
Helen F. DeLuca, February 6, 2009, staff,
The Rivers School Conservatory
Jack Falla, September 14, 2008, former
hockey coach, The Rivers School
Theodore C. Haffenreffer, Jr. ’36,
December 27, 2008
Mark deGuzman ’69, March 2008
24 • Riparian • Spring 2009

Alumni Networking Event
More than three dozen alumni were treated to delicious Upper
Crust Pizza and the entrepreneurial adventures of Josh
Huggard ’94, founder of ever-expanding pizzeria chain and
classmate Michael Buchhalter ’94, first franchise owner, at the Willis
House event in early December. Also sharing their expertise were Mark
Chudnow ’74, executive vice-president of Event Temps Catering, and
Ian Meropol ’98, producer at WEEI Sports Radio.
Josh Huggard ’94 and
Michael Buchhalter ’94
Scott Moriyama ’03, Emma Bailey ’03,
and Josh Huggard ’94
Tyson Robb ’02, Adam Wells ’02, and Stephen Robb ’99
Above: Michael
Buchhalter ’94
and Seth Lerner
’78
Left: John
Elander ’81,
Michael Gosman
’81, and Andrew
Gosman ’83
Alumni Council 08–09
President: Mr. Charles J. Abrams ‘88
George C. Alex ‘77
Craig S. Belson ‘78
Gregory H. Cahill ‘77
Robert N. Cleverdon ‘40
Bruce F. Clifford ‘83
D. Mitchell Coddington ‘73
Lewis J. Cohn ‘81
Vincent C. Dwyer ‘66
David J. Feldman ‘62
Clifton P. Gerald ‘77
Jared S. Gerstenblatt ‘93
Lawrence M. Glazer ‘86
Joshua P. Gold ‘89
Andrew D. Gosman ‘83
Jesse D. Greenberg ‘98
Louis J. Grossman ‘67
Michael I. Handler ‘90
Herbert L. Holtz ‘79
Nelson D. Hooe ‘47
Andrew N. Jaffe ‘93
Jeffrey S. Katz ‘95
Howard Leeder ‘84
Timothy T. Lindblad ‘73
Arthur M. Love ‘52
L. Jeffrey Lowenstein ‘77
Stephen J. Masiello ‘83
Lauren E. Mirel ‘98
Thomas M. Navoni ‘78
Nicholas B. Petri ‘72
Lisa H. Raftery ‘93
Robert J. Rand ‘62
Alan D. Rose ‘87
John A. Rozario ’80
Endicott P. Saltonstall ‘59
Richard L. Seegel ‘55
David J. Shemligian ‘86
Edward I. Shifman ‘61
Alfred T. Spalding ‘62
John L. Sperber ‘77
Stephen K. Sugarman ‘92
William J. Sullivan ‘78
James B. Taylor ‘43
Matthew D. Tobin ‘90
Christopher A. Visvis ‘78
Charles M. Warshaver ‘78
Clifford L. White ‘76
William M. Whittemore ‘69
Douglas W. Wooldridge ‘90
Michael P. Zafiropoulos ’82
Spring 2009 • Riparian • 25

The Rivers School
333 Winter Street
Weston, MA 02493-1040
Address Service Requested
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Boston MA
Permit No. 10
Rivers admits academically qualified students of any
race, religion, sex, disability, or national origin to all the
rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally
available to its students. Rivers does not discriminate
on the basis of race, religion, sex, disability, color, ethnic,
or national origin in our admissions policies, educational
policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or
other school-administered programs.
Please notify us if your phone number, mailing address or e-mail address changes so that Rivers can better keep
in touch with you and your family. Contact Brendan Flemming at 339-686-2234 or b.flemming@rivers.org.
Alumni Lacrosse Game · Alumni Day · Golf Tournament
M ay 9 M ay 1 6 M ay 2 6
For more information or to register for these spring events, go
online at www.rivers.org and click on “alumni” or contact Director of Alumni
Programs Christina Grady at c.grady@rivers.org or 339-686-2245.