John Taylor Babbitt '07 Memorial Field | alumni ... - Pingry School
John Taylor Babbitt '07 Memorial Field | alumni ... - Pingry School
John Taylor Babbitt '07 Memorial Field | alumni ... - Pingry School
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34<br />
the pingry review<br />
[ <strong>alumni</strong> News ]<br />
A Message from the PAA President<br />
As I begin my leadership<br />
of the <strong>Pingry</strong> Alumni<br />
Association, I want to thank<br />
E. Lori Halivopoulos ’78 for<br />
her excellent work during<br />
the past two years. Lori was<br />
a great leader for the PAA,<br />
organizing many successful<br />
events. I look forward to<br />
building on the momentum<br />
she generated and pursuing<br />
the PAA’s mission of promoting<br />
a closer relationship<br />
between <strong>Pingry</strong> and its<br />
<strong>alumni</strong>/alumnae.<br />
<strong>Pingry</strong>’s well-earned reputation for<br />
excellence extends beyond the classroom<br />
to the performing arts venues<br />
and the athletic fields. When they<br />
were students, <strong>Pingry</strong>’s current<br />
<strong>alumni</strong> enjoyed many memorable<br />
moments; some were widely visible<br />
and record-setting. However, if you’re<br />
like me, some of the most enduring<br />
memories were of the camaraderie<br />
and excitement of working hard<br />
together toward a shared goal. As I<br />
attend the various <strong>alumni</strong> games we<br />
host each year, some of the conversations<br />
recall conference championships<br />
won and rivals defeated. But,<br />
much more often, the stories are<br />
about funny incidents that happened<br />
along the way. Every year, the PAA<br />
hosts <strong>alumni</strong>/alumnae games, including<br />
soccer, ice hockey, basketball,<br />
and lacrosse. Many of us attend, even<br />
though we didn’t play that sport,<br />
to see classmates and share in the<br />
stories. We also sponsor an annual<br />
Golf Outing in June where many<br />
<strong>alumni</strong> who were never on a golf<br />
team (including yours truly) enjoy<br />
a terrific day with fellow<br />
<strong>alumni</strong> and faculty. I encourage<br />
you to join us in the<br />
fun at these events.<br />
The pinnacle of the <strong>Pingry</strong><br />
community’s recognition for<br />
athletic excellence is the<br />
Athletic Hall of Fame. The<br />
induction ceremony for the<br />
Hall of Fame is a special tradition<br />
in the spring, when<br />
we recognize the accomplishments<br />
of selected <strong>alumni</strong>,<br />
whether they are being<br />
inducted as individual players<br />
or as members of a team.<br />
The induction ceremony<br />
is always a wonderful evening—seeing<br />
<strong>alumni</strong> come<br />
to the Martinsville Campus,<br />
some for the first time, to<br />
recall the glory years and catch<br />
up with old teammates and coaches.<br />
You can read more about the Hall of<br />
Fame, including how to nominate<br />
someone, on page 43 of this issue.<br />
One area we are targeting for significant<br />
progress this year is using technology<br />
to connect better with our<br />
<strong>alumni</strong> community. <strong>Pingry</strong> is developing<br />
a new web site and <strong>alumni</strong><br />
portal, which will also play an<br />
important role in keeping <strong>alumni</strong><br />
athletes up-to-date with their teams’<br />
scores and other news. Stay tuned<br />
for more details.<br />
Among our most popular annual<br />
events is Career Day, which was<br />
held on Friday, January 30 at the<br />
Martinsville Campus. In the past,<br />
we have invited <strong>alumni</strong> from specific<br />
fields to visit <strong>Pingry</strong> to talk to seniors<br />
about career advice and options.<br />
This year, for the first time, we<br />
expanded Career Day to make it a<br />
networking opportunity. All <strong>alumni</strong><br />
New PAA President Steve Lipper ’79<br />
were invited to come to <strong>Pingry</strong> and<br />
network with the speakers in their<br />
fields. Also, in addition to the<br />
seniors, we included the juniors<br />
for the first time.<br />
Finally, I hope you are making your<br />
plans to come to Reunion 2009,<br />
which takes place Thursday, May 14<br />
to Saturday, May 16 at the<br />
Martinsville Campus. The schedule<br />
features a Pen Pal breakfast for the<br />
Class of 1959, the Fifty-Year Club<br />
Luncheon, a reception to celebrate<br />
25 years of the Martinsville Campus,<br />
the Hall of Fame induction ceremony,<br />
and class parties for years ending<br />
in 4 and 9 on Saturday evening.<br />
It is always a terrific weekend. I hope<br />
you can attend.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Steve Lipper ’79, P ’09, ’12, ’14