31 Years at Nichols - Nichols School

In Memoriam
Alumni
Daniel O’Donnell ’38 – Nov. 3, 2011
Greg Bradley ’77 – April 16, 2012
George Auffinger ’45 – Sept. 30, 2012
George Hyde ’40 – Oct. 6, 2012
Thomas Welmers ’57 – Oct. 25, 2012
Matt Salfi ’95 – Oct. 28, 2012
Chet Dann ’49 – Nov. 7, 2012
Bob North ’29 – Nov. 16, 2012
Bruce Garver ’51 – Nov. 21, 2012
Thomas Allen ’49 – Dec. 6, 2012
Mark Griffith ’82 – Dec. 6, 2012
Joe Fornasiero ’59 – Dec. 12, 2012
Larry Urban ’47 – Dec. 19, 2012
Edward “Ned” Wertimer ’41 –
Jan. 2, 2013
Ray Urban ’48 – Jan. 17, 2013
John Russ ’57 – Jan. 26, 2013
Morgan Epes ’41 – March 8, 2013
Carl Reed ’44 – March 24, 2013
Eugene Miller ’39 – April 14, 2013
Bonny Levy-Vitali ’76 – May 4, 2013
Friends
Sam Robinson – Jan. 5, 2013 – former
Assistant Head of School, Business
Manager
Shirley Hanny – April 30, 2012 – wife of
Dwight Hanny ’50; grandmother of Joseph
Rembold ’02
Carl Burgwardt – May 13, 2012 – father of
David Burgwardt ’81
E.K. Fretwell, Jr. – Oct. 29, 2012 – father
of Jim ’75 and Katie Fretwell ’79
Mary Moses – Dec. 1, 2012 – grandmother
of Bryan Allen ’99
Beth Wilcove – Dec. 10, 2012 – mother
of Michael ’74, David ’76 and Jonathan
Wilcove ’78
Rowland Richards, Jr. – Jan. 8, 2013 –
father of Rowland ’87 and Jenny Richards
Damon ’93
Mary Parentis – Feb. 5, 2013 – mother
of Michael ’86; grandmother of Jacob ’15
and Kaela ’17
Scott Vershay – Feb. 8, 2013 – father of
Madalyn ’10 and Wilson ’13
William Schapiro – March 1, 2013 –
father of John ’74, Kate ’76 and Ann ’80;
widow of Susan (former faculty)
Mary Sullivan – March 27, 2013 –
wife of Jim ’35; mother of Ken ’69
Virginia Tubbs – April 16, 2013 – mother
of Eli ’70; grandmother of Laura ’04
Richard Lee – May 7, 2013 – father of
Matt ’84
Remembering Kim Kimberly
“The Wind in the Willows”
by Donald D. Ehre ’67
I was shopping for Christmas gifts for my greatgrandchild,
Layla, at Barnes and Noble, and on
display was a rack with various classic books, one of
which was “The Wind in the Willows.” You may
not know this, but a few months before he passed
away, Mr. Kimberly contacted members of his 6th
grade class (6-19) because as he was going through
some papers, he had found a list of the students
whose parents had purchased this book. As I then
found out, reading “The Wind in the Willows”
was not part of the established curriculum, but he
had decided that this would be a very worthwhile
addition thereto.
When he emailed me, I originally told him that I
thought that my copy had been lost in the flooding
of my basement in 2000. I told him some stories
about my memories of his class and homeroom. Such items as the 6-19
bird (This was a small ceramic pitcher that had a long spout. During
study halls, if you had a question, you first had to ask the 6-19 bird, and
if he did not provide the answer, then you could ask Mr. Kimberly.),
the test on pronouns that I flunked and had to have a parent sign the
test paper, and the only time that I received an ‘A’ in his English class
was for when he assigned us the task of writing a story of what a nursing
home patient might be thinking as an ambulance
pulled up to the door for another patient. I also
told him that whenever I heard the song by Cream,
“Pressed Rat and Warthog,” I always remembered
the book.
I had just recently moved to my new address, and
remarkably I happened upon my copy of the “The
Wind in the Willows.” I told Mr. Kimberly that I
would re-read the book. When I finished, he asked
me what I thought. I answered him that it was a
cute story, but that the author had a great talent for
painting the characters and scenes with his words.
Mr. Kimberly emailed me back and told me that I
had just earned another “A.”
I have to admit that in school I was always more
interested in math and science than English and
history; probably the reason that I ended up a Civil Engineer.
At the time that all of this was going on, I had no idea that Mr.
Kimberly was seriously ill. Obviously, only what is typed comes through
the keyboard and the internet. It was with great sadness that I learned
of his passing, but when I bought that copy of the book for my great
granddaughter the other day, I know that his teachings reside in all of
us who were in his care. Mr. Kimberly, I give you an “A++.” Thank you.
Spring/Summer 2013
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