Announcing the Grace McKendry Memorial ... - Nichols School

Announcing the Grace McKendry Memorial Scholarship Fund
Spring 2008

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C
B
Campus Clips
A Dr. Andrew Cappuccino speaks with his sons, Andrew
’10 and Nicholas ’11, following an engaging Morning
Meeting lecture about his role in helping to save
Buffalo Bill Kevin Everett.
B David Zakalik ‘11 creates a work of chalk art for the
Homecoming celebration.
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C After overwhelming success with sales of their original
holiday album, our Middle School chorus students and
Corinne Damerau-Best raised $1,500 for Roswell Park
Cancer Institute.
D Bob Torgalski, head coach of Girls Varsity Basketball,
holds the trophy with Moriah Camp ’09 after being
awarded WKBW-TV’s Super 7 Athlete of the Week.
E A.R. “Pete” Gurney ’47 with Jennifer Gurney,
Elizabeth Stevens Gurney ‘75, Molly Gurney and
Sarah Goodyear before a showing of his play,
“Indian Blood” at Studio Arena.
F Jane and Jack Carney, children of Sarah Gelman Carney
’92, watch the final football game on Waterman Field.
G Nichols Varsity Boys Hockey defeats St. Francis, 2-1, in
an enthusiastic match that included a holiday
Teddy Bear Toss for charity.
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G

Editor’s Note
As I think about our exciting new math/science/technology
building mentioned in Rick Bryan’s report, I can’t help but think
(and get a little nostalgic) about how our campus has changed
since my first day as a new student in the fall of 1958. Can it
really be 50 years ago That morning we fifth-graders were herded
into the Albright Hall chapel where we occupied the first row,
nervously staring up at Mr. Boocock at the podium. I remember
those morning chapel meetings well, but to me the room will
always be more about playing marbles in the pews after lunch. The
pews are long gone and what was the chapel is now the library Reading Room, but it is still, in
my view, the most beautiful space on campus.
During my third form (freshman) year, the campus was dramatically altered by the demolition
of the old hockey rink, the construction of the Dann Memorial Rink and the addition of the
Moot Science Building. I watched the entire project unfold from a ringside seat in the study hall
(and my grades showed it).
The tennis courts at the Colvin-Amherst corner have been moved to the back of the campus
by the railroad tracks, replaced by our beautiful Middle School which is comprised of Regan
and Donaldson Halls. The “old” gym became a modern dance space and the entire athletic
facility was upgraded and renamed the Scully Athletic Center, which includes our new Laettner
Gymnasium.
Continuing along the front of the campus, there was an expansive but rather uninteresting
lawn outside the Mitchell Hall dining room. Today this space is occupied by the spectacular
Flickinger Performing Arts Center, significant not only for its architectural contribution to the
campus, but the tremendous contribution the arts have made to Nichols.
Further down Amherst stood the United Church Home property, which was acquired by
Nichols and is now occupied by two state-of-the-art artificial turf athletic fields. Mother Nature
will never again interfere with fall or spring sports at Nichols.
During my years as Director of Admissions at Nichols, I loved giving tours to prospective
families. It was fun to see the excitement, amazement and even disbelief our campus generated. I
was always so proud and reminded of how lucky we are to have this very special place in our lives.
Keep in touch; we love to hear from you.
In This Issue
Jock Mitchel ’66 Retires as Editor................................................................................................4
Grace McKendry Memorial Scholarship Fund............................................................................5
Nichols Welcomes Visitors from Political Arena.........................................................................6
Headmaster’s Report....................................................................................................................7
Alumni Luncheon 2007...............................................................................................................8
Ted Roth ’40 and the Roth Family’s Tradition of Giving........................................................... 9
Awards........................................................................................................................................ 10
“Pink and Pearls” Nichols School Derby Day Auction.............................................................. 11
“Leviathan”.................................................................................................................................12
After Nichols – Mark Preisler ’86 Making News at ESPN........................................................ 15
Sports Focus: Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball........................................................................ 16
Fall 2007 Athletics Recap........................................................................................................... 18
A Conversation with Rob Stewart............................................................................................. 19
5th Grade Project: An Exploration through Time....................................................................20
“Organicity”................................................................................................................................ 21
The 2007 Nichols School Athletic Hall of Fame.......................................................................22
Big Green Athletic Dinner and Auction...................................................................................25
Ashley Dayer ’97 Visits Nichols for a Day of Birding................................................................26
Nichols Upper School Arts Update...........................................................................................29
After Nichols – Heather Smith ’94 Rocks the Vote.................................................................. 31
Legacies.......................................................................................................................................32
After Nichols – Fred Clark ’54 Saves Babies’ Lives...................................................................35
Alumni Event – Pennsylvania ...................................................................................................36
Young Writers’ Workshop..........................................................................................................38
The Big Green Initiative Column..............................................................................................40
Bequests – William Nichols Society........................................................................................... 41
Conversations about the Significance of Diversity in our Lives................................................42
In Memorium.............................................................................................................................43
Class Notes.................................................................................................................................44
Faculty Profile.............................................................................................................................55
Front Cover: To learn more about the Grace McKendry Memorial Scholarship Fund,
please read the article on page 5.
Back Cover: Commencement and Reunion 2008 are fast approaching. We are pleased to announce
Dr. Mike Roizen ‘66 as our Commecement Speaker.
Jock Mitchell ’66
Staff – Spring 2008
Editor: Jock Mitchell ’66 (jmitchell@nicholsschool.org)
Managing Editor: Nina Cimino (ncimino@nicholsschool.org)
Contributors: Jock Mitchell ’66, Rick Bryan, Nina Cimino, Sarah Gelman Carney ’92 ,
Tim Vanini ’87, Kaprece Smith, Linda Fox, Holly Fewkes, Sandy Smith Cunningham ’93,
Greg Plumb ’96, Neil Farmelo, Bridget Lutz, Chris Gibbons, Kristen Tripp Kelley and
Elizabeth Stevens Gurney ’75
Designer: Kelley Rechin, Duffy Moon Design
Photographers: Wm. F. “Kim” Kimberly ’47, Tom Maynor ’81 and Ron Montesano
– means “that which is true” and is pronounced “taw alay théss.”
is published three times a year by the Development Office
Telephone: 716-876-3450 • Fax: 716-875-3931
Third Class postage paid at Buffalo, New York
Acceptance granted to qualified students despite race, color, sex, religion or national origin.
Nichols School
1250 Amherst St., Buffalo, NY 14216 • 716-875-8212
www.nicholsschool.org
3

Letter
to the Editor
Jock,
As I sit here at this obscenely early hour
on Saturday morning, waiting to go to the
airport to travel to Myrtle Beach for five
grueling days of golf (sympathy now), I had
the occasion to read your Editor’s note in
the splendid alumni magazine. In an effort
to not wake my tremendous wife who blessed
this “boys” trip, I had the great fortune to
deal with an alarm clock in our guest room
which had not been adjusted last weekend. I
probably should tell you I set it an hour early
so I could get my greatly anticipated Nichols
reading fix but you might have some trouble
believing that. That said, I really do love
reading the issues which are very well done.
Getting to the point of my early e-mail,
I was very interested in your history of the
magazine which I believe (excuse the terrible
attempt at a phonetic spelling) is pronounced
“Tow-all-e-these.” I am certain that it means
“the truth.” My reasons for the interest
and background relate to the naming of
the magazine. You were absolutely correct
that the magazine was the brainchild of Bill
Loweth ’63. Bill and my father, Neal Jr., were
working together on a few matters including
Bill’s magazine idea. My Dad, being in the
advertising business, had agreed to help out.
I remember my Dad had very high regard for
Bill and I remember them working together
even though I was a mere Nichols student at
the time.
One evening, over dinner, I remember my
Dad bringing up the project he was working
on with Bill and he mentioned they were
looking for an appropriate name. After some
discussion and looking over some school
history, he lit up and said “I’ve got it” as he
looked at the Nichols flag. I remember he
admittedly did not know the pronunciation
or the meaning at the time but said he would
look into it before proposing it (on the off
chance it meant something that would not
work). After a couple of days, he came home
with the pronunciation and meaning and
the name was agreed to.
My Dad passed away in 1976 but I
know he was always proud of that effort.
My memory may be a little foggy over the
exact details but I believe if you go back
over early issues, he was listed as something
like “creative director” for the naming and/
or other input. I am confident that Bill
would remember the collaboration on Bill’s
wonderful idea.
Dad has been gone for over 30 years now
and we miss him terribly. I know it may seem
like a minor thing but I was wondering if it
might be possible to print an addendum in
the next issue. I hope that is not asking too
much and if you do contact Bill about it,
please send him my regards.
Thank you,
Neal Fatin ’75
We had a wonderful conversation with Bill Loweth
’63 after receiving this letter from Neal. He recalled
how the naming of the magazine came to be and
says that Neal recounted it well. We agree that the
magazine’s name, , is a special part of
our tradition that we are not prepared to change.
Jock Mitchell ’66 Retires as Editor
John A. “Jock” Mitchell ’66 is retiring as editor of our magazine, but we are glad to
say we find pieces of Jock’s legacy in nearly every corner of Nichols School. With his
extensive background in advertising and enthusiasm for his alma mater, Jock has been an
extraordinary asset and generous contributor to our school.
From 1987 to 2000, Jock was President and Owner of Mitchell DeTine & Neiler
Advertising. Prior to establishing the advertising firm, he was Vice President of Marketing
and Public Relations at M&T Bank and also spent time with Healy-Schutte.
Jock was always willing to lend his expertise and developed countless marketing materials
and admissions strategies for us. We were thrilled that he joined us full-time after “retiring”
from the advertising business. As our Director of Admissions, we were able to tap into Jock’s
inspired creativity.
Responsible for all creative work that
came out of our school over the past two
decades, Jock developed our “look and
feel,” led the design of development and
admissions materials, and wrote citations
for all award ceremonies and events.
Beyond these tangible contributions, Jock
has been our best advocate and biggest
cheerleader.
As an active alumnus, Jock served on
the Nichols Alumni Board and acted as
the Board President in 1981. He received
the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1986
and chaired our Derby Day Auction for
many years.
Jock served several terms as a Nichols
“Volunteers are the heart of schools like
Nichols and you are one of our finest! Your
involvement spans 30 years. You have worn so
many hats – Alumni Board Member and Chair,
Auction Chair and volunteer, long time Trustee
and Board Chair, Class Agent, Marketing guru,
Admissions Director, Urban Studies teacher,
Editor and more. Few share your long-standing
loyalty and commitment to our school.
We are grateful to you for sharing your creative
talents, your boundless energy and your incredible
dedication with our community. Thank you for
sharing your heart with Nichols all these years!”
Elizabeth Stevens Gurney ’75
Trustee and led us as our President from 1995 to 2000. Jock and his wife Betsy have three
Nichols graduates, Evans ’94, John ’96 and Sarah ’99.
Always eager to lead an important new effort, Jock played an integral role in our One
Community Campaign and serves on the Steering Committee for our current campaign,
nicholsfuture.org.
Jock was the first recipient of the Mitchell Award, which was established in his honor
to recognize those who have given exemplary service to Nichols. As Editor of our magazine,
, Jock has demonstrated his commitment to Nichols even after retiring from his
position as Director of Admissions.
A graduate of the Leadership Buffalo Class of 1989, Jock spends most of his days working
toward the betterment of Buffalo. Some of his key activities include serving on the Board
of Directors for the Center for Hospice & Palliative Care and Gilda’s Club – where he also
is a past President of each – and the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. He is a
dedicated volunteer for Gilda’s Club and Habitat for Humanity. He also has been on the
Boards of the Arts Council in Buffalo & Erie County, The Salvation Army and Artpark.
We are grateful that Jock has given so much of himself and his time to us. From your
friends at Nichols, thank you for all that you have done to improve our school! •
4 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

Grace McKendry Memorial
Scholarship Fund
Supporting Art Students at Nichols
Nina Cimino
We are pleased to announce the addition of the Grace McKendry Memorial Scholarship
Fund, which was established this winter by Valerie Koch to honor the memory of her friend,
local artist and longtime Nichols art teacher, Grace McKendry. Koch’s two sons, Glenn ’82
and Karl ’87 were taught by McKendry and were very inspired by her.
“We hope this art scholarship will encourage talented students to become part of the
Nichols experience,” Valerie Koch said.
This need-based scholarship will be awarded to an incoming ninth-grader who shows talent
in the visual arts, including painting, sculpture, graphic design and drawing. Applicants will
submit an art portfolio and recommendations from teachers to be considered for the award.
Once selected as a recipient, the student will carry this award through graduation so long as he
or she remains in good standing at Nichols.
To be considered for this or any other named scholarship, students must first apply and
be accepted into Nichols. Additionally, families must complete a financial aid application to
determine eligibility.
Those wishing to support the arts program at Nichols are encouraged to contribute to
the fund, as it is now part of the school’s permanent endowment. If you would like more
information on contributing to The Grace McKendry Memorial Scholarship Fund, please
contact Elizabeth Gurney at 716-876-3450.
“Our mother would have been thrilled, honored and
humbled about the scholarship fund established in her
name. Her heart was with Nichols, its students, their
strengths and originality. She was accepting, caring
and left a lasting impression on all of those she taught.
This is a great honor.”
John McKendry on behalf of the McKendry family
We are pleased to announce aspiring artist Sarah Brucato,
currently an eighth grader at Aurora Waldorf School, as
our first McKendry Scholar. In addition to being an
exceptional visual artist, she also is a performer and
musician. She is currently studying for her role as Prospero
in “The Tempest.” Sarah plays the recorder, violin, piano
and guitar. She will join Nichols in the fall as a freshman.
5

Upcoming Events
Tuesday, April 22
Student Film Festival
Friday, April 25
Dance Concent
Tuesday, April 29
Kew-Raiser Lecture featuring
Daniel Franklin
Thursday, May 8 & Friday, May 9
Board of Trustees Meetings
Thursday, May 1
Upper School Spring Concert
Saturday, May 3
Derby Day Auction
Thursday, May 15
Middle School Instrumental Concert
Nichols Welcomes Visitors
from Political Arena
Nina Cimino
Kelly Ostendorf’s AP U.S. Politics and Government students welcomed several visitors this
fall and winter, including Chris Grant, Tony Gioia, Andrew Rudnick and Brian Higgins.
Mary Rockwell’s Urban Studies classes also joined the lectures.
Brian Higgins, democratic
Congressman, discussed
his role in the House of
Representatives, how he
represents WNY and the
2008 campaign.
Thursday, May 22
Middle School Choral Concert
Friday, May 30
Awards and Verdian Day
Friday, June 6
116 th Commencement
Reunion 2008
Saturday, June 7
Reunion 2008
Chris Grant, Erie County Executive Chris Collins’ campaign manager,
discussed running a political campaign and campaign advertising.
Students were studying political campaigns and elections at the time.
Are you on
Facebook
We are!
Look up Sarah Carney ’92 to reconnect
with old friends and stay in touch with
classmates. We get dozens of friend
requests each week, so join the network
of nearly 500 Nichols alumni
friends and growing!
Tony Gioia, former Ambassador to Malta, discussed his leadership role
in the fundraising campaign for Guiliani. He also discussed the Bipartisan
Campaign Reform Act.
Andrew Rudnick, Chief Executive Officer of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership,
discussed the local November elections and the role of consultants, or
lobbyists, in politics. Students learned why the Partnership is considered
a special interest group.
6 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

Headmaster’s
Report
by Rick Bryan
Schools are constantly taking stock and it
comes in many forms: evaluating parent
satisfaction surveys, admissions inquiries,
college acceptances, athletic records,
attendance at special events or scores on
national exams. The list is endless depending
on the interest or the perspective.
By any and all of these measures, the
2007-2008 school year has been positive
and productive. The tone was set in the fall
with the opening of our new artificial turf
athletic fields. The student athletes are excited
to practice their skills on the new surface.
The coaches love the consistency they offer
and their ability to play despite the weather.
Parents and spectators enjoy the new stands
and scoreboards. Nichols remains the envy of
every visiting athlete.
Adding to the athletic excitement is the
leadership of our new Athletic Director, Rob
Stewart. His energy and enthusiasm, as well as
his communication and organizational skills
continue to impress the Nichols community.
That spirit has carried over into the winter
with both our Varsity Boys and Girls
Basketball teams ranking first among small
schools in Western New York and our Varsity
Hockey teams placing first in the Canadian
leagues.
Another impressive leader is Dr. Aranya
Maritime, the new Head of the Upper School.
A seven-year veteran of our faculty, Aranya is
a celebrated English teacher, the adviser to
our successful Mock Trial team and a winter
aerobics instructor after school. For the past
two years, she has served
as the VI Form Dean and,
despite the arrival of her
first child in July, was eager
to lead the high school.
With the enthusiastic
support of her colleagues,
Aranya has delivered a
series of short talks in the
Morning Meetings. Her
topics range from honesty
to encouraging participation
in school activities. She
invites students to come
give announcements and speak clearly to their
peers. She encourages leadership from the
seniors, the welcoming of new students and
stresses the importance of respecting every
person on campus.
In the Middle School, our young students
spent the first week off campus in orientation
sessions designed to build class unity
while experiencing the outdoors. Assistant
Headmaster and Director of Middle School,
John Munro, introduced a house system to
the middle school students which has mixed
the grades and encouraged leadership by
our eighth-graders. Inspired by the Harry
Potter books, points were awarded for many
achievements ranging from positive behavior
to achievement in the Geography and
Spelling Bees.
In the midst of it all, the Trustees and
the administrative staff were focused on the
future. Long meetings with the architects
forged a campus layout for
new and safer roadways
and parking areas. A
neighborhood consensus
group met weekly to explore
the impact of the plan on
traffic and the surrounding
houses. Their support paved
the way for proposing our
plans for a math/science/
technology building.
This new center is the
crown jewel of our campus
master plan developed
during the past four years after the acquisition
of the United Church Home property. This
summer, we will begin two major construction
projects. The first is an overhaul of our
parking and roadways, designed to make
campus safer, followed by relocating the main
parking lot to the north end of the football
field. The second project is a magnificent
26,000 sq. foot academic building. We are
really excited about the impact this building
will have on our program. Our architects and
faculty have spent months looking at facilities
around the country and created a design that
will complement our curriculum, allow our
students to conduct research, and host the
technology essential to the study of math
and science.
We are dedicated to constructing a
green building that will demonstrate our
commitment to sustainability and help our
children become stewards of the environment.
We are using recycled materials and installing
an eco-friendly heating and cooling system.
We’re creating a green roof that will trap
moisture, provide additional insulation and
keep the building cooler in the summer.
Our plan includes countless ways to utilize
teaching opportunities in the building. One
example is including monitors in the lobby of
the building, allowing students, teachers and
guests to check current energy levels.
Adding to the summer construction is
the much anticipated overhaul of the heating
system in Mitchell Hall. We are converting
the building from steam heat to a hot water
system, as we did with the boiler installation
in Albright Hall last summer. The result will
be an efficient and more effective heating
of two of our oldest buildings on campus.
We have seen a significant improvement in
Albright this winter and our energy bills for
the building have declined.
With the construction activity, summer
activities on campus will be somewhat
curtailed. The administrative team will
relocate in Regan Hall for July and August,
and we will hope for cooperating weather so
the roadway project can be completed before
school opens in the fall. The new math/
science building is scheduled to be completed
in August 2009.
It is an exciting time for our school, as we
blend tradition with change to embrace the
future. •
7

Alumni Luncheon 2007
On Friday, Dec. 21, alumni and friends came back to campus for the 87 th Annual Alumni Luncheon and Meeting of the Alumni Association.
After a brief reception in the Rand Dining Room, guests gathered in the Flickinger Performing Arts Center for remarks given by Hugh Russ ’78,
President of the Alumni Board; Dr. Aranya Maritime, Head of Upper School; and Bill Gisel ’70, President of the Board of Trustees.
The meeting also included an awards ceremony where presenters included Upper School arts teacher, Andrea Mancuso; Trustee
Stuart Angert ’58; and former president of the Board of Trustees, Jock Mitchell ’66.
The 2007 Alumni Award winners were Barbara Baird, Dick Cutting ’49 and Dave Strachan ’51. Rick Bryan presented current news on
Nichols and the future of the school. After the meeting, the crowd adjourned to the Gerard Gymnasium for a great lunch and social time with
classmates and friends. Thank you to all who attended!
Remarks given by Bill Gisel ’70, President of
the Board of Trustees
Remarks given by Dr. Aranya Maritime,
Head of Upper School
George Auffinger ’45 and Roger Chambers ‘42
Headmaster Rick Bryan and
his grandson, Mac in the
Gerard Gymnasium
Dave Tiftickjian ’78 and Hugh Russ ’78
George Ostendorf ’58, David Laub
’56, Hugh McLean ’58,
Callie Ostendorf and Dick Webb ’58
8 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

Brittany Salmon ’04, John Munro and
Marykate Oakley ‘04
Jodi Priselac de Riszner ’93 and Harry Meyer ’63
Ted Roth ’40 and the
Roth Family’s
Tradition of Giving
At the most recent annual Alumni Luncheon in December 2007, Ted (Edward C.) Roth
’40 was honored as the recipient of the Robert E. Dillon, Jr. ’49 Award. This award was
established to honor a Nichols graduate who lives out-of-town and has made extraordinary
contributions to the School.
Ted is the son of E. Howard H. Roth ’15 who was honored with the Distinguished
Alumni Award at the annual Alumni Luncheon in December 1980.
A highly successful, retired businessman, Ted distinguished himself in the investment
arena with Merrill Lynch. His active and successful adult life was reflected by several
comments about him in the 1940 Verdian:
“Good looking with a ’34 Ford coupe.”
Jock Mitchell ’66 presents the 2007 Distinguished
Alumnus Award to Dave Strachan ‘51
“…Fighting spirit which has proved a great asset both to himself and the Nichols team
on the soccer field. He has played varsity soccer for the last two years, advancing from
a utility man to center half as one of the mainstays of the team.”
“But Ed (Ted) knows how to work also, as witnessed by the two successive years for
which his named adorned the Nichols honor roll.”
Meaghan Rochester ’06,
Bridget Rochester ’02,
Jackie O’Mara ‘02, Anna Laura
Rinckens ‘02 and J.T. Soron ’99
Ted is a major supporter of Nichols School, as was his father. Their generosity resides in
the Roth Family Fund, as a part of the permanent endowment of the School. The income
from the Roth Family Fund is unrestricted, and as stated in the Annual Report, “is used
to support the general operations of Nichols School as directed by the Board of Trustees.”
For their ongoing kindness and generous contribution, the Nichols community is eternally
grateful.
9

Friday, Dec. 21, 2007
Awards
Annual Alumni Luncheon and Meeting
of the Alumni Association
Barbara Baird
Honorary Alumna
Independent schools like Nichols rely heavily on their volunteers. Although it is a crucial
element of philanthropy, more importantly, volunteerism enriches the Nichols community
with energy, enthusiasm and goodwill. Our alumni regularly share their time and talent with
us and we are also fortunate to have a committed parent body th at gives their time and energy
to Nichols.
As a Nichols parent, your involvement began when your sons were in the Middle School.
You helped connect Nichols students and teachers with the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and
made it possible for our students to be regular visitors there. When the planners for the
Flickinger Performing Arts Center conceived a bright and
art-filled lobby, they provided you with a blank canvas with
which to work your magic. As Chair of our Art Committee,
you have worked closely with faculty member Andrea
Mancuso to transform the Flickinger Center Gallery into a
destination for all of Western New York. Periodic exhibits
feature the artwork of prominent local artists, alumni and
Nichols faculty. For that matter, under your leadership, the
entire campus has become a gallery showcasing the school’s
permanent collections and student artwork. What better
way to underscore Nichols’ commitment to the arts
According to Andrea Mancuso, you “can distill and
organize an action plan out of a conversation on ideas,
goals and missions. You are very decisive and a great
listener. Your plans are always very realistic and you
appreciate the efforts and enthusiasm of others.” What
a perfect description for a wonderful volunteer.
A talented artist yourself, you were the first to exhibit your work in the Flickinger Center
Gallery. Your work includes rural landscapes in a style as colorful and unique as you are
yourself. You have also shared your talent with others, notably the Hallwalls Contemporary
Arts Center, where you chaired their Capital Campaign and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery
where you have been a longtime docent. We know that you are most proud of your husband,
Nichols graduate Brian ’68 and your two sons Jeremy ’98 and Jonathan ’01, as are we.
Nichols is grateful for the contributions of your entire family. But, most of all, we are
grateful for your friendship, talent and devotion to our school. It is a great pleasure to name
you, Barbara Baird, as an Honorary Alumna of Nichols School.
Dave Strachan ’51
Distinguished Alumnus
When it comes to honoring members of the Nichols community, we generally try to spread
the awards around our talented and worthy family. Except in your case. Our admiration and
affection for you is so great that we are compelled to remind you of our gratitude and respect
with great regularity. Frankly, we are not sure if anyone but you has ever had the Verdian
dedicated to them, been named the recipient of both the
William Nichols Award and the Olive Ringo Award, and
received a Nichols Centennial Medal. Clearly, you have been
doing something right!
Your Nichols classmates thought so in 1951 when they
voted for you as “Typical Joe Nichols” and “Most Likely to
Succeed.” One of them remembers you as “really good at
math and everybody’s friend.” We are not surprised. After
graduation from Middlebury College and graduate studies
at both Harvard and Bowdoin, you took on a teaching
assignment in New Jersey. Shortly thereafter, you were
summoned home by Headmaster Phil Boocock to “straighten
out the first and second form math program.” Back you came
and to our good fortune, you have never left.
As a faculty member, you are fondly remembered with
great names like Dick Ohler, Kim Kimberly ’47, George
Truscott ’55 and Fritz Zeller ’47. You are credited with being
one of the first teachers to have your students standing up
at the black board working out problems – a common practice today. You were also Nichols’
first computer guru and one of those responsible for bringing lacrosse to Nichols. Your impact
on the Nichols faculty is still felt today through the Strachan Fund, which your family set up to
support our professional enrichment programs. We are most pleased and proud that you and
Joan shared your sons Fred ’76, Jim ’79, Ted ’81 and David, Jr. ’85 with us.
Whether in the classroom, the ice rink or on the playing field, you were a great teacher and
a superb motivator. In 1965, your “Golden Oldie” J.V. Hockey team unusually included seven
seniors. They loved to play hockey, but most of all, they loved playing for you.
Your daughter Alice tells us that whenever she meets Nichols alumni they always ask about
you and comment that you were “the best teacher who had a special way of teaching that made
learning fun.” You have made a lasting impression on hundreds of alumni. For all that you
have done for Nichols and most importantly for your loyalty, devotion and friendship, we are
pleased to name you, David Gorham Strachan, as a Distinguished Alumnus of Nichols School.
10 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

Dick Cutting ’49
Distinguished Alumnus
Many of us who went to Nichols have learned how rewarding it is to stay involved with our
school after graduation. You are a prime example. For that matter, your entire class is a prime
example. You are one of the stalwarts in the fantastic Class of 1949. Not only do you regularly
contribute your time and enthusiasm to the Annual Fund with your classmates, but you are also
a regular at many other Nichols events during the year. What a great ambassador for our school
you are!
According to your Verdian write-up, your “pleasing smile and gallant manner toward the fair
sex” more than justified the votes you received for “Best Natured” in the senior poll. We know
that pleasing smile and agree with your classmates. In fact,
everybody we talk to describes you as one of the nicest
people they know. You are also described in the Verdian
as frequent member of the honor roll and a “tireless
worker.” After graduating from Amherst, you began
a distinguished career in the business and accounting
professions, first in New York City and then back in
Buffalo where you led the local office of Ernst and Young
as Managing Partner.
Your contributions to Nichols are many. Shortly
after arriving back in Buffalo in 1973, you began your
volunteerism at Nichols as a member of the Alumni
Board, from which you served the school for several
years. We have been most fortunate to have your wise
counsel as a member of our vitally important Endowment
Committee, as well as our Audit Committee. Not only
have you generously contributed your time to Nichols, but
you have been an active and loyal Buffalonian as well. The
Albright-Knox Art Gallery, The Episcopal Dioceses, the Library Foundation and The Bristol
Homes have all benefited from your financial expertise and experience.
You are an avid tennis player and golfer, as well as a regular member of the ROMEOS
(Retired Old Men Eating Out).
We are proud of your many accomplishments in Buffalo. We are grateful for your tireless
support of Nichols. Most of all, we are delighted to call you our friend. It is a great pleasure to
name you, Richard Warren Cutting, as a Distinguished Alumnus for 2007.
“Pink and Pearls”
Nichols School Derby
Day Auction
This year marks the 31st year of the annual Nichols Derby Day Auction and this year’s “Pink and
Pearls” theme is sure to put Nichols in the winner’s circle. Traditionally held on the same day as
the Kentucky Derby, this auction is the major fundraising event for the year. 100% of the money
earned benefits each and every student enrolled at Nichols School.
This year’s “Pink and Pearls” auction will be held at the Dann Memorial Ice Rink on May 3,
2008. Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and silent bidding begin at 6:00 p.m., followed by dinner and
the live auction at 8:30 p.m. You will be able to bid on a variety of items for your home or office,
as well as great trips, restaurant gift certificates and much more. Our live auction this year will
feature a beautiful garden trellis made by our own art students, along with some fabulous jewelry,
wonderful travel packages and some once-in-a-lifetime events. Visit the auction web site at www.
nicholsauction.org for more information. We hope you will plan to come join in the fun!
The Derby Day Auction is a totally volunteer-driven event and would not be possible
without the dedicated parents at Nichols. Parents volunteer to solicit advertising and
donations, run the Gift Gathering Party, assist with reservations, set up and decorate the ice
rinks, and clean up after the big event. It is a great way to meet new people and use your
talents to help the school. If you would like to volunteer in any capacity, please contact our
Auction Coordinator, Bridget Lutz, at 876-3450 x 216 or by e-mail at blutz@nicholsschool.org.
Up for Auction
A Handcrafted Sheffield Arbor
This Sheffield Arbor was built by Frank Sacheli’s
sculpture class for donation to the Derby Day auction.
It is fashioned after the arbors built commercially by
Walpole Woodworkers.
The arbor features 4” posts, half lapped construction
and keystone. It is 6’ wide and has an elliptical archway.
The lattice panels are constructed with 1 ¼” by ¾” cedar
with 5” openings. Rather than the traditional white
cedar, this version is constructed with a more
expensive and longer lasting red cedar finished in a
white stain. Cedar is the premium wood of choice, as it
listed by the U.S. Forest Service as
one of the woods most resistant to
decay.
The following students
demonstrated their hard work and
craftsmanship while participating
in this special project: Matt
Donahoe ’08, Stephanie Hynes ’08,
D.J. Parker ’08, Clayton Sauberan
’08 and Peter Schwan ’08.
Join us on
May 3rd!
Reserve your
seat today!
Above: Matt Donahoe and
Stephanie Hynes mark and
measure the wood to prepare
for building the trellis.
Left: Matt Donahoe and D.J.
Parker assemble the gazebo.
11

“Leviathan”
Exploring Environmental and
Political Issues throughout Three Decades
Dick Stratton
In 1979, three politically active students from the Nichols Class of 1980 – Kristen Nygren,
David Green and David Gow – launched a new school publication which they called
“Leviathan.” The idea behind “Leviathan” was to explore through research and write articles
about the “wider world” beyond the confines of Nichols School. “Leviathan” soon established
itself as the “Environmental and Political Journal” of Nichols, and Mrs. Sally Fiedler became
its first faculty adviser. I joined Mrs. Fiedler as co-faculty adviser in the 1982-83 school year (if
memory serves) and became sole faculty adviser when Mrs. Fiedler left Nichols two years later.
Aside from a one-year hiatus in 1994, “Leviathan” has been in continuous existence (two issues
per year) ever since.
During its nearly three decades of existence, “Leviathan” has published articles on
innumerable important issues that have confronted the United States, the world and even the
Buffalo-Western New York region. We have published pro-and-con debates over controversial
issues like the Death Penalty and the U.S. decision to invade Iraq (Max Kozinn ’03 in support,
Swathi Bojedla ’03 opposed), and students have tackled other crucial issues like global
warming, factory farms, Putin’s Russia, Lula da Silva’s Brazil, the often-forgotten soldiers
wounded and crippled (rather than killed) in Iraq, Casino gambling in Buffalo, strip mining
for coal in Appalachia, and the political rise of the Religious Right in the U.S. Often we have
“re-visited” some of these issues when they continued to be controversial.
In addition to their research and writing, student editors lay out, publicize and distribute
the magazine, and even though their faculty advisor is perhaps Nichols School’s most
conspicuous (notorious) Luddite with respect to computers and other advanced technology,
he must candidly admit that the advent of the Internet has significantly enhanced the capacity
of students to research these issues in depth.
Since “Leviathan” has never before (in my recollection) been covered in , we are
pleased to offer you these two “cover articles” from the fall 2007 issue by seniors Nitin Bansal
’08 and Clare Plunkett ’08 along with their bibliographies. We hope you enjoy them.
From “Leviathan”
Why Beijing
Nitin Bansal ’08
On July 13, 2001 the outlook for the 2008
Summer Olympics seemed optimistic with
the International Olympic Committees
(IOC) selection of Beijing, China as the
host city. 1 The committee did not know
that over the next six years the issue of the
city’s pollution would push
to the forefront with such
great force. Over this time
period, the People’s Republic
of China established itself
as not only the undisputed
industrial leader of the
world, but also as its primary
air polluter. This issue of
the terrible air quality in
present-day China has raised
great speculation about the
2008 Beijing Olympics, and
although the event may be
beneficial for the country’s
future, at this time they are
not capable to be hosting
such an occasion.
The modern Olympic Games began
in 1896 in Athens, Greece, and every
four years athletes from all over the
world come together to compete in many
different events. 2 Although much of this
competition is about entertainment and
pride, it has always been and always should
be predominantly about the athlete. The
Olympics is the grandest stage in the world
and it gives athletes the best opportunity
to show off their prowess. It should be an
event that brings the whole world together
to witness the incredible feats that man can
accomplish. With the choice of the Beijing,
China as the host city, the question becomes
whether or not the International Olympic
Committee is giving its athletes the best
Nitin Bansal ’08
opportunity to compete to the pinnacle of
their abilities so that they can break world
records. Due to Beijing’s heavy pollution
problems, I think that the answer is simply
“no.”
No country has ever emerged as a world
industrial leader without creating a legacy of
grim environmental problems in its path. 3
Chinese cities are often seen wrapped in
toxic, gray shrouds of dust, and only one
percent of the 560 million city dwellers
breathe air that is considered safe by the
European Union. Pollution has made cancer
China’s leading cause of
death and it alone is blamed
for hundreds of thousands
of casualties each year. It has
caused a vast shortage of safe
drinking water and this is
becoming a huge problem.
The pollution has mainly
stemmed from the fact that
China uses inefficient coal
power plants to produce its
primary energy. Although
coal power is the cheapest
form of energy in the world,
it also has the greatest
environmental impacts.
Burning coal causes carbon
and sulfur emissions, and these are the
leading causes of global warming in the
atmosphere. China is quickly becoming a
colossal environmental hazard and due to its
overuse of an inefficient energy source it is
choking on its own success. 4
When Jacques Rogge, the IOC’S chief,
awarded Beijing the Olympics in 2001 he
was unaware of problems that that would
entail. He said, “People sometimes ask
me, ‘Why the hell did you give the Games
to Beijing’ Well the pollution situation
in 2001, according to the World Health
Organization’s standards, was not a problem.
This pollution explosion is something that
no one could foresee, not even the most
optimistic Chinese.” 5 Over these past six
years Chinese industrial growth has risen 80
12 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

percent and during that time the amount
of cars in Beijing streets has increased three
fold. 6 In a recent study conducted by the
World Health Organization it was discovered
that the amount of particulates in Beijing’s
air is three times higher than the level that is
considered safe and breathable. 7
Many athletes, including the US
Olympic Committee, are beginning to voice
opinions and concerns on competing in
such grim conditions. Last month, during
a mountain biking competition hosted in
Beijing, many competitors had to drop out
half way through the race. 8 “About a half
an hour into the race, I had a lot of trouble
breathing,” Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, a 2004
US Olympian, said. “I got to a point where
I tried to relax and take a deep breath,
and then I started getting nauseous.” Only
eight of the fifty competitors successfully
completed the race. 9 This certainly does
not look too optimistic for the upcoming
Olympics.
Beijing is searching frantically for a
magical formula to clear its skies before the
2008 Olympics. 10 They have taken aggressive
measures to improve air quality, but it is
not certain that there is enough time for
conditions to improve. Millions of trees are
being planted, factories are being rapidly
converted from coal to gas, and in some
cases many have been shut down or even
moved out of town. 11 Also, the number of
cars is being limited in the city streets and
factory production is being slowed before
and during the Olympics. “The measures
that the Chinese are implementing will, I
believe, yield results,” Rogge said. “What we
are seeing there right now is a yellow flag,
not a red flag. …We believe that the situation
will be manageable.” 12 Although there seems
to be optimism and hope in the IOC that
things in Beijing are not so bad that they can
not improve some events, like the marathon
and cycling, have already been postponed.
Also, in a recently published United Nations
Environmental Program review it was noted
that pollution still remains a “legitimate
concern” in Beijing’s near future. 13
The choice of Beijing as a host city for
the Olympics seems to go against the IOC’s
whole philosophy. It should be an event in
which athletes have the best opportunity
to show off their talents and they should
not have to contend with an unsafe
environment. Although “the Games can
only be a catalyst for constructive dialogue
in a complex and sensitive transformation
[in China],” in my opinion I do not think
we should be endangering the lives of the
athletes who represent our countries. 14 It
is neither fair for them as competitors, nor
is it fair for us as observers. In its present
conditions there is no reason that Beijing
should have been selected to host the
Olympics because it will only make for a
disappointing two and a half weeks with
many mediocre performances and possibly
even injuries.
End notes
1 http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20071102_Pollution_a_growing_concern_for_Beijing_Olympics.html
2 http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761562380_3/Olympic_Games.html
3 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/world/asia/26china.html
4 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/world/asia/26china.html
5 http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20071102_Pollution_a_growing_concern_for_Beijing_Olympics.html
6 http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20071102_Pollution_a_growing_concern_for_Beijing_Olympics.html
7 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7061253.stm
8 http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2007-10-24-beijing-pollution_N.htm
9 http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2007-10-24-beijing-pollution_N.htm
10 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/world/asia/26china.html
11 http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20071102_Pollution_a_growing_concern_for_Beijing_Olympics.html
12 http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20071102_Pollution_a_growing_concern_for_Beijing_Olympics.html
13 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7061253.stm
14 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/front_page/6934955.stm
From “Leviathan”
Mess‘o’potamia 1
Clare Plunkett ’08
In March 2003, the U.S invaded Iraq,
striving to rid the troubled country of
Saddam Hussein’s vicious dictatorship.
George Bush justified the preemptive strike
by introducing the possibility of Hussein
acquiring weapons of mass destruction,
and thus posing a direct threat to the U.S. 2
Bush, along with other members of his staff,
also linked Saddam Hussein with Al Qaeda
and Osama bin Laden. Both claims had no
merit, yet American forces still moved to
oust the Iraqi leader. U.S troops managed
to capture Hussein, but encountered an
even greater problem. Iraq was—and still
is—undergoing a massive sectarian civil war
that has no end in sight. The situation in
Iraq is indeed one giant mess, and there
doesn’t seem to be a real, definitive solution
for settling the violence.
At the heart of all this violence remains
the conflict between Sunnis and Shiites.
Eighty to 90 percent of the world’s Muslims
are estimated to be Sunnis; demography
and history have always favored them 3 .
Shiite Arabs have rarely held any significant
power, and thus, many Sunni Arabs today
regard the rise of Iraqi Shiites as an upheaval
of the proper Islamic order 4 . In 2005,
Americans organized a series of elections,
attempting to settle Iraq’s political problems
democratically. Iraqis, though, voted largely
along existing ethnic and sectarian lines,
further reinforcing the rifts in Iraqi society
that had widened under Saddam Hussein 5 ;
they put the Shiites (a majority in Iraq) in
control. Moreover, to the disappointment
of the Bush administration, the parties that
the Iraqis voted for were overwhelmingly
conservative and religious 6 . Grand Ayatollah
Ali al-Sistani, the most powerful Shiite cleric
in Iraq, won both sets of parliamentary
elections in 2005 and consequently took
control of the government, further inflaming
the Sunni Arab insurgency 7 .
The situation in Iraq has become so
hostile that about 2 million refugees have
fled to Syria and Jordan alone 8 . That is a
direct effect of the sectarian cleansing that
has taken place in mixed cities across Iraq,
with Sunni and Shiite militias taking over
neighborhoods and driving out residents of
the opposite sect 9 . Bombings and shootings
have long been a regular part of daily life.
The war in Iraq, already in its fifth year,
has been
unpopular
to say the
least, pushing
President
Bush’s
approval
ratings to the
lowest level of
his two terms.
Americans
have grown
more and
more
frustrated
with the
campaign’s
Clare Plunkett
overall lack of success, coinciding with
thousands of casualties and billions of
dollars in resources. This year has been the
deadliest for US troops in Iraq, with more
than 850 killed in 2007, and more than
3,850 US troops killed since the US-led
invasion in 2003 10 .
Many question why the U.S entered Iraq
in the first place, Bush ordered the invasion—
under false pretenses—in order to free the
Iraqi people from an unjust, authoritarian
reign. Saddam Hussein’s control, though,
brutal as it was, kept sectarian violence at
bay. Currently, there exists no stabilizing
force to control the warring factions; the
fragile American-backed government is not
continued on page 14
13

Nichols School
Celebrating 100 Years
of Nichols Hockey
Join us Jan. 30-31, 2009
Nichols School will be celebrating 100 years of Nichols Hockey with a special celebration
on Jan. 30-31, 2009. It is the perfect time to look back at how the program has evolved and
become one of the most recognized ice hockey prep programs in the country – synonymous
with excellence.
Nichols Hockey began in 1909 with a few boys who wanted to start a team. In 1919,
Nichols built its own rink, and in 1940, the school was one of the first to install an artificial
surface among high schools in the country. Progress continued when the current rink was
built in 1963, which enabled the school to attract college and Olympic teams to the school
for tournaments and special events.
Nichols Hockey once again grew in 1995 with the addition of a girls program. Through
the years, there have been many notable players who have gone on to winning college,
national and professional ice hockey teams. Moreover, these student athletes have achieved
success in their personal lives and in the workforce.
We welcome players, parents and fans from all generations to join us. This weekend will
provide an opportunity to reconnect with teammates, friends and fans from all walks of life
and share in the warm memories of Nichols Hockey. Please join us as we commemorate this
special event! Stay tuned for details or visit http://nicholsnet.nicholsschool.org/100years for
more information.
sufficient: “few Iraqis have faith that the
American-backed government will move
swiftly to make the political and economic
compromises necessary to capitalize on the
hard-won and still delicate security gains.” 11
Bush has acknowledged that the Iraqi
government had fallen short in their efforts to
bridge the sectarian divide, and it appears that
the Iraqi government is doing little to foster
development.
The Iraqi government’s inability to
function on its own presents a fundamental
problem for the U.S and puts the country in a
difficult position. The majority of Americans
are unhappy with the course the war has
taken, but most also agree that to leave now,
amidst uncontrollable sectarian warfare,
would be a mistake. Pulling out now would
render American involvement completely
useless, for the U.S has not achieved any real,
concrete goals. There still is no strong central
government to maintain a sovereign state,
and a civil war rages on. Even many Iraqi
lawmakers concede that sectarianism and
political paralysis continue to impede Iraq’s
rebuilding, further undermining public trust
in the government 12 . President Bush insists on
maintaining an American military presence
in Iraq until the country can sustain some
sort of peace and self sufficiency, although no
definitive guidelines have been set.
The Bush Administration, on the other
hand, voices little frustration with the
End notes
1 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
2 http://www.iraq-war.ru/article/147263
3 http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/iraq/index.html
4 http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/iraq/index.html
5 http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/iraq/index.html
6 http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/iraq/
7 http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/iraq/index.html
8 http://www.iraq-war.ru/article/147263
9 http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/iraq/index.htm
10 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.phpstoryId=14272723
11 http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/iraq/index.htm
12 http://www.iraq-war.ru/article/147263
13 http://www.iraq-war.ru/article/147263
14 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.phpstoryId=1427272
15 http://www.state.gov/p/nea/ci/c3212.htm
situation in Iraq. Defense Secretary Robert
Gates said in a Pentagon News conference
that, “Clearly the direction in Iraq is headed
in a significantly more positive direction
than it was five or six months ago.” 13 Pressed
to say whether he thinks the United States
is winning in Iraq, Gates said: “I think those
end up being loaded words. I think we have
been very successful.” With a decline in both
Iraqi civilian and U.S military casualties in
recent months, President Bush has tried
to convey an upbeat picture of the U.S’
position in Iraq, attributing the reduction in
violence to a U.S troop build up he ordered
at the beginning of the year 14 .
There is a group of Iraqis that wants to
cooperate with the American forces to try
and fix their war torn country. Philip Reeker,
the spokesman for the U.S ambassador to
Iraq, says: “Security has improved enough
to open a window of opportunity. People
are saying, ‘We’ve had enough of this. We
want to move forward with our lives,’ And
that means jobs. That means economic
development.” 15 Thus, there remain some
optimists amongst a fierce pack of critics.
As the Iraq war continues through
its fifth year, its effects on the wider
Middle East are expected to grow, even as
Iraqi civilians, the Iraqi government and
American troops continue to struggle with
civil war that has taken over the country.
There doesn’t appear to be an end in sight. •
14 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

After Nichols
Mark Preisler ’86 Making News at ESPN
Jock Mitchell ’66
Personal update:
I live in Avon, Conn. with my wife Andrea.
We have been married now for almost 10
years and have a terrific little 14-month-old
daughter, Francesca a.k.a. Frankie, and two
Labs. I am an avid runner and I spend time
fly-fishing on the Farmington River in my
backyard.
Schooling after Nichols:
Franklin & Marshall College, B.A. in
English
Career path:
I got lucky. I started as a summer intern for
the NBC affiliate in Cincinnati, WLWT-TV,
which allowed me to see every aspect of the
television news business. Long story short:
after college I returned to WLWT where
over the next couple of years I worked my
way up to producer. From there I returned
to Buffalo to WIVB-TV as producer of the
11 o’clock news and eventually became
Executive Producer. In 2000, I left Buffalo
and headed to ESPN. I began at ESPN as a
Coordinating Producer and worked on just
about every show – spending the majority of
my time on SportsCenter and NFL coverage.
Current occupation:
My current title is Senior Coordinating
Producer and I am responsible for all
editorial aspects of the ESPNEWS network.
I deal with everything from the anchors to
coverage plans for big events and creating
new show concepts. Right now, I am in the
process of preparing ESPNEWS for its HD
launch in late March. We will be introducing
a new set and a revolutionary graphics
package which includes a new bottom line
for scores and information.
Major accomplishment:
To me, my major accomplishment has been
finding a profession that I thoroughly enjoy
where I have the ability to teach younger
people all aspects of the television business.
If you are looking for awards, I have had the
honor of receiving two Sports Emmys for my
work on SportsCenter.
What did you learn at Nichols that has
helped you in your career and life
I honestly look at my time at Nichols
as much more rewarding than college.
The school taught me the writing and
organizational skills to succeed.
Name a favorite Nichols moment:
Does skipping class and hanging out in the
quad on a sunny day count
15

Sports Focus
Basketball
Boys Basketball
Greg Plumb ’96
Fourteen brave lads lace up their fresh off the
shelves high-top sneakers. A nervous feeling
overtakes them all as they wonder just how many
hundreds of miles will be covered in their new
chariots. The whistle sounds signaling the start
of a highly anticipated Boys Varsity Basketball
season.
Three months ago, no one knew just how
good this team would be. Very talented and
physically gifted players, a ready and able
coaching staff, a manager, a gym and a ball
– all the tools were present for a successful
season. One question remained: would they
put the work in to be successful Anyone
who has seen a game this season would
answer with a resounding, “YES!”
The 2007-2008 Nichols Varsity Basketball
team, defending Manhattan Cup Champs,
began this season with impressive wins at
the Lockport, Rose and Al Pastor, Niagara
Falls Cataract Showcase and McKinley
tournaments. They completed their nonleague
schedule with a perfect 10-0, with
wins against Buffalo East, Maritime Academy
and Orchard Park. The Monsignor Martin
season began with hard-fought wins against
Canisius, St. Joe’s, Cardinal O’Hara, Niagara
Catholic and St. Francis.
The 16-0 start is due in part to the three
senior captains Matt Donahoe, Jim Regan
and Cinque Taylor. Matt Donahoe had a
terrific off-season, boosting his strength and
speed, making him the Nichols defensive
specialist with a remarkable touch from the
3-point range. Jim Regan, at 6’7”, combines
a smooth shooting stroke with solid post
moves, giving opposing coaches headaches.
Speedy and emotional Cinque Taylor
provides an energetic lift off the bench.
Nichols thrives on the play of three super
sophomores: Will Regan, Andy MacKinnon
and Ron Canestro. Highly touted 6’8”
center Will Regan dominates opponents
inside. His accurate touch with both hands
and rebounding capabilities can take over
games. Tough point guard Andy MacKinnon
orchestrates our explosive offense. Fearless
playmaker Ron Canestro is a menace to
opponents’ offenses and defenses. His ability
to penetrate and shoot from the outside, as
well as his keen defensive awareness, makes
him an excellent all-around player.
Nichols rounds out its squad with eight
juniors. Ben Kenyon and Evan Walton
provide athletic contributions at both ends
of the floor. Backup guards Ben Meyer,
Chris Stegemann and Billy Cecere are ready
to provide ball handling support. Forwards
Jimmy Adams and Jack Collins are ready
to clean the glass, while long range shooter
Brandon Fink adds his two cents with,
“Don’t think it, Fink it.”
The squad is coached by Greg Plumb ’96,
Frank Brunner, Mike Menninga and Joel
Sieperski. Senior manager Dan McAdams
helps keep the books and the water fresh.
With a rugged Monsignor Martin League
regular season and subsequent Manhattan
Cup playoffs remaining on the schedule, the
team looks forward to the challenges ahead.
With their continued hard work, attention to
detail and commitment to a total team effort,
this team can place themselves alongside the
great teams in Nichols history.
16 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

Nichols Girls Varsity
Basketball
Very Young, But Very Good
Sandy SMITH Cunningham ’93
“They are for real!” Coach Bob Torgalski says
of his Nichols girls. “And the best is yet to
come…”
Although still maturing, the young Lady
Vikings are learning to believe in themselves
as a team and let the rest fall into place this
season. It is crucial that they continue to
push each other to work harder at practice,
and we are already seeing the results of that
effort. The 2007-2008 edition of the Lady
Vikings has more
fire-power than
they have had
in some time,
as evidenced
by the different
combinations of
starting line-ups
that opponents
have seen during
the year.
Team
captains Meghan
Dougherty ’08,
Kaitlin Donahoe
’09 and Moriah
Camp ’09 lead
the way, with
help from a
solid core of
underclassmen.
Dougherty
averages 15 points per game and Donahoe
has the team high averages of eight assists
and 16 points per game. Freshman Megan
Heldewein and Amanda Cook ’09 provide
plenty of muscle under the boards and good
touch around the basket.
The Vikings also have two outstanding
young shooters in freshman Sloan Walton
and sophomore Siobhan Hanley, who also
are two of the most fundamentally sound
Team captains Meghan Dougherty ’08, Kaitlin Donahoe ’09
and Moriah Camp ’09 pose with their trophies.
players on the team. Sophomore Brianna
Smith has been a welcome addition this
year, providing the team with great speed
and gutsy, hard-nosed play whenever she is
on the floor. The 2007-2008 Lady Vikings
would not be complete without Stephanie
Hynes ’08, juniors Allie Faitelson and Lee
Randaccio, Libby Cook ’10 and Njideka
Noble ’11, whose dedication and effort
consistently push the starters at practice and
make the team better as a whole.
The Lady Vikings opened the season
in the Southern Tier with a decisive 83-40
win over Westfield. They returned for the
first home game of the year against Nardin,
their rival and Monsignor Martin League
opponent. The
Gators made
it exciting, but
Nichols pulled
through for a
54-53 victory.
Christmas saw
the Lady Vikings
travel to Geneva,
N.Y., where
they handily
beat Section V’s
Marcellus in the
opener and went
on to defeat host
DeSales in the
championship.
Subsequent
victories over
traditional
MMA rivals,
such as Holy
Angels, Mount Mercy and a hard-fought win
over previously unbeaten Sacred Heart, took
the Lady Vikings to a 12-0 record heading
into a toughly contested rematch with
Nardin on Feb. 1. Nichols fought hard, but
the Gators’ three-point shooters helped them
to pull away in the final minutes, defeating
the Lady Vikings 70-56.
The girls rebounded from the loss
with intensity and buoyed by Dougherty’s
entrance into Nichols’ 1000-point club were
able to secure a 63-52 win over the visiting
Sharks from Sacred Heart. This win put
the Lady Vikings in sole possession of first
place in the MMA, heading into the season’s
home stretch.
The team is coached by Bob Torgalski,
Sandy Smith Cunningham ’93, and Jeanine
Funnell who would like to thank all of the
parents and friends who have so generously
supported the Lady Vikings this season. •
Nichols Varsity Girls Basketball
holds the title of 2008 Monsignor
Martin League champions!
Kaitlin Donahoe ’09 received
the MVP of league honors after
contributing 13 points to the high
scoring game. Moriah Camp ’09
led the team in scoring with 22
points and Meghan Dougherty ’08
contributed 10 points.
17

Fall 2007 Athletics Recap
Holly Fewkes
Girls Cross Country (5-9)
Girls cross country finished with a record of 5-9. The team had decisive wins over Holy Angels
and St. Mary’s. Jordan Knutsen was the Most Valuable Runner. Chelsea Milito received the
Coaches Award & Sibel Erk was the Most Improved Runner. Jordan Knutsen and Chelsea Milito
also were named to the All-League Girls Cross Country team.
Boys Cross Country (5-7)
A thrilling one-point victory over Timon was the highlight of the Boys Cross Country season.
This victory came after the team unanimously voted to re-race Timon due to a mismarked
course in their first meeting. Derek Robins and Ed Spangenthal were co-MVPs of the team and
Graham Marks received a Coaches Award.
Field Hockey (17-4-1) (6-1-1 Canadian League)
Field Hockey enjoyed one of their finest seasons in recent years finishing 16-3-1. Finishing
second in the Canadian league, the team enjoyed a trip to New York City where they reached
the overall state semi-finals. They won 3-1 in the state semi-finals and lost a close 3-1 in the
semi-finals. The team outscored their opponents 44-14 throughout the season. Jacqui Greco
was named MVP, Marissa Faso received a Coaches Award and Tori Salmon was named Most
Improved Player.
Football (2-7) (1-4 MML)
Nichols Football finished 2-7 with a close win over DeSales High School and a dominating win
over Niagara Catholic. The win over NC allowed the team to make the league playoffs for the
first time in three years. Peter Ewing was named MVP and James Avino received the Coaches
Award. Matthew Franz and Zachary Hoefler were both named Most Improved Players. Peter
Ewing and Dan Franz were named first team All-Catholic. James Avino, Kevin Crowley, Jimmie
Adams and Ramsey Gayles were all named to second team All-Catholic.
Boys Golf (10-2)
Golf had an excellent 10-2 regular season and culminated the season by winning the Monsignor
Martin League All-Catholic Tournament. Five players had averages of 40 strokes or under. Matt
Donahoe was the Most Valuable Golfer. Clayton Sauberan received a Coaches Award and
Charlie Stein was named Most Improved Golfer.
Boys Soccer (7-6-2) (5-2-1 MML)
Boys Soccer finished second in the Monsignor Martin League and had a five-game winning
streak in the middle of the season. Many players received league and state recognition. Ryan
Walter, Bennett Kenyon, Nithin Bansal and Ben Certo were all named first team All-Catholic.
Drew Winkel, Elliot Johnston, Evan Luke and Chris Walter were named second team All-
Catholic. Honorable Mentions included Seymour Knox and Bill Cecere. Ryan Walter also was
named fifth team all-state, second team All-Western New York and Most Valuable Player of
the team. Eric DeRose received a Coaches Award and Elliot Johnston was the Most Improved
Player.
Girls Soccer (17-3-2) (9-0-1 MML)
Girls Soccer had an excellent season, winning the Monsignor Martin League title with a 3-0
victory over Nardin. They culminated their season by making a trip to New York City for the
Catholic School State Tournament. The team won the semi-finals 6-0 and lost in the finals 6-2.
Many players received local and state accolades. Erin Collins and Kelsey Welch were named
first team All-Catholic North Team. Kaitlin Donahoe, Adele Jackson-Gibson, Bri Smith and
Cassie Stein were named All-Monsignor Martin League Team. All-Metro Girls Soccer included
Player of the Year Smith; Smith and Jackson-Gibson were named to the first team; Donahoe
and Stein were second team; Grace Waters made third team; Brigitte Cellino received an
Honorable Mention. Jackson-Gibson and Smith also were named first team All-Western New
York. Second team recipients were Donahoe and Stein. Donahoe and Smith shared the Most
Valuable Player award for the team. Cellino and Stein received the Coaches Awards and Haley
Welch was named Most Improved Player.
Girls Tennis (5-4)
Tennis had a winning season with all positions posting key victories. Penelope Hamilton lost
only one match all season in the third singles position. The tennis team will return all starters
except for senior, Meredith Unger. Pamicka Marinello was named Most Valuable Player for her
play at first singles. Penelope Hamilton received the Coaches Award and Hannah Kloepfer
was the Most Improved Player.
Volleyball (6-9) (5-7 MML)
Volleyball had a solid season with an exciting victory over Immaculata. They also swept Niagara
Catholic & Cardinal O’Hara in regular season league play. Moriah Camp led the team with 87
kills and Erica Owczarczak had 78 assists. Camp also led with 25 blocks and Owczarczak had 40
aces. Ilona Haidvogel led with 40 digs. Owczarczak and Camp were named to the Monsignor
Martin league South Division All-League first team. Owczarczak was named the team Most
Valuable Player. Pam Zgoda received the Coaches Award and Meghan Dougherty was the Most
Improved Player.
18 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

A Conversation with
Rob Stewart
New Nichols Athletic Director
Jock Mitchell ’66
Rob Stewart traveled a long way from his native Kingston, Ontario to get to
Buffalo this past fall and begin his tenure as our new Athletic Director. After
graduating from the University of Western Ontario, he spent much of the
next 16 years in Europe. He has now completed his first semester at Nichols
and is quite enthusiastic about Nichols and our athletic program.
How did you end up in Europe
I played football in college and after graduation I had a chance to play
professionally for the Zwijndercht Razorbacks in Holland. Obviously,
it was quite an experience and I really enjoyed living abroad. After my
football career ended, I began teaching and coaching at the International
School of Brussels. ISB is in many ways very similar to Nichols. It features
an American curriculum and about half of our kids were American. After
nine years in Brussels, I returned to Canada to get my master’s in athletics
and coaching. I was then offered the Athletic Director position at ISB
where I spent the next six years.
What brought you to Nichols
My wife Katie and I have three kids: Michael, age five, Molly, age three
and Cecelia, seven months. We wanted to be closer to home and our
families. The Nichols job came along and everything worked out
perfectly. From my first conversation with Larry Desautels and the
search committee, the chemistry has been great. We love Buffalo!
What are your initial impressions of the Nichols athletic
program
I have been very impressed with Nichols and the sports
program. My predecessor, Jack Writer did a terrific job. I feel
very fortunate to be following in his footsteps. As I said,
Nichols and my previous school ISB are very much alike.
Both have smart, motivated students who are a pleasure
to coach. I have also been very impressed with the
coaches at Nichols. They are truly committed, and look
at the results! We are playing schools in many cases
that are twice our size and we more than hold our
own. The boy’s and girl’s basketball programs are a
great example.
Any surprises
I have been very impressed with girl’s hockey at Nichols. When I was
growing up in Canada, girl’s hockey was not very popular. Girl’s
hockey is extremely good now, in both Canada and the U.S., and
the Nichols Varsity team is one of the best high school prep
teams in the country. It’s a very strong program. Additionally,
who wouldn’t be impressed with the facilities The new fields
are a tremendous asset to the program and have made a big
difference in the fall and will again this spring.
Are there any trends in athletics you want to talk
about
Sure. We try very hard to keep athletics in perspective at
Nichols. Academics come first and communicating this is very
important.
Sport specialization has become a growing trend nationwide
and at Nichols. I am a firm believer that high school athletes can
benefit from playing multiple sports and, we at Nichols encourage
our student athletes to do so. By some people, specialization is
perceived as a means to improve performance in a certain sport.
I think, however, that by playing multiple sports, athletes have the
opportunity to develop different skills and play for different coaches,
both of which can help their development as an overall athlete. Also,
by playing two or three sports, the chances of “one sport burn out”
are decreased, and overuse injuries, which can occur while playing
the same sport year round, can be reduced. At Nichols, the success
of our athletic program is dependant upon kids playing more than
one sport each year. We offer a large number of sports and have a
relatively small enrollment.
Any final thoughts
I am very excited about the future of athletics at Nichols.
The leagues in which we play provide a high level of
competition and the commitment level from the faculty
and administration is excellent. I would also like to say
how fortunate I am to be working with Associate Athletic
Director Holly Fewkes. She is doing a great job and is
an asset to the school. Additionally, Colleen Schohn,
the longtime Athletics Assistant, has helped Holly
and me make our transitions to Nichols as smooth
as possible. My family and I are happy to be here and
grateful for the warm reception we have received. •
19

A B C D
5 th Grade Project: An
Exploration through Time
Nina Cimino
This year, our fifth-graders took part in “An Exploration through Time,” a joint project with the Canisius College Graduate School of
Education. Through the work of many at Nichols, especially Allan Hayes (Middle School math and science teacher), Susan Allen (Director of
Libraries and Academic Technology), Carol-Sue Stapleton (Middle School librarian) and Mary Rech Rockwell (Director of Studies and Upper
School history teacher), Nichols coordinated a wonderful collaborative program.
The project provided hands-on lessons about Buffalo through the historical lens of time periods. Each group took trips around Buffalo,
including the Museum of Science, the Historical Society and the Pan-Am Exposition. The students have held fossils and artifacts, “Googled”
names of extinct wildlife and studied historical maps. They researched what Buffalo streets looked like thousands of years ago and examined the
land that makes up our campus.
Best of all, the students learned a great deal and had fun doing so. It is clear that, long after the project, the students will remember the many
facts they learned because they have become mini-experts in their era of specialization.
Our fifth-graders had the chance to prove what they learned when they were featured on WGRZ-TV Channel 2’s Daybreak Saturday segment
“Kids 2 Day.” The story highlighted this project and included eloquent interviews with students reflecting on what they learned and how much
they enjoyed working with the graduate students from Canisius College. •
“Above all else I liked the collaboration – sparks were flying and results were inspiring!
It was incredible working with teachers from different schools and with different disciplines,
plus connecting one-on-one with 10- to 28-year-old students.”
“I liked the way they
didn’t take over, the way
I thought they would.
They made us do some
of the work and helped
us along the way.”
Connor Schutte ’15
A Dr. Richard Laub, from the Museum of Science,
shows Alex Syntelis-Jones ’15 the lower jaw of a
Mastadon and Alex points out the teeth.
B A cameraman from WGRZ-TV Channel 2
captures Tony Roman ’15, Jonathan Kinley
’15 and Alex Castiglia ’15 working with two
graduate students from the Canisius College
Graduate School of Education at the Buffalo
Museum of Science.
C Dr. Karen Dutt-Doner, a professor from the
Graduate Education and Leadership program
at Canisius College, speaking with Tony Roman
’15 and Ryan Ballow ’15 about their project for
the Devonian period, which involved researching
what this area looked like 400 million years ago.
D Connor Schutte ’15 and Will Yerkovich ’15 work
with a graduate student from Canisius College
to create a project about the Ice Age.
Allan Hayes, Fifth-grade teacher
20 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

“Organicity”
Chris Gibbons
“As a collective, the paintings broadly investigate the
vulnerability and fragility common to living beings, while
celebrating the elegant triumph of survival.” – Emma Colby ’02
“Organicity,” an installation of artwork by Emma Colby ’02, was displayed in the
Boocock Reading Room in Albright Hall from June to December 2007, to mark Emma’s
five year reunion.
Upper School art instructor Andrea Mancuso, who arranged to
have Emma’s work exhibited, described the display: “When you enter
the Reading Room, Emma’s large canvases appear to hover an inch
or two away from the walls. Her dramatic use of color and bold,
expressive brush strokes gesture for your attention. Approaching
the pieces, each work holds your concentration as small details
and idiosyncrasies are revealed: a little bird appears under
and over a bold brush stroke; anatomically correct
organs, such as a heart and intestines, bugs and more
birds swarm and are nested within the abstract,
expressive strokes.”
It should come as no surprise that Emma has
become one of Buffalo’s noteworthy young
artists. She is the great-great-granddaughter
of John J. Albright, patron of the Albright-
Knox Art Gallery and a man whom John
Sessions referred to as “a guiding force”
in the establishment of Nichols. Emma
also is the granddaughter of Patricia
Oishei Colby, who established the Nichols School Art Fund, which supports the acquisition
and maintenance of the art collection at Nichols.
Emma’s work, however, stands on its own merit. Frank Sacheli, one of her Upper School
art instructors, remarked: “As a Nichols artist, the technical quality of Emma’s work went far
beyond what you’d expect of a student her age. Her work was phenomenal, and I’m pleased
that she was able to put together such a rich and varied show. It was indeed impressive.”
Among Emma’s honors is the 2002 Charles Balbach Award for Fine Art for her graphiteon-paper
work, “Ageless,” which is displayed in Mitchell Hall. A 2006 Degree Marshall for the
Cornell University College of Architecture, Art and Planning commencement, Emma studied
in Rome during her junior year of college and taught a summer portfolio preparation course
at Nichols in 2003. Her future plans include the study of design at the graduate level, and, we
hope, continued participation in the Buffalo art world. •
Emma Colby ’02 speaks with Tory Nachreiner ’09, Grace Marlette ’09, Lourdes Vera ’08,
Erica Baran ’08 and Ashley Gaines ’08 of Andrea Mancuso’s AP Studio Art and Advanced
Photography classes.
21

The 2007 Nichols School
Athletic Hall of Fame
On Friday, Sept. 28, Nichols held a
ceremony and dinner reception to
honor the new Athletic Hall of Fame
inductees. We are pleased to announce
the Athletic Hall of Fame class of 2007.
Clay W. Hamlin III ’63
You were a high scoring wing on the Varsity
Soccer team for two years and an integral
member of the undefeated
1962 Soccer Team. You
also played three years
on three winning varsity
hockey teams. Your senior
write-up in the Verdian
facetiously stated that
you also played tennis.
You played first singles
on the tennis team for four years and were
undefeated your last three years. You are
perhaps the finest Nichols tennis player of
all time.
By the age of 12 you were traveling to
Forest Hills, N.Y. At age 13, you were runnerup
in the Canadian National Open 13 and
under age group in Ottawa. At age 18 you
won the Buffalo Men’s City Open for the first
time, and you also won the City Clay Court
Open at the Buffalo Racquet Club three times
beating players such as Charlie Garfinkel
and Rev. Robert Hetherington. You also won
several Buffalo Municipal Tournaments in
both singles and doubles. In 1962 you won
the New York State Singles Championship
Eighteen and Under Division. In 1969, while
in the U.S. Navy, you were the runner up in
the All-Navy Tennis Tournament. For many
years you were ranked in the United States
Tennis Association Middle States Region.
The 2007 Nichols School Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees: (back) Garry Ogden ’73 and Clay Hamlin ’63;
(front) Ron Torgalski ’85, Grant Hennigar ’66, Dick Webb ’58, Susan Pidgeon Cronin ’79, Jim Kramer,
Jeb Bray ’50 and Ed Cott ’65; (absent) Elizabeth Gioia Duffett ’88.
You were ranked in the top three in singles
and you were ranked number one in doubles
for many years in the open division. You also
represented the United States in international
competitions over the years, including the
Potter Cup in 2000 which was the World
45 Team Championship held in Barcelona,
Spain, even though you were 55-yearsold
at the time. Recognizing all of your
accomplishments at the local, state, national
and international level, you were inducted
into the inaugural class of the Buffalo Tennis
Hall of Fame a few years ago.
When one thinks of your athletic
accomplishments, the term “student of the
game” comes to mind. Although you were
coached by many fine coaches, including
Ram Gurney, Al Malloy and Austin Fox,
you learned primarily by reading books
and magazines, by watching tennis and by
practicing. Your wife Lynn, son Clay and
daughters Kat and Liz are all accomplished
tennis players and share your passion for
tennis and sports.
Richard L. Webb ’58
In your younger years, older brothers, Jim
and Tom, had the greatest influence on you,
and you grew up in a Buffalo neighborhood
which always offered a “pick up” game. For
you it was football, basketball and baseball.
At Nichols, from your sophomore year until
the spring of 1958 when you graduated, you
played Varsity Football,
Basketball and Track.
You believe that the
most important aspect of
Nichols athletics was the
devotion each coach gave
to the individual athlete,
regardless of their ability.
As a devoted athlete
you played hard for your coaches. Coach
Norm Pederson was a mentor and a guide,
and Hal Gerard was a basketball coach and
a ride to and from school and a purveyor
of fatherly advice. With your tremendous
leadership skills and work ethic, you were
an exemplary athlete for any coach to point
to. Captain of the football team your senior
year, your exceptional abilities accounted
for a three-year record for Nichols football
at 17 wins, four losses and three ties. Your
classic performance at Olean before 3,000
spectators in helping to rally the team from
a 20-0 halftime deficit to a 33-27 victory with
touchdown runs of 91 and 74 yards in the
second half remains a classic.
All-star gifts in track propelled you to
record-setting times in the 440 and 880. You
are an athlete who valued and practiced the
ideals of fair play. You embodied what it
means to give 100%. In 1957, you won the
Jack James Trophy as Nichols’ most valuable
football player, and at your Commencement
22 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

in 1958, you were presented the Alumni
Cup as the school’s Most Valuable Athlete.
Edward A. Cott ’65
From the time you took your first steps
and threw your first ball, you have been
involved with sports. Your father, brothers
and neighborhood pals
played in the sandlot
until the sun went down
and began again the next
day. If it could be thrown
and caught, games were
played, but, before long,
the rhythms of the seasons
soon began, and the more
recognizable sports with them: football in
the fall, basketball in the winter, and baseball
in the spring and summer.
Your impact as an athlete came early.
Nichols had Freshman and JV teams for all
of its sports; in the spring of your freshman
year, you were called up to the Varsity team
and never looked back. You played Varsity
Basketball for three years and were the high
scorer your senior year on an undefeated
(18-0) team that earned Nichols its first
Interstate League basketball title since the
1930s. As good as the basketball experience
was, baseball was even better.
With your pitcher/classmate and fellow
HOF inductee, Ray Peters, you formed
the most potent pitcher/catcher battery
in Nichols history. Pity the poor soul who
somehow made it to first base and had
the temerity to try to steal against you;
your powerful arm was legendary. You cocaptained
the baseball team your senior
year and helped lead them to the Interstate
championship. One of your most memorable
baseball moments was during your
sophomore year and a 1-0 loss to Cranbrook.
Keeping the defeat in prospective, you
realized what a great game it was later when
you learned that three players in that game
were drafted and played pro ball (including
yourself), and both pitchers played in the
Major Leagues.
Elizabeth “Bissell” Gioia Duffett ’88
Few people know you began your athletic
career as a figure skater, skating both
individually and with a precision team. You
credit this beginning with instilling a sense
of the discipline and drive that would lead to
your impressive future accomplishments as a
star field hockey and lacrosse player.
At Nichols, you captained the field
hockey, basketball and lacrosse teams, were
selected the Most Valuable Player for field
hockey as a junior and as a senior, scoring
16 goals and contributing 13 assists as a
link. You earned MVP rights for lacrosse
your senior year, tallying 35 points including
12 goals and 23 assists. You were chosen as
a Midwest Schoolgirls
Lacrosse Association
All-Tournament Team
member, made the
USWLA National
Tournament and were
prestigiously selected as
a USWLA High School
All-American. You also
were awarded the Alumni
Cup at Nichols in 1988, encapsulating
your athletic success as a three-sport Varsity
athlete.
Though your individual accomplishments
are highly apparent, your humility and
generosity as a team player allow you to
credit supportive coaches like Beth Stone
and Bo Forrestal at Nichols and Chris
Mason at Williams, as well as fellow players
for contributing to your success. You also
cite your experiences at Nichols as the basis
for pursuing your admirable profession of
social work and working with emotionally
challenged students.
Garry A. Ogden, Sr., ’73
As a freshman, you made your presence
felt on an undefeated Freshman Football
team and earned the first of 10 Varsity
letters in the spring on the track team. You
captained the track team for the next three
years, setting the school
record for the discus as
a senior with a throw of
167’10”. You also were
an important clog in the
success of the basketball
teams of the early 1970s.
Hall of Fame coach
Andy Anderson said of
your 16-2 basketball team: “I’ve never had
a team improve so much over the course of
season like this team did.” Your tenacious
defense and relentless rebounding were key
factors in the success of that team. Your
three Varsity Basketball teams had an overall
record of 41-12.
But you gained your greatest notoriety
in football. Highlighted by the spectacular
success of the undefeated team of 1970, your
three years on Varsity saw an outstanding
overall record of 20 wins, two losses and
two ties. Your coaches referred to you as
“tenacious” and “dominating”. Partnered at
defensive end with your classmate and fellow
Hall of Famer Dave Comerford, you simply
collapsed opposing line play. And pity the
poor opposing quarterback who had the
temerity to drop back into what soon became
a rapidly shrinking pocket. On offense, you
were a devastating blocker from the fullback
position. Your teams won two Interstate Prep
School League championships during your
time on the team.
William Grant Hennigar, Jr. ’66
Nichols coaches knew they had a special
athlete on their hands when during an
undefeated Freshman Football season,
you touched the ball four times against
a Williamsville squad and scored four
touchdowns. In track that year, you long
jumped 18’3” and triple jumped 37’3”, early
benchmarks of greater things to come. But
it was during the spring of your sophomore
year that you really began to blossom. You
long jumped to a Hennigar family record of
19’10” (your father had done 19’7” during
his Nichols days) and set new school records
in the triple jump (40’3”) and as part of
the Mile Medley Relay
(3:57.8). During your
junior year, you set the
school record of 43’5.25
” in the triple jump. As
a senior, you ran a 10.2
second 100-yard dash and
a 22.3 second 220 and
long jumped 21’5.75”.
But it was during the
football season that you gained your greatest
notoriety. You gave notice of greater things
to come by scoring five offensive touchdowns
and returning two interceptions for
touchdowns on a 6-2 team your junior year
that finished second in the IPSL. It is of your
senior season and teammates of which you
speak most proudly. The 1965 football team
was Nichols first undefeated team since 1946
and the first IPSL champion since 1949.
You are quick to credit Coach Bill
Fitzhenry for his innovations and pursuit
of excellence and your talented teammates
for the success of that team, but you had
a little to do with that success too, scoring
13 touchdowns and one PAT for that 7-0
team that averaged over 32 points per game.
On a team that had over 2,000 yards of
total offense, you accounted for nearly half
of it with 905 yards. Playing the wingback
(the “1” back) in the old single wing, you
gained 479 yards rushing in 39 carries (12.3
yds. per carry) and 426 yards receiving on
23

17 receptions (25 yds. per reception). You
also had an 80-yard punt return and an
85 yard kickoff return for touchdowns. In
recognition of this outstanding season, you
were named to the All Western New York
Football Team.
John “Jeb” R. Bray ’50
You were a fierce competitor during your
days at Nichols and later at Harvard.
The expression “Big heart, small stature”
has been used since David and Goliath.
However, feisty attitudes, an indomitable
spirit, speed and, in the hockey rink, sharp
elbows endeared you to Nichols fans but
probably not to your opponents.
You never quit and expected no less from
your teammates. You were a nine letterman
with three letters each
in football, hockey and
baseball. In your senior
year you captained the
hockey team and led the
baseball team in hitting.
Your junior year you were
on the team that won
the first Lawrenceville
Tournament. This year’s team will be
going to Lawrenceville for the fifty-eighth
consecutive year.
Your older brother, Watson, N’46, was
your role model. He also was a great athlete
in his own right, lettering in football, hockey
and baseball at Nichols and varsity hockey
at Yale ’50. Two of your coaches also had
a great influence on you, Bob Gillespie,
longtime Nichols baseball coach and your
Harvard hockey coach, Cooney Weiland.
James H. Kramer
Before your remarkable coaching career
began, you were an accomplished athlete in
your own right. You credit your father as a
huge influence throughout your grammar
and high school years, supporting you and
your teams by filming games. This was
clearly the beginning of your extensive use
of film and video to educate your future
teams about the nuances of the game and
the tendencies of future opponents. At
Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Del., you
were a three-year starter in basketball and
baseball and were named third team all-state
in basketball as a senior.
At Williams College, you
were a three-year Varsity
letter winner in basketball
and baseball. As a senior,
you were named to the
first team All-East Small
College team as a second
baseman. In basketball,
you were the point guard
for teams that won three consecutive Little
Three titles and that went undefeated (6-0)
during your career against arch-rival Amherst
College. You also held the college record for
most free throws (13) made in a single game
for many years.
While at Nichols, you also were the head
basketball coach of the Western scholastic
basketball team for the Empire Games from
1981-1991. Your teams were gold medal
winners in 1982 and 1985; four other teams
won silver or bronze medals.
You are quick to credit your coaches as
inspiring you to pursue a coaching career:
your high school basketball and baseball
coaches, Ed Hughes and Ernie Savage;
your college coaches Al Shaw (basketball)
and Bobby Coombs (baseball); and your
predecessors at Belmont Hill and Nichols,
Bill Croke and Andy Anderson. These
mentors instilled in you a love of sport and
the thrill that is the pursuit of excellence.
You demanded much of your squads, and
they responded to your attention to detail
and astute scouting and game planning with
some of the best basketball in school history.
Ronald J. Torgalski ’85
You were a four-year starter on the Varsity
Baseball team and were named to the All-
Catholic team as a sophomore and to the All
Niagara Frontier League (NFL) team your
junior and senior years as well as Honorable
Mention All-WNY as a senior. You played
one year of Varsity Football, and during that
sophomore year you were named Honorable
Mention All-Catholic. Your terrific
basketball garnered the most recognition and
accolades.
As a four-year starter at guard, you were
named All Monsignor Martin League as a
10-grader, All Niagara Frontier League in
your junior and senior years and first team
All Western New York as a senior. As a
senior, you led Nichols to its first New York
State Class C Federation Championship,
after which you were named Most Valuable
Player of the tournament and named as
first team Class C All-State. You finished
your basketball career as the all time leading
scorer in school history with 1783 points
(later to be surpassed only by Christian
Laettner ’88) and you remain one of the
leading scorers in Western
New York history.
You reminisce fondly
about how much fun it
was to play on the same
teams with your brothers
Rob and Rick. You
expressed great respect for
your teammates and the
camaraderie that evolved. You give special
notice to Dave Carlson ’82 (a team leader
your freshman year), Hall of Fame member
Christian Laettner ’88, and teammate Joe
Tomizzi ’83 (a great multiple sport athlete).
You recall the closeness of all the players
and coaches, of seeing your coaches in the
halls and developing relationships outside
of sports. You are quick to acknowledge the
following memorable and inspiring coaches
for their support during your Nichols career:
Jim Waltz and George Kloepfer ’68 in
football, fellow Hall of Fame inductee Jim
Kramer and Gerry Connolly in basketball,
and Hall of Fame member Andy Anderson
and Mike “Crash” Creenan in baseball.
Susan Pidgeon Cronin ’79
You played Varsity Basketball for three
years. You were captain, leading scorer and
MVP of the team your senior year. You
were named to the Bea
Massman League All-Star
team both your junior
(when you lead the team
in assists) and senior years.
Your junior year team
was undefeated and your
senior year team only lost
one game. You also played
Varsity Soccer for three
years and were named captain and MVP
your senior year.
You reminisce about the profound esprit
not only with your teammates – Collette
Free ’79, Angela Papademetriou Bolton
’79, Lisann Jacobs ’79, Darby Johnson ’79,
Erica Proctor Tank ’79 and fellow Hall
of Fame member Donna Nesselbush ’80
deserve special note – but also with the Boys
Basketball team, which always supported
your team and invited you to shoot-arounds.
You credit Hall of Famers John Meegan
’77 and Johnny Johnson ’77 for being
instrumental in developing that spirit of
mutual support.
You are also quick to credit your coaches
and teachers for your success. You speak
admiringly of your teachers and coaches at
Nichols (most notably Trudy Hanmer, Mary
Hilmer, Fritz Zeller ’47, Sue Schapiro and
Coley Felser) who challenged you to do your
best in all areas of your life while supporting
your strengths as an individual. You thank
your softball coaches, Peter Trombetto
and Larry O’Connor, for teaching you the
fundamentals of the game and teaching you
the balance between competitiveness and
graciousness. Finally, you credit legendary St.
Lawrence coach Dottie Hall with teaching
you the meaning of “peak performances”
and the value of sport and excellence beyond
the statistics. •
24 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

Big Green Athletic Dinner
and Auction
Linda Fox
The Big Green Athletic Dinner and Auction was a great success. The dinner brought together
parents, alumni and friends for a great party while raising money for Athletics.
Joanne Broad and Jennie Cunningham McManus chaired the event supported by a hard
working committee, including Stephanie Angelakos, Jane Corwin, Caitlin Gillmeister, Nancy
Carney, Kevin & Joanne Ryan and Jan Zasowski.
Behind the scenes, Suzanne Moravec, Donna Notto, Denise Hathaway, Sarah Gelman
Carney ’92, Jamie Fox Marzec ’91, Dan Rosenblum and Gyda Higgins kept the night running
smoothly.
Kurt Schulz, former Buffalo Bill, was the keynote speaker. The Honorable Richard Bryan
and John “the Gavel Slammer” Munro were the auctioneers, raising the bar high during the
live auction.
In addition to all the fun everyone was having, the party managed to raise over $15,000 for
our student athletes. Thank you to everyone who supported the Big Green!
Nelson Graves, Jr. ’44 models his vintage raccoon
coat as Rick Bryan prepares to take bids.
Mary Bacon, Luci Kennedy Desautels N’71 and
Wayne Bacon discuss bidding strategy.
Parents Stephanie & Peter Angelakos enjoy the
evening.
Members of
the Boys Varsity
Hockey team
keep John Munro
on track with the
bidding.
25

On Dec. 19, we had the pleasure to welcome back Ashley Dayer ’97 for a fantastic day, including a presentation describing her journey
from her high school days at Nichols to now. Here are some words from Ashley’s presentation to the Upper School.
Ashley Dayer’s
birds eye view
“I am so pleased to return to spend time with Nichols students and give back to
this school that has been so important in my life.”
Her Senior Project at Nichols
“I pondered what I would do for my senior
project. It was natural that I’d probably
volunteer somewhere given volunteering was
important to me – in and out of Nichols
clubs. I came up with two criteria for project
selection. I decided I wanted an opportunity
to spend time outside, working with animals.
I figured in the future that I would pursue a
career as a big time business woman in front of
the computer and never get to go outside again.
My senior project, I saw as my last chance.”
“I put together an internship at the
Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary near my aunt’s
house in Tampa, Fla. They agreed to have
me volunteer daily for two weeks, feeding
rehabilitated baby birds inside the animal
hospital and in outdoor aviaries. During
lunch break, I would walk out the back door
of the sanctuary, past the released pelicans still
clambering for food, and walk onto the beach.
Then when I returned to Buffalo, I planned
to conduct a comparative study of sorts and
visit rehabilitation operations in WNY.”
Nichols given it will greatly shape your future
AND I hope to encourage you to consider
adopting a motto I have taken for my life:
pursue your passion.”
“Marine biology…I was obsessed with
it! I joyed in the labs, the field trips, the
reading, the homework, and even the
studying for exams. I decided to switch my
major to marine biology and apply to spend
a semester my junior year at Duke University
Finding her Passion
“I hope I will encourage you to reflect upon
what you want to gain from your years at
26 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

Marine Lab and a summer internship in
California with sea otters. This began a
rewarding path of adventure-pursuing a
passion for wildlife.”
“As my time at Harvard was coming to an
end, I began to REFLECT. What’s next The
steps before were obvious. Shoot for the top,
and what’s top—that’s obvious: highest honors
or acceptance at Harvard. But I was not
interested in acceptance at the best consulting
firm in the country or the best medical
school--as many of my classmates at Harvard
were. That’s not where my passion lay. I was
into wild conservation…Particularly I was
interested in why different types of people had
different thoughts about wildlife. For example
the researchers I worked with dedicated their
lives to research in hopes it would lead to
conservation as compared to fishermen in
the local community who found the animals
we studied to be a nuisance. I applied to
Cambridge University—the Yale of England--
since Oxford--the Harvard of England--didn’t
offer a graduate degree I was interested in.
I was accepted, which made graduation so
much more pleasant and my summer plans
acceptable.”
Finding her Way in the Working World
“I was heading off to be a Travel Writer. At
Nichols, I learned to be an amazing writer as
you all are learning I am sure…That Junior
poetry paper, as tedious as the process was,
was worth it. Ahh, I still remember the
satisfaction of accomplishing such a literary
analysis and piece of writing. The writing
skills gained from Nichols made any writing
task in college seem like a cinch. And the
prospect of spending two months as a travel
writer seemed wonderful. I headed off to
Anchorage, Ala., the day after graduation.”
“I headed home to apply for inspiring
wildlife conservation jobs that would
continue to take me to new lands. My
passion. In the meanwhile, I decided to
wait tables to earn some money. This did
not go over so well…the money making,
yes, but the daughter with a Harvard degree
working as a waitress was not so acceptable.
Fortunately in a couple months I was off to
a dream job. With...birds! I flew to Maui
where I would intern for the Maui Forest
Bird Recovery Project. Our job was to fly
into the native rainforest via helicopter for
5-14 days at a time. We conducted work to
protect the world’s rarest bird at the time –
the Po’ouli. I say at the time because now, six
years later, this bird is thought to be extinct.
In my year there, I poisoned and killed
many non-native rats that threatened the
birds. I participated in a project to capture
and translocate the only remaining female
bird to the home range of the one of two
remaining male birds, just two miles away. I
then radio-tracked the bird as she flew home
and continued to live happily with a family
of another species of birds.”
“While I was there, I designed and took
on an internship project that I noted was
of great need. The locals on Maui had no
connection with their native birds. They
never saw them as they only lived in pockets
of inaccessible rainforest, far from human
inhabitants. If they were unaware of the
birds, how could laws to protect the native
birds succeed Or why would the people
support the government spending money to
protect native birds I created a curriculum
for sixth-graders in the local schools to learn
about birds and bird conservation activities.
We then took them on a field trip to see
native birds. Additionally, I created public
education materials including web content
and a display to reach out to the public
about the work and the birds.”
Adventures in Birding
Ashley Dayer ’97 Visits Nichols
Elliot Johnston ’10
Ashley Dayer, class of ’97, visited Nichols for a day of
green activities. She is an ornithologist at the Klamath
Bird Observatory in Ashland, Ore. and an active
environmentalist. Ashley graduated from Harvard
University in 2001 with highest honors and majors in
environmental science and public policy. She brings
energy and enthusiasm to everything she does and
this particular morning was no exception.
The school day started off with a PowerPoint
presentation outlining Ashley’s work at the Klamath
Bird Observatory and the path she took to get there.
She stressed the importance of her Nichols education
and how it prepared her for life after Nichols. Ashley
gave a talk to Josh Ring’s environmental class in
Albright Hall’s Boocock Reading Room, which was open to everyone, and then showed
Allan Hayes and the fifth-graders how her passion lies out in the field. She took three
groups of fifth-graders birding on campus, in Delaware Park and in Forest Lawn Cemetery.
With this hands-on opportunity, Ashley was able to give the students tips and advice on
birding.
Ashley also proposed that Nichols consider a “Big Green Alumni Council” and has
started us with eight ways we could enhance the environmental friendliness of Nichols.
Thanks to inspiration from active alumni such as Ashley, the Nichols community has
become more environmentally conscious.
conservation. The perfect job arose. I
would head back to Oregon. I would work
as the Education and Outreach Director
of a bird observatory. A bird observatory
is a nonprofit organization that focuses
on science-based inquiry, while aiming
to contribute to bird conservation. As a
strong leader for years, and in fact, class
co-president at Nichols for my junior and
senior years, I longed for an opportunity to
take a lead in this work. I now have such an
Putting the Pieces Together
“After agonizing about my options, I decided
to leave my Ph.D. program, finish with
the master’s and begin applying for jobs in
environmental education. I wanted to get
back to influencing wildlife conservation,
working with people, educating them using
my new knowledge about people’s attitudes
and values. My passion was calling, and I opportunity as I forge forward to advance
had gained skills to better impact wildlife bird conservation through education. The continued on page 32
efforts I lead have introduced thousands of
people to birds and bird conservation and
connected them with nature. I have been
asked to be on the Board of Directors of
the Environmental Education Association
of Oregon and a national working group
to turn bird education throughout the
country into bird education that leads
to conservation. Given my propensity to
community service, I have embraced these
opportunities.”
27

“So that’s NOW, and how I got there
from Nichols. It was not a straight path
though, it’s been windy but it’s amazing how
all the pieces seem to relate somehow…On
my Verdian senior page I placed a quote in
the upper right hand corner: ‘Your path may
be windy as well as you fit together the pieces
of your jigsaw puzzle. But I encourage you
to do what I do at each juncture. Stop and
think. What is important to you What are
you passionate about What will drive you if
you take any of the optional paths you see
And then forge ahead. Pursue that passion!’
…Think about how you will make the most
of Nichols so it prepares you for a time of
pursuing your passion…” •
Tips for Identifying 23 Species of Birds
Common to the Nichols Campus
Ashley Dayer ’97
Support the Annual Fund
A Nichols education
pays dividends.
Although Nichols is located in an urban environment, birds are everywhere. Follow these
tips to more thoroughly enjoy our feathered friends.
Seeing is believing! Binoculars are a must for enjoying bird behavior and identifying what
we’re seeing. When using these tools, always put the strap around your neck first. To focus,
first set the binoculars to the correct width between the eyes. Focus with center wheel using
your left eye only. Then adjust the right eye piece to focus your right eye only. Then adjust
the center wheel for both eyes.
• Bring a Field Guide to Birds. Save yourself time in identifying birds and get familiar with
its organization before you go birding. The guide helps you identify birds—check out the
image, size, range map, call and habitat type.
• Bird size helps you describe a species. We all know what an American Robin looks like—
use it as your standard.
o Smaller than a robin:
All seasons (resident): sparrows, chickadees, finches (house, purple) and goldfinches
Breeding season only (summer): vireos, warblers and swallows
o Similar size to a robin:
All seasons: pigeon, cardinal, dove and starling
o Larger than a robin – All seasons: crow, hawk, jay, kestrel and grackle
• Behavior tells us much about people as well as birds. Each species has its habits.
o Nuthatches climb down the bark of a tree looking for food
o Cardinals generally feed off the ground
o Chickadees travel in flocks in the winter
o Sharp-shinned Hawks watch our feeders to prey on smaller birds
• What kind of woodpecker is it
o Downey is smaller than a robin and a Hairy is bit bigger with a beak longer than the
length of its head. Remember: small comes before large and “D” comes before “H”
in the alphabet.
o A Common Flicker—a woodpecker that frequents Nichols School—prefers to feed
off the ground and comes in tan instead of black and white.
• Flight pattern can aid us even if a bird is far up in the sky.
o Steep Up and Down Roller Coaster: finch
o Moderate Up and Down: woodpecker
o Head-on flight patterns: wing formation in shallow V: Turkey Vulture
o Wings out flat: eagle or Red-tailed Haw
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s site is extremely helpful and easy to bounce around:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/birding123
The Nichols Investment Club, includes 60 students
across 12 teams. Members participate in the global Stock Market Game
with $100,000 of play money to invest in stocks of their choice.
They learn about the buying and trading process and try to achieve
the highest financial returns.
Our extra-curricular programs are made possible because
of the Annual Fund and they make the Nichols experience so memorable.
Invest in our students
The Annual Fund supports Nichols students by preparing them for success in life.
Please make your tax-deductible gift by June 30, 2008.
We have enclosed a remittance envelope for your convenience or you may
donate online at www.nicholsschool.org.
28 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

A
Nichols Upper School
Arts Update
Kristen Tripp Kelley
The Nichols Upper School Arts Department
continues to offer high quality, challenging
programming to the community. These
are the highlights of what we created and
performed during the fall and winter of the
2007-2008 school year.
B
Fall Play
The fall play was “Welcome to the Monkey
House,” four short stories written by the
late Kurt Vonnegut Jr., adapted for the stage
by Christopher Sergel. Well loved titles
“Harrison Bergeron,” “Who Am I This
Time,” “The Euphio Question” and “The
Kid Nobody Could Handle” were brought to
life by 22 student actors from grades 9-12.
Kristen Tripp Kelley directed,
Christopher Cavanagh designed set and
lights, Ben Sorgi ’08 designed sound,
Elaine Gardner choreographed, Sebastian
Augustine ’10 stage managed and Andrea
Mancuso’s art students provided visual
accompaniment through illustrations and
short films. To underline the time period in
which Vonnegut’s stories were written, the
production was designed in black and white.
The palette for the costumes, set, lighting,
sound and makeup was inspired by the
science fiction television shows of the 1950s
and early 1960s.
Winter Chorus and Orchestra Concerts
The Upper School chorus winter concert
featured five choruses and four arias from
George Frideric Handel’s “The Messiah,”
arguably the most popular choral work
in the western tradition. The chorus was
accompanied by a small chamber orchestra
conducted by Tim Socha. In addition to
“The Messiah,” the Chorus sang for the
holiday season from a variety of cultures,
including the English folk carol “Masters
in this Hall,” a medley of French carols,
the lullaby “Niño Lindo” from Venezuela,
a Latin piece for small ensemble, two
traditional Hebrew songs and an anthem
sung in the African language of Mende. The
chorus repeated their concert, with a few
additions, at Roswell Park Cancer Institute
during the holidays.
Tim Schwartz conducted the orchestra’s
performance of the “Hungarian Dance No.
6” by Brahms, Evening Prayer and Dream
Pantomime from “Hansel and Gretel” by
Humperdinck, the Ballet from “William
Tell” by Rossini, “Fugue” by J.S. Bach and
“First Suite” (3 movements) by Holst.
The Holiday Assembly
On the last day of school before
winter break, the Upper School Arts
Department produced a holiday assembly
for the community. The orchestra kicked
off the program, and was joined by the
chorus for a medley of carols. The chorus
continued with excerpts from the Winter
Concert.
The Acting I class presented an
original holiday-themed skit, and
the arresting Nichols Dance Ensemble
performed “Many Hands” choreographed
by Elaine Gardner and set to a Hayden cello
concerto. The Advanced Acting students
performed a skit written by the class, and
continued on page 34
A Tim Schwartz conducts at the Winter Orchestra
concert.
B The sophomore Design and Composition class
listens to artist Craig LaRotonda speak about his
artwork on display in the Nichols School Gallery
last fall.
C The Upper School Chorus sings at Roswell Park
Cancer Institute during the holidays.
C
29

the assembly ended with a wild and raucous
“Twelve Days of Christmas” performed by
brave members of Nichols’ faculty and staff.
Choreographers’ Showcase
This past February was another successful
installment of a creative tradition in
the Nichols Dance Department. The
Choreographers’ Showcase is an opportunity
for Upper School and Middle School dance
students to use their imaginations while
working with classmates to create original
dance compositions.
They choose their own
music, concept and cast.
The experience is
quite challenging and
offers students many
opportunities to play
the role of director,
supporting cast
member and creative
collaborator – all the
while broadening their
dance vocabulary and
choreographic technique.
The showcase has
become one of the most
important performances
of the dance students’
education. Many
students look forward to
creating their own dance
pieces all year. More experience with the
event’s structure enables students to develop
deeper choreographic meaning and allows
them to take bigger artistic risks as they
mature through the dance curriculum.
Visual Arts
Students in visual arts classes from the
sophomore Design and Composition class
to the AP Studio Art class students happily
struggle with the challenge of creating a
compelling work of art and showing what
they mean. Over the fall and winter, a
number of visual arts students have worked
on projects that took place beyond the
Edward Spangenthal ’10 and Maggie
Gilbride ’09 of Film/Digital Video class
prepare to present their work at the
Apple Store in the Walden Galleria Mall.
frame of the classroom. Rachel Kermis ’08
presented a collection of photographs from
her treks and travels over the summer break
in the SEEARTRUN gallery (a student run
art gallery advised by Andrea Mancuso). Lulu
Vera ’08 exhibited paintings and drawings
and Ben Sorgi ’08 exhibited photographs in
the gallery as well.
Alex Giotis ’08, a member of Andrea’s
Film/Digital Video class, completed a feature
length re-edit of the movie Shogun Assassin
syncing it with a rap album that was made
as a tribute to the movie.
Alex joined Nick Williams
’09, Maggie Gilbride ’09,
Edward Spangenthal ’10
and other students in a
presentation of their film
and video works at the
Apple Store in the Walden
Galleria Mall on the
evening of Nov. 12.
In addition, Andrea’s
sophomore Design and
Composition class were
educated in a workshop
by artist Craig LaRotonda.
Craig’s illustrations,
Dadaist-inspired collages
provided the motivation for
a series of short animated
films that the class made in
response to a selection of
Kurt Vonnegut short stories. The films were
included as part of the fall play, “Welcome to
the Monkey House.” Actors performed along
with the films which added to the set design
and the mood of the production.
Students from Frank Sacheli’s art classes
donated original works to a live auction
sponsored by Community Missions of
Niagara Frontier, Inc. The organization
received over $200 from the paintings that
were sold at their gala event “Art With
a Heart.” Kudos goes to students who
allow their thought process to open up to
the original, the unconventional and the
obscure. •
Can you help us find these lost Alumni
We don’t want them to miss their reunion in June. If you have an address,
e-mail or phone number for them, please contact the Alumni Office at
alumnioffice@nicholsschool.org or call us at 716-876-3450. Thanks for your help!
Peter Burgard ‘33
William K. Donaldson ‘33
C. Frederick Graham ‘33
Edward C. May ‘33
Burton I. Rosenblat ‘33
Paul F. Garono ‘38
Theodore Higinbotham ‘38
Charles Kennedy ‘38
R. Clarke Shaver ‘38
Edward J. Wagner ‘43
Donald E. Berlin ‘48
Justin C. Morgan, Jr. ‘48
Ray P. Whitman, Jr. ‘48
Peter M. Fleming ‘53
Richard Lamb ‘53
Alfred M. Buerger, Jr. ‘58
Jonathan T. Paine ‘58
F. McKay Biggar III ‘63
Samuel R. Bradstreet ‘63
Robert J. Anthone ‘68
William Botsford ‘68
Timothy Brennan ‘68
James R. Cowper ‘68
Robert M. Dautch ‘68
James P. Franklin, Jr. ‘68
Carlton R. Jewett II ‘68
Ralph Jones ‘68
Edward H. Law ‘68
Barbara M. Marchetti ‘68
Thomas Paul ‘68
Michael A. Perlino ‘68
Michael L. Privetera ‘68
Thomas R. Schaeffer, Jr. ‘68
Christopher Stanley ‘68
Beverly E. Armstrong ‘73
Burke A. Breneman ‘73
James B. Carlson ‘73
Carter J. Frank ‘73
Kathleen A. Hurley ‘73
John P. Jacob ‘73
Paul Y. Lee ‘73
Jeffrey D. May ‘73
Gregory McNamara ‘73
Stephen M. Metzger ‘73
Philip R. Miller ‘73
William R. Ott ‘73
Karen J. Roberts ‘73
Richard H. Rosenfeld ‘73
Mark C. Ruof ‘73
Margaret A. Rydzynski ‘73
Mark Schwartz ‘73
Alexander D. Williams II ‘73
Rachel S. Back ‘78
Eric Bess ‘78
Elizabeth Smith Buscema ‘78
Timothy A. Butzer ‘78
Stephen D. Carlson ‘78
John Cherry ‘78
Christian C. Clauss ‘78
Brian Dennis ‘78
Michael R. Gilbert ‘78
Hans F. Halt ‘78
Michele Halyard-Richardson ‘78
Eric B. Harrod ‘78
Kari K. Kolb ‘78
Andrew M. Koren ‘78
Kevin C. Kresse ‘78
Jeffrey E. Light ‘78
Karen McMahon ‘78
Donald D. Notman, Jr. ‘78
Sean M. O’Connor ‘78
Marcy J. Raphael ‘78
Laura Knoll Roberts ‘78
Scott B. Schwartz ‘78
Wanda Y. Sherrod ‘78
Margaret A. Walek ‘78
Hali Weiss ‘78
Lucille A. Anderson ‘83
Pamela J. Collard ‘83
Erica Schulman Danford ‘83
Diana C. Denman ‘83
Kalpana Gopalakrishnan
Duggirala ‘83
Dana J. Eaton ‘83
Richard A. Harrod ‘83
Deirdre A. Louchren ‘83
Rachez N. McCullough ‘83
Jennifer A. McMullen ‘83
Elena A. Montesano ‘83
Joseph R. Takats IV ‘83
Daniel J. Troidl II ‘83
Brian L. Anderson ‘88
Jean S. Bae ‘88
Lilian Bertin ‘88
Barry L. Burnside II ‘88
Nanette Burstein ‘88
Rob Carson ‘88
Carol G. Chouchani ‘88
Jorge S. de Rosas ‘88
Angela S. Diji ‘88
Michael C. Dunn ‘88
Bryce Ellory ‘88
Allen C. Farmelo ‘88
James M. Grohman ‘88
Edward C. Hall ‘88
Lauren Goodman Hartman ‘88
Bruce Karpati ‘88
Jason E. Mastor ‘88
Wilkinson S. Michaels ‘88
David W. Miller ‘88
Alison Gellman Morgenstern ‘88
Martin Petrik ‘88
Laura M. Ramsey ‘88
David A. Rizzuto ‘88
Sonia Ryelandt ‘88
Michael R. Simon ‘88
Michael D. N. Teruel ‘88
Adam J. Alfieri ‘93
Michael W. Brucklier ‘93
Skip D. Campbell ‘93
Christian M. Carnevale ‘93
Katherine N. Chilungu ‘93
Jennifer J. Corte ‘93
Christopher A. delValle ‘93
Nora A. DiMatteo ‘93
Peter J. Fromen ‘93
Christopher K. Haycock ‘93
Norman M. Joseph ‘93
Christopher E. Jung ‘93
Suneet Dhingra Kaur ‘93
Brian M. Oravec ‘93
Christopher W. Plumb ‘93
Graham C. Rice ‘93
Jean L. Richards ‘93
Stephen J. Scirto ‘93
Cameron F. Spitzmiller ‘93
Ananth T. Srikrishnan ‘93
Christian J. Stack ‘93
Helena Strindlund ‘93
Patrick J. Sullivan ‘93
Zia R. Tayab ‘93
Jaime A. Venago ‘93
Eric W. Voboril ‘93
Nathaniel L. Webster ‘93
Suma K. Balu ‘98
Jarrod Caprow ‘98
Polly H. Graser ‘98
Jaclyn L. Miles ‘98
Marion S. Min ‘98
Mira J. Mohsini ‘98
Sheetal Sharma ‘98
Christine M. Velez ‘98
Kenneth Czaplicki ‘03
Caitlin M. Duffy ‘03
Melissa E. Stark ‘03
Johann S. Velez ‘03
30 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

After Nichols
Heather Smith ’94 Rocks the Vote
Jock Mitchell ’66
Personal update:
I am currently living in Washington, D.C. I
enjoy live music, photography, traveling and
working for social change.
Schooling after Nichols:
Duke University, Class of 1998
Career path:
After graduating from college with joint
degrees in Public Policy and Economics, I
looked to start a career organizing around
issues I care about and making real policy
changes on those issues. I accepted a position
at Green Corps, a one-year fellowship
program that trains recent college graduates
in the skills and strategies to be leaders in the
environmental movement. I spent the next
five years leading environmental campaigns
around the country. Among other victories,
I helped to pass a ballot initiative in San
Francisco that funded the largest solar facility
in the world and protected 60 million acres of
roadless areas in our national forests.
While at Green Corps I got to work on
issues—global warming, clean water, clean air—
that my generation is facing now and is going
to inherit the consequences of in the future.
We made great progress, but I realized that
every time we won something, it was being
overturned, overruled, vetoed or changed. You
can devise the best policy in the world and
win something in the short term, but if you
don’t have significant power in the political
process, then you have no way to effect change
over the long run.
As a young person, and seeing the values
of my generation, I decided that building a
base of power among
young people around the
country would mean we
couldn’t be ignored and
the issues we cared about
would get the attention
they deserved.
In 2003, I started as
the national field director
for the Student Public
Interest Research Group’s
New Voters Project. We
ran a national young voter registration and
turnout program that focused primarily on
Colorado, Oregon, Wisconsin, Iowa, New
Mexico and Nevada. We were recruiting and
training young people to work on campuses
and in communities, and in the end we
registered one out of every four 18- to 24-yearold.
We made over $.5 million Get Out the
Vote contacts. This was personal, peer-topeer
grassroots work. In the 2004 election, it
helped drive 18-24 turnout up 11 percentage
points nationally – the largest single increase
in turnout among this population in history.
According to a Harvard analysis of the exit
polls, we had more voters under thirty than
we did over sixty-five.
In 2005, I founded an organization called
Young Voter Strategies to continue this work,
and give campaigns, politicians and the public
the tools to engage young voters in politics.
In 2007, Young Voter Strategies integrated its
programs with Rock the Vote, and I took over
as the Executive Director of the best known
organization for youth, politics and popular
culture – just in time for the 2008 presidential
elections.
Current occupation:
Executive Director, Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote’s mission is to engage and
build political power for young people in order
to achieve progressive change in our country.
I oversee the organization and our efforts to
register 2 million young voters, engage millions
more in activities around the
country, and make sure that the
issues that affect the lives of young
people are paid attention to by
those in power. In addition, I am
responsible for raising $10 million
annually to support our efforts.
Founded nearly 20 years ago
by members of the recording
industry in response to a wave of
attacks on freedom of speech and
artistic expression, Rock the Vote
quickly established itself as the
premier organization representing
the intersection of young people,
politics and pop culture.
Whether it’s Madonna wrapping herself
in the flag for the first Rock the Vote PSA or
Michelle Branch joining us on our 2004 bus
tour, Rock the Vote works with artists who
really believe in and promote our mission.
Lenny Kravitz, Sean “Puffy” Combs, John
Legend, REM, Christina Aguilera, Black
Eyed Peas and other artists give their time,
name and voice to engage young people in the
political process.
Rock the Vote was the first organization
to introduce telephone voter registration and
online voter registration, and has run the
largest young voter registration drives on record
during the past four presidential elections.
In 2008, there will be over 44 million
young people eligible to cast a ballot. This
is nearly a quarter of all potential voters.
This is enough votes to determine the U.S.
presidential election, the composition of
our Supreme Court, the fate of our troops,
the direction of our economy, health care
and education systems, the state of our
environment, and the lives of billions of
people worldwide.
We live at a remarkable moment of
opportunity amidst crisis, where our nation
faces issues of war, economic insecurity and
the deterioration of our basic rights. We have
the right to elect our leaders and determine
our future. We must protect, fight for and
use that right. Rock the Vote is launching a
campaign this year with goals that rival the
importance of this moment in history.
Major accomplishment:
I am most proud of the work that I have done
over the past five years to lay the groundwork
for a movement of young people who are
speaking up, taking to the polls and getting
their voice heard in the political process.
What a moment for young people. What
a chance to make lasting social change in our
country. Young voters have been registering
and voting in record numbers for the past two
major election cycles and 2008 looks to be
the third. Rock the Vote is positioned to lead
this youth movement, engaging young people
further in the political process and being
a microphone for them so their issues are
addressed by those in power.
We have more than 1.4 million young
people who actively participate in Rock the
Vote’s voter registration, education and Get
Out the Vote efforts, volunteering at concerts
and in their communities. I rang the opening
bell on NASDAQ on Super Tuesday, while
voters ages 18-29 went to the polls in record
numbers.
What did you learn at Nichols that has
helped you in your career and life
At Nichols I learned a work ethic that has
served me through my career and life.
Name a Nichols faculty member or
coach who had a great impact on you.
While I learned a lot in the classroom, playing
sports, and especially my field hockey and
lacrosse coaches, had a great impact on me
as well. I learned to be a leader, organize my
peers, compete and work hard toward a goal,
to win.
31

Legacies
Current students who are children
or grandchildren of Nichols alumni
Alexandra M. Castiglia ‘15
Daughter of Gregory J. Castiglia ‘84
Daughter of Valerie A. Zingapan ‘84
Ryan W. Cromwell ‘13
Son of Brian G. Cromwell ‘76
Brian T. Franz ‘11
Son of Thomas A. Franz ‘76
Jeremy J. Castiglia ‘12
Son of Gregory J. Castiglia ‘84
Son of Valerie A. Zingapan ‘84
Adrian F. Dedecker IV ‘08
Son of Adrian F. Dedecker III ‘70
Daniel K. Franz ‘09
Son of Thomas A. Franz ‘76
Julia L. Accetta ‘10
Daughter of Lynn Azurin Accetta ‘80
Martha H. Alford ‘11
Daughter of
Julie Genco Alford ‘84
Daughter of J. Scott Alford ‘84
Granddaughter of J. Keith Alford ‘59
Sarah C. Bassett ‘09
Daughter of Kingman Bassett, Jr. ‘77
Granddaughter of
Kingman Bassett ‘41
Alison D. Bellows ‘09
Daughter of Ann Duffy Bellows N’67
Granddaughter of
Charles G. Duffy Jr. ‘27
Dennis J. Brinkworth IV ‘09
Son of Dennis J. Brinkworth III ‘79
Larkin P. Brinkworth ‘10
Son of Dennis J. Brinkworth III ‘79
Joel Brinson ‘14
Son of Colin M. Brinson ‘85
Barton W. Chambers Jr. ‘11
Son of Barton W. Chambers ‘82
Son of Karen Keller Chambers ‘82
Great Grandson of
Robert E. Chambers ’34
Dieter M. Clauss ‘10
Son of Julia Ladds Clauss ‘75
Jessica G. Demakos ‘09
Daughter of
Peter G. Demakos ‘70
Caroline C. English ‘08
Daughter of
Lisa Hanavan English ‘73
Granddaughter of
Earle W. Beck Jr. ‘41
Haley A. Fromen ‘10
Daughter of John J. Fromen, Jr. ‘79
Hannah Gardner ‘12
Daughter of
Jonathan H. Gardner ‘77
Kendall G. Appelbaum ‘13
Daughter of Mark J. Appelbaum ‘85
Samuel M. Benatovich ‘09
Son of Sheldon B. Benatovich ‘60
Austin M. Burger ‘09
Grandson of Lewis D. McCauley ‘50
John A.P. Clinton ‘09
Son of Marshall Clinton, Jr. ‘62
Grandson of Marshall Clinton ‘32
Grandson of Andrew O. Peek ‘24
John A. Ennis ‘15
Son of James S. Ennis ‘81
William J. Gisel ‘09
Son of William G. Gisel, Jr. ‘70
Aliena R.M. Aubrecht ‘10
Daughter of
Christian F. P. Aubrecht ‘86
Bradley A. Bourne ‘12
Son of James A. Bourne, Jr. ‘79
Grandson of James A. Bourne ‘54
Kathryn Ennis ‘13
Daughter of James S. Ennis ‘81
Brian W. Griffith ‘09
Son of Timothy E. Griffith ‘77
Amber L. Ball ‘10
Daughter of John E. Ball ‘79
Elizabeth E. Bourne ‘15
Daughter of
James A. Bourne, Jr. ‘79
Granddaughter of
James A. Bourne ‘54
Emily J. Carlson ‘11
Daughter of
Richard A. Carlson, Jr. ‘72
Rachel A. Cromwell ‘10
Daughter of Brian G. Cromwell ‘76
Elizabeth A. Fitch ‘13
Daughter of
Annette Holzman Fitch ‘82
Charles H. Gurney ‘10
Son of Elizabeth Stevens Gurney ‘75
Son of Charles L. Gurney III ‘75
Grandson of E. W. Dann Stevens ‘44
Grandson of Charles L. Gurney II ‘38
Great Grandson of
Horace W. Reed ’22
32 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

Ilona M. Haidvogel ‘09
Daughter of Dale B. Haidvogel ‘67
Lauren D. Jones ‘11
Daughter of Ian W. Jones ‘80
Granddaughter of
Albert M. Jones II ‘39
Hannah A. Kloepfer ‘09
Daughter of
George J. Kloepfer II ‘68
Granddaughter
John G. Kloepfer ‘42
William D. Maloney ‘09
Grandson of George R. Duryea ‘45
Grace C. Marlette ‘09
Daughter of Peter S. Marlette ‘76
Daughter of Helen Ladds Marlette ‘77
Granddaughter of
Edward N. Marlette ‘37
Lyman B. Munschauer ‘09
Grandson of Edward F. Walsh ‘43
Cameron A. Hejna ‘14
Son of Anthony J. Hejna ‘86
Samuel M. Jones ‘15
Son of Peter M. Jones ‘74
Grandson of Albert M. Jones II ‘39
John C. Knox ‘11
Son of Seymour H. Knox IV ‘73
Great Grandson of
Seymour H. Knox, Jr. ‘15
Derek R. Marks ‘11
Son of Theodore E. Marks II ‘78
Alexandra M. Mathews ‘11
Daughter of Karen L. Mathews ‘71
Shannon G. Nachreiner ‘12
Daughter of
Lorraine Hoffman Nachreiner ‘79
Laura A. Hettrick ‘09
Daughter of Jane Cox Hettrick ‘78
Daughter of John L. Hettrick, Jr. ‘73
Great Granddaughter of
Mr. Adrian J. Allard ‘28
John D. Hourihane ‘14
Son of Wendy Zimmer ‘81
Edwin M. Johnston IV ‘10
Son of Edwin M. Johnston III ‘78
Grandson of
Edwin M. Johnston, Jr. ‘51
Great Grandson of
Nelson T. Montgomery ‘16
Brendan J. Karet ‘11
Son of Michael A. Karet ‘87
Grandson of Jack A. Karet ‘52
Chloe Keating ‘15
Daughter of
Lisa Massaro Keating ‘82
Stephen Kellogg III ‘10
Son of Stephen Kellogg, Jr. ‘81
Grandson of
Stephen Kellogg, Sr. ‘55
Seymour H. Knox V ‘08
Son of Seymour H. Knox IV ‘73
Great Grandson of
Seymour H. Knox, Jr. ‘15
Anna S. Magavern ‘15
Daughter of
Samuel D. Magavern II ‘81
Granddaughter of
James L. Magavern ‘51
M. Graham Marks ‘10
Son of Theodore E. Marks II ‘78
Theodore E. Marks III ‘14
Son of Theodore E. Marks II ‘78
Cary L. Marlette ‘09
Daughter of Michael J. Marlette ‘71
Granddaughter of
Edward N. Marlette ‘37
Frederick G. Maynor ‘14
Son of Thomas G. Maynor ‘81
Son of Clare T. Poth ‘81
Stephanie G. Militello ‘09
Daughter of Marilynn Propis
Militello N’71
Michael Montante ‘13
Son of
Alexandra Llugany Montante ‘86
Victoria L. Nachreiner ‘09
Daughter of
Lorraine Hoffman Nachreiner ‘79
Hanna O’Neill ‘12
Daughter of Wende A. Mix ‘77
Rachel E. O’Neill ‘09
Daughter of Wende A. Mix ‘77
Alexandra W. Jones ‘14
Daughter of Ian W. Jones ‘80
Granddaughter of
Albert M. Jones II ‘39
Colin W. B. Kennedy ‘11
Grandson of William R. Kinkel ‘46
Maria F. Magavern ‘08
Daughter of David Magavern ‘77
Granddaughter of
James L. Magavern ‘51
Sara F. Magavern ‘08
Daughter of David Magavern ‘77
Granddaughter of
James L. Magavern ‘51
Elizabeth L. Marlette ‘13
Daughter of Peter S. Marlette ‘76
Daughter of Helen Ladds Marlette ‘77
Granddaughter of
Edward N. Marlette ‘37
Peter O. Montante ‘14
Son of
Alexandra Llugany Montante ‘86
Sydney M. Muggia ‘12
Granddaughter of
Donald E. Miller ‘60
George H. Ostendorf III ‘11
Son of
George H. Ostendorf, Jr. ‘83
Grandson of
George H. Ostendorf ‘58
Great Grandson of
Renwick A. Ostendorf ‘25
Great Grandson of
Edward G. Zeller, Jr. ‘25
Great Grandson of
Robert E. Chambers ’34
33

Oscar C. Ostendorf ‘13
Son of George H. Ostendorf, Jr. ‘83
Grandson of
George H. Ostendorf ‘58
Great Grandson of
Renwick A. Ostendorf ‘25
Great Grandson of
Edward G. Zeller, Jr. ‘25
Great Grandson of
Robert E. Chambers ’34
Jonathan Plotkin ‘10
Son of Susan Pitterman Plotkin ‘79
Nicholas J. Prise ‘11
Son of Kevin M. Prise ‘82
Caroline M. Russ ‘10
Daughter of Hugh M. Russ III ‘78
Granddaughter of
Hugh M. Russ ‘47
Oliver J. Russ ‘09
Son of Hugh M. Russ III ‘78
Grandson of Hugh M. Russ ‘47
Jacob Stark ‘10
Great Grandson of
Cameron Baird ‘22
Dann B. Stevens ‘15
Son of Gregory D. Stevens ‘74
Grandson of
E. W. Dann Stevens ‘44
Great Grandson of
Horace W. Reed ’22
William L. Tiftickjian ‘11
Son of David D. Tiftickjian ‘78
Great Grandson of
Brainard E. Prescott ‘28
Tyler A. Trammell ‘15
Son of Mark H. Trammell ‘78
Christopher P. White ‘11
Son of W. Michael White ‘81
Nicolette M. Winder ‘11
Granddaughter of
J. Bruce Forbush ‘49
Jacob N. Parentis ‘15
Son of Michael A. Parentis ‘86
Son of
Michelle Rosenberg Parentis ‘86
David J. Parker ‘08
Son of David K. Parker ‘75
Grandson of Karr Parker, Jr. ‘37
James A. Randaccio ‘11
Son of Alan R. Randaccio ‘82
Lee S. Randaccio ‘09
Daughter of Brad F. Randaccio ‘75
David A. Sherris, Jr. ‘13
Son of David A. Sherris ‘79
Matthew P. Sherris ‘15
Son of David A. Sherris ‘79
Annawade M. Stevenson ‘14
Daughter of Wade Stevenson ‘63
Granddaughter of
Charles P. Stevenson ‘36
Christopher M. Walter ‘11
Son of Joseph R. Walter ‘76
Ryan J. Walter ‘08
Son of Joseph R. Walter ‘76
Andrew E. Wolney ‘14
Son of Ann Flynn Wolney ‘78
Luke A. Yerkovich ‘12
Son of Edward D. Yerkovich ‘80
Max G. Pergament ‘11
Son of Diane Gardner ‘79
Caroline E. Pierce ‘09
Daughter of
Frederick G. Pierce II ‘73
Granddaughter of
Frederick S. Pierce ‘35
Maxwell F. Reis ‘08
Son of Wendy Zimmer ‘81
Philipp A. Rimmler ‘09
Son of Anne Beltz Rimmler ‘75
Alison J. J. Root ‘09
Daughter of Lisann Jacobs ‘79
Campbell Smith ‘08
Son of Leon H. Smith III ‘69
Grandson of
Leon H. Smith, Jr. ‘45
Edward G. Spangenthal ‘10
Son of Edward J. Spangenthal ‘79
John H. Tank ‘13
Son of Erica Procter Tank ‘79
Anna E. Tantillo ‘13
Daughter of
Theresa Giallanza Tantillo ‘81
Joseph F. Tantillo ‘11
Son of Theresa Giallanza Tantillo ‘81
Grace G. Waters ‘08
Daughter of Henry D. Waters, Jr. ‘73
Granddaughter of
Henry D. Waters ‘48
Great Granddaughter of
Jesse C. Dann ’18
Madeleine D. Waters ‘10
Daughter of Henry D. Waters, Jr. ‘73
Granddaughter of
Henry D. Waters ‘48
Great Granddaughter of
Jesse C. Dann ’18
Will E. Yerkovich ‘15
Son of Edward D. Yerkovich ‘80
Jacob A. Zimmer ‘11
Son of Gregg L. Zimmer ‘80
Rachel L. Zimmer ‘13
Daughter of Gregg L. Zimmer ‘80
David W. Pierce ‘11
Son of Frederick G. Pierce II ‘73
Grandson of Frederick S. Pierce ‘35
Paige F. Spangenthal ‘15
Daughter of
Edward J. Spangenthal ‘79
34 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

After Nichols
Fred Clark ’54 Saves Babies’ Lives
Jock Mitchell ’66
Personal update:
I live in a very interesting and diverse section
of Central Philadelphia with my wife of 29
years, Karen. We have six children “all over
the place.”
Schooling after Nichols:
Consistent with my lifelong love of animals,
I attended Cornell and received a Doctor of
Veterinary Medicine degree. I then spent two
very educational years at the Center for Disease
Control (United States Public Health
Service) in Atlanta working in research for
such infectious diseases as leprosy, Rocky
Mountain spotted fever and rabies. Finally, I
returned to Buffalo where I received a Ph.D.
in microbiology and immunology at UB.
Career path:
I have spent the majority of my career in
Philadelphia working in research at the
Wistar Institute and The Children’s Hospital
of Philadelphia, which is academically
linked to the School of Medicine at the
University of Pennsylvania, where I am a
research professor of pediatrics.
Major accomplishment:
Without a doubt, it is my work with a team
that invented a vaccine for rotavirus gastroenteritis,
the single largest diarrhea disease
killer of young children in the world. It is
estimated that up to
600,000 babies a year
die worldwide from this
illness. The vaccine was
approved by the Food
and Drug administration
in 2006. At least
60 percent of the babies
born in the United
States are already receiving
it. Efforts are now
underway to have the
vaccine licensed and
administered in other
countries around the
world.
What did you learn at Nichols that has
helped you in your career and in life
I consider my Nichols experience a very
solid, “no frills” education which centered
on the basics of math, history and science.
Perhaps more importantly, I learned that
being inquisitive and studying something in
great depth can be very rewarding.
Favorite Nichols moment:
One year I was runner-up on the General
Information Test. That was pretty exciting.
I also remember Millard Session’s Forum.
It was a club that got together to discuss
public policy. This was during
the McCarthy hearings. I think I
spent much of my senior year at
the Grovsner Library studying the
fifth amendment.
Name a Nichols faculty member
or coach who had a great
impact on you.
There were so many. Paul
Seamans, my III form science
teacher did a fine job introducing
me to what turned out to be my
career. Ray Verill taught me how
to write effectively. (So many of
my colleagues do not know how to
write!) Bob Gillespie gave me a solid training
in math.
Hobbies or special interests:
Yes. I love Haiti. I have traveled there a great
deal over the past 20 years. Many years ago, I
met a priest there with whom I helped start a
micro-credit lending bank for impoverished
peasant women. Today I am proud to say
that the bank has 33 branches!
35

Pennsylvania
Lynn & Clay Hamlin ’63 hosted over
30 alumni and friends at their home in
Haverford, Pa., on Feb. 5.
Hope & Thomas Punnett ’44
Rick Bryan, Jud Weiksnar ’75, Ellen Baxter ’77, Robert Kavash, George Smith ’75 and
Martha Bukowski Thomson ’74
36 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008
H. Fred Clark ’54 & Karen Clark

Jean Astmann, Fred Astmann ’62, Hon. Gene Pratter and Bob Pratter ’62
Charlie Cheyney ’07, Arthur Hayes ’04, Newton Sears ’05, Michael Stenclik ’05
and Clay Hamlin ‘63
John Vaughan ’51, Ann Vaughan, Arlene McLean, Ben Bigler ’51 and Lewis McLean ’51
37

Young Writers’ Workshop
Chris Gibbons
In the mid-1980s, Upper School English
instructor Larry Desautels and Auction
Coordinator Linda Kahn started the Young
Writers’ Workshop at Nichols. Continued
later by Kate Chambers, the event is now
overseen by Linda Fox, Director of Parent
Relations and Special Events, and has grown
to include participation by over 180 students
from all over Western New York. Each
student is nominated by his or her English
teacher.
The program is designed to generate
enthusiasm about reading, writing and
storytelling. The day offers an enriching
experience for fourth, fifth and sixth-grade
students: following a keynote speech,
16 Nichols faculty members and guest
instructors teach the workshops. Each
student attends three sessions, which can be
about any topic related to writing, such as
journalism, poetry, short stories, advertising,
drama and letter writing.
Pat Long, of the Upper School English
Department, who also serves as Board of
Trustees President for Just Buffalo Literary
Center, delivered this year’s speech to a full
house in the Flickinger Performing Arts
Center. His thought-provoking message
resonated with the young writers and their
parents. The text of his speech follows:
When you walked through the doors here this
morning, you were each given the most powerful,
most amazing weapon in the world: a pen. The
pen you hold in your hand is magic. With it,
you can become anyone you want to be; you can
travel anywhere you want to go; and you can do
anything you want to do. That’s because, with
that pen, you can do the most magical thing in
the world: you can write.
I believe, in my heart, that people can change.
They change by reading books and poems and
stories. And I know that each one of you will
change someone’s life by your writing. It may be a
novel; it may be a love letter; it may be a birthday
card to your granddaughter. But each of you will
change someone. And, I believe, that one of you,
sitting here this morning, will change the world
through your writing. Martin Luther King did it.
Tolstoy did it. You can too.
The world certainly needs your help. Wars,
famine, sadness, hatred: these are all ills that can
be cured by your writing. But changing the world
is hard work. Important things are always hard
work. This morning, I am going to help you get
started. I am going to give you three rules on how
to change the world through your writing.
Rule #1 is the hardest, but the most
important. You need to write everyday. Rain or
shine, summer and fall, you need to sit in your
chair and write. The best way to write every day
is to keep a journal. The greatest writers in the
world have always kept a journal as a way to
capture their thoughts and ideas. If a journal is
good enough for Virginia Woolf or J.K. Rowling,
it’s good enough for you.
Why keep a journal Why is it so important
Because keeping a journal will make your life
worthwhile. There is magic in the pages of a
journal. Day by day, year by year, if you keep at
it, you will discover who you are and what you are
meant to be. You can also learn who you were,
as you read back into the past. A journal gives
you an anchor in the current of time. It forces you
to examine your life, and, as Socrates said, an
unexamined life is not worth living.
Now I know that some young writers out there
think they don’t have the time to keep a journal.
Between school, and ballet, and hockey practice,
and cello lessons, there’s just no time to sit down
and reflect on the day. Some of you adults might
even feel you are too busy. You are all wrong. No
one is too busy to keep a journal. All it takes is 15
minutes a day. You may not get rock hard abs in
15 minutes a day, but you can keep a journal.
Some of you may claim that you do not even
have 15 minutes to write. For those, I direct
you to the book “Five Days in London,” by John
38 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

Lukacs. It is a terrific history of the five days in
May 1940 when England stood alone against the
German Army. Professor Lukacs based most of
his book on the meticulous diary Churchill kept
during those dark days. If Winston Churchill
found the time to keep a diary while fighting
Hitler, then you can find a few minutes in your
day to write.
So where are you going to find that time That
brings us to Rule #2: Turn off the television. This
may be hard to hear, but if you really want to be
a writer, you need to turn off your TV. There is
nothing coming out of that box with wires and
lights [or, I should say, that panel] that will help
you write. In fact, television is designed to prevent
you from doing anything -- other than watching
more television. The average American child
watches over four hours of television a day. If you
want to write, turn off the TV.
I will let you in on a secret. A college
acquaintance got a job right after graduation
writing for the television show “Seinfeld.” He
is now the head writer for “The Larry David
Show.” He made his fortune by writing for two
of the most popular shows on television. And
yet … he never watches television himself. He
has neither the time nor the interest. He would
much rather read. Another writer, David Milch,
the creator of “NYPD Blue,” “Deadwood” and
“Hill Street Blues,” was born and raised in
Buffalo and graduated from Nichols. I consider
him the greatest living television writer. Recently,
he admitted, in a speech at MIT, that he rarely
watches television himself. Further, he worries
that Americans are so addicted to television that
they cannot face, and do not see, the real dramas
in their lives. If the best, most successful writers
for television don’t trust it, you shouldn’t either.
If you really want to be a writer and change the
world, turn off the television.
So now you have those fifteen minutes to write
in your journal. But what are you going to do
with the other three hours and forty-five minutes
you’ve gained That brings us to Rule # 3: Read
everything. Read all the time. Make reading your
favorite thing to do in the world. Create a special
place in your house to read. It may be your room,
or a comfy chair, or a certain step on the stairs.
Have someplace where you can go and get lost in
reading.
Now this may cause your parents some
anguish, but I do not believe it really matters what
you read. Shakespeare is great. But so is Harry
Potter. Or Nancy Drew. Or Sports Illustrated.
Or Popular Mechanics. Or comic books. Or the
newspaper. The important thing is to read.
Be messy with your reading. Read whatever
interests you, and then read what doesn’t interest
you. Wander around the library or the bookstore.
Poke around in the science fiction section, or in
ancient history. Find something you know nothing
about, like farming, and read a book about it.
I know a writer who reads every article in the
New York Times every day – including articles he
has no interest in – just to learn about the world
around him. Like him, to be a great writer, you
must be curious: curious about people, curious
about places, and, most of all, curious about
words. The best – and to me, the only – way to
satisfy that kind of curiosity is through reading.
Everything. All the time.
So that’s it: three simple rules to become a
writer and change the world: keep a journal; turn
off the TV; and read everything. If you young
writers follow these rules, I guarantee you will be
standing at a podium like this one day, accepting
your Nobel Prize. Never underestimate the power
of writing to change the world.
I can’t wait to read your books. The world
needs your writing. Get busy. •
39

The Big Green Initiative
Tim Vanini ’87
Nichols School is implementing a wide-ranging approach to campus sustainability
called the Big Green Initiative. The BGI focuses on campus energy, materials, land
and water use by applying methods promoting environmental literacy, sustainability
and education. The program involves all aspects of our school community, including
capital, community and curriculum points of view.
Action Taken in the 2007 – 2008 School
Year
• Installation of new energy efficient
boiler system and double-paned windows
for Albright Hall; making similar
sustainability updates to Mitchell Hall this
summer
• Hosted world-renowned environmentalist,
activist and author Bill McKibben as a
Prince Lecturer in September
• Elimination of paper and plastic cups from
the faculty room and ONLY using coffee
mugs
• Utilization of 100% non-toxic cleaners
• Recycling of plastic bottles, paper,
cardboard, electronic hardware and food
scraps (used to produce organic matter for
flower beds on campus via worm farms)
• Reuse of ink cartridges
• Reducing paper quantities: mid-year in
2005-2006 and 2006-2007, we used 150
cases of paper; this year, we have used only
120 cases of paper
• In December, Ashley Dayer ’97, bird
educator at Klamath Bird Observatory
in Oregon, visited campus to work with
fifth-graders and give a lecture on her
experiences at Nichols and her current
work
• Approval by the Board of Trustees to build
a new science/math building including
the following green aspects: sustainable
storm water management; low level;
lighting to minimize light pollution;
southern circulation corridor to maximize
daylighting in building core; green roof;
sustainable mechanical systems and more
Faculty & Staff Feedback on the BGI
Sandy Smith Cunnigham ’93,
Chair of Middle School Science:
“We are currently evaluating insoluble
pollutants and the environment (oil spill
response and clean up) and removing
soluble pollutants from water (desalination
process and global, political and monetary
repercussions). In the future, my class will
evaluate water quality analysis at Scajaquada
Creek studying the following nutrients:
nitrogen and phosphorous monitoring;
turbidity monitoring; dissolved oxygen
monitoring; iron and chlorine monitoring;
hardness: Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ monitoring;
the Great Lakes: history of the lakes and
discussion of the fishery, including glacial
formation, hydrology, non-indigenous
species and Niagara Falls and the Gorge.”
Josh Ring, Upper School Science teacher:
“For Environmental and Geology, I had the
kids submit papers electronically. I grade
in red and send back to them. You can
actually write with the SMART Board
in Word and send back corrections. In
Geology, I currently teach a climate change
section, that I did not teach in years
previous. Environmental is doing a project
to develop green ideas for the new building.
Phil Coburn has an Energy Focus with the
freshmen this year and I am following suit
in my Physics class and teaching them about
alternative energy. The freshmen class will
hopefully take a field trip to the hydropower
plant.”
Chris Writer, Associate College Counselor
and Editor of Nichols Today:
“The parent newsletter is published every
other month, is sent to faculty and staff
electronically, and is supplemented by
e-newsletters from the grade reps.”
Kate Olena, Middle School Theatre teacher:
“For the first time this year, the Asian
Theatre Acting Styles class substituted
PowerPoint presentations on SMART
Boards for paper handouts. We used
to make over 180 photocopies for this
exhibition. The recycled boxes used in the
first seventh grade play are being re-purposed
for the props in this term’s eighth grade
play.”
Nina Cimino, Director of Marketing and
Communications:
“We are constantly evaluating ways to make
our projects eco-friendly, including use of
recycled paper and using less paper overall.
From printing the magazine to creating
letterhead, I am making an extra effort
to work with environmentally conscious
vendors who want to help us accomplish our
sustainability goals. The companies we work
with are now aware of the BGI and what it
means to our school to be green.”
Simple Ways
to Help Save
Our Earth
Contributions from Josh Ring
and others
• Recycle, reduce, reuse – and utilize bins
to collect your recyclables
• Turn water off when not in use
• Walk or bike to work or school
• Carpool to work or school
• Turn lights off as you leave the room
• Pull plugs from around your house when
not in use
• Utilize washable towels; minimize use of
napkins and paper towels
• Buy a programmable thermostat to
regulate temperature
• During winter, lower temperature to 62° F
• Use NALGENE bottle or other reusable
container for water
• Use a coffee mug whenever possible
• Install water-saver faucets and low-flow
shower heads
• Reduce time in shower
• Use both sides of the paper
• Keep a pile of scrap paper to use for notes
• Use recycled paper
• Buy local produce from markets or your
grocery store
• Buy and use non-toxic cleaners
• Use reusable bags, not plastic
For more information on the Big Green
Initiative, please stay tuned to www.
nicholsschool.org. We are in the process
of developing a web site at http://
nicholsnet.nicholsschool.org/biggreen.
40 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

Bequests
William Nichols Society
Neil Farmelo
A bequest to Nichols School is a gift that represents the donor’s concern for and commitment
to the school’s excellence in education. The William Nichols Society cites and honors all persons
who have named Nichols School in their estate plans, usually by will or trust.
Bequests were first tracked in our giving records as a specific category in 1991. Since then,
Nichols has received 40 bequests totaling $1,062,615. Following are the names of alumni,
parents, faculty, staff and friends who are members of the William Nichols Society.
Please note that (D) represents a deceased member.
Alumni
Class of 1914
Mr. Clark T. Roberts (D)
Class of 1916
Mr. Edward B. Archbald (D)
Class of 1921
Mr. Harry D. Yates (D)
Class of 1924
Mr. Robert L. Crane (D)
Class of 1926
Mr. Wilcox B. Adsit (D)
Mr. Hubert L. Perry (D)
Class of 1929
Hon. Henry P. Smith, III (D)
Dr. Robert Warner (D)
Class of 1931
Mr. Matthew N. Hayes (D)
Mr. George B. Kellogg (D)
Mr. Julian R. Oishei (D)
Class of 1932
Dr. Warren R. Montgomery, Jr. (D)
Mr. Harry B. Pinkerton, Jr. (D)
Mr. Philip M. Schneckenburger (D)
Class of 1933
Mr. Richard R. Chellas (D)
Mr. Bryant H. Prentice, Jr. (D)
Class of 1936
Mr. Scott McFarland (D)
Class of 1937
Mr. Karr Parker, Jr. (D)
Class of 1938
Mr. Richard E. Moot
Mr. Robert S. Scheu
Mr. Edward C .Schlenker Jr. (D)
Class of 1939
Mr. Thomas H. Danforth
Mr. Richard P. Hunt (D)
Class of 1940
Mr. James G. Hurley (D)
Class of 1941
Mr. Edwin C. Andrews
Mr. John Brady
Mr. John P. Halstead
Mr. R. Alfred Kirchhofer (D)
Mr. Richard C. Smith (D)
Mr. S. Thompson Viele
Mr. Murray W. Warner (D)
Class of 1942
Mr. Roderic B. MacDonald (D)
Mr. Donald S. Rumsey (D)
Mr. Edward M. Scheu, Jr.
Class of 1943
Mr. Allen Short
Mr. Edward F Walsh
Class of 1944
Mr. Fulton M. Cooke
Mr. John R. Griffis
Mr. E.W. Dann Stevens
Class of 1945
Mr. John P. Hoffman (D)
Dr. James M. Orr
Mr. Donald B. Scully (D)
Class of 1946
Mr. Lawrence Osgood
Class of 1947
Mr. Whitworth Ferguson, Jr. (D)
Mr. Rodney W. Gartner
Mr. Allan S. Lerner
Mr. Carlton K. Nicholson
Mr. John G. Putnam, Jr. (D)
Mr. Calvin G. Rand
Mr. John A. Williams
Mr. G. Frederick Zeller, Jr.
Class of 1948
Mr. Walter G. Goldstein (D)
Mr. Charles S. Lauer
Mr. William H. Orr
Mr. Malcolm Strachan, II
Mr. Henry D. Waters
Class of 1949
Mr. Richard W. Cutting
Mr. Robert E. Dillon
Mr. William H. Donaldson
Mr. Hoyt M. Long (D)
Dr. J. David Schnatz
Dr. Bernard D. Wakefield
Mr. Reginald V. Williams, Jr.
Mr. Charles L. Yeager
Class of 1950
Mr. Thomas R. Flickinger
Class of 1951
Mr. James M. Dillon
Mr. Stephen S. Gurney
Mr. Edwin M. Johnston, Jr.
Mr. David W. McCain
Mr. William J. Regan, Jr.
Mr. Alfred W.Rossow, Jr.
Mr. Roger D. Severance
Mr. Richard W. Shaughnessy
Mr. John H. Wood (D)
Class of 1952
Mr. Harold M. Graham
Mr. Richard W. Miller (D)
Class of 1953
Mr. Willard C. Frank, Jr.
Class of 1954
Mr. Denis Doyle
Mr. Kalman Ruttenstein (D)
Mr. Albert B. Wende
Mr. C. Penn Wettlaufer (D)
Class of 1955
Dr. John M. Wadsworth
Class of 1957
Mr. F. Peter Boer
Mr. James W. Greene II
Mr. John B. Henry
Dr. Charles A. Smith, II
Mr. David Wharton, III (D)
Class of 1958
Mr. Stuart H. Angert
Dr. William F. Clayton
Mr. Howard T. Saperston, Jr.
Class of 1959
Mr. John W. Henrich
Class of 1960
Mr. William N. Hudson, Jr.
Mr. Donald W. Koch (D)
Class of 1961
Mr. Richard B. Adams
Mr. G. Robert Moeschler, Jr.
Mr. Kenneth M. Neil
Class of 1962
Mr. Robert P. Lentz, III
Class of 1963
Mr. Warren B. Gelman
Mr. William B. Loweth
Dr. L. Sandy Maisel
Mr. John N. Walsh, III
Class of 1964
Mr. P. Jeffrey Birtch
Mr. Howard L. Schweitzer
Mr. Kevin M. Wyckoff
Class of 1965
Mr. Richard B. Benson
Class of 1966
Mr. Theodore C. Jewett II
Mr. Bertram B. Parker
Mr. John A. Mitchell
Mr. Robert F. Rahn
Class of 1969
Mr. Jerry S. Ivers
Class of 1970
Mr. William G. Gisel, Jr.
Mr. Edward W. Suor
Class of 1972
Mr. John Mineo
Mr. Edward F. Walsh, Jr.
Class of 1974
Mrs. Eliz. Rydzynski Hulley
Mr. Gregory D. Stevens
Class of 1975
Mr. Neal V. Fatin, III
Mrs. Elizabeth Stevens Gurney
Class of 1976
Mr. Brian D. Dillon
Ms. Katharine Jebb Norton
Mr. Stephen J. Wydysh
Class of 1977
Mr. John C. Farmelo
Mrs. Anne Desbecker Sofarelli
Class of 1978
Mrs. Stacey Fell Milne
Class of 1979
Mr. Jeffrey T. Clifford
Class of 1980
Dr. R. Reed Stevens
Class of 1984
Ms. Susan E. Hanifin
Miss Joy C. Trotter
Class of 1987
Mr. Mark H. Yellen
Class of 1990
Mr. W. Scott Saperston
Class of 1991
Mr. Kenneth R. Robinson
Class of 1992
Capt. Elizabeth Boll-Faris
Faculty and
Staff
Mr. Richard C. Bryan, Jr.
Dr. Anne R. Clauss
Mr. Neil R. Farmelo
Mr. Guy M. Johnson
Mr. H. Richard MacKinder (D)
Mr. Millard Sessions
Mrs. Mary Sykes
Mr. Albert Sutter
Mrs. Ginna Walsh
Friends
Mrs. Marian C. Arms (D)
Mr. Charles E. Balbach
Mrs. Margaret C. Balbach (D)
Mr. James Benson (D)
Mr. Keith A. Blakeley
Rev. Judith B. Bryan
Mr. David N. Campbell
Mrs. Gay Campbell
Mr. Joseph J. Castiglia
Mrs. Virginia L. Duffy (D)
Mrs. Doris Farmelo
Mrs. Sue Gardner
Mrs. Patricia Gelman
Mrs. Marion Goodyear (D)
Mr. Richard M. Hemenway (D)
Mrs. Gerald B. Henry (D)
Mrs. Margaret W. Henry (D)
Mr. Sherlock A. Herrick, Jr.
Mr. Charles R. Hoff
Mrs. James G. Hurley
Mr. Clinton F. Ivins, Jr.
Mrs. Thomas A. Jebb
Mr. N. Michael Keiser (D)
Mr. Chauncey C. Kennedy
Mrs. Patricia M. Kennedy
Mrs. Jean Knox
Mr. Seymour H. Knox, III (D)
Dr. Richard Lee
Dr. Oscar J. Llugany
Mrs. Kate Ennis Mabette (D)
Mrs. Claire McGowan
Mrs. Garfield L. Miller, Jr.
Mrs. Elizabeth S. Mitchell
Mrs. Alice L. Peek
Mrs. Jane Perry (D)
Mrs. Sharon A. Randaccio
Mr. Wayne R. Reilly
Mrs. Mary Saperston
Mrs. Martha S. Scheu (D)
Mrs. Carolyn Schnatz
Mrs. Catherine Schweitzer
Mrs. Alma C. Scully
Mr. Robert L. Stone
Mrs. Marilyn Stradella (D)
Mr. Gerald R. Strauss
Mrs. Sue W. Strauss
Mrs. Harlan J. Swift (D)
Mr. Christopher Wadsworth
Ms. Peggy Jane Wells (D)
41

Conversations about the
Significance of Diversity in our Lives
Four Students’ Experiences
Introduction BY Kaprece Smith
The following are reflections from Sarah Draper ’08, Ashley Gaines ’08, Brian Griffith ’08
and Elisa Peebles ’08. These four students attended the National Association of Independent
Schools’ Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) in Boston, Mass., from Nov. 28
to Dec. 1. Titled “Emerging from Our Past as We Shape Our Future,” the SDLC gathered
student leaders from independent schools around the nation to discuss issues of diversity and
multiculturalism within their school communities.
Following their return from the conference, the students made two presentations. The first was
during a Morning Meeting on Dec. 14 where they discussed the conference and demonstrated
an activity called “Class is in Session.” The students executed their second presentation during
the Buffalo Independent Secondary School Network’s (BISSNET) Student Conference on
Leadership and Diversity by leading a workshop titled, “Class is in Session: Looking at Class
Race and Other Cultural Identifiers” on Jan. 9.
Student Diversity Leadership
Conference (SDLC)
Reflection by Ashley Gaines ’08
The SDLC in Boston was absolutely life
changing. I realized that I was going to
learn from the conference as soon as I saw
the 1,200 high school students that came
together for one cause. The conference was
a safe environment where I was able to learn
from different people coming from different
backgrounds and think up strategies to
educate my community when I returned
home.
To my
surprise, my level
of confidence
also increased
while I was at
the conference
because of
its two main
components.
The first was
the student
networking. We were encouraged to create
our own support system with the other
students. Therefore, would have people to
help us with our problems when retuning to
our school communities to educate about
diversity. This process was easier than I
expected because all the participants at the
conference were always eager to meet new
people.
The second component of the conference
that built my confidence was the thought
provoking speeches that we heard. I heard
things in those speeches that I will never
forget and they have empowered me
tremendously. One speech given by the cochair
of the conference, Rodney Glasgow,
had two very powerful statements. The
first being “When we get tired, we don’t
stop, we mobilize,” and the second was,
“Confrontation causes change.” Theses two
quotes have allowed me to fulfill the promise
that I made to Nichols School before I left
for Boston: to return ready to help educate
the school while we become more aware of
the diverse world in which we reside.
Nichols Morning Meeting
Presentation
Reflections by Sarah Draper ’08
and Brian Griffith ’09
We left the conference discussing plans on
what we would like to present at Nichols.
When brainstorming topics, the issue
of identity came to mind. In one of our
discussion groups at the conference, called
“Family Groups,” we talked about the
differences between socioeconomic status
and socioeconomic class and how they
pertain to identity. Although it is a topic that
is not expressively discussed, it plays a great
role in identity and diversity. Socioeconomic
status defines the actuality of an
individual’s finances and sources of income;
socioeconomic
class is how a
person is or wants
to be perceived in
society.
During a
Friday Morning
Meeting, we
presented to the
entire school
about what we
learned from
the conference.
Ashley and
Sarah discussed
the feelings and
emotions they felt
from attending
the conference
and how they
have changed.
Elisa and Brian presented an activity to the
school entitled, “Class is in Session.” The
activity asked for eight students, two from
each grade, and two “brave” people. The two
brave volunteers were asked to arrange the
42 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Sp r i n g 2008

In Memoriam
Fall 2007 – Winter 2008
eight students by their socioeconomic status,
solely based on how they look.
We had doubts to how the school
would receive this activity. Socioeconomic
status and class are subjects that are not
highly talked about in the hallowed halls of
Nichols High. The two students in charge of
arranging the eight students had trouble with
their job. This is exactly what we planned.
This activity shows that you cannot simply
tell someone’s socioeconomic class and
status based on how they are dressed because
looks can be deceiving.
Different people define themselves
in different ways. At the conference, we
learned to be aware of the different ways
in which people identified themselves
and to be understanding of those who
identify differently than the social “norm.”
We wanted to share this with the Nichols
community.
BISSNET Student Conference on
Leadership and Diversity
Reflection by Elisa Peebles ’08
We learned many things from SDLC
through numerous exercises, and it was
impossible to pick out which was the most
pertinent because every experience taught
us something important about ourselves.
It then became clear to us that diversity is
more than grouping together people who
are superficially different from one another.
Further, diversity education is the process
in which we learn about the way other
people identify themselves, and through
that we hopefully gain a sense of respect
and empathy for those identifications.
This discovery gave all of us a sense of
liberation and self-reliance, and we aimed
to share this with the students and, to our
pleasant surprise, the adults at the BISSNET
conference.
The idea behind our workshop was
that we would present this new definition
of diversity to the participants through a
discussion on the eight cultural identifiers:
age, gender, socioeconomic status, race,
ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion and
ability. We wanted
them to see that
there is much
more to these
categories than
what’s usually
perceived. We
plunged into a
fruitful discussion
of the different
identifiers and
each of the three
sessions was unique. Some participants
shared personal stories of their background
or experiences they had. It was encouraging
to see our fellow peers learning from and
teaching one another, and even their
teachers.
Maria Hinojosa, the closing speaker
in Boston, gave us a definition of
multiculturalism that renowned Chicano
writer Sandra Cisneros told her:
“Multiculturalism is being able to see
yourself in someone completely different
from you.” Without a doubt, this happened
to the participants of our presentations, it
happened to us in Boston and it happens to
anyone who dares to live with an open mind.
But whenever and wherever it happens, it’s
always a beautiful thing. •
Alumni
Francis F. Baker ‘32 – September 28, 2007
Robert G. Flershem ’32 – Nov. 23, 2006
Robert M. Egelhoff ’34 – Oct. 8, 2007
Ashley W. Olmsted ’34 – Sept. 18, 2005
Frank H. Jellinek ’37 – Jan. 10, 2008
R. Clark Shaver ’38 – Aug. 6, 1996
Howard R. Neureuter ’40 – Nov. 2, 2007
Donald L. Miller ’42 – Jan. 29, 2008
Donald B. Scully, Jr. ‘45 – March 7, 2008
William L. “Beau” Van Schoonhoven ’46 –
Nov. 25, 2007
David H. Gruen ’47 – Feb. 12, 2008
Robert S. Jones ‘47 – March 12, 2008
Hoyt M. Long ’49 – Jan. 1, 2008
Paul Mancuso ’66 – December 2007
David Rosenthal ‘82 – March 11, 2008
Friends
Joan W. Alford – Oct. 30, 2007 –
mother of David ’65
Russell A. Anderson – Jan. 1, 2008 – father
of Thomas ’67 and Michael ’69
Louise Batson – Sept. 30, 2007 - wife of
Fred J. Batson ’46
Karl Bergmann – Dec. 23, 2007 – father
of Christopher ’79, Michael ’83,
Oliver ’81 and Peter ’88
Joseph Biltekoff – Dec. 22, 2007 – father
of James ’65, Bruce ’67 and Peter ’71;
grandfather of Katy ’90 and Leslie ’93
F. Wells “Ted” Brason – Dec. 2, 2007 – father
of Todd ’76, Peter ’80 and Laurie Brason
Siegner ’78; grandfather of Ellie ’13
Jack L. DeCarlo – Sept. 13, 2007 –
grandfather of Emily ’96, Adrienne ’98,
Haley ’00 and Tara ’02
Soledad M. dePerio – Dec. 25, 2007 –
grandmother of Marie ’94, Joseph ’96
and Lisa ’98
Thomas K. Donohoe – Dec. 4, 2007 –
grandfather of Matthew ’08 and Kaitlin ’09
Arthur J. Ennis – Jan. 17, 2008 – father
of Jim ’81; grandfather of Kathryn ’13
and John ’15
Raymond Gonzalez – December 7, 2007 –
grandfather of Erika Pollak ’98
Nelle Graves – Nov. 3, 2007 – wife of
Howard B. “Bud” Graves ’40
Rev. Lyle R. Guttu – Dec. 16, 2007,
former faculty member and coach
Barbara Harriman – March 9, 2007 –
wife of John H. “Jack” Harriman ’37
Mother Hickey – June 5, 2007
Elisabeth Zeller “Betsey” Hughes –
Sept. 12, 2007 – sister of Fritz Zeller ’47
George C. Kloepfer - March 8, 2008,
Grandfather of Matthew Miller ‘95,
Michael Miller ‘87, Great Grandfather
of Sydney Muggia ‘12
Edwin J. Lenahan – Dec. 2, 2007 – father of
Mary ’68, Elizabeth ’70, Lorry ’73 and
Maureen ’76
Priscilla P. Love – Nov. 25, 2007 –
grandmother of David Quackenbush ’90
and Adrian Quackenbush ’93
Thomas R. Lynett - March 10, 2008,
father of Tom Lynett ‘75
Joseph C. Mancuso – Dec. 6, 2007 –
former faculty member; brother of Paul ’66
Bernice Martin – April 22, 2007 – wife
of John F. Desbecker ’43; mother of Anne
Desbecker Sofarelli ’77
David G. Pollack – Dec. 7, 2007 – grandfather
of Joshua ’90
Nina Spier – Jan. 30, 2007 – mother of Robert
’75, Rosemary ’77, David ’79 and Thomas ’81;
brother of Patrick W.E. Hodgson ’58
Harriet E. Spiller - March 7, 2008, mother of
Harley Spiller ‘77
Phillip Weissman – Dec. 29, 2007 - grandfather
of Jacob Levy ’08
43

Class Notes
The Class of 1949 gathered at the 2007 Alumni
Luncheon.
David Strachan ’51 and Kim Kimberly ’47.
Sandra and Dennis McCarthy ’52 attended a
great Nichols party preceding A.R. Gurney’s
“Indian Blood” at Studio Arena.
1935
John Waterbury continues to enjoy good
health and still resides in his home of 66 years
in San Diego, Calif. He will be 92 in April
and his memories of Buffalo and Nichols
School are still fresh.
1936
Rev. William Egelhoff and his wife,
Dorothy, reside in an Episcopal-Presbyterian
Retirement home in Richmond, Va. The
90-year-old couple is enjoying reasonably good
health and Bill still serves as a ship’s chaplain
on cruises.
1948 - 60th Reunion
John Turk and his wife, Mary Jean, had a
wonderful visit with Harry Mursten ’48 and
his wife, Margaret, at their beautiful home
in New Seneca, S.C. They hadn’t seen each
other in 59 years and had a lot to talk about.
John and Harry are planning on attending
their 60 th reunion in June.
1949
Robert Dillon is still living in his home where
his seven children grew up, but he is planning
to downsize this year to a condo in Westfield,
N.J., where several of their friends reside.
They had fun last summer entertaining their
children, spouses and 18 grandchildren in
Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
Hoyt Long and Gray MacArthur sent
congratulations to Dick Cutting for receiving
the 2007 Distinguished Alumnus Award
at the 87 th Annual Meeting of the Alumni
Association and best wishes to all their
classmates.
Edward Weisbeck received the J. Michael
Duffett Award, named in memory of the late
J. Michael Duffett ’62, on Feb. 23, 2008 at the
HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y., in recognition
of his contributions to youth ice hockey.
1950
Jeb Bray enjoyed visiting with his classmates,
Dick Teach, Gordon Gannon and Roy
Neureuter at the Alumni Luncheon in
December. He wants to thank his classmates
who have donated to the Annual Fund and
says that he will be hounding the others.
1951
Stephen Gurney is the winner of the National
Masters Title in age 70 lightweight quadruple
sculls.
Congratulations to David G. Strachan, a 2007
recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award.
1952
Harold “Pete” Graham and his wife, Millie,
enjoyed his 55 th reunion last June and visiting
with Chuck Turner and Lee Abell. Recently
he produced a ditty called “Flight Down Main
Street” in Crossville, Tenn.; look for it on
youtube.com. Pete is still playing softball when
the weather is above 50 degrees.
1953 - 55th Reunion
John Conkling writes that he is going strong
and playing hard.
1954
H. Ward Wettlaufer is still playing golf and
edged out Clarke Narins ’69 last summer and
also played a few times with Tim Norbeck ’56
where Tim broke 80 for the first time!
1955
Austin Hoyt’s biography of George H. W.
Bush will air on PBS’s American Experiences
series in April.
David Shire was working and living in
London last summer on a seven-week
production of “Take Flight” that received
rave reviews. In November, he was in Tokyo
orchestrating 3,200 bars for eight players for
an Amon Mianoto Production. In December,
he was commissioned for a one-act opera
for the Colorado Children’s Chorus and is
hopefully landing and working on another
44 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Fa l l 2007

Eight members of the class of 1963, Charlie Banta ’65, Jim Wadsworth ’57
and friends went to Ireland in October. They played several of the great golf
courses in southwest Ireland, including Waterville, Ballybunion, Lahinch and
Tralee. Pictured here left to right – Harry Meyer ’63, Greg Koessler,
Clay Hamlin III ’63, Bill Russell, Bill Loweth ’63, Chuck Kreiner ’63,
Mike Kurzman (a friend of Mike Keiser ‘63), Warren Gelman ’63,
Phil Friedmann (Keiser’s former partner at Recycled Paper Greetings),
Bill Mathias ’63, Jack Walsh ’63, Jeff Jacobs ’63, Clay Hamlin IV,
Dan Forester, Jim Wadsworth ’57 and Charlie Banta ’65.
film score at the end of the year. The pilot for
“Didi Lightful” is in full production too and
he is hoping to get it sold.
Norman Wilson became a grandfather for the
first time on Oct. 31, 2007 and still works part
time practicing psychiatry.
1957
Charles Halpern will be in Buffalo in April
in connection with his book tour. The
official publication date for “Making Waves
and Riding the Currents: Activism and the
Practice of Wisdom” was Jan. 21, 2008. The
message of the book is meant to inspire
people – young and old – to do good work in
the world and to cultivate wisdom. He will be
speaking at Temple Beth Zion on April 12,
2008.
Alan Oestreich’s new book “Growth of the
Pediatric Skeleton” with text by Alan and
illustrations by his wife, Tamar, was released
and published by Springer Verlag.
1959
Henry May and his wife, Joan, were very
busy traveling to visit their three new
grandchildren. In July, their grandson was
born in San Francisco, a granddaughter was
born in late July in Philadelphia and another
granddaughter arrived in September in Boston.
1960
Jeffrey Bonn’s daughters, Leah and Deborah,
were married last year – only two more
weddings to go. They love the Sea of Cortez
so much that last year they built a second
home in La Pouze, Boeja California Sur
and now commute between Mexico and
Scottsdale, Ariz.
Paul Kritzer retired on Dec. 31, 2007 after 24
years as VP and General Counsel of Journal
Communications, Milwaukee. He took a
cruise on the Amazon River a week later. Stay
tuned for future plans, including a visit for his
50 th reunion.
Jay Regan and his wife, Amy, joined 25 plastic
surgery residents on a “World Journey of
Smiles” where approximately 50 kids from
Iraq made their way into Amman. Ten
Iraqi doctors (eight plastic surgeons, one
cardiologist and one anesthetist) made the
journey with the children. Needless to say
there is a tremendous amount of excitement
in providing the care to everyone and the
hospital that hosted everyone was exceptional.
The program was funded through the Regan
Fellowship program.
1963 - 45th Reunion
Scott Ryerson’s son, Collin, was married to
Laura Nigro in May 2007 in Maui, Hawaii.
They live in San Francisco.
1964
H. Ward Hamlin, Jr. joined the Buffalo law
firm of Brown & Kelly as a partner in the
litigation practice area. He will be serving on
Vestry at St. Paul’s Cathedral, where he is a
Gentleman of the Cathedral Choirs and a
Board Member of Friends of Music.
1966
Alan Kirschenbaum’s son is a freshman at
Vanderbilt and his daughter is a high school
junior. He enjoyed seeing everyone at his 40 th
reunion and says that it is always interesting
coming across fellow alums around the world.
1967
Thomas Anderson’s daughter, Emily,
graduated from Colgate magna cum late and
is living in London. His daughter, Caitlyn, is
applying to colleges and her latest plan is to
be a doctor and work for an organization like
Doctors Without Borders.
Daniel Rapalje writes that 1967 was a long
time ago but the memories still burn brightly
as ever. Thank you Nichols for everything!
Jim Wadsworth ’57 on a golf trip he took with
Nichols friends to Ireland this past October.
Calvin Brainard, Chuck Kreiner and Warren Gelman
at Cornell watching Nichols alumnae Brittany
Salmon ‘04 & Princeton captain Marykate Oakley
‘04 in a Princeton vs. Cornell Women’s Hockey
game.
45

Class Notes
Peter Gow ’68 Reflects
1968
Peter Gow wrote:
“It dawned on me the other day that we are now 40 years out of Nichols. I confess that I
haven’t worked too hard to make sense of that number nor really of my Nichols experience. If
anything, the way to that reflection has been blocked by a letter, now lost, that I received from
Philip M.B. Boocock a year or so after our graduation. In it he expressed disappointment in
our class, a candid revelation that irked me then and that irks me now.
I suppose I might have been more sympathetic to an old man whose secure world was
then being rocked and whose life’s work was about to come to an end; a year or so after we
were gone, so was he, and I wonder whether after 33 years he was feeling a little crucified
as they brought in what sure looked like a boy to do what had been a man’s work. The
avenues, parkways, and (it must be said) churches that had been the axes and bastions of his
Nichols now represented almost a minority position, with suburbanites whose ways he little
understood undeniably established in the classrooms and on the playing fields and rinks of his
school, along with ethnic, religious, and at long last racial diversity.
I have little specific recollection of my Upper School years, although I find myself surprised
upon occasion to recover a memory. The other day it flashed upon me that in the last weeks
of our senior year the newly devised “X period” gave those of us who were 18 the chance to
walkover to the Park Meadow for just enough time to consume an eight-ounce draft as an
aperitif to the chicken a la king or ravioli that awaited us in the Calvin Gordon Rand Dining
Room. Soon enough, some administrative type (one suspects the ever-watchful Mr. Zeller, who
shockingly lent me his Studebaker Lark on not one but two occasions to take “The Gleaner”
to the printer in Lockport, a gesture so out of my poor read of his character that I probably
forgot to thank him properly) closed our loophole with a rule, and p.m. excursions became yet
another of the subterfuges that the young practice on the old. By then even the most staid of
us had discovered what seemed likes in at the Beef & Ale or the Holland House. The Summer
of Love, the Tet Offensive, and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. had paraded past
us on the covers of Time and the nightly few minutes of Cronkite or Huntley and Brinkley,
but for the most part we took our music and our news from WKBW, where the Top 30 singles
were only briefly interrupted by Irv Weinstein with news that gave car wrecks in Hamburg and
fires in South Buffalo equal billing with the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement.
In June we stood and received our diplomas, with Mr. Ohler, who had welcomed most of
us in with his eternal “Why” ushering us out; we realized that we were actually grateful. We
glanced at our diplomas long enough to verify their contents and, like the customs officers
at the Peace Bridge checking passports (unnecessary then, of course, but I need to make my
image work), snapped them shut and continued on our journey. A few of us noted that at
almost the same instant they were shutting the martyred Bobby Kennedy’s eyes, as well.
By the following fall we were discovering that the rumors of war, sex and drugs were in fact
true, and we muddled through college, most of us, trying to make a separate peace with each
of these; it is perhaps a wonder than we lost only one along the way. I doubt that many of us
were ever satisfied with KB radio again, although don’t we linger on the oldies stations as our
kids channel surf on the car radio today I don’t believe that the draft took any or at least
more than a couple of us—a statistical impossibility, of course, although no surprise because
we were in fact part of that privileged elite who managed to beat the Selective Service System
even with single- or two-digit lottery numbers that had seemed like a death sentence that
night during sophomore year when the
first drawings took place.
In time college was over, and it seems that
most of us found our way into a workaday
world that was not really all so different from
that of our fathers, although doing it with a
degree of prosperity was going to be harder in
the post-Industrial Buffalo that awaited our
return from the adventures of college and
graduate school. In truth, some of us never
came back, while others, as I did, drifted away.
But we are doctors, lawyers, men of business
and teachers just as our forebears were.
Nichols is of course still there. The chapel
is gone—no more pencil-marble game, no more
“Once to every man and nation,” no more
wondering how Jewish classmates made the
necessary internal compromises to recite the
Lord’s Prayer or sing hymns with distinctly
Trinitarian themes. It seems to me that the
official green on the mailings I receive is a bit
sunnier than the color of the uniforms and the seal I remember, and I think I prefer the more
somber, floor-of-the-forest tones of my time.
I don’t keep up with classmates much—time, change, shyness and perhaps a bit of
socioeconomic discomfort keep me lying low—although I suppose I’d like to, in a way. As a
teacher myself, I occasionally reflect on those I had, and a few of them I regard as memorably
fine. On the whole I guess those were good years, although the long commute from South Wales
before the Aurora Expressway or the Kensington wasn’t much fun, especially in back seat or
“baby bus” days before I aged up to the front seat: radio, shotgun and finally—finally!—driver.
But most of us have managed to out-do Calvin Rand, who “Lived His Short Life Nobly”
at least by lasting somewhat longer. As to nobility, others will have to judge. But 40 years,
although it seems like a hell of a long time from here, must have looked just unimaginably
long to us in the spring of 1968. Forsan et haec meminisse iuvabit* Dunno, but quite likely.
And I do think that Mr. Boocock was wrong about the Class of 1968.”
*For those who were not in II-11 Latin with Mr. Hayes, that’s Virgil: “Perhaps some day it
will be a joy to remember even these things.”
46 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Fa l l 2007

Call for Class Notes
Please send us updates about where you’ve been, where you are
and where you’re going. We’d love to hear what you’re up to!
High-resolution photos are welcome. Please send your class note
with 1-3 MB photos to alumnioffice@nicholsschool.org.
1972
David Gruen proudly announces the arrival
of his first grandchild, Madison. This is the
first child of his daughter, Jessica Hauschildt,
and her husband, Adrian. His son, David, is a
freshman at Denver University.
1973 – 35 th Reunion
Jay Waters’ daughter, Grace ’08, has been
accepted early decision at Middlebury College
for the fall semester. His daughter, Maddie
’10, is a sophomore at Nichols.
1974
Edmund Wick was recently named Director
of the NYS Assembly’s Minority Counsel’s
Office after spending the last 18 years as
Deputy Director in New York.
Michael Wilcove is a trial attorney with
the Department of Justice’s Tax Division
in Rockville, Md., and his wife, Susan, is a
substitute teacher.
1975
Tim Franczyk is an Erie County Court Judge
for Erie County, N.Y. He was appointed to
the court in July 2007 by Governor Eliot
Spitzer and was elected in November 2007 by
a wide margin.
Dorothy Foigelman-Holland received her
doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2006. Ken-
Ton Physical Therapy continues to thrive
and has added pilates based rehabilitation,
lymphatic drainage, dancer rehabilitation and
vestibular rehabilitation to its many services.
Cameron Brown was featured in Business First
in the week of Jan. 4 issue in the “Ideas for
Growing Your Business Strategies” section.
He is the owner and President of Garrett
Leather Corporation, a privately owned
wholesale distributor of Italian upholstery
leather in Buffalo, N.Y.
Elizabeth Stevens Gurney has been recognized
by the Council for Advancement and
Support of Education (CASE) for a Quarter
Century Award of Excellence in the field of
Development and Fundraising.
Sam Gurney has been named president of
Gurney, Becker & Bourne, Western New
York’s oldest real estate firm. Sam joined the
firm in 1981. Sam and Elizabeth’s son, Bo, is
in the Class of 2009 at Nichols and Will ’06
is a sophomore at Vanderbilt.
Peter Forbes sold U.S. partnership interests
and moved to Shanghai, China in 2007. He
is working with a Chinese couple, Danielle
Zhang and Qiang Xu, whom he met in 2003.
Danielle was the first Chinese student to
attend the Hotchkiss School in 1984, so the
prep school connection has been important.
All Nichols alums, and especially lost
friends, are welcome. China is beyond your
imagination!
1977
Molly Stevens lives in Vermont, splitting her
time between traveling the country teaching
cooking classes and writing award-winning
books such as “All About Braising: The Art of
Uncomplicated Cooking.”
1978 - 30th Reunion
Peter Hecht is still practicing veterinary medicine
in Livonia, N.Y., where he is a partner in mixed
animal practice. The group owns two other
practices in Perry and Yorkshire. He and his
wife, Donna, have three children, Adam, 17,
Ellen, 15, and Caroline, 11. Donna is currently
working on obtaining her master’s degree in
education from St. John Fisher College.
Tim Johnston is managing partner and
founder of Sandhill Investment Management,
which was featured in The Buffalo News’
Annual Stock Picking Contest in December
and in the “Rising Stars” section of Business
First in January.
Bill Magavern is very pleased with Nichols’
Big Green Initiative.
Mark Redlinski hopes to see all his classmates
at the 30 th reunion in June.
Buffalo Bills Quarterback Trent Edwards with Hugh
Russ ’78, Caroline Russ ’10 and Oliver Russ ’09.
47

Class Notes
Nichols Alumni Board members, Jim Ennis ’81
and Greg Castiglia ’84 taking charge of the
Homecoming grill this past October.
Wendy Wisbaum ’82 (who lives in Madrid, Spain)
visited Chrisanne Varco Grimaldi in Miami and the
pair went to a white costume ball on Fisher Island,
Fla., to support the Boys and Girls Clubs. They had
a blast from the past while dancing to the Village
People and Gloria Gayner, who performed live.
1980
Congratulations to Kristan Carlson Andersen
on her marriage to Robin Bronstein on
Nov. 30, 2007 at Westminster Presbyterian
Church in Buffalo.
Dr. R. Reed Stevens recently led a team of
veterinarians to raise over $120,000 through
doctors and clients in 75 WNY hospitals as
part of the total of $1.5 million secured to
rebuild the Frank A. McClelland Sr. Veterinary
Hospital at the Buffalo Zoo. Reed also is
leading an effort to establish Off-Leash Areas
(dog parks) along the Buffalo Waterfront and
helped create WNY’s first dog park in LaSalle
Park. Catch Reed at PurinaONE.com/experts
where he presents pet care information to pet
owners for the NestlePurina Company. He
currently owns and operates the Ellicott Small
Animal Hospital in downtown Buffalo, which
has been caring for WNY pets for nearly 900
dog years.
1981
Ellen Considine moved to Washington, D.C.,
in August 2006, where her husband, Michael
Miller, took a position with a local private
equity firm. Ellen is teaching tennis at the
University of Maryland. Their oldest child,
Christopher, signed a National Letter of Intent
to play golf at the University of Maryland. She
would welcome a visit from any classmates
should you find yourself in Washington, D.C.
Clare Poth was featured in The Buffalo News’
Life & Arts section in an article called
“Gracefully Gray.” This article included
interviews with several women with gray hair
that are proud of it. Clare and Tom Maynor
’81, Nichols’ seventh-grade coordinator,
member of the MS Technology Department
and Webmaster, are the parents of Frederick
’14 and daughter Lydia.
Curt Mancuso is glad to see Nichols is
reinvesting in its science facilities. Curt runs
the regulatory affairs groups at MINRAD
International, Inc. (stock symbol BUF) in
Orchard Park, N.Y. He gets to work with two
alumni parents, Rich Tamulski and Dr. Bob
Lifeso. His family has a lot of fun at their
horse farm in North Collins, N.Y.
1982
Lisa Regan Anderson, Hunter Bahr and Jake
Vogelsang continue to work on the Taylor
Kew Memorial Project. To date, members
of the Class of 1982 have helped raise over
$12,000, so thank you to all classmates who
have made a gift. If you are interested in
supporting, please contact the Alumni Office.
1983 – 25 th Reunion
Sarah Baird and her husband, Ben, and their
three children Alex, Eva and Nat, live outside
New Haven, Conn., where Sarah works as a
grant writer for the New Haven Diaper Bank,
serves on several community boards and
pursues her own creative writing career. Last
summer, they spent time in Tanzania, where
they would all like to move.
Doug Bradley, after over 20
years of experience in sales
and marketing, most recently
as National Sales Manager
at WKBW-TV, has formed
Bradley MediaWorks, a
media buying agency located
in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Bradley MediaWorks offers a broad range of
media services, including media planning,
management and buying for television, radio,
cable and print.
Doug Bradley ’83
Julia Gessner is currently in her sixth year of
living in Brussels, Belgium and in her 15 th
year of her European tour! (With England,
France and Spain having been her other
stops.) She is working at Euroclear Bank for
wholesale settlement of securities trades. She
is married and has two children (3- and 7-yearolds)
who love Belgian waffles, chocolate and
mayonnaise.
Gerard “Tony” McGowan has taught
literature for six years at West Point. He serves
on the Admissions, Diversity and Rhodes
Scholar selection committees of the Academy,
as well as advising the Student Art Forum. He
earned a doctorate at New York University.
48 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Fa l l 2007

1984
Suzanne Taylor is working in Los Angles,
Calif., with the Jimmy Carter Work
Project, just as she did last year in India.
Peter Klein just finished a two-year tour of
duty in the Pentagon on the Staff of the Chief
of Naval Operations (CNO). He worked
for the Deputy CNO for Communications
Networks, Vice Admiral Mark Edwards, and
now works for the Oceanographer of the
Navy at the U.S. Naval Observatory. Peter also
coaches middle school basketball and football
teams in Anne Arundel County, Md. Last fall,
he was the primary assistant and coach for the
Crofton Cardinals who went 11-1 and won
the County Championship. He says he should
pay Coach Kloepfer royalties for paraphrasing
his “disdain” pre-game pep talk (Homecoming
1983 vs. Niagara Catholic) before one of his
games. Peter’s son Harry played Nose Guard
and Offensive Tackle on that team.
1985
Dennis Miller has moved back to Buffalo and
is a professional NHL scout for the Buffalo
Sabres.
Mark Appelbaum recently moved to Eden,
N.Y. He is happy to have some land,
horses, dogs and even chickens! Mark is
currently coaching Girls JV Hockey at
Nichols, and coached the fifth- and sixthgrade
A team the prior two seasons. He is
very glad to be involved at Nichols again. He
coached the JV Boys back in 1993-1995 and
he has two daughters Kendall (12), a member
of the seventh-grade, and Jayne (8).
1986
Kyle Randolph Bacon has been named the
Principal of Charles R. Drew Elementary
School in Washington, D.C. He has been a
member of the 2005 Cohort of New Leaders
for New Schools. Kyle has been influential in
working with inner city children, providing
staff development and improving the school’s
culture.
Michael Fornasiero graduated from Cornell
Law School, magna cum laude in May 2007
and is serving as a two-year clerkship with a
federal judge in Harrisburg, Pa.
Mark Preisler is a senior coordinating producer
in ESPN’s studio production department, in
charge of daytime programming on all-sports
news ESPNEWS. He was promoted to this
position in 2007, but joined ESPN in 2000 as
a coordinating producer. Over time, he worked
on SportsCenter, ESPNEWS, NFL PrimeTime
and NFL Live. He joined ESPN with 10 years
of experience in local news from WIVB-TV in
Buffalo, where he was executive producer of
the 11 p.m. newscast. Mark lives with his family
in Connecticut.
1987
Stacey McCulle is now working in the
Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) in
Maryland.
Tim Vanini works at Nichols as the Director
of the Big Green Initiative and Ice Hockey. The
Big Green Initiative focuses on campus energy,
materials, land and water use by applying
methods that promote environmental literacy,
sustainability education and involve all aspects
of the school community.
1988 – 20 th Reunion
Christian Laettner was inducted into the
Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame on Oct.
12, 2007.
Rosemary Maggiore is currently working for
Rachael Ray as the President of her digital
group and looks forward to seeing everyone at
the reunion in June.
Elizabeth Gioia Duffett and her husband,
Brian, welcomed their son John Michael
Duffett II, born on Oct. 24, 2007. John joins
big sister, Molly (2), and the family lives in
Buffalo.
Melinda Sanders
’85 and her
husband, Steve,
would like to
announce the
arrival of their
twins, Stephanie
Irene Obermeier
(6 lbs. ½ oz.) and
Richard Aloysius Obermeier (6 lbs. 7 oz.). They join
big sister Jackie. The family lives in Nashville, Tenn.
Members of the Nichols Boys Varsity Basketball
Team, Chris Stegemann ‘09, Will Regan ’10,
Jim Regan ’08 and Ben Meyer ’10, with
Christian Laettner ‘88 at the ceremony for his
induction into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall
of Fame last October.
49

Class Notes
Dr. Aaron Hoffman ’90, assistant
professor of Laparoscopic and General
Surgery at SUNY at Buffalo, performed
an operation at Kaleida Health’s
Buffalo General Hospital with the help
of Dr. James Hitt ’93, a resident in
Anesthesiology.
Ned ’91 and Bridget McIntee Franz ’91
go skiing at Holiday Valley with their twin
daughters, Emmy and Laura Franz. The family
lives in Cleveland.
Rachel Moog ’89 and David Lagé were wed on
Aug. 26, 2006 at the Henry of Pelham Winery in
St. Catharines, Ontario. Back row: Peter Cobb,
Austin Clayton ’89, John Scibiia ’90, Scott Butsch
’89, Derrick Irwin ’89, David Zizzi ’97; Middle:
Sandra Moog ’85, Rachel Moog-Lagé ’89, Heather
Cobb ’89, Tracy Welsh Zizzi ’89, Bridget Saab Van
Sickle ’89, Carolyn Cobb, Melissa Sawicki Speck
’85; Front: Christen Clifford ’89, Emily Sawicki ’89,
Shanda Scibilia ’89, CateVardon ’88.
Sam deCastro ‘91, after working on the Navy staff
in the Pentagon for 10 months was nominated to
serve on an Individual Augmentation (IA) assignment
with the Army. He trained at FT Riley Kansas in June
and went to Afghanistan in August for a one-year
deployment. He is working as part of the Embedded
Training Team mission that focuses on counter
insurgency work and expects to be working at the
Counter Insurgency Academy based near Kabul.
His wife, Jill and children Ben (5) and Annie (3) stay
in their home in Potomac Falls, Va.
1989
Cameron Baird is in his 10 th year of teaching
at the St. Paul’s School for Boys in Baltimore,
Md., with his wife, Sarah, and two children,
Charlotte and Tessa. He is looking forward to
returning to Buffalo this year for the premier
of Peter McGennis’ next magnum opus.
Karen Burgess Chiantella and her husband,
Michael, announce the birth of their son,
Dylan John-Noel on Nov. 27, 2007.
Jon and Shanda Scibilia welcomed their
second son, William Gordon, on Oct. 30,
2007. He joins big brother, Andrew, and the
family lives in New York City.
Craig Swiech was promoted to Superintendent
of the Utility Segment’s Operations
Department at Mineral
Springs Works with National
Fuel Gas Company in
Williamsville, N.Y. Craig
lives in Orchard Park with his
wife, Jessica, and their four
children.
Craig Swiech ’89
1990
Nandita Shenoy continues to act, write
and direct in New York City. Her first play
“Marrying Nandini” was produced last
summer as part of the Green Light Festival in
New York and the tour of “Junie B. Jones,”
which she directed, played at Kleinhans Music
Hall in Buffalo last spring.
E.J. Flammer and Allison Gioia welcomed
their daughter, Elizabeth Lily, born Sept. 25,
2007. The family lives in Amherst.
1992
Nav and Jessica Baird Alphonse have three
daughters! Nav, Jessica, Dylan (6) and Eden
(2) welcomed Cameron Jane on Oct. 23,
2007. The family lives in Pennington, N.J.
Chris Blonksi reports, “I’ve moved back to
Binghamton this past summer and have
started a full sports medicine practice here.
Half the week I spend seeing patients in
an orthopedics office. The other half of
the week I am teaching family practice
residents at Wilson Hospital. My duties are
relatively balanced and I’m really having a
lot of fun. The sports medicine part of the
practice is building slowly, thanks to doing
some community outreach programs as
well as coverage for the local high school
football games. I am currently the team
physician for Broome Community College
and also assisting with game coverage for
the Binghamton Senators (Ottawa’s AHL
affiliate). I am hoping to get involved
with doing some game coverage for the
Binghamton Mets this spring, but am really
excited to help out with the planning and
medical coverage for the upcoming Empire
State Games here in Binghamton this
summer. As far as the home life goes, I have
spent much of my free time doing my own
renovations having redone the kitchen and
bathroom this past fall and tearing a wall out.
Soon I am hoping things will settle down so
that I can make it back to the Buff to visit.”
Aaleya Koreishi and her husband, Jawad
Qureshi, are in Durham, N.C. She is an
assistant clinical professor of Ophthalmology
at The Duke Eye Center, specializing in
Cornea, External Disease and Refractive
Surgery. Jawad is almost finished with his
fellowship in Retina Surgery at Duke Eye
Center. They are currently working on plans
for next year.
Brad and Carrie Kovach had a baby girl on
Aug. 20. Macey Elizabeth Kovach joins big
sister, Kennedy Kovach.
Amy Rosenberg Levy and her husband,
Michael, had another boy on Aug. 19, 2007.
His name is Zachary Lucas Levy. Jacob is now
3 and a very proud big brother. They are still
living in Canada and enjoying it very much.
Larkyn Kayser Mungoven has recently been
hired to write about fashion, decor and art for
Eco-Salon. Ecosalon.com is an online green
gathering place offering the latest and most
50 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Fa l l 2007

Monique Leigh ‘93 married Brian Goodwin in Buffalo
on May 5, 2007 at the Butler Mansion. The following
Nichols alumni are featured in the photo from left to
right: Betsy Constantine ’93, Genevieve Flint Fuller ’93,
Matthew Enstice ’91, Jessica Jacobs Enstice ’93, Marie
Habib Carroll ’92 and Jennifer Hudnell ’93. Also, William
Kreiner ’93 was the culinary chef for the reception and
he did an amazing job! The couple is currently living
in Summit, N.J. where Monique works in Product
Development for Tiffany & Co., and Brian is a Senior
Analyst for the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
Aashiyana Koreishi married Adam Saenz on Sept.
1, 2007 in Buffalo. Back (left to right) Fayyaz
Barodawala ’90, Aaleya Koreishi Qureshi ’92, Safina
Koreishi ’97 and Chuck Kreiner ’63. Front (left
to right) Claudia O’Keefe, Middle School faculty
member, Adam Saenz, Aashiyana Koreishi ’92 and
Anjum Koreishi ’01.
stylish tips for living a more eco-friendly life.
If you have any favorite products or web sites
that help you live a greener life, she’d love to
hear about it: larkyn@gmail.com.
Susannah Maritime McMahon and her
husband, William, had a baby last July 14,
2007 named Scarlett Elizabeth Maritime
McMahon. The family lives in Somerville,
Mass. Susannah’s sister, Dr. Aranya Maritime,
is currently the Head of the Upper School
at Nichols and a member of the English
Department.
Michele “Mimi” May moved to Delray Beach,
Fla., and is teaching fifth-grade at Lantana
Elementary School. She is very happy
although she misses Buffalo – even the snow!
Dan Perry was recently elected Partner at
the law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley
& McCloy. Dan is a corporate litigator
specializing in securities class action
litigation, white-collar criminal investigations,
SEC enforcement matters and corporate
investigations. After spending eight years
working in the firm’s New York office, Dan
recently moved to Los Angeles with his wife,
Wendy, and their daughter, Kaitlyn.
Emma Vardon Veys and her husband, Joe,
welcomed their second daughter, Lucinda
Catherine, on July 25, 2007. She joins sister,
Sophie and brothers, Henry and J.T, at their
home in Dalton, Ga.
Aashiyana Koreishi married Adam Saenz on
Sept. 1, 2007 in Buffalo.
1993 – 15 th Reunion
From Jodi de Riszner: “Hello
everyone! Apparently, I haven’t posted a note
in quite some time, so I thought I would give
you an update. I started my own business this
year and work as an independent contractor
to a nine-person retail consulting firm. We
live in East Aurora, but I don’t actually work
in Buffalo anymore. I travel all over the U.S.
to work with television stations and their large
retail advertisers. We also had our second
child this year, Bryce Casimir de Riszner, who
was born on Jan. 25. He is a very intense little
guy with blonde curly hair and all sorts of
energy. Mom is definitely getting her payback
with this one! My brother, Nicholas, who
graduated from Nichols in ’97, married a
really great woman from Hartford, Conn.,
named Alicia. They were married in October
of this year and live in Boston. My husband
Brent continues to do part-time architectural
design work for two firms, and my 4-yearold
son, Jackson, is potty trained (that was
probably the hardest thing we have ever done)
and is always telling me something about
trains, trucks or construction equipment
that I didn’t know. So we are enjoying our
lives here in WNY and wouldn’t trade it for
anything! I look forward to seeing everyone at
our 15th reunion this spring.”
1994
Heather Smith was on The Today Show on a
Sunday morning in December discussing her
work with Rock the Vote.
Alisah Assad Todd writes: “Hi everyone! I am
so glad I decided to look Nichols up on the
web. I had no idea this site even existed. It
seems that many of you are far from Buffalo
having various adventures. It sounds very
exciting! As for me, I live with my husband
and three girls in the Potsdam area. We had
our third daughter in April of ’07. I teach
sixth grade, which, along with my kids, keeps
me quite busy. Hope 2008 is off to a great
start for everyone.”
1995
Bob and Teresa Weston welcomed a baby
girl, Julia Jane Weston, on Sept. 20, 2007.
The family lives in New York City where Bob
works for Merrill Lynch.
Nidhi Kohli ’92 with Aashiyana
Koreishi ’92 and Adam Saenz
Kristen Burke
Monge ‘93 and
her husband,
Jonathan,
welcomed
Maximilian Ethan
Monge on May
15, 2007. The
family moved from San Diego to Huntington, N.Y.,
on the North Shore of Long Island last summer.
51

Class Notes
Over the weekend of Jan. 19-20, Nichols Alumni
Hockey welcomed alumni teams from Crescent
School, Appelby College and Lakefield College
School for a great Alumni Hockey Tournament.
The tourney champions are pictured here: (back)
Tony Hejna ’86, Randy Harris ’98, Rick Zacher ’86,
Peter Sullivan ’92, Jeff Blair ’95, Jay Bridge ’94,
Chris Rozanski ’95, Paul Sullivan ’88; (front) Bobby
Weston ’96, Phil Nobel ’88 with his daughter
Sienna, Howie Saperston III ’89, Timmy Vanini ’87,
Mike San George ’95, Chris Catanzaro ’95 and
David Seitz ’92.
Hannah Simon ’97 married Ross Schneider in Coral
Gables, Florida on Dec. 1. Bridesmaids were Amy
Hall Browne ’97, Linsey Snyder ’97, Gina Wettlaufer
’98 and Teagyn Simon Weidner ’95.
1996
Gina Desiderio Wieczorek and her husband,
Gary, welcomed a daughter, Carmella Rose,
on Aug. 21, 2007. They reside in Boston, N.Y.
Carly Nasca: “After three years with New York
City’s Law Department, I have relocated to
Washingotn, D.C. I am now working at the
U.S. Department of Justice as a trial attorney
in the tax division.”
Danielle Amigone Howard writes: “I married
my best friend on July 14, 2007. We live in
Georgia and are looking to start a family
soon! He asked me to marry him the night
of our 10 th Reunion at Nichols, while at the
beach house with my family!”
Natalie Rosenberg writes: “I married Alan
Goldsher on May 6 at Niagara-on-the-
Lake. We live in Chicago, where he’s an
author and I am a chef.”
Krista Contino Krahn recently moved
to Minneapolis with her husband, Zeb
Krahn. She will be working at Fish &
Richardson, practicing Intellectual Property
law. Her husband is starting his post-doc at the
University of Minnesota in nuclear physics.
1997
Joshua Assad is a member of a local group
called Babik, which performs the swinging
sounds of gypsy jazz that have been thrilling a
growing number of music lovers. Gypsy jazz,
sometimes known as Gypsy Swing, began
in Paris during the mid-1930s as a growing
number of eastern European musicians made
their way to the cultural capital of Europe.
The sounds reflect the music’s multi-cultural
background. Containing melodic strands
that originate in the rich musical heritage
of Eastern Europe, North Africa and the
Mediterranean, gypsy jazz took on its swing in
the streets and music halls of 1930s Paris. The
band has received recognition as The ArtVoice
Reader’s Award for Best Jazz Band in 2006
and 2007, and Buffalo Spree’s Best Jazz Act
award in 2006 and 2007. In late 2006, the
band released its debut CD, “Pronounced
Bah-beek,” along with a concert DVD “Live
at Sessions.” Both became immediate #1 bestsellers
in the Buffalo area following the band’s
passionate performance at their sold-out
release concert at The Tralf.
Brian Sacca made a short movie with Bill
Murray titled FCU that was shown on
myspacetv.com.
1998 – 10 th Reunion
Alyson Jones received a SSRC-ACLS
International Dissertation Research Fellowship
to work on her dissertation in Tunisia. She is a
doctoral candidate in Ethnomusicology at the
University of Michigan.
Alexis Muscato transitioned to HSBC as a
Business Relationship Manager in January.
She resides in Buffalo and is looking forward
to a great 10 th Reunion.
Blake Walsh has moved home to Buffalo!
1999
Stacey Branchini, parent of Alexa ’99 and
Casey ’04, and founder of the It Happened
to Alexa Foundation, was named among
40 semi-finalists for America’s Greatest
Hometown Hero Award in the 6 th annual
Volvo for Life Awards.
Elizabeth Gutow and Steven Clark ’99
were married last March at the Mansion
on Delaware in Buffalo. In May, Elizabeth
received a doctor of dental surgery degree
from the UB School of Dental Medicine
while Steven received a juris doctorate from
University at Buffalo Law School. Last
summer, they moved to Danbury, Conn.,
where Elizabeth began a one-year general
practice dental residency at Danbury Hospital
while Steven studies for the Connecticut
Bar Exam. Elizabeth would like to thank
Mr. Potter for his kind words in the article
he wrote featuring the Nichols cross-country
team. Elizabeth is proud that the team has
been and continues to remain so successful.
Helena Yu graduated from Cornell University
magna cum laude in 2004 and University of
52 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Fa l l 2007

Colleen Franz ‘00 married John Christman Jr. on
a beautiful summer afternoon wedding at the
edge of Lake Champlain in Vermont. Attending
the wedding were other Nichols alumni, including
John Franz ’01, Ned ’91 and Bridget McIntee Franz
’91, Andrew Franz and Tom Franz ’76. Also in
attendance were current Nichols students Matthew
Franz ’09, Daniel Franz ’09 and Brian Franz ’11. Mr.
and Mrs. Christman, Jr. are residing in Vermont.
Marykate Oakley ‘04 & Brittany Salmon ‘04
Michigan Medical School cum laude in 2007.
She is doing her residency at the University of
Pennsylvania Hospital.
2000
Lindsay Aquilina is currently working
at Bessemer Trust, a private Wealth
Management Company in New York City.
She got accepted into NYU’s Langone
Program, a part-time M.B.A. school, and will
begin in the spring. She enjoys living in NYC
and often sees fellow Nichols classmates.
Colleen Franz writes: “I just finished a two-year
post-baccalaureate program in teaching and will
soon be licensed to teach middle school social
studies and language arts. I am lucky to say that
I have also been hired to teach at a local middle
school for the rest of the year! My personal
life has also been changing...I was married
in July ’07 to John Christman Jr., a full-time
South Burlington firefighter-EMT. The day
turned out beautifully and it was great to have
our families together to enjoy Vermont. We
currently own a home in South Burlington and
are looking forward to whatever adventures
may come! Attending the wedding were other
Nichols alumni: John Franz ’01, Ned Franz ’91
and Bridget McIntee Franz ’91, Andrew Franz
’00 and Tom Franz ’76. Also in attendance
were current Nichols students Matthew Franz
’09, Daniel Franz ’09 and Brian Franz ’11.”
Margaret Gerbasi graduated from Princeton
University Phi Beta Kappa in 2004 and
worked at Harvard for two years as a research
assistant in the Psychology Department. She
is now in her second year in a Ph.D. program
in social psychology at Princeton. She recently
was awarded a U.S. Department of Education
Javits fellowship for her graduate studies.
Jared Kozinn was married to Margo Jennifer
Duckler on June 10, 2007 in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. Nichols alumni in attendance
were Todd Lori ’99, Ben Clark ’00, Matt
Kwacek ’00 and Max Kozinn ’03. They are
residing in St. Louis, Mo., where Jared will
complete a dual J.D./M.B.A. degree from
Saint Louis University School of Law in 2008.
2001
Vanessa Jones has been chosen as a MetLife
Fellow in the Teachers Network Leadership
Institute, an honor shared by hundreds of
exemplary public school teachers across the
nation. This select group of elementary,
middle and high school teachers represents
twelve TNLI affiliates nationwide. Vanessa
is currently a fifth-grade special education
teacher at P.S. 108 in the Morris Park section
of the Bronx. Her research focuses lie in new
teacher recruitment and retention, as well as
special education curriculum and funding.
2002
Melissa Bundt is attending law school and
writes that it has definitely been keeping her
busy. She would like to practice real estate or
property law, hopefully in the Buffalo area.
Julia Drury is coaching the boys and girls
squash teams at Nichols. She also is training
with Dr. Reed Stevens ’80 at Ellicott Small
Animal Hospital.
Francine VerHagen recently accepted
a position with Prudential Insurance
Company of America. Once she obtains her
insurance licenses and becomes a registered
representative authorized by Prudential, she
will be a Financial Services Associate.
Elaine Gardner’s Pick of the Crop Dance
Company is planning a spring dance concert.
Nichols alumnae that are coming back to
dance include Bridget Rochester ’02, Katie
Schwartz Rosenau ’01, Jessica Wright ’04
and Brittani Whiting ’04. These Nichols
dancers are reuniting and creating work to
be premiered at Nichols. The performances
are May 31 and June 1 in the Flickinger
Performing Arts Center.
Arthur Hayes ‘04
2003 – 5 th Reunion
Falynn Koch graduated from Savannah
College of Art and Design cum laude in
December 2007. Following graduation, she
went to Tokyo for a three-week workshop for
design collaboration.
Max Kozinn graduated from the University
of Wisconsin in May 2007 with a bachelor’s
degree in legal studies and political sciences.
He is now attending the Michigan State
University College of Law and is looking
forward to seeing his fellow classmates at their
five-year reunion in June.
2004
Arthur Hayes completed a summer internship
with the Deutsche Bank in Hong Kong/
Singapore in the Global Markets Division.
Upon completion of this assignment, he
accepted a job as a First-Year Analyst for
Global Markets with the Deutsche Bank.
53

Class Notes
Chris Covelli ’05 and crowd, including Ed Righter ’05,
Mike Baldauf ’05, Eric Walton ’05 and Ian Walton ’06,
ran into George Truscott ’55 and Ted Truscott ’79 at
the 21 Club in NYC. Small World!
Rick Pierce ’07 and Peter Marlette ’06 at a
Trinity College soccer game.
Phil Wagner ’07, Chris Arnold ’07,
Harry Zemsky ’07 with co-founder of the
bowling team, Jonathon Baird ’01, at a
recent Varsity Bowling match.
From left to right: Peter Randaccio ’07, Harry
Zemsky ’07, Amanda Buchheit ’08, Alex Tronolone,
Chris Arnold ’07, Tommy Tobias ’07 and Gunnar
Burke ’07.
He will begin this job in July 2008 after
he graduates from the Wharton School of
the University of Pennsylvania where he is
currently a senior majoring in Finance. At
UPenn, he competes in ballroom dancing
and the Mr. Penn bodybuilding competition,
and also was a member of the crew team and
sprint football.
Marykate Oakley was named captain of the
Princeton Women’s Ice Hockey Team.
Kristen Stone was named to the
Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches
Association Academic Honor Roll for
excellence on the field and in the classroom
in August. Kristen is a mathematics and
secondary education major at Loyola
University in Baltimore, Md.
Brittini Whiting will graduate from the
University of Toronto in May 2008 and she is
the artistic director of the Silhouettes Dance
Company at the university.
Paul Woodard was elected to the Phi Beta
Kappa Society from the class of 2008 of
Williams College where he majors in the
classics and mathematics.
2005
Bobby Shuttleworth achieved huge success
this season as the superstar soccer goalie
for SUNY at Buffalo and was named soccer
Defensive Player MVP at UB’s classic
tournament last fall, and also earned MAC
Player of the Week honors.
Kyle Winnick has spent his junior year abroad
studying in the United Kingdom at the
London School of Economics and Political
Science.
Newton Sears is the captain of the University
of Pennsylvania’s Lightweight Varsity Crew
team and is rowing in the Varsity eight boat
with Nichols teammate, Nathan Keane ’06.
Chris Winter has been chosen as a team
captain as a junior for the Binghamton
Lacrosse team.
2007
Daniel Deacon is attending LeMoyne College
in Syracuse, N.Y., and is a member of their
hockey team.
Amelia Kermis was in Slovenia with her
college debate team in November. It was an
international debate with an international
roommate with simultaneous translation
(very UN).
Brigid O’Gorman is starting at left defense
on the women’s hockey team at Connecticut
College.
Peter Randaccio is playing attackman for the
University of Southern California’s lacrosse
team. The Trojan lacrosse team is a Division
A member of the Western Collegiate Lacrosse
League, which is a league within the United
States Lacrosse Intercollegiate Association.
Sean Pegado represented Williams College
at his first novice debate tournament held
at Boston University where 104 two-student
teams competed in September 2007. Sean and
his team partner won the top team trophy!
Fellow classmate, Max Yellen, a student at
Boston University, was in the audience.
Michael White who plays attackman for
Hobart College earned All-American, All-
Western New York and All-Catholic League
honors after scoring 38 goals and assisting on
32 more as a senior. He also played for the
Western Team in the Empire State Games.
Former Faculty
Edward Paquette has retired as Executive
Director of the University of Nebraska Alumni
Association. He moved with his wife, Marti, to
a log home near Traverse City, Mich. They love
living in the woods. He plans on doing some
fundraising consulting as time allows.
54 Nic h o l s Sc h o o l • Fa l l 2007

Faculty Profile
Kelly Ostendorf
Background/Education
I grew up in Buffalo and married George
Ostendorf ’83. We have three kids: Bud
’11, Oscar ’13 and Coaty, a second-grader at
Nardin Academy.
Bachelor’s degree in History from Emory
University in Atlanta, Ga.; New York State
Teacher Certification Program at Daemen
College; master’s in Secondary Education
from SUNY at Buffalo. Previous to Nichols,
I taught at Mount Saint Mary Academy and
Buffalo Seminary.
Position at Nichols
In addition to being a faculty member of
the Upper School History Department,
I am involved with the Student Conduct
Committee, Mentoring Committee and have
been a Model United Nations adviser since
2001. I previously belonged to the Nichols
Faculty Association, taught JV Soccer and
have been a chaperone at dances and proms.
Best part of the job
Hands down, the kids. They make me laugh,
keep me young and inspire me. High school
is an exciting time of life. It is rewarding to
see the kids work towards their goals while
growing emotionally and intellectually
during this four-year period. I have an
interesting perspective because I teach
freshmen and seniors. In four years, nervous,
tentative freshmen become confident,
accomplished young adults.
Favorite Nichols moment
With all the stars being in alignment,
coinciding with pay day, jeans day, taco day
and a home game on a Friday in spring,
combined in one glorious moment in time.
That’s about as good as it gets.
How has Nichols changed since
you began teaching here
The technology that brings the world into
my classroom is by far the greatest change
for me as a teacher at Nichols. Virtual tours
of archeological digs, museums, art galleries
and ruins are all available at my fingertips.
Immediate access to polling data, interviews,
Supreme Court briefs and opinions, and a
multitude of media coverage enhances my
AP Government class every day. Nichols
has embraced change, while successful
pedagogical practices have remained intact.
I feel fortunate on a daily basis that my
teaching career began at the beginning
of the technology revolution and that I
am part of an institution that realizes the
tremendous teaching power this technology
provides. My next endeavor is to master GIS
(Geographic Information System) science
to use in my classroom to investigate global
interconnectedness in the 21 st century.
Outside of Nichols
Spa days, hanging with my friends and
family, reading, politics, running, going to
my kids’ hockey and soccer games.
Favorite book and why
This is too hard. I can tell you my two
favorite books in the last year. “The World
Without Us” by Alan Weisman is a reverse
history of man’s presence on the earth.
Weisman looks at how long it would take
for the earth to get to its pre-human state if
man were to disappear today. I really enjoyed
this because while I teach about the rise of
civilization, this book looks at the effect man
and civilization will have long after humans
are gone. The other book I really enjoyed
was “The Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett.
This is just a great 1,000 page read. Massive
and juicy. About two cents a page of pure
enjoyment.
Teaching philosophy
I have been cursed and blessed with a very
short attention span. My general philosophy
while I am in front of a class is that if I am
boring myself, I am most certainly boring
the teenagers around me. I try all kinds of
things with my classes. Some work out and
some don’t. The ones that work, I may use
again. The ones that don’t, I revise or throw
out altogether. I truly believe that students
cannot learn if they are not engaged. It is
imperative that they are lively, active learners.
My favorite quote comes from Thomas
Friedman who wrote in “The World is Flat,”
CQ + PQ>IQ, or curiosity quotient plus
passion quotient is greater than intelligence
quotient. If I can inspire passion in the
students and pique their curiosity, I feel
confident that I have done my best for them.

Dr. Michael F. Roizen ’63
116th Commencement Ceremony Speaker
We are very excited to announce Dr. Michael F. Roizen ’63 as Commencement Speaker on
Friday, June 6 at 11:00 a.m.
Dr. Roizen is the cofounder of RealAge, Inc., a San Diego-based company focused on health
and wellness for consumers. As Chief Wellness Officer at the Cleveland Clinic, he is responsible
for the creation and maintenance of a healthier workforce, patient population and community.
Dr. Roizen helped ban trans-fats from the hospital’s cafeteria and patient menu, remove all
potential toxins from cleaning products and building materials, and works to ensure a safe
and clean environment in which to receive world-class healthcare through a comprehensive
sustainability program.
Widely known for his TV appearances and books, Dr. Roizen has appeared on The Oprah
Winfrey Show four times, Today 17 times, 20/20, CBN, CNN, CBS, Good Morning America, The
Montel Williams Show and PBS. He also has been featured in numerous magazines. He has
given over 1,200 lectures to professional medical groups and has been recognized with over 20
professional lectureships.
His first general-audience book, RealAge: Are You as Young as You Can Be is a New York Times #1
best-seller and was awarded the Best Wellness Book of 1999 by the Books for a Better Life Awards.
His follow-up, The RealAge Diet: Make Yourself Younger with What You Eat, written with Dr. John La
Puma, also became a New York Times best-seller. His next book, also with Dr. La Puma, was Cooking the RealAge Way, and he published
an update to the original RealAge book, The RealAge Makeover in 2004. His most recent books are YOU: The Smart Patient, YOU: The
Owner’s Manual and YOU: On A Diet, all written with Dr. Mehmet Oz and two more New York Times best-sellers.
Party in the Quad!
June 6 - 7, 2008
Please join us for a
terrific celebration at Nichols!
All alumni are invited to campus for
the Welcome Back program
featuring an update from
Headmaster Rick Bryan and a party.
For all classes ending in 3 and 8,
please contact the Alumni Office
if you are interested in learning more
about your Reunion or visit us online at
www.nicholsschool.org under
Alumni, click Reunion and click Schedule.
IN THE NEXT ISSUE...
We will be sharing exciting news with you
about our campus expansion!
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