Review/Update Winter 2013 - Lake Forest Academy

Endowment in actionEmily Asher ’05, on the roadThe Mints Professional Development Fund, made possible in2004 by a generous gift from the estate of Tom Mints, LFA classof 1945, provides support for individual enrichment projectsfor faculty and staff members. The fund is intended for individuallydesigned enrichment opportunities rather than moretraditional workshops, conferences or classes. Since 2004,23 faculty members at the Academy have received financialsupport through a Mints Grant.Getting Her Beat OnEnglish teacher goes on the road toexplore meaning and context in literatureby Ruth KeysoWhen English teacher Emily Asher ’05 learned that her proposalto teach a senior elective on the literature of the Beat generationwas accepted, she made plans to hit the road. Literally.Through the support of a Mints Grant, Asher drove morethan 1,300 miles—from Denver to San Francisco—to tracethe path of author Jack Kerouac, whose seminal novel “Onthe Road” defined a generation, fueled a counterculture, andinspired a sense of adventure.“I love the idea of travel for a purpose, not just leisure,” saysAsher. “I’d read about literary tourism and traveling to destinationsthat hold a certain significance in books.”Asher followed one leg of Kerouac’s original cross-countryjourney, stopping off in places of import to both Kerouac andthe wider Beat community, including the Five Points historicjazz district of Denver, the Salt Flats in Salt Lake City, and theBeat Museum in San Francisco. By familiarizing herself withthe places that informed Kerouac’s novel, Asher experiencedthe West through the author’s eyes and engaged with the textin a new and inspired way.“I kept in mind the context of the book and the larger themeof the West in American literature,” says Asher. “To actuallysee things that were referenced in the book—for an Englishteacher that was cool.”Asher brought her knowledge and experience back to theclassroom where, in the fall semester, she introduced a groupof seniors to the poetry, novels, and biographies of Kerouacand his contemporaries. She says the first-hand experience shegained through her travels enabled her to “speak authoritatively”about the literature of the time, while the memorabilia“My family and I are supportive of LFA because of our belief in the mission and core values of theschool. We believe that training our young people to be global citizens of high character and toprepare them rigorously for the challenges that await in the outside world is mission critical. We alsoare strong believers in LFA’s philosophy to develop the whole person—student, athlete, individualsof high integrity. The lessons our children learn at LFA will serve them and our world well in theyears to come.”—Trustee Brian and Tamara Gamache G’07, Lake Forest, IL(Brian and Tamara are pictured with their son, Alex)Annual fund and campaign supporters8 Update February 2013