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CONCORD ACADEMY MAGAZINE SPRING 2008Marion Odence-Ford ’82 and Maureen Mulligan ’8042ALUMNAE IASSOCIATIONUPDATEAs I sit to write this final note aspresident of Concord Academy’sAlumnae/i Association, I amreminded of the goals we set whenI took office two years ago: to get more alumnae/iconnected to the school and to achievegreater diversity on the Alumnae/i Council. Thehard work of the many alumnae/i volunteers andCA’s Advancement Office has helped us toachieve these goals.Beginning last summer, we held a numberof gatherings, from Nantucket, where alumnae/igathered at the home of Ann and Graham Gundp’08, to London, where Stephanie McCormick-Goodhardt ’80, p’08, ’12 opened her home toguests, who met with Head of School JakeDresden. Other alumnae/i heard alumnus andtrustee David Michaelis ’75 speak about hisacclaimed biography of Peanuts creator CharlesShulz at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.Still others traveled to Carmel Valley, California,to tour the Cima Collina vineyard and tastewines with host and former trustee DickLumpkin.In Seattle, Cyndie Phelps ’64 hosted a luncheonfor alumnae/i and Jake, who also attended aCA dinner in downtown Portland. In Pasadena,California, alumnae/i toured the Pacific AsiaMuseum and shared their knowledge of theWest Coast with twenty-eight Concord Academyjuniors, who were on CA’s college trip overspring vacation.More than seventy-five recent CA alumnae/igathered at Jillian’s in Boston, just before theNew Year, for the annual Concord AcademyYoung Alumnae/i Committee (CAYAC) event.In Brunswick, Maine, and Providence, RhodeIsland, Concord Academy held gatherings foralumnae/i attending college. More recently, CAgraduates gathered at the University of MarylandObservatory in College Park to hear trustee andnoted planetary scientist Lucy McFadden ’70speak of her recent trip to Antarctica, where shehunted for meteorites. Looking forward, UnsooKim ’84 has agreed to organize a gathering ofalumnae/i in Seoul and, on September 22,Concord Academy alumnae/i will cheer on theRed Sox at Fenway Park.Regarding the Council’s diversity goals, youmay know that Concord Academy has launcheda new initiative to promote community andequity throughout every facet of the school.Students and faculty have attended Communityand Equity meetings and assemblies, whichencouraged exploration of identity and values,media and gender roles, and personal stories. Iwas fortunate to serve on the Board of Trustees’Community and Equity subcommittee, whichconfronted issues of socioeconomic, religious,gender, ethnic, sexual orientation, and variousother differences and inequities in our community.The Community and Equity team took animportant step into the broader CA communityby engaging alumnae/i at the spring Alumnae/iCouncil meeting. Moving forward, the Councilwill continue to incorporate the mission andgoals of the Community and Equity initiative.As I near the end of my term as president ofthe Alumnae/i Association, I am pleased toreport that we have had the strongest year everof Annual Giving. Maureen Mulligan ’80, whohas spearheaded Alumnae/i Giving and has beeninstrumental in many Alumnae/i Council projectsfor the past two years, will take over aspresident of the Alumnae/i Association. KatrinaPugh ’83 will succeed Maureen as vice presidentand chair of Alumnae/i Giving. Dan Towvim ’91,as vice president and chair of Outreach, hasactively sought better ways to connect our alumnae/iwith our school; he will remain in theposition for another year. Vicky Huber ’75, p’07,’09 will become vice president and chair ofNominating, replacing Madeleine Blanz-Mayo’86, who has worked hard to recruit Councilmembers and has directed her energy towardnumerous projects.I encourage each of you to come back toConcord Academy for a visit, to attend anAlumnae/i Council meeting and, when the feelingis right, to join our Council and see whata difference you can make to our school. In closing,I would like to thank Maureen, Dan, andMadeleine for their leadership, friendship,direction, and guidance. I’d also like to thankBillie Julier Wyeth ’76, Director of Alumnae/iPrograms, for her continued support, love of theschool, and for keeping us all on track.Although I am leaving my work with theAlumnae/i Association, I look forward to mycontinued involvement with our school and toseeing you back at Concord Academy or at thenext alumnae/i event.Marion Odence-Ford ’82President, Alumnae/i AssociationNetwork with other CA graduateson the Chameleon Connection—www.concordalum.org.