Alumni Profile: Author and Playwright Liz Maccie - Newark Academy

outreach 

NEWARK ACADEMY 

FALL 2008 

Immersion Experiences for Students, Faculty and Alumni 

Annual Report of Giving 2007-2008

GOOD SPORTS! 

The NA community shared a rousing good time at Homecoming on 

Saturday, October 18. With athletic games, live music, the Senior 

Grill, roasted marshmallows and good company — fun was had by all.

Contents 

10 

18 

23 

Features 

6 Wilderness Bound with Mr. Limmer, One Last Time 

by Alexandra Mahoney 

10 Wisdom and Wonder 

Faculty Members Journey to Israel 

by Von Rollenhagen 

18 Road Trip U.S.A.! 

10,000 Miles in 60 Days 

by Kirsti Morin 

24 Remembering Pavlo: Building a Mountain 

by Jonathan Downs 

32 Making a World of Difference 

An Alumni Immersion Experience in India 

by Mariam Subjally ’03 

Departments 

3 From the Head of School 

4 NA News 

14 Faculty Focus 

16 The Sports Report 

23 From the Archives 

28 Alumni News & Events 

39 Class Notes 

Special Section 

Annual Report of Giving 2007-2008 

Cover photography: Views of Israel by Nicole Champagne 

1

outreach 

FALL 2008 

Donald M. Austin 

Head of School 

Lisa E. Grider 

Director of Institutional Advancement 

EDITOR 

Debra W. Marr 

Director of Communications 

CONTRIBUTORS 

Blackwood Parlin Edward Manigan 

Nancy McGaughan Kirsti Morin 

Nicole Champagne Von Rollenhagen 

Alexandra Mahoney Mariam Subjally ’03 

Marcia Worth-Baker 

PROOFREADERS 

Stacey Kaplan-Layton Jennifer Maffei 

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 

William D. Green ’69 

Chairman 

Nancy Baird Harwood ’75 Wayne D. Kent ’85 

Pamela Huttenberg Jonathan D. Olesky ’74 

Jeffrey J. Silverman ’82 

Vice Chairs 

Joseph P. McGrath, Jr. ’81 Ernest W. Loesser 

Secretary Treasurer 

Donald Austin Richard R. Redmond ’77 

Patricia Budziak Ajay Sawhney 

John C. Galbraith ’75 Andrew Senchak 

Leo Gordon ’69 Robert Silver 

Kim Hirsh ’80 Eric Sumner ’73 

Tosan Livingstone Evangeline Tross 

David McGraw ’77 Joshua Weinreich 

Rita Pignatelli-Mercuri Jane Wilf 

Emeriti 

Louis V. Aronson II ’41 John L. McGraw ’49 

Paul Busse ’38 Robert S. Puder ’38 

Robert Del Tufo ’51 Gary Rose 

William D. Hardin ’44 William T. Wachenfeld ’44 

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF GOVERNORS 

Leo M. Gordon ’69 

President 

Van Stevens ’65 Lance Aronson ’74 

1st Vice President 2nd Vice President 

Amanda Rubinstein Black ’97 

Secretary 

John Bess ’69 Lauren Jacobs ’98 

Patrick Ciccone ’62 Mark Menza ’71 

Noah Franzblau ’86 Adam Rosen ’99 

Matthew Gertler ’90 Lara Samet ’01 

John Gregory ’99 Kim Griffinger Wachtel ’85 

Thomas Hennigan ’77 Art Williams ’81 

Art Wynne ’79 

Emeriti 

J. Richard Beltram ’41 William C.H. Stroh III ’48 

Richard M. Watson ’50 

Outreach is a publication for Newark Academy alumni. 

Office of Institutional Advancement 

Newark Academy, 91 South Orange Avenue 

Livingston, New Jersey 07039 

Telephone: 973.992.7000, Fax: 973.992.8962 

E-mail: dmarr@newarka.edu; Website: www.newarka.edu 

MIDDLE SCHOOL PLAY 

“ THE 

Revenge 

OF THE 

Space Pandas” 

Last May, the Newark Academy community was treated to “The Revenge of 

the Space Pandas” or “Binky Rudich and the Two-Speed Clock”, a goofy yet 

sophisticated fable about time and space travel, the desire to escape home, 

and the innately corrupt power structure of a fairy-tale kingdom. 

The characters, played by middle school actors and actresses, were a bizarre 

collection of humans, animals and space creatures. Directed by arts faculty 

member Elaine Brodie, “Revenge” was a joyous adventure that tapped into 

everyone’s imagination.

Perspectives 

I am very pleased to announce an exciting addition to the Newark 

Academy program that advances our mission to form global citizens. 

At its September meeting, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to 

accept a recommendation from NA’s 2007-08 Immersion Committee 

(composed of faculty, students and parent representatives) that beginning 

with the Class of 2013 all Newark Academy graduates will have at least 

one significant, off-campus, immersion experience. Students may fulfill 

this requirement at any time (including summer break) over the four 

years of the Upper School through one of three options: 

• A two-week wilderness-type experience 

• A three-week cultural/foreign language experience or service experience 

• Participation in an approved semester or summer immersion program 

This immersion program reinforces Newark Academy’s position as a 

leader in incorporating experiential education into the secondary school 

curriculum. Our students will gain knowledge, broaden their perspectives, and learn the important skill of adapting 

to new environments. Immersion is our 21st century response to the call set forth by our centuries-old motto – ad 

lumen – toward enlightenment. 

Parents and recent alumni will recognize that this immersion requirement confirms and strengthens a longstanding 

commitment by our students to broadening their exposure to the world through travel, service, and wilderness experiences. 

For many years a growing number of Newark Academy students have participated in semester and year-long immersion 

programs such as the Mountain School, Maine Coast Semester, the High Mountain Institute, and School Year Abroad. 

Recently, our students have done shorter exchanges organized by our faculty with schools in France and Senegal, and we 

are exploring other school-to-school exchanges in Spain, China and Israel. In addition, many students have participated 

in summer programs in distant places such as Costa Rica, Tanzania, Thailand and India, as well as a variety of wilderness 

experiences in the United States. 

As we formalize immersion experiences in the Upper School, I anticipate that our entire school community will benefit. 

Students returning from these challenging programs routinely report greater self-confidence and a heightened awareness 

of the world. A school that is composed of students whose rigorous classroom work is complemented by such direct 

experiences will be better able to fulfill its mission to contribute to the world informed citizens who “embrace their 

responsibilities as ethical, intellectual, and civic stewards in the global environment.” 

Donald M. Austin 

“ Our entire 

school community 

” 

will benefit. 

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL 

Immersion Experiences 

for NA Students 

PERSPECTIVES fall 2008 

3

4 

NA News 

EXCHANGE RATES HIGHLY AT NA 

Students from France and Senegal Experience Life at the Academy 

Last April, 27 students and three faculty members from College Jeanne d’Arc-St Aspais in 

Fontainebleau, France, lived with Newark Academy families, attended classes at NA, visited 

New York City, Philadelphia, Ellis Island and took a two-day trip to Gettysburg. The students 

accompanied their host families to sporting events, theater and shopping adventures. 

This visit marked the second part in an exchange program 

that began last summer when French teachers Mary Lysinger 

and Debbie Ronan chaperoned seven Newark Academy 

students on a “Fontainebleau adventure” in which they stayed 

with host families and attended classes. Lysinger commented, 

“Creating signature experiences that involve international 

travel and relationships with international schools and their 

students is a component of the strategic plan and was the 

jumping off point for our Fontainebleau adventure.” 

While French students visited the Academy in April, 

19 students from Lycée Français Jean Mormoz in Dakar, 

Senegal, experienced life in the NA community earlier in 

OUTREACH fall 2008 

the year. Upper School Principal Dr. Richard DiBianca 

explained that 41 students from Senegal were part of an 

English immersion experience coordinated by Pingry. As 

all the students were French speaking, they hoped to 

speak English during their visit. DiBianca added, “Some 

of the students were Senegalese, some were French, and 

some were Lebanese.” The students stayed with their 

host families for six days and spent one day at Newark 

Academy where they were welcomed with fanfare in both 

English and French. Other events included sightseeing, 

participating in activities with their host families and 

experiencing a snow day.

GLOBAL SPEAKER SERIES: 

ETHAN ZOHN 

Co-Founder of Grassroots Soccer 

(and Winner of “Survivor: Africa”) 

In his motivational talk to the students of Newark Academy, Ethan 

Zohn urged,“Make a difference for yourself by making a difference 

for others.” As the first speaker in the newly established Global 

Speaker Series, Zohn led by example. He used his $1 million 

“Survivor: Africa” prize money to help begin the Grassroots Soccer 

program. This innovative program sends African soccer stars into 

schools throughout Africa to educate the students about HIV and 

AIDS. Having played soccer professionally in Zimbabwe, Zohn 

had witnessed the devastation caused by AIDS/HIV. The goal of 

Grassroots Soccer is awareness and education. Zohn commented, 

“Stay true to your core values and make happiness real for others.” 

Zohn’s presentation included video clips giving a first-hand view 

of the African AIDS epidemic as well as a question and answer 

session with the students and faculty. 

Underwritten by Peter Feinberg ’78 and Margery Gering Feinberg ’78 as part of the Feinberg Multicultural Program, the new 

Global Speaker Series will bring various speakers to the Academy to address issues of international interest and concern. 

Sixth Grade Science Expo 2008 

Focuses on Global Warming Solutions 

At the opening of the sixth grade science expo, students 

excitedly presented and discussed their exhibits. At a display 

entitled “Wicking Wall,” two students demonstrated both 

how a wicking wall works and how they constructed their 

model. While one student-created exhibit explored the 

potential of fish farming, another exhibit showed the effects 

of carbon-filled air versus clean air on floating ice symbolizing 

the polar ice caps. 

Other exhibits included a wind turbine electrical system, a 

“green wall,” a rainwater recapture and purification system 

and a model of the “sustainable house” that the sixth grade 

scientists and their teacher, Debra Tavares, built outside 

the school. 

Tavares said, “In an effort to make children aware of solutions 

to global warming, I created the Sustainable House Project to 

expose my students to the possibilities and uses of alternative 

energy in their lives and to engage them in the experiential 

learning process.” 

NA NEWS fall 2008 

5

6 

As John Limmer crested the lip of the Kaibab Trail and stepped 

onto the North Rim of the Grand Canyon last June, a small group 

of students and two chaperones applauded lightly. All had just 

completed the 14-mile ascent from Phantom Ranch at the bottom 

of the Grand Canyon, a place one can reach only by foot or by 

mule. We climbed one vertical mile from the time we left the lodge 

at 6:30 a.m., where temperatures would reach over 100 degrees 

that afternoon, to this moment at the trailhead with its patches of 

snow among the evergreens. John betrayed his pleasure with a 

broad smile as students slumped against the signposts. It was the 

27th time he’d made the two-day, 28-mile round trip – 25 times 

with Newark Academy seniors and once each with his own sons. 

Last spring was John’s 25th and final trip to the 

Southwest with Newark Academy seniors for their 

senior project. The trip has become an honored 

tradition, treasured by a quarter-century of students 

and hopefully many to come – the school intends 

to keep John’s tradition alive in its senior project 

incarnation. John has crafted the trip “by hand” – no 

tour companies involved – keeping the experience 

intimate, rugged and genuine as the campers make 

their way through various National Parks filled with 

tourists. While the itinerary of the trip has changed 

slightly over the years, the Grand Canyon hike has been 

its anchor. And John has settled into a time-tested 

pattern in the two-week camping trip that has varied 

little in the last decade. 

Frequently referred to by the misnomer “The Arizona 

Trip,” the group actually spends most of its time in Utah. 

While various segments of the trip might be reordered, 

the current structure looks like this: a four-day canoe 

trip on the Green River which runs through Moab; 

excursions in Arches, Zion and Bryce National Parks, 


Wilderness Bound 

withMr.Limmer, 

OneLastTime! 

BY ALEXANDRA MAHONEY

as well as the Navajo National Monument in the middle 

of Arizona; and, of course, the Grand Canyon. 

The group travels by van, purchasing food supplies 

at local grocery stores and cooking meals in the 

campgrounds. We spend time among the desert varnish 

that decorates the gorge walls of the Green River, the 

petroglyphs and kivas of the Ancient Puebloans, the 

sandstone and shale of the redrock throughout the 

region, and the buttes and hoodoos of Bryce and Zion. 

We hike to Hey Hoe Mine, canoe around Bow-Knot 

Bend, traverse Walter’s Wiggles, and scramble up 

Angel’s Landing. 

Each night John gathers the troops for a campfire chat, 

reading a story about a hallucinogenic flower from 

Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire or a creation myth 

from a Native American anthology. He talks about 

the geology and history of the Southwest, 

explaining that limestone is a sedimentary 

rock made of compressed bodies of ancient 

sea creatures or describing John Wesley 

Powell’s historic trip down the Colorado 

and Green rivers. And the kids learn. 

However, the real learning emerges out on 

the trails, among the dramatic landscape 

of the Southwest, where students are given 

a good deal of independence to explore 

the world around them and, as happens 

when experience becomes the teacher, 

to make mistakes within the safety of 

the group. 

In all these years, only a small group 

of teachers has had the opportunity to 

accompany and learn from John. Joe 

Borlo served as the accomplice most of 

those years, and in the last decade Lisa Swanson, 

Kathleen Sigrist, Arlene Jachim and I have chaperoned 

as well. After one single two-week trip, I marveled at 

the idea of doing such a thing 25 times. Of course, 

as John attests, he didn’t start out knowing that he’d 

reach such a milestone. What kept him going back 

all those years? Was it just the beauty and majesty of 

the landscape? The chance to “get away”? In my mind 

it’s perfectly clear: the only thing that could keep a 

teacher going back year after year is a dedication to 

and passion for sharing such a place and an experience 

with his students. 


7

8 

COMMENCEMENT JUNE 8, 2008 

Outside on the front lawn of Newark Academy on an excessively 

hot and humid evening, the 106 members of the Class of 2008 

received their diplomas to thunderous applause and support from 

family members, faculty, staff, and friends. For the first time in the 

history of commencement exercises at the Academy, the ceremony 

was simulcast in the Rose Auditorium to give audience members 

the option of viewing the proceedings inside and out of the heat. 

Commencement speaker David N.W. Grant, president and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, alumni parent, 

and former Newark Academy trustee addressed the community. 

He began his speech with two questions: 1) Who are the 

members of the Class of 2008 as a result of their years 

at Newark Academy — what knowledge, skills and attitudes 

has NA fostered in them, and what experiences has NA 

provided, that are different from those they might have 

gotten at another school? and 2) What sort of world are 

they heading into? He said that to the extent the answers 

to question 1 have been consciously designed in relation to 

the answers to question 2, the graduates have a lot to be 

grateful for. 


He noted that the confluence of these two questions is at the 

heart of NA’s new Strategic Plan, which asks the community 

to focus on what NA graduates will need to know and be 

able to do, and what habits of mind and heart will they need, 

to thrive in a global economy and culture. 

The evening concluded with a reception in which many hands 

were shaken, cheeks were kissed, and congratulations and 

good wishes were exchanged.

COLLEGE DESTINATIONS FOR THE CLASS OF 2008 

Michael Acierno 

Williams College 

Michelle Adler 

Cornell University 

Matthew Ainsley 

McGill University 

Evan Atkinson 

Elon University 

James Bannon 

Swarthmore College 

Michael Benoit 

Cooper Union for the 

Advancement of Science & Art 

Anna Birnbaum 

Trinity College 

Chelsea Blake 


Charlie Bloom 

Berklee College of Music 

Emily Bluck 

Scripps College 

Jackson Boyar 

Indiana University — 

Bloomington 

Sophie Breene 

Hamilton College 

Melissa Bryson 

Wake Forest University 

Ian Cali 

University of Delaware 

Dana Chernock 

Bucknell University 

Daniel Corman 

Colorado College 

Joseph Coscia 

Georgetown University 

Michael Cutri 

Stevens Institute of Technology 

Ryan Diehl 

Colgate University 

Gwendolyn Dobro 

Emory University 

Deandra Duncan 

University of Michigan 

Dana Ellis 

Bates College 

Benjamin Essner 

Boston University 

Ariele Faber 

Middlebury College 

Eric Fattakhov 

Stanford University 

Louis Feinberg 

George Washington University 

Derek Fischer 

University of Pennsylvania 

Duncan Fisher 

Stanford University 

Michael Forman 


David Frank 

University of Rochester 

Jessica Frankel 

New York University 

Natalie Friedman 

Franklin & Marshall College 

Maxwell Frost 

Princeton University 

Rebecca Gallick 


Dena Gaviola 


Genevieve Geiger 

Tufts University 

Madison Gerish 

Dickinson College 

Andrew Goldberg 

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 

Jenifer-Cahryn Goldman 

Colby College 

Robert Gordon 

University of Wisconsin — 

Madison 

Joseph Greenaway 

Occidental College 

Zane Grodman 


Sarah Gross 

University of Southern California 

Lena Grosse 

Emerson College 

Arianna Groveman 

Union College 

Alexa Gruber 

University of Richmond 

Meghan Henshall 

Kenyon College 

Eric Hintz 


Calvin Hopkins 


Andrew Huang 

University of Rochester 

Stephen Ingui 

Drew University 

Samuel Jacobs 


Thomas Jasterzbski 

Davidson College 

Rohit Joshi 

Boston College 

Sarah Karinja 

Columbia University 

Jason Katz 

Bucknell University 

Samantha Kelly 


Bloomington 

Matthew Kennedy 

Rose-Hulman Institute of 

Technology 

Ryan Keur 

Elon University 

Rachel Klein 

Skidmore College 

Athrey Krishnakumar 


James Kruvant 


Philip Lamb 

University of York (UK) 

Andrew Laughlin 

Villanova University 

Ziann Lee 

Dickinson College 

Caroline Lill 

University of St. Andrews (UK) 

Rebecca Litwin 

Carleton College 

Joseph Longthorne 

Boston Conservatory 

Christian Lysinger 

SUNY Albany 

Lauren Martino 


Bloomington 

Luis Martins 

University of Connecticut 

Amanda Marx 


Bloomington 

Bradley Maykow 

Connecticut College 

Holly Maykow 

Trinity College 

Cori McGinn 

Loyola University — 

New Orleans 

James McMahon 

Villanova University 

Bryan Mills 


Alexandra Mulvihill 

University of Denver 

Marc Murray 

University of St. Andrews (UK) 

Lynn Olesky 

Johns Hopkins University 

Samantha Pivetz 

Carleton College 

Joanne Quinn 


Neta Ra’anan 

Manhattan School of Music 

Ryan Rafel 


Vishal Reddy 

Brown University 

Charlotte Reisen 

Lewis & Clark College 

Matthew Richards 

Lehigh University 

Patricia Rodrigues 

Barnard College 

Charlotte Rosen 

Connecticut College 

Carli Roth 

Vanderbilt University 

Jacqueline Scala 

Swarthmore College 

Nikki Schlecker 


Austin Schurley 

Miami University — Ohio 

Nathaniel Schwalb 

Yale University 

Rebecca Shulman 

University of Vermont 

Arielle Silverman 

Duke University 

Maximilian Staiger 

Post Graduate Year 

Alex Stein 


Jonathan Sternlicht 

Muhlenberg College 

Kaitlin Stevens 

University of Miami 

Tyi Stewart-Jones 

Rutgers University 

David Ulrich 

Claremont McKenna College 

Kimberly Vita 

University of Connecticut 

Michael Volkert 

Pennsylvania State University 

Noah Wiviott 


Jennifer Zelnick 

Haverford College 


9

10 

With Israel celebrating its 60th 

Anniversary of statehood, Amy Rubin 

Schottland and Sam Goldfischer made 

heroic efforts to book travel 

arrangements through Ayelet Tours. 

Additional arrangements were made 

with the help and influence of Jane 

Wilf, allowing us a tour at Israel’s 

memorial to the Holocaust, Yad 

Vashem, and Peter Feinberg ’78, 

whose association with MetroWest led 

us to a tour of The Feinberg Center 

for the youth of Rishon L’tzion and a 

meeting with Ethiopian Jews who had 

emigrated to Israel. Making final 

arrangements in March for a trip set to 

go in mid June, we were limited in 

some ways to following the general 

tour paths. Still, with foresight and 

persistence, we were able to visit two 

schools, meet with staff at two youth 

services organizations and meet for 

discussions with three different groups 

interested in fostering the peace 

process. Efforts were made to engage 

us in the plight of the displaced 

Palestinian Culture, but we did not 

get to the West Bank except for a 

two-hour tour of the Church of the 

Nativity in Bethlehem. 

Clockwise from top left: Bahai Temple in Haifa; 

a market in Jerusalem; students at the Yad 

Byad School in Galilee; NA faculty members; 

hijab displayed at an Arab market in 

Jerusalem; ruins at Megido

Wisdom and Wonder 

By Von Rollenhagen 

Faculty Members Journey to Israel 

In the fall of 2007, Blackie Parlin approached Head of School Don Austin about the possibility of embarking 

on Newark Academy’s global initiatives by finding a way to send 11 faculty members to the Middle East. 

Concept quickly gave way to reality when Mr. Parlin arranged financial support with several Newark Academy 

alumni. At the spring Parents Association Gala an additional $40,000 was raised in auction to ensure that 

we would indeed be traveling to Israel and the West Bank. 

From Jerusalem and the Old City and the Temple Mount to 

Tel Aviv and Old Jaffa, to Haifa and Safed and Tiberius and the 

Golan Heights to Ein Gedi and Masada, we participated in a trip 

that had a profound impact upon us individually and collectively. 

As we gathered on our last night together in a park on top of Old 

Jaffa overlooking the Mediterranean for an improvised Shabbat 

Service, the sun set into the sea to our left behind the cross of a 

Medieval Church and to our right we could look past a Mosque 

and down the coast to Tel Aviv. Amy Rubin Schottland and Sam 

Goldfischer led our group – one Orthodox, one Conservative, 

one Reform, two agnostics, an atheist, four Protestants and a 

Roman Catholic – in song and prayer, then each of us offered 

a reflection on what had passed between us and before us in 

these 10 days. At first we were moved to reverent silence, then 

as emotions leveled into wistfulness there was expression of 

respect, deep admiration, questions political and personal, and 

universally there was gratitude that our school community could 

give so generously to a trip that will have long term effects on 

our lives and, by extension, the ways in which we approach our 

jobs as teachers. 

As our service atop Yafo ended, the loud-speakers from the 

Mosque below us carried out the Muslim call to worship and we 

set out for a Shabbat Dinner at Beit Daniel, Israel’s first Reform 

Congregation. Though the neophytes among us had come to 

understand that the political and spiritual divides in Israel are 

many and deep, we were still surprised to learn that the power 

wielded by the Ultra Orthodox delayed the occupation of Beit 

Daniel’s building until an Act of Parliament facilitated its opening 

20 years after its first attempt to form. 

When we returned to the States, I asked each traveler to offer a 

written reflection on what he or she had seen and learned. Each 

of us had personal highlights and insights and I cannot represent 

them all here, but collectively there were a few places and themes 

that coalesced into the defining elements of our journey to Israel. 

Overriding all was the sense that we were, by our very presence, 

being asked to understand the layers of history and religion that 

define the region and its distinct populations. We literally visited 

the walled city of Old Jerusalem in layers with our first night’s 

witnessing of the devout shuckling in prayer at the Western Wall, 

then later in successive days beneath the city along an excavation 

tour and finally a trip to the Temple Mount and a walk along the 

Old City’s Ramparts. Inside lay the Quarters: Armenian, Christian, 

Jewish and Muslim. In 1967 the IDF claimed Old Jerusalem in 

one of the fiercest battles of the Six Day War. What the Israelis 

call the “liberation” of Jerusalem has united disparate Muslims 

from neighboring countries in defiance ever since. There are the 

layers of history elsewhere as well: Megiddo with its ruins of 25 

civilizations and modern Israel itself, at once democratically secular 

and determinedly Jewish, with its myriad political parties, from the 

more liberal Labor Party to the fundamentalism of the Shas Party. 

Among the many stunning landscapes we visited, The Golan 

Heights, a territory annexed from Syria in the waning moments 

of the Six Day War, struck us as especially beautiful. And here, 

too, the layers and the contradictions were in evidence: a 

beautiful valley brimming with agriculture was being irrigated 

with water diverted from the Jordan River while down stream 

its decimated flow of fresh water into the Dead Sea exacerbates 

the evaporation of what water remains there. Amidst beautiful 

fields where cattle grazed above the flourishing kibbutzim below 

we passed the bunkers once used by the Syrians to bomb the 

low lying Israeli farms and we read signs warning us away from 

acreage still rife with live land mines. Later we visited the Golan 

Winery, a thriving enterprise in a land that, as I write, Israel is 

negotiating with Syria in consideration of its return. 

Masada, our last real stop of historic note, was majestic in its 

design and inspirational in its story of siege and sacrifice. Here 

we took in a 360-degree view of the Dead Sea plateau and the 

mountains above, imagining with the help of our guide Roni’s 

11

narration, the logistical complications of the Roman attack and 

the calm “surrender” of Herod’s people in the face of imminent 

defeat. In the 115 degree heat it was hard to believe that just 

seven miles and an hour before the ascent of Masada we were 

wading in the pools of the desert oasis waterfall at Ein Gedi. 

12 

When we gathered that last night in Old Jaffa, unbeknownst to me 

then but apparent in the writings I later received, a school was on 

many of our minds. Yes, there was gratitude for Newark Academy’s 

great generosity but there were also questions about Israel and 

its challenges that led our thoughts intellectually and spiritually 

“ 

to the work being done in Galilee at The Bilingual Galil School. 

Here were authentic efforts serving 

real kids – kids being studious and serious, 

kids being knuckleheads, kids being 

charming and shy and wanting to 

” 

escape to the playground together. 

Both the Israel Ministry of Education and the United Jewish 

Communities fund The Bilingual Galil School, located high in the 

hills and surrounded by barbed wire fencing. Its express purpose 

is to educate children in an environment that promotes respectful 

coexistence among Jewish-Israeli and Arab-Israeli children. The 

school is 60 percent Muslim and 40 percent Jewish. We had 

met with groups interested in fostering peace, even with a most 

eloquent and insightful Reform Rabbi. In hindsight the simple 

success of this school where every class was taught in Arabic 

and Hebrew and staffed by both an Arab and Jewish teacher, 

even co-led by an Arab Principal and a Jewish Principal, struck 

us as a moving tribute to those who labor for peace in the 

service of future generations. 

Here were authentic efforts serving real kids – kids being studious 

and serious, kids being knuckleheads, kids being charming and 

shy and wanting to escape to the playground together. Our host, 

a native Jewish-Israeli woman, was clearly nationalistic at her 

core yet nonetheless possessed the integrity and the ethical 

commitment to check these feelings and provide a real education 

and a real promise of hope for her region’s youth, even in the 

face of doubters. 

Here in the hills of Galilee something was being accomplished 

that might in fact last, and its implications for what could actually 

be achieved are quite inspiring. As Amy Rubin Schottland wrote 

in her reflection, “Israeli schools are producing the technology 

innovators of the future. And yet, these opportunities do not seem 

[typically] to be available for all her citizens ... Israel is founded on 

the Zionists’ dream, but what has been the cost to those who 

also call it home?” Though our trip did not provide an answer, 

perhaps The Bilingual Galil School, or Yad v’ Yad (Hand in Hand), 

as it is also known, provides a glimpse at the genesis of a solution. 

From top to bottom: the Jerusalem Walk; Muslim Mosque, 

Dome of the rock, Jerusalem; ruins at Masada

CONVOCATION September 5, 2008 

Head of School Donald Austin led the opening ceremony in the Rose Auditorium, 

welcoming students to the new academic year. Students and faculty were also 

greeted by Jon Olesky ’74, vice chair of the board of trustees; Leo Gordon ’69, 

president of the alumni association; Rita Pignatelli-Mercuri, president of the 

parents association, and Kyle Ostroff ’09, school council president. 

“The ladder of success is best climbed 

by stepping on the rungs of opportunity.” 

– AYN RAND 

Jennifer Choe Groves ’87 delivered the convocation address urging students to 

seize opportunities that are presented to them. Jennifer has done just that in 

a career path that eventually led to the White House where Jennifer currently 

serves as the director for intellectual property and innovation. She is responsible 

for coordinating U.S. trade policy and has been the lead intellectual property 

negotiator in numerous Free Trade Agreements with international trading partners 

including Russia and the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, 

North Africa, and many other countries. 

Jennifer began her legal career as a prosecutor 

with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. 

She subsequently entered private practice 

with several prominent law firms, where 

she practiced intellectual property and 

entertainment litigation. Jennifer received 

an LL.M. from Columbia University Law 

School specializing in intellectual property 

and international and comparative law; a J.D. 

from Rutgers Law School; and an A.B. from 

Princeton University. She is also a graduate 

of the Juilliard School of Music, where she 

studied piano and composition. 

Following the ceremony, Jennifer was joined 

on the front patio by throngs of students who 

were eager to learn more about the steps that 

led to her exciting and influential career path. 

EACH YEAR 

AT CONVOCATION, 

outstanding members of 

the faculty are recognized 

for their important 

contributions to the 

NA community: 

Elaine Brodie 

Catherine Lynham Academic Chair 

Dan Erlandson 

Ohaus Chair in Science, 

Mathematics and Technology 

Scott Jacoby 

Ernest S. Allsopp Award 

Amy Hone 

Ripps Faculty Award 

Marcia Worth-Baker 

Innovation in Teaching Award 

Tara DelRusso 

Ted Gilbreath 

Brenda Hamm 

Head of School Awards 


13

14 

faculty focus 

Fond Farewells 

A number of esteemed faculty and staff members departed 

from Newark Academy at the end of the 2007-2008 school 

year. Steve Griggs, director of athletics, and Fred 

McGaughn, director of institutional advancement, both 

retired from the administration. 

Glen Depino (Health), Mary Lysinger (French) and Bash 

Mohammed (Humanities) all exited the faculty. Madelyn 

Onofrio, middle school office manager, and Claire 

Gallagher, admission office manager, both retired from 

the school’s staff. 

Welcome to New Faculty 

Six new members joined the NA faculty this year: Jennifer 

Blevins (Science), Nathalie Gaillot (French), Chris 

George (Physics), Ana Josuva (Spanish and Language 

Department Chair), Elizabeth Sparacino (Humanities) 

and Jeffrey Vinikoor (Humanities). 

Travel Experiences 

Kirsti Morin (Humanities) was awarded the major summer 

sabbatical – a cross-country road trip. Her adventure is 

detailed on pages 18-22. 

Lee Abbey (Humanities) traveled to Prague in the Czech 

Republic on a mini-sabbatical last March. This experience 

allowed him a deeper study of Prague’s role in European 

history and the opportunity to examine Prague’s new role 

in Eastern Europe. 

In July, Elizabeth Barbato (English) had the fortunate 

opportunity to travel to the Galapagos on a tour operated 

by Natural Habitat Adventures (www.nathab.com), a 

company founded and operated by 

NA alum Ben Bressler ’80. The 

12-day tour featured daily hikes on 

each island, extensive scientific 

information about the biodiversity 

of the archipelago and snorkeling. 

Dr. Barbato swam with marine 

iguanas, penguins, cormorants, 

sea turtles, sea lions and Galapagos 

sharks – and lived to tell the tale! 

In August, Debra Tavares (Science) and Dan Erlandson 

(Science) attended a week-long course at the Island School 

in Eleuthera, Bahamas. More than just a school, the Island 

School offered authentic work in a developing world context. 

Their experience was focused on personal development, 

scientific research, sustainable economic development and 


WELCOME, 

LISA GRIDER 

The Office of Institutional 

Advancement is pleased 

to announce the arrival of 

its new director, Lisa Grider. 

Lisa’s 20-year career is 

anchored in service to 

nonprofit organizations, including Texas Christian University, 

Baylor University Medical Center and Seton Hall University. 

Immediately prior to joining Newark Academy, Lisa served 

as executive vice president and chief operating officer of 

Graham Pelton Consulting, Inc., a full-service fundraising and 

nonprofit management firm. Lisa lives in Essex Fells with her 

husband, Mitch Lawrence, and daughter, Neeley Lawrence. 

Please join us in welcoming Lisa to the Institutional 

Advancement team and wishing her success as she helps 

Newark Academy achieve its goals. 

environmental preservation through resource management, 

alternative energy production and community outreach. 

(And they managed to fit in some snorkeling, too!) 

Milestones 

BIRTHS/WEDDINGS 

Tara Ann Gencarelli (Health) married Jon DelRusso on 

May 31 in Fairfield, New Jersey. The couple resides in Nutley. 

Sandy Palmer (Science) and her husband, Rob, are proud 

to announce the birth of their son, Colby, born on May 22. 

He joins big sister, Willow (3). 

COMPLETED DEGREES 

This summer, Yvette Luxenberg (Dance) earned a Master of 

Fine Arts degree in dance from Hollins University/American 

Dance Festival Program. The one-of-a-kind program 

concentrates on hands-on experiences of the American Dance 

Festival (ADF), the most prestigious dance festival in the United 

States. While participating in the program, Luxenberg split 

her time between the Hollins University campus in Roanoke, 

Virginia, and the Duke University campus, home to the ADF, 

in Durham, North Carolina. 

ACCOMPLISHMENTS/ACHIEVEMENTS 

Elizabeth Barbato (English) attended the prestigious 

Colgate Writers’ Conference this summer. By coincidence, 

the conference was organized and managed by NA alum 

Matthew Leone ’67. 

Marquis Scott, director of technology, 

was invited to return to his alma mater, 

The Hotchkiss School, as the keynote 

speaker at an athletic awards ceremony. 

He addressed the assembly with a moving 

testimony on the influence of sports on 

his life and how his years at Hotchkiss 

helped shape his life and his future.

Secrets 

BY MARCIA WORTH-BAKER 

Trade 

OF THE 

Christopher P. Davis III, Class of 2012, is known around NA for dapper dressing, 

the American flag he hangs on his locker each year, and now, thanks to Trader Magazine, for 

his financial acumen. Davis appeared as “The Freshman” in the finance publication’s fourth 

annual list of “30 Under 30,” which listed a handful of the “world’s top traders.” 

While Davis learned the basics of investing around the 

dinner table from his father, Paul Davis, who manages 

portfolios at Oppenheimer and Company, he has had 

the opportunity to expand his experience at Newark 

Academy. “I am a member of the Student Endowment 

Committee, which was founded thanks to an anonymous 

gift of $100,000,” explains Davis. “One of the provisions 

of the gift was that it be managed by students. It’s a great 

opportunity for me and for the school.” Davis has reason 

to be proud; the student-run fund saw a solid performance 

in 2007; its value climbed 13.7%. “I also get to sit in on 

meetings of the school’s investment committee, which 

often inspire me to research further.” 

Davis credits the school for a unique opportunity. “I can’t 

imagine that any other school could have given me, a 

kid, this kind of experience.” A Newark Academy student 

since sixth grade, Davis is proud to call himself a “lifer.” 

In addition to his father’s guidance, Davis also looks to 

Benson Hawk, chair of the humanities department and 

teacher of economics, and Sam Goldfischer, director of 

finance, as inspirations. “Mr. Hawk has taught me about 

the world-wide economic conditions that can affect stock 

performance, and Mr. Goldfischer has shown me how 

institutional investment differs from the kind of investing 

I do for myself,” explains Davis. 

Davis recently carved a few hours out of his busy schedule 

to tape a short segment for Fox News. “It was exciting 

when Fox News called my father to ask if I could be on 

television,” admits Davis. The segment, however, is yet 

to be aired. The recent stock market plunge and global 

fiscal crisis has dominated the news. Even so, Davis is 

able to share his experience and acumen with fellow 

students. The fall’s first issue of the school newspaper, 

The Minuteman, featured a piece by Davis that discusses 

aspects of the financial situation. Davis isn’t worried 

about the world financial situation. At age 15, he 

“thinks longterm.” 

Future plans for Davis include a career in business. For 

now, he’s savoring the high school experience, midterms, 

school lunches, Spirit Week, and all. “Every day is a 

good day here,” he states with obvious pleasure. “Newark 

Academy is the perfect fit for me.” 


15

16 

the sports report 

FALL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS 

At the mid-point of the 2008-2009 fall sports season, Newark 

Academy athletic teams boast a combined win-loss record of 57 

victories, 42 defeats and three ties. 

The boys and girls cross country teams have a combined 

record of 19-5 (girls 8-4, boys 11-1), including a very impressive 

third place finish by the boys in the prestigious Shore 

Invitational on October 4 at Holmdel, NJ. On October 15 the 

boys finished third in the Colonial Hills Conference championships 

and our girls finished fifth, both teams continuing 

their fine seasons. 

The girls soccer team entered the Essex County tournament 

as the third seed but was upset by cross-town rival, Livingston 

High School. The girls (8-5) have their sights set on winning 

the Hills Division title and then vying for both the Prep and 

State tournament championships. 

The girls tennis team (14-5) made it to the finals of the Essex 

County tournament before bowing to top-ranked Millburn. Our 

first doubles team of Molly Alter and Carly Hyatt won the Essex 

County doubles championship and is presently playing in the 

State doubles championship as the #2 seed. 

Five of our teams, girls soccer, boys and girls cross country, girls 

tennis and girls volleyball have qualified for State tournament 

play. As we go to press, our boys and girls soccer, field hockey, 

cross country and volleyball teams have also begun play in the 

Prep State tournament in their respective sports. 

Although undermanned in terms of overall numbers and playing 

predominantly freshmen and sophomores, the football team 

has demonstrated remarkable resilience and determination. 

The future looks bright for our young Minuteman. 

FOR CURRENT SCORES AND ATHLETIC NEWS GO TO 

WWW.NEWARKA.EDU, CLICK ON “ACADEMY LIFE,” THEN 

CLICK ON “ATHLETICS.” 

OUTREACH fall 2008

NJSIAA REALIGNMENT PLAN 

Newark Academy athletics will soon experience the 

impact of the recently passed NJSIAA realignment 

plan. This plan will disband the Colonial Hills 

Conference, the athletic conference in which Newark 

Academy has been a member since 1995. In its place 

will be the formation of what is presently being 

referred to as the Essex Conference. In essence, 

Newark Academy athletics will become part of a 

super conference, comprised of all Essex County high 

schools and divided into divisions of like-sized 

schools. In the next few months, representatives from 

each of the member schools will focus on determining 

the breadth and depth of these newly formed divisions 

while trying to maintain an equitable 

balance in scheduling. A great deal of background 

work will proceed in the near future to make this new 

conference operational; the state has mandated that 

the new conference should be prepared to function 

for the fall 2009 season. We will keep you updated on 

the progress of the conference throughout the year. 

17

18 

Road Trip U.S.A.! 

10,000 Miles in 60 Days 

I’m looking into the eyes of two men, ages 20 and 27, who have risked everything for the chance to cross 

the border from Mexico into the United States, and tonight they do not even know where they will get 

their next meal or where they will sleep. Tonight, they may live or die. It is one of the most heartbreaking 

moments of realization for me: simply by virtue of where I was born, I am clothed, fed, and have a 

pretty good idea where I am sleeping tonight. Darwin and Antonio have far less. And yet, in their eyes, 

I do not see jealousy or malice, I see hope, courage, and pride. They didn’t ask anything of us, but said 

simply, ‘Tell people we are good. We just want to work. Tell people we are good. We just want to 

work.’ There, on the border town of Nogales, Mexico, Darwin said, ‘Tonight, maybe we will survive 

and maybe we won’t. We trust in God. For God, there is no border.’ Blog entry-July 12, 2008 

I wrote this during an immersion experience in Mexico with 

an organization called Borderlinks, a bi-national, nonprofit 

educational organization at the U.S./Mexico border dedicated 

to cross-border relationship building opportunities. This was 

just one of many eye-opening experiences I had this summer 

as I traversed the dirt roads, blue roads, and highway interstates 

on the great American road trip. 

It was the epitome of what Newark Academy’s sabbatical 

program afforded me: the opportunity to be immersed in 

experiences that would challenge my former modes of 

thinking and enrich my teaching of American history. I applied 

for the sabbatical because I have taught American history for 

more than 15 years, yet my direct knowledge of the United 

by Kirsti Morin 

States has been mainly limited to what I have read in books 

or watched on documentaries. As both a teacher and a citizen, 

I yearned for a new challenge and a new perspective on this 

country and its neighbors. 

For two months, I followed the historical trails westward 

to California and back with my husband, Neil (NA English 

department chair and IB director), our son, Alex (7), and 

daughter, Eleni (3). Crammed into a Honda Civic, we also 

tried to set a good environmental example by driving a small 

fuel-efficient car. Along the way, I shared my cross-country 

travel experiences with my Newark Academy family in a blog 

entitled “The Way We are Today.”

JUNE 26 MADISON, NEW JERSEY 

Leaving our driveway in Madison, New Jersey. 

JULY 2 MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE 

Outside the former Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. The wreath marks the spot where 

Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Inside, in the Civil Rights Museum, 

you can see his room just as he left it. Unexpectedly and overwhelmingly moving. 

JULY 5 VACHERIE, LOUISIANA 

One of my goals for this trip was to see a historic plantation 

with the slaves’ quarters intact. Laura Plantation, in Vacherie, 

Louisiana, has preserved 16x16 homes that were inhabited 

from the early 1800s until 1977. Steeped in Creole history, 

Laura Plantation’s other notable claim to fame is that the Br’er 

Rabbit tales passed down from the Senegalese slaves that lived 

here, were retold and made popular by Joel Chandler Harris. 

JULY 14 PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA 

We saw miles of wind turbines outside of Palm Springs, California. These wind farms are 

scattered across the country. Just one megatower can generate up to 300 kilowatts 

an hour (enough energy to keep an average household going for one month). 

JULY 3 VICKSBURG NATIONAL PARK, MISSISSIPPI 

One of the most challenging yet rewarding parts of the trip was trying to explain 

historical events to our seven-year-old son. Why was there a Civil War? Which team was 

New Jersey on? Here at Vicksburg National Park in Mississippi we struggled to explain 

how the Confederates held out for 47 days against the Union siege in July 1863. 

JULY 9 LAKE VALLEY, NEW MEXICO 

Alex strummed his guitar while William Jenning Byran’s “Cross of Gold” speech 

came to life for me here at a ghost town in Lake Valley, New Mexico. This silver 

mine closed in 1893, while just down the road, Hillsboro survived because its 

mines were full of gold. 

19

JULY 17 PRISMO BEACH, CALIFORNIA 

We did it! We made it to the Pacific Ocean 

and camped here at Prismo Beach. 

JULY 20 THE MUIR WOODS 

NATIONAL MONUMENT, CALIFORNIA 

The Muir Woods National Monument is the 

home of some of the last remaining Redwoods 

that used to thrive in the San Francisco area. 

Redwoods, we found out, poignantly grow in 

family circles; the roots from the center tree 

sprout new life and form a circle around the 

root crown of the original tree. 

JULY 22 YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA 

It would be silly for me to try and capture the beauty of Yosemite National Park in words. 

It was more stunning and diverse than I ever imagined. We were amazed at how quickly 

the terrain changes here; not only was our elevation changing by the thousands within 

the tiny span of 10 minutes, but the natural transformations were mind-blowing! 

JULY 23 DEATH VALLEY, CALIFORNIA 

We heard cries of “the heat is hurting me!” from the backseat as we drove through Death 

Valley. Compared to the pioneers who headed west in the 1800s with little more than 

a covered wagon to protect them when they were not walking, I thought we were all 

right. Yes, it was 118 degrees, but we had fresh water, air conditioning and AAA maps! 

JULY 23 MANZANAR, CALIFORNIA 

In 1942, in the small town of Manzanar, the federal government followed through with 

one of FDR’s reactions to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Executive Order 9066. This 

authorized the relocation of anyone who might threaten the United States from within. 

Consequently, 120,000 Japanese Americans were relocated to 11 internment camps in 

the U.S. The camp we visited was once home to more than 10,000 Japanese Americans. 

JULY 25 ZION NATIONAL PARK, UTAH 

When you have spent 24 hours a day with your family 

for a whole month, it is true bliss to have an evening to 

yourself. Neil took the kids to a movie and I sat outside 

our hotel room in Springdale watching the storms 

dance with the sunset over Zion National Park.

AUGUST 2 COLORADO 

The mountains of Colorado served as a 

backdrop for this rare family photo op. 

JULY 28 NAVAJO NATION 

We helped Eleni hike the three-mile round trip White House Trail 

into Canyon de Chelley in the Navajo Nation by enticing her with 

Skittles (in a way reminiscent of how Elliot got E.T. out of his room). 

AUGUST 5 KANSAS 

The yellow brick road is flat, very flat; there are a few states 

that just seem to go on forever and Kansas is one of them. 

AUGUST 5 DODGE CITY, KANSAS 

“It takes 22 months to make a T-bone steak!” A local Kansas geologist explained how 

the discovery of the Ogalala Aquafilter beneath much of Kansas inspired packing 

plants to move here. In the past 20 years, rather than moving the cattle through 

Kansas, they take care of everything here. We saw where the calves were born and 

weaned, where the yearlings wandered in a pasture, and where the cows spent their 

final days in a feed yard before the slaughterhouse. After that, I was told, “The T-bone 

steak gets shipped to the East Coast and eaten at a fancy restaurant for $30 each.” 

AUGUST 7 ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI 

The gateway to the West: the Arch in St. Louis, Missouri 

AUGUST 7 ILLINOIS 

There were few “kicks on Route 66” as 

we were facing a possible rebellion in 

the backseat, but we did have a mighty 

fine cheesecake at the Ariston, which 

has been open since the 1920s, the 

heyday of Route 66. 


21


22 

AUGUST 10 DETROIT, MICHIGAN 

My son Alex is sitting in the seat that Rosa Parks 

refused to move from in Montgomery, Alabama, 

in 1955. Today the bus can be seen at the 

Henry Ford Museum in Detroit, Michigan. 

AUGUST 22 PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND 

I saw my home state and its founder, Roger Williams, with new eyes after visiting the 

Roger Williams Memorial Park in Providence, Rhode Island. I read some healthy advice 

on a marker, “Freedom never meant agreement, however … Williams believed to the end 

that tolerance of diversity, not enforcement of conformity, was the key to civil peace.” 

What a difference a road trip makes! 

While I’m not naïve enough to think that all of the quick stops we 

made in our rush around the U.S.A. were anything more than 

superficial, I do know that our time on the road has opened more 

perspectives on American history than the lessons in any book 

could have dispelled. One of the first things I did on my return to 

New Jersey was purchase for my classroom two relief maps, 

one of the United States and one of the world. I’m also incorporating 

the words frontier, borders, and freedom into my 

AUGUST 13 NEW HAMPSHIRE & MAINE 

The Aspens are beautiful in Colorado, but seeing these birch trees as we drove east on Route 2 

from New Hampshire into Maine brought tears to my eyes. In so many ways, we were home. 

AUGUST 21 NARRAGANSETT, RHODE ISLAND 

Ten years ago Neil and I were married here at Point 

Judith Lighthouse in Narragansett, Rhode Island. 

AUGUST HOME 

We take these signs for granted, but after 10,000 

miles and 60 days on the road, this sign and the 

arms of some good friends were pure delight! 

questions in class so that my students can grapple with these 

concepts in terms of America, just as I did. Overall, this sabbatical 

experience provided me with a deeper appreciation for the 

United States, my family, and my opportunities as a teacher. 

If you want to read more about Borderlinks and the rest of 

Kirsti’s trip across the United States in her blog, The Way We 

are Today, please go to kirstiandneil.blogspot.com.

from the 

Archives 

by Blackie Parlin 

HARD AT WORK 

The Newark Academy faculty has been talking a great deal 

about “immersion experiences” for our students. The focus 

has been on experiences in the wilderness and in the homes 

of people in foreign cultures. I am completely supportive of 

encouraging young people in both of these experiences, but 

I’ve expressed a concern: I am the product of valuable work 

experiences and a believer in the formative and educational 

value of work. By “work” I mean working under a hard-nosed 

boss who expects a full hour’s labor for an hour’s pay and 

would not hesitate to fire the non-productive. 

I learned to work on a farm down the dirt road from my 

family’s summer house in the Adirondacks. If I did not do 

my jobs, animals could hunger or literally die of thirst. 

When the boss farmer told me at age 10 to take the John 

Deere two-horse mower for some circuits around the big 

field, I knew I was doing a man’s work and felt manly. 

When, two years later with a thunderstorm approaching 

and loaded hay wagons and trucks still in the fields, he 

told me to drive one of the trucks to the barn, I felt that 

I was saving the world’s hay crop. 

Our culture makes it more and more difficult for young 

people to get real jobs. Many of us as suburban parents have 

tried to make jobs for our children somewhat artificially. 

I’ve polled the seniors whom I have in class this year. Sixteen 

out of 40 report that they worked during the summer. Of 

those 16, some appear to have had somewhat protected 

jobs – jobs without the tough, demanding boss. Because 

I RECEIVED SOME RESPONSES to 

my column entitled “Shared Cultures” in 

the Spring issue of Outreach. Joe Powell 

corrected my spelling of “xenophobic.” I 

recalled John Kim’s story of a supervisor 

telling him that, if a student corrected 

him, he should say, “Right you are. Just 

trying to keep you on your toes.” So, Joe 

Powell, right you are. Just trying to keep 

Outreach readers on their toes. The 

correct spelling of xenophobic is just 

that… or is it zenophobic? 

Lucio Ricci wrote to say that he recalled 

Art Nelke as an engaging conversationalist. 

As a guest in the Ricci home, Art Nelke 

would describe the wonders of pristine 

Maine from coast to forest, descriptions 

which Ricci later saw to be marvelously 

accurate. 

This recollection reminded me of a Nelke 

story which haunts Joan and me, because 

we can’t recall the end of the story. It 

seems that on a family trip to Spain an 

aunt died in a very rural area when Spain 

these difficult work experiences prepare our students for 

their future endeavors, it is my hope that our community 

will consider real work experience an educational essential. 

In my early years at NA, there was a student who used his 

jeep to plow snow from driveways. When there was a blizzard, 

he would be absent from school. When he returned to class, 

he was so sleep-deprived, because he had worked through 

the night or nights, that teachers would let him sleep in the 

back row. He was a lesson to us all. 

If you have need for a young worker to shovel coal, unpack 

merchandise on the loading dock, stock the shelves before 

7:00 a.m., milk cows by hand, deliver newspapers, or mow 

grass with a hand mower, please let us know. 

was still a “donkey culture,” if I can use 

that term. The body had to be taken to 

Madrid for death certification. The only 

way to get the aunt’s body to Madrid was 

to strap it (or would it be more respectful 

to say “her?”) onto the roof of the car. 

And this is how they drove to Madrid. 

Unfortunately, Joan and I cannot recall 

Mr. Nelke’s account of the trip or the 

arrival in Madrid. 

Archives 

Yes, Art was a wonderful conversationalist. 

FROM THE ARCHIVES fall 2008 

23

24 

Remembering 

Remembering 

Pavlo Pavlo 

BY JONATHAN DOWNS 

BUILDING A MOUNTAIN 

Pavlo Levkiv entered and exited this world struggling to survive. 

He was born in Ukraine with an umbilical chord wrapped 

around his neck, and he died at the Jersey Shore in the cruel 

current of a summer riptide. Every day of his life, Pavlo fought 

cerebral palsy. His speech was inaudible, his muscle memory 

unpredictable, and his coordination was clumsy at best. 

Anyone who personally knew Pavlo, passed by him in the 

hallways, or even heard of him second hand, rooted for him. 

We rooted for him not because he had a disability, but because 

of what he did with it. 

The litany of his accomplishments is nothing short of inspirational. 

As a freshman in high school, Pavlo took calculus and 

excelled. He could read and write fluently in three languages. 

He spent his high school summers at Princeton, working with 

astrophysicists 

on the devel- 

At Newark Academy Pavlo Levkiv 

built a mountain. He quietly 

demanded that we all look deep within 

ourselves in search for personal 

meaning and intrinsic rewards. 

opment of 

telescopic 

lenses intended 

to reach 

solar systems 

with planets 

similar to 

Earth. In his free time, he developed carpool algorithms 

designed to reduce carbon emissions and fight global warming. 

He also ran cross-country for three years – often with bloody 

elbows and muddy knees. He competed one season with a 

broken arm. When he got bored with cross-country his senior 

year, he quit, and tried wrestling. The only match he ever won 

was by forfeit. He always lost; and he always loved it. 

It comes as no surprise to those who knew Pavlo, to understand 

that these accolades and accomplishments are not why Pavlo 

was so attractive. Pavlo was attractive because he always smiled. 

He had a smile that was biggest when he was pushed, challenged, 

and put in predicaments of discomfort. A rare disposition, Pavlo’s 

attitude is what distinguished him as magnetic, contagious, 

and admirable. He humbly preferred a test he could not pass, 

an opponent he could not defeat, and an obstacle he could 

not overcome. He was tickled by trepidation. 

I had the good fortune to coach Pavlo in three years of crosscountry, 

teach him in freshman and senior year English, and 

see him graduate Newark Academy to study at my alma mater, 

Middlebury College. While his freshman year transcript is 

impressive, I believe Pavlo wanted to go to Middlebury mostly 

because of its location. Middlebury exists in the heart of the

Green Mountains; and for the five years 

that I knew Pavlo, he was enamored by 

mountains. He wrote about mountains in 

English, he begged his parents to take him 

on hikes whenever they had free time, and 

he always dreamed of one day climbing 

Mount Everest. In fact, the last words of 

his final essay at Newark Academy, he 

wrote, “Go outside!” 

Flying home from his funeral, I realized why Pavlo loved to 

be outside, specifically among the mountaintops. He was a 

young man with lofty values. He loved to summit and see. 

When he was on the top of a mountain he could survey the 

world. From up there the petty problems of daily life, the 

seemingly unsolvable cultural conflicts, and all of the pain 

and suffering of the world were washed away with whipping 

winds, blended by a heightened view. For Pavlo, all things 

tied tightly together on the top of a mountain. 

At Newark Academy Pavlo Levkiv built a mountain. He quietly 

demanded that we all look deep within ourselves in search for 

personal meaning and intrinsic rewards. Those in attendance at 

his funeral will recollect a first hand account of the power of 

Pavlo. We were left torn by the tragic death of a beloved boy, 

but we were comforted by the strength and support of a school 

community. We were brought closer together by his life and 

death. Now, in the aftermath, we move from mourning the 

loss of Pavlo to celebrating his life. He once wrote in my class, 

“death is a part of real life,” and albeit too brief, we are thankful 

for his adoration of discomfort, his incessant smile, and humble 

happiness. He has brought a school 235 years old one step 

closer toward enlightenment. 

A memorial fund has been established at Newark Academy to 

honor and celebrate the remarkable life of Pavlo Levkiv. Please 

send your memorial contribution to Newark Academy, Office of 

Institutional Advancement, or call (973) 992-7000, ext. 320, 

for further details.

26 

Helping 

Hands 

When Jill Edwards Resnick ’85 answered the call to be a 

mentor from her classmate Kim Griffinger Wachtel ’85, 

she had some real reservations. Jill is a busy person 

working as director of community development at 

Merrill Lynch where she runs their tax credit investment 

business. She was concerned about the time commitment 

and also had a few preconceived ideas about the college 

students of today. But she agreed to be part of the new 

program because it was her friend Kim asking – also 

figuring that she would probably never be contacted by 

anyone anyway. 

Later that spring, Jill received an e-mail from Devika 

Daga ’06 asking for some advice about the financial 


BY NANCY McGAUGHAN 

Jill Edwards Resnick ’85 and Devika Daga ’06 

Last January, Newark Academy launched its Alumni Mentoring Program with the belief 

that all alumni, both young and old, could benefit. It was hoped that younger alums, just 

starting out in their careers, would be able to tap into the accumulated knowledge of those 

with more experience, and that our more seasoned alumni would be able to give back to 

Newark Academy by advising and helping those who came after them. Six months into the 

program, our hopes are being realized as alumni reach out to each other through the 

Mentoring Program on the Newark Academy website. 

world. Over the next several months their relationship 

grew, helping not only Devika’s entry into the business 

world, but changing Jill’s perceptions as well. 

Devika e-mailed Jill with a request for information and 

advice, and after only a few exchanges, Jill was so impressed 

by her maturity, motivation and resourcefulness that she 

invited her to lunch and to meet several people at her 

office. Devika’s graciousness and attitude compelled Jill 

to explore further ways to help so she did some research 

and found that Merrill Lynch sponsored a “Leaders of 

Tomorrow Academy.” She passed the information on 

to Devika who immediately applied and was accepted. 

In fact, Devika impressed people in the program so

much that she was invited to come back and apply for an 

another internship. 

The relationship formed between these two talented and 

motivated women gave birth not only to opportunities 

for Devika, but to a new perception of the “younger 

generation” by Jill. “It has totally changed my attitude 

about college students, and I am so happy about the 

whole process.” For Jill, it was a wonderful, rewarding 

experience to help such a mature and focused young 

woman, and she is very glad that she is part of the 

Mentoring Program. For Davika, the experience was 

not only incredibly helpful, but totally surprising. After 

having little luck with the University of Michigan alumni, 

she had no idea when she sent out her first e-mails 

through the Newark Academy mentoring page that the 

alumni she contacted would be so helpful and involved. 

Every alum she communicated with, like Jill, spent time 

and energy meeting her, introducing her to colleagues, 

and answering her questions. She even attended a 6:00 

a.m. business meeting with Brian Zucker ’84 when he 

invited her to shadow him at the office for a day. “I was 

Volunteer 

to be a mentor today! 

The Mentoring Program on the Newark 

Academy website allows alumni to find 

other alumni who have agreed to offer 

advice on their profession or industry. 

amazed at how helpful everyone was, how forthcoming 

they were – they really went above and beyond for me.” 

It was also wonderful for Devika to have Newark Academy 

in common with her mentors. Many of them had had the 

same teachers as she, and that shared experience made 

their interactions more comfortable and natural. 

Through it all, Devika received the best advice she could 

have hoped for. When she was offered a chance to work 

in Michigan over the summer for the Obama campaign 

she was uncertain and nervous about what to do. After all, 

she had been asked to apply for an important internship 

and she didn’t want to make a mistake by not taking it. 

Her mind was put at ease, however, after she spoke with 

Jill and Brian. While both of them understood her fears, 

they encouraged her to follow her heart and work on the 

campaign. They assured her that it was a big world, and 

that she shouldn’t be worried about making a mistake at 

her age. Because the advice came from people she truly 

had come to trust, Devika was able to hit the campaign 

trail with a clear conscience. She also knows that after 

the election, she will still have a lot of people in her corner. 

Go to the alumni community at www.newarka.edu to learn more. 


27

28 

Alumni News & Events 

From the President of the 

Alumni Board of Governors 

Participation and connectivity – these are the goals of the 

Alumni Association’s Board of Governors for 2008-09. We plan 

to present a series of events and programs that will bring alumni 

of all generations together to renew old friendships, connect with 

other alumni, and interact with today’s student body, the faculty, 

and the Academy itself. 

We began the year with Reunion on October 18, when we celebrated 

the accomplishments of Pamela Dennis ’78, recipient of the Alumni 

Achievement Award, and Jamal Parker ’98 and Rahman Smiley ’98, 

the newest inductees into the Newark Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. 

We also recognized David Hardin ’73 with the Fulton MacArthur 

Award for his service to the Academy, and Don Goble with the 

Distinguished Faculty Award for his positive impact on students 

during his tenure at NA. 

The Board of Governors also plans to build on its Mentoring Program 

by bringing alumni together for an inaugural networking event in New 

York City on January 8. We encourage all in our NA alumni family who 

are just starting out, or are seeking to change course, to come and 

connect with our experienced alumni to garner advice and guidance. 

In addition, we will bring alumni to the Academy throughout the 

year to share experiences with the student body, provide perspective 

on how the Academy prepared them to meet the challenges of college 

life and beyond, and to model examples of giving back through the 

“Culture of Generosity.” If you have a unique perspective on your 

Newark Academy experience or how that experience has helped you 

in your professional, business, or volunteer life, please let us know. 

We will do our best to identify an opportunity for you to come and 

share that with other alumni or the current student body. 

The Board of Governors will again lead the way in developing a more 

robust class representative program, increasing additional support for 

the Annual Fund, and bringing you meaningful events and programs. 

We will visit Boston, Chicago and Washington, D.C. during the year 

as we connect with alumni to provide you with information on the 

exciting developments in the life of the Academy. The 10th Annual 

Minuteman Golf Invitational will take place on May 20. Mark your 

calendar for a fun-filled day at Wild Turkey Golf Club in Hardyston, New 

Jersey as we gather to support the Endowed Alumni Fund for Faculty. 

We look forward to seeing many of you as we join together to participate 

and connect in support of NA throughout the coming year. 

Leo M. Gordon ’69 


SENIOR CLASS – BOARD OF 

GOVERNORS BREAKFAST 

April 17, 2008 

The Alumni Association’s Board of Governors treated 

the Class of 2008 to breakfast in the Great Hall of 

the Simon Family Field House to welcome the 

graduating senior class to the alumni community. 

Each senior was presented with a gift from the Board 

of Governors, and the Honorable Leo M. Gordon, 

President of the Board of Governors, spoke to the 

seniors and encouraged them to stay connected to 

NA as they venture off to college and beyond. 

THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF 

GOVERNORS honored their departing 

members and welcomed their new governors 

at a reception on May 7, 2008. A fond 

farewell and thank you was given to those 

retiring from service: 

Sam Gaidemak ’85, Kim Hirsh ’80, 

Ian Josloff ’90, Andy Mulvihill ’81, 

and Scott Newman ’73. 

The board was happy to welcome: 

Pat Ciccone ’62, Matt Gertler ’90, 

Tommy Hennigan ’77, Lauren Jacobs ’98, 

Adam Rosen ’99 and Art Wynne ’79 

and is grateful for their commitment to the 

alumni community of Newark Academy.

1 

3 

4 

5 

2 

Young Alumni 

Cocktail Reception 

NEW YORK CITY 

April 3, 2008 

Butterfield 8 was the scene of the 

annual young alumni cocktail party. 

There was a lot of laughter and good 

feeling on hand as tons of alumni 

showed up to reconnect with their 

old teachers and to catch up with 

one another. For many it was a chance 

to find out who was living in their 

neighborhood, or to share a memory 

with an old classmate. Whatever the 

reasons – everyone had a great time! 

1: Don Austin, Alex Bernstein ’90 

2: Sophie Pizim ’98, Joe Borlo 

3: Jason Granet ’96, Lyndsey 

Granet-Rosen ’99, Adam Rosen ’99 

4: Heather Podvey ’03, Marissa 

DiFrisco ’03 

5: Blackie Parlin, Amanda Rubinstein 

Black ’97 

ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS fall 2008 

29

30 

REGIONAL EVENT 

LOS ANGELES 

April 14, 2008 

Roger Lowenstein ’60 and his wife, 

Barbara, hosted a reception at their 

home for Los Angeles area alumni. NA 

west coasters braved the LA traffic to 

meet Head of School Don Austin and 

to network with one another. It was a 

delightful evening for all who attended. 

MINUTEMAN GOLF INVITATIONAL 

May 21, 2008 

Despite some crazy weather, the 9th Annual Minuteman 

Golf Invitational at Wild Turkey Golf Course was a huge 

success, with more than 130 golfers raising over $50,000 

for the Alumni Fund for Faculty. There were raffles, prizes, 

silent and live auctions, as well as some good natured 

betting, all for the benefit of NA’s beloved faculty. Many 

thanks go out to the hard working Golf Committee and 

to all those who played golf or sponsored the event. 


ALMA MATER LUNCH 

April 23, 2008 

All alumni of 50 years or more were invited back to NA for 

the annual Alma Mater Lunch. After sharing a nice lunch 

and conversation, several members participated in a video 

project by sharing fond memories and recollections of 

their days on First Street.

AMentoring 

Experience 

Life’s Journeys Made Easier 

through Friendship and Collaboration 

Provi Carabello ’97 and Jerry Maldonado ’92 

Provi Carabello and Jerry Maldonado have known each 

other since childhood. They maintained an acquaintance 

through their shared neighborhood and family friendship, 

although they were not especially close due to their five-year 

age difference. But when Provi was 12, Jerry sought her 

out and strongly suggested that she consider applying 

to his alma mater, Newark Academy. Because he was so 

passionate about the school and had achieved so much 

there, Provi took Jerry’s advice, thus beginning a mentoring 

relationship that has lasted for more than 10 years. 

Although Provi enrolled at NA due to Jerry’s encouragement, 

she was very much on her own when she first arrived in 

the fall of 1993, as Jerry had graduated in 1992 and was 

attending college. Provi remembers a sense of culture shock 

as she was suddenly thrown in with kids who talked about 

country clubs, travel and social events she knew nothing 

about. It was a whole new world, one in which she sometimes 

felt alone, especially as a minority student. 

Looking back, Jerry experienced a similar reaction when 

he first started at NA. He had been encouraged to attend 

Newark Academy by his public school teachers who 

guided him through the application process and helped 

him secure a scholarship. But once on campus, he was 

intimidated by the difference between his world at home 

and the world he found himself in at school. Despite the 

culture shock, and in part because of it, Newark Academy 

was a transformational experience for both Provi and Jerry. 

It forced them to think in broader strokes and expand 

their world views. 

Jerry became acutely aware of the inequality that exists 

between classes and the significant gap that separates 

people economically and politically. This realization pushed 

BECOME A MINORITY MENTOR 

BY NANCY McGAUGHAN 

him to strive for more, continuing his education at Brown 

University where he studied economic development and 

international relations, and then at Columbia University 

where he earned a master’s degree. 

Jerry now heads the Ford Foundation’s domestic program 

and their Gulf Coast Initiative, a 5-year, $50-million 

program charged with rebuilding the structural underpinnings 

in the three Gulf States most affected by Hurricane 

Katrina. The goal is to help rebuild communities through 

affordable housing, educational structures and economic 

opportunities. Most importantly, the initiative addresses 

the disconnect caused by poverty and the marginalization 

and social exclusion which results from it. According to 

Jerry, “It is more than rebuilding houses – it is rebuilding 

communities and addressing the issues that happen when 

we see people as ‘others.’” 

In 2008, Provi and Jerry reconnected, surprised to learn 

they had chosen the same career path and shared a 

dedication to effecting global change. Jerry, with his 

experiences at the Ford Foundation, has been able to 

offer his advice to Provi once again as she navigates her 

way through graduate school choices. 

Provi looks forward to the next few years, although she 

knows they will be hectic and a lot of hard work. She is 

in the master’s program at the Maxwell School at Syracuse 

University, conducting research on human rights policy 

and law. She also plans to travel to Uganda and India to 

study conflict and transnational migration. Then she is 

on to her second master’s program at Cornell. Along the 

way, she knows she will be fortunate to have the advice 

and concern of a devoted friend and mentor to guide her. 

The wonderful mentoring relationship that developed between Jerry and Provi has inspired them to reach out to all 

NA alumni of color. They believe that by sharing their experiences with others, they can help build an important social 

network to launch successful careers for minority alumni. 

If you are interested in being a minority mentor, please contact Nancy McGaughan at 973-992-7000, ext. 367 or 

e-mail her at nmcgaughan@newarka.edu. 


31

32 

Making a 

World of Difference 

An Alumni Immersion Experience in India 

by Mariam Subjally ’03

THE BEST ADVICE I HAVE EVER HEARD 

remains that which I received at an assembly 

at Newark Academy. The speaker urged us to 

lose ourselves, to get lost in something bigger 

than we are, and through that immersion, who 

we are, and what is important to us, eventually 

emerges. Years later, I “lost myself” on a trip 

abroad and made some amazing self-discoveries. 

After a quick stint working in Manhattan, and learning 

of my acceptance into law school, I left my job in New 

York and booked a flight to India. I planned to visit 

family, work at an orphanage in Pune, and tour all 

the major sites. While I had imagined that working 

at the orphanage would be a good way to extend my 

trip an extra two months, I had absolutely no idea 

what I was getting myself into. 

The Ashraya Initiative for Children is a nonprofit 

organization founded by a fellow alum from Emory, 

Elizabeth Sholtys. As an IB student, she had traveled 

to India and witnessed the disastrous conditions of 

their government-run orphanages. She returned a 

year-and-a half later as an Emory scholar. Elizabeth 

(now 24) manages an orphanage of 11, an educational 

outreach program that educates more than 

50 children, and a medical outreach program 

which helps street men, women, and children with 

everything from worms to multi-drug resistant 

tuberculosis. This entire organization is run by 

college students and recent college graduates. 

When I arrived at the orphanage in early April I was 

greeted by 10 eager and smiling children (the eleventh 

was a baby). Twenty hands grabbed to help with my 

suitcases, and every child asked me when I was to leave. 

My days there were filled: I taught in the slums at 

our outreach center three days each week and in the 

evenings I taught the kids at the orphanage, as well as 

supervised soccer, arts and crafts, board games, dinner 

and chores. After dinner we had reading time and then 

it was lights out for the kids. That’s when I would 

begin preparing academic activities for the next day. 

The alternate days were just as busy – teaching the 

children in the orphanage, picking up books, taking 

them for uniform fittings and escorting them to and 

from football. In addition, I wrote personality profiles 

on the street children 

for future volunteers; 

helped organize dinners; 

and supervised 

field trips to farms, 

arcades and shopping 

malls. I took slum children 

to town for the first time 

and taught them their ABC’s 

and how to count to 20. I also bought 

Barbie dolls for the girls and received the biggest 

smiles I had ever seen. For two months, I lived and 

worked for the sole benefit of others. I never knew I 

was capable of so much. 

It was, however, the most difficult thing I have ever 

done. I ate watered-down vegetarian Indian food and 

watched children fight over rice every day. I slept in 

100-degree weather on a folding cot (with cockroaches!). 

There was no television and only two computers with 

spotty internet connections. I had never been so far 

from my comfort zone. 

“ 

I realized soon after 

I left Pune that I had left 

a piece of myself at Ashraya, 

and yet had gained a whole 

new perspective on life. 

But I lost myself when I was at the orphanage – 

everything I did, and everyone I spoke to was in some 

way related to those kids. I realized soon after I left 

Pune that I had left a piece of myself at Ashraya, 

and yet had gained a whole new perspective on life. 

I returned with a deep awareness of what poverty is. 

I experienced the beauty and courage of children who 

have seen the worst, but continue to look for the best 

in life, love and education. I realized that everyone 

has a role to play, and that everyone can help in 

some way. 

Five years have gone by since I heard that sage 

advice – to find myself through immersion in an 

experience. Newark Academy imparted in me a sense 

of social responsibility and for that I am truly grateful. 

33 

”

34 

There is something very special about Liz Maccie, and it is 

apparent from the moment you meet her. Whether it’s her 

engaging smile, her energetic demeanor, or just her unabashed 

sincerity, you can’t help feeling good when you’re with her. 

After talking with Liz, you also discover that she is a woman 

who knows herself well, and who understands how she 

came to be the person she is today. 

Liz entered Newark Academy as a freshman in 1989, with 

a bit of a chip on her shoulder. Her parents had made that 

decision and Liz was none too happy about leaving her 

friends from middle school and 

entering a world of new kids who 

were surely not going to accept 

her. Liz, however, was amazed to 

be proven wrong. Right from the 

start, she found caring friends who 

accepted her and teachers who 

cared enough about her to break 

down her resistance and challenge 

her to fulfill her promise. 

Liz fondly recalls Ms. Galvin having 

her rewrite papers because she 

knew Liz could do better, and 

pressing her to settle for nothing less than her best work. 

“Looking back I see that Ms. Galvin’s belief in me changed 

my perception of myself. I guess I was worth the effort.” 

Whether it was reading To Kill a Mockingbird with Mrs. Parlin, 

singing with Mrs. Jacoby or acting with Mr. Jacoby, Liz found 

adults who thought she was capable, intelligent and deserving 

of success. Academic achievement became fun and affirming, 

and Liz realized that there was a lot she wanted to accomplish 

in life. 

After graduating from Bucknell University, Liz spent a few 

years in New York City pursuing an acting career. She then 

headed out to Los Angeles where she enjoys working in 

program development for the Disney Channel and screenwriting. 

Over the years, Liz has penned several screen plays 

that have made their way into film. She just finished writing 

a movie starring the young singer/songwriter Christine Evans 

which is scheduled for an early 2009 release. This film, which 

is being compared to Thirteen and Once, is certainly a career 

highlight. Liz is also producing a documentary called Leaving 

Vogue Moran which will premiere at The Sundance Film 


Alumni Profile: 

Author and Playwright 

Liz Maccie ’93 

Telling Her Story BY NANCY McGAUGHAN 

Liz Maccie ’93 and Nancy McGaughan 

Festival in 2009, and has just completed her first directing 

project entitled Foxglove which will also premiere at Sundance. 

Her most prized accomplishment, however, is the one closest 

to her heart. Her first novel will be published this year and 

Liz is hopeful that it will be an inspiration for young girls. 

With the working title My Higher Education this young adult 

book deals with the fears, self-consciousness and pain that 

goes with adolescence, and it takes place all on a young girl’s 

first day at a new high school. Although Liz tells people that 

the work is not autobiographical, she will admit that it is 

based on her own experiences at 

Newark Academy when she arrived 

nervous and angry in 1989. 

Recognizing how important it is to 

believe in yourself and to have others 

believe in you has motivated Liz 

to not only write her novel, but to 

become involved with The Young 

Storytellers Project in Los Angeles. 

There, screen writers like Liz go 

into troubled schools and help kids 

turn their stories into short films 

and plays which are performed by 

Hollywood actors. The work is inspiring and meaningful – 

and she sees the direct result in the lives of the children she 

works with. Watching a boy, whom everyone had given up 

on, turn his life around after being in the program reaffirms 

her belief that when you express your faith in someone, 

they will begin to have faith in themselves. She has seen it 

impact her own life, and is thrilled to share it with the kids 

in the program. 

Now whether it’s taking on a challenging project, getting a 

book published, running marathons or helping others, Liz 

faces her life with confidence and self-worth. She is grateful 

for her parents, who saw her promise and sacrificed so much 

to make sure she had the best opportunities, and to the 

teachers at NA, whose faith in her ability and potential was 

unshakeable. “Newark Academy was the turning point in 

my life… I would be a totally different person if I had gone 

somewhere else. I will never forget that.” 

Liz is currently working on her next young adult novel, Scoops, 

which delves into the life of a young girl the summer before 

she leaves for college. It will be finished by the end of 2008.

Don Goble Rahman Smiley ’98 Jamal Parker ’98 David G. Hardin ’73 

Pamela Dennis ’78 

Pamela Dennis ’78 

Alumni Achievement Award 

Pamela’s career in fashion began when 

she designed the gown for her own 

wedding. She eventually founded Pamela 

Dennis, LLC and is well known for using 

luxurious fabric from Italy and France 

and combining them in ways which recall 

the glamorous days of Hollywood. She 

is now fashion designer to the stars, with 

her creations frequently appearing on 

the Red Carpet. 

Major fashion and lifestyle publications 

have featured Pamela’s fashions. In 

addition to receiving numerous fashion 

and design awards, she is also a frequent 

fashion commentator on entertainment 

programs. Pamela is also very involved 

with charity fashion shows and philanthropic 

causes. Many NA seniors have 

had the opportunity to model her designs 

in the numerous NAPA fashion shows 

highlighting Pamela’s work. 

With her talent for design, eye for fabric 

and texture, and sense of glamour, there 

is no limit to how far Pamela Dennis 

can go in the fashion world. Newark 

Academy is proud of her accomplishments and grateful for 

her continuing relationship with the Academy. 

David Hardin ’73 

Fulton H. MacArthur Award 

REUNION 2008 AWARDS 

David Hardin has been an important member of the Newark 

Academy community since his days as a student. His grandfather, 

father, brothers and son all graduated from NA. David 

served as a class representative for six years in the ’80s 

and was a member of the alumni board of governors from 

1983 until 1986 when he began serving on the board of 

trustees. David was a vital and influential trustee from 1985- 

2006, and is one of Newark Academy’s longest tenured 

trustees. He also served as the Academy’s legal counsel for 

many years, and has contributed generously in all aspects 

of Academy life. David is the embodiment of what Newark 

Academy values in its students, parents and alumni. 

Jamal Parker ’98 and Rahman Smiley ’98 

Athletic Hall of Fame Award 

Both Jamal Parker and Rahman Smiley had outstanding 

athletic careers playing tennis at Newark Academy and at 

their respective universities. While playing at NA, Jamal 

was ranked #2 in the country in 1994, and #1 in the state 

in both 1996 and 1998. In 1997, he was ranked #2. Jamal 

won 129 matches while at NA, and only lost one match in 

his four years, giving him the best record for a four-year 

player. In college, he was Big Ten Singles Finalist in 2002 

at the University of Illinois and helped his team win four 

Big Ten Championships. He was also ranked #2 in NCAA 

in doubles in 2002. Jamal went on to play three years on 

the professional tour. 

Rahman has an equally stellar record as state singles 

champion in 1997 and NA team captain in 1998. He was the 

Star-Ledger player of the year in 1997 and county player of 

the year in 1998. In junior tennis, he was ranked in the top 

five in every age group in the Eastern Tennis Association 

and won sportsmanship awards at both the National Indoor 

Championships and the Gateway Invitational. At Indiana 

University, Rahman was a four-year starter and team 

captain and MVP in 2002. He played 1st doubles all four 

years and was ranked as high as #20 in the country; in 

singles he was ranked as high as #60. Rahman was one 

of only two players with at least 10 conference singles wins 

in one season, and was among the top 12 players in team 

history in singles and doubles wins. He led the team to its 

highest national ranking in history and its first NCAA win 

in 2000. He played on the ATP tour for two years. 

Both men were respected not only for their tennis prowess, 

but also for their commitment to NA and their strength of 

character. Teachers, classmates and fellow players remember 

them as dedicated athletes, role models and caring friends. 

Newark Academy is proud and fortunate to have had both 

these fine gentlemen as representatives, and is happy to 

honor them as distinguished athletes. 

Donald Goble 

Distinguished Faculty Award 

Don Goble taught mathematics at Newark Academy from 

1970 until his retirement in 2007. In his 37 years at NA, he 

touched the lives of many students as a dedicated, accessible 

and caring teacher and friend. His easygoing teaching style, 

along with his warmth and sense of humor, made him not 

only a trusted teacher, but also a wonderful student advisor. 

In addition, Don’s successes as a coach are legendary. He 

coached baseball for 22 years, winning four state championships 

and four conference titles. His final record of 218 

wins makes him one of NA’s most successful coaches, and 

the dedication and loyalty of his former players attests to 

his ability to connect with and lead his teams. Don will 

always be remembered with respect and fondness by his 

students and colleagues. 


35

36 

CLASS OF 1983 

CLASS OF 1998 

CLASS OF 1958 (and their wives) 

REUNION 2008 

CLASS OF 1973 

CLASS OF 1968

CLASS OF 1978 

CLASS OF 2003 

CLASS OF 1988 

CLASS OF 1993 

MORE REUNION PHOTOS ON INSIDE BACK COVER 

37

38 

UPCOMING EVENTS 

November 29 

ALUMNI SOCCER 

March (TBA) 

FLORIDA ALUMNI RECEPTION 


April 2 

NYC YOUNG ALUMNI COCKTAIL PARTY 

May 20 

January 6 

IN-COLLEGE LUNCH 

January 8 

NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY NETWORKING NIGHT 

January 29 

WASHINGTON D.C. ALUMNI RECEPTION 

February 26 

CHICAGO ALUMNI RECEPTION 

April 22 

ALMA MATER LUNCH 

MINUTEMAN GOLF INVITATIONAL 

May 30 

ALUMNI LACROSSE 

FOR LOCATIONS, TIMES AND FURTHER DETAILS, 

PLEASE VISIT THE ALUMNI SECTION 

OF THE NA WEBSITE, www.newarka.edu 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS 

New Jersey and 

New York City Alumni! 

NETWORKING 

NIGHT 

The Newark Academy Alumni Association 

will host its first NA Networking Night in 

New York City on January 8. The purpose? 

To connect Newark Academy alumni 

so they can share their experience, 

advice and career knowledge. 

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8 

THE PENN CLUB 

NEW YORK CITY 

6-9 P.M. 

The evening will begin with a panel of 

alumni representing various professions. 

Panelists include Brian Zucker ’84, Managing 

Director of Deutsche Bank, Nihal Mehta ’95, 

CEO of buzzd, Beth Rasin ’75, Executive 

Director of Power Play NYC and a practicing 

attorney, Stacey Bradford ’89, associate 

editor for Smart Money.com, and Matt 

Miller ’99 of IMG Media. This is a wonderful 

opportunity for younger alums to gather 

advice and information, and for our more 

experienced alumni to meet the bright and 

talented next generation of NA grads. 

Check the NA website for more information. 

You won’t want to miss this opportunity!

Class Notes 

1933 

Jack Selvage is doing very well 

in Williamstown, Massachusetts, 

home of his college alma mater. He 

moved to a retirement community 

there about three years ago. In 

addition to the concerts, lectures 

and sports events offered by the 

college, Jack plays bridge twice a 

week with his 98-year-old partner 

who is still sharp as a tack. 

1941 

Joe Byrne keeps busy these days 

enjoying his 16 grandchildren 

from his six children, and playing 

golf. Joe retired in 1986 from the 

Joseph M. Byrne Company. His 

dad, also Joseph, was a member 

of the Class of 1911 and a Newark 

Academy trustee. 

Ralph Del Deo retired a number 

of years ago after practicing law in 

New Jersey for 50 years. He lives in 

Palm Beach, Florida, with his wife 

of 60 years, Blanche. They have 

four children, eight grandchildren 

and six great-grandchildren. 

1945 

Denis Hagios, son of Edria and Ted 

Hagios, is very active in the Special 

Olympics and had his picture on 

66,500 boxes of Wheaties cereal 

after winning the International 

Gold Medal in golf. He competed 

against 11 other players from all 

over the world in Raleigh-Durham, 

North Carolina, and won by an 

amazing 10 strokes. Ted is active 

with his lecture, “The Colony of 

New Jersey 1664 to 1776,” and 

is working on a project with 8th 

graders to increase their understanding 

of the area by looking at 

old buildings, deeds, graveyards, 

businesses and industries, circa 

1700-1850. The children can now 

walk through their communities 

and point out where the sawmill or 

blacksmith shop was, what family 

ran it, where they lived and where 

they are buried. 

1948 

Jacob Stern, grandson of Bill 

Stern, was valedictorian at The 

Brentwood School in Los Angeles. 

He was accepted early by Stanford 

University, was captain of the swim 

team his junior and senior years, 

has straight A’s, and speaks, writes 

Larry Taylor ’50 

Bill Richards ’50 

and reads Japanese. He is also a 

very nice young man of whom Bill 

is very proud. 

1950 

Roger Brodkin wrote, “Life is 

favoring me thus far with reasonably 

good health and fading vest gives 

of once formable mind, I continue 

in my career even as the distant 

shades await me.” 

Bill Richards reports that all is 

well. Although he feels somewhat 

detached from the current school 

community, he cherishes the 

memories and experiences of the 

1950-51 years. He feels that the 

varied experiences of the staff 

and students played a significant 

role in his development. Since 

retirement in 1985, Bill and his 

wife have owned and operated 

a pet care facility in Brooksville, 

Florida. (www.forfours.com) 

Larry Taylor and his wife, Jean, 

still reside in Albion, Michigan, 

in a home nestled in a wooded 

area overlooking a branch of the 

Kalamazoo River and adjacent to 

Albion College’s nature preserve. 

Larry remains an active emeritus 

professor at Albion College’s 

Department of Geological Sciences, 

which he established in 1964. He 

is publishing accounts of his early 

polar experiences as a glaciologist 

in Greenland, Alaska and Antarctica 

in journals. He and two Dartmouth 

39

40 

Lee Neuwirth ’51 lecturing on cryptography Members of the Class of 1955: Jim Bonomo, Ed Levitt, Anton 

DePaul and Bennet Stern 

classmates celebrated their 75th 

birthdays last October by undertaking 

a 10-mile trek up Mt. 

Moosilauke and adjacent peaks 

in the White Mountains of New 

Hampshire. Each summer, Larry 

and Jean spend time at a family 

retreat on Squam Lake, New 

Hampshire. 

1951 

Martin Ginsburg, an internist, 

has retired from private practice in 

Ithaca, New York, but works two 

days a week at a clinic for indigent 

people. He also lectures at Cornell, 

Ithaca College and local high 

schools on medicine as a profession 

and the connection between 

medicine and music. Marty 

remembers well classmates Bob 

DelTufo, George Gering and 

sitting behind Kelly Marx in 

Saturday study (detention) hall. 

Kelly Marx is enjoying retirement 

from the presidency of Clinton 

Milk Company, playing racquetball 

three times a week and working 

hard for Cerebral Palsy of New 

Jersey where he has served in a 

leadership role for 43 years. 

Lee Neuwirth has been giving 

some lectures on cryptography to 

children at the Plainsboro Library 

in New Jersey. 

1952 

Norman Grossblatt has had an 

interesting year. He celebrated 

50 years of marriage to his wife, 

Mickey, in May, and marked 45 

years as a manuscript editor at the 

National Academy of Sciences in 

June. In October he received the 

Harold Swanberg Distinguished 

Service Award of the American 

Medical Writers Association 

(AMWA). For Norman, the most 

important highlights are his two 

sons, Philip in Albuquerque and 

Ben in Seattle, two daughters-in-law, 

and four grandchildren. Norman 

graduated from Haverford College 

in 1956 and moved to the 

Washington, D.C. area where he 

and Mickey have lived for 44 years 

in the same Chevy Chase neighborhood. 

Mickey retired three 

years ago from her work as a 

teacher and admission officer at a 

small independent school, and she 

has also been a manuscript editor in 

the life sciences for years. Norman 

was one of the founders, and for 

eight years was the first president 

of the Board of Editors in the Life 

Sciences which is the only United 

States body that awards credentials 

in scientific editing. He has been 

an active member of the AMWA for 

almost 35 years and a member of 

the Council of Science Editors for 

almost 30 years. He and Mickey 

have country walked in Italy, France, 

or the British Isles for a couple of 

weeks every summer since 1987. 

Michael Masin says hello to all 

the members of the Class of 1952. 

He has been in touch with Dick 

Slutsker and visited with Harold 

Levitt, and wants to know where 

the rest of his classmates are. 

For the past year, Bill Van Winkle 

has served as the 52nd president 

of the Root Beer & Checker Club, 

and Bruce Van Villet, who is also 

a member, attended most of the 

luncheons and social events. 

(While there is no root beer and 

there are no checkers, Bill assures 

us there are lots of laughs.) He has 

also seen Cynthia Matthews, widow 

of Bill Matthews at several events. 

Bill Wescott and his wife, Rose, 

enjoyed a Shrewsbury River dinner 

cruise aboard the Van Winkle’s 

boat, Primetime, over the summer. 

1955 

Four captains of industry, Jim 

Bonomo, Ed Levitt, Anton DePaul 

and Bennet Stern met one evening 

in July to discuss the U.S. trade 

deficit. Before dinner with their 

wives, the men recited their 

favorite Albert T. Davis sermons. 

Afterward, the talk turned to their 

legendary feats on the playing 

fields of the Academy’s First Street 

campus. The extraordinary evening 

ended with the couples being 

chauffeured home in Udell 

Stallings’ vintage 1939 four-door 

Buick convertible.

Mac Simpson ’61 and Tony Mascia ’61 in Hawaii At the ancient pyramids: Bud D’Avella ’62 and Ken Fischer ’62 

1957 

Pete Hahn, who was a post 

graduate at Newark Academy for 

one year, wrote in to tell of his fond 

remembrances of the Academy 

on First Street. He credits the fine 

teachers of NA with instilling a 

love for education in him. After 

serving in the Navy as an officer 

for four years, Pete returned to the 

college from which he graduated, 

Hobart, to work in admissions, and 

then went on to a 24-year career 

at Blair Academy in New Jersey. In 

1994, he traveled to Taipei where 

he was a guidance counselor at 

the Taipei American School for 

six years. Pete retired in 2001 to 

Austin, Texas, and now provides 

cell phone and wireless internet 

solutions as a customer service 

representative for AT&T Mobility. 

He enjoys hearing from his former 

students, being active in politics, 

and relaxing with his wonderful 

border collie, Bertie. 

1959 

With the first volume of the 

publication of 25 years in the 

field at the Early Bronze Age site 

of Khirbet Iskander in Jordan in 

press, and volume two in progress, 

Jim D’Angelo has turned to 

another major project near Atlanta, 

Georgia. As an advisor to a county 

chapter of the Society for Georgia 

Archaeology, the Gwinnett 

Archaeological Research Society, 

Jim is involved as principle 

investigator at a frontier fort known 

as Fort Daniel. It was located on 

Hog Mountain in eastern Gwinnett 

County and dates back to about 

1795. To date, hundreds of artifacts 

and intact buried features have been 

found. This project, as well as Jim’s 

work in Jordan, has been done as 

independent research. For a living, 

he is a staff archaeologist with TRC 

Environmental in Norcross, Georgia. 

1961 

George Brescher and his wife 

are now retired and enjoy living 

on the west coast of Florida. He 

serves part time as a senior judge 

to help with the heavy caseload, 

and also delivers Meals on Wheels 

for senior citizens. 

Mac Simpson recently had dinner 

at the Kahala Hilton with Tony 

Mascia. Mac finds it hard to believe 

that Tony looks 20 years younger 

than he does! Tony’s son and 

daughter-in-law live in Hawaii 

and have a very successful business 

where they make new garments 

out of old mu’umu’us and aloha 

shirts. You can visit their website 

at www.muumuuheaven.com. 

1962 

Last April, Bud D’Avella, Ken 

Fischer and their wives took an 

extended trip to India, Egypt, 

Greece and Italy. The couples, who 

We Fondly 

Remember 

James Q. Bensen ’32 

June 24, 2008 

Edward Geiger ’40 

February 19, 2008 

Willam Dwyer Jr. ’48 

February 29, 2008 

Pavlo Levkiv ’07 

August 1, 2008 

(See memorial tribute 

on page 24) 

have houses on the same block in 

Mantoloking, New Jersey, had a 

great time strolling through much 

of the history they learned at NA. 

They would love to get together 

with any classmates in the New 

Jersey area. 

Henry Lesher reports that his 

calendar is full. Who would have 

thought that he would launch a 

new venture at the age of 64, 

and have it create such attention? 

Henry is founder of Career 

Advancement Systems, which 

is a revolutionary new program 

41

42 

designed to help clients find new 

positions in record time. Prior to 

creating CAS, Henry had served 

as executive vice-president for the 

nation’s oldest and largest career 

management coaching firm. He 

is now one of the country’s most 

sought after career coaches and 

motivational speakers. He also 

serves as co-host of a New York 

radio show called Careers, Lifestyles 

and You. Henry’s youngest daughter 

gave birth to his first grandchild 

this past summer, and his eldest 

daughter has the best Green Pet 

Supply Store in San Francisco. 

Henry’s son graduated from Rutgers 

University and has an exciting 

senior audit position with a major 

pharmaceutical company; his wife, 

Doris, is a medical director with 

another pharmaceutical company 

in New Jersey. 

Jim McWilliams reports that his 

daughter Nancy (11) is in 6th grade 

and his son, Chris, is a chemist in 

Richmond, Virginia, and has two 

children. Jim’s other son, Doug, is 

a chemical engineer in Kingsport, 

Tennessee. Jim, who is basically 

retired, still gets calls to handle 

cases from time to time. His 

specialty is murder cases. He stays 

active teaching attorneys with the 

state and local bar associations. He 

is trying to learn golf, although he 

swore he would never be an old 

duffer like Bud D’Avella and others. 

He sends his best wishes to all. 

Last fall, Joe Scarlett retired as 

chairman of the board of the 

publicly traded Tractor Supply 

Company, the nationwide chain of 

800 farm and ranch supply stores. 

He and his wife, Dorothy, just 

celebrated their 38th anniversary 

at their beach house in Hilton Head, 

South Carolina, and were recently 

on cruises to the Mediterranean 

and the Caribbean. Joe commits 

much of his time to the Scarlett 

Leadership Institute at Belmont 

University in Nashville. He and 

Dorothy are working on a series 

of middle Tennessee preschoolthrough-college 

educational 

initiatives both directly and through 

their family foundation. Joe is also 

doing some public speaking on 

leadership, ethics and retailing. 

Both their children are doing well. 

Their daughter is a marketing 

executive at Coca-Cola and their 

son is the general manager of a 

hotel in the Chicago loop. 

1963 

Now that the country is in the 

midst of a presidential election 

season, Stephen Lozowick and 

Lanny Davis speak on the phone 

quite frequently. Stephen was 

thrilled to have attended the 

wedding of Jena Ciccone, the 

daughter of Pat Ciccone ’62, in 

July 2008 and was happy to see 

Ralph Pellecchia ’62 there as well. 

1965 

Andrew Grassano, son of Alan 

Grassano and his wife, Valerie, 

graduated as the 2008 class 

valedictorian from Grandview 

Preparatory School in Boca Raton 

and has signed a national letter of 

intent to swim for the University 

of Denver. Andrew was a 2007 

FHSSA state championship finalist 

in the 100-yard butterfly and broke 

six high school swim records. He 

was named Boca Raton’s “Swimmer 

of the Year.” He was also selected 

as a member of the USA Swimming 

Organization Southern Zone Team 

and competed at the former 

Olympics site in Atlanta last 

summer. Andrew’s older brother, 

Alex, is studying economics and 

finance at Southern Methodist 

University. 

1966 

Jonathan Epstein continues his 

law practice in Princeton with 

Drinker Biddle and was recently 

elected as one of the managing 

partners of the firm. He is proud 

to say that he has been able to pass 

on his passion for sports (with 

attribution to his NA years and 

coaches Hendrickson and Lincoln) 

to his children. Jonathan’s son, 

Harrison, is captain of the Babson 

College golf team, and his daughter, 

Hannah, is at Middlebury College 

playing lacrosse. 

Tom Louthan retired from the 

U.S. Senate Finance Committee 

working for Senator Baucus and 

federal service last June. He took 

some time off during the summer 

and is now a senior manager of 

tax policy at Deloitte. 

1967 

Larry Cetrulo is pleased to report 

that Richie Bauer, Tom Kilmurray, 

Frank Silverman, Wayne Russell 

and he have begun a lively and 

nostalgic correspondence, full of 

stories of their youth, some fact and 

some fiction. He encourages all of 

his classmates to join them – just 

let him know of your interest, and 

he will add you to their circulation 

list. On the home front, Larry’s 

grandchildren, Jason (8) and 

Julia (6), are having fun in Atlanta 

where they live with Larry’s daughter, 

Lara. Lauren is completing a year 

in Paris, making documentary films; 

Nicky has just completed his first 

year at Tufts Medical School; and 

Katie is a senior at Harvard who 

worked for Harper Collins in New

York City for the summer. Larry 

spent August “down the cape” 

(how he misses summers “down 

the shore”). He has been working 

out every morning at 6:00 a.m. 

with the Harvard football team 

and he highly recommends six 

days a week of vigorous exercise 

for anyone over 50 whose knees 

can take it. He sends best wishes 

to the Class of 1967. 

Bob Good has published his 

first science fiction novel entitled 

Currently Dead. It is for sale at 

Amazon.com, as well as Barnes 

and Noble and Books-a-Million. 

Matt Leone enjoys hearing from 

classmates like Tom Kilmurray, 

Wayne Russell, Rick Bauer, Gary 

Zweibel, Bob Weinstein and 

Larry Cetrulo, and likes hearing 

of their thriving lives and families. 

Having Tom Kilmurray keep him 

connected to music is priceless for 

Matt. Last July, Colgate University 

Press published Crafting Fiction, 

Poetry and Memoir: Talks from the 

Colgate Writer’s Conference. Matt 

edited the book and directs the 

conference. In scholarly matters, 

Matt is just trying to keep pace with 

his daughter who is completing 

a doctorate thesis on Dante at 

Cambridge University. In musical 

matters, despite Tom Kilmurray’s 

efforts, Matt has fallen far behind 

his son who is a high school senior 

and a local rock star. 

FLORIDA IN MARCH, ANYONE? 

Over the past year, Bobby Lynch 

has had the pleasure of seeing three 

former classmates: Bob Goode, 

Bill Colin and Tom Kilmurray. 

He concludes that Bob has too 

much free time as evidenced by his 

excellent golf game. Bill’s game, on 

the other hand, is taking a back seat 

to his financial advisory activities. 

Tom has joined the renaissance and 

is working in Jersey City. They got 

together in New York for lunch 

and expect to do that again soon. 

Bobby and his wife, Lorraine, have 

been blessed to produce three 

productive, tax-paying members 

of society who have in turn 

produced four (and counting) 

grandsons for them. Bobby is 

working at Healthcare Finance 

Group, Inc. (HFG), a company he 

co-founded eight years ago. HFG is 

a specialty finance company with 

more than 50 employees providing 

nearly $1 billion in loan commitments 

to the healthcare industry. 

Wayne Russell will celebrate his 

25th year with the Federal Reserve 

Bank of Atlanta this year. He is 

managing director of supervision 

and regulation with oversight 

responsibility for approximately 

80 banks and 600 bank holding 

companies in the Southeast. He 

and wife Leslie enjoy golf, travel, 

baseball and going to concerts, 

including recent Atlanta shows by 

Jersey rockers Bon Jovi and Bruce 

Springsteen. Wayne has been 

e-mailing classmates Larry 

NA would like to head south in 

March and we are looking for 

a venue. If anyone would like to 

host a gathering of Florida area 

alums in your home, please 

contact Nancy McGaughan at 

(973) 992-7000, ext.367 or 

e-mail nmcgaughan@newarka.edu. 

Cetrulo, Tom Kilmurray, Matt 

Leone, Rick Bauer and Frank 

Silverman, and there is talk of 

a mini-reunion later this year to 

compare waists and hairlines. 

Barry Nostradamus Sher has 

just finished the program for the 

installation of Rabbi J. Cosgrove 

at the Park Avenue Synagogue. 

Bob Weisenfeld continues to 

thrive as assistant vice president 

for Corporate and Foundation 

Relations at Gustavis Adolphus 

University in Minnesota. He is 

planning to get together with five 

NA alums at nearby Carleton 

College. He encourages alumni 

to reach out to fellow alums in 

their areas. For lists of NA grads 

in your area, please contact 

Nancy McGaughan at 

nmcgaughan@newarka.edu. 

1968 

William Ridge’s daughter was 

married last summer. Newark 

Academy mourns the passing 

of William’s father, Charles K. 

Ridge ’38, who served as a faculty 

member at Newark Academy during 

the 1960s when he taught physics. 

Peter Schwartz’s son, Jonathan, 

was married in Ann Arbor, Michigan 

last May. His daughter, Rachael, was 

married in Philadelphia in June. 

Peter’s other son, Jeffrey, received 

a bachelor of fine arts degree from 

43

44 

Friends from the Class of ’69 with Coach Hendrickson in Phoenix 

the University of Arizona and now 

resides in Oaska, Japan. Peter 

continues to work in a continuing 

care retirement community as a 

staff physician for the residents 

who live there. 

1969 

Jeff Gerhold reported that in 

October 2006, nine of the 12 

members of the winning state 

tournament basketball team, 

along with others, turned up 

37 years later to honor Coach 

Hendrickson at a dinner party. 

It was an incredible night. Jeff 

thanks those who contributed to 

NA’s Hendrickson Fund for the 

endowment, and is willing to share 

the lyrics to “Homage to Coach,” 

which he sang at the dinner, but 

which cannot be reprinted here. 

Bill Kaplan shared that when his 

son, Daniel (13), was doing his 

summer reading and book reports 

for school, Bill referred back to his 

trusty English Reference Book which 

he got from T.C. Abbey at Newark 

Academy. He was able to help 

Daniel with terms like “protagonist” 

and “antagonist” and the difference 

between comedy and tragedy. Bill 

used that grey covered guide 

through college and long afterward. 

He considers it one of the most 

valuable reference sources he 

received at NA, and is thrilled that 

he now uses it with his children. 

Eric Lederer would like to invite 

all members of the Class of 1969 

to join him, other classmates, and 

Coach Bob Hendrickson for the 

Class of 1969 annual golf outing 

in Phoenix in February 2009. If 

you are interested in joining the 

fun, please contact Eric at 

lederer@independence.net. 

David MacNaughton has enjoyed 

serving on the board of trustees 

at Bates College for the last eight 

years. He recalls another Bates 

College alum, former Head of 

School Bob Butler, encouraging 

him to consider Bates when 

making his college choices. 

John Newman lives in a townhouse 

in North Caldwell not far from 

his brother, Scott ’73. John has 

worked full time at his law firm in 

Hackensack since 1981, specializing 

in commercial real estate. He plays 

tennis several times a week and 

skis as often as possible. John’s 

daughter, Becky, is a senior at 

Montclair High School and his 

son, Cody, is a sophomore at Bates 

College. This past summer he had 

a wonderful vacation in Bermuda 

with them. 

Arthur Pittis teaches humanities 

and theater at the Austin Waldorf 

School’s high school, and serves 

as the regional leadership council 

member for the Association of 

Waldorf Schools of North America. 

His daughters are now adults and, 

as his parents are now in their 

mid-80s, he finds himself making 

more trips to New Jersey. 

In 1999, Bill Simon and his wife, 

Cindy, established a program called 

Sound Body Sound Mind to combat 

the growing childhood obesity 

epidemic in Los Angeles. The 

program is geared toward those 

students who do not regularly 

participate in organized physical 

activity. Sound Body Sound Mind 

provides each participating school 

with $50,000 of exercise equipment, 

a companion curriculum, 

incentives for achievement, and 

a safe, clean environment where 

students can get fit before and after 

school. Since its inception, the 

program has partnered with 50 

Los Angeles area high schools, 

impacting more than 40,000 kids 

every day. To celebrate being in 50 

high schools and to raise funds to 

go into 50 middle schools, Sound 

Body Sound Mind hosted its first 

gala in April 2008, honoring Coach 

John Wooden. Bill is overjoyed to 

report that the gala raised more 

than $3 million. 

1970 

Dennis D’Arcy Banks is currently 

practicing psychiatry in Greenwich, 

Connecticut, and spending summers 

as a polo professional, teaching 

and playing polo in East Hampton, 

New York. He is president of La 

Pampa Polo Club and this fall is

Bill Simon ’69 with his wife, Cindy, and their family at Sound 

Body Sound Mind fundraiser 

moving the club to Hilo, Hawaii. 

Dennis is looking forward to living 

in the Aloha State. 

It has been a busy time for Joe 

DeJianne and his family. Joe’s oldest 

son, Michael, is at Providence 

College for his senior year; twins, 

Peter and Thomas, are freshmen 

at Syracuse University and Saint 

Joseph’s University respectively. 

Joe and his wife, Lorraine, are 

doing well considering all the 

packing they did last summer and 

are looking forward to college 

Parents’ Weekends. 

1971 

Roger Andersen, semi-retired 

from the corporate world in 

2007, continues to do part-time 

consulting and board governance 

work for a private equity firm in 

Manhattan. He has written a book 

which is now in stores and which 

can also be ordered online at 

www.theexecutivecalling.com. 

The book is titled The Executive 

Calling: Corporate Success Without 

Losing Your Soul. It deals with 

understanding and resolving 

tensions between the ideals of 

religious faith and the demands 

of leadership in the corporate 

world. It includes numerous 

anecdotes from Roger’s 30-plus 

years in corporate management. 

1973 

Stuart Flaum has made an exciting 

change. He is now a financial 

advisor at AXA Advisors, focusing 

on the concerns of families with 

children and other dependents 

with special needs nationwide. He 

is very excited about this wonderful 

and exciting opportunity, and 

about being the NYC Manhattan 

Walk Borough Co-Chair for Autism 

Speaks. Stuart is happily married 

to Candia Herman and is still 

trying to catch fish with Tony 

Marchigiano. He reports that Joe 

Borlo makes an awesome pizza 

pie in several varieties, and invites 

his classmates to contact him at 

stuartflaum@gmail.com 

Paul Krieger lives in Asheville, 

North Carolina. He is the headmaster 

of an all-boys prep school 

founded in 1900. He and his wife, 

Beth, have three children: Emily, a 

senior at Elon University; Colin, a 

high school senior; and Jeff, a high 

school freshman. They have been 

in Asheville for nine years and they 

love it. Paul just signed an eight 

year contract that will bring him 

to his retirement in 2016. 

Cynthia “Cindy” Rotwein lives 

in the Santa Cruz Mountains and 

works in San Jose, California, 

for Colliers International as a 

commercial real estate agent. She 

tells us it is a wonderful place to 

live, and she encourages classmates 

to visit the area. 

Polo playing Dennis D’Arcy Banks ’70 

1975 

John Lowell became a grandfather 

for the first time in June 2008. 

Beth Rasin is wearing many 

different hats these days. She is 

the executive director of PowerPlay 

NYC, Inc., a nonprofit organization 

that provides fundamental sports 

and life skills training for girls in 

underserved communities in New 

York City. She is producer of a 

documentary film about Pakistani 

squash legend Hashim Khan, and 

associate director of the Tournament 

of Champions which is the largest 

professional squash event in North 

America and is played in Grand 

Central Terminal. Beth is also a 

strategic business and communications 

consultant for businesses 

and nonprofits, while continuing 

her own law practice. 

John Lowell ’75 

45

46 

Francey Kanengiser Burke ’76 at son Doug’s induction into the New Jersey Bar 

Association 

1976 

Francey Kanengiser Burke’s oldest 

son, Doug, was inducted into the 

New Jersey Bar Association. 

Jim Fredericks has written a 

novel, Brother, a legal thriller. The 

book is being published by Bascom 

Hill and can be found in bookstores 

and on Amazon.com. You can 

also get it on Jim’s website, 

www.jamesfredericks.com. Jim 

encourages friends to visit the 

website and contact him. He lives 

in Fort Worth, Texas, with his wife 

and four children. 

Last summer Peter Marx vacationed 

in Bermuda while daughter Callie ’11 

had a great time in Cannes and Paris 

on the Newark Academy French 

immersion trip. His oldest daughter, 

Amanda, graduated from Newark 

Academy in June and is now a 

freshman at Indiana University. 

Jo Stein and Patty Stanton spent 

a few days together at the Jersey 

shore over the summer, where they 

continued to laugh about having 

been “at the bar with Borlo” last 

year. They look forward to seeing 

everyone at the next Reunion 

in 2016. 

1977 

It was a busy summer for Jim 

Garofalo and his family. They 

moved from Denver to Cherry Hills 

Village, Colorado, about two miles 

away. Jim’s children, Jessica (6) and 

Lauren (3), had fun playing tennis 

and swimming while he completed 

another new home. He and his wife, 

Terri, attended several of the DNC 

Jim Fredericks ’76 

Convention events, including the 

main event at Mile High Stadium. 

They both enjoyed the last Reunion, 

visiting with Borlo and other 

old friends. Jim invites anyone 

planning a trip out west to get 

in touch for skiing in Vail and 

Breckenridge. 

Bill Kenny was sorry to miss his 

classmates at Reunion last fall. He 

was in France on vacation at the 

time, but wants to say hello to 

everyone and promises he will 

see them at the 35th. 

Dillard Kirby has renewed his 

friendship with KC Nichols over 

the past few years. They swim and 

compete regularly at a masters 

swim program at Drew University. 

Dillard reports that although KC 

beats him regularly, now that KC 

Peter Marx ’76 (right) with Leslie on vacation in Bermuda Family of Jim Garofalo ’77: Terri (center) with daughters Lauren 

and Jessica

has turned 50 he will have to swim 

in a different age group for the next 

year. Dillard also spends time with 

Steve Adler who is a successful 

triathlete and a wonderful guy. In 

fact, they ran and swam at Newark 

Academy, joined by KC, in July as 

a way to celebrate Steve’s 50th 

birthday. He invites other classmates 

who want to join him for a run or 

a swim to e-mail him at 

sdk@fmkirby.com. 

Paul Long has been named 

assistant director of development 

for the United States Equestrian 

Team Foundation (USET). His 

mission is to raise funds to support 

equestrian athletes, promote international 

excellence, and to build 

for the future of United States 

equestrian teams. Paul was a 

member of the USET Foundation 

National Advisory Council from 

1993 until 2005 and has been a 

horseman for many years. He lives 

in Mahwah with his family. 

1978 

Sheila Callahan was engaged to 

Lech Czerski in February 2008. Lech 

is a molecular biologist currently 

involved in diabetes research at 

Albert Einstein College of Medicine. 

Sheila was sad to miss her 30th NA 

Reunion, but she was at a writer’s 

conference. 

Margie Feinberg was thrilled to 

watch her son Louis ’08 graduate 

Three generations! Margie Gering Feinberg ’78, Louis Feinberg ’08 and George 

Gering ’51 at Louis’ NA graduation 

from Newark Academy in June. 

Louis joins Margie and her father 

George Gering ’51 as the third 

generation of NA alumni. 

Anne Herbst would like to 

announce the release of Line by 

Line, a collaborative book she 

created with poet Gary Bolstridge. 

Anne’s drawings accompany each 

of the 61 poems, and she designed 

the cover as well. If anyone wants 

a signed copy, they should 

contact Anne. 

1979 

Susan C. Pannullo was honored 

in June 2008 with the Gary 

Lichtenstein Humanitarian Award 

by Voices Against Brain Cancer, a 

group whose mission is to find a 

cure for brain cancer by advancing 

scientific research, increasing 

awareness within the medical 

community, and supporting 

patients and families afflicted with 

brain cancer. Susan is director of 

neuro-oncology in the Department 

of Neurological Surgery at New 

York Presbyterian Hospital at the 

Weill-Cornell Medical College. 

1980 

Sarah Key is pleased to announce 

the arrival of her eighth cookbook, 

Serendipity Parties. It is full of great 

recipes, party ideas and music 

playlists, and is a perfect holiday 

gift. You can purchase it on 

Amazon.com. 

After 24 years as a financial advisor 

at Smith Barney, Michael Martino 

has moved his comprehensive 

family wealth management team 

to Morgan Stanley in their new 

Minneapolis office. 

Brad Winters lives in Ellicott City, 

Maryland, with his wife, Mara, and 

their two children, Callie (10) and 

Ian (7), and their Scottish fold cats, 

Sephira and Macrana. He is working 

as an intensivist in the cardiac, 

surgical and neuro-critical care 

units at Johns Hopkins Hospital 

doing patient safety and quality 

of care research, and acting as the 

medical director of the hospital’s 

rapid response team program. 

Brad spends his free time kayaking, 

climbing and cycling. 

Carole Melone Zuckert lives in 

Greenwich, Connecticut, with 

her husband, Tim, and their two 

children, Sam (13) and Carlyn (12). 

She is a realtor with Prudential and 

enjoyed seeing old friends at their 

25th Reunion. 

1981 

As international sales director of 

Norway’s largest wine and spirit 

producer, Hans Petter Evensen 

travels around the world leading 

their efforts to sell great Norwegian 

Aquavit and vodka. Last summer 

he visited Washington, Oregon, 

Idaho, Minnesota, New Jersey, 

Connecticut and New York. 

47

48 

Sue Karlin ’81 in western Greenland 

Nothing makes him happier than 

to be back in the USA. During his 

visit he had the chance to see Art 

Williams, and he was visited in 

Norway by classmate Eric Schneck. 

A radio piece by Sue Karlin on 

an arctic community aired on 

National Public Radio, the WAMC 

Northeast Public Radio Network 

and Spectrum Radio. Sue put 

together the piece from a trip she 

made to Greenland last fall. 

Andy Mulvihill’s daughter, Alex ’08, 

graduated from Newark Academy 

in June 2008. She is a freshman at 

the University of Denver. 

1982 

Doug Polaner enjoyed seeing the 

many ’82ers who made it to the 

reunion party at Jeff Silverman’s 

house last fall. Doug lives in 

Westchester County, New York, 

with his wife, Tina, and their two 

boys, Mason (7) and Tucker (5). 

They run a wine import and 

distribution business which they 

started in 1999. 

After more than 20 years in 

California, Karen Stockerl- 

Goldstein and her husband, 

Keith, moved from the San 

Francisco Bay Area to St. Louis. 

Keith was offered a position at 

Washington University’s Barnes / 

Jewish Hospital where he is an 

associate professor in bone marrow 

transplantation with an emphasis 

on treating myeloma patients. In 

addition, he serves as director of 

the oncology division medical 

informatics. During their time in 

California, Karen earned a master’s 

degree in nonprofit business 

administration. She developed and 

managed many community based 

day and residential programs for 

people who have developmental 

disabilities, such as autism and 

Down syndrome. Now that she 

is finally settled in St. Louis she 

will be looking for similar 

opportunities. Her e-mail address is 

Karen@mytuffy.org, and she would 

love to hear from old classmates. 

Julie Bick Weed and her husband, 

Rogers, took their sons, ages 11, 

10 and 8, out of school last spring 

to travel through Turkey, Greece 

and France for two months. Julie 

is still freelancing for the New 

York Times Sunday business 

section and volunteering as 

PTA co-president of her sons’ 

elementary school in Seattle. She 

is starting to play tennis again and 

fondly remembers Mrs. Newman 

coaching her and the girls tennis 

team at NA. 

1983 

Stacey Kent’s new album, Breakfast 

on the Morning Tram, has received 

rave reviews. Her latest tour to 

promote the album has taken 

Stacey to more than 27 countries, 

and the album has gone “gold” in 

France and Germany. 

John Prokop is enjoying his work 

as a financial advisor at Regent 

Atlantic Capital, LLC in Chatham. 

He remembers well his days at NA, 

especially teachers Kim, Borlo and 

Gobel. John manages to stay in 

touch with quite a few classmates 

and enjoyed his 25th Reunion. 

After a personally challenging year, 

Amy Lynn Schwartzbard has 

discovered her passion in service 

to others, and is happier than ever. 

In March 2007, she closed her 

furniture/design business of 14 years, 

and made the difficult decision to 

enroll her teenage daughter in a 

program boarding school in Iowa. 

Through programs offered by the 

school she was introduced to 

leadership seminars by a company 

called Resource Realizations. Upon 

completion of their 10-week training 

program, in which she participated 

in the launching of a community 

center in the ninth ward of New 

Orleans, Amy founded Branching 

Out seminars. She formed this 

company to bring leadership 

training to the general population 

and to those in disadvantaged 

communities. Her goal is to have 

youth leadership camps for kids 

from challenged communities. Amy 

also completed her neurolinguistic 

practitioner’s certification and is 

attending a 10-month quantum 

coaching certification training

A fish tale: David Arthur ’84 with a 

northern pike 

program to enhance her skills for 

her new seminar business while 

working with families with teens 

in crisis. She is thrilled to report 

that her daughter, Justine, is doing 

well and is planning to attend 

college. Amy is grateful to her 

daughter for opening up this 

opportunity for her to have her 

dream life. 

Cristina Russano Young and her 

husband, Nigel, have moved to 

Doha, State of Qatar, with her 

employer, ExxonMobil, for a two 

to three year expatriate assignment. 

Cris is now the residential manager 

for ExxonMobil in Doha, responsible 

for housing strategy and the supply 

of expatriate housing. 

1984 

David Arthur, who is an assistant 

county attorney in Broward, 

Florida, went on a six-day fishing 

trip with friends to northeastern 

Ontario. They arrived by boat 

plane, and there was no one 

around for hundreds of miles. 

David and his friends saw moose, 

otters, bald eagles, and, fortunately, 

no bears. While there he caught 

lots of walleye and a 30-inch 

northern pike. 

Jim Parks is back in the United 

States after working in Italy for 

Black&Decker for three years. 

While in Italy, he met his second 

wife, Dora, who is from Caserta, 

Eli and Laura, children of Eli Hinson ’85, get ready to water ski 

near Naples. They were married 

in 2006 and have a beautiful 

daughter, Martina, who was born 

in February 2008. She joins Jim’s 

son, Jonathan (7), from his previous 

marriage. They are living in White 

Hall, Maryland, and Jim is still 

working for Black&Decker as an 

engineering manager in charge of all 

portable corded saw development. 

This year he celebrated 20 years 

with the company. He encourages 

all who wish to contact him to 

e-mail jim.parks@bdk.com. 

Adam Weiss recently joined Earth 

Class Mail as vice president of 

business development. By giving 

people access to their postal mail 

online, Earth Class Mail does for 

postal mail what the cell phone did 

for the telephone. You no longer 

have to be at home, at the office, 

or in any particular place to receive 

your mail. Adam is still living in 

New Jersey but travels quite a 

bit – mostly to Europe. Since the 

company is based in Seattle, he 

will be spending a lot of time there 

and would be delighted to connect 

with any NA people in the Pacific 

Northwest. 

1985 

Tia and Matt Mandel ’85 with precious daughter Hannah 

Eli Hinson had a great week with 

his wife and kids at Grand Lake in 

Oklahoma this past summer. His 

children, Laura and Eli, conquered 

water skiing; he shot a 68 in golf 

(on the front nine); and they all 

saw the Oklahoma National Guard 

fly over at sunset to kick off the 

biggest fireworks show he had seen 

in 20 years. 

Matthew Mandel is thrilled with 

his daughter, Hannah Miriam 

Mandel (9 months). He and his 

wife, Tia, are enjoying parenthood. 

49

50 

Jim Ressler has a daughter, Lila (5), 

and he recently bought a home 

health care business in New Jersey 

which he plans on expanding. 

Bob Stroh has embarked on 

opening a new concept restaurant 

for the Holiday Inn Brand. It is 

called The Sporting News Grill 

and is affiliated with the nation’s 

oldest sports publication, The 

Sporting News. Bob has two children, 

Amanda (4) and Bobby (1). He 

enjoyed coming back to NA for his 

father’s 60th Reunion and seeing 

many familiar places. 

1986 

Evelyn Rosenthal Kaminsky 

and her husband had a daughter, 

Sydney Cate, in October 2007. 

They are enjoying her greatly, and 

Evelyn finds motherhood amazing. 

They also enjoy spending time 

with Meredith Blinder Mintz 

and Sydney’s aunt/godmother 

Elizabeth Rosenthal Traub ’96. 

Andrea Lauer Rice and her 

husband, Barton, welcomed John 

Patrick into their family last 

January. He joins older brother 

Nicholas (5). Andrea claims that 

both boys provide inspiration and 

occasionally act as guinea pigs for 

her company, Lauer Learning. 

Founded in 2005, Lauer Learning 

creates multimedia educational 

products for children in language, 

culture and history, and has recently 

published a graphic novel entitled, 

Freedom Fighters. This followed 

the publication of two coffee table 

books and an award-winning 

educational computer game on 

the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. 

She is currently working on a book 

for toddlers to teach them about 

southern culture. You can learn 

more about these products at 

www.lauerlearning.com. 

1987 

Lesli Ligorner is having a great 

time working in Shanghai with her 

husband. She finds the development 

of the legal system there fascinating, 

and continues to love her job 

leading the labor and employment 

practice in Beijing and Shanghai 

for her firm, Paul, Hastings, 

Janofsky & Walker. She welcomes 

her fellow alumni to visit. 

It has been a busy year for Brad 

Piver and his family. They recently 

NA is Coming to the Beltway! 

The Monocle 

January 29, 2009 

All Washington D.C. area alumni are 

invited to come together in our nation’s 

capitol for cocktails and conversation 

on Thursday, January 29. It’s a great 

way to catch up with other NA alumni 

in the area and to share some great 

NA stories. Invitations will be going 

out, but if you will be traveling to 

Washington and wish to join us, check 

the NA website for more details. 

visited his brother, Todd ’89, 

and his family in Marblehead, 

Massachusetts. They had a great 

time golfing, fishing and boating. 

Both of Brad’s sons, Austin and 

Preston, caught their first fish, and 

as their Uncle Todd returned their 

fish to the water and baited their 

hooks, neither fisherman nor fish 

got hurt in the process – they 

count that as a big success! Brad’s 

family continues to be busy with 

hockey, both ice and roller. Brad 

and Austin attended the junior 

Olympics for Roller Hockey and 

won a bronze medal defeating a 

strong team from Hong Kong. 

They also faced teams from Great 

Britain, California, New Jersey 

and Massachusetts. Brad had the 

pleasure of coaching Austin’s team, 

with his wife, Sharon, Preston and 

daughter Tatem cheering from 

the stands. Tatem (2) is already 

showing signs of wanting to play 

hockey like her brothers. When 

not chasing the kids around, Brad 

and Sharon play golf at the local 

golf club. This fall all three kids 

are in school with Austin in the 

7th grade, Preston in 2nd grade 

and Tatem in pre-school. Brad 

invites anyone who is in the D.C. 

metro area or in northern Virginia 

to look them up. 

Loren Weiss Selig has begun 

a new job as development and 

volunteer coordinator for Avis 

Goodwin Community Health 

Center. Between working three 

days a week and taking care of 

two growing girls, a husband and 

a dog, she is very busy. 

1988 

Alex Tait and his family drove East 

last summer to see some old 

friends. They reconnected with

Jason Marino ’89 

R.J. Grissinger and his family 

at Long Beach Island, and spent 

July 4th with John Fleissner and 

Rob Hageman and their respective 

families. 

Jason Steinhart and his wife 

have two beautiful children. Their 

daughter, Alyssa (5), enjoys playing 

goalie for her soccer team, 

pretending in acting class, and 

dancing. Their son, Aaron (2), 

loves to be chased around the 

house and tickled. They live in 

Warren, New Jersey, and both 

Jason and his wife are assistant 

general counsels for Sanofi-Aventis, 

a French pharmaceutical company 

headquartered in Bridgewater, 

New Jersey. 

1989 

Sandra Baptista has been working 

to finish her Ph.D. in geography at 

Rutgers University. Over the years, 

she has taught at Rutgers in the 

geography and human ecology 

departments. Sandra also spent time 

in southern Brazil in the state of 

Santa Catarina doing research for 

her dissertation on social and landscape 

changes in the metropolitan 

region of Florianopolis. She has 

started to publish her research and 

currently has one article published 

in the journal Environmental 

Conservation and a forthcoming 

article in Ecology and Society. In 

April, Sandra learned that she was 

accepted to Columbia University’s 

Chris and Darcie Graf Velez ’90 with their son Jack 

Earth Institute Fellows Program, 

which is a two-year post-doctoral 

position where she will be affiliated 

with the Center for International 

Earth Science Information Network 

located in Palisades, New York. She 

is thrilled about the opportunity to 

expand her research in Brazil, and 

to collaborate with colleagues 

working on related projects at other 

sites around the world. She is also 

delighted to be moving back to the 

New Jersey/New York metro area 

to be closer to family and friends. 

Kanileah Phelps has been 

reconnecting with old friends and 

classmates on Facebook. She also 

ran into Mtima Fuller last July at 

the Lincoln Park Music Festival 

in Newark. Kanileah’s brother 

Kaleem ’93 and sister Kalenah ’87 

were both with her at the festival. 

Phinneus Sonin may have lost 

touch with his classmates over 

the past 20 years, but it seems 

like he might be coming back into 

the fold. He reports that a mystery 

classmate has found his cell 

number and has been connecting 

Phinneus to the rest of the class 

one at a time. Phinneus would 

love to know who this mystery 

connection is. He knows the 

person lives in Oklahoma City 

and has a wife and two sons, but 

he needs your help to solve this 

mystery. So, if you get a call from 

Phinneus, he is not the caller but 

he would love to chat and catch up. 

1990 

Amy Jaffe Brown lives in Brooklyn 

with her husband, Jeff, who is 

assistant U.S. attorney for the 

southern district of Manhattan, 

and their son, Henry, who was 

born in October 2005. Amy is 

vice president of global marketing 

for Polo Ralph Lauren. 

Betsy Blaskopf Greenleaf and 

her husband welcomed the birth 

of their first child, Layla Rose, 

on March 21, 2008. Betsy is a 

urogynecologist at Monmouth 

Medical Center in Long Branch 

and was honored as “Alumna of 

the Year” at Morris County 

Community College in April. 

Darcie Graf Velez gave birth to 

her first child, Jack Zayas, in April. 

She and her husband, Chris, live 

in Roselle, New Jersey. Darcie stays 

home with the baby, but also 

works with an internet solutions 

company helping businesses 

increase their revenue. They plan 

to move to upstate New York in a 

few years to open a military police 

dog training facility. Darcie is still 

active with athletics and hopes to 

return for a third season with the 

New York Sharks (a semi-professional 

women’s tackle football 

team). She continues to play field 

hockey all year round in an adult 

league. Feel free to check out her 

still unfinished website at 

www.Minidarcie.com. 

51

52 

Scott Algeier ’91 and twins, Julianna Marie and 

Grace Lucia 

1991 

Scott Algeier and his wife, Estella, 

are thrilled to announce the birth 

of their identical twin daughters, 

Julianna Marie and Grace Lucia. 

The girls were born six weeks 

premature in January, but are 

healthy and growing rapidly. Both 

Scott and Estella feel blessed. 

Mike Lane and his wife left 

Baltimore, Maryland, about a year 

ago for fly-over country. They now 

live in St. Louis, Missouri, where 

Mike has finished his first year of 

an Infectious Diseases fellowship 

at Washington University. They 

are settling in and discovering all 

that St. Louis has to offer. They 

are also discovering the joys of 

parenthood with their first child, 

Sara Nicole, who was born in 

May. Mike welcomes hearing from 

his classmates. 

Mitchell Casey Levinson, son of 

Beverly Anish Levinson ’91 

Last July, Beverly Anish Levinson 

and her husband had their first 

baby, Mitchell Casey. 

The Yale Law Journal recently 

published an article by Alan Levy 

entitled, “How ‘Swingers’ Might 

Save Hollywood from a Federal 

Pornography Statute.” 

1992 

Tina Alzadon-Hillman is proud 

to announce the birth of her first 

child, Jack Arthur Hillman, last 

January. He is a wonderful addition 

to the family. Tina and her husband, 

Brian, continue to live in New 

York City where she works for the 

Department of Homeless Services 

as the assistant commissioner of 

planning. 

1993 

Mike Greenberg ’91 with children in Iraq 

After 10 years of shoeing horses 

and competing at team ropings 

Jack Arthur Hillman, son of 

Tina Alzadon-Hillman ’92 

throughout the Southwest, Jordan 

Garrick joined the ranks of struggling 

actors. He landed speaking 

roles in a few commercials, and a 

part on the USA network television 

series, In Plain Sight. He was also 

admitted into the Screen Actors 

Guild. Jordan moved from New 

Mexico and is now continuing to 

shoe horses and attend auditions 

in California’s bay area. He encourages 

former classmates to contact 

him and is offering a beer and 

steak dinner to anyone who can 

help him locate Spencer Brooks. 

James Gitkin is pleased to 

announce that last March he cofounded 

Salpeter Gitkin LLP, a new 

law firm based in Fort Lauderdale. 

He lives in nearby Weston with his 

wife and twin sons (3). 

Last August Maria Teresa 

McNeilly-Anta and her husband, 

Brad, celebrated the baptism of the 

newest addition to their family, 

Scarlett Mae and Caden, children of 

Amanda Schultz Lonergan ’94

Carolyn Borlo, Maria Teresa McNeilly-Anta ’93, Joe Borlo 

and Eva San Pedro Anta ’97 in Spain 

their son Sebastian, in Gallicia, 

Spain. Among the honored cast 

and crew of this quijotic adventure 

were Eva San Pedro Anta ’97, and 

former beloved NA teachers don 

Joseph Borlo and don Thomas Behr. 

1994 

Erica Greenbaum Bank and her 

husband, Eliot, welcomed daughter 

Talia Sarit, who was born in March. 

Talia joined her proud big brother 

and sister at home in West Orange, 

New Jersey. When not with the 

kids, Erica is a senior manager 

with Deloitte Consulting’s human 

capital practice, and Eliot runs 

an IT consulting firm for small 

businesses. 

Adam Kimowitz has recently 

joined his father in dental practice 

in Denville, New Jersey. They focus 

on implant, cosmetic and family 

dentistry. Adam currently lives in 

Hoboken with his wife, Mara. 

Amanda Schultz Lonergan and 

husband Sam welcomed their 

second child, Scarlett Mae, in 

June 2008. Scarlett joins her big 

brother, Caden. 

Jon Wolfe and his wife, Jessica, are 

pleased to announce the birth to 

their second child in May, Deanna 

Jacqueline, who is a sweet, calm 

baby. Their son, Nicholas (3), has 

started preschool. Jon is the lead 

producer of the 6:00 p.m. Sports 

Center at ESPN. He works crazy 

hours but is thrilled to be controlling 

the content for a show he has 

watched since childhood. Jon’s 

brother, Gary ’88, and his wife, 

Marielle, have a son, Trip (2), and 

are also doing well. 

1995 

Charlie and Alexa, children of Stacey Landau Ackerman ’95 

Toni Ann Carrino-Casale and her 

husband, Jason Casale, welcomed 

their twin daughters, Jiana Marie 

and Joli Marie, who were born at 

St. Barnabas Hospital in June. 

The couple looks forward to an 

exciting and adventurous time 

with their girls. 

Lauren Arkoff Fisher finished her 

fellowship in regional anesthesia at 

the Hospital for Special Surgery in 

New York. She recently joined the 

Department of Anesthesia at Beth 

Israel Deaconess Medical Center/ 

Harvard Medical School in Boston. 

She lives in Newton with her 

husband, Jonathan. 

Stacy Ackerman Landau and her 

family welcomed their third child, 

a little girl, Alexa, last March. 

She joins big brothers Charlie 

and Cameron. 

Leigh Baitler Schwartzreich and 

her husband, Jay, are proud parents 

to twin boys, Max and Dylan, born 

in October 2007. 

Evyan Turner ’95 and Allison Halpern 

Blatt ’95 toasting good news! 

53

54 

Jason Gaccione ’97 and new son Breydan Jason Clancy Smith ’98 and with his bride, Kacey Cohen 

Stephen Sislen wrote the book, 

music and lyrics for Room 16 which 

was presented at the ASCAP/ 

Disney Musical Theater Workshop 

in New York City. Along with his 

writing partner, Stephen wrote 

the musical Slut, which ran off- 

Broadway at the American Theater 

of Actors after a record-breaking 

run at the New York International 

Fringe Festival in 2003. Their 

musical, The Midnight Ride of Paul 

Revere, also continues to tour the 

nation for Theater Works USA. 

In addition to his work with his 

partner,Winters, Stephen’s music 

has been featured on the Disney 

Channel television show Johnny 

and the Sprites. He is a member of 

the BMI Lehman Engel Musical 

Theater Workshop and the 

Dramatists Guild. 

1997 

Jason Gaccione lives in 

Westwood, New Jersey, with his 

wife Kelly, stepson Geoffrey (15), 

and son Breydan Jason, who was 

born last June. Geoffrey played 

varsity baseball as a shortstop 

for Westwood High School his 

freshman year and coached 

baseball camp for ages 9-10 

during the summer. Kelly is a 

registered nurse who is now 

taking some time away from her 

career to raise their new son. Jason 

works for CBRE Capital Markets 

in real estate investment banking. 

Ajay Kulkarni graduated along with 

Kevin Castelo ’98 with an MBA 

from MIT Sloan. He reports that 

there is a small NA family at MIT 

Sloane with Lisa Shah Sen’s ’98 

husband in the Class of 2009, and 

Are You Still Living 

with Mom and Dad? 

Well, according to our records you are. We know you have 

probably moved on, and might even have a family of your 

own by now, but we need you to update your address with us 

before we can move you out of your old room in our database. 

Please take a few minutes and update your information with 

us by either visiting www.newarka.edu and logging in to the 

alumni portion of the site, or by contacting the Alumni Office 

at jmaffei@newarka.edu. 

Doug Jardine ’98, who is just 

starting in the Class of 2010. Ajay 

plans to stay in Boston where he 

will be launching his own company. 

1998 

Thomas Bradshaw has four plays 

published by Samuel French, and 

has written two new plays, Dawn 

and Southern Promises. He works as 

a playwright in New York City and 

as an associate professor. 

Jack Hyman, who has worked for 

SRA International Inc. of Fairfax, 

Virginia, for the past five years, was 

appointed the enterprise portal 

technical lead in support of the 

U.S. Missile Defense Agency. He 

is currently working on a Ph.D. 

at Nova Southeastern University 

in information systems and should 

be finished in 2010. Jack was also 

given a term appointment on the 

faculty of American University 

College of Arts & Science, as well 

as the Georgetown University 

Graduate School of Education & 

Human Development. 

Lauren Jacobs and Adam Lazer 

were married last August. Lauren 

is a social worker at Morristown 

Memorial Hospital, and Adam is 

an engineer at Paulus, Sokolowski 

& Sartor in Warren, New Jersey. 

Arielle Greenbaum Saposh is 

happy to announce the birth of 

her baby girl, Liat, in May 2008.

Stacey Rapacon ’99, Emily Weinstein ’99, Lillian Ball ’99, Anika 

Patel ’99 and Kumi Dikengil ’99 at Lillian’s wedding 

Lisa Shah Sen exhibited her 

photography at the Boston Arts 

Festival at Christopher Columbus 

Park in Boston earlier this year. 

Clancy Smith married Kacey Cohen 

in June 2007. He met Kacey while 

finishing his undergraduate work 

at Bard College. He earned a 

master’s degree in philosophy from 

Kent State University in May 2007, 

and just began work toward a 

Ph.D. in philosophy at Duquesne 

University in Pittsburgh this fall. 

1999 

After living in New York City and 

traveling throughout Israel, Adam 

Kaswiner applied to the Culinary 

Institute of America, and is now 

an enthusiastic student living in 

the beautiful Hudson Valley of 

New York State. He is eager to start 

his externship, and he imagines it 

will take him to exciting places. 

Jackie Ko wrote to tell us that 

the Ko family is doing well. 

Joanne ’96 is married and a lawyer, 

Jonathan ’03 graduated from 

college and is backpacking through 

Asia, and Jackie is working as a 

senior account executive in a 

pharmaceutical advertising agency for 

direct marketing in New York City. 

Sean McGaughan was married 

in September to Susannah Gersten 

at the Belvedere Mansion in 

Rhinebeck, New York. His brother 

Brian Sudler ’99 

Brian ’01 was his best man and 

Dave Slojkowski was one of his 

groomsmen. His sister, Molly ’05, 

was also in the wedding party. 

Emily Weinstein, Matt Miller, 

Adam Fells, Dave Jacobs ’00, Ben 

Ritter ’00 and Katie Kilcullen ’06 

were also in attendance. 

Doug McNamara is currently 

living in Seabrook, Maryland, 

with his fiancée Rachel Fitzgerald. 

He works as a research analyst at 

the Association of Public Health 

Laboratories. 

Matt Miller works at IMG Media 

where he recently launched an 

exciting and innovative program 

called Model.Live. This interactive, 

online series documents the lives 

of three aspiring runway models 

on their way to fashion week in 

New York, London, Paris and 

Milan. It gives an authentic glimpse 

into how professional models live, 

and the hard work and commitment 

required to achieve success. Matt 

is responsible for coordinating and 

maintaining four profiles (the 

show’s and the models’) as well as 

the promotion for Model.Live on 

Bebo.com, a social media network 

where viewers can interact with the 

models and receive instant updates 

on their activities and experiences 

through their personal e-mails, text 

messages, voicemails, photos and 

short video confessionals. Matt is 

responsible for the collection of all 

that content, and for making sure 

it is compelling and part of the 

overall story. This is an exciting 

opportunity for Matt and he is 

happy to be part of something that 

is truly new. He hopes everyone 

will take a moment and check it 

out on www.bebo.com/modellive. 

Marsha Morman is happy to 

report that her first novel, The 

Darcys and the Bingleys, had a 

national release on September 8. 

You can find out more about her 

book at Amazon.com under her 

pen name, Marsha Attman. 

Matt Steenberg just started 

medical school at New Jersey 

Medical School. 

Brian Sudler graduated from the 

University of Rhode Island with 

a double major in history and 

Spanish. He felt very strongly 

about wanting to serve as a Green 

Beret and is now serving with the 

Army Special Forces in Afghanistan. 

Asha Talwar earned an MBA 

from Fordham Graduate School of 

Business where she pursued their 

global professional program and 

majored in management. This summer 

she was promoted to manager 

of global fragrance marketing at 

Estee Lauder. Asha is responsible for 

leading all product and program 

development for Aerin Lauder’s 

Private Collection fragrances and 

the White Linen fragrances. 

55

56 

Lianna Icolari ’01 Lisa Warren ’01 at Boston’s Museum of 

Science 

Jan Vobecky graduated from 

Vanderbilt Medical School and 

is doing his residency work at 

Stanford University. 

2000 

Viraj Bhalani graduated from Saba 

University School of Medicine in 

the Netherlands-Antilles in May 

2008. He is doing research at the 

Renal Research Institute in New 

York City. 

Amy Kimmel Dahmann returned 

last fall from Seoul, South Korea, 

where she taught kindergarten at 

an English immersion school and 

traveled throughout Asia with her 

fiancé. In April, she was married 

to Todd Dahmann. In attendance 

were Alison Poole, Rachel Zief, 

Diane Pinder, Jon Sandler, Blake 

Neiman ’01 and Dana Cash ’01. 

After the wedding, the couple 

moved to Fayetteville, North 

Carolina, where Todd is stationed 

as a captain in the United States 

Army. Amy is working as the 

assistant director at the Fort Bragg 

United Services Organization, 

fundraising and running outreach 

programs benefitting soldiers and 

their families. 

Last summer, Steve Savage was 

the piano bar entertainer aboard 

one of Royal Caribbean’s largest 

ships, the Explorer of the Seas. 

Drawing from a repertoire of over 

300 songs, Steve did a high energy 

rock and roll sing-a-long show six 

nights a week. He lived on the 

ship for more than three months, 

returning to the Berklee College 

of Music in Boston this fall to 

continue his music studies. Steve 

performs regularly in Boston and 

New York. 

Matt Wurgaft is now attending 

Seton Hall University Law School 

after several years with Sony 

Music. He is excited to continue 

his education and to delve deeply 

into intellectual property and 

entertainment law. 

2001 

Emile Cobert is in her last year 

of medical school at New York 

Medical College. She plans to go 

into emergency medicine. 

Ariel Eber was named to the 

U.S.A. Women’s National Indoor 

Field Hockey Team. She will 

compete in the prestigious Pan 

American Indoor Championships 

this November. 

After working and coaching at 

Newark Academy for three years, 

Brad Greenman has taken a job 

as a full-time teacher and coach at 

Gill St. Bernard’s School. He is the 

assistant athletic director and head 

baseball coach, and also teaches 

lower and middle school physical 

education. Brad lives in Morristown 

with two other NA alums, Noah 

Julie Fiocco ’02 and her new husband, 

Ric Haas 

Gold and Andrew Martino ’02. 

Both are doing very well. Noah is 

in his last year at law school, and 

Andrew is the general manager of 

the largest bar and night club in 

Long Beach Island. He still sees 

alums, including Jeff Carter and 

Eric Globerman, who also live 

in Morristown. 

Chizzy Igbokwe graduated from 

Temple University in 2005 and 

went on to earn a master’s degree 

in global communications from the 

American University of Paris. She 

plans to pursue an international 

career in global higher education 

and marketing. Chizzy is also 

an active member of the IABC 

(International Association of Business 

Communicators) and was recently 

selected to join the Chief Marketing 

Officers Club. 

After graduating from New York 

University in 2005, Julie Jacobs 

joined Merrill Lynch’s High Net 

Derivatives Group. She recently 

began the full time MBA program 

at the Wharton School of the 

University of Pennsylvania and will 

graduate in 2010. She is currently 

living in Philadelphia. 

Brian McGaughan is in his final 

year of law school. He was a summer 

associate at the law firm of Hidell, 

Pitoni and Bach in Manhattan over 

the summer.

Daniel Singer ’02 on his travels Tiffany Shumate ’04 at her Bryn Mawr graduation with a friend 

and Jessica George ’03 (right) 

Lisa Warren is living her childhood 

dream of being the next “Jack 

Hannah” at The Museum of 

Science in Boston where she does 

a presentation on the Science Live 

Stage several times a week. She 

credits her passion for science 

(and a touch of stage presence) to 

Newark Academy teachers Ms. 

Tavares, Mr. Limmer and Mr. Jacoby. 

Michael Weintraub began a Ph.D. 

program in comparative government 

at Georgetown University this fall. 

He intends to focus his studies 

on the micro dynamics of armed 

conflict and specifically study civil 

war in sub-Saharan Africa. 

2002 

Jacob Dunn has joined Merrill 

Lynch as a financial advisor. He 

is now living in Jersey City. 

Julie Fiocco married fellow Purdue 

grad, Ric Haas on May 24, 2008 

at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in 

Chicago, with a reception at The 

Intercontinental Hotel. After 

honeymooning in Puerto Rico, 

the couple returned to Chicago 

where they both work for Abbott. 

Mackenzie Ryan works for the 

online maps department of 

Backpacker and Bicycling magazines, 

part of Active Interest Media. They 

create trail maps in every region 

of the United States using GPS 

technology. They also supply 

guidebook style information 

including photos, directions and 

trail conditions. She has been 

working as a journalist since her 

senior year at Cornell, and lived 

in the wine region of upstate New 

York for two years reporting news 

there after graduation. Mackenzie 

is also a photojournalist. She now 

lives outside of Boulder, Colorado, 

which supplies endless opportunities 

for great backpacking, hiking and 

mountain biking trips – also great 

for photos. Mackenzie invites all 

her NA friends to come visit for 

snowboarding, skiing or camping. 

Last June, Alex Senchak moved 

to San Francisco to work as a 

theatrical consultant designing 

theater and performance spaces 

all over the country. He has settled 

in the marina area which is a nice 

part of the city with great views of 

Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Sharmonique Shade is an events 

manager at SYS-CON Media, an 

interactive media company that 

specializes in events, magazines 

and books. She recently began 

work toward a master’s degree at 

Boston University, and hopes to 

study abroad next summer in 

London for the final semester of 

the program. Sharmonique sees 

Andaiye Taylor ’01 and Alex 

Mack, and also spent a week in 

Paris with Chizzy Igbokwe ’01 

while she was there studying at the 

American University of Paris. 

Daniel Singer sat for the certified 

financial planner comprehensive 

exam last March and passed. Right 

after the exam, he set off for Zambia, 

Botswana, and South Africa for three 

weeks. It was quite an experience. 

2003 

Brad Chernock moved to New 

York City with his fiancée and is in 

the physician assistant program at 

Weill Cornell Medical College. 

Aja Nisenson had a solo show, 

Piccola Cosi, which she wrote and 

performed at The New York 

International Fringe Festival 

last August. 

Symon Perriman completed his 

first year as a project manager at 

Microsoft working on Windows 

server’s high availability and clustering 

team. He has had numerous 

successes this past year and is 

being recognized as an upcoming 

technical leader. His blog reaches 

nearly 500,000 viewers each 

month, and he recently gave three 

presentations to more than 1,000 

computing experts at TechEd, one 

of the industry’s largest conferences. 

Symon lives in downtown Seattle 

and is still in contact with a few of 

his classmates, most recently seeing 

Dave Mazzuca in New York City 

in July. 

57

58 

Friends from the Class of ’04: Abby Krumholz, Jess Kaswiner, Jill Aberbach, Nicole 

Rosen and Caroline LeCates 

2004 

Louise Ball began a full-time job 

with Capital One Financial in 

Richmond, Virginia, as a manager 

on the internet delivery and portfolio 

team. Before starting her job, she 

was maid of honor at her sister 

Lillian’s ’99 wedding in Sedona, 

Arizona, on June 28. 

Jamie Cohen graduated from the 

University of Michigan on the dean’s 

list and is currently attending Saba 

University which is an accelerated 

medical school. 

Jacob Feldman graduated from 

Columbia University with honors 

and has been admitted to Harvard 

Law School (Class of 2011). 

Tim Hwang spent his first summer 

out of college working in San 

Francisco for Creative Commons, 

a nonprofit group working to 

expand creator choice in licensing 

creative works. On the side, he is 

working on a follow-up conference 

to ROFLCon, an event devoted to 

internet culture and celebrity 

online that has received press from 

Wired, NPR, and the Boston Globe. 

He returned to Harvard University 

in the fall to work on cyber law 

and technology policy issues at 

Berkman Center for Internet and 

Society. He plans to go UFO 

hunting next year as part of a 

project to explore fringe science 

communities. 

Jess Kaswiner graduated from 

Connecticut College, Phi Beta Kappa 

and summa cum laude, and was 

honored with the Museum Studies 

Award. She moved to Chicago last 

summer and is working toward 

a master’s degree in art education 

at the School of the Art Institute 

of Chicago. 

Mike Kirwan graduated from 

Williams College last May as a 

three time All-American swimmer, 

a national runner-up in 2007, and 

a Williams College record holder 

in the 800-yard freestyle relay. This 

fall he began work toward a Ph.D. 

in neuroscience at the University 

of Maryland at College Park. Mike 

was a double major in psychology 

and economics with a concentration 

in neuroscience while at Williams. 

Sarah Lipsey is engaged to be 

married to Yuval Brokman, a fellow 

classmate at Brandeis University. 

They are planning a January 2009 

wedding. Nick Miller has recently 

been studying at St. Stephens 

College in Delhi, India. 

Stephane Slotten graduated 

from Columbia University with 

a bachelor’s degree in operations 

research engineering, and is 

working on Wall Street with 

Alumni in College: SAVE THE DATE! 

Come back to NA on January 6 

All college-age alums are invited back to Newark Academy for our annual 

In-College Lunch on Tuesday, January 6. Come have lunch with your old 

teachers, and find out what your classmates have been up to all year. Lunch 

starts at 11:30 a.m. in The Great Hall, so set your alarms and head over to 

NA for a bite to eat, and a lot of hugs. 

Make sure we have your current college address and e-mail for care packages, 

invitations and updates.

Citigroup. He is enjoying the “real 

world,” but was forced to stop 

cycling and racing due to two 

knee surgeries and lingering knee 

injuries. While Stephane admits 

that stopping riding is difficult, he 

knows it is best to stop before he 

injures himself more seriously. 

Tiffany Shumate graduated cum 

laude from Bryn Mawr College last 

May. She was thrilled to see Scott 

and Julie Jacoby as well as Nancy 

Grant and Jessica George ’03 in 

the stands waving, smiling and 

throwing kisses. The Jacoby’s gave 

her a beautiful graduation brunch. 

Two weeks after graduation, Tiffany 

moved to Washington, D.C. and 

interned for the summer at an 

education advocacy group called 

DC VOICE. Their mission is to 

organize and inform community 

members, parents and students 

about the state of Washington, 

D.C. schools. It was a rewarding 

experience. In September, Tiffany 

began work at The Center for the 

Study of Social Policy where she is 

working on child welfare reform in 

California, New Jersey and Texas. 

Michael Sterling graduated from 

Carleton College in June where he 

majored in philosophy. He currently 

works as a junior research associate 

at Trilogy Global Advisors in New 

York City. 

Don’t Make Us Google You! 

We know that the first section of Outreach magazine that most readers flip to 

is Class Notes — and we’d like to have even more news to keep you connected 

with your classmates. To do that effectively we need to have your current 

e-mail and home address. Please contact the Alumni Office by emailing 

jmaffei@newarka.edu and update your information with us. We want to keep 

you up to date on all that is happening at NA and with the alumni community. 

And we don’t want to cyber-stalk you! 

2005 

Ashley Cyburt studied communications 

at Charles University in 

Prague last year and spent the 

summer living in New York City 

and interning at THINK PR, a 

small fashion, beauty, entertainment, 

and lifestyle public relations firm. 

Sarah Dobro spent the summer 

apprenticing at Scargo Pottery on 

Cape Cod. She managed the gallery 

and had an opportunity to work 

on the pottery wheel as well. She 

also studied for and took the MCAT 

exam. This fall she is applying to 

medical schools. On the Cape she 

had a great time hanging out with 

Sam Weinreich and his family 

who were vacationing there. 

Jake Gorelov spent the year abroad 

at Oxford University studying math 

and history. He played on the 

tennis team there and traveled all 

over Europe. In his final year at 

Williams College he will serve as 

managing editor of the Williams 

Record, the independent weekly 

newspaper, and will be a member 

of the Williams tennis team. 

Jamal Gorrick stopped by Newark 

Academy to say hello. He is a 

senior at Harvard University 

and singing with the Harvard 

Opportunes, majoring in psychology 

and minoring in economics. He 

spent the past summer as a financial 

intern in New York City with 

Brett Finkelstein and Darian 

Solimine ’06. 

Emily LiMandri spent her junior 

year studying in Rome. In the 

summer, she lived in New York City 

and interned with Sotheby’s in the 

European ceramics and Chinese 

export porcelain department. 

Molly McGaughan spent her spring 

semester in London and traveled 

all over Europe. She had a great 

time exploring the continent with 

Cassie Coggeshall who was 

studying in Florence, and also 

managed to visit Lawrence Jewkes 

at his university in England. Over 

the summer she lived in New York 

City and interned at Imagine Global, 

a public relations firm. She will 

continue to write on a free-lance 

basis for the company throughout 

her senior year at Hamilton College. 

Mike Pickoff, an environmental 

studies major, was named to the 

dean’s list at Bates College during 

the second semester of the 2007-08 

school year. 

After studying film in England 

during the spring, Doug Vollmayer 

spent his summer as a production 

assistant at a film production 

company in New York City. He also 

worked with his brother, Dan ’03, 

to produce an online comedy series 

that is currently posted on YouTube. 

Doug has also been working with 

59

60 

Christina Capatides on the 

production of a documentary film 

about bullying in schools, in the 

workforce and on the internet. 

During his senior year he will 

concentrate on completing his 

thesis on how global warming is 

presented in the media, and will 

leave his role as host of Penn State’s 

late night comedy show in order 

to host Penn State’s first campus 

television game show. 

Stephen Wentz lived in New York 

City over the summer and worked 

at Credit Suisse as a summer ana- 

Alumni Lacrosse 

May 31, 2008 

lyst within fixed income sales and 

trading. He is now back at Lehigh 

University and will graduate in 

May 2009. 

2006 

Sarah Marcus is highly involved 

in the theater community at the 

University of Pennsylvania. She 

has worked on 23 productions 

in both performing and technical 

capacities, and serves as vice chair 

of Stimulus Children’s Theater, a 

student group which performs on 

Penn’s campus and around West 

Philadelphia schools and day care 

centers. Sarah is the costume 

designer of Bloomers, Penn’s only 

all-female musical sketch comedy 

group, the sister group of Mask 

and Wig which performed at NA 

last spring. She continues to intern 

at Sh-k-boom/Ghostlight Records 

and most recently worked on the 

recording of the 2008 Tony Award 

Winner In the Heights. 

2007 

Michael Thomas was named to 

the dean’s list at Bates College 

during the second semester of the 

2007-08 academic year. 

The second annual alumni lacrosse game was held on May 31 with the scrappy alumni team challenging NA’s varsity. 

Even though there were periods of rain, the game was fast paced and friendly, with the varsity ending up triumphant 

at the end. Everyone shared lunch in the Great Hall after the game and went home sore and happy.

REUNION 2008 (continued from page 36) 

SAVE THE DATE FOR THE NEXT NA REUNION 

FALL 2009 — FOR REUNION CLASS YEARS ENDING IN 4 AND 9

A group of 35 middle and upper school students descended upon Tiananmen Square during their 12-day cultural and educational exploration in China. 

The summer trip was led by faculty member Maria Teresa McNeilly-Anta, along with Kareen Obydol-Alexandre, Neil Stourton and Ling Tsuo. 

Newark Academy 

91 South Orange Avenue 

Livingston, NJ 07039 

Phone: 973.992.7000 

Fax: 973.992.8962 

www.newarka.edu 

E-mail: outreach@newarka.edu 

Return service requested 

Parents of alumni: If this publication is 

addressed to your child and he or she no 

longer maintains a permanent residence 

at your home, please notify the alumni 

office, 973.992.7000, or send an e-mail 

to nmcgaughan@newarka.edu. 

This directory has been printed on 

recycled papers certified by the Forest 

Stewardship Council. In doing so, Newark 

Academy is supporting environmentally 

responsible, socially beneficial and economically 

viable management of the world’s forests. 

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Alumni Profile: Author and Playwright Liz Maccie - Newark Academy

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