Georgian, Winter 2002

V o l u m e 7 4 • N u m b e r 1 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 2

Alumnus writes aboutdepraved state of affairs,page 5.

David Lehner ’74

Check for selected eQuiz highlights throughout this issue.

Alumni eFacts

Georgian

Unconventional teacherwins fiction contest in theromance category, page 4.

Alison Kelly

A P u b l i c a t i o n o f G e o r g e S c h o o l , N e w t o w n , P e n n s y l v a n i a

Steadfast Partners – Lynn MeyerOrr ’47 and John D. Orr ’47, 2002 Alumni Award RecipientsBy Diana Cutshall

The most striking feature of Lynn and John

Orr’s history is their fidelity — to God, to

each other and to George School.

Look, for example, at their marriage, now nearing

50 years. Lynn, one of only four girls in the natural

science sequence at George School, and John, one of

eighteen boys, met in their freshman history class.

Although they did not date until their senior year,

classmates quickly came to think of them as Lynn ’n

John, saying both names like one.

After their graduation from George School in 1947, Lynn went to college atthe University of Rochester and John to Cornell. Each enrolled in a five-yearprogram. “In those days,” says John, “I did a lot of driving back and forth fromIthaca to Rochester because, well, there was this girl.”

In his sophomore year, John was awarded an NROTC scholarship. Over thenext three summers, he spent six weeks shipboard and another six working at adairy bottling plant run by Charles E. Van Schoick ’32. “Even if Lynn and I hadfound time to get married in college,” laughs John, “we had to wait until I wasan officer. The Navy said if they’d wanted me to have a wife, they’d have issuedme one.”

On June 9, 1952, Lynn and John both were awarded degrees, hers a bach-elor’s of science in nursing, his in mechanical engineering. She went to his grad-uation, not hers. The following Wednesday, June 11, shortly after John was com-missioned by the US Navy, they were married.

(Turn to page 2 to read more)

Lynn and John Orr will receive Alumni Awards during the Alumni Gatheringon Saturday, May 11 at 11 a.m. The awards will honor their nearly 30years of service and their life-long committment to George School.

eFactsLearn how George School alumni answered the

December 2001 “Words, Words, Words” eQuiz

2V o l u m e 7 4 • N u m b e r 1 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 2G e o r g e S c h o o l • G e o r g i a n

John spent the next three years onactive duty, with half his tour at seaon board a Navy destroyer ultimatelysent to Korea. “By the time wearrived,” says John, “the armistice hadbeen signed, but there were stillreports of active minefields. We hadno idea what would happen.” WhileJohn was away, Lynn worked as anurse at Cooper Hospital and caredfor John’s ailing mother.

In 1954, the couple joined theFirst Presbyterian Church in WillowGrove, where they have continued tobe active members.

“Lynn’s faith in God is absolutelyawe-inspiring,” said Lisa Collier, theadministrative assistant to GeorgeSchool’s head of school, who hasknown Lynn for seven years. “Shemaintains her sense of humor andpositive outlook on life because of herstrong sense of faith. She also appre-ciates a good joke and can tell onequite well.”

Over the next several years, Lynngave birth to three sons, all GeorgeSchool graduates. John Phillip, anengineer for the same firm fromwhich his Dad retired, graduated in’73. Gary, who coordinates the pay-ment of asbestos claims for aPhiladelphia law firm, earned hisdiploma in ’79. Rob graduated in ’76,then taught science for 20 years atGeorge School. When he was teach-ing at George School, Rob met withhis mother every Thursday when shevolunteered on campus. “I admire herdedication and direction, and enjoysharing ideas and perspectives withher as a peer, son and teacher,” Robsaid of Lynn.

As their children grew, Lynnworked at home as a full-time momand John pursued his career, first withBell of Pennsylvania, then withGeneral Electric, where he climbedthe ranks to become manager of spaceplanning and facilities at its ValleyForge facility. In 1970, he joined theengineering firm O’Brien-Kreitzbergand Associates in Merchantville, NJ.Among other large projects, Johnscheduled the Yankee Stadium expan-

tion about it in her mind. She is goingto be loyal to the school.”

During high school, Lynn workedin the infirmary as part of the school’sco-op program. Since 1975, she hasbeen a weekly volunteer in theAdvancement Office. Her longtenure has earned her recognition asGeorge School’s “oldest active livingco-op.”

“She has always been so valuableto the Advancement Office with her

volunteer work. I don’t think she real-izes how valuable and important thework is that she does,” Lisa said onbehalf of the Advancement Office.

John, among a host of other posi-tions, spent 17 years on the GeorgeSchool Committee. He later becamea co-opted member of the PhysicalPlant Committee, which is where hefeels he belongs.

Together, Lynn and John haveserved as reunion committee chairsfor several reunions, including their50th. Now they are working on their55th. “As classmates,” says John, “wedecided to focus our attention onGeorge School. With an alumni baseof only about 9,000, we felt it was oneplace where we really could make adifference.” And, for almost 55 years,they have.

“George School is a wonderfulplace,” says Lynn. “It brings out thebest aspects of every student, and atthe same time, it encourages indepen-dence. I always say, you can get thekid out of the school, but you can’t getthe school out of the kid.” ■

sion, was a consultant and expert wit-ness to the architect of the Capitol forthe Hart Senate Office Building andscheduled construction for thecement plants in Iran. He also over-saw construction of the TrentonFederal Court House.

Today, though officially retired,John continues to be active in hisfield, serving often as an expert wit-ness on construction claims.Recently, he worked as George

School’s representative on the renova-tion of two buildings, Central Mainand Orton. Under his expert supervi-sion, both projects finished underbudget and on time, saving the schoola projected $180,000. This year’sproject will be the renovation of EastMain. “John has helped GeorgeSchool to complete these projects suc-cessfully by infecting those who workwith him with his unique combina-tion of enthusiasm and discipline,”George School committee memberJon Otto said of John. “GeorgeSchool has been extremely fortunateto be the beneficiary of John’s gener-ous gift of time and talent.”

Throughout their lives, Lynn andJohn have stayed deeply committed toGeorge School. “I firmly believe thecommon denominator of life is time,”says Lynn. “Everyone is given 24hours per day, seven days per week,and I consider it a privilege to havethe time to give to George School.”

“Her commitment to GeorgeSchool is whole-hearted,” describesfellow classmate Gwen Kerr ’47 of herfriend Lynn. “There is just no ques-

“I firmly believe the common denominator of life is time,” says

Lynn. “Everyone is given 24 hoursper day, seven days per week, and I

consider it a privilege to have the timeto give to George School.”

(Steadfast Partners, continued from page 1)

Some alumni

perform rituals

when they are

about to write

Elizabeth CampbellMorris ’48

Early a.m., while having my cup ofcoffee with a purring cat snuggled upto me.

Carol Park DiJoseph ’58

I, for some reason, like to write onscrap paper; backs of things. I also canand do write on the computer and ambeginning to be more comfortablewith that every time I do it.

Suzanne Tompkins ’66Distracting myself with easy triviathen jumping in.

Debra Barba ’77A glass of wine, a comfortable penand clean paper.

Malcolm Fleschner ’87I do everything I can to avoid havingto do the actual writing, then take fre-quent breaks.

Wynne E. Lanros ’99I must have my Uni-ball Vision Fine-tipped (waterproof/fadeproof ) pen so the words may flow as easily as the ink.

Hannah Stiefel ’00 I wear my most comfortable clothesand usually wear a headband to keepmy hair back which I call my “thinking cap.”



3V o l u m e 7 4 • N u m b e r 1 • W i n t e r 2 0 0 2 G e o r g e S c h o o l • G e o r g i a n

Sara Rhodin is very much likemost teenagers her age; sheloves hanging out with her

friends and has a passion for music.But what makes her stand out fromher peers is her ability to write a storywith so many intricate details that thereader feels personally connected toher characters.

Sara,’02, composed the two-pageshort story titled The Second Comingof Ophelia for her Bible class atGeorge School last fall. What shehastily wrote in one sitting for a classended up being published in theReality section of the Bucks CountyCourier Times on Sept. 27, 2001.

With her intense almond-shapedeyes focused on an imaginary pointand her lips pressed tightly together,Sara stared intently at the ceilingthinking hard. “It’s basically fiction,but there are some parts of it that arereal,” Sara said of her short storywhile pondering the idea behind it. “Iguess Ophelia is based on my cousinNancy and we always go to thatrestaurant … she’s very similar to thatcharacter. I was also thinking aboutmy younger sister — she’s a ballerinaand she’s kind of a drama queen.”

The short story begins bydescribing Ophelia as a goddess; ayoung woman so beautiful and radi-ant that her younger sister, Sara, is inawe of her … constantly walking inthe shadows of her big sister. “Myparents say Ophelia walks like a god-dess,” Sara wrote. “Her posture andpoise embody immortality, while hermovements envelop them into herworld of vitality.”

The story continues as the twosisters meet for lunch in New YorkCity. They discuss what’s going on intheir lives and eventually go theirseparate ways. How often and whenthey will see each other again isunknown but it seems as though Sarawill never tire of her “Bohemianangel.” “When Ophelia smiles, shesmiles with her whole body,” Sarawrote. “Her cheeks force her eyes to

Sara is very moved by music to thepoint where she is often inspired towrite while listening. Although sheprefers independent rock bands, “Ialways write poetry when I am listen-ing to Billie Holliday,” Sara explained.“Her music is really amazing and justreally inspirational. It’s so mellow.”Sara enjoys reading the poetry ofSylvia Plath and Alan Ginsberg, hertwo favorite poets.

As far as her plans following grad-uation are concerned, Sara flashed awinning smile and stated that shewants to be a journalist. “I think itwould be fun to be an editor of a fem-inist magazine,” she said. “But mymost ideal job would be editor ofRolling Stone from the period in the’60s to the ’80s and my most idealwriting assignment would be to inter-view Bob Dylan.” ■

squint spreading a thin layer ofdelight around the surface of her skin.Ophelia really is a goddess. Not just agoddess, but an angel, too. And as wefinished our lunch, I wondered howwe would say goodbye to each otherin too short a time.”

After Sara turned in the shortstory to her teacher, she fine-tunedOphelia some more and submittedthe story again — this time to a panelat the Bucks County Courier Times.Sara was one of 10 students from areaschools selected this year by the panelto write articles that review restau-rants, music and other events for theReality section of the paper.

Sara, a George School day studentfrom Newtown, PA, has liked to writesince the sixth grade. She has writtenmany stories and poems in her freetime about the many different peopleshe has met and the life experiencesshe has had. The summer beforeentering 11th grade, Sara traveled toJordan and lived for the entire sum-mer with a Muslim family while shelearned Arabic. “I wrote so much stuffwhile I was there,” she said. “The people there were great. It was really interesting.”

George School Senior Joins the Bucks CountyCourier Times as a Student Staff WriterBy Cristina Luyando

Besides writing, Sara Rhodin enjoys practicing yoga and the Brazilian fightingdance called the “capoeira.”

Where alumni have

been published

Gwendolyn Kerr ’47I co-authored junior high readingtextbooks and supplemental materialswhen I was a freelancer.

Robert S. Seltzer ’53Trade journals.

Paul Machemer ’65I wrote a news article or two that werepublished by a local newspaper.

Abigail A. Lovett ’72I’ve written a lot about adoption. Ialso am a reporter and freelancewriter. I’ll study and read about any-thing from ball bearings to gourmetcooking. I am working on a book now— but isn’t everyone?

Lisa Cadwallader Neal ’80

I did research on hippocampal brainaging in my previous life — I am astay at home mother now.

Robert Machemer ’92I was one of several authors to writeThe Red Sox Fan Handbook (currentlyavailable on Amazon.com, as it hap-pens). Among a number of differentthings, I wrote a poetic introductionto the book and an account on thehistory of my being a Sox fan (whichis the last essay in the book).

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and classic literature. “I never wantthem to just sit and watch a movieagain,” Alison said. “They will havethe ability to make connections fromwhat they read and what goes on ineveryday life. No more apathy at themovies!”

Through this process the studentslearned how to “read” a film and then make comparisons between theplay and the movie. Senior BettinaStephenson wrote about the connec-tions she made. “Both Hitchcock andSophocles thought carefully about thecreation of their pieces,” Bettinawrote. “The greatness of them bothlies not in their ability to tell us how tofeel and react, but to make us experi-ence it.”

Alison knows first-hand what ittakes to be an exceptional teacher.Growing up in the Massachusettspublic school system, she was taughtby the perfect example of a highschool English teacher … her father.“He set a wonderful example for me asfar as being a good teacher is con-cerned,” she said. “I really looked upto him.”

Following her high school gradua-tion, Alison attended MountHolyoke College in South Hadley,MA, where she received her bachelor’sin English with a Spanish minor in1995. Alison taught high schoolSpanish at St. Edward’s School in VeroBeach, FL, for two years. She thenmade the long trek north to begin amaster’s program at the University ofVermont. Upon graduation from theUniversity of Vermont in 2000, Alisonlanded her current teaching positionat George School.

“Personally, I find Alison’s freshapproach to be a real gift to thedepartment,” said English departmenthead Stephanie McBride. “Her exam-ple has energized us to think aboutour senior curriculum in new ways.”

■

es three classes of seniors and one classof juniors. “I was given the freedomto design my own class as long as Iused the same books [as other teach-ers],” Alison said. “It was the perfectopportunity for me.”

One writing assignment Alisongave her students challenged them tocompare Sophocles’ Oedipus the Kingto Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. For thisassignment, the class read Oedipus theKing and then watched the moviePsycho. “The students were thrilled tosee that the movies they liked actuallyconnected back to their requiredEnglish reading,” Alison explained.

Alison believes her uncommoncurriculum shows students how tomake connections between real life

What AlisonKelly’s

students are reading

AMERICAN LITERATURE

(juniors)

Inherit the Wind, Jerome Lawrence, Robert E. Lee

stories by Joyce Carol Oates

Young Goodman Brown, Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Crucible, Arthur Miller

writings by Emerson and Thoreau

writings by Edgar Allen Poe

Pudd’Nhead Wilson, Mark Twain

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey

Fatal Light, Richard Currey

WORLD LITERATURE

(seniors)

Oedipus the King, Sophocles

Hamlet, William Shakespeare

Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe

Candide, Francois-Marie Arouet Voltaire

The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka

Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquivel

Inferno, Dante Alighieri

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson


George School Teacher’s Unconventional TeachingMethods Capture Student InterestBy Cristina Luyando

My heart skipped a beat asthe bearded walrus gentlynudged me in the small of

my back with one smooth, curvedtusk, and as he expelled a warmbreath of air into my upturned face,its smell of peanuts reminded me ofthat precious night on Coney Island;the night when I became a woman …a woman, and a convict.”

This absurdly unusual first sen-tence of a story composed by AlisonKelly was one of the winning submis-sions in the Bulwer-Lytton FictionContest in 2001. Alison’s sentencewon in the romance category. “Theidea behind the contest is to begin astory with the most ridiculous firstsentence possible,” Alison explained.“The more ridiculous the sentence,the better.” The Bulwer-LyttonFiction Contest was named afterEdward George Bulwer-Lytton whocoined the phrase “It was a dark andstormy night.”

“It is one of my dreams to be pub-lished,” Alison said with a smile. Heracademic paper titled I’m Nobody!Who Are You?: Horror ThroughAnonymity in American Psycho wasselected to be published in both theJournal of the Fantastic in the Arts thiswinter and in the Journal ofEvolutionary Psychology in March.

Alison’s literary interests are any-thing but ordinary. “My shtick is tocompare a contemporary work tosomething that is deemed a classic,”Alison explained, “such as comparingone of Stephen King’s books to Lordof the Flies.” Alison is very fond of theGothic genre. In fact, all of her acad-emic papers focus on the impact thata classical work has had on a morecontemporary film or piece of litera-ture in the Gothic genre. Her mostrecent academic paper in the works,entitled A Girl’s Best Friend Is HerMother: The Exorcist As A Post-ModernOedipal Tale, reflects on the bookOedipus the King as well as Freud’s

Oedipal complex in examining thefilm The Exorcist.

While the Gothic genre is not thenorm for a high school English cur-riculum, George School welcomedAlison’s “shtick” to her classroomwhen she began teaching in the fall of2000. Like other teachers, Alisonemphasizes close reading, criticalthinking and writing skills. She teach-

“

In addition to teaching, Alison coachesboth Varsity Softball and JV Volleyballteams.



of being a novelist. “I didn’t reallylike to read until then. I remembertaking John Gleeson’s course onhumor and literature, reading bookslike Slaughterhouse Five and Catch 22,and thinking — ‘Gee, I didn’t knowserious books could be funny.’”

He decided that Vonnegut andHeller must have the best jobs in theworld. They sit around all day andwrite funny stories and get paid for it.Right then and there, David decidedthat was for him.

“I wrote a novel while at GS, but Iimagine it was pretty bad,” he said. Ithrew it into the garbage a few yearslater, but Walt Hathaway, who taughtme in Creative Writing, seemed tolike it. He said I had a sense of mis-chief and liked to tease the reader, andhe was right. I don’t think I havechanged in that regard.”

Novel writing had to be put onhold, however, while David attendedHobart College, and taught as anadjunct professor of English in andaround New York City, while com-pleting his Ph.D. in English at theCity University of New York.

Presently, David is the chair of theEnglish department at Rye CountryDay School, a co-ed pre-K through12th grade day school in Rye, NewYork. He lives with his wife, ChristinaSassi Lehner and daughters Katarina,4, and Natasha, 3, in Pound Ridge,New York. He has written two morenovels (unpublished as yet) and isworking on a fourth about twenty-first century slavery. In addition, hehas a non-fiction work coming outcalled Lies, Literature, and Propaganda:A Philosophical Investigation, whichexplores the theory upon whichBright Day is based.

“We always have to fight compla-cency, and the more enlightened wethink we are, the more we have tofight it. That is, as it were, the subtextof all my work.” ■


David Lehner, Class of ’74, Celebrates aBright DayBy Marie Duess

I’ve always thought that any bookI wrote would have to be writtenwith a social purpose, so in that

regard I’d have to say that GeorgeSchool had an influence in the writ-ing of my novel Bright Day — indeeda fundamental influence,” said DavidLehner ’74, when discussing the pub-lication of his first novel.

Released in February of 2000 byFithian Press, the book is a fast-pacedpolitical thriller, and borrows fromstories right out of The New YorkTimes — stories that deal with babytrafficking, organ harvesting andusing humanitarian food deliveries tohelp target military air strikes.

How is it that David — a distin-guished English department chair atan independent school in Rye, NewYork — can write so convincinglyabout these unethical activities anddepraved state of affairs? He’s quickto point out that he isn’t an authorwho has written from his own experi-ence.

“Personally, I don’t know any peo-ple who do these things, but what Itried to do was imagine the mind setof such a person who could carry outsuch things and not be crushed byguilt,” David said.

David intended the book to bedifferent from most novels. Davidwrote it to be more an examination ofthe issues the story delves into andhow the main character uses anOrwellian “double-think” in order toparticipate in seedy events — athought process he believes is morecommon than society, in general, willadmit.

Written in the first person, thebook never divulges the name of thenarrator who has decided to moveback to the United States after 10years abroad. He’s down on his luckafter enduring a failed marriage andbusiness, and begins working for anold friend from boarding school days.Although not certain what the jobentails, he’s ready to try anything to

get back on his feet. Before too long,the protagonist realizes that it’s arather mysterious business he’sinvolved in, perhaps even disrep-utable, yet he’d rather just stay on theoutside, not ask too many questionsand accept the money that’s to bemade by doing so.

Critiqued as “an important bookabout the state of American spiritualaffairs at the turn of the new century,it is set in an amoral business worldwhere fortunes are made while livesare undone,” the book moves quickly,and offers many twists to keep thereader engaged.

“It’s a dark book,” said JohnDaniel, David’s editor. “The bookhas a lot of important moral issues tobe addressed and asks the question,‘Where is the boundary of self-gainand social responsibility?’”

John likens the story to StanleyKubrick’s movie Eyes Wide Shut,which has some of the same subjectmatter about a person who is pulledinto a sinister culture and opts to putwhatever conscience he has aside forhis own gains. He feels that it mayrelate closely to the generation that isnow coming into power.

It was while attending GeorgeSchool that David toyed with the idea

What alumni are

reading

J. Richardson Adams ’37John Adams,

David McCullough

George E. Walker ’48Harry Potter,J.K. Rowling

Patricia SatterthwaiteEdge ’50Beach Music,Pat Conroy

Alice Hieatt Allen ’68 The Bean Trees,

Barbara Kingsolver

Carter Sio ’76 Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, aYoung Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson,

Mitch Albom

Denis J. Colbert ’80 A History of the Arab Peoples,

Albert Hourani

Alison ShanleyJohnson ’89

Pecked to Death by Ducks,Tim Cahill

Winter Miller ’91 Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. What’s moretragic than fate? Certainly not mis-taken identity, incest and a heartyeye gouge. All in a day’s work … .

Elizabeth K. Scudder ’00

The End of Fashion: How MarketingChanged the Clothing Business Forever,

Teri Agins

“

David Lehner, who taught at GeorgeSchool from 1992-1993, credits hishigh school education for the strongwriting background necessary forcomposing his political thriller.


Iwas at a folk concert and thesinger was playing music and talking to herself about how she

tried to dye her hair blonde and itturned orange. She used the phrase‘glowing in neurotic,’ which I foundinteresting. That phrase is what I builtmy story around,” Rachel Aucott ’04 recalled.

During her first year at GeorgeSchool, Rachel was given a writingassignment for Terry Culleton’s fresh-

man English class. The assignmentprompted Rachel to write a storyabout an orange-haired woman whowas trying to come to terms with thedeath of a close relative.

There’s A Time For Every PurposeUnder Heaven begins with the story’snarrator, Laura, recalling her greataunt with fond memories.“Everything about her was enchanti-ng,” Rachel wrote, “… the enormousold castle that she lived in, her eccen-tric Victorian shirts and go-go boots,the way she wiggled her eyebrowswhen she talked, her startling whitehair ….”

When Laura found out about thedeath of her aunt Eliza, she was at alow point in her life regarding hercareer, family and an “awful dye jobthat made her look like Howdy

GS Student Makes History as First Freshman to Receive the Argo PrizeBy Cristina Luyando

Doody.” Laura was forced to “man-age the loss of one of the most won-derful people in my world on top ofeverything else.”

The story comes to an end afterLaura makes the long trek from herhome in Montreal, Canada, to Eliza’sold manor in New Jersey to pick upwhat Laura thinks Eliza has gracious-ly passed on to her — a grandfatherclock she has always admired. Afterbreaking down on the road, sleepingin a cheap motel and driving forhours at a time for two days, Laurafinally arrives at her late aunt’s houseto discover what Eliza has really leftfor her.

“I started to cry, but this time thetears on my face were from laughter. Iheld in my hands a recipe for the bestsoufflé in the world and a tin clockthat didn’t really tell time — a toy Iused to play with in my youth andEliza in hers.” This turned out to be agreater gift than even the most beau-tiful grandfather clock.

When Rachel’s completed storycrossed Terry’s desk, he was soimpressed that he suggested she sub-mit it to Argo, George School’s stu-dent-run literary magazine for whichTerry is the sponsor. “She has thesophistication to be able to writeabout lives that don’t mirror her ownin any exact way,” Terry said ofRachel’s writing ability. “She has anenthusiasm for possibilities — andshe has the verbal talent, the wit, andthe patience to explore those possibil-ities through prose writing.”

Argo was so impressed by her piecethat Rachel was nominated for andultimately won the Argo Prize for Proseand Poetry in the spring of 2001.Rachel was the first George Schoolfreshman student ever to receive theArgo Prize. “I was so happy,” Rachelrecalled with a smile. “I really neverexpected to be noticed for my writing.It was really validating.” ■

“Planning to write is not writing.

Outlining ... researching ... talking to

people about what you’re doing, none of

that is writing. Writing is writing.” This

proverb, written by E. L. Doctorow and

paraphrased by Justin Wheeler, is part of

the motivation behind the formation of

the Creative Writing Workshop on

George School’s campus this year. “It

was started in response to a student’s

interest in pursuing her creative writing

and her frustration with the fact that we

[the English Department] do not offer

poetry or fiction-writing classes,”

explained Justin Wheeler, English

teacher and sponsor of the workshop.

The writing workshop – led by Justin

Wheeler – is funded by the Independent

Foundation Fund Chair, a position which

Stephanie McBride, the English depart-

ment head, held for three years.

In order to be selected for the work-

shop, the students submitted stories

along with a statement explaining their

interest in joining the group. The deter-

mining factor was a serious interest and

talent for fiction writing.

The workshop, which meets every

other Sunday evening throughout the

school year, provides its 10 members

with a sounding board for their stories

and ideas. They write stories individual-

ly and then share them with the group,

accepting constructive criticism from

the others. “They [the students] get to

meet on a regular basis with other stu-

dents who are serious about developing

their writing,” Justin said. “We learn a

lot from discussion, but we learn more

from writing again and again.”

“

Rachel Aucott ’04 exercises her writingabilities through Justin Wheeler’sCreative Writing Workshop.

Creative Writing Stirs Student InterestBy Cristina Luyando

writer meant she would have to mastermore than just creativity.

In her sophomore European histo-ry class, Andes was challenged to writecritically. “I had always thought cre-ative was enough. In my sophomoreyear, my European history teacherbroke me down. She told me, ‘You’vegot it in there, but your organization isall over the place.’ I realized howimportant it was to think critically as




Writing Easedthe Transitionfrom New YorkCity Model toAspiring AuthorBy Kimberly Miller Robbins

It was a gorgeous fall day when Ivisited the school,” Andes Hruby’87 said recalling her days as a

George School student. “TheMeeting House was filled with bal-loons and a breeze gently lifted them.I stood there and watched them riseand fall with the wind. I felt so peace-ful. Every time I went to look atanother school, I couldn’t get thatfeeling or the sight of that beautifulMeeting House out of my mind.”

The tranquility that Andes foundthat day in the quiet streets ofNewtown, PA, helped her say good-bye to her hectic days of child model-ing in New York City and hello to anew world that would introduce herto a new craft — writing.

Before her enrollment at GeorgeSchool, Andes’ modeling gigs sup-ported her mother and her untilAndes’ height fell short of the othermodels and she began to lose work. Itwas then that she decided to escapefrom what was left of her career andenroll in boarding school. Althoughthe decision to make the transitionfrom a New York City model to aGeorge School student was hers, itdidn’t come without apprehension.

“I remember thinking I was soodd. I was surprised that there werepeople who actually did the things Ionly acted out in advertisements. Upuntil then, the world was a fantasyplace where I pretended you could dothese things ... it was difficult for meto let that go and realize I could bereal. I didn’t have to be a Barbie,”Andes said.

By the end of her freshman year,Andes was amazed by all of her newcultural experiences. For the first timein her life she was playing sports, join-ing clubs and interacting with peopleher same age. She was also beginningto practice what would eventuallybecome her life’s work.

Initially, Andes said writing was away for her to release her fear and anxiety.

Awards alumni

have received

Herbert Fraser ’39Indiana Civil Liberties Union: Twolifetime awards for studies of jail con-ditions in Indiana.

Jean ThompsonSharpless ’49

Third place CASE award forIndependent School magazine in1994, followed by the first placeaward the following year.

Gail Eveland Hebert ’52

Awards for outstanding radio com- mercials.

Suzanne Tompkins ’66

I have co-published small literarymagazines in the science fiction field,in which I co-edited and wrote editorials on personal thoughts andsubjects. We were nominated twicefor the Hugo Award and have wonseveral smaller awards in the field overa 20-year period.

David Lehner ’74 Academic awards for best Englishessay (undergraduate), best thesis(master’s) and best dissertation of theyear (Ph.D.).

Pamela Miller Appea ’94

I’ve never received any awards buthearing from people who have readmy stories or appreciate my work is anaward in and of itself.

“There was the feeling [whenwriting] that I could just be myself.There was no judgment for what Ilooked like, what I said. I didn’t haveto hide anything. It was another wayfor me to be completely open, and atthe time I wasn’t yet,” Andes said.

Andes’ interest in creative writingignited in freshman English when shediscovered how much she enjoyedpouring out her thoughts in her jour-nal during the first 10 minutes of class.By the time she entered her sophomoreyear, she realized that being a good

“Silence is asimportant as

communication. I learned that

in the Meeting House.”

“

Andes Hruby’s fiction writing has won Story Magazine’s short fiction contestand the Writer’s Digest Mainstream Fiction Contest. Her essays have been pub-lished in Garden Design, The Berkshire Bulletin, and Quadrille.

well as creatively,” Andes said.Following George School, Andes

went on to study writing and earned aB.A. in literature from BenningtonCollege and then an M.F.A. in cre-ative writing from ColumbiaUniversity.

Today, Andes, 33, lives in Austriawith her husband and her newborndaughter, Arenal, as she prepares forthe launch of her first novel, TheTrouble With Catherine, this spring.

She describes her book as a storyof every woman she knows right now,including herself. Together, they allstruggle to balance being a good wife,mother and friend.

“I know so many women rightnow who are always walking the line.At times they feel really good aboutthemselves; at other times they feelthat they can’t do enough. Womenwant to do it all because we have theoption. The difficulty is in choosingthe right path and balancing them,”Andes added.

As the writer and new mom con-tinues with her own balancing act, sheoffers this to others, a lesson shelearned at George School.

“Silence is as important as com-munication. I learned that in theMeeting House,” Andes said. “It’simportant to take time to think andbe quiet as much as it’s important tospeak and be heard.” ■

Phot

o by

Mar

ion

Ettli

nger

NOTE: Pages removed from this document to protect the privacy of GS alumni.

Alumni may login to the alumni community at http://alumni.georgeschool.org to view the full version of this issue.

Short Stories

Poetry

Business Writing

Biographies

Mystery

Historical

How-to-Manuals

Non-Fiction

Financial

Self-Help

Essays

Fiction

None29161719

3232

3850

62 63

94

59

New Alumni Directory

The Advancement Office is working

with the Bernard C. Harris

Publishing Co. to produce a new

alumni directory by November

2002. All alumni were recently sent

a questionnaire. If you have not

already done so, please return your

questionnaire today. This will

ensure that your personal informa-

tion will be accurately included in

this new reference book. Soon, the

verification process will begin.

When you receive a telephone call

from the Harris firm, please give

the person who calls a few minutes

of your time to verify your listing.

The directory will contain current

names cross-referenced by student

names, home and business informa-

tion and e-mail addresses. Don’t

miss your chance to be a part of it.

If you have questions about

the directory, please call Alice

Maxfield, Advancement Office,

215-579-6566, send an e-mail to

[email protected]

or send a fax to 215-579-6579.

Cristina Luyando, Editor

[email protected]

215-579-6568

Volume 74 • Number 1 • Winter 2002

NON-PROFIT

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

PERMIT NO. 1NEWTOWN, PA

Advancement OfficeGeorge SchoolBox 4438Newtown, PA 18940-0908www.georgeschool.org

P R I N T E D O N R E C Y C L E D P A P E R

I N T H I S I S S U E

Alumni Award Recipients ...1

Student Staff Writer ...........3

Unconventional Teaching....4

Lehner’s Bright Day .............5

Argo Prize Recipient ...........6

Model to Aspiring Author ..7

Class Notes .........................8

Georgian

How alumni like to communicate

Fifty-two percent of alumnirespondents prefer to communicatewith family and friends via e-mailcompared to the 42 percent who pre-fer the telephone.

Where alumni arecomfortable

writing

While 24 percent of alumni feelcomfortable writing anywhere, awhopping 54 percent feel most com-fortable writing at home.

E

eQuiz

"Words, Words,Words"

Highlights

The "Words, Words, Words" sur-vey queried alumni about their writ-ing habits and experiences; 127 ofthem responded, 55 percent malesand 45 percent females.

For complete results of the winter2002 eQuiz, select “eQuiz results” fromthe site index of the George SchoolWeb site (www.georgeschool.org). Where alumni

have been

published

Of the 127 alumni whoparticipated in the eQuiz, 62 ofthem, or 49 percent, have beenpublished.

In addition to books, news-papers and magazines, alumnihave been published in variousprint and media formatsincluding screenplays and tele-plays, political flyers, teachers’manuals, technical books, dra-matic writing, jokes and chil-dren’s literature.

The 127 alumni who participated in this question were permitted to select as many categories as were applicable.

What alumni like to read

Dear Diary

eQuiz results show thatquite a few

alumni write in a personal journal.

41%Rarely Write

39%Often Write

20%Never Write

Documents

Georgian, Winter 2002