Recent Old Boy Events

Class of 1980 Reunion - September 23, 2005 by Alex Daniels '80 Seventeen members of the class of 1980 and eight guests returned to St. Bernard’s on September 23, 2005, for their twenty-fifth reunion. The class mingled over drinks with former and current faculty in the lobby. Stuart Johnson, David Westcott, and David Danziger gave introductory remarks, and then the class regrouped in the Westcott Geography room for a delicious dinner. A slide show of class photos and of the eighth grade play, As You Like It, ran in a continuous loop in one of the first-grade classrooms. Much guffawing at our younger selves and many nostalgic memories. It was unanimously agreed that the 1970s-era photos were best left at St. Bernard’s and returned to the vault. The faculty represented included Lee Austin, Denis Caslon, Stuart Johnson, Rosemary Lea, Llewellyn Lord, James Silvia, and David Westcott. They were all in fine form, had not changed at all, and seemed to keep more active schedules than any of us. Retirement is anything but for this erudite and active crowd. The class of 1980 in attendance were John Bandman, Lori and Durk Barnhill, Louise and Peter Bogardus, Debbie and Alec Crawford, Alex Daniels and Emma Froelich, Sheena and David Danziger, Cynthia and George Eberstadt, John Grossman, John Harpel, Peter Harper, Elaine and Douglas King, Roger Li, Melissa and Miles Powell, Erik Ross, David Solomon, George Spencer, and Kelly and Hamburg Tang. Although some were a little stockier and some had thinning hair, no one was difficult to recognize. Harpel had changed the least and Powell had become the tallest. George Eberstadt concluded the evening thanking Virginia Tracy for her extraordinary skill in organizing the reunion, and thanking the classmates for attending. No one wanted to leave, and the party continued at a nearby bar on Madison Avenue. Once again, we unanimously agreed how well we all turned out and gave our thanks to St. Bernard’s for starting us on the right path.

London Gathering - June 26 - 28, 2005 by Lee Austin On the twenty-seventh of June, Kaaren and Charles Hale ’49, along with Elizabeth and Maury Pinto ’47, hosted a drinks party that showed why the Queen celebrates her birthday in June rather than on her actual birthday in April. The Hales’ house, in deepest Belgravia and astonishingly roomy for a onetime mews, had a large garden that could have been planned and kept for one matchless London evening. Three generations of John Card Jenkins’ family, Old Boys, parents, and faculty, past and present, gathered merrily in the garden to celebrate St. Bernard’s with drinks, hors d’oeuvre, and lively chatter about the School as it was, is, and might be, as well as the world in general. Among the Old Boys at 33 Lyall Mews were the youngest, Peter Keevil ’98, who is studying in Edinburgh, and the oldest, (not counting our hosts) Colin Hargreaves ’61, whose whereabouts had been discovered in a long lost file. Others present were Olivier Kaempfer ’94, who came with his parents, Steven and Belinda, Will Gardiner ’78 and David Forster ’77, along with John-Eric Bigbie ’73 and Chris Dabrowski ’94, both of whom travel on business, John-Eric to Switzerland, and Chris to Poland. Daisy Keevil, a former St. Bernard’s in London hostess and mother of Peter and Adrian ’89, along with Jonathan Beatson-Hird were also in attendance. The honors for most lively conversation might well go to Brenda Azoria, grandmother of Max 2010 and Harry 2013 Abram, who are both on 98th Street. Former and present faculty were Meg Movshon, in Oxford to decide on which side of the Atlantic she will spend her retirement, Ceri Jones, a former intern in the science department, now a teacher at Tonbridge, and Denis and Sally Caslon. Stuart and Susan Johnson, Virginia Tracy, and Chris Dabrowski attended all three successive nights, from A Winter’s Tale to Hedda Gabler. An added fillip: although the Lyall Mews bash did not quite celebrate the Queen’s birthday, it did celebrate the birthday of our very own Miss Lea. The Lyall Mews evening made me realize once again that the St. Bernard’s in London parties have a punch far out of proportion to the school’s size. Gently and amusedly Anglophiliacal, the school has always been comfortable with and proud of its English heritage for over a hundred years, keeping old friends in Britain while establishing new friends in the form of exchange visits with the Dragon School in Oxford and St.B’s teachers transplanted on 98th Street from Shropshire. May this natural and unpretentious bond endure. The third evening was spent at a dinner hosted by the Pintos at Sheekey’s Restaurant where we all chatted and ate some delicious fish before Matt Wolf ’75 gave us an incisive and articulate critique of the Hedda Gabler we were about to see. It was easy to understand why Matt is a drama critic of the International Herald Tribune. Later, as the play was coming to its close, the sunset became pregnant with Nordic menace, while outside London added its sympathy with crashing thunder as we went out into the rain. No resumé of St. Bernard’s in London would be complete without thanks to our hosts, the Pintos and the Hales. It is splendid to see hosts who clearly enjoy their parties as much as their guests. We all “Went to a Marvelous Party.” London was never more beautiful: the clean, compulsory Queen Anne cream color of rows of houses standing under leafy trees really did suggest a royal celebration. We had one.

Off to College Reunion - June 16, 2005 by Elliot S. Feng 2001 On June 16, over half the Class of 2001 and their parents returned to St. Bernard’s for one last pre-college reunion. Also in attendance were faculty members Mr. Johnson, Ms. Tracy, and others, including retiring faculty Mr. Austin, who dedicated forty years to St. Bernard’s. In all, well over fifty guests filled the fifth floor geography room, spilling out into the hallway, stairwell, and computer lab. It was great seeing so many of us at our old alma mater sharing new memories and relishing old times at St. B’s. Thanks to our parent volunteers, a potluck feast was provided. A special mention also to Mr. Westcott for his generous bartending, making this event especially memorable.

Class of 1988 Reunion - January 26, 2005 by Tom Trowbridge '88 On Wednesday January 26, 2005, fourteen Old Boys from the class of 1988 gathered for dinner at The Red Cat--an excellent restaurant in West Chelsea, New York, managed by Connor Coffey '88. It was by far the largest '88 gathering since graduation, and we had a great time. Classmates were up to everything from finance to film production, and we had a father of two in attendance. It was remarkable how little had changed and good to see how many people had kept in close touch over the years.

Thanks to all that helped with the coordination of the events; and for all those who missed these reunions, please stop by anytime for a visit!