Page 53 - Alumni Horae: Vol. 94, No. 1 Fall 2013

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“We had the pleasure of creating our
own curriculum and ethos and high aca-
demic expectations…,” Mr. Evarts wrote
of Runnemede. “My goals in teaching were
always to inspire, to challenge, to draw
out, to support, to kindle a fire rather
than to fill a vessel, and to lead students
to their own learning.”
After retiring from the secondary school
academic life in 2005, Mr. Evarts spent
his time writing and publishing poems
and novels, directing Shakespeare plays
in the theater he and Jo created out of
two barns on their Cornish property,
and hosting playwriting contests. He also
taught courses on James Joyce and J.D.
Salinger at the Institute for Lifelong Edu-
cation at Dartmouth (ILEAD).
Mr. Evarts was the founding editor of
The Complete Hoot , a monthly arts and
events magazine in the Upper Valley of
New Hampshire. Perhaps most important
to him was his role as creator and director
of the Twilight Arts Shakespeare program
for youths, now celebrating its 20th year.
Mr. Evarts’s passion extended beyond
the classroom and the stage – he was a
loving husband, devoted father, and in-
spiring and loyal friend. He is survived
by his wife of 34 years, Jo; his daughter,
Katherine Elizabeth Evarts; his sons,
Jeremiah Evarts Jr. ’00, Sean Eastman, and
Maxwell Evarts; and three grandchildren.
1983
Laura Ann “Laurie”
L’Esperance
talented gemolo-
gist and loving
mother, died in New
York City on Sept-
ember 22, 2013,
at the age of 49.
Born May 8,
1964, she was
a daughter of
Francis and Ellen
L’Esperance of New York City, Water
Mill, N.Y., and Palm Beach, Fla. Laurie
L’Esperance prepared for St. Paul’s at
Convent of the Sacred Heart, where she
was known as an “extremely well-moti-
vated and ambitious student.” In addition
to her academics, she was a talented
figure skater, winning competitions in the
Northeast, including the tri-state figure
skating championship at the age of 12.
Ms. L’Esperance enrolled at SPS as a
Third Former in the fall of 1979. Described
by one of her classmates as “fun-loving
and energetic, with a passion for new
experiences, friends, and sports,” she
formed the first SPS figure skating club
and later traded in her figure skates for
hockey skates as a member of the fledg-
ling girls varsity hockey team. She also
enjoyed playing JV lacrosse when the ice
had melted for the season. Outside of
sports, Ms. L’Esperance was a staff writer
for the Pelican, a member of Le Cercle
Franç ais and the Missionary Society, and
sang in the Choir.
Following her 1983 graduation from
SPS, Ms. L’Esperance attended Tulane
University and later the Gemological
Institute of America. She went on to
become an accomplished gemologist,
working with Baumgold Fine Jewelry,
Harry Winston, and Kaufmann Suisse.
She enjoyed volunteering at the New
York Junior League. Forever an athlete,
Ms. L’Esperance was an equestrian and
also enjoyed open-water scuba diving.
She was a devoted mother to her daugh-
ter, Winston, and took great pride in
watching her grow and mature. Only
two weeks before her death, Ms. L’Esper-
ance had accompanied Winston to
Deerfield Academy, where she began
her freshman year.
Ms. L’Esperance is survived by her
daughter, Winston Aylesworth Rossetter;
her parents, Francis and Ellen L’Esper-
ance; her brother, Francis A. L’Esper-
ance III; and her sister, Linda L’Esperance
Lartigau.
also a member of the Propylean Literary
Society and the Library Association. One
particularly formative experience for Mr.
Evarts during his years at SPS was a day
spent with Conroy Fellow Robert Frost, an
event that left an indelible mark on his
life as a writer of both poetry and prose.
In addition to his literary prowess, Mr.
Evarts was a superb athlete. He excelled
in both club and SPS football, serving as
captain of both teams during his Fifth
Form year; played SPS basketball, serv-
ing as captain during his Sixth Form year;
and for three years was a member of the
Isthmian track team, the club baseball
team, and the SPS baseball team. With
his seemingly limitless athletic abilities,
he was awarded the Gordon Medal, rec-
ognizing him as the School’s best athlete
in 1960. Mr. Evarts also served as vice
president of the Athletic Association and
of Isthmian.
Mr. Evarts went on to Columbia Uni-
versity, where he received his B.A., M.A.,
and M. Phil. magna cum laude, in English
literature, completing his studies in 1971.
He continued to pursue his love of liter-
ature as a professor of English at Cleve-
land State University before returning
to the Dalton School in New York, where
he found his passion for high school edu-
cation while serving as English Department
chair. While at Dalton, Mr. Evarts met
Jo Curtis Eastman, and the two married
in 1979.
Mr. Evarts served in various adminis-
trative and teaching roles throughout
his successful career in secondary school
education, including as director of educa-
tional enrichment and English teacher at
Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Conn.;
head of the upper school at New Lincoln
School in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y.; assist-
ant headmaster at the Pingry School in
Short Hills and Martinsville, N.J.; English
teacher at Kimball Union Academy in
Meriden, N.H.; and finally as head of the
upper school at the Runnemede School
in Cornish, N.H., which he founded with
his wife, Jo.