Page 31 - Alumni Horae: Vol. 93, No. 4 Summer 2013

old people would notice or care about
such things; therefore, we were officially
old. John Gates decided to stir things up.
He went into the back room and ordered
a round of tequila shots, only to return
and find the bar empty; everyone had
left for the Hospitality Suite at the Hamp-
ton Inn.
Hats off to Maja Paumgarten, our rockin’
form director, who was chief architect of
the 30th reunion experience. She and
Diane Dwyer made sure the Hospitality
Suite was stocked and looking good. Diane,
in particular, took note of the sorry envi-
ronment at the Hampton Inn and decided
to clip some lamps and several long strands
of pearls from her grandmother’s house
to liven up the place.
On Saturday morning, many gathered
in the Chapel for the Alumni Service of
Remembrance. This year, we particularly
remembered our friend Henry Whittlesey,
who died in December 2012. Tim Busler
writes, “At the Saturday service, Rector
Mike Hirschfeld ’85 encouraged us to
sit in our Third Form Chapel seats, and
I did, but, this time, rather than looking
over at Henry, I sat between my wife
and daughter, prayed for Henry, and
gave thanks for the School that brought
us all together.”
Afterwards, we gathered for the Parade
through campus. Lunch in the hockey rink
followed. We took our form picture, which
was not unlike wrangling cats. Who’s tall?
Who’s short? Where do we stand? What do
we do with these numbers? Much laughter.
Many flashbacks to the old days fol-
lowed. Some went to check out the hidden
statue in the woods near the Chapel. It is
inscribed with the words “Remember now
thy Creator in the days of thy youth.” We
were all moved by the sheer beauty of the
campus – the abundant green, the water,
the incredible architecture – the sound of
the Chapel bells, and the smell of Hargate,
which is utterly unchanged from when
we were there. Many of us brought child-
ren, and we had a chance to show them
our favorite places.
Some folks hoofed it down to the boat
docks. Others went to the alumni lacrosse
game, where the old guys emerged victor-
ious, 8-7.
Dinner at the Kimball House on Sat-
urday night was a blast. We cranked up
the tunes and danced to Michael Jackson
– who else? Tom Lena and his girlfriend,
Shakti Rowan, played beautiful guitar and
drums during dinner. Lots of people said
how much they appreciated connecting
with people they hadn’t known that well
at SPS; it made them realize how much
we all shared, even if we didn’t realize it
at the time.
Back at the Hospitality Suite, the
incredible 1984 music scene continued,
with Tom Lena, Thorne Sparkman, and
Andrew Hultkrans on guitar and Chat
Reynders on vocals. This is one of the best
things about our class: the astounding
musical and creative talent (and it’s not
even people’s day jobs). Chris Chappell,
you were missed. Start planning for the
35th now.
That night, we all ended up sitting
against the wall in straight-backed chairs,
a cooler serving as our coffee table. The
JANA F. BROWN
Tommy Thomas and Eric Sorenson
whole scene pretty much resembled a
bus station waiting room. But it was a
stellar time. Tim Busler shared a photo
album from SPS days (in one of the pics,
Nina Houghton is sporting a Bay City
Rollers hairdo while throwing down some
sick dance moves). Some guys from the
forms of 2011 and 2012 wandered in and
wanted to crash our bus station party.
Evidently it was that happenin’.
Sunday was graduation day, and three
of our formmates – John Gates (Jackson),
Ellie Waud Dorr (Lowell), and Kipp Syl-
vester (Grey) – had kids graduating. It
was an exciting and proud day all around.
In the end, what made the weekend
truly special was what made our entire
SPS experience special: the connections
between us all. One person told me: “I
think we’ve all become really kind, cool,
interesting individuals who radiate warmth
and a positive, loving vibration.”
JANA F. BROWN
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