Winter 2021 : simplebooklet.com

EDITOR Van JensenCONTRIBUTORS Marla Goncalves Amy MorrisDESIGN Heather WinkelPUBLISHER Nija Majmudar MeyerMs. Madelyn R. AdamsMr. Gerald R. BenjaminMr. Kenneth L. BlankMr. Ronald M. BrillMr. Mason L. Cardwell '98Mr. Alfred J. Cole '80Mr. Michael S. DruckerDr. Russell K. Gore '93Mr. William H. Gray IVMr. Ryan T. GunnigleMr. Rodney Scott HarrisonMrs. Jo Cranford Hodges '96Dr. Nancy Howard Jennings '84Mr. Ben F. Johnson III '61Mr. Ian Lloyd-JonesMs. Tamara R. Jones '88Mr. Thomas L. Jones '69Mr. Gregory S. Lewis '92Mr. C. Brad Marsh '77Ms. Mary S. Moore '87Mrs. Belinda M.J. MorrisMrs. Marie L. Nygren '78Mrs. Vicki R. PalmerMrs. Beth H. Paradies Dr. Deepak RaghavanMr. Stephen E. Roberts '65Mr. Paul Shailendra '97Mr. Ricardo L. SimonMr. James E. Sutherland Jr. '86GOVERNING BOARDWoodward Academy is Atlanta at its very best. We intentionally bring together students from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, creating a richer learning community and exceptional academic opportunities. Our students and graduates are caring and compassionate global citizens who are a microcosm of what the world should be. Excellence. Character. Opportunity.Woodward magazine is published twice a year by the Academy’s Marketing & Communications Oce. Contact us at magazine@woodward.edu.Mr. William W. AllisonDr. Thomas J. Busey Jr. '49Mr. Clarence Davis '74Mr. A. Adair Dickerson Jr. '71Ms. Vicki EscarraDr. Daniel S. Ferguson '68Mr. W. Philip Gramm '61Dr. Phillip A. Griths '56Mr. Waldo S. Kennedy '57Dr. Thomas L. Lyons '66Mr. Gene W. Milner Jr. '71Mr. George S. Morgan Sr. '69Mr. Larry D. ThompsonMr. J. Russell WelchOUR MISSIONCHAIRMr. Robert E. Bowers '74ADMINISTRATIONPRESIDENTF. Stuart GulleySENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AND STUDENT LIFEMarcia Prewitt SpillerVICE PRESIDENT FOR OPERATIONS AND AUXILIARY SERVICESLee ConnerVICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENTChris FreerVICE PRESIDENT FOR FINANCE AND CFOLouise MannVICE PRESIDENT FOR ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENTNija MeyerASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR HUMAN RESOURCESChristy BrowneMEMBERSVICE CHAIRDr. Xavier A. Duralde '76ADVISORY BOARD

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3In late 2019 and into January 2020, reports came out of China about the sudden spread of a new coronavirus, what would come to be known as COVID-19, a disease that spread aggressively. Even on March 13, when the virus had arrived in the United States and we made the decision to temporarily send our students, faculty, and sta home out of precaution, we thought that this might last for a week, or a month at most.We didn’t know that the spring semester would remain virtual, that our seniors would be robbed of their celebrations of achievement, that hundreds of thousands would die in the United States and millions around the world. But, then, I don’t think anyone saw 2020 coming.As I write this, it is early January, and the weather has turned cold. It is impossible now, in looking back, to even remember all of the calamities in a year that included hurricanes, wildﬁres, a contentious election, and a reckoning with racial justice.That last point is something we are working through at Woodward, and I encourage you to learn more about the ongoing work of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion eorts later in this issue (Page 5).This has been a taxing and challenging year. For Woodward, it has felt like swimming through the most tumultuous, unknown waters we ever have had to swim. If someone had told me in the spring what we would have to do, both to survive the pandemic's early months and to reopen in time for the fall semester, I would have told you it was impossible. But I would Unknown Watershave short-changed our faculty in that assessment.They went above and beyond, ﬁrst in moving—over the span of just days—to entirely online education, and then in reopening with a hybrid model, teaching both in-person and virtual students at the same time. This remarkable work is highlighted in this issue’s feature story, and I would simply ask that whenever you have the chance, please applaud our teachers. They deserve it.Another surprising and humbling aspect of 2020 was the generous ﬁnancial support we’ve received from our community. We have had families experiencing ﬁnancial diculties who needed increased ﬁnancial aid. Additionally, we faced the sudden need to spend an extra $2 million on personal protective gear and other safety equipment that allowed us to reopen, as well as purchasing technology to enable synchronous virtual education. This could have been a devastating ﬁnancial crunch, but your generous support of The Woodward Fund enabled us to surmount both of those hurdles.That said, these needs will be ongoing, and so I encourage you, if you are able, to consider making a gift to Woodward. Donor support is essential for ﬁnancial aid and for supporting our eorts to combat racism and to make this the diverse, inclusive place we know it can be.It is a strange thing to say, perhaps, but for as hard as 2020 was, I ﬁnd myself beginning this new year feeling hopeful. That hope springs mostly from having had the opportunity to watch as this community faced the impossible and fought its way through. This issue of Woodward magazine is a reﬂection of that. A remembrance of a year that many of us would love to forget, but also a record of resilience and generosity and a great deal of love.—F. Stuart Gulley, PresidentFROM THE PRESIDENT

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4WOODWARD WINTER 2021CONVERSATIONFollow Woodward news across social media channels.@WoodwardAcademy #woodwardwayIn December, we recognized a big accomplishment by Dining Services (aka @woodwardeats) and you all showed some love.SOCIALWhile the Woodward magazine comes out twice a year, the conversation among the Woodward community goes on year-round. Here’s a little of that conversation, both in letters sent to us and on posts from social media.On January 8, Woodward’s leaders traveled across metro Atlanta to deliver yard signs and goodie bags to seniors before the start of their ﬁnal semester, and the excitement lit up Instagram and Twitter.#WoodwardGrateful when the school bus and the President show up at your house during remote school to honor your senior!–@USMathTeacher Enjoying #SeniorSurprise as our Seniors @WoodwardAcademy start their Spring Semester Senior Year and LOVED seeing their amazing parents and even a @WAalumni!!! So #WoodwardGrateful for the #Classof2021 and HUGE shoutout to @WAbus for the RIDE today! #WoodwardWay–@wadeanoffunWoodward Middle School teacher Paula Crawford shared some of the creative work of her students. So very impressed with the motivational “t-shirts” my students created! Wisdom AND fashion #WoodwardWay–@PaulaCrawford1 Show your appreciation for the Woodward Dining Services staff, as all ﬁve Woodward kitchens just scored a perfect 100 on their health inspections!–@WoodwardAcademyYou all are amazing! You’ve nimbly handled service changes in order to feed our kiddos safely and it’s STILL all delicious!!–@science4ﬁfth What a nice surprise for my #senior this morning!!! No one was expecting this when the doorbell rang.....thank you @woodwardacademyfor making my senior @hudeene feel special!!–@kemisellsatlanta

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5 Let me compliment you on your willingness to engage in this eort. It is important that we all reach out to each other as we work to end systemic racism in America. … Now is the ﬁrst time that I believe there is a chance to make a dierence in the direction of the nation. It is driven not by old people like me, or middle aged, but by the young. The demographics that are changing our nation are making the reduction of bigotry inevitable. Elimination of bigotry will be a harder lift, but it too can be inevitable if leaders reach out to those who have not yet fought—and to those of us who have for a long time. JOHN LONGINO ’69 On Monday, we were leaving for our daily walk when Rusty and William received their copies of the Black at Woodward publication. The three of us were glued to the spot, all reading it cover to cover with Rusty reading over my shoulder. It was a moving experience to read the articles expressing the experiences of students of color at Woodward over the years. While we consider ourselves to be "woke," we appreciated the opportunity to reﬂect and to self-assess. We all must continue to challenge ourselves and read all that we can to understand our role in this situation. It takes such a strong leader and organization to be willing to self-evaluate and to be openly self-critical in the name of change and growth. We applaud your eorts and admire your humility. JANE BOWDEN GORE(wife of Russell “Rusty” Gore ’93 and mother of William Gore ’20)LETTERSOver the summer, amid the killings of George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others, the Black Lives Matter movement grew into worldwide protests. In Atlanta, we also saw the creation of anonymous Instagram accounts for the city’s private schools detailing racist incidents. The Black at Woodward account posted hundreds of incidents, and subsequently the Academy created a submission form so that our community could submit incidents. All told, there were some 600 accounts shared.In the wake of this, the ongoing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work that has been led by Marcia Prewitt Spiller, the senior vice president for academic and student life, was ampliﬁed by the creation of an Anti-Racism Task Force. The work is ongoing, but much has been done already. Accomplishments include:• The establishment of hate speech and anti-discrimination policies with clear repercussions;• The hiring of a DEI consultant;• The conducting of a community-wide climate survey.Updates on the work of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee as well as that of the Anti-Racism Task Force will be updated regularly and shared on the Woodward website.Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion UpdateBLACK AT WOODWARDTo capture the energy and emotion of the Black Lives Matter movement within our community, the Marketing & Communications team created a special publication with pieces written by Black students, parents, faculty, and alumni. This publication both reﬂects on the damage that racism has caused and looks for paths to a better future. We received numerous responses to this publication from alumni, parents, and students, some supportive and others critical. To learn more and to engage with this work, visit woodward.edu/dei.If you missed Black at Woodward and want a copy, or to send us a letter, contact us at magazine@woodward.edu. Not only am I a Woodward parent, but my husband is an alumnus of the Academy. We chose Woodward because of the diverse community it oers. Apparently, that does not include diversity of thought. You only aim to teach one side. I have one child that has been called a racist for their support of conservative views. I have another who is bullied for being white. The job of the faculty and the administration is not to impose their personal beliefs on students but rather to help them have their own voice free of bias.ANONYMOUS

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8WOODWARD WINTER 2021With students split between in-person and virtual learning this year, teachers looked for novel ways to structure classes and incorporate experiential learning and year-end projects rather than tests and essays.For eighth grade students in the Middle School, this meant an especially fun conclusion to the term in their physics classes.All semester, students have been studying and then building dragster race cars powered by carbon dioxide canisters. They delved into velocity, aerodynamics, and friction. They carved out their vehicles from wood, axed wheels, and painted them elaborately.And, in December, there was only one thing left to do: race. Over two days, the Middle School cafeteria was converted into a drag racing speedway. Lunch tables lined each side of the two-lane track, with students sitting and cheering.Teachers launched the cars from a metal platform, cracking open the CO2 containers, which then rocketed the cars across the wooden ﬂoor. In-person students brought their own cars, while virtual students sent theirs in. A large bracket taped to the wall was updated after each race, with winners advancing.On the ﬁnal day of racing, the ﬁrst race of the day started rough. The cars were axed to strings, to guide them straight down the course. But a string came loose, and a car tumbled sideways, spinning out of control.After that, the races went smoothly. All told, they did some 400 races over the two days.In one of the day’s closest races, a red, white, and blue car fell behind early but had a sudden burst at the end to win. The car’s owner ﬁlmed the results with his iPad. He celebrated just a moment, then took his car to the side for measurements. He would have to document the results as part of his ﬁnal report. This was a science project, after all. A Need for SpeedIn-person and virtual students built and decorated CO2 race cars over the fall semester for physics class, leading up to an epic race tournament.Watch videos of the race at https://bit.ly/3ohLdQc.Middle Schoolers study science, with a healthy dose of fun

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9Service is central to Woodward’s identity, and students take part in a variety of projects. But those endeavors largely are face to face, which became an impossibility when the pandemic struck.Instead, students on the Service Learning Board got creative to continue to impact the community, said Jennifer Green, an Upper School English teacher who coordinates service eorts.The annual Woodward food drive couldn’t gather food this year, so instead students raised $38,798 for the Atlanta Community Food Bank.Students who serve as mentors at Main Street Academy weren’t able to meet with mentees. Instead, they pre-recorded enrichment and educational videos to share with the Main Street children.When Woodward students couldn’t continue visiting a College Park senior center, they took to writing letters.The annual Habitat for Humanity build was canceled, and so students completed a drive to support the Atlanta Mission and also packed and delivered more than 200 hygiene kits.One of the big ongoing service projects is WA Grows, which includes an on-campus farm operation overseen by Marianne Lecesne, an Upper School Learn more and ﬁnd a way to get involved at woodward.edu/service.math teacher and Service sponsor. Produce is raised on campus and delivered to Family Life Ministries, which then distributes the food to families in need.“Fortunately, most of our work has been done in the gardens outside, so physical distancing was not an issue,” Lecesne said. In the spring 2020 semester alone, the program produced and distributed some 250 pounds of vegetables.Lecesne said it gives the students an insight into just how much work goes into growing the produce that ﬁlls grocery store shelves and ends up on dinner plates, and for the workers in the agriculture industry who make that happen. Students even went around campus to pick up pecans that had fallen from the many trees around the Academy.“I’m so grateful for all the students who come out to help,” Lecesne said. “We have never had a time where students did not step up and help, even on our weekend workdays.” Finding New Ways to ServeWA Grows delivered hundreds of pounds of veies to local families.Introduction to Storytelling1627 Fall, 1628 Spring HPIn this Intermediate Film Class students will learn the basics of screenwriting through reading scripts and watching ﬁlms. Students will then translate their written scripts to the screen. Production and post-production elements also will be taught, as students immerse themselves in crafting visual stories.Syllabus SpotlightWoodward offers a curriculum brimming with challenging, innovative classes. Here’s one that caught our eye.ISTOCK.COM/NARVIKK

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15 5 YEARS AGO2015Ben F. Johnson III ’61, retired as chairman of the Woodward Governing Board after 33 years. 10 YEARS AGO2010An inauguration was held for President Stuart Gulley on April 15, though he had begun work the previous fall. 25 YEARS AGO1995The 15,000-square foot Carlos Library opened on Woodward’s campus. 50 YEARS AGO1970Woodward added a shiny, new piece of technology: an NCR Century 100 computer, which was used to tabulate report cards, among other programming. 75 YEARS AGO1945As ﬁghting in World War II shifted fully to the Paciﬁc Theater, Georgia Military Academy experienced low enrollment. 100 YEARS AGO1920Colonel John C. Woodward began sending cadets to Hendersonville, N.C., for summer camp at Camp Highland Lake. 120 YEARS AGO 1900Col. Woodward and his wife, Lucile, moved to College Park to open Georgia Military Academy to its ﬁrst students.THROUGH THE YEARS

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WOODWARD WINTER 202118Getting Back Onto the FieldAt what point did you know Woodward would be able to participate in fall and winter sports? What was involved in the decision-making process? We knew there was an opportunity to have a fall sports season when the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) announced the return to conditioning guidelines in early June. These guidelines introduced the protocols every school would need to use in order to allow students to return to campus and begin conditioning. There were conversations within GHSA, with the input of the Sports Medicine Advisory Council—created by GHSA for this purpose—along with guidance from the CDC and the Georgia Department of Health. Individual schools did not have a voice in the decision-making process to allow sports to return, but it is safe to say most schools were in favor of having athletics and letting student-athletes return to campus.When Woodward closed its campus in the spring, classes soon resumed virtually, but for athletes, the remainder of the spring season was lost. Athletic Director Jose Fernandez and his team worked quickly and diligently to ensure that—with a few changes—sports would resume in the fall. Here, we talk with him about the work that it took, and the importance of making sure Woodward’s students can take to the ﬁeld.

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19Why is it so important for athletics to continue?Personally, it was important to me because it provided an opportunity to return to some sense of normalcy for our students and coaches. After experiencing the dramatic and sudden end to the previous spring sports season, and seeing ﬁrsthand how it aected our students, especially our seniors, I felt it was very important to have athletics this year. The threat of COVID-19 is real, and we must take every precaution to ﬁght against this pandemic. However, the mental health of our students also is a serious concern, and I wanted our student-athletes to have the opportunity to participate in the sports they love.What have been the biggest challenges, both in preparing for the seasons and as games have begun?Probably the biggest challenge has been trying to keep pace with the new normal and anticipating what new safety and sanitization protocols might be introduced for each sport. The eorts of our facilities, housekeeping, transportation, dining services, faculty, coaches, athletic trainers, and administration have been nothing short of heroic. It takes a village to make athletics work under normal circumstances, and we all know these aren’t normal times. If you asked me in June whether we would have been able to make it this far into the school year and athletic calendar, I would have been very skeptical—but here we are. This has been made possible by the eorts of everyone to do the right thing. We are fortunate to have wonderful support; we would not be here without everyone buying in to what needs to be done to make athletics a reality under the present circumstances. How strange is it, seeing games with much smaller crowds, as capacity has been strictly limited to allow for physical distancing?To be honest, we really have not paid much attention to the size of the crowds because there is so much to do to pull o a home event during this time. We are very fortunate that we do not depend on the size of our crowds to make our athletic budgets, so we have not felt the sting of smaller crowds like many of our counterparts. Our focus has been so heavily directed at providing our students an opportunity to compete safely that we have not given much thought to the size of the crowds with one exception—we do not want too many people to attend a game and risk spreading the virus to Woodward students, coaches, or our community.What have you heard from coaches and students about how things are going?Thus far, the responses have been very positive. The fact that we are still playing and competing is a sign we are doing things the right way. Our coaches know what we need to do to be safe and successful, and that is what we have done. The athletic administrative sta has worked tirelessly since June to make sure our athletic program is above all a safe environment for our athletes. We take great pride in what we do, because we all remember too vividly how quickly athletics can be taken away. Are there any changes that have been made that you think might become permanent? I sincerely hope the one thing that remains after the virus ends is the increased amount of empathy and compassion that has been demonstrated during this time. Despite the lingering uncertainties and fears we have faced during the pandemic, it is very refreshing to see how we have come together as a community to make sure our students have an opportunity to compete. As a society, we need more of that, and I hope it continues! What have been your favorite moments so far this year?Our senior night celebrations. Senior nights can be bittersweet moments, but this year it was awesome to see the students celebrate, unlike last spring when we did not get that opportunity.

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WOODWARD WINTER 202122Meet the 2020 Class of the Athletic Hall of FameEach year, the Academy inducts a new class into the GMA/Woodward Athletic Hall of Fame. While the ceremony and in-person celebration can’t happen for now, we still lift up and honor these members of the class and reﬂect on their many contributions, both on the ﬁeld of play and beyond. SAM BAILIE ’53Sam lettered in swimming, gymnastics, and weightlifting at GMA. He earned 12 All-American honors and several National Championships at Iowa. After graduating, he accepted the head gymnastics coach position at the University of Arizona where he coached for ﬁve years, winning four WAC Titles. He returned to Iowa as head gymnastics coach and led them to two Big Ten titles in 1967 and 1968. Sam was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.Once, while a junior at Iowa, Sam broke his foot during a dual and then competed in the conference championships in a cast. He even won the side horse event!He also started the Gymnastics National Program and later helped plan the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. His children Sharon and Steve run a gymnastics training center in Salt Lake City, and his son Sam Jr. has contributed art to the Gymnastics Hall of Fame. COACH STEVE REEDSteve Reed came to Woodward as the boys soccer coach in 1989 and turned the club into a powerhouse, claiming three state championships in a six-year span from 1999-2005. The team was a state runner-up in 1996, and he also led the team to multiple regional championships.Coach Reed taught his athletes the ethos of playing the toughest regular season possible to “battle test” the team in preparation for the state playos. His all-time record is 161-96-26. He claimed state titles in 1999, 2004, and 2005, won the NSCAA Boy’s High School Academic Award ﬁve times, had teams ranked top 20 nationally three times, and was the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Coach of the Year multiple times.Some 50 of his players went on to play in college, and he helped create the annual soccer alumni game. Coach Reed also taught Upper School math for 36 years and coached wrestling and football. All four of his children went on to play college athletics.

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23 CHAD CARSON ’98Chad was a four-year letter winner in football and two-year letter winner in baseball. He was the football captain his senior year and earned the Brewster Award. Chad was the South Metro oensive player of the year his junior year and the All-Metro defensive player of the year as a senior. Chad was the co-captain of Woodward’s 1997 region champion football team that won 11 games and earned a spot in the second round of the playos. In 1996, he was a leading scorer—with 18 touchdowns—of the region championship team that won 12 games and earned a spot in the quarterﬁnals of the playos. At Clemson he went on to become an All-ACC linebacker and was a three-year starter and two-time defensive captain as a middle linebacker. He ended his career with 448 tackles, fourth most in school history. He recorded the third most tackles in the country in 2000, was named second team All-ACC in 2001 and honorable mention All-ACC in 1999 and 2000, was a three-time Academic All-American, and played in the East-West All-Star Game. Chad lives in Clemson, S.C., with his wife and two daughters where he is a real estate entrepreneur, podcaster, and published author. FORMER ATHLETIC DIRECTOR PETTY EZELL (POSTHUMOUS)Coach Ezell lettered in football, baseball, and basketball at Lauderdale County High School in Rogersville, Ala., where he won a state title and was All-State. At Austin Peay, he was a three-sport scholarship athlete while studying marine life. In 1964, he became a biology teacher and coach at GMA where he coached football, baseball, and basketball and went on to serve as athletic director for 26 years, retiring in 2000. His teams won state championships or were runners-up 31 times. Coach was awarded the National Federation of State High School Associations’ (NFSH) highest award, the NFHS citation for Outstanding Contributions in Interscholastic Athletics in 2000. Nationally, Coach served on the NIAAA credentials committee where he received the NIAAA State Award of Merit in 1991 and was selected as the GADA Athletic Director of the Year in 1990. Coach was a member of the executive committee of the Georgia High School Association for six years. Additionally, he co-founded the Atlanta Superstar Basketball camps, which ran summer basketball camps for kids for 10 years in the Atlanta area. For a decade, he was the leader of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter at Woodward, one of the largest chapters in the country. He worked tirelessly to support all of his students in reaching their goals. A number of his former biology students are now some of the country’s ﬁnest physicians and surgeons and many former athletes enjoyed successful professional sports careers. Coach believed that “attitude is everything.” 1959 GYMNASTICS TEAMThe 1959 GMA gymnastics team won a state championship in the Mid-South Secondary School Accreditation Association, competing against other private and military schools in the Southeast.Team MembersCharles Almand ’60 Oscar Arismendi ’59 Tom Bradbury ’63 R.M. Castleberry Mike Gillis ’62 F.S. Greene Harry Haisﬁeld ’59M.L. Henderson Corky Kell Jr. ’61William Kramer ’59Denny Sanderson ’62 Bob Smith Jr. ’61 Dick Terry ’58 Leroy Werts ’59Dick Wiley ’59

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24WOODWARD WINTER 2021MAKING THEIR MARK page 26IN THE WORLDor years now, the Global Connections program has transformed Woodward into a school with an international footprint, both in welcoming international exchange students to campus and in arranging trips abroad for Woodward’s students. This year, however, caused the program its greatest challenges. When the global pandemic hit, international students either remained in Atlanta for longer than expect-ed or returned home. A group of Chinese students has spent the semester taking classes virtually, despite the signiﬁcant time dierence.It also meant that, until travel is once again safe, international trips are postponed.We looked back at the last trip to take place before the shutdown in the spring. Middle School Principal Dee Koscik and French teacher Patricia O’Sullivan led a group of students to Europe in late February. Here, some of Principal Koscik’s updates provide a travelogue of the last trip (for now). FEBRUARY 27“We have settled into Boston Logan for our layover and have already contributed nicely to the Boston economy with purchases of snacks, snacks, and more snacks. The children are busy playing UNO and talking to each other, validating our no cell phone policy—it's quite refreshing!” FEBRUARY 28“Wow, what a day. We are just getting back to our rooms after a day and a half full of just about everything but sleep. Our overnight ﬂight landed in Shannon [Ireland] around 6:30 this morning, and most of us did not sleep much on the plane due to a fairly bumpy ride. We received several compliments from other passengers about the behavior of our students.

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25 FEBRUARY 29“Another fun-ﬁlled day on the coast of Ireland! We drove to Dingle, which is a bit further south, and it was absolutely beautiful. We saw giant waves breaking on the beautiful, rocky coast, the island of Skellig Micheal, made famous in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Kilmalkedar Church, and a LOT of sheep.” MARCH 1“We traveled from the west coast of Ireland to the east coast. First stop: Blarney Castle. There are plenty of legends to the reasons behind kissing the Blarney stone, but they all point to good luck and the gift of eloquence to all who try. We had a few brave members of our crew today—you have to lean upside down to do so.” MARCH 4“We took a guided bus tour of Paris in the morning, and then visited the Hotel des Invalides. This was originally a hospital and residence for war veterans, but has since become a military museum and the resting place of Napoleon. After some shopping, we visited the Centre Pompidou, a modern art museum, and enjoyed a crepe dinner.” MARCH 5“We are ﬁnishing our ﬁnal night in Paris. The kids all had a great time, but I think we’re all looking forward to coming home (OK, I might be speaking for the chaperones here—we’re exhausted!).” MARCH 6“We are at the airport and ready to board. See you tonight at 7:30 at the INTERNATIONAL terminal of the airport. Please remember to check out with your child’s chaperone before heading home. See you soon!” MARCH 9Three days later, Koscik would send an email about COVID’s spread in the United States. And by the end of the week, the school would shift to virtual learning for the spring semester.ANANDA SPADT“We met our guides Angelique and John, grabbed breakfast at the airport, and headed out on a tour of Killarney. The forecast called for cold, windy rain, but we lucked out—it didn't rain at all, and we actually saw the sun a few times! Our ﬁrst group picture was at the famous Bunratty Castle. This is prior to the long bus trip to Killarney where every single person fell fast asleep.”

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26WOODWARD WINTER 2021It was Easter Sunday, and Jeremy Lewis woke up with an idea.Lewis ’96 is the CEO of Urban Recipe, a 29-year-old nonproﬁt food cooperative. It brings low-income families in as members to create lasting food security. This eort typically meant families, sta, and volunteers working side-by-side in Urban Recipe’s former location. Once COVID-19 struck, Urban Recipe faced a crunch. There was more need for food than ever. At the same time, the demands of physical distancing made it impossible to bring co-op members together safely. They shifted to food delivery. That was a struggle, though, packing tens of thousands of pounds of food each week using the location’s small driveway for a network of drivers—mostly volunteers and some help from Lyft and UPS. Then came the Easter idea.Lewis knew that Woodward Academy had shifted to remote learning, and so the campus’s cafeterias were mostly out of use. He emailed Chris Freer, vice president for advancement, and they talked by phone about Urban Recipe temporarily moving into the Middle School cafeteria.“I love Woodward and am so thankful for what they do and how they prepare students, the commitment to service,” Lewis said. “I told Chris, even if this didn’t work out, I was so grateful for Woodward’s consideration. We talked Monday, and signed an agreement on Friday. A week later, we were set up at the Academy and operating.”Through the spring and summer, Urban Recipe had 10 times as much space operating out of the cafeteria.Later, Urban Recipe moved into a new, larger permanent location on the west side, where it continues its mission of keeping families across the Atlanta metro area from going hungry. It’s a mission that Lewis absorbed as a child. His mom was the teacher sponsor of the Junior Civitan Club, and his dad was a pastor. They ran a food service and helped the homeless as a constant part of life.“From a really early age I remember being with folks and learning from homeless people who had been lawyers or bankers,” Lewis said. “There’s a thin line that separates us from each other, and we make that line smaller if we hear each other’s stories.” Alum Returns to Campus to Combat Food InsecurityUrban Recipe volunteers gathered to pack up food to distribute to families at the Middle School cafeteria.Distributing 40,000 pounds of food to families in need, week after weekMAKING THEIR MARK Woodward alumni working to improve the world

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27Woodward Alumni Fight on Pandemic FrontlinesDr. Richard Marks '04 faced a rush of COVID cases at his New York City hospital.Many Woodward graduates work in medical ﬁelds, as doctors and nurses and medics. And as the pandemic spread around the country, they were on the frontline of ﬁghting to save lives. One of those is Dr. Richard Marks ’04, an attending anesthesiologist at NYU Langone Health in Manhattan. He was on the ground, combatting COVID as infection rates went sky high in New York in the spring.“New York is such a dense and popular area that it was going to come sooner or later,” Marks said. “We were making sure we had proper equipment and were screening patients properly."Much of Marks’ work lies in tending to patients during operations, administering anesthesia, and overseeing intubations. As patients began ﬂooding hospitals with COVID symptoms, his work shifted from the operating room to ICUs, intubating patients and, when necessary, placing them in medically induced comas. “These patients are very, very sick,” he said. “We’re seeing some positive results. Some people are getting o the ventilator. Some are expiring, and it’s very dicult to tell exact numbers. No one is an expert in this disease."As for him personally, Marks said the experience was taking a toll. Patients had serious respiratory issues and complex secondary issues. Many of them, unfortunately, never make it out of the ICU. He was busier than he’d ever been, dealing with more uncertainty than ever before. Still, he remained undaunted.“The reason we became physicians is we want to help people,” Marks said. “We take pride in the hard work and time it took to get to this point. We take pride in using our craft to care for people. We’re hopeful we will see more progress.” CONVERSATIONWorking on the frontlines in the pandemic? Submit your story to us at magazine@woodward.edu.

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WOODWARD WINTER 202130You could be excused for wanting to forget that the past year ever happened. A year that included civic unrest, ﬂooding, ﬁres, economic insecurity, and hundreds of thousands of deaths resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Within all of that mass-scale sorrow was personal suering. Everyone struggled through 2020 in their own way.The past year was all the harder because we had to endure it without many of the ways in which we show we care about one another. No hugs. No handshakes. No high-ﬁves. No long, close conversations. Despite all of the hardship, there were hopeful moments. Extra eorts made to shine through the darkness, to connect with one another. To be Woodward strong. We wanted to look back on this year not to dwell on the hardships, but to reﬂect on all of it, bad and good. Because it will be remembered in the Academy’s history for ages to come. IN PURSUIT OF THAT “I THINK WE’LL TAKE THE BEST OF THIS EXPERIENCE AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO USE IT. AND WE’LL BE STRONGER. AND KNOW THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT WE CAN’T WEATHER.”MARCH 13Time became liminal somewhere over the past 12 months, a period of seemingly endless quarantine amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus that crippled the world was, at ﬁrst, a distant threat, like the far o rumble of thunder, and then fast as lightning it was here, and everything changed. Senior leadership had been watching the spread of the virus with concern, and on the week of March 9, the disease that had arisen in Wuhan, China, suddenly had spread the globe, with cases recorded in the United States.As it became clear the virus was already here, Woodward’s leaders decided quickly that—at least temporarily—the school needed to be closed. Soon, most of the rest of the country shuttered.“This is coming, and it’s coming really, really fast,” was how Marcia Prewitt Spiller, Woodward’s senior vice president for academic and student life, described the realization among school leaders.No one knew initially what the pandemic would look like, or how long it would take to get under control. A week? A month? All that Academy leaders knew was that, for the time being, school would have to go remote, which meant a massive undertaking (see page 34).This was a signiﬁcant strain on teachers, many of whom had never taught remotely before and had to transition online with only two days’ notice, all while dealing with the upheaval of the pandemic.“What would that look like? What were our expectations? What would teachers need? How do we assess students? Those were Primary School students posed with their masks during morning drop off.

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31 “I THINK WE’LL TAKE THE BEST OF THIS EXPERIENCE AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO USE IT. AND WE’LL BE STRONGER. AND KNOW THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT WE CAN’T WEATHER.”the questions we asked,” Spiller said. “As things progressed, and we realized we might end the year this way, there were a myriad of things to consider. Final grades, graduation. It really became almost a movement of its own to ﬁgure out how we were going to ﬁnish the year in the best way we possibly could. That was our thinking. We’ve got to ﬁgure this out.”It was a challenge for everyone, but the classes continued as scheduled, and there were bright spots, such as chorus groups harmonizing over Zoom.Spring sports and other in-person events were canceled. It was perhaps the hardest for the Class of 2020; seniors couldn’t celebrate the end of their time at Woodward with the normal rites of passage. Prom was canceled, and graduation ceremonies were delayed, eventually taking place in a limited, physically distanced form in the stadium in the summer.“Our hearts were breaking for our seniors, realizing they were going to end their year never coming back to celebrate,” Spiller said. “And even our juniors who were athletes, if you play spring sports, you were losing a whole year. How do you ﬁll in all of these gaps for all of these kids?“Is this going to be safe? That was the question. We didn’t want to become the petri dish.”For seniors, on April 28, the last day of their semester, each member of the Class of 2020 was surprised at home with a visit from a contingent of Woodward’s leaders, teachers, and sta, who brought gifts and a moment of celebration. Despite all of the chaos and challenge, they were graduating.REOPENINGAs the spring turned into summer and still the pandemic continued, the question shifted to whether or not Woodward could safely reopen in the fall. School leaders convened a group that included alumni and parents working at the CDC and other public health agencies, as well as Dr. Sally Goza ’76, the 2020 president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (and recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, see page 41).

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WOODWARD WINTER 202132“We know that children can get COVID, they can spread it, and some children can get very ill from it, but we also have recent research that has shown school transmission mirrors community transmission but does not drive it,” Dr. Goza said.This braintrust analyzed all recommendations and available information to decide whether Woodward could reopen its campus at all, and if so, how to do it. Once the decision was made in July that Woodward would resume in-person classes, the work began to create the protocols and guidelines to ensure a safe environment, as well as adding in new technology to allow synchronous learning for those students who would choose to remain remote.President Gulley wrote in an email to the community: “In making this decision, we are fortunate to beneﬁt from Woodward’s spacious campus, combined with our small class sizes, which allow us to physically distance our students six feet between desks in every classroom. We also are implementing numerous precautionary measures, from the mandatory use of face masks to a home health screening app, to keep our students safe in our classrooms, on playgrounds, and on our buses. Although we are returning to on-campus learning, school will be very dierent from the pre-pandemic normal.”These changes meant millions of dollars of extra expenses in personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies, ﬁltration upgrades, Owl 360-degree cameras for classrooms, and more. But the Woodward community rose to the challenge, as gifts to The Woodward Fund from parents and alumni helped to oset these costs.When school reopened in August, it was not the same experience. Everyone wore masks. Physical spacing was enforced. Some activities were discontinued, if there was no way to conduct them safely. Sports started again, but with nearly empty stands.“These [safety measures] are not easy, and we are all tired of doing them, but now is not the time to let our guard down. We must all do our part even though it is hard,” Dr. Goza said. “Woodward over the summer made a plan that really incorporated the CDC and AAP mitigation guidance, and I think it has been successful in keeping students in school.”At ﬁrst, students returned in split groups, half coming to campus while the other half remained virtual. Gradually, teachers and students

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33parents would call her with a problem, she used to always invite them to her oce, to meet face to face and work through the issue.“I’m a people person,” Spiller said. “But every meeting since March 12 has been with people in little square boxes on a screen. It’s not my normal, but I’ve gotten used to it.”WHAT COMES NEXTIn the winter, news came of the successful trials of vaccines for COVID. And while the virus' impact continued, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel.That was welcome news to students, families, and teachers alike. “I think teachers are physically and mentally and emotionally exhausted,” Spiller said. “This has been very, very dicult. They’re ready for this to be over. But they’re doing it. Teachers have been absolutely phenomenal in their determination and tenacity to keep things moving.“I have to say, our teachers have met the challenge. Every day they come to work and deliver an educational experience of which we can be very proud.”Woodward also will move forward with what it has learned in adapting to this crisis. The Academy has integrated technology into learning in a greater way, and discovered both a deeper resolve and ﬂexibility that will allow us to meet future challenges.There is the possibility that some classes will continue to be oered remotely even after the pandemic ends, particularly to international students.“I think we’ll take the best of this experience and continue to ﬁgure out how to use it and incorporate it,” Spiller said. “And we’ll be stronger. And we’ll know about ourselves as an institution that there is nothing that we can’t weather.”As the spring semester began, uncertainty still lingered over when the vaccine would become available, and when life could start to resemble what it was in the time before the pandemic, which had stretched on now for nearly a year.“I know we are all tired of this virus, but it is not done with us yet,” Dr. Goza said. “As I told my fellow pediatricians in my presidential address, it is OK not to be OK, but reach out to each other and stay connected to help each other as we continue through this pandemic.”Despite the remaining uncertainty, the Woodward community remains strong, bound in the knowledge that we’re in this together, and we will come out on the other side.“To deal with something that has lasted for months and months and we still don’t know when it will end, if you allow it to, it will suck the energy out of your institution,” Spiller said. “But we haven’t done that. We’ve stayed strong, for our students and our faculty and sta. I think we can be very proud of that.” settled into this new normal, though it wasn’t easy for anyone.Teachers were instructing two sets of students at the same time—one in person, one at home participating online. Teachers saw their jobs become more challenging, as they had to work harder to build the relationships that are so critical to education.“I can speak for every single educator … there was no precedent for this,” Spiller said. “Every day is a bit of an experiment. You can’t assume that what worked yesterday will work today. Everyone is doing their absolute level best to make it work. I’m very proud of how we have managed.”Teachers kept reﬁning, trying dierent approaches, getting to know students that they had literally never seen in person. SAFETYThe fall semester saw some COVID cases—tracked and shared daily with the community—but the cases were limited, with no incidents of mass spread taking place on campus. All of the precautions—the masks, distancing, cleaning, and quarantining—worked. School didn’t have to close again. Much of the work of overseeing this fell to the campus safety and nursing teams, which trained over the summer for this task and then worked tirelessly at it.“We’ve managed very well,” Spiller said. “What we can’t monitor is what happens on weekends and after school. We’re trusting people to behave the way they should.”Still, she called it the most challenging thing she’d ever done, in part because of the biggest key to safety—physical distancing. When

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WOODWARD WINTER 202136On March 13, all at once, Woodward Academy was forced to become a virtual school. In the rush that followed, teachers, administrators, students, and parents alike all hurried to ﬁgure out the best path forward. Coordinating that eort in the Upper School—and, later, determining how to hold classes both in-person and virtually once school resumed in the fall—fell largely to Alex Bragg, a teaching and learning specialist and instructional technology teacher. Here, we talk to Bragg about the work it took to move online, and the potential lasting impacts that could come from the sudden adaptation.Going back to last spring, before campus closing in March, was the possibility of this kind of situation on the radar? We are very fortunate at Woodward to have a variety of resources at our ﬁngertips (thanks to The Woodward Fund and other resources), including the technology we need to create innovative and meaningful learning experiences. Because of this, and our bring-your-own-device policy in the Upper School, we were able to make the transition to remote learning pretty smoothly. Prior to March 13, the only instances we had of remote learning would be if we had inclement weather days that required us to enable our school interruption plans. All of the academic specialists for each school developed robust plans for this occasion in the event it were to arise and our students needed to begin at-home learning. I review our plans in the Upper School at the beginning of the year to ensure they are accurate, clear, and ready. This preparation allowed us to have a strong start in our planning for remote learning and what we would need to accomplish in terms of instruction and technological needs.What was the biggest challenge of that sudden shift in the spring?Things were changing almost hourly in those early days, and it resulted in us having to make decisions quickly and eciently with little time to fully prepare. Also, when the possibility of us needing to move to 100 percent remote learning became more of a reality, we were already physically distancing. Because of this, I was not able to hold faculty meetings for professional development and training in-person with everyone. This was a huge challenge for me because we were up against the clock to get our teachers properly trained on Zoom and other tools that would be necessary for engaging students remotely, and I wasn’t able to see them all at once to do it. What were the biggest lessons learned from the spring?As educators, it’s no secret that there are days things don’t always go as planned in our lessons, and that sometimes we must be ﬂexible. This became an everyday reality for us in those early weeks. I found that shifting our mindset to expect the unexpected helped us to manage our stress as we navigated the changing landscape, while ensuring our students were still receiving the excellent academic experience they are accustomed to at Woodward. We also had to work even harder to identify ways to engage students and maintain our positive relationships in this type of setting so our students still felt connected and a part of our community. We also needed this on a professional level, and it became very clear how much we as adults need to feel connected in order to be successful. We sometimes underestimate the value of in-person, human connection, and this pandemic has allowed us to see things in a dierent way and ﬁnd creative outlets to maintain our relationships.What was the major work of the summer? One thing I focused on with both my remote and hybrid model research was assessment. We knew from the spring that assessment was one of our biggest challenges in a remote setting, and it allowed us to begin exploring alternative authentic assessments, including project-based learning. I have been working to support each department in their development of assessments, especially in rethinking the design of their ﬁnal exams. The technology specialists at each school have always been in constant communication to share best practices and support each other in this journey.The Owl cameras seem like a huge addition. How much of a dierence has that tech made in this fall semester?The Owl cameras have been a nice addition for our remote learners. The 360 degree view (as well as other views) of the classroom it provides has been great for allowing remote learners to feel as though they are in the classroom with their teacher and peers. Because it also picks up voices and moves with the voice speaking, it has allowed remote students to easily interact with their peers in the classroom.

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37I’m sure you’ve seen teachers do some fun, innovative things with remote learning. Any that stand out?Oh my goodness, there are too many to name! Teachers are utilizing Zoom breakout rooms for collaborative discussions and deep dives. Several teachers are using Classkick, which allows students to interact with a document or PDF, and teachers can give feedback in real time. I’ve seen some awesome projects and assessments being created that ask students to utilize marketing tools such as Canva to create brochures, infographics, and more. These projects typically would be in the form of a poster presentation, but teachers have been redesigning them so all learners can participate and utilize technology in innovative ways. I cannot express enough how grateful I am for our faculty and the incredible learning experiences they provide!How might this disruption aect education in the long term? Is remote learning going to be a part of life for the foreseeable future? Is this technology going to continue to inﬂuence how schools teach?I think if there is one thing we have learned through this, it’s that there is no replacement for a great teacher. Yes, we can use technology to facilitate learning from anywhere, but our students thrive o of connection and the relationships they build with their teachers and others in the classroom. Learning is so much more than academics, and our teachers nurture the whole child on a daily basis. I think we are already seeing a (much needed) renewed emphasis being placed on the value of teachers, and I hope this will continue to drive reform and conversations around teacher development and support. I also believe this global pandemic has continued to highlight the issues associated with standardized testing and inequity in schools. There is greater work to be done, but I hope to see a push for less standardized testing in the future and more of an emphasis on real-world learning and the resources needed to build equitable schools. Finally, the pandemic has provided opportunities for us to rethink our curricula, instructional design, and assessments. Having to teach remotely or in a hybrid model requires the use of technological tools to support collaboration, and it provides a stronger need for more authentic, 21st century lesson design. Teachers have had to rethink their instructional design to include technology and innovative ways to engage students like never before. This has opened up a world of possibilities for our teachers and curricula, and I only see this continuing to have a positive impact on our students. Primary School teacher Tucker Grifﬁn instructs both in-person and virtual students at the same time.

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WOODWARD WINTER 202140A Lesson in DefenestrationGMA MEMORIESOne of my fondest memories from Georgia Military Academy involved Latin teacher Maj. Abe Ferguson, known aectionately as “Fergie.” He was one of several ﬁne teachers I was fortunate to have at GMA from 1954 to 1959.One of Fergie’s eccentricities was that he sat beside his desk rocking in a straight-back cane chair with a textbook in his lap.The classroom walls held large, heavy poster boards showing bits of Roman life, beﬁtting the study of Latin. One day, I happened to sit next to one of these heavy posters and somehow knocked it to the ﬂoor, which it hit with a loud “thunk!” Fergie was startled, but he simply told me to tack it back up to the wall. But soon it fell again with another loud “clunk!” Fergie was annoyed, but he allowed me to attach it again to the wall. The lesson continued, but unfortunately the poster fell again with the same penetrating noise. This was too much for Fergie, who angrily told me, “Throw it out the window!” Being a bewildered and confused eighth grader new to GMA, I asked hesitantly, “Do you really want me to, sir?”Then, loudly and deﬁnitively, he said, “Throw the damn thing out the window!” In the meantime, the class was howling with laughter. So, I dutifully raised the window and dropped the poor poster to the ground, which entertained my classmates even more. Frustrated but still in charge, Fergie brought the class to order and the lesson continued.Maj. Ferguson never held this little incident against me, and I had Latin under him for two more years; his tutelage was a very rewarding and enjoyable experience. Of course, that was the last time I sat next to the wall in his class. —Bill Evans ’59Volunteer with the Alumni OﬃceOur alumni volunteers are the driving force behind getting alumni engaged and encouraging participation in The Woodward Alumni Fund. Reunion Volunteer—As a reunion volunteer you will play an important role in making Homecoming and Reunion Weekend fun and memorable for your class. We are looking to you to help encourage your classmates to return to Woodward, reconnect, and make Homecoming and Reunion Weekend a success. We are currently seeking volunteers for Classes ending in 1s and 6s, i.e. 2006 and 2001.Class Delegate—You will serve as the link between the Alumni Association and members of your graduating class by providing updates on alumni news and events and rallying your classmates during 1 Day for WA. Speak to Students—Join us virtually to speak to a student club or class assembly to share your college and career experiences.If you are interested in volunteering with the Alumni Ofﬁce, please contact alumni@woodward.edu or 404.765.4042.PETER HOEYHave a GMA memory to share? Email us at magazine@woodward.edu.

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41Dr. Sara “Sally” Goza has been in pediatrics since 1987. Dr. Goza earned her bachelor’s of science in biology at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., and her medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. She completed her internship and residency in pediatric medicine at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati. Dr. Goza has been a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics for more than 20 years. She began a one-year term as president of the American Academy of Pediatrics on Jan. 1, 2020. Dr. Goza is a managing partner in First Georgia Physicians Group, has hospital privileges at Piedmont Fayette Hospital, and sits on the Community Physicians Advisory Board for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She has contributed to the Board of Directors, Medicaid Task Force, and also served as the chapter president. Currently, she is on the legislative committee, the fall planning group, and the Board of the Pediatric Foundation of Georgia. During the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Goza has been a prominent ﬁgure as we navigate the ongoing health crisis. She has been interviewed by countless news outlets and was invited to speak at a White House Roundtable about how to safely reopen schools.Honoring the 2020 Alumni Award RecipientsEach year, the Woodward Academy Alumni Association looks across our many graduates making indelible marks upon the world and selects two who have had a particularly remarkable impact.The Alumni Service Award goes to a graduate who has dedicated themselves to positively impacting the people and communities around them.The Distinguished Alumni Award goes to a graduate who has left a signiﬁcant history of achievement, both professional and personal.ALUMNI AWARDSMatt played football and baseball and was a peer leader at Woodward. He received a bachelor’s of business in ﬁnance from the University of Georgia and has served as a member of the Terry College of Business Alumni Board. Matt became involved with the Woodward Academy Alumni Association as a Big Chill Host Committee member in 2011 and later co-chaired the event in 2014. He continues to serve on the Big Chill Committee and as a sponsor every year. He also served on his class Reunion Committee for his 15th and 20th reunions and joined the Alumni Association Board of Directors in 2015, eventually serving as vice president, president, and past president. Matt also has led volunteer giving eorts as chair of The Woodward Alumni Fund. Matt and his wife, Abby, live in Atlanta with their two children, Oliver and Libby. Matt works in commercial real estate as the founder and principal of Wilson Development Group.DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDDr. Sara Goza ’76 Matthew Wilson ’99ALUMNI SERVICE AWARD

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42WOODWARD WINTER 2021WA Awards Inaugural Raghavan Family ProfessorshipKimberly Canty wants students to feel conﬁdent, safe, and appreciated for who they are and to know that their very existence is a gift to this world. A ﬁrst grade teacher and literacy coordinator at the Primary School with a doctoral degree in education, Canty is the ﬁrst faculty member to be awarded the Deepak Raghavan Family Professorship. The professorship was established with an endowment created by Deepak Raghavan and Priya Deepak to support a faculty member who demonstrates innovation, creativity, collaboration, and inspiration with a salary supplement for ﬁve years. The family also has endowed a need-based ﬁnancial aid fund for students. The couple’s children, Anjan ’14 and Aditi ’17, attended Woodward, and Mr. Raghavan, who is co-founder and director of software company Manhattan Associates and an adjunct professor at Georgia State University, is a member of the Academy’s Governing Board. “We know ﬁrsthand, as alumni parents, what an outstanding education Woodward provides, and we want to be part of sustaining the school by supporting students and teachers,” Mr. Raghavan said. “We were happy to see [Canty] being rewarded for her dedication and accomplishments. We wish her and everyone at Woodward the very best during this school year. We’ve been so impressed by the resilience of students and the incredible eorts and creativity of teachers in these uncertain times.”Eric Mitchell, Primary School principal, nominated Canty for the award. “Kim is an expert in providing people what they need. This includes being able to identify the needs of students, faculty, and parents,” he said. “As a reading support teacher, she tailors her instruction to the needs of each of her students. She provides her fellow teachers with support in implementing best practices in literacy. Teachers are always seeking her counsel.”Parent Christy Manuel says Canty gave her daughter, Lola ’26, a strong GIVING BACK Your philanthropy at work across Woodward and beyond

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43academic foundation and love for learning. “Having Canty as my daughter’s teacher was like a breath of fresh air. She has a spirit of calm and joy all in one,” she said. “As a parent, you couldn’t ask for a more perfect teacher at such a tender age. She made learning fun and stress free. I absolutely love her.”We talked with Kimberly Canty about her work and what inspired her to go into teaching.Did you always want to teach? Yes, since the age of 5. The ﬁrst educator who inspired me was my Sunday school teacher, Ms. Daisy Smith. She also was a middle school teacher who let me assist with so many things involving teaching. She inspired me to follow my dreams and to this day continues to check in and oer guidance. What were you like when you were the age of your students? I was a hard worker who always wanted to help my teacher as well as help others. I liked extra work and enjoyed learning new things, even if it was a struggle.Take us through your career at Woodward.I have spent the last nine years here, serving in the capacity of ﬁrst and second grade teacher as well as literacy specialist. I’ve served on numerous committees such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Community Council, Leadership WA, Sunshine Committee, Curriculum Team, Innovation Team, and the Language Art committee. The richly diverse community, the love of learning our kids have, and the ability to truly teach students while letting kids be kids all drew me to Woodward. Describe your pedagogy/approach to teaching.My teaching approach embraces each child as they are. I believe every child has greatness within, and it is my job to ﬁnd the gift inside every child. What works for one student may not work for another. But by continually building personal relationships, my students are more willing to take learning risks, and the key to unlocking the doors of their learning potential is obtainable.Tell us about your career “pre-Woodward.”I began my teaching career in Clayton County, where I was named teacher of the year twice. Over eight years, I taught ﬁrst through ﬁfth grades, which gave me a wonderful overview of the dierences of each grade level. I also served as district curriculum writer in Clayton County, planning and managing district-wide meetings involving curriculum development and implementation, as well as district-wide elementary trainer. Tell us about your philosophies around communicating with parents and other teachers.Parents are doing their best for their children each and every day. I ﬁnd it imperative to understand that each child is a parent’s heart walking through our doors. As a parent as well as a teacher, I understand them, and the concerns that they have for their children. I equip teachers and parents alike with knowledge—not ultimatums. Guiding teachers and parents to a deeper understanding of literacy, education, and best practices is what I love to do. Who are your personal heroes?My personal heroes are my parents. From a young age, they instilled in me that greatness is inside of you. Another hero I admire is Stacey Abrams. She consistently follows her purpose, regardless of unfairness or defeat. She deﬁnes for me true leadership; leadership is a behavior, not a position! Throughout my educational experience, opportunities have come and gone; but I proceed to walk in my purpose to serve, inspire, and empower. Tell us about your family.My parents, Rayford and Catherine Patterson, are retired, and my two sisters, Vanessa and Kathryn, work in healthcare. My husband, Derrick, and I have two beautiful little boys, Leland, 4, and Carter, 3. They are fun-loving boys who remind me daily to be kind, loving, and conﬁdent and to enjoy every day to the fullest. My parents worked hard to provide for me and my sisters. We support and love each other no matter what. I’ve known my husband since the age of 5, and we’ve been married for 12 years. He is a rock for our family and always backs me up. My sisters are always in my corner to uplift, listen, and help with anything I may need. I know that I can always call on them. Our closest family friend, Ms. Carol Tolan, is like a second mother to me and has helped me along this journey called life. As a former educator herself, she has provided clarity, inspiration, and support during so many times. I’m from a big extended family and, to us, love and family mean everything.

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44WOODWARD WINTER 2021Dr. Regis (Reg) and Mary Ellen Haid share a belief that education is the great equalizer. The couple has endowed scholarship and fellowship funds at Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, Notre Dame University, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Now, Woodward Academy students will beneﬁt from their generosity thanks to the Reg and Mary Ellen Haid Endowment Fund for need-based student ﬁnancial aid, which they created to make Woodward more accessible to students whose families aren’t able to aord full tuition. Dr. Haid is a neurosurgeon and founding partner of the Atlanta Brain and Spinal Care Clinic; Mrs. Haid is a former middle school teacher who taught in a Title I school in Gwinnett County. They have six children, Meghan, Katie, Sam, Holly, Elenore, and Mary Elizabeth (Betsy), and six grandchildren. The twins, Elenore and Betsy, are freshmen at Woodward’s Upper School. The Haids learned the value of education and hard work early in life. “I was fortunate to go to a great high school,” Dr. Haid said. “My Mom went back to work to pay the tuition. It was a life-changing experience and impressed upon me the importance of an education including academics, athletics, social concerns, integrity, and faith.”While at Notre Dame, he had academic and athletic scholarships Faith in the Power of EducationDONOR PROFILEbut also took out loans and worked odd jobs to make ends meet. He attended medical school with a scholarship from the U.S. Air Force and later moved to Atlanta to work as a neurosurgeon at the Emory Clinic, becoming a professor at Emory Medical School. Twenty years ago, he started Atlanta Brain and Spine Care in the Piedmont Healthcare system. He continues to be involved in the education of neurosurgeons and to write books and give lectures around the world. Dr. Haid is president-elect of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and chair of the Neurosurgical Research and Education Foundation. The Haids have raised money to advance neuroscience, and he has served on the Piedmont Healthcare Philanthropic Board of Directors. They give generously of their time and resources to healthcare and other causes, but their philanthropic passion is education. They established a scholarship named for his parents at Christian Brothers, for the sons of single mothers. At Notre Dame, they created the Ben Haid Scholarship, in honor of his grandfather. Each year, it provides tuition assistance to students from the southeast pursuing science and engineering degrees. Dr. Haid served on the board of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the couple established a graduate fellowship there. They’ve also supported public education, giving to the Atlanta Classical Academy charter school, where Elenore and Elenore, Reg, Mary Ellen, and Betsy Haid.An endowed fund opens the doors of Woodward to those who need aid

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45Betsy went before transferring to Woodward in seventh grade. They chose to start an endowment at Woodward because of how happy they are with their daughters’ experiences at the Academy.Elenore and Betsy both play soccer and joined the dive team. They’re active in language clubs (Betsy is studying French, and Elenore, Spanish). In eighth grade, they traveled to Europe with French teacher Madame Patricia O’Sullivan. “We love the diversity, the size of the school, the clubs, the uniforms, and the structure at Woodward,” said Mrs. Haid. “The teachers are wonderful, and the culture of the Woodward Way is really strong. We’ve been so impressed with the leadership. It’s a special place.”The couple has found their values reﬂected in Woodward’s approach, Dr. Haid said. “We’ve been impressed by the commitment of the faculty and sta, the diversity of the students, and the principles of integrity, discipline, and accountability that are part of the Woodward culture. Our family hopes to provide access for more students to be part of this community. Education is the great equalizer, and Woodward has the ability to provide our future generations with the traits to make a dierence.” Woodward Academy endowment funds support student ﬁnancial aid, student and teacher enrichment, and awards and prizes, and can be established with a gift starting at $100,000.Endowment FundTHE WOODWARDGMAALUMNI ASSOCIATIONWe exist to serve and engage our alumni community by cultivating a mutually beneﬁcial relationship between the Academy and its alumni that reaches far beyond the student experience. Our Oce is located in the Ann and Ben Johnson ’61 Center on Main Campus. Caroline Guest Stancil ’03 is the director of alumni relations. Contact us at 404.765.4042 or alumni@woodward.edu. ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORSEXECUTIVE COMMITTEEPRESIDENT Alok Deshpande ’94PRESIDENT-ELECT Suzanna Sanchez ’00 SECRETARY Julie Davis Couch ’88TREASURER Danny Bernstein ’03PAST PRESIDENT Justin Alexander ’99DIRECTORSMatt Brill ’91Barrett Cornelius ’09Riah Greathouse ’03Virginia Serrato Johnston ’78Christy Morrison ’83Torrance Mosley ’94Ryn Pollard ’05Tiany Turner Reynolds ’98Jennifer Welch Rueter ’04Matt Wilson ’99YOUNG ALUMNI COUNCILErik Benjamin ’14Justin Berger ’17Leo Falkenstein ’09Tucker Grin ’12Kelly Guest ’13Nancy Hogan McFerrin ’11Dorrie Paradies ’10Christian Raver ’15Becky Clapes Sweet ’10Interested in making an endowed gift? Contact advancement@woodward.edu.

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WOODWARD WINTER 202146Parents showed they were ALL IN for Woodward by giving to The Woodward Fund. Nearly 50 percent of parents gave during the six-week campaign Oct. 1-Nov. 13. Many thanks to parents as well as employees, alumni, grandparents, and friends of the school who supported our students and teachers during this challenging time!#fALLINforWA 2020 a Resounding SuccessOn March 13, 2020, our world abruptly changed. In the months since then, the Woodward Academy community has risen to the challenges of conducting school during a worldwide pandemic.During this same time, the school also has been faced with heartbreaking stories of racism within our own community and begun the work of becoming an anti-racist culture, a place where everyone feels valued and supported equally. All of this work comes at a cost, not only in human capital but in strictly ﬁnancial terms: the costs of keeping in-person school safe with new health, safety, and sanitation protocols, adding remote learning technology, increasing need-based ﬁnancial aid for families, and directing dollars toward our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs. In response, the school expanded its giving categories for The Woodward Fund, so that supporters can more directly target personal areas of concern or passion: ¢ Arts ¢ Athletics ¢ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ¢ Faculty Support ¢ Financial Aid ¢ Health and Safety ¢ Student Experience ¢ Technology ¢ Transition Program ¢ Where Woodward Needs It Most“We realized that donors liked having the choice, and so we decided to further reﬁne our giving categories so donors can dedicate their dollars to the program or area they care most about, or opt to allow us to spend their gift where Woodward needs it most,” said Naylene Felt, director of annual giving. “The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Donors appreciate knowing that the school shares their values and dedicates resources to the issues they care about.” William H. Gray IV, a member of Woodward’s Governing Board, chose to give to DEI initiatives this year in addition to Transition. “For the past 12 years, we have been regular supporters of The Woodward Fund, giving to the world-class Transition Program, which has been a critical enabler of our son Aidan’s '25 success. We knew those funds were ensuring other students like Aidan were getting the opportunities they needed to achieve their potential,” Mr. Gray said. “As a member of the Anti-Racism Task Force, knowing the tremendous programs and investments Woodward is making to ensure all students know they are included, I knew I had to ‘double the bet’ and donate additional funds for DEI work. Like Transition support, these funds will help make sure the Academy is not limited in its inclusion eorts due to resources.” Support Your PassionNew Woodward Fund categories allow donors to target giftsFor more information about new giving categories or to make a gift, visit woodward.edu/giving or reach out to naylene.felt@woodward.edu or 404.765.4036.GIVING BACK

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471971Steve Brooks and his wife, Jeanne, retired as colonels from the U.S. Army in 2018 with a combined 82 years of service on active duty and as civilians. They moved to Asheville, N.C. Steve remains involved in vintage car rallies and following the Georgia Bulldogs.19 74Richard Wilkins and his wife, Tammie, run a Christian music ministry and perform at churches and other events. facebook.com/theFaithBelievers1977Lee Crowe lives in Southern California and teaches animation at California State University Northridge. She is very involved in ASIFA-Hollywood (the L.A. branch of Association Internationale du Film d’Animation) and has been a judge for the Annie Awards for the past two years. Her most recent animation work was on Bless the Harts for Fox TV’s Sunday night animation lineup. 1978Kim Landon Boyd and her daughter Kathryn Boyd Crabtree are a Top Producing Mother/Daughter Residential Real Estate Team with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty. They were awarded No. 1 in Team Volume 2019 for the Atlanta Realtors Association. ¢1962*Aaron Carnes has enjoyed the desert in Tucson for 11 years. He plays high-level bridge at tournaments for fun and adopted a German Shepherd puppy. He hopes to see his classmates in 2022. John Forrester moved to Opelika, Ala., in December 2019. He is building a home in National Village (Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail). He and his wife, Libby, have retired.1967*Fred Landers and his wife, Sharron, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on August 1. They began dating in the fall of Fred’s senior year at GMA while Sharron was a freshman at Agnes Scott College. As a boarding student, Fred was not allowed to leave campus and, in need of a Valentine’s card to keep the romance going, he asked his friend Terri Tingle ’67, who as a day student could leave campus, to walk up to Stone’s Pharmacy and obtain a card. Terri’s kindness was not forgotten and enabled Fred to stay in Sharron’s good graces.1970Tally Wisenbaker began his second term as Lowndes County Commissioner, District 3 in Valdosta, Ga. Tally spent several years in the wood preserving industry with Chemical Specialties as Northeast regional sales manager. He is co-founder and partner of Custom Relocation Specialists, LLC with his wife, Carol Crook Wisenbaker. They have a daughter, Wendy Garrett, and four grandsons. Their son, Tally III, died in January 2020.1983£ Sheryl Powell McCollum has been hired to be part of CBS46 news for CSI Atlanta. She is the only crime scene investigator in the country on a news segment as a regular member. Sheryl works with news reporter Karyn Greer to heat up some of Georgia’s most famous cold cases.WEDDINGS page 52 EAGLETS page 54 PASSAGES page 56CLASS NOTES*denotes alumni of Georgia Military AcademySHARE YOUR NEWSSubmit your big news at woodward.edu/alumni/connect or email alumni@woodward.edu.

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48WOODWARD WINTER 20211991 Heather Trell Schlesinger and Brian Tolleson are classmates who reunited to work together to respond to the coronavirus pandemic in the metro Atlanta region. Heather is the chief marketing ocer for the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Brian is the managing partner at Lexicon Strategies, a community impact ﬁrm he co-founded after selling his previous agency, BARK BARK. Together, they have been working hard to support vulnerable populations and those most impacted by the crisis: schoolchildren, the elderly, and the unemployed.1995Elizabeth Maxwell Simpson was named Elementary Teacher of the Year for College Station Independent School Districts in College Station, Texas.1997Reid Columbia was recognized as a member of the Top 40 Under 40 by the National Business Aviation Association in 2019. 1998Trey Kilpatrick was appointed as Governor Brian Kemp’s Chief of Sta in October. Trey previously served as vice president for government and community aairs for Georgia State University and as former U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson’s deputy chief of sta.PARENTS OF ALUMNIIf this issue of the magazine is addressed to your child who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please get in touch to update their mailing address by emailing alumni@ woodward.edu or calling 404.765.4038.1987Trish Francis deployed with the Newnan Salvation Army Service Center in September to feed and hydrate ﬁrst responders and victims of Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles, La. This is her third deployment. She previously assisted with Hurricane Florence in North Carolina and Hurricane Michael in south Georgia. Tracie Finley Potts was named to the National PTA Board of Directors after more than a decade as a local and state PTA leader. Tracie has served as an inaugural National PTA Family Engagement Fellow and was recently selected as the ﬁrst Featured Learning Hero for the educational parent group Learning Heroes. Tracie is a national news correspondent and Know Your Value champion for NBCU Comcast. 1990Valaurie Bridges Lee is investing in the development of Atlanta’s south side through a series of purchases of properties on Main Street in historic College Park with the plan to make it a destination for “unmatched service and unforgettable experiences.” The ﬁrst of three planned businesses is The Wellness Spot, a spa and ﬁtness studio. Another location houses Lee’s tech services ﬁrm, VB Consulting, and BVB Foundation, her nonproﬁt that oers scholarships, grants, and mentoring to minority women who aspire to be entrepreneurs.1999Chris Herron, CEO at Creature Comforts Brewing Co., was selected to Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2020 class of 40 Under 40. £ Kenzie Biggins was featured on the cover of Town Carolina magazine in September 2019. Kenzie is changing the business world with her virtual executive assistant company, Worxbee.Adam Mathes defended his dissertation, “Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the Modern Religion of Conscience,” over Zoom in 2020, thereby completing a Ph.D. in Religion-Historical Studies from Emory University’s Graduate Division of Religion. His focus is in Modern European Philosophical Theology. Adam and his wife, Sarah, have four children and live in Smyrna, Ga. 2000Marshall Guest is senior vice president, public policy and business climate at the Metro Atlanta Chamber. He was selected to the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2020 class of 40 Under 40. Lana Lopez-Meisen is in her second year of nursing school and started clinicals in January. Her anticipated graduation date is September 2022.

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49Gopi K. Panchapakesan was made partner at Bird Marella in Los Angeles. His practice focuses on the litigation and arbitration of complex business disputes. Gopi is a graduate of Northwestern University and Harvard Law School. 2006Brian Jack served as deputy assistant and director of political aairs for former President Donald Trump. His role involved domestic and international trips with the president, coordinating the president’s agenda, and researching state politics. He previously worked for the Republican National Committee and the American Israel Public Aairs Committee. While attending Pepperdine University, Brian interned for Lynn Westmoreland, a Georgia member of the House of Representatives.Alex Joseph was featured in the Atlanta Jewish Times for her work with Informed Georgians for Justice, aimed at educating Georgia voters about sheri and district attorney state elections. It has 20 volunteers that contact candidates for oce and ask them to respond to questions on their positions regarding criminal justice issues. Previously, Alex was an assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Georgia. 2008Kiran Bhat had his ﬁrst novel published, we of the forsaken world…, about imagined regions of the developing world, and dierent people’s stories intertwining through the powers of language. Kiran has traveled to 132 countries, lived in 18 places, and speaks 12 languages.2001Brent Pease and his brother Kyle Pease, co-founders of the Kyle Pease Foundation, were selected to Georgia Trend’s 2020 40 Under 40. Robby Bowers, DO, Ph.D., with Emory Sports Medicine, is the head team physician and ocial healthcare provider for Woodward Athletics. 2003Jerey Fisher, counsel at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, was selected to Georgia Trend’s 2020 40 Under 40. William Hennessy ran the Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain, the southernmost point, to North Carolina, a distance of 79 miles. During the 23 hours of the trek, Brad Forsling ’03 drove with William’s wife through back roads as they supported William at ﬁve intersections. ¤Mikaya Thurmond has been named as one of recipients of the University of Georgia’s 40 Under 40 award. The honor celebrates young alumni leading the pack in their industries and communities.2009Conor Bender released a World War II spy thriller, Jubilee. It follows the events surrounding the cataclysmic Dieppe Raid of 1942. Ashish Gandhi graduated from Emory University in 2019 with degrees from the School of Medicine and School of Public Health. He serves as an internal medicine resident at the University of Chicago.2011Ryan Campbell, University of Alabama graduate and restaurant owner, ran for mayor of Smyrna in 2019. Ryan is the co-owner of Chris’ Caribbean Bistro on South Cobb Drive, along with his father.2012Alex Akins received his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering in the spring of 2020 from the Georgia Institute of Technology. His dissertation was entitled “Millimeter-Wavelength Remote Sensing of the Atmospheric Structure and Composition of Venus.” He works as a scientist-engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.William Hennessy, in white shirt, rests after his 79-mile run.

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50WOODWARD WINTER 2021Dannah Gottlieb is a senior at NYU in the photography and imaging program with a minor in the business of entertainment. Dannah was called to photograph some well known Atlantans including Arthur Blank, Governor Kemp, and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms when they were invited to NYC to ring the bell at the stock exchange in honor of Atlanta hosting the Super Bowl. Dannah also made Time’s top 100 photos for 2019.Devyn Harrod was selected to receive prestigious awards from Phi Eta Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies to support her pursuit of a master’s of communication management degree at the University of Southern California. Devyn was named the Thomas Arkle Clark Scholar-Leader of the Year by Phi Eta Sigma. The award, which includes a $10,000 scholarship, is presented annually to a single member who best exempliﬁes the ideals of Phi Eta Sigma and is selected from among both graduate and undergraduate students. Devyn also was named Phi Kappa Phi Fellow and received one of 50 awards presented annually in the amount of $8,500 to members entering the ﬁrst year of graduate or professional study. Devyn graduated from Mercer in May with a bachelor’s of arts degree with majors in media studies and Spanish and a minor in communication. Callen Inman started his Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Texas at Austin in 2020. He graduated from Carleton College with a B.A. in biology in June of 2019.Simon Willis was accepted into the Ph.D. program at the University of Minnesota. He is pursuing a combination of chemical and material science engineering as a graduate research assistant. Simon graduated from Georgia Tech Summa Cum Laude in May.Will Leveille, a corporate pilot for the Air Transportation Department at Auburn University, has been named a 2020 Business Aviation Top 40 Under 40 by the National Business Aviation Association. The annual award recognizes young leaders who are shaping the future of the business aviation industry. 2013Samantha Grindell is the home and lifestyle fellow at Insider, covering all things home for the site. Samantha was previously a sta writer at Romper.com, and her bylines also have appeared on Oprah.com, Mic, ANNA The Magazine, Cosmopolitan, and FIPP. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Birmingham-Southern College and graduated with an M.S. in publishing from NYU. James L. Walker III graduated with honors from Howard Law School and passed the New York Bar. He is an associate at the law ﬁrm of Paul Weiss in New York.2014£ Sathvik Namburar, 2014 valedictorian, was selected to appear on Jeopardy in November 2019. Namburar won more than $50,000 over two appearances. Sathvik is a student at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. Warren Sams, a ﬁrst responder based out of Memphis, traveled to New York City in May along with 400 volunteer ambulances to assist with COVID-19 patients in the epicenter of the pandemic.2015James E. Dearing III was a May 2019 Cum Laude graduate of St. John’s University in New York, with a bachelor’s of science in management. James made the dean’s list for three years and was inducted into the Sigma Iota Epsilon National Honorary Management Fraternity. James works for TD Bank in New York and plans to pursue graduate studies in the near future.

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51Tell us what you’re doing!£ Nathaniel Hall was elected sophomore class president at Prairie View A&M University (outside of Houston, Texas) where he is an honors student. Ayanna Habeel, a freshman on the Southern Illinois golf team, was named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year. Ayanna had ﬁve Top-25 ﬁnishes through six tournaments. Ayanna is the second player in program history to earn the honor since teammate Moyea Russell in 2018.Tej Munshi was interviewed in The Indian Scene, highlighting his soccer career at the University of Maryland and his plans to become a doctor.2017Robbie Bowden has been nominated for Small Business Person of the year in Southern Kentucky. 2018Katie Dorton was named NJCAA Division III First-Team All-American for Women’s Cross Country. She is a sophomore at Emory, and she had an outstanding performance at Nationals. She was a second-team All-American as a freshman. She ﬁnished in second place in the National Championship after running a school record of 19:02 in the women’s 5K race.2019Arik Duncan was named rookie of the week for soccer in the Liberty League. He’s a freshman at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and he scored an overtime-winning goal in the team’s 2-1 victory at Elizabethtown in the season opener. He was a two-year captain of the Woodward soccer team, where he earned All-Region honors four times and All-State recognition twice. An Honor Roll student, he guided the War Eagles to a Region 4 Championship in his senior season. ¢SHARE YOUR NEWSMoved to a new city? Started a new job? Published a book? Submit a class note so that we can include your accomplishments in an upcoming issue of the Woodward magazine. Submit your big news at woodward.edu/alumni/connect or email alumni@woodward.edu.PETER HOEY

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531 Nicholas Widener ’09 married Leslie Stewart on Nov. 16, 2019, in Newnan, Ga. The service was performed by Woodward Chaplain Katie O’Dunne. Nicholas and Leslie met while teaching at Woodward. Attending the ceremony were many Woodward faculty and alumni, including the parents of the groom, David and Beth Widener, and brother, Andrew Widener ’04, as well as Chad Patterson ’09, Sara Elliot ’07, Michael Farry, and Chris Pryor ’08 in the wedding party.2 Lindsay Rohrer Barnhill ’13 and Whitcomb Barnhill married on Oct. 26 outside of Savannah at the Ford Plantation. The ceremony and reception took place at Henry Ford’s winter residence, a historic home built on the Ogeechee River.3 Orlando Lopez Jr. ’00 married Chelle Dean in Athens on Sept. 19, 2020. Both University of Georgia alumni, Orlando is a general dentist with Marietta Dental Associates, and Chelle is an anesthetist with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The couple lives in Marietta with their dogs, Glen and Rita.4 Virginia Porter ’02 married Ryan Blank on Nov. 9, 2019, in Atlanta. Virginia works at Georgia-Paciﬁc in marketing and Ryan works at ASD Sky as a Landscape Architect. They live in Atlanta. One of the bridesmaids was Rachael Holland ’02, and James Porter III ’05 was a groomsman. 5 Molly Johnson ’12 married Matt Rubin on Oct. 26, 2019, in Chicago, and celebrated with a reception at the Rookery building. The couple met in college at Indiana University-Bloomington. 6 Wynne Rosenbleeth Jerris ’09 married Caleb Jerris on Dec. 28, 2019, at the Atlanta History Center. They celebrated with Woodward alums Bobby Rosenbleeth ’07, Kelsey Darden ’09, Elizabeth Smith ’09, Heather Benamy ’09, Virginia Gilmore ’09, Ali Noeltner ’09, and Jenny Leighton ’09. Wynne and Caleb live in Buckhead with their dog, Bud. Wynne is a Recruiting Manager at Brooksource, and Caleb is in medical school. 7 Ariel Autry ’04 was married on Oct. 19, 2019, in New Orleans. Woodward wedding guests included Christopher L. Johnson ’04, Eric Capilouto ’04, Becca Bauer ’04, Julie Gallien Bell ’04, Kim Beck ’04, Erica Shantha ’04, and Andrew Baron ’04. Ariel and her husband live in London. Katie O’Brien Murray ’03 married Stephen Murray on Nov. 13, 2019, in Madison, Wisc. Following the ceremony, they had receptions in Madison and Waldorf, Md.Will Dickerson ’05 married Lauren Hamilton at Holy Family Catholic Church in Marietta on June 13, 2020, surrounded by immediate family including his sister, Whitney Dickerson Gerkin ’03, and father, Brink Dickerson ’75. Will and his wife live in Brookhaven.37

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WOODWARD WINTER 2021541 Adam Cornett ’05 and Melissa Cornett welcomed their third son, Theodore Hayes, on March 17, 2020.2 Hayley McNash Lowe ’06, husband, Scott, and their daughter, Anna, welcomed son Micah James on Feb. 3, 2020. Micah is the grandson of retired faculty and alum Peggy Dyer McNash ’73; great nephew of Paula Dyer Crawford ’78 and Charlie McNash ’80; and nephew of James McNash ’05. The Lowes live in Woodstock.3 Emily White Buchanan ’06 and her husband, Chip, welcomed Timothy Lewis ‘Tripp’ III on Oct. 25, 2019.4 Blake Henderson ’04 and his wife, Laura Alice, community engagement manager for Advancement at Woodward, welcomed daughter Colette Etta on Feb. 8, 2020.5 Kaitlyn Hall Ball ’07 and her husband, Connor, welcomed a daughter, Evelyn Leigh, on Jan. 28, 2020. 6 Morgan Guest Hicks ’11 and her husband, Ben, welcomed Asher Colben to the world on March 13, 2020.7 Margot Gilman Miner ’04 and her husband welcomed their second child, a son, Price Evans, in January 2020. They reside in Franklin, Tenn.8 Shannon Sheesley Balthaser ’05, Primary School faculty, and her husband welcomed a girl, Addison Grace, on July 18, 2020. Addison also is the granddaughter of Kathy Duncan Sheesley ’78, Upper School sta.1237 98EAGLETS

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559 Peter Talluto ’07 and his wife, Morgan, welcomed a daughter, Cameron Leigh, on Jan. 27, 2020. 10 Jennifer Blass Birnbrey ’08 and husband welcomed twins Mason Graham and Cody Dylan on March 31, 2019. 11 Lesley Ireland Sewell ’06 and husband, Captain Hunter M. Sewell, a company commander within the 20th Engineer Brigade of the United States Army, along with two pups, have welcomed a son, Elijah Monroe (born Jan. 4, 2019), and a daughter, Annabelle Coleman (born Feb. 24, 2020). They live in Bavaria, Germany. Lesley has taken a temporary break from her legal career to raise her children and volunteer within her military community. Nona Boggs Jernigan ’79 and her husband, Gene, welcomed a new granddaughter, Abigail Ann Jernigan.Kate Carlisle ’03 and her ﬁancé welcomed a baby girl, Ava, in May of 2019.NEW ADDITION? We’d love to share the great news with the Woodward community. Send us the happy news and a photo, and we’ll include it in the next edition of the Woodward magazine.EMAILalumni@woodward.eduONLINE woodward.edu/ alumni/connect45610 11

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56WOODWARD WINTER 20211943*Cecil Erby Dodson was born Dec. 22, 1924, and died Jan. 15, 2020.Henry Miller “Hank” Powell Jr., 94, died Aug. 18, 2020. Born on Dec. 26, 1925, Hank’s athletic abilities were apparent early on as he won the 16 and under State of Georgia Golf Championship twice, having learned the game from golf legend Bobby Jones. Hank cherished the putter that Jones pulled out of his own golf bag and told him to try, then let him keep it after Hank made the putt. Hank attended Georgia Tech on a football scholarship where he played under legendary Coach Bobby Dodd. His college education was interrupted by World War II, during which he served in the U.S. Navy. After the war, he enrolled at the University of Georgia where he played football and graduated with a degree in business. Hank spent his 35 year career at Owens-Illinois Inc. in both the Glass Division and the Plastic Products Division, rising to vice president. After retirement he served as a consultant for Coca-Cola and Pepsi bottlers. His wife, Katherine, preceded him in death. 1945*Casimiro “Casey” Benigno of Tampa died June 1, 2020. Casey attended Georgia Military Academy but matriculated from the Severn School in Maryland. Casey was drafted and served in the U.S. Army, then returned to Tampa to join the family business as part owner of the Columbia Restaurant and went on to be involved in many businesses.Dr. William “Bill” Bruce Howerton died April 22, 2020. He was born Sept. 2, 1927, one of eight children. Bill served in the U.S. Marine Corps and went on to become a dentist in Berkeley Springs, W. Va., where he also served as mayor. He retired to Pinehurst. He was preceded in death by his wife of 70 years, Emma. 1948*Herbert W. Smith died Aug. 19, 2020. He joined the U.S. Army Reserve and became a sergeant. When he returned to Georgia, he started Crest Home Realty. For most of his career, he worked with Darden Restaurants negotiating property for Red Lobster and Olive Garden. Herb was preceded in death by his ﬁrst wife of 27 years, Colleen Broderick Smith, and his second wife of 24 years, Jayne Cosden Smith.1949*Jack C. Crosswell died Dec. 11, 2019.Savas Harry Pappas died Feb. 4, 2018, at the age of 86, leaving family and friends to mourn.1951*Felix Dorough, born Jan. 24, 1933, died Aug. 29, 2020, in Williamsburg, Va. After graduating as valedictorian, he entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Felix entered the Air Force and spent the next four years in Germany and France, in various air While we mourn those whom we have lost, we also remember and celebrate their lives, the people they were, and the work they did to leave a better world behind them.intelligence positions. In 1960, he joined the U.S. Foreign Service, State Department. Over the next 27 years, he served in Mexico, Yugoslavia (Croatia), Moscow, Spain, Brussels, and three tours in the State Department in Washington. After retiring as a counselor for science and technology, Felix joined the International Sta at NATO in Brussels, where he served until 1996. Returning to the U.S. in 1998, Felix and his wife, Jeanne Abbott, moved to Kingsmill in Williamsburg. Jeanne passed away in 2014.1952*William Hudson Dilley of Medina, Ohio, died Sept. 14, 2020, after a long battle with cancer. Bill studied horticulture at the Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute and founded Down to Earth Landscaping. He later supervised landscaping and grounds maintenance at the University of Akron for many years. Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Kathleen “Kitty” Bates. Hal Stolz died in December 2019. Hal was a resident of Ellijay, Ga. He graduated from the University of Georgia Veterinarian School and retired honorably from the U.S. Army as a veterinarian with 20 years of service.1953*John Ward Hughes died Feb. 22, 2020, in Athens. John served in the Alabama National Guard for 34 years.*denotes alumni of Georgia Military AcademyPASSAGES

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57aboard the USS Robert H. McCard. He married Virginia Carolyn “Cookie” Cook in 1966. In 2004, Doug retired from a career with SunTrust Bank as vice president. He was the 1999 recipient of the Woodward Alumni Service Award. He is survived by his wife, Cookie (retired faculty), son, Frank '89, and brother, Doc McKay Jr. '57. 1959*£ Fred Brown died June 28, 2020. He received the Woodward/GMA Distinguished Alumni Award in 1980 for outstanding achievement in the ﬁeld of journalism and public service as editor of Brown’s Guide to Georgia, a monthly periodical known for quality reporting. Fred graduated from LaGrange College in 1964. He was the editor of Delta Digest and an assistant to the company’s director of public relations until he resigned to devote his full-time attention to Brown’s Guide. Brown was the author, co-author, or editor of 12 books. Douglas Barron Mitchell Sr. died at his home in Fayetteville, Texas, on Feb. 28, 2020. A graduate of Young Harris College and Auburn University, he started his career as an accountant with Georgia Power Company, followed by serving as executive director of the Rockdale County Chamber of Commerce. In 1979, Doug founded Peachtree City Development Corporation in Peachtree City, Ga., where he spent more than 30 years developing the master-planned community, recognized as one of America’s 10 most successful suburbs. Doug was involved in the Boy Scouts of America, as an Eagle Scout and an active volunteer, earning many awards, including the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, the distinguished Eagle Award in 2006, and the Silver Bualo Award in 2010. He served on the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America as well as the local Capital Area Council. Other leadership positions included serving on the board of directors for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Atlanta Regional Commission, the Boards of Directors for Bank of America/Georgia, Gordon College, Young Harris College, and the Georgia Public Policy Foundation.Thomas Morgan “Tom” Rice died Sept. 25, 2019. At GMA, Tom marched in President Eisenhower’s second inaugural parade in 1957. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Clemson University. He spent his career in aviation engineering for various companies and retired from Cessna Aircraft in 1992. His work took him all over the world. ¤1954*Bill Withers has died. He served in the U.S. Navy Submarine Service and received an MBA from Creighton University. After a career as an engineer, he became a math and science teacher. He was preceded in death by his brother Pete ’63. He is survived by his brothers Ben ’70 and Geo ’57.1956*John Raymond Flynn Jr. died Sept. 14, 2020. John owned multiple businesses including Flynn’s Clothing in Union, S.C. He was known to give his heart and soul to the people of Union, usually to those most in need. He was a member of the Kiwanis and worked with Meals on Wheels. 1957*Walter Dillard died Feb. 22, 2020. James Daniel “Dan” Lee of Hampton, Ga., died May 18, 2020. He served in the U.S. Army and received a master’s degree in education from Pensacola Christian College. He taught history for many years at Colonial Hills and Clayton Christian Schools, and coached basketball, football, and weight training. 1958*Charlie Guerrero died May 2, 2020, after a long illness.C. Douglas McKay of Dunwoody, Ga., died July 12, 2020. He graduated from Erskine College and later completed his MBA at Georgia State University. Doug attended Ocer Candidate School and was commissioned in the U.S. Navy, where he served three years

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58WOODWARD WINTER 20211961*£ Tim O’Brien died Nov. 30, 2020, in a bicycle accident near his home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. He was an attorney and journalist who covered the U.S. Supreme Court for ABC News for more than 22 years and served as a member of Woodward’s Governing Board. His many awards and honors include an Emmy for his contributions to CNN’s coverage of the September 11 terrorism attacks. Despite a tall, thin build, Tim was the top wrestler at GMA. He went on to Michigan State, where he majored in math but was “uninspired,” he wrote. He was more interested in playing records on the campus radio station and then signed on with a local radio and TV outlet in Lansing, doing odd jobs part time. He volunteered to read the hourly news for free from midnight to 6 a.m., and the news director eventually oered him a position as a radio reporter. Tim learned to shoot and edit ﬁlm as a scheme to move into TV. In 1968, he moved from Lansing to Detroit and became the evening news anchor and then to Washington, D.C., where he worked as a reporter. At the same time, he earned a master’s degree in government and politics from the University of Maryland. Later, he joined the NBC aliate in New Orleans as the co-anchor of the evening news, and at the same time enrolled in law school. Eventually, he became a top reporter covering the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1986, Woodward bestowed on him its Distinguished Alumni Award.realtor. In his later years, Warren could often be found on the set of a TV show or ﬁlm working as a background actor. Peter B. Withers died Sept. 17, 2019. Three of Pete’s brothers also attended GMA: Bill ’54, Geo ’57, and Ben ’70. Pete graduated from Georgia State University and entered the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant. After infantry ocer and paratrooper training, Pete served at Camp Casey, Korea, for a year, and completed his service in 1970. Pete worked for Exxon, and then Ford Motor Company, where he eventually managed quality assurance for much of the eastern United States until he retired to St. Augustine, Fla.1965*John Luther Winchester of Mt. Juliet, Tenn., died March 15, 2020. John served in the U.S. Air Force and obtained his bachelor’s degree at Memphis State University. He served as ﬁrst lieutenant of the Ocer’s Club during the Vietnam War, as his hearing loss prevented him from his desire to become a pilot. After moving to Mt. Juliet, John became a Boy Scout leader. Under his leadership, 14 young men became Eagle Scouts, including his son, Luke. John was actively involved in the American Red Cross, Christian Men’s Fellowship, and Walk to Emmaus. For more than 30 years, he owned commercial equipment ﬁnance businesses. John served on the Board of National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers and was the ﬁrst Tennessean to obtain the title of Certiﬁed Lease Professional. 1977Lindsay Wilson Wall died April 30, 2020, with her husband and children at her side. She graduated from Brenau University in Gainesville, Ga. Lindsay was very pilot acquisition team. An active member of the Atlanta Athletic Club since 1981, he was an avid golfer. Warren Watson Owen III died Aug. 14, 2020. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1968. A lifetime lover of aviation, Warren became a commercial pilot, ﬂying private aircraft. In the mid-1980s Warren began his career in real estate as vice president of Colony Homes in Woodstock, and he later started his own company, Warren Owen Homes, and became a 1963*Colonel John M. Mills of Alpharetta, Ga., died June 25, 2020, after a long battle with cancer. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1967 and went on to serve in the Marine Corps. Having served active duty as a ﬁxed wing aviator from 1967 to 1972, he retired as a colonel in 1990. John enjoyed a 30-plus year career as a Delta pilot, including serving as manager of domestic ﬂight operations and as B-777 chief line check pilot. He went on to serve as part of the Delta

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59active in her children’s sports. Her love of music and entertaining friends at her home made even the simplest occasions seem special. She enjoyed working at the gift store Peridot, where they nicknamed her “The Sheri” for her organizational skills.1979Gail Renee Bulls Jenkins died May 17, 2020. At Woodward she ran track and received the Outstanding Citizens Award. She graduated from Howard University. In 1992, she married Joseph F.P. Jenkins at Woodward Academy’s Chapel. Gail worked for the City of Atlanta as special events coordinator. She helped coordinate major events like the 1996 Olympics, the Atlanta Gay Pride Parade, the Dogwood Festival, and the National Black Arts Festival. 1980Dr. Walton “Tony” Purnell Waller Jr. died Nov. 9, 2019. Tony received his B.S. degree from Morehouse College in 1986 and was accepted to Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine, following in the footsteps of his late grandfather, Dr. Calvin W. Waller. During his time at Tuskegee, Tony interned at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and, following his graduation in 1991, he spent a year in South Africa working on a game reserve. He entered the U.S. Army as a captain and served at the Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine, as the lead veterinarian. His next military assignment was at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Ga. After completing his military service, Tony renovated an old clinic in north Georgia, where he was a beloved veterinarian for more than 20 years in the Canton area. 1982John C. Slaton, of Morrow, died Oct. 28, 2019. He attended Georgia Southern University, followed by Georgia State University, where he graduated in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.1984 Laura Lee Baker died Oct. 1, 2019, in Oklahoma City. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1988, with a bachelor’s degree in communications. Laura moved to Dallas where she worked as a ﬂight attendant for Delta. While in Dallas she also was a member of the Plano Junior League and worked at the Apparel Mart.1987Patricia Christie Lord of Asheville, N.C., died March 10, 2020, after a long battle with ALS. As a sophomore in high school, she played point guard for her Screven County Academy basketball team, which that year won the Single A state championship. In her later high school years at Woodward, she earned a scholarship in volleyball—a sport then new to her. In her senior year at the University of Georgia, she continued to set records, even after moving to a new position on the volleyball court. Only three days before she passed, she had the great pleasure of a day spent in her home with nine of her former volleyball teammates from UGA. She completed intensive training for the N.C. State Highway Patrol and served in Asheville for 15 years.1991Damien Arnold Turpin died Oct. 30, 2019. Damien taught Spanish for Hall County schools and was a member of Buford United Methodist Church where he sang in the choir. Damien was a graduate of Auburn University, where he was active in Wesley Foundation, marching band, and choirs. He attended Candler Theological Seminary, sang with the Choraliers, and worked for Cokesbury Book Stores for many years.1994Jesse “Jay” Flanigan IV died May 18, 2020. He graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in physics and completed the Ocer Candidate Training School and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, then enrolled in Space Missile and Satellite Training at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. At the time of his death, Jay worked as a space intelligence analyst for the Directorate of Intelligence. At Woodward, he graduated with high honors and was a member of the National Honor Society, the chess club, the debate team, the chorus club, and the track and ﬁeld team. An endowed fund at Woodward was created in his name.1999Brett Flury died June 22, 2020. He received multiple degrees from Georgia Tech where he graduated with honors. Brett became a career-long management consultant. Brett loved gadgets and all things technology, as well as playing video games and building Legos. 2002Elizabeth Elliott Johnson of Roswell, Ga., died March 25, 2020, at the age of 36. She attended the University of South Carolina where she studied business. She is survived by her husband, Chris, her daughters, Ryleigh and Rheagan, her mother, Mary, and her brother, Chris Johnson ’04.

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60WOODWARD WINTER 2021Ryan Taylor Kiewit of Atlanta died suddenly Nov. 28, 2019, at the age of 36. Taylor earned a bachelor's of science in marketing from Appalachian State University in 2005. Taylor’s career was in commercial real estate leasing, and he recently began a new position as senior leasing director for Hendon Properties. In 2015, on April Fools’ Day, Taylor proposed to Alaina Michelle Foster with a special, custom engagement ring he thoughtfully designed to include gold and diamonds from his and Alaina’s grandmothers as well as the couple’s birthstones. Taylor and Alaina were married exactly one year later on April 1, 2016. 2006Justin Walter McCart, age 32, of Atlanta, died May 28, 2020. Justin was a lifelong learner and adventurer known for backpacking trips and friendly competition on the tennis court. Justin graduated from Georgia State University at the top of his class and pursued a career in insurance. He had begun working toward his executive MBA.2008Brennan May of Destin, Fla., died Aug. 31, 2020, at age 29. He was a Navy diver attending the Naval Explosives Ordnance Disposal School and died while practicing diving. He is survived by his wife, Allison.Jacob Lawson ’16, Abigail Lawson ’14, Robert Woodward ’11, Allison Woodward ’09, and Kate Adornato Malone ’03.Patricia Jean Chennault, retired faculty, died Dec. 2, 2019. She had been a sixth grade English teacher.Eleanor Adele Winslow Dearolph, retired faculty, died Oct. 7, 2020. After earning a master’s degree from Georgia State University, she served as a math teacher for more than 25 years. Her husband, Edward “Gus” Dearolph, was chairman of the science department. She is survived by son Lt. Col. Jeery Dearolph ’81, daughter Laura Dearolph-Brown ’85, and son-in-law Anthony Brown ’83.Petty Franklin “Coach” Ezell Sr., retired faculty, died Aug. 29, 2020. Coach Ezell is a posthumous inductee of the 2020 Woodward Athletics Hall of Fame (see page 23).Alice Lee Jackson, who worked in Student Transportation as a bus driver, died May 10, 2020. Errol Franklin Sanders, former faculty, died Oct. 1, 2020. Errol taught English in the Upper School for 21 years. He also was the longtime cross country coach. He received the Teacher of the Year Award, the Senior Class tribute, and the Phoenix yearbook dedication. He was popular with the student body, famous for his irreverent sense of humor, intellect, kindness, and most of all, a passion for literature.Eleanor Joan Spier, former faculty, died Sept. 2, 2020. She was an English teacher at Woodward.Albert Usher, retired sta, died Jan. 22, 2020. He had been a member of the housekeeping team.Jane S. Webster, retired faculty, died March 17, 2020. She was a Spanish teacher.2020£ Ryan Nicole Falconer died Oct. 27, 2020, in her sleep from a seizure. Ryan was known as an athlete and great friend of many at Woodward. She graduated out of the Atlanta chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She raised money to help her pursue an education at Howard University, and was beginning her freshman year when she died. That scholarship fund will be used to contribute to the education of others. She is survived by her parents, Walter and Michelle, her brother, Hunter ’17, and her sister, Devin ’26.CURRENT AND RETIREDFACULTY & STAFFHelon Woodward Brewster died June 12, 2020, at 94. She is predeceased by husbands, Capt. William Brewster Jr. ’37 and William H. “Bill” Woodward ’40. Helon and Bill were married for more than 50 years, and after his death she married Capt. Brewster, the third president of the Academy who grew up on the GMA campus and presided over the name change to Woodward Academy. Helon was known as a force of nature who spent much of her life involved with Woodward. Survivors include children William H. Woodward Jr. ’66, Matthew Woodward, Jim Woodward, Carol Lawson, and Deborah Adornato; stepdaughters Susan Patterson ’65 and Diane Brewster ’71; and grandchildren

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