On Campus
Summer 2003

Fred E. Pittman '51 Receives Founder's Day Award

Dr. Fred Pittman '51 (center) has called his single year at Exeter the most meaningful of his life, and as an adult he established the Mississippi and South Carolina Trust to help promote the Academy in his two home states. Joining him at the May 16 Founder's Day ceremony are four current students from Mississippi and South Carolina: (left to right) Felix Hsieh '04 of Hattiesburg, MS; Takiyah Hartwell '06 and Margaret Valiunas '03, both of Charleston, SC; and William Staton '04 of Oxford, MS.

Fred E. Pittman '51 was honored with the Academy's Founder's Day Award, which is given annually by the General Alumni/ae Association (GAA) in recognition of devoted service to the Academy. Kimberly Welch '72, president of the GAA, conferred the honor on Pittman at a May 16 assembly attended by the campus community and members of the class of 1953, who had returned to Exeter to celebrate their 50th reunion.

Pittman was lauded for his more than 50 years as a supporter of the Academy and for establishing the Mississippi and South Carolina Trust, which provides scholarships to Exeter for qualified students from those states. Welch cited his work in "building an unusually broad network of recruiting contacts . selling Exeter in a region where boarding school has long been a hard sell." Thanks to Pittman, 14 students have come to Exeter, she said.

Pittman attended both Yale and medical school in New York on scholarship, earned a Ph.D. in England and studied in Paris. In 1969, he moved to Charleston, SC, where he enjoyed a successful career as a gastroenterologist, researcher and professor of medicine until his retirement in 1996.

In his remarks, Pittman told the audience how he came to Exeter, a school he had never heard of, from a small town in Mississippi. He also thanked and recognized Academy administrators and the board of the Mississippi and South Carolina Trust. Their work has, he said, "allowed people from these states to come and be challenged in their abilities, allowed their talents to blossom and encouraged them to go back and change the things that need to be changed and strengthen the things that need to be strong in our dear South."

Adam Nebesar '99 Named Gates Scholar

Adam Nebesar '99

Adam Nebesar '99 has been named a Gates Cambridge Scholar. Established by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the award recognizes students of outstanding academic merit and leadership potential worldwide. The award will cover Nebesar's costs of studying at Cambridge University.

Awardees must be committed to serving their communities and have been admitted to Cambridge before they are considered for the scholarship. The trust selects students of exceptional academic achievement and scholarly promise for whom further study at Cambridge would be particularly appropriate.

Nebesar and the other students chosen showed evidence of their ability to make a significant contribution to their discipline, either by research, teaching or using their learning creatively in their chosen profession.

Nebesar has been admitted to a one-year master of philosophy program in economics. He was an economics major at Princeton. The M.Phil. program at Cambridge is fairly broad, he says, but at the end of the year he will be able to choose a topic for a final paper. "I am primarily interested in macroeconomics. I have done research this year on the effects of 'oil shock,' specifically its effect on oil prices. But I think I would like to do something else next year. I don't want to narrow myself too early."

At Princeton, Nebesar was named a Goldman Sachs Global Leader in 2001 and served as publisher of Business Today Magazine, the nation's largest student-run publication. He was also a starting linebacker on the varsity sprint-football team.

The Exeter Olympic Team

Tony Zhang '04 (standing, left), Tiankai Liu '04 (center) and Matthew Tang '03 (right) are competing with the top math students in the country to represent the United States at the International Mathematical Olympiad, to be held this month in Tokyo. Helping coach the U.S. team will be PEA math instructor Zuming Feng.

When it comes to math, the Exeter bench is deep-very deep.

Three Academy students-Tiankai Liu '04 of Saratoga, CA; Matthew Tang '03 of Hong Kong; and Tony Zhang '04 of Houston, TX-were among the top 12 scorers in the nation on the USA Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO) exam, a grueling, two-day test held this spring. Later this month, the best of that select group will travel to Japan to compete in the 44th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), which draws math students from more than 80 nations.

Tiankai Liu, who had a perfect score and a first-place finish in this year's USAMO exam, is likely to be on that flight to Tokyo. "It is thrilling to solve problems and it's thrilling to be stuck on them," says Liu. "It's even more thrilling to meet other people. Having been to two IMO's, I know what an exciting experience it is to be able to meet students from so many different countries."

A Conversation with Khrushchev | By Mike Milligan

Dr. Sergei Khrushchev, son of the late Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev and a senior fellow at Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies, answers a question from history instructor Mike Milligan. This year's Colin Irving Lecturer, Dr. Khrushchev offered a packed Assembly Hall a firsthand account of his father's career during his April 22 visit.

One of the great things about Exeter is the exceptional quality of the speakers who visit our community. There is no better example than Sergei Khrushchev, a senior fellow at Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies and the son of the late Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev. Dr. Khrushchev came to campus on April 22 as this year's Colin Irving Lecturer.

Being chosen to interview Dr. Khrushchev in our Assembly Hall "conversation" was both an honor and cause for considerable worry for me. As the date of his visit drew closer, a good many concerns played on my mind. Would I have sufficient time beforehand to review the principal events and themes of the Khrushchev era? How strong an accent does Dr. Khrushchev have? And would I be able to avoid tripping over the microphone once on stage?

But by the time the big day arrived, one concern came to dwarf all others: How should I-as an interviewer who is a teacher and a historian-best approach Dr. Khrushchev? What "angle" should I take in questioning him to ensure that the conversation would be of the highest intellectual and pedagogical value to the Exeter community? Answering this question naturally led to another: What are Dr. Khrushchev's strongest assets and possible shortcomings as a speaker and as a purveyor of ideas? No doubt his education, teaching posts and impressive array of books and articles all point to a decidedly thoughtful, astute observer of the Russian condition and the Cold War rivalry. But what of his partiality? How should I deal with the obvious fact that he is Nikita Khrushchev's son and has very human, personal reasons for being partial in some fashion when discussing his father's career?

Ultimately I decided that as an interviewer I would endeavor to give Khrushchev room-give him the "space" to speak about the relevant historical topics largely on his own terms. It was not my intention to make him feel uncomfortable about historical events that he himself was not responsible for.

In the end, the conversation appeared to go quite well. Dr. Khrushchev did a good job of connecting with the large audience of students, faculty and area residents. His accent was not too heavy (and I took no horrendous pratfalls either). And, in my judgment, his partiality turned out to be an asset. In a very real sense, Khrushchev's remarks resembled a primary historical document, the kind of source that Exonians encounter daily in history class. The conversation indeed was another lesson in honing one's critical thinking skills. With Khrushchev, students strove to understand his message, mindful of his potential bias, and fairly and critically evaluated his line of interpretation against that of their own.

Certainly his less-than-conventional account of the Cuban missile crisis provoked such responses. According to Khrushchev, his father's decision to place offensive missiles in Cuba was motivated by nothing more than a sense of familial obligation to honor a request made by Fidel Castro. It was the American political leadership, he maintained, rather than the Soviets, who overreacted; the Kennedy Administration, to use his words, experienced a severe "psychological crisis" at the time.

Probably the most entertaining (some might even say implausible) story of the evening was Dr. Khrushchev's version of the famous 1960 United Nations "shoe banging" incident. According to him, his father never actually banged his shoe, a detail that did not deter Western journalists bent on portraying the Soviet leader in an unfavorable light. His account is clearly at odds with most Americans' recollections.

For the next couple of days following the visit, my two Soviet history classes were abuzz with what Dr. Khrushchev had said. The comment of one senior is especially noteworthy: Very few Exonians agree with Khrushchev's view of the Cuban missile crisis, he observed, but that was not the point. The benefit lay in challenging one's own assumptions and way of thinking-and what better, more succinctly phrased testament could there be of the pedagogical value of "our conversation with Khrushchev"?

History instructor Mike Milligan has taught a course in Soviet history since 1992.

Historian of Silences

Lamont Poet Eavan Boland

Eavan Boland, the Irish-born author of nine collections of poetry (including Against Love Poetry and The Lost Land) and director of the creative writing program at Stanford, came to campus this spring as part of the Lamont Poetry Series. "It's one of Boland's specialties to bring the outside in," noted Ellen Wolff, the Academy's Eleanor Gwin Ellis Instructor of English, when she introduced the poet at her April 25 reading. She credited Boland with "exploring what she [herself] has called 'the history of silences' in Irish poetry, 'the unspoken, the unwritten, the forgotten names, invisible chronicles.' So back in the 1960s and '70s, while the Exeter community was preparing to invite girls to the Harkness Table, Boland began to bring women into the Irish poem. And she thereby changed the Irish poem, changed it utterly."

World Music and More

The world comes to Exeter on International Day, when the Academy's many cultural clubs join together to present an afternoon of music, dance, food and fashion from around the world. Held this year on May 18, International Day included a performance by the Precision Step Team (right), a fashion show of traditional dress from some of the 25 foreign countries represented in the student body (below), and educational displays and ethnic food from every corner of the globe.

Exonians Robert Langdon and Dan Brown '82 have been on a wild ride of late. The former, a renowned Harvard professor of symbology, was embroiled in a highly complex murder investigation in Paris involving a secret society, startling revelations about the origins of Christianity and more than a little danger. The latter, Langdon's creator, is finding out just what it's like being inside a media tempest. Brown's fourth novel, The Da Vinci Code, entered The New York Times bestseller list at No. 1 this past March, earning high-profile critical praise-including an unabashed rave in the Times, a feature in Newsweek and appearances on National Public Radio and NBC's "Today" show-and a word-of-mouth buzz bordering on mania.

"It's all a bit surreal," says Brown on the success of his brainy, intricately plotted new page-turner. "I've had the experience of writing a book and not having many people care, and this has been the exact opposite. It poses many challenges as far as my time, privacy and level of visibility. All of which I'm very hesitant to complain about because they're all problems that most writers in the world wish they had."

Brown's previous novels, Digital Fortress (1998), Angels and Demons (2000)-which introduced the Exeter-educated Robert Langdon character-and Deception Point (2001), have all been successful in their own right, generating positive reviews, multiple print runs and a growing fan base. The success of The Da Vinci Code, however, has been so off the charts that it has become a beacon of hope in an increasingly soft publishing market. When a young, little-known author topples John Grisham from the top of the bestseller lists, there's cause for many to take notice and celebrate.

Brown says the buzz on The Da Vinci Code began within the ranks of his publishing company when his initial draft began circulating and grew rapidly outward from there. "At Random House, it appealed to the people who liked thrillers, mysteries, histories, biographies, right across the board," says Brown. Realizing the book had mass appeal, the publisher initiated an unusual grassroots marketing campaign to try and frontload some name recognition for Brown. "Rather than spending all our money to take out big advertising after publication-'Hey, read these books by a guy you've never heard of!'-they decided to spend it before publication in an effort to generate excitement among booksellers," he explains. This entailed sending out a whopping 10,000 advance reading copies-10 times that of most popular fiction and more than the entire hardcopy printing of Digital Fortress-and then sending Brown out on the road to personally meet with booksellers across the country. The plan worked. "Before the book was even released, bookstores started doubling and tripling their preorders," says Brown.

Making his main character Robert Langdon an alumnus of Phillips Exeter Academy was a natural decision for Brown, son of emeritus mathematics instructor Dick Brown and writer Connie Brown. Raised on campus, he still maintains an office in downtown Exeter and lives nearby with his wife, Blythe. "What a great place to grow up," he says. "Not only do you have a beautiful facility, you've got all these big brothers. I grew up in a dorm and I always had the coolest babysitters from all over the world." Brown has experienced the Academy from almost every possible perspective-fac brat, student, alumnus and adjunct faculty member. "I was actually the lowest form of existence on campus, a fac brat day student," he laughs.

Exeter references abound in all of Brown's novels, and The Da Vinci Code is no exception. In addition to the erudite, athletic, Mickey Mouse watch-wearing Robert Langdon (who, one suspects, might be an alter ego of Brown himself), we have Andre Vernet, emeritus French instructor, who appears as a Swiss banker, and Academy archivist Edouard Desrochers, who makes a cameo as senior archivist at the Mitterand Library.

Brown also credits Exeter English instructors Jack Heath, Fred Tremallo, Harvard Knowles and his adviser, Peter Greer, with influencing his writing. "For some reason, I had the impression that every noun needed at least four adjectives in order to be good writing," says Brown. "I just remember Jack Heath circling them all and writing, 'Let's not overdo it.' And that was that." Bountiful amounts of red ink, he says, taught him to trim the fat and make every word count.

A squash player and director of the PEADQUACS, Brown says he wasn't a stellar student, but "experienced Exeter to the fullest." He went on to graduate from Amherst College and then headed out to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a pop balladeer. This at a time when rap dominated the music industry. Jokes Brown: "I was easily the least-cool recording artist in L.A." He also taught high school English and Spanish (something he did at Exeter on a part-time basis when he moved back east) and wrote fiction on the side for fun. He eventually decided to try his hand at a novel.

"When I got out of college, I remember complaining to my dad that I hadn't really learned anything specific at Exeter or Amherst," says Brown. "All I had learned how to do was write, and what good was that?" With The Da Vinci Code looking like the top beach book of the summer and Hollywood calling daily, Brown may have his answer.

Wearing stylish blaze orange utility vests, residents of Dutch House spent this year's Community Cleanup Day stenciling "No Dumping, Drains to River" warning notices near some 153 storm drains around campus. Initiated by modern language instructor Mark Trafton in association with the New Hampshire Estuaries Project and the Exeter River Watershed Advisory Committee, these labels are part of a larger water pollution prevention initiative. "Any kind of waste that goes into the storm drains eventually works its way into the Exeter or Sqaumscott rivers with no treatment," says Trafton. "This has implications for the safety of our drinking water and the health of Great Bay and its ecosystem. Students learned that there is no inconsequential dumping."

A spring tradition at Exeter since the mid-1980s, and a formal engagement for students, Community Cleanup Day (originally known as Environmental Day) is a chance for members of the community to add a little spit and shine to the campus and area neighborhoods after a long winter. In addition to the good work done by Dutch House, other projects included raking leaves and picking up debris (filling a whopping 1,500 bags), mulching and painting. Nearly half of the student body headed off campus to do similar work at area parks, beaches, playgrounds and nonprofits. "The work that gets done off campus is very much appreciated by the town of Exeter and others in the community," says George Bragg, assistant director of operations who oversees all off-campus logistics for the day. "What we are able to accomplish in just a few hours would take thousands of staff hours to complete, and that kind of savings can have a big effect on a tight budget."

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, Student Activities took over the Love Gymnasium pool on the evening of April 15 for a special screening of the movie Jaws. More than a hundred students turned out to watch the watery classic, which they enjoyed from the comfort of oversize innertubes.

2002 was the year of the corporate scandal. Enron, WorldCom, Tyco and a host of other companies were front-page news for myriad financial crimes and deceptions that rocked not only their shareholders but also the entire U.S. economy. New stories of corporate wrongdoing were breaking at a steady clip over the year, and following the facts became a challenge for even the most well-informed business world insider.

The Wall Street Journal was in the middle of this maelstrom from the get-go, exposing and unraveling the scandals and making complex details clear to the average reader. For these efforts, the newspaper was awarded a 2003 Pulitzer Prize in the explanatory journalism category for a 10-story package entitled "Corporate Scandals of 2002: Causes and Effects." A total of 17 writers contributed to this effort, including Exonians Jared Sandberg '85 and Randall Smith '68. The Pulitzer citation commends the Journal for "demonstrating mastery of the subject, lucid writing and clear presentation."

Smith, a 21-year veteran reporter at the Journal and currently a senior special writer for the Money and Investing section, says corporate excess is something he and others at the paper have been covering for years, to little notice. "One of the interesting dynamics of the situation was that it didn't become heinous until the stock market went down 50 percent and there was so much popular anger," says Smith. "This translated into political pressure to take action against a lot of these people."

"The coverage was all nasty stuff about financial ruin and shareholder hardship," says Sandberg, who covered WorldCom aggressively for six months starting in June of last year. "I don't really relish writing about other people's bad news, but it's important and the public deserves to know about it." A reporter at the Journal from 1991 to 1998, Sandberg became a senior writer at Newsweek for two years before returning to the Journal as a senior special writer in 2000. He now writes a column chronicling the absurdities of office life called "Cubicle Culture" that appears three times per month.

"It was a humbling experience being a part of the larger whole," says Sandberg. "There was a tremendous amount of effort put into this package of stories."

The trustees of the Academy held their spring meeting in Exeter on May 15-17, 2003. Officers were elected for the coming year: Jim Rogers '63 will continue as president, Julie Dunfey '76 as vice president and Jef Fellows as treasurer. The board changed the title of "treasurer" to "chief financial officer" to better describe the position in contemporary business terminology. Joyce Kemp retired as clerk of the trustees after two years and Kathy Brownback was elected as her replacement.

The trustees approved a budget for 2003-2004. This winter and spring, at the trustees' request, Academy departments cut approximately $1 million from the operating budget. The trustees were pleased that the school was able to make these cuts while leaving core academic and student services and employee raises intact. Jef Fellows reported that he expected the Academy to end the fiscal year in June with a balanced budget for 2002-2003.

Also approved were proposals from the Buildings and Grounds Committee to move forward with the final phase of refurbishment of the Academy Building, repairing and refurbishing a number of locations in the Lamont Infirmary, and completing the major phases of the landscaping plan. The landscaping project is supported by a generous gift made to the Academy several years ago. The site plan for a new children's center was discussed and the location of the new structure, adjacent to the existing center, approved. The architects are currently working on the design of the new facility and they hope to present these drawings at the October trustee meeting.

The Education and Appointments Committee heard reports from the dean of faculty, director of admissions and director of college counseling. Faculty members Brad Robinson and Ron Kim both presented aspects of the Curriculum Review. Trustee Melissa Orlov '77 presented the results of the time study she conducted on campus in the fall.

The new trustee Environmental Task Force presented a report on the school's environmental efforts to date and compared the level of environmental activity at the Academy with peer schools, noting that the Academy fared well. The group also talked about the importance of environmental awareness as a part of the school's mission of "goodness." The trustee group will continue to explore this issue and will coordinate its work in the near future with the ongoing efforts of the on-campus Environmental Task Force.

The trustees honored Rick Smith '66, who retired this year after 10 years of service on the board. Alan Jones '72, who served as a trustee during his tenure as president of the General Alumni/ae Association, was elected to the board as a regular trustee.

Exoniana: Do You Remember?

Can you identify this mystery photo from the archives? Hint: Although the decor has changed, it remains a popular campus hangout today. Memories from any era are most welcome. Answers and/or reminiscences will be published in the next issue. Mail to Exoniana, c/o The Exeter Bulletin, Phillips Exeter Academy, Communications Office, 20 Main Street, Exeter, NH 03833. Answer to the Last Issue: This stoic brick archway, a gift from the class of 1930, is part of an entrance on Front Street and connects various paths between the north and south sides of campus. The other part of the brick gateway (not shown) is a gift from the class of 1923. And the Winner is: Russell Hunter '43 of Beverly Hills, CA, who received an engraved Phillips Exeter Academy Cross pen. "The photo must be of recent vintage because, unless my elderly eyes deceive me, there are a couple of female students crossing the street presumably on their way to the Academy Building. The gate lies on the direct path from the dormitories at the far end of the campus between the old Davis Library and the new library, which is situated where Big Lew's residence [the home of Principal Lewis Perry] was in my day. Gilman House is just visible on the left. Behind and to the left of the photographer is that collection of the oldest buildings on campus (Soule, Hoyt, etc.) and on the right are the Academy Building and the Quadrangle. "The Davis Library goes back beyond my time. The only memory I have of Gilman House was that it was once, I believe, both a small dormitory and the residence of Mr. Little of the physics department. I recall walking in one day to find a student giving the youngest Little child his or her bottle. Mr. Little was working at the sink on something, and he had put one of the older children on top of the refrigerator to keep him or her out from underfoot. I do not know how Mrs. Little felt about having the children thus treed! "Come to think of it, this took place after the war. I had gone up to Exeter for a visit the specific purpose of which was to give the physics department some prisms I had 'liberated' from a Leitz factory in Erlangen, Germany, in the last weeks of the war. To me, they were just interesting prisms I thought the students might have fun studying. Mr. Little, however, was much more fulsome in his praise. But then again, like most of us, I imagine, I took my military service much for granted-that being long before all this nonsense about 'The Greatest Generation.' " Two contest winners every time! Due to popular demand (see letters), there will be two prizes awarded for correct answers to the Exoniana contest. One prize will be for the first correct answer received via the U.S. Postal Service. The other correct answers will be placed into a drawing and a second winner will be chosen at random. DEBATING ROOM MEMORIES CONTINUE Regarding the "Mystery Photo" on page 12 of the Bulletin's winter issue, it is clearly a photo taken during a meeting of either the Golden Branch or G.L. Soule Debating Society. As a member of the class of 1944, I was elected president of the Golden Branch in my senior year. My predecessor was Gore Vidal '43, and my successor Michael V. Forrestal '45, who at the time of his death was chairman of the Academy's trustees. Michael was a close, personal friend and my roommate at Exeter, Princeton, Harvard Law School and then in bachelor "digs" in Manhattan before I was married. John Mayher '36 (Hon.) of the history department was faculty adviser of the Golden Branch and our meetings were in the debating society room on the top floor of Phillips Hall. During my senior year, we celebrated the 125th anniversary of the Golden Branch with a dinner at the Exeter Inn. I preceded two distinguished speakers: my grandfather, Augustus N. Hand, a Federal Circuit judge, Exeter 1886, and his former law clerk, Charles E. Wyzanski Jr., a Federal District judge, Exeter 1923 and an Academy trustee. The Golden Branch claimed to have been founded by Daniel Webster. I always enjoy reading the Bulletin and look forward to returning to Exeter next year for my 60th reunion in 2004. Arthur V. Savage '44 Pelham, NY

Letters to the Editor

Jean-Michel Valette '77 stands on top of the world: the summit of Mount Everest. On May 30-exactly 50 years and one day after Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzig Norgay became the first climbers to reach the 29,035-foot summit-Valette and a team organized by Alpine Ascents of Seattle made it to the top, capping an ascent that began in April. In an email to family members written shortly after he reached the summit, Valette wrote, "After days of waiting at Camp 2 and looking up at our route, I was completely unprepared for how beautiful and magical the trek up to camp 4 and then to the summit would be. We were blessed by the most beautiful summit day of the season and the fact that aside from one other group, everybody else had made their attempts (at great risk of frostbite) so we had the mountain to ourselves." A lifelong climber, Valette has previously climbed in Ecuador, the Alps, Antarctica and the Caucasus.

Exeter on Everest!

I enjoyed the fascinating account of Professor Bates and his mountaineering exploits in the spring issue of the Bulletin. Our son, Jean-Michel Valette (Exeter '77 and father of Pierre Valette '06), spent this spring on Mount Everest with a group that successfully reached the summit in late May. Their group was the last to reach the summit before the Nepalese government closed the mountain (due to melting glaciers and the approaching monsoon season). Exonians interested in learning more about the expedition should go to www.alpineascents.com/everest-cybercast.asp

Rebecca M. Valette
Newton, MA

Bob Bates and the Exeter Mountaineering Club

Katherine Towler's article about Bob Bates '29 is wonderful. Count me among those many former students who were profoundly influenced by Bob, and who include Bob and his wife, Gail, among the finest persons they have ever known. I was lucky enough to benefit from Bob's counsel and guiding spirit, not only in the mountains but also in my senior year English class.

I can recall some of the early history of the Exeter Mountaineering Club. Towler's article states that the club became formal in 1950. As a founding member, I have warm memories of those early years. The club actually got started in 1947. Like Bob Dodson '43, I knocked on Bob Bates' Dunbar Hall residence as soon as the school year began in September 1946. As a prep during the 1945-46 school year, while Bob was still away in the Army, I had discovered and devoured most of the mountaineering books in the Davis Library. Those books and their adventures awakened a latent passion for the mountains that must have been within me but largely unnoticed for 15 years. (Enthusiasts should note that the library's collection, now named for and contributed to by Bates, is superb.) In that autumn of 1946 and in the subsequent spring of 1947, a small group of students were led by Bob on exciting rock-climbing trips to Bald Head Cliff in Ogunquit, to the granite boulders of Pawtuckaway State Park and even to the cliffs of the White Mountains.

The Exeter Mountaineering Club in 1948

By 1947-48, the climbing group had grown and already included most of the members I best remember. Ted Scudder '48 was president, Bill Lindamood '48 vice president and Pete Lord '48 secretary. There were 17 members in the PEAN club photograph, including Worth Blaney, Paul Funkhouser, Neil Hastie, Dick Thomas, Charlie Bell, Bill Julian, Paul Dyer, Steve Harris, Dixie Dickson and Bill Denton. The following year, I succeeded Ted Scudder, and Les Wilson '49 was vice president and George Russell '50 secretary. In March 1949, Bob had enough confidence in his protégées that he sent several of us off to Maine by ourselves to make the "first 1949 ascent" of Katahdin, our first major snow and ice climb.

Many of Bob's former students have maintained contact in post-Exeter years. Bob Dodson '43, who is a past treasurer of the American Alpine Club, has joined my wife, Marcia, and me on several climbs in Wyoming's Wind River Range. Les Wilson was my roommate all four years at Princeton and went on to accomplish many fine climbs in the Sierras, Alaska (McKinley), the Arctic, Peru (Yerupaja) and elsewhere. He has been featured in TV climbing productions on the Outdoor Life Network and was the Sierra Section Chairman for the AAC.

Thanks again for bringing back so many marvelous memories.

John C. Stone II '49
Greensboro, VT

Learning From Dick Day

Ted Gleason's warm tribute to Dick Day ("The Legacy of Dick Day," Spring 2003) prompted me to dig out my oldest Exeter folder, and inside it I found what I thought I had remembered: hand-written notes from Dick Day thanking a donor to Annual Giving. The first was dated in March of 1970. That would have been my freshman year in college, after my first gift to the Academy. Surely it couldn't have been for more than $10! Yet the principal was taking the time to thank me. His note says he was sorry for missing me during my visit to the campus in January and that the next time I was in Exeter, I should stop at 27 Pine Street and he would give me a key "for a look at the new assembly room." Another note is dated in November, 1970, after what must have been my second annual gift.

I haven't stopped giving to Exeter, nor have I stopped writing my own classmates to thank them for their participation in Annual Giving. Even if my letters are electronic, rather than hand-written, I now realize another reason why I maintain that tradition. I was taught by Dick Day.

George Bain '69
Jamesville, NY

A Correction

Reading the article about Phillips Church ("Phillips Church: A New Beginning," Spring 2003), I found something that needs to be corrected. In a sidebar, you mention that the church is home to many faith groups, "not only Christian, but also Jewish and Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu, Quaker and others." This description suggests that Quakers are not Christians. I have been a member of the Religious Society of Friends (known commonly as Quakers) since I was about 5 years old, and like all Quakers I consider myself a Christian. We use the same Bible and have the same beliefs as other Christians, the only difference being that we have no formal liturgy.

Peter W. Franck '47 Hockessin, DE

Climbing in Bob Bates' Footsteps

Earlier this year, Josh Wharton '97 received the Robert Hicks Bates Award, given annually by the American Alpine Club to a young climber who has "demonstrated exceptional skill and character in the climbing or mountaineering arts, and shows outstanding promise for future accomplishments." The award was created to honor Bates, a past president of the club. Wharton and his climbing partner Brian McMahon were cited for their expedition to the Trango Glacier in the Karakoram Range of the Himalyas. According to the citation, "After spending 38 of the first 40 days of a 49-day expedition in a tent, Josh and Brian got a weather window. In the ensuing five days, they bagged the first ascent of the Flame, a 2,300-foot tooth jutting above the Haina Brakh Glacier and did the first-ever alpine-style ascent of Shipton's Spire. Both ascents speak to the finest traditions of American alpinism."

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