National Board of Visitors: October 25 - 26, 2007

First row – Kristen (Krissy) Cox ’98; Richard Wolgin ’67; Calvin Morris ’59; Reese Davis ’45; Daniel (Dan) Fascione ’49; Steven Weiner ’58; Susan Rochlis ’66; Robin Blumenfeld Switzenbaum ’72; John Chin ’83 and Richard (Rick) Hunt ’74. Second row – Judy Love Keogh ’55, Wilson Ferguson ’51 and Wendell Pritchett ’82. Third row – Mathieu (Matt) Shapiro ’87, president of the NBOV; Gabriella (Gaby) Jordan ’76; and Tracy Romans ’75. Top row – Johanna Brownell ’86; Lucinda (Cindy) Covington ’84; Josh Piven ’89; and Martha Eisenberg ’85.J

Left to right: Michael Fitts ’71, recipient of the Distinguished Alumni/ae Award; Dick Hoffman, recipient of the Meritorious Service Award; and Jane Ashcom, retired English teacher and head of upper school.


Left to right: Rose Hagan, head of school, Chuck Block '81, Tracy Romans '75.

Graduates from every decade since the 1940s came to Philadelphia for the third annual gathering of the National Board of Visitors in late October.  The agenda for the two-day visit was filled with classroom visits, school tours, meetings, presentations and a “state of the school” address.  A highlight of the meeting was the seventh annual Haviland Lecture – this year a private screening of The Kite Runner for members of the NBOV and invited guests, followed by a reception.  The screening was arranged by alumna Karen Switzenbaum ’94, director of social marketing at Participant Productions.

Another highlight was the all-school Meeting for Worship.  The school’s contemporary version of the alma mater, written by Will Wright ’08, was premiered to the community with a performance by the upper school chorus.  In a ceremony following Meeting, Michael Fitts ’71, dean of the University of  Pennsylvania School of Law, was awarded the Distinguished Alumni/ae Award.  Dick Hoffman, former member of the school’s faculty and administration, who is currently the Friends Select archivist, was awarded the Meritorious Service Award. 

On Friday and Saturday, October 26 and 27, members of the classes of 1967, 1977, 1987 and 1992 held their reunions.  “Under Stuart Land’s guidance, the alumni/ae association has been remarkably reinvigorated,” says head of school Rose Hagan, who attended the 1967 reunion. “At the reunion, I overheard alumni and alumnae talking about the school as if they had been here only yesterday.  And the enthusiasm and dedication of the NBOV is truly unparalleled.”

The National Board of Visitors is a group of alumni/ae who gather yearly to learn more about the school, rekindle emotional ties, and develop relationships with administrators, faculty and current students.  The objective is to strengthen the school’s connection with alumni/ae and benefit from their experience and insight on a variety of issues. 

The Board of Visitors includes 30 members, each of whom will serve a two-year term.  Members were chosen by a committee consisting of the alumni/ae council president, the director of alumni/ae programs, the school archivist, directors of development and marketing, and the head of school.

The current National Board of Visitors includes the following alumni/ae, listed by their year of graduation:

C. Richard Cryer, honorary alumnus
1944 Thomas B. Gerlach
1945 Reese P. Davis, II
1945 G. Edward Thompson
1949 Daniel Fascione
1951 J. Wilson Ferguson
1954 Suzanne Root
1955 Judy Love Keogh
1958 Steve Weiner
1959 Calvin S. Morris
1966 Susan Rochlis
1967 Richard Wolgin
1970 Kalman H. Stein
1972 Robin Blumenfeld Switzenbaum
1974 Rick Hunt
1975 Tracy L. Romans
1976 Gaby Jordan
1980 Peter Jaffe
1981 Chuck Block
1982 Wendell Pritchett
1983 John W. Chin
1984 Lucinda Harper Covington
1985 Martha Eisenberg
1986 Johanna Brownell
1987 Mathieu J. Shapiro, President
1989 Joshua Piven, Vice-President
1991 Philip Weinberg
1995 Levan A. Payton
1998 Kristen A. Cox
1998 Jocelyn Firth
2000 Christopher S. Arlene

For more information, contact Stuart Land, Director of Alumni/ae Programs: stuart@friends-select.org