In their own words...
Ted Sizer was fond of saying that it should be a privilege to attend Andover, but that attending Andover should not be just for the privileged. I feel that it has been a great privilege to be able to attend Andover for 36 years. During that time, I have learned a great deal, been stretched in many directions, and enjoyed some memorable experiences.
Andover is a community that expects each person to bring their “A” game each day. Throughout my career I have endeavored to meet that challenge; sometimes I have succeeded and sometimes I have not quite achieved a “6” for my efforts. In any case, my tenure at Andover has been a fulfilling challenge, and I am very grateful that Dick Lux and Jack Richards saw fit to offer me the opportunity to teach at Andover in April of 1980.
Teaching at Andover is a treat. The students are bright and motivated. The faculty are thoughtful and passionate. My colleagues in the Department of Mathematics were supportive and stimulating from the first day. Morse Hall has always felt like home to me. When I arrived at Morse, the department was engaged in rewriting the precalculus curriculum, and there were two competing approaches. Those of us who were new were recruited by one or the other of the two groups to experiment with their materials. At the time, I worked closely with George Best, and it was always exciting to be handed the day’s teaching materials by George just as I was walking into class on any given day. No answers to the problems were supplied and sometimes the typos in the materials made the problems unsolvable, which led to interesting discussions in class about how to fix a particular problem so that it could be solved. Typos in the text found by a student earned the perceptive student a quarter. Students spent a good deal of time at the board solving the homework problems, as this was the only way to arrive at the consensus answers in the allotted time. It was also a good way for the students to teach each other. Developing original problems for teaching materials and editing explanations for the developing text book was an excellent learning experience. It also led to my coauthoring two math text books, something I never thought of doing before I came to Andover.
For me, coaching has always been an important aspect of the job. Working with Leon Modeste and Lou Bernieri, Raj Mundra, Chip Dunn, and all the other coaches in football, Paul Kalkstein and Bob Hulbert in lacrosse, and Chris Gurry in hockey has been a tremendous privilege and source of enjoyment for me. I have enjoyed each season and have, I hope, contributed to each program’s success along the way. Two memorable seasons are the 1995 and 2013 undefeated football seasons. In each case, the players and coaches worked together to fulfill the goal we set for ourselves on the first day, and we had fun along the way. There were plenty of other memorable games and seasons, but these two stand out. My season coaching hockey with Chris Gurry was also memorable. During that winter I learned a great deal from Chris about hockey (and other things) on our many lengthy bus trips, together with the team and Mike Kuta, to various schools and colleges throughout New England. Working with Paul Kalkstein and Bob Hulbert in lacrosse stretched my knowledge of the game. The season when we finally beat Longmeadow High School with our zone defense and the diamond ride was a particular high point. Through all 36 years of coaching seasons, while winning was front and center, we also always enjoyed the journey.
Administrative work has been a major part of my career at Andover. Whether it was as dean of students and residential life or as COO/CFO, I have been supported by terrific teams of individuals who are the major authors of any successes accomplished during my tenure. Because of the many opportunities I have been afforded during my Andover career, I have continued to be stretched professionally and life has never been dull. Working with Barbara Chase and the rest of the senior administrative team through two capital campaigns was energizing, fulfilling, and a great deal of fun.
I owe a big thank you to my wife, Adele, and my kids, Stephen and Emily, who have supported me throughout my various endeavors. I still enjoy my walk to the office each day. Approaching the main campus via School Street never fails to remind me of how lucky I’ve been to spend most of my career at such a great place.