STA News

Alumni in the News

Nolan Musslewhite '20

Nolan Musslewhite ’20, now a senior majoring in history at Princeton University, has been named a Marshall Scholar, which will support two years of study in the U.K., as reported on the university's website.

Musslewhite plans to spend the first year pursuing an M.A. in African studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, and then a year working toward an MSt in history in the Modern British History strand at the University of Oxford.

The Marshall Scholar program supports “intellectually gifted distinguished young Americans, their country’s leaders,” and their efforts to “contribute to the advancement of knowledge in science, technology, the humanities and social sciences and the creative arts.

According to the Princeton website, Musslewhite is also minoring in European studies, humanistic studies, and classics; working on a certificate in history and the practice of diplomacy; and serving as a mentor in the Humanities Council’s Program in Humanistic Studies. He is also a member of the Behrman Undergraduate Society of Fellows, “a group of juniors and seniors committed to the study of humanistic inquiry.”



A week from the Oscars, Washington Post movie  critic Ann Hornaday profiled best actor nominee Jeffrey Wright ’83. Writes Hornaday in “Jeffrey Wright Is Finally in the Oscar Hunt. He’s Ready”: Throughout ‘American Fiction,’ Wright delivers the kind of star turn he was born for, deftly navigating comedy, pathos, spiky social commentary and a sly performance-within-a-performance — all with his signature blend of screen-friendly charisma and judicious understatement.”


Ben Rothenberg '05 recently hosted an event in Washington D.C. to promote his new book about Naomi Osaka. Read St. Albans' coverage of the event here


"In a city known for underappreciated rappers, Southeast D.C’s Beau Young Prince is on a mission to boost the entire city’s hip-hop output. The rapper works part-time as an artist consultant, helping others navigate the industry he knows well — he was immersed in the Los Angeles music scene for three years while on iconic hip-hop record label Def Jam before he moved back to D.C. and went fully independent in 2021." Enjoy a recent DCist profiled of Beau Young Prince '09.


Clift "Andy" Seferlis '88 is carrying on the legacy of his father, who carved many of the gargoyles on the Cathedral. The Washingtonian recently profiled his work. (Image Credit: Washingtonian)


Jesse Hubbard '94 was recently inducted into the Professional Lacrosse League Hall of Fame. He was a five-time MLL All-Star, with 319 career points (23rd all-time), 225 career goals (19th all-time), 15 career 2-point goals (22nd all-time), and 79 career assists. Read more here. (Image Credit: PLL)


Tai Dinger ’14 earned 3rd place in the USA Track & Field 5K Road Race National Championship, crossing the finish line in 13:46.6. Read more here.


Emmy award-winning journalist Arthur Jones II ’13 is a producer/reporter for ABC News based in DC. In October, Arthur was humbled to receive an Exemplar Award from Indiana University’s Neal-Marshall Alumni Club. The award honors Black/African American alumni, faculty, and staff who have made significant professional, social, or national contributions. Read more here.



The Ukraine Government presented Thomas Billington ’82, CEO and Founder, Billington CyberSecurity, with one of its highest cybersecurity awards for his ongoing efforts to highlight global cyber threats exposed by the war against Ukraine. To read the full press release, click here.


After 1,445 days recovering from injury, Matt Bowman ’09 toed the rubber again in a Major League stadium. Taking the mound in the historic Fenway Park, for the New York Yankees in a rivalry game against the Boston Red Sox, Bowman twirled a scoreless inning. Click here for more information.

Luke Russert ’04 recently sat down with Chuck Todd on Meet the Press to discuss his new book, Look For Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself, which reflects on the death of his father, Tim Russert, and the impact of losing his dad at a young age.


Joey Toker ’17, a first-year MD-PhD student at Harvard Medical School, recently directed an admissions video, “Ain’t Just Another Doc,” welcoming the newest class to Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

Matthew Merril ’22
Food influencer Matthew Merril ’22 was recently featured by Cornellians for his dorm room culinary creations. With 2.6 million followers on TikTok, Merril has been able to secure corporate partnerships, speaking engagements, and a cookbook, Teen Baking Bootcamp, because of his talent and reach to younger audiences. Enjoy the article and be sure to check out Merril’s recipe for dorm-style blondies!

The Honorable James “Jeb” Boasberg ’81
As chief judge of the federal district court in Washington, D.C., The Honorable James “Jeb” Boasberg ’81 will oversee high-profile grand jury probes into former President Donald Trump. Read and listen to a recent profile done on Boasberg by NPR’s Carrie Johnson.

Clancy Brown ’77 as “The Harbinger”
 
Clancy Brown ’77 recently sat down with Sam Briger for an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air. Often portraying the villain in stories, Brown stated, “… As long as the script has a rationale for the bad guy—bad guys never think they’re bad guys. … They think they’re on a mission.” You can catch Brown as “The Harbinger” in the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4, in theaters March 24.
 
Danny Rouhier ’97
Danny Rouhier ’97 was recently inducted into the George Washington Athletics Hall of Fame for baseball. Appearing in 203 games during his career at GW, Rouhier hit .331 with 167 runs scored, 55 doubles, six triples, 36 homers, 194 RBIs, and 89 walks. Upon his graduation, Rouhier was the program’s all-time RBI leader and ranked among its top-five in seven different categories. He remains within the top-11 in program history in hits, runs, RBIs, doubles, and home runs. Click here to read more.

Jeff Zients ’84

Jeff Zients ’84 will assume the chief of staff position for President Biden in the coming weeks. Zients previously steered the administration’s coronavirus response and largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history. Read more about the transition in The Washington Post.

WIlson Ricks '14
For a Washington Post opinion piece “Fusion Power Is Tantalizing, but It Won’t Save the Planet,” members of the paper’s editorial board called on Wilson Ricks ’14 to discuss the challenges of harnessing the electricity produced in a fusion reaction Ricks is a Ph.D. candidate at Princeton University, where he researches macro-energy systems and the value of low-carbon energy technologies, including enhanced geothermal power and nuclear fusion. Read more.


Will Friend ’06
Actress Bevin Price, widow of Will Friend ’06, was recently featured on Good Morning America, where she discussed her love for her late husband and how she’s been processing his passing.


Arthur Jones ’13

Arthur Jones ’13 has been covering education for ABC News since May. In his most recent article, he takes a closer look at what’s driving a nationwide shortage of Black male educators.

Carroll Goddard Page (STA 1913)
Tune into the History Channel’s The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters at 10 pm, on November 29, for the story of the disappearance of the USS Cyclops on or around March 4, 1918. Carroll Goddard Page (STA 1913) was the Assistant Paymaster on board that voyage. The disappearance of 306 crew members and passengers is still the single largest, non-combat related loss of life in U.S. Navy history. To date, no trace of the ship has ever been found. Watch the preview of the episode and stream it the next day on the History Channel website.

Henry Large ’18
Henry Large ’18, a senior studying Spanish and history at Yale, has been named a Rhodes scholar—and is one of only 32 students from the United States to receive this honor. He will begin studying at the University of Oxford in the fall of 2023, where he plans to pursue an M.Phil. in Latin American Studies—a topic he became fascinated with thanks to teachers Ms. Castellanos Evans, Ms. Simon, Ms. Rivera, and Ms. Rusher. In high school, Henry enjoyed putting his Spanish to use while getting to know his coworkers at a pub on Connecticut Ave. Since then he has worked as a translator for Latin American asylum seekers, interned with a USAID-funded NGO in Guatemala City, and trained with the Guatemalan national rugby team. After Oxford, Henry plans to become an officer of the Marine Corps. With a master’s in Latin American Studies and his Spanish-speaking abilities, he will be eligible to serve as a foreign area officer in Latin America. Congratulations, Henry!

BrentonWoo

Brenton Woo ’95
is featured in William & Mary's fall alumni magazine, which explores the development by Woo (a surfer and entrepreneur) of a one-of-a-kind surfboard. W&M reports in “Riding the Startup Wave”: “[Woo] believes he has created a product with the potential to improve the experience of surfing. He says his San Diego-based company, Moda Surfboards, makes the world’s first high-performance soft surfboards. Less expensive and more environmentally friendly than traditional fiberglass boards, Moda’s patented boards incorporate an internal wooden core that makes them more stable and more controllable than conventional soft foam surfboards, he says. He describes the boards as accessible for beginners without sacrificing the performance sought by experienced surfers. “Surfing is fun,” Woo told W&M. “You’re active, you’re outdoors. You’re in tune with the environment. It feels good. Why wouldn’t I want to share that with everyone? If my technology can make it more fun for more people, why not bring it out? That’s what compels me to keep going forward.”

Conversation about Fakes & Forgeries

Christopher Platts ’01
, assistant professor of art history in the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, joined in a conversation on WVXU’s Cincinnati Edition about fakes and forgeries in art and the upcoming exhibition Fakes, Forgeries, and Followers in the Taft Collection (on display from October 22, 2022, to February 5, 2023).


"Jackson, You Are Dying," the latest release by music producer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and college senior Jackson Velli ’19 and his band Picture Us Tiny is being promoted on a Times Square digital billboard. Velli is a senior in Syracuse University's Bandier Program for Recording and Entertainment Industries.


Yuki Kinoshita ’18
Yuki Kinoshita ’18 and business co-founder, Noah Silverman, will appear on ABC’s Shark Tank Friday, October 21, at 8:00 pm ET/7:00 pm CT to pitch their “dog bed for humans,” Plufl. Be sure to tune in and set your DVR! Learn more about Plufl at https://weareplufl.com, and read more about their experience in this article from the University of British Columbia, their alma mater.

Ben Chew '80
St. Albans parent Ben Chew '80 recently received national attention while representing Johnny Depp in court. Depp, who sued Amber Heard for defamation, was led by Chew in an intense six week trial and will receive ten million dollars on behalf of Heard. You can watch an interview of Chew reflecting on the trial here

Will-Bausch_Fulbright
Will Bausch ’18 was awarded a Fulbright grant by the U.S. State Department. For the next year, he will live in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he will teach English at a local university. As an American cultural ambassador, Bausch will use his Azerbaijani language skills, which he developed during the summer of 2021, to volunteer with the Baku American Center, an organization dedicated to educating Azerbaijani citizens about American culture.

Nolan Musslewhite '20
Nolan Musslewhite ’20 recently summited Mt. Kilimanjaro (the tallest freestanding mountain in the world at 19,341 ft.) with some Princeton friends before their summer Swahili program and brought along his STA Class of 2020 banner for the occasion!

Stuart Holliday '83
The Hon. Stuart Holliday ’83, CEO of Meridian International Center and a former U.S. ambassador at the United Nations, was honored with the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in a decoration ceremony on May 2, 2022. Ambassador Holliday was officially recognized for his lifetime passion and dedication to strengthening the relationship between the U.S. and France in the diplomatic, cultural, and military spheres. Read more.

Christian Potter ’18
Photo by Denise J. Applewhite, Princeton University

Congratulations to Christian Potter ’18, who has been named co-winner of Princeton’s 2022 Moses Taylor Pyne Honor Prize, the university’s highest general distinction for an undergraduate. The president of Undergraduate Student Government at Princeton, Potter is concentrating in the School of Public and International Affairs. Emily Pronin, an associate professor of psychology and public affairs, noted: “Christian is amazing — he is intellectually curious, humble, committed, internally motivated, outgoing, compassionate and mature.” Added Pronin: “He is the type of student who one can imagine succeeding at whatever they choose to pursue.” Click here to read more.

Randall Kennedy ’73
Randall Kennedy ’73 was recently featured in the Harvard Law Bulletin’s winter 2022 issue in an article titled “Maverick in the Middle.” His seventh and latest book Say It Loud!: On Race, Law, History, and Culture is a collection of almost 30 essays written over the last three decades, in which Kennedy grapples with how experiences shaped his views on the central racial issues of our times.

Max Niles ’18
Tune into the Jeopardy! National College Championship on ABC on Friday, February 11, from 8:00-9:00 pm ET, to see Max Niles ’18 compete for Brown University! You can stream the episode the next day on Hulu.

Brandon Victor Dixon ’99
Brandon Victor Dixon ’99 electrified television audiences with his performances in “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Rent, Live!” The Tony, Emmy, and Grammy nominee brought his stunning vocals and signature artistry to a soulful celebration of Broadway in PBS’s Stars on Stage from Westport Country Playhouse. Click here to watch his performance.
Brian Wallach ’99

Brian Wallach ’99 was diagnosed with ALS the day his daughter came home from the hospital. In the time since, he’s radically changed how medical advocacy works and how the government approaches medical research. Read recent articles in Politico (“He Was Given 6 Months to Live. Then He Changed D.C.”) and the New York Times ("A Race to Rethink Care After a Dire Diagnosis") to learn more about his advocacy work! 

Jasper Boers ’18
Congratulations to Jasper Boers ’18 who has been selected as a 2023 Schwarzman Scholar for graduate study at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. A senior at Yale University, this prestigious fellowship will allow Boers to learn more about the intersection of Chinese foreign and domestic policy while pursuing a master’s degree in global affairs. Click here to read more.

Randall Kennedy ’73
The New York Times’s Pamela Paul interviewed Randall Kennedy ’73 about his latest book Say It Loud, a collection of 29 essays about race, law, academia, history, and culture. As the Michael R. Klein Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, Kennedy teaches courses on contracts, criminal law, and the regulation of race relations. “I thought the United States was much further down the road to racial decency than it is,” Kennedy told Paul. “I used to be a quite confident racial optimist. I am not any longer. I’m still in the optimistic camp—I do think that we shall overcome—but I’m uneasy. I’m uneasy in a way that was simply not the case, let’s say, ten years ago.” Listen to the podcast (1:15-34:24) or read the review.


Danny Rouhier ’97Danny Rouhier ’97, host of the Grant & Danny show on 106.7 The Fan, will be inducted into George Washington University’s Athletic Hall of Fame this year. A GWU Hall of Famer, Rouhier was named to the All-Atlantic 10 Second Team in 2002 and to the All-Atlantic 10 All-Championship Team in 2000 and 2001. GWU Baseball Coach Gregg Ritchie surprised Rouhier with the news on the air: “Welcome to the Hall, Danny. Your career was fabulous and it’s an honor for us to have you in the Hall of Fame. For those who don’t know how good—I know Danny jokes a lot on the show about his baseball prowess—but I’m just gonna say one thing about his statistical career real quick. Games played: 203; and 194 RBI. Are you kidding me?”


Tai Dinger ’14
Congratulations to Tai Dinger ’14 who recently broke 4:00 for the mile with a time of 3:57.72 at the Sir Walter Miler.


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Congratulations to former Baltimore Ravens Offensive Tackle Jonathan Ogden ’92 for being named to the All-time Team Roster in celebration of 100 years of the NFL. Watch his tribute video at https://www.nfl.com/100/all-time-team/roster. Click the button labeled OT in the banner to view Ogden’s video. The photo featured above was taken by Jonathan Hauck ’95 in 1991 at a game against Peddie School.


GeistTopping

An art piece by Geist Topping ’19 was recently selected to be exhibited at the London Art Biennale 2021, which is currently taking place at the historic Chelsea Old Town Hall on King’s Road in London. Click here to view his work on the Biennale website.



The National Theatre recently announced the inaugural Brandon Victor Dixon ’99 (BVD) Awards for excellence in high school musical theatre. This fall, local high schools in the DMV will be invited to participate by submitting their fully-staged musical theatre productions for consideration. As an official Regional Awards Program, The National Theatre’s BVD Awards will feed directly into the national NHSMTA® celebration, and the top two winners from the 2021-2022 BVD Awards season will be invited to compete at the 2022 Jimmy Awards® in New York City. Click here for more information.


John Rice '84The Washington Post recently profiled John Rice ’84, founder and CEO of Management Leadership for Tomorrow. According to the Post, the nonprofit’s mission is to elevate people of color, in particular Black, Latinx and Native Americans, into executive positions through the principles of athletics — especially basketball, which Rice still plays regularly in pickup games.


Buddy Bardenwerper ’08, who served in the Coast Guard, offered a powerful keynote speech at a celebration honoring senior student-athletes about facing adversity and finishing strong. “I know what it’s like to lose the opportunity to do something that you love,” said Bardenwerper, who served in the Coast Guard until a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis led to a sudden and undesired medical retirement. “My experience and yours are proof that our worlds can change on a dime, in that opportunities can vanish as quickly as they appear. Therefore, you have a duty to yourself to take advantage of the blessings in your life when you have them.” Bardenwerper concluded with a tribute to Coach Schnell.


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“I’m not here to predict the Robot Apocalypse!” announced Rob Gingell ’72, who visited Michael Hansen’s AP Computer Science Class via Zoom on May 20. Instead, he shared about his experience in the field—he was among a select few honored for their contributions to the evolution of Unix operating systems—and advice for future computer science practitioners. Read more.



Mike Rosenbaum ’90 announced in May 2021 that he is running for Maryland governor. Rosenbaum, who is chief executive of Arena, which he founded, told the Washington Post: “We’re one of the richest states in the richest country in the entire world, and the fact that there is poverty and a lack of economic mobility in Maryland is just a systemic choice or a lack of a decision that we made and that needs to end,” he said. “I’ve spent 20 years building companies that deal with those questions.”



Arthur Jones ’13 recently sat down to interview Charles Snowden ’17 about his football career and platform as an athlete activist.

Michael Collins '48
It’s with a heavy heart that we share that Michael Collins ’48 passed on April 28, 2021. We celebrate his life and all he contributed through service to this nation and space exploration. Visit www.stalbansschool.org/MichaelCollins to view photos from his time at STA and beyond and read the profile of him by School Archivist Mark Wilkerson, which appeared in the summer 2019 Bulletin.


Sandy Walker ’60
Sandy Walker’s ’60 exhibition of paintings and drawings, “Our Time,” is currently being featured at SHOH Gallery in Berkeley, Calif., through March 27. If you are in the Bay Area, you can view the exhibit Thursday-Saturday from 11 am-5 pm or by appointment. Join Sandy, gallery owner Julie McCray, and other artists for a virtual visit via Zoom on March 18, at 5 pm PDT/8 pm EDT. Click here to join the virtual visit.


Cosby Hunt ’89
The Washington Post recently featured a perspective article about Cosby Hunt’s ’89 “Real World History” course. Created in 2014, “Real World History” affords D.C. high school students the opportunity to explore the Great Migration in more detail by interviewing people who were a part of it. Said Hunt: “The Great Migration is an important thing. Look it up in a textbook, and it maybe gets a page. But it’s the music we listen to, the food we eat, even the words we use.”


Beau Young Prince ’09
Congratulations to Beau Young Prince ’09 whose song “We Got the Moves” is featured in Coming 2 America, now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, and on the movie’s soundtrack. You can listen to and download the song on various streaming services and here: https://youtu.be/VoxSOXlnWF4.


Actor and activist Brandon Victor Dixon ’99 recently offered an Upper School assembly talk about social justice and the arts over Zoom. “The arts contribute to the forward movement and evolution of culture and society,” said Dixon, who also described the intersection of arts and advocacy in his own work in The Lion King, The Scottsboro Boys, Motown: The Musical, Rent, and Hamilton. Read more and watch the recorded assembly.

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Congratulations to Jeff Zients ’84 who was appointed to lead the COVID-19 team under President Biden.


Prodcued by Arthur Jones '13
Arthur Jones ’13, a producer at CBS This Morning, created this segment on the reopening of Monument Academy, a D.C. boarding school for at-risk youths, for the series A More Perfect Union

Josh Byrnes ’88
Congratulations to Josh Byrnes ’88, Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations for the World Series Champions Los Angeles Dodgers!


Will Pack ’11
Reserve Officer William Pack ’11 was recently honored with a Lifesaving Medal from the Metropolitan Police Department for his assistance in response to a disturbing emergency situation.


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The Hon. Jeb Boasberg ’81 of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia recently returned to campus for a Remote-Plus session with Form VI, and Tip Myers ’11, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy who served as a Marine Corps Infantry officer for five years, during which time he deployed to Japan, Korea, and Europe, and served as company commander, returned to speak to Form V.


Garrett Lowe ’84  Tom Duckenfield ’82
Garrett Lowe ’84 and Tom Duckenfield ’82 partnered together this summer to offer a five-week, remote-plus class titled Headstones & History. Students researched the family history of former Black residents of Georgetown, with discussions happening via Zoom, and visited the historically Black Mount Zion and Female Union Band Society Cemeteries in Georgetown. Enjoy a recent Washington Post article, as well as beautiful photos by Dwayne Franklin.


Dakota Foster ’17
Dakota Foster ’17 recently co-founded the Athletes of Color Coalition at Trinity College to build a safe, and more diverse environment for student-athletes of color at Trinity. A wide receiver on the varsity football team, Foster serves as President of the Athletes of Color Coalition. Read more.


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Charles Snowden ’17 shared his experience protesting in D.C. with former classmate Areohn Harrison ’16 in a Washington Post article by Gene Wang ’87.


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Brian Barett ’99 recently wrote a feature for Wired Magazine about classmate Brian Wallach’s ’99 movement to give help and hope to others also battling ALS.


Optoro, founded by Toby Moore ’00 and Adam Vitatello ’00, reopened their flagship warehouse in Tennessee days after a tornado and right as the U.S. was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Enjoy the video chronicling their reopening, which features a cameo from Vice President Al Gore ’65!


Frank Snowden ’64
Renowned epidemiologist Frank Snowden ’64 was recently featured on 60 Minutes segment examining the changes that will come following the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an interview in The New Yorker about his new book Epidemics and Society From the Black Death to the Present, Frank Snowden ’64, professor emeritus of medical history at Yale University, stated: “Epidemics are a category of disease that seem to hold up the mirror to human beings as to who we really are … The main part of preparedness to face these events is that we need as human beings to realize that we’re all in this together, that what affects one person anywhere affects everyone everywhere, that we are therefore inevitably part of a species, and we need to think in that way rather than about divisions of race and ethnicity, economic status, and all the rest of it.” Snowden also recently shared lessons learned from historical epidemics on the “Our Bodies, Ourselves” episode of NPR’s On the Media podcast.
 
Andrew Stevovich ’66
Skira Rizzoli is releasing a survey of works by painter Andrew Stevovich ’66. The heavily illustrated volume Andrew Stevovich: Beyond the Figure, edited by Michael Botwinick, features 120 paintings and 239 color illustrations. Note the publisher: “Stevovich’s work is complex and layered. His figures give up their secrets slyly … Deeply rooted in the European painting tradition, Stevovich uses all of the tools developed over the last several centuries to animate his subjects. He borrows deeply from Renaissance painting. He is attuned to the sensibility of the 19th century and to Americans, pre-and post-war. These are the building blocks of his visual vocabulary. However, he is not an artist of historical quotation. All of these influences pass through the lens of his disciplined restraint to remarkable effect.
 
 
Tia Dinger '14
USA Track and Field has announced that Tai Dinger ’14 has joined Team USA for the upcoming Pan Am Cross-Country Championships. Tai is the first STA athlete ever to be named to Team USA for cross-country.


Walter Martin ’93
“Whenever the state of the world gets me down I always listen to him, and I feel better. He finds a lot of beauty and wonder in just the smallest things in life,” noted NPR’s Robert Hilton in announcing the release of a new album by Walter Martin ’93. Corey Seymour, in a Vogue magazine article on the band Jonathan Fire*Eater (formed by Martin and Matt Barrick ’93, Thomas Frank ’92, the late Stewart Lupton ’93, and Paul Maroon ’92), writes that the new album, The World at Night, “just might be [Martin’s] masterpiece.” In her article, Seymour describes Jonathan Fire*Eater as transforming the NY music scene in the 1980s into “an incubator of raw talent.”
 
Stewart Lupton ’93Seymour also notes that a collection of poems by Stewart Lupton ’93 was published posthumously by the Nashville label Third Man. Walter Martin ’93, who dedicated his latest album to Lupton, writes in the introduction, “For Stew, writing was not some hobby. … In wrestling with words and beating them into these magnificent forms, Stew found peace and purpose and a way to connect to a world in which he felt at home – that of art and beauty.
 
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Upper School faculty members Leslie George and Donna Denizé caught up with Brandon Victor Dixon ’99 after his performance in “Next to Normal” at the Kennedy Center on January 30, 2020.

Dixon, in a recent interview with WUSA9’s Reese Waters (Maurice Pearson ’98), Kristen Harris, and Ellen Bryan, talked about his work in theater and his recently founded foundation, We Are Foundation.
 
 
jeffreywright-findingyourroots
Jeffrey Wright ’83 and his family story were featured on the PBS program Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates. “There is a very powerful thing that’s passed through family and through genetic lineage, and it’s more than just physical attributes,” said Wright when Gates showed him his family tree. “I feel these people, I think I have always have felt them. And I appreciate their place here. I appreciate that, despite what institutions, laws as well, people, might have wanted for them, … at some point they defied that and rewrote themselves on their own terms.”
 
 
James Reston ’59
In 1973-74, author James Reston ’59 took a year’s leave from a teaching position at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, to return to Washington, where he became a regular observer of the Senate impeachment hearings of President Richard Nixon. Reston’s detailed diary of what he saw heard and did that year is now published as The Impeachment Diary: Eyewitness to the Removal of a President (Simon & Schuster). The book, according to a Washington Post review, provides “a flavor of what it was like to live through those heady, fearful, historic days.”
 
 
John White ’94
The New Orleans Advocate reports that John White ’94 is stepping down as Louisiana State Superintendent of Education. An editorial in the Advocate hailed White’s years as a success story: “Louisiana is one of the states rising in the national report card, with every grade testing showing some of the best rates of improvement of any state. We’re a long way from where we want to be, but John White has significantly improved our potential to be winners and not laggards in this century.” In his resignation letter, White described his position as “the greatest blessing and privilege of his career.”
 
 
2004-Matthews Lost Holiday
Lost Holiday, directed by brothers Michael Matthews ’01 and Thomas Matthews ’04 by and starring Thomas alongside Kate Lyn Sheil–attracted the attention of the DCist. STA viewers should look for scenes shot in the Lawrence Pool and Activities Building and a cameo by a few young alumni and long-time STA Aquatics Director Rob Green.

 
Gene Wang ’87 Blogs About Jeffrey Wright ’83
Journalist Gene Wang ’87 blogged about actor Jeffrey Wright ’83 and his days as a student-athlete after talking to Wright at the STA dinner celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Skip Grant Program, which brought Wright to St. Albans in sixth grade. Wang reported “A foundational piece to his acting career, Wright said, came from his time participating in sports at St. Albans, where he recalled learning invaluable lessons about practice and teamwork, pillars that also come in handy on the set… So important was it for Wright, who grew up in Southeast, to recognize the Skip Grant Program’s impact on his life that he appeared for the speaking engagement in front of an estimated 300 attendees just a week after the death of his mother.”

 
Andre Perry ’96
Andre Perry ’96 has published his first book, a collection of essays titled Some of Us Are Very Hungry Now (Two Dollar Radio) deemed by Kirkus Review “a very promising book” by “a young writer trying to navigate his way through identity and challenges of race, privilege, sexuality, and culture.” Noted Kirkus: “Chronologically arranged to mark the author’s geographical, psychological, and cultural progression, the essays show that he writes engagingly, feels strongly, thinks obsessively about who he is and what he wants, and doesn’t accomplish anything of lasting significance. He writes about a lot that goes nowhere: sex, relationships, bands, writing, and his graduate degree. Yet throughout his journey of self-discovery, he has been gathering material, experiences that he can mine in writing.”

 
William Clausen ’01
The rise of the phrase quid pro quo and other Latin terms during the impeachment hearings garnered attention from the news media and classicists like William Clausen ’01. Clausen, who chairs the Classics Department at Washington Latin Public Charter School, told the Post: “There is a disproportionate power in knowing Latin words. If you know the root word, you kind of get 19 English words for free.”

 
ill Oakley ’84
Former Simpson’s writer and producer Bill Oakley ’84 offered his perspective on the use of what New York magazine’s Jonathan Chait called the “Sideshow Bob defense,” referring to a Simpsons character in an episode written by Oakley and co-writer-producer Josh Weinstein ’84 one of Oakley and cowriter’s characters.

 
CharlesBergen81Washington Post columnist John Kelly reports on local architect and artist Charles Bergen ’81 and his work to memorialize several area women by creating bas relief portraits of them to be included in old fire department call boxes located around D.C.


JimDenbo
 
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Brian Wallach ’99 was recently featured on NBC’s Sunday Closer for the work he’s doing through his organization, I AM ALS, to find a cure for the progressive neurodegenerative disease.


BillMarriott
Bill Marriott ’50 is blogging about a new biography: Bill Marriott: Success Is Never Final, by Dale Van Atta. Marriott sat for more than 100 hours of interviews with Van Atta, and the result, he says, “is something very personal.”

 
WillGaybrick
The Wall Street Journal reports that Stripe Inc.—a fintech (financial tech) company that creates software allowing businesses (including Airbnb and Lyft) to accept money online—was recently valued at $35 billion, making it one of the highest-priced startups in the United States. Stripe’s Chief Product Officer Will Gaybrick ’03 told the Wall Street Journal: “Stripe is more than ever a bet on the internet as an economic engine.”

 
WillyWalker
Bloomberg’s Money Undercover interviewed Willy Walker ’85, chairman and CEO of Walker & Dunlop, on the commercial real estate market. Asked where he sees the biggest opportunities today, Walker replied: “Industrial has obviously been a very significant sector … but if you look across the board at publicly-traded REITs right now, all of them are trading extremely well, and it’s not sector-specific, and so whether it is multi-family, whether its industrial or office, all of those REITs are showing extremely good value today and I think that’s reflective of the overall commercial real estate market.”


Danny Hultzen '08
Congratulations to Danny Hultzen ’08, who made his Major League debut with the Cubs September 8, 2019. Coming in as a relief pitcher in the seventh inning, Hultzen struck out the side. The Chicago Tribune reports: “Hultzen didn’t have time to ease in to his first appearance. The first batter he faced was 2018 National League MVP Christian Yelich. Hultzen’s first pitch was a strike, and catcher Willson Contreras rolled the ball to the Cubs dugout as a memento.” Hultzen is only the second STA player to play in the Major Leagues. (The first was his STA teammate Matt Bowman ’09, now pitching for the Cincinnati Reds.)  (Photo by Scott Paulus, Milwaukee Brewers.)

The Outlaw Ocean by Ian Urbina '90The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier, by journalist Ian Urbina ’90 made the New York Times Bestseller List in its first week of publication. According to the Times: In ‘The Outlaw Ocean,’ the journalist Ian Urbina highlights how, in overlooking the seas, we’ve allowed that void to become a vacuum for corruption, violence and lawlessness, a stage for gruesome deaths and even more gruesome lives—and then he brings us into intimate contact with those lives, forcing witness.”
 

Michael Bennet '83
U.S. Senator Michael Bennet ’83 released his educational plan as he continues his run for the Democratic presidential nomination. According to the Colorado Sun, Bennet–former Denver superintendent of public schools–told reporters: “I spent a significant part of my life in classrooms. I’ve seen what works.”


Charles Snowden '17
The University of Virginia is celebrating the success of linebacker Charles Snowden ’17 on and off the field. UVAToday reports that Snowden’s pregame ritual involves visits to UVA Children’s Hospital, where he can be found “cradl[ing] a baby suffering from a respiratory disorder. Or read[ing] a book to a child awaiting a heart transplant. Or, bending over a bed, whisper[ing] words of encouragement to a kid who just came out of cancer surgery.”


Canon Martin & Michael Collins '48“From a human point of view, it was a very unusual undertaking in that after the flight … everywhere we went people said, we did it,” astronaut Michael Collins ’48 told NPR on the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. “I don’t know of any event before or since that has had that kind of unanimity. For a little while, under limited circumstances, everyone everywhere seemed united behind what we had done.” Collins also narrated a Google doodle about his trip to, around, and home from the moon and participated in a Bulletin interview with STA archivist Mark Wilkerson.
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Located in Washington D.C., St. Albans School is a private, all boys day and boarding school. For more than a century, St. Albans has offered a distinctive educational experience for young men in grades 4 through 12. While our students reach exceptional academic goals and exhibit first-rate athletic and artistic achievements, as an Episcopal school we place equal emphasis upon moral and spiritual education.