From the Fall 2011 Caller

Every year the alumni association recognizes former Catlin Gabel students for their life work and accomplishments. Through their unique contributions, these alumni embody the school philosophy in “qualities of character, intelligence, responsibility, and purpose.” The 2010–11 honorees were recognized during Alumni Weekend at the celebration of leadership and service event in June.

Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award: David Shipley ’81

David is a Catlin Gabel lifer and a graduate of Williams College. In 1985–86 he received a Watson Fellowship, which is a one-year grant for independent study for travel outside the United States awarded to graduating seniors nominated in participating institutions. David lives in Brooklyn, New York. He is the son of John and the late Joan Shipley (former trustee and development director), and brother of Ann ’83 and Tom ’87, who is married to Megan Sullivan Shipley ’87.

Distinguished Alumni Service Award: Roz Nelson Babener ’68

Distinguished Younger Alumni Award: Dr. Angel M. Foster ’91

“I feel very privileged to have grown up in environment that was at once intellectually challenging and nurturing, that set high expectations for all students and supported us to exceed them, and that valued critical thinking, exploration, and debate but demanded this take place in the context of respecting others. And I feel especially grateful to have been part of a community that placed primacy on creativity and individual expression, and supported all of us to undertake our various journeys.” —Dr. Angel M. Foster ’91, distinguished younger alumni award recipient

Joey Day Pope ’54 Volunteer Award: Brenda Miller Olson

The Joey Day Pope ’54 Volunteer Award was established in 1992 to honor its namesake, an outstanding volunteer. This award is given each year to a Catlin Gabel community member who personifies volunteerism within our community. 

From the Fall 2011 Caller

In 2005 Catlin Gabel received a great boost of $2 million from the Malone Family Foundation to establish the Malone Scholars program. Selection for the grant was an unexpected honor: the school was chosen by the Malone Foundation as part of its small roster of independent schools that meet its rigorous criteria. Funds from this endowment grant have supplied financial aid for 15 Middle and Upper School students so far, selected by the school for their exceptional academic motivation and capability, as well as financial need. Kayce Coulterpark ’07 was one of our first Malone Scholars, and here we find out what she’s been up to since her graduation.

Kayce Coulterpark ’07 was fascinated by her senior year classes at Catlin Gabel in advanced physics and chemistry. “Every day I would drive home with my sister and could not stop talking about the cool things I had learned that day, and how they explained a little more about how the world works,” she says. “Thinking about those worldly applications (or explanations, if you will) is what first drew me to science.” Kayce brought that curiosity about science to her studies at Oregon State University. During her sophomore year she worked at a lab in the Linus Pauling Institute, and at the end of that year she “settled” on a major in chemistry. But as she got involved in the student chemistry club, the field grew into a passion for her. She designed an upper-division chemistry laboratory experiment for her University Honors College thesis project, which will be included in a textbook written by the leader of her physical chemistry lab.

By Nadine Fiedler

From the Fall 2011 Caller

He was called “the last of the old-time merchandisers” by Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan. From the time he left college, Phil Hawley ’43 worked tirelessly in the retail business—working up from windows and stockrooms to a position as CEO of the retail giant Carter Hawley Hale. In the midst of his successes, Phil never forgot his experiences at the Gabel Country Day School—and never lost sight of the vital importance of education.

Nadine Fiedler is the editor of the Caller and Catlin Gabel’s director of publications and public relations.

By Nadine Fiedler

From the Summer 2011 Caller

Caprice Neely, a true hands-on girl, loved art and woodshop when she attended Catlin Gabel’s Lower School. The skills she developed in making and building, combined with her aesthetic sense, formed the basis for her long career in footwear design.

After three years Caprice moved to Nike, and with the exception of one foray into another venture, she’s been there ever since. She helped envision and create the first Nike sportswear line, and today she works on a creative team with the freedom to design the next big thing.

Caprice Neely's Cityknife shoe and sketches for Nike

“It’s amazing for me to think back to the foundation I received at Catlin Gabel, especially in art. I was encouraged to do and try anything. It gave me the confidence in myself to know that I would succeed if I worked hard enough.”

By Nadine Fiedler

From the Summer 2011 Caller

Among the many media that vie for our attention, video has become a familiar presence in all our lives. In his work with video, Pat Carew ’93 navigates a particular intersection of entertainment, education, and persuasive storytelling.

“Soccer was not a big deal for me until I went to Catlin Gabel for high school. I would love to make a feature film someday — a compelling soccer drama. That’s not been done before!”

By Nadine Fiedler

From the Summer 2011 Caller

What these buildings also reflect is John’s personal warmth and humility—not to mention his charisma, technical expertise, and great senses of both humor and aesthetics. This winning combination has resulted in an impressive array of work that he’s done, in Oregon and elsewhere, for private homes as well as governmental and commercial facilities.

John had a penchant for art and architecture from his youth. He came to Catlin Gabel because of its superb art department. He spent a lot of time in the clay room, where he made his first houses out of clay. Those little clay houses from the clay room provided just the right touch in his architecture school interview to get him accepted.

So take a look at his projects. Look for the details: the waves of stone anchoring the house on the coast and its eyebrow dormer, the stream that runs under the house with a viewing window in the hall floor, the way a large house has the coziness of a small cabin, the way different tones of wood harmonize. They are the grace notes that mark the works of a creative talent in love with what he does.

“Catlin Gabel made architecture school easy, because I had already learned to write and study.”

By Nadine Fiedler

From the Summer 2011 Caller

It’s all about having a cerebral, conceptual turn of mind. Ernie relishes the challenges, social commentary, and verbal play of the fringes of the theater world as much as the intense, mathematical world of physics. In his job he draws on these proclivities and experiences, creating engaging play for the gamer and earning patents for ingenious systems he’s developed.

Ernie stumbled into avant-garde theater at Catlin Gabel, influenced by teacher Alan Greiner, and was encouraged to read writers such as Eugene Ionesco. “In college and graduate school I was up to my eyeballs in creative theater,” says Ernie. In Los Angeles he immersed himself in avant-garde theater with great artistic freedom—until he turned 30 and was tired of being broke.

“All that I do was planted as seeds at Catlin Gabel—theater, science, English, history. I draw on all of it between my job and my art. My education has been so incredibly valuable to me. You can’t put a price on it.”  

Photo at right: Ernie Lafky '81 (left) and Lisa Wymore in Remote by Sara Kraft and Ed Purver

By Nadine Fiedler

From the Summer 2011 Caller

Jason’s interest in theater flourished at Catlin Gabel, and he thought he’d pursue a path as a performer or director. But the film world called to him, and after college he moved to Los Angeles to work in the film industry. He worked for a feature film director, and then in the writer’s office of a TV show. When the show ended, Jason pursued his interest in design by earning a graduate degree in architecture. He used that experience to get a job designing not buildings, but movies, working in previsualization first at Pixel Liberation Front (on Iron Man and others) and now at Dreamworks Animation on films such as Megamind and Madagascar 3.

"Catlin Gabel gave me space to explore and a foundation to build on. I can still trace a lot of my creative inclinations to my time there. My graduate school thesis grew out of interests I developed my freshman year in Robert Medley’s class."

By Nadine Fiedler

From the Summer 2011 Caller

As a human factors researcher at design firm IDEO, an award-winning global design firm, Peter Bromka ’00 thrives in an atmosphere where creativity is expected. IDEO’s mission is to help its clients innovate, from government agencies to consumer product manufacturers to schools and more.

“As a Catlin Gabel lifer, I’ve done art forever and gotten great exposure to art and design. Good art teachers teach you not to reject art in your life, even if you’re not perfect at it.”