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CELLS AND GENES ARE PARTS OF ANIMALS: ARISTOTLE IN THE LATE 2QTH CENTURY
James N. Jarvis, M.D., SJC '75 (Annapolis)
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Detroit, MI
1
�ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE LEC1'URE 09/16/M
CELLS AND GENES ARE PARTS OF ANIMALS: ARISTOTLE IN THE LATE 20TH CENTURY
Ms. Braun, members of the St. John's faculty, fellow-members of the St. John's community. It is a
pleasure to be your guest this evening and to return to the campus where my intellectual and spiritual
life was nurtured for four years. I must begin by reassuring Mr. Michael Dink that I really do have a
talk planned this evening and that this is not just an elaborately-organized scheme for me to get a
bully-pulpit to regale yet. another generation of St. Johnnies about events that occurred on a nearby
softball field just under 20 years ago. Let me also assure those who think that the words •... mental
lapse .. ." and "Michael Dink" can't be spoken in the same sentence that the full telling of this story will
occur (yet again) during my class's 20th reunion a little more than a year from now.
This lecture has been incubating for more than eight years, since, in fact, my first introduction to
biomedical science in Paul Levine's laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis. Until then, my
exposure to medical research, even in medical school, had been more bookish than practical and my
own view of how hypotheses are generated and tested was, I think, limited. Since that time, I have had
the great privilege of participating in a first-hand way in the investigation of living matter and how it
works. My primary interest in this activity has been a practical one: I have accepted the Baconian
premise that understanding how the body functions or operates under normal conditions is the key to
understanding what happens when it doesn't function or doesn't function well. I have, in effect, taken
a rather narrow and what might otherwise be called mechanistic approach to living matter. More
precisely, I have become interested in how cells, genes, and proteins work (this distinction between the
understanding the whole and the parts, and understanding how something works versus other kinds
of understanding, will be explored further in this lecture). Thus, this lecture will have something of a
narrow focus. Please don't expect insights of a profound nature, either about living matter or about
Aristotle. I am fully aware that there are individuals in this audience (probably sophomores, who have
read just enough Aristotle to be menacing) who may even be expecting me to finish this lecture by
telling you what "life", or living matter is. Please accept my humble apologies for not providing this and
offering, instead, some thoughts about the study of living things and Aristotle's contributions to that
study. During the course of this lecture I will share some of my insights into Aristotle's The Parts of
Animals, and I will also tell you a little bit about how to clone a gene. In the process of doing so, it is
my intention to awaken you to the incredible beauty and complexity of living things and enhance your
respect for Aristotle's understanding of them.
While engaged in this wonderful challenge of understanding the working of nature and its relation to
health and disease, I have been struck by the vocabulary of biological scientists, my friends and
colleagues. Although they themselves may not recognize it, it seems to me that the language of biology
is different from the language of other sciences, certainly different from the languages of geology,
physics, and chemistry, three disciplines I follow at a distance as an interested amateur (largely through
my perusal of the weekly journal, Science). What is more, that language, the language of modem
biological science, reminds me of an older scientific language, a language of a discipline that my friend
and mentor Leon Kass calls natural philosophy as a reminder of its pre·Baconian origins. This language
of biology, I submit, still uses important concepts which have been central to the study of biology since
they were articulated in The Parts of Animals. What I will try to point out to you this evening is how
those concepts articulated by Aristotle more than 2,000 years ago are still used in modem cell and
molecular biology, and I will try to convince you (as I continue to try to convince my colleagues) that
the use of these concepts is appropriate and, I think, necessary. I will this evening argue that not only
is the language of modern biology still essentially "Aristotelian," but that our approach to understanding
2
�living matter and how it works differs little from the paradigm presented in the opening paragraphs
of Parts of Animals. I will, furthermore, try to convince you that "good" and "bad" biological science
rests, to a large extent, upon the investigator's ability to see .the world of living things through
Aristotle's eyes.
a
should point out that I am not using the words "good" and "bad" here in a moral sense. What I mean
by "good science" is a shorthand for investigation that would be publishable in peer-reviewed medical
or scientific journals: experiments and conclusions that would be accepted by other knowledgeable
people in the investigator's field. Whether there is morally "good" and "bad" science, and whether
Aristotle's system of the investigation would recognize such, is a question I will not address here but
might be raised in the question period when I am finished these remarks).
I clearly cannot talk about all of The Parts of Animals this evening, so I have and will restrict my
observations to the opening chapter of the first book, in which Aristotle presents the terms and format
for the ensuing discussion. I think that this is really the richest part of the book, because, at risk of
stealing my own thunder, I believe that the genius of Aristotle is not his own particular observations
about animals and the functions of their parts. Many or most of his observations have not subsequently
been found either verifiable or generalizable. Rather, Aristotle's brilliance, at least in the field of
biology, rests in his having provided the framework for all future discussions about living matter.
I will share an anecdote that introduces some of the points that I will be making in the rest of this talk.
I was visiting a colleague at the University of Michigan Medical Center in nearby Ann Arbor last
winter, and, like a polite and interested scientist, I asked her how her work was going. She beamed and
proudly answered, "Great! I think I've found a function for my gene." This is a response that perhaps
only another cell or molecular biologist could understand or appreciate. Suffice it to say that, while the
modern revolution in molecular biology and medicine has given us tremendous power to clone and
sequence genes from every species of living matter, including human beings, those of us engaged in this
sort of endeavor are actually looking for something more than a genomic or complementary DNA library
and a gene sequence. What my colleague was telling me, I think, was that she had finished the 20th
century part of her work (discovering; cloning, and sequencing a gene), but that her work was seriously
deficient until she had done the Aristotelian part. She understood that a gene sequence in itself is a
rather paltry contribution to science and very unlikely to be published in a prestigious journal or by
itself provide the basis for a grant application to the National Institutes of Health without a context for
that gene sequence. That is, even after having intimate knowledge of the structure of a gene and the
related DNA sequences that control its transcription to RNA and protein, there is something more that
needs to be explored and considered before even one's fellow-scientists will consider the work either
compelling or complete. Let us look in more detail at the type of work that my friend had done and
try to define, in Aristotle's terms, what more needed to be done.
Anyone who has taken a high-school level biology course or is reasonably well-versed with the lay press
is aware that living things possess within their cells the information required to replicate either identical
copies of themselves or semi-allogenic copies which contain genetic material from another member of
the same or a nearly-related species (we call these copies "offspring", and, for the human species, they
are called "children"). However, although the discovery of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as the source
of genetic information and the unravelling of its marvelous code has assuredly contributed in an
enormous way to our understanding of genetics and reproductive physiology, an equal impact bas come
in our ability to explore in a detailed fashion the functioning of cells and how the expression of
particular genes is controlled in particular cell types. Thus, specific cells in specific tissues are capable
of being studied in intricate detail and this, in turn, has allowed us tremendous insight into how these
cells and tissues function. It is this level of study, sometimes subsumed under the heading, •eeu and
Molecular Biology," that provides the core for much of modem medical research.
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�If you examine appropriately-stained human tissue under a light microscope, it is very clear that what
you are viewing consists of an ordered arrangement, and that different-appearing cell types contribute
to this pattern. In fact, the absence of pattern and the appearance or predominance of a single cell type,
the pattern observed in tissue sections of malignant tumors, appears obviously pathological. Similarly,
within these cells, a semblance of pattern emerges, different for each cell type, with some common
patterns for all cells. DNA is largely confined to the nucleus, while RNA and the structures for protein
biosynthesis can be found in the cytoplasm. These observations, which have been accepted for many
years, suggest that, although every cell of a given organism contains the same genetic material as every
other cell, in multicellular organisms (and especially complex organisms like vertebrates), every gene
is not expressed in every cell of every tissue. That is, the different cell types and specialized functions
of specific cells (for example, insulin secretion by what are know as islet cells of the pancreas)
demonstrate or indicate that the transcription of encoded DNA into a messenger RNA template and
subsequently into protein occurs differently in the cell types, and sometimes differently depending upon
the tissue in which a given cell type might be found. This has lead to the hypothesis that certain cells
and tissues express genes that are not expressed in other cells or tissues, and that our understanding
of the functioning of such cells or tissues in health and disease might be aided considerably by our
knowledge of the genes expressed exclusively in these tissues and the factors that control their
expression.
The discovery of gene sequences expressed only in specific tissues is undertaken by the construction by
what are called gene libraries. This was the process that my colleague in Ann Arbor was engaged in
when I visited her last winter, and because the process by which this is accomplished is relevant to the
discussion that follows, I will share some of that with you. I apologize in advance for the somewhat
technical nature of this exposition, realizing that I am about to provide you with something that is
almost certain to squelch fruitful discussion at St. John's: factual information. Please bear with me,
however, because I believe your understanding of the process through which data is generated in the
modem biological sciences will help you to understand what I have to say about understanding this data
from Aristotle's point of view. I should also say that I believe the process itself would have been
interesting to Aristotle, and that I believe that it's the sort of thing he himself would have delighted
in had he had the means to do it.
The construction of gene libraries from specific cell or tissue types begins again with the "First Law"
of modern biology: that DNA contains information that encodes specific protein sequences, and that the
protein is synthesized from a template molecule of RNA, whose synthesis serves as the intermediary
step. You will recall (again, please forgive my pedantry) that proteins are composed of smaller building
blocks called amino acids. Each amino acid is specified within the DNA molecule by a three base-pair
sequence called a codon. The DNA code is somewhat "degenerate", as the currently-used jargon has
it, in that some of the amino acids are specified by more than one codon. In the normal sequence, a
gene is activated by the binding of certain proteins to a region of DNA called the promotor, which
results in the transcription of an RNA molecule whose sequence is complementary to that of the DNA
template (remembering the Second Law of modem biological science: adenine pairs with thymine [or,
in an RNA molecule, with uracil] and guanine with cytosine ). The newly-synthesized RNA molecule
is processed further in the cell cytoplasm and used as a template for the biosynthesis of a new protein.
Because of the complementarity of DNA or RNA, gene libraries can be constructed from either, those
using DNA referred to as genomic libraries (containing all the genes of the specific species from which
they were obtained and therefore identical whether the starting tissue was brain or skin) and those
starting with RNA being designated "complementary DNA libraries," as they begin with a RNA which
is then synthesized in vitro to a complementary strand of DNA Complementary DNA libraries contain
only the gene sequences are expressed in the tissue or cells from which they were obtained
The next steps in cloning involve the digestion of the DNA into smaller fragments that can be analyzed
4
�in a practical way, and the insertion of the fragments into a host (usually a virus) that will allow its
insertion into a cell (at this stage, usually, a bacterium) that will propagate and produce multiple copies
of the gene fragments. This is. necessary in order to have an adequate amount of DNA to manipulate
and analyze. After millions of copies of each gene are produced, the gene fragments can be isolated from
the bacteria, which grow as colonies on agar plates. Selection of the specific colonies which contain the
genes or genes of interest can be accomplished by examining products secreted by the bacteria or by
techniques which rely upon the binding of related DNA sequences to the DNA within the bacterial
plasmids. The bacteria containing the genes of interest can then be selectively grown, the plasmids
containing the cloned DNA isolated from the rest of the bacterial DNA, and the sequence and structure
of the cloned genes ascertained (the techniques used to sequence DNA are in themselves rather
interesting but not within the purview of a talk like this one). Using complementary DNA libraries,
unique genes expressed in specific tissues in response to specific stimuli or at specific times in
development can be identified, isolated, and their sequence determined
I want you to note that up to this point all we have is a gene sequence, a structure, a very minute part
of an animal (or plant). Furthermore, although there is some marvelous technical wizardry involved in
obtaining this sequence, the process through which the sequence is obtained is more or less mechanical
and, with some exceptions, more or less the same no matter what cell type, tissue, or even species the
scientist is working with. This is the equivalent, more or less, of doing what Aristotle describes in
lines 15-18 of the first chapter: taking a lion, or ox, or human being and describing the parts in infinite
detail. No attempt is made (yet) of relating the minute DNA sequences to commonly-expressed cell,
tissue, or organism functions. The reason for this relates, in part, to the method through which genes
are isolated and cloned. It should be clear from how I have described the method of cloning and
sequencing that the manipulation of DNA required for this process involves the almost complete
separation of that particular gene or DNA sequence from the context in which it is normally found
However, it is just that context that is crucial to our understanding of the role of that gene within the
cell and, subsequently, its role in the function of that particular tissue or organism. The rest of the
process, the activity that makes cloning and sequencing truly interesting, involves the understanding
of how the protein encoded by that gene functions or what it does (which is why my colleague was so
excited about having a function for her gene). To put it another way, one seeks the telos for that gene.
Until that is found, the mere gene or protein, sequence is singularly uninteresting to either the natural
philosopher or the molecular biologist. To put it in language that my peers might understand, it would
be very difficult to publish a gene sequence by itself without a context for that sequence which suggests
a functional. role for that gene in a cell or tissue or in a particular biological process. My knowledge of
that function might be limited or vague, but publishable molecular work invariably contains and
requires a context without which the gene sequence is neither useful nor enlightening.
So what does all this have to do with Aristotle? Because this is early in the year, I think I should say
a few things about the reading of Aristotle to the freshman, who should be engrossed in and captivated
by Homer at this time and have probably had little no exposure to Aristotle's scientific books. In this
way I will also reveal some of the prejudices that I have brought to this book as I read and reread it
over the past 8 years. I was once told that a key to reading Aristotle is the understanding that many
of his books seem to be written as answers for which the reader must supply the question. I have found
this insight very useful. Furthermore when reading The Parts of Animal.s, I have found it helpful to
pause after every sentence or two and ask, "As opposed to what?" We are fortunate that Aristotle
sometimes gives us alternative explanations or possibilities, but I think that one appreciates the genius
of Aristotle only after considering the explanations or alternative ideas that he has rejected without his
having belabored the point in writing Oest the freshmen should be misguided, let me quickly point out
that Aristotle is not above belaboring points).
To begin this discussion, we have to confront, first and foremost, our archnemesis. I believe that
understanding The Parts of Animal.a requires some insight into the alternative point of view about
5
�living things, which Aristotle attributes to Empedocles. I feel unfortunate that most of what I know
about Empedocles comes from Aristotle, and I think that we at St. John's, especially, have to be
cautious in judging a philosopher's thought simply on the basis of what somewhat else says about him.
I certainly would not want to judge Aristotle's system of natural science on the basis of what is said
about him in modern science textbooks, for example. However, be that as it may, whether fairly or
unfairly, Empedocles is used as representative of a school of thought that suggests that the coming·
to-be of living things has occurred by chance, that their formation has occurred haphazardly, and that
the compelling force in this process is necessity, in Greek, anangke. For example, the process of the
formation of the backbone, Empedocles is said to argue, occurs by necessity, a consequence of the fetus
becoming twisted in the uterus.
This approach is one that, on the surface, seems attractive to modern scientists. It is certainly consistent
with classical physics and mechanics and the so-called scientific ideal exemplified in Newtonian physics.
When I was a junior here at St. John's, I remember reading a quote by French biologist Andre Lwoff
attempting to support a role for Empedoclean necessity in biological science:
"The machine is built for doing precisely what it does. We may admire it, but we should
not lose our heads. If the living system did not perform its task, it would not exist. We
simply have to learn how it performs its task. "1
This same mechanistic approach seems to have been what Claude Bernard had in mind when he stated
that:
"...a created organism is a machine that necessarily2 works by virtue of the physico-chemical
properties of its constituent elements. "3
At a certain level, this seems to remain a deeply-cherished belief or prejudice of modern scientists, who,
even after the demise of classical physics in the early 20th century seem to yearn for a world more like
Newton's than Einstein's. However, when I confront this belief, as I often do when I encounter other
colleagues, particularly those who work exclusively in the laboratory rather than at the bedside, I recall
the words of Marcel Proust:
"Error is more obstinate than faith and does not examine the grounds of its belief."
I do believe that in biology and experimental medicine, the Newtonian/Cartesian model is erroneous,
or at least incomplete. The ·problem with this approach, is, ironically, a practical one: it simply doesn't
work. It may very well be. true that the coming-to-be of living matter occurred as an accident in the
"primordial soup" billions of years ago, requiring neither the direction of a beneficent deity or even
directedness from the impersonal forces of nature. It may very well be that what transpired was
1
Quoted from The Cell Carl Swanson. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 3rd Ed., 1969, p.7.
2
My italics
3
Claude Bernard, An Introducti.on to the Study of Experimental Medicine, trans. Henry Copley
Green. New York: Dover Books, 1957, p. 93.
6
�inevitable based on the laws that govern large molecules that we now call "organic" and the chemistry
of carbon and nitrogen. That does not negate the fact that what has come to be is organized matter,
and that our understanding of that matter requires our understanding of that organization and the
relationship between structure and function. As Aristotle points out, the Empedoclean view falls short
because of its lack of logos. It does not provide a framework which makes the phenomena
understandable. Aristotle follows this by gleefully pointing out that Empedocles, too "... being led and
guided by Truth itself, stumbles upon this.. ."' and is required to recant and retract, admitting, for
example that bone is more than its elements per se, but that there is a logos (which, in this context,
I believe might be translated "understandable feature" or "... understandable features ... ") that requires
several layers of explanation for us to discern.
Thus, while the mechanistic language borrowed by modern biologists from classical physics might
sometimes be used in the biological sciences, that is not the common language and certainly not the
language used in published research. Let me add that this is not because, in their heart of hearts,
modern biologists don't wish to have a language reminiscent of classical physics. Indeed, one of the
prejudices common among biological researchers is that the laws of biological science (dealing, as they
do, with the macroscopic world) are or will be shown to be more like classical mechanics, with orderly
phenomena of cause and affect occurring in ti.me, than like the topsy-turvy world of quantum physics
and relativity. They have learned however, that the language of classical physics and mechanics has
limited practical usefulness in modern biological research.
I will here therefore submit that there are several critical concepts in Aristotle's biology that remain
in common use in modern biological science (although in a somewhat disguised form), that remain
crucial to how we understand living matter. I will spend the rest of my time examining two of these
concepts in more detail. They are telos and anangke. My list is intentionally limited to these two, but
before I proceed I should state that a complete understanding of Aristotle's biological works and their
relevance to modern biology should also include a deeper discussion of cause and all its layers of
meaning. Similarly, eidos is clearly a unifying concept in Aristotle's physics and metaphysics and any
discussion of his natural works that does not address this concept is incomplete. However, both of these
topics are by themselves suitable lecture material and I have decided to avoid them in this discussion.
I envy the sophomores, however, who will able to immerse themselves in Aristotle's Physics later this
year and will have, therefore, a rich and ample opportunity to think about these issues.
There is, among modern scientists, perhaps no more greatly-misunderstood concept that of telos as
Aristotle understood it. Indeed, "teleologic" thinking is often apologized for in "serious" research seminars
and can subject its user to a measure of skepticism (if not scorn) by other investigators. This is, of
course, due to a misunderstanding of the concept of telos. We are, in this instance, partly at the mercy
of St. Thomas Aquinas, who brilliantly engrafted Aristotelian thought (physical and metaphysical) into
Christian theology. Thus, the Christian view of a beneficent Deity ordering Nature to His own
(sometimes inscrutable 5 but unquestionably _beneficent) ends has clearly influenced, or tainted, the
reading of Aristotle ever since. No such world view informs the Parts of Animals or the concept of
telos as used in Aristotle's works in the natural sciences. As used in the Parts of Animals, telos is
intended to describe the predictable culmination of natural processes. A robin's egg predictably hatches
a robin. A seed predictably grows into a plant. Thus, the end of the egg is the mature robin; the end
of the seed is either growth or the mature plant. These ends exist without either striving on the part
of the organisms or intervention from the deity. They do, however, provide the foundation for our
4
Aristotle, Parts of Animals, trans. AL Peck. Cambridge, MA; Harvard University Press, 1983.
5
" ••• where
were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?" Job
7
�understanding of the egg or the seed, their logos, as Aristotle says. 6 Furthermore, while they c8n be
thought of separately, telos and necessity (anangke) are clearly co-existent and inter-related, just as
matter and form are. If an egg is to grow into a mature robin (its telos) it must, of necessity, have
certain characteristics which will protect it during gestation (e.g., a hard shell). None of this sort of
thinking, which is central to Aristotle's way of looking at living things, is completely foreign to cell
biology or experimental medicine. In the example of our gene sequence, the telos of the gene is twofold: the transmission of genetic information to progeny and the encoding of information required to
synthesize a protein, which, in turn, has its own its own telos. The second part of the molecular biology
in which my friend in Ann Arbor was engaged required that she put her gene back into context, both
literally and mentally, to discern the function of the protein encoded by the gene and factors regulating
its expression in different cells.
In my own career I was blessed to work with an outstanding molecular scientist (Dr. John Atkinson,
now chair of the Department of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis) who was singularly
unapologetic for his use of teleologic language and thinking. From Dr. Atkinson I learned how serious
scientific problems can be approached in a practical and illuminating way if the Aristotelian concept of
telos is applied creatively. Indeed, posing questions in cell biology that start with telos is often the best
way to start an inquiry into structure and mechanism, form and function. In this sense, telos remains
the prior or primary concept in much of cell biology, just as in Aristotle's biology. 7 Let me provide
some examples.
In both cell and molecular biology, the discovery of new genes and/or structures, or the finding that
a certain gene or protein is unexpectedly expressed in a certain cell or tissue, is one of the exciting and
rewarding events in the life of any investigator. However, insight into the significance of such a finding
is often provided only by an understanding of its telos. Scientists refer to this work and thoughtprocess as the elucidation of the function of the new gene or protein. This is nothing more or less than
an understanding of its telos and it is considered to be an essential part of the understanding of new
genes and proteins. They provide, I submit, the only means by which their biological significance can
be discerned, or, if I may speak in Aristotle's terms, the telos provides rational ground, or logos, for
the subsequent inquiry. That other scientists agree with my assessment of the importance of this
process is measured by my friend's excitement at finding a "...function for her gene." What my colleague
was asserting was the importance of the Aristotelian concept of telos in modern biology.
A question that Dr. Atkinson often used to ask at the beginning of his work was, ''Why would this cell
express this protein (or gene)?" Or, "Why would this cell express this protein (or gene) under these
conditions?". I learned by watching an experienced scientist begin his work this way that a tremendous
amount of experimental biology can be undertaken if such questions are asked and allowed to provide
the rationale for a series of well-designed experiments. Thus, the concept of telos provides not only a
theoretical framework which allows a scientist to understand the meaning of certain phenomena
produced in the laboratory, but it also provides a valuable starting point for further investigations. In
this very real sense, telos is the practical and logical starting point for the investigation, as Aristotle has
pointed out. 8
Necessity (anangke), is another concept that is used in modern biological research with some of the
same breadth of meaning as in Aristotle's biological works. Christianized Aristotelianism has attempted
6
Parts of Animals I, i, 639b 15-17.
7
Parts of Animals I, ~ 639b, 15.
8
Parts of Animals II (1) 646a25 - 646b5
8
�to elevate telos above necessity, maintaining that God's will and the mechanisms by which His world
operates are separable in fact and in thought. This allows, among other things, provision for Jaws of
nature to be suspended for the benefit of the Church, as Edward Gibbon stated. While this is a
convenient world view for the structuring of a politically-powerful church on earth, it had devastating
effects on the understanding of living creatures, and allowed the evolution of the concept of vitalism that
so seriously stymied biological thinking in Europe into the nineteenth century should also point out
that it made theology tough, too. The distinction between God's foreknowledge versus foreordination,
Grace versus Free Will, etc. are innate, I believe, in this dualistic approach to Nature and Nature's
God). This distinct separation of telos from anangke is clearly excluded from Aristotle's natural works,
and The Parts of Animal.sin particular. Rather, anangke and telos go hand in hand, and provide a basis
for the understanding of one-another. Thus, while telos is primary for Aristotle, in that it provides the
framework through which biological processes are understood (again, the logos), it is also clear that
both the coming-to-be and the maintenance of living things obeys the laws of anangke in the physical
and logical way that Aristotle understood this term.
a
I have mentioned before the wistful engagement of classical (Newtonian) physics and modem biology,
an engagement that is ever-prolonged while the wedding is continually postponed. I believe that there
is still a yearning among many biologists to believe that, because living things adhere to the Jaws of
chemistry and physics (or, more correctly, that novel laws of chemistry and physics are not required
to understand either the coming-to-be or the functioning of living matter), that all of the biological
sciences will be eventually be focused on understanding laws of absolute necessity which are the direct
descendants and consequences of the original Big Bang. However, in many cases, this concept of
absolute necessity (because "A" happened, "B" absolutely must happen) is only one of the ways in which
the concept of necessity is used in biological science and medicine. Furthermore, such logical thinking
is seldom the starting point in the practical world of modern medical research. Rather, modem
biologists, working with concepts of structure and function (telos, if you will), are more often fruitful
when they operate in the world of what may called "...conditional necessity." That is, the argument
that if "A" is to be formed, then other things must also occur. For example, if health is to be produced,
then certain actions are necessi~ted by the physician or the healer. This may still seem somewhat
abstract, so let me use an example from my own experiences at Washington University.
The complement system is a series of proteins that provide one of the important defenses of higher
organisms against invading micro-organisms. However, unlike other parts of the immune system,
complement proteins do not, in themselves, discriminate "self' from "non-self." Once activated, there
is nothing in the biochemistry of these proteins that precludes their amplifying on and destroying host
cell or tissues instead of the invading viruses or bacteria. This discovery that the complement system
is non-specific was made simultaneously in St. Louis and San Diego and much of this early work was
done by my mentor, Paul Levine. These discoveries led to the hypothesis that if the biochemistry of
the complement proteins is such that they can activate even on host cells, then by necessity there must
be some mechanism through which host cells can deactivate them. This is a very Aristotelian approach,
and it was the beginning of a series of investigations, carried out in St. Louis, Baltimore, and Cleveland,
that elucidated a new family of cell-surface proteins with a common genetic structure. These proteins
were shown on mammalian cells but not on bacteria or viruses (at least not under normal
circumstances) and were shown to deactivate complement on host cells exactly as would be predicted.
An understanding of these proteins and how they function has provided new insight into rheumatic
diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus, as well as some understanding of how cells
of the immune system are destroyed during the course of HIV infection (the latter is work from my
oWn laboratory). Thus, the concept of necessity, as used in its broader, "Aristotelian" sense, provided
the foundation not just for a theoretical approach to mammalian cells but for practical advances in the
science of immunology.
This is not to say that so-called "absolute" necessity is not used in modern biology. We know, for
9
�example, that if the pH or hydrogen ion concentration of the intracellular fluid drops below a certain
"physiologic" range, that certain predictable consequences will occur to in the efficiency with which
intracellular enzymes will function. We know that, eventually, prolonged lowering of intracellular pH
will eventually have profound disturbance of cellular energy metabolism and eventually lead to cell
death. However, in these cases, the concept of absolute necessity is still informed by the concept that
the enzymes in question do, in fact, have functions that relate to their roles in cellular processes. The
dysfunction of the enzymes is made more intelligible by the understanding that they are involved in
a process that we call intracellular metabolism. In the absence of this understanding, we have hydrogen
ions and a denatured polypeptide that can no longer catalyze the transfer of electrons. Even the most
ardent Newtonian would concede that such an understanding is incomplete.
These two concepts, telos and anangke, are ubiquitous in modern biology and appear to be tmavoidable.
They provide the core of work appearing in peer-reviewed journals as well as an important aspect of
any grant application to agencies such as the National Institutes of Health. They remain in use, as I
have said, not because, in the deepest hearts, modern experimental biologists are enamored of Aristotle,
but because they are unavoidable. Furthermore, they have been shown to be practically useful,
especially when linked to the modern techniques of cell and molecular biology. The admission that these
concepts are essential to the biological sciences is different from saying that unusual laws of chemistry
and physics are required to understand living things. What I am saying, and what Aristotle has said,
is that these concepts provide the framework through which the laws of chemistry and physics can be
understood in living matter.
I hope I have provided you, in this very brief way, with some insight into how certain ideas articulated
in Aristotle's Parts of Animals remain in use in modern experimental medicine. Furthermore, I hope
that I have convinced you that these ideas are not just part of a theoretical framework, but that they
provide a very practical starting point for the process of modern biological research. Let me also say
that I believe that if Aristotle were alive today, he would find very little in modern laboratory research
that is in direct conflict with his approach to living things as articulated in the Parts of Animals.
Let me close by saying a word about what modern experimental medicine has not borrowed from
Aristotle and something about how this may limit, or at least define, our understanding of living
things. Of all the concepts in modern biology, evolution is the one most clearly foreign to Aristotle's
biology. To Aristotle, the species were permanent, more or less immutable, and eternal. To the modern
biologist, species are what's left. over aft.er a process called natural selection. In its most extreme case,
evolution is so totally lacking in either direction or permanence that, ultimately, the theory of natural
selection is just as appropriately described as "... survival of the survivors... " rather than "... survival of
the fittest." Eidos (species) and telos are conspicuously absent from modern evolutionary theory. It is
thus hard to fmd common ground between evolutionary biologists and Aristotle. The two world views
are clearly not compatible.
However, in modern experimental medicine, the concept of evolution is, ironically, partly-informed by
the concept of telos. For example, the existence of certain structures or proteins in lower animals (for
example, fish) and humans is oft.en used an argument for their physiological importance. That is,
structures or proteins highly-conserved through evolution are considered significant. For example, the
fact that fish have complement proteins is used as an argument for the importance of this primordial
wing of the immune system. To put it another way, the telos of a structure is considered vital to the
extent that it is conserved in evolution. Thus, even with modem evolutionary theory as an overlay,
experimental medicine still derives tremendous power from essentially-Aristotelian ideas.
Another aspect of Aristotle's biology that is lacking in modem experimental medicine is its scope. By
this I mean that Aristotle's physics and metaphysics are essentially inseparable, and that they are part
of a system of thought that addresses human beings and their relationship to the world around them.
10
�While the world of clinical medicine may t.ake a person into many parts of the world of man and
display some of the best and worst of human life, the world of experimental medicine is, in the end,
neatly circwnscribed. People engaged in medical research are, in the end, focused on understanding how
things work. The final goal of this is, of course, to fmd out what's happening when something doesn't
work (that is, when someone is ill) so that remedies can be found. The answers given to the questions
raised by modern biologists will, therefore, reflect the form in which the question was asked. That is,
our answers will always only tell us how something works, not what it is or what our relationship to
it should be. We are, in essence, like the Lilliputians, who could dismantle Gulliver's watch and could
understood its mechanism perfectly, but were unaware of its purpose (believing, as they did, that it was
the god that he worshipped).
I will close as I began, with an anecdote, or actually, two anecdotes. Let me t.ake you, on a cool sunny
November afternoon, into the delivery room of an upstate New York hospital, where I, a third-year
medical student, am spending my first afternoon in labor and delivery. I want you to see a wet, blue
infant who t.akes her first gasp, utters her first cry, and begins to wiggle and squirm, her cries
becoming more vigorous with each passing second I want to see the beaming father and mother as they
hold their first-born daughter, call her by her name, and put their cheeks against her soft pink skin.
I also want to t.ake you into the pediatric intensive care unit on a frosty November evening. I will t.ake
you to the bed of an eight-year-old boy dying of infectious complications of AIDS. I will tell you that
this boy was the only child, the adopted son of an otherwise childless couple, and that I had come to
respect this couple's sorrow and struggle as one of the most profoundly sad and noble chapters I had
witnessed in my career. When the time came to accept that we had nothing left to offer but the
prolongation of suffering, when decisions were made to remove noxious tubes and hardware, when I
watched this child gasp his last breaths in the arms of his tearful parents, I understood the profound
ignorance of doctors, biologists, philosophers, and clergy. My experiences at the bedside, and with
birth and death in particular, have taught me that there is a great deal about life that I cannot explain.
I fully understand that the method of inquiry that I have inherited by Bernard, Bacon, and Descartes
was not designed to probe into the more compelling questions that raised by my experiences as a
physician. Thus, while my own career remains focussed in the understanding of the human body and
how it works, I remain profoundly humbled at how inadequate even a complete understanding at that
level would be. For all of our knowledge and our attempts at knowledge, we...
"...are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night."
11
�
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Description
An account of the resource
Items in this collection are part of a series of lectures given every year at St. John's College. During the Fall and Spring semesters, lectures are given on Friday nights. Items include audio and video recordings and typescripts.<br /><br />For more information, and for a schedule of upcoming lectures, please visit the <strong><a href="http://www.sjc.edu/programs-and-events/annapolis/formal-lecture-series/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St. John's College website</a></strong>. <br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Formal Lecture Series" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=5">Items in the St. John's College Formal Lecture Series—Annapolis Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.<br /><br />A growing number of lecture recordings are also available on the St. John's College (Annapolis) Lectures podcast. Visit <a href="https://anchor.fm/greenfieldlibrary" title="Anchor.fm">Anchor.fm</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/st-johns-college-annapolis-lectures/id1695157772">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy84Yzk5MzdhYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw" title="Google Podcasts">Google Podcasts</a>, or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6GDsIRqC8SWZ28AY72BsYM?si=f2ecfa9e247a456f" title="Spotify">Spotify</a> to listen and subscribe.
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St. John's College Greenfield Library
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St. John's College Formal Lecture Series—Annapolis
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formallectureseriesannapolis
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paper
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Cells and Genes are Parts of Animals: Aristotle in the Late 20th Century
Description
An account of the resource
Typescript of a lecture delivered on September 16, 1994, by James N. Jarvis as part of the Formal Lecture Series.
Creator
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Jarvis, James N.
Publisher
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St. John's College
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Annapolis, MD
Date
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1994-09-16
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St. John's College has been given permission to make this item available online.
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text
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pdf
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Aristotle. De partibus animalium
Cytology
Language
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English
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lec Jarvis 1994
Alumni
Friday night lecture
-
https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/f1114f00c3e173aea36cfe4a34eb7b7e.mp3
d64e9ee49393593a8fa8f17160f69aa8
Dublin Core
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Description
An account of the resource
Items in this collection are part of a series of lectures given every year at St. John's College. During the Fall and Spring semesters, lectures are given on Friday nights. Items include audio and video recordings and typescripts.<br /><br />For more information, and for a schedule of upcoming lectures, please visit the <strong><a href="http://www.sjc.edu/programs-and-events/annapolis/formal-lecture-series/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St. John's College website</a></strong>. <br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Formal Lecture Series" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=5">Items in the St. John's College Formal Lecture Series—Annapolis Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.<br /><br />A growing number of lecture recordings are also available on the St. John's College (Annapolis) Lectures podcast. Visit <a href="https://anchor.fm/greenfieldlibrary" title="Anchor.fm">Anchor.fm</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/st-johns-college-annapolis-lectures/id1695157772">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy84Yzk5MzdhYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw" title="Google Podcasts">Google Podcasts</a>, or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6GDsIRqC8SWZ28AY72BsYM?si=f2ecfa9e247a456f" title="Spotify">Spotify</a> to listen and subscribe.
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St. John's College Formal Lecture Series—Annapolis
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formallectureseriesannapolis
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00:54:00
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Circles of Sorrow: Dialectic and Grief in <em>Go Down Moses</em>
Description
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Audio recording of a lecture delivered on November 16, 2001, by Lael Gold as part of the Formal Lecture Series.
Creator
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Gold, Lael
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St. John's College
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Annapolis, MD
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2001-11-16
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sound
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mp3
Subject
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Faulkner, William, 1897-1962. Go down, Moses.
Keats, John, 1795-1821. Ode on a Grecian urn.
Bible--In literature
Allusion in literature
Language
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English
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LEC_Gold_Lael_2001-11-16_ac
Alumni
Friday night lecture
-
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e831dff12ad13f3f17bfbbbbe9754434
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
Items in this collection are part of a series of lectures given every year at St. John's College. During the Fall and Spring semesters, lectures are given on Friday nights. Items include audio and video recordings and typescripts.<br /><br />For more information, and for a schedule of upcoming lectures, please visit the <strong><a href="http://www.sjc.edu/programs-and-events/annapolis/formal-lecture-series/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St. John's College website</a></strong>. <br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Formal Lecture Series" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=5">Items in the St. John's College Formal Lecture Series—Annapolis Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.<br /><br />A growing number of lecture recordings are also available on the St. John's College (Annapolis) Lectures podcast. Visit <a href="https://anchor.fm/greenfieldlibrary" title="Anchor.fm">Anchor.fm</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/st-johns-college-annapolis-lectures/id1695157772">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy84Yzk5MzdhYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw" title="Google Podcasts">Google Podcasts</a>, or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6GDsIRqC8SWZ28AY72BsYM?si=f2ecfa9e247a456f" title="Spotify">Spotify</a> to listen and subscribe.
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St. John's College Greenfield Library
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St. John's College Formal Lecture Series—Annapolis
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formallectureseriesannapolis
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Original Format
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audiocassette
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00:59:45
Dublin Core
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From Ancient Agony to Contemporary Ecstasy: The Gospel at Colonus
Description
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Audio recording of a lecture delivered on January 18, 2008, by Theophus "Thee" Smith as part of the Formal Lecture Series.
Creator
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Smith, Theophus Harold
Publisher
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St. John's College
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Annapolis, MD
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2008-01-18
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sound
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mp3
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Gospel at Colonus (Choreographic work)
Religion and drama
African American Pentecostal churches
Tragedy--Greek influences
Language
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English
Identifier
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LEC_Smith_Theophus_2008-01-18_ac
Alumni
Friday night lecture
-
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PDF Text
Text
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L EG E
M AG A Z I N E
Building
Bridges
JOHNNIES CONNECT TO THE
COLLEGE AND ONE ANOTHER
PAG E 4
PAG E 6
A Re-envisioned
Relationship
An Open
Conversation
PAG E 2 6
Internships
Connect the
Lab to Life
�What,
we might ask,
is the nature
of the thing?
What is this piece you have before you?
It is not a reincarnation of The College magazine, a resource-intensive publication that the college could not continue to staff
and maintain. It is not an annual report, either; it is not meant
to give a detailed account of what the college is doing and how
resources are being spent.
What, then, is this publication all about?
This is a look at you and your fellow alumni—what you are
doing, how you are living and modeling the Program, and
how you are giving back to St. John’s in meaningful ways.
It is a look at the connections you are creating around the
world, and it is your guide to making them even stronger.
What this piece needs from you now is a name.
What captures the essence of the stories in this collection?
What options do you like and which ones do you not?
Visit sjc.edu/mag-survey
and share your thoughts.
�Dear Fellow Johnnies,
I hope this message fnds you well. Refecting on our alumni community, I recall a passage in John Donne’s Devotions Upon Emergent
Occasions, written in the same century that saw the founding of our
forebear, the King William’s School. John Donne wrote “no man
is an island,” and yet the challenges of current times seem to contradict this notion—highlighting separations of situation and, with
the pandemic, of actual distance. Despite this, we continue to fnd
bridges connecting us.
Bridges span divides and create meeting points. They aid the passage
of ideas, communities, and conversation. Bridges facilitate growth,
with movement from the familiar to the unknown, and connect challenges to opportunities. In these pages we will learn of ways alumni can serve as bridges—between the college and future students,
between new graduates and careers, between the college and the
world, between the Great Books and future generations—all while
serving as bridges to each other.
In maintaining these connections, we move beyond our individual
limitations and boundaries. Just as the Program allowed us to bridge
distant shores, eras, and cultures, our connections allow us to expand
our understanding and our community.
We have much to celebrate this past year. Through the tremendous
generosity of alumni and friends, and the commitment of staff and
faculty, St. John’s was able to traverse years of fscal austerity to
stand on higher, frmer ground. The strength of the alumni community has helped carry the college over and past many signifcant
challenges.
As the Alumni Association approaches its 200th year, and the college stands strong, I am grateful for the opportunities ahead of us.
Strengthened by the foundational beginnings we all share, alumni
have a key role in bridging across our community—so we may be more
than “entire of ourselves.” What Donne wrote in 1623 is as true today
as it was then: by virtue of the connections we foster, we are elevated.
St. John’s Forever!
Gigi Escalante (A92)
President
St. John’s College Alumni Association
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
1
�TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
4
Opening
Letter
GIGI ESCALANTE A92
14
A Re-envisioned
Relationship
Teacher Ignites
International
Interest in
St. John’s
CHRIS AAMOT SF04
ERICA BEALL A07
6
LIAM GOODACRE SF08
An Open
Conversation
18
Summer
Classics:
A Beautiful
Opacity
MARTI ACOSTA A92
LEAH LASELL SFGI04
DINO ANDERSON
2
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
A99
KENNETH WOLFE SF94
�24
28
Supporting
our Newest
Johnnies
36
Alumni Couple
Bring Their
Johnnie
Perspective
to Life
Day of Gratitude
& Reunion Weekend
38
Selected Notes
from Classmates
39
Highlights from
Alumni Week 2022
40
KIDUS KEBEDE A20
In Memoriam
CHLOE NIEDZIELSKI A25
ELI CASTRO SF94
TRACY LOCKE CASTRO SF95
41
32
26
Internships
Connect
the Lab to Life
On Reading,
Religion,
Redemption,
and Reasons
for Giving
SUSMI SHARMA SF21
MARK JORDAN SF73
Alumni Association
Honorees 2022
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
3
�A Re-envisioned
Relationship
A
nnapolis tutor Erica Beall (A07) remembers
the conficting feelings that arose in the years
immediately following her graduation from
St. John’s. “It was possible to remain engaged with
the college, but it was not always clear in what capacities we still belonged,” she says of herself and her fellow Johnnies. “We used to joke about how those four
years of intense self-discovery can lead to an ambivalent attachment: both clinging to and feeing from the
college when it’s fnally time to go.”
Now, as a member of the Alumni Relations Working
Group (ARWG), Beall is committed to helping change
that dynamic. With representation from staff, faculty, alumni, and members of the Board of Visitors and
Governors, the group advises the collegewide Offce
of Alumni Relations, and Beall describes it as “almost
like a think tank.”
“There’s room for unstructured conversations that
generate interesting ideas for how to serve, and show
appreciation for, our alumni. It’s a great mix of brass
tacks and broader refection, all with an eye to re-envisioning alumni relations in a way that’s both practical and true to the spirit of the college,” says Beall.
For Director of Alumni Relations Chris Aamot (SF04),
the ARWG serves as an invaluable source of support
and encouragement—and ensures that the alumni
voice is heard. “They are holding me accountable for
doing the best job that I can do,” he says. “It’s the most
productive relationship I could ask for.”
When Aamot looks out toward alumni, he sees a
community for whom “being a Johnnie is who they
are.” But, he adds, that sense of identity doesn’t always translate into concrete action.
4
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
From Aamot’s point of view, the primary challenge
is for St. John’s to determine how it can best support
alumni while also inspiring them to take action on behalf of the college.
This bidirectional approach to alumni relations is
a new industry standard and differs from the past
when, Aamot says, “You simply held a get-together
and hoped that happy vibes would somehow lead to
good outcomes.”
In pursuit of a more effective—and mutually benefcial—model, the Offce of Alumni Relations embarked
on a listening campaign in recent years, approaching
alumni who didn’t have histories of deep engagement
with St. John’s.
Alumni are defned by the college’s governing
document, the Polity, as any former student
who has completed one semester of the
undergraduate program or one segment of a
graduate program. It is a lifelong community
that is not bound by time or place but is united
by a common curiosity and commitment to
exploring fundamental questions together.
“We knew these alumni still loved the college,” says
Aamot. “So we asked them, ‘what can the college do
for you? What do you need?’ The universal answer
was: ‘Help us continue the life of the mind that we began at St. John’s.’”
�CHRIS AAMOT SF04
Aamot and his colleagues are dedicated to providing
Johnnies with numerous opportunities to do exactly
that, whether on campus, off campus, or virtually. He
cites Summer (and now Winter) Classics as popular
and enriching options along with the three low-residency programs of the Graduate Institute, which are
open to alumni on a degree-track or audit-only basis.
As it seeks to meet the needs of alumni, the college
also asks that alumni help meet the needs of current
and future students, through advocacy, philanthropy, and volunteerism.
Regarding the frst of these, Aamot says, “We need
our alumni to be talking about St. John’s to the people within their sphere of infuence. Our mission is
to continue the Great Conversation by bringing people of all ages to the table to read these books and explore these questions. If we have empty seats, then
nothing else matters.”
Next, says Aamot, St. John’s needs to engage more
volunteers. “That has been a longstanding challenge
for us, because we’ve always had more alumni who
want to get involved than we have been able to deploy,
but we are going to keep working to build channels for
those who raise their hand.”
The third action the college wants to encourage is
philanthropy. This particular need became especially
crucial when the college reduced tuition by one-third
in 2019. “What made that possible was an outpouring of philanthropy from alumni,” Aamot says, noting
that the college needs more participation from alumni who are willing to make small gifts, year after year.
“St. John’s tends to produce maximalists,” he notes.
“We are the people who are going to read the thou-
ERICA BEALL A07
sand-page book on the beach. But we need to remember that the little things matter. The small gifts, the little actions of advocacy, those things have real power
and can change trajectories.” Like his colleague Beall,
Aamot knows frsthand how complicated alumni feelings about St. John’s can be.
“We want it to be better than it is because we believe
in the true, the good, the beautiful—that which is the
ideal,” he says. “We believe in arete, and the college is
always going to fall short of arete. How do we reconcile
that? We adopt a calculus where we are both supporting the college as it is and helping it to become better.”
For both Aamot and Beall, that means recognizing
and celebrating that Johnnies are lifelong members
of one community—and then focusing on the ultimate
reason for the college’s continued existence.
“As a tutor, this shift has meant a greater awareness
that part of what we are doing is preparing our students to be alumni,” says Beall. “Maintaining a healthy
connection between alumni and the college helps me
keep this essential aspect of a tutor’s work concretely in view.”
This evolving relationship between the college and
alumni is not only crucial to St. John’s future but is also the right approach for the present.
“In this environment, where people are becoming
increasingly polarized, there is nothing more valuable than true collaborative inquiry into meaningful
questions,” says Aamot. “Teaching students how to do
that—to stand for their own voice and genuinely listen
to others who differ from them—there is no better education for the modern moment.”
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
5
�MARTI ACOSTA
A92
DINO ANDERSON
A99
�An Open
Conversation
MARTI ACOSTA A92
T
his spring, the college sat down for a conversation with Marti Acosta (A92) and Dino
Anderson (A99), two of the many alumni who
have positively impacted the college through their
volunteerism and advocacy. Their involvement with
the college as alumni is extensive and includes collaborating with the college on issues of concern to
alumni, including diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Marti Acosta has worked in leadership development
for more than two decades. Currently a senior moderator for Harvard Business Publishing, she has facilitated diversity and inclusion programs for global corporations including Natixis, Mars, and Intel.
Dino Anderson began his career teaching at Bowdoin
College and Columbia University. He is the chief culture offcer at Articulate in San Francisco and is a
lecturer at the Master of Liberal Arts program at
Johns Hopkins and the Stanford Graduate School of
Business.
DINO ANDERSON A99
How have you been involved with the college as
alumni thus far?
MARTI ACOSTA: I’ve been involved for many years
and volunteered in several capacities. I did a video
around how the St. John’s education develops the leadership skills that are desired in corporations around
the world. I have presented to parents of newly admitted students, and I have delivered workshops to students on topics like networking. I was on the Alumni
Association Board, and now I sit on the Board of
Visitors and Governors.
DINO ANDERSON: I am mainly involved on three
fronts: through the board Task Force on Diversity and
Inclusion; I am the director of the Alumni Association
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) working group
for the Alumni Association Board; and I participated in the One Table, Many Voices visioning process.
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
7
�Columbia University professor
Roosevelt Montás visited both
campuses to speak about the
value of the Great Books and
why they matter in our modern
and diverse world.
Did you miss the presentation?
Videos of both lectures
can be found on the college’s
YouTube channel:
youtube.com/stjohnscollege
�I know of your work on the Diversity and Inclusion
(D&I) Task Force and related work partnering with
college staff to develop a vision for One Table, Many
Voices events, like the Roosevelt Montás lecture and
visit. How would you describe this work?
ACOSTA: It’s the work of every organization to create
an environment that is supportive of everyone showing up authentically as themselves. I’m an immigrant,
and I’m also mixed-race. When I was younger, I sort of
accepted this feeling of not really ftting in anywhere
in the world, and when I went to St. John’s I found
my people. The Program, how we approach Western
thought, is by its nature intellectually inclusive. For
me the importance of being on the D&I Task Force is
to help create an environment where everyone can
fully engage in this very special education and have
their diverse voices heard, even if they don’t see all
their identities refected in the texts.
ANDERSON: It comes from an awareness that there
is an opportunity for more diverse representation
among the voices that have shaped Western civilization. The conversation is not limited to the authors on
the Program, since there are more voices that have
contributed to sustaining and expanding the big questions on the true, the good, and the beautiful.
Marti, what stood out to you from the Roosevelt
Montás visit or lecture, and how would it have spoken to you when you were a student at the college?
ACOSTA: One of the things that was really beautiful
was that Professor Montás was talking about his personal relationship with some of the works we read at
St. John’s. A crazy thing blew my mind: I asked him a
question about his defnition of freedom, and he clarifed something for me, which is that the word “liberal”
in liberal education is more closely related to “liberal”
in the sense of “liberty” than in the sense of “broad.”
I have lived in lots of different cultures and countries, and I realized that so much of the ways that we
categorize ourselves are for other people. One of the
liberties that a liberal education gave me is the ability
to question these narrow categories, approach issues
from multiple perspectives, and embrace my complexity and even my paradoxes.
How do alumni help the college understand and address important efforts like this?
ACOSTA: As alumni, we provide a larger context outside of the school. The St. John’s education requires
study and self-refection and insularity. There’s a contraction of our activity to allow for an expansion of
our minds. The alumni help people see what expansive education means in the world—what’s next after
St. John’s and how we carry that education with us—
because it’s hard to do that when you are focusing in
on the fundamental principles of a triangle or the astronomical foundations of calculus.
Dino, talk more about your role in the events related to the 70th anniversary of W. E. B. Du Bois’s visit to the college.
ANDERSON: What an exciting opportunity to have
collaborated on commemorating the visit of a seminal
Program author to the college. I was particularly excited because in grad school I did deeper research on
Du Bois’s dynamic life, writings, and pedagogy, particularly as it concerned the grounding and promise
of the American polity and preservation of the contributions of the African diaspora.
When I got involved with the task force and the
Alumni Association, I found an article with the exact
date of when Du Bois spoke at St. John’s, so I was one
of the people to voice that he made an appearance. I
think it is important to note that quite a few people
pointed out that fact. I am glad that these voices were
able to infuence the realization of this event. Sadly, I
didn’t have the opportunity to attend the all-college
seminar because of other teaching commitments, but
I was happy about working with staff and other alumni to make sure we told the story of what it meant for
Du Bois to be at the school.
What did it mean for you to experience this focus on
the Du Bois visit and speech?
ANDERSON: I recall reading the text as a senior and
not grasping the gravity and urgency of his words.
This could have been due to an immaturity on my
part, and our reading only a part of The Souls of Black
Folk—a complex work of education written in the
Bildungsroman tradition.
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
9
�Dino, take yourself back to being a student at
There’s a certain maturity you need to read that
St. John’s. How does your work with the college towork, because it’s representative of Du Bois’s lifelong
day speak to, or from, your younger self?
commitment to documenting and eradicating the social injustice and inequities that happen for Black and
other people of color. And now, seeing the exacerbaANDERSON: I’ll never forget what one tutor, Debbie
tion of race relations in the United States (and in other
Renaut Axelrod, told me when I was adamant that I
countries), we have much more context for Du Bois’s
wanted to pursue a graduate degree in philosophy and
text as a harrowing depiction of the U.S. polity and its
maybe one day come back to teach at St. John’s. (This
inability to live up to its promises.
romantic vision was not uncommon.) She told me it
It was exciting to have Du Bois’s voice be central—
was important to gain different perspectives on othnot as a reaction or a performative gesture in the
er schools of thought and approaches to philosophy.
name of diversity, but because he is in the Program
When I did go to grad school, I had the courage to put
and because these words still resonate as strongly as
the Western philosophical canon into question—from
they did in 1903, and in 1952, and now in 2022: “so
those who inherited the tradition and those who had
that they can come to know what has
their histories and thoughts contesttaken place in the past and what mised. I’m glad that I’ve had that ability to
takes have been made.”
mature and think differently, to quesIt gives me hope to see the college
tion the canon. The Program should alAlumni should
shining a light on this great thinker
ways keep its central questions alive
really be proud
and his urgent words and, through this
and always ask who is not at the table
that they are part
celebration, creating a space for diffand why?
of a community
cult conversations. I feel the college is
that is willing
How d id each of you v iew you r
trying to heal its own soul so that it can
to look at itself
St. John’s education in real time and
be a voice to help heal the American
critically—and
how do you view it now? Has your
polity’s soul.
also with
perspective changed?
compassion and
Marti, I heard you participated in a
also with praise.
video shoot that paired a student with
ANDERSON : My younger self didn’t
We deserve all
an alum up on Monte del Sol, having
have all these resources that are on
of those things.
a conversation about a great book.
the campus now. What a great and
What did you talk about?
wonderful thing to know that we can
get better. I see that commitment hapACOSTA: I was paired with a student
pening, and it makes me hopeful. My
— MARTI ACOSTA A92
who is Nepalese, a wonderful, thoughtyounger self is glad that I made the
ful Johnnie. We had a brief discussion
right decision to go to a school that is
about a passage in the Iliad, specifcally around the
committed to giving us a foundation and always lookrelationship between Achilles and Patroclus. My biging at ways it can improve.
gest problem with the video was trying to decide how
to pronounce Patroclus, because we all had different
ACOSTA: I often introduce myself to other Johnnies
ideas!
as someone who did junior year twice, not because I
There’s a thread that holds all Johnnies together,
had to but because I wanted to. My perspective about
and even though, as I said, I found my people there, I
St. John’s now is one of feeling great privilege for havfound a very diverse people: people from all over the
ing been there while also being shocked that the world
place with different backgrounds and different reladoesn’t recognize it fully for the gem that it is.
tionships to the work and different things they wantAlumni should really be proud that they are part of
ed to do with life. Being able to come back and connect
a community that is willing to look at itself critically—
with some students and seeing how amazing and how
and also with compassion and also with praise. We dediverse they are, it was fun.
serve all of those things.
“
”
10
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
�The St. John’s community
marked the 70th anniversary of
W. E. B. Du Bois’s visit to the
Annapolis campus with an
all - college seminar on his 1952
lecture. Du Bois, author of The
Souls of Black Folk , is believed
to be the only Program author to
speak at St. John’s College.
�How can I
be an advocate
for the college
and its alumni?
12
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
�Be an advocate for
GivingTuesday 2022.
Join us this year for GivingTuesday
to watch small gifts compound
into spectacular support for our
students and the Program.
Email development@sjc.edu to learn
how you can use your networking
or social media skills to
further support GivingTuesday as
a GiveCampus advocate.
Elect your representatives
on the Alumni
Association Board.
All alumni are members of the
St. John’s College Alumni Association,
an independent group that works
closely with the college to advocate
for St. John’s continued excellence.
The Alumni Association is governed by
a volunteer board of directors who
represent their fellow alumni and are
elected by and from the alumni body.
Visit sjc.edu/alumni/association for
more information about items on the
ballot, including the Association’s
board of directors and your elected
representative to the college’s Board
of Visitors and Governors.
Nominate outstanding
alumni for the
Award of Merit.
Each year the Alumni Association
bestows the Award of Merit on our
fellow alumni for distinguished and
meritorious service to the United
States, to their native state, to the
college, or for outstanding
achievement within a chosen feld.
The Awards Committee needs your
help to ensure that deserving alumni
are recognized and celebrated.
sjc.edu/award-merit
Submit a story idea
to elevate
extraordinary alumni.
Share your best
dorm stories.
Take a walk down memory lane
and share your best stories about
Johnnie dorm giggles, gaggles,
and maybe even a few geese to
support our upcoming campaign
for campus infrastructure and
renovations. Submit your stories
and keep an eye out to see which
fantastic tales are chosen.
sjc.edu/dorm-stories
The St. John’s Communications Offce
loves to celebrate the amazing pivots,
journeys, and achievements of our
alumni. Highlight a signifcant moment
for a peer or yourself at:
sjc.edu/submit-story
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
13
�Teacher Ignites
International Interest
in St. John’s
A
ny St. John’s alum who hapas a student and now as a teacher.
pened to peer into the classIn between, he found St. John’s,
room of high school teacher
and his encounter with the Great
Liam Goodacre (SF08) would fnd
LIAM GOODACRE SF08
Books shaped the trajectory of his
the intellectual comforts of home—
future.
and some familiar friends.
“The college was a step in a different direction for
Aristotle, Kant, Sartre, Beauvoir: all make an apme. I had no experience with the classics, but I was atpearance.
tracted to the seminar style of learning and the demoIt is not necessarily the subject matter—grounded,
cratic principles of the classroom,” he recalls, adding
though it is, in the classics—that would transport this
that he “discovered philosophy” along the way.
hypothetical Johnnie back to the seminar table; it is
“St. John’s was four great years of thinking ‘what is
the plurality of voices, united in the pursuit of underthis person trying to say? I have never thought along
standing.
these lines, and I cannot imagine coming up with this
In Liam Goodacre’s classroom, conversations
idea because it is so alien, so radically new.’”
abound.
After graduating from St. John’s, Goodacre felt he
“My teaching has evolved over the years, in terms of
could help other students to develop their own relaboth style and content, but Socratic teaching methtionship with “radical ideas.” Attracted to UWC’s comods are still very fundamental for what I do,” says
mitment to egalitarianism in education and the diverGoodacre, who teaches philosophy at the United World
sity of the student body, he joined the faculty of UWC
College Mahindra near Pune, India.
Mahindra, where he spent the frst fve years of his
The United World Colleges (UWC) constitute an inteaching career. He then taught for four years at UWC
ternational network of high schools that share a stated
Dilijan in Armenia before returning to India.
aim of uniting “people, nations, and cultures for peace
It was during his time in Dilijan that Goodacre’s
teaching methods had a profound effect on James
and a sustainable future.” Goodacre has been a part
of the UWC community for more than 12 years, frst
Law (SF25).
14
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
�“I was really struck by the detail in which Liam
already have, something they can’t even imagine,”
thinks about things. We would read a sentence from
says Goodacre. “I suspect that at a lot of liberal arts
Plato, and he would stimulate a fantastic conversation
colleges, you are getting fed what you already know,
just around that,” says Law, one of two students who
or what you already believe. St. John’s will challenge
attended Goodacre’s philosophy class at UWC Dilijan
students in ways they can’t even imagine being chaland are now in their second year at St. John’s.
lenged.”
“Some teachers stand in this elevated role, but with
That desire to be challenged also manifests itself
Liam, you were on common ground. I can see now that
in Goodacre’s own approach to education. For years
he ran his class just like a St. John’s
he has taught Simone de Beauvoir’s
class.”
The Second Sex, giving students an opGoodacre says that numerous stuportunity to hear from one of history’s most infuential female philosodents will invariably ask about his educational background, giving him the
The Class of 2025
phers. Most recently, he helped UWC
is the largest in
opportunity to describe and promote
Mahindra develop a course in which
a decade, and 1 in 4
students discuss the implications of
St. John’s. “Every year there is at least
of
these
rising
slavery, both historical and contemone student who will respond enthusophomores
siastically, and we will sit down and
porary, from a multidisciplinary perlearned about
talk for a couple of hours. That student
spective.
St. John’s College
usually ends up going to St. John’s.”
Both subjects address emotionally
from
an
alum.
resonant
issues that are at the foreThis was ultimately the case for Law.
front of a global conversation—and
“I was really curious about how Liam
Goodacre is convinced these are exbecame the thinker that he is, and he
actly the kinds of conversations that
told me about the college. We would
St.
meet every week to talk.”
John’s gives people of all backLaw initially succumbed to the temptation to design
grounds and perspectives the tools to confront.
his own education and spent a year at a college where
“There is so much divide these days, and I truly behe could choose from electives—but his conversations
lieve that St. John’s approach to education can help. It
with Goodacre continued to reverberate. By the time
helps us to listen, to fnd common causes amidst all
the pandemic struck in 2020, forcing Law to leave his
of the things that pull us apart. It’s not an easy thing.
college campus in Maine, he had already decided he
But I really do think that St. John’s College, more than
wanted to be at St. John’s. With a letter of recommenmost educational systems, can help bridge divides.”
dation from Goodacre, Law applied to St. John’s and
enrolled at the Santa Fe campus in Fall 2021.
“When I came to St. John’s and had my frst seminar,
I realized ‘yes, this is what Liam was trying to emulate in his classroom.’”
ARE YOU A JOHNNIE
Law joined the largest cohort of UWC students to enIN EDUCATION?
roll at St. John’s in a decade—and entered a Santa Fe
freshman class that was the largest in 18 years. These
The college would like to thank you for all
results are especially signifcant as St. John’s, like mayou do. Complete a simple form, and
ny small colleges, prepares for a demographic cliff
St. John’s will send you a package of swag
that will see the population of college-age students
and surprises, including a Great Books
drop by an estimated 15 percent in the coming years.
poster for your classroom.
“UWC is very helpful to St. John’s because it can prosjc.edu/teacher-project
vide diversity, but you also fnd people who get what
the college is about,” Goodacre explains.
The college, in return, has a lot to offer students.
“St. John’s will give students something they don’t
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
15
�How can I
connect the
college to the
next generation
of Johnnies?
16
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
�Introduce a student
to the college.
Add St. John’s to your
LinkedIn profle.
Alumni are the best advertisement for
the value of a St. John’s education.
When prospective students are
making their college decisions, they
look to see what alumni are doing in
the world. Your social media presence
on LinkedIn and other platforms can
show these future students what life
is like on the other side of college.
The Great Conversation will always
need fresh perspectives. If you know
a student who would enrich the
St. John’s community, let the
college know. The admissions team
will send you a packet of information
to share, or they can send information
directly to the student.
sjc.edu/1alum1referral
Introduce a teacher to
the Graduate Institute.
When educators experience St. John’s
discussion-based pedagogy, they are
frequently inspired to model it in their
own classrooms. Teachers can
enjoy select seminars at no cost
through the Teachers Institute or earn
a Liberal Arts Education Certifcate
in just two summers.
sjc.edu/teachers-institute
sjc.edu/liberal-arts-certifcate
Be an admissions
ambassador.
Whether they have already been
accepted to St. John’s or are still
exploring their options, students have
questions. You can offer answers.
Share your experiences with a high
school senior, answer questions from
incoming freshmen, or represent
St. John’s at your local high school.
Spark a conversation
with your Johnnie swag.
Here’s how to claim your discount:
Visit johnniestore.com
by September 30, 2022
Select “shop” from the
drop-down menu
Choose the “Alumni Magazine”
category
Stock up on alumni apparel,
auto decals, water bottles,
tote bags, and more...
Enjoy a
T
SCOUN
20% DIct items at
on sele
e
johnni
om
store.c
Interested? Reach out to
annapolis.admissions@sjc.edu or
santafe.admissions@sjc.edu
for more information.
Support student
scholarships with a
gift of any size.
Your annual gift to the Fund for
St. John’s helps break down the
fnancial barriers that stand
between a St. John’s education
and nearly two-thirds of all Johnnies.
sjc.edu/annual-fund
Submit an inspiring
review of St. John’s.
Prospective students and parents
connect with the spirit of St. John’s
through authentic testimonials from
alumni like you. Share your reflections
on the power of your St. John’s
education with the U.S. News & World
Report and other influential sites.
sjc.edu/submit-review
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
17
�Summer Classics:
A Beautiful Opacity
KENNETH WOLFE SF94
B
occaccio’s The Decameron is a collection of one
hundred stories that chronicle the whims of
fortune and vicissitudes of love. Set in 1348 in
a country villa outside of Florence, it features a group
of ten young people trading narratives while taking
refuge during the aftermath of a plague.
To be sure, the book’s theme has a particular resonance in light of our collective relationship to the
ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But that’s not the primary reason Santa Fe tutor Ken Wolfe (SF94) chose
it as a featured text for the 2022 session of St. John’s
Summer Classics.
Although strongly associated with Santa Fe,
Summer Classics is emerging as a collegewide
program, with more tutor collaboration, online
offerings, and attendees from around the country.
18
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
LEAH LASELL SFGI04
The Decameron is also the frst major work of prose
literature produced in Italy, a country to which Wolfe
has a strong personal connection; he completed both
a master’s degree in Latin and a PhD in classics from
UC Berkeley. “I’ve had a really long-standing interest
in the Mediterranean world, not just the ancient one,”
he says. “I know Italy, and I love the food, the sound of
the language and the music—everything.”
Wolfe initially read The Decameron during spring
break of his junior year at St. John’s. “It was just on my
own,” he says. “I didn’t have a chance to have Johnniestyle discussions on the book, but I really got into it
and found it delightful.”
He began to revisit it last fall and asked Annapolis
tutor Leah Lasell (SFGI04) to join him in co-facilitating a Summer Classics seminar on the text. The two
had known each other for years and had previously
worked together on a collegewide committee.
By his own count, Wolfe has facilitated four or fve
Summer Classics seminars in the past, leading dis-
�cussions on topics ranging from Darwinian theory
to Persian poetry. For the 2022 session, he not only collaborated in person with Lasell to discuss The
Decameron but also teamed up with Annapolis tutor
Allison DeWitt for an online seminar, “Reading the
Qur’an as Literature.”
This is the frst Summer Classics experience for Lasell,
who shares Wolfe’s interest in the geographical region and culture of Boccaccio. “I have a grant to study
Galileo this year and next year, so I’ve been working
on Italian science and philosophy,” she says.
Unsurprisingly, there are a number of factors that
might draw tutors to a particular text or work of art
for Summer Classics. It could be the appeal of revisiting a Program text with a fresh group of readers or the
allure of exploring something new—including flms,
opera, paintings, or photographs. Sometimes it’s simply committing to a book that has sat for too long on
a shelf, untouched, as was the case with Lasell and
The Decameron.
Of course, the plague theme did play into the two tutors’ choice of text, too.
Says Wolfe of the pandemic, “It’s been a really diffcult time for a lot of people in terms of isolation. You
might be isolated alone, or you might be isolated with
family members, and both situations will have their
challenges.”
The Decameron can provide an antidote of sorts to
that diffculty. “It’s a really fun book,” Lasell says. “A
lot of the stories are based on pleasure. There’s sort of
an interesting interplay between what’s allowed, with
respect to the state and religion, and how people are
trying to fnd pleasure in the crevices there.”
In general, she fnds that a text that engenders fruitful discussions is one that can be approached by readers from a variety of backgrounds and experiences,
which is also the ideal profle of a Summer Classics
seminar group.
Alumni accounted for 1 in 5
Summer Classics participants in 2022.
2022 session) people with a strong personal connection to the college, Summer Classics attendees are immediately immersed in the culture and conventions
of a Great Books seminar.
“We do have a lot of repeat participants, and newcomers can learn from people who have done it in the
past,” says Wolfe. “They all bring a lot of energy and
enthusiasm and freshness to the conversations.”
The desire to connect through ideas is central to a
St. John’s education and, some would argue, a defning characteristic of our shared humanity. For Lasell,
this notion was reinforced by a story she heard on
public radio some years back.
In an interview, an Afghani man spoke of being middle-aged in a war-torn country and recalled
how groups of people would get together to read
Shakespeare.
Shakespeare remains
the most widely read author
in 32 years of Summer Classics.
“It would have been impossible to talk about war
directly and about how it affected their lives—it was
just too raw,” says Lasell. “But somehow talking about
Shakespeare gave them the opacity that they needed
to think about their life without thinking about their
life. It created this barrier.”
“When we’re reading Boccaccio, we’re talking about
post-plague Italy. It’s as if we are not talking about
ourselves at all. That allows us to talk about the things
that we might want to talk about, but maybe they are
too politically tense. Our emotions get too high when
we talk about things directly, so this allows us to talk
about them indirectly.”
“That’s what St. John’s does so well,” she adds, referring not just to Summer Classics texts but to the Great
Books overall. “It provides us not just some opacity,
but a beautiful opaque surface.”
Whether they are alumni, lifelong learners, or (as is
the case with Lasell’s mother, who registered for the
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
19
�How can I
return to the
conversations
I love?
20
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
�Join fellow seekers
for a Year of Classics.
Send your mind on a
summer adventure—
or a winter one.
Spend a week (or more) among fellow
lovers of intellectual inquiry as you
delve into texts—as well as visual
and cinematic pieces—that you didn’t
have time to explore as an
undergraduate. Online options are
available, or you can attend Summer
Classics in person and make Santa Fe
your vacation destination.
sjc.edu/summer-classics
sjc.edu/winter-classics
Savor nine months of profound, rich,
and resonant readings. This
once-a-month experience is the ideal
in-person or online getaway for
anyone whose intellectual appetite
needs to be sated, from the inspired
artist to the busy executive.
sjc.edu/year-of-classics
Johnnies are welcome.
The Master of Liberal Arts degree is
now open to alumni who earned a BA
from St. John’s more than fve years
ago. Encounter the Great Books from
a new vantage point and see how the
shifting sands of time have changed
your thinking around the texts you
explored as an undergraduate.
You are entitled to
an alumni discount.
When you complete the application
for need-based fnancial aid, you
receive a 25 percent discount on your
tuition. You might also qualify for
additional scholarship assistance,
but even if you do not, you still receive
the alumni discount.
You can do it online.
Flexible options mean you don’t
have to upend your family or career.
Attend in person, online, in the
evening, or only in the summers.
The choice is yours.
Hear from
current students.
Indulge in a banquet of poetry, essays,
and other original content through
St. John’s three primary student-run
publications: Colloquy, The Gadfly,
and The Moon. You are also welcome
to submit your own content to
Colloquy, which is produced by the
Graduate Institute in Annapolis.
Recent issues are available to
read online.
colloquysjc.com
sjc.edu/gadfly
sjc.edu/moon
Discover what you
didn’t know about the
Graduate Institute.
Take in a lecture,
Johnnie-style.
Friday night lectures remain a
cherished tradition of the academic
year. If you remember what it’s like
to see familiar ideas thrust into new
light, that experience is still yours to
enjoy, free of cost.
Visit events.sjc.edu for the
schedule or watch past lectures on
the college’s YouTube channel.
youtube.com/stjohnscollege
The Eastern Classics will
rearrange your thinking.
The classic texts of the Eastern
traditions do more than enhance
those of the West; they often surprise
with a wholly different, frequently
sublime take on timeless universal
themes. Be prepared for frm ideas
to develop new contours.
sjc.edu/graduate-institute
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
21
�“
After graduating from the Graduate Institute,
I really missed St. John’s—learning through
discussion was amazing. To relive this
experience, I enrolled in the Year of Classics.
These seminars—just an hour and a half a
month—were wonderfully enriching, with
intellectual classmates and insightful tutors
who enhanced my learning experience.
For anyone seeking to expand their
intellectual horizons, I would strongly
recommend the Year of Classics as the best
way to learn and to exercise your mind.”
—CATHY FOGEL AGI11
“
St. John’s has remained my diamond test for
intellectual engagement, so when I recently
became a Johns Hopkins professor, I chose
to live in Annapolis, drawn partly by the
prospect of Friday night lectures. Anxious
that memory’s lens would be distorted by
the gauze of nostalgia, I attended my frst
lecture primed for disillusion. But experience
exceeded expectation. I arrived at eight and
had to stand, while the students had come
early, jamming the Great Hall, content to wait
and to listen, and then to stay late, eager
to ask questions. Whether you’re waxing
nostalgic or wanting intellectual inspiration,
come to a Friday night lecture. But come early.
Otherwise, you’ll have to stand.”
—DANIEL H. FOSTER SF90
22
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
“
A week of seminar tends to frame the
events in my life. It happened all through
the Graduate Institute, and it happened
again at Winter Classics. We used the Emily
Wilson translation of the Odyssey, and I
was so taken with it that I told everyone,
including an old friend from the Peace Corps.
I said: ‘Dennis, I had a week seminar on
the Odyssey. An old guy, after decades of
sleeping with goddesses, wants to go home
to see his dog, his wife, and his son, and to
kill everyone who ever crossed him. His dog
wagged his tail before anyone else recognized
him.’ Dennis replied that he really likes to get
home to see his dog too. Then in April my son’s
obituary was published. Homer came again:
‘His spirit left his body. Still alive, still seeing
the sunlight.’ You have to suffer, but you can
get home. Consolation.
Whether light-hearted or deadly serious,
Winter Classics sticks with you. Come be a
part of it again.”
—W. PETER BALLEAU AGI17
�“
“
It was August 2020, and I was sitting in the
comfort of my own home, after sanitizing
groceries in our self-imposed lockdown.
I pulled up my email and there was a notice
from St. John’s College announcing the
Eastern Classics Program would be available
online. I stared at it, dumbstruck. Finally,
after 20 years of wanting to study these texts,
a pandemic gave me the chance. We would
not sit around a physical table, but we have
been participating with each other in tiles
across the computer screen from homes
and offces all over the world. It worked
beautifully! Even Sanskrit, which I am
continuing with a special study group … yes,
online. Now you too can study practicerealization with Dogen, trek through the north
with Basho, and translate the Gīta. Enjoy!”
The Summer Classics in beautiful Santa Fe
is a return to the memories, conversations,
and friendships of your St. John’s experience.
I loved my Johnnie experience and Summer
Classics allows me to be a Johnnie all over
again. Day to day it is very hard to have
conversations on the beautiful and true with
the nicest of people—Summer Classics is a
return to the good life and is the highlight
of my summer (perhaps even my year).
I am so happy I made the decision to get
back to Santa Fe and St. John’s. If you loved
your St. John’s experience, I implore you to
get back to the high desert come July. It will
be like you never left. You will be instantly
hooked all over again!
LONG LIVE ST. JOHNS!”
—BILLY GERRISH AGI11
—PAM CARTER SFGI08
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
23
�Supporting
our Newest
Johnnies
KIDUS KEBEDE A20
W
hen Chloe Niedzielski (A25) arrived on the
Annapolis campus of St. John’s College
in August 2021, she was, like many of her
peers, concerned about ftting in, about making
friends, and about making mistakes. She felt anxious,
and she struggled—with her fears, with the weight of
her college decision, and with frustratingly unfamiliar laundry machines.
“I had so many questions,” says Niedzielski. “But I
was also given the opportunity to ask them. I wasn’t
just handed a folder and a room key and told ‘good
luck fguring it out.’”
24
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
CHLOE NIEDZIELSKI A25
Niedzielski was among 54 members of the Class of
2025 whose frst year on the Annapolis campus began
with the Pritzker Promise Bridge Program, an extended orientation experience for qualifed incoming students who would like additional preparation prior to
the start of the academic year.
The welcome she received is different from the one
that Kidus Kebede (A20) remembers.
“Transitioning into the college is tough,” says
Kebede, St. John’s frst-year student engagement coordinator, who helps oversee the bridge program in
Annapolis. “This is true of any institution, but histori-
�cally St. John’s has not had a focus on easing that trannights and long papers from peer mentors who offer
sition, particularly for students who are already at a
a candid—and uncompromising—view of Johnnie life.
disadvantage.”
“Peer mentors are specifcally instructed to repSix years ago, Kebede was a frst-year student with
resent the college as honestly as they can,” Kebede
challenges of his own. He came to St. John’s as an insays. “And that’s important, because while new stuternational student and found an education that imdents might think they are going to leave every semmediately captivated him—and an institution that took
inar with a sort of glow, that isn’t reality. There are
longer to love.
frustrating conversations, and students need to hear
“After the frst few weeks, you were mostly left to
about them.”
fend for yourself,” he recalls. “I was midway through
Luke Widenhouse (A25) participated in the 2021
my sophomore year before I fnally gained my footing.
bridge program as an incoming freshman and says
Looking back now, I feel like I wasn’t
the peer mentors offered a “no holds
necessarily set up for success.”
barred perspective” that prepared him
But that was then. Today, he says,
for the classroom more than any oththe college is taking a more proactive
er discussion he had. “It's one thing to
The Pritzker
approach to student support, spurred
hear from a member of the adminisPromise Bridge
in part by constructive feedback from
tration, but it's another thing to hear
Program
alumni.
about the version of St. John’s that
addresses one
might be different in real life than it
“Instead of waiting for students to
of the concerns
walk into offces and say, ‘I am strugis on paper, to learn what actually does
most commonly
gling,’ we are creating communicaor doesn’t work in the classroom.”
expressed by
tion bridges between students, staff,
In 2021, eight students served as
alumni and future
and faculty from day one,” Kebede expeer mentors in Annapolis; this year
alumni: the need
plains. “Students feel more connected
the campus has ten. Both Niedzielski
for a strong
to the school and to the administration
and Widenhouse, now sophomores,
infrastructure of
and not left to fend for themselves.”
are among them.
student support.
Kebede describes the Pritzker
“It wasn’t long ago that I was flled
Promise Bridge Program as a core
with questions, and now I have some
component of a collegewide effort to
answers to share with the next generhelp students succeed at St. John’s.
ation of Johnnies,” says Niedzielski. “I
Funded through a Freeing Minds campaign gift from
can help them understand that you won’t reach your
the Jay Pritzker Foundation, the bridge program is
destination all at once, but you will get closer and closmeant to address the distinctive needs of new stuer until the other side isn’t overwhelming anymore.”
dents whose backgrounds and circumstances could
Widenhouse adds, “I am passionate about this
potentially serve as obstacles to academic success. On
school and want to do my part in giving back to it.”
both campuses, eligible students include those who
Their enthusiasm is representative of what Kebede
qualify for federal Pell Grant assistance, students who
sees as a broader collegewide culture shift, one that
are the frst in their families to attend college, and incalls for more collective accountability in helping all
ternational students.
members of the St. John’s community feel connect“There are some social drawbacks and risk factors
ed to the college.
that come with being a part of these demographics,”
“Every student who signs their name in the book
Kebede explains. He says the bridge program helps
during Convocation deserves to be set up for success,
to mitigate those factors by giving participants more
because that is the core of our message, that a libertime to adjust to campus, access to a social safety net,
al arts education should be available to anyone who
and an extensive overview of available resources.
seeks it.”
“Being a part of that is fulflling.”
What it does not do, Kebede assures, is downplay
the realities of a tough course load or the demands of
the St. John’s classroom. Participants hear about long
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
25
�Internships
Connect
the Lab to Life
SUSMI SHARMA SF21
26
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
�E
very summer, St. John’s students fan out across
who are pursuing majors in science, technology, enthe globe to gain valuable onsite work experigineering, and mathematics (STEM).
ence through the Hodson Internships, which
“The questions we were persistently asking were
are based in Annapolis, and the Ariel Internships, ‘why do most of us spend hours using ineffective
learning strategies like highlighting or rereading
based in Santa Fe.
Students who are interested in these summer optext?’” explains Sharma. The assistance she providportunities work with the Career Services Offce in
ed during her internship will help researchers to unAnnapolis or the Offce of Personal and Professional
derstand why students continue to rely on unproducDevelopment (OPPD) in Santa Fe to identify locations
tive strategies and how educators can promote more
and programs that align with their goals—or tap ineffective ones.
to budding interests. The right match can give stuSharma now works full time as a research assistant at the University of Minnesota’s
dents a deeper understanding of their
Department of Neuroscience, where
post-graduate choices and provide an
edge as they seek employment.
she continues to nurture her interest
The experience can also foster deepA collegewide
in the neural underpinnings of human
survey of St. John’s
er relationships between students,
behavior.
alumni shows that
alumni, and the college.
“My initial fascination with neuronearly 20 percent
When Susmi Sharma (SF21) was
science deepened after my hands-on
of graduates have
awarded an internship during her seinternship,” says Sharma. “Before I
pursued
careers
in
interned with Dr. Elliott, I was quesnior year, she sought to explore her
STEM or a related
growing interest in neuroscience and
tioning my decision to some extent: I
area, such as
psychology. Piér Quintana, assistant
did not know how or even if I could rehealthcare.
director at OPPD, introduced Sharma
ally help people by doing experiments
to Dr. Taffeta Elliott (SF97), assistant
and computational work.”
professor of psychology and education
“The internship opened my eyes,
made me see that the task of a reat the New Mexico Institute of Mining
and Technology, known locally as New Mexico Tech.
searcher is to understand the problem and then conElliott was interested in hosting a student intern in
nect the experiments to real people’s lives.”
her lab and, as an alum, was familiar with the advanAlumni who are in a position to host a summer intern
tages that St. John’s students can bring to experimenare encouraged to fnd out how a current student can ental research.
rich the workplace—and how hosting a student can en“Susmi had a great can-do approach to lab work
rich their own relationship to the college.
that might have been tedious to students who have
“Mentoring Johnnies keeps me connected to St. John’s,”
less insight about their own motivations or the value
says Elliott. “Susmi brought energy to our summer projof using empirical study to test strong claims,” says
ects, and she brought great conversations.”
Elliott. “She also had an advantage in that she understood clearly how her senior essay work on Nietzsche
was related to psychological research on self-percepYOUR GENEROSITY CAN OPEN THE
tion and metacognition.”
DOOR TO A STUDENT’S CAREER.
Sharma’s internship with Dr. Elliott involved two distinct research projects that took her into the seemingSummer internships at St. John’s are funded
entirely through philanthropic support, making
ly disparate—but perhaps not too dissimilar—brains of
them more accessible to students who depend
South African clawed frogs and college students.
on paid summer work. Reach out to
The frst study looked at how frogs use an assortdevelopment@sjc.edu to learn how you can help
ment of hormones, nonverbal cues, and vocal commore Johnnies beneft from an internship.
munication to mediate their behavior and their social decisions. The other study explored the learning
strategies that are most effective for college students
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
27
�Alumni Couple
Bring Their Johnnie
Perspective to Life
E
ELI CASTRO SF94
li Castro (SF94) and Tracy Locke (SF95) Castro
created a life and a legacy from their pursuit
of knowledge of the Great Books at St. John’s
College. Their daughters Ella and Clarissa attended
Summer Academy on both campuses. Ella just graduated from American University, and Clarissa will join
the Santa Fe freshman class this fall.
“When the parents are Johnnies, we’re always going
to be talking about books,” says Eli, a Deloitte executive. “This helps us have great conversations because
we have a common language.”
Tracy, an independent web developer, adds: “Up until middle school, we read stories out loud, including
the children’s Homer.” She remembers the girls exclaiming, “We’re on our Odyssey!” as they played.
Tracy grew up on a rural Texas cattle ranch and attended a boarding high school in Dallas, Texas, where
one of her teachers knew about the Great Books program. “I found a St. John’s brochure at a career fair
and thought, ‘I am at the beginning of my life, and I
want to know the answers to the big questions; but the
books are right there in the library.’” To help her de-
28
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
TRACY LOCKE CASTRO SF95
termine whether the college was right for her, Tracy
visited St. John’s, attended seminar, and was “amazed”
at how the conversations continued late into the night.
“It felt so authentic…the blurring of your academic life
and your personal life, hiking in the mountains together,” she says.
She and Eli became friends at St. John’s and after graduation they married and settled in Texas to
raise a family. Both say they could not have predicted their future careers. Tracy’s post-graduation journey initially led her into public health nursing and
teaching at the University of Texas at Austin. After enjoying some time as a stay-at-home mom, she is now
focused on graphic design, web design, and web development. “Our path is not straightforward,” Tracy
says. “St. John’s is an education for the whole person.
It helps you learn who you want to be, and the skills
you can get later.”
Soon after St. John’s, Eli began working toward a
PhD in economics at the University of Wisconsin, a
direction he quickly discovered was not right for him.
“This isn’t working for me; do we have any leads?” he
�asked Jennifer Chenoweth (SFGI95), who was then
it. All of us who are on the other side have fgured
head of the Career Services Offce in Annapolis. She
out a path. It’s really cloudy when you try to look forput him in touch with Aaron Rosenbaum (A89), who
ward; it’s obvious when you look backward,” he exoperated a small consulting business that worked
plains. “Anyone can share their story to help make
with government clients. One week later, Eli moved
the post-graduate journey seem a little less scary, and
to Washington, DC.
that can be impactful,” he adds.
“Absolutely, St. John’s got me that job,” says Eli, who
Eli notes that the college now offers students more
began his consulting career through that fortuitous
direct career preparation. “St. John’s summer internintroduction to a fellow Johnnie. He subsequently
ship program sets the bar in education,” he says. “And
earned an MBA from the University of Texas and in
I work with higher education all the time.”
2005 joined professional services company Deloitte,
“The world is changing, evolving, and so is St. John’s,”
where he serves as a managing director focusing on
adds Tracy. “The core of St. John’s is still there with
higher education clients.
the Great Books programs, but now
The couple says their passion for
there are many activities and caSt. John’s inspired their two daughreer preparation opportunities that
ters to take an interest in the colmake St. John’s even better,” she says.
lege, with both daughters attending
Anyone can share
“While I feel strongly that being an unSummer Academy during their high
their story to
dergraduate isn’t about getting a skill
help make the
school years.
so you can fnd a job, we do have to
post-graduate
Eli is confdent that their eldest
get jobs.”
journey seem
daughter, Ella, beneftted from her
Alumni, Eli asserts, are motivated
a little less scary,
to support current students for varSummer Academy experience even
and that can be
though she eventually chose a difious reasons, including a desire to
impactful.
ferent college. “I think discourse—
perpetuate the distinctive and transcivil discourse—matters as much
formational experience they enjoyed.
when doing a public policy degree at
“St. John’s exists in a world that is beAmerican University as it does when
coming more and more specialized,
SF94
talking about books,” he explains.
so our college is becoming more and
— ELI CASTRO
“Approaching conversations about
more unique,” he says. “The Program
ideas in a certain inclusive way—lisallows people to learn to think in a way
tening to and responding to what people are saying—
that’s diffcult to learn in other places.”
that absolutely has value. Summer Academy gives a
“If you’re the benefciary of a beautiful experience
little window into that. Clarissa loved the St. John’s
like St. John’s, you owe it to the world to make sure
conversations, and there never really was another
it exists for those who come after you,” he concludes.
choice even though she was accepted at other schools.” “That’s how it is for me.”
Eli’s dedication to St. John’s has also inspired him
to think about ways to connect the college to students
outside of his own family. He recently participated
in an online workshop in which he and fellow alumIS YOUR TEENAGER CURIOUS ABOUT
ni met with newly admitted students and addressed
THE ST. JOHN’S EXPERIENCE?
some of the most commonly asked questions: How
do employers view St. John’s? What is the relevancy
Children of alumni can enjoy a week of
Summer Academy at half the price.
to the work world? Can one get into a good graduate
Ask
them to note on the application that
school after St. John’s?
they have a parent who is an alum.
“The answers were incredibly easy,” says Eli.
sjc.edu/summer-academy
“When you head out from St. John’s, you don’t have
a direction; you’re just a college graduate,” he recalls.
“Imagine a big meadow, and there’s no path through
“
”
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
29
�How can I
help fellow
Johnnies fnd
their paths?
30
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
�Share your insights
with current students.
Your experience as a professional is
one of the greatest gifts you can give
to current students and fellow alumni.
As an alumni volunteer, you can
provide support for a spectrum of
career-oriented opportunities at every
commitment level, from short
conversations about your career path
to participation in a panel or
presentation, to mentorships that
support students throughout their job
search process.
Inspire others through
a JohnnieTalk.
Riff on our annual enigmatic theme as
you move through a Pecha-Kucha
style lightning talk to share your
passion and wisdom with prospective
students, current students, and
alumni. Submit your proposal for next
year’s round of JohnnieTalks here:
sjc.edu/johnnie-talks
Visit sjc.edu/career-contacts to let
the college know how you can help.
Find a place in
your organization
for a Johnnie.
Contemplating a
career change?
The college is here for you.
St. John’s offers personalized career
coaching that is free of charge to
alumni. The college can guide you
through self-assessments, interview
prep, and strategies for negotiating an
offer—without the high cost of a
private coach.
Reach out to santafe.oppd@sjc.edu or
annapolis.careerservices@sjc.edu to
get support for your career
transition today.
Whether you are looking for remote
project help, a summer intern,
or are seeking to fll a part-time or
full-time position, the college can
connect you with Johnnies who will
help your organization thrive.
Many students are awarded funding
for their internship choices, and staff
are ready to assist if you’re looking
to create an internship that aligns with
student interest.
To learn more, connect with
santafe.oppd@sjc.edu or
annapolis.careerservices@sjc.edu or
connect with them both to elevate
opportunities outside the local
campus areas.
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
31
�On Reading, Religion,
Redemption,
and Reasons for Giving
good, I’m not going to be fipping burgers. I can go to
college.” Looking back, it is especially interesting
that when I graduated from Santa Fe, the prep school
from which I had dropped out graciously awarded
me an honorary high school diploma.
MARK JORDAN SF73
The following content has been excerpted from an
interview with Mark Jordan, R. R. Niebuhr Research
Professor at Harvard Divinity School. Please visit
sjc.edu/mark-jordan to read the full interview.
How did you fnd your way to St. John’s?
I had an intense religious conversion right before
I went to St. John’s. I landed in Annapolis as a fairly
young February freshman, ready to do work on
Christian tradition, the relation of theology to philosophy, and, especially, ethics.
Having dropped out of high school, St. John’s was
my gamble. I remember getting the admissions letter a few days before Christmas and thinking, “Oh
32
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
What stands out from your initial experience of
the Program?
One of the things St. John’s instilled in me was the
courage to follow questions wherever they lead and
not to worry about the property signs that people put
up to fence off certain areas. So I started reading and
just kept going. In high school, I’d been reading
Thomas Aquinas and I continued to do so as a frstyear student, but I also fell in love with the way Plato
is read at St John’s.
My senior paper at St. John’s was on Thomas
Aquinas and Plato. The advisor who was reading
it told me that it was interesting but two times longer than it needed to be—and he was right! I went
on to do a dissertation on the doctrine of creation
in Thomas, on how God can be read through the
creation.
Are there any memories from your time in Santa Fe
that strike you differently now?
When I was at St. John’s there was passionate discussion about how the curriculum was or was not related to the arts and literature, because among the
students and faculty there were people who wrote
�novels and poems, or people who painted and threw
pots and photographed morning light on chamisa
(my fxation at the time). How could we include those
arts within the Program?
I remember sitting one day in the dining hall in
Santa Fe and thinking, “We don’t have to include
them. They already include us!” We were surrounded by this jaw-dropping beauty, and looking back
now, I realize that part of what held me in place to do
the work was the gift of being able to read powerful
books in this theater of beauties. Trying to write
those beauties has become more and more important to me—so I take that moment in the dining hall
as a premonition.
How do you characterize your ongoing relationship
with your St. John’s education?
I’m one of those people for whom the St. John’s
curriculum was exactly right. It gave me ways of
reading and teaching and writing that I have used
for the rest of my life. I still own the copies of Plato
and Aristotle that I bought the frst day I was on campus at Annapolis. I still use them to teach. So I feel a
daily connection to the work of the college.
How did you and your husband, Bill, decide what
kind of gift to make to St. John’s?
As a college teacher, I’ve never had a lot of money
to give. That was the motive for making a bequest or
planned gift. We’re not raising children, we don’t
have family obligations, so we are free to say, “Here’s
THE MOST MEANINGFUL GIFT
YOU GIVE TO ST. JOHN’S DOESN’T
HAVE TO BE THE ONE THAT COMES
STRAIGHT FROM YOUR POCKET.
It can be the gift of your legacy, given on behalf
of the students to come. By including St. John’s
in your estate plans, you can have a tremendous
impact on the future of the college—often at little
or no cost to you today. Visit sjc.giftplans.org
to start planning your legacy.
what we’ve accumulated. When the time comes, put
it to good use.”
The college was really clear that if Bill and I wanted to designate the money for particular purposes
we could. But having spent my entire life in colleges
and universities, I know that an overly specifc gift
can rapidly become an albatross. So that’s why we
decided to give our money for whatever general purposes the college deemed important. If we didn’t
trust the college to make that discernment, we
wouldn’t be giving the money.
How do you hope your gift will support the college
in the future?
As a teacher, you learn over time that how you articulate your questions today or this semester can
change dramatically. Still, underneath, there’s a current that fows, that continues to feed you through
your teaching and writing.
I feel that about the college, too. There may be—
will almost certainly be—many changes in the articulation of the curriculum, but what I want to support
is the current underneath. If you believe that the
kind of work St. John’s does reaches deeply into human capacities or needs or pursuits, then that work
will be important as long as there are humans.
I look forward into a future that I really can’t discern. I have no idea what the college’s curriculum is
going to look like in a hundred years, but I very much
hope that St. John’s will be around to provide fundamental education.
IS ST. JOHN’S ALREADY
IN YOUR ESTATE PLANS?
Email plannedgiving@sjc.edu and let the
college know. Documenting your intentions
will ensure that your gift is used exactly as
you want it to. This important step also
allows the college to say “thank you”
through St. John’s Forever: The Legacy
Society of St. John’s College.
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
33
�How can I
support
St. John’s
with my giving?
34
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
�Challenge your classmates
to make a difference.
Make the Annual Fund
a yearly priority.
Regular annual giving is the best way
to support everything you care about
at St. John’s: every student, every
tutor, every conversation, and every
need. Through monthly recurring gifts
and multi-year pledges, you can
spread your commitment over time
and make a signifcant difference at
a manageable level.
sjc.edu/annual-fund
You lived together, ate together, and learned together.
Now you can make a difference together—and you
don’t have to wait until your reunion year to do so.
November 29 marks St. John’s ffth year of participation
in GivingTuesday, the national day of giving. Challenge
the members of your graduating class to make a gift and
offer to match a certain amount when they do. If a fellow
classmate offers a challenge—step up to meet it. The results
do make a difference. During GivingTuesday 2021,
the St. John’s community collectively raised more than
$200,000 to beneft students and the Program.
Invest in the
campus experience.
Through the $25 million Pritzker
Challenge, St. John’s is preparing both
campuses for future generations of
seekers. When you make a gift
in support of campus improvements,
the Jay Pritzker Foundation will match
every $2 of your gift with another $1.
sjc.edu/pritzker-challenge
Connect your legacy
to that of the college.
The most straightforward way to
include St. John’s in your personal
legacy is by naming the college as the
benefciary of a gift from your estate.
Taking this step can be as simple as
adding one sentence to an existing
will. By combining a legacy gift with
regular support for the Annual Fund,
you can make a profound difference in
the lives of current and future
students—at a level that makes sense
for you today.
Visit sjc.giftplans.org to get started.
Find out if your
employer will
match your gift.
Your employer or your spouse’s
employer could offer a matching
gift program that will double or
even triple the value of your gift.
Check out the matching gift tool at the
website below to see if your
company participates.
sjc.edu/matching-gift
Honor your St. John’s
education with
a reunion gift.
By commemorating your milestone
reunion year with a gift to the
college, you and your classmates can
help more students beneft from a
St. John’s education.
sjc.edu/reunion-giving
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
35
�S T. J O H N ’ S
Day of Gratitude
& Reunion Weekend
AL
ANNU
IN S
A NEW
G
E
B
IO N
IT
D
A
R
T
Santa Fe Annapolis
FRI SEPTEMBER 9
& SAT SEPTEMBER 10
FRI SEPTEMBER 23
& SAT SEPTEMBER 24
This fall St. John’s begins a new tradition of uniting our most
dedicated volunteers, ambassadors, and donors with our class
reunion gatherings for a weekend of in-person celebration.
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Learn about your impact and
let the college thank you.
Celebrate a milestone…
together.
Both campuses will host a
full day of events for alumni,
friends, and student leaders
who advance the mission of the
college through their
volunteerism, advocacy, and gifts.
This year, in conjunction with the
Day of Gratitude, St. John’s will welcome
back to campus our 10-, 25-, and 50-year
reunion classes, including those alumni
who were not able to celebrate in person
in 2020 and 2021.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEKEND
Seminars Gratitude Lunch Inaugural Freeing Minds Society Induction Ceremony
Campus Tours Dean’s Lecture Lunch with Faculty Intellectual Programming Reunion Class Dinners
Reach out to alumni@sjc.edu for more information.
36
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
�St. John’s is profoundly grateful
for alumni whose gifts of time and
resources enable the college to…
KEEP TUITION REASONABLE
Through widespread support for
the Freeing Minds campaign, the
college cut tuition by one-third
in 2019, making St. John’s one of
the most affordable colleges in the
Small College Consortium. The
modest increase that takes place
in Fall 2022 is substantially below
the annual rate of infation, due in
signifcant part to the continued
generosity of alumni.
BALANCE THE BUDGET
After years of running a structural defcit that peaked at $12 million, St. John’s is now entering its
third consecutive fscal year with a
structurally balanced budget.
ATTRACT A GROWING
COMMUNITY OF SEEKERS
Alumni are sharing the message that St. John’s College offers a life-changing experience.
The Class of 2025 was the largest in a decade, and one in four of
these rising sophomores learned
about St. John’s from an alum.
EARN A POSITIVE CREDIT
RATING
S&P Global raised their outlook
for St. John’s from stable to positive—a strong vote of confdence
from a highly regarded credit rating agency. Alumni support is
one of the factors they considered
when determining that St. John’s
is a good place for an investment.
SUPPORT STUDENTS IN THEIR
CAREER GOALS
Alumni said that St. John’s must
do more to help students prepare for post-graduate life—and
then stepped forward to offer that
help. More than 2,500 alumni
have raised their hands through
sjcconnect.com and signaled their
willingness to have a conversation
about their career paths.
INVEST IN STUDENTS
The St. John’s Endowment consists
of invested gifts that yield an annual revenue stream for the college. For the past two years, that
income stream has been equivalent to $11,000 in annual support
for every Johnnie.
REDUCE OUR DEPENDENCE
ON TUITION
St. John’s new fnancial model, bolstered by the Freeing Minds
campaign, makes generosity more
important than tuition. In 2021,
philanthropy covered nearly 40
percent of the cost to deliver the
Program, removing a heavy burden from the shoulders of students.
ASSIST 90 PERCENT OF
STUDENTS WITH TUITION COSTS
St. John’s ability to keep tuition
reasonable and still provide students with more than $14 million
in additional aid is the direct result of alumni support for the college’s philanthropy-centered fnancial model.
The college thanks you for all of the
above. Your gifts, volunteerism, and
advocacy have made these results
possible in a higher education environment where they are rare.
BE A PART OF ST. JOHN’S
GIVING SOCIETIES
St. John’s two distinctive
giving societies recognize
transformative acts of generosity.
The Freeing Minds Society
honors alumni and friends who
have made an epic commitment
to St. John’s College through
cumulative lifetime giving
of $100,000 or more.
St. John’s Forever: The Legacy
Society of St. John’s College
celebrates alumni and
friends who have linked their
legacies to that of the college
through the commitment of
a future estate gift.
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
37
�S E L EC T E D N OT E S
F R O M C L A S S M AT E S
1967
In July 2021, Ronald Kephart (A)
retired from 32 years of teaching
anthropology (linguistic, cultural,
and biological) at the University of
North Florida.
1977
The pandemic gave Ellen
(Hamilton) O’Donnell (A) time and
space to reignite her art practice.
She found a wonderful teacher to
shepherd this process via a second
alma mater, School of the Art
Institute of Chicago. She’s in a
virtual art group, has a studio,
and is engaged in making again.
1982
This August, Marion (Betor)
Baumgarten (A) and Jon
Baumgarten (A) will have
been married 40 years! They
are both retired from the
federal government and reside
in the Chicago area.
Leslie (Smith) Rosen (A) and
James Hyder ’84 (A) have moved
to a seaside cottage in MA to help
take care of Leslie’s mother and to
enjoy the next steps of their life’s
journey with children and grandchildren not far away.
1987
Ele Hamburger (A) is happily living
in Seattle with her husband and
three teenagers, who constantly
keep them on their toes. She is a
partner at a small plaintiff-side civil
rights and class action law frm,
where she focuses on health care
and health coverage issues.
She would love to visit with
38
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
friends who are passing through
the Pacifc Northwest.
1992
Captain George Dolan (SF), U.S.
Navy, completed a three-year tour
as naval attaché to South Korea in
June and is now serving on the
Navy staff in the Pentagon. He welcomes inquiries from any Johnnies
considering a career in the military.
2002
Sara Abercrombie (SF) is an associate professor and department chair
in the Department of Educational
Psychology at Northern Arizona
University. She was awarded the
NAU President’s Distinguished
Teaching Fellowship in 2021, a recognition of the highest level of
teaching excellence and positive
impact at NAU and beyond.
Kate Jordan (SF) lives with partner
Jeremy and daughters Esme (4)
and Oona (1) in Oakland, CA.
Kate serves as a chief fnancial
offcer for UC Berkeley and loves
to garden.
2012
Brandon Carney (A) got married
in August 2021 and transitioned
into fnance from scientifc
research in January.
LET YOUR CLASSMATES
HEAR FROM YOU!
If your class year ends in a 3 or 8,
email alumni@sjc.edu to include your
news in the next alumni magazine.
PHOTOS ARE WELCOME!
ALUMNI
WEEK
sjc.edu/alumni-week
Memories that
take you back.
Conversations
that carry
you forward.
No travel required.
A
s St. John’s alumni, our
connections to one another are not bound by time
or place—and shouldn’t be. After
all, the texts we read and the
questions we ask transcend generations and geography.
The physical separation we
have experienced over the past
two years has given rise to more
inclusive ways of being together.
Alumni Week is one example—
and one that St. John’s began exploring even before the pandemic emerged. Through this annual
virtual gathering, alumni from
around the world can enjoy intellectual engagement and community, but with fewer barriers
to participation. Greater access
means more opportunities to
catch up with classmates and tutors, rekindle conversations, and
reconnect with the college and
one another.
�HIGHLIGHTS FROM
ALUMNI WEEK 2022
A variety of tutor and alumni-led presentations
show that the life of the mind need not
dwell solely in the classics or in the classroom.
There are treasures to be found in unexpected
places, from Tolkien’s Middle-earth to
your own comfortable kitchen.
If you missed Alumni Week 2022 this past June,
or want to relive a moment that challenged your thinking,
visit sjc.edu/alumni-week to enjoy the following highlights.
Beyond the
Classroom:
The Mystery
of Gollum
Beyond the
Classroom:
Living the
Program
Gollum is perhaps the greatest villain of The Lord of the Rings—and
maybe its most tragic hero. Who
is Gollum? Why is he so central to
the novel? Join tutors Krishnan
Venkatesh and Richard McCombs
to dive deeper into the intricate
world of J. R. R. Tolkien.
Tutors are the more senior students and role models of our
St. John’s community, but what
does it really look like to live the
Program? Take a sneak peek into the lives of beloved tutors beyond the classroom. Hear their
wisdom on balance, integration,
and following thumos on the road,
in the kitchen, and everywhere
in between.
JohnnieTalks
A game designer, a pediatric neurologist, and a tech entrepreneur
talk about life’s turning points—
what they mean, how to live them,
and how they can change everything.
Alumni
Association
Awards
Every year the Alumni Association
welcomes honorary members into
our ranks and bestows the Award
of Merit on those alumni who are
elevating the profle of the college through their lives, careers,
and contributions to the Great
Conversation. Hear their stories
and celebrate their achievements.
In Memoriam
Join your St. John’s community as
we recognize the Johnnie chairs
that now sit empty. Together we
honor those Johnnies who have
passed, leaving us with moments
and memories to cherish.
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
39
�In Memoriam
St. John’s College remembers the alumni, staff, faculty, and leadership who
passed away during the 2021-2022 academic year. Together we celebrate the
impact of their lives and legacies on our Johnnie community.
Donald S. Kaplan (Class of 1945)
Charles Coaston (SFGI76)
Clarence R. Morris (Class of 1948)
Jeffrey B. Shea (A76)
Carolyn Banks-Leeuwenburgh (Class of 1955)
Terence A. Teachout (A78)
John Joanou (Class of 1955)
Joan F. Vinson (AGI81)
Barbara D. Winiarski (Class of 1955)
Nicholas M. Ossorgin (SF85)
Nancy Eagle Lindley (Class of 1958)
Toni Wilkinson (SFGI87)
Mary Campbell Gallagher (Class of 1960)
Elizabeth Malmgren (AGI88)
Lloyd H. Byassee (Class of 1961)
Anna A. McManus (SFGI91)
Natalie Silitch (Class of 1961)
Amanda E. Richards (SF91)
Jeffrey P. Escoffer (Class of 1964)
Leo P. Kelley (SF93)
Richard E. Roderick (Class of 1966)
Raymond R. Ames (A94)
Margaret Winter (Class of 1966)
Brian C. Bowman (SFGI94)
Leslie S. Bornstein (SF68)
Michael A. Miller (A94)
Robert A. Fielding (A68)
Glenn Freitas (H04), Santa Fe Faculty Emeritus
William J. Cromartie (SF69)
Katherine L. Harper (H06)
Patricia A. Turner (SFGI69)
Tova R. LeCuyer (A14)
Richard A. Treacy (SFGI70)
Frederick C. Foote (SF15)
Anthony Vitto (A70)
Carmen Harrell (H15)
David C. Chute (A72)
Michael A. Thomas (A15)
Fred Mattis (A73)
Charles S. Trefrey (H19)
Gene F. Taylor (SFGI75)
Charlie H. McKenzie (SF21)
This listing includes those who have passed between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.
We care deeply for all members of our college community. If you know
of fellow Johnnies who have passed away but are missing from this list, please
contact advancement@sjc.edu so we may honor those individuals.
40
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
�Alumni Association
Honorees 2022
Honorees are selected each year by the Alumni
Association Board of Directors and recognized for
their pursuit of and success in leading examined lives,
as well as their steadfast commitment to the St. John’s
College community. During Alumni Week 2022,
the college and the Alumni Association honored the
following recipients of the Award of Merit, Volunteer
Service Award, and Honorary Alumni designations.
AWARD OF MERIT HONOREES
For distinguished and meritorious service to the United States,
to their native state, to St. John’s
College, or for outstanding achievement within a chosen feld.
Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš (A88) –
for extraordinary advocacy of freedom and democracy and service to
the people of Latvia as prime minister.
Kariņš is the prime minister of
Latvia. He may be the only Johnnie
alumnus to date to serve as head
of state of a sovereign nation. As
a freshman in 1984, Kariņš received an honorable mention for
the best freshman essay, an honor
he has touted throughout his adult
life. He continued his education
at the University of Pennsylvania,
earning a PhD in linguistics.
Kariņš later moved to Latvia,
where he was frst elected to
Latvia’s Parliament in 2002, and
in 2009 was elected to serve
as a member of the European
Parliament. He became prime
minister in 2019 and has led one
of the longest serving Latvian governments in modern history. As
prime minister, Kariņš has been
an outspoken advocate for freedom and democracy, arguing that
“Democracy is contagious. It is an
attractive idea because it is the
people, not autocrats, who decide
who runs the country and in which
direction to move.”
Pedro Martinez-Fraga (A84) – for
achievement in the feld of law and
international relations.
Pedro J. Martinez-Fraga is a renowned international lawyer. He is
a partner at Bryan, Cave, Leighton,
and Paisner, where he co-leads the
frm’s international arbitration
team and is a World Bank arbitrator. He served as lead U.S. counsel
on behalf of the Republic of Chile
in the case against former Chilean
president, Augusto Pinochet, and
has also worked on the prosecutions of Venezuelan president
Hugo Chávez and deposed Haitian
president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
His writings in the felds of public and private international law
have been published in 15 coun-
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
41
�tries and fve languages, including more than 50 reviewed articles and six books. Martinez-Fraga
has lectured at more than 30 universities across the globe and is an
honorary professor of law at both
the Universidad de San Ignacio de
Loyola and the Universidad del
Pacífco in Lima, Perú.
Boaz Roth (AGI92) – for achievement in the feld of education.
Boaz has dedicated his life to
teaching in the St. John’s mode.
He is chair of the English department at Thomas Jefferson School
in St. Louis, where he has taught
English, Greek, and math for almost 30 years and coached basketball for more than 20 seasons. The
school has small, seminar-based
discussions in every discipline
and boasts that its average student will have read 80 works of
classic literature by graduation.
His school’s basketball court has
άρετή painted on its foor and a local newspaper once found it noteworthy to state that “The varsity basketball team huddles with
coach Boaz Roth, then springs
back and yells, full-throated:
‘Arete!’ This is how one cheers at
Thomas Jefferson School.”
In addition to his master’s degree
from St. John’s, where he is remembered both for his focus as
a student and his drive as a basketball player, Roth earned a BA
with a double major in philosophy
and economic theory from the
American University.
42
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
John Ruskey (SF90) – for achievement in the arts and exploration.
John Ruskey is a river guide, adventurer, canoe builder, artist, and
Bluesman. He conducts workshops
on ecological education, runs
camps for local children, and, with
his company, the Quapaw Canoe
Company, leads canoe tours on
the Mississippi River. He and fellow alumni once co-led a seminar on Mark Twain’s Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn—while traveling
on the mighty Mississippi itself.
One of his long running projects is
rivergator.org, an all-encompassing internet and print resource
providing detailed instructions
for paddling the Mississippi River
between St. Louis and the Gulf of
Mexico.
Ruskey was the frst curator of
the Delta Blues Museum; is the
co-founder and director of the
Delta Blues Education Fund; and
has written a monthly column,
“Down in the Delta,” for Blues Revue
since 1998. In 1997, he won the
Early Wright Blues Heritage Award,
presented to a non-musician for
outstanding work to preserve, promote, perpetuate, and document
blues in the Mississippi Delta.
VOLUNTEER SERVICE
AWARDS
Chelsea Adams (A12)
Adams began volunteering for
the college and the Alumni
Association soon after she graduated in 2012. Her service includes
ten years on the Alumni Giving
Council, the Alumni Leadership
Forum, the Admissions Working
Group, and the Awards Committee.
She has also volunteered with
Summer Academy, the online
Great Books Summer Seminar
Series, and at numerous college
fairs. In addition, she has served
as class chair for the Annapolis
Class of 2012. Adams is known
to both college and Alumni
Association leadership as a cheerful and tireless volunteer. Her service in all facets of alumni volunteerism is extraordinary.
Claiborne Booker (A84)
Booker has given the college and
the Alumni Association years of
cheerful and diligent service. He
was elected by the college’s alumni to the Board of Visitors and
Governors in 2011 for a three-year
term, which was extended for an
additional two years. After he completed his tenure on the board, he
immediately began four years of
service on the Alumni Association
Board from 2016-20, leading our
volunteer efforts to support annual
giving. Booker is like Aeneas, “duty-bound, and known” in the service of St. John’s.
�HONORARY ALUMNI
Michael Bechko
Mike Bechko is the network and
telephone systems coordinator
on the Santa Fe campus and joined
the college’s IT department in May,
1999. Of Bechko, it is said that “his
ready smile, great sense of humor,
incomparable dependability, and
relaxed demeanor make it possible for us to face technology’s continued stressors. Nothing rattles
Mike: as one staff member notes,
she’s never heard him yell, ‘though
there are many times when he
should have.’”
In his life outside the offce,
Bechko enjoys engaging in new
forms of exercise and approaches to well-being; and he steadfastly believes in the importance of
using one’s brain for other-thanwork activities.
Cara Sabolcik
Cara Sabolcik was a vital part
of the Greenfeld Library staff
on the Annapolis campus for 21
years, most recently serving as
the associate library director until 2021. Sabolcik was instrumental in establishing the college's
digital archives and digitized the
library's audiovisual collection. It
was Sabolcik who confrmed that
W. E. B. Du Bois gave a lecture on
the Annapolis campus, an event
which became the basis for a collegewide celebration this year.
Sabolcik’s service to St. John’s also includes various appointments
on the Staff Council and in numerous faculty, undergraduate, and
Graduate Institute study groups
through the years. In the great-
er community, Sabolcik served
as chair and vice chair of the
Maryland Interlibrary Loan Group,
thereby enabling access to books
otherwise not readily available to
St. John’s College and making the
Greenfeld Library more widely
known as a participating peer institution.
Susan Shamos
Dr. Susan Shamos is the founder
of The Centus School Counseling
Program, which places experienced counselors and social
workers in schools that otherwise
would not have enough access to
high-quality mental health services for students. Together with
her husband, Jeremy (SFGI76),
Shamos has been a supporter and
benefactor for multiple arts organizations throughout Denver and
the state of Colorado. Shamos and
Jeremy led Denver’s efforts to host
the 2008 National Performing Arts
Convention, a gathering of 5,000
U.S. and international artists and
arts professionals.
and theology, having received his
doctorate in mathematics from
the University of Texas at Austin,
as well as a PhD in systematic theology from Cambridge University.
Prior to coming to St. John’s,
Sinnett was a lecturer in mathematics at Concordia Lutheran
College, Kansas University, and
San Jacinto College. He is also a
minister of Word and Sacrament
in the Presbyterian Church, having served as minister at the First
Presbyterian Church, Stephenville,
Texas, and as a senior minister at
Clemmons Presbyterian Church
in Clemmons, North Carolina.
Sinnett had the honor of being
a visiting scholar at St. John’s
College, Cambridge, in 1997.
A beloved tutor, Sinnett was overwhelmingly chosen by the graduating Class of 2022 to be their
graduation speaker.
Notably, Shamos has participated
in Summer Classics at the college
for over three decades. She and
Jeremy are among the top 15 lifetime donors to the college, inspiring others to join them in philanthropy and enriching the college
community by gifting substantial
works of art for public spaces on
campus. Shamos has served on
the college’s Board of Visitors and
Governors since 2016.
Mark Sinnett
Mark Sinnett served as a tutor
at St. John’s College from 20002020. In this role, he drew upon
his background in mathematics
A LU M N I M AGA ZI N E
43
�How can I
stay connected
and informed?
Don’t let the alumni magazine
be your only source of
updates on the college and
your classmates.
44
S T. J O H N ’ S C O L L E G E
�Bookmark the
college website.
Read the
award-winning
Annual Report.
Recognized by the Council for
Advancement and Support
of Education, St. John’s 2021
Annual Report to Alumni and
Friends boldly claims that the
college is stronger than ever—and
delivers the evidence.
sjc.edu/annual-report
Sjc.edu isn’t just for current
and future students. Alumni can
also fnd a wealth of content,
from thought-provoking podcasts
and recorded lectures to profles
of fellow alumni.
Update your
email.
If the college does not have your
current email, you are missing out
on news, invitations, and intellectual
content from the college.
Here are three options for updating
your contact information:
1.
Fill out the enclosed envelope
and mail it back to the college
2.
Visit sjc.edu/alumni-update to
update your information online
3.
Come home
for a visit.
If you live nearby, come grab a
snack at the coffee shop, check out
a book from the library, or just stroll
around and see the campus
improvement projects that are taking
place in both Annapolis and Santa Fe.
If the passage of time has put
physical distance between you and
our two campuses, make a plan to
visit. Our frst annual Day of Gratitude
would be a great time to get
reacquainted with your once and
always home.
Scan the QR code below
Follow St. John’s
on social media.
The college has an active presence on
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,
LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Visit sjc.edu/social-media for links to
all of these accounts and more.
Update your information
by November 14, 2022 and
be entered to win one
of six gift cards, valued up
to $500, to the St. John’s
College bookstores.
sjc.edu/alumni-update
�1160 Camino de Cruz Blanca
Santa Fe, NM 87505-4599
Non Proft Org
US Postage
PA I D
St. John’s College
�
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Alumni Magazine
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St. John's College
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Annapolis, Md.
Santa Fe, NM
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AlumniMagazine
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St. John's College Greenfield Library
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Alumni Magazine, 2022
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2022 issue of the Alumni Magazine.
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St. John's College
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St. John's College
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Annapolis, MD
Santa Fe, NM
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2022
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pdf
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St. John's College (Annapolis, Md.)--Alumni and alumnae
St. John's College (Santa Fe, N.M.)--Alumni and alumnae
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English
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SJCAlumniMagazine_2022
Alumni
Publication
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PDF Text
Text
ALUMNI
ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE
M AG A Z I N E
Connect With Your
Johnnie Community
Join Us for
Alumni Week 2021
Learn About the
Impact of Alumni
at St. John’s
��Letter from St. John’s College Alumni Association President
I hope this message finds you well and, like me, seeing the first rays of “the
early-born rose-fingered Dawn” of our COVID-subsiding world.
As we begin to look forward, for me, the great privilege of being a Johnnie is the
opportunity to look back on the books and ideas I encountered at the college for
guidance and inspiration. Remember when Odysseus said, “I long for home,
long for the sight of home. If any god marked me out again for shipwreck, my
tough heart can undergo it. What hardship have I not long since endured at
sea, in battle! Let the trial come.” (Homer, Odyssey 5.230-33)? We have all had
hardships and trials this year, and I hope our shared experience of the Program
continues to give you comfort and strength.
The strength demonstrated by our college community during this challenging time has indeed been inspiring.
Despite the difficulties, there were triumphs, like the college’s ability to take the Program into a virtual format
and keep the conversation going during the long pandemic. For these efforts, the Alumni Association is forever
grateful to our tutors and staff.
We are also grateful for our alumni. Thanks to your support, St. John’s has grown in financial strength. Together,
we have completed the Winiarski Family Foundation Challenge this year, securing $50 million in matching
funds toward Freeing Minds—bringing our total campaign commitments to $246 million to date and putting
St. John’s on track to double its endowment. We have watched as college leadership has worked hard in effecting
St. John’s long-term financial health and we are glad to see the college is expecting a balanced budget for next
year. I encourage you to learn more about these accomplishments by reading on in this publication and hearing
directly from the folks who are helping our community flourish into the future.
Yet, it seems that one of the most poignant lessons of the past year has been the value of perseverance. The
ability to respond adroitly to unforeseen circumstances and the grit to continue forward regardless has proven
successful for Johnnies—especially for our recent graduates who, because of their determination, now join us in
our almost 200-year-old Alumni Association.
It is in this spirit of perseverance and in celebration of our enduring love for the college and one another that
I invite you to St. John’s Alumni Week 2021, Monday, September 27 through Saturday, October 1. Although we
are not yet able to reunite in person, let us come together to honor and renew our connections while enjoying a
modern take on traditional programming, including seminar with our beloved tutors.
Until then, I leave us with a celebratory moment in the Program to reflect upon—the moment when Odysseus is
recognized by his elderly nurse from tracing the old scar on his leg: “Then joy and anguish seized her heart; her
eyes filled up with tears; her throat closed, and she whispered, with hand held out to touch his chin: Oh yes! You
are Odysseus!” (Homer, Odyssey 19:546-50).
We look forward to seeing you this fall.
St. John’s Forever!
Mark Parenti (AGI92)
President
St. John’s College Alumni Association
1
�COMMUNITY
ALUMNI
MAGAZINE
Summer 2021 | Volume I, No. 1
Vice President for Development
and Alumni Relations
Phelosha Collaros (SF00)
Director of Alumni Relations
Chris Aamot (SF04)
Associate Director of Alumni Relations
Maia Banks (A14)
Alumni Communications
Program Manager
Elise Berrocal
Alumni Transitions and
Volunteerism Program Manager
Kelsey Miller (A10)
Interim Alumni Relations Associate
Sue MacEachen
Contributing Writers
Benjamin Baum
Kerri Braly
Haley Ford (A17)
Anne Kniggendorf (SF97)
Abdullah Mirza (SF20)
Mark Parenti (AGI92)
Les Poling
Eve Tolpa
Spencer Windes (A99)
Design
Melissa Latham-Stevens (SFGI13)
Cover Illustration
Caitlin Cass (SF09)
Website
sjc.edu/alumni
Facebook
StJohnsCollegeAlumni
Instagram
@johnniealumni
About the Cover and Illustrator
Caitlin Cass (SF09) is a cartoonist, illustrator, and installation artist. She was a
2020 recipient of a National Endowment
of the Arts Artworks grant and a 2018
NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Fiction. Her
cartoons appear in The New Yorker and in
her self-published comic periodical, The
Great Moments in Western Civilization
Postal Constituent. When asked about
what inspired the cover design, she
shared: “My class read Virginia Woolf’s
A Room of One’s Own for our homecoming seminar and this quote stuck with
me. There’s a revolutionary aspect to it,
which I think reflects St. John’s efforts
to continue evolving.” In addition to
working on a graphic novel about women’s suffrage and civil rights history,
she is an assistant professor at the
University of Nebraska Omaha. View
her work at caitlincass.com.
2
Pritzker Promise Bridge Program Approaches
Second Year Serving Johnnies
The Pritzker Promise Bridge Program is gearing up for
its second incoming class of Johnnies this summer,
ready to prepare St. John’s newest students for the
college by helping them develop academic skills and
study habits, providing guidance and support, and
building relationships with faculty and peers prior to
their opening seminars.
Launched in summer 2020, the program seeks to
equip Pell Grant recipients and underrepresented
PRITZKER�BRIDGE
incoming students with the tools, skills, and resources
SCHOLARS�PROGRAM
they need to succeed at the college, thanks to a generous grant from The Jay Pritzker Foundation in connection with Board of Visitors and
Governors member Karen Pritzker.
The program—the first cross-campus initiative of its kind at St. John has—originated in response to feedback from Johnnies past. According to Santa Fe Dean Walter
Sterling (A93), surveys have shown that graduating seniors leave the college with
predominantly positive feelings about the Program. However, about half of graduating seniors also said they didn’t feel academically prepared when they arrived at the
college, with those numbers rising even higher for underrepresented groups. The
bridge program is specifically designed to increase retention and counter the issues
with which these students struggle.
It accomplishes this through a variety of preparatory workshops led by faculty and
staff targeted to financial aid recipients, first-generation students, and international
students alike. Topics for such sessions include learning the basics of federal and
college work study, how to manage time and money, how to find a campus job and
student employment, how to prioritize personal wellness, and other aspects of life at
the college.
For Danielle Lico, executive director of campus health and wellness in Annapolis,
the program is about engagement. “Engagement with the community, and engagement with each other—in the spirit of trying to build a ‘bridge’ intothe community for
incoming students.”
While many sessions have a pragmatic focus, others aim to introduce students to
the academic side of the college. As Caroline Randall, director of admissions in Santa
Fe, points out: Johnnies come to the college from all over the world, but few are coming
from schools with the same academic culture as St. John’s. “Some of our students
are nervous about seminar-style classes or the amount of reading expected, or about
certain subjects,” she explains. “The bridge program is the perfect answer for these
concerns.”
Entering its second year of implementation, the program is facilitated by Jennifer
Cline, coordinator of student services in Annapolis, and Nanette Phillips, student support coordinator in Santa Fe. According to Phillips, similar bridge and peer-mentoring
programs have been successfully implemented at many other colleges and universities. She points to studies demonstrating that such initiatives have been shown to
lead to better academic outcomes; she sees the St. John’s bridge program as part of
“the initial stages in what will be more robust structures for students” at St. John’s in
the future.
Faculty and staff in both Annapolis and Santa Fe share Phillips’ outlook anticipating that with each new class of Johnnies, the program will grow more nuanced and
intentional to meet the needs of its target population—a process that can only serve
to further help St. John’s students this year and in years to come.
�Update from St. John’s College
Vice President of Enrollment
Greetings, St. John’s alumni! As the college looks ahead to the new academic
year, I am happy to share with you some exciting news regarding our enrollment
to date.
This is a record-breaking year for enrollment on both campuses. St. John’s
has received more than 1,470 undergraduate applications. In Annapolis, we
continue our multi-year trend of full
freshman classes—between 140 and
150 students. In Santa Fe, we will have
more than 125 fall freshmen—the first
time in more than 10 years that the
college will enroll a class of this size.
Furthermore, the students attending
this fall are remarkably diverse. Thirteen percent of freshmen are international students from 21 countries. This
year’s domestic students are from 30
states, plus Washington, DC. Twelve
percent are the first in their families
to attend college; 21 percent are Pell
Grant recipients; and 28 percent are
students of color.
In the Graduate Institute, we are
also expecting record-breaking fall
enrollment as students apply for either the traditional on-campus degree
programs or the new low-residency program. Alumni can return to campus for
the Master of Arts in Liberal Arts in Annapolis or the Master of Arts in Eastern
Classics in Santa Fe, or can conveniently take classes for either program
online as well.
As we look toward the future, we know that Summer Academy is essential.
The Summer Academy program introduces interested high school students to
the Great Books and life at the college. This year’s sessions hosted more than
200 students, in person and online, many of whom were the children of alumni.
All this success is attributable to many new tools employed by the Admissions
Office over the course of the last year, but it is also attributable to alumni. Word
of mouth continues to be one of the largest sources of prospective student inquiries for the college, with 11 percent of our freshmen being children of Johnnies.
I invite you to take part in the excitement in Admissions by continuing to
encourage family and friends to learn more about our offerings (or inquire for
yourself). For application information, to schedule a visit, or even to register for
Summer Academy 2022, please contact us at admissions@sjc.edu or visit us at
sjc.edu/admissions. Thank you for sharing your Johnnie pride with others!
Benjamin Baum
Vice President of Enrollment
Alumni Volunteerism
Remains Strong
Despite Pandemic
Come rain, shine,
or pandemic,
JohnnieCorps
alumni volunteers
stood together in
support of the college
throughout the duration
of St. John’s 2020–21
academic year. So much so that, in the
annual Alumni Engagement Metrics
report released at the end of May 2021
by the Council for Advancement and
Support of Education (CASE), the
alumni volunteer participation rate at
St. John’s for the 2020 fiscal year
exceeded the average among other
higher education institutions globally.
While many institutions saw dramatic
drops in their volunteer rates in 2020,
St. John’s instead experienced a minor
dip—only 6/10ths of a percentage
point, to be exact—a figure illustrating
how well Johnnies adapted to a virtual
volunteer landscape.
JohnnieCorps is the college’s recently
expanded volunteer program offering
interested alumni tailored opportunities in an easy online format. Due to
the dedication of program participants,
prospective and current students
alike benefitted from alumni volunteer
support despite the COVID-19
pandemic. For this, JohnnieCorps
coordinators and the college are grateful for the continuous commitment
of its volunteers.
“Thank you to our amazing alumni
community for keeping volunteerism at
St. John’s alive and strong throughout
the height of pandemic,” says Kelsey
Miller (A10), alumni transitions and
volunteerism program manager.
“We look forward to sharing more
JohnnieCorps opportunities with you
in the new academic year.”
3
�COMMUNITY
A Welcome Banner for
First-Gen Students
“For an institution of [our] size, it’s
significant that we have designated
resources and personnel and employed
evidence-based practices that speIn recognition of its commitment to
cifically further first-gen persistence,”
improving college experiences and
Santa Fe Student Support
academic outcomes for
Coordinator Nanette Phillips
first-generation students,
says. She estimates that
St. John’s College in Santa
roughly 12 percent of JohnFe received the Center for
nie undergraduates belong
First-generation Student
to the program’s relevant
Success’s First-gen Forward
demographic. “Historically,
designation, March 2021.
public schools
The first institution in New
have tended
Mexico to receive the desigNanette Phillips
to
serve larger
nation, St. John’s is one of 157
populations
of firstFirst-gen Forward designees nationgen
students,
and
private
wide—a group that includes Carnegie
schools are often perceived
Mellon, Emory, and Wellesley, to name
as financially and culturally
just a few—with access to the center’s
inaccessible by comparison.
research and resources, including esIt’s extremely important for first-gen
tablished best practices, professional
students to know that they are going to
development, and community-building
be supported in their unique needs.”
tools.
Phillips is responsible for spearheading the college’s acceptance and
participation in the program. It was in
December 2020 that the center—an
initiative of the National Association of
Student Personnel Administrators and
the Suder Foundation—invited her to
apply for the designation on behalf of
the college. She promptly completed
it with the help of colleagues from
various departments.
Founded in 2017, First-gen Forward
is the nation’s first program
to recognize institutions
dedicated to the continued
success of first-generation
college students.
“A welcome banner” is
how Phillips characterizes
the designation—a big draw
for prospective Johnnies who “will
be looking for evidence that indicates
that a school has resources specific to
their needs.”
Johnnies Run the World
During fall 2020, St. John’s athletics in Annapolis and Santa Fe
collaborated on the launch of a global exercise initiative encouraging Johnnies to log enough miles to travel the circumference of
the earth, virtually. Aptly entitled “Johnnies Run the World,” the
exercise challenge was a great success, with a total of 24,901 miles
completed in just over five months.
A creative engagement initiative allowing Johnnies to connect
and persevere together through COVID-19, the challenge counted
any mileage-accumulating exercise, with participants like Santa
Fe alum Martha (Mackey) Pendleton (SF74) diligently tracking their
results. In the end, Pendleton achieved the third most miles among
Martha (Mackey) Pendleton
(SF74)
all alumni, faculty, and staff who participated, with 302 miles logged.
During the challenge, she regularly walked five miles at least six days a week, and at one
point was up to eight miles daily.
“I am no athlete,” says Pendleton, “but when I saw the invitation to join St. John’s faculty,
staff, students, and alumni in an endeavor to circle the globe, I thought, ‘Why not?’ It was fun
to calculate the miles I walk each day and have it count for something other than my health.”
4
�Alumni Help Shatter Expectations on GivingTuesday
Since 2012, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving has been known
in popular culture as GivingTuesday—a rallying day in which
communities gather around their favorite organizations and give
for the greater good.
This proved true for St. John’s in December 2020, when the
Johnnie community defied all expectations in support of current
and future students at the college—not only reaching its goal of
350 donors, but also outpacing previous years’ record-setting totals by midday.
Of the resulting 762 donors, 75 percent were St. John’s alumni, signifying their deep affinity and care for the college and the
Johnnie community. Rounding out the remaining 25 percent were parents, faculty, staff, friends, and even students.
Given the unprecedented nature of the year, with the country and world suffering from COVID-19 and its economic fallout,
it was impossible to predict how the day would go. Yet, by the time GivingTuesday ended, approximately $230,000 was raised,
providing crucial support for the college and its students. Donations came from 47 states in the United States, and on a global
level spanned South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
The successful day, which joined so many members of the college community in the effort of making small-but-mighty
gifts, left St. John’s better positioned to face the immediate challenges presented by COVID-19 and thrive during a most
uncertain time.
Jobs for Johnnies:
Helping Alumni Take On the Workforce Two Years in a Row
May 2021 marked the start of the second cycle of Jobs for Johnnies, a program pairing recent
graduates from both campuses with alumni volunteers for career mentorship and networking.
Piloted last spring with enthusiastic support from the Board of Visitors and Governors’ Visiting
Committee, the program is jointly coordinated by Career Services in Annapolis and the Office of
Personal and Professional Development in Santa Fe.
This year’s program, which will run through end of summer, boasts 20 alumni pairs with a
host of professional interests ranging from neuroscience and information technology to communications and environmental advocacy.
According to Annapolis Director of Career Services Jaime Dunn, the goal of the program is not
solely for new graduates to secure a job, but also to connect with an alum or board member to
“receive feedback on their job search tools and learn the skills of networking and job searching
Luke Olson (A20)
that they’ll need to use throughout their professional careers.”
For example, past Jobs for Johnnies participant Luke Olson (A20) had struggled to turn his experience into a legal career. After applying for hundreds of legal-related positions around Washington, DC, Chicago, and Boston,
he was paired with Alumni Association President Mark Parenti (AGI92).
Olson says conversations with Parenti opened a new way of thinking about the paths he might take. “He understood that
I was committed to certain ideals,” Olson says. “That might be unique to the Johnnie experience, but he also balanced that
kind of Johnnie idealism with real world professional and practical experience that he had decades of.”
Together, they worked out that Olson’s ideals could be upheld in a teaching environment just as well as in a court of law.
Today, Olson teaches at a private school in Fairfax, Virginia—a position that he loves and also satisfies his personal ideals.
Like in the example of Olson and Parenti, “alumni can play an especially valuable role in showing grads how the St. John’s
experience provides a great foundation for a satisfying career in a wide variety of fields,” says Charles Bergman, director of
Personal and Professional Development.
To find out about how alumni can further support recent graduates of St. John’s, visit sjc.edu/career-success/for-employers.
5
�COMMUNITY
Tutor Zena Hitz (A95)
Wins Hiett Prize in the
Humanities
The Dallas Institute of Humanities and
Culture honored tutor Zena Hitz (A95)
with the 2020 Hiett Prize in the
Humanities award during its 16th
annual gala on November 11, 2020.
As described by the institute, Hitz
was recognized for her viewpoints on
defending the intellectual life—learning for its own sake, rather than in
service of economic or political goals—
as explored in her recent book, Lost in
Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an
Intellectual Life.
Aimed at furthering the humanities
in the urban world, The Dallas Institute awards the Hiett Prize to those in
the early stages of a career devoted to
the humanities and whose work shows
extraordinary promise to have a
significant impact on contemporary
culture.
Hitz joined the college’s faculty
in 2015 and holds degrees from
St. John’s (BA, 1995), Cambridge
University (MPhil, 1996), and Princeton
University (PhD, 2005). Previously,
she served as assistant professor at
Auburn University and UMBC, among
other roles and distinctions.
6
Simran Thapa (SF22) and Bryn Frye-Mason (SF23)
Win Projects for Peace Fellowship
In early March 2021, students Simran Thapa (SF22) and Bryn Frye-Mason (SF23)
were awarded a Projects for Peace fellowship. Founded in 2007 by the late philanthropist Kathryn W. Davis, the initiative invites students at Davis United World
College Scholars Program partner schools—a group that includes St. John’s—to
formulate a project that promotes peace anywhere in the world.
The two Johnnies’ winning proposal, “Securing Peace in Bardiya, Nepal: Freeing
Women for Civic Engagement,” links improvements in maternal health with women’s
abilities to participate fully in their communities, simultaneously laying out a plan
for achieving both.
To implement their proposal, which involves creating medical kits that will be
delivered to five villages in Bardiya, Thapa and Frye-Mason are partnering with
the Women Security Pressure Group (WSPG), a Nepalese organization founded by
Thapa’s grandmother that works to increase literacy rates and political engagement
among women. The kits themselves, which aim to mitigate eclampsia and other risks
of pregnancy, are being designed through a collaboration with La Familia Medical
Center in Las Lunas, New Mexico, and assembled in Nepal. The project plan also
involves hiring a local WSPG chapter member to help distribute those kits and
establish a health co-op “for women to pool money to help each other buy necessities
for better health,” Thapa says.
Thapa and Frye-Mason are energized by all the support they have received,
including that provided by St. John’s. “We are both extremely excited to have the
opportunity to implement this project on the ground in Nepal. We will be working
hands-on with every aspect,” Thapa says, adding: “This project wouldn’t have
happened without our friendship.”
�Melanie Santiago-Mosier (A00) Named One
of Maryland’s Top 100 Women
In the summer of 2020, The Daily Record named Annapolis alum Melanie
Santiago-Mosier (A00) as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women, an acknowledgement
of “outstanding achievements of women
through professional accomplishments,
community leadership, and mentoring” for her
work on state-level clean energy policies.
Santiago-Mosier currently serves as the
managing director of access and equity for Vote
Solar, where her work centers on implementing
the organization’s vision for diversity, equity,
inclusion, and justice. She is an attorney licensed
to practice law in Maryland and has worked to
advance clean energy policy for more than a
decade, leading regulatory and legislative affairs
at a number of organizations. Among other
publications, she is a co-author of Low-Income
Solar Policy Guide (lowincomesolar.org), a comprehensive tool for policymakers, community leaders, and others who are working to
make solar accessible and equitable.
Salvatore
Scibona (SF97)
Named 2021
Literature Award
Winner
The American Academy of Arts and
Letters recognized Santa Fe alum
Joan Haratani (SF79) Wins
2021 Margaret Brent Award
Each year, the American Bar Association recognizes up to five recipients of the Margaret
Brent Award, which honors “outstanding women
lawyers who have achieved professional excellence and paved the way for other women in the
legal profession.” As of April 2021, one of those
lawyers—joining the likes of former Justice Ruth
Bader Ginsburg and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—is Joan Haratani (SF79): St. John’s
Santa Fe alum and secretary of the college’s
Board of Visitors and Governors.
The Brent award is the most recent in a streak
of honors for Haratani, who will receive St. John’s
College Alumni Association’s Volunteer Service
Award during Alumni Week this fall. Over the last
two years, she has also received the global Amel Zenoune-Zouani Rights & Leadership Award and the Chambers Award for Outstanding Contribution to Diversity in the
Legal Industry.
After graduating from St. John’s in 1979, Haratani earned her JD from the UC Davis
School of Law in 1984. Currently, she is a partner with Morgan Lewis San Francisco
office, where she has worked on a variety of high-profile cases spanning state and
federal law in the commercial litigation context, including national mortgage issues.
She also facilitates relationships between the firm and its clientele, bringing in new
clients and helping maintain a strong bond with firm clients. Additionally, she is a
member of the Morgan Lewis Advisory Board as well as a board member of Asian
Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC). She has also served as a former president of
the Bar Association of San Francisco.
Salvatore Scibona (SF97) as one of
18 literature award winners at its
annual ceremony, held virtually
May 19, 2021.
The literature prizes, totaling
$600,000, honored both established and emerging writers of
fiction, non-fiction, drama, and
poetry.
Also a 2008 National Book Award
finalist, Scibona is the author of
two critically acclaimed novels,
The Volunteer (2019) and The End
(2009). He serves as the director of
the Center for Scholars and Writers
at the New York Public Library
(NYPL). As director, he cultivates
and supports the work of internationally renowned writers and
thinkers and creates programming
that enriches the broader NYPL
community. As a novelist, he
continues to write exceptional
works of fiction.
7
�ANANT VASHI (SF96)
8
�Alumnus Applies Foundational Theory
in Finance; an Easy Task After the Rigors
of the Program
Given the one-of-a-kind nature of
St. John’s, many Johnnies end up at
the college via surprisingly traditional means: they receive an admissions
mailer and grow intrigued with the
Program, for example, or they find
out about the college from a teacher
or family friend. Anant Vashi (SF96)
was not one of those Johnnies.
“I
transferred to St. John’s after one year at Georgetown
University,” he recalls. Prior to his freshman year in
Washington, DC, he had grown up in the private school
system; an “overachieving” student on what he describes as
a “myopic, career-focused path” that left him burnt out and
intellectually dissatisfied.
“I was yearning for a more expansive perspective,” Vashi
says. “I had always had a philosophical bent with a strong
interest in history and economics. I decided that if any
formal education was right for me, that it would be at a
place like St. Johns.”
To complete the paradigm shift, he applied to the Santa
Fe campus instead of nearby Annapolis; by fall, he was
seated around the seminar table.
More than two decades after graduating, the decision
to transfer has paid off in more ways than one. On an
individual level, Vashi says, “St. John’s College was a
transformative personal and intellectual experience for me,
and I would not be the person I am today had I attended
another school.” While he loved reading the works of political
philosophers like Machiavelli, Hobbes, Kant, Hegel, and Marx,
the books and classes represented the spark—not the flame.
“The real learning at St. Johns occurs through interacting
with and being challenged by your peers, whose backgrounds and attitudes can be very different than your own,”
he notes.
Furthermore, Vashi suggests that his St. John’s education
has helped him develop a kind of mindfulness that enables
him to produce high-quality work under duress, whether as
director in the transportation and logistics group at Capstone
Headwaters—the independent middle market investment
bank where he worked until January 2021—or as the vice
president of finance at Neat Capital, a Boulder, Coloradobased growth stage mortgage lender.
Stereotypically, investment banking and home financing
sound like fields for graduates with business and economics majors, not liberal arts degrees. Vashi is proof that’s not
the case. In fact, he contends, his Johnnie education has
helped him at every step of the way.
“At least to my observation, many people who go to
college go through life in a sequential way, without taking
the time to understand how it all fits together for them as a
person,” he says. “St. Johns provided me with the tools and
confidence to create an intellectual space between myself
and the world whizzing by.”
Vashi explains that the ability to create that intellectual
space—to pause, reconsider basic assumptions, adapt to
unforeseen circumstances, and ask “why”—offers a sense
of thoughtfulness and clarity
that proves immensely
“The real learning at
beneficial.
“[At Capstone HeadwaSt. Johns occurs
ters], clients repeatedly
how my abilities
through interacting with described
to step back, be measured,
appreciate other perspecand being challenged
tives, and be deliberate were
qualities that really helped
by your peers, whose
them through the transaction process,” he recalls.
backgrounds and
“Negotiating transactions
worth tens of millions of
attitudes can be very
dollars can be very tenuous
and stressful, but I believe
different than your own.” that the space that St. John’s
taught me to make [was]
critical to successful outcomes.”
Vashi now puts the same skills to use at Neat Capital, a
venture-backed mortgage lender that aims to simplify the
home financing profess. As the leader of the finance team,
Vashi relies on his experience with a variety of transactions
and corporate finance to help spur the company’s growth
within the industry.
It all sounds very nuts-and-bolts—and intense. But for
Vashi, the “intellectually rigorous” work that has defined
his career connects deeply with his time at St. John’s. “[My
job] is the real-world application of financial and economic
theory,” he explains. Putting foundational theory into practice: the practice of a true Johnnie.
9
�SHEBA DELANEY (A22)
10
�Student’s Path of Lifelong
Learning Leads to St. John’s
Sheba Delaney shares how, at 66
years old, her pursuit of the examined life brought her to the college.
L
ike most Johnnies, the last three semesters presented
Sheba Delaney (A22) with extraordinary challenges—
from the sudden transition to online learning to hybrid
classes and masked conversations.
Unlike most Johnnies, though, Delaney has a bit more
life experience to lean on during hard times: She began her
freshman year at 66 years old.
In 2017, Delaney says, “I was living in New York City, my
home for more than 40 years, spending five hours a day in
my studio, painting, and working at Trader Joe’s. The years
of raising and educating my children were almost over.”
As she emerged from several significant life changes, she
realized that the rest of her life might not play out exactly
how she’d imagined.
“Dostoevsky said the second half of life is nothing but the
habits we acquire in the first half,” she explains. “I didn’t
want that.”
So that year, Delaney traveled to Spain and walked the
500-mile El Camino de Santiago. When she got back, she
applied to St. John’s—the college she’d first heard of while
studying illustration at the Pratt Institute decades earlier.
“I never considered applying anywhere else,” she says.
“Although I’ve read widely over my lifetime, I wanted to go
through the history of Western culture in a systematic way.”
Delaney arrived at St. John’s in 2018 and immediately
encountered obstacles. She hadn’t studied basic math in
decades, let alone demonstrated a Euclidean proposition.
Despite her excitement for seminar, she was a lifelong solitary reader and found the idea of diving into conversation
somewhat intimidating. Most difficult, she says, was time
management. Referencing her “touch-and-go” first two
years at the college, Delaney says she felt exhausted and
stretched to her limit on more than one occasion.
“My lifelong work habit has been obsessive monotasking,” she explains, “which works well for an artist but isn’t
so great when you’re trying to keep up with three challenging tutorials and a massive amount of reading.”
Importantly, though, she instantly felt welcomed into the
Johnnie community, and—together with her classmates—
she’s been able to surmount such challenges, including
arduous music theory and algebra tests.
“I was one of the first people to go to the board to do a
Euclid proposition,” Delaney recalls. “I was shaking, but at
least I never had to do it for the first time again.”
Perhaps the biggest challenge emerged in March 2020,
when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the St. John’s
Program online. It was extremely difficult, Delaney says, to
transition overnight from gathering together around a table
to conversing via Zoom.
Nonetheless, the St. John’s community rallied to make
things work. Delaney, her classmates, and her tutors
persisted with tenacity and good humor, trading Johnnie
chairs and seminar tables for at-home desks and computer
screens—a testament to the Program itself. Even in times of
difficulty, the study of Great Books endures, and the conversation it elicits continues.
For Delaney, persevering through the demands of everyday life and the famously rigorous St. John’s Program is
nothing new. During her first couple of years at the college,
she reflects, “I was constantly worried that I just wasn’t
going to make it.” But the experience has been worth it—
“there has been so much to enjoy.” She calls the opportunity
to work through the Great
Books a “luxury.” Similar
“I’m able to think about
to most alumni, in spite of
initial butterflies, she adores
the things I am interest- seminar—and the ongoing
conversation that often
ed in in a much richer
spills from the classroom to
the quad and beyond. The
way and with a better
Program has even inspired
Delaney to try humorous
sense both of context
writing, and she cherishes
the Johnnie tradition of taking tutors to lunch or coffee.
and of how things are
Most of all, “Everything I’ve
learned so far is absolutely
connected.”
affecting my whole life,”
she notes. “I’m able to think
about the things I am interested in in a much richer way
and with a better sense both of context and of how things
are connected.”
After graduating, Delaney hopes to earn a master’s
degree in theological studies; having written for religious
publications in the past, she’d like to continue exploring
humanity through religion (and religion through humanity). In other words, the journey of lifelong learning she
resumed at the college has only just begun.
“At St. John’s, we engage with the slow unfolding of
human beings trying to understand themselves,” Delaney
says. “I hope that I can, in some small way, be part of that
conversation.”
11
�DAVID TOWNSEND
12
�Longtime Annapolis Tutor
Wins Prestigious Faculty Award
Tutor David Townsend joined
St. John’s College’s faculty in 1974.
democratic society. On a similar note, he rejects the idea
that the purpose of education is purely pragmatic; that any
and all learning exists only in pursuit of material gain. He
acknowledges that American society necessitates a certain
uring the course of his career at the college, he
amount of financial success, and he maintains that prosperhas become a beloved facilitator of learning and exploity isn’t something to avoid. But, he adds, “Everything that
ration—admired not just by current and former students,
we’re doing [in life] is not for the sake of more profit or more
but also by the Association of Graduate and Liberal Studies
wealth. It’s to elevate the human spirit; to think about, as Du
(AGLSP).
Bois says, the soul. That’s what the liberal arts are all about.”
At a gala held in October 2020, the association formally
Importantly, Townsend notes, a liberal arts education
honored Townsend with its annual faculty award: a recbenefits tutors and students alike. The equal exchange
ognition of superb faculty who teach and inspire students
of varying perspectives, ideas, and beliefs that seminar
both within and outside the classroom. With his dedicaaffords is transformative for everyone involved. There’s
tion to the liberal arts and his devotion to becoming what
nothing like the mind-blowStringfellow Barr called a “citizen of the world,” Townsend
ing moment when a student
“Nevertheless, there is a
certainly meets the criteria. Fittingly, he considers the reor teacher genuinely considcipient—himself—the least important part of the deal.
ers an idea that challenges,
path
to
achieve
greatThe AGLSP describes itself as “deeply committed to the
changes, or elevates their
value of interdisciplinary education in the liberal arts and
point of view. “It’s universal,”
ness,”
he
says.
“If
we
sciences.” That holistic focus on liberal arts is what makes
Townsend contends.
the faculty award meaningful to Townsend. Rather than a
Despite that universality,
move forward with
glamorous recognition of his lengthy career, he hopes the
the economic climate in the
award functions as an acknowledgement of the deeper
States causes a conhonesty, vision, integrity, United
goals of true education. “The original movement at
stant “crisis in the humanSt. John’s in the ’30s was that we had a mission not just to
ities” rhetoric that, some fear,
and effective hard work, drives students away from
be a little college, but to be emblematic of a way that a society, a community, could improve,” Townsend says.
schools like St. John’s. Partly
St. John’s can be more
“Our mission is to teach the capabilities of the liberal arts
in response to those conto give us what we aim for in life,” he adds. “So, what do we
cerns, Townsend is constantly
live for the sake of? We live for the sake of the good, the true,
than we might imagine.” searching for ways to bring
and the beautiful; not just for instrumental goals like wealth
more people to the liberal
or honor or fame. I think the liberal arts are at the heart of
arts. In addition to teaching and community education, he
what we do at St. John’s.”
has conceived of two potential master’s programs that he
Townsend’s belief in the liberal arts manifests itself
believes could broaden the appeal of the St. John’s Graduate
beyond St. John’s. He teaches adult education offerings in
Institute. The more people engaged in the liberal arts, he
both Santa Fe and Annapolis, including recently, an examreasons, the better for St. John’s.
ination of the fearless pursuit of love and intellect depicted
“The survival of St. John’s is at stake at a time when
in Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse. He has also taught libmany small colleges will fail. Nevertheless, there is a path
eral arts seminars in local prisons, Baltimore police departto achieve greatness,” he says. “If we move forward with
ments, and to the chief financial officers of PepsiCo, as well
honesty, vision, integrity, and effective hard work, St. John’s
as been involved with the Touchstones Discussion Project—
can be more than we might imagine. For St. John’s to live up
which brings the seminar model to elementary, middle, and
to its untapped potential, we must, to paraphrase Frederick
high schools across the world—for more than 30 years. With
Douglass, be true to our past, true to our present, and bind
every group of learners, the St. John’s seminar pedagogy
ourselves to be true to the future.”
proves invaluable.
“I think the method works, whether I’m teaching in a
community seminar, whether I’m doing a year of classics,”
he says. “It’s an aspect of the human soul; people are hungry for this kind of endeavor.”
Townsend suggests that the rigorous dialogue that defines
seminar provides the foundation for any functioning
D
13
�Q&A with Alumni Relations Working Group
Co-chairs: Caroline Gorman (SF11) and
Ken Resnick (SFGI19)
In the beginning of 2020, St. John’s embarked on an effort to better
understand how alumni want to engage with the college. After
months of alumni focus groups and surveys, and an audit of current
programs, a working group of the Advancement Committee of the
Board of Visitors and Governors was formed to help evaluate findings
and generate guidance on how to reinforce a strong and meaningful
connection between alumni and the college. Get to know the Alumni
Relations Working Group Co-chairs Caroline Gorman (SF11) and
Ken Resnick (SFGI19), and the significance of this work and alumni
at St. John’s, through their reflections below.
What prompted you to attend St. John’s College?
Gorman: I attended almost on a whim; I saw the old marketing materials that said, “This year, the following
teachers will be returning (then listing Program authors),” and I just knew St. John’s was the place for me.
Resnick: I moved to Santa Fe in 2014, and to be honest, did not know anything about St. John’s. I experimented
with the Summer Classics program, and then I was hooked. I enrolled in the Graduate Institute (GI) program in
2017 and graduated two years later. For me, the Great Books were an attraction—original texts, original thinking
and writing about the texts, and, most important to me, civil discourse with friends and strangers. This is what I
love about the college—I’ve not found anything else quite like it anywhere.
How has the college affected your professional pursuits?
Gorman: As a trial attorney, St. John’s has been an enormous benefit in terms of reading, writing, and analyzing.
I went into law school more accustomed to deep reading and analysis of the written word, which has helped
immeasurably. I also found that the conversational skills I gained at St. John’s are good for interviewing clients
and witnesses.
Resnick: I retired from General Electric in 2014 after serving as the general counsel for its global oil and gas business based in Florence, Italy, and currently consult in the areas of corporate governance, ethics, and compliance
programs. I also teach a course on international business ethics at Syracuse University in Florence. The GI program
has improved my critical reading skills and helped me discern some of the ethical principles that are often deeply
embedded in business decision-making, yet are rarely discussed. Helping my students understand the values they
choose when making so-called “strictly business” decisions has been a good area for classroom discussion.
What roles do you serve at the college?
Gorman: I am an alumni-elected member of the Board of Visitors and Governors and co-chair of its Alumni
Relations Working Group (ARWG).
Resnick: In addition to co-chairing the ARWG, I am a regular member of the board and serve on the Finance,
Advancement, and Trustee and Governance Committees.
What is most satisfying to you about serving on the board?
Gorman: The most satisfying part is twofold:
1. Seeing how many people, including many non-alumni who found the college later in life, deeply love the college.
14
�2. Seeing how many people are constantly working to
improve the college in every way.
Resnick: The board is a collaborative body,
and each member cares deeply about
St. John’s and its distinctive Program,
mission, and pedagogy. What this translates
into is a board that passionately desires
to be active in service to the college. The
formal meetings are the veritable “tip of the
iceberg” in terms of board activity. Between
meetings, the members are busy in committees and working groups to address various
policy issues and other matters related to
the college. I think this is the most gratifying
aspect of my board experience.
Why is the work of the
ARWG important?
Gorman: There are a number of big
objectives that the college has successfully
completed or is in the middle of—such as
the tuition decrease, eliminating the deficit,
and the Freeing Minds capital campaign.
But amid all that, the board realized it
is also time to examine how to reinforce
a meaningful connection to alumni and
strong support of the college. The college’s
Alumni Relations Office has already taken a
number of steps to critically examine itself,
and the ARWG, with representation from
the Alumni Association, discussed the issue
from all angles.
Resnick: During our benchmarking of other
small colleges, we learned that successful
alumni engagement strategies create a sort
of “virtuous circle” for the alumni and the
college in terms of volunteerism, philanthropy, and participation in alumni events.
For example, we know that alumni who
volunteer or become engaged with their college are many
times more likely to promote, donate, and express satisfaction with their relationship to the school. We want to build
our own virtuous circle at St. John’s that creates lifelong
connections among Johnnies—and between Johnnies and
the college.
How will the outcomes of the ARWG influence
the future of St. John’s?
Gorman: I hope that we’ll take what the ARWG discovered
after talking to staff, volunteers, and alumni, and find better
ways to encourage volunteers and strengthen ties between
alumni and the college.
Resnick: We hope that the results of our working group
will positively influence the culture at St. John’s for alumni
engagement. Ultimately, we will measure our progress in
terms of expanded alumni engagement and participation
in the college’s alumni communications, volunteerism,
philanthropy, and events. One positive
development from COVID-19 is the use of
technology to convene people from around
the world to engage in communal learning,
events, seminars, and such. I was a doubting
Thomas, but then I participated in several
online events and seminars and found that
the discussions and personal connections to
the other participants were rich despite our
distance. So we hope that the programming
for alumni events and communications will
include both in-person and online opportunities going forward.
What encourages you to engage
with the college?
Gorman: I love that you can approach any
Johnnie—anywhere, any time—and ask:
“What have you been reading lately?” and
an amazing conversation follows. I’ve never
found another community so free with
ideas, and that keeps me returning to the
college and alumni.
Resnick: I continue to engage with the
college because I feel like it is an endangered
species. St. John’s offers to students of all
types and ages—from all around the world—
the unique opportunity to engage directly
with some of the best thinkers, scientists,
philosophers, artists, and musicians of all
time, and discuss their works in a reasoned
and civil manner. We are slowly losing such
precious learning environments, and once
they’re gone, they’re gone. We can’t let that
happen to St. John’s.
What do you hope for the future of St. John’s?
Gorman: My hope is that St. John’s continues to be a place
where people with a deep love of learning and thinking
gather—while also providing better support for a more
diverse group of students than we traditionally have.
Resnick: I hope for the revitalization of alumni relations
at St. John’s. If you are an alum who perhaps has not been
engaged with the school recently, I would ask that you
consider getting involved in some way to support the college—through the Alumni Association, seminar offerings,
donations, volunteerism. What I have learned through my
participation in the ARWG and on the board is that alumni
support of the college, regardless of the amount of time or
money involved, is so critical to its continued success.
15
�Campaign Chair Reflects on
Success of Freeing Minds
Warren Spector (A81)
Warren Spector (A81) speaks on
on the Alumni-fueled completion
of the Winiarski Family Foundation Challenge amid year of his
40th Reunion
W
arren Spector (A81) never doubted that
St. John’s alumni would meet the Winiarski
Family Foundation Challenge, raising $50 million
toward the Freeing Minds campaign and securing
another $50 million in matching funds.
“I was confident from the beginning that
alumni would step up and meet the Challenge, I
always believed it,” says Spector, a member of the
St. John’s Board of Visitors and Governors and
campaign chair. “Our alumni base cares very deeply
about the college and wants to see it flourish, wants
to see it maintain its values.”
16
What he didn’t anticipate was just how quickly it
would happen: alumni and friends completed the
Winiarski Family Foundation Challenge in only two
and a half years, crossing the finish line this spring.
“Had this Challenge been offered five to 10 years
ago, I think it might have taken twice as long to
achieve it.”
Back then, Spector says, there was simply less
confidence in the financial stability and direction of
the college.
As recently as 2016, St. John’s structural deficit
had reached $12 million. The college was balancing
its books, but only by applying every dollar toward
operating costs, at the expense of building a base of
support for the future.
Enrollment, conversely, was declining, hampered
by a tuition price that, when combined with ancillary
expenses, put the total cost of a St. John’s education
at close to $70,000 a year.
“We needed to get our fiscal house in order, that
was a priority, but we didn’t like being so expensive
that only a few families could afford us,” says Spector.
“The more the board talked about it, the more we
realized that St. John’s needed to make a strong
statement about its values.”
By the time the Freeing Minds campaign went public
in the fall of 2018, the college had lowered tuition
by a third, approved a plan to balance the budget,
switched to a philanthropy-centered financial model,
and raised more than $100 million in support.
Those results attracted the attention of winemaker
Warren Winiarski (Class of 1952), founder of Napa,
California-based Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, and
Barbara Winiarski (Class of 1955), a member of the
first class of women at St. John’s.
Inspired by the steps the college was taking to
achieve financial stability, the Winiarski Family
Foundation issued a challenge: if alumni and friends
could raise another $50 million in cash gifts, the
Foundation would match those gifts, dollar for dollar,
with a $50 million contribution to the St. John’s
endowment.
�Barbara Winiarski (Class of 1955)
Warren Winiarski (Class of 1952)
The Winiarski Family Foundation Challenge came with
What these plans won’t include, Spector cautions, are
a stipulation: the gifts that had already been made to the
facilities that come with ultra-luxurious price tags that
campaign would be ineligible for the match, including
students inevitably have to pay. “When you make a gift
Spector’s own pledge, one of the largest in
to Freeing Minds, you are delivering a St. John’s education
St. John’s history.
at a price that is defensible. We aren’t
The Winiarski Family Foundation,
spending money on luxuries but on
“I think it goes to show
Spector explains, was adamant that the
the small classroom experience that is
Challenge would not be met through a few
being abandoned by other colleges.”
that if people see
large gifts but by thousands of supporters
It is clear to Spector that his fellow
who were willing to stretch themselves and
alumni care passionately about the
the college doing the
make gifts they would not otherwise have
values that distinguish St. John’s from
considered.
its peers, and he’s convinced their
right thing, they will
Nearly 5,000 alumni and friends
passion will drive the campaign to its
responded, offering more than 17,000
next big achievement: the $300 million
individual gifts, of which 96 percent were
campaign goal. As of June 2021, total
support it, and support
gifts of less than $5,000.
commitments to the Freeing Minds
“I think it goes to show that if people see
campaign had reached $246 million.
it enthusiastically.”
the college doing the right thing, they will
“The campaign, and all that has
support it, and support it enthusiastically,”
gone with it, highlights the difference
says Spector.
between St. John’s and other schools. Our alumni are
Now that St. John’s is no longer operating with a deficit,
excited to support that, and I think the college can be in a
Spector says the college can invest campaign gifts in the
strong position for a very long time.”
student experience—and afford to build for the future.
Of the $300 million being raised for Freeing Minds,
$225 million, or 75 percent, will go toward academic and
student support, an area that includes health and wellness
programming, career services, and improvements that
foster lively, welcoming communities.
17
�JOIN US
FOR
ALUMNI
WEEK
2021
e
Monday, September 27
through
Saturday, October 2
REGISTRATION IS OPEN NOW
THROUGH SEPTEMBER 19 AT
SJC.EDU/ALUMNI-WEEK
18
�ALUMNI WEEK
SCHEDULE AND REGISTRATION
Alumni are invited to join classmates and members of the college community for St. John’s second annual Alumni
Week—a weeklong series of your favorite Homecoming activities offered in an online format. Renew your lifelong
connection to St. John’s and experience what it means to be part of our Johnnie community by joining us this fall.
SCHEDULE
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
Welcome
Alumni Association Awards
Q&A with College Leaders
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
Return to the Classroom: How to Read a Painting
and Lab Revisited
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
JohnnieTalks
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
Breaking Barriers Panel Presentation with some of
St. John’s first women students (live event)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1
What Did Einstein Predict?
Annual All Alumni Meeting and Alumni Association
Election (live event)
Friday Night Lecture (live event)
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2
Seminar (live event)
Toast and Tributes with Alumni Association Board
(live event)
All live programming will be recorded and made available post
event at sjc.edu/Alumni-Week. Alumni Week programming
subject to change. See webpage for details, or contact the Alumni
Relations Office for assistance at alumni@sjc.edu.
REGISTRATION AND PRICING
Live Events: must be registered for in advance in order to provide login credentials on the dates of programming.
Pre-recorded Activities: will be posted at sjc.edu/Alumni-Week on the date of their occurrence and are open to all
participants. To receive links to pre-recorded content via email, registration is recommended.
PRICING
Payment, along with registration, is required for participation in virtual seminars only.
Price per seminar: $50
CANCELLATION POLICIES
• Due to the limited availability of virtual seminars, spaces are nontransferable and nonrefundable.
• Seminars with fewer than five participants are subject to cancelation. If a seminar is canceled due to low
attendance, registrants may choose to transfer to an open seminar or request a refund.
19
�ALUMNI WEEK
SEMINARS
GRADUATE INSTITUTE
Class
Reading
Tutor
GI
TBD
Kenneth Wolfe (SF94)
GOLDEN YEARS
Class
Reading
Tutor
Golden
John Stuart Mill’s “The Subjection of Women”
Tom May
Class
Reading
Tutor
2016
William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra
Hannah Hintze
2006
Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics
Peter Kalkavage
1996
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
Walter Sterling (A93)
1991
Frederick Douglass’ “What to the Slave is the
Fourth of July;” Declaration of Independence
Chester Burke (A74)
1986
Anthology for Sophomore Language Poems
Jonathan Tuck (H14)
1981
W.E.B. Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk
Joan Silver (A76)
1976
Michel de Montaigne’s “Of Experience,”
“Of Cannibals”
Steven Crockett
1971
William Shakespeare’s The Tempest
Nick Maistrellis (H15)
1960s
Plato’s Symposium
Joe Macfarland (A87)
ANNAPOLIS
20
�SANTA FE
Class
Reading
Tutor
2016
James Baldwin’s “Many Thousands Gone,”
Nothing Personal
Sarah Davis
2011
Sophocles’ Antigone
Andy Kingston
2006
Emily Dickinson’s Final Harvest:
66, 87, 122, 202
Claudia Hauer
2001
Plato’s Republic: Book 2
Krishnan Venkatesh
1996
TBD
Frank Hunt (A75)
1991
William Shakespeare’s The Tempest
Nancy Buchenauer (H16)
1986
Michel Foucault’s The Order of Things:
Preface, Chapter 1 “Las Meninas”
Llyd Wells
1981
Franz Kafka’s “Josephine the Singer,
or the Mouse Folk”
Peter Pesic (H17)
1976
Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things
Don Cook (H97)
1971
Plato’s The Apology of Socrates
Michael Golluber
Class
Reading
Tutor
OPEN
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Eternal Husband
Louis Petrich
OPEN
Euripides’ The Bacchae
Gregory Recco
OPEN
Wallace Stevens’ “Connoisseur of Chaos”
Jim Beall
OPEN
Ibn Tufayl’s Hayy Ibn Yaqzan
Brendan Boyle
OPEN
21
�ALUMNI WEEK
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AWARDS
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION HONOREES 2021
Alumni Association honorees are selected annually by the board in recognition for their pursuit of and
successes in leading examined lives, as well as their steadfast commitment to the St. John’s College
community. Following are this year’s recipients of the Award of Merit and Honorary Alumni designations
to be commemorated during Alumni Week 2021.
AWARD OF MERIT
Robert George (A85) – for achievement in the field of journalism and
distinguished service to the college and its alumni
Robert George (A85) has served both the college and its alumni through extensive volunteer activity, including service on the Alumni Association Board and its committees,
the Board of Visitors and Governors, and volunteering as a DJ for nearly every Annapolis homecoming over the past three decades. His distinguished career in politics and
journalism, where he has quietly championed civility and served as a model for civil
discourse, displays how we hope Johnnies might contribute to society. George currently
writes editorials on education and other policy issues for Bloomberg Opinion. He was
previously a member of the editorial boards of the New York Daily News and New York
Post. He began his career in politics working for the Republican National Committee
and as senior writer and special assistant for then-Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich. He was involved in election monitoring in Nigeria, reported
on slavery in Sudan, and has participated in fact-finding missions to Israel and China.
Over the course of his career, George has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, and
many other political affairs outlets, and has written for National Review, Reason,
HuffPost, and a variety of other print and online publications.
John Sifton (A96) – for achievement in the field of human rights advocacy
John Sifton (A96) has devoted most of his career to human rights. After focusing on international humanitarian law in law school (NYU 2000), he worked for Refugees International in the Balkans, and then as a researcher and later advocate at Human Rights Watch.
In an interview last year with the college about human rights work, he described human
rights research and advocacy as “a relentless pursuit of the truth and a constant but often
unrewarding effort to bring abusers to justice.” In addition to advocacy, Sifton is a writer,
starting with a New York Times article published after 9/11 and leading up to his 2015
book, Violence All Around. Praised by The New Yorker, HuffPost, and other outlets, Violence
All Around offers insights into human rights work as well as meditations on the nature of
violence. Using his work on atrocities and war crimes as a springboard, Sifton explores
the reluctance of historians and philosophers to analyze violence itself, not just as moral
or immoral activity or as means to an end, but as a set of independent phenomena that
condition human existence. According to Sifton, few observers, perpetrators, or victims
are given an opportunity to consider these contexts. “I just don’t get the sense that a lot of
the people who work in human rights think about that.”
22
�William Fischer, PhD (SF86) – for achievement in the field of evolutionary
biology and bioinformatics
Will Fischer, PhD, (SF86) is a scientist who works at the interface of viral evolution,
vaccine development, and pandemic prevention. His work has contributed to mitigation
efforts against HIV, filovirus diseases (Ebola and Marburg), Hepatitis C, Hand, Foot, and
Mouth Disease, and COVID-19. He played a vital role in the development of the mosaic
vaccine design concept, which enables construction of vaccines for previously intractable
pathogens. Since 2005, his work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory has been focused
primarily on HIV. In 2020, he turned his attention to tracking the molecular evolution
of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. His recent work has
significantly contributed to a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 variants, and ways to
apply this understanding to ensure continuing success with vaccines and antibody therapeutics. Fischer’s deep biological knowledge, computational skills, and ability to design
visual presentations of complex data—a skill he began to develop at the chalkboard in the
St. John’s classroom—have significantly contributed to vaccine design strategies and have
helped save lives around the globe. He is a well-rounded, deep-thinking scientist, and his
insights have benefited many issues relating to public health.
Natalie Goldberg (SFGI74) – for achievement in the field of arts and
literature
Natalie Goldberg (SFGI74) is the author of 15 books (and counting), including Writing
Down the Bones, which has sold more than one million copies, has been translated into
19 languages, and revolutionized the way we practice writing in this country. Her most
recent book, Three Simple Lines: A Writer’s Pilgrimage into the Heart and Homeland of Haiku,
has garnered wide praise—and includes a shout-out to the Santa Fe college bookstore.
Her other books include the novel Banana Rose, memoir Long Quiet Highway, and a collection of essays, The Great Spring. For more than 40 years, Goldberg has practiced Zen
Buddhism and taught seminars in writing as a practice. People from around the world
attend her life-changing workshops, and she has earned a reputation as a great teacher.
The Oprah Winfrey Show sent a film crew to spend the day with Goldberg for a segment
on spirituality that covered her writing, teaching, painting, and walking meditation.
She has been a speaker at commencement and other college events, including an event
in 2018 where she reflected on the value St. John’s College has had in her career as an
author, noting that, “[At St. John’s] you meet the mind of the author, which is really how
you learn to write. The books you love, you study the mind of the authors, they’re your
teachers. So, me and Socrates and me and Aristotle, we’re good friends … And that’s
what you need in order to write.”
23
�ALUMNI WEEK
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AWARDS
HONORARY ALUMNI
Donlin Long, PhD
Donlin M. Long, PhD, is the head of a dedicated family of Johnnies. His wife,
Harriet (AGI93), served on the college’s Board of Visitors and Governors, his daughter
Elisabeth Long (A86) currently serves on the Alumni Association Board, and he himself
served on the St. John’s College Presidents’ Council. He is also the loving father of
two other graduates of St. John’s, Kimberly Riley (AGI87) and David Long (A90). After
completing a PhD in neuroanatomy in 1964, Long served as professor of neurosurgery
and chief neurosurgeon at the Johns Hopkins University for 27 years. He was one of
the first program directors in the nation to adopt a major interest in chronic pain and
developed an infrastructure for patient care at Johns Hopkins while advancing the
standards for pain care around the world. During his career, Long has published more
than 250 peer-reviewed articles and 100 book chapters, as well as 16 books. He was
named a distinguished professor of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins from 2000 until his
official retirement in 2010. In addition to these accomplishments, he and Harriet have
been active members of the college community and consistent donors since 1983.
In 2019, they established the Long Family Endowment with a leadership-level
legacy commitment to the Freeing Minds campaign and are sustaining members of
the college’s Mitchell Gallery.
Mary Anne Burke
Mary Anne Burke has been a member of the St. John’s College community for more
than 14 years, beginning as a staff member of the Advancement Office before transitioning to the Student Activity Center as fitness and wellness coordinator in Santa Fe.
Burke, a known fitness and wellness buff and certified personal trainer, was nominated by current students in recognition of her extraordinary dedication, enthusiasm,
and attention to the wellbeing of the college community. To create a more inclusive
environment and to increase community engagement, Burke launched the Warrior
Women Workouts, designing a fitness program that is welcoming, non-judgmental, and
inclusive, and allows for customization by each participant. In response to the isolation
caused by the pandemic, Burke organized the “Meta-Ionnathon”—a special race event,
inviting Johnnies (including alumni) from all over the globe to log enough miles to
travel the circumference of the earth, virtually. She also brought the archery program
to the college, in which students compete locally, regionally, and nationally. Whether by
student, staff, or faculty, Burke has been described as relationship-focused, maintaining connections with former students even after graduation. As Assistant Dean Michael
Golluber notes, “Mary Anne has changed my life. Before she came, all [I] did is study
and suffer from stress and anxiety. She helped me to start moving and to remember I
had a body. I might be dead now if it weren’t for her. I know many feel the same way I do
about this.”
24
�“What is the meaning
of life? That was all—a
simple question; one
that tended to close in
on one with years, the
great revelation had
Paul and Cecie Dry
Paul and Cecie Dry’s embrace of the St. John’s College community and their commitment to the Program have resulted in their ongoing participation in classroom learning
and financial support to the college. After reading a small ad in The New Yorker, Cecie
and Paul first attended Summer Classics in Santa Fe in 1996 and have participated
almost every summer since. In 2004, they initiated and funded a twice-yearly seminar
in Annapolis led by tutors Eva Brann and Sam Kutler. Cecie attended the Executive
Seminar program in Philadelphia and studied in the Graduate Institute in Annapolis.
At Paul Dry Books, Paul has published numerous works by St. John’s tutors. The Dry
Family Foundation supports The Eva Brann Endowed Tutorship and the Southwest
Scholars Partners Program, which is designed to benefit enrollment on the Santa Fe
campus. Their engagement with the college is generational as Guillermo Bleichmar,
their son-in-law, has been a tutor at the Santa Fe campus since 2009. The Drys have
truly embraced the spirit of St. John’s College and made its health and wellbeing a
central part of their lives.
(Volunteer Service Award winners to be announced during Alumni Week 2021)
never come. The great
revelation perhaps never
did come. Instead, there
were little daily miracles,
illuminations, matches
struck unexpectedly in
the dark ...”
– VIRGINIA WOOLF,
TO THE LIGHTHOUSE
25
�COMMUNITY
PERSEVERANCE
PAYS OFF
FOR CLASS
OF 2021
26
�College Celebrates Graduates
with Poignant Commencement
Ceremonies
I
t was a strange year for Johnnies in both Santa Fe and
Annapolis: following an online fall semester, many
students returned to campus in spring, combining the
Program with similarly rigorous COVID-19 safety protocols.
Ultimately, the work paid off—in May, graduating Johnnies
celebrated their accomplishments with in-person
commencement ceremonies.
May 16 was a beautiful spring day on the back lawn of
the Annapolis campus, with socially distanced chairs, a
cordoned ceremony area, and a stage set up in view of
College Creek.
In his welcome address, Annapolis President Pano
Kanelos noted that commencement is an opportunity to look
toward the future, simultaneously pointing out the challenges of the immediate past. “We have been a community
dispersed, a polity in diaspora … we have all had to find ways
to endure the challenges we’ve faced,” he remarked.
“Without you—your voices, your presence, your minds—
there is no college,” Kanelos added. “You are strong, you are
tenacious, and we are so proud and grateful that you are
Johnnies.”
The ceremony culminated with tutor Chester Burke’s (A74)
address to the Class of 2021. As he recounted the last yearplus of college life, Burke cited the determination, humorous
missteps, and heartwarming moments he shared with the
Class of 2021, connecting the tenacity displayed by Johnnies
over the last three semesters to that of the last four years.
“Despite an ultimately inexplicable circumstance that
stretched all of us to the limit of despair,” Burke said, “each
of you graduating students … accomplished a genuine version of what it is we do. If Aristotle is right, and he usually is,
this serious and pleasurable activity is something available
to all human beings at all times; something that under the
best of circumstances is difficult to sustain but is nevertheless worth fighting for and falling towards.”
In Santa Fe, more than 40 graduating students and their
families celebrated commencement on May 22, narrowly
avoiding a rare storm later in the afternoon.
President Mark Roosevelt began by acknowledging the extreme challenge both of the St. John’s education and of the last
year. He also noted that graduating students are entering “an
increasingly fractured, deeply divided world and country.”
However, “there is reason to hope,” Roosevelt pointed out.
“You have what the world needs … A dedication to listening
that is rare—and a desire to find truth, as nuanced as it may
be, rather than a need to be right and to win.”
The Santa Fe commencement speaker was The Dallas
Morning News’ Alfredo Corchado, an award-winning journalist
and nonfiction writer. Corchado, in his speech, told a story of
personal perseverance—that of a high-school dropout who,
after emigrating from Mexico, worked as a teenage laborer in
a California farming town—through the lens of three lessons:
Surround yourself with people who believe in you; find your
purpose; and take risks.
Through those lessons, Corchado recalled the experiences
that shaped his life. First, leaving California and attending
college on a promise to his mom. Then, falling in love with
journalism. And finally, persevering until he ultimately
succeeded, earning positions at news outlets like National
Public Radio and the Wall Street Journal along the way.
Before repeating his three lessons, Corchado concluded
his speech with a tribute to the crowd of graduates:
“You are leading us into the next chapter,” he said. “I
couldn’t be more hopeful for this country because in you I
see the anger, the passion, the will, tolerance, imagination,
and drive to keep the great American experiment, once
debated in Philadelphia, going—moving us closer to a more
perfect union. The perennial journey.”
In both Annapolis and Santa Fe, the message rang true:
As they proved throughout the last year, the newly minted
St. John’s alumni have the grit, intellect, and character to
persist through any circumstances. Congratulations, Class
of 2021!
27
�DAVID SCHWARZ (A78)
Renovating the Student
Experience, Together
28
�COMMUNITY
ST. JOHN’S MAKES CAMPUS CULTURE AND SUSTAINABILITY
IMPROVEMENTS THANKS TO ALUMNI SUPPORT
T
hrough his Washington, DC-based architect firm, David
Schwarz (A78), founder of David M. Schwarz Architects,
has worked with projects as varied as the ESPN Wide World
of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, the Texas Rangers
Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, and the Smith Center for
the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Now he is returning to the college he loves to help update a
building he remembers well: Mellon Hall.
Schwarz says that helping St. John’s build for the future
feels to him like a way of thanking the college for its part in
his success.
“What the college did for me was it taught me to think,
it taught me to speak, and it taught me to write,” Schwarz
explains. All skills necessary, he adds, to do a good job in his
chosen field.
Mellon Hall stands out among the Colonial architecture
that dominates the Annapolis campus, but the mid-century
modern building has its own historical significance: famed
architect Richard Neutra agreed to design it after visiting the
campus.
Dedicated in 1959, the sprawling building houses the
600-seat Francis Scott Key auditorium, many classrooms, the
Mitchell Gallery, and a planetarium—but has limited space
for socializing.
Schwarz hopes to change that.
“It’s not a particularly humane series of spaces. I think I
feel best about trying to fix that, which will largely be done
with warm, welcoming materials and furnishings.”
The feel of home is the goal: Schwarz says the lobby will
be furnished with soft, comfortable seating and tables in the
fashion of a living room.
St. John’s Vice President for Advancement Kelly Brown
says the project will have important social and cultural
implications for the 325-year-old Annapolis campus. “To
create a sense of community, it’s really important to have
physical spaces where students can relax and engage with
one another and with the tutors.”
Brown adds that the project will restore Neutra’s original
vision of Mellon Hall as a center of community life and the arts.
The auditorium’s large backstage space will be divided into
two parts for a dance recital studio and a black box theater.
Multi-purpose areas will be available and appropriate for
other performing arts.
The Mellon Hall project is partly funded by a $5 million grant
from the Maryland Independent College and University Association (MICUA). Every four years, schools can apply for money to
support capital improvements; the last grant St. John’s received
went toward the renovation of McDowell Hall.
The current grant, however, stipulates St. John’s raise
matching funds to support the project. To date, alumni and
friends have contributed $1.8 million to the Mellon Hall
renovation through the Freeing Minds campaign.
The renovation comes at a time when the college is looking
with enthusiasm toward the future and a return to a fully
residential experience for undergraduates.
Brown notes that while some small colleges must now
regain their former strength in the wake of the pandemic,
St. John’s, she says, is in the fortunate position of being able
to build on its strengths, with alumni-funded improvements
underway on both campuses.
In Santa Fe, sustainability initiatives aim to bring St. John’s
closer to a carbon-neutral future. The entire campus recently
converted to longer-lasting, energy-efficient LED lighting,
replacing the outdated fluorescent tube lighting that had
previously been used in almost every campus building. A
solar power project featuring ground and carport-mounted
solar panel arrays is currently in progress and expected to be
complete by spring 2022.
The college estimates that the two upgrades will save the
college $150,000 a year and reduce annual electricity usage
by 1.67 million kWh.
An anonymous alumni couple funded both projects with
a combined $3.2 million dollar gift to Freeing Minds. Those
same two donors have also given to the Annapolis campus
to renovate the Randall Hall dorm rooms and add energy
efficient air conditioning units.
“Our students need and want environmentally sustainable
campuses and gathering spaces that facilitate community
and creativity,” Brown says. “Our alumni have shown that
they are committed to making that happen.”
29
�COMMUNITY
REUNION CLASS NOTES
1971
Jay Gold (A) retired in April 2020 and began the Master of Arts
in Eastern Classics graduate program at St. John’s in August
2020. Gold writes, “It has been such fun, I may continue for
the MA in Liberal Arts.” Additionally, Gold and wife, Sabrina,
will celebrate 25 years together and 18 years of marriage in
fall 2021.
1976
Neal Allen (SF) is currently attending the college’s Eastern
Classics graduate program (2020–21). In May 2021, he
published his latest book, Shapes of Truth: Discover God
Inside You. Allen writes, “It includes a brief sophomore year
at St. John’s story that references Jon McCracken (SF76) and
Hunter Hyde (SF76).” Allen has been married for two years
and has one grandchild from four adult children.
Sheri (Rothstein) Brown (A) retired in May 2021 from a career
in early childhood education and moved to California to be
near two of her three grandchildren. Brown writes, “I stopped
to see the Santa Fe campus on our drive west, as I had never
been there.”
Mark Copper (SF) completed constructing and outfitting an
astronomical observatory near Magdalena, New Mexico,
in March 2021. Copper writes, “If you enjoyed plotting
retrograde motions, come take a look!”
Leslie Graves (A) is the CEO of Ballotpedia.org and is approaching her 40th wedding anniversary. Graves has 10 grandchildren.
Jon Hustis and Marion Condon Hustis (A) recently celebrated
the birth of their first granddaughter, Stella Marion
McQuail, with a second grandchild expected in July 2021.
They write, “We are splitting time between Dallas and
Lucknow, Ontario, Canada, and are now farming in addition
to working, caring for family, volunteering, reading, trying to
stay fit, and hanging with dogs and kids.”
Judy Kistler-Robinson (SF) retired mid-2020, at the beginning
of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kistler-Robinson writes, “Instead
of planned travel to new places and old friends, I gardened,
read, sketched my surroundings, and started teaching Tai Chi
Chih on Zoom.”
David Pex (SF) has been busy building a log cabin in the woods
near Mount Hood, Oregon, over the past year. Pex writes, “My
carpentry skills have vastly improved!”
1986
Kristen (Baumgardner) Caven (SF) authored The Reason She
Left: and other stories in 2011, a philosophical comic book
exploring cultural dualism through the character-driven narrative of a young woman trying to find her place in the world—a
project born from her propensity for sketching and illustrating
as a student at St. John’s.
30
She writes, “As a bored, unguided, and pensive high school
student, I found that I listened best in class when I was
doodling in the margins of my notebooks … In sophomore lab,
my doodles became paper-doll booklets, and I discovered the
cult of publication.”
In 2020, Caven returned to the creative process by making
a full-length animated feature for her neighborhood beer
festival, which was transformed into a worldwide virtual
Oktoberfest due to COVID-19.
Today, she continues to explore the graphic narrative as a tool
for philosophical communication and understanding across a
variety of mediums.
1991
Joan (Ross) Crist (A) is happy to be serving as a Title I aide and
Latin teacher at a school in her community.
Theresa Duncan’s (SF) role as an attorney in the fight to free
Guantánamo Bay prisoner Mohamedou Ould Slahi was made
into the feature film The Mauritanian. Released in spring 2021,
the movie stars Jodie Foster, Shailene Woodley (as Duncan),
and Tamar Rahim.
2001
David Weiskopf (SF) is living in Sacramento, California,
working in climate policy and politics, and welcomed a baby in
November 2020.
2016
Samantha Ardoin (SF) graduated in May 2021 from Naropa
University with a master’s degree in clinical mental health
counseling and a concentration in mindfulness-based
transpersonal counseling. Ardoin is now working as a psychotherapist at Queer Asterisk Therapeutic Services, offering
affordable identity-affirming mental health counseling to
queer and trans adults and youth.
Anne Horowitz (SF) recently completed her first year of
medical school.
Rebekah McLellan (SF) recently began veterinary studies at
Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine.
William Palm (SF) completed a master’s degree in special
education in spring 2020 and married partner, Isaac, in 2019.
Palm writes, “We are happily living together in Salt Lake City.”
James Spencer-Zavos (SF) is currently enrolled in an
“Umschulung,” or training program, in Berlin to become a
qualified carpenter, after which he is eligible to train to
become a “Meister,” or master carpenter.
We’d like to hear from you! Please send correspondence and
class notes to alumni@sjc.edu. Address changes and other
updates may be submitted at sjc.edu/alumni-contact.
�IN MEMORIAM
St. John’s College remembers the alumni, faculty, staff, and leadership who
have passed away during the 2020-2021 academic year, and celebrates the
impact their lives have had on our Johnnie community.
Stephen Benedict (Class of 1947)
Stephen W. Bergen (Class of 1947)
Mary S. Blomberg (Class of 1957)
Katharine Boaz, Santa Fe Faculty Emerita
Ray C. Cave (Class of 1948), Trustee Emeritus
Stefano J. Coaloa (SFGI11)
Gerald D. Cohen (SFGI90)
Sharon S. Cooper, Santa Fe Staff
Richard T. Edelman (Class of 1951)
David J. Freedman (SF76)
Peter Gardiner (A73)
Robert M. Hampton (SF73)
Alan D. Hornstein (AGI86)
H. Gerald Hoxby (Class of 1947)
Susan H. Jones (SFGI71)
Daniel “Bud” T. Kelly, Jr. (H02)
Gertrude Koch (AGI82)
Charles E. Lynch (Class of 1951)
Richard A. Malmgren (SFGI91)
Jake Martinez (SFGI70)
John W. May (SFGI94)
Gerald “Simon” V. McNabb (A88)
Jack S. Moorman (SFGI94)
Robert S. Musgrave (SF90)
Judith Penelope (Class of 1967)
Mark A. Piekarski, Santa Fe Staff
Josephine J. Poe (Class of 1957)
David T. Reiner (A02)
Mara Robinson (SFGI83)
William D. Shafer (Class of 1962)
Thomas K. Simpson (Class of 1950)
David L. Smith (A86)
Leslie E. Starr (A72)
E. Cary Stickney (A75), Santa Fe Faculty
Susan L. Swartzberg (SF70)
George Usdansky (Class of 1950)
Robert J. Wekselblatt (Class of 1963)
John F. White (Class of 1964), Annapolis Faculty
Rebecca M. Wilson (H83)
Michael C. Wood (SF80)
Patrick F. Woods (SF80)
Cary Stickney (A75),
Santa Fe Faculty
Beloved Santa
Fe tutor Cary
Stickney (A75)
died peacefully
at home on
April 7, 2021,
of cancer. He
was 66 years
old.
“Many of
us, across our
campuses and across the generations
at the college, knew and loved Cary,”
said Santa Fe Dean Walter Sterling (A93)
upon the time of Stickney’s passing. He
embodied, and improved, the spirit of our
college.”
After graduating from St. John’s in
Annapolis in 1975, Stickney joined the
Santa Fe faculty in 1980 to live out his
life’s work as a tutor. Even in his final
days, he was close to and reading
rogram books. “It was especially
meaningful to him to be involved in
reading groups at the college on [Don]
Quixote and on Plato,” said Sterling.
“He derived great consolation from these
experiences.” According to Stickney,
the great books were safe. They would
always be read somewhere in the world
by people questing for understanding.
Stickney is survived by his wife, Susan,
Santa Fe faculty emerita; his daughters
Amelia (SF14) and Sarah (A04), a tutor in
Annapolis; and his son-in-law, Jake.
This listing includes those who have passed July 1, 2020 through July 1, 2021. We care
deeply for all members of our college community. If you do not see a name listed above,
please contact advancement@sjc.edu so we may honor those individuals.
31
�ST. JOHN’S FOREVER
PLANNED GIFTS ARE A WONDERFUL WAY TO SUPPORT ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE AND ACCOMPLISH
YOUR OWN PERSONAL, FINANCIAL, ESTATE-PLANNING, AND PHILANTHROPIC GOALS. WHEN
YOU DOCUMENT YOUR BEQUEST INTENTIONS, YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE LEGACY SOCIETY
OF ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE, WHICH HONORS THOSE WHO HAVE PROVIDED FOR THE COLLEGE IN
SUCH A GENEROUS WAY.
Planned giving strategies give you the opportunity to extend the impact of your
gift and receive financial benefits. Our development team can help you make
your gift to the college—whether it be a gift that can be used right away or a
vehicle that produces lifetime income for you and/or others. Examples include
designating gifts of property, life insurance policies, charitable trusts or annuities, and bequest intentions.
To learn more about how to provide for the future of St. John’s, please visit
sjc.giftplans.org. If you have already included a gift to St. John’s in your will
or living trust, please notify our office at plannedgiving@sjc.edu.
JOIN YOUR CLASS
IN GIVING BACK
Do you remember what made your St. John’s College experience
meaningful? Was it the Program, classmates, and tutors? Perhaps
it was the special moments shared around the seminar table, or
the freedom to think deeply, debate openly, and learn from one
another. Maybe it was the feeling of being part of something much
larger than you are—a community of individuals brought together
by the common pursuit of deeper understanding.
Like Elisabeth, each year more and more alumni commemorate
“I learned that when you see something you value
in the world, you need to nurture it—not just for
their St. John’s experience through philanthropy—building a strong
legacy of giving by Johnnies who care deeply for the future of the
college. Alumni give back in a myriad of ways: volunteering as a
yourself, but so others can benefit from it as well.
class chair, supporting a class endowment fund, making a gift in
The college changed me, and I want to be sure
honor of their class, and many more.
that many more students can have that same
experience, long into the future.”
– Elisabeth Long (A86), Alumni Association
Board Member and Class of 1986 Gift Leader
VISIT SJC.EDU/REUNIONGIVING TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT HOW YOU CAN COMMEMORATE YOUR ST. JOHN’S
EXPERIENCE.
�>Thank you …
… TO ALL OUR ALUMNI USERS OF SJC CONNECT, ST. JOHN’S OFFICIAL
ONLINE PLATFORM FOR CONNECTING JOHNNIES.
SIGN ON TODAY TO:
Join
interest
groups
SJCConnect
Upload and
search job
postings
Follow
activities
in your
area
Calendar
upcoming
events
COMING SOON
Even more ways
to get involved!
Check out the JohnnieCorps alumni volunteer program—powered by
SJC Connect—and learn about available virtual and in-person volunteer
opportunities. Browse and apply to openings directly from SJC Connect!
SIGN UP TODAY OR CHECK BACK IN AT SJCCONNECT.COM
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Alumni Magazine
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St. John's College began publishing the <em>Alumni Magazine </em>in 2020. It is not a continuation of <em>The College</em>. More details about the publication are available on the <a href="https://www.sjc.edu/alumni/alumni-magazine">Alumni Magazine</a> page of the SJC website. <br /><br />Click on <a href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=65&sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&sort_dir=d" title="Items in the Alumni Magazine Collection">Items in the Alumni Magazine Collection</a> to view and sort all items in the collection.
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St. John's College
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Annapolis, Md.
Santa Fe, NM
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English
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AlumniMagazine
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St. John's College Greenfield Library
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36 pages
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Alumni Magazine, Summer 2021
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Volume 1, number 1 of the Alumni Magazine. Published in summer 2021.
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St. John's College
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St. John's College
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Annapolis, MD
Santa Fe, NM
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2021
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St. John's College (Annapolis, Md.)--Alumni and alumnae
St. John's College (Santa Fe, N.M.)--Alumni and alumnae
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English
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SJCAlumniMagazine_2021
Alumni
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Text
UNTIL�WE�ARE�
TOGETHER�AGAIN�
Alumni
Engagement at
St. John’s College
“I’m proud to be a Johnnie. The
UNTIL�WE�
ARE�
TOGETHER� Homecoming and Alumni Engagement
AGAIN� atARESt. John's College
Program helped prepare me for
my career, and the friendships
I made as a student continue to
enrich my life. The further out
from my graduation I go, the
more I want to stay connected
with the college.”
—KATARINA WONG A88
“The Program and its
emphasis on dialogue is what
first grounded me to my
Until We Are Together Again
classmates and the college,
and is what continues to
inspire, motivate, and connect
me to St. John’s today.”
—ASHISH DHAKAL SF19
YOU
IN?
“I believe strongly in the and
Homecoming
St. John’s education and
Alumni
Engagement
mission—it’s what
connects
me to the Johnnie community
atandSt.
John's College
motivates me to stay
involved however I can.”
—BOB KASENCHAK SF95
��LETTER FROM ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear Johnnies,
I hope this message finds you safe and well amid the unprecedented events we have faced
over the past several months. Yet, even in trying times, I deeply believe in hope.
When Aristotle taught us about bravery, he grounded this virtue in hope. He instructed us in
the Nicomachean Ethics that “A coward is someone with faint hope, since such a person is afraid
of everything, and a courageous person is the opposite, since confidence belongs to someone
full of hope.” Hope gives us courage and allows us to move forward. It is in this vein that the
college sends you this expanded version of our annual homecoming brochure, aptly entitled
Until We Are Together Again.
I understand that a publication cannot replace the togetherness we enjoy at homecoming. Rather—through
its alumni stories, college news, and collection of photos—it can offer us some joy and remembrance of what
it means to be part of our exceptional Johnnie community. As you turn these pages, you will learn about the
many great things happening for alumni, the strength of our community as a whole, and how we can stay
connected with one another through the Alumni Association and the college, especially through our first-ever
virtual Alumni Week to be held Monday, September 21 through Saturday, September 26, 2020.
Inspired by alumni feedback, Alumni Week promises to bring us together in community and in thought
through daily online programming that is both nostalgic and informative, until we can be together again in
person. Highlights include virtual presentations of favorite homecoming activities, engaging career talks,
updates from college leadership, and—of course—seminars with our much-loved tutors.
Albeit not what we expected initially, the year 2020 still affords us the chance to reconnect with and revisit
what is unique and meaningful about St. John’s. Our Association remains strong, as it has been since its
establishment nearly 200 years ago. And our college community is just as vibrant as when we were students
in the hills of Santa Fe and on the banks of College Creek.
Join me along with your entire Alumni Association Board by participating in Alumni Week this September.
Are you in?
We look forward to seeing you this fall. Until we are together again…
St. John’s Forever!
Mark Parenti AGI92
President
St. John’s College Alumni Association
1
�UPDATES
ALUMNI 50 YEARS APART are making a lasting environmental impact on
St. John’s College with the Class of 2019 inspiring an anonymous gift of $3.2 million
from members of the Class of 1969.
Over its long history, the college has developed many traditions within its Johnnie
community—including that of the Senior Legacy Project, where graduating seniors
adopt a class project to improve the student experience for future years.
Previous examples of this tradition include the Class of 2004’s fundraising and
installment of a functional armillary sphere on the Santa Fe campus. Predecessor
to the telescope, the sphere was fabricated using the designs of 16th-century astronomer Tycho Brahe and is the only one of its kind in the world.
Class of 2019
Inspires Alumni
to Fund Solar
Energy and
Sustainability
Initiatives
2019 Senior Legacy Committee
Members with President Mark
Roosevelt, pictured left to right:
Ashish Dhakal SF19, Oona
“Bella” Bjornstad SF19,
President Roosevelt,
Pavitra “Pavi” Antony SF19,
and Sophia Paffenroth SF19.
Stay connected with your
Johnnie community. Follow
St. John’s journey toward
sustainability and other
inspiring college news by
visiting sjc.edu/news.
2
As for the members of the Class of 2019, they chose to support an energy audit of the
Santa Fe campus to reduce the college’s carbon footprint, lower operating costs, and
encourage the installation of solar energy on site. With a 100-percent participation
rate among the 2019 class—a feat achieved only three other times in Santa Fe’s
history—the classmates were able to cover a portion of the cost of the campus energy
audit.
“The support the project received was overwhelming and more than I had hoped for,”
remarked Ashish Dhakal SF19, who served on the Senior Legacy Committee. “I think
in the end it really augmented that togetherness we felt as a class.” But their impact
didn’t stop there.
When two members of the Class of 1969 learned of the Class of 2019’s passion for
sustainability and 100-percent participation rate, they were inspired to make a gift
of their own. This spring, two anonymous donors from the Class of 1969 contributed
$2.2 million to install rooftop solar panels and an additional $1 million to convert the
entire campus to LED lighting, for a total gift of $3.2 million.
President Mark Roosevelt shared a message from the anonymous members of the
Class of 1969 with alumni from the Class of 2019. “Dear Fellow Alumni of the Class
of SF19,” the message begins. “We are so grateful to you for getting the project
started by donating the planning piece. We are proud to join you in your vision of a
sustainable campus, and we treasure this connection between our two classes, 50
years apart.”
Combined, the two class gifts are a major step toward St. John’s achieving its sustainability initiatives. By installing solar panels and LED lighting, the college is expected
to save approximately $150,000 in electricity costs annually and reduce its electricity
use by 1.67 million kWh per year.
“The donations from the Class of 1969 mean that there is hope, especially in the current climate of global crises,” Dhakal reflected. “I think it sets a significant precedent
in our Johnnie community and beyond, and proves the impact we can have when we
work together.”
�LAST DECEMBER, FEW KNEW how significant innovation, leadership, and
disruption would soon become in the landscape of American higher education.
It was then that St. John’s College received the “Four-Year College of the Year”
Dive Award from leading education news publisher Education Dive, for its forwardthinking approach to a problem that confronts many colleges across the country,
especially now during the novel coronavirus pandemic: ballooning tuition prices
that most American families cannot afford. Education Dive acknowledged St. John’s
solution—described by author Natalie Schwartz as “switching to a philanthropysupported financial model and cutting down on administrative expenses”—as a
progressive initiative designed to provide an affordable education for all students
and put the college in a secure position moving into the future.
“At the time, we believed strongly we were doing the right thing in committing to
our new financial model by launching the Freeing Minds campaign and resetting our
tuition,” said Annapolis President Panayiotis Kanelos. “What we couldn’t have anticipated was how this decision would place us in a position of strength to confront the
financial and enrollment challenges of this new era brought on by COVID-19.”
Today, the award continues to underscore the college’s momentum in these areas,
and allows St. John’s to join a storied array of institutions to have been honored by
Education Dive in past years, including the University of California system and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“The people and organizations that win Dive Awards are trailblazers and leaders in
their markets,” said Davide Savenije, editor-in-chief of Education Dive’s publisher
Industry Dive. “Their achievements in 2019 are shaping the future of where the latest
strategies and trends are going.”
Trailblazing
Proves
Fortuitous
for College
amid
Pandemic
Education Dive provides in-depth journalism and insight into the news and trends
shaping the education world, including policy, classroom tech, online learning, and
more. Each year, the editors of Education Dive use the Dive Awards to acknowledge
visionaries and disruptors that stand out from the rest of the field: colleges,
universities, companies, and individuals that create bold, progressive solutions for
modern-day challenges in order to bring the world of education into the future.
The thing to remember, President Mark Roosevelt said, is that St. John’s couldn’t have
done it alone.
“We forged a vision that was informed by our community’s input. We implemented
that vision and our community rallied around it,” he explained. “We’re succeeding because of them. Their courage to speak out, their generosity, their love of the
Program and college, and their desire to make this education affordable to future
generations. Through our continued resilience and perseverance we will achieve this
goal, together.”
To learn more about
St. John’s journey toward
affordability for generations
of Johnnies to come, visit
freeingminds.sjc.edu.
3
�UPDATES
COMING THIS FALL, St. John’s College will begin piloting its next generation of
volunteer engagement with a newly expanded alumni volunteer program entitled
JohnnieCorps.
Aptly named for the college’s longstanding force of alumni volunteers, JohnnieCorps— with its tailored opportunities discoverable in an easy-to-use online
format—promises to be the vehicle to take volunteerism at St. John’s to the next level.
JohnnieCorps:
A New Era of
Volunteerism
at St. John’s
“Throughout the college’s history, St. John’s has had a strong corps of alumni
volunteers who have helped fortify the institution,” said Kelsey Miller A10, the senior
alumni engagement officer leading the program’s development. “Alumni have
provided integral direction and support for everything from the Mitchell Gallery to
the Admitted Student Outreach Team, and even the Alumni Association itself.”
Building upon this Johnnie tradition of volunteerism, the college has now formalized
a way for alumni to access volunteer opportunities suited to their individual interests.
What’s more, according to Miller, is alumni have had a direct hand in shaping how
such a program operates.
“Data from two of our most recent alumni surveys show that there are many who
want to be more involved in volunteering with the college,” she explained. “Through
alumni feedback, the college has also learned what hasn’t worked for volunteers in
the past. The features of JohnnieCorps are a direct response to that input.”
In addition to its usability, JohnnieCorps primarily offers alumni aggregated volunteer opportunities by bringing together all collegewide positions in one place,
categorized by roles related to alumni’s experience, skills, and interests.
“It’s important for me to give back and share my expertise with the college,” said
Bob Kasenchak SF95, who supports outreach to accepted students, among other
volunteer activities. “Just imagine if 100 alums each gave one hour of their time what
100 hours could do to help our students,” he continued. “Getting involved through
JohnnieCorps provides an easy method to make a big impact, without taking a lot of
your time.”
Join the new movement of
volunteering at St. John’s—go to
to sjc.edu/volunteersurvey
to complete a quick five-question
survey about how you’d like to get
involved, and stay tuned for our
official launch.
Become a JohnnieCorps
volunteer today!
4
It is with consideration to alumni’s busy schedules that college departments have
scaled JohnnieCorps offerings into varying time-commitment levels. Doing so
“allows Johnnies to give back in whatever capacities they are able,” Miller said,
“whether that be in one-off, short-term, or long-term roles. We want positions that
feel sustainable amid their other responsibilities and goals.”
Lastly, and possibly most significantly given the current COVID-19 pandemic,
JohnnieCorps will provide remote and virtual opportunities, affording alumni
the option to participate from the comfort of their own homes. Alumni will also
benefit from notifications when roles matching their volunteer preferences become
available—both optimizing volunteerism at St. John’s and ensuring its success for
years to come.
�AS THE AGE-OLD ADAGE GOES, “many hands make light work”—and it’s
proven true for St. John’s College in its adoption of crowdfunding.
A fundraising practice allowing organizations to inspire contributions from a large
number of donors over a specified amount of time, crowdfunding began for St. John’s in
the fall of 2018—launched as part of the college’s #GivingTuesday campaign that year.
Typically observed the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, at the onset of the winter
holiday season, GivingTuesday strives to promote generosity between people and the
causes they care about through online monetary giving. Prior to crowdfunding,
St. John’s yielded approximately $10,000 from 50 donors on GivingTuesday 2017.
Since then, crowdfunding has generated an overwhelming philanthropic reaction—
boasting an astounding 532-donor response of nearly $126,000 in 2019 alone.
For Director of Annual Giving Mark Piekarski, “it is not the size of the gift you
make, it’s the fact that you make it. We owe our successes to donor engagement—
specifically alumni engagement,” he said. “Through its dynamic and interactive
nature, crowdfunding provides alumni a tangible way to showcase their Johnnie
pride while leveraging their social networks to benefit this cause they care about.”
Another example of this is the Temple Iglehart scoreboard challenge this past winter,
where alumni rallied to exceed a goal of $6,000 in just 12 days to purchase a replacement board for the Annapolis gymnasium. “This fundraiser is such an excellent
example of the power of the Johnnie community,” said Annapolis Athletics and
Recreation Coordinator Chris Krueger A07. “Inspired Johnnies are unstoppable!”
Crowdfunding
Epitomizes
Strength of
Johnnie
Community
Most recently, crowdfunding also played a crucial role in raising support for Johnnie
students experiencing financial hardship or difficultly in continuing their studies
remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From it, nearly $23,000 was donated to the
college’s Student Emergency Relief Fund, which directly benefits affected students.
As the college expands its crowdfunding efforts, it does so in the hope that donors will
continue to aid future projects with the same generosity they have shown so far.
As Piekarski remarked, “we can do more by joining together. Every gift plays a vital
role in supporting students and tutors as they engage in the work of our exceptional
St. John’s education.”
Do more together! Check out
the results of our most recent
crowdfunding effort by visiting
givecampus.com/schools/StJohnsCollege.
5
�
“St. John’s has given me the freedom
to engage with various subjects and fields,
which has helped me realize my passion
for human rights.”
6
�Raised by a single mother in Ethiopia’s
capital city of Addis Ababa, Nani Detti SF20 has
held a strong interest in human rights for as
long as she can remember.
“G
rowing up hearing stories about injustices
like child marriage, I was desperate to raise
awareness for the abuses young girls and
women suffer in my country,” she explained. “Seeing the
unfair treatment my mother faced when seeking support
from the justice system only increased my desire to get
involved.” Yet, despite her experiences, Detti did not have
a suitable outlet for her concerns. That was until she
discovered St. John’s College.
In 2014, shortly after her 16th birthday, Detti’s journey
toward St. John’s began with her acceptance to an allgirls boarding school in Toronto. In order to attend, she
left behind everything familiar—her culture, family, and
friends—but one comfort remained, her love of reading.
While adapting to her new academic environment, she
immersed herself in literature, deepening her fondness
for it. In fact, it was Detti’s appreciation for books that first
connected her to the college.
“I had applied to a bunch of colleges in Canada and the
U.S., but I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to study after
high school,” she shared. While conducting some online
research, she stumbled upon St. John’s listing on a website entitled Colleges that Change Lives. “The first thing that
attracted me was the reading list,” she said. But there was
something more. According to Detti, it was the opportunity to study diverse subjects.
“St. John’s has given me the freedom to engage with
various subjects and fields,” she said, “which has helped
me realize my passion for human rights.” In her time at
the college, Detti has put that passion into action. Most
notably, she raised awareness for human rights among
her classmates by starting the Amnesty International
student chapter in Santa Fe. She also addressed student
issues of discrimination, mental health, and wellness on
campus through her leadership of the Santa Fe Johnnie
Community Board.
For her collective efforts, Detti earned the Santa Fe Council
on International Relations’ Student of the Year Award
in 2019. Among other accolades, she also received the
Kathryn W. Davis Projects for Peace Award last summer,
affording $10,000 for her “Misale (or ‘role model’) Initiative.” A project aimed at promoting mentorship between
professionals and students in Ethiopia, and reducing the
country’s unemployment rate.
“My St. John’s experience has prepared me to enter any
field of my choosing,” Detti reflected. Upon graduating
this spring, she will embark on a gap year to refine her
research skills with organizations working in international relations and development. Afterward, she plans to
pursue a graduate degree in a related field. “Government
is what I’m most interested in,” she shared. “Eventually, I
want to go back to Ethiopia and apply what I’ve learned to
make my country a more just and equitable place.”
However, Detti’s St. John’s education would not have been
possible if it weren’t for a well-timed scholarship from
the college. Due to unforeseen financial difficulties, she
found herself abruptly confronted by the need to halt
her studies and return to Ethiopia midway through her
freshman year. “It was a stressful situation,” she recalled.
“Thankfully, everyone at St. John’s rallied around me to
find a solution.” That is how Detti was named the recipient
of the Norman Levan Scholarship; a fund endowed by the
late alumnus Dr. Norman Levan SFGI74, whose bequest
benefits students in financial need.
“Everything I have accomplished as a student is because
I was able to continue my studies,” she said. “Without
St. John’s, I would not have become the strong and
ambitious young woman I am today.”
[
KNOW A STUDENT WHO’S JUST
RIGHT FOR ST. JOHN’S?
Connect them with our Admissions Office through
the college’s One Alum-One Referral program.
Visit sjc.edu/one-alum-one-referral to learn more.
7
�FEATURE Story
ALUMNUS
TRANSLATES
LOVE FOR
ST. JOHN’S
INTO
ACTION
WITH
CHARITABLE
GIVING
“I have really benefitted from St. John’s
well-rounded education and I want others
to have the same opportunity; I feel
responsible to help share that with others.”
8
�In its ancient Greek origins, the word “philanthropy” is a term meaning
“love of mankind.” In its modern usage, it is regarded as an action done to better humanity.
For alumnus Craig Sirkin A95, philanthropy means both. He has turned his love for
St. John’s College—the polity, the Program, and the campus—into the action of charitable
giving, allowing him to share the experience of St. John’s with others.
A
precocious teenager with a particular interest in
the writings of Aristotle, Sirkin first learned of
St. John’s from a recruitment mailing that piqued
his interest. “I was a big reader—always had my nose in a
book,” said Sirkin. “I had read Aristotle’s Poetics and was
interested in reading more texts like it; I wanted to learn
more about what St. John’s had to offer.”
So on a warm day in the fall of 1991, Sirkin, along with
three of his high school classmates, headed off for a
prospective weekend in Annapolis, about an hour’s drive
from his home in Washington, DC. “It was a beautiful
fall weekend in Annapolis,” Sirkin recalls. “I remember
observing my first class—I was sitting around a seminar
table in McDowell Hall with the windows wide open—and I
knew this is where I wanted to be.”
And just like that, Sirkin had found refuge among history’s
great books and renowned thinkers. “St. John’s was like
an oasis for me, in a way,” he shared. “It was different than
other programs I had originally considered, and I was
lucky to have found it.”
In the years immediately following his enrollment, Sirkin
went on to study the classics as he had hoped. He also
joined the croquet program, coordinating its participation
in the U.S. Croquet Association’s collegiate national championship and even serving as the team’s imperial wicket
his senior year. Yet, his college experience provided him
with much more than he could have anticipated during
his initial visit to campus.
[
“I learned about many more topics than I had first considered,” said Sirkin, now a large-scale computer-networking
consultant. As part of his profession, Sirkin is constantly
learning new technologies, and often must translate the
meaning of complex, technical concepts for others—a
talent he credits to his time at St. John’s. “My experiences
at St. John’s, especially the tutorials, greatly helped
prepare me for the job I’m doing today,” he attests.
“I have really benefitted from St. John’s well-rounded
education and I want others to have the same opportunity;
I feel responsible to help share that with others,” he goes
on. A St. John’s donor for the past 20 years, Sirkin has
contributed to a great number of initiatives at the college,
including the Fund for St. John’s and campus-specific
efforts, such as the Annapolis croquet program and
infrastructure improvement projects. “I’m happy to be
able to play a role in offering the St. John’s experience to
future students.”
With 2020 marking his 25th anniversary of graduating
from St. John’s, Sirkin is especially motivated to give back
this year. “I think milestones like this are a great reminder to give to the college,” he said. “They remind us about
the things we learned, the environment that nurtured us
for all those years, and most importantly the people,” he
continues.
“Those people shaped us.”
If you would like to express your meaning of philanthropy for St. John’s College like
Craig Sirkin this reunion year, please visit sjc.edu/reuniongiving to learn more.
9
�VIRTUAL LEARNING
AT ST. JOHN’S
Tutor and
her Students
Rise to the
Challenge
“Through all this, I have been most
impressed with the students’ resiliency.
Despite the challenges presented, they
have remained dedicated to the
St. John’s unique style of learning and
been heroic in a time of hardship.”
10
�When St. John’s College
made the decision this spring to send
students home and move classes online due to safety concerns related to COVID-19, tutor
Zena Hitz A95—among fellow faculty around the globe—found herself abruptly thrown into
the world of virtual instruction.
“O
nline instruction is not the norm for the
St. John’s Great Books Program,” said Hitz,
a 1995 alumna who joined the Annapolis
faculty in 2015. Since the establishment of the New
Program in 1937, classes on both campuses traditionally
have been conducted in person around the seminar table.
Undeterred, St. John’s mobilized quickly in identifying
online services and resources to help students and tutors
alike finish the spring semester remotely. In the span of a
few short weeks, Hitz transitioned to facilitating her junior
courses in language, math, and seminar primarily through
the Microsoft Teams communication and collaboration
platform.
“For me, online learning was at first like ‘emergency
learning’—like teaching with a flashlight when the power
goes out,” she described, “especially with the subject of
math, which requires an enormous amount of focus and
concentration from students.”
That’s when Hitz assembled what she termed virtual
study groups, so students could collaborate on problems
prior to class. Utilizing shared files and video chats, they
would offer descriptions to the class outlining their difficulties and questions, allowing the classmates a chance
to dig deeper into coursework and solve issues together,
almost as they would do in person.
challenges presented, they have remained dedicated to
the St. John’s unique style of learning and been heroic in
a time of hardship.”
As a graduate of the Program herself, Hitz understands
the transformative experience that is the St. John’s education. “My tutors empowered me to take responsibility
for my own learning and made me feel like my inquiries
really mattered. Watching this same thing happen for my
students, especially during this year of COVID-19, has been
unbelievably touching and wonderful to see,” she shared.
This year also marks one of celebration for the Annapolis
tutor, as she enjoys the recent publication of her first book
and commemorates her 25th Reunion with the college.
“I’m looking forward to seeing old friends during Alumni
Week this fall and celebrating all the college has to done in
shaping the people we have become,” she said.
Published by Princeton University Press in May, her
book—entitled Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an
Intellectual Life—was supported by a research stipend she
received from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Readers of the piece are invited to rediscover the
impractical splendors of a life of learning.
A pursuit Hitz’s students will likely carry through this
unprecedented period of learning, and beyond.
“Through all this, I have been most impressed with the
students’ resiliency,” Hitz remarked. “Despite the
[
For the latest information on St. John’s fall planning for
students, faculty, and staff, visit sjc.edu/fall-plans.
11
�Alumnus
Committed
to Helping
Johnnies
Find their
Way in
Business
“As St. John’s alumni we can trace our steps
back to where we started, but as students
we don’t necessarily see the paths that
lie before us, and they are not always
straight lines. This is why it’s important
for me as a Johnnie to relay my story to
current students.”
12
�Eli Castro SF94
began his journey toward St. John’s College as a Michigan
high school junior visiting the Santa Fe campus in the summer of 1990.
D
uring his tour of the college, he instantly fell in love
with campus and the Program—so much so that
when he returned to Michigan he completed high
school early just so he could enroll at St. John’s immediately after his junior year.
“I was curious about what I saw—the discussions and how
students were respectful of the work, the people, and the
school. There were no doubts in my mind about wanting
to attend,” he said.
After graduating, Castro pursued graduate school in
Wisconsin, but realized at the time it was not for him and
instead took a consulting job through a Johnnie connection
in Washington, DC—eventually landing at Deloitte in Austin,
Texas, where he is a senior manager in the higher education consulting practice.
“I enjoy tackling thorny problems, applying different perspectives to break them down into manageable pieces,”
he shared. “The Program taught me that, and I was eager
to put my skills to use in the practical world.”
As an alumni volunteer for the college over the past five
years and counting, Castro believes that the paths we take
in life are important. His has crossed the country. From
growing up in Michigan, he took an early turn toward
St. John’s in Santa Fe, then to grad school in Wisconsin,
a redirection to consulting in DC, and now to Austin,
where he earned a MBA from The University of Texas and
lives with his wife, Tracy Locke SF95, and daughters Ella
and Clarissa.
[
“Being St. John’s alumni we can trace our steps back to
where we started, but as students we don’t necessarily
see the paths that lie before us, and they are not always
straight lines. This is why it’s important for me as a
Johnnie to relay my story to current students,” he
explained.
Through his volunteering, Castro shares his professional
experience with students to help them translate their
knowledge of the Program to practical employment in
consulting and management careers. “I want to help
students find their way in the business world,” he said.
Castro has also served as a mentor to students participating in the St. John’s Consulting Group as well as worked
directly with students to bolster their interview skills. “In
my job, I interview recent college graduates all the time,
but it’s been my time spent helping Johnnies with their
skills that has made me a better interviewer,” he attests.
With JohnnieCorps piloting this fall, it will be easier than
ever for alumni to get involved with the college. Accessible online, the volunteer program will bring together all
collegewide positions in one place categorized by roles
related to alumni’s experience and scaled according to
time-commitment levels.
“With the number of varying things Johnnies are out in
the world doing today, there is so much opportunity for
alumni to get involved with students,” said Castro. “Let’s
help them find their way.”
Want to share your professional experience to help the Johnnies of tomorrow
chart their course to career success? Contact the Career Services Office in Annapolis
and the Office of Personal and Professional Development Office in Santa Fe by
visiting sjc.edu/career-success/staff to find out how!
13
�14
�MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 THROUGH
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020
ARE YOU IN?
Remember what made your St. John’s College experience meaningful?
IN
Was it the Program, classmates, and tutors? Perhaps it was the special
was the feeling of being part of something much larger than yourself—a
TO ENGAGE WITH THE COLLEGE AND EACH OTHER.
IN
feeling of connection.
Even in this time of physical distancing, membership in the St. John’s
College community is lifelong—once a Johnnie, always a Johnnie!
Until we can be together again in person, come celebrate your lifelong connection to the college by attending Alumni Week 2020.
COMMUNITY
CONNECT VIRTUALLY WITH CLASSMATES AND TUTORS,
AND REMEMBER THOSE WHO MADE YOUR JOHNNIE
community of individuals brought together by the common pursuit of
deeper understanding. Whatever it might be for you, what persists is the
JOIN FELLOW JOHNNIES FOR A WEEKLONG VIRTUAL
PROGRAMMING EXPERIENCE OFFERING NEW WAYS
moments shared around the seminar table, and beyond. Or the freedom
to think deeply, debate openly, and learn from one another? Maybe it
STRENGTH
EXPERIENCE SPECIAL.
IN
THOUGHT
RETURN FOR SEMINARS ON CHERISHED TEXTS AND
ENJOY FAVORITE TUTORIALS WITH ESTEEMED TUTORS.
IN
HONOR
CELEBRATE THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF ALUMNI AND
FRIENDS WITH A SPECIAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
AWARDS PRESENTATION AND CONVERSATION WITH
COLLEGE LEADERS.
Coordinated with consideration for alumni feedback and safety
concerns related to COVID-19, Alumni Week provides Johnnies a
virtual mode of togetherness this fall by offering favorite homecoming
activities in an online format. Join us and experience what it means to
be IN the Johnnie community.
[
REGISTRATION
OPEN JULY 15 THROUGH
SEPTEMBER 13
at sjc.edu/Alumni-Week
For questions or assistance, email the
Alumni Relations Office at alumni@sjc.edu.
15
�IN COMMUNITY: ALUMNI WEEK SCHEDULE & REGISTRATION
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21—SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020
SCHEDULE
MONDAY
FRIDAY
Welcome
Alumni Association Awards & Conversation
with College Leaders
*Live Event
JohnnieTalks
*Pre-recorded Event
Meet the Armillary Sphere: demonstration by
Tutor Emeritus Bill Donahue
Return to Lab: demonstrations by Director of
Laboratories John Balwit
*Pre-recorded Events
Jacob Lawrence: Image and the Word Exhibit, virtual guided
tour by Mitchell Gallery Art Educator Lucinda Edinberg
*Live Event
WEDNESDAY
Alumni Association Meeting & Election
*Live Event
TUESDAY
Return to Ptolemy: planetarium demonstration by
Tutor Jim Beall
Higher Gossip by Jeremy Sheeler & Maxwell Anthony AGI15
*Pre-recorded Events
THURSDAY
Johnnies in Healthcare Career Panel
*Live Event
[
16
SATURDAY
Seminar
*Live Event; Payment Required
Toasts & Tributes with Alumni Association Board
*Live Event
All live programming will be recorded and made available post event
at sjc.edu/Alumni-Week. Alumni Week programming subject to change.
See webpage for details.
�REGISTRATION & PRICING
REGISTRATION OPEN JULY 15 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 13
AT SJC.EDU/ALUMNI-WEEK
Live Events after registration, login credentials will be provided in advance of the dates
of programming.
“…nothing prevents a man,
after recalling one thing
only—a process men call
Pre-recorded Activities will be posted at sjc.edu/Alumni-Week on the date of their occurrence
and are open to all registrants.
learning—discovering
PRICING
Payment, along with registration, is required for participation in virtual seminars only.
if he is brave and does not
Price per Seminar: $50
tire of the search, for
CANCELLATION POLICIES
searching and learning are,
Due to the limited availability of virtual seminars, spaces are nontransferable and
nonrefundable.
as a whole, recollection.”
Seminars with fewer than five participants are subject to cancelation. If a seminar is
canceled due to low attendance, registrants may choose to transfer to an open seminar or
request a refund.
everything else for himself,
~Socrates, Meno
17
�IN THOUGHT: ALUMNI WEEK SEMINARS
GRADUATE INSTITUTE
Class
Reading
Tutor
GI
William Shakespeare’s Othello
Louis Petrich
Class
Reading
Tutor
Golden
Daniel Defoe’s A Journal of the Plague Year
Chester Burke A74
Class
Reading
Tutor
2005
Plato’s Euthyphro
Michael Golluber
Franz Kafka’s Description of a Struggle
John Cornell
Euclid’s Elements, Book 1
Krishnan Venkatesh
Simone Weil’s “Human Personality”
Phil LeCuyer H17
GOLDEN YEARS
SANTA FE
2000
1995
1980
18
�ANNAPOLIS
Class
Reading
Tutor
2015
Anne Carson’s Bakkhai
Patricia Locke
2010
Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway
Jason Tipton
2005
Frederick Douglass’ “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”
Joe Macfarland A87
1990
Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan
David Townsend
1985
Tommy Orange’s There, There
Jonathan Tuck H14
1980
Ernest Hemingway’s “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”
Deborah Axelrod A68
1975
Euripides’ The Bacchae
Michael Dink A75
1970
Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan, Chapters 13, 14, and 17;
Declaration of Independence, first two paragraphs;
U.S. Constitution Preamble
Ron Haflidson
1960
The Book of Job
Tom May
OPEN
Class
Reading
Tutor
Open
Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Books 8 and 9
Gregory Recco
Open
Jane Austen’s Persuasion
Judith Adam
Open
William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
David Carl
Open
Genesis
Mitchell Gallery
Open
Martin Heidegger’s The Question Concerning Technology
Brendan Boyle
Wallace Stevens’ “Peter Quince at the Clavier”
Jim Beall
Open
[
Seminars with fewer than five participants are subject to cancelation.
If you do not see a seminar listed for your class year, it is due to low class
participation. We welcome you to register for an open seminar.
19
�IN HONOR: ALUMNI ASSOCIATION HONOREES
Alumni Association honorees are selected annually by the board in recognition for their pursuit of and successes in leading examined
lives of virtue, as well as their steadfast commitment to the St. John’s College community. Following are this year’s recipients of the
Award of Merit, Volunteer Service Award, and Honorary Alumni designations to be commemorated during Alumni Week 2020.
2020 AWARD OF MERIT HONOREES
SANTA FE
Alice Ericsson SF75
A distinguished leader and innovator in the field of beauty,
cosmetic, and fragrance advertising, Alice Ericsson is well known
for creating one of the world’s most recognized taglines: “Easy,
Breezy, Beautiful, Covergirl.”
This campaign introduced a diverse group of inspiring brand
ambassadors, including Queen Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa, Ellen
DeGeneres as well as the first Coverboy, James Charles—an effort
that, literally, changed the face the beauty industry forever. She
has also helped build brands for L’Oréal, Revlon, Shiseido, and
others, and has focused on mentoring women in advertising.
Currently, Ericsson works as a creative freelancer—strategizing
and writing for clients such as Bobbi Brown, Hermès, MAC, and
GrowNYC, among others. In addition to her professional pursuits,
she is an active philanthropist with special regard for St. John’s
College. A faithful financial supporter of the college, Ericsson’s
contributions also include her longtime volunteer service to education—especially her role as a member of the Board of Directors
for the Touchstones Discussion Project over the past 10 years.
Mark Sanfilippo SFGI00
Upon graduating from St. John’s College Graduate Institute in
2000, Mark Sanfilippo began a career as a screenwriter, where he
even channeled his knowledge of western canon into some of his
scripts. Little did he know then, that eight years later he would
end up the producer of fine, artisan charcuterie recognized by
Forbes magazine as the “Best Salami in the Country.” It was an
advertisement offering employment at Pizzeria Mozza that set
this trajectory in motion.
Despite his lack of culinary experience, Sanfilippo, while on hold
for a writing project, applied to the restaurant and soon found
himself in the job of food preparation, including curing meats.
Doing so ignited his passion for the delicacy of charcuterie, which
20
first took form as a hobby in a closet of his Los Angeles apartment
to eventually a full-on business and 8,000-square-foot production facility in St. Louis.
Opened in 2008, Sanfilippo’s artisan salumeria aptly named
Salume Beddu, which translates to “beautiful” in Sicilian dialect,
specializes in Italian and European-style cured meats. Sanfilippo
asserts the acclaim Salume Beddu has garnered from Forbes and
others is due to an adherence to traditional techniques, a use of
only the best ingredients, and an intellectual approach (likely
instilled from his time at St. John’s) he takes to not just the curing
process, but to every step of production—from farm to final
product. Today, Salume Beddu distributes nationwide, and has
become a fixture in award-winning kitchens as well as family
gatherings, alike.
ANNAPOLIS
Judith Abrams A65
Working at the university level since 1987, Judith Abrams, PhD,
is professor of oncology at Wayne State University School of
Medicine and director of the biostatistics core at the Karmanos
Cancer Institute in Detroit.
In her academic work at Wayne State, Abrams collaborates with
cancer investigators, applying biostatistical methods in cancer
research projects. Her contributions in the areas of experimental design and statistical analysis have resulted in publications
in the field of oncology, especially in cancer clinical trials and
observational studies. She is a four-time winner of the Wayne
State University School of Medicine College Teaching Award,
most recently received in 2017. In her more than 20 years with
the Karmanos Cancer Institute, Abrams has been important to
the design of cancer research studies. Building on her readings
in philosophy of science at St. John’s College, she ensures that
scientific questions are framed so they can be answered precisely
and efficiently, and that analytical conclusions are accurate
and valid.
�Abrams embodies the spirit of inquiry that is so integral to the college’s Program. In addition to her bachelor’s degree from St. Johns, she holds a doctorate degree in biostatistics from the University of Michigan and two master’s
degrees—one in computer science from New York University and another in
biometry from the University of Vermont.
Kevin R. Fitzgerald AGI85
With more than 40 years’ experience in the field of education—first as a
Maryland social studies and English teacher, and now as superintendent of
the Caesar Rodney School District in Delaware—Kevin R. Fitzgerald, EdD, has
dedicated his career to equipping students with the skills needed to succeed
in a rapidly evolving world.
A leader in classroom technology integration, Fitzgerald has helped his
district become a model for equitable instruction by offering multi-level
learning modules to support students throughout the various stages of their
intellectual development. For his efforts in creating learning environments
where both students and teachers alike can thrive, Fitzgerald received the
award for Superintendent of the Year in 2018 by the National Association of
School Superintendents.
Today, Fitzgerald’s work continues as he pioneers the implementation of
immersive language programs across his district, with Caesar Rodney students having access to the most language programs throughout the state of
Delaware. Fitzgerald’s emphasis on language is rooted in his strong belief
that the study of classic literature is what best prepares students for the
future. This understanding, which demonstrates both a diversity of interpretations and shared commonalities, he owes to his studies as a graduate
student of St. John’s College.
Top to bottom:
Alice Ericsson SF75,
Mark Sanfillippo SFGI00,
Kevin R. Fitzgerald AGI85;
not pictured:
Judith Abrams A65
21
�2020 VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD HONOREES
SANTA FE
Elihu Dietz SF06
In recognition of his longtime role as New York alumni chapter
leader, as well as his service on the Alumni Association Board
and its Nominations Committee. His service has both increased
engagement among alumni and enhanced their connection with
the college.
Brenna Strauss SF04 and Heather Upshaw SF04
Joining awardee Annette Prapasiri SF04, in recognition of the
leadership exhibited by the alumnae team responsible for the
completion of the Class of 2004 senior gift—the installation of a
functioning armillary sphere on the Santa Fe campus. Through
their dedication, these alumnae have helped achieve the largest
class gift in St. John’s history, as well as galvanized members of
the college community in the effort.
ANNAPOLIS
Johanna Wilson A90 and Richard Smith A90
In recognition of their commitment to Johnnies through their
employment of St. John’s College alumni at their company
OpenPath Products, and their continual willingness to offer
Johnnies career guidance—as highlighted by their participation
in the hugely successful Johnnies in Tech+ panel discussion
hosted by the college in March. Both Wilson and Smith are
faithful financial supporters of St. John’s, with Wilson joining
the college’s Board of Visitors and Governors last year.
2020 HONORARY ALUMNI INDUCTEES
SANTA FE
Lise van Boxel, Tutor
The St. John’s College community experienced an enormous loss
with the death of longtime tutor Lise van Boxel in January 2020.
Regarded by her students as thoughtful, acutely intelligent, and
always open to discourse, van Boxel first joined the Santa Fe
faculty in 2001. In her nearly 20-year career at the college, she
taught across both campuses and was deeply devoted to all her
students—advising with care many senior essays each year, and
mentoring Johnnies in their studies and careers after graduation.
In return, she drew much inspiration from her students’ “earnest
desire to learn and their willingness to be vulnerable in pursuit
of genuine conversation,” as she once stated. She also had a
particular respect for military service, which led her to co-found
22
the “St. John’s Combat and Classics” podcast. The audio series
has helped service members connect to the Program by examining historical and fictional leaders featured in military-themed
literary works.
As St. John’s College classrooms continue to seek what it means
to lead an examined life, they will do so in the spirit with which
Lise van Boxel led her own life.
Van Boxel held degrees in political science—BA and PhD from the
University of Toronto, and MA from Boston College—all with an
emphasis on political philosophy. Her doctoral thesis was on the
standard of truth in Nietzsche’s philosophy.
Robert Mass, Returning Member, Board of Visitors and Governors
A dedicated champion of the college, Robert Mass joined
St. John’s College Board of Visitors and Governors in 2013. He
demonstrated great leadership, especially through his committee
service, in his role as board secretary, and as Audit and Compliance Committee chair.
Through his leadership, Mass guided St. John’s through some
of its most challenging times, including the current deficit
reduction initiatives, helping ensure the future success of the
college. He helped St. John’s prioritize student safety and wellbeing initiatives through his service on the Campus Culture
Committee. Mass has been an advocate for international student
recruitment, funding and fundraising for scholarships as well as
making personal calls to admitted students. He has also advised
and supported students in their search for finance industry
internships and post-graduation employment.
Mass’s service to the college draws on his deep legal and
compliance experience at public and private firms, including
the American Civil Liberties Union, New York County District
Attorney’s Office, and Goldman Sachs where he is a managing
director.
Lifelong learning is a commitment Mass shares with St. John’s,
as evidenced by his current pursuit of a PhD in Philosophy at
The New School in New York City. An active participant in the
Executive Seminar and Summer Classics programs for over
15 years, Mass deeply values the classroom experience at
St. John’s—an appreciation that has contributed to his ongoing
and tireless support of the college.
�ANNAPOLIS
William Pastille, Tutor
Described by his students as a clear thinker, an effective writer, and a
compassionate listener, St. John’s College tutor William Pastille first joined
the Annapolis faculty in 1986.
During his longtime career at the college, Pastille has held several important
roles, including serving as NEH chair in Ancient Thought over the past two
years. From 2001 to 2003, he directed the Graduate Institute in Annapolis
and served as assistant dean in Annapolis from 1993 to 1995. In addition
to his role in the classroom, Pastille is a participating tutor in the Annapolis
Community Seminar Program and has been editor of The St. John’s Review,
an annual publication featuring works from college faculty, for the past
13 years.
In all his duties, Pastille has shown an unwavering passion for discovering
truth through questioning—a pursuit that has deeply affected Annapolis
students and community members alike. With the close of this year’s spring
semester, he will retire from St. John’s and be named Tutor Emeritus by the
college. With this new title, Pastille will continue to embody the ideals for
which St. John’s stands, and remain a valued member of the college for years
to come.
Pastille holds a doctorate and a master’s degree in musicology from Cornell
University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in music from Brown University.
Katharine “Casey” Pingle, Chair, Mitchell Gallery Board
Casey Pingle joined the St. John’s College Mitchell Gallery Board of Advisors
in 1994, and has served as its chair for the past seven years.
In her more than 25 years of involvement with the gallery, Pingle has
provided integral oversight of the operation—from supporting fundraising
and membership efforts, to event coordination for “town and gown” events,
student receptions, and more. Her leadership with such initiatives, combined with her work as the gallery representative for the college’s Friends
Board, have helped strengthen relations between St. John’s and the greater
Annapolis community, immensely. Additionally, as a former board member and current supporter of the Caritas Society of St. John’s College, Pingle
helps the charitable community organization provide monetary support for
SJC students faced with financial hardship or emergencies.
Clockwise from top left:
Elihu Dietz SF06, Brenna Strauss SF04,
Heather Upshaw SF04, Johanna Wilson
A90 and Richard Smith A90, Lise van
Boxel, Robert Mass, William Pastille,
Katherine “Casey” Pingle
For her consistent efforts on behalf of St. John’s, Pingle is recognized as a
true advocate for the gallery and the college as a whole.
Pingle is co-owner of PMD International, Inc., a private investment bank
formed in 1987 with offices in Annapolis and London.
23
�AROUND CAMPUS: COMMENCEMENT SPOTLIGHT
>
Virtual
Programming
Pivot Yields
Poignant
Celebration
for 2020 Grads
When St. John’s College made the tough decision this spring to send students home and
move classes online due to safety concerns related to COVID-19, much of the college’s
in-person activities and events were canceled, especially Student Life programming. That
did not deter resident advisors, staff, and faculty who worked determinedly to retain as
much activity as possible for those students who remained on campus and beyond.
Creative student programming that continued through the spring included an Easterinspired egg hunt, campus-to-campus foot races (including the college’s first-ever
“Meta-Ioannathon” and virtual Johnnie 5K), an online collegewide performance of
Collegium, and most notably, virtual commencement.
Coordinated in a matter of weeks, virtual commencement brought together members
of both campuses this May—from Information Technology Services to the offices of the
Registrars, and many other departments—in a collaborative effort to provide seniors
with well-deserved and ceremonious send-offs, online.
The result—livestreamed celebrations possibly more poignant than the norm, as noted
in the special messages shared during the events by Presidents Mark Roosevelt and
Panayiotis Kanelos, deans, keynotes, and Alumni Association Board members alike.
Read on to catch the excitement of Commencement 2020!
Behind the Scenes: members of Information
Technology Services support the livestreaming
of President Roosevelt’s address as part of Santa
Fe’s Commencement Celebration May 23.
24
Dean Joe Macfarland congratulates graduates
in compilation video honoring the Class of
2020’s academic achievements.
President Kanelos addresses the Class of 2020
May 10 from McDowell Hall in Annapolis.
�>
JOIN IN CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2020! TO WATCH
RECORDINGS OF THE ANNAPOLIS AND SANTA FE SEND-OFFS,
VISIT SJC.EDU/COMMENCEMENTAN AND SJC.EDU/COMMENCEMENTSF, RESPECTIVELY. FOR A COMPILATION
OF VIDEO, STORY, AND PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS CREATED IN
APPRECIATION FOR THE CLASS OF 2020, VISIT
SJC.EDU/ANNAPOLIS-GRADUATE-CELEBRATION AND
SJC.EDU/SANTA-FE-GRADUATE-CELEBRATION.
Note: Both the Annapolis and Santa Fe campuses
currently remain closed to the public, with in-person
event programming postponed until further notice. For the
latest information on St. John’s fall planning for students,
faculty, and staff, visit sjc.edu/fall-plans.
“Many colleges and high schools will follow the example set
Sunday by the small liberal arts college, which has been
offering an education based on the study of great works of
Western civilization since 1937.”
~ Capital Gazette, Annapolis, MD
Santa Fe staff rally together in stuffing 120 gift boxes for this year’s grads—a congratulatory gesture to
further celebrate the college’s newest members of the alumni body.
Recognized as a pioneer among Maryland academic
institutions by the Capital Gazette, St. John’s Annapolis
campus was among the state’s first area colleges to
host a virtual commencement for its graduates in May.
25
�AROUND CAMPUS: HISTORICAL SPOTLIGHT
Faith and John Meem Library
CELEBRATES 30TH ANNIVERSARY THIS FALL!
N
ovember 10, 2020, commemorates St. John’s College 30th anniversary of the
Faith and John Meem Library. Built between 1989 and 1990, the Meem Library
was erected 26 years after the founding of the college’s Santa Fe campus where
it is located.
“It may come as a surprise to some alumni that for nearly two and a half decades
Santa Fe had no dedicated library building,” said Craig Jolly SFGI02, Meem Library
senior acquisitions and archives librarian. “When the Santa Fe campus was first
conceived in the early 1960s, a library had of course figured into the original plans,” he
continued. Yet, due to financial constraints, those plans were deferred while the campus
opened for classes in the fall of 1964.
In the time leading up to its construction, the library was scattered across many different
locations within a variety of campus buildings. From the Peterson Student Center lower
level to the Evans Science Laboratory; in the Fine Arts Building and the basement of
Weigle Hall; and other places in between.
Ultimately, the challenge of maintaining multiple library locations simultaneously,
combined with a steadily growing collection and the lack of a quiet and central study
space, drove the construction of Meem. By the mid-1980s, Presidents Edwin Delattre H85
and Michael Riccards launched a concerted fundraising effort for the project, while
a steering committee spearheaded by alumna Lisa Carey SFGI86 worked to survey
students, faculty, staff, and board members in determining the ideal library makeup for
a college like St. John’s.
Among the foremost requirements was that it have space for half the student body at any
given time—a rare accommodation among colleges and universities where the capacity
average is typically 10 to 15 percent of a given student population at one time—signaling
the centrality of books and reading to the St. John’s Program.
Groundbreaking finally occurred just before commencement on May 14, 1989, and in a
year’s time a new 24,414- square-foot library—fashioned in the distinctively Southwestern
Territorial Revival architectural style of the original campus buildings—had begun to
take shape. On October 26, 1990, President John Agresto canceled all classes for the day
so the entire campus community could participate in what he termed a “booket brigade”
(pictured top left) to move all the college’s 50,000 book and music holdings from their dispersed locations into their now permanent home. Two weeks later, on November 10, 1990,
the new building was formally dedicated for the renowned and beloved Santa Fe couple
Faith H85 and John Meem, who 26 years earlier had donated most of the 280 acres on
which the Western campus of St. John’s was built.
“Three decades later, this uniquely beautiful library with its well-stocked shelves of great
books stands as elegant testament to both our singular college and to all those visionaries
and benefactors who brought it into—and have kept it in—existence for the present generation and for all the generations of serious readers yet to come,” Jolly concluded.
26
�In Memoriam
St. John’s College remembers the alumni, faculty, staff, and leadership who have
passed away during the 2019-2020 academic year, and celebrates the poignant and
profound impact their lives have had on our Johnnie community.
Jeffrey A. Alcorn A00
Michael Maddex A69
Stephen S. Anderton Class of 1968
Matthew T. Mallory A72
Edward F. Bauer Class of 1954
Ociel G. Martínez Avilés SF13
David A. Bolduc A82
Danielle S. Matland A74
Margaret M. Booker SFGI94
Zachary D. Miller A90
Loretta E. Breese SFGI72
Maxine M. Moore SFGI73
Lois C. Carroll SFGI76
Virginia D. Clarkson, BVG Former Trustee
Charles A. Nelson Class of 1945, BVG
Trustee Emeritus
Raymond H. Coleman Class of 1952
James A. Nicholson Class of 64
Geoffrey Comber H95, Annapolis Tutor
Charles L. Olivea SFGIEC08
Kelly J. Cook A85
Michael P. O’Mahony A77
Peter J. Davies Class of 1948
William J. Rada A76
Arthur O. Davis Class of 1947
George L. Raine Class of 1960
Santino DeJohn SFGIEC95
Barry B. Reardon SF05
Edwin J. Delattre H85, Past President
Robert Schuerrman, Annapolis Staff
John A. Dito SFGI05
Worku Sharew A70
Elizabeth L. Durston SF72
Sarah W. Steel AGI87
Scott C. Evans AGI01
Allan L. Swartzberg SF69
Janet Gerety, Annapolis Staff
Lise van Boxel H20, Santa Fe Tutor
Sylvia K. Greer SFGI73
Nancy G. Wallace SFGI83
Phyllis E. Guest SFGI02
Jack Ward Class of 1963
Margot J. Hamill Class of 1949
April R. West SF93
Jonathan B. Hand, Santa Fe Tutor
Linda Wiener Elmore, Santa Fe Tutor
Barry H. Hellman A84
Jeffrey P. Winslow SF78
Sara H. Homeyer Class of 1964
Cheryl J. Wise SF73
Robert C. Kanode Class of 1939
Abner W. Wooten SF79
Barbara B. Kiebler Class of 1955
Mira B. Kofkin A90
L. D. Koontz Class of 1951
Sheela S. Lampietti Class of 1961
Raissa Landor SFGI73
Stephanie T. Lang SF1968
Edwin B. Leimkuhler AGI87
This listing memorializes those who have passed
between August 1, 2019, and July 1, 2020. We care
deeply for all members of our college community.
If you do not see a name listed above, please contact
advancement@sjc.edu so we may honor those
individuals.
�There are a
number of
St. John’s College
resources
available to
Johnnies beyond
graduation?
Because of your
alumni status and
lifelong connection with the
college, you are
invited to take
advantage of
a variety of
St. John’s
programs
and benefits.
Read on to
learn more...
CAREER SUPPORT
Gain career support through the college’s Career Services Office and
Office of Personal and Professional Development (OPPD). Available
to assist alumni—especially those who may be encountering career
challenges or reimagining their professions due to COVID-19—both
offices offer extensive resources regarding career counseling,
resume writing, networking strategies, graduate school applications,
and more—including Handshake.
>
28
DID YOU KNOW :
CAREER SUPPORT |
>
DID YOU KNOW?
ALUMNI RESOURCES & BENEFITS
One of the largest digital collections of jobs, internships, and
EDUCATIONAL
volunteer opportunities chiefly suited for college-level students
DISCOUNTS
and graduates, St. John’s
Handshake job board currently
Revisit great books and conversations by enrolling in the Graduate Instifeatures over 1,700 jobs,
tute (GI)! Alumni have always been welcome to expand their St. John’s
400 internships, and 200
experience from the West to the East by enrolling in the Master of Arts in
fellowships sourced from
Eastern Classics in Santa Fe. Now, Johnnies who are at least five years
more than 3,200 organizations
removed from their undergraduate education can apply for the Master of
over a large number of
Arts in Liberal Arts on either campus. All alumni benefit from a shortgeographical locations—and
ened application process and receive 25-percent off tuition (or more,
is accessible free of charge
depending on need). To learn more about the program and application
to Johnnies!
process visit sjc.edu/academic-programs/graduate and www.sjc.edu/
To join, visit sjc.joinhandshake.
academic-programs/graduate/combined-degrees, respectively.
com/register using your preWhat’s more, alumni are also welcome to participate in GI preceptorials
ferred email address (a college
in person or online for the 2020-2021 academic year, without enrolling
email account is not required).
in a degree program (depending on availability). For details, please
For further information about
contact Santa Fe GI Administrator Chelsey Hudson at chelsey.hudson@
alumni career services,
sjc.edu or Annapolis GI Associate Director Brandon Wasicsko at
contact Career Services
brandon.wasicsko@sjc.edu.
Program Manager Kathleen
Cady in Annapolis at
Send your student to Summer Academy—St. John’s summer program
kathleen.cady@sjc.edu or
for high school students, ages 15 to 18, modeled after the college’s
OPPD Office Manager
discussion-based method of teaching the Great Books. Children of
Mary Versace in Santa Fe
alumni receive 50-percent off one week of Summer Academy. To reat mary.versace@sjc.edu
quest information for 2021 sessions, visit sjc.edu/summer-academy
�GRADUATE INSTITUTE | SUMMER ACADEMY | NETWORK | COMMUNITY EVENTS | TRANSCRIPTS | SHOP
>
SJC CONNECT
Join SJC Connect, the St. John’s official
alumni-networking platform providing
Johnnies the opportunity to exchange with
one another in a private online space. Post
status updates, share photos, join peer
groups, follow chapter activity, calendar
upcoming events, receive college news,
upload and search job openings, and more!
To sign up, visit sjcconnect.com. Registration takes less than two minutes using your
email, LinkedIn, or Facebook accounts.
Explore fundamental questions
and enjoy open discussion of
great texts through the college’s
Community Events. Offered
across both Annapolis and Santa
Fe campuses, these events are
held annually, weekly, on weekends, and in the summer—join
as many as you wish or your
schedule allows! For updates on
future program delivery formats
(online vs. in person), as well as
registration and pricing information, visit sjc.edu/santa-fe/community and sjc.edu/annapolis/
programs.
>
Easily order official transcripts—both electronic and paper versions—
through the college’s transcript services partner the National Student
Clearinghouse (NSC) by visiting your campus’ Office of the Registrar online at sjc.edu/annapolis/offices-services/registrar or sjc.edu/santa-fe/
offices-services/registrar. For your convenience and the safety of your
personal information, electronic transcripts sent through the NSC allow
alumni to upload attachments required by recipients, as well as carry a
security feature verifying the transcripts have not been altered during
transmission. For questions about St. John’s transcript ordering procedures, email annapolis.registrar@sjc.edu or santafe.registrar@sjc.edu
PERMANENT SJC.
EDU EMAIL
Request a permanent SJC.edu email
account! As an alum, you are able to
request a St. John’s email address
from the college. Visit
sjc.edu/alumni and click the
“Permanent SJC Email” link from the
right-hand navigation to login to the
Alumni Profile Portal (different than
SJC Connect) to make your request.
If you have forgotten your portal
password, follow the prompts to create
a new one. Show your Johnnie Pride
and get your account today!
>
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COMMUNITY EVENTS
>
TRANSCRIPTS
ONLINE STORE
Show your Johnnie Pride
with the online purchase
of branded college
apparel and other
St. John’s merchandise
by visiting the Johnnie
Store at johnniestore.
merchorders.com.
Choose from a wide
selection of coffee mugs,
wall decals, duffle bags
and more, all featuring
the St. John’s seal and
orange color palette.
29
�WHY I GIVE
TO ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE
Alumni like Sarah are the
lifeblood of the college.
Gifts of any amount provide a
firm base for financial aid,
internships, student health and
wellness programs, and books. They
allow for essential improvements
needed for campus safety and
Johnnies’ residential experience.
Gifts also go to the endowment, our
most important tool for maintaining
the long-term financial health of
the college.
To learn more about the
impact of annual giving at
St. John’s, and how you can
“ With each year that passes, I find more and more desire to engage
with my ‘self’ at its core. Many of what I would consider my best
aspects were allowed to sprout and grow during my time at
St. John’s. Giving annually is a way for me to help each class
year grow similarly, and reminds me of my appreciation for
who I continue to become with St. John’s in my life.”
30
– SARAH SHEPHERD SF05
participate like Sarah, please
visit sjc.edu/annual-fund.
�SAVE THE DATE
St. John’s College
Alumni Association Board Annual Meeting & Election
Friday, September 25, 2020
Please join your fellow Johnnies in electing this year’s
Alumni Association Board officers and at-large members, as well as one alumni
representative to the college’s Board of Visitors and Governors.
VOTE ONLINE OR BY MAIL
Ballots will be made available beginning Thursday, September 3, 2020, online at sjc.edu/alumni/association.
Paper ballots may be requested by contacting the Alumni Relations Office at alumni@sjc.edu and returned
by mail to the following address no later than Tuesday, September 22:
ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE
1160 CAMINO DE CRUZ BLANCA
ATTN: KELSEY MILLER, ALUMNI RELATIONS OFFICE
SANTA FE, NM 87505
Don’t miss this important opportunity to have your alumni voice heard. Your participation ensures
that the rich traditions of St. John’s and the Program will endure for generations to come.
“A society grows great when old men and women
plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit.”
– ANCIENT GREEK PROVERB
31
�CONSIDER A PLANNED GIFT
AND BECOME
A MEMBER OF
THE ST. JOHN’S COLLEGE
TOCQUEVILLE SOCIETY
Named for French diplomat Alexis de
of property, life insurance policies,
Tocqueville, who identified the American
charitable trusts, gift annuities, and
spirit of support for education in his 1835
bequests.
book Democracy in America, the Society
proudly welcomes donors who share in
Our development team is ready to serve as
this spirit of support.
your philanthropic advisors for planned
gifts to the college.
Become a member and help provide for
the future of St. John’s by remembering
the college in your will or other estate
plans. Examples include giving gifts
CONTACT US AT DEVELOPMENT@SJC.EDU
��1160 CAMINO DE CRUZ BLANCA
SANTA FE, NM 87505-4599
Non Profit Org
US Postage
PAID
St. John’s College
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Alumni Magazine
Description
An account of the resource
St. John's College began publishing the <em>Alumni Magazine </em>in 2020. It is not a continuation of <em>The College</em>. More details about the publication are available on the <a href="https://www.sjc.edu/alumni/alumni-magazine">Alumni Magazine</a> page of the SJC website. <br /><br />Click on <a href="https://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=65&sort_field=Dublin+Core%2CDate&sort_dir=d" title="Items in the Alumni Magazine Collection">Items in the Alumni Magazine Collection</a> to view and sort all items in the collection.
Creator
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St. John's College
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, Md.
Santa Fe, NM
Language
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English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
AlumniMagazine
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
St. John's College Greenfield Library
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Page numeration
Number of pages in the original item.
36 pages
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Alumni Magazine, 2020
Description
An account of the resource
2020 issue of the Alumni Magazine.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
St. John's College
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
St. John's College
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Santa Fe, NM
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2020
Rights
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St. John's College owns the rights to this publication.
Type
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text
Format
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pdf
Subject
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St. John's College (Annapolis, Md.)--Alumni and alumnae
St. John's College (Santa Fe, N.M.)--Alumni and alumnae
Language
A language of the resource
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SJCAlumniMagazine_2020
Alumni
Publication
-
https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/bf4e5164d43e8cad5ccd0e9a54a8638a.mp4
a8307b6f6d08799c46b145f38eac8288
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Description
An account of the resource
Items in this collection are part of a series of lectures given every year at St. John's College. During the Fall and Spring semesters, lectures are given on Friday nights. Items include audio and video recordings and typescripts.<br /><br />For more information, and for a schedule of upcoming lectures, please visit the <strong><a href="http://www.sjc.edu/programs-and-events/annapolis/formal-lecture-series/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St. John's College website</a></strong>. <br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Formal Lecture Series" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=5">Items in the St. John's College Formal Lecture Series—Annapolis Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.<br /><br />A growing number of lecture recordings are also available on the St. John's College (Annapolis) Lectures podcast. Visit <a href="https://anchor.fm/greenfieldlibrary" title="Anchor.fm">Anchor.fm</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/st-johns-college-annapolis-lectures/id1695157772">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy84Yzk5MzdhYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw" title="Google Podcasts">Google Podcasts</a>, or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6GDsIRqC8SWZ28AY72BsYM?si=f2ecfa9e247a456f" title="Spotify">Spotify</a> to listen and subscribe.
Contributor
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St. John's College Greenfield Library
Title
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St. John's College Formal Lecture Series—Annapolis
Identifier
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formallectureseriesannapolis
Moving Image
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Original Format
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mp4
Duration
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00:53:22
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
"Poet, That’s Just Like You!": Language and the Figure of Echo (Steiner Lecture)
Description
An account of the resource
Video recording of a lecture delivered on February 11, 2022, by Ange Mlinko as part of the Formal Lecture Series.
Mlinko is the poetry editor of the Nation, an associate professor at the University of Florida, and a Guggenheim fellow.
Mlinko describes her lecture: "Poetry is an enormous subject, but it can be distilled into a single figure. This figure is Echo, who manifests in three ways: as a prosodic device at the level of the line and stanza; as a poetic form; and as a nymph from Greek mythology, who may stand in for literature itself. We will look at the many ways in which Echo informs poetry and teaches us to read it.”]
This lecture is also part of the Steiner Lecture Series, which is made possible by a gift from the Steiner family in memory of Andrew Steiner, an alumnus of the college from 1963. The lecture series was established to bring notable speakers to campus from a variety of disciplines and endeavors, in recognition of Steiner’s intellectual versatility, and for the sake of continued learning.
Creator
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Mlinko, Ange
Publisher
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St. John's College
Coverage
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Annapolis, MD
Date
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2022-02-11
Rights
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A signed permission form has been received stating: "I hereby grant St. John's College permission to: Make an audiovisual recording of my lecture, and retain copies for circulation and archival preservation in the St. John's College Greenfield Library. Make an audiovisual recording of my lecture available online. Make a typescript copy of my lecture available for circulation and archival preservation in the St. John's College Greenfield Library."
Type
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moving image
Format
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mp4
Subject
The topic of the resource
Poetry
Echo (Greek mythology)
Echo verse
Frost, Robert, 1874-1963
Valéry, Paul, 1871-1945
Tyni︠a︡nov, I︠U︡. N. (I︠U︡riĭ Nikolaevich), 1894-1943
Hopkins, Gerard Manley, 1844-1889
Barnes, Barnabe, 1569?-1609
Ovid, 43 B.C.-17 A.D. or 18 A.D. Metamorphoses
Poussin, Nicolas, 1594?-1665
Webster, John, 1580?-1625? Duchess of Malfi
Bishop, Elizabeth, 1911-1979
Pushkin, Aleksandr Sergeevich, 1799-1837
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Macfarland, Joseph C.
Language
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English
Identifier
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Mlinko_Ange_2022-02-11acccess
Alumni
Friday night lecture
Steiner lecture
-
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PDF Text
Text
A DISCOURSE
ON
Published at the request of the Society of the Alumni, and the Faculty
of St. John's College.
-OFFICE OF THEMARYLAND GAZETTE,
J . GREEN, PRINT.
1827.
ANNAPOLIS.
�A DISCOURSE
ON
EDUCATION,
Delivered in St . Anne's Church Annapolis, after the
Commencement of St. John's College
FEBRUARY
22d, 1827.
BY FRANCIS S. KEY, ESQ.
ALUMNUS
OF ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE.
Published at the request of the Society of the Alumni, and the Faculty
of St. John'1 College.
-OFFICE OF THE MARYLAND GAZETTE,
J. GREEN, PRINT,
1827.
ANNAPOLIS.
�As St. John's College dedicates a new auditorium as a memorial to
Francis Scott Key, patriot, attorney, and educator, it seems right
to reprint his famous address of 1827. Key's concern for education
is our concern for education: real security for a democracy originates
in its liberally educated citizens. Men who can think rationally and
imaginatively, who can write and speak clearly and effectively, and
who can choose with wisdom are the best guarantee for a nation's
future. They must supply the broad perception of executive leadership, the continuing critical appraisal of developing institutions, the
personal initiative for bold enterprise, and the constant responsiveness to social obligations.
Education once equipped free men of this type to establish the
principles upon which our society and government are founded.
The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United
States document their genius.
St. John's College since 1937 has been embarked upon a new
curriculum which is the modern equivalent of the education which
the Founding Fathers of this Republic received. Through direct
contact with the great minds of Western civilization and through
rigorous exercises in language, mathematics, music and laboratory
sciences, St. John's College is seeking to develop free and rational
men with understanding of the basic unity of knowledge, appreciation of our common cultural heritage, and consciousness of obligations, social and moral.
To educate a man is an immensely difficult and frustrating task.
There is no guarantee that a college will succeed. It has no other
choice but to try. Key recognized the College's tremendous responsibility when he said that it must "make man master of himself through life". To achieve this end he proposed that a student
be "made familiar with the sages and heroes of antiquity, to catch
the inspiration of their genius and their virtue, and the great and
the good of every age and of every land are to be made his associates,
his instructors, his examples". This is what St. John's College seeks
to do.
D. WEIGLE
President, St. John's College
RICHARD
�ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE.
--
Annapolis, Feb. 22, 1827.
At a meeting of the Alumni, the Faculty, and Visitors
and Governors of St. John's College, held this day at St.
Anne's Church, in this City, the following proceedings took
place.
JOHN C. HERBERT, Esq. was appointed Chairman.
GEORGE SHAW, Secretary.
On motion, the following gentlemen, viz. A. C. Magruder, F. S. Key, and James Murray, Esquires, wereappomted
by the Chairman a committee, to prepare a Constitution for
the organization of a Society of the Alumni of St. John's
College. The meeting then adjourned, to convene at 7
o'clock this evening, at the City Hall.
FEBRUARY 22, 1827.-7 o'clock, P. M.
The meeting convened, according to adjournment. Mr.
Magruder, from the committee, reported the following Constitution, which was unanimously adopted:
Constitution of the Alumni of St. John's College.
1st. This Society shall be composed of the Faculty, the
Visitors and Governors, and the Alumni of St. John's College.
2d. The Officers of the Society shall be a President, two
Vice-Presidents, and a Secretary, to be appointed by the
Society at each annual meeting.
3d. There shall be a meeting of the Society annually, to
take place in the City of Annapolis, on the second Monday
in January, at which time one of the Alumni shall deliver
an Oration. The Society shall appoint the person who is
to deliver the same; and in case the person so appointed
should be unable to attend the next meeting, the President
is required to select another of the Alumni for the purpose.
4th. A committee to consist of nine of the Alumni, shall
be appointed at each annual meeting, and whose especial
duty it shall be to promote the interests of St. John's College.
5th. The Committee may make provision for the admission of Honorary Members.
.)
The Meeting then proceeded to the choice of the Officers, agreeably to the second article of the Constitution,
�4
when the following gentlemen were unanimously elected:
JOHN C. HERBERT, of Prince-George's county, President
ROBERT H. GOLDSBOROUGH, Talbot
of
county, first Vice
President.
RICHARD HARWOOD, of Thos. of Annapolis, second Vice
President.
GEORGE SHAW, of Annapolis, Secretary.
The Society being organized by the appointment of its
Officers, proceeded agreeably to the third article of the
constitution, to the appointment of one of the Alumm, to
deliver an Oration on the second Monday of January next,
when John C. Herbert, Esq. was unanimously appointed
to perform this duty.
The following gentlemen were then appointed :i, Committee, agreeably to the 4th article of the Constitution.
DR. DENNIS CLAUDE,
A. C. MAGRUDER,
JAMES BOYLE,
ALEXANDER RANDALL,
THOMAS s. ALEXANDER,
JAMES MURRAY,
JOHN N. w ATKINS,
THOMAS H. CARROLL,
DR. JOHN RIDOUT
The following .Resolution was adopted by the Society.
Resolved unanimously, That the thanks of this Association be presented to Francis S. Key, Esq. for the very
able and eloquent Oration, delivered by him this day, to
the Alumni of St. John's College, and that he be requested
to furnish the Principal of St. John's College, with a copy
thereof, for publication.
GEORGE SHAW, Secretary.
A DISCOURSE, &c.
THE Gentlemen who preside over the institution, whose
interesting exercises we have witnessed, have wished to
avail themselves of this occasion to lay its claims before the
public, and to call upon their fellow-citizens to join them
in the great object which they are labouring to promote.
In their behalf, and to fulfil this wish, I appear before
you-teeling myself honoured by such a request, ar.d
bound to endeavour to obey it. For, however excusable
I might have thought myself in declining the delivery ot
the usual address on such occasions, and leaving the claims
of learning to other advocates more indebted for its advantages, and more able to display them, yet a call from
this institution to appear in its behalf, and to plead its
cause, was not.to be resisted.
If gratitude for the richest of all earthly blessings, in the
culture and discipline of my earliest and happiest years; if
an ardent desire to see this venerable seat of learning restored to her former splendour, and dispensing these blessings to the rising generation of Maryland, the future ornaments and pillars of the state; if any degree of this gratitude, and this desire, could impart the ability to perform
what they forbid ·me to decline, then should I appear before
you with no other feelings than those of confidence and exultation--then should I be such an advocate as such a
cause deserves-then could I even trust .to the inspiration
of the moment, and of the scene now before me. If I shall
be found to have undertaken what I may not be enabled to
execute, the impulse that has prompted my obedience will
be my excuse.
It is my purpose to make a plain, and (if I can) a strong
appeal to the understandings of my hearers; to set befcre
them an object of great interest and high duty; and to enforce
its obligations by every motive that should influence them
as men and citizens.
We have the happiness of living under a free government, where, whatsoever the community wills, is to be
done. That it may choose what it shall will, it m ust be
informed; and the subjects that arise are therefore, on all
fit occasions, to be proposed to the people that they may
consider and determine them. We live also in an age of
great improvement. A spirit of enquiry and enterprize is
awakened-Hence subjects new to the public mind, or new
views of subjects, will continua1ly occur, as long as enterprize excites, or experience teaches.
�6
7
I have before me an audience composed of citizens of
Maryland forming, in point of numbers, and perhaps also
of influence, but a small proportion of the community to
which they'belong. I appear with no pretensions of my
own to claim any consideration for what I may propose to
them. But I appear in behalf of those who do deserve
that any proposition, they may wish to have submitted to
their fellow-citizens, should be respectfully considered;
and above all the proposition itself deserves such consideration.
If my hearers were less considerable in point of numbers and influence than they are, yet, if they shall favourably receive what I may propose, and shall make it (as they
will do if they so receive it,) their care to excite a common
interest in behalf of a common object, the public mind will
be informed, and the public will, will be pronounced in its
favour.
I have therefore to invite your attention to a subject,
which, if you will consider it, will speak for itself. It is,
as you may suppose from the occasion, the subject of Education.
I mean to shew that the public mind should have higher
views than the public voice has yet expressed upon this
subject; that it is the duty of the state to do more, in this
respect, for the happiness of its people, and its own honour
and interest, than it has done. I mean to speak freely, as
becomes him who speaks to freemen.
A government administered for the benefit of all, should
provide all practicable means of happiness for all. It must
also provide useful citizens competent to the discharge of
the various services the public interests may require. Education confers happiness, and usefulness, and therefore demands attention. No maxim is more readily admitted than,
that a wise and free government should provide for theeducation of its citizens; but the maxim seems not to be admitted to its just extent. A state affords to the poor or labouring class of its population the means of obtaining a
common education, such an one as prepares them for the
ordinary duties of their situation, and of which alone they
oan generally avail themselves, who can give but a small
portion of their time, and none of their means, to such pur-
can be done, even for those for whose benefit what is done
is intended, as I shall hereafter shew. And what is done
for the other numerous and important classes of the community? And why are they to be neglected? In all political
1ocieties there will be men of different cond1t1ons and circumstances. They cannot be all limited by the same necessities, nor destined to the same employments. Nor is
it desirable, nor, from the nature of things, possible that it
should be so. If they could be reduced to the same level,
they could not be kept to it. Idleness and vice would sink
below it, honourable effort would rise above 1t.
There are, and ever will be, the poor and the rich, the
men of labour and the men of leisure, and the state which
neglects either, neglects a duty, and neglects it at its peril,
for which ever 1t neglects will be not only useless but mischievous. They have equal claims to the means of happiness. They are capable of making equal returns of service
to the public.
It is admitted that the neglect of one of these classes is
unjust and impolitic. Why is it not so as to the other? If
it is improper to leave. the man of labour uneducated, deprived of the means of improvement he can receive and requires, is it not at least equally so, to leave the man of leisure whose situation does not oblige him to labour, and
who therefore will not labour, to rust in sloth, or to riot in
dissipation? If there be any difference, it is more impolitic to neglect the latter, for he has more m his power either
for good or for evil, will be more apt, from his greater
temptations, to be depraved himself and the corrupter of
others.
This neglect would be peculiarly unwise in a government like ours. Luxury is the vice most fatal to republics;
and idleness, and want of education in the rich, promote it
in its most disgusting forms. Nor let it be thought that we
have no cause to guard against this evil.
It is perhaps the
most imminent of our perils.* While, therefore, I readily
subscribe to the principle, which all admit, that it is essential, in a free government, that the whole population
should be sufficiently instructed to understand their rights,
and be qualified for their duties, and that for this purpose
suits.
*Whoever observes that we have resident among us four or five foreign ministers from the most luxurious courts of Europe, with costly
establishments and large incomes--that we send our citizens to all
these courts as resident ministers-Whoever notes the change of manners, thus introduced, will see that we have departed far from the republican simplicity of better days, and that it is time fur our people, to
consider whether either of these modes of importing foreignvices and
And it is too generally thought that this is enough--that
the state has discharged its duty-and that what remains
to be done, to fit men for higher degrees of happiness and
usefulness, and to qualify them for a wider sphere of duty,
may be left to itself. But it is not enough. More, far more
luxuries be necessary.
�8
9
such an education as their situation will enable them to receive, should be provided for all, yet! will not fear to maintain
(what is not so generally admitted,) that it is just as essential to a wise and proper administration of such a government that there should be found among its citizens, men of
more exalted attainments, who can give their whole youth,
and their whole lives, to the highest pursuits of every da.
partment of useful science.
I might prove this by a general enquiry into the nature
of the services which the various circumstances of a state
require from its citizens, and the nature of the talents, and
how they are acquired, that fit men for such duties. And
I might adduce instances from the history of the world, of
what has been accomplished by the labours of those who
have been thus prepared for eminent usefulness.
But l
need not waste your time in proving what I may assume.
The connection of science, with all the sources of a people's
greatness and happiness, requires no other proof than the
evidence of the senses.
What gives to agriculture her plains of smiling plenty)
To commerce, her wide domain upon the mighty waters?
To the arts, the very materials of their labour, as well as
the skill to mould them? And what gives the power to
defend, and the wisdom to govern the country they enrich?
And has science accomplished all her conquests for man?
Has she no further rewards for her votaries? Is she not
now, in our own days, analyzing the earth for agricultture, and revealing the very elements of fertility? Has
she not just given to the arts that safe and cheering
light,* which descends into its deepest caverns, and makes
its hidden treasures the prize, no longer of the fearful daring, but of the commanding wisdom of man? And is not
her richest boon to commerce, the mightiest power with
which she rules her dominions, the gift but of yesterday?
She has, and will have, as long as man is doomed to labour, rewards for his labour, blessings to fit him for the enjoyment and diffusion of happiness here, and to prepare for
the brighter glory of a higher state to which she teaches
him to aspire.
I may perhaps be told that it is not equally the duty of
the state to provide these means of higher education, because it is not equally necessary; that the wealthier classes
of the community have it in their power, without publie
assistance, to provide such means.
And can it be thought that this is popular doctrine? That
the people are desirous that all, but the rich, shall be ex-
cluded from the higher attainments of learning, and from
all the power and advantage that such attainments bestow?
If the rich can provide these means, and it is left only to
them, the benefits will be confined to them. The state
must interpose if provision is made for others. Surely the
people at large will have intelligence enough to perceive
that such interposition is manifestly in their favour.
But in truth it has seldom, perhaps never, been found,
that the wealth and patronage of individuals, without public aid and encouragement, was sufficient for such a purpose.
And if the state is concerned, (as it evidently is) in the object, why should it not be made its care to secure it?
I do not mean that such persons should have their children educatccl at the public expense, as should be the case
with those whose necessities require it, but that they should
be enabled to find within the state, an establishment founded by its bounty, and governed by its care, where their
youth can he received and trained for the discharge of the
duties required by their circumstances.
The views I am endeavouring to present are intended
to shew that this great subject of public education has not
bee11 sufficiently attended to. There is wanting in Maryland, an institution worthy of her patronage, and adequate
to the wants of her people, where the higher branches of
literature and science should be cultivated. She has established her primary schools, and in this she has done
wisely. She has thus provided, (though not sufficiently as
I shall hereafter shew,) for one class, and an important
class of her population. But she must not aspire to greater merit than that of having done part of a great duty.
Till something is done for her other classes, and for
a higher grade of edncation, her duty is unfulfilled. Till
provision is made for a succession of competent teach ers in
the primary schools, the very foundation of her system is
imperfect.
If the maxim I have referred to, be allowed to the ex!ent I have stated it, if a government is bound to extend a
just and equal care to all its citizens, and see that means uf
education, suited to the different circumstances of its people, are made accessible to all, I have only to ask how Maryland has discharged this obligation, when we know that
her people have not these advantages; that hundreds of her
youth are either excluded from the degree of improvement
required by their condition in life, or obtain it by being
sent to other states?
I might sufficiently prove her obligation to enlarge and
complete her system of education, by the attempts she has
*Sir H. Davy's invention for lighting Mines.
2
�10
already made to provide something beyond the primary
schools. She affords support, in most of the counties, to
academies for teaching the rudiments of some of the learn-•
ed languages, and some of the sciences. In this also she
has clone wisely. And not a reason can be given for the
wisdom of this, that does not shew the obligation to do
more, and that without doing more, much that has been
done will be fruitless.
A boy of ten or twelve years of age, at one of the primary schools, or elsewhere, has acquired a plain English
education. His parents are affluent, and have the means
of enabling him to devnte his youth to education, and are
desirous he should do so. When he has passed through
his English School, he must either go home, and spend his
youth in idleness, or be removed to some higher institution,
where he can improve what he has acquired, and engage
in other studies. The county academy furnishes generally
the means of accomplishing this. But in three or four years
he has passed through this also; and though the ability and
inclination of the parent may still continue, the state has
afforded no means of doing more. He is educated.
I ask if it is admitted to be wise to afford the means of a
higher education, and for continuing, under the exercise of
discipline, a boy of twelve, who then leaves his first school?
Does not wisdom equally demand that he should have the
opportunity of learning more than he can have acquired at
an ordinary academy? And is it not far· more important
that a youth of fifteen should be placed under the wholesome
restraint of college discipline, and not turned loose upon
the world, free from the inspection and contronl of authority, to pass the most perilous period of his life? Parents
cannot guard his morals, direct his judgment, restrain his
pass10ns, and guide his- pursuits with the same advantages
as a well conducted college.
Or, if they could, they have
other occupations inconsistent with such asuperintendance.
We all know the character of youth; we see it now, as
painted by the Roman Poet, who in that instance was no
satyrist.
"lmherbis juvenis, tandem custode remoto,
Guadet equis, canibusque, et aprici gramine campi
Cereusin vitium flecti, monitoribus asper,
"
Utillum tardus provisor, prodigus aeris,
Snbl1m1s, cup1dusque, et amata relinqeure pernix."
To permit so interesting a being, at such an eventful period of his existence, with all the attractions of a deceitful
world around him, to throw off the yoke of obedience, and
run the reckless course to which his own passions or
the vices of others may allure him, is the deepest cruelty.
11
Restraint, judicious, gentle and persevering-employment,
•controling the restless energies of an awakening mind and
an excited imagination, are essential to his safety.
Nor is it only as a refuge from the dangers of youth that
such an institution is to be regarded. It is to give strength
and preparation for the whole life. It is then that habits,
principles and tastes, that fix the colour of succeeding years,
are to be formed. Then are the victories to be -achieved over the temper and disposition, over the temptations from within, and from without, that make the
man the master of himself through lite.
Patience in
investigation, accuracy of research, perseverance in labour,
resolution to conquer difficulty, zeal in the cause of learning and virtue, are then to be acquired. Then is science
to display her charms, and literature her delights, and a refined and exalted taste to lure him, by higher gratifications, from the vain pleasures of the world. Then is he to
be made familiar with the sages and heroes of antiquity, to
catch the inspiration of their genius and their virtues, and
the great and the good of every age and of every land are
to be made his associates, his instructors, his examples.
Need I say more to shew that institutions, capable of dispensing such means of happiness and safety to so large and
interesting a portion of the community, deserve the patronage of a state?
But it is not only the safety and happiness of the indviduals, thus benefited, that is to be considered. The welfare of nations, and the improvement of mankind, are
promoted by such establishments.
It requires no argument to shew this-the man enlightened by learning, gifted with the high powers which education confers, strengthened by the habits which order and
early discipline establish, enriched by collected stores from
the wisdom and experience of ages, holds not these sacred
trusts only for himself. His greatest enjoyment is to wield
them for the glory and prosperity of that country which
conferred such privileges upon him.
Will not a grateful sense of these benefits heighten
the ardour of his patriotism, and will he not serve
a country that cherished and adorned his youth with
more devotion, as well as with far more ability?
It
may be that love of country springs from some undefinable and hidden instinct of our nature, wisely given
to the heart of man, to fit him for the filial duties which
he owes to the land of his birth.
But, this impulse,
however pure and high its origin, must submit to the common destiny of all human affections. It may glow with
increasing ardour, elevate itself above all our desires, and
�12
13
reign the ruling passion of the soul. And it may grow cold,
languish and expire. A country, like a parent, should meet
this instinctive feehng of her children with a corresponding affection; should call it forth to early and continual
exercise, by early and continual blessings, by setting before
them illustrious examples, and all the high rewards of virtue, and preparing them for all the enjoyments and duties
of life. Such a country will not want patrwts. But the
land that does nothing to cherish or reward the natural affection of her sons, that associates with their early recollections no sense of benefits conferred, sets before them no
ennobling incentives to honourable effort, and fits them neither to !eel the love, nor to discharge the duties, of patriots,
must look for them in vain. She may spread before them
the fairest scenes of nature, but they are regarded with a
sigh. And the name and the thought of their country
awakens no emotions but those of shame and reproach.
It is reasonable, it is just, that it should be so.
That a
nation should be loved in proportion as 1t ments the love
of its people.
And it is so. The history of the world tells us from what
altars the highest and purest flames of of patriotism have ascended. The slave of the despot, who leaves. an ill-fated
country, and wherever he may wander, finds a fairer heritage and a better home, knows nothing of the "maladie du
pays." It 1s the free and hardy Swiss, who hears in distant lands the notes that charmed his ear upon his native
mountains, and sickens, pines and dies, with love of coun-
tions and individuals are alike under obligations to uphold
the general cause of humanity to contribute to the common
stock of human happiness. The beneficent Creator who has
placed us in this scene of probation, has made this both our
duty and our interest.
Our country has already been made the instrument of
signal blessings to many portions of the earth.. In the
science of government particularly, much of the improvement made, and now making in the condition of the world,
is to be attributed to the free and enlightened discussion of
its principles among us, and to the influence of our example. America has held forth the light of liberty to the
world. To exalt still higher the lustre of her fame, to give
perpetuity to our own institutions, and to dispense more
widely the same blessings to others, let her now hold forth
the torch of science. lf it be true, as the oldest and greatest
critic* has pronounced, and a great modern historian§ has
acknowledged, that free governments are best adapted to
the successful cultivation of literature and the arts, then is
it more our duty and our interest to encourage such pursuits.
W c have then before us every motive and encouragement that can excite the heart of man. Love to ourselves,
to our children, to our country, to our fellow creatures, to
God, the giver of all our mercies, who has cast our lot ma
land of light and liberty, and who reqmres us to shew our
sense of the blessings we receive, by the blessrngs we
confer-these are the feelings which we are to cherish or to stifle; these are the obligations which we are
to fulfil or to slight at our peril. However great that
object must seem that connects itself with the improvement and welfare of a country and of the world, yet are
there belonging to it still higher considerations. Weprofess to be a christian people
We have received a revelation, to which every thing within us and around us
bears testimony of the high destiny of man, to which he
is to be exalted when the ever changing scenes of this probationary state shall have passed away, and fo1· which he
is to be fitted, by the due cultivation and employment of
the faculties conferred upon him here. Whatever improves
these faculties, enlarges the understanding, and exalts the
affections, tends to prepare man to receive this faith and
qualifies him to adorn it-makes him a shining light in a
world of darkness, enables him to endure the conflicts of a
life of trial, to "rejoice in the hope set before him," and
try.
.
And is it nothing to a country thus to exalt itself rn the
estimation and affection of her sons? Is it unworthy of her
care to form institutions for her youth, that shall knit their
hearts by the strongest ties to the land of their birth and education? That shall animate them to the highest zeal, and
fit them for her greatest exigencies? To what can a nation
look for her strength, security and glory, but to a succession of patriots thus trained for her service? Wisdom to
discern, firmness to pursue, eloquence and argument to support the measures necessary for her welfare, will all be
theirs. Mental improvement, the attainments of learning,
in some way or other acquired, are generally essential to
the discharge of such duties, and the state that fosters not
institutions to afford them, has no right to expect them.
Nor is it only to his own country that the man, thus fitted for his duties, dispenses blessings. They extend over
the world, and descend to future generations.
Let not this be thought too wide a sphere of duty. Na-
§Hume.
�14
fits him to communicate the blessedness of that hope to others This faith in the triumphs it is visibly achieving
before our eyes, over the moral and intellectual darkness
of the world, disdains not the aid of human learning. It
suffers the calm lights of philosophy and science to mrngle
with its purer and brighter rays, and shrne upon the path
of its conquests.
If then the institutions of literature have any tendency
to promote such results, upon what principle can any people consent to remain destitute of their advantages? Who,
among those who hear me, can be called upon m vam to
aid in the effort that, I trust, is now to be made for the attainment of such an object?
.
And here I see before me those who are honou red with
the confidence of the people of Maryland, who, I know,
will not consider it presumptuous in me,. or in the houourable gentlemen in whose name I speak, 1f I address myself
particularly to them, upon a subject so interesting to those
whom they represent.
that MaUpon this .subject I know 1t has been thought
ryland has long since expressed her opnuon. That she has
not thought it a matter of public concern to provide these
mea,ns of education for her youth, and has therefore withdrawn the support she once afforded to the only institution
competent to afford them-thus leaving to private enterprize an object, to the success of which she was either indifferent, or supposed would, without her care, be sufficiently attended to.
I undertake, however, to deny that there has been any
fair expression of the sense of the people of Maryland upon the subject. At the unfortunate period to which I refer when the brightest ornament of the state was cast away
fro;n her protection, it was not the voice of the people,
but the strife of party, by which 1t fell. It is notcensori-ous
s to say of the opposing politicians who then divided an d
distracted the state, that in their struggles for pre-emmence,
each class considered its own ascendancy as the greatest
concern of the state. In their eager search for pretexts to
catch the popular ear, the College was thought of. As the
of it, and a great
people at large seldom saw it or heard
proportion of them, from their situation, felt no immediate interest in its continuance, 1t was thought the saving of
the funds could be called economy, and that the many,
who were to be flattered, would be pleased with the destruction of what appeared to be only for the benefit of the
few, Had a fair appeal been made by either side to the intelligence and patriotism of the people, and their own great
interest in the i.nstitution been set before them, there is no
reason to doubt but that the sound policy which had originally appropriated these tunds to such a purpose, and of
which no complaint had been made, would have been sustained. But no such appeal was made. Each party caught
at the advantage to be gained by the apparent popularity of
the measure, and the real interests and honour of the state
were sacrificed by each.
These days have passed away-and their delusions with
them. To suppose that the people of Maryland would
now upon a full and impartial consideration of this great
subject, with all the lights which experience has thrownupon it, and the view which they must now take of their peculiar political relations, refuse to afford support to such an
institution, would be to impute to them a degree of ignorance and prejudice, of which I trust and believe they are
undeserving. If there were once doubts upon this subject,
there can be none now. We have lived to witness the
operation of the politrcal institutions founded by our fathers, E vents of the greatest interest have occurred, questions of the utmost moment have arisen, and principles vitally affecting us have been discussed and settled, and others arc continually recurring. In all these events and
questions and discussions, the people of the United States
have been made to sec and feel the force of talent, the power of mi nd, and sometimes also to see and feel the want of
them. T alent and mental power, if not always conferred,
yet are always increased by education; and that private enterprize is not to be rehed on to provide for their developcment and improvement, experience has proved.
Therefore in almost all the states, particularly in such of
them as have been most interested in these occurrences, oublic attention has been drawn to this subject, and wisely determining to call forth all the strength of their people, the
public patronage has been given to the institutions of education.
Maryland is a member of the American confederacy,
united with the other independent states in one general government. It is her concern that her own political course
should be directed by wisdom, and for this she must necessarily look to her own citizens. It is also and equally her
concern that the general government should be wisely administered, and with a just regard to her own peculiar interests. She must furnish her quota of talent there. Her
duty to the union requires this, her own preservation demands it. It is not enough for her that there should be
fou nd there, wisdom and talent and patriotism; but she
must see to it that Maryland wisdom and talent and patriotism arc found there. There is a great common inte-
�i6
rest among thesestates, a bond of union, strong enough, we
all hope, to endure the occasional conflicts of subordinate
local interests. Bnt there are and ever will be these interests, and they will necessarily produce collision and
eompetition. Hence will continually arise questions of
great national concern, and more or less, according to their
respective interests, of vital importance to the states. These
are all to be considered, discussed and settled. That they
may be settled with justice to herself, Maryland must meet
this competition with all her strength. It is not in the number
of her delegation that she is to trust. She may send one
man who may be in himself a host. It is essential to her
that her interest should be seen and felt, and that those
who sec and feel it, should maintain it with all the power
that talent and patriotism can wield. It is essential to her,
and to every member of the union, that the agitations excited by these collisions should be kept from endangering
the foundations upon which the fabric of our free institutions has been reared-that men of the highest powers and
the purest principles should rule the deliberations of our
·national councils on these occasions of difficulty and danger, and preserve, through every storm that may assail it
the union, the ark of our safety.
It is no reproach to the wisdom of those who framed our
constitution that they have left it exposed to danger from
the separate interests and powers of the states. It was not
to be avoided but by incurring far greater dangers. Nor is
our situation in that respect without its advantages. These
local interests are powerful excitements to the states to prepare and enrich their public men with the highest possible
endowments. Their own immediate interest would afford
a more constant and powerful stimulus to do this, than one
more remote and felt only in common, which too often
leaves its share of duty to others. But for this, a general
degeneracy in talent and principle might prevail, and the
great concerns of a growing nation sink into hands unfitted
to sustain them.
If Providence shall preserve us from these dangers, and
give perpetmty to our institutions, Maryland will continue
to see an increasing necessity (if she would avail herself of
a just share of the benefits they are designed to confer) for
calling forth and cultivating all her resources. And if this
hope fails us, if the union is dissolved, in the distractions
and dangers that will follow, she will, if possible, still more
require the highest aid that the wisdom of her sons can afford, to guide her through that night of darkness.
Time will not permit me to illustrate, as I would wish to
do, what I have endeavoured to say of the peculiar politi-
cal relations of the states, by exhibiting even a brief view
of the various questions that have arisen, and of the principles that are yet to be settled between them. I will mention but one-one, which perhaps now occupies and divides the public mind more than any other. I mean internal improvement. It is yet unsettled whether this great
concern is within the powers of the general government or
is to devolve exclusively on the states. The interest of
Maryland in the determination of this question is obvious;
and if legislation upon this subject shall be assumed by
congress, it is evident that new and continual competitions
of great and increasing interest must arise among the states.
In these how is Maryland to hope for success but from the
ability of her representatives there? Whatever may be her
natural and commercial advantages, it would be madness to
trust to them alone to plead for her.
If it shall be decided that the states alone are to have this
subject within their direction, it becomes no less imperiously the duty of Maryland to call and qualify for that direction, all the talent it requires.
I need not seek to awaken Maryland upon this subject.
She is already regarding it with anxiety. But is there not
an object for internal improvement, which, if overlooked,
will render her anxiety unavailing? And does it not demand
her first and greatest care?
I mean not rivers, roads, canals, nor all the facilities of
commerce--butthat which is above them all-which commands them all-at whose bidding the mountain opens to
its base, and the waters of the cataract are still. I mean
the mass of mind, the native talent of her population. And
what is this without improvement? Inert and dead as the
rocks and mountains upon which it would labour; wild and
wasteful as the torrents it would controul--achaos of confusion, till called into life and form and vigour, by the light
of science; and then, able to reduce into subjection all the
elements of nature. This is the power which has placed
a sister state foremost among the competitors for internal
improvement; that has achieved for her the work to which
she justly looks for the continuance of her pre-eminence.
It is not to the instruments of labour, with which the work
has been accomplished, nor to the hands that wielded them,
that the people of that state are to ascribe the success of their
efforts. These instruments might have been wielded forever in vain, even by their whole population. A far higher
power must be called to these labours. The man of science
must go before, and shew blind strength where he is to
3
�18
strike. And by the side of this man of science, or before
him, must go the man of another and a higher science. The
patriot and statesman, who makes all the powers of nature,.
and the resources of art, tributary to his country's greatness
-who works upon the noblest of all materials-the mind
of man-and achieves higher .conquests than he who overcomes the obstacles of nature. For he has mountains of
prejudice to remove, floods of passion to controul, mightier
than those of nature. He is not only to form his own designs but he is to be ever prepared, to convince, to refute,
to persuade, and to turn the judgments and affections of others into the channel of his own conceptions.
This is the
power which has given to New York the work to which
she owes her ascendancy. And none can doubt to whom
the monument should be erected that is to perpetuate the
memory of the founder of her greatness.
If then the accomplishment of such an object is to be attributed· not to matter, but to mind--and if thecultivation
of the mind is essential to its successful operations, where
is the wisdom of neglecting this, and attending to far inferior subjects of improvement? Shall Maryland apply her
resources to roads and rivers, and make no effort to ohtam
the science that is to form them into the veins and sinews
of her strength? Shall she give millions for canals, and
nothing for the makers of canals?
.
That her institutions of education are insufficient for the
proper instruction of her youth, cannot be denied. Shall
I be told that this is well? That Maryland may save her
own revenues, and avail herself of the expenditures of other states? To this I answer, that it is neither to the honour nor interest of the state that 1t should be so.
But 1t
there be wisdom in such a policy, may not the other states
be expected to adopt it, and thus the means of instruction
be attainable no where? And can 1t be either honourable
or safe to depend on the men of science of other states.
even if we were sure they could be obtained there, when
those very states may be our rivals in the objects for which
we would engage them? We must therefore determine,
either to rest contented in a perpetual and degrading inferiority, or depend, for the necessary means of success, only
on ourselves.
*If
only 100 of her youth
only
are sent to other institutions, (and the
number is believed to be greater,) the amount annually expended
by them would exceed $20,000, which, if applied to an institution
our own, would be adequate to the instruction of a much larger
of
number.
19
There has never been but one objection urged against
the establishment of a college, that has the least appearance
of pfausibility. It may be proper to consider it It is said
to be partial in its benefits,. that its advantages are confined
to its immediate neighbourhood, and to the wealthy of other portions of the state. If this were admitted, it might
be asked if the same objection does not apply to every other
institution? Locate your courts of justice, legislatures, academies, where you will, and some portions of the community will be more benefited by them than others. Again,
place a college where you will, multiply them to any extent, and it will be only those who have some wealth and
leisure that can enjoy their advantages. And shall nothing
be done for the benefit of the community, because some
portion of it may not be equally partakers of the benefit?
It concerns the state that both poor and rich should be educated, as far as their means and situation will permit; but
because it is impossible to give a high degree of education to the poor, shall it therefore be denied to the rich?
But the supposition need not be admitted. It does confer
great though not equal benefits, upon evt!ry class of society. Indirectlr, by the general improvement of the state,
(if such as I have endeavoured to shew arc its effects) its
benefits to all are obvious. But such an establishment may
be so conducted as to present great and direct advantages
to all. It may be mad,e, and should be made, a part of a
general system of education, adapted to the wants and situation of the whole population. A connection may subsist between such an institution, and the academies and primary schools, equally important to all. The want of competent teachers for these academies, and the common schools
in the state, has been long felt. And when the primary
schools, about to be put in operation, call for their teachers, it will be found far easier to pass a law for schools, and
to build school houses, than to procure teachers. The population of our own state, though the most proper on many
accounts to resort to, is wholly insufficient to supply the
present demand. Nor will it be found that they can be obtained from other states, witbout the temptation of exorbitant salaries, nor perhaps even then; for the same want
is felt every where. Even in Massachusetts, where education has always been a most favourite object, the defi•
ciency of teachers has been so great a subject of complaint,
that they are now about to establish an institution for the
purpose of preparing young men for such employments.
�20
Maryland may establish a college which besides its other advantages, may supply this defect. What is to prevent the state's educating, at its college, a sufficient number
of the poor of each county, under engagements that they
shall teach in the primary schools and academies until they
shall thus have repaid the expense of their education? A
system like this, it is obvious, would, in a few years, ensure to those schools and academies, an adequate supply of
teachers, from among our own people, qualified for the important trusts committed to them. Such a system would call
forth, and cultivate, and apply to the most useful purposes,
all the talent of the state, and diffuse its blessings among all
classes of her population. Such a system would be as little partial in its benefits as any that could be devised. It
would afford the only means of giving a competent education to all the poor, and of calling many of them to a still
higher degree of instruction, which in no other way it
would be possible for them to attain.
Let it also be remembered, that every well taught citizen, whatever may be his condition, to whatever station in
life he may belong, is, generally speaking, an advantage to
the public. Therefore, although but a small number, in
proportion to the whole population, may be qualified for
higher usefulness by the acquisitions of learning, yet among
them may be found some whom the state may proudly
reckon as her greatest ornaments-to whom she may be indebted even for her preservation. The Roman historian,
who records the effect produced upon the Roman senate
by the prudence and eloquence of Cato, upon an occasion
of imminent peril to the republic, shews how powerfully
he was impressed by the consideration of what the efforts
&f one man might accomplish, for the welfare of a nation.
He is led, by the instance before him, to look back upon
the past dangers, difficulties, and deliverances of his country, and he remarks of the "praeclara facinora," that adorned her history, that their success and jtlory are to be attributed to the exalted excellence of a few citizens "paucorum civium eximia virtus."
We too may look back upon the short but eventful history of our country, and see a few names standing highly
eminent above jeor associates. Men who first received
in their own exalted minds the great conception, whose impulse they communicated to others-who led the way a
the career af glory, and will ever be remembered as the
fathers of the republic. In this great enterprize, requiring
every faculty that nature could give, or art improve, or
high principles excite, who can say they would have attained-who can say they would have attempted succenp
if destitute of that intellectual and moral power which impelled and fitted them to the crisis?
Take the opinion of one who stood conspicuous amon.g
them-the author of the declaration of that independence
which he had aided in accomplishing, who had employed
a long life and a great mind in observing the springs of human conduct, and the policy of states, has left a memorable
proof of the value at which he estimated literary institutions. His last and most zealous labours were devoted to
the accomplishment of this object for his native state; and
he regarded it as the greatest work he had been permitted
to effect, expressing his desire, in preference to every other
memorial of a life of public service, to b:e remembered "as
the founder of the University of Virginia."
Take also the opinion of another, who stood pre-eminent
above them all-who will ever hold the .first place in the
hearts of his countrymen, and in the admiration of the world
-Read it in his farewell address, and in the generous appropriation uf his private funds, to secure this safe-guard to
the liberties of his rescued country.
Take further. the opinion of your own men-the patriots
and statesmen of Maryland. who in '82, and again in '84,
directed their earliest and most earnest efforts to the establishment of literary institutions under the patronage of the
state, and declared that they considered them "as the surest
basis of the stability and glory of a free republic.''*
Will it be pretended that men like these were ignorant
of the qualifications necessary to form useful citizens, or of
the means of acquiring them, or that they overlooked the
consideration that such means could not be afforded to
all?
Admitting, therefore, to the objection I have been con,sidering, all it uemands-that but few comparatively can
receive the advantages that the establishment of a literary
institution affords-it is still a sufficient answer, that those
few may be looked to with confidence, to make full returns
to the state for her care and patronage. Every eminent
and gifted man, who may be thus prepared for usefulness
becomes the property of the state, will be of more value,
and will be more valued, than all the wealth that a parsimonious policy could heap together in her treasury.
*See in Appendix page i.
�May I not call then upon the legislators of Maryland, who
are to provide for her present welfare, and her future glory,
to consider whether it should not be their first and greatest
care to secure for her service, successive generations of en-
lightened patriots? Whether it be wise to confine the
progress. of improvement to the mere surface of her earth,
and shut ·out its light and vivifyi.ng influence from the bosoms of her children? May I not call upon them to make
perfect and effectual the system of instruction they have
commenced, to apply in this age of improvement, the spirit of improvement to its greatest and noblest objects, and
to lay the deep and broad foundations of their country's
greatness, in the religious, moral, and intellectual culture of
her people.
As I believe that a just consideration of thi,s subject now,
or a further experience of the danger of neglecting it, will
bring us to resolve that the state shall.no longer remain
destitute of an institution for qualifying her citizens for her
service, permit me, before I conclude, to endeavour to
shew that the establishment should be here. I have already said that the state should not only furnish the necessary funds for .its support, but also that care and superintendance, which arc equally necessary for its success.
The public should be made to understand and sec and feel
its interest in the object, to take a pride in its annual displays of cultivated talent, and to encourage, by the incitement of its presence and approbation, youthful ardour to
its highest efforts.
Where else can the interest, inspection and patronage
of the state be adequately called forth, and advantageously
exercised, but at the scat of government? Where else can
it be situated to be made conspicuous throughout the state,
where its progress can be made the subject of general observation, the public care directed to its improvement, and
right views of its importance and usefulness diffused among
the citizens? These attentions will be essential during the
years of its infancy; and when its fruits.shall appear and be
distributed among the counties, when they are seen in the
various departments of .honourable employment, and felt
in imparting new vigour to the enterprize and character of
the state, it will win its way, by the benefits it bestows, to
the favour it demands.
Where else, I may also ask, can the influence and excitements so important to impel the youthful mind to the
arduous prosecution of its labours, be so effectually afforded as here? where the highest talents of the state are col-
lected before them, and called to their highest exercise-where measures of the deepest interest to the state and general governments are discussed and decided, and the exalted feelings and duties of patriotism are mingled with
their earliest conceptions-where they are perpetually reminded, by what they see and hear, of their obligations, as
men and citizens of a free and happy country, and encouraged to perseverance by the examples placed before them
of what diligence may accomplish.
I will further say, that it should be here-because it was
here. Justice demands its restitution.
Thirty years ago I stood within tbat hall, with the associates of my early joys and labours, and bade farewell to
them; to our revered instructors, to the scenes of our youthful happiness, and received the parting benediction of
that beloved and venerated man* who ruled the institution he had reared, and adorned, not more by the force of
authority than of affection. In a few short years I returned;• and the companions and the guides of my youth were
gone--andthe glory of the temple of science, which the
wisdom and piety of our fathers had founded, was departed. I saw in its place a dreary ru,in. I wandered over its
beautiful and silent green, no longer sacred to the meditations of the enraptured student, nor vocal with the joyous
shout of youthful merriment. I sat upon the mouldering
steps of that lonely porticol and beneath the shadow of that
ancient tree, that seemed hke me to lament its lost companions-and the dreams of other days came over me-and
I mourned over the madness that had worked this desolation.
.
If I have ever felt the impulse to mingle in the councilof my country, it was in these scenes and at these moments,
when filial affection to my alma mater, and love to ·my native state, united to impel me to redress the wrongs of the
one, and efface the foulest blot upon the name of the
other.
Though compelled to leave these duties to other sons,
and to become an alien to my state,my heart has been ever
steadfast in its allegiance--and the request, with which I
have been honomed to appear on this occasion, revived recollections and desires I could make no effort to resist.
Let it be shewn then to the people, and legislature of
Maryland, that if the high arid warm feelings of patriotism
cannot be roused to give to the state an institution essential
*Dr. John McDowell.
�to her honour and her safety, the eolder but sterner principle of justice may be appealed to, and must yield it.
Let it be shewn that the state was not the sole founder
of the College--that individuals made liberal donations to
its funds, upon the plighted faith of the state, that they
should bemade available by a public appropriation, adequate to its support.
Though its friends and patrons have long mourned over
its declension, though deprived of the public patronage it
was left to languish and almost to die, and the pathetic 'exclamation of "Troja fuit" was the language of her sons.
Yet are we now presented with brighter views. We owe
our thanks for this to those whose zeal and ardour have
excited them to renewed efforts in her behalf· who with.
limited means, and against many difficulties, haveexhibited
before us on this occasion the interesting and gratifying
fruits of their labours.
But little, compared with the greatness of the object, is
required to be done, to give to the state what it once had
h e rliterary
e , institution,
a
equal in usefulness to any other
in our country.
I may have spoken in vain to the legislators and the citizens of Maryland. Public opinion may be slower in its
discernments and operations, than one as inexperienced as
l am on such subjects, may have supposed. But I have
the consolation of knowing that experience, if a slow, is a
sure teacher; and that it cannot he long before .Maryland
will be made to feel her need of men of high attainments
in political and natural science, gifted with the powers necessary to successful service, and to see that the only way
to secure them, 1s to rear them herself. I have also the consolation of knowing, (and I cannot express the gratification
with which I feel it,) that I have not spoken in vain-that I
could not speak in vam, upon such a subject, to some who
are my hearers--who required no speaker to awaken in
their bosoms emotions that no language could excite; to
whom it 1s excitement enough that they are here-in the
midst of scenes that ,call around them the recollections of
the days that are past, when the morning of life, and the
light of. intellectual 1_mprovement, and the warm associations of early friendship, gave all their brightness to the joys
and the visions of youth. To whom it is still more exciting that they are here together, assembled as brethren,
bound by the same ties ot love, and veneration to their
common mother, to· do her honour, and (may I not say)
to do her service.
*See Appendix.
For shall we separate from these scenes and extinguish
these teelings? May I not call upon the Alumni of St.
John's, and those whom we have this day welcomed to a
participation in her honours, to stand forth and pledge
themselves to her cause? To make an appeal inher behalf to
the patriotism and justice of their fellow-citizens-to make
it till it is heard throughout the bounds of the state-to
make it till it is successful?
Let not this filial duty be delayed. Death has already
thinned your ranks. Your eldest bretheren
* have run their
brief but honourable course, and are no more. He, too, who
had caught within that hall the bold spirit of the ancient
eloquence from its mightiest master; who, if he had been
spared to stand before you this day, would have roused
you from your seats, and called you to join your hearts
and hands in a sacred covenant to restore its honours to
St. Joh n's, and tu swear to its fulfilment by the memory
of the dead, the hopes of the living, an'd the glory of unborn
generations-He, alas! is a light shining no more upon the
earth.
He, also, who excelled in all the attainments of mind,
and charmed with all the attractions of virtue; who could
descend at will from the highest soaring in the regions of
fancy, and be found foremost in the steepest ascents of the
paths of science; he who had here caught
- - - - - "the glow,
"The warmth divine that Poets know.''
And whose lyre, upon a theme that touched these scenes
of his inspiration, would have poured forth its most impassioned strains, and compelled the hearts that eloquence
could not subdue, to bow to the magic of its song. He,
too, the ornament of St. Joh n's, and the leader of her tenth.
legion,§ has had our tears, and sleeps not in an honoured
grave. but beneath the wave of the ocean.
Nor can he\! be forgotten, the last but not least lamented
of our departed brethren, who would have been among the
foremost to offer the feelings of a warm heart, and the powers of a gifted mind, to the labours to which I have invit*Alexander-Carr-Lomax.
¶ John Hanson Thomas, of Frederick.
The allusion is to a passage
in his oration at the commencemept·in which his class graduated, exhibiting a most l1appy imitation of the celebrated oath of Demosthenes. The Virginia University
ity is now indebted to that class for her
Professor of Law, and Chairman of her Faculty.
§ John Shaw, M. D. of Annapolis, whose class used to be thus designated by the c classicVice President of the College.
Henry M. Murray of Annapolis.
4
�ed you. Who had already done so, and stands enrolled
1n the records of the college, among those who repaid, by
their counsels at her board, the honours she had bestowed.
Whose zeal and ability would have performed more than
his share of the duty, while his unassuming and generous
nature would have refused any portion of the praise.
The awful providence which removed him, in the midst
of life and usefulness, from the profession he adorned, the
society he blessed, and the friends he delighted, has called
upon our College to mourn the double loss of an honoured
son, and a devoted patron. But it becomes us not to
murmur under this mysterious dispensation-rather to be
thankful that it has left, to console and animate us, a cherished memory and a high example.
You have lost the assistance of associates like these. And
we who survive, are soon to follow them. But let the
thought of your diminished strength, and the remembrance
of what you have lost, urge you-not to despair, but to effort Remember the truth declared and attested by history, that the accomplishment of great events depends often,
if not always,,on the ardour and energy of a few. And
when Maryland shall receive from the institution, your
labours shall have revived, her able and well trained advocates, the promoters of her future greatness; when, by
the aid thus afforded, she shall attain her just rank in the
American Union, and the full measure of her prosperity,
then shall it be said of her "praeclara facinora," as of those
of Rome, "paucorum civium eximiam virtutem cuneta.
patravisse."
APPENDIX
-♦-
Preamble to an act passed April session 1822, chap. 8.
' "WHEREAS institutions for the liberal education of youth
in the principles of virtue, knowledge, and useful litera
ture are of the highest benefit to society, in order to raise
up and perpetuate a succession of able and honest men, for
discharging the various offices and duties of the community, both civil and religious with usefulness and reputation,
and such institutions of learning have accordmgly merited
and received the attention and encouragement of the wisest and best regulated states: And whereasformer legislatures of this state have, accordmg to their best abilities,
laid a considerable foundation in this good work, in sundry laws for the establishment and encouragement of county schools, for the study of Latin, Greek, Writing, and
the like, intending, as their future circumstances might
permit to engraft or raise, on the foundation of said
schools, more extensive seminaries oflearning, by erecting
one or more colleges, or places of universal study, not onJy in the learned languages, but in philosophy, divinity,
law, physic, and other useful and ornamental arts and sciences: And whereas this great and laudable undertaking
hath been retarded by sundry mcidents of a public nature,
but chiefly by the great difficulty. of fixing a situat10n on
either shore of this state for a semmary of universal learning, which might be of equal benefit and convemence to
the' youth of both shores; and it having been represented to
this general assembly, that it would probab_ly tend most to
the immediate advancement of literature in this state, if
the inhabitants of each shore should be left to consult their
own convenience, in founding and freely endowmg a college or seminary of general learning, each for themselves,
under the sanction of law; which two colleges or seminaries if thought most conducive to the advancement of
learning, religion and good government, may afterwards,
by common consent, when duly founded and endowed,
united under one supreme legislature and visitatorial jurisdiction, as distinct branches or members of the same
ui,iversity, notwithstandmg their distance of situation:
And whereas Joseph Nicholson, James Anderson, John
he
state
�ii
APPENDIX.
Scot, William Boardly, and Peregrine Lethrbury, Esqrs.
William Smith, Doctor of Divinity, and Benjamin Chambers, Esquire, the present visitors of Kent county school
in the town of Chester, have representeu to this general
nssembly, that the said school hath of late increased greatly, by an accession of students and scholars from various
parts of the eastern shore of this state, and the neighbouring Delaware state, there being now about one hundred
and forty students and scholars in the said school, and the
number expected soon to increase to at least two hundred;
and that the Latin and Greek languages, English, French,
writing, merchants accounts, and the different branches of
the mathematics, are taught in the same, under a sufficient
number of able and approved masters; that sundry of the
students are preparing and desirous to enter upon a course
of philosophy, and must repair to some other state, at a very grievous and inconvenient expense, to finish their education, unless they, the said visitors, are enabled to enlarge
the plan of the said school, by engrafting thereon a system
of liberal education in the arts and sciences, and providing
necessary books and apparatus, with an additional number
of masters and profes:sors; and the said visitors have further expressed their assurance, that if they were made capable in law of erecting the said school into a college or
general seminary of learning for the eastern shore, or peninsula between the bays of Chesapeake and Delaware,
(maintaining the original design of the said school as a
foundation not to be violated) very considerable sums
could be raised in a few years, within the said peninsula,
by free and voluntary contributions, for the establishment
and support of such seminary, and have accordingly prayed, that a law may be passed to enable them, the said visitors, to enlarge and improve the said school into a college,
or place of universal learning, with the usual privileges:
Now this general assembly, taking the said petition into
their serious consideration, and being desirous to encourage and promote knowledge within this state, have agreed
to enact."
Preamble, &c. to an act passed November session 1784, chap. 37.
"WHEREAS
institutions for the liberal education of youth
m the prmc1ples of virtue, knowledge, and useful literature, are of the highest benefit to society, in order to train
up and perpetuate a succession of able and honest men for
discharging the various offices and duties of life, both civil
and religious, with usefulness and reputation, and such institutions of learning have accordingly been promoted and
APPENDIX.
iii
encouraged by the wisest and best regulated states: And
whereas it appears to this general assembly, that. many publie spirited rnd1v1duals, from an earnest desrre to promote the founding a college or seminary of learning on the
western shore of this state, have subscribed and procured
subscriptions to a considerable amount, and there is reason
to believe that very large additions will be obtained to the
same throughout the different counties of the said shore, if
they were made capable in law to receive and apply the
same towards founding and carrying on a college or general seminary of learning, with such salutary plan, and with
such legislative assistance and direction as the general assembly might think fit; and this general assembly, highly
approving those generous exertions of individuals, are desirous to embrace the present favourable occas1011 of peace
and prosperity, for making lasting provision for the encouragement and advancen1ent of all useful knowledge and literature through every part of this state."
"XIX. And, to provide a permanent fund for the further
encouragement and establishment of the said college on the
western shore, Be it enacted, That the sum of one thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds current money, be
annually and for ever hereafter given and granted as a donation by the public, to the use of the said college on the
western shore, to be applied by the visitors and governors.
of the said college to the payment of salaries to the principal, professors and tutors, of the said college.
"XX. And, as a certain and permanent fund to procure
the said sum of one thousand seven hundred and fifty
pounds current money annually, for the use aforesaid, Be
it enacted, That the sum of twenty-five shillings current
money, imposed by the act, entitled, An act concerning
marriages, for every marriage licence, and hereafter to be
received by the clerks of any of the counties of the western shore, and paid by them to the treasurer of the
said shore, agreeably to the directions of the said act, shall
remain in his hands, subject to the order of tbe visitors and
governors of the said college, to be drawn according to the
directions of this act.
"XXI. And be it enacted, That every fine, penalty or
forfeiture, for any offence (except only for treason) at common law, or by any act of assembly now in force, or hereafter to be made, and hereafter imposed by the general
court on the western shore, or by any county court of that
shore, or any judge of justice of either court, and every recognizance taken by the general or any county court on.
�iv
APPENDIX.
APPENDIX.
the western shore, or any judge or justice- of either of the
said courts, and hereafter forfeited in the said general court
or county court, and collected or received, shall be paid to
the treasurer of the western shore, and shall remain in his
hands, subject to the orders of the visitorsand governors of
the said college, to be drawn accordrng to the directions
of this act.
"XXII. And be it enacted, That the regulations and
provisions made in the act of assembly, entitled, An act for
licensing. and regulating ordinary keepers, passed at March
session, seventeen hundred and eighty, (except such parts
of the said act as relate to the retailing of liquors by merchants or store-keepers, or at horse races,) shall be and remain in full force for ever, as to the granting licences on
the western shore (except in the city of Annapolis and the
precincts thereof;) and the money hereafter collected for ordinary licences granted on the western shore, and paid to
the treasurer of the said shore, shall remain in his hands,
subject to the orders of the vis_itors and governors of the
said college, to be drawn according to the d1rect1ons of this
OUTLINE OF A COLLEGE.
The following sketch has been prepared in consequence
of a suggestion to that effect from some gentlemen who feel
interested in the subject, and who think it desirable that a
view of the nature of the institution to be established, and
of the manner of its government and support, should be
presented for the consideration of the public.
I have made use of the best means in my power to enable me to do this, having .consulted with some intelligent
friends, and examined such of the most modern systems of
public education; with some of the more ancient, to which
I could have access. As I hope others, who have leisure
will feel disposed to consider this interesting subject,
would recommend them to refer to Rollin's Method, (4th
vol.) and Jardme's Outlmes of Ph1losoph1cal Education.
act."
Since the decision, in 4th Wheaton, 518, of Dartmouth
College against Woodward, it cannot be questioned, but
that the provisions in the charter above specified, operate
as a contract, which no act of the legislature, without the
consent of the college, can constitutionally revoke.
I
GOVERNMENT
I would recommend a modification of the present charter, so as to place the government of the college in the Governor of the stateand two Visitors from each county.
The visitors in each county to be annually appointed by
the Judges of the County Court, or by the Grand Jury.
These should form a body to appoint the Professors and
Faculty, pass by-laws for their government, and determine
the course of study.
The Faculty to consist of the President and Professors
and an Officer* to be annually elected by the Faculty and
Students, called the Rector or Patron, to whom they are to
resort as the guardian of their privileges, to whose recommendations, upon all their appeals to him, they are to submit, and whose consent should be necessary to every sentence of expulsion.
The most important duty of the Governor and Visitors
would relate to the adoption of a pr_oper course of study.
By selectmg two gentlemen of learnmg and experience in
each county, who before they meet, can consider the subject, and then compare with each other the views they
have respectively thought proper to present, the best opportunity will be afforded for digesting a perfect and satisfactory system .
*This idea is taken from an account of the University of Glasgow. Jt
perhaps also usual in the other Scotch Colleges. It is thought to
have a good effect m promoting orcler and submission to authority. If
conferred (as 1t is -generally in Glasgow) upon the most distinguighed
men, they would consequently have considerable influence with the
students. He should deliver an annual address, as is usual there.
is
�vi
APPENDIX,
FUNDS.
The annual amount furnished by the state to St. John's
College, by the act of 1784, was £1750.
If it is determined that there should be but one institution
for the whole state, twice that amount might be given. As
it is intended to propose to institute six fellowships for the
most deserving among the graduates, (as will be explained
hereafter,) estimated at $300 each, and to maintain and
educate* twenty boys gratuitously, which will cost about
$200 each, $5,800 should be added on these accounts.
Making, say $9,300, to be applied annually by the state to
the institution. As, however, it is proposed that these
twenty boys should repay these expenses incurred for
them, by their services as teachers afterwards, $4000 of the
above should be considered as loaned, not given.
But if the state made an annual donation of $12,000 to
such a purpose, it could not be considered unreasonably
applied to so important an object. If it was found necessary to raise it by a direct tax, it cannot be supposed that
the people would consider it a burden, when its objects
and consequences were explained to them, and when
they see most of the states doing so much more. It
some indirect mode must be resorted to, I would suggest
a small tax upon legacies. This would be paid without
being felt, and collected without expense, a very trifling
commission being deducted, and paid into the registry of
the orphans court of each county, on the passing of the
administrator's account.
A donation from the state will also be required at the
establishment of the college, to compleat the library and
philosophical apparatus.
COURSE OFSTUDIES.
This being left, as before proposed, to the determination
of the Governor and Visitors, the following is offered for
their consideration:
The course to be completed in four years, one vacation
of two months in each year, and another of two weeks, dividing the period of instruction into two terms oi four
months and three weeks each. The last two weeks of
each term to be devoted to reviewing the studies of the
term, and preparation for examination.
Public examinations of each class, during the two last
days of each term, and exercises in public.
*These should be selected ln the counties by the Visitors appointed by each county.
APPENDIX.
vii
Studies of the first year, or Freshman Class.
1st Term. Latin. Greek. English Language,* and Literature. Readings and Recitations of English prose writers. Compositions in English. Arithmetic.
2d Term. Same as above, with the addition of Readings and Recitations of English Poets. Algebra. Mathematics begun, and attending a weekly lecture to be
delivered by one of the fellows, or a student of the senior class, on Natural History.
To be admitted to this class the student should be able to
read Ovid and Sallust, and to make Latin exercises with
facility, with a thorough knowledge of the Grammar,
and sufficient Prosody to read Hexameter verse.§ In
Greek, he should have passed carefully through Jacob's
Reader, and be well acquainted with the grammar, (not
meaning the whole of Buttman,) and be able to make
Greek exercises.
He should write a plain hand, read correctly, and know
the ordinary rules in Arithmetic.
The attention to English, duringthis year, I think important. The exercises required in that language will prepare
the students for the translation and themes of the higher
classes, which they will do more easily, and better, after acquiring a knowledge of their own language, and some
practice in composition.
Reading and Reciting English is ·necessary to make them
good readers, and is the only true foundation for properly
teaihing elocution. An hour a day, or every other day,
should be thus employed.
Their teacher ( who should be a man of taste, and a good
reader,) should select passages, requiring all the varieties of manner and expression, from the best authors,
which he should read to them, and make them read to
him, till they could deliver them with proper effect.
And as it would be necessary they should understand
and feel what they read, (the true secret of reading
well,) this exercise would improve their understandings,
feelings and tastes.
The weekly lecture on Natural History, like the readings
I have just mentioned, should be an intellectual treat
to
• Abridgement of Tooke's Diversions of Purley, and a few extracts
rfom Murray's large Grammar, and selections from Blair.
~If the candidate were deficient in this he should be made to acquire
it, (as he could in a week,) before he joined the class.
5
�viii
APPENDIX.
the students; and it . is important to make some of their
studies agreeable.
It should be a sort of introduction to the science, and an
allurement to prosecute it, by setting before them some
of the most interesting researches that have been made
The preparation
into the subjects of which it treats.
and delivery of these lecture would be a highly impruvmg exerc1se to the senior class, to whom, or to the fellows occasionally, it shoulcl be altogether allotted.
SOPHOMORE CLASS.
1st Term. Latin. Greek. English composition, and Mathematics continued. Ancient History and Geography.
2d Term. Same-applying English compositions to translations from Latin and Greek, and themes ·on subjects
proposed in the Lectures; with the addition of French
and lectures on Intellectual Philosophy.
'
Durmg this year Latin and Greek are continued by reading the authors in the usual way. English compositions
in the last term, are _applied to written translations from
those languages. The lectures on Intellectual Philosophy should embrace a sufficient portion both of Logic and
Metaphysics; I mean as they are both now improved.
They should teach the student not only that the mind
has the faculty of reasoning, and how it is to be exercised and improved, but should put it into exercise upon various subjects.
JUNIOR CLASS.
1st Term. Critical reading of select Latin Classics, with
translations from Latin to English, and from English to
Latin. Greek continued. Modern History and Geography. French and Mathematics continued.
2d Term-Same continued, with lectures on Belles Lettres, and Natural History.
Reading the Latin Classics is now made an exercise of
criticism upon passages selected for that purpose, and the
translations should be required to be more free and spirited. Greek is continued in the usual way.
ix
APPENDIX.
SENIOR CLASS.
1st Term. Translations from select Latin Classics, and
from English writers int0 Latir.. Critical readings of
Greek Classics. French and Mathematics continued.
History and Geography reviewed. Study of German
Language.* Natural Philosophy. Lectures on the
Evidences of Christianity.
2d Term-Translations from Latin and Greek to English, and from English to Latin and Greek. Translations from French. Mathematirs. Natural Philosophy
and German concluded. Hebrew. t Original compositions in English, to be read in public. Lectures on
the Evidences of Christianity concluded. Lectures on
Political Economy.
The Greek is read in this year during the first term, only
critically, in selected passages, as the Latin in the former year, and in the last term; instruction in both those
languages is confined to written translations, which
should be given out twice or thrice a week, these should
be read in the class, and commented on by the Professor.
It will be observed, that I propose to continue instruction
in Mathematics and the Classics throughout the course.
I consider them the most important studies. The one
improves the mind, and gives the ability to think better
than any other study. The other, to give taste, and the
power of expressing thought and feeling in the most.effectual manner, is indispensable.
If the classics are omitted, or much neglected during the
last year, (as is too common,) there is not only no improvement made, but what was learned is lost, and the student
is taught the strange lesson of neglecting and forgetting,
for the sake of other acquisitions, what he has already
learned.
The above is rroposed as a course for the under graduates. I have omitted Moral Philosophy, because the Latin
and Greek, and the New Testament, which they will
read, will furnish a better system of instruction, (in the
hands of competent and pious teachers,) than could be afforded in a course of lectures. I have not made a Professorship of Logic, because a little of it will be given in the
lectures of what I have termed "Intellectual Philosophy,"
and the art of reasoning will be better acquired by the
mathematical studies, and the exercises in composition,
than by any regular system of logic.
*This should be a voluntary study.
Voluntary.
�xi
APPENDIX.
APPENDIX.
It is meant that the classes should be regularly examined
upon every lecture they attend, and write th emes upon the
subjects discussed in them, and also that half (or ii necessary the whole) of one day in each week, should be devoted to the review of that week's studies, preparatory to a
weekly examination; and in the same manner a like review and examination at the close of each month, at which
the Principal, and all the Professors, are to attend.
Such a course as is here specified would require the fol.
lowing Professors, in addition to the President:
Professor of Latin and Ancient History and Geography.
Professor· of Greek and Hebrew.
Professor of Delles L ettres, English Literature, Modem
History and Geography.
Professor of Mathematics.
Professor of Natural Philosophy and N atural History.
Professor of French and German.
The duties of the President should be those of a general
superintendence and lecturing on the evidences of Ch ri stianity. He should also perform the daily religious exercises of the College, and preach to the students on Sundays in the hall, or appoint one of the professors to that
duty. Students, whose parents desired it, could be allowed to attend any other place of worship.
THE PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION.
That this is a science, and a very difficult one, will be
admitted. Yet among the number engaged in it, very few
have received any instruction. It is true there are some
good works upon the subject, but there also bad ones. Nor
is it certain that those who are so employed seek for information on the subject.
Every teacher adopts his own
system, and improves it only by his own experience.
This cannot be supposed nght by any one who will consider its importance. The most learned man in sciences
and languages may be utterly unable to excite a desire for
learning in his pupils, to form their minds, dispositions,
habits and tastes, and to impart his knowledge to them in
a way best suited to their capacities. And all this is certainly his business as a teacher. To acquire this, he should
have the benefit of consulting the wisdom and experience
of others, and become informed of the many improvements
that are continually making in this as in other pursuits.*
As it is contemplated to make teachcr.s in the primary
schools and academics, of the students who arc to be gratuitously educated at the college from the different count ies, it will be rnore necessary that a branch of instruction,
so extensively useful, should not be neglected,
x
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
For the benefit of such of the graduates as might remain
and such other students as might attend, I would propos;
the following additional Professorships:
1st. Of the Science of Agriculture.
2d. Of Education.
3d. Of Eloquence.
4th. Of Law.
5th. Of Military and Civil Engineering and Mili tary
Tactics.
It will be necessary to explain what is meant by them .
There are branches of Mechanics, Chemi stry, N atural
Philosophy, and Natural History, whose conn ection with
agriculture is obvious. A course of lectures for a year upon
those sciences as thus connected, would afford the best
preparation for agricultural life. They could be made so
interesting and useful that very few educated young men,
rntendmg to devote themselves to that pursuit, would fail
to attend them.
PROFESSOR OF ELOQUENCE
This professorship is recommended by Jardine, t and
would certainly be highly useful, not only to the law students, but to many others. It should occupy one year,
and should be so arranged that it could be attended to with
the two former and with the first year of the law lectures.
Of the remaining two nothing need be particularly said.
The legal course should occupy two years, allowing the
student to devote his third year to the more practical parts
of his profession, in the office of a lawyer in business, and
in attending the courts.
I have omitted two professions, Divinity and Medicine,
not as being less important, but because they can be better
attend ed to elsewhere. The latter, it is obvious, is already sufficiently provided for, at a place where eminent
teachers can be more readily obtained, and greater facilities afforded for giving instruction. The former it is difficult if not impossible to combine with a general system of
See extracts from Carter's Essays Page xiii
See Page xvi
�xii
APPENDIX.
education. Preference could not be given to any particular sect, and to allow, (as is done in the Virginia University, and some others) each denomination to establish a professorship of its own, would it may be feared, produce confusion and controversy. The religious part of the community seem sensible of this, and therefore no attempt has
been made, by any denomination, to avail themselves of
such a privilege.
These professerships, being intended for the graduates,
and other students, need not considerably increase the expenses-of the institution. If eminent men are appointed,
they would, in several, if not in all of them, command
classes that would make it unnecessary to give salaries; or
at least they might be very moderate.
The professor of education would perhaps require a salary competent to his support; and from the. nature of his
services in quahfyrng teachers for all the institutions of
learning in the state, it would be proper to afford it This
would be the more reasonable, as he would have the instruction of the graduates who were gratuitously educated
for that purpose.
There remains one other subject of rem31rk-the Fellowships. I have suggested six. These should be elected by the Faculty, from among the most meritorious graduates. I have estimated them at $300 each, as that sum
would afford a tolerable support to a single man, and at the
same time excite them to exertions to add to their income by
useful publications a:1d improvements. They should have
the benefit of the College Library, and rooms and apparatus,
and devote themselves to such branches of science and literature as they might prefer. To prevent them from becoming sinecures for sloth or amusement, they should understand it to be expected of them, to produ.ce some useful results from their studies, and at the end of each year, there
should be a re-election, when all who had done nothing,
nor given hopes of doing any thing, could be removed.
It wouldalso be useful to adopt the idea of Lord Bacon
in his Nova Atlantis, and send two of theln every year to
visit the other states and foreign countries, for their improvement, and to bring back with them the knowledge of
such important inventions and works, as might be introduced into our country.
It is impossible to calculate the advantages that might result from the labours of a small body of learned men, thus
devoting all their time to such pursuits. If the state had
possessed such men thirty or forty years ago, the many
APPENDIX.
xiii
thousands of dollars thrown into the Potomac river, for
the impracticable pu,rpose of making it navigable by removing the obstructions in its channel, would have been saved.
And this want of men of science is as much felt now, and
the consequences may be the same to some of the many
works now projected.
We are to send to England, or other parts of Europe, for
such men. Besides the consideration that there is something a little degrading in this, is our success certain? Can
our confidence be the same as if a man of our own was selected?
Such men, as we should wish to come for such a purpose, will not come, for they can get, and will prefer employment at home. That some will come, there is no doubt
-and they will do, or undertake to do, whatever we chuse
to pay them for.
The following Extracts are from the excellent Essays
of Mr. Carter upon Popular Education.
"It will do but little good, for example, for the legislature of a state to make large appropriations directly for the
support of schools, till a judicious expenditure of them can
be ensured. And in order to this, we must have skilful
teachers at hand. It will do but little good to class the children, till we have instructors properly prepared to take
charge of the classes. It will do absolutely no good to constitute an independent tribunal to decide on the qualifications of the teachers, while they have not had the opportunities necessary for coming up to the proper standard. And
it will do no good to overlook and report upon their success, when we know beforehand, that they have not the
means of success. It would be beginning wrong, to build
houses, and to tell your young and inexperienced instructors to teach this, or to teach that subject, however desirable
a knowledge of such subjects might be, while it is obvious,
they cannot know how, properly, to teach any subject.
The science of teaching, for it must be made a science, is
first, in the order of nature, to be inculcated. And it is to
this point that the public attention must first be turned, to
effect any essential improvement.
And here, let me remark upon a distinction in the qualifications of teachers, which has never been practically
made; though it seems astonishing that it has so long escaped notice.
�xiv
xv
APPENDIX.
I allude to the distinction between the possession or
knowledge, and the ability to communicate it to other
minds. When we are looking for a teacher, we inquire
how much he knows, not how much he can communicate;
as if the latter qualification were of no consequence to us.
Now it seems to me, that parents and children, to say the
least, are as much interested in the latter qualification of
their instructor as in the former.
Though a teacher cannot communicate more knowledge
than he possesses; yet he may possess much, and still b
able to impart but little. And the knowledge of Sir Isaac
Newton could be of but trifling use to a school while it was
locked up safely in the head of a country school-master.
So far as the object of a school or of instruction, therefore,
is the acquisition of knowledge, novel as the opinion may
seem, it does appear to me, that both parents and pupils
are even more intel'ested, in the part of their teacher's
knowledge, which they will be likely to get, than in the
part which they certainly cannot get.
One great object in the education of teachers, which it is
so desirable on every account to attain, is to establish an
intelligible language of commumcation between the instructor and his pupil, and enable the former to open his head
and his heart, and infuse into the other some of the thoughts
and feelings which lie hid there.
Instructors and pupils do not understand each other.
They do not speak the same language. They may use the
same words; but this can hardly be called the same language, while they attach to them such very different meanings.
We must either, by some magic or supernatural power
bring children at once to comprehend all our abstract and
difficult terms; or our teachers must unlearn 'themselves and
come down to the comprehensions of children. One of
these alternatives is only difficult, while the other is impossible. The direct, careful preparation of instructors for
the profession of teaching, must surmount this difficulty;
and I doubt if there be any other way, in which it can be
surmounted. When instructors understand their profession; that is, in a word, when they understand the philosophy of the infant mind, what powers are earliest developed, and what studies are best adapted to their developernent; then it will be time to lay out and subdivide their
work into an energetic system of public instruction. Till
this step towards a reform, which is preliminary to its very
nature, be taken, every other measure must be adopted in
the dark, and, therefore, be liable to fail utterly of its intended result. Houses and funds and books, are all indeed important; but they are only the means of enabling
the minds of the teachers to act upon the minds of the pupils. And they must, inevitably, fail of their happiest effects, till the minds of the teachers have been prepared to
act upon those of their pupils to the greatest advantage.
"The philosophy of theinfant mind must be understood
by the instructor, before much progress can be made in the
science of education; for a principal branch of the scienee
consists in forming the mind. And the skill of the teacher
in this department is chiefly to be seen in his judicious
adaptation of means to the developement of the intellectual faculties. Every book, therefore, which would aid in
the analysis of the youthful mind, should be placed in the
library of the proposed institution.
"The human heart, the philosophy of its passions and its
affections, must be studied by those who expect to influence those passions and form those affections.
This
branch of the subject includes the government of children,
especially in the earliest stages of their discipline. The
success of the teacher here depends upon the good judgment with which he arranges and presents to his pupils the
motives that will soonest move them, and most permanently influence their actions.
"The mistaken or wicked principles of parents and instructors, in this department of education, have no doubt
perverted the dispositions, of many hopeful children. If
successful experience has been recorded, it should be brought
to the assistance of those who must otherwise act without
experience.
"After the young candidate for an instructor therefore
has aquired sufficient knowledge for directing those exercises, and teaching those branches which he wishes to profess, he must then begin his labours under the scrutinizing
eyes of one who will note his mistakes of government, and
faults of instruction, and correct them; the experienced and
skilful professor of the science will observe how the mind
of the young teacher acts upon that of the learner, he will
see how far and how perfectly they understand each other,
ahd which is at fault, if they do not understand each other
at all. If the more inexperienced teacher should attempt
to force upon the mind of a child an idea or a process of
reasoning,for which it was not in a proper state, he would
be checked at once, and told of his fault; and thus perhaps
6
�xvi
APPENDIX..
the pupil would be spared a disgust for a particular study,
or an aversion to all study. As our earliest experience
would in this manner be under the direction of those wiser
than ourselves, it would the more easily be classed under
general principles for our direction afterwards. This part
of the necessary course in an institution for the education
of teachers might be much aided by lectures. Children
exhibit such and such intellectual phenomena; the scientific professor of education can explain those phenomena and
tell from what they arise. If they are favourable, he can
direct how they are to be encouraged and turned to account
in the developement and formation of the mind. If they
are unfavourable, he can explain by what means they are
to be overcome or corrected. Seeing intellectual results he
can trace them, even through complicated circumstances, to
their causes; or, knowing the causes and circumstances, he
can predict the result that will follow them. Thus every
days experience would be carefully examined, and made
to limit or extend the comprehension of the general principles of the science. Is there any other process or method
than this to arrive at a philosophical system of education?
If any occurs to other minds it is to be hoped that the public may soon have the benefit of it."
Extract from Professor Jardine's Outlines of Philosophical Education, p. 509, on Professional Education.
"The third branch which I have proposed as an addition
to the course of professional education, is a class for the
improvement of eloquence.
"This proposal I am aware, may appear to many persons
to be both less practicable and less useful, than either of
the two former-and besides, as there are already in our
universities professors of rhetoric, whose office it is to teach
at least the principles of eloquence, an additional rnstitution for a purpose so nearly similar may appear unnecessary.
These remarks, however, do not apply to the object whicb
I have in view. It is not the science of eloquence merely
which I would have taught in our colleges; it is the art of
speaking, founded on practice, and illustrated by example,
which I regard as a valuable desideratum in our academical course. But before I can distinctly state the object of
the class I am now proposing, there are two or three points
which must be discussed and settled, in order to establish
its practicability. In the first place,
I should not despair
APPENDIX.
xvii
found being
able to prove, that the seeds of eloquence are to be
found scattered in every mind, in a greater or less degree;
and also, that there is a certain attainable improvement in
that art, to which every student may be successfully carried, by means of judicious training. It is not pretended,
indeed, that even the best system of instruction, in this department, will render a man a Demosthenes or a Cicero;
but it is maintained, at the same time, that much benefit
may arise from cultivating the original powers of the mind,
of the voice, and of the ear, whatever may be their limits;
as well as from presenting an opportunity to young men,
of ascertaining the extent of the gifts which they have received from nature, and of turning them to the best advantage. In this, as in all other branches of education, many
individuals, it is true, will derive little profit from the labours of the teacher.
"Again, I have to observe, that considering the great importance of eloquence to public men, it is an object worthy
of national attention to provide means for improving it,
even though the greater number of students should fail to
attain the qualifications of a finished orator. The advantages attending such a class would not; however1 be confined to a few. The majority of the young men who should
enter it, would infallibly gain improvement, as well from
their own practice, as from the example of others; and if
we estimate aright the high value of a distinct and effective
mode of delivery, in the church, at the bar, and above all
in the two houses of Parliament, we shall find that 1t 1s of
more consequence to promote, even though in an inferior
degree, the general culture of this talent, than to confer the
highest oratorical accomplishments on a few individuals
whose abilities might naturally be fitted to receive them.
"I have to remark, too, in the third place, that the means,
not less than the capacity of improvement, are in the hands
of every one. It is not necessary that the student of eloquence should have recourse to the precepts of Aristotle,
of Cicero or of Quintilian, or that he should sedulously
form himself on the models of a high antiquity Nature,
and the example of an able teacher, will point out the species of eloquence which he should endeavour to acquire;
and a constant well regulated exercise will prove of more
avail for the accomplishment of his purpose, than the most
painful study of all thathas been written by Greeks and
Romans, on the theory of declamation, and on the. art. of
moving the passions. But I forbear at present entering into details relative to the plan of conducting this important.
�iviii
APPENDIX.
branch of professional education, having some intention of
expressing my opinions, in regard to its object, and the
practical methods by which alone this object can be attained, in a separate publication, on a kindred subject. If I
shall be able to follow out my intentions respecting this
third division, one object which I shall keep in view is, to
give up the method of teaching eloquence, by explaining
the abstract systems of rhetoric, as laid down in the work•
of Aristotle, Cicero, or Quintilian, which has been so long
practiced, and with so little success; nor shall I satisfy myself by extracting brilliant passages or figures from celebrated orations, as has commonly been done. I propose to
make a selection of such - orations, ancient or modern, as
will best suit my purpose, to make the whole and not detached parts of the oration, the subject of my criticism, to
direct the minds of youth to the substance, spirit, intelligence, feeling and association, which it contains, from the
beginning to the end; and if I shall be successful in this
part of my work, it will not be difficult to conduct the
other parts of it in such a manner, as to afford a specimen
of teaching by example. This complete analysis leads to
simple and rational rules of elocution and delivery, within
the reach of every student to understand and to apply. "
DEDICATION
Francis Scott Key Memorial
St. John's College
Annapolis, Maryland
1958
Reprinted in 1958 to commemorate the
dedication
of the Francis Scott Key M emorial
�
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Title
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Speeches, presentations, and other lectures
Description
An account of the resource
Speeches, presentations, and other lectures given at St. John's College. These include convocation addresses delivered in both Annapolis, MD and Santa Fe, NM.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Speeches, presentations, and other lectures" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=15">Items in the Speeches, presentations, and other lectures Collection</a></strong> to <span>view and sort all items in the collection.</span>
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St. John's College Greenfield Library
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speechespresentationsotherlectures
Text
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paper
Page numeration
Number of pages in the original item.
25 pages
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A Discourse on Education (reprint)
Description
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A Discourse on Education, delivered in St. Anne's Church, Annapolis, after the Commencement of St. John's College, February 22d, 1827, by Francis S. Key, Esq., alumnus of St. John's College. Reprinted in 1958 to commemorate the dedication of the Francis Scott Key Memorial.
Creator
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Key, Francis Scott, 1779-1843
Publisher
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St. John's College
Maryland gazette (Annapolis, Md. : 1727)
Coverage
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Annapolis, MD
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1958
Type
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text
Format
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pdf
Subject
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St. John's College (Annapolis, Md.). Alumni Association
Education and state--Maryland
Language
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English
Identifier
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DiscourseOnEducation_Reprint_1958
Alumni
-
https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/a6bd816dd6d27c9fe8dc893b608baf1b.mp3
bfe59ea6511231a8a9630d8a1f7895b3
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Description
An account of the resource
Items in this collection are part of a series of lectures given every year at St. John's College. During the Fall and Spring semesters, lectures are given on Friday nights. Items include audio and video recordings and typescripts.<br /><br />For more information, and for a schedule of upcoming lectures, please visit the <strong><a href="http://www.sjc.edu/programs-and-events/annapolis/formal-lecture-series/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St. John's College website</a></strong>. <br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Formal Lecture Series" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=5">Items in the St. John's College Formal Lecture Series—Annapolis Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.<br /><br />A growing number of lecture recordings are also available on the St. John's College (Annapolis) Lectures podcast. Visit <a href="https://anchor.fm/greenfieldlibrary" title="Anchor.fm">Anchor.fm</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/st-johns-college-annapolis-lectures/id1695157772">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy84Yzk5MzdhYy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw" title="Google Podcasts">Google Podcasts</a>, or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6GDsIRqC8SWZ28AY72BsYM?si=f2ecfa9e247a456f" title="Spotify">Spotify</a> to listen and subscribe.
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St. John's College Greenfield Library
Title
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St. John's College Formal Lecture Series—Annapolis
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formallectureseriesannapolis
Sound
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wav
Duration
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00:56:06
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Hegel on Reason in History
Description
An account of the resource
Audio recording of a lecture delivered by Mark Alznauer, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Northwestern University, on September 20, 2019 as part of the Formal Lecture Series.
Alznauer describes his lecture topic as follows: "Hegel says that the only presupposition that the philosopher brings to history is the simple thought of reason, that reason rules the world. In this lecture, I will compare Hegel’s philosophical histories (of the state, art, religion, and philosophy) to more empirical approaches, paying particular attention to the conceptual form of Hegel’s histories."
Creator
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Alznauer, Mark
Publisher
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St. John's College
Coverage
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Annapolis, MD
Date
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2019-09-20
Rights
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A signed permission form has been received stating, "I hereby grant St. John's College permission to make an audio recording of my lecture, and retain copies for circulation and archival preservation at the St. John's College Greenfield Library and to make an audio recording of my lecture available online."
Type
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sound
Format
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mp3
Subject
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Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, 1770-1831
History--Philosophy
Language
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English
Identifier
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Alznauer_Mark_2019-09-20
Alumni
Friday night lecture
-
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20c3977bd20226690a1dbf2ee47418f1
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SJC Films
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St. John's College Greenfield Library
Moving Image
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Original Format
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16 mm film
Duration
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00:34:13
Producer
Name (or names) of the person who produced the video
Fordel Films, Inc.
Director
Name (or names) of the person who produced the video
Barnes, John
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Title
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St. John's College
Description
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Film entitled "St. John's College" produced by Fordel Films in 1962. Originally distributed as marketing material, and describes the program and campus.
Creator
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Barnes, John (Director)
Publisher
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Fordel Films, Inc.
Coverage
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Annapolis, MD
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1962
Rights
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St. John's College owns the rights to this film.
Type
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moving image
Format
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mp4
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Livesey, Michael (Photographed by)
Johnson, Robert (Edited by)
Gunst, Dennis (Recorded by)
Fisher, Sandy (Music Recorded by)
Allanbrook, Douglas (Composer)
Gilbert, David (Flutist)
Barnes, John (Written and Directed by)
Brann, Eva T. H.
Zuckerkandl, Victor
Bart, Robert
Darkey, William A.
Klein, Jacob
Weigle, Richard Daniel, 1912-
Relation
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<a title="Original Uncompressed File" href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/VTS_01_1.VOB">Original Uncompressed File</a>
Language
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English
Identifier
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'St. John's College' film, 1962 Compressed
Subject
The topic of the resource
St. John's College (Annapolis, Md.). History.
Alumni
Deans
Presidents
Tutors
-
https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/e31e1173624ad369bac8df384341b4ff.mp4
4aae7cb306e61fe6c78a30432ba636e4
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SJC Films
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St. John's College Greenfield Library
Moving Image
A series of visual representations imparting an impression of motion when shown in succession. Examples include animations, movies, television programs, videos, zoetropes, or visual output from a simulation.
Original Format
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16 mm film
Duration
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00:25:29
Director
Name (or names) of the person who produced the video
Hessler, Gordon, 1925-2014
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St. John's Story
Description
An account of the resource
St. John's College film produced in 1954 describing the college and its program. Directed by Gordon Hessler, narrated by Mark Van Doren.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1954
Rights
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St. John's College owns the rights to this film.
Type
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moving image
Format
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mp4
Language
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English
Contributor
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Van Doren, Mark, 1894-1972
McGrath, Hugh P., 1914-1995
Zuckerkandl, Victor
Klein, Jacob
Weigle, Richard Daniel, 1912-
Scofield, Richard
Brown, Ford K. (Ford Keeler)
Strange, Miriam
Kiefer, John
Wilburn, Raymond H.
Relation
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<a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/VTS_01_1.VOB" title="Original Uncompressed File">Original Uncompressed File</a>
Identifier
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St. John's Story, 1954 Compressed
Subject
The topic of the resource
St. John's College (Annapolis, Md.). History.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Fordel Films
Alumni
Deans
Presidents
Tutors
-
https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/sjcdigitalarchives/original/d312d773bf4dfccc0bc22021cec8499c.jpg
454c9964c25451d62147647efba3b299
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Title
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Photographic Archive—Annapolis
Description
An account of the resource
<p>The Greenfield Library photographic archive houses over 5,000 photographs. The photographs in the collection document the history, academic, and community life of St. John’s College. The Library’s mission is to organize and preserve these unique visual materials, and to provide access to this collection. </p>
To learn more about our photographic use policy or to obtain high resolution images, please see the <strong><a title="Photographic Archive Use Policy" href="http://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/libraries/greenfield-library/policies/#photographicarchivepolicy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Library’s Photographic Archive Use Policy</a></strong>.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Photographic Archives" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=7">Items in the Photographic Archive—Annapolis Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
St. John's College
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
St. John's College Greenfield Library
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
photographicarchiveannapolis
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Physical Dimensions
The actual physical size of the original image
25.5 x 20.5 cm.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Photograph
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SJC-P-2578
Title
A name given to the resource
David E. Starr in Conversation with Christopher T. Lynch Outside on the Campus Quadrangle, St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland
Description
An account of the resource
1 photographic print : b&w
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1986
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Unknown
Subject
The topic of the resource
Starr, David E.
Lynch, Christopher T.
St. John's College (Annapolis, Md.). -- Faculty.
St. John's College (Annapolis, Md.). -- Students.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Still Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
St. John's College owns the rights to this photograph.
Alumni
Tutors
-
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087d530e5835f4a84ccfc1c10ee75043
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Photographic Archive—Annapolis
Description
An account of the resource
<p>The Greenfield Library photographic archive houses over 5,000 photographs. The photographs in the collection document the history, academic, and community life of St. John’s College. The Library’s mission is to organize and preserve these unique visual materials, and to provide access to this collection. </p>
To learn more about our photographic use policy or to obtain high resolution images, please see the <strong><a title="Photographic Archive Use Policy" href="http://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/libraries/greenfield-library/policies/#photographicarchivepolicy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Library’s Photographic Archive Use Policy</a></strong>.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Photographic Archives" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=7">Items in the Photographic Archive—Annapolis Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
St. John's College
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
St. John's College Greenfield Library
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
photographicarchiveannapolis
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Physical Dimensions
The actual physical size of the original image
25.5 x 20.5 cm.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Photograph
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SJC-P-2577
Title
A name given to the resource
David E. Starr in Conversation with Christopher T. Lynch Outside on the Campus Quadrangle, St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland
Description
An account of the resource
1 photographic print : b&w
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1986
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Unknown
Subject
The topic of the resource
Starr, David E.
Lynch, Christopher T.
St. John's College (Annapolis, Md.). -- Faculty.
St. John's College (Annapolis, Md.). -- Students.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Still Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
St. John's College owns the rights to this photograph.
Alumni
Tutors
-
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c7aab27e4b4c7cb716d559d23a1ea82d
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Photographic Archive—Annapolis
Description
An account of the resource
<p>The Greenfield Library photographic archive houses over 5,000 photographs. The photographs in the collection document the history, academic, and community life of St. John’s College. The Library’s mission is to organize and preserve these unique visual materials, and to provide access to this collection. </p>
To learn more about our photographic use policy or to obtain high resolution images, please see the <strong><a title="Photographic Archive Use Policy" href="http://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/libraries/greenfield-library/policies/#photographicarchivepolicy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Library’s Photographic Archive Use Policy</a></strong>.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Photographic Archives" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=7">Items in the Photographic Archive—Annapolis Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
St. John's College
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
St. John's College Greenfield Library
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
photographicarchiveannapolis
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Physical Dimensions
The actual physical size of the original image
17.5 x 13 cm.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Photograph
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SJC-P-2485
Title
A name given to the resource
Robert A. Goldwin Seated in the Randall Hall Dining Room during Homecoming, St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland, 1971
Description
An account of the resource
1 photographic print : b&w
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1971
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Unknown
Subject
The topic of the resource
Goldwin, Robert A., 1922-
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Still Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
St. John's College owns the rights to this photograph.
Alumni
Deans
Dining Hall
Randall Hall
Tutors
-
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0d95fb6b4b152f009d3d9af7b6bcdb85
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Photographic Archive—Annapolis
Description
An account of the resource
<p>The Greenfield Library photographic archive houses over 5,000 photographs. The photographs in the collection document the history, academic, and community life of St. John’s College. The Library’s mission is to organize and preserve these unique visual materials, and to provide access to this collection. </p>
To learn more about our photographic use policy or to obtain high resolution images, please see the <strong><a title="Photographic Archive Use Policy" href="http://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/libraries/greenfield-library/policies/#photographicarchivepolicy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Library’s Photographic Archive Use Policy</a></strong>.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Photographic Archives" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=7">Items in the Photographic Archive—Annapolis Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
St. John's College
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
St. John's College Greenfield Library
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
photographicarchiveannapolis
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Physical Dimensions
The actual physical size of the original image
11 x 9 cm.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Photograph
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SJC-P-2477
Title
A name given to the resource
Kathryn Kinzer Seated with Benjamin Flaumenhaft
Description
An account of the resource
1 photographic print : color
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1975-1985 [circa]
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Unknown
Subject
The topic of the resource
Kinzer, Kathryn
Flaumenhaft, Benjamin
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Still Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
St. John's College owns the rights to this photograph.
Alumni
Librarians
-
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92ea954004145e207e77716a404ca8cf
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Photographic Archive—Annapolis
Description
An account of the resource
<p>The Greenfield Library photographic archive houses over 5,000 photographs. The photographs in the collection document the history, academic, and community life of St. John’s College. The Library’s mission is to organize and preserve these unique visual materials, and to provide access to this collection. </p>
To learn more about our photographic use policy or to obtain high resolution images, please see the <strong><a title="Photographic Archive Use Policy" href="http://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/libraries/greenfield-library/policies/#photographicarchivepolicy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Library’s Photographic Archive Use Policy</a></strong>.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Photographic Archives" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=7">Items in the Photographic Archive—Annapolis Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
St. John's College
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
St. John's College Greenfield Library
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
photographicarchiveannapolis
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Physical Dimensions
The actual physical size of the original image
13 x 17.5 cm.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Photograph
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SJC-P-2475
Title
A name given to the resource
Walter L. Plourde in Sunglasses
Description
An account of the resource
1 photographic print : b&w
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2/28/1983
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Parran, Tom
Subject
The topic of the resource
Plourde, Walter L.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Still Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
St. John's College owns the rights to this photograph.
Alumni
-
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691ef58458ff9a27d5ffd9f7e3f12c22
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Photographic Archive—Annapolis
Description
An account of the resource
<p>The Greenfield Library photographic archive houses over 5,000 photographs. The photographs in the collection document the history, academic, and community life of St. John’s College. The Library’s mission is to organize and preserve these unique visual materials, and to provide access to this collection. </p>
To learn more about our photographic use policy or to obtain high resolution images, please see the <strong><a title="Photographic Archive Use Policy" href="http://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/libraries/greenfield-library/policies/#photographicarchivepolicy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Library’s Photographic Archive Use Policy</a></strong>.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Photographic Archives" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=7">Items in the Photographic Archive—Annapolis Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
St. John's College
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
St. John's College Greenfield Library
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
photographicarchiveannapolis
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Physical Dimensions
The actual physical size of the original image
25.5 x 20.5 cm.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Photograph
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SJC-P-2458
Title
A name given to the resource
Portraits of Lacrosse Players on Back Campus, St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland
Description
An account of the resource
4 photographic prints : b&w
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930 [circa]
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Unknown
Subject
The topic of the resource
Purdie, Samuel B.
Athey, William B.
Lynch, Robert
Lynch, Willis K.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Still Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
St. John's College owns the rights to this photograph.
Alumni
-
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e44cf330700e059835481d4b3e060284
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Photographic Archive—Annapolis
Description
An account of the resource
<p>The Greenfield Library photographic archive houses over 5,000 photographs. The photographs in the collection document the history, academic, and community life of St. John’s College. The Library’s mission is to organize and preserve these unique visual materials, and to provide access to this collection. </p>
To learn more about our photographic use policy or to obtain high resolution images, please see the <strong><a title="Photographic Archive Use Policy" href="http://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/libraries/greenfield-library/policies/#photographicarchivepolicy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Library’s Photographic Archive Use Policy</a></strong>.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Photographic Archives" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=7">Items in the Photographic Archive—Annapolis Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
St. John's College
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
St. John's College Greenfield Library
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
photographicarchiveannapolis
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Physical Dimensions
The actual physical size of the original image
25.5 x 20.5 cm.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Photograph
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SJC-P-2457
Title
A name given to the resource
Portraits of Football Players on Back Campus and near Iglehart Hall
Portrait of Basketball Players near Iglehart Hall, St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland
Description
An account of the resource
3 photographic prints : b&w
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930 [circa]
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Unknown
Subject
The topic of the resource
Fader, Ferdinand
Group Portraits
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Still Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
St. John's College owns the rights to this photograph.
Alumni
-
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dbfb03edc8d2e31ba58d1d0ff46c6afc
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Photographic Archive—Annapolis
Description
An account of the resource
<p>The Greenfield Library photographic archive houses over 5,000 photographs. The photographs in the collection document the history, academic, and community life of St. John’s College. The Library’s mission is to organize and preserve these unique visual materials, and to provide access to this collection. </p>
To learn more about our photographic use policy or to obtain high resolution images, please see the <strong><a title="Photographic Archive Use Policy" href="http://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/libraries/greenfield-library/policies/#photographicarchivepolicy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Library’s Photographic Archive Use Policy</a></strong>.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Photographic Archives" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=7">Items in the Photographic Archive—Annapolis Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
St. John's College
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
St. John's College Greenfield Library
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
photographicarchiveannapolis
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Physical Dimensions
The actual physical size of the original image
25.5 x 20.5 cm.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Photograph
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SJC-P-2455
Title
A name given to the resource
Group Portrait of Basketball Teams outside of Iglehart Hall
Group Portrait of Lacrosse Team
Group Portrait of Lacrosse Team behind McDowell Hall, St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland
Description
An account of the resource
4 photographic prints : b&w
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930 [circa]
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Pickering, E. H.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Group Portraits
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Still Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
St. John's College owns the rights to this photograph.
Alumni
Iglehart Hall
McDowell Hall
-
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b05f73abb1107703ca0365378f2d1943
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Photographic Archive—Annapolis
Description
An account of the resource
<p>The Greenfield Library photographic archive houses over 5,000 photographs. The photographs in the collection document the history, academic, and community life of St. John’s College. The Library’s mission is to organize and preserve these unique visual materials, and to provide access to this collection. </p>
To learn more about our photographic use policy or to obtain high resolution images, please see the <strong><a title="Photographic Archive Use Policy" href="http://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/libraries/greenfield-library/policies/#photographicarchivepolicy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Library’s Photographic Archive Use Policy</a></strong>.<br /><br />Click on <strong><a title="Photographic Archives" href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/items/browse?collection=7">Items in the Photographic Archive—Annapolis Collection</a></strong> to view and sort all items in the collection.
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
St. John's College
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
St. John's College Greenfield Library
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
photographicarchiveannapolis
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Physical Dimensions
The actual physical size of the original image
25.5 x 20.5 cm.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Photograph
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
SJC-P-2453
Title
A name given to the resource
Basketball Team Group Portrait in front of Iglehart Hall
Portraits of Lacrosse Players on Back Campus, Basketball Action Shots in Iglehart Hall Gymnasium, St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland
Description
An account of the resource
5 photographic prints : b&w
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930 [circa]
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Unknown
Subject
The topic of the resource
Hines, Edward B.
Casassa, Paul E.
Group Portraits
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Annapolis, MD
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Still Image
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
St. John's College owns the rights to this photograph.
Alumni
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