A Newsletter from the Abbot@Andover Committee
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"...celebrating and facilitating interaction among alumnae and perpetuating Abbot's spirit within the Andover Community"
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A Note from the Editor: Sara Ingram ’71
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The Abbot Telescope, Sara Ingram
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This is the final time that I will have the pleasure of editing this newsletter as my term as an Abbot@Andover (A@A) committee member is coming to an end. I appreciate my fellow A@A committee members for their encouragement and for providing me with a platform to indulge my love of Abbot history. A special shout out to Sandra Castle Hull ’58, P’81, ’84 for consistently supplying the recipes in the “Abbot Edibles” module (everyone’s favorite!). This newsletter would never exist without the able support of the Office of Alumni Engagement team. Finally, I gratefully thank the Abbot alumnae who have kindly taken the time to read this newsletter.
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Abbot Alumnae Inducted into the 2024 Athletics Hall of Honor
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Jane Cashin Demers ’73, P’03, ’05
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Jane Cashin Demers
The 1973 Circle, Abbot Archives
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During her time at Abbot, Demers played varsity tennis, basketball, and lacrosse and participated in cheerleading. To learn more about her impressive post-Abbot sports career including rowing in the 1974 World Championships in Switzerland please click here.
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Allison Jennings McCance ’60
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Allison Jennings McCance ’60
The 1960 Circle, Abbot Archives
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Allison “Sunny” Jennings McCance began her athletic journey at Abbot Academy, where she played two years of varsity tennis. McCance was a championship tennis and platform tennis player throughout her estimable career. Her dedication to the sport went beyond playing. She served on the boards of the American Platform Tennis Association and the USTA/New England Tennis Association. Click here to learn more about McCance’s career and life.
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The latest iteration of the Abbot Bazaar occurred on a rainy Sunday, May 5th. Due to the weather, the event was largely held in the Snyder Center but that did not keep attendees from having fun. Events included live music, food, booths including one for the Abbot Archives, a pie eating contest and more.
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An Abbot Telescope Wedding Cake
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March 2013 New York Times
Photo: Reena Bammi for The New York Time
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When romance, stars and antique telescopes experts meet, it can be a beautiful thing. Such was the case when Dr. Sara Schechner and Ken Launie met and fell in love. Sara is the David P. Wheatland curator of Harvard’s Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments and Ken is a past-president of the Antique Telescope Society. Their 2013 wedding was held at the Whitin Observatory of Wellesley College. And to top it all off, a model of the Abbot telescope decorated their wedding cake.
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New Abbot Academy Banners on Campus
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As part of the year-long celebration marking the 50th anniversary of Abbot Academy and Phillips Academy merging to become a singular institution, new banners that more clearly identify Abbot’s historic School Street campus were recently unveiled.
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Abbot Academy Fund (AAF) Grant:
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Dr. Gwyneth Walker ’64 Debuts New Orchestral Piece on Campus
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Using an AAF grant, the Andover Music Department commissioned Dr. Gwyneth Walker ’64 to write a piece for the string orchestra. With Dr. Walker’s expertise and assistance, this piece premiered at the Orchestra’s Spring Concert on May 3, 2024 in Cochran Chapel.
Awaken is a three-movement suite intended to celebrate the music of today nurtured by the legacy of fine musicianship at the combined schools of Abbot Academy and Phillips Academy, Andover.
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Abbot Archives: Cynosure Ice Cream Flavor Poll
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1971 Abbot Bulletin, Abbot Archives
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| A 1971 Cynosure described the typical Abbot girl’s love of ice cream as follows, “Mere words can't ever express the supreme ecstasy experienced by the seasoned Abbot ice cream gourmet upon viewing a luscious glacier-sized bowl of this tempting dessert.”
The high points of the week for ice cream lovers were Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday dinners when Abbot girls were able to shamelessly indulge in bowl after bowl of this refreshing treat. Apparently approximately fifteen gallons of ice cream were consumed per meal.
Self- appointed ice cream gourmet, Elizabeth Baird ’75, ran a Cynosure poll which attempted to determine students' favorite ice cream flavors. Of the 175 ballots returned, mint chocolate chip, chocolate chip, peppermint stick, and coffee (in that order) were most popular.
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The Abbot Telescope now installed in the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library (OWHL)
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Photograph 1935, Abbot Archives
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The Abbot Telescope was purchased via an Abbot Academy Fund Grant submitted by Caroline Odden, Dean of Studies and Physics Instructor. The Telescope was recently installed in the lobby of the OWHL by former owner of 50 years, John W. Briggs ’77. Read more and see photos here.
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Jennifer Cecere ’69 is Addison's Current Artist-in-Residence
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Two large-scale art installations, by Jennifer Cecere ’69, were commissioned as a way to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Abbot Academy and Phillips Academy becoming a single institution. The installations, one on the Andover campus and one on the Abbot campus, re-contextualize the humble lace doily ornament and dynamically link both campuses. To watch a video where Ms. Cecere describes her work and creative process click here.
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Post WWII, cars became largely available to many households, a phenomenon which began to reshape American culture. With respect to Abbot, families took advantage of their vehicles and drove to visit their daughters in large numbers on weekends. This situation disrupted the quiet of campus life and the principal, Miss Hearsey, sought a solution to this problem. Miss Hearsey inaugurated an annual Parents' Weekend which largely alleviate the issue. Special programs were set up for visiting parents and their students to make the weekend special. Parent’s Weekend became such a success that Andover has continued this tradition to this day.
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Julia Alvarez ’67 Publishes New Novel, The Cemetery of Untold Stories
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Julia Alvarez has recently published her latest novel, The Cemetery of Untold Stories. This is a funny, life-affirming book about storytelling, friendship and death. Alvarez recently joined the Podcast “Poured Over” to talk about the novel, aging, community, and how we chose which stories we tell. To listen click here.
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By Sandra Castle Hull AA ’58, P’81, ’84
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| My much-loved grandmother, Eleanor Jaffrey Thomson Castle, was born in 1878 and died in 1980. For much of her life she lived in the family house at 54 Abbot Street, Andover, MA. She was affiliated with the Abbot Academy Class of 1896.
When my grandmother married my grandfather, Alfred Lucius Castle, in 1908, they lived in Quincy, IL. In 1918, my grandmother gathered a number of local women and made all the complex travel plans involved in going to the Democratic Convention to be held in Chicago, IL. The group planned to join other women and convince Theodore Roosevelt (if he became President) to “give the rightful vote to women.”
The only problem was that in 1918, a group of married women could not travel alone without a male escort. The group of husbands decided to disallow their wives to attend the convention. When my grandfather got home from work, he and my grandmother visited each husband and he convinced the husbands to “allow” the trip.
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My wonderful grandmother’s response years later? “I was very angry, not because the husbands, initially, would not let them go to Chicago. I was furious because I had to ask my husband to help me get everyone there!”
Click here to view Grandma Castle’s Icebox Pudding.
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Co-Chairs: Lori Goodman Seegers ’73, P’05 & Faith Barnes ’74
Committee Members
Nathalie Taft Andrews ’59, Martha Mason Denzel ’62,
Sandra Castle Hull ’58, P’81, ’84, Noreen A. Markley ’73, P’11,
Priscilla A. Martel ’74, Mary F. McCabe ’71, Chandri Navarro ’82, P’15,
Susan W. Peters ’75, P’09, ’12, Holly Robertson Taylor ’59
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