FWCD Valedictorians

FWCD ValedictoriansWritten by Norma Wilkerson H’07

Norma Wilkerson H’07

Last June, as Frasher Hudson Pergande ’81 and Cynthia Rimmer Prince’87 worked on plans for Fort Worth Country Day’s 50th anniversary celebration, Frasher asked me to consider writing a couple of articles about FWCD’s historhistory. Because I taught at FWCD for 35 years, from August 1976 through May 2011, served as dean of students from 1996 through 1998 and as senior dean from 1998 through 2007, Frasher thought I could say something about our valedictorians. Knowing one valedictorian only as the parent of an FWCD student and 36 more of these young men and women as students, I agreed to write the article.

Not long after, a large package arrived in the mail. Frasher had sent a stack of pages copied from Frasher had sent a stack of pages copied from the Falcon Quill and a list of names and contact information for all of Fort Worth Country Day’s valedictorians. After reading through years of interviews, I e-mailed four questions to all the valedictorians who had either completed an alumni survey in 2009 or provided e-mail addresses to FWCD’s online directordirectory, one of many services offered to alumni in the Falcon Portal. (FWCD alumni simply provide their login name and password and searchthe online directory to say in contact with classmates and friends. Don’t have a login name and password? Contact Tiffini Crum, Web content manager, for assistance.) My questions elicited 15 emails and one telephone call. They also elicited many smiles, some laughter and much pride as I learned what some of FWCD’s valedictorians are doing today, what motivated them as students and what emotivated them as students and what effect their year’s here have had ontheir college and life experiences. What I learned should make every member of our community equally proud.

...many smiles, some laughter and much pride as I learned what some of FWCD’s valedictorians are doing today, what motivated them as students and what effect their year’s here have had on theircollege and life experiences. What I learned should make every member of our community equally proud.

Baron Lobstein ‘89

Since its first senior class in 1967, Fort Worth Country Day has graduated 46 valedictorians—23 women and 23 men. Some continued their education close to 46 valedictorians—23 women and 23 men. Some continued their education close to home—at Texas Christian University, University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M and Rice University. Some went west to Stanford University and California Institute of Technology; one, north to Carleton College in Minnesota; and many, east, to Amherst College, Cornell University, Davidson College, Duke University, Princeton University, Wellesley College, Williams College and Yale University, with a quarter of FWCD’s valedictorians attending Harvard University.

AA sampling of the professions or courses of study of the 46 valedictorians reveals great variety. One works in international real estate; another, as assistant general counsel of a publicly traded oil and gas company in Fort Worth; another is a licensed dietician for Southern Methodist University; another works as a senior vice president in a financial services firm while serving as the chairman of the board of the Van Cliburn Foundation; and another is in his second year of a five-year orthopaedic surgery residency at VVanderbilt University. Retired and living in Virginia after working in banking and finance for 40 years, FWCD’s first valedictorian commented that working as a “senior risk officer for Chrysler Financial during the turmoil of 2007-2010 […] was exciting.” Another early valedictorian has retired from Silicon Valley, while another works there still as vice president of technology for a small company. Another works as an engineer for Alcon in Los Angeles, while a recent valedictorian is majoring in biomedical engineering at Duke University. Some chose careers in higher education, as, for example, a professor of astronomy at UCLA, a professor of law atastronomy at UCLA, a professor of law at Texas Wesleyan University, a vice chancellor with the Texas State University System in Austin, a professor in the chemical physics interdisciplinary program at the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University, and a historian and editor at the Journal of Southern History at Rice University. And one former FWCD valedictorian, in his capacity as a Foreign Service officer, is in the midst of a one-year appointment to the National Security Council where he is “part of a small team that supports the president on Russian policy.”

Since its first senior class in 1967, Fort Worth Country Day has graduated 46 valedictorians —23 women and 23 men.

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Despite their many differences, FWCD’s valedictorians have some remarkable similarities. Several mentioned being proud parents and a few even included delightful pictures of their spouses and children. Some of those children have attended or are attending FWCD, among them, a set of triplets who will graduate this May. Of the 46 valedictorians, either in response to e-mailed questions or in interviews for the Falcon Quill when they were high school seniors, the majority attributed their academic achievement primarily to seniors, the majority attributed their academic achievement primarily to self-motivation. They also spoke of their “wonderful and supportive parents” who “taught [them] to love learning […] and provided amazing educational opportunities.” More than one observed that their families encouraged, but did not pressure, them to achieve in their academic pursuits. A few specifically mentioned the positive influence of classmates who created a “great environment,” a “culture […] supportive of academic achievement,” and one asserted that his class “had so many talented people that any one of a asserted that his class “had so many talented people that any one of a half-dozen […] might have earned [the] distinction” of valedictorian.”

Every respondent acknowledged, in one way or another, the role of FWCD’s “amazing teachers” in his or her academic success. One spoke of the“intellectual curiosity” modeled by teachers; another, of teachers who provided “motivation and inspiration;” and anotheprovided “motivation and inspiration;” and another, of teachers “who set the standards pretty high,” encouraged improvement and “showed [him that he] could do better.” One emphasized “[w]hat a luxury it was to know and trust that [her] FWCD teachers’ doors were always open and that there was never anything that was too insignificant to ask.” Most of FWCD’s valedictorians referred to the influence of specific classes, such as a “solid preparation in referred to the influence of specific classes, such as a “solid preparation in mathematics and science,” the “emphasis on the arts,” the “love of studying history” and “how to do basic historical research and to develop informed views on the basis of sometimes biased source materials,” and “an emphasis on how to write at the college level while still encouraging students.” One noted that “the experience [he] had working on the FWCD yearbook result[ed] in [his] doing four more years of photography and editing for the Harvard yearbook.” yearbook.” Another declared that his professors “thought of [him] as something of an anomaly: the engineer who could express himself,” and another stated that he uses his “foreign languages constantly.”

Despite their many differences, FWCD’s valedictorians have some remarkable similarities.

Some of the earlier valedictorians recalled “the hours with the Writing Guide” and its “rigid discipline” and most respondents commented on how the “ability to write and communicate” learned at FWCD helped in their college and/or professional experiences. A valedictorian from the 1990s declared, “Close reading, writing and rewriting, critical thinking, making an argument, evaluating evidence, critical thinking, making an argument, evaluating evidence, independent study, time management—all these were indispensable skills that I took with me from CDS.” A 1980s valedictorian wrote, “College was just an extended chance to practice skills that I learned in high school.” A more recent valedictorian stated that “FWCD provided a perfect environment to succeed by encouraging and providing without necessarily requiring [him] to be or do things a without necessarily requiring [him] to be or do things a certain way.” When specifically asked about the effect of their academic experience at FWCD on their college experience, all who responded asserted that their experience at FWCD made their transition from high school to college easier and prepared them well for its challenges. One declared that the “academic environment challenges. One declared that the “academic environment at FWCD […] instilled […] the determination to seek its equal in both [her] undergraduate and graduate school experience.”

While such assertions are affirming for any member of the FWCD community, I found most gratifying and memorable the responses to the last question asked of the valedictorans contacted via e-mail. When asked about the valedictorans contacted via e-mail. When asked about the effect the FWCD experience has had on his life since college, a valedictorian from the 1970s commented that since he and his classmates were what founding Headmaster Peter Schwartz referred to as “plankholders,” Headmaster Peter Schwartz referred to as “plankholders,” he was always comfortable with his involvement with “start-ups” in the computer industry. Another valedictorian from the same decade declared, “Fort Worth Country Day excels at teaching students ‘how to learn,’ which has proved to be a good life skill [.]” To the same question, a 1980s valedictorian responded that FWCD provided “both the tools to succeed in many dithe tools to succeed in many different contexts and the curiosity to fight against the almost automatic narrowing of scope” experienced in his chosen major and profession.

One declared that the “academic environment at FWCD […] instilled […] the determination to seek its equal in both [her] undergraduate and graduate school experience.”experience.”

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Valedictorians from the 1970s through 2002 also spoke eloquently of the friendships they formed at FWCD, friendships they still enjoy, no matter where they live today. The words of a 1990s valedictorian sum up beautifully the responses and experiences of all the talented men and women recognized as Fort Worth Country Day’s valedictorians: “To be a lifelong learner, to be intellectually curious, to be tolerant and respectful, to be interested in new intellectually curious, to be tolerant and respectful, to be interested in new ideas and new people, to value science and the humanities as worthy pursuits, to be a productive and generous member of the community—all values instilled and reinforced by my CDS education.”

TTo such eloquence I can only respond with a heartfelt, but inadequate, thank-you to all the valedictorians and all the other young men and women I have had the pleasure to teach and know at FWCD and a special thank-you to all the valedictorians who took the time to share their memories and thoughts with me:

1967 Darcy Walker1970 David Joel Renaud19721972 Peter Ellery Graves1973 Matthew Arnold Malkan1975 Carla Kemp Thompson1980 Robin Blumberg Selinger1981 Elizabeth Higginbotham Hertel1982 Ann Barksdale House1988 Knox Carey19891989 Baron Lobstein1992 Bethany Johnson Dylewski2001 Claire Florsheim2002 Geof LeBus2006 James Pratt2011 Katherine Livingston

Margaret Lee ‘12

The words of a 1990s valedictorian sum up beautifully the responses and experiences of all the talented men and women recognized as Fort Worth Country Day’s valedictorians: “To be a lifelong learner, to be intellectually curious, to be tolerant and respectful, to be interested in new ideas and new people, to value science and the humanities as worthy pursuits, to be a productive and generous member of the community—all values instilled and reinforced by my CDS education.”

The Falcon QuillSenior Issues 1967-2012

Archival Research is currently seeking copies of the May 1972, 1973 and 1976 Falcon Quill. If you have a copy to share,

please contact [email protected].