|
| (From left) David Jeffery, Principal; Dick Brown '58; Marty Alter Chen '60; Gerry Williams '42; Virgil Miedema, President, Woodstock School Board of Directors. |
Distinguished Alumni at Woodstock
Film star Tom Alter, himself a former student of Woodstock School, was the Master of Ceremonies as the Woodstock community gathered to honour three of its distinguished alumni on Friday 17th March. Since these awards were introduced three years ago, they have rapidly established themselves as an important annual event in the Woodstock calendar.
A crowded Parker Hall watched and listened appreciatively as the lives of these three ex-students were celebrated through words, music and photograph. Tom Alter's older sister, Marty Alter Chen, Class of 1960, was one of the recipients of the award, and the audience greatly enjoyed the banter between them, with Tom recounting embarrassing moments from her youth. Marty was being honoured for her lifetime's achievements as a writer and activist in the cause of relieving the poverty of rural women in India. Renana Jhabvala, National Coordinator of the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), sent in this tribute, which was used in the presentation: "Marty has used all her skills, her intellectual abilities, her work positions, her social circles and her emotions to promote the cause of poor working women in India. Her achievements for the poor women of India are remarkable."
The second recipient was Dick Brown from the class of 1958. He too has spent a lifetime in development work in South East Asia, in his case working with US Government and United Nations agencies, with postings in Korea, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Egypt and India. The extent and effectiveness of Dick's work was taken notice of in 2002 when he received the President's Rank Award, the highest award made to Senior Executives in US government service.
The final and most senior recipient was Gerry Williams, who graduated in 1942. Gerry is a very respected potter, based in New Hampshire, USA, who has received many honours for his work, including the first-ever title of Artist Laureate of New Hampshire. Born in India, and much influenced by the work and philosophy of Gandhi-ji, whom he met on several occasions, Gerry's principles of non-violence and spirituality are visible both in his life and in his work. Gerry spent a week in the school, conducting workshops and inspiring both students and staff.
On the afternoon of the awards, senior students had the opportunity to interact with the three guests in a symposium on the theme of "21st Century Development", at which there was time to explore the many issues facing the world today, and to learn from true experts what the next generation needs to do to address them.