“Why do we return to our dear alma mater St. Albans?” remarked Alumni Association Board President Thomas Duckenfield ’82 at the annual Alumni Dinner. “We come back to stand once more in the orbit of the school masters who shaped us, the pantheon of faculty—brilliant, eccentric, demanding, humane—who left an imprint on us, more enduring than any building or tradition. Their influence was not uniform, it was kaleidoscopic. Each master refracted the school’s ethos in a different hue. And together they created the distinct esprit de corps that still binds us long after we’ve left the Close.” 

The school presented several awards to deserving faculty and alumni. Headmaster Jason Robinson bestowed the Hall-Hoffman Teacher Coach Award on Form A teacher and Form I basketball and baseball coach Jack Levner. Established by Walter D. Haynes ’57, the award honors Carter Hall ’39, Sam Hoffman, and other STA teachers who taught students in the classroom and on the athletic fields that, through maximum effort, they could excel with honor in all they do. “I love the spirit of this award,” noted Headmaster Robinson. “In an era of increasing specialization, it’s an extraordinary thing to have individuals at this school who commit their full heart and self, not just in the classroom, but also by continuing to teach and mentor young men on the athletic field.” 

Richard Ruge ’59 presented the Ferdinand and Louise Ruge Travel Fellowship Award—established to honor his parents and their years of service to the school—to Upper School librarian Dennis Seese. 

Vernon Holleman ’89 introduced his uncle and former board chair Dick Schoenfeld ’76, who received the Gilchrist-Holleman Alumni Service Award, named in memory of the Rev. Charlie Gilchrist ’64 and Vernon Holleman ’64. Schoenfeld has volunteered on the Close for thirty-four years, serving on the boards of the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, the Cathedral, the St. Albans School of Public Service, and St. Albans, where he was also board chair and co-chaired the Centennial Campaign that helped build Marriott Hall and advance the school’s endowment.

In receiving the award, Schoenfeld recalled his first day at St. Albans: the firm handshake and warm welcome from Pete Gordon, hamburgers and French fries for lunch, and the gear he received for C Form intramural tackle football.

Acknowledging his family’s long and deep connection to the school (four generations have attended, including Dick’s great uncle Herbert, a member of the second graduating class of 1911, his father, John ’45, his brother, John ’74, and his son, Richard ’08), Schonefeld stated: “This school has been in the bloodstream of the Schoenfeld family for a long time. While it’s my family that introduced me to St. Albans, it is what I learned here that has kept me involved: … choosing the hard right over the easy wrong, pursuing excellence, and valuing honesty and integrity were lessons learned at home but also here at school. Although these lessons weren’t necessarily at the top of my mind when I graduated, they have taken on deeper meaning as life has unfolded, as I’m sure they have for all of us … My journey of service here at St. Alban started with the Faculty Housing and Mortgage Assistance Committee in 1992, helping young faculty members purchase their first home. That modest beginning led to deeper involvement, more committees, more meetings, not only St Albans, but also at the Cathedral and the PECF … St. Albans has a remarkable way of drawing you in, reminding you that service is not a duty, it’s a privilege.”

During the dinner, one more Schoenfeld joined the alumni of St. Albans when Headmaster Robinson conferred an honorary diploma on Hunter Schoenfeld, wife of Dick ’76 and mother of Richard ’08, for her inspiring work as a volunteer form chair, Flower Guild member, Christmas House Tour co-chair, and co-chair of the school’s Centennial Celebration.

Said Hunter Schoenfeld: To “be formally welcomed into this brotherhood is an honor I will forever cherish. What I found on the Close was not simply a school for our son. It was a community for our family. From the beginning, we were welcomed, enveloped, and supported. And St. Albans became a home for me as well. I was struck by the quiet confidence St. Albans instills in its boys, the expectation of integrity when no one is watching, the reverence for faith and tradition, and the instinct to show up for one another for this school and for something larger than oneself. These qualities are what make this place and all of you men extraordinary.”

As co-chair with Associated Headmaster Paul Piazza and Richard Ruge ’59 of the school’s hundredth anniversary celebration, Hunter helped orchestrate several events, including a school- and city-wide day of service, a political roundtable in the Cathedral, and a party for 1,500 on the tented Little Field. “That evening, everything I’d come to admire about St. Albans was on full display: intelligence grounded in humility, leadership rooted in service, unwavering loyalty to one another, and the alumni’s deep, deep gratitude for the faculty who shaped them from boys to men,” recalled Hunter. “And while I may not have attended classes here at St. Albans, I am indebted to the school for shaping me as well. Thank you again to the Alumni Board. I am so very tickled pink to be one of St. Albans’ more unconventional alumni.”

Ben Chew ’80 (father of Benj ’29 and Henry ’30 and partner at Shepherd Mullin Law Firm) offered the keynote address, speaking about his experience as co-lead counsel for Johnny Depp, during Depp’s defamation trial against his former wife. “Many years have passed since a very scared 75-pound child was in the back of Mr. Spicer’s C Form class hoping, praying he wouldn’t be called upon,” said Chew. “We all have heard in this very wonderful refectory the lessons …: Take the hard right against the easy wrong. Take your studies and your work seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. Think critically; don’t just accept whatever the common wisdom is of the day. And these lessons helped me when I ended up serving as the lead counsel for Johnny Depp.” Chew then gave a detailed, behind-the-scenes account of his work in support of Depp, from prepping for the trial to the jury’s decision. 

Headmaster’s Report Headmaster Robinson shared an update on the past school year, sharing his excitement for football’s win over Landon, all three fall sports teams sharing in the IAC championships for the first time since 1979, and hockey winning the IAC. He characterized the Upper School musical Hadestown as one of the best in recent years; described the joy of returning to the Little Sanctuary this fall, where students are sharing thoughtful and moving chapel talks; celebrated the academic endeavors of the boys; and shared the school’s need to increase the endowment to support our teachers, coaches, and students. Said Robinson: “Our endowment enables us to recruit and retain the most amazing teachers, the most amazing coaches, mentors, and chaplains, while enabling us to bring to the school the best and brightest boys. And the magic that happens between our teachers, coaches, advisors, mentors, and our boys is what makes this place so special.”

The Rev. Melissa Hollerith, Upper School chaplain, offered the blessing at the end of the dinner: “Almighty and everlasting, God, we all have gifts to bring to fruition in this life, offerings to make and offerings to share. We ask that you help us to live up to our potential, to use our minds to their fullest extent, to never squander what we've been given. And now, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things and the blessing of God. Be with each and every one of you this day and always. Amen.”

For more photos from the evening, visit our Flickr album.