According to My Friends
Students parse how friendship flows. Direct answers, to fundamental questions, from Class I–transitioning from Milton to college–and Class IV, working toward friendships that last. Here’s what they said. What is a friend? You can be quiet, relaxed and comfortable around a friend. A friend is trustworthy. Otherwise, you can’t be open. A friend makes you feel good about yourself, but doesn’t necessarily always tell you what you want to hear. You have fun with a friend; he makes you laugh, no matter what you’re doing together. A friend watches your back. Becoming a friend...
Read MoreA Fond Farewell Ann Carter 1917–2011
One of my—and Milton’s—oldest and best friends, Ann Carter, died in December in Hanover, New Hampshire. She was the wife of Ad Carter ’32, longtime faculty member and renowned mountaineer. Ann was in her 95th year, yet her death was surprising to those who knew her. She seemed ageless. Her parents lived to 100. I believe that Ann expected to reach or exceed that mark. In her Christmas letter to family and friends, she wrote of her marvelous, active summer at her family’s place on the Cape, surrounded by her offspring, swimming in Pleasant Bay and sailing her ancient catboat. More...
Read MoreCampus Walls Speak About History
Milton honors friends in many ways. Today’s students frequently find alumni clustered around photographs on a well-traveled hallway, locating an image that unlocks a trove of memories. Not only along hallways, but also in entryways or nooks, and showcased on walls that frame a key public space, Milton celebrates students, alumni, faculty and benefactors dating back to 1798. Many alumni in search of a memory enjoyed meeting Cathie Farrington, director of stewardship, who tended Milton’s collection with great care for many years before retiring in December 2011. Click here to view...
Read MoreAn Individual Sport Where Team Culture Is the Winner
In New England, swimming is a winter-season sport. Swimmers come in from the cold, peel off the layers, pull on their suits (still wet from the day before, in some cases), slip into their lanes and push their bodies to exhausting limits. Their motivation comes from their love of the sport, and at Milton it also comes from a supportive and fun team culture that the coaches work hard to foster. Twenty-four years ago, with David Foster (English faculty and, earlier, college counselor), Coach Bob Tyler brought the coed Milton swim team from club status to an interscholastic, competitive team....
Read MoreDaring to be honest
Todd, did you realize that your collar is flying free, like a wing?” my friend asked. I had missed a collar button. We laughed. How many people had noticed my weird look that morning but didn’t want to embarrass me, or embarrass themselves? True friends will clue you in on a missed button, a piece of parsley in your teeth, the occasional need for a Tic Tac or—heaven forbid!—the advice to adjust your zipper altitude. Even these simple comments are not easy to offer or, sometimes, to receive. Respectful, honest friendships, however, help protect us from “blind spots,” small and...
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