Mary Jo Ramos, Modern Language Department
Mary Jo Ramos, Modern Language Department Member of the Faculty, 1998–2015 Mary Jo Ramos, in the eyes and hearts of teachers, students, parents and alumni, is a most caring and generous colleague. She feeds us, supports us, challenges us, inspires us and champions us. Whether she has responded to cover a class in Ware Hall, or coached the Middle School Speech Team to nationals in a Midwestern city, or traveled to Spain with students on a new adventure, Mary Jo understands and tends to the needs and the hopes of all, building toward their...
read moreJanet Levine, English Department
Janet Levine, English Department Member of the Faculty, 1986–2014 Last year the English department saw the departure of Janet Levine, one of its most veteran members, whose worldly intellect enriched generations of students and colleagues. A writer and political activist fleeing South Africa’s apartheid government, Janet moved to Milton in 1984 when her sons, Roger and Tony, enrolled in the Middle School, and Janet turned to her burgeoning writing career that produced such diverse titles as Inside Apartheid (1988), The Enneagram...
read moreMickey Steimle, English Department
Mickey Steimle, English Department Member of the Faculty, 1982–2014 Arriving in 1982, a daughter of teachers, a mother of two girls under eight, and already an experienced teacher herself, Mickey Steimle had two connections to the School: her sister Sheila in the English department, and her beloved husband, Chip, a graduate from 1965 with strong ties to Milton. Her first weeks were a tad overwhelming: teaching Middle School boys grammar in the then language skills department. Mickey entered the room each day to find a new boy hiding behind...
read moreMissy Manzer, Director of Cox Library
Missy Manzer, Director of Cox Library Member of the Faculty, 1998–2014 As a librarian, Missy is an ace researcher. A horticulturist at home, Missy enjoys weeding in the library, and (unlike some softies) is able to discard books without weeping over each one. Perhaps that is because she is a master of collection development, and she can always find the ideal choices to broaden or rejuvenate our holdings. As director of Cox Library, one of Missy’s cardinal accomplishments has been to oversee the incorporation of digital resources. During...
read moreGordon Chase, Visual Arts Department
Gordon Chase, Visual Arts Department Member of the Faculty, 1978–2013 In 1978, Gordon Chase brought to Milton his energy and passion for students making art. Milton’s walls have highlighted student self-expressions for more than three decades — witness to Gordon’s idea that art is about “identity” — where students have tested their assumptions and declared their beliefs. With long hair and cowboy boots, supported in his creative quest by Head of School Jerry Pieh, Gordon’s energy for new ideas was colorful and...
read moreGordon Sewall, Assistant Head for Development and Alumni Relations, 1996–2014
Gordon Sewall, Assistant Head for Development and Alumni Relations, 1996–2014 For 18 years, Gordon has been an institutional leader who helped Milton come alive for donors. He has been a teammate who put his shoulder to the common wheel, a problem solver, a can-do person. With donors, Gordon was as passionate as he was honest about Milton. That’s a perfect combination if your job is to build authentic relationships and keep them lively. Perhaps that is why he was such a successful fund raiser. He led Milton’s first comprehensive capital...
read moreWalter McCloskey, Member of the Faculty, 1971–2013
Walter arrived at Milton in September 1971, fresh from graduate school at Harvard. He was 33. A long way from his native New Orleans, Walter remembers walking into Forbes House with his wife Josephine during his job interview. Teachers were taking postprandial naps with newspapers over their faces. The room had the feel of, in his words, “a broken-down men’s club.” Suddenly New Orleans did not seem that far away. He thought it all “just felt right.” Since that fateful September, Walter has seen six heads of school, taught more...
read moreKeith Hilles-Pilant, Member of the Faculty, 1986–2013
Keith Hilles-Pilant touched the lives of so many here, including budding mathematicians eager for more encouragement, and those just beginning their algebraic studies—in Warren, or in a math trailer, or at the top of Ware Hall. Many know about his love of math; he was an educator who prodded the department toward developing long-lasting relationships with other educators throughout academia, in Boston and beyond. Still others think of Keith and envision him with violin in hand. He happily hosted musical gatherings before Tuesday-night...
read moreScott Ford, Member of the Faculty, 1981–2013
The Lower School and then K–8 counted on Scott. By the time we arrived at school each day, he had unlocked each classroom so we could bypass the fumbling for keys, and made coffee so that we could infuse our bodies with morning energy for greeting the already-energetic students. He’d read his emails and could announce to all faculty the order of the day ahead: who was absent, how the schedule had changed, which dignitaries were visiting, what was forecast for weather and how many days were left in the school year. He treated us like...
read moreLida Famili, Member of the faculty 1987-2012
For 25 years at Milton, Lida Famili has embodied John Dewey’s idea: “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” Lida views her role primarily as helping students develop into young adults, and teaching chemistry only secondarily. Lida deeply respects and cares for students; her focus, in combination with her excellent background in chemistry, has made Lida the heart and soul of the science department. As one Class II student said, “Ms. Famili brightened my day every time I saw her. I will miss her daily hugs....
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