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Author: Milton Magazine

Lessons in Grieving

Lessons in Grieving

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Suzanne DeBuhr, a faculty member in Milton Academy’s history department and director of spiritual and community development, shares her story of loss, discovery, and solace. In the religion of Buddhism, the first noble truth is the truth of suffering. In late February 2018, Chris, the husband of my friend Kate, sent me a text informing me that Kate was in the hospital with pneumonia. Oh no, I thought. Just a month before, Kate had finished chemotherapy and radiation, undertaken as a “precaution” to make sure that all the cancer the doctors had removed in surgery was gone. The scan...

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Larry Pollans <br> History and Social Sciences and Visual Arts Departments <br>Member of the Faculty 1985–2019

Larry Pollans
History and Social Sciences and Visual Arts Departments
Member of the Faculty 1985–2019

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In our first conversation about this encomium, Larry mused that he hoped his classes felt like “interesting problem-solving labs.” As I began to think about how to fit all of the fun and deep-running variegations of Larry Pollans into the prescribed word limits for the speech, I realized that he had presented me with quite a tough problem to solve and that I would prove a poor student. So I apologize in advance for going a smidge over. Larry came to us 35 years ago, thanks to friendship and serendipity. He had just left the faculty of Bridgewater State....

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Laurel Starks <br> History and Social Sciences Department <br> Member of the Faculty 1986–2019

Laurel Starks
History and Social Sciences Department
Member of the Faculty 1986–2019

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Laurel’s warm presence has been felt in every corner of our community since she arrived on campus in 1986. As her department chair noted in her first year of teaching, Laurel was “the perfect example of a young teacher who should be encouraged to become more involved with the life of our School.” She did, and turned out to be a perfect fit for us. It did not take long for Laurel to find her way around our grades 7–12 history and social sciences department. For many years, she taught ancient and medieval history, economics to senior boys—not an...

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Pam Rodman
Upper School Registrar
Member of the Staff 1996–2019

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The framed poster in her office that boldly states, “Keep calm and carry on” heralds Pam Rodman’s mantra. As registrar since 2003, Pam has guided this ship that is the Milton Academy Upper School in seas both stormy and calm, standing boldly at the helm through three academic dean transitions, four principals, and five deans’ office assistants. Whether she was maintaining accurate records for grades and comments, responding to students’ and parents’ questions about courses and schedules, or ensuring that Upper School teachers were meeting appointed deadlines, Pam’s meticulousness and her ability to hold myriad details in her head at once are legendary. Her files, folders, lists, and calendars, always color-coded, allowed her to quickly access any information needed, and she helped countless students who wanted course changes and alumni in need of transcripts. Indeed, it seemed that everyone who entered her office needed something from Pam, and sometimes they asked for the impossible. Her response, in fun, might have been, “And I want a pony.” One day she got one, albeit of the plastic variety, from a department chair who appreciated her humor. Pam began her Milton Academy career in Cox Library; at the time, her children Lindsey ’01 and Colby ’03 were already well-entrenched in School life. Pam enjoyed her close work with students in the library, and she leaped at the opportunity to become the registrar....

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Cathleen Everett <br> Milton Magazine Editor and Former Chief Communication Officer <br> Member of the Staff 1990–2019

Cathleen Everett
Milton Magazine Editor and Former Chief Communication Officer
Member of the Staff 1990–2019

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For decades, many knew Cathy Everett as “the voice of Milton Academy,” the one who, in this elevated, disembodied state, pronounced and proclaimed. Neither then nor now would Cathy tolerate such puffery. She wrote and spoke crisply, cleanly, and simply on the hardest days and on the easiest. Ever resolute, she never wavered in the execution of this responsibility, the most elemental sort of service. No, far more than an institutional voice, Cathy embodied the strength of Milton Academy, her firmness born of conviction and commitment. A trusted advisor to five Milton heads of school (I’m pretty sure that...

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