April 2006 · Volume ll · Number lX
The eNewsletter of the Boston Latin School Association

A POSITIVE TREND
The month of April may not have brought as many rain showers as are normally anticipated, but it did bring some positive news: namely a 31 percent jump in the number of students of color invited to attend Boston Latin next fall. Head Master Cornelia A. Kelley H'44 told the Boston Globe that this was "a step in the right direction" after watching the number of minorities at the school decline over the past several years. Kudos go to the efforts of the school-based Optimizing Student Outcomes (OSO) group, comprised of students, faculty and parents, as well as those involved with the Exam School Initiative, an endeavor funded by BLSA that provides a multi-week summer workshop for Boston public elementary school children to prepare them for one of the city's exam schools. Other positive news for Boston's public schools? For the second consecutive year, more students enrolled in the BPS have gained admission to Boston Latin versus students vying for seats from area private and parochial schools.

AN HONORARY FOR THE HM
Head Master Cornelia A. Kelley H'44 is about to add yet another title of distinction to the illustrious one she already carries: that of doctoris. On the morning of May 20, Ms. Kelley will be bestowed with an honorary doctorate from neighboring Simmons College, having been selected by the college’s faculty and board of trustees to join the distinguished list of past honorees including Marian Wright Edelman, Gwen Ifill, Patricia Schroeder, Ellen Goodman, Elie Wiesel, Coretta Scott King and Maya Angelou. “This is a great honor for me and for the Boston Latin School,” says Ms. Kelley, who received a letter of notification from Simmons President Daniel S. Cheever Jr. in February. “Simmons has a rich history of educating women, including many Latin School women, and I am delighted to join such a superb list of past recipients.”

IN MEMORIAM: JULIUS BABBITT 1969-2006
The Latin School family lost a longtime volunteer and former trustee on April 8 when Julius Babbitt '87 succumbed to complications from colon cancer. Julius's contributions to Latin School — and our greater community — were significant: he was the first African-American class president as well as a former BLSA board member who also nobly served in the administrations of four Massachusetts governors. He was also one of the youngest senior executives in state government when he was promoted to Assistant Secretary of Environmental Affairs. His devotion to Latin School was challenged only by his devotion to Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where he received a master's in public administration in 2000 and where he later served as an integral part of their leadership team as Director of Alumni Programs until his recent passing. He left an indelible mark on all who knew him and he will indeed be sorely missed. A memorial service in his honor will be held in May at Harvard's Memorial Church; BLSA will post this information as soon as it becomes available.

A CAPITOL IDEA
BLSA hits the road again in late April as we head to our nation's capitol for the ever-popular Washington D.C. Alumni Reception. This year's festivities will take place at The Cosmos Club, 2121 Massachusetts Avenue, NW on Wednesday, April 26. Last minute registrations can be made online by clicking here.

LAST CALL FOR REUNIONS 2006
If you have not yet registered for your reunion events, time is slipping away! The Red Sox game on May 14 has already sold out, so don't miss out on other fun weekend activities. The deadline for registration is May 1; mail or fax your forms in to BLSA today or click here to register online.

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME
The BLSA Red Sox Nation Tour makes another stop in Philadelphia on Saturday, May 20, as the Red Sox take on the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in the cheesesteak city. Our alumnae insider, Leila Graham-Willis '89, has once again organized a pre-game party at the High & Inside Pub and succeeded in upgrading our tickets to baseline seating (section 109). The festivities begin at 5 p.m., with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Tickets — which sold out last year — are $83 per person and can be ordered by clicking here.

THE PLAY'S THE THING
The New York Chapter heads to the Great White Way on Sunday, May 21, for its traditional Theater Party. This year, event chair Mark Tavel '63 has chosen the highly acclaimed "The Threepenny Opera" at the Roundabout Theatre, which stars Alan Cumming, Ana Gasteyer and Cyndi Lauper. Mid-mezzanine seats have been reserved for the show's 2 p.m. matinee and will cost $87 each. Click here for more information.

WHAT HAPPENS OVER THE BRIDGE….
Cape Cod Chapter Chair Brad Kent '54has announced that the annual Cape Cod luncheon will take place on Monday, May 22, at noon at the Yarmouth House Restaurant in West Yarmouth. Three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe reporter Stephen Kurkjian '62 will be the featured speaker. Tickets are available now for $19 per person, just click here.

IMITATION: THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY
The New York Chapter will host its annual Spring Dinner on Tuesday, May 23, at the Penn Club with special guest speaker Jason Griffiths, head master of the new Brooklyn Latin School, set to open in NYC this fall. The new BLS — whose future scholars will also be wearers of the purple and white — hopes to replicate the esteemed Boston Latin by providing New York City public school children with a comparable, rigorous classics-based education. Griffiths has been shadowing Head Master Cornelia Kelley H'44 for a number of months now and we look forward to hearing his impressions of 371 years of tradition! Tickets are $75 ($65 for young alumni); details may be found by clicking here.

CALL FOR NOMINEES
Perhaps she sat next to you in chemistry class or he had the locker next to yours sixie year. No matter how you first became aware of his or her greatness, all alumni are eligible to help us choose the next great Graduate of the Year. Nominations are now being accepted for the 2006 Graduate of the Year Award and, for alumni of the last 15 years, the Outstanding Recent Graduate of the Year Award. Criteria and forms may be downloaded by clicking here or obtained by calling the alumni relations office at (617) 450-0004. To be considered for this year, all nominations must be received by June 1.

BOSTON POPS REMEMBER "BERNSTEIN"
This year's "BLSA Goes Pops" takes on a Latin School theme as they present "Bernstein on Broadway" on Saturday, June 17. Alumni and friends are invited to remember "the maestro" at a special reception at the school beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets to the reception and the Keith Lockhart-conducted performance are $150 per person and include roundtrip shuttle service between Avenue Louis Pasteur and Symphony Hall. Regular, non-reception floor seats are also available for $75 each. Click here for more information and reservations.

FORE ALMA MATER!
For those hitting the links for the second annual Wolfpack Classic Golf Tournament set for Thursday, June 8, at the Ferncroft Country Club, a $100 "Super Raffle" ticket could yield one of the following prizes, including Pebble Beach for two, with three nights/three rounds of golf at Pebble Beach/Spyglass/Spanish Bay; a $2,000 gift certificate to Luxurylink.com; an opportunity for you and a friend to be a "Top Gun" combat pilot for one day; or a $1,400 set of Titleist Irons. Only 400 super raffle tickets will be sold! For more information, click here.

TWO NIGHTS FOR IMETTE
Tributes to Imette Saint-Guillen '99 continue to pour in, both through contributions to the scholarship fund established in her memory and via events to be held in her honor. Her classmates and friends have been hard at work on two proceedings in particular; please watch for more information about a memorial service to be held at BLS on Thursday, June 1, as well as "A Night for Imette," a fund raiser being planned for Saturday, September 16, in downtown Boston. Once finalized, details about the memorial service will be posted at www.blsa.org. If you have a special memory you'd like to share, please e-mail the class committee. Efforts have begun to secure sponsorship and auction-item donors for "A Night for Imette;" for more information, contact Morgan Stockmayer '97.

A TEST OF TRIVIA
Alumni familiar with the history of our head masters were prompt in replying to last month's query of who was the first (Nathaniel Williams), and the last (Michael Contompasis), alumnus to be named as head master of beloved BLS. Hats off to Paul M.J. Sucheki '72 for garnering victory and a fabulous T-shirt over his fellow competitors.

Fear not, dear trivia lovers, as another T-shirt is up for grabs this month! And, since golf season is not yet fully underway, we have marvelous trivia master Malcolm Flynn back at it again with this query for the masses:

April's question:
A graduate of Boston Latin School and Harvard, this alumnus later returned to the school as usher, then as sub-master, master and senior master. He served longer at the school than any other, retiring at age 86 because the Boston School Committee instituted mandatory retirement at age 70. Who was he and when did he serve?

Serious scholars seeking a free T-shirt should send responses — including your name and class year — magna cum celeritate via e-mail to BLSA.

CONTACT US
101 Huntington Avenue, Suite 200, Boston, MA 02199
Phone 617.450.0004 Fax 617.450.0284
Web www.blsa.org
E-mail blsa@blsa.org