Saying Farewell To Teachers

Having first joined the Deerfield staff in 1976, Michael Cary has contributed greatly to Deerfield’s English Department, chaired the Philosophy & Religion Department, and served as Dean of Admissions. Additionally, Mr. Cary left Deerfield in 1996 to serve as the Head of School at The Lawrenceville School in 2003, and then returned in 2010. Next year, Mr. Cary will enter “semi-retirement”. He will stop teaching, but will stay involved with the Office of Advancement. Mr. Cary said, “I will miss my classroom, room 58. The mementos on the wall remind me of places I’ve been and students I’ve met. I will also miss moments in class when I can see the lights go on in student’s minds.” Mr. Cary looks forward to focusing on his poetry and art work, continuing his work with the National Park Service and spending time with his grandchildren.

David Pond has been the Associate Head of School for Alumni Affairs and Development for 33 years at Deerfield. The article “After 33 Years, David Pond Is About to Swim Away” quotes Dr. Curtis’s praise for Pond’s achievement: “David is regarded as a legend, and inspires both deep respect and admiration.”

Over her seven years teaching English at Deerfield, Ada Fan has had the opportunity to work with “wonderful students, devoted faculty, hard-working and thoroughly admirable staff.” Dr. Fan will return to Andover, where she and her husband lived for many years previously. She feels that her greatest achievement at Deerfield, in addition to contributing to the development of students, was helping students do there best in situations that weren’t always comfortable: “navigating the rapids as best we can in this life” is something everyone needs to work on, she said. Dr. Fan has helped navigate its rapids with diligence, wisdom, and encouragement.

Frank Henry, who came to Deerfield as a student in 1967, has served DA as a development officer briefly and then as an English teacher for 32 years A recap of Mr. Henry’s history with Deerfield as well as the details of his retirement can be found on the Features page of this issue.

After 40 years at Deerfield, Dr. Bicknell has announced his retirement. Although an eventful future lies ahead, he will always fondly remember the “vibrant students” and the school community here at DA. Dr. Bicknell remarked, “Doing this work has kept me young,” and explained how much he will miss all the people he has met at the Academy. He also looks forward to not living on a school calendar schedule. Still, he will be back at Deerfield once a week working on special projects within the counseling program. Dr. Bicknell is proud to have founded the program in 1975, his first year at the Academy.