Alumni Shield
Purpose: To recognize and promote from among the Brooks alumni/ae those individuals less than 25 years from their class' graduation whose life and contribution to society exemplify the nobility of character and usefulness to humanity embodied in the spirit of Brooks School.
Eligibility: Alumni/ae less than 25 years from their classes graduation.
Selection process: Recommendations for nominations are solicited from members of the Brooks community. A standard form is used for each nomination to ensure uniformity. The nominating committee will review the nominations and make a decision on the recipient as representatives of the Alumni Board.
Presentation: To be awarded during Alumni Weekend, Prize Day or any other suitable occasion by the Head of School. The award will be made from time to time, not necessarily annually.
Nomination Form: Please complete the form on the right-hand side of this page. And do contact the alumni office with any questions.
Previous Alumni Shield Recipients
- 2024 | Daniela Schirmer Izzie '04
- 2023 | No Award Given
- 2022 | Lizette A. Williams ’97, Marketing Executive
- 2021 | Marquis J. Daisy ’01, Filmmaker and Producer
- 2020 | Lisa M. Petzold ’00, Foreign Service Officer
- 2019 | Jim O'Connor '99, Financier
- 2018 | Jeffrey A. Volk ’93, Business Development & Marketing Executive
- 2017 | William MacVittie '02, U.S. Air Force Major
- 2016 | David Cohen ’91, Philanthropist
- 2015 | Cristina Antelo ’95, Political Advocate
- 2014 | Ariane Marie-Mitchell ’89, Physician and Research Scientist
- 2013 | Ann Lee Grimstad ’88, Educator
- 2012 | Greta Lundeberg ’97, Public Servant
- 2011 | Amy Harmon '91, Developer
- 2010 | Jeep MacNichol '85, Musician
- 2009 | Folwell Dunbar '84 , Educator
- 2008 | W. Douglas Burden ’83, Olympic Athlete
- 2007 | Peter Dunn ’82, Physician
- 2006 | Michael Weatherly ’86, Actor
- 2005 | Samuel S. Meacham ’85, Cave Diving Explorer
- 2004 | No Award Given
- 2003 | Joel Bishoff ’79, Producer
- 2002 | Molly Bingham ’86, Photographer
- 2001 | No Award Given
- 2000 | William L. Perocchi ’85, CEO Pebble Beach Company
- 1999 | No Award Given
- 1998 | Charles Walworth ’78, Physician
- 1997 | Trevor A. McC. Potter ’74, Attorney
2024 | Daniela Schirmer Izzie '04
2023 | No Award Given
2022 | Lizette A. Williams ’97, Marketing Executive
Watch Head of School John Packard recognize Williams on June 11, 2022:
Lizette Williams is the global head of vertical solutions marketing at Meta, where she leads a global marketing team tasked with developing the business marketing strategy and approach across seven industries, including consumer packaged goods, retail, gaming and e-commerce. This combination of platform and digital work allows her to drive cultural relevance and impact on a broader scale.
“One of the most noteworthy moments I have had in my career is realizing that my authenticity as a young woman of color is, in fact, my superpower and not a liability,” Williams told AdWeek. “When I leaned into my authentic self instead of pretending to embody what the world tells us a ‘corporate professional’ should look, speak, and act like, my career took off.”
Williams is the second in her Afro-Latino family to graduate from high school and the first in her family to go to college. She received her bachelor’s degree in economics and political science through a joint program between Columbia University and the London School of Economics. She subsequently received her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Williams previously worked in major marketing roles for McDonald’s, Kimberly-Clark Corporation and PepsiCo. Among many accolades, Williams notably was inducted into the American Advertising Federation Advertising Hall of Achievement, the premier industry recognition for leaders under 40 who are making a significant impact in the industry and their communities.
2021 | Marquis J. Daisy ’01, Filmmaker and Producer
Watch Daisy receive his award on June 11, 2022 and hear his remarks:
Emmy-Award winning filmmaker Marquis Daisy ’01 is a producer for ESPN’s successful 30 for 30 documentary franchise. In addition to several directorial credits, Daisy created independent film, “Smile: The Documentary,” which chronicles the experience of Brooks alumnus Arnez Newton ’00 growing up in the inner city of a crime-infested Chicago.
Daisy’s recent work includes a collaboration between ESPN’s The Undefeated and The National Geographic Channel, titled, “The March on Washington: Keepers of the Dream.”
Prior to joining ESPN Films, Marquis worked at HBO Sports, where he helped to on platforms such as Inside the NFL, Costas Now, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, the 24/7 boxing series, as well as documentaries such as Bird & Magic: A Courtship of Rivals and Namath: From Beaver Falls to Broadway.
Daisy matriculated to Williams College upon graduating from Brooks as the senior prefect and basketball team captain. He also received the Headmaster’s Prize for his steadfast leadership and outstanding academic achievement. “In all arenas — the classroom, in the dorm, on the athletic field — Marquis always pushed himself to the greatest limit to achieve success, and in turn set an example for all of us to follow,” classmate Matt Godoff ’01 said. “He is a true leader and has continued that throughout his professional career."
2020 | Lisa M. Petzold ’00, Foreign Service Officer
Watch Petzold receive her award on June 11, 2022 and hear her remarks:
Lisa Petzold, a foreign service officer in the U.S. Department of State, has spent the past decade working on global foreign policy, drafting policy speeches and briefing papers for the Secretary of State, the White House and other senior American officials. With the ability to speak in English, French, Spanish and Arabic, Petzold has proudly served the United States in El Salvador, Lebanon, Paris and Washington, D.C. She has led multiple overseas delegations for Presidents Obama, Trump and other government officials. A manager of multicultural teams, Petzold designs and leads innovative programs and engages in partnerships with key community stakeholders.
Petzold’s love and lifelong pursuit of foreign policy began on Brooks soil. She participated in the School Year Abroad program in Rennes, France. She subsequently completed her undergraduate studies at the prestigious Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where she studied under Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. She continued with a master’s degree, conducted in French, in International Relations at Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, Sciences Po in Paris, France.
After her studies, Petzold happily returned to Great Pond Road as a French teacher at the Brooks School for a year. Despite the demands of work, Petzold still makes time to advocate for women’s advancement and democracy, in addition to fostering rescued animals. “Lisa is a public servant with a kind soul and optimistic attitude,” John Petzold said of his sister. “She embodies the school values of empathy, engagement, integrity, passion, confidence and creativity on the world stage every day.”
2019 | Jim O'Connor '99, Financier
2018 | Jeffrey A. Volk ’93, Business Development & Marketing Executive
Jeffrey Volk has built an exciting career that combines his expertise and knowledge of digital media, marketing, sport and entrepreneurship.
Currently Senior Vice President and Head of Business & Revenue for the Americas at the sports digital and broadcast media company Deltatre (part of the Bruin Sports Capital group, whose clients include FIFA, the English Premier League and BBC, among others), Volk first showed his entrepreneurial acumen at Brooks.
Volk co-founded the golf team and the debate team, as well as established the independent study, “The Art of Business Writing,” before he went on to the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated in 1997.
Following positions at Ketchum and SapientRazorfish, Volk became the Director & GM, Advanced Media of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) in 2002.
During his five-year tenure at USTA, Volk enrolled in New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business. He received his MBA in Digital Media & Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies from NYU in 2008 — while working in his next position: President, Digital Media for Athletes’ Performance.
In 2010, Volk advanced in to a role as Senior Vice President/Vice President of Business Development for MLB Advanced Media, where he remained until January of 2018, when he became Senior Vice President and Head of Business & Revenue, Americas, for Deltatre.
Along the way he co-founded NYVC Sports and SFVC Sports and accomplished impressive fundraising through the NYC Triathlon, Pan Mass Challenge and the Northeast AIDS Ride (NYC to Boston), to name a few.
A fellow member of his class nominated Volk, noting, "Since his time at Brooks, Jeff has used his empathy, confidence and creativity to make good things better. He has brought forth programs, created businesses and established communities within and without existing organizations. Jeff is engaged in the relationships he fosters and has completed many a successful negotiation because of his commitment to these relationships. Among the many examples of this was when he negotiated a partnership between MLBAM’s live streaming and the PGA tour around a picnic table at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia. Another example is when he connected the Special Spectators non-profit organization with various sports organizations so that seriously ill children and their families could be granted VIP, all-access game day experiences at sporting events across the country. Jeff is committed to the projects he takes on and has emerged as a strong leader."
For his "sustained commitment to helping others, in addition to his contributions to the world of sports media,” Head of School John Packard said during Alumni Weekend 2018, “It is my honor to present Jeffrey Volk with the 2018 Alumni Shield award.”
2017 | William MacVittie '02, U.S. Air Force Major
For the past fifteen years, William "Mac" MacVittie has devoted himself to the United States Air Force as a captain flying missions in the Middle East. He has led a life of exemplary service and set a high standard for others to follow.
MacVittie sent his application to the Air Force on September 12, 2001 knowing full well that he would be entering the military in a time of war. His courage to serve our country in its time of need will forever resonate and inspire our fellow classmates from Brooks.
Since commissioning in the United States Air Force, he has flown over 120 combat missions in support of American and coalition troops during three deployments to conflicts in the Middle East. Additionally, MacVittie has piloted numerous medical evacuations and humanitarian missions. Part of this aid has included delivering food, water and clothing to the people in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan.
During his time in the Air Force, MacVittie has also shouldered the tremendous responsibility of evacuating wounded soldiers out of combat zones and in cases and flown missions of “dignified transfer” to bring soldiers who have lost their lives home to the U.S.
In 2016 he was promoted to the rank of Major and, at the same time, was selected to return to the United States Air Force Academy in the summer of 2017, where for the next three years he will be responsible for a squadron of 100 cadets and teaching them basic military training, leadership and character development.
2016 | David Cohen ’91, Philanthropist
After graduating from Babson College and earning an MBA from Bentley University, Cohen spent several years in the corporate world and as an entrepreneur. In 2008, he fused his passion for sports philanthropy and founded the non-profit Playing it Forward. The company provides new and used sports equipment from manufacturers, schools, sports clubs, and community groups that are then donated to disadvantaged children across the globe. Playing it Forward has provided equipment to 30,000 kids in 20 countries. Through this experience, Cohen learned first-hand how powerful and valuable therapeutic sports can be for vulnerable youth.
In 2011, after spending two years here at Brooks in our advancement office, David became executive director of the Doc Wayne Foundation, an organization in need of strong leadership whose philosophy aligned with Cohen’s. Doc Wayne counselors connect with youth using its sports-based therapeutic curriculum called, Do the Good. They aim to fuse sport and therapy to heal and strengthen at-risk youth.
Under Cohen's leadership, Doc Wayne was named the 2015 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Sports Award winner as an influential leader and model for others making communities healthier through sport. In 2014, he was selected as a Social Innovator by Root Cause's Social Innovation Forum. The organization was also selected as the 2014 Innovator of the Year for the Providers' Council. In 2015, Cohen was selected as a Carmax Community Hero, and in 2012 he was named New England Community MVP by MLS W.O.R.K.S., Major League Soccer’s community outreach initiative.
2015 | Cristina Antelo ’95, Political Advocate
The Alumni Shield award, which recognizes an alumna or alumnus who graduated from Brooks less than 25 years ago and has made significant contributions in the field of his or her endeavor, went this year to Cristina Antelo ’95, a political advocate and strategic communications professional at the Podesta Group.
2014 | Ariane Marie-Mitchell ’89, Physician and Research Scientist
Ariane is a physician and a research scientist in the field of clinical preventive services. Of particular interest to her is the study of patterns, causes and effects of health and disease conditions in children from high-risk families.
During her years at Brooks, Ariane broke first-class effort records. She went to Africa on exchange, was a coxswain on the girls crew team, wrote, produced and acted in her own play, raised the school’s consciousness on gender issues and chapel services, and astounded her teachers at every turn.2013 | Ann Lee Grimstad ’88, Educator
Ann Lee Grimstad is an educator, researcher and student of the world. She is a humanities teacher at Oakwood School in Los Angeles and, at the time of this award, is a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research fellow studying African history.
Her passion for global studies can be traced back to Brooks’ Exchange program. Although too inundated with AP courses to participate herself, Ann Lee became fast friends with the Kenyans and South Africans who visited Brooks. She felt stimulated intellectually and personally, and her experience fueled for her the notion of fusing fieldwork and theory.Ann Lee holds a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in African studies from Ohio University.
2012 | Greta Lundeberg ’97, Public Servant
2011 | Amy Harmon '91, Developer
Amy Harmon’s resume of development projects, including upscale residential and mixed-use complexes, is designed to advance the city of Denver. Her properties support the goal of improving downtown living, working and visiting, and reinforce Denver initiatives such as sustainable development and promoting bike- and pedestrian-friendly lifestyles.
Over the years, Harmon has managed and produced more than 500,000 square feet of development. She’s successfully delivered 200 million dollars worth of mixed-use condominium development projects while employing hundreds of contract laborers and consultants. In 2009, Harmon was featured as a young professional making an impact on their industries in the Denver Business Journal.While here at Brooks, Harmon was a three-sport athlete, participating in field hockey, ice hockey and crew. She served as both a school prefect and chapel prefect, and was involved in many activities from the Lawrence Project to the Exchange Program. Harmon capped off her outstanding Brooks career by receiving the Allen Ashburn Prize.
Harmon moved on to the University of Texas in Austin, where she was accepted into the Plan II Honors Program, a notably selective interdisciplinary program offering exposure to both arts and business. She earned a bachelor’s degree in humanities with concentrations in art history, business and political science in 1995.
After working in New York for a few years, Harmon moved home to Denver and embarked on a real estate development partnership with her stepfather, Steve Owen. Then three years ago, she founded her own development firm, Urban Market Partners, with the goal of combining her interests in real estate, art and community building.
Harmon’s contributions to Denver go beyond real estate and development. She is actively involved with a number of community organizations including the Ballpark Neighborhood Association, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Community Coordinating District and the City Parks Alliance based in Washington, D.C. She is the former President and ongoing Board Member of the Metro Denver Executive Club 60th Anniversary and is currently serving as Interim Director of the Denver Biennial of the Americas.
2010 | Jeep MacNichol '85, Musician
2009 | Folwell Dunbar '84 , Educator
Folwell Dunbar '84, Alumni Speaker at Alumni Weekend 2009 from Emily Young on Vimeo.
Folwell Dunbar '84 grew up wrestling alligators in the bayous of Slidell, Louisiana.
He was perhaps the smallest player on the Brooks football field, yet one of the most feared hitters that backed down to no one despite his size or strength. Despite having dyslexia, Dunbar ended up a Latin and history scholar at Brooks and perhaps one of the few, if not only, unicycle riding jugglers in the history of the school.
Dunbar committed more than two years of his life to the Peace Corps after graduating from Duke University, helping poor families in the rural areas of Ecuador to make a better life for themselves by teaching them to build fish farms and other agricultural skills.
He subsequently returned to New Orleans and joined the faculty at Louise S. McGehee School. Dunbar was involved in all facets of school life, all the while pursuing his masters at Tulane and juggling on Decatur Street.
Dunbar moved to North Carolina in 1996 to work at Cary Academy, which opened the following year with a mission committed to integrating the best of traditional education with new and emerging technologies. But after two years in North Carolina, Dunbar was drawn back to the New Orleans, where he set out on his quest for comprehensive whole-school reform.
Dunbar is currently responsible for overseeing the curriculum of the entire Charter School System in Louisiana, a state that has more charter schools than any other state in the country. The charter school system in New Orleans is at the core of a new educational landscape post-Katrina – a radical experiment in reform. More than half of the city’s public-school students are now being educated in charter schools.
Dunbar is also an artist who uses many mediums and all his senses to create simple and intricate works of art. He is a caring person who through his book, A Color Inside, effectively teaches equality and learning to accept others for who they are on the inside, and not what they look like on the outside.
2008 | W. Douglas Burden ’83, Olympic Athlete
CFA Douglas Burden '83 is a vice president at Fiduciary Trust Company in Boston. Prior to joining the company in 1997, he was a member of the U.S. Olympic Rowing Team from 1988 to 1996 and was employed by the Student Loan Marketing Association from 1991 to 1993.
“Here, indeed, is a quiet, unassuming gentleman who has his priorities well balanced," former advisor Jake Dunnell said. "One could diminish the world’s supply of superlatives when talking about Doug.”
Burden’s significant life accomplishments undoubtedly are rooted in the people and the values that are hallmarks of Brooks School: perseverance, dedication and humility. While he was at Brooks, Dusty Richard and David Swift became key mentors as they encouraged Burden's talent for athletics.
With their support, he discovered his passion for rowing, quickly earned a seat in the first boat in both his fifth and sixth form years and never looked back. He went on to join Princeton University’s prestigious crew, serving as captain in 1988.
After receiving his B.A. from Princeton University, Burden received his M.B.A. from IESE in Barcelona, Spain.
With his quiet, lead-by-example style, Burden earned a stellar reputation in the rowing community. He spent eight years on the U.S. national team and won two world championships, one in which he helped power his team to a Gold Medal world record time.
In the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Burden won a bronze medal in rowing and four years later in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, he won a silver medal. After a hiatus from the sport, he earned a seat in the men’s eight for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics where his boat finished fifth.
Burden is one of only a handful of U.S. rowers to win medals twice in Olympic rowing. He was inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame in 1998.
Burden still rows twice a week, coaches his daughter’s soccer team and chairs the fundraising committee for Roxbury Youthworks Ride for Kids, an organization that helps at-risk children.
2007 | Peter Dunn ’82, Physician
- Peter Dunn '82 is currently the executive vice chair and the executive medical director for the operating rooms at Mass. General Hospital. He is the youngest person to have achieved the latter position, and only the second anesthesiologist to ever have held this position. He also is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.Dunn graduated from the George Washington University School of Medicine in 1990. He was selected for a fellowship in surgical research at Children’s National Medical Center. After furthering his research at the National Institutes of Health, he completed his residency in anesthesiology at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Dunn was the first ever to serve in the roles of chief resident of anesthesiology and clinical fellow in critical care at Mass. General Hospital, simultaneously. And after only three years on the staff at Mass General, Dunn was appointed the first ever clinical director for the department of anesthesia and critical care, where he oversaw all clinical operations in one of the largest academic anesthesiology departments in the nation.
"Peter reminds me a lot of Nick Evangelos in his manner: quiet, humble, honest, straightforward, warm, expecting a lot from himself and those he works with and always with a ready grin and a good sense of humor,” said former teacher Maureen Perkins.
Dunn and his wife, Deirdre, also a graduate of the class of 1982, are the first alumni married couple to have a child attend Brooks.
2006 | Michael Weatherly ’86, Actor
Michael Weatherly ’86 is a working actor, currently on the prime-time television show, NCIS.
After studying at the American University of Paris, Weatherly entered the professional world of acting. Michael’s single-focus, tenacity and hard work finally paid off with several successful projects, after years of student films, off-Broadway plays and pounding the pavement.
His first notable job came in 1991, when he played Theo Huxtable's roomate on an episode of The Cosby Show. But more recently, he has maintained including recurring television roles in the series Dark Angel and NCIS.
"He arrived at Brooks with no clear path in mind," former Head of School Lawrence Becker said. "An engaging personality with a bright and creative mind, he struggled initially with academics and searched for his place in athletics. It is difficult to quantify the effect that Brooks has had on Michael’s professional evolution, but it is undeniable that his success stems from values instilled at Brooks: perseverance, dedication, and commitment to one’s craft. He still possesses the same good humor, intelligence and grace that he exhibited while at Brooks."
2005 | Samuel S. Meacham ’85, Cave Diving Explorer
Samuel Meacham '85 has taken the road less traveled.
Growing up in Austin, Texas, Meacham developed a vivid imagination, a strong sense of curiosity, a love of adventure and a deep appreciation for the outdoors. On the recommendation of longtime teacher Mark Shovan, Meacham took a year in-between graduating from Brooks and enrolling at the University of Vermont to spend a semester with NOLS in Kenya.
Since then, Meacham has traveled the globe. He's sailed down the coast of Mexico, worked as a ranch hand in Costa Rica, gone to the Yucatan to become certified as a diving instructor. Meacham learned about the Ox Bel Ha cave system while in the Yucatan, igniting a love for large-scale cave exploration.
At the time of his award, Meacham was working with the Grupo de Exploracion Ox Bel Ha, an international team of divers, to map the world's longest underground river, and unravel the mysteries of the fragile ecosystem that is in danger of being destroyed before it is fully understood. Meacham is fully committed to the preservation, conservation and the raising of public awareness of these unique and beautiful cave systems.
Meacham is also the founder and director of CINDAQ (Centro de Investigacion del Sistema Acuifero de Quintana Roo) a non-profit organization dedicated to the exploration and protection of freshwater resources in the Yucatan.
"Sam has truly followed his passions to a career that has had an enormous impact on the planet he loves so much," classmate Craig Ziady '85 said. "Today Sam has new experiences each day, from finding archeological and paleontological sites in which discoveries could be made that would rewrite the history books, to working to educate officials in Mexico about the importance of protecting the freshwater resource found in the caves.
Sam has committed his life to exploring this cave system and the freshwater source within it. Armed with surveying equipment, a hard hat and gas tanks, and led by a flashlight, Sam is tackling the important issue of dwindling freshwater reserves head on and opening the eyes of untold numbers of people to the importance of protecting our freshwater reserves for future generations."
2004 | No Award Given
2003 | Joel Bishoff ’79, Producer
Joel Bishoff '79 is best known for directing more than 15 productions of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change… around the world.
While at Brooks, Bishoff directed several theatrical productions, most notably his senior project, Dracula. He wrote, directed and acted in plays featuring both students and faculty. He also maintained an excellent academic record, participated in sports and was senior prefect.
Bishoff graduated from Tufts University in 1983. He subsequently received his M.F.A. from Columbia University in 1986. He currently is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.
His directing credits include Over the River and Through the Woods, The Kiss at City Hall, a Japanese-language production of Annie in in Japan, The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife and Ken Hill’s Phantom of the Opera. Bishoff also did the musical staging for the national tour of The Sound of Music starring Marie Osmond as well as the New York City Opera production starring Debby Boone.
2002 | Molly Bingham ’86, Photographer
Molly Bingham '86 is a photojournalist and documentary director originally from Kentucky. Her father, a local newspaper editor, also attended Brooks.
After graduating from Harvard College in 1990, Bingham began working as a photojournalist in earnest in 1994, traveling to Rwanda in the wake of the genocide. She spent a good amount of her energies for the following four years focused on the regional fallout of that event.
Back in the U.S., Bingham worked as the official photographer to the Office of the Vice President of the United States from 1998 through 2001.
At the time of her award, Bingham had completed two special projects for Human Rights Watch: one on Burundi and another on small arms trafficking in Central Africa. More recently, she served as director of a documentary, Meeting Resistance, about the Iraqi insurgency.
"When she was in Kabul, she sent me some writing excellently revealing a chaotic world," said Bingham's former teacher, William Dunnell. "She generously allowed me to give a copy to the postmaster in my minute town, whose son was a marine in Kabul. What Molly wrote brought her the missing nearness and clarity of view, and she was so pleased. I wish that Molly could have seen the happiness and understanding that her work wrought.
Creating a revelation for others is a great accomplishment for any person, especially for one who has an innate uncertainty. Her success results from overcoming herself and believing that she can bring understanding and intimacy to disparate parts of the world family. Her photography finds both entities and continues the outward look that she brought with her to Brooks near twenty years ago. She was good and compassionate then and remains so to this day. We need only to look upon her work to know."
2001 | No Award Given
2000 | William L. Perocchi ’85, CEO Pebble Beach Company
William Perocchi '85 is currently the CEO of the Pebble Beach consortium. Before he was asked to join Californian group, he had retired from his position with Doubletree Inns to spend more time with his children and wife.
"Many people who have attained this level of accomplishment forget those they have left behind," longtime Brooks administrator, coach and teacher Bill Poirot said. "Not only have Bill's core values not been affected by his extraordinary success, they are encouraging him to return to and support those organizations that molded him.
I first met Bill in September 1972, when he arrived at Brooks for early football, a scholarship kid from Lawrence. His uncle Steve was the head football coach and was the force behind bringing Bill to Brooks. After practice I introduced myself and told him that I was his advisor. I gave him a brief description of the role I played and he seemed surprised that a faculty member would spend time with him. Coming from Lawrence High School, he was not used to individual attention.
I let him settle in before arranging a meeting with him. We talked about how he was doing and he said that it was difficult. I tried to give him some pointers and let it go until the first set of grades came out. Not surprisingly, his grades were rather poor. I asked him how much time he was spending on his homework and he said that it was difficult to study at home so I told him he could stay later at school. He said that he had no way to get home and I said I would arrange something. I also asked him if he was getting extra help from his teachers and he said no. I informed him that they would all be willing to help and that he should not be reluctant to go to them. I went on to say that he had a great opportunity at Brooks and that he should take advantage of all the resources at his disposal.
After this talk, things began to improve slowly and by the end of the year, his grades were respectable. Over the course of the next two years there was continued improvement and by his senior year, he had grades that were good enough to get him accepted to the University of New Hampshire, where he thrived. From this point on, the work ethic which had its birth at Brooks took him to heights that were unimaginable for someone from the projects of Lawrence. His is the prototype rags-to-riches story.
Bill is an excellent candidate for the Alumni Shield Award for all he has achieved, but more importantly because he has not forgotten his roots. Someone who has reached the corporate heights he has could easily have put his past behind him and lived the rest of his life in the "fast lane." This is not Bill's modus operandi.
He returned to this area last summer after many years out of contact and asked if I could put him in contact with someone in the Brooks development office because he wanted to do something to repay Brooks for all it had done for him. He has done the same thing at the Lawrence Boys & Girls Club, where he spent a great deal of time when he was young. He is genuinely interested in being involved in these organizations on an ongoing basis with the ultimate goal of supporting those who helped him."
1999 | No Award Given
1998 | Charles Walworth ’78, Physician
Currently the director of of Global Medical Affairs and Education at Monogram Biosciences in San Francisco, Charles Walworth '78 was managing patients with HIV and other infectious diseases at Pacific Oaks Medical Group in Newport Beach, California, at the time of his award.
Walworth received his B.S. in 1982, followed by a master's degree in physiology in 1984 and his M.D. in 1988, all from Georgetown University. This was followed by a year of residency at University of Rochester/Strong Memorial Hospital in the department of surgery, and three years at Georgetown University Hospital in the department of medicine.
Walworth served as a medical stall fellow in infectious diseases at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Maryland, from 1993 to 1996. He has worked around the globe, as a consultant and instructor in Health Care in Guatemala and as a medical volunteer in Thailand.
Walworth served as a researcher at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., studying bone regeneration and at the department of neurology. He has also served as a researcher at Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Mass. General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, doing in situ hybridization studies with laboratory animals.
The recipient of the Outstanding Resident Physician Award at Georgetown's department of internal medicine in 1993, Walworth also won the Distinguished Service Award from the College of Arts and Sciences at Georgetown University in 1992. He also was awarded a summer research fellowship at Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Mass. General Hospital in 1984.
"I first met Chuck in 1974," former biology teacher Nick Evangelos said. "He was a scholarship day student from Lawrence, Mass. After he survived my beagle Biology course, he decided he wanted more Biology, so he signed up for my A.P. Bio course a few years later. Little did he realize what he was getting himself in for.
One of the highlights of my course was that students got a chance to attend operations with local doctors who were also Brooks parents. One of those doctors was Dr. Rudolph Muto, father of Brooks graduates Mike and Mark Muto. Dr. Muto was a thoracic surgeon who operates at Lawrence General Hospital. I remember the day that Chuck and Dan Juba (who is now a doctor) returned to school after attending chest surgery with Dr. Muto.
This experience was to have very lasting effects. When they arrived in my classroom they both enthusiastically announced that they were going to become doctors. Now I thought they were just kidding, and that their enthusiasm was mainly due to the fact that Dr. Muto treated them to a lunch at Bishop's Restaurant, but such was not the case. They were truly turned on and interested in going on to a medical career."
1997 | Trevor A. McC. Potter ’74, Attorney
Trevor Potter is a partner at Wiley, Rein & Fielding in Washington, D.C., working for the law firm both before and after his five-year service as commissioner and chairman of the Federal Election Commission.
President George H. W. Bush appointed Potter to the Federal Election Commission in 1991, where he served as vice chairman in 1993 and chairman from 1994 to 1996. Potter's previously worked for the government in the early 1980s as a department of justice official and as assistant general counsel to the Federal Communications Commission.
Potter found himself back in the classroom during the mid-1990s. He taught a course on campaign finance law at the University Of Virginia School Of Law during the 1996-1997 academic year, as well as a few seminars in comparative election law and political science at Oxford University in the fall of 1995.
Potter is an editor and author of various publications on election law and campaign finance questions, in addition to appearing as an election law expert on radio and television.
He served as an official observer in foreign elections, chairing the United States Delegation in the Trilateral Conference on Election Law in 1994. He also chaired the Conference on Election Law and Lobbying Regulation held by Glasser LegalWorks in 1996, and a year later co-chaired the Conference on Campaign Finance Reform, sponsored by the White House Weekly.
Potter is currently a member of the council of the ABA Administration Law and Regulatory Practice Section, liaison to the ABA Standing Committee on Election Law, and has chaired the Election Law Committee of the ABA's Section on Administrative Law.
After graduating from Brooks, Potter received degrees from both Harvard College and the University Of Virginia School Of Law.