Published by the Office of Communications and Development

40 Woodlands Street 41 Singapore 738547Tel: (65) 6363-3403 Fax: (65) 6363-3408

www.sas.edu.sgjourneys@sas.edu.sg

Volume 3 December 2007

ourneysSingapore American School Alumni MagazineJSAS

MIC

A(P

) 2

45

/04

/20

07

SAS gifts tochildrenof Cambodia

Inside features:• Alums working in Singapore• Fond food memories• Island’s 21st C biomedical hub• Aven recalls building King’s Rd

SAS Cover 11/19/07, 3:13 PM2-3

2

C o n t e n t s

SAS Education Foundation 5Now in its third year, the SAS Education Foundation isfunding student programs and helping to ensure thelong-term financial health of the school.

SAS expansion — Will there be a second campus? 6School Board considers options for the future.

SAS gifts to the children of Cambodia 7In a community-wide effort, SAS parents, teachers, students andalumni help educate the Cambodian leaders of tomorrow.

Then & Now: Singapore food memories 14

Singapore Today: Biopolis and A*Star 20Fabulous research facility lends itself to internationally acclaimedresearchers as well as SAS student interns.

25 years at SAS 26HS English teacher John Hurst becomes antiquarian book dealer.

The real world for the Class of 2007 29

Modern dance artist and alum visits SAS 32

Art through the eyes of 1991 alumnus 34

Singapore Today: Doing Singapore — again 36Alums tell their stories about returning to Singapore to live and work.

Alum who fell in love with science at SAS 43

The school the community built 44Superintendent Aven recalls the building of the King’s Road campus.

Notes & Quotes 46

Reunions in 2007 and 2008 55

EditorJunia Baker

SuperintendentBrent Mutsch

Director of Communicationsand Development

Beth Gribbon

Associate Director of AlumniRelations

Lauren Thomas

DesignerJosephine Yu

SAS Journeys is published bythe Office of Communicationsand Development of theSingapore American School.

Vol 3

December 2007

Front cover: The 12th centuryBayon temple near Siem Reaptowers over SAS communityprojects in four Caring forCambodia schools.Photo by Patrick Green

Back cover: Beth Gribbon,Director of Communicationsand Development, and LaurenThomas, Associate Director ofAlumni Relations, welcomevisiting alumni to SAS.

P2-13 11/19/07, 4:24 PM2

3

Welcome Alumni,

It’s been an exciting first semester of the 2007-2008school year. In August, we were pleased to welcome Dr.Brent Mutsch as our new superintendent. Brent’s firstfew months have been included discussions with theBoard of Governors and SAS community about thefeasibility of expanding the school beyond its 3,800 cur-rent students. In this issue Board Chairman Garth Sheldonaddresses the questions and concerns about expansion.

The SAS community has been very active both oncampus and away from Singapore. I hope you are as“wowed” as I was by the work of Caring for Cambodia.This organization, set up by SAS parent Jamie Amelio,has gathered the support of the SAS community and takenadvantage of its skills and the volunteer time of SAS par-ents, teachers, students and alumni.

I came into the Alumni Relations position in August2007 after nearly three years in the Admissions Office. In Admissions, we often see the initial anxiety that parents have aboutmoving their children into a large international school setting. After the children settle in, that anxiety melts into a joy in theshared experience of attending a well-regarded institution like SAS. Over the past few months, I’ve been delighted by the“warm and fuzzy” feelings that the visiting alumni share about their childhood experiences in Singapore.

To this end, I encourage departing families to register on our website and for the most recent graduates to use thisincredible alumni resource to make connections when they leave SAS.

The Alumni Relations Department is part of the SAS Office of Communications and Development, headed by DirectorBeth Gribbon. I work with Development Assistant Emi Enomoto to maintain the alumni website at alumni.sas.edu.sg, thisalumni publication and any event invitations and reminders. If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to register online.

We’re able to update the alumni website often with the help of some very special alumni. Karen Studebaker, formerfaculty member and alumni parent, e-mails frequently with “finds” and leads on alumni. Nathalie Vo-Ta (90) updated us onthis summer’s Austin reunion, and her sister Shari (98) is planning the class of 98’s 10-year reunion in Las Vegas.

In addition to our busy alumni website, SAS alums, including Raoul Rolfes (93) who organizes open-class reunions in LasVegas, are active on social networking sites like www.myspace.com and www.facebook.com. We’re hoping that these socialnetworking sites will bring alumni together and encourage them to use the SAS alumni website as a catch-all database forformer classmates. As Charlie Pulaski (98) told me this fall, “the SAS site will always serve as a repository for connection asthe popularity of social networking sites will wane.”

If you find yourself back in Singapore, please visit us. We’ve welcomed many alumni visitors this fall, and it’s always fun to hearthe stories and look through the yearbooks. No SAS visit is complete without dining in Mr. Hoe’s cafeteria. In this issue, SASLibrarian Kirk Palmer and several other alums highlight favorite food memories, which should get your mouth watering and yourtickets reserved on the first flight back to Singapore!

We’ve noticed a growing trend among our young, professional alumni: all roads lead back to Singapore. The economicboom in the region means an attractive job market. In this issue, Greg Waldron (88) speaks with those who have returned towork in Singapore, while Michelle Schmitz (07) writes about internship opportunities at the island’s biomedical hub.

Hope to visit with you soon, either in person or by e-mail.

Lauren Thomas,Associate Director of Alumni Relations,lthomas@sas.edu.sg

Welcome Alumni

Lauren with visiting alumna Kathi Kreiling Whitely (81), left,and Candace Kreiling, who is married to Kevin Kreiling (78).

P2-13 11/19/07, 4:24 PM3

Letters to Editor

From July Ellis Jolley (81): “Wow! Fi-nally something of substance from SAS inmy mailbox... love the quality and all thephotos of the school and grounds, the artdisplays... story about 1956 by Stuart Lippeand the one on Jane Goodall. Still waitingthough for a picture of that 50th anniversaryquilt...” [Thank you July for the kind words. Yourquilt picture is in this issue. Ed.]

From Stuart Lippe (59) on his “In 1959”contribution: “I liked what you did with mycontribution. I like that you identified me with the class of59 but also allowed me to make my point for posterity thatI was there at the creation (to steal a phrase from DeanAcheson). Modesty aside, I thought it came out very well. Idid not realize that Thieves Market is still there... nice touch.”

From John Dankowski (principal 71-71) — Boni: “Yourarticle about Boni’s retirement caught my attention as an exciting‘blast from the past,’ which is what most alumni publicationsdeliver. If you can contact Boni, please tell her that I was soimpressed by her and by your writeup about her. She andTheresa were our two wonderful secretaries in the days of HarryFogie. She has retained her beauty so magnificently, and I willalways remember her gentle graciousness.”

From Karen Studebaker (faculty and parent 75-81) aboutJourneys: “You’ve knocked everyone’s socks off! What afantastic issue.”

From David Dawson — Nat Bava and the 84-85 rugbyteam: “I appreciated the article on Nat Bava, someone whohas certainly influenced my life. I think of him often. However,the picture of him talking to students on the steps to the

softball field at King’sRoad is not of the rugbyteam. It is from the mid-1980s, 1984-85 schoolyear, I suspect, as GregMiller (85), John McGrath(86) and Bill Anderson(87) are clearly in the pic-ture, and they neverplayed rugby. Bava tookover the team in 1984from Dick Lewis, who be-

gan it along with Mike Imperi and Bava in1981. Under Lewis we were a rough and tum-ble team that intimidated other teams andoften lost. Bava turned the same ‘bruisers’into a highly efficient ‘finesse’ team that wentundefeated, beating Raffles Junior College forthe final game of the season... I and others,including Coach Bava, believe that this teamrepresented the first milestone in the re-

surgence of rugby at the school.”

From Eileen Van Kirk Umbehr (76): “Thank you so muchfor the articles you published [‘SASer’s journey from trashman to lawyer’]. I really appreciate the plug for my book too.[Small Town Showdown is now available from Amazon.] Ishowed Journeys to my manuscript editor, and she said itwas the nicest alumni magazine she’d ever seen.”

From Leigh Ann Whiddon Harvey (87) — fond memories:“I really enjoyed Journeys... I liked the story on Mrs. Liew. Shestarted at Ulu Pandan in 1975 in Mercury, and I started SAS in1975 in Mercury... I enjoyed the stories on Boni and CoachBava too. Bava was my canoe partner in Australia for InterimSemester... It was a lot of fun.”

From Cliff Groen (64) — small world: “I want tocongratulate you on the June edition of Journeys, which isexcellent. I was interested to see the photo of Jim Baker(66), whom I remember well, and Haywood Blakemore(school board chair in the late 90s), an old acquaintance ofmine — we’re both lawyers with similar experiences. Smallworld. The ar ticle by Stuar t Lippe (59) [‘In 1956’]describes well what I remember from my years in Singa-pore. The article on IASAS was also interesting. Terry Ng(64) and I were on the original SAS teams playing againstISB. I had no idea IASAS had evolved since then.”

Chris Bodeen (88) passes on greetings to teachers: “Totwo of my ex-teachers who were in the recent issue ofJourneys. I was at the King’s Road campus 1984-86. I greatlyenjoyed Jim Baker’s Chinese history [actually Asian Studies— Ed.] class. It had a certain influence on my decision topursue studies in Chinese language, politics and history, whichled me into a career as a reporter with The Associated Pressin Beijing. Bob Dodge’s European history class was similarlyaffecting. He might recall me as the blonde American whohad an intense rivalry with Perry McDonald (88).”

4

P2-13 11/19/07, 4:24 PM4

5

Education Foundation

The Singapore American School Education Foundationis now firmly established as a strong and well-supportedinstitution. In the second year of fund raising for thefoundation (2006-07) over S$500,000 was raised. Manyof those funds were raised through the continuinggenerosity of the Khoo family and the annual Star Appealdinner, as well as the contributions of the other membersof the “1956 Circle” — William and Jamie Amelio,Stephen Riady and Shincee Leonardi and the SAS PTA.

A substantial portion of the funds is earmarked for sup-port programs and financial aid in this school year and in-cludes visual and performing arts, athletics and communityservice, as well as a parent Speaker Series. The remainingfunds will be placed in an endowment fund, where theinterest earned will help finance future initiatives of theAnnual Fund drive.

The funds continue to provide a full scholarship for aseventh grade student from Cambodia to attend SAS. This isher second year at the school, and it is our hope that she canremain with us through high school.

Another interesting program is the Best Foot ForwardTravel Fund, which the PTA established with a foundingdonation of $50,000 in honor of Superintendent BobGross (1999-2007). This fund is restricted to financialassistance for students to participate in traveling com-petitions or honors programs. Donors may specify thattheir funds be used for this program if they so wish.

For information about the Education Foundation, pleasecontact the school or see www.sas.edu.sg, Giving to SAS.

Thank you for your support of the Education Foundation.

Beth Gribbon, Director, Communications and Development

Traveler’s Palm Circle S$100-S$999

Danny A. Flores • Randall and Ginny Donohue •Rosemary and Melvin Farmer • Nicolas Laveris •Architectnix, APAC

Making a donation

You may contribute to the SAS Education Foundation by checkor credit card. Checks in Singapore dollars should be madepayable to: The American School Trust Limited.Checks in U.S. dollars should be made payable to: Singapore American School Foundation.

Checks should be mailed to:Office of Communications and DevelopmentSingapore American School40 Woodlands Street 41Singapore 738547

Credit card donations can be made over our secure server byclicking the Make a Gift Online link on the donations page.Go to http://alumni.sas.edu.sg/donations.All donations made online in U.S. dollars or by check in U.S.dollars are U.S. tax deductible through our U.S. Foundation.

Additional donations to 2006-07 AnnualFund of the SAS Education Foundation thatwere not included in SAS Journeys, Vol. 2

Plans for the Memory Gardenand Riady Performing Arts

Center are on the SAS School Boardtable. Full story in June 2008

issue of Journeys.

Education Foundationsteadily grows

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

P2-13 11/19/07, 4:59 PM5

6

From the School Board

Dear Parents, Faculty, Staff and Alumni,

We began the fall 2007 semester, our 52nd year of operation,with 3,824 students from more than 50 countries, 345 professionalstaff and a waitlist of 550. SAS is the largest single-campusinternational school in the world, and the facility we occupyrepresents an existing economic commitment to our community andto Singapore in excess of $270 million.

We are proud of our school, our teachers and administrators,our students and the academic, community service, sports andcultural endeavors they undertake with distinction. We are gratefulto our community, which supports everything we do with time,money and enthusiasm.

Given the accomplishments of our students, teachers,administrators and community, the educational program we deliverand the facility we have, it is not surprising that the number ofpeople who wish to send their children to SAS is growing. Balancingthe need to accommodate this growth in demand with ourcommitment to the continuous improvement of what we do remainsthe principal focus for the Board of Governors.

SAS remains committed to growth on terms that meet theoperational and fiduciary imperatives of The American School TrustLimited, the registered not-for-profit entity under which the schooloperates. These imperatives include upholding the standard ofeducational programs and facilities and maintaining the soundfinancial foundation of the school.

At each stage in the past growth of the school, the trust hasfound the required financial resources through maximizing itsexisting assets and through student facility fees. In the case of ourbiggest expansion to date, the 1996 move to the Woodlands campus,we were able to utilize the substantial asset of the King’s Roadland (our previous high school campus). The King’s Road campus

Growth atthe Singapore

AmericanSchool

SAS School Board: left to right, Marybeth Shay, Bon Soon Koo,Chairman Garth Sheldon, Sheila Wang, Maya Roll. Back, CarlStocking, Bart Broadman, Devin Kimble, Bob Comstock, JosephAnderson, Kirk Hulse. Not shown, Tom Linton.

was donated to the trust many years ago through the generouscontribution of Citibank. This asset provided the seed money tofinance the development of the present campus. No such ready assetis now available to the trust to provide the initial capital whileprotecting fully the existing school.

In developing a realistic strategy for funding the expansion ofthe school, SAS will examine its current method of funding theschool facility and look for new sources of funding in order to balancethe demands of debt repayment with the limits on school fee levels.It is likely that we will be looking to the corporations, institutionsand philanthropic individuals within the community we serve tofollow the historical lead of Citibank and others who havecontributed to SAS over the years.

The urgency felt by the Singapore government to provideadditional space for foreign education is matched by the parentswho wait for space to open up in their school of choice. At SAS weare honored to be that school of choice for a majority of Americansliving or intending to live in Singapore, as well as for the parentsof the 50 other nationalities represented at our school. We areworking to find a way to continue our time-honored commitment toexpanding to meet the needs of our community and expect to do so inpartnership with the government and the constituencies we serve.

We invite comments from you at any stage in this process andintend to keep you fully informed with ample opportunity to engagein discussions with us as we move forward.

Garth Sheldon, Chairman, SAS Board of Governors

P2-13 11/19/07, 4:24 PM6

7

By Lauren Thomas

When SAS parent Jamie Amelio speaks about the childrenof Cambodia, her face glows with joy. She is a parent whotakes great pleasure in her children, all 3,000 of them.

Six years ago, Jamie and her family spent their vacationexploring Angkor Wat in Siem Reap. Around the temples,Cambodian children surrounded the tourists, selling softdrinks and post cards. “One little girl approached me, tuggingat my shirt, asking not for a dollar for a Coke, but for moneyto go to school. This simple request struck me because I’m afirm believer that education is the best weapon againstpoverty. I thought to myself, this little girl is really just asking

Education: the bestweapon against poverty

for HOPE,” Jamie said.Hope is in short supply in Cambodia, where most of the

educated middle-class was killed by the genocide of theKhmer Rouge and the civil war that followed. The people whowould have been today’s teachers and mentors simply donot exist. In addition, most families do not have the US$5 amonth to pay for their children to attend school or theadditional funds to purchase the mandatory school uniforms.

Jamie saw a need and founded Caring for Cambodia.She and her volunteer board of directors, primarily made upof SAS parents, have opened four schools and are educating3,000 students. In a process that she notes is often “onestep forward, two steps back,” Jamie has also launched a

P2-13 11/19/07, 4:24 PM7

8

SAS parents, such as Sandra Smith (right) and LoriMcConaghy (below), often travel to Siem Reap toread to the children and assist in the classrooms,actively engaging in“teaching children who loveto learn, learn to live.”

Food For Thought school meal program, school uniformdrives, a dental program and a clean water supply system.She has even considered the students’ commutes,purchasing 1,000 bicycles for children who travel longdistances to school.

Jamie is very clear that her mission is not to parachutein and throw money at the problem. She has worked withthe Cambodia Ministry of Education to ensure that theschools provide a self-sustaining service for trainedCambodian educators. With the help of SAS teachers,CFC has opened a training center for Cambodian teachers.The teaching jobs in the CFC schools are highly soughtafter, as teacher wages are paid on time, and both teacherand student attendance is nearly 100 percent.

P2-13 11/19/07, 4:24 PM8

The SAS community — students, parents, teachers andalumni — is a major contributor to the success of Caring for Cambodia

through donations of time, uniforms, school supplies and funds

P2-13 11/19/07, 4:24 PM9

10

Left: SAS parent Marybeth Shay takes pleasurein hands-on activities with CFC students.

Below: The SAS Education Foundation providesa full scholarship for Rathana (right), while hergood friend Cherry is sponsored by the Ameliofamily. Both girls live with the Amelios and arepictured here with Middle School teacher, SharonCarroll.

The SAS community has been a major contributor tothe success of CFC. Students and alumni have cleanedand painted CFC schools and donated SAS uniforms andschool supplies. Families have held Easter egg hunts andno-gift birthday parties to raise funds. SAS teachers havetaught Cambodian teachers.

The SAS Education Foundation has subsidized a Cam-bodian scholarship student. Jamie personally pickedRathana, who has been at SAS for two years now, alongwith her good friend Cherry, who is sponsored by theAmelio family. Both girls live with the Amelios, who have

vowed to educate them through college. The girls, whotook their first trip on an airplane coming to Singaporeand had never seen a credit card or an escalator, had theexpected initial culture shock. Due to their kind, bubblypersonalities, both have settled into the SAS communitywell. Teacher Sharon Carroll, who has been working closelywith the girls, says “They are fantastic girls, and they’vecome such a long way.”

Jamie believes “to whom much is given, much isexpected.” If you would like to help Jamie continue the CFClegacy, see www.caringforcambodia.org.

�

P2-13 11/19/07, 4:24 PM10

By Liz King, SAS parent

CFC’s teacher training efforts began in December 2003,when President Jamie Amelio made one in a long list of ex-cellent decisions. She reached out to former SAS parent AnnieMeyer — a veteran teacher, talented listener and master col-laborator. Jamie recognized that an educator’s perspectivewould be critical to CFC’s success, and Annie was the per-fect person for the role.

Within a month, Annie had amassed a small committee

SAS Primary School teacher Kaye Bach teaches hands-on learning activities and strategies to Cambodian educators.

Teachers educating teachers –at the heart of CFC

of educators from SAS and the Tanglin Trust School. As afellow educator, I was eager to be a member of this teachertraining committee. One of our first meetings started withwhat educators like to call “brainstorming”— How manyschools? How many students? What are the grade levels?What is the class size? How long is the school day? How arethe teachers trained? How are classrooms equipped? Isthere a curriculum? How many hours do the children spendin school? Are there formal assessments in place?

Within a month, Annie and I, along with two other mem-

11

P2-13 11/19/07, 4:24 PM11

bers of the committee, were on a plane to Siem Reap toobserve the CFC schools, answer those questions and beginthe daunting process of identifying our first steps. We weremet at the airport by Ung Savy, CFC superintendent of schools,who spent hours explaining his country’s educational sys-tem, its chronic challenges due to the monumental loss ofteaching expertise during the war years (some statistics esti-mate that 70 percent of all teachers were killed) and thespecific pressing needs of the CFC schools.

Ung Savy started with the basics: The government man-dated that students wear blue and white uniforms, yet mostchildren cannot afford them. Even more critical, we discov-ered that a majority of the students came to school withoutbeing fed. Teachers had basic levels of training, but theirgovernment salaries were paid inconsistently and were barelyenough to support their families.

Our initial goals became abundantly clear: provide uni-forms, daily nutritious meals and teacher salaries.

Savy observed classrooms at SAS and Tanglin Trust andwas particularly captivated by SAS’s Early Childhood Center.Six months later CFC’s first kindergarten was built, staffedand recognized by the Cambodian Ministry of Education —the very first of its kind in Cambodia.

And then in October 2006 — the same weekend thatCFC’s second kindergarten was dedicated — Kaye Bach foundher way to the CFC schools while on holiday with her family.Fortuitously for CFC, a fire was lit in her belly. I was also inSiem Reap at the time, and my phone rang while I was visit-ing a temple. Kaye said, “Liz, I’m at the Amelio School withSavy. This is incredible! We need to talk! I need to know more

12

Our initial goals becameabundantly clear: provide

uniforms, daily nutritious mealsand teacher salaries

P2-13 11/19/07, 4:25 PM12

13

about what you’re doing. I want to be involved!”Call it serendipity. Call it fate. Call it what you will, but

when that phone rang, the next phase of our forward progress“got its legs.” Anyone who knows Kaye Bach, knows that sheis precisely the teacher for whom the phrase “master teacher”is intended. The training she developed with former SASteacher Erin Hopper and Tanglin teacher Katie Sansom es-tablished the model for our teacher training efforts to moveforward and expand — just as our CFC teachers and the Cam-bodian Ministry of Education had hoped it would.

We are on to something and we intend to see it through.Four schools now serve more than 3,000 students. We havea nearly 100 percent attendance rate among our teachersand students. But more than that, we have a plan. We aremembers in a community here in Singapore that is brimmingwith educational talent from all over the world. We are alsothe neighbors of a country that is eager for that talent. CFCaims to be the bridge that allows these professional teacherexchanges to happen. We are educators. We are listeners.We are collaborators. And we know we have what it takes tomake a difference. �

Photos this page show an eighth grade service project, whichincluded building houses, cleaning out sheds, painting classroomsand interacting with the children.

We are on to something.and we intend to see it through.Four schools now serve 3,000students. We have a nearly100% attendance rate from

teachers and students. But morethan that, we have a plan.

P2-13 11/19/07, 4:25 PM13

14

Then & Now

By Kirk PalmerTeacher and librarian, 1978-present

Memories of places, especially when traveling the world,are often associated with food. That basic need is often thefirst one that we look to fulfill wherever we land. For those ofus who have lived away from our home countries and forthose who grew up in Singapore, food plays a very importantrole in the memories associated with the island republic andof the Singapore American School.

Arriving for my first visit to Singapore in 1976, when thefamous car-park food stalls across from the present Centerpointwere at their peak, and inspired by the popular time-lapseTourism Board commercial, in which the space changed from aconvenient parking location to a fully active food court in aboutone hour, I decided to try a local favorite, mee goreng. Iconfidently told the uncle who had that stall that, “can, can takespicy.” Well, that mee goreng pretty much blew the top of myarrogant head off. Thankfully, not too much later I had thebenefit of being introduced to Singapore’s fine food successfully,

Body by Hoe! and otherfavorite food memories

Oyster omelets were big hits in the1970s at the Tanglin HandicraftCenter (now Tanglin Mall).

Steve Emma (faculty 83) and Patty Emma Mullen (faculty 85-92) with author Kirk Palmer(right) at the SAS 50th anniversary dinner, which served up Singapore delights to the countrytunes of Matthew and the Mandarins.

P14-28 11/19/07, 3:32 PM14

15

Then & Now

easily and safely under the careful guidance of the Hoe familyin the SAS cafeteria at Ulu Pandan.

There are probably a number of SAS colleagues who haveenjoyed easing into the local cuisine by eating some prettyamazing lunches in the SAS cafeterias — mee goreng, friedrice, kway teoh, baby kai lan, chili tofu and much more. It isalmost a starter restaurant for Asian food novices. I know ofone long-term colleague who proudly stands, arms outspread,and declares, “Body by Hoe!” Ahhh, but the memories ofthose wonderful food experiences are what keep us attachedto SAS and Singapore.

For those who were here in the days before the prolifera-tion of wonderful restaurants that we have today, practicallythe only places to eat good western food was in the besthotels and at the American Club. A few other places, such asFoster’s Steakhouse, Jack’s Place and The Ship, also pro-vided that restaurant connection to western food. The Hilton,Mandarin and Hyatt hotels were the best. Of course, if youwanted to downscale a bit, then out by the New Zealand(now American) military base in Sembawang or on TransitRoad near the original Parisilk store, you could find somepretty good steak with fries.

For fast food, A & W was the only thing available, and itwas fun to go to the drive-in restaurant along Dunearn Road.Not until McDonald’s opened in 1979 at Liat Towers onOrchard Road did fast food really take of f. That

McDonald’s set consumption records for the first day,week and month that held for a long time.

For Mexican food, just about the only way it was avail-able was when the shipments of tortillas and condimentsarrived at Jason’s Supermarket in Orchard Towers. Wordwould go around the school community faster than an email(never question the speed and accuracy of the bamboo tel-egraph!) that the south-of-the-border items had arrived and,next to payday at Bank of America, the lines of teachers atJason’s were almost as long.

Probably the most popular place for local food other thanthat of Mr. Hoe was and maybe still is Newton Circus. Whereelse could you see students enjoying noodles and forbiddendrinks; teachers and expats and locals chowing down chilicrab; and tourists walking around, overwhelmed at theselection. Newton’s success has always been amazing; thelocation seems to have been the initial draw, but good foodwill bring foreigners and locals alike.

The seafood restaurants now concentrated along EastCoast Parkway used to be scattered across the island, but itis a nice advantage to be able to go there now and enjoy thehuge selection.

Every day at dusk in the 1960s and 1970s, dozens of stalls-on-wheels emerged from side streets and set up their “kitchens” onthe vacant parking lot across from Cold Storage (now Centerpoint).

Who could forget the proclamation of the Tourist Pro-motion Board, when the Handicraft Center was built atthe current site of Tanglin Mall, that all of the very bestfood stalls island wide would be relocated there. It worked— the food was fabulous.

Thinking about each of these places brings back memo-ries of steamy plates of food proudly presented by the waitstaff at stalls, restaurants and hotel coffee shops. See, theconnection of the place is to the food. Certainly, memories offood favorites will always bring a smile to my face and possi-bly a grumble in my tummy in memory of a particular culinarypleasure. Mmmmmm, I think a bowl of laksa with prawnsand some extra bean sprouts would hit the spot, and I knowjust the place to get it. �

My first taste of mee gorengat the car-park stallspretty much blew the

top of my arrogant head off

P14-28 11/19/07, 3:32 PM15

Then & Now

By Steve Wang (92)

Some of my fondest memories of Singapore were defi-nitely from hanging out with friends and family while enjoyingdelicious Singaporean cuisine. Eating spicy chili crab andwashing it down with a cold Anchor or Tiger Beer at NewtonCircus has to rank up there at the top. “Rocky! Two more coldones, lah!”

Newton Circus was a hangout for SASers on the week-end, as well as for kids from the other international schools.We would meet and talk, flirt with guys/girls, while enjoyingthe wonderful selection of food at a very affordable prices.Roti john and roti prata, popiah, char kway teow and sataywith peanut sauce could all be had for under $2 back in theday. Perfect for students with tight budgets!

Another favorite was fish head curry with my family at theBanana Leaf. Meals were served family style on large ba-nana leaves instead of plates, and you ate with your fingers.Just don’t let anyone catch you using your left hand! My folksused to play a joke on my friends and tell them that the fish

Selamat makan dan minum!eyes were reserved for them as special guests. Worked everytime! I still tease my friends about it!

I also remember gorging on chicken rice. Singaporehawker stalls definitely serve up some of the tastiest disheson the planet. I was rather surprised and a bit disappointedthat the chicken rice in Hainan, China did not even comeclose to what you can get in Singapore.

And who could forget the wonderful seafood bonanzathat was near Big Splash on the East Coast Parkway. Is thatplace still around? [Yes, it’s still here. Ed.] You could walkinto virtually a seafood supermarket, pick fresh seafood fromthe tanks and tell the server how each should be prepared —XO drunken prawns, ginger steamed fish, black bean oystersand garlic pan-fried clams — oh what a feast!

It has been over 15 years since I left Singapore andthroughout all my worldly travels since then, I have yet toreturn. But the fond memories and wonderful tastes andsmells of Singapore cuisine still linger in my senses as if itwas yesterday.

Selamat Makan! �

Chicken and beef satay with spicy peanut sauce — a big favoritewith SASers throughout the years.

Steve Wang’s parents always insisted his friends eat the eyes ofthe fish as they were the honored guests...

16

P14-28 11/19/07, 3:32 PM16

17

Then & Now

By Glen Kukula (89)

Saturday back in the mid 1980s was my time to hangwith the local boys. I lived in Serangoon Gardens, and therewere not too many kids from SAS in the area. BMX bikeswere hot tickets, and we made ramps and racetracks onundeveloped land so we could race and do tricks on ourbikes. I had a Torker 2 with all the “must have” options,which made me the local hero because my bike was fromthe States.

Those days were hot and long, and we would build uphuge appetites after the BMX riding. So my lot of local friends,Malaysians, Chinese, Indians and I, would ride to theSerangoon hawker center. To me eating at hawker stalls waslike my kids eating at McDonald’s today. It was normal to buyand eat food right on the side of the road.

As I rode up to the hawker center with $2 in my pocket,my mouth would water from the smells of all the differentfood. First stop for me was to get a bag of soy-bean milkwith crushed ice and a straw sticking out of the bag with a

The food I miss

red drawstring that bit into my finger because the bag washeavy — 25 cents. My favorite food was chicken rice witha bowl of hot chicken broth on the side — $1.75.

The other foods I miss are satay with peanut sauce,curr y puffs, laksa soup, roti prata with curry, fried ba-nanas and popiah. Luckily I have found restaurants inSo-Cal that make some of these items, but just writingabout them makes me hungry!

Singapore’s Newton Circus stalls are alive and well. The vendorsare a bit more pushy and the prices are higher than in the olddays but the food is still good and the atmosphere remains noisy,fun and beery.

Top: Glen Kukula (89) with son Hunter.Bottom: Oh, those curry puffs! And roti prata with curry, friedbananas, chicken rice and laksa, not to mention the seafoodfeasts at East Coast Park.

�

P14-28 11/19/07, 3:32 PM17

18

Then & Now

Top: Leonard Perry (85) smiles with pleasureat memories of Mr. Ho’s cinnamon buns, whichhe sampled when visiting SAS this September.Dr. Perry has been a professor in industrialengineering at the University of San Diego forseven years. He was in Singapore on a six-monthsabbatical with the National University ofSingapore, where he taught and did research.

Left: In August, Vanessa Santoyo Misenheimer(97) dropped by SAS with her mother, YolandaShoemaker. The Shoemakers were inSingapore from 1989 to 1994. Vanessa now livesin Texas with her husband Rick and beautifuldaughter Alayna, who just celebrated her firstbirthday. Yolanda and Vanessa were eager to tryout Mr. Hoe’s Sichuan chicken after their longabsence. While having lunch in the Intermediate/Middle School cafeteria, they visited with Hoe,PS Deputy Principal Ken Schunk and MS DeputyPrincipal Brian Combes.

Ho & Hoecontinue

to cook uphappy

memories

P14-28 11/19/07, 3:32 PM18

19

Then & Now

For forty years, the Ho familyhas engendered memories thatsend visiting alumni to the schoolcafeterias even before they seekout favorite teachers.

While most people remembertheir school cafeterias withrevulsion, patriarch Ho Tee Jam andhis sons, the High School‘s Ho JuanSim (shown here with family) andthe Middle School’s Hoe Juan Jok(blame the spellings on the Britishcolonial government), and theirwives, children, nieces andnephews have fed SASers well. �

4 cups cooked chicken cubed (seasoned with salt, pepper,ginger juice to taste)15 dry red whole chilies (cut in half)2 Tbs.chopped garlic1 cup roasted cashew nuts

Sauce (combine ̊ cup vinegar, ∫ cup sugar, ̊ cup dark soyasauce and 3 Tbs. Chinese cooking wine)3 Tbs. cornstarch dissolved in ∫ cup of water6 Tbs.corn oil3 cups chicken stock1 Tbs. Sichuan chili (optional)

Heat the wok with oil, brown the red chilies until you smell astrong chili fragrance. Stir in the chopped garlic. Immediatelyadd the cooked chicken and the sauce and continue to stirfry until the liquid begins to caramelize (be careful not to burnit). Add in chicken stock and bring to a boil. Taste the sauce tosee if it needs additional soya sauce, sugar, cooking wine orvinegar. Once it is to taste, thicken the sauce with the cornstarch mixture. Top with roasted cashew nuts and serve.

Mr. Ho’s Sichuan Chicken

40 years of greatmeals and warm

smiles at SAS

P14-28 11/19/07, 3:32 PM19

20

Singapore Today

Biopolis and A*STAR:Singapore’s R&D industries

reach new heights

Photo courtesy JTC Corporation

P14-28 11/19/07, 3:32 PM20

21

Singapore Today

By Michelle Schmitz (07)

Singapore is a country that has gone through muchchange. From the kampungs that were homes to many sepa-rate cultural clusters, we now have housing estates and con-dominiums that are homes to a unified population. SAS itselfwas once in a small colonial house on Rochalie Drive; now itoccupies a multi-million dollar complex in Woodlands. In thelast ten years, from the steep economic fall that occurred inthe Asia-wide financial crisis in 1997, Singapore has broad-ened its horizons and created a new identity. No longer is itjust a port city and a financial capital — Singapore is a bio-medical research, science and engineering hub, thanks tothe efforts of the A*STAR program and the creation of Biopolis.

A*STAR Scholarships and IncentivesA*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research)

was an idea founded in the early 1990s. Philip Yeo, thenchairman of the Economic Development Board, was search-ing for a re-branded identity for Singapore’s National Scienceand Technology Board that included the newest capabilitiesin biomedical sciences as well as the physical sciences andengineering. Drawing upon the strong economic resources ofthe time, along with Singapore’s prodigious scientific andacademic talent, A*STAR was created. Yeo had two abidingwishes. He wanted to open up the field of Singaporeanscientific research to the public and scientists from aroundthe world; he also wished to have a research complex wherescientists could collaborate on biomedical projects.

To achieve the first goal, A*STAR scholarships wereawarded to high-achieving Singaporean and permanent resi-dent youth. These scholarships ensure that Singapore hasoutstanding foreign-educated local talent. Recipients of thescholarship complete undergraduate college (mostly in theU.S. or Britain) paid for by A*STAR. All graduate school up tothe PhD level is paid for as well. In exchange students areobliged to work at various A*Star institutes for eight weekseach summer while they are in school and six years after theycomplete school.

For foreign-born scientists, A*STAR offers incentives: liv-ing packages and unmatched resources. It recruits throughads in prestigious scientific magazines, such as Nature andScience, and at job fairs. The American scientists at A*STARcome from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,Stanford, the National Institutes of Health, Max Planck, theNational Cancer Institute and Johns Hopkins University,among others.

Another key program that A*Star offers is “student at-tachments” — opportunities for students to get researchwork into their school curriculum. Whether during thesummer or during the school year, these students oftenshadow a scientist working in a field they wish to pursue,helping out wherever they can. They are treated likeresearchers and required to go to all overall institute lecturesand lab meetings as well as work full hours in the lab. Inreturn, these students (ranging from high/secondary schoolstudents to graduate students) either receive school creditor monetary compensation. (Eight SAS alumni in the lastfour years have had this opportunity.)

Biopolis — The City of ScienceTo achieve Yeo’s second wish, the current crown jewel

of the Singapore biomedical industry — the Biopolisbiomedical research complex — was born. The 55-acrecomplex, built with a S$570 million budget, is a pioneer inthe Asian scientific research industry. Located in Buona Vistain western Singapore (near Holland Village), Biopolis containsseven buildings: Genome, Helios, Chromos, Proteos, Matrix,Centros and Nanos. It performs research in genetics,nanotechnology, proteins, neuroscience and immunology,among many other fields.

Biopolis first proved its technological capabilities duringthe SARS crisis in the spring of 2003. A*STAR, in particularthe advanced Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and theInstitute for Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), sought to findthe genetically separate strains of SARS virus and see howthey “evolved” from the founding strain. Additionally, they wereinstrumental in finding separate overall strains from HongKong, China, Taiwan and other affected regions. Unfortunately,the SARS research had to end when the outbreak suddenlystopped — but Biopolis had proven its capability among the“big names” in biomedical research.

A*STAR and Biopolis are “star” representives ofSingapore’s initiatives toward a vibrant knowledge-basedeconomy that provides an intellectually stimulating andcreative environment for entrepreneurs, scientists andresearchers. Singapore’s biomedical industry has theability to collaborate and compete with the best minds inscientific research, serving as an example in Asia for themerits of scientific research. �

Many thanks to Dr. Edison Liu, Dr. Neil Clarke, Dr. Lance Millerand A*STAR for their informative contributions to this article.

P14-28 11/19/07, 3:33 PM21

Singapore Today

Written and compiled by Michelle Schmitz

During the four years that Biopolis has existed in Singa-pore, eight SAS high school students and alumni have workedat the complex, either for the summer or longer-term attach-ments. They worked at an assortment of jobs, anything frommicrochips to cancer research to bioinformatics. Below are theexperiences of three of them.

Michelle Schmitz (07)Genome Institute of Singapore

As a kindergartener in Manhattan, when Barney and PowerRangers were the crazes, my favorite pastime was reading areference book on childhood diseases. After repeatedly readingthis book, I could quote and apply what I learned to the realworld, much to my parents’ surprise. I soon graduated to readinganything vaguely science-related (National Geographic,Scientific American) and regurgitating facts unabashedly at thedinner table. Thus my scientific passion was born.

I knew that I wanted to leave some sort of mark on theworld. Thus I considered my options. After completing two

years of chemistry, two of physics and two and a half years ofbiology, I realized biology was the passion that I wished topursue. However, I couldn’t decide if I should pursue laboratoryresearch or medicine. Though I would like to be a doctor andwould be challenged to learn about and examine hereditaryand infectious diseases, research also appealed to me. It wasa 50/50 mental schism — and I had to find a tiebreaker.

That tiebreaker was Biopolis.In my freshman year in 2003, I was among a group of

four molecular biology students who headed to the NUS Sci-ence Park to look at the “exciting genetic research” that sci-entists were doing at the Institute for Molecular and CellBiology. That trip and enlightening conversations with the sci-

Singapore’stwenty-first

centuryresearch

facility

Michelle Schmitz (07) couldn’t decide between medicine andresearch for her career path. The tiebreaker was Biopolis.

22

P14-28 11/19/07, 3:33 PM22

Singapore Today

entists there eventually led me to this work.Getting an attachment at the Genome Institute of Singa-

pore (GIS) was not easy. Earlier this year, I e-mailed Dr. EdisonLiu, remarking on my deep interest in scientific research,and asked for a chance to do a summer internship. Iinterviewed with different departments — bioinformatics,computational biology, systems biology and cancer biology— to see which areas fit my interests and background. I alsowas interviewed by Dr. Liu. Eventually, I was assigned to theCancer Biology 2 department, working with estrogenreceptors in breast cancer cells.

Why did I pick cancer biology? For me, cancer research is apersonal vendetta against my genetic destiny. Most of the menon my paternal side died from either lung or stomach cancer. Avery close family friend died from ovarian cancer. There was areal possibility that a simple cell-cycle switch could occur, whichwould produce cancerous cells in a nanosecond in someone Iknew. The realization hit me hard, and I decided that, given theopportunity, I’d try to examine the procedures done today to

see if we had a chance of fighting the disease.Needless to say, my time at GIS was a wake-up call. I came

in as an idealistic 18-year-old, fresh from a high school educationthat emphasized learning and concepts behind scientificprocedures. When we performed experiments, we usually triedthe experiment once in order to learn the concepts behind it(twice if we were so unlucky), then moved on to the nextexperiment. That way, a student curious about learning neverhad the chance to be “bored” with a certain procedure.

Peck Yang (07) says that the most important part of his experience at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology wasthe opportunity to be hands-on in the laboratory.

I was no longer justlearning about concepts but

experiencing them — a skillthat I found priceless

P14-28 11/19/07, 3:33 PM23

Singapore Today

GIS turned me into a realist. I was not mollycoddled the wayI was in high school. I was given the same responsibilities asthose of fellow researchers. Sure, like all interns, I got the jobsthat many find unpleasant but necessary: creating bacterialplates, waiting around centrifugation machines and de-icingthe -80°C fridge where we kept our samples. Yet at the sametime, my experience was not limited to such mundane events.

My supervisor is a brilliant scientist. He allowed me to tryall the experiments that I knew about and observed. He real-ized that I have a strong science background and was glad hedid not have to teach me the concepts or real-world applica-tions of the experiments.

I learned by watching experiments first. After a week, I gradu-ated to harvesting cancer cells and the E. coli cells that weretransformed with plasmids containing estrogen receptor alphagenes — two experiments I knew about conceptually but neverhad the chance to perform.

With time, my responsibilities grew. I was no longer justlearning about concepts behind the various experiments,but experiencing the experiments — a skill that I foundpriceless. The work itself, after the initial learning curve, wasa bit monotonous, but I was content in knowing that everysmall step, every experiment that we performed contributed

to knowing a little more in genetic research and that wasenough impetus to keep me going.

I also got the chance to bridge an age gap withbioinformatics. I figured out how to use a special Agilent“lab-on-a-chip” that not only found concentrations of DNAsamples, but also ran a virtual gel electrophoresis and meas-ured the fluorescence of DNA samples. I ended up teachingmy supervisor how to use the lab chip. Another time, I dis-covered that I was able to search through the BLAT DNAdatabase twice as fast as my boss, reducing the time that ittook us to analyze a sample efficiently.

I also had the chance to learn about biochemistry, as mymentor is a biochemist by training. Over my weeks in Biopolis,I read and digested over two hundred pages of importantscientific papers about estrogen receptors and epigeneticsto further understand the concepts behind the experimentswe performed. Besides these required readings, I was ad-vised to visit the NUS library in the adjoining building andread as many scientific papers as possible.

Of course, there were the usual office politics. Scienceresearch, I realized, is an amazingly cutthroat world, withcolleagues competing for publishing rights and recognition.

Yet, if given a chance, I would I do this internship again in

“SARS Inhibited” by Mara Haseltine depicts the SARS Protease Inhibitor, which was discovered by an international team of scientistsat Biopolis.

P14-28 11/19/07, 3:33 PM24

25

Singapore Today

a nanosecond. I feel that this research experience was in-valuable, especially because it helped shape my perspectiveon sciences. My advice: it would be a shame if SAS studentsand alumni do not take the opportunity to work at Biopolis,as this biomedical research hub is right at our hands.

Eng Seng Ng (06)Agency for Science, Technology and Research

At the end of my senior year at SAS, I decided to take ayear off. I won’t go into the details, but let’s just say it seemeda good idea at the time.

As I looked around for interesting opportunities to fur-ther my knowledge during my year off, my attention naturallyturned to Biopolis. While casting around for opportunitiesopen to people entering college, I found the A*STAR program— the Agency for Science, Technology and Research. I emailedthe director of the institute, who is the parent of an SAS studentI know, and interviewed with him the following week. He wasbrilliant at sending me to exactly the right job — one where Icould participate in cutting-edge research.

When I first got there, I was amazed by the technology andthe techniques. Everything was new to me, and I threw myselfinto learning everything I could. There was certainly a lot to learn— not having studied much biology, I was ignorant of even themost basic procedures. Still, I read textbooks, watched peoplein the lab and learned. Before long I was performing experi-ments practically on my own.

The monotony of doing procedure after procedure tookits toll on me — but I kept going because, almost against mywill, I became fascinated with my work. I would work late

hours, sometimes after being asked to go home, just to fin-ish a crucial experiment and save a few hours the next morn-ing. I kept working on my experiments because they keptfailing, and I couldn’t stand failure. I wanted them to succeedin every bone of my body, and so I kept going.

Now that I’m in college, meeting new people and learn-ing new things every single day, I feel like my time might havebeen better spent here — but I’m grateful for the opportunityto delve into biology, biomedical research, a field I neverthought I would explore. And I know the work I did will help insome small way toward the larger goal — to make human lifebetter — and I’m happy because of it.

So all you students out there considering an internship,go! Look around, find out for yourself whether a certain disci-pline captures your attention. Learn some new skills; learnsome new facts. At the end of the day, you have to decidewhat’s right for you. And if the internship turns out not to bewhat you wanted, as it wasn’t for me, just move on. �

Peck Yang (07)Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology

During my stay at Biopolis, I was attached to a medicaldevice group in the Institute of Bioengineering andNanotechnology. I decided to complete this attachment inthe summer of 2007 prior to my freshman year as I wantedto decide whether I should pursue a career in research oracademia. An important aspect of my stay at IBN was thepeople I got to meet. In my lab, I met students from differentuniversities in Singapore and around the world and learnedabout their experiences in research.

In retrospect, the most important part of my experiencewas the opportunity to be hands-on in the laboratory. Myproject focused on fabricating and characterizing a DNA nano-biosensor. Fabrication took the bulk of my time as I spentweeks in the clean room. During these weeks, I was able tooperate, with the help of my mentor, the high tech equipmentthat is used at the cutting edge of nanotechnology research.I also experienced the trials and tribulation of research workas I had many equipment failures, a very busy mentor and adifficult device to fabricate.

Another great aspect of my attachment was the thirdannual International Conference on Bioengineering andNanotechnology. I attended talks on topics ranging fromnanoparticles that could deliver drugs with nanoprecision toartificial heart tissue to hydrogels with green tea components.It was amazing to hear top researchers from MIT, Harvardand other universities present their findings and research. Allin all, my attachment was an amazing experience. �

P14-28 11/19/07, 3:33 PM25

26

Hurst’s life-long loveof literature

John Hurst and fellow thespian and SAS teacherTrish Kuester share a dramatic moment.

By Junia Baker, Alum Parent

John Hurst is leaving SAS after 25 years, not to retirebut to start a new career as an antiquarian book dealer inIreland. Hurst intentionally avoided drawing attention to him-self during his SAS years, but had a real impact on manystudents, my son included. His involvement was memorablenot only in his creative writing course and literature classes,but also in coaching the Cultural Convention Oral Interpre-tation teams and directing SAS drama productions.

His 40 years in education took him many places. Hebegan teaching in 1967 in an all-black school in Atlanta,

Georgia. When Martin Luther King was assassinated thatspring, his distraught teenaged students threatened to beathim with their desks. “I managed to diffuse the situation butbegan to think about living overseas.” Later that same year,when Bobby Kennedy was also assassinated, he said, “That’sit. I’m leaving this country.” It took a while. First he moved toArizona and taught there for several years. “It wasn’t a foreigncountry but it felt like one.” Then on to India, Pakistan andTokyo, before landing in Singapore in 1982.

Ireland will be Hurst’s fifth foreign country, sixth if youcount Arizona, but it’s not really foreign as his great-grandfather,John Gibbons, immigrated to the United States from Ireland

in 1897. At the age of 16, Gibbons returnedhome from school to discover that his trulywicked stepmother had intentionally let hispet jackdaw fly away. Furious, Gibbonspacked his sea chest, which Hurst still has,left home and sailed for America.

On arrival, Gibbons was told by the U.S.Army that he either enlist or return to Ireland,so he enlisted and became a quarter masterin General George Armstrong Custer’s 7th

Cavalry. One of his duties, according to fam-ily lore, was that take care of Custer’s dogs.Hurst always pooh-poohed this fable until heread that indeed, Custer’s daughter used tovisit him with her wolfhounds in tow. Luckilyfor Hurst, his great grandfather was on leavefor General Custer’s last stand at Little BigHorn.

Running a bookstore is not a dramaticchange for Hurst. He has had a life-longlove affair with books. He is especially

P14-28 11/19/07, 3:33 PM26

27

QM John C. Gibbons, 7th Cav., Interesting Books is nestled amongquaint shops and restaurants along High Street in Westport,County Mayo, Ireland.

The Mall, Westport’s tree-lined boulevard along the picturesqueCarrowbeg River. This Irish heritage town was built by JamesWyatt in the eighteenth century.

moved by original works, the connection that comes fromhaving a first edition, autographed copy of a work by anauthor whose words have affected him. It is a feeling hehopes to share with others. His personal collection of theworks of Irish poet Seamus Heaney, 1995 Nobel Prize win-ner for Literature, is among the finest anywhere.

Will he miss the classroom? “Nope, I’m changing ca-reers, but a lot of my work will be a continuation of teaching— teaching people what to look for in a rare book andguiding literary tastes.”

His store is located in Westport, County Mayo, hometo 5,000 people, many fine restaurants and 45 pubs. Themost famous pub is Matt Malloy’s, owned by the flautist ofthe same name in the Grammy-winning Chieftains.

Westport is an Irish Heritage Town nestled in the shadowof Croagh Patrick, overlooking Clew Bay. Croagh Patrick isrenowned as the mountain from which St Patrick drove allthe snakes out of Ireland. Tourists and pilgrims make thetrek each July in memory. Also in July is a fabulous musicfestival with nightly entertainment and open air concerts,while the Westport Arts Festival each September attractsthe best in contemporary theater, literature and music.

The surroundings and atmosphere sound like a placewhere “QM John C. Gibbons, 7th Cav., Interesting Books,”Hurst’s new enterprise, will be welcome. �

Familiar SAS King’s Road and Ulu Pandan faces from the early1990s: left to right, Don Adams, Joan Adams, Trish Kuester, PaulaSilverman, Ellen Rankin, Bill Rankin, Lynn Boone, Joe Dirvin,Junia Baker, Rick Silverman, Bill Van Zevern, Bev Green and JohnHurst.

P14-28 11/19/07, 3:33 PM27

28

25 years at

In 25 years at SAS, John Hurst taught high school English,the history of India and journalism, directed theatrical pro-ductions, led IASAS Oral Interpretation teams and took groupson Interim Semester. A few of those memories follow.

Ron Henderson (86): A little more than 20 years havepassed since I last sat in Hurst’s classroom. I was never thesharpest knife in the drawer and entered high school think-ing xenophobia was a fear of Buddhists. I had the misfortuneof having John for ninth grade English. The problem wasn’tHurst but rather William — Golding or Shakespeare. I re-member classes being about as much fun as a wine andanthrax party, but John’s enthusiasm and sense of humormanaged to change this, and reading miraculously becameenjoyable rather than something you did just to pass examsor in my case, fail them. John’s creative writing andjournalism classes had a big impact. His love of words andhis passion for a good story were infectious. Gradually, writingbecame something exciting. Whether he made us betterwriters, his classes certainly made us look at things in adifferent way.

Kristy Weitz Mermelstein (87): John was my journalismteacher for the Eagle Eye. He was a crack up — totally thoughtI had zero potential as a writer but was very kind with hisopinions. He had a wicked sense of humor. Quick wit andthat southern drawl of his was to die for. John was definitelyone of SAS’s coolest. It has been many years but you neverforget the teacher who always gave it to you straight.

Ellen Catterson Ochsner (87): John transported me rightback into the glory days of India and the Mohenjo daro civili-zation. Very few teachers are able to talk to kids in a currentvernacular, treat and challenge them like the young adultsthey are, while planting a deep appreciation for world history.I just recently had occasion to talk with David McCullough, arenowned historian, and mentioned John as an example of ateacher so in touch with history that he made it relevant andtangible to our young minds. David said we are sadly lackingin more like him in our teaching systems.

Francesco Zargani (86): I am hard pressed, more than20 years after I graduated from SAS, to be able to convey inwords what John Hurst meant to me as a teacher, theater

director and friend. He was first my English Lit teacher, thenmy theater director and mentor. He was a superb teacherbecause he allowed the student to immerse himself in thesubject, to become a character in the narrative. John wasn’tjust a good teacher; he was a great one. I was so fortunate tohave had the chance to study with him.

Ginny Donohue (HS English teacher, 84-99): My memo-ries of John at SAS are of his continual scholarship, reading anddiscussing things, such as “who was the real Shakespeare?”Once I asked him to give a guest lecture. His approach wasengaging and thought-provoking, showing how just a few wordscan contain the power of imagery to enliven and release ourimaginations … When we first got computers at SAS, John wasthe first person to figure out how to get to Amazon, so it iswonderfully fitting in more ways than one that he is going tohave his own bookshop in the land of literary giants.

Amanda Tsao (08): Whether in his opinion on last night’sreading or on why he always said “good morning” in the after-noon, he was a great teacher. There was always somethinginteresting but hidden about Mr. Hurst, and you wanted tofind out what it was. If he was reading this right now he’d askme why I was trying to write his eulogy.

Thomas Bynum (09): Mr. Hurst’s love and completeknowledge of poetry hooked me on it and even rekindled alove of poetry in my grandmother. His brilliance was notlimited to poetry — it extended into all other realms of Eng-lish. Discussions in his class were never dull and often flewfrom books to history to pop culture to current events, withhim never missing a beat and continuing to be an expert inevery field. I count myself lucky to have been in his class. �

Friends’ farewell in Singapore last August: John Hurst (82-07),Trish Kuester (87-present), Jane Dodge (83-present), Don Adams(84-present), Bob Dodge (83-06), Brian Donalson (92-present),Jim Baker (56-66, 71-74, 82-present), Paula and Rick Silverman(87-present).

SAS

P14-28 11/19/07, 3:33 PM28

By Sean McCabeSpeaker for the Class of 2007

Class of 07, relieved parents and friends, I’d like to starttoday by saying thank you to our distinguished faculty andadministration. You tried to get us with homework, rapidlyvacillating dress code policies and exams, but we ran thegauntlet and won, and as a result you have to throw us thisfancy party. But as we are about to graduate, I had betterdispense my wisdom while I am still an immortal teenager,and consequently, know everything.

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of Mr.Gross and in the presence of parents and faculty to join thisgraduating class and that big scary real world out there inholy matrimony. One of the things that always made me madwas the litany from teachers and parents that goes some-thing like this: “You’re living in a dream world, disconnected

The real worldfrom actual reality. Do you realized how privileged you are?You wouldn’t last a second in the real world.”

So on behalf of the senior class, look, we understand weare privileged, we’ve had many opportunities others our agehave not, and yes, perhaps some of us suffer from “silverspoon syndrome” just a little bit. But for all of those whoclaim we aren’t living “real” lives: Take a look at this seniorclass. As a result of those privileges, just how many lifetimeshave we lived in four short years of high school? We’re goingto meet people in college for whom college will be the fur-thest they’ve ever travelled from home. In four short years,we’ve spanned the globe, building houses and peeing intothe wind on mountains during interim semester. We’ve com-peted in IASAS against students, not in the next district, butfrom entirely different countries. We’ve experienced culturesvastly different from our own on casual three day breaks,where instead of heading over to grandma’s house, we went

29

P29-45 11/19/07, 4:00 PM29

30

SAS Class of 2007

P29-45 11/19/07, 4:00 PM30

31

I measure lifetimes in termsof richness of experience,

and by that standard, we havelived thousands of lifetimesin our short period at SAS.

How unreal is that?

elephant trekking in Thailand. We have laughed and criedand sweated with other individuals from all across the world.We have done things in four short years that the vast majorityof individuals on this earth can only dream of doing in a hun-dred. I measure lifetimes in terms of richness of experience,and by that standard, we have lived thousands of lifetimes inour short period at SAS. How unreal is that? ...

I had a little epiphany when I was watching TV the otherday. I was watching some politician rattle on about the nextgeneration, and I realized that that the next generation thatteachers, politicians and Shell commercials are always callingupon to change the world is us! And as an international com-munity that has had the advantage firsthand of beingenlightened to some of the woes of our society, we have aresponsibility first to be aware of what is going on in the worldand second, to make it better. Think of all that’s gone on inthe world this year — Israel.Palestine.Iraq.NorthKorea.oilcrisis.GeorgeW.Saddam.Dar fur.starvation.HIV.genocide …Brangelina. It seems the world’s gone crazy. Our parents brokeit, so we have to fix it. As a now “educated AND mature” body ofpeople, it is our duty to fight evil all over the world, especiallyhatred, discrimination, oppression, poverty and bad music.

Teachers, you are the lovely people who inspired andeducated us. A year-long speech could not express my eter-nal gratitude. Parents, I have an Erma Bombeck quote I’d liketo share: “Graduation day is tough for adults. They go to theceremony as parents. They come home as contemporaries.After 18 years of child raising, they are unemployed.” But asyou let go and say goodbye today, remember your children,even as adults, will always be your babies. And students,don’t forget your parents; throughout the rest of your life, theywill continue to be good sources of wisdom, advice and cash.

As you look back on your days at SAS, I hope you willremember the people. I don’t know if we were the best classto come out of our school, but I can safely say that the hall-ways of SAS will never be quite the same again. Class of 07,you have pushed me farther than I thought I could go. Now acold frigid reality lies on the other side of that wall, and thereal world beckons us to join its chorus, with all the promiseand possibility that it presents. �

It is our duty to fight hatred,discrimination, oppression,

poverty and bad music

P29-45 11/19/07, 4:00 PM31

32

By Alaine Handa (01)

Walking through the unfamiliar school felt almost intru-sive, but the walls were adorned with familiar posters frompast dance shows during my years as an SAS student. The newhigh school dance studio is gorgeous and larger than the studiowe used back then. The studio is also larger than many of thestudios in Manhattan that my dance company has rehearsedin. I met Tracy van der Linden, the high school dance teacher,and she asked me to observe the dance performance class.

About half an hour prior to the end of class, Tracy taughtthe students a short postmodern dance phrase. I was quitepleased with the phrase because it challenged the dancersto push the envelope by using dance as a means of commu-nication via the human body. She urged the students to comeup with story plots for the movements. This is quite a hardconcept in the postmodern dance scene because each move-ment is calculated to communicate an idea, a story, an im-age or a concept to the viewer.

Tracy then invited me to teach the class the following week.I led the class with a yoga-inspired warmup and then through aseries of improvisation exercises. Using the imagery of a wheelforced the dancers to use circular movements, which took themto the ground and back into standing positions. Sometimesmovement improvisation spawns from specific imagery — amajority of my work uses this method to create set choreography.I taught the students snippets of choreography from my latest

dance work and explained how I derived the movement. Withina one-hour period the students learned company repertory andhad a taste of my athletic, quirky and image-driven movementstyle. At the end of the class the students were left sweating butstill wanting to learn more.

Not many students from SAS continue dance trainingafter high school, so I spoke about my college experience atUCLA as a dance major and my post-college life as a dancerand choreographer in New York City. I also spoke a bit abouthow I founded The Movement Collective in 2006 with twoother dancers.

While I was in high school at SAS, Mrs. Gould was my teacher,and we were introduced to the basics of modern dance andchoreography. I did not know at that time that I was very lucky to

Alum Spotlight

Moderndance alum

teachesclass at SAS

Alaine Handa in “From the Ground.”

Photo by Michael Mastroianni

P29-45 11/19/07, 4:00 PM32

have been exposed to modern dance and choreography atsuch a young age. At SAS, I performed in Jungle Book, Alice inWonderland, Nightmare before Christmas and Dance Showcase99-01. I was also part of the Cultural Convention dance team.Back then, I wanted my choreography to entertain, showcase aspecific movement style or communicate a theme. My lastdance piece at SAS explored the theme of losing an innocentvictim as a byproduct of war. My involvement with the SASdance department gave me many opportunities, but I did notappreciate how lucky I was until college.

I developed my choreography in college by challengingmyself to include dances that derived from important eventsand emotions, culminating with a self-produced concert aboutmy experiences as a third culture kid. The people I inter-viewed were a mixture of friends from Singapore, includingNiki Felt (SAS 03) and other TCKs I had met. Third culturekids have ways of finding one another because the world isour playground and we are barely separated by those “sixdegrees.” Some thought home was where their families livedeven if they had not lived there, while others called home theplace where they spent their formative years. They all feltthat home is where the heart is. Many said that theirupbringings helped shape their majors and the professionsthey wanted, especially professions that would allow them totravel and have clients in different countries. I created adocumentary film from the interviews and a dance piecedepicting what third culture kids feel and go through on anemotional level. I separated the piece into five sections titled“Changing of seasons,” “In transit,” “Am I home?” “Memoriesrevisited” and “Time of your life,” with a slideshow finale ofpictures of me, my TCK friends and my travels. Each sectionfocused on the specific timeline of what a third culture kidgoes through from the moment we leave a country toquestioning our roots to remembering the loss of friendshipsfrom moving away and finally acknowledging the fact that we

had good moments and wonderful memories we share. I feltvery strongly about creating that show because it spoke tome on a personal level and to other third culture kids. One ofmy friends whom I interviewed was actually tearing up by theend of the performance!

Upon graduation from UCLA, I moved to New York City. Idid not have any job prospects but kept my head high inhopes of “making it.” I held several temporary job positions,prior to landing a position as a dance teacher for Young Danc-ers in Repertory, a non-profit organization. To supplement myincome, I moonlighted as a bridal makeup artist.

I have danced with three different companies and per-formed in art galleries, dance studios, coffee shops, AileyCitigroup Theater and the Merce Cunningham studio theater.In January 2006, I co-founded The Movement Collective withtwo other dancers. Since then, we have presented work andperformed at various venues in New York, including DanceForum, Dance New Amsterdam, Movement Research/DanceTheater Workshop, Empire Dance and Teatro la Tea. I amquite pleased with how far I have gone since high school andlook forward to a rewarding career in the performing arts. �

Alum Spotlight

SAS offers three semesters of dance, a year-long dance performance class and an after-school dance club.

Third culture kids have ways of finding one another

because the world isour playground and we

are barely separatedby those “six degrees”

P29-45 11/19/07, 4:00 PM33

By Johan Fält (91)

I spent most my time at SASbehind an easel, contributed inthe yearly exhibitions and alsoin the IASAS cultural conven-tions 1989-91. My goal was notnecessarily to become an artistbut to harness my ability to cre-ate in art, music and theatre.

After graduation I movedback to Sweden and tookclasses to complete Swedish re-quirements for graduation (Eu-ropean geography, Swedish his-tory and so on). Then I moved toKarlstad, where I (finally) got abachelor of arts degree in 1997.Gunilla and I were married in1999. Our daughter Matildawas born in May the same year(!), and our son Elliott was born

in August 2002.I think about my time in Sin-

gapore quite often because af-ter I moved there in 1986, I sud-denly enjoyed school. My friendsand I were “punk-rockers” andsaw it as our task to criticize allkinds of rules, but we followedthem, and I now understand whythey were important. I learned alot and found the joy of knowl-edge. I also met some of my bestfriends in Singapore. MarkFantino (90) and I still keep intouch even if Karlstad and SanFrancisco are a bit too far apart.He is still like a brother to me.My kids call him Uncle Mark. I’vevisited Singapore a couple oftimes since graduation and stillhave some friends there, but Ilike to remember it as it was

Communicatingthrough art

The many faces of Johan — teacher, writer, painter and SAS alumnus.

Alum Spotlight

P29-45 11/19/07, 4:00 PM34

35

when I lived there. It’s a city in constant change, and sometimes memories are betterthan trying to relive them.

I work part time as a drama teacher at the Karlstad School of Performing Arts. Therest of my time is spent with my firm, Allvarspank Produktion, where I direct plays, writeplays and monologues and play music. My niche in theatre is comedy/farce and chil-dren’s plays — my versions of Robin Hood and Treasure Island were great successes.

The theatre does not keep me away from the easel though. I paint off and on andhave exhibited my work on a number of occasions. The most recent was this pastsummer, when I took part in a joint exhibition at a major art gallery in Karlstad. It stillfeels weird, after some 15 years of painting, to sell and therefore to part with my art. Butif people like it, I’m happy. I’m still trying to find ”my style” of painting, my iconographyand so on. But I suppose the day I do is the day I’ll quit painting. I like the idea of an emptycanvas open for anything, the flow I experience when everything but the canvas and Iceases to exist. The creative process is still the most important thing for me — thefinished piece is only a reminder of the joy I found in making it.

A day doesn’t go by in the studio or at the theatre without thinking of my mentor, myguide and hero, the teacher who told me to shut up and paint, Mrs. Linda Harley. I loveher dearly, and I hope to get in touch with her again some day. At the age of 35 I’m finallybeginning to understand what she tried to tell me. (I know I must have been a strangekid at times.)

I’ve found that the creative process doesn’t differ much whether I’m directing a playor painting a picture. Any form of art is a way of communicating. Then it’s up to thecreator if he wants to communicate his inner thoughts or put the emphasis on what theaudiences expects to see. Communication through art is an important language toknow, and Mrs. Harley taught it to me.

My time in Singapore was a gift. At SAS I found joy in painting and acting, but my timethere also taught me to respect cultural differences and individual greatness. �

Opposite: The Kiss (2006); above left: The Key (2003); above right: Comet (2007); rightLivets Villervalla (2007); bottom: Gunilla and Johan.

Alum Spotlight

P29-45 11/19/07, 4:00 PM35

By Greg Waldron (88)

Miss the good old days in Singapore? It is easier thanever to return, but finding a job with the perks that Dad had isno easy feat.

Over the years I’ve developed a healthy dread of immigra-tion officials. When I attended SAS from 1981 to 1988, thecompany my dad worked for had secretaries and messengersto contend with Singapore immigration, freeing me to deal withthe travails of student life at Ulu Pandan and King’s Road. Butliving in Hong Kong in the early 1990s I had to fend for myself:officials demanded reams of paperwork and kept me sittingaround for hours, apparently looking for any excuse to put me

on a plane to the States. Singapore was even worse: a fellowSASer I know got a job here after graduating university in 1993,but was denied an employment pass on the basis that he hadtoo little experience to qualify for it.

So it was with some trepidation that I approached Singa-pore immigration earlier this year to renew my permanentresidency — Singapore permanent residency is not actually“permanent,” but only good for terms of five or ten years. Inthe five years since I’d been awarded PR status, I’d quit myjob with a big American corporation and started a fun, albeitunpredictable, career as a freelance writer. Dressed in thesuit I wear perhaps once a year, I waited in line at immigra-tion, my renewal papers typed out neatly, wondering where

Doing Singapore – again

Author Greg Waldron cooking in his very local kitchen – expat packages are rare, especially for the entrepreneur.

Singapore Today

P29-45 11/19/07, 4:00 PM36

37

I’d end up if I got the heave ho. Indonesia? Cambodia?Laos? The Singapore immigration officer perused my formsand client endorsements for perhaps two minutes, and thenwithout a single question extended my PR status for ten years.She even smiled. Amazing.

And so I experienced one of the countless changes thathas swept through Singapore in the years since most alumslast visited these sunny shores. Determined to create a “glo-bal city” that is relevant in a region dominated by growinggiants, such as China and India, Singapore hopes to growfrom a population of 4 million to 6.5 million in the next fewdecades. Despite many government campaigns and count-less incentives to get Singaporeans to procreate, the countryis facing a demographic crunch, and there is only one sourceof new people: foreigners.

Localized!There are more foreigners than ever working in Singapore,

among them a good number of SAS graduates. In the 1980s

Greg Rutledge (78) encouraged his company in Manila to relocate to Singapore and it did so in 2003. He and Susan Studebaker-Rutledge (80) and daughter Asia “are planning to stay forever,” and thoroughly enjoy events such as Easter in Fort Canning Park.

Ed Gaffney (87) worked in Singapore 1994-97. He came with Whirlpool and then started his own business – Brooklyn Bagels. Hereturns frequently when he has “a serious need for a Singapore food fix.”

most of the foreigners were middle-aged executives and theirfamilies, but now foreigners of all ages are welcome to comehere and work — and they don’t need to be with a majorcorporation — entrepreneurs are welcome too. Nonetheless,finding a senior role in Singapore (and Asia, for that matter) canbe difficult. While the region does suffer a dearth of manage-ment talent, companies now prefer to hire employees withstrong local languages skills. Many of the management rolesformerly filled by expatriates have been “localized.”

“Many westerners fail to understand the sophisticationof modern Asia,” contends a white paper about expatriateson the web site of U.S. search firm Heidrick & Struggles. “Inthe eighties and nineties multinationals viewed Asia as anarea for low cost manufacturing. Ambitious managers in theU.S. and Europe saw the region as something of a corporatebackwater, a good place to spend a few years perhaps, but abad place to advance one’s career. Globalization and therise of vast consumer economies in the region have changedthis: increasingly, board level executives from major western

Singapore Today

P29-45 11/19/07, 4:00 PM37

38

Dan Coe (86), who works for Coca Cola, says that working in Singaporeis different from going to school here — “there’s much more interactionwith the local culture and customs.” In the photo are Lisa, Patrick, Dan,Ryan and Cate Coe. All three children attend SAS.

For self-employed people like me, the expatpackages that everyone’s father seemed to have in the

1980s are but an idyllic memory

companies are relocating to the region, with the result thatthe caliber of executive talent one finds in Asia is as good asone finds in Europe and the U.S.”

How, then, is one to return? Ed Gaffney (87) took part inseveral entrepreneurial ventures in Singapore during theearly nineties. “Unless you can get your company to sendyou to Singapore, the best thing to do is network as much aspossible,” Gaffney says. “Lots of resources exist: headhunters, SAS alumni and the American Chamber ofCommerce. I’d also recommend, after spending six monthsof actively laying the groundwork, to just head over, putyourself up for a month or so, and then knock on doors.

Obviously this is much harder with kids, but no great gainsever came without great sacrifices.”

There are many examples of both approaches. PhilWickham (89) and Todd Waldron (89) arrived in Hong Kongin 1993 without jobs, and after a great deal of door knockingfound work and started promising Asian careers. Both even-tually returned to Singapore, although Wickham later wentback to Hong Kong. On the other hand, Dan Coe (86) andGreg Rutledge (78) returned with their companies, and bothnow have kids attending SAS. Bachelor Aaron Couch (98)came back for a job in a training firm, and now works at SAS.

“Other than work, life is pretty much similar to when Iwas in school,” Rutledge says. “We participate inschool activities, eat at the stalls, shop in HollandVillage, eat Sunday brunch at the American Club andspend time riding bikes or rollerblading at East CoastPark.”

The same, but differentCoe shares his sentiments: “Besides the new

restaurants and bars, it is pretty much the same.That said, there is a much more modern attitudehere now as far as “worldliness” is concerned, sosome of the local attitudes are slightly different. Asfar as goods are concerned, you can now get any-thing you want in Singapore.”

Indeed, American brands have overwhelmedSingapore: Subway, Starbucks, The Gap, Ben & Jerry’sand countless other such establishments give Sin-gapore’s shopping centers an eerie, quasi-Americanfeel.

Perhaps the biggest adjustment returning alumnihave to make is a much reduced domestic situa-tion. In years past, many SAS students enjoyed a coun-try club lifestyle. The company paid for the apart-ment, there was “home leave” every summer, fulltime maids did the cooking and ironing and a carwith driver was always at the ready. Today, unlessone is fortunate enough to be a serious big shot, thissort of five-star treatment is a rarity.

Singapore Today

P29-45 11/19/07, 4:00 PM38

39

Aaron Couch (98) came to Singapore with a training anddevelopment firm, and now works at SAS as a relief teacher andtutor. He says that life on the island is much faster paced thanmost parts of the U.S., and if you’re in the corporate world, beprepared to work “12-15 hour days without much time todecompress.”

There are more foreignersthan ever working in Singapore,

among them a goodnumber of SAS graduates

“Many seeking jobs in Asia completely overestimate theirchances of winning the famed ‘expat package,’” says theHeidrick white paper. “There was a time when a managertransferred to Asia could count on a range of perks… whilesuch packages still exist, they are far rarer and all but impos-sible to land for somebody who is not a senior executivetransferring to Asia within his company. Even executives withexpat packages have discovered their packages are only goodfor a few years, and find themselves put on local packagesshould they decide to stay in the region for the long term.”

This is a view Rutledge agrees with: “It is getting harder tofind opportunities here, due to the costs associated with expatpackages. A lot of companies are moving toward local-hirepackages, which can make cost of living (housing, transpor-tation, etc.) expensive — but living here is, I think, worth it.”

For self-employed people like me, the expat packagesthat everyone’s father seemed to have in the 1980s are butan idyllic memory. While spacious, my apartment bears littleresemblance to the high-rise palaces everyone had in high

school. My maid comes just once a week, and my idea ofchauffeured comfort is the public bus — or a taxi if I’m in ahurry. Dinner often consists of noodles at the hawker center,and I only visit the American Club when my parents are intown. Home leave? I’ve not been Stateside for five years.

For singles, the absence of an expat package is not agreat issue, but young expatriate families in Singapore with-out expat packages can find Singapore very expensive. Abooming economy means property prices are at all-time highs,and an international education for one’s children is difficultto afford if the company is not paying.

“If I can’t get more money out of my company, the risingrents and the high cost of international schooling will forceme to leave Singapore,” says one SAS graduate with twosmall children. “Yes, the taxes here are cheaper, but there is

more traffic on the roads these days, apartments are smallerand more expensive, and the government is talking aboutincreasing the population by fifty percent.”

For those who want to return to Singapore, it is easierthan ever from an immigration point of view, but the lavishexpatriate lifestyle that many alumni remember will be diffi-cult to come by. Coming back takes a big commitment andcould involve major sacrifices. Nonetheless, Singapore isstill a great place to be: the region’s economies are booming,and Asia is as culturally diverse and interesting as ever. Allgreat fun, but Dad isn’t paying the bills anymore.

Greg Waldron graduated from SAS in 1988, and re-turned to Singapore in 1997 as a stock market correspond-ent with Dow Jones Newswires. In 2003 he left Dow Jones topursue a career as a freelance writer. His work has appearedin dozens of publications, including Time Asia, Forbes, TheStraits Times, The South China Morning Post, GQ, Maxim,and The Singapore Business Times. He can be reached atgregorywaldron@gmail.com. �

Singapore Today

P29-45 11/19/07, 4:00 PM39

40

By Brandon Huisman (95)

After graduating from Texas A&M business school, I at-tended culinary school in Paris, where I roomed with AnthonyRaymond (SAS 95). After several years moving and cookingat various establishments around the U.S., my wife Nicoleand I went on our honeymoon around the world and of course,ended up in Singapore.

I wanted to stay in Singapore and learn to cook the dishesthat I grew to love when we lived there, but we couldn’t findjobs. Eventually, I obtained a training visa for six months work-ing at a Chinese and Thai restaurant. Unfortunately my wifecouldn’t stay because we couldn’t afford it, so she returnedto the U.S. I found a room in an HDB flat in Holland Village. Ishared the flat with an elderly Chinese lady. She didn’t speakany English and I didn’t speak Mandarin — it was perfect.

My life was a lot different in some ways but in others thesame. Of course I didn’t have the luxuries of the driver, themaid and the American Club, but it’s not like I had those incollege either. Growing up in Singapore was different andspecial because of the community involvement inside and

outside of school — the bonds with friends and teachers andthe sports teams and the endless travel opportunities. Therewere some SAS alums still living in Singapore when I wasthere, so I could always catch up with them if I wanted asense of nostalgia or a buddy to have a couple of beers withon my night off.

While finishing my contract in Singapore, we were con-tacted by an international resort company for an opportunityin Bhutan. My wife would be the pastry chef and I was to bethe executive chef, a big jump.

One highlight toward the end of our two and a half yearsin Bhutan was running into a busload of SAS Interim Semes-ter students. Knowing Bhutan and the lack of cuisine that isavailable, I made a deal with the resort to treat them to pizzaand burgers on their last day, when we knew they could notpossibly eat one more bite of red rice.

We now work in similar positions in Bali, Indonesia, andvisit Singapore whenever we can. There are a lot of youngexpats all over Southeast Asia in the hospitality business. Ido love the work that I do, but I would not recommend it as afast track for moving abroad. �

FromParis to

Singaporeto Bali

Brandon and Nicole Huismann — chefs in beautiful Bali.

I shared an HDB flat with an elderly Chinese lady. She didn’tspeak any English and I didn’t speak Mandarin — it was perfect

Singapore Today

P29-45 11/19/07, 4:00 PM40

By Jennifer Lee (98)

After I graduated from NYU, I landed a job at BloombergL.P., servicing financial professionals. I started on the analyticsdesk training clients on our products and financial markets.After a year, I moved into the sales department and after fouryears began recruiting for its other offices in the States andoverseas. Several of my business trips brought me to theSingapore office, and I realized this is where I wanted to be.Asia is on the road to becoming the next powerhouse and Iwant to be here during these times.

My family moved to Singapore in 1990, and my parentsare still here. My younger brother, Christopher (01), gradu-ated from NYU as well and is working in product develop-ment at Tiffany & Co. in NYC.

Family, opportunity and travel are the reasons I movedback to Singapore just a few months ago. After nine years inNew York, it became critical to decide whether I would con-tinue with my career there or move to Asia, where there areother incredible opportunities. The money is here and mar-kets are expanding. I was at a crossroad in my life, where Icould be content staying in corporate America or do some-thing I had always wanted to do, which is start a business injewelry design — with the support of my father.

The job market here is really at its peak. Being in recruit-ment for the past year and having seen the performancehere, I can honestly say that getting a job here is fairly easy,especially in the financial markets. Companies are expand-ing their businesses and sectors and are looking for newtalent constantly. I think Singapore is geared up to be thenext Hong Kong. The new casinos and Formula 1 race willespecially attract a lot more foreigners.

The social scene is definitely much better than before. Ihave firsthand experience of the nightlife and have seen ayoung adult social community developing — it reminds me alot of the meat packing district in NYC. There are definitelymany more young professional expats working in Singapore.What makes Singapore attractive is that it is a safe place tolive. The other attractive quality for young professionals isthat it’s so cheap to travel to the islands or other cities likeHong Kong for the weekend.

As a student in middle and high school, sports and dancewere my priorities. Most of my friends were from SAS, and wetended to hang out at one another’s homes or at the AmericanClub. It was hard as an expat kid to tap into the localcommunity and social scene, especially when there wasn’treally one in those days. As an adult and with how foreigner-friendly Singapore has become, there are places that you canhang out and easily meet other people, i.e. Clarke Quay.

SAS alums are definitely better prepared than most tofind jobs here because they are able to adapt to other cul-tures. What a lot of young professionals fail to do when look-ing at Singapore to be their next home is to understand andaccept the culture shock. Coming from a financial profes-sional standpoint, if you have worked in the U.S. markets fora while, that’s all you really need to know, as the rest of theworld looks to Singapore as the benchmark. But when youwork in a place like Singapore, you have to cater to not justthe Singapore market, but Hong Kong, Indonesia, China andVietnam. Your clients are from many cultures and have morevaried personalities that you have to deal with. What’s niceabout going to SAS is that you have had that exposure whencompeting in sports (IASAS), where you get firsthandexperience of what it’s like going to other countries andexperiencing their culture. �

Corporate recruiterturns to jewelry design

Jennifer Lee and her parents.

Singapore Today

P29-45 11/19/07, 4:00 PM41

42

By Josh Nobles (99)

I attended SAS from 1984-99 and graduated in 2004from the University of Colorado with a degree in Kinesiology.Young, lost and with no direction, I decided my next moveshould be a safe one, and that I would join the family busi-ness in Singapore.

Before this experiment in adult-hood began, Ryan Morris (99) and Iembarked on a journey we hadplanned for the past five years. Ourtrip began in Amsterdam, and by train,bus and airplane, we traveledthrough Europe, Russia, Mongoliaand China. Somewhere betweenMoscow and Irkutsk, on a 4-day trainride that pushed our sanity to thelimits, I made a life decision not towork for my father, but to pursuesomething more independent backin the United States.

My next move took me to SanDiego, where I worked in a sportsmedicine clinic for three years. Inthe midst of a quarter-of-a-life cri-sis, Ryan and I once again jumpedout of the monotony of adulthoodto experience the lawlessness andunadulterated passion of traveladventure through Southeast Asia, beginning in Hong Kongand ending in Singapore.

While in Singapore recuperating from our travels, I raninto Jim Baker. Jim mentioned that SAS was consideringhiring an athletic trainer of some sort and knew I worked inthe sports medicine field back in the U.S. Two days later I hadan interview in the activities office, and the rest is history.

The decision to return to Singapore to work for my oldhigh school was a difficult one, mostly because it’s exactlywhat my high school friends said I would do. After swallowingmy pride and looking at the advantages of moving back ver-sus staying in San Diego, I felt it was the right choice. Aside

from the fact that working for SAS was going to be a morestable and better paying job than what I had in the U.S., Singa-pore was my home. I missed the culture, the food, the ever-changing scenery and its location in the world. I also saw thecountry as a place of great potential as well as a steppingstone in my career. If things did not work out, I thought I

would have a better chance offinding an international job afterwardthan if I was still in the U.S.

What I have been most happy tocome back to is the food. You simplycannot get the mix and atmosphereof a hawker stall anywhere else. IfI’m stuck in a perilous situation,wishing I could be in one place, it’susually at a hawker stall eating anddrinking down a large bottle of Tigerbeer. Simple as that.

I was also eager to experienceSingapore in a completely differentway from when I previously livedhere. Before, everything was seen,tasted and heard through an Ameri-can expat bubble. Now I wanted toexperience the culture from a muchmore natural perspective and notlearn about everyday local lifethrough TV shows, such as “UnderOne Roof” ( a popular local TV show

back in my day) and field trips to Haw Par Villa.I think similar reasons drag “life-longers” back to Singa-

pore — the sights, sounds and memories that cannot be foundanywhere else. And the experiences that they missed outon. Many of my friends feel it was a great time in their livesthat does not need to be revisited but kept as only a fondmemory, as if returning would be a step backward in our pathof adulthood. This could be so, but for me adulthood isoverrated. For many of us, it’s not about re-living the goodold days, but redefining a place that is ever changing andcreating new experiences and possibilities in a part of theworld that seems to offer a limitless supply. �

Experiments in adulthood

“Adulthood is definitely overrated,” says Josh,who works in the SAS Athletic Department.

Singapore Today

P29-45 11/19/07, 4:00 PM42

43

By Chang Hee Kim (87)

When I saw our baby Selah’s heart beating through theultrasound, I was awestruck to see the miracle of a life be-ginning. How fearfully and wonderfully she was being madein the mother’s womb! I was a helpless spectator hopingand praying that she would develop into a healthy baby. Howwas she developing from a single fused cell into a baby?Beneath what a poet’s eye can see, our baby’s geneticprogram contained in her DNA was being executed by intri-cate assemblies of biological molecules following the el-egant laws of physics and chemistry.

I met and fell in love with physics, chemistry and biologyat SAS. These sciences quenched my curiosity for life and thenatural world in which we live.Moreover, the knowledge of sciencecould solve real-world problems. Ourteachers made science fun and chal-lenging. Where else could I write andperform a song about the periodictable of the elements for my finalproject but in Mr. Cox’s chemistryclass? And I can still remember re-enacting the famous experimentsthat won Einstein the Nobel Prize inMr. Watson’s physics class.

Upon graduation, I majored inchemistry at Harvey Mudd College.Professor Arthur Campbell at the col-lege had written the CHEM textbook that I had used with Mr.Cox at SAS. I started research early on the use of LASERs inelectrochemistry, working during the summers of my freshmanand sophomore years and publishing my first scientific papers.

When I went to Caltech for graduate school, I focused myinterest on how living things work. The subject of my PhDthesis was the study of how the genetic blueprint in the DNAis read and executed accurately. The genetic material DNA islike a filmstrip. The sequences you don’t want need to be cutout and the sequences that you do want have to be splicedtogether, so you can make your edited movie. I helped eluci-date the mechanism by which this splicing process takesplace. Failure to excise the junk sequences accurately could

result in serious genetic diseases and also cancer.My PhD thesis won me a post-doctoral fellowship to Harvard

and MIT, where I helped develop a technology calledmicroarrays, which allows us to take snapshots of all the genes(functional units of genetic material) in the genome (the en-tirety of the genes in an organism). Using this microarray tech-nology, I am currently discovering genes that cause cancer inmy present employment as a scientist at the National Insti-tutes of Health. We can take a picture of the genes turned on incancer (red spots in the figure) and compare it to genes turnedon in healthy cells (green spots in the figure). By identifying thegenes that are turned on or off in cancer, we can detect cancermore accurately and also target these genes with drugs in orderto treat and cure cancer.

Having studied and worked atsome of the most competitive sci-entific research programs in theworld, I must say that SAS gave methe solid educational backgroundto help me succeed. Most impor-tantly, the faculty was of the high-est caliber. They kept the bar for suc-cess very high and were dedicatedto excellence in teaching and mak-ing learning fun and meaningful.They didn’t just impart knowledge,but helped us to think and to be-come educated as persons withcharacter and an understanding of

the world we live in. I am thankful that I had the great privi-lege of learning from Mr. Dodge and Mrs. Banwell, who taughtus not just their subjects but about life and what it means tobe an educated person. We had much school spirit and theextracurricular activities kept us well-rounded. I was able toperform in the musical production Jesse James and with theSAS Singers. It’s amazing how all those thespian and athleticprograms kept going.

Yes, my years at SAS were some of the best times I had,and they developed me into an educated person. If I had theopportunity, I would say to the current students: make themost of your time at SAS, find what interests you and contrib-utes to the welfare of society and pursue your dreams. �

He fell in lovewith science at SAS

Chang Hee with baby Selah and wife Sarah.

Alum Spotlight

P29-45 11/19/07, 4:00 PM43

44

By James Aven,SAS Superintendent 1959-1962

After leaving SAS, Dot, Gary (son), Debra (daughter) and Ispent two months traveling through the Middle East, Europeand the United States and ended up in California. I had fin-ished all the course work on my PhD prior to going to SAS andwrote the dissertation in three months after returning. I stayedon for a year at UCLA as Assistant Head of Education. Then Iwent to New York to revise four adult education textbooks.In the process of using and revising the books, 1500 welfarerecipients were taken from the welfare rolls and put in a

basic education program. Over 1000 of them subsequentlyfound jobs and continued to be off welfare. From there Iwent to Washington, D.C., first as Assistant Director of theNational Education Extension program, then as AssistantProfessor of Research and Statistics at George WashingtonUniversity. In my last position with the U.S. Office of Education,I was involved in Title III, Title Four, state grants and the drugprogram. I spent the last ten years supervising educationresearch, working with the best educators across the nationfrom kindergarten through university in developing newand improved materials and teaching methods.

When I retired, I continued working with the publicschools. The most satisfying achievement was when I not

The school thecommunity built

Jolly and Abe Abraham (teachers 1959-92) with Dorothy and Jim Aven and Susheela Abraham Varghese (76) at the 50th anniversarycelebrations in 2006.

P29-45 11/19/07, 4:00 PM44

45

only assisted the teachers in saving a school in Californiathat was going to be taken over by the state and also took itto receiving honors for achievement in three years.

My experience at SAS was very significant for me and myfamily. The Board of Directors could not have been moresupportive. One story illustrates my point: After a discussingthe first item on the agenda at my first board meeting,Chairman Bob Ayers moved on to the next one. I interrupted topoint out that a vote had not been taken. Bob replied thatthey would discuss issues but it was up to me to make thedecisions. That is the way it was for three years even whenthey asked me find my replacement: Twenty-five applicantssubmitted resumes, and from those I chose three andsubmitted them to the board. The board asked me to chooseone of them. The three applicants were equallyqualified. I agreed to remove one name if they would choosebetween the remaining two. They made the choice.

The SAS experience was a defining time for me and myfamily. We instantly gained many friends, and some remainin contact to the present. The change from a public school in

Singapore’s Eagles, Singapore American School, 1956-2006 tells many other stories about the school. It is abeautifully designed coffee table book, with 276 pages ofphotos and history of the school and the nation. See http://alumni.sas.edu.sg/?storefront or snail mail AssociateDirector Lauren Thomas at SAS.

California to a private school in Singapore was great. It wasup to me to fill all positions in administration and to super-vise and fill in as needed. The school had been conductedon the Calvert home teaching curriculum. It was a good cur-riculum but it was time to move on to a broader curriculumthat included Asian studies, shorthand, typing and physicaleducation and would prepare students for their lives in Sin-gapore, Southeast Asia and college. I revised the curriculum,with their permission, from the Santa Monica City Schools inCalifornia. I was able to secure all books and materialsneeded with the cooperation of Paul Espey, head ofAmerican President Lines and a board member, in time forschool to start. The teachers were great; they made the tran-sition without a problem.

During the first year of school it was evident that weneeded more space. That’s when we started discussing thenext move. After much discussion, I said that I would submita design for a school that should last for a number years. Thedesign was submitted at the next board meeting. The planwas endorsed by all. However, one member of the boardpointed out that it was a great plan but how were we going topay for it? I didn’t have the slightest idea but I said that Iwould submit a plan at the next meeting. After the meetingBob Ayers asked me to have lunch the next day. After somediscussion he said his company, American International As-surance, would donate any amount of money I asked to buildthe school, but before I suggested an amount that I shouldknow that as soon as I announced his donation that therewere five other companies in town that would match his con-tribution. They came through just as he had predicted. Thebiggest contributors were AIA, Stanvac (Exxon Mobile), Caltexand First National City Bank (Citibank). In addition weobtained a grant from the U.S. State Department. What wehad not anticipated was that other companies, parents andcitizens in Singapore would send in contributions. At the nextboard meeting we were able to announce that the schoolhad been planned and sufficient funds had been contributedto pay for it. We planned for a school of about 500. We didnot anticipate that it would grow to the great school that isthere today. I am most pleased with the faculties andadministrators that followed.

One last story: When the school was in the process ofconstruction, I was having dinner with Lee Kuan Yew onenight and asked him if it we would be permitted to fly theAmerican flag at the school. (I already knew that it was notpermitted but was interested in his reply.) I was surprisedwith his response. He said, “I don’t see why not as long asyou don’t add another star to it.” Prime Minister Lee sup-ported the school and was always accessible when we raninto difficulties. �

P29-45 11/19/07, 4:00 PM45

Notes & Quotes

1970Wendy Lamont-Woolbright, wlamontwoolbright@cox.net; Don Chambers,donchambers1@hotmail.com; ThadGoff, thad_goff@hotmail.comDon and Sandra Chambers live half ofthe year in the dinosaur capital of theworld, Drumheller, Alberta, where thereare many fossil stores and is soon tobe an interactive dinosaur museum.They live the other (cold) half in Maui,boogie boarding, golfing and eating lotsof ahi tuna.Wendy Lamont-Woolbright will retire

from public school this year to be a“snow bird” in Rhode Island.

1971Kathleen Blake Reynolds, kreynolds@laidlawcorp.comSusan de Bloeme Bell-Irving is in Van-couver. “”Wonderful seeing everyone atthe reunion in July.”Colleen Kent Strid lives in Sweden withher husband and two children and worksfor Dow Chemical. They play as much golfas time and weather allow.

1973Class rep: Debbie Dudley Bodal,ddbodal@comcast.netGlenda Kae Bready Krugar lives in Erie,outside Boulder, CO with husband Timand two sons. She is selling real estateand doing quite well with it.Cyndi Nicholls Moring is living nearSeattle in Sammamish, WA with heryounger son, Brennan, age 17. Her 22-year-old, Riley, just earned a degree ineconomics from the U of WA. Cynditeaches elementary art and has beenteaching for much of the past 25 years.She’s also an accomplished jazz singerwith 2 CDs and plans to hook up withan established band in Seattle in thenear future.Andrew Airriess is a technical writerwith a medical information company inSalt Lake City. The Vancouver reunionlast July was his first, and the only rea-son he and brother Chris (72) attendedwas an unfortunate one. A memorialservice was to be held in Seattle on thatSaturday for brother Eric (65), and onthat Sunday, the brothers werescattering the ashes of brother Lee (67)in Anacortes.Helen Wong is working in Vancouver inchild protection social work. Herfavorite hobbies are golf, hot yoga, cy-cling, cooking, traveling to hot and sunnydestinations and shoe shopping.Debbie Dudley Bodal is “embracing lifein her 50s!” She lives in Edmonds, WAand has three grown children. She leadsgroups to Asia for cooking classes — themost recent trip was to Bali in October.See a-chefs-kitchen.com.

1974Class rep: Stephen Hurst, stephenhurst56@sympatico.caThe reunion in July for 60s and 70salums was a big hit, especially themakan extravaganza on Saturday night.Michael O’Higgins (64) said it was greatto reminisce with several alums aboutthe Caltex Sumatra camp days. DebbieDudley Bodal (73) said that theweather was wet and humid and madea perfect monsoon setting for the re-union. Kudos from all attendees go toStephen Hurst for organizing it!

Class of 67 alums at Vancouver reunion: Russ Ng, Barbara Bready, Barbara Tice,Jean Reiter, Nancy Lalka.

Class of 73 at Vancouver reunion: Helen Wong, Andrew Airriess, Glenda Kae BreadyKruegar, Debbie Dudley Bodal.

P46-59 11/19/07, 3:33 PM46

Notes & Quotes

1976Hugh Konigsmark, hkonigsmark@tycovalves.comDanny Flores has a home-basedInternet agribiotechnology business fo-cusing on urban blight, such as hunger,poverty, disease and illiteracy.Hugh Konigsmark reports: “Not toolong ago Steven Fotiades, the son ofSteve Fotiades (76) took my daughterto his homecoming dance. Who wouldhave bet some 30 years ago that thiswould happen! For those of you who donot know, PJ Donner is a fantastic cook!He and wife Gail Dudley Donner makechili crab that exceeds any I ever had atPonggol Boatel! Many SAS dignitarieshave dined with them — Mike Farley(now in Australia), Sally Howes Cooper(77), who has just had twins, herbrother Dan Howes (73), Leslie King(74), her sister Susan King Ridley (77)and their parents Hart and Gene King,Tracy Fotides (78).Anonymous: “M” (78) – I still love you“Longhurst.”Eileen Van Kirk Umbehr reports that herbook, Small Town Showdown (see June07 Journeys), is now available onlineat Amazon, Target, Borders, Barnes andNoble. It’s about trash man turnedlawyer Keen Umbehr (77), who took hisgrievance to the Supreme Court and

won, setting the precedent that con-tractors working for the governmenthave the same First Amendment rightsas private contractors. “In the wordsof Oprah Winfrey, ‘Free SpeechRocks!’”

1977Michelle Cooper Staley (78) reportsthat Mike Shriner passed away in hissleep in August from a heart attack. Hewas working on an off shore oil rig. Hehas 3 daughters from his first marriageand had recently remarried and was liv-ing his dream on some acreage outsideHouston. Sally Ackerman Casey (76)said “I am so sad to hear of Mike’s pass-ing. My husband and I enjoyed visitingwith him years ago at the Houston re-union hosted by the Howell family. Myprayers are with his family.” Jim Baker(66 and teacher) “It’s always sad tohear that one of your former studentshas passsed away. It reminds us of ourown mortality. In Mike’s case, it is espe-cially poignant because I remember himas a ‘kid’ who loved life and lived it toits fullest. My sympathies to all wholoved Mike.”

1978Class reps are Greg Rutledge,

gregory@studebaker-rutledge.com;GeeGee Vanvig, Geegee.vanvig@verizon.comDavid Matthews died in 05 after a two-year battle with brain cancer. He was inthe Marines for 20 years and servedhis country during the gulf War. He issurvived by his four children, his brotherMike (76) and brother Pat who was atUlu Pandan.

1979Class rep: Katy Hayes Jordan,pukikj@msn.comKaty Hayes Jordan writes that plans arein the works for an especially big reun-ion in 09 to celebrate the 30th anniver-sary — open to any and all alums, faculty,parents, families! Contact her at aboveemail for information and suggestions.Teresa Burrows-Harris is married witha 3-year-old daughter. She’s a geologistwith an international consulting firm.From Class of 1979 20th AnniversaryMemory Book — published in 1999,but the memories remain the same:Onara Bal-Garcia: Sunday brunch at thePetroleum Club. Bouquets of fresh or-chids every Saturday moring for only $5.Stacey Buotte-Purcell: Sunrise boatrides to Sisters Island and the absolutegreat friends.Cathy Boyington (80): Going to Baliunchaperoned! Senior skip day, toga

Katy Hayes Jordan (79) and Heidi Strickland Servidero (79)with their daughters, Kristan and Stephanie, at HamptonBeach, New Hampshire.

Mini reunion in Houston last summer included Steve Kennor (79),Bill Sibley (79), Tom Howes (79), Kerry Kreiling (79), Allison GarrettHowes (79), Brenda Kreiling, Katy Hayes Jordan (79) and BobbyJordan (77). Not in photo, Scott Gill (79).

P46-59 11/19/07, 3:33 PM47

Notes & Quotes

party!, cheerleading (Steelers #1), theMandarin Hotel, eating at the stalls,drinking soda out of plastic bags.Mark Barndon: Friends, island life,sneaking out of the house.Dan Brown (80): The islands, theschool, the people at SAS, the night lifeand the incredible sunsets.Dave Brown: School dances, Bye ByeBirdie, hanging out at the lockers.Brad Cantrell (80): The stalls and satay!Anchor and Tiger beer, Coach Kasi, wa-ter fountain traffic circles, taxi drivers.Bridgette Corbell-George: French andSpanish classes, Steelers rule! Bruneiby boat, Bugis Street, slave day and thewonderful friends.Peter Danos: Special teachers – Hart,Rinker, Moeller, Clark, bulldogs rule!student sit out.Allison Garrett-Howes: Orchard Roadstalls, 4th of July celebrations, interimsemester, Friday nights at the Club.Dick Grayson (78): diving, movietheaters, Orchard Road.Kim Guthrie-Byrd: American Club,Sentosa, the people, shopping.Katy Hayes-Jordan: Awesome teachersMs. Rinker and Mr. Hart, night clubbing,island and interim trips, Go Vikings!Ann Hellemans-Roshak: The friendsand all the memorable and unforgetta-ble times we shared.Astrid Holm-Loveland: Exploring Singa-pore, Dracula and Bye Bye Birdie, swim-ming all year long.I–Z in June 08 Journeys!

1980Rep: Susan Studebaker-Rutledge,susan@studebaker-rutledge.comSusan Studebaker-Rutledge reportsthat she and husband Greg (78) vis-ited Melvin Conjugacion (79) in Hawaiilast summer. Melvin is a policeman andhas two sons. The alums had not seeneach other in 29 years.Alums who visited Singapore and theRutledges this fall included KathiKreiling Whitley (81), Craig Babinecand Fred Harkrider.

1981

Jane Fotiades-Moes was killed in a caraccident in 2004. She is survived byher sons, Jack and Tom, her parents,Aubra and Steve and her brothersSteve (76) and Tracy (78). She is stillmissed by many, many friends who trulyloved and admired her.

1982Class rep: Steven Studebaker,steves@group-air.com.vnStephen Coffee has been married“most successfully” for almost 20 years.They live with their two teenagers nearNew Orleans and he’s a consultant inthe hydrocarbon industry. “If I didn’thave my life, I would want it.”Adrian Belinne, a former USAF pilot, isnow working for the Corporate Execu-tive Board in Washington, DC but stillflies, skis, races and travels. “Fascinat-ing how the paths cross. What aboutSAS set us off on them?”Susan Robin Sorrell is living in Greenville,SC and married John DeLeon in 06. Sheis an artist and owns CreativeChick.com,on which she teaches art classes. She isrenovating a space for her expanding artbusiness, littlehouseartstudios.com andhas been published in several books. Nochildren but an awesome dog!Steve Studebaker has been living in

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam for the past 14years with wife Ngo Thi Kim Dung and11-year-old son. His only concern is thathis son has picked up a funny accentfrom his British school, but “the JohnWayne movies we’ve been making himwatch seem to be doing the trick. It’sthe swagger that concerns us now.”Steve is chief representative of the AirResource Group. All SASers are wel-come to contact him when they visit.Brenda Lewis Todd lives in Toronto andhas just celebrated her 20th weddinganniversary. “We have two sons, ages19 and 16. You know what that means— first year university and driver’s learn-ing permit, respectively — get out thesedatives!” Brenda is a sales and mar-keting administrator in the trade show/consumer show decorating industry andloves every minute of it.Heather Moore Sardella lives inEncino, near LA, “with a lovely 19-year-old foster daughter, an Italian husbandand 4 spoiled pound puppies.” BrotherDanny lives in NC as do her parents.Sister Jennifer (84) is in Anchorage.

1984Mike Moorehead is living in Brazil andjust had a baby, Jeffrey. He looks forwardto retiring soon and traveling the world

Greg Rutledge (78), Susan Studebaker-Rutledge (80), Melvin Conjugacion (79),son Ty Conjugacion, and mother Elaine Conjugacion, popular SAS parent in Hawaiilast summer. In front is Asia Rutledge.

P46-59 11/19/07, 3:33 PM48

Notes & Quotes

forever.USAF Major Elspeth Jane Mitchell is cur-rently on assignment in Washington, DC.Jennifer Moore is working on her mas-ter’s in Anchorage. She is a registeredmarriage and family therapist internworking toward a licence to specializein parenting and adolescent issues.

1988Lily Supardan, lsupardan@gmail.comMichelle Morgan Cordle’s husband Danwill graduate from The Colorado Schoolof Mines in May, which she has sup-

ported by designing flash demos, bro-chures and other collateral for IBM. Jimmy Allen and wife Yeon have a newdaughter, Sophie. They live inPhiladelphia, where he is a computerconsultant focusing on open sourceenterprise solutions. “What I rememberabout SAS is 4 years of football, the SASSingers and Mrs. Farmer, playingtetherball and dodge ball at Ulu Pandanand a once-in-a-lifetime interim semes-ter trip to Nepal.”Another SAS twosome: Elizabeth EeZabori is married to Mike Zabori. Theylive in Calgary, Alberta with Sara, Sammieand Mikey and are looking forward tothe 20th reunion next year in Orlando.

1989Rep: Lauren Kuhbander Thomas,lkuhbander@yahoo.comMindy Vail Stone is raising funds for dia-betes research. Her son suffers fromthe disease and has to have as manyas 6 injections a day. She says that he

never complains but often asks whenhe’ll get to “stop doing shots.” Shewishes she could answer, “soon.”Alums who want to help should visitwalk.jdrf.org.

1990Class rep: Nathalie Vo-Ta Antus,nantus@msn.comTom Wagner and Jennifer VesperWagner (88) had a little boy last year,Reid Thomas. Tom is now PR managerfor The Florida Aquarium in Tampa.Reid is now 16 months old and “doinggreat...He looks like his mom and hasa Japanese nanny, who only speaksJapanese to him. He is definitelybilingual!”

1991David Steele is an officer in the US ArmyBlackhawk helicopter pilot in Korea.

1992Class rep: Jennifer Kahn Liguori,jenniferliguori@hotmail.comNewlyweds Randy Baker and DebSivigny are happily and busily involvedin the theatre in Washington, DC. Ror-schach Theatre is into its 8th season,and Randy’s latest work, The DreamSailors, will premier in April.Michael Steele is a USAF jet pilot.

Stephen Coffee (82) and wife Suzie — “IfI didn’t have my life, I would want it.”

Kathleen Swank Small (83) with her recentlyadopted twin babies, Emily and Kaitlyn.

Jimmy Allen (88) andnew daughter Sophie.

Luis Almeida’s (88) new baby, Claire,with sister Hope and brother Owen.

Elizabeth Ee Zabori (88) and Mike Zabori(88) with their children.

P46-59 11/19/07, 3:33 PM49

Notes & Quotes

1993Class rep Ben Rosenthal.Beaker_1427@yahoo.comJosabeth Orn married Mike Sahleniusat Thorskogs Slott in a small castle out-side Gothenburg, Sweden in Septem-ber and honeymooned in the Maldives.Jennifer Reynolds is a Blackhawk heli-copter pilot and served in Iraq.

1996Class reps are Sara Dallaire,

Sara.dallaire@gmail.com; Chris Ellis,wellis@gmail.comEvan Brent Mata was born to StaceyShoemaker Mata on July 3 in SugarLand, Texas.Nikolaus Adams married Ygraine Gulain Harrisburg, PA in September.Siddharth Mohandas is reported to beworking with Barack Obama as hisforeign affairs advisor.

2000

Class rep: Ingrid Heidenreich,ingrid_heidenreich @hotmail.comMerika Adams is getting married in LosAngeles next March.

2001Class reps are Leon Bart-Williams,leon@ckb.corp.com; Jeffrey Kong, j-kong@northwestern.eduAriana Maher works at Kawasaki CityHall, just south of Tokyo, Japan as a coor-dinator of international relations. In this

Reid - son of Tom Wagner (90) andJennifer Vesper Wagner (88).

Danae Rutherford Parsons (91) withbrand new Benjamin James Parsons andhis sister Chloe.

Aydan Michael Hundley, born on July 12,2007 with proud big sister, Kiera, andhis dad, Brandon. Not shown: alum andmom Olga Supardan Hundley (92). Theylive in Forest Grove, Oregon.

Lily Liu Chan’s (94) wedding party included brother Leon Liu (96) and Jennifer Cox (94).

Vincent Michael Mysliwiec Jr. wasborn last May to teacher Tina O’NeillMysliwiec (99).

P46-59 11/19/07, 3:34 PM50

Notes & Quotes

role, she translates documents, proof-reads international contracts and let-ters from the mayor, acts as an inter-preter for visiting officials and worksalongside various sister cities to ar-range international events..

2002Tim Blair is platoon leader in the U.S.82nd Airborne division in Baghdad,but thinks often of his roots as astudent in Singapore. He was at SAS95-99 and says that the concept ofintegrity was the most importantlesson he learned there.

2005Class reps are Cordelia Ross,s87b@hotmail.com; Barnabas Lin,barnabas-lin@northwestern.eduPatrick Wong is in this third year atNorthwestern, pursuing a BS in com-puter Science. He says he’s meetingawesome people but will never for-get his SAS friends.Sae Takagi is in college in Tokyo andhas met some great people - a lot areinternational school kids so it’s easy

Kelley Franz (97) married James Wallace Jr. in December 2006 in Atlanta. He’sa microbiologist and she’s a veterinarian. “After 9 years of college, it’s so nice tobe out of school and in the real world. We have 3 kids: Emily our English bulldog,Hank a German pointer and Kojac our hairless cat.” In the wedding party aboveare Allison Franz (98), far left, and Stephen Franz (02), far right.

Hubert Pan’s (98) marriage to Ruth Lo in Palo Alto, CA: Eddie Serrill, Brittania Boey(98), Leon Liu (96), Claire Tan (98), John Ling (98), Roger Ahn (97), Shari Vo-Ta (98),Hubert Pan (98), Carolyn Choy (98), Amy Wei Tan (98), Austin Wei, Yedeh Ying (98),Jennifer Lee (98), Richard Liu (98), Suzanne Liu.

Kristen Scrib (99) married Eric Flint lastMarch with many SAS alums and theirfamilies in attendance. Maid of Honorwas Courtney Scrib (03) and Matron ofHonor was Beth Stefanik Morrissey (98).

51

P46-59 11/19/07, 3:34 PM51

52

Notes & Quotes

All Alums! Nina Frazier (98) and Andrew Berg (98) were married last summer. ParentsRichard and Catherine Frazier (left) were SAS teachers 1988-99 and Bill and CathyBerg were SAS teachers 1996-2000.

to relate to them. She also works asan English teacher.Alan Zdancewiez is going to school inMississippi, working for some cash andhaving a good time with his KA frater-nity brothers.Luke Puglisi is a junior at Purdue, ma-joring in electrical engineering. He is afund raiser for Habitat for Humanity,plays a lot of bass in bands and is look-ing for an internship next summer.Olivia Kelly is in Madagascar this se-mester and will be in Cape Town nextsemester.Sumna Mishra has transfered to the Uof AZ and is working on a BS in psychol-ogy with a Spanish minor. She plans toeither head for med school or pursue acareer in dance.Lauren Widel is at Purdue, majoring inpsychology and minoring in child devel-opment and family. She is also busy withpsychology and sign language clubs. Shesays it’s pretty weird being in the U.S.after living overseas for so long but it’sa new experience so pretty cool. Defi-nitely culture shock in the first fewmonths, though. She misses Singaporelike crazy and can’t wait to get backthere in December.Cory Nguyen is also at Purdue, major-ing in computer IT. During school breaks,

he has worked for International Recti-fier and John Deere.Whun Oh is in Claremont McKenna Col-lege doing a double major in econom-ics and accounting and planning to bein finance after he graduates.Rafael Kiyohara is in Boston decidingwhat to do next after studying for a yearin Suffolk and a year in Madrid.Missy Barnette starts her senior yearin December at Mississippi State U. Heryear in Singapore had a huge impactand because of it, she is studying inter-national business, concentrating onbanking, finance and Mandarin. Nextsummer she’ll be interning inShenzhen, China, so she’d love to hearfrom anyone in the area.Lisa Frasse goes to CU Boulder and isdouble majoring in psychology and thea-tre. She has been busy dancing, whichshe was hooked on at SAS, and will bein two modern dance performances thissemester. She’s also joined thetriathlon team.Cordelia Ross is at Middlebury and apsychology major on the pre-med track.She dances with the Riddim WorldDance Troop at school. She misses eve-ryone from SAS and would love to hearfrom old friends.Gil McMillan, who left SAS as a

sophomore, writes that “nowhere elsein my pre-college education did I expe-rience the high level of learning that Idid for the 4 years I attended SAS. I holdno reservations in saying it was a promi-nent factor in my acceptance to the U.S.Naval Academy. Go Eagles!”

2007Gabel Bredy graduated from the LincolnSchool in Kathmandu and will attendWestern Washington U. He’s still intomusic and theatre.

2009Anton Bredy is a junior at the LincolnSchool in Kathmandu, where he playslead guitar in an award-winning band.

Parents/FacultyRep: Karen Studebaker (75-81)kds@studebaker-rutledge.com

Lynn Obendorf Kidman (teacher 82-84) is an author, teacher and publicspeaker on athlete-centered training.She is currently in Christchurch, NZ, butwill move to the University of Worces-ter in England next year.

Charlotte Vesterby (98) married SteenSonderby in Skanderborg, Denmark lastsummer and moved to Hong Kong thispast August. Shari Vo-Ta (98), CharlotteVesterby (98) and Louise Vesterby (01)at Charlotte’s wedding.

P46-59 11/19/07, 3:34 PM52

53

Notes & Quotes

Please send your news and photos for the June 08 issue of SAS Journeys tojourneys@sas.edu.sg. Please note that the magazine will not list telephonenumbers or e-mail addresses. If you want to communicate with SAS classmatesor teachers, please contact Lauren at alumni@sas.edu.sg or register with otheralumni at http://alumni.sas.edu.sg.

Allan Bredy (HS Deputy Principal andMS Principal, 00-05) and Julie (6thgrade teacher), Gabel (07) and Anton(09) are in Kathmandu, where Allan isdirector of the Lincoln School. Julie con-tinues to teach as well as operate a Ti-betan carpet export and custom designbusiness. The family spends summersat its farm on Lummi Island, WA andsays, “visitors are always welcome forsome Dungeness crab (with or withoutpepper sauce) and Chinook salmon.”John Dankowski (principal 71-72) isnow a communicator at John F.Kennedy Space Center, presenting on-stage programs and leading specialtours of NASA operations.Regina Smith (grade 4, 1986-89) andMike have just retired. After leaving Sin-gapore, they lived in Hong Kong andManila, where she continued to teach.She says she keeps busy writing free-lance [Hope she’ll write for Journeys!Ed.] and with children of alums Tim (89)in Florida and Dan (93) in London. “Iwould love to hear from former SAS

colleagues and students.”Rosemary Farmer (music 81-96) andhusband are in Conway, AZ. “We staybusy with our family scattered all overthe country, still enjoy our cabin the themountains of Idaho and are engaged inchurch-related work in Conway.” Theyreturn every year to visit Singapore, stay-ing in their flat in Bukit Batok. They arecertified to lead Dynamic Marriage semi-nars. “We have seen many liveschanged through them, which is ex-tremely satisfying to us. I continue to domusicals with children once or twice ayear as well. I have loved hearing fromstudents out of my past since the SASwebsite was established. What fun!”Samuel Burris (Ulu Pandan 78-80) isretired and living in Thailand.Laura Light (MS 95-02) works at ISS inPrinceton with Vice President JoanAdams (teacher & MS principal 84-02).Bonnie Leister (principal Ulu Pandan71-86) is principal of an elementaryschool in Bethesda, MD and has 5grandsons.

Julie Pritchard Moore (99) and husbandPhillip with Alexander Phillip Moore, bornin April 2006.

Gal Benron (05) is doing compulsary mili-tary service in the Israeli Navy. She fin-ishes in January and plans to travel be-fore starting college in the fall.

Barbara Doenecke (Gillman and UluPandan 71-74) reports that daughterHeather just got married and that sonScott has finally made her a grand-mother. She’s substitute teaching andsays, “I love being able to teach andNOT attend meetings or do report cards.Lori Davidson (faculty 98-01) is work-ing in Tokyo at the American School.Mary McDonald (faculty 95-04) is work-ing at a private school in Rhode Island.Rebecca Humphries (faculty 97-02)has settled in South Carolina.Rob and Ann Godley (faculty) are teach-ers in Mexico City. �

Vicki Rameker (95 and current faculty) married Matthew Rogers (95) last summer inVail, Colorado. The wedding party included Kimberly Rameker (94), Jill Dryjanski-Wu(95), Victor Rameker (97) and Michael Rogers (00).

P46-59 11/19/07, 3:34 PM53

54

The SAS 50th anniversary quilt in the SAS School Board Room is the result of a collaborative effort of members of theSAS community, but two third grade teachers, Jane Dodge (right) and Karen O’Shaughnessy, were responsible for thedesign and finishing of the project. The 50 squares represent 50 years of SAS education and showcase many of theorganizations and programs that are associated with the school.

Left to right, top row: SAS logo, 2005-present • Tribute to Superintendent Bob Gross, 1999-2007 • SAS Orchid •Woodlands • Woodlands • Tribute to Teaching • Intermediate School Gecko • SAS@50 Photo. Second row: HighSchool Eagle, King’s Road • King’s Road • Yellow School Bus • Eco Garden • Dragon • Interim Semester • TwinkleToes. Third row: SAS’s Many Nationalities • UN Day • Middle School Tiger • SAS Help Projects • Community Library •Library • Gilman Barracks • Mr. Hoe. Fourth row: Drama • Music • Rochalie Road • Rochalie Road • Tabitha Cambodia• Cultural Convention • Fighting fish • IASAS Sports. Fifth row: Classroooms without Walls • Boy Scouts • PumpkinPatch • SAS@50 • Mandarin Studies • Ulu Pandan • Ulu Pandan • Peasant Painting. Bottom row: SAS logo, 1956-1995 • M&M’s • Gurkha Hat • County Fair • BayTree • Dance • Girl Scouts • SAS logo, 1996-2004. The words acrossthe bottom are Respect • Responsibility • Fairness • Honesty • Compassion.

SAS 50thanniversary quilt

P46-59 11/19/07, 3:34 PM54

55

By Raoul Rolfes (93)

Las Vegas attracts a special kind of partygoer and theweekend of August 8–11 was no exception! This third an-nual gathering saw a band of about 25 SAS alumni descendon The Palms, Caesars Palace and The Bellagio to engage inthat special brand of all night madness the likes of whichhaven’t been seen since Newton Circus! Free from the con-straints of time, space and open container laws, Las Vegas isa natural fit.

Dancing, hanging out and early morning food binges domi-nated the weekend. Our independent spirit was displayed onthe dance floors of popular night clubs such as Light, Tange-rine and Rain as our penchant for all-nighters shined through.Sleep was unheard of.

For 4 days every year, we leave our realities behind andbask in the unique antics of our past. 2008 will top them all!Class of 1993, It’s been 15 years and we need to celebrate!Our reputation precedes us. There will be a better functionwith more Tiger Beer this time around and I’m working on rotiprata and chicken rice. Anyone and everyone from SAS isencouraged to attend. Festivities will commence July 31,2008. Stay tuned to the alumni website for updates.

See www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4627139322for more pictures. �

What happened at SAS,happens in Vegas!

Top: left to right, front: Barbara Gaca (97), Jona Fletcher(97), Hanako; back: John Paul Botcheller (95), Mary JaneGamber (97), Hugh Lawson (97), Raoul Rolfes (93). BehindBotcheller is Eddie Smith (94).

Right: Daniel Jol (97) and Erin Bailey (97).

P46-59 11/19/07, 3:34 PM55

56

Reunions

By Nathalie Vo-Ta (90)

To say that SAS has reunions in 10, 15, 20 year incre-ments would be entirely wrong. But in this case, the Class of1987 celebrated its 20 year reunion — with a little help fromfellow classmates from 1985-1991!

Thanks to John Stubbe (86), Kathay Feng (87) and JohnBolton (87), over 30 of us gathered in Austin the second week-

end of July last summer, some from as far away as Alaska.The evening started at the Cedar Door, where SAS alumni

met up with one another. Some met for the first time sincegraduation, and Greg Waldron (88) telephoned us from Sin-gapore that evening.

As the sun set in beautiful Austin, the group made its wayto the Congress Avenue Bridge. A celebrated ritual in Austinis watching swarms of bats fly out from under the bridge.

1985-1991 SASerscelebrate in Austin

SASers in Austin last summer: (front) Mary Radel Kauth (87), Mary the au pair, Sophia Pu, Kathay Feng (87), Chris Schnitger(86); (middle) Tina Mercer (86), Angela Alvarado, James Clark (85), Liz Clark Carmichael (87), Alix Alvarado (86), SuzanneDeFoe (86), Nathalie Vo-Ta (90), Audrey Vane (87), Marilyn Stephens Etzel (87), Valerie McMillan, Debbie Hlavach (87);(back) Lisa Larimore O’Leary (87), Russell Moon (86), Nick Alvarado (90), Adam Watson (86), Deedee Collins McDonald(86), John Bolton (87), John Stubbe (86), Deanna Rutherford Waggoner (87), Ed Gaffney (87), Ellen Stubbe Kester (86), MarkGravouia (86), John McMillan (86). Photos by Chris Schnitger.

P46-59 11/19/07, 3:34 PM56

57

Reunions

Tons of people gather, bringing coolers and lawn chairs andlistening to a live band while waiting for the bats to maketheir appearance.

The group then made its way to Threadgill’s, a famousrestaurant and outdoor theater where Janis Joplin got herstart. A local group, The Derailers, played while people dancedand talked the night away.

Back at the main hotel, we looked at yearbooks and caughtup some more. It was fun go down memory lane, looking (andtrying not to laugh) at the styles and hair of years past.

The next day, we went on the famous Austin Duck Tour.We rode around the city past the governor’s mansion andthe capital. At Town Lake, we heard about its history as wellas about the celebrities who had homes around it.

At 5:30 p.m., the gang met again at the lobby and took a30 minute caravan to Salt Lick, a famous BBQ establish-ment in Driftwood for a truly Texan meal, complete with peachcobbler. Our host, John Stubbe (86), provided a raffle withgreat door prizes, including local beer, salsa and books.Stubbe also gave everyone a special compilation CD that hehad made of great Austin music.

It was then time for bar hopping and most of the evening

Alums gathered at the Cedar Door are (front) JohnBolton, Suzy Defoe, Mary Radel Kauth, Nathalie Vo-Ta; (back) Ellen Stubbe Kester, Chris Schnitger.

John Bolton jumps to be included in photo of James Clark, LisaLatimore O’Leary, Deedee Collins McDonald, Tina Mercer, DebbieHlavach, Liz Clark Carmichael and Mark Gravouia.

was spent at Stephen F’s Bar and Terrace (at the Stephen F.Austin Intercontinental Hotel), where John Bolton displayedhis great talent on the piano.

We then hit 6th Street, where rows of clubs and barswere open until the wee hours of the morning. We weremostly on the prowl for 80s music — some things neverchange! The evening ended up at a rooftop party at the hotelwith lots of music and chatter.

For early birds, Sunday morning saw the procession ofLady Bird Johnson’s casket through the streets of downtownAustin from the LBJ Library at the University of Texas to thefamily cemetery at the LBJ Ranch. It was amazing to see therespect the city had for its beloved local resident and thenation’s former first lady.

There is always a strong connection and new bondsformed at these reunions. I like to think of them as remind-ers of youth and “preventers” of memory loss. It’s funny tothink that some of us, including yours truly, were only 8thgraders when the others were seniors in high school, but asthe years go by, those years, if not the pounds, just melt away.

Our next reunion will be in Orlando in June 2008. Joinus! www.sassemiannualreunion.com/ �

P46-59 11/19/07, 3:34 PM57

Reunions

Classes fromthe 60s and70s meet inVancouverJuly 20-22,2007

In Lynn Valley, Vancouver: Standing are DaveCowles (69), Mick Cowles (70), Constance Ng,Helen Wong (73), Melissa Waldie (70), Rob Evans,Ernie Vance, Susan Sebloeme Bell-Irving (71),Russ Ng (67): seated are Quek Yong Kang,Barbara Tice (67), Karol Tice Evans (69), ErnieWong (68).

Left: Andrew Airriess (73), Chris Airriess (72), LaurenAirriess (Andrew’s daughter), Mitch Wood (72),Nicholas Laveris (79).

Below: Ann Brown Breen (65), Elaine Wales (72),Patricia Wales (68), Steve Pringle (72).

Young Alumni Reunionfor classes of 97-07

Union Bar

American Club, Singapore

December 17, 2007, 5-7 p.m.

Register online

P46-59 11/19/07, 3:34 PM58

Reunions

Vancouver reunion organizerStephen Hurst (74) with DebbieDudley Bodal (73), who owns andoperates A Chef’s Kitchen inEdmonds, WA and leads culinarytours to Asia.

Linda Chambers Pringle (72) and herbrother, Don Chambers (70). Linda is

married to Steve Pringle (72).

Mitch Wood (72) is an architect in Baton Rouge,LA and Helen Wong (73) is a consultant in childprotection social work in Vancouver.

Reunions in 2008Orlando, June 21 — all classes,

especially class of 88.Contact Kelly Johns or Lily Supardan.

Las Vegas, June 27 — all classes,especially class of 98.Contact Shari Vo-Ta.

Las Vegas, July 31 — all classes,especially class of 93.Contact Raoul Rolfes.

P46-59 11/19/07, 3:34 PM59

Published by the Office of Communications and Development

40 Woodlands Street 41 Singapore 738547Tel: (65) 6363-3403 Fax: (65) 6363-3408

www.sas.edu.sgjourneys@sas.edu.sg

Volume 3 December 2007

ourneysSingapore American School Alumni MagazineJSAS

MIC

A(P

) 2

45

/04

/20

07

SAS gifts tochildrenof Cambodia

Inside features:• Alums working in Singapore• Fond food memories• Island’s 21st C biomedical hub• Aven recalls building King’s Rd

SAS Cover 11/19/07, 3:13 PM2-3