The Ward Medal Honors Williston Alumni Who “Do Good Well”

During the traditional Senior Dinner at the end of

the school year, Robert A. Ward, who was

headmaster at The Williston Northampton School

from 1972 to 1979, told the following story: When a

granddaughter of poet Robert Frost graduated from

college, she said to Frost, “Don’t you think that it’s

everybody’s duty to do good in the world?” He replied,

“I’d rather do well than good.” But she countered,

“Wouldn’t it be possible to do good well?”

Headmaster Ward encouraged all Williston students to

“do good well,” and in his honor, Williston’s Alumni

Association created the Ward Medal in 1987. It is the

highest award given to members of the

Williston community who have given outstanding

service to humanity.Robert A. Ward

Lawyer Samantha Healy Vardaman ’89 worked with theAmerican Bar Association Central European and

Eurasian Law Initiative in Moldova, where she helped

law schools to open legal clinics and trained attorneys

to assist voters. Now she works for Shared Hope Inter-

national, where she led a team of undercover human

rights investigators to create a report that spurred new

legislation to combat human trafficking.

Bruce Yarber ’48 started a new career as a full-time volun-

teer after retiring from an insurance career. His main ac-

tivity is as a patient representative at his local hospital,

where he facilitates interactions between patients and

hospital staff; he also works with the Kiwanis Club, the

Visiting Nurses Association, and other groups.

Richard Adelmann ’61 has volunteered regularly with TheChildren’s Village (a residential school for needy and or-

phaned children in Dobbs Ferry, NY) and has also been

generous in helping homeless individuals in his com-

munity to secure permanent housing.

Erik Nicolaysen ’51 was honored for his volunteer contri-butions to his community, which include joining both

the Chappaqua Fire Department and the Chappaqua

Ambulance Corps. He has served as captain in both de-

partments.

Andrew Wooden ’73 helped to found the Bosque School,a college preparatory school in New Mexico that fo-

cuses on community service and respect for the envi-

ronment. He served there as assistant head of school

and then head of school. In 2011 he became head of

school at Marymount of Santa Barbara.

Dr. Timothy Janeway ’51 received the medal for his efforts

with the medical relief organization Orthopedics Over-

seas, where he trains doctors in medically underserved

nations. Occasionally, he has brought patients back to

the United States for treatment at Shadyside Hospital

in Pittsburgh, where he is an orthopedic surgeon.

W A R D M E D A L R E C I P I E N T S

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read and watch ward medal recipient speeches atwww.williston.com/intheirownwordsD

“There are many ways to “dogood.” One can be a hands-on,grassroots activist, a policy advocate, a fundraiser or donor. . . You should be standinghere with me, as should themany people giving to these ef-forts in whatever form they areable and comfortable to give.”

—Samantha Healy Vardaman ’892009 Ward Medal Recipient

Patrick Archbald ’79 and Stephen Trudel ’69 both received themedal for their work in response to domestic violence.

As chief of police in Williamsburg, MA, Patrick authored

a federal grant to fund educational workshops for police

officers, victims of abuse, and victim advocates.

Stephen was recognized for his work as an intake coor-

dinator with the Men Overcoming Violence Project,

where he helps convicted abusers to enter counseling

programs. Both honorees encouraged students to con-

sider work in public service, saying that working for so-

cial causes is both challenging and rewarding.

Mary Kimball Holland ’32 served on boards of directors fornumerous organizations with interests in adult educa-

tion, the mentally ill, and music therapy. For decades,

she conducted a brass band, taught recorder to chil-

dren, wrote music and lyrics for children’s theatre, and

was active with a singing group that regularly visited

nursing homes.

Stephen Herbits ’60was an advisor to the White House, the

Pentagon, and Congress early in his career. At Seagram

and Sons, he was one of the first executives at a For-

tune 150 company to come out as gay, and helped the

company become more inclusive. He also chaired the

board of the AIDS Action Council and was an advisor to

the Dade Human Rights Foundation.

As president of Byers’ Choice Ltd. and the Byers’ Foun-

dation, Robert Byers ’57 was honored because the inter-national company he oversees, which sells Christmas

caroler figures designed by his wife Joyce, donates

more than 20 percent of its profits to charity annually.

Bob has also served on the boards of numerous com-

munity and civic organizations.

Virginia Goodrich Craig ’27 received the medal in recogni-

tion of her pioneering work in the field of reading edu-

cation for dyslexic children. Starting out as a volunteer

and advocate for her child in the Norwell School Dis-

trict, she eventually became the district’s reading coor-

dinator.

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read and watch ward medal recipient speeches atwww.williston.com/intheirownwordsD

“Reciprocity is a good way tostart. As others have shownyou generosity, be generous inreturn.”

—Andrew Wooden ’732003 Ward Medal Recipient

Deborah Black Berman ’58 was awarded the medal for her

work with Summerbridge (now the Breakthrough Col-

laborative), a nonprofit that connects college-age stu-

dent teachers with high-potential, low-income middle

school students in a summer tutoring program. She is

also a trustee of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Frances Crowe P’64, ’68, ’70 was recognized for her volun-teer work as a peace activist with the American Friends

Service Committee. She was arrested 28 times in 40

years while engaging in nonviolent demonstrations

against various U.S. military activities.

Lawyer Shannon O’Brien ’77 served seven years as a Mas-

sachusetts State Representative and Senator. During

that time she sponsored the first comprehensive child

abuse legislation in the state, which defined child abuse

as a felony and established the first laws focused on

abuse and neglect of children.

Businessman Peter Wold ’67 served in the Wyoming State

Legislature for three years, concentrating his work on

the Education Committee. He has held leadership posi-

tions with several nonprofit boards including Montes-

sori School of Casper, United Way, and Salvation Army.

Charles Benoit ’60 received the medal for his work with

refugees in South Vietnam through the Agency for In-

ternational Development, and his later work as a social

scientist for the Rand Corporation documenting the af-

fects of war.

Gertrude Nolan Marshall ’30 was the first recipient of theWard Medal for her leadership in creating affordable

housing for low- and moderate-income families.

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read and watch ward medal recipient speeches atwww.williston.com/intheirownwordsD