IASASAnniversary25 years of sports, music,25 years of sports, music,25 years of sports, music,25 years of sports, music,25 years of sports, music,drama and the arts at SASdrama and the arts at SASdrama and the arts at SASdrama and the arts at SASdrama and the arts at SAS

Inside features:• Farewell to Bob Gross• Farewell to Bob Gross• Farewell to Bob Gross• Farewell to Bob Gross• Farewell to Bob Gross• Alum fights for justice• Alum fights for justice• Alum fights for justice• Alum fights for justice• Alum fights for justice• 3 special people retire• 3 special people retire• 3 special people retire• 3 special people retire• 3 special people retire• Alumni reunions• Alumni reunions• Alumni reunions• Alumni reunions• Alumni reunions• Class notes & quotes• Class notes & quotes• Class notes & quotes• Class notes & quotes• Class notes & quotes

Published by the Office of Communications and Development

40 Woodlands Street 4140 Woodlands Street 4140 Woodlands Street 4140 Woodlands Street 4140 Woodlands Street 41Singapore 738547Singapore 738547Singapore 738547Singapore 738547Singapore 738547

Tel: (65) 6363-3403Tel: (65) 6363-3403Tel: (65) 6363-3403Tel: (65) 6363-3403Tel: (65) 6363-3403Fax: (65) 6363-3408Fax: (65) 6363-3408Fax: (65) 6363-3408Fax: (65) 6363-3408Fax: (65) 6363-3408

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

Volume 2 June 2007 Volume 2 June 2007 Volume 2 June 2007 Volume 2 June 2007 Volume 2 June 2007

ourneysSingapore American School Alumni MagazineSingapore American School Alumni MagazineSingapore American School Alumni MagazineSingapore American School Alumni MagazineSingapore American School Alumni MagazineJSAS

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SAS Cover 5/28/07, 4:39 PM2-3

C o n t e n t s

Bob Gross made a difference 4Eight pages on departing superintendent and some of the changeshe instigated and inspired and the cheerful school he leaves behind.

SAS Education Foundation 12Results and goals of the SAS Education Foundation and a warmthanks to the generous donors to the 2006-07 Annual Fund.

Alumna on the USS Abraham Lincoln 14

Singapore Today: National Museum reopens 16

SAS Annual Fund has Star Appeal 18Annual fund-raising event honors continuing support of Khoofamily as well as commitment of Superintendent Gross and schoolcommunity to the Education Foundation.

IASAS is 25 years old and going strong 20SAS hosted all three final season sports competitions in April. Therewere over 400 athletes and coaches at the 3-day event.

SAS Today: Interim Semester in Soweto and Tibet 28

Trash man alum fights for justice — and wins 30Alumnus takes his case for freedom of speech to the Supreme Court.

New superintendent 35SAS Board of Governors selects Dr. Brent Mutsch to lead the school.

Farewells for special people 36, 38, 45Nat Bava, Boni Kapel and Pat Liew all retired from SAS this year.

Alum remembers 1956 Singapore 40Singapore and SAS as they were in the school’s first year.

SAS Today: Dr. Jane tries SAS Sensory Trail 42

Alumni news, upcoming reunions, class notes, 46quotes and photos

EditorJunia Baker

SuperintendentBob Gross

Director of Communicationsand Development

Beth Gribbon

DesignerJosephine Yu

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

Vol 2

June 2007

Cover photo: Ninety-six middleand high school students per-formed in Singapore’s ChingayParade on February 24 underthe direction of SAS danceteachers Tracy van der Lindenand Heather Rodocker. As partof their preparation for theevent, the dancers trained withMelody Lacayanga and RyanConferido, finalists from theU.S. reality show “So You ThinkYou Can Dance,” at a workshopin December. The annualChingay Parade is a highlight ofthe nation’s Chinese New Yearcelebrations.

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Dear SAS Alumni,

As we head into the final weeks of our fifty-first school year, itis clear that growth and change will be with us at the SingaporeAmerican School for the foreseeable future. Only two years after thecompletion of the expansion and renovation of the Woodlands campus,we have again reached enrollment capacity, with over 3,700students. Looking forward to the 2007-2008 school year, we havewait lists for admissions at almost every grade level and are againfacing the need to expand.

Students from 54 countries attend SAS,and the diversity of their backgrounds, cultureand personal experiences enriches the school.With a reputation for excellence, SAS isfrequently the preferred school for expatriatefamilies. Strong demand, with the resultingwait lists for enrollment, means that theBoard of Governors is again considering thebest way forward. They have endorsed priorcommitments of the board to limit enrollmentat the Woodlands campus to the current level,so growth must come from an additionalfacility. As plans take shape, we will keepour alumni informed. We welcome your inputon this very important issue.

The end of the school year also marksthe end of the long and successful tenure of Superintendent BobGross, who will be moving to Washington, D.C. to work for theU.S. State Department, Office of Overseas Schools, as a regionalrepresentative for Europe. We wish Bob all the best as he moves onto this exciting new opportunity. The past eight years have beenones of remarkable growth and positive changes, and Bob will bemissed by the entire school community.

Brent Mutsch will be joining SAS in August as Superintendentof Schools, moving to Singapore from Saudi Arabia, where he hasworked at the Saudi Aramco Schools as the superintendent. Brentis a highly respected educator with many years of experience in theUnited States and overseas. He will be joined by his wife Maggie,a third grade teacher.

The SAS Education Foundation, launched last year to expandand enhance the educational and enrichment opportunities availablefor students and to secure the financial future of SAS, is now on asteady course of development. This year’s annual fund campaignraised over S$500,000 for the foundation, S$400,000 of whichwas raised at the second annual Star Appeal Dinner held in March.

From the Director

Again this year, the Khoo family and the Khoo Foundationunderwrote the entire cost of the dinner, ensuring that all the fundsdonated went directly to the SAS Education Foundation.

The Memory Garden project received additional support thisyear with the donation of S$3,000,000 from the Stephen Riadyfamily. The donation will be used to enhance the area between thetheaters, creating a Performing Arts Center, and will include the

Memory Garden, which is adjacent to thisarea. This donation is the largest singledonation ever received by SAS, and we are sotruly appreciative of the generosity of theRiady family.

SAS alumni relations will gainadditional focus and support next school yearwith the appointment of Lauren Thomas asthe Associate Director of Alumni Relations.Currently working in the Admissions Officeat SAS, in August, Lauren will move to thisnewly created position within the Office ofCommunications and Development. She islooking forward to supporting SAS alumniand welcomes your feedback and suggestions.Write to Lauren at alumni@sas.edu.sg.

As a part of the expanded alumnirelations support, the alumni magazine, SAS Journeys, will bepublished twice a year (in June and December), and alumni e-mail newsletters will be sent on a regular basis. SAS Journeyseditor, Junia Baker, will be seeking input for feature articles andalumni news for future issues of the magazine. Write to Junia atjourneys@sas.edu.sg and register on the alumni website at http://alumni.sas.edu.sg to ensure you receive all our alumni publicationsand to stay connected with your SAS friends.

We appreciate that so many of you have taken the time to visitSAS this past year and look forward to seeing many more of you inthe near future. SAS is clearly a place that many of you feel isworth going out of your way to visit. We hope you continue to feelthat way and appreciate the great value our alumni connectionsbring to SAS.

Warm regards,

Beth Gribbon, DirectorOffice of Communications and Development

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By Beth Gribbon

The parents, students and staff of the SingaporeAmerian School said goodbye to a good friend this year.It was not an unusual occurrence — the transient natureof the school community means that every year manyteachers and students and their families leave behindgood friends and fond memories, moving on to a newschool in a different country. However, this year the friendwho left is Bob Gross, who has served as superintendentfor the past eight years.

The school community will long remember the positiveimpact he made during his time here. In eight years, hedid something we all hope to do — he made a difference.

During Bob’s tenure, the enrollment at SAS grew from2,600 to 3,770 students, made possible with a $75 mil-lion building project, which added classrooms, support-ing facilities and enhancements to accommodate thegrowth of the student body in a way that supported andimproved their educational experience. With his leader-ship, the building project was completed on time, withinbudget and without debt. And because of Bob, even withthis substantial growth, SAS continues to maintain thepersonal touches of a much smaller school, a place wherestudents are taught by dedicated faculty who encouragethem to learn by exploring and challenging themselvesand where they gain the skills that will enable them tocontinue to learn far into the future.

Working in public education in the United States as a

teacher, an administrator and a superintendent for 35years, he came to Singapore with no experience in inter-national education, but it was quickly evident that thislack was not going to be an issue. SAS and Bob havegrown together over the past eight years. It has been anincredible journey and has set SAS on a course for astrong future.

Steering a steady course of growth for SAS, Bob im-plemented many positive changes at the school. Over50 nationalities are represented at SAS. The modernlanguage program, in particular Mandarin, has been en-hanced. Art and music programs have grown dramati-cally. The new high school facility boasts a magnificentfine arts suite and a fabulous library. At the elementary

Bob Grossmade a

difference

Bob and Judy Gross with Steve Studebaker (82), KarenStudebaker (parent and faculty), Susan Studebaker Rutledge(80) and Greg Rutledge (78) at the 50th anniversarycelebrations. The Studebakers contributed greatly to thesuccess of the anniversary.

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An all-state wrestler in college, Bob was always around forschool competitions — and music, and theater, and art ...

Working with Bob was a constant lesson – in leadership,in decision making, in personal relations, in motivation, in seeking

excellence, in self-discipline and in that special mixture ofhumility and justified self-confidence that is trademark Bob Gross.

The board, the staff, the school and community could not haveasked for a better role model or a more effective leader. Workingwith him was an experience for which I’ll always be grateful.

Haywood Blakemore, SAS Chair 1997-2001, 2003

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level, student work is showcased throughout the school,and every student has an opportunity to explore theirinterests in the arts. Music programs offer vocal andinstrumental courses for students at all grade levels.The high school offers 28 AP courses, and almost 100percent of high schools students take at least one APcourse. Students’ special needs are a priority, whetherthrough enrichment or remedial services, so that all stu-dents have opportunities to reach their potential andexcel. After school activities have been expanded, of-fering students opportunities to enjoy many academicand non-academic interests beyond the traditionalschool day. Community service has become a part ofthe fabric of the school, providing opportunities forstudents to give and share.

These changes, as well as many others, speak tothe ways that Bob has left his mark on SAS during histenure. He would be the first to say that SAS can con-tinue to improve, that the school should always work to

make things better. But with his guidance, the schoolhas grown and thrived and is ready to take on newchallenges.

In recognition of his great leadership at SAS, in 2006Bob was named the International School Superintend-ent of the Year by the Association for the Advancementof International Education, the preeminent U.S. organi-zation for American and international education. He hasalso served on the board of directors for the East AsiaRegional Council of Overseas Schools (EARCOS) for thepast five years, most recently as vice-president, sharinghis vision and leadership with other international schoolsin Asia.

Bob and Judy are moving to Washington, D.C., wherehe will work for the U.S. Department of State, Office ofOverseas Schools visiting and advising internationalschools in Europe.

Bob has led SAS with great passion and care. Wewill all miss him. �

“Superintendents have the opportunity, and the obligation, to make a difference in the lives of children and the future ofthe school community.” Bob Gross

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By Junia Baker

Bob Gross asked me to talk with Mary Gruman, anSAS parent, about the many lovely changes that sheand the Arts Council have made to the school. (He alsoasked me not to include much about him in SASJourneys.) Mary’s reply to both requests was, “Nothingwould have happened without Bob’s encouragementand support.” Many, many people agree with her.

Like the tin man, SAS needed a heart when Bobarrived in 1999. Students, faculty and staff had movedin 1996 from the folksy open-air halls of the King’s Roadcampus and the familiar funky “pods” on the Ulu Pandancampus to the slick, concrete bunker in Woodlands,and they were not happy campers. Then along came

The home that Bob built

Bob. He cheered with enthusiasm at sports events, at-tended all the arts performances, knew everyone’s nameand needs and was very, very approachable — not tomention that he was also a wise and considered gover-nor of school interests. Most of all, he taught us all totake pleasure and pride in our school.

His focus and encouragement led the communityto contribute to the look and feel of 21st-century SAS.The Board of Governors, under the respective leader-ship of Haywood Blakemore, Beth Gribbon and ShelleyDeFord, had a vision for the future that they sharedwith parents and students, the Booster Club, the ArtsCouncil and the PTA, who then gave the vision sub-stance. Student art, cozy sitting areas, laughter andwarmth fill the school. Every wall and every hall invite

“One reason I’m grateful for my many years in education is because they taught me that our egos and titles are not important —how we work with others and how mindful we remain of others are important pieces of this work.” Bob Gross

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An exceptional educator andleader who made commitment

a mission and excellence ahabit. An administrator with

uncommon dedication andsincere passion for the quality

of education at the SingaporeAmerican School. A kind

man whose friendship isunconditional. SAS is poorer

for his leaving but richer forhis legacy. A leader, a mentor,

a father and a friendwho will be sorely missed.

The SAS Community

the eye with pottery, murals and photographs. Tiny gar-dens pop up unexpectedly, as does the odd cow. Eachclass year proclaims its individuality in posters, andphotos of former campuses adorn administration walls.

SAS is now a warm and welcoming home for every-one. It couldn’t have happened without Bob’s supportand encouragement, but it couldn’t have happened with-out the generous contributions of time and dollars frommany, many others.

As Bob said recently, “It’s been a wonderful eightyears. There are many stories to be told, but the biggeststory is what we have accomplished as a community.” �

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There has been some beautiful music created at SAS during the pasteight years. Thank you all for the privilege of service. Bob Gross

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Leaders should behave inways so that when the work is

done, the people will say,“We did it ourselves.”

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Education must be moreabout the journey than thedestination – an experience

of facing the unknown and theunexpected beauty of discoveryalong the way – not a forcedmarch past all that which is

worth seeing and doing

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S$500,000 Donated to Annual Fund in 2006-07

The Singapore American School Education Founda-tion is now firmly established as a strong and well sup-ported institution. This, the second year of fund raisingfor the foundation, was again very successful, with overS$500,000 raised for the benefit of SAS students. Aswas the case last year, a substantial portion of the fundswill support school programs and provide financial aidin the coming year. The remaining donations will beplaced in an endowment fund, helping to secure thefuture of the Singapore American School.

This year the finance committee of the SAS Board ofGovernors has determined that the donations be distrib-uted as follows:

•Financial assistance S$ 120,000•Visual and performing arts S$ 30,000•Athletics and intramurals S$ 30,000

Education Foundation

Making a donation

You may contribute to the SAS Education Foun-dation by check or credit card. Checks in Singaporedollars should be made payable to: The AmericanSchool Trust Limited.

Checks in U.S. dollars should be made payableto: 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 se-cure server by clicking the Make a Gift Online linkon the donations page. Go to http://alumni.sas.edu.sg/donations.

All donations made online or by check in U.S. dol-lars are tax-deductible in the United States throughour U.S. foundation.

•Community service S$ 20,000•Special projects S$ 50,000

The remaining funds will be placed in an endowmentfund, where the interest earned will help finance futureinitiatives of the Annual Fund drive.

This year, through the support of the foundation, wehave been able to provide a full scholarship at SAS for asixth grade student from Cambodia. It is our hope thatshe remain at SAS for her entire middle and high schoolyears. The success of the Annual Fund this year willensure that, at least for the 2007-2008 school year, shewill continue to attend SAS.

Thank you for your support of the SAS Education Foun-dation.

Beth GribbonDirector of Communications and Development

One of the stated goals of the SAS EducationFoundation is financial asistance for studentswho have been selected for traveling teams,competitions or honors programs outside of Sin-gapore, but who are unable to participate dueto financial hardship. The PTA hopes to advancethis initiative with the creation of the Best FootForward Travel Fund, a part of the foundationspecifically restricted to providing financial as-sistance for students to participate in travelingcompetitions or honors programs. In honor ofBob Gross’s incredible contribution to SAS, thePTA’s foundation donation of S$50,000 will en-sure that the Best Foot Forward Travel Fund willhave a solid start.

Donors who wish to give money to the foun-dation may designate their donations to theBest Foot Forward Travel Fund.

Best Foot Forward Travel Fund —Founding donation byPTA honors Bob Gross

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1956 Circle S$50,000 and above

William and Jamie Amelio • Khoo Teck PuatFoundation • Stephen Riady and ShinceeLeonardi • SAS Parent Teacher Association

TigerICircle S$10,000-S$29,999

Citibank N. A.• DBS Bank Ltd• DHL Express(Singapore) Pte Ltd • Bob and Judy Gross •Colin and Claire Holdstock • ING Private BankLtd • Richard Seow and Jacqueline Kwee •William and Lois Lyndens • John and PaulaMcCarvel • Stephanie and Stephen Russell •Standard Chartered Bank • Visa International• Wee Ee Chao • Sofina Wee • Wendy Yap •Dr. Yan Chee Hong Peter

Gecko Circle S$5,000-S$9,999

Gary and Dominique Dwor-Frecaut • HusseinN. El-Lessy • Ma Zuo Yun and Marie Ma • Y.S.and Suzie Nam • Steven and Maya Roll • Anneand Carl Stocking • Philip and Sandra Widjaja• Eric and Susanna Wong

Orchid Circle S$1,000-S$4,999

Lanette Abdelnoor • Will and Mimi Ball • Ri-chard O. Barry III • Bart and Valerie Broadman• John and Janine Byrne • Judy Byun • Tonyand Melanie Chew • Jenny Chiam • Choi YoonHee • Chin Wai Phin • Simon Cheong • ChooYeow Ming • Jeffery and Vicki Crocker • AllenChu and Mary Kuo • Belinda Chua Xiaovum •Philippe and Judy Damas • Phil and ShelleyDeFord • Michael and Eva DeNoma • LiliesDjuhar • Eric Foo • Scott and Valerie Graddy• Gary and Sally Greene • Jim and Beth Gribbon•Lowell and Mary Gruman • Thee-Woon Goh

Thank you for donating to the 2006-07Annual Fund of the SAS Education Foundation

• Han Kyu Shik and Song Eui Jeong • HanSung Ae • Kirk and Janice Hulse • Mavis Khoo-Oei • Leonard Kim • Kim Hui Su • Kim MinJeong • Sun Bae Kim and Rachel Kim •Howard and Joon Kim • TK Kwon and JaneCha • Kwon Jin Young • Jonathan Wilson andCindy Leake • Lau Hock Lee • Amy Yip andGary Lee • Lee Hye Kyung • Lee Joo Bae andEun Hee • Walter Lee • Raymond and LilyLeung • Tom and Cheryl Linton • ImaldaMsagung • Sanjiv and Devika Misra •Rudolph and Andrea Muller • HiromichiNiimura • Polen and Mark On • JanieDarmadi Ooi • Masa and Yuki Otani • Edanand Bon Sun Park • Julia Park • Park YunJoung • Memory of Kendra Chiota Payne •John and Sue PitfieldRhee Youn Soo • EunYoung Sim • Brent and Sandra Smith Ajayand Sukeshi Sondhi • Rho Ki Ran • Kim EunKyung • Yao Xu Quan and Xue Qiong • SanteFe Relocation Services (S) Pte Ltd • TatiSantosa • Bonita Siregar • Maria Sitohang •Fae Sugiharto • Chris and Chantal Tan •Leonora Tan • Jeff and Cindy Tay • Lima Teo• Jocelyn Tijoe • Evi Lauw Tjandinegara •Wang Gye Ja • Beth Yao • Yoon Hyong Jin •Yoon Ji Yi • Raymond Yu Jr. • Harrison andSheila Wang • Diana Widjaja

Traveler’s Palm Circle S$100-S$999

James Allen • Ju-Lie Bell • Brunoehler Fam-ily • Bob and Monika Comstock • Jaroslavand Jana Gaisler • Juan and Dee Gallo •Katherine Justo • Nam Joon Kim • SusanShaw • Garth and Roxanna Sheldon • KimYun Tae • Memory of Mark Thomas Higgins

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

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By Bob DodgeSAS history teacher 1983-2006

The tall girl who wore strange things in her hair, butalways had a pleasant smile, had said she wanted to bean astronaut way back in 1984. It is hard to rememberstudents from even two years ago, but she had an unu-sual name, Pilar Wolfsteller. Now after all these years,she visited Singapore for the first time since February1985, when she returned to New Jersey after living inIndonesia and Europe, then being at SAS for grades 8and 9 plus half of 10. I’d been her teacher in ModernEuropean History. She said she wanted to thank me for“helping light a spark, even though at the time, I didn’tknow it,” which was flattering, and became clearer asshe continued, “after a relentless, very bloody, losingbattle with 12th grade physics, I succumbed to litera-ture and history.”

Pilar is now very much the sophisticated business-woman, serving as press spokeswoman for Julius Baer,Switzerland’s largest dedicated private bank. When theyopened an office in Singapore this year, she took timefrom entertaining a cabinet minister and supervising alion dance around the new office to meet with me.

The business world is something new, as she hasbeen a journalist for most of her career. After studyinghistory at Queens University in Ontario, Canada, Pilartook her master’s degree in journalism at Columbia. Ithought I’d check Google to see whether anything shehad written would turn up — there were 2,000 entries.

Her career has been fascinating. She began as anintern in the sports department of CNN in New York. Shereported on political and economic developments for theBaltic Independent in Estonia after learning to speakRussian. Her next move was to Germany, where shewas also at home with the language, and worked as a

correspondent for Bloomberg News.In 1998 she became a staff producer/editor for

Reuters and has been in Germany and Switzerland eversince. Her coverage included terrorist attacks in Ma-drid, conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, Rus-

sia’s presidential election and Kursk submarine disas-ter in 2000 as well as reports on European Union andG8 summit meetings.

The story that took the most time and effort as wellas emotional and physical energy was during her twotours as an embedded journalist on a navy vessel in the

Pilar Wolfsteller (87) on board the USS Abraham Lincoln inthe Persian Gulf in March 2003.

Journalist on the USSAbraham Lincoln

Alum Spotlight

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Persian Gulf. The nuclear-powered USS Abraham Lincolnis a $3.8 billion aircraft carrier that is so big it has itsown zip code. More than three football fields long, fromkeel to mast, the ship is as high as a 24-story buildingand is home to 5,500 sailors. This ship can catapult54,000 pound F-14 Tomcats and ultramodern F-18Superhornet aircraft from zero to 130 miles an hour intwo seconds.

Her March 21, 2003 story began with President Bushgiving the order to fire the first Tomahawk cruise mis-siles over Iraq. Pilar filed her story then climbed to thetop of the carrier, six floors above the flight deck, to lookout over the ocean and was surprised to find crew mem-bers there, each carrying a new American flag. She de-scribes what came next: “One after the other they raisedtheir flags from the signal bridge for a few seconds, thenlowered them again. I asked why they did that and one

answered, ‘It’s for my family. I want them to have a flagthat flew from the mast of the Lincoln on the first day ofthe war for freedom.’”

The next day her story began, “Baghdad is burningas I write on this aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.”Some questions apparently were creeping in along withthe reporting because later in the article she added, “Iwas torn between my respect for the men and womenof this ship who had trained many years to do the task,and the feeling that something was somehow wrong,and not a long-term, rational solution.”

Later, back again on dry land, her questions in-creased. She wrote, “Of course, there was never anydoubt about who would win the ‘major combat opera-tions’ in Iraq. The tanks rolled from Kuwait to Baghdadin 20 days. But winning the peace is a lot harder.”

The Lincoln is probably best remembered for May1, 2003, when President Bush piloted a Navy 3 S-B

Viking and landed on the four-and-a-half-acre deck ofthe ship. Wearing a green flight jacket and holding awhite helmet, he stepped out to greet the troops beforeaddressing the nation. A great banner hung from thetower above him that read “Mission Accomplished,”declaring that major combat operations had ended inIraq. One of Pilar’s colleagues on board at that time,“told me how White House and Pentagon PR peoplebasically hijacked the ship in preparation for it.” Thatsounds accurate, since CNN later revealed that the“Mission Accomplished” sign wasn’t made by the crewof the ship, but was supplied by the White House, andthe great photo op lost some of its magic.

After seeing Iraq and many of the world’s other trou-ble spots and trying to bring them to the world’s atten-tion, it isn’t surprising that Pilar has chosen to step side-ways to a more comfortable life in Switzerland’s bank-

ing world.She really enjoyed being back in Singapore, with the

smells of spices and the familiar, yet redeveloped placesthat reminded her of a happy stay many years ago. Shesurprised me when she recited perfectly the entire SASschool song (“In the east, in the west, SAS is always best,and the Eagles go marching along. In the classroom onthe field…”). She suspected she might be the only per-son on the planet who still sings that song, and main-tained she “drives people nuts” when she does. Shewasn’t around last year for Jim Baker’s performance (theother person who knows it) at a school assembly lead-ing up to the 50th anniversary.

A very interesting woman who certainly no longerwears odd pins and sticks in her hair, Pilar Wolfsteller istruly cosmopolitan. Although she did not graduate fromSAS, she valued her time here and knows it helped makeher the person she is today. �

The White House and Pentagon basically hijacked the shipin preparation for President Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” visit.

Even the sign was supplied by the White House

Alum Spotlight

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After more than three years and a US$80 millionmakeover, the National Museum of Singapore reopenedlast December. The renovated and expanded museumis a must-see for tourists and residents alike. It’s alwaysbeen an icon, and now it’s an icon and a wonderful tourof the nation’s history.

One of the highlights is the ultra-large Singapore His-tory Gallery, which visitors tour with the help of individualtape recordings that narrate the story of the Lion Cityfrom its legendary beginnings in the 14th century to themodern period. Visitors literally walk through the stories,told in first person narratives by “little” people, such asfishermen and coolies. If you get “lost” in the narrative,each exhibit has a number, and you can push thatnumber on your “magic box” for an explanation.

The fascinating Singapore Living Galleries focus onfood, fashion, film, traditional theater and photography.You can sniff and see the food, trace the developmentof Chinese opera and view the history of families fromvarious races and religions over the past 100 years.

In addition to the permanent galleries, the museumshowcases blockbuster exhibitions, such as the recentArt of Cartier and Maria Theresia and the SchönbrunnPalace and the current one on Singapore architecture.

At 119 years, the National Museum is Singapore’soldest museum building. Built in 1887, it was known asthe Raffles Library and Museum and was particularlyfamous for its excellent zoological and ethnographicalcollections of Southeast Asia. Renamed the NationalMuseum in the 1960s, the building was known as the

Beautiful and historicNational Museum reopens

Singapore Today

Photo courtesy Lighting Planners Associates, Japan

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The recently re-opened National Museum containsa significant piece of American folklore in theform of a bell from the workshop of Revolu-tionary War patriot Paul Revere. The bell ar-rived in Singapore in 1834, and was givento the Church of St Andrew by Revere’sdaughter, Maria Ballestier, wife of the firstAmerican consul to Singapore.

The bell remained in the church until1889. In 1911, it was loaned to a militarychurch in the Tanglin area. Soon after, thebell cracked and was abandoned in the yardof the Tanglin Barracks. It was “discovered”in the 1930s, refurbished and placed on dis-play in the Raffles Museum, now called theNational Museum.

The museum loaned the Revere Bell tothe American Embassy in 1997. It remainedin the embassy foyer for nine years as a re-minder that “through the years, Americanrelations have remained a constant as strongand durable as the Revere Bell.” (U.S. Am-

bassador to Singapore Patricia Herbold)At a ceremony marking the return of the bell to the

museum in May 2006, U.S. Ambassador Patricia Herboldthanked the museum, saying that the embassy washonored to have displayed it for so many years.

Director of the National Museum Lee Chor Linthanked the embassy for its care of the bell and saidwith a smile, “now it’s going home.”

The bell is on display in a section of the museum onnineteenth-century trade among Americans, British,Dutch, Malays and Indians in Southeast Asia. �

Singapore History Museum after 1993.Now “the old lady,” as the building is often called,

has not only undergone a complete facelift but has beeninfused with a young, innovative soul. Its stunning ar-chitecture somehow manages to blend the well-pre-served historical part of the building with the new ex-tension, 107.600 square feet of glass, metal and blackconcrete. These architectural juxtapositions do not clashbut form a typical Singaporean identity, perfectly befit-ting the country’s National Museum: a titillating harmonyof ultra-modernism and colonial charm. �

1834 Americanbell returned

to museum

Singapore Today

Photo courtesy U.S. Embassy

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The man honored with a plaque at the entrance tothe SAS high school library is Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat.In 2004, the Khoo Foundation gave the school $2 mil-lion toward the building of this impressive repository ofbooks, archives and media resources, but the plaqueand the name of the library recognize the man behindthe foundation, the man whose generosity and philan-thropy led to a family tradition of giving.

Khoo was born in 1917 in Singapore, the son of arice merchant, landowner and banker. He was a founderof Maybank in the 1960s, participated in the foundingand running of the National Bank of Brunei, held a sub-stantial percentage of Standard Chartered Bank andowned a huge portfolio of hotels.

Although he was a visionary and pioneer businessleader in international banking, hotels and property, Khoobelieved that his success was the result of hard workand effort, that his achievements were not goals in them-selves. His granddaughter Lauren quotes him in the2004 Islander as believing that, “Everything comes fullcircle. Only you can defeat yourself.”

Tan Sri (Sir) Khoo is greatly admired for his gener-ous donations to medical and educational causes andfor setting up the Khoo Foundation in 1981. Since hisdeath in 2004, the foundation has continued to focuson education, health care and medical research.

Khoo passed his altruism as well as his legacy on tomany of his 14 children and numerous grandchildren. Inthe words of the SAS mission statement, he instilled inthem the “competence, confidence and courage to con-tribute to the global community.” His daughter Elizabethrecently said, “He inculcated a sense of community com-mitment in his family members.”

The Khoo Foundation gift to the SAS library is one ofmany recent projects, which include the purchase ofthe ninth-century Tang Treasure for a museum onSentosa and $80 million for the Duke-NUS MedicalSchool. For SAS, its greatest gift is the continuing sup-port of the Khoo family in thought and deed. SeveralKhoo grandchildren attend the school, and the familycontributes to the growth of the Annual Fund for theSAS Education Foundation. �

A family tradition of giving– Library named after

Singapore philanthropist

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Star Appealdinner raises$400,000

Tribute by Shelley DeFord, Chairman SAS Board of GovernorsStar Appeal Dinner, March 2, 2007

Tonight is a tribute to Bob as well as honoring the SAS Annual Fund. We know that he would prefer to sneak outof town and have no fuss made about him, BUT he knows he has to let us honor him.

A special thanks to the Khoo family. The inspiration behind and the underwriting of the Star Appeal dinner hasbeen such a wonderful gift to the SAS Education Foundation. The generosity of everyone here and the hard workof the organizing committee has made tonight truly memorable.

Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your glasses to this man of such hard work and respect for others, to thisman of humor and humility, to this man of immense character and uncomon common sense. The eight years hehas given us will forever be a part of SAS. To Bob!

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By Michelle BrunoehlerEagle Booster Club President

This year the Interscholastic Association of South-east Asian Schools (IASAS) celebrated its 25th anniver-sary. In April, the Singapore American School hosted allthree third season sports, welcoming badminton, softballand track and field athletes and coaches from the sixIASAS schools.

This momentous occasion marked the evolution ofa program of athletic competition, fine arts exchangeand forensics that has become a major influence on

the lives of hundreds of high school students in sixinternational schools in six different countries.

Since the school’s founding in 1956, athletic com-petition has been an important part of student life atSAS. As the school grew so did the interest in providingopportunities for competition between SAS students andathletes from other schools. Although some opportuni-ties existed to compete against local Singapore schools,travel to other countries in Southeast Asia to participatein sports exchanges and competitions rapidly became away of life for SAS students.

Established in 1982 by the Singapore American

25th Anniversary of IASAS36 teams compete on SAS campus

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School (SAS), International School of Bangkok (ISB), Ja-karta International School (JIS) and International Schoolof Kuala Lumpur (ISKL), IASAS was organized to facili-tate student athletic competition in a league format. TheInternational School of Manila (ISM) joined the leaguein 1985, and the Taipei American School (TAS) followedin 1986.

Because of the unique format of the IASAS games(i.e., team sports played in six games over a three-dayperiod under a tropical sun or sometimes in un-air-con-ditioned gymnasiums), it took many years to developstandard rules for each sport, which grew to include stu-dent conduct and curfew regulations. Yearly IASASathletic directors’ meetings continue to tweak the rules.

IASAS was and is a key factor in student life at SAS.

Student athletes in the high school strive for the oppor-tunity to participate in an IASAS tournament in one often different sports. In 1982, the schools played sixsports — soccer, volleyball, swimming, basketball, softballand track — but cross country, rugby, tennis and bad-minton have been added over the years. The first sea-son sports are cross country, soccer and volleyball. Thesecond sports season is the largest and because of theholidays spans the longest time period; the sports arebasketball, rugby/touch rugby, swimming and tennis.Cheerleading is also a second season sport but not anIASAS activity. The third season consists of badminton,softball and track and field. There are girls and boysteams for all IASAS sports.

IASAS athletes practice most days after school from4 to 6 p.m. Local games usually are at night or on week-ends. Before sending these exceptional athletes toIASAS, they are recognized at a pep assembly at schooland the Booster Club gives each athlete a travel shirtand an IASAS sports bag to carry their equipment. �

In the 1980s, the CulturalConvention awards banquet was

similar to Oscar Night with“best play,” “best actor” and “best

dance performance” awards

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IASAS became more than a sports conference whenCultural Convention began in 1983. Its festival of thearts consisted of music, drama, forensics and dance —art was added in 1985. In the beginning, all the disci-plines came together each year at one school — an ex-travaganza of the arts, including six one-act plays, danceperformances, music adjudication and honors perform-ances by individuals and an IASAS choir and orchestra.The awards banquet was similar to Oscar Night with “bestplay,” “best actor” and “best dance performance” awardsand medals for forensics. SAS hosted the last of thesegrand shows in 1988, one of the high points of the dec-

IASAS ismore than

sports

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ade. The next year, Cultural Convention split into twovenues. Music and art were in one group; drama, foren-sics and dance are in the other. The sponsors of drama,dance and music also decided to take the competitionout of their disciplines and concentrate on performance,so “Oscars” now only go to forensics participants.

IASAS also took over the sponsorship of the AsianModel United Nations in the mid 1980s. The host school,structure and evolution of the event each year is deter-mined by IASAS, but delegations are invited from all overAsia — India, Japan, Korea. MUN was held this schoolyear in Taipei, and the issues included the containmentof pandemics, the prevention of torture, intellectual prop-erty rights and nuclear technology.

A recent addition to IASAS is the annual StudentUnion Leadership Convention. The Leadership Conven-tion began in 1999 and is unique in that it is organizedand operated by students under the guidance of stu-dent council advisors and athletic directors. It is intendedto increase opportunities for cooperation and teamworkamong IASAS schools to develop skills, build confidenceand acquire leadership skills as well as promote socialservice activities. About 50 students from the six schoolsmeet for two days each September to participate in teambuilding activities and share ideas about leadershipprojects and challenges at their schools. The delegatesalso visit a selected charity that is the recipient of fundsraised by the students. �

Cultural Convention is aboutbeing different and celebrating

our differences, but coming togetherand working as one, celebrating

our feeling of being one.Arturo Correa, visiting artist,SAS Cultural Convention 07

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In the school year 1984-1985, a Boosters Club wasformed initially to raise the funds for good quality uni-forms that would remain with the school from year toyear. The Boosters played an important role in raisingschool spirit and pride in the teams in the early years. Astime went on, the school’s budget caught up with IASAScosts, but the Boosters had established themselves asa key school support organization. Ordinarily Boostersare associated with sports only, but at SAS they are equalsupporters of the arts. Throughout the years, they haveprovided the extra touch that the programs need.

Over the years, the Boosters have helped with hous-ing visiting participants; organized awards banquets andslide shows; carried coats for freezing choirs; checkedkids in early at airports so they would not miss class time;provided hospitality for visiting coaches; and raised large

sums of money to supplement the school activitiesbudget. Using their funds to pay for opportunities out-side the school budget, the Boosters also went into theschool spirit business, selling school shirts, hats, box-ers and souvenirs.

Today, the Boosters, led by the hugely supportiveMichelle Brunoehler, whom Superintendent Bob Grosscalls “the silent Eagle,” are as active as ever. They pro-vide volunteer parent support for high school athletic,cultural, extracurricular and scholastic activities. They ac-tively encourage awareness of the programs and accom-plishments of the students through Interim Semester andSenior scholarships and Senior Spirit Awards. They assistwith visual and performing arts productions and spon-sor honor roll recognition events, awards evenings andthe Senior Breakfast. �

Booster parents led by“the silent Eagle”

Track and field mom Karen Witherspoon (left) with Michelle Brunoehler.

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“The effort that all the parents and students put into IASAS made the athletesfeel as if they were competing in the World Olympics.” Maribel Tirona (94)

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boys girls

Volleyball gold goldSoccer silver goldCross Country fifth fourthBasketball silver bronzeRugby silver silverTennis bronze fourthSwimming gold goldTrack gold silverSoftball gold goldBadminton fifth sixth

IASAS 2006-07

Cultural Convention

Art • Music • Dance • Drama •Debate • Oral Interpretation •

Original Oratory • Extemporaneous •Impromptu

Model United NationsLeadership Conference

26

IASAS Sports

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By Casey DeFord (07)

I have been blessed with four fantastic Interim Se-mester trips, but two of them were especially outstand-ing — Soweto, South Africa my junior year andDharamsala, India my senior year. These trips werepolar opposites. I went to Soweto to work in an after-school care program and help at a center called theBridghman Center. Our daily activities included scrap-ing linoleum tiles off the floor, installing computers,tutoring children and cleaning the center. I was initially

really excited about this trip, and it ended up beingeven more amazing than I had imagined. The childrenwhom we tutored were all so excited to be learning, andthey valued everything we taught them. I became soattached to them in just eight days that I realized thatlater in my life I want to go into a profession where I canhelp people who are less fortunate. It taught me somuch about the world in which I live and how lucky Iam to have everything that I have.

After such an incredible time, I knew that my sen-ior year Interim probably wasn’t going to be nearly as

Cherishing InterimSemesters in Soweto and Tibet

SAS Today

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My Interim Semester tripshelped me learn to adapt to

situations where I wasn’t alwayscomfortable and built me up to

be a way stronger person.They changed me for the best

rewarding, I was tempted to sign up for Soweto again,but I thought I would regret it If I didn’t experiencesomething new. I immediately crossed the Europe tripsoff my list, not because they were bad trips, but I justcouldn’t imagine just sight-seeing after Soweto. So Isigned up for Trekking in Tibetan India. At first I wasreally excited, but closer to the departure date, I beganto dread it. I didn’t want to go to India because I hadheard rumors that everyone got sick, the trains werehorrible and the food was bad.

I am so glad that I got over my fears and went be-cause it was another amazing experience. It didn’t of-fer the same obstacles as South Africa, but it was adifferent kind of challenge. For the first time in my life,I slept in a tent, battled freezing cold weather and wentsomewhere with people I barely knew. There were timesduring this trip when I wished I was back in Singaporein the warmth and my comfortable home, but the moreI endured, the more I loved it! Almost everyone on thattrip was a total stranger, but by the fifth day, we were allgood friends.

I think these trips helped prepare me for collegeand made me look forward to next year. They helpedme learn to adapt to situations where I wasn’t alwayscomfortable and built me up to be a way stronger per-son. I mean it when I say that these trips changed mefor the best. I know that five years from now I will cher-ish the times that I had in these countries and with thepeople who went with me. I am sure that I won’t everforget these experiences, and I am so lucky to havehad them. �

SAS Today

29

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Alum Spotlight

In 1991, Keen Umbehr (SAS 77) sued WabaunseeCounty, Kansas commissioners after they canceled histrash-hauling contract in retaliation for newspaper col-umns he wrote criticizing the county government. Keentook his case to a lawyer and eventually to the SupremeCourt. He won in 1996.

Free speech advocates hail the case for “expandingthe rights of free speech, free press, petition and freedomof information for tens of thousands of government con-tractors and for the public in general.”

In 1998, The Freedom Forum presented Keen withthe Free Spirit Award, the organization’s highest honor,

Supreme Court declares private contractors working for the government have First Amendment rights

U.S.

Above left: Keen the trash man criticized county officials in weekly newspaper columns. Above right: Keen the lawyer celebratesgraduation from law school with SAS sweetheart Eileen.

for dedication, determination, vision and enterprise inserving fellow citizens.

Keen was also named a Distinguished Kansan bythe Topeka Capital-Journal in 1996.

In a newspaper interview in 1999, Keen said thathis respect for the First Amendment and otherconstitutional ideals stretched back to his childhood,when he was a student at SAS.

“We were American students, but we were not livingthe American experience. We got to see firsthand thecontrasts between America and countries that didn’thave First Amendment rights or constitutional rights.”

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Alum Spotlight

I’ve been working on Small Town Showdown for solong and have had multiple rejections, so I view anythinglike this article in SAS Journeys as just one more chancethat someone might read about our experience and seethe potential for a book and/or movie. If you’ve ever seenthe movie Erin Brockovich — well, I see Keen as a maleversion of that story. He was in an occupation thatgarners little or no respect, but he didn’t let it define himas a person. He believed in what the Constitution stoodfor, and he hung on to that belief while he wrote thatcolumn — in spite of the fact that he was taking a hugefinancial risk by biting the hand that fed him. He believedthat as long as he did the job he was hired to do, hecould exercise his right of free speech. The fact of thematter is that there were a lot of shady dealings goingon in our county (Wabaunsee, pronounced Wa-bun-see),and as Keen continued to write, citizens began coming

forward with even more serious allegations. This led Keento compile all of his findings for the county attorney, whoturned them over to the Kansas Attorney General’soffice. After the investigation was concluded, thecommissioners ended up with a slap on the wrist, butthey were plenty angry nonetheless.

I know I’m biased, but I think the story is or could bean inspiration to a lot of people. A trash man from asmall Kansas town goes up against the powers that be— and wins in the Supreme Court!

It took 5 1/2 years for our case to weave its waythrough every level of the justice system, but it was worthit. By going to the U.S. Supreme Court, our case estab-lished a national precedent that private contractors do-ing business with the government have the same FirstAmendment rights as government employees. As Keensaid, “That’s the plum I take away from this case.” Infact, the case is taught in law schools now. (Keen saw itfirsthand in his Constitutional Law book.)

I guess you could say that he fought the law, and hewon. It wasn’t easy on any of us, especially with foursons to care for, but Keen is a true patriot. When askedby a newspaper reporter how he would react if the Su-preme Court ruled against him, he said, “If we lose, thenthey can bury me with the First Amendment.” �

Sounds like a great book to me. Any publisher oragent alums who can help? Eileen may be reachedat EileenUmbehr@aol.com. [Editor]

Small TownShowdownBy Eileen Umbehr (76)

Published by ??????

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By Keen Umbehr (77)

During my time in Singapore (1970-77), particularlyduring my high school years, I was pretty sure that mymission in life was to buck the system whenever possi-ble. I remember how I would intentionally break the uni-form code by wearing cut-off jeans to Coach Baker’s classjust so he would make (let) me run laps around theKing’s Road campus.

Don Kabel and I (and unnamed others) routinelyengaged in activities that would land anyone in jail to-day. For example, we used to pull an imaginary ropeacross the road in front of the public buses, and oneHalloween I donned a gorilla outfit, complete with a fakehead, and directed traffic at the intersection of Orchardand Scotts Roads. Don and I were also known to chal-lenge the incoming freshmen to egg fights at the Botani-cal Gardens. (That tradition came to an abrupt halt aftermy mom caught us carrying several cartons of eggs andconfiscated our ammunition.)

Our house was directly behind the SAS King’s Roadcampus. My mom organized and hosted the high schoolbreakfast Bible studies on Tuesday mornings, and I neverpaid much attention until a Navigator missionary namedKeith Lindaman came along. Coach Kasi let Keith coach

the rugby team, and he eventually led the SAS rugbyteam to the national finals in Singapore. As I look backon it, the sports that I participated in while at SAS notonly taught me the importance of discipline but also thatpain and struggle were just part of the journey. Victorieswere great, but it was the defeats that taught me theimportance of endurance and perseverance.

But the greatest lessons from SAS came from PaulMcGraw’s U.S. history class. Having grown up overseas(Nigeria and Angola before Singapore), U.S. history wasmore like theology class to me. We were Americans, butwe weren’t living in America, so it was especially fasci-nating to explore the contrast between the rights we hadin Singapore (or lack thereof) and the hard-foughtfreedoms available in the United States.

During my freshman year at SAS, I met my lifelongsweetheart, a sophomore by the name of Eileen VanKirk (SAS 76). Eileen and I dated for about a year be-fore her family moved back to the States. After two years

SASer’sjourney from

trash manto lawyer

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of long distance romance and writing letters, we weremarried on June 10, 1978. Eleven months later to theday, our first son was born. Three more sons followed,and now two daughters-in-law and four grandchildrenhave joined our family (with one more on the way inOctober).

My first attempt at college (Hamline University, St.Paul, Minnesota) lasted only one semester. Eileen and Idecided to move to my family’s hometown of Alma, Kan-sas (pop. 850), where we could enjoy the wide openspaces. Two years later I bid on and was awarded a con-tract for hauling trash for our county.

In my “spare time,” I began writing a weeklynewspaper column called “My Perspective,” in which Iwould often criticize the local county commissioners.This didn’t get me any brownie points with the county,and I soon found myself without a contract. After findinga small law firm in Manhattan, Kansas that believed inmy case, we filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the

Wabaunsee County commissioners. The case eventuallywound up in the U.S. Supreme Court, where we won bya vote of 7-2. It’s a long story, but you can read a littlemore about it on www.keenjustice.com. Eileen has com-pleted a book about our experience and is currentlyseeking an agent and/or publisher.

In 1999 at the age of 40, I decided to sell the trashbusiness and return to college. After graduation, I at-tended law school at Washburn University School of Lawin Topeka, Kansas, and I am currently in my second yearof private practice.

I’m convinced that the education I received at SAS,along with the real-life experiences I encountered in Sin-gapore (such as getting a “free” hair cut at the airportupon returning to Singapore from the States), trulyshaped the person I am today and sharpened my aware-ness and appreciation for the civil rights and freedomswe enjoy in America. �

Keen and Eileen were high school sweethearts at SAS in1974 and 1975.

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Well, what can I say? In ourdefense, we were all aware of the sa-credness of the Buddha and neverwould have dreamed of climbing onthe statues. However, when we vis-ited the ruins of Sukhothai, they werejust that — ruins. The bus traveleddown some gravel roads to reach theabandoned site, which was literally inthe middle of nowhere. The statueswere in terrible shape and didn’tseem, well, sacred. One of us got thebright idea to sit on the shoulders withone person perched in the lap, thenwe rotated the people. When we werepreparing to leave, some very excitedThai men appeared at the front of thebus and confiscated everyone’s film.

After developing the film, theywere able to identify the students whohad been on the statue. Basically, itwas viewed as a serious case of sac-rilege, particularly because we girlswere wearing shorts, and apparentlya woman’s bare legs must nevertouch a statue of the Buddha. Wewere arrested, fingerprinted and de-tained in a local hotel (not a jail cell),while the rest of our classmatesreturned to Singapore.

My father and his company andother parents and companies and theschool burned up the telephone lines,talking with the U.S. ambassador to

Thais arrest“Sukhothai Six”

for sacrilege

Eileen Van Kirk (76) and five other SASstudents made international headlineson their Interim Semester trip toThailand in January 1974. The studentswere arrested, fingerprinted and finedfor climbing on a statue of the Buddha.This is Eileen’s version of events.

Thailand and anyone else who wouldlisten, and asking them to help andintervene.

The story (and pictures) went outon the AP wire, and manynewspapers in the United Statespicked it up. It became somewhat ofan international incident. Back inThailand, there were numerous let-ters to the editors. I recall “reading”one which was all in Thai except forone English word — all in caps —S***. (Need they say more?) Butone interesting editorial asked, “Whatwould the Buddha do?” She said theauthorities should be lenient with usbecause we were ignorant and not in-tentionally disrespectful.

We attended a court hearing,which was difficult to understandbecause of the language barrier. Iheard them say something about jailand immediately had visions of mymother handing me food through thebars. When everything was said anddone, the judge determined that nor-mally he would order jail time, but be-cause of our youth and ignorance, hewould be lenient. We were given 6months probation.

Needless to say, our parentswere very relieved when we all madeit home safely. �

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By Junia Baker, Editor

The SAS Board of Governors has appointed Dr. BrentMutsch as the school’s new superintendent. He is cur-rently Superintendent of Saudi Aramco Schools inDhahran, Saudi Arabia, and will begin to serve at SAS inAugust 2007.

The Board of Governors Search Committee, underthe leadership of Vice Chairman Garth Sheldon, did athorough and inclusive search for someone with theskills, knowledge and wisdom to lead SAS. GovernorSally Greene said, “We had a ‘we are good, but we canstill be better’ attitude and wanted to see what candi-dates could contribute to that.” Mutsch is their choice.He is a “highly respected educator with years of experi-ence in administration and teaching in the United Statesand overseas,” said School Board Chair Shelley DeFord.

Dr. Mutsch has been in Dhahran since 1994, and

before that he worked for 21 years in public schools inthe United States. In addition to serving as superintendentin Dhahran, he also concurrently served as president ofthe Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools.NESA is a non-profit organization of over 75 internationalschools committed to offering students the best possibleeducation through embracing the “best practices” of bothAmerican and international education.

The Mutschs’ home is in Dillon, Colorado. His wifeMaggie will be teaching third grade at SAS. Both arelooking forward to the move to Singapore for the profes-sional and personal opportunities that are here.

I met with Dr. Mutsch in April, and he told me a bitabout his plans for SAS. He sees the school’s growth asthe biggest issue in the coming year, and that resolvingit will mean first focusing on its mission — Why SASexists and who it serves. “The mission sets the contextfor the articulation of the vision, a statement represent-ing the preferred future of the school.” He’s enthusias-tic about taking on the new challenge.

He also wants to focus on making SAS “the bestschool that SAS can be. I believe that I add value toSAS in working to lead an excellent school to the nextlevel of performance.”

He made an interesting observation on SAS’s “VitalFew” by metaphorically placing Academic Rigor on oneside of a scale and Extraordinary Care for the Welfareof Each Child on the other side to achieve the balancedgoal of Professional Excellence, adding that “a schoolshould never being complacent about what it hasachieved.”

As for the people, he sees the school as hummingwith transactional relationships — student to teacher,teacher to parent, parent to principal, principal to child,etc., and he wants to be involved in the “life of the schoolas a respected professional, as a friend who cares, andas a leader who can be trusted.”

I think it will be a pleasure to work with and get toknow Brent Mutsch, and I think the SAS community islucky to have him. �

Dr. Brent Mutsch tolead SAS to the next level

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By Linda Clarke, SAS teacher

From August 1970 through December 2006 is quite anemployment record for anyone in this day and age when jobhopping is the norm. But then Boni (did you even know her fullname is Bonira Kapel?) is far from your average employee.

Boni grew up in a traditional Muslim family and was notallowed to work until she was either engaged or married. Shemarried Rahaman in 1969, and became a library clerk in thehigh school library in August 1970. That job lasted less than ayear before she was transferred to the high school office assecretary to the principal. Her first “boss” was Harry Fogie.

Since that day Boni has taken notes and typed hundredsof memos and letters for no less than 14 principals, and shehas eased those principals and the school through eachtransition. Of those 14 principals three were interim princi-pals, which means that they were superintendents as well ashigh school principals. Teachers around during those timesknew who really ran the school — Boni!

During her 36 years at SAS, Boni has moved offices at leastfour times — two times at the King’s Road campus and twice atWoodlands. She has worked on a manual typewriter and cop-ied material with dittos on a duplicating machine, switched toelectric typewriters with the whirling/tilting element and thenlearned to use the computer. She has taken notes in longhand,shorthand, off dictaphones, over the telephone, and keyed invia the computer. The teaching staff that she has worked withhas grown from under 40 to over 100. The student body hasincreased from 400 to almost 1,200. One thing never changedover the years — in good times and bad, Boni always had asmile and a kind word for everyone.

Principal Dave Norcott says that he will miss Boni’s posi-tive attitude and great work ethic, as well as her cheerful dis-position. “She’s a really nice person, a great lady.”

Thank you,Boni, for

being you

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In addition to her unfailing loyalty to the principals for whomshe worked, Boni also took care of the teachers. They couldalways count on a discreet reminder if they were late turning ina form or a raised eyebrow that said maybe “now” was not agood time to approach the principal. Among the teaching staff,the answer to almost any question is “ask Boni” or “ask Azizah.”

When alumni return to SAS to visit, their first stop was oftenthe high school office to see Boni because she was so involvedin much of the students’ lives — Interim Semester, graduation,attendance, lockers and even problems at home.

Boni stayed at SAS all of these years because she enjoyedinteracting with the adults and the kids. This kept her youngand busy and always on the move. She had good support at alltimes and has made lasting friendships. And the “crazy but goodrapport with people you work with” helped the office staff keepup the pace of running the high school.

In this long career, there are some stories to tell, but mostof them she would never repeat because that is Boni. One sum-mer the staff was astounded to see Boni climbing a tree to geta close look at a wild orchid up on a branch. Another time Bonifell in a ditch and registration cards flew all over the ground.

She has worked with a wide range of personalities in princi-pals. She recalls Charles Johnson as more “familyish.” He wasolder and included his staff in everything he did in the officeand at home. Her co-workers have also changed some but theyears of “The Rowdy Bunch” — Boni, Azizah, Dorothy and Siti —were definitely . . . rowdy! Other names for her and her col-leagues were the “Three Angels” and the “Purple PassionLadies.” Boni was always in charge, but they kept all the highschool running smoothly.

What now? Boni hopes to travel on business trips with herhusband of 38 years. She’ll also plans to enjoy being a grandmato Danial (3˚ years young). Both of her sons, Zaki and Andy,are married, and she hopes for a few more grandchildren. AndBoni says that if someone needs help for certain projects atSAS, she is available. That’s Boni!

Boni made an awesome contribution with her years of dedi-cation to SAS, her ever present smile, her willingness to helpnew teachers get acclimated, her knowledge of how everythingworks, and her ability to keep her cool. She is a pillar of the SAScommunity and we will never forget her. Thanks, Boni, for beingthe person you are. �

Above: Co-worker and friend, Azizah Sultan, presents Boni with memorybooks from past and present administrators, faculty and staff at a surprisefarewell gathering in December 2006. Below: Superintendent Bob Grosstalks about Boni’s enormous contributions to SAS.

Photos by Paul Griffin

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By Kathy Bordwell (07)

When Nat Bava fell in a food court last summer, hedidn’t realize it would force him into retirement, but the35-year veteran of SAS and one of its most admiredteachers and coaches decided it was time to say good-bye. After two surgeries failed to fix his wrist, Bava wasleft with a permanent injury that would get in the way ofhis teaching PE. Bava made a tough “personal decisionbased on [his] doctor’s medical diagnosis,” and decidedthat he would not be able to give his students the qualityinstruction they deserve since it was virtually impossibleto move his wrist to instruct students in sports like tennisand badminton.

Students say they will most miss Bava’s sense ofhumor, and his congratulatory “Vundaba!” when they didsomething well and “hocus pocus” to help explain thetougher concepts in activities.

Junior Tiffany Fan said that not only was Bava “areally good advisor,” but he always “made people laugh.”

Bava said one of his proudest moments at SAS washelping to start the IASAS rugby program. He was instru-mental in getting other international schools involved.

It is “the single achievement that stands out andthe highlight as far as sports,” Bava said.

Students who have had him as a track coach high-lighted how helpful it was to have him train them, andstudents he didn’t personally train liked him as well. “Hewasn’t my coach, but he’d always smile at me, and giveme advice,” sophomore Nicole Banister, a track and fieldathlete said. “He was just a really nice guy to be around.”

Bava said the death of four student athletes over anEaster break in 1990 was his saddest moment at SAS.

He received a fond farewell speech on September 1with students taking to a temporary stage in the cafeteriato talk about him and to say goodbye.

Bava’s Three L’s:Laughter Lubricates Life

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Nat Bava is a local athletic legend. In 1966, he was Singapore’s second fastest runner in the 100m, 200 m and 400 m. He won silver and bronze medals in the third and fourth Southeast AsianPeninsular Games (1965 and 1967) and a bronze in the fifth Asian Games (1966).

In rugby, he captained and coached the Singapore national sides through their most successfulyears and was awarded the Singapore National Olympic Council’s Coach of the Year award in 1979.

The best testimonial to him comes from Steven Studebaker (82): Nat has had a star studdedhistory here in Singapore and has been a tremendous conduit between SAS and the Singaporeancommunity. He was a star athlete and coach in the community and for years has been an ambassa-dor for SAS as well as Singapore in the sporting community. Over his long career Nat has not onlybeen a tremendous teacher but he has been a coach, a mentor and a friend to many present andpast teachers at our school. He has been a great source of wisdom and expertise and to the manystudents and staff that he has worked with over his 35 years at SAS and he moves on leaving ahuge hole in our school and many heavy hearts.

Nat is currently serving on the coaching committee of the Singapore Hockey Federation.

Local athletic legend

Though Bava has been at SAS through manychanges to the facilities and campus locations, he hastaken them all in stride, claiming he was able to adaptsince he was “not only involved, [he] was committed tothe cause of education.”

Not sure what he will do after leaving except keep-ing mentally and physically fit, Bava said he is thankfulto everyone at SAS, parents, teachers, board members,

and the American community for giving him so manyopportunities. As a Singaporean, he said, it “makes adifference coming from a different nationality,” but thathe found the American community a “caring and helpfulsociety,” key to making SAS such an “outstanding globalinstitution.”

Students say they will remember his always-cheer-ful humor and his three L’s; “laughter lubricates life.”�

Opposite: Talking with rugby team on King’s Road campus in the mid-1980s. Above left: Playing rugby for Singapore. Aboveright: Recent photo of the four SAS track and field coaches — Smith, Bava, Donalson, Baker. During his years at SAS from1971 to 2006, Nat Bava taught physical education, was athletic director and coached soccer, rugby and track at Alexandra, UluPandan, Kings Road and Woodlands campuses.

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By Stuart Lippe (59)

In 1956, Singapore was still a British Crown Colony,with around 1.5 million people. The Cathay Building andthe Asia Insurance Building were the tallest in town.They are dwarfed by today’s skyline. David Marshallwas Chief Minister and Lee Kuan Yew a young laborlawyer, leader of the newly formed Peoples Action Party(PAP) — and an occasional guest at my parent’s homebecause my dad was labor attaché at the U.S. ConsulateGeneral. He was not then viewed by the Britishauthorities in a particularly favorable a light because alot of people thought he was too friendly with thecommunists, but when a radical labor leader drives aStudebaker, his apparent interest in communism isalready suspect. Everyone knew that merdeka(independence) was coming.

In January 1956, the Singapore American Schoolhad just opened on Rochalie Drive off of Tanglin Road.My memory was a yellowish Victorian house (laterconfirmed when I saw the watercolor of it at the SASonline store).

Being fourteen years old is probably good almostanywhere, but this was especially so in Singapore. Webowled at the American Club, swam and rode bicycles

all over the island, hanging (illegally) onto the tailgatesof trucks carrying rubber bales to the port (made easierby their 20 kph speed limit). Satay cost about a pennya stick from vendors in a vacant lot across from theRaffles Hotel. The Cathay cinema was one of the few, ifnot the only one, that had air conditioning. After ashow there was (the original) Bugis Street for entertain-ment or dinner from the many itinerant vendors.

There was no television, but the streets provided abetter alternative — Malays, Chinese from many prov-inces, Javanese, Orang Laut, Babas, Tamils and Sikhsand more — all making up Singapore. The British andAmericans shopping at Cold Storage looked pedestrianby comparison. Everybody else’s clothing was moreinteresting, and their food was better too.

Speaking of food, the family cook was named Wong,but he didn’t make much Chinese food. His specialtywas roast beef! An amah took care of my sister, andthe driver was a tall Sikh. The legend was that he hadbeen dismissed from the Singapore Fire Departmentfor driving too fast. He was 70 years old at the time,and I loved the way he handled our Mark V Jaguar,whether the story was true or not. I learned to drivewith that car — when my father and Mr. Singh were notlooking.

In 1956….

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We lived at 21 Leedon Park, and I would walk toHolland Road for a bus into town. No MRT, no LRT. Igoogled the address recently and the satellite imageshows our rambler style house has been replaced witha much more imposing one with a swimming pool. Infact, it appears there are as many pools as houses inthe neighborhood now. Instead of a pool, our gardenhad mangos and durians.

Once in town, we wandered all over the city, butespecially from Orchard Road to Raffles Place to CollyerQuay and Clifford Pier via Change Alley. Marina Bayand Marina Park did not exist, and Boat Quay was areal working area of shop houses and godowns. TheSingapore River looks a lot cleaner today, and I wouldbet Thieves Market is gone. [It’s still here, but not halfas interesting as it was in 1956. Ed.] Tiger BalmGardens, the Padang, Chinatown and Little India wereother destinations. Queen Elizabeth Walk was on thewater then. One night, we stayed at a fishing hut onstilts, helping to pull up the nets. Hard work, in returnfor what couldn’t have been a fresher fish dinner.

Of course, it wasn’t always idyllic. Once, my SASclassmate’s outboard lost a propeller, and we were drift-ing to Sumatra, with the waves becoming increasinglysteep and scary, until a passing junk agreed to tow usback to harbor.

Another time, returning from a holiday in CameronHighlands, Malaysia, we discovered a bullet hole in therear fender, no doubt courtesy of the communistinsurgents, who were still active then.

This short look at Singapore in 1956 does not at-

tempt to explore the complex ethnic and political prob-lems that existed and that were serious. There wasreal poverty, and communal tensions sometimes ex-ploded. Students, public transport and dock workersand many others went on strike, and some protestsdegenerated into riots with looting and death. To re-mind me of the atmosphere during this period, I re-read Lee Kuan Yew’s memoirs, The Singapore Story,which provides much more detail on the turbulenceand high emotions of that time.

When I was at Anglo-Chinese School before SASopened, there were older students who had purposelystayed on at Communist Party direction to organize theyounger students for some of those protests. Whilemost in my classes were friendly, there were some con-frontations with the political activists. (I and one otherkid were the only non-Singaporeans in the school.)

So, I was happy to transfer to SAS. SAS began withgrades K to 9, and I was the first person to completethe ninth grade that year. So, in that sense, I was thefirst school leaver from SAS. Later, of course, the schoolgrew to the full K-12.

The 7th-8th-9th grades (there were six or seven ofus total) were taught together on the back porch by thePrincipal Fisher and his wife.

There was no yearbook that year. I was studentcouncil president and also a reporter on the school pa-per, which was called The Reporter (we weren’t veryoriginal). It was produced on a mimeograph machine. Ihave one original copy and will send it to SAS. Editorialpolicy called for sportsmanship between teams during

recess, and especially admonished the fiveolder boys (including me) for playing too hard.

In sports, SAS was already doing well, withthe elementary school team winning eventsagainst four British Army garrison schools (atNee Soon, Tengah, Selarang and Blakang Mati).I understand Pulau Blakang Mati is nowSentosa Island. Well, things do change.

In 1956… I couldn’t imagine looking 50years down the road at what might come. NowI am looking back those 50 years. I missedthe SAS 50th Anniversary but will get back oneof these days. �

Opposite: Stuart learned to drive in his dad’s classicJaguar.

Left: Downtown Singapore in 1956 bears littleresemblance to the city today.

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By SAS teachers Kate Grace Thome,

Martha Began, Zeeb McNicol and Steve Early

Saturday, November 4, 2006 was an extraordinaryday for SAVE (Students Against Violating the Environ-ment), ECO Club and Greenfinger’s Garden Club. Asmembers of Dr. Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots program,the students were asked to host the famousprimatologist at an outdoor activity.

Wow! What a privilege!Imagine our excitement at her visit! Her work with

chimpanzees has taught people so much about theirprimate cousins and disclosed many similarities inbehavior, family structure and intelligence.

As her work progressed over the years, she becameincreasingly aware of the challenges facing chimpan-zees and other species due to habitat loss, poachingand the illegal pet trade and decided to create Roots &Shoots clubs in 1991. There are now 9,000 active Roots& Shoots clubs in over 90 countries.

Roots & Shoots, conceptualizes a small, well-rootedyoung plant that has the strength to penetrate a solid

SAS hosts Dr. JaneGoodall on Pulau Ubin

SAS Today

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barrier, such as a brick wall. The program focuses onempowering young people to become those mightyshoots and lead others to make changes for the better,not just for animals, but for human beings and for theenvironment as well.

Dr. Jane, as she prefers to be called, was in Singa-pore at the request of Education Minister TharmanShanmugaratnam to encourage high school and juniorcollege teachers and students to join Roots & Shoots.SAS has been a member since 2000, thanks to theencouragement of Richard Hartung, an SAS parentwhose daughter Kimberly (06) was an active member ofthe ECO and SAVE Clubs. The three themes of Roots &Shoots — Care and Concern for Animals, for People and

for the Environment — fit perfectly with the concerns ofthese SAS clubs.

We invited Dr. Jane to join us for a walk on PulauUbin with friends from the Singapore Association of theVisually Handicapped (SAVH) to tour our award-winningSensory Trail, which is part of the National Parks BoardAdopt-A-Park program. Launched in 2000, the trail wasdeveloped by SAS students in collaboration with our visu-ally impaired friends. Students researched plants thatare appealing to the senses and made signs in bothBraille and English. The Sensory Trail has been a placeof great learning for our community, not just because ofour greater understanding of the local plants and ani-mals. On a deeper level, our visually impaired friends

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Opposite: About 300 people participated in the field trip to Pulau Ubin to visit the award-winning Sensory Trail, which wasdeveloped by SAS students in collaboration with the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped.

Below: SAS teachers with Dr. Jane are Zeeb McNicol (Greenfinger’s Garden Club), Steve Early and Martha Began (SAVE) andKate Grace Thome (ECO Club).

SAS Today

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have taught us how to enjoy nature through the use ofour other senses and to value the experiences of ourfriends who live courageous and independent lives,despite their loss of sight.

Dr. Jane has a special affection for the blind be-cause of a blind friend named Gary Haun, who not onlyscuba dives and skis, but is a magician. He gave Dr.Jane a stuffed chimpanzee, “Mr. H,” and told her, “If ablind man can do magic, you can change the world.”She takes Mr. H everywhere she goes to remind her ofGary’s inspiration.

We had a taste of Dr. Jane’s magic when she de-cided to walk the Sensory Trail blindfolded! We were allmore than impressed, we were transformed! Studentswere at various stations to share information or to offera taste of an indigenous fruit to Dr. Jane and Jane Goodall

Institute board members Kang Phee Boon, Kelly Kokand Richard Hartung. Guests from eight local schoolsand friends from the nature conservation communityalso enjoyed the tour.

Our time with Dr. Jane was an incredible gift. She isan amazing teacher and communicator. By covering hereyes, she showed us how much we can learn when weseek a different perspective. She planted many seedsduring her time with us.

SAS’s Roots & Shoots is involved in helping to es-tablish the Jane Goodall Institute in Singapore. The SAVEClub hosted a workshop for interested local and inter-national schools in January 07 and then met with thecore group of schools in March. Plans are also underwayfor Dr. Jane’s return visit next October.

�

SAVE Club member Lars Crawford (07) guides Dr. Jane along the SAS Sensory Trail on Pulau Ubin. Teacher Martha Began andcolleague from the Jane Goodall Institute in Taiwan are in the background.

SAS Today

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By Kirk Palmer and Kathy Tan,SAS teachers

Patricia Lui was born in Hong Kong and moved toSabah, Malaysia at the age of six. There she attendedelementary and high school. She moved back to HongKong for two years of junior college before heading tothe United States. She earned a BA and MA in educationfrom Illinois State University. In December 1974, shedecided to head back to the East. After an extended tripthrough Europe and Asia, she settled in Singapore. Sheapplied and was interviewed at SAS by thensuperintendent Dr. John Plank. She started teachingfirst grade in Mercury at Ulu Pandan in 1975 (whenOrchard Road was a two-lane, two-way street).

In 1979, she married Singapore Air Force fighterpilot Liew Kwok Leong and in 1983 daughter Bryanne

Liao Biying joined the family. Kwok Leong has since re-tired from the Air Force with the rank of Lt. Colonel andis consulting for the local culinary academy, At-Sunrice,in Fort Canning Park. Bryanne completed her Bachelorof Law degree at King’s College in London, returning tofinish her Diploma in Singapore Law at the National Uni-versity of Singapore. She will be called to the bar in Maythis year as a full-fledged lawyer.

Pat plans to travel quite a bit after she completesthis school year in June. She hopes to pursue somecharity work and is looking forward to having more timeto play the piano. She maintains that she prefers tappingher fingers on the piano keys to computer keys (andadmits that she’s techno handicapped and technophobic). She is looking forward to attending a reunion ather high school in Sandakan, Sabah, in September tomark the 119th anniversary of the founding of her almamater, St. Michael’s Secondary School. �

Thirtylovelyyears inelementaryschool

After thirty years of teaching at SAS, Patricia Liew has decided to take thebig step and retire. Pat or Patty, as she was sometimes called at Ulu Pandan, has been a

successful and much loved teacher in kindergarten, first, second, third and fourth grades.Pat’s teaching is characterized by her lighthearted sense of humor, her dedication

to her students’ success and her professionalism. Recognizing her efforts,her administrators nominated her for International Teacher of the Year in 2000.

She received the honor of being one of the top four finalists.

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Kendra Payne (02) is a recent and quite sad addi-tion to the SAS Memory Garden. She was killed last yearduring triathlon training when her bicycle was hit by atruck. She was in her senior year at the University ofCalifornia at Santa Barbara.

Kendra was an amazing athlete with a zest for life,people and social causes. Her SAS yearbook quote is byConfucius, “Wherever you go, go with all your heart,”and she did.

At SAS, where Kendra was on the varsity swim teamand track and field team for four years, the annual swim-ming and running biathlon has been renamed theKendra Chiota Payne Biathlon.

At USCB, donations from family, friends andteammates have established the Kendra Chiota PayneMemorial Award to promote leadership and characterthrough sports. For information about the fund, contactthe UCSB Foundation Development Office. �

Kendra Chiota Payne Biathlon

Kendra broke several SAS and IASAS records in 2002, andher 4x400-m hurdles at 4:11.82 has yet to be beaten.

4

SAS swim team winners of the Kendra Chiota Payne Biathlonheld in October 2006.

Singapore’s Eagles, the history of SAS — and Singapore — is on sale at the SAS online

store. The photographs alone make it a book to cherish. See http://alumni.sas.edu.sg/

?storefront or snail-mail Lauren Thomas, Associate Director of Alumni Relations,

Singapore American School, 40 Woodlands Street 41, Singapore 738547.

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Young alumni at the American Clubin Singapore, December 2006

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Notes & Quotes

1966Class reps: Sandra Pinckney,sandraptv@aol.com

1967Class rep: Michael Brown,mb2email@cox.net

“How about Vancouver in July 2007?!It’s the 40th anniversary of ourgraduation, and how many timesdoes that happen? Russ Ng and Iwill be there, not that that’s anythingspecial, but we shared some won-derful times with Nancy LalkaVance and Diane Fitzwater Travisin Singapore last year, and it surewould be great to see some otherclassmates.” Barb Bready.

1970Class reps: Wendy Lamont-Woolbright, wlamontwoolbright@cox.net; Don Chambers, don@donchambers.com; Thad Goff,thad_goff@hotmail.com

1971Kathleen Blake Reynolds,kreynolds@ laidlawcorp.com

1972Class rep: Kathleen Moskal

Fischer, silk@hawaii.rr.com

1974Class rep: Stephen Hurst,stephenhurst56@sympatico.ca

1975Class rep: Jane Neale Etzel,jane.etzel@sbcglobal.net

1976Class reps: Hugh Konigsmark,hkonigsmark@tycovalves.com;and P.J. Donner, pj.donner@sbcglobal.net

1977Class reps: Vivien Ho,vivianho8@hotmail.com; DeborahLau, deborahlau@hotmail.com;Judith Gambrill Brewer,jjgambrill@sbcglobal.net; OtekaStevens McClain, oteka@prismnet.comClass of 74 photo at 2005 reunion

Class of 75 at 2005 reunion

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Notes & Quotes

1978Class reps: Greg Rutledge,g r e g o r y @ s t u d e b a k e r -rutledge.com; GeeGee Vanvig,Geegee.vanvig@verizon.com

Theresa Thatcher Manning andTom Manning re-met online just sixyears ago and are now married. Theysay life is wonderful and hello to allthe SAS friends they knew in the 60sand 70s.Richard Grayson: Geeezzzzz—there’s some memories. 8th GradeTrip to Borneo with Mr. Burgess — Ithas honestly been some time sinceI even thought about that.... We leftS’pore in 1976, but I do keep intouch with some of the old crowd.Sue Lamson (76) and I remain fairlyclose friends after re-establishing

our relationship at Oklahoma State.Of course Rhonda Freiner wasthere as well, although I haven’ttalked to her since 1983. Sue isworking for TSA making us all safefrom terrorist. I also keep in touchwith Anne and Paul Konigsmark(77). Both are living in Austin andseem at peace with themselves. I amnow with ConocoPhillips, yeah BIGOIL, and no, there is no secret pumpout back where we can get cheapgas. Never thought it would happen— my father worked for Phillips for33 years and here I am working forthem in Houston. They are openinga position in Singapore and I havealready volunteered — althoughsending a gwai loh out there for amarine position is going to be astretch.Jennifer Rapson Collings: I am adefinite for the Vancouver reunion!!Hopefully a lot of the 70s folk will alsoattend. It would be great to see thekids from back then. I’m into mysecond career as a paralegal in NewLondon, CT and things are goingwell. I worked at Mystic Color Labfor 20 years finishing up as a pro-duction supervisor before our labwas closed when the parent com-pany Valora sold us. So I went to Con-necticut College and studiedparalegal litigation. I have been intouch with Bruce Ward over the pastyear and got some pictures fromBrian from the trip to Borneo I wenton with Mr. Burgess’s class in the8th grade. It was great to see those.My kids could not imagine spend-ing a week out in the jungle withDayak tribes!! My brother is back inthe states in DC, he’s working as theDeputy Director of the Office of Main-land Southeast Asia for the StateDepartment. It’s been great being

able to see him almost regularlysince he had been out of the coun-try for 11 years.

1979Class rep: Katy Hayes Jordan,pukikj@msn.com

Peter Danos remembers The Is-lander yearbook theme, Ulu Pandan,the sit-out, Satay, beer gardens &beer bongs, American Club, Mr Ho,Sentosa, Interim Semester trips, thestudent lounge, girlfriends and boy-friends, Football (Go Bulldogs!),cheerleaders (JV and V), Mr Clarke,Mr Longbottom, Ms Rinker, MsMoeller, Mrs Ploen, M/M Abraham,Mr Cooper, Mr Johnson, Mr Hill, MrLai, Coach Vijay, Shangri-La Hotel,boom boxes, uniforms, the taxis, thebuses, school dances, and SwanLake!

1980Class rep: Susan Studebaker-Rutledge, susan@studebaker-rutledge.com

1981Class rep: Steven studebaker,steves@group-air.com.vn

July Ellis Jolley writes: Kudos toKaren Studebaker for sleuthing andfollowing lead after lead to find somany alumni and get us registeredon the site. It has been a joy to email,phone and reconnect with so manyfrom SAS. Incredible memories andexperiences. Eternally grateful toKaren and the hours and effort shehas made to reunite all of us. TerimaKasi! Xie Xie Ni! Namaste!

Tom and Theresa Thatcher Manning

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Notes & Quotes

Heiko Oberleitner writes about the50th: “I just came back from oneof the strongest experiences in mylife so far: I came back from whatfelt like home again. Once I got intothe taxi at Changi Airport, smelledthe taxi odor and enjoyed the way

S’pore taxidrivers rape clutch &accellerator — I felt home. Seeing allof these old friends & people again,some of whom I haven’t seen for 25years, was overwhelming. PaulTaiganides, Paul Stolar, Ingrid deVries Lindert, Birgit Hammer,

Leanne Loth, Deb McNay, SteveStudebaker, Susan StudebakerRutledge, their Mom, Mr and MrsAbraham!!! and so many more... Iwill never forget these nine days.Thanks SAS and thanks Susan,Karen and everyone else who madethis event happen. And J.P. I truelylove you for you know what!!

1983Mike Bushman and his wife Lana hada baby girl (Olivia) in September 06.

1985Class reps: Lenny Perry, leonardaperry@gmail.com; Lisa Kukula,ltkukula@hotmail.com; andLuAnne Boone Balelo,lujorio@earthlink.net

Sean Bushman and his wife Incarnalive in Spain and had a baby boy(Pablo) in October 06.

Class of 81 visitors enjoy Singapore food at 50th Anniversary

Class of 86 attendees party down and visit old King’s Road campus at 50th Anniversary.

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Notes & Quotes

1986Class rep: Shannon Feuchter,tsvenni@msn.com

Partial ID of Class of 86 group photoat the 50th Anniversary (opposite).Clockwise around left table startingat bottom: Dunno, Dunno, KamishaBulson, Brenda Stagg, Tim Bulson,Rich Stagg, Sparky Holtebeck (handon glass), Alyssa Goodin, KarenGoodin. Front 4: baked Frodo, ChrisS, K. Goodin’s husband, can’t re-member. Clockwise around right ta-ble from Bottom: Ed Gaffney (handup), Natalie No Va, T. Waldron wife,Todd Waldron, Kevin Reizer, GregWaldon, John Stubbe (in back of ta-ble, romancing the beer).

1987Class rep: Julie Vail Freedman,julie.vail@yahoo.com

1988Class rep: Lily Supardan,lsupardan@gmail.com

Jennifer Vesper Wagner and TomWagner (90) have a son, Reid Tho-mas Wagner, born April 13, 2006.Visit us at www.tampatheatre.org.

1989Class rep: Lauren Kuhbander Tho-mas, lkuhbander@yahoo.com

1990Class rep: Nathalie Vo-Ta Antus,nantus@msn.com

1992Class rep: Jennifer Kahn Liguori,jenniferliguori@hotmail.com

Randy Baker married Deb Sivignylast August (see photo, left). They livein DC and have a great little theater.See www.rorschachtheatre.com.

1993Class rep: ben Rosenthal,Beaker_1427@yahoo.com

1994Class reps: Bryan Baker,bryanbaker@yahoo.com; AdilHakim, msahakim@yahoo.com

1995Class reps: Heather Brown Hopkins,hmhopkins77 @yahoo.com; CarrieTaylor, carriebrooke@hotmail.com

1996Class reps: Sara Dallaire,Sara.dallaire@gmail.com; ChrisEllis, wellis@gmail.com

1997Class reps: Dennis Jol,Dennis.jol@jpjol.com; DavidSoeryadjaya, david@soerya.com;Micah Wojnowski, ariseone@gmail.com; Alison Todd Smith,Ali2379@gmail.com

SAS alums at Randy Baker’s wedding: l to r, David (61), Robert (65),Jim (66) and Randy Baker (92), the bride Deb Sivigny, Lily Boone Santos(92), Jelita McLeod (88), Jonathan Gibson (92) and Dan Fleming (92).

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Notes & Quotes

Alison Smith is living in New York,and working as a buyer for Macy’s.She sees Gahyan Tsui (96) on aregular basis, and before SvetaSrinivasan moved to Amsterdam,they were together often. Alison saysshe’d love to organize an SAS reun-ion in New York.

1998Class reps: Jaclyn Schmidt,Jaclyn.Schmidt@gmail.com; SariVo-Ta, svota@hotmail.com; StefanClay, esumale2003@ abcglobal.net

1999Class rep: William Mathopoullos,wzorba80@yahoo.com

2000Class rep: Ingrid Heidenreich,ingrid_heidenreich@hotmail.com

2001Class reps: Leon Bart-Williams,leon@ckb.corp.com; Jeffrey Kong,j-kong@northwestern.edu

2002Class rep: Nathan Welling,Nate_welling@hotmail.com

2003Class reps: Kerry Gribbon,kgr ibbon@mailcolgate.com;Sabrina Peck, Sabrina.peck@uconn.edu; Tate Sonnack,sonnack@hotmail.com; andRaymond Tjandra, ray_ban187@hotmail.com

Jessica Blakemore just graduatedfrom Barnard College at ColumbiaUniversity with a double major inMedieval History and Political Sci-ence. After graduation, she’ll headhome to Paris briefly, travel in Eu-rope for a few weeks and then ex-pects to join a political campaign asa staffer. During her sophomore andjunior years, she worked as an in-tern in Senator Clinton’s New Yorkoffice and last year she was on thestaff of Eliot Spitzer during his suc-cessful campaign for governor.

2004

Class rep: Cour tney Young,superchick_212000@hotmail.com

2005Class reps: Cordelia Ross,s87b@hotmail.com; Barnabas Lin,barnabas-lin@northwestern.edu

2006Emily Blakemore is finishing herfirst year at the University of Virginia.She loves college and has kept her-self busy with classes, volunteertutoring and coaching for disadvan-taged youth and sorority life. Thissummer she’ll vacation briefly athome in Paris, and then head to LosAngeles, where she’ll be working asa production assistant on a televi-sion show.Nicolai Gerebtzoff comments: we’rethe biggest graduating class ever tocome out of this school and there’sonly a handful of us on the SASalumni list...??? that’s kinda sad...

Regional SAS Rep:Elizabeth Mainguy (74),babeth_mainguy@yahoo.fr

From The Eye, December 06Mr Hoe contributes to the environment by charging twenty cents extra for plastic take-away contain-ers. The covers the cost of the containers, but Mr Hoe could charge more to further discourage theiruse and donate the excess to an environmental cause.

From The Eye, September 06New deputy roams halls with little blue book and no tolerance policy” In 1987, a new principal walkedthrough the King’s Road campus with a black book under his arm. Dr Emma recorded the names ofstudents who violated dress code in the book. Nineteen years later, Deputy Principal Doug Neiharthas brought the book back…

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Notes & Quotes

Please send your news and photos for the December 07 issue of SAS Journeys to journeys@sas.edu.sg.Please note that the magazine will not list telephone numbers or e-mail addresses. If you want tocommunicate with SAS classmates or teachers, please contact Lauren at alumni@sas.edu.sg orregister with other alumni at http://alumni.sas.edu.sg.

Parent/FacultyRep: Karen Ream Studebaker,kds@studebaker-rutledge.com

The Blakemores were all togetherin May to do a week of Katrina reliefwork in Biloxi, Mississippi.Mel Kuhbander (Superintendent81-90) continues to work full-timeas a teacher at a local university. “Iabsolutely love it. No administra-tive headaches, no parents, andwhen the memos come from the cen-tral office why, heck, I can complaintoo.”Mr. Abraham says, “Thanks to all

my students and former colleaguesat SAS for your prayers and bestwishes during my illness. My my-eloma is in near complete remission.If you pass through Singapore,please call me.Mike Imperi (teacher 83-97) is amiddle school principal at AlexanderDawson School in Boulder. He leadsstudent trips to Africa, Thailand andFiji in the summer. Wife Kathi is di-rector and teacher at a Montessoripre-school.Charles Longbottom is retired andspends his time touring the world.Dr. Dixie “Sue Cooper Allsbrook(guidance counselor 73-75) says

SAS “was a grand time. I went on towork in higher education serving asa dean for many years. I retired fromUniversity of Nevada in 2006. Butretirement is meant for new careers,so now I sell real estate in Las Vegas.Judy Bushman Scott is retired andnow lives in San Antonio.Yvonne Tavares Loh (74-80) taughtin Jupiter and Mercury. She had toteach in “the well” the first year be-cause the school was so over-crowded that the common areas ofeach pod were used for classes.After several careers and obtainingan MBA, she is now in publishing inSingapore. Daughter Melissa Loh(01) is USC graduate and works asa scuba instructor and cruise direc-tor in Phuket. Daughter Elaine is anactress in LA.Dave and Terri Lewis (teachers 73-74) are enjoying retirement in TheVillages, Florida.Barbara Doenecke (teacher 71-74)retired from teaching in 04, and nowtravels and studies wildlife. SonScott Doenecke and wife are expect-ing in August.Richard and Catherine Frazier(teachers 88-99) have returned toPeace Corps type work by conduct-ing yearly science workshops in Si-erra Leone (see http://members.aol/salonesix). Catherine just receiveda PhD in Education/Sociology andwould love to hear from former stu-dents and colleagues. �Three SAS alums — Jessica (98), Sabrina (01) and Kristina (06)

Imperi in Boulder, Colorado.

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Upcoming Reunions

Classes from 84 to 90June 21-22, 2008Orlando

See www.sassemiannualreunion.com

What happened at SAS,happens in Vegas III!

August 9-12, 2007Las Vegas

www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/i@raoulrolfes.com/sasvegas3

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Upcoming Reunions

Young Alums at AmericanClub in SingaporeMid-December 2007

See http://alumni.sas.edu.sg

Classes from the60s and 70s

July 20-22, 2007,Vancouver

Contactstephenhurst56@sympatico.ca

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IASASAnniversary25 years of sports, music,25 years of sports, music,25 years of sports, music,25 years of sports, music,25 years of sports, music,drama and the arts at SASdrama and the arts at SASdrama and the arts at SASdrama and the arts at SASdrama and the arts at SAS

Inside features:• Farewell to Bob Gross• Farewell to Bob Gross• Farewell to Bob Gross• Farewell to Bob Gross• Farewell to Bob Gross• Alum fights for justice• Alum fights for justice• Alum fights for justice• Alum fights for justice• Alum fights for justice• 3 special people retire• 3 special people retire• 3 special people retire• 3 special people retire• 3 special people retire• Alumni reunions• Alumni reunions• Alumni reunions• Alumni reunions• Alumni reunions• Class notes & quotes• Class notes & quotes• Class notes & quotes• Class notes & quotes• Class notes & quotes

Published by the Office of Communications and Development

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

Volume 2 June 2007 Volume 2 June 2007 Volume 2 June 2007 Volume 2 June 2007 Volume 2 June 2007

ourneysSingapore American School Alumni MagazineSingapore American School Alumni MagazineSingapore American School Alumni MagazineSingapore American School Alumni MagazineSingapore American School Alumni MagazineJSAS

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