LUCINDA CARTER: MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER, SPRING MUSICAL CO-FOUNDER, HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL (1971 – 2006) Lucinda Carter was Greenhill’s Head of Middle School for 28 years. She was fond of telling the students they were the “cream of the Oreo cookie.” It is a perfect metaphor, since the Middle School is between the Pre/Lower and Upper School. The Oreo metaphor works to emphasize the importance of inclusion and diversity since the cream comes in many flavors! These Oreo items are samples from Mrs. Carter’s Oreo collection. She had great fun wearing the Oreo PJs on Pajama Day during Homecoming Week! |
BRIAN DONNELL: BAND DIRECTOR (1988 – PRESENT) I made this conducting baton many years ago by turning it on my lathe and hand-planing and painting the shaft. There are many different batons that I’ve used over the years, but this one, because it’s green and gold, has been my go-to baton for Greenhill Band concerts and performances for the past couple of decades. I’ve used it at Founders Days, ISAS Arts Festivals, Pops Concerts, Commencements, Winter Concerts, and even the finale performance at TPSMEA All-State when I was the conductor in San Antonio, along with hundreds of band rehearsals. It’s a little weathered and aged, is missing some paint here and there, but it’s still in good shape and remains a valuable tool to me during class and concerts while making music with our students. |
HELEN FULTON: CO-FOUNDER (1950 – 1976) When Bernard and Helen Fulton and their army of volunteers had finally completed the first Greenhill classrooms at Hillcrest and Walnut Hill Lane, their excitement turned to opening the doors to the 62 enrolled students. On that inaugural day, as all the books, rulers, and pencils were in place on each desk, waiting for the students, I wondered how we would herald the start of this momentous beginning of the new school. Back at White Wings, the Fulton Family homestead, Helen had a Dutch cabinet in the dining room upon which lived an antique brass and enameled “elephant claw bell” from an ancient Asian culture. That first day, Helen took the bell with her to Greenhill. I didn’t know what she was going to use it for, but she surely did. And so that morning, on September 11, 1950, at 8:30 am sharp, Helen began walking the halls loudly ringing that elephant bell to announce the start of classes. And that was the resonant tone we all remembered and with which she ushered in every school day at Greenhill for the next 26 years. - Submitted by daughter Molly Fulton Seeligson '60 |
SKIP KILMER: MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER, UPPER SCHOOL SCIENCE TEACHER (1974 – 2009) This bowling ball was suspended by a 3.2 m steel cable from the ceiling beam in the Skip Kilmer Physics Lab in the Agnich Science Building. It served as a focus point on the first day of physics for written and oral discussion of how to observe and measure physical phenomena. Its swing set the pace of physics courses and initiated several units in those courses. Students learned the components of motion, force and acceleration, conservation of energy, frequency and periodic motion parameters, mathematical curve fitting, vector resolution, and calculus analysis of sinusoidal motion. It served as a simple, reliable, and powerful tool for exploring the physical world. |
JANICE LAMENDOLA: PRIMER AND KINDERGARTEN TEACHER, FORMER LOWER SCHOOL INTERN (1996 – 2004, 2005 – PRESENT) Everyone knows that Primer Rocks! “Primer” and “Rocks” go together like peanut butter and jelly. Back in 1998, Peggy Fredrickson and I were teaching Primer, and we loved every moment of it. Collaborating with each other, we appreciated the unique qualities of Primers and the insightful questions and answers from our students. One day, a student asked us why we liked Primer so much. Our response was simple: “Because Primer Rocks!” This phrase and this sign (or iterations of it) have since become a staple in every Primer play, celebrating for over a quarter century! |
DREW PARHAM: UPPER SCHOOL SPANISH AND FRENCH TEACHER, LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT CHAIR (1967 – 1998) Mrs. Drew Parham dedicated 30 vibrant years as Greenhill’s foreign language teacher, advisor, and Head of the Foreign Languages Department for several years. She was a most beloved teacher and advisor, as shown in this scrapbook made by her Upper School advisees. They presented the scrapbook to Mrs. Parham upon her retirement in 1998. Her advisees’ sentiments speak about Mrs. Parham’s passion for teaching and her inspiring attention to her advisees during their Upper School years. Two examples are: “You would stop working at your desk and simply talk to us,” and “Mrs. Parham, you go above and beyond by checking to make sure everything is going smoothly in our classes, by preparing letters of recommendation, and by taking time to chat. We will miss you more than words can express.” At her retirement party, the entire faculty greeted Drew wearing Drew Parham masks! - Submitted by colleague Lucinda Carter |
DARRYN SANDLER '95: UPPER SCHOOL MATH TEACHER AND DEPARTMENT CHAIR, VARSITY GIRLS' BASKETBALL COACH, CARTER TEACHING FELLOW (1999 – PRESENT) I am not sure what inspired it, but after losing all of our North Zone basketball games the first two years, I started to wear a green vest for many of our North Zone games. I did not even think that anyone noticed until our Winter Pep Rally, when Jessica Heller '07 imitated me yelling at the referees wearing a sweater vest. Since 2013-2014, I have worn it for our first conference game, our game against Hockaday, and several other conference games each year. During this time, we have gone 69-5 in North Zone play. The success of this program is not about the wins on the court, but about the great members of the program who have grown up into incredible women making a difference in this world, leading authentic and purposeful lives. It is and has been an honor and great privilege to coach the girls that have come through this program. |
FAUSTION "TINO" TORRES: FACILITIES AND PLAYING FIELD ARTIST (1979 – 2004) For 45 years, Tino devoted himself to Greenhill with unwavering dedication, humility, and pride. He was a man of very few words, but his actions spoke volumes. Day in and day out, he showed up – not just to work, but to give his very best. Dad was the kind of person who took immense pride in what he did. He wasn’t looking for recognition; he simply believed in doing things the right way. He was an amazing father – kind, and full of strength. We miss him dearly every single day. But in the days after his passing, we began to understand even more clearly the mark he left – not just on our family – but also on Greenhill and the many people who worked beside him. We are proud of the life he lived and the legacy he leaves behind. His work boots and paint suit are more than just clothing. They are symbols of a life lived with purpose and pride. He wore them as he painted the very fields Greenhill enjoys today. Dad was a perfectionist on the field and wanted to make sure his art was on display for the whole world to see. We are honored and humbled that our dad will forever be a part of Greenhill through the Legends Hall of Fame. His impact will speak loudly for generations to come. Thank you, Dad. You will always be remembered. - Submitted by son Tony Torres, Jr. |
LINDA WOOLLEY: MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER (1997 – PRESENT) For the past 10 years, this note, from Cooper Raiff '15, written on a green envelope, has been taped to one of the walls at my desk. It isn’t front and center or even at eye level, and as the school year starts and rolls along, it often is hidden. School is a constant push forward. There is always movement... However, the green envelope stays. Whether it is visible or not, whether I am at my desk or not, I know it’s there. When I get tangled and twisted in pedagogy and grade inflation, when I forget to take attendance or scramble, late, to the dining hall for lunch duty, when I worry if a paper is more ChatGPT and less human, or when I dismay about the futility of teaching thinking and writing, I know Cooper’s note is at my desk. In one way, its meaning is universal. Looking into the faces of students, colleagues, advisees, and parents, I know caring matters most. It is the place to start. It is the essential, foundational element that other qualities are mixed with to build relationships and communities. Yet, in another, more poignant way, the message is personal; it is the caring about a “me.” A person, a living and breathing 16-year-old, a “me” who is eager to learn but is also overwhelmed or a “me” who sits at the back table in H block English 10 who has never really liked to read and who has so many others worries in their head that space is limited for the meaning of a green light at the end of dock – both “me’s” want to be seen, heard, and told they are okay. They want to be and, I think, we all want to be the “me” on the green envelope. Occasionally, I have to put a new piece of tape on Cooper’s note and reposition it among the other papers tacked up at my desk. As I do, I reread it and wonder what I did to show that I cared for Cooper. I don’t recall any big moment or profound words that I might have said. In truth, I don’t know what I did. That’s why this note on a green envelope is still at my desk. |
