The Storm King School’s 2023 alumni reunion weekend was deemed a great success by alums who reunited with old friends, reminisced about their time spent on the Mountain, and watched as some of their past schoolmates were honored through this year’s Alumni Awards. Reunion 2023 took place on June 10-12 with nearly 130 people attending–one of the largest turnouts in recent history. The Class of 1973 had 15 alums in attendance which is also a record for a 50th reunion.

David Parks ’63 kicked-off the weekend with an informal conversation in the Smidt Conference room on Friday afternoon where alumni enjoyed video clips, readings from his book, GI Diary, and a Q & A facilitated by Don Friedman ’68. The evening was highlighted by a cruise on the Hudson River with a lot great conversation and a backdrop of beautiful views and a small gathering after the cruise at Billy Joe’s Rib Works on the Newburgh waterfront.

Saturday morning, members of the community who had passed away were remembered at Memorial Rock at a heartfelt gathering filled with expressions of love and laughter. Later that morning, Head of School Jonathan Lamb highlighted the challenges of recent years, the tremendous accomplishments of the Class of 2023, and shared the positive outlook for the year ahead in his ‘State of the School’ address.

Mr. Lamb’s words were followed by a meeting of the SKS Alumni Association where Alumni Council President Emeritus, Scott Cantor ’73, relayed the highlights of the Alumni Council’s work this year, goals for next year, and thanked council members who concluded their terms including Sele Birchwood ‘09, Dick Broughton ‘54, Tom Delaney ‘58, John Flores ‘12, and Jermaine Miller ‘02.  Incoming council members were also announced including Richard Bailey ’02, Jaime Cunningham ’16, Lauren FitzHarris ’97, Jordan Golding ’20, and Ross Sober ’92.

After a sumptuous barbeque lunch and a relaxing afternoon of catching up and socializing, alumni gathered in Ogden Hall for the Alumni Awards program. Doug Burg ‘71 presented the Margaret Clark Award to the late Frederick Lemaine (1964-1969).  Burg’s comical dialogue between “Monsieur Lemaine” and an errant student (played by Jim Perlberg ’70) communicated the elegance, poise, and patience of their former teacher and had everyone laughing. John Prentice ’64, recipient of the Humanitarian Award, was surprised and delighted to receive his award from the wife of the late Pete Boden ’64, a dear friend at SKS.

A crowd of family, friends, and former players were in attendance for the induction of past basketball coach Kevin Houston into the SKS Sports Hall of Fame. Houston’s teams had among the best records of consecutive wins in SKS athletics, and the stories of his personal connections and support of SKS students drove home the positive impact he had on their future lives. The Mayor of Cornwall on Hudson was also present to deliver a proclamation recognizing Houston and officially declaring June 10th ‘Kevin Houston Day.’

The Awards Program concluded with the Alumni Arts Award presentation.  Recipient William Close ‘88 traveled from California to accept this recognition for his world-renowned Earth Harp Collective. It was his first time back to the Mountain since graduation, and he was surprised that his former art teacher, Bonnie Cayea Newman, was there to make the award presentation.

As per tradition, the day concluded with a beautiful banquet dinner in Henderson Dining Hall. Trustee Scott Rutter ’73 introduced attendees from the Board, the Alumni Council, past trustees, and past faculty and staff.  The School’s highest honor, the Founders Cup, was awarded for the first time since 2016 to three members of the class of 1973– Scott Cantor, Harold Kennedy, and Peter Wunsch. “All of them have all brought ideas and a vision for the improvement and strengthening of our school.  They have served as volunteer leaders; have remained connected to the School over the decades by participating in events and receptions; and all three have given their time, talents and treasure to invest in the future of SKS,” commented Head of School Lamb. Attendees also had the opportunity to bid on attractive items in a silent auction.

After dinner, alumni broke in a new fire pit donated by the Class of 2023 outside Orr Commons.  Over a crackling fire, alums continued to tell stories and share memories as the evening came to a close. The feedback from departing guests was positive. Everyone expressed their happiness to be back and all look forward to coming again in the coming years.

Reunion 2024 is scheduled to take place June 14-16, 2024. Class years ending with 4 and 9, it will be your honor year. We hope that all of your friends, past faculty will be here on the Mountain with you!

*Featured image photo caption: The Hudson River cruise 2023 – Foreground from left: Greg Obremski’93, Andrew Block ’93, and Block’s fiancée Andi