Summer Greetings from Albany Road!
The big news this month: Reunions! We welcomed over 1,500 alumni whose class years ended in 0s, 1s, 2s, 5s, 6s, and 7s, their guests, and current and past faculty over two Reunions weekends, and it was fabulous! Head of School Dr. John Austin's remarks may be found here, and photos from both weekends are available on BigGreen.Photos.
In addition to our Reunions weekends, this issue of From Albany Road offers a glimpse of how students “finished up strong” this Spring; from Twelfth Night to Commencement to boys rowing winning a national championship to June trips sponsored by our Center for Service and Global Citizenship (CSGC), the school year ended on more than one high note.
After the 4th of July holiday, we'll welcome back to campus our summer programs, including The Experimentory, the Deerfield Academy Summer Arts Camp, and KIPP-STEP. After two seasons of virtual programming, we are excited to see everybody in person once again!
With my best wishes for an enjoyable summer wherever you are, and a reminder to take good care,
Jenny B. Hammond P’15
Director of Alumni Relations
Reunion Weekend I Photos
The Agry Cup Comes Home
Each year, the Agry Cup is traditionally presented to the Reunion class with the highest attendance (the award does exclude the 5th and 50th Reunion classes, because with their typically robust attendance numbers, one or the other would probably win every year). The cup was last awarded to the Class of 1979 in 2019, when they set a new 40th Reunion attendance record of 124. Since then, the cup has been on an impromptu journey of epic proportions, as it was passed from classmate to classmate across the US and around the globe! In the three years since '79's Reunion, the cup has traveled 86,871 miles, visited eight countries, 26 states, and 58 cities and towns.
This month Brad Palmer ’79, Art Dwight ’79, Marc Dancer ’79, and John Dinneen ’79, returned the cup to Ephraim Williams House. They also brought a book full of photos documenting the cup’s many adventures. Congratulations to Reunion Chairs Dwight, Dinneen, and Marcus Dowd ’79 on being able to celebrate with so many classmates in 2019 and beyond!
Reunion Weekend II Photos
Commencement 2022
Commencement 2022 was celebrated on Sunday, May 29. Clear blue skies, smiling faces, inspirational speakers—including keynote speaker Victor Wright '84 P '20—and proud families were highlights of the day.
Congratulations and welcome to the alumni body, Class of 2022!
June Travel
This June, our Center for Service and Global Citizenship (CSGC) organized student travel to the Dominican Republic, Jordan, the Bahamas, and the UK. Below is a link to the CSGC travel blog: Notes From the Field, and a sneak peek of some photos from those trips.
Simple Tax-smart Planning
You know it’s smart to save for retirement with an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), but do you realize that most of us (and our spouses) will not exhaust our IRA accounts during our lifetimes?
Some percentage of the assets will ultimately pass to our designated beneficiaries. In most cases, each beneficiary must withdraw all of their inherited IRA assets within 10 years, regardless of their age. The heir will pay income tax on the assets, at their own income tax rate.
Consider rearranging your plans so that tax-burdened IRA assets go to your favorite charities, and other appreciated assets go to your family.
Non-profits are not taxed on received IRA assets, and thus can realize the full purchasing power of the money you so carefully saved. Changing beneficiaries is easy—just contact the company that manages your IRA to obtain the appropriate form.
If you include Deerfield as a beneficiary, please let us know! Far too often, financial managers do not notify charities that they have been left IRA assets. Knowing your intention in advance will enable Deerfield to make appropriate inquiries after your death and to ensure your bequest is put to the charitable purposes you intended. For more information about beneficiary designations and other ways to leave a legacy at Deerfield follow the link below.