Hall of Fame: Class of 2011

2011 Inductees

James H. Stanton 1936*
John C. Marsh 1976
Heidi Stultz Brooks 1986
Meghan A. Barringer Pitter 2001

Coach
John S. Perkins

Teams
The 1961 Crew**
The 1966 Boys Basketball Team

*  inducted in March 2011
** will be inducted in October 2011 during the Class of '61 50th Reunion

James H. Stanton 1936

Jim Stanton entered Kent School as a second former in September, 1931.
He immediately began to demonstrate his natural athletic and leadership
abilities. Jim played several sports as he matured at Kent, and always led
the way. He was captain of Leagues Football, Midget Football, and Junior
Team Hockey. He was one of the few second formers to earn a varsity
letter, in Jim's case, tennis. His fifth form year, when he became captain elect
of the tennis team, there were two other future Athletic Hall of Fame
members on that same team, Jim Reily '37 and Bill Thorn '37. Jim also
played on the undefeated 1935 football team. He alternated at quarterback
with Dick Purnell '36, and at 5 ft. 8 inches and 134 lbs., he helped put up
many of the 73 points scored against Berkshire that fall.

Jim Stanton was the Senior Prefect of his class and captain of two sports his
sixth form year, basketball and tennis. Basketball was a relatively new sport
at Kent, but by 1936 the new field house was in place and the new venue
produced winning ways. The 1936 team won eight games and lost two
squeakers, on another team that featured Stanton, Reily, and Thorn.

Jim went on to Williams College and played freshman football, basketball,
and baseball. His sophomore year Jim focused on two more sports, squash
and tennis. He earned varsity letters in each sport for three seasons, and was
elected captain of the squash team, a relatively new sport at Williams at the
time, for his senior year. Just because he could, Jim Stanton played varsity
golf in the spring of 1940, in addition to his duties on the tennis court. The
golf team won the "Little Three" championship that spring.

Jim Stanton has embraced challenges on and off the playing fields all of his
life. He has developed his God-given gifts to a high level and has always
enjoyed himself along the way. Right now he's probably arranging his next
tee time at the local golf course in his home town of Boca Grande, Florida.

John C. Marsh 1976

John Marsh was a mainstay on Kent teams of the mid-1970s, earning letters
in football, basketball and baseball. In football, he anchored the defense
of the undefeated 1975 team. One of the highlights of that season was the
final game against Loomis—the Spoon Game. With the starting running
backs injured in the first minutes of play, John not only played stellar
defense, but also scored touchdowns as a running back. John was named
co-M.V.P. of that championship team. The M.V.P. in basketball as well,
John was the leading scorer on the team. In baseball, John was the leader
in R.B.I.s and the most improved player in his sixth form year. Known for
his drive and dedication, John was an example to his teammates of what
training and sacrifice mean in the pursuit of victory and excellence. A
leader both on and off the field, John was Senior Prefect of the Class of '76.
On Prize Day, he was awarded Pater's Mug as the top male athlete in the
class.

At Princeton University, John was a two-sport athlete, playing linebacker
on the football team for three years and rugby for four, where he was
M.V.P. of the team in his senior year. John continued playing rugby after
college—in San Francisco, Australia and New Zealand.

John joins two members of his family previously inducted into the Kent
Athletic Hall of Fame: his sister, Karen '80, inducted in 2005, and his
father, John '56, inducted with the 1955 Football Team in 2006.

Heidi Stultz Brooks 1986

Heidi Stultz Brooks was a key player on championship girls' teams of
the mid-1980s. A ten-letter winner, Heidi was a member of the first girls
WNEPSSA Championship soccer team as a fourth former, when she was
also awarded the Captain's Bowl. Known for her aggressive play and mental
toughness, Heidi helped control the backfield on a team known for its
invincible defensive line. From the fall of 1983 to 1985, the soccer team's
overall record was 36-4-2. In her sixth form year, Heidi was co-captain of
the team with fellow Hall of Famer, Hope Eighmy Pascucci '86. A four-year
member of the varsity basketball team, Heidi was a mainstay on two
league champion basketball teams in 1985 and 1986 and tri-captain in her
sixth form year. In lacrosse Heidi earned three varsity letters, was high
scorer in '85, recipient of the Coach's Award in '86 and co-captain in her
sixth form year. Throughout her senior year, fighting through restrictions
caused by an ACL injury, Heidi continued to be a strong contributor and
powerful example to her teammates. After Kent, Heidi attended Brown
University, where she participated briefly in lacrosse and then primarily in
intramural sports. Captain of three sports and Prefect of the Class of 1986,
Heidi was a leader among her peers.

Meghan Barringer Pitter 2001

Meghan Barringer Pitter earned eight varsity letters at Kent in soccer,
ice hockey and lacrosse. In soccer she received two letters and was tri-captain
in her sixth form year, when she was also awarded the Louise
Partridge Bowl for love and devotion to the sport. A four-year member of
the varsity ice hockey team, Meghan was captain in her senior year. That
season she also received the Most Valuable Defense Award and Founders
League All-Star honors. In lacrosse, after suffering what could have been
a career-ending injury her freshman year, Meghan stepped into the net the
following season, and by her sixth form season had become one of the top
goalies in New England, according to her coach, fellow Hall of Famer Liz
Endress Stewart '93. In 2001 Meghan was co-captain and M.V.P. of the
lacrosse team and also the recipient of the Founders League All-League
Award. On Prize Day, Meghan was awarded the Class of '31 Bowl as the
top female athlete in her class. As one of her coaches wrote, "She represents
ALL the qualities we hope to see in our athletes at Kent."

At Colby College, Meghan played four years of varsity ice hockey and was
tri-captain in her senior year. Following graduation, she coached soccer,
hockey and lacrosse for three years at Kingswood-Oxford School in West
Hartford, Connecticut. Meghan recently received her doctoral degree
in physical therapy at Columbia University and is embarking on a career
helping others regain their strength.

John S. Perkins

John Perkins came to Kent in the fall of 1969 and began coaching in
the mid-1970s as girls' athletics was beginning to expand at Kent. John
coached girls' varsity basketball from 1974 to 1981 and varsity softball from
1974 to 1983. While many coaches begin at the junior varsity level and
move to varsity as they gain experience, John did the opposite. In 1982, he
became head coach of girls' JV basketball, while Tiz Sutherland Mulligan
'76 took over the varsity position. Tiz, now the Director of Athletics at
Westover School, credits John with recognizing that the girls would benefit
from a female coach heading the program. John coached girls' JV basketball
for nearly thirty years, where he provided excellent instruction by focusing
on "the basics." His system, as he put it, was "to make all the conditioning
exercises into competitive games, go heavy on the fundamentals, and
instill pride in teamwork—everything else would take care of itself." The
system clearly worked: from 1982-2009 girls' JV basketball had 22 winning
seasons, including four undefeated seasons. Similarly, John switched from
varsity to JV softball and there too focused on instruction.

As Director of Athletics for Girls from the late 1970s until the early 1990s,
John was a champion for girls' athletics and a voice of support for an
expanding program. Before consolidation, John arranged for the girls'
basketball team, whose home court was the undersized court in the Hill
gym, to practice in Magowan Field House so that they were better prepared
to play teams with regulation-size courts. John supported the establishment
of the girls' hockey team in the late 1980s, as that sport was beginning to
gain popularity in area prep schools. As plans for consolidation moved
forward and Kent prepared to enter a new era on a single campus, John
wanted to ensure that the girls' and boys' programs were on equal footing.
He advocated for high quality facilities for the girls on the valley campus
and emphasized that even the location of those fields would convey a
message about the importance of girls' athletics at Kent.

John arrived at Kent when there were few girls' teams and limited
schedules. At the time he retired, the opportunities had expanded
tremendously. John helped bring about this development at Kent through
his active support of changes that benefited the girls' program. As one of his
colleagues expressed it, "John could see where girls' athletics was heading
and wanted Kent to be there."

The 1961 Crew

There were high expectations for this crew, in large part because five of its members (Chris Albert, John Ashby, Peter Conze, Rick Dawkins and Captain John Murphy) had rowed in the First Boat that participated at Henley the year before, losing in the quarterfinals of the Thames Cup to the eventual winners, the Harvard Lightweight Varsity. Chris Kirkland and Mike Graae, as cox, were the other seniors to join the boat, together with juniors Chuck Hamilton and Sid Towle. Most of these oarsmen never lost a race in the US while representing Kent over two years, winning almost every race by open water. On at least one occasion, when Kent was rowing at home but pulling away from its opposition in the early stages of the race, Coach Walker as umpire admonished the crew "to stay in your lane," a pre-agreed signal for the stroke to lower the rating in order not to embarrass Kent's opponent by too large a margin at the finish.

The highlights of the US season were certainly the dual race against Washington-Lee High School and the New England Interscholastics in Worcester at the end of the season. The W-L race was notable because, the year before, both Kent and W-L had rowed at Henley, but as the New England Champions and the National Champions respectively, these crews had never raced against each other during the season. The 1961 race was devised as the opportunity to determine the real national champion, and Kent won decisively; the next week, when Kent raced for the New England Championship at Worcester, W-L won the Nationals again.

At Worcester on May 27, a thoroughly experienced and confident Kent crew left all its opponents behind from the start, and was well settled at least three lengths ahead of the pack, when, approaching the three-quarter mile mark, disaster struck. Whether it was an unsettling wake or unexpected rough water that caused the problem, the crew miraculously avoided a potentially catastrophic crab and losing a man overboard, due to its collective and quick-witted composure. This all happened within a matter of seconds, and Kent surrendered two lengths to the field, but the crew immediately regained its rhythm and mounted a formidable sprint, winning by over a length and setting a course record which stood until 1967. This victory, as the culmination of a glorious, undefeated season in the US, earned the crew the honor of representing Kent School at Henley, for the fifteenth time, in open competition for the Thames Cup, then considered the second most competitive event at the Regatta after the Grand Challenge Cup.

Preparations for Henley however were unexpectedly difficult, as the crew was beset by injuries and illness while still practicing in the US. Tom Ryan and Bruce McClenahan filled in admirably to maintain the twice daily practice routine, but once the original crew was back together, there was hardly enough time to recapture its Worcester form before departing from Idlewild Airport on Monday, June 25. Once at Henley, the crew rested its shell in Boat Tent No. 1, under the scrupulous and wise care of Percy Bullock, the Jesus College, Cambridge boatman, took meals at The Little White Hart Hotel, immediately across the Thames, and stayed in private homes in town for the duration of the Regatta.

Kent's first race at Henley, against Imperial College, London, was predictable with Kent never challenged and winning relatively easily. The second race, against University College, Dublin, was just the opposite, with Kent having to claw its way back from nearly a length behind, gaining the lead only at the mile mark, and winning by half a length in 7:03. Despite its victory, the Kent crew was exhausted.

Kent's quarter-final race against Eliot House, Harvard, revealed the full extent of the crew's fatigue. The previous day Eliot House had also rowed a close race in defeating the Cornell lightweights in the fastest time of the day, by 1/3 length, so it was presumed the race could be very tough and possibly very close. At the Barrier, in 2:00, the crews were virtually level but then Eliot House began to open a slight lead by Fawley, in 3:22. At the Mile mark, Eliot House had increased its lead to 1 length which it stretched to 2 by the Finish, in 7:01.

This loss at Henley should not over-shadow the accomplishments of one of the fastest crews ever to represent Kent, at home and abroad. Several of the crew's members subsequently rowed at the university level. Chris Albert and Peter Conze rowed in the Yale Heavyweight Varsity crew which finished fourth in the 1964 US Olympic Trials. That race was won by Vesper Boat Club, stroked by Bill Stowe, Kent '58, who went on to win the gold medal for the US in Tokyo that fall.

After college in the US, John Ashby and Peter Conze both rowed for Cambridge in 1966 against Oxford. Peter subsequently coached his Cambridge college boat club, First & Third Trinity Boat Club, to victory in the Ladies' Plate at Henley in 1967, and in the Visitors' Cup in 1973, while John Murphy became a professional rowing coach and just this past season celebrated his seventh NCAA championship as coach of the Brown Women's Crew.

To a man, every member of the 1961 crew would claim that the experience of rowing at Kent, under the tutelage of Coach Tote Walker, was one of the most formative and critically important aspects of his life. Tote left an indelible impression on us all, as we wanted as much to win for him as we did for ourselves and for our School.

The 1966 Boys Basketball Team

Kent's Class of 1966 enjoyed many athletic triumphs during its years, but
the most memorable was the performance of the championship basketball
team.

The Tri-State League season ended dramatically at Trinity-Pawling on a
Saturday night in March. Kent, on the way to its most successful season in
15 years, was 11-0 in the league (and 12-3 overall). Trinity-Pawling was 10-
1, with its only loss coming on Kent's home court, but now it was playing
before its own raucous fans with every seat filled.

Kent's defining game was an extraordinary two-point victory, where the
atmosphere was charged from the first jump ball. Each possession tested
everyone in the gym, and it's unlikely that those playing—or watching—
enjoyed themselves until Kent experienced the thrill of cutting down the
nets on its rival's court.

Kent's accomplishment was no surprise around the league, even though
the team had sought to reach its full potential for three years. Four of the
team's stars had been major contributors as early as fourth-form year, while
eight members of the Class of 1966 performed even more remarkably as
fifth formers. Since most casual fans cheer for the underdog, the team felt
the pressures that came with entering almost every game as a heavy favorite.
By sixth-form year the team was every opponent's target.

No factor stood out in the final success as much as the role of the senior
class. Three of the four prefects, as well as the Senior Student Council
Member, played on the team. The unquestioned leader was Senior Prefect
and two-year Captain Don Gowan, known of course to every Kent student
for the next four decades as the iconic teacher, coach, mentor and friend.
Don's success as an athlete came as much from relentless effort and
determination as it did from sheer physical ability. What he unquestionably
possessed was enough heart for five players. His commitment and work
ethic were contagious and inspiring, and he simply outworked everyone
else. Just ask any other 6'3" I-can't-dunk walk-on for the University of
North Carolina.

No one can question that Kent's achievements would not have been so great
were it not for James R. Wood, the head coach. As much as Don led by
example on the court, Jim Wood did the same from the sidelines. Whether
a generous compliment or stern critique was needed, he always produced
exactly the right touch, although his players didn't necessarily believe so at
the time.

He showed at once his absolute love of the game and his total loyalty to his
boys, all delivered with his Will Rogers wit. He brought and kept together a
group of youngsters, still friends 45 years later, that represented Kent School
in the highest tradition of sportsmanship and excellence.