Ida Specker '05 has just released her first solo album entitled "Single Girl," featuring her fiddling and vocals. Ida has been a longstanding member of The Speckers, which features her father John Specker, and sister Lila Specker '02. Ida is currently a member of The Break Maids, a trio out of sourthern Vermont.  Click here for the 7Days review of "Single Girl." Congratulations, Ida!

Vermont Academy is currently accepting nominations for the 2013 Sabin Award.

This Sabin Award is given annually to recognize Vermont Academy alumni who,through their diligence and efforts, have utilized the basic academic and life skills acquired at the Academy to achieve significant success in their professional careers, or have made outstanding contributions in community involvement, thereby bringing honor  to themselves and Vermont Academy.
                
Individuals must have graduated from Vermont Academy, having attended for a minimum of one academic year. Alumni both living and deceased may be considered for recognition. Excepted are alumni who are serving as active members of the Academy's Board of Trustees or as members of the Alumni Council.
 
Committee Members:  
Chairs: Michael Choukas Jr. '46 and Whitney Gay '67    
Committee: Andrew Griswold '83, Amy Howard, '91, Andrew Ward 
'93, Amber DiPasquale '02               
 
If you are interested in nominating an alumnus(ae) for this award, please submit the following:
    •    Nominee's current and/or previous occupation 
    •    2-3 sentences describing why you have nominated this person
          
The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, March 29, 2013.  
 
Information should be submitted to The Sabin Award Committee c/o sabin@vermontacademy.org or PO Box 500, Saxtons River, VT 05154            

Arthur Kelton, Jr. '57 became the latest recipient of the Florence Sabin Distinguished Alumni Award on Friday, Sept. 28, as part of VA's Reunion Weekend. Former Headmasters Michael Choukas and Jim Mooney were among those honoring Art at a ceremony in Nita Choukas theater.

Art grew up in Peru, Vermont and attended a one room school house for eight years. He then went on to Burr and Burton Academy, but soon discovered that he needed more structure.  His mother, a Vermont Academy graduate, class of 1924 decided that Vermont Academy was the place to provide academic discipline and focus.  In fact Art credits his education at Vermont Academy as extremely meaningful and “established in him excellent work habits and goal objectives.”  He applied these life skills not only to his higher education and degrees at Dartmouth and the University of Vermont but beyond in his professional career.

In 1965, Art moved to Vail, Colorado and has always been an active resident in the Vail Valley with his wife, Elaine, whom he married in 1986. His career, real estate development, syndication and sales, includes Colorado projects in Vail and Eagle County, Boulder, and at Denver International Airport. He was the managing partner of Christopher Denton Kelton and Kendall.  He has developed golf courses, custom homes and various multi-family developments throughout the Greater Vail Valley.

Additionally, Art’s career incorporates projects and investments in Idaho, Wyoming and Vermont. Included in these investments, he acted as a general partner in Boulder Beer, which is now The Rockies Brewing Company.  Although no longer involved with the brewing company, he continues to be active in the management and operation of other investments.

Art has always been actively involved in both non-profit and educational institutions. He served as President of the Vail Valley Medical Center Foundation from 1991 to 2006. He’s been a member of the Governing Board of the Vail Valley Medical Center since 2006. He serves on two boards at Dartmouth College, as well as on the boards of several other charitable organizations.  

Vermont Academy is honored to recognize Arthur Kelton Jr. as a recipient of the Florence Sabin Award and proud to have been an important part of his remarkable career. 

Vermont Academy has hired the company Harris Connect, LLC to research and update our database.  The postcards and emails that you receive from this company are legitimate and it is safe to respond to their information requests.  However, if you have any questions or concerns about responding to them directly, please contact Ella McIntosh.

VA's former point guard Keron DeShields ’12 is making an impression in Montana. Click here for the story.

Col. Keith M. Nightingale ’61 (Ret.) was honored with Vermont Academy's Florence Sabin Distinguished Alumni Award at a luncheon on campus over alumni weekend 2011.

Colonel Keith Nightingale was once a young aloof kid growing up in the small town of Ojai, CA.  The public school academics were not a challenge and allowed for Nightingale to have a lot of free time to hunt, fish, or go to the beach.  His father, a graduate from Stanford University determined that Nightingale was not getting enough academic “rigor” and took it upon himself to arrange entrance at Exeter, Middlesex and Vermont Academy.  After visiting all 3 schools, he chose VA because of the extensive outdoor program and “it didn’t seem stuffy”.  He found that he was “suddenly academically deficient in most undertakings which focused him when he wasn’t building the boards and clamps for the outdoor hockey rink or stealing fish out of Warren Chivers private fish camp.”

From VA, Nightingale attended Claremont Men’s College and joined the ROTC; he graduated and was commissioned on the same day, June 6, 1965 in the Regular Army Infantry.  From commissioning he went to Fort Benning and immediately signed up for Jump School and Ranger School.  As he was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, he decided to make the army his career. His dedication to the army and to his troops eventually earned him the reputation as a “Special Operations Legend”.

Nightingale served two tours in Vietnam with Airborne and Ranger (American and Vietnamese) units. He commanded airborne battalions in both the 509th and the 82nd Airborne. He later commanded the 1/75th Rangers and the Ranger Brigade. He was a member of the Iran rescue attempt in 1981 and served with several classified organizations. He was the assault force commander in both Grenada and Panama and managed the Department Of Defense Counter-drug support operations in Latin America. He developed a stand-alone southwest border surveillance system for the Immigration and Natural Services.  Nightingale served as a principal in the FAA Sky Marshall training program post 9-11.  He also provided corporate technical and scientific support to the City of New York, Police and Fire Departments as part of the 9-11 site recovery programs.

In 1993, Nightingale retired from the army and accepted a job offer at the Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to assist in their various technologies for border control and drug screening.  At SAIC he evolved into becoming the “spook” and High Risk Coordinator for the 2000+ employees that we sent to GWOT (Iraq/Afghanistan).  He was responsible for real time travel tracking of all SAIC employees abroad – averaging 1,000 travelers a day.  He oversaw highly classified operations in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East as a consultant and business-neutral evaluator for various corporations.   Among which was the contracted task to provide all of the security systems, communications and IT backbone to the Greek Olympics.

Nightingale has received many honors and awards throughout his career, including; the Defense Superior Service Medal, three Legions of Merit, five Defense Meritorious Service Medals, Humanitarian Service Medal (Iran) and four Bronze Stars for Valor, Vietnamese Medal of Honor, and Member Ranger Hall of Fame.  Vermont Academy is honored to add one more award to his portfolio as we recognize Col. Keith Nightingale as the recipient of the Florence Sabin Award.  His career and life path has been marked with significant contributions and accomplishments to world of national security and to society in general.

Grab that lax stick or softball mitt! Alumni are invited to campus for the Spring Alumni Games on Sunday, May 15. There will be alumni lacrosse and alumni softball games beginning at 11 am. Games will be followed by a barbecue. Contact Ella McIntosh for more info or register online.

Ron Rosko, VA Class of 1994, has taken over the reins at Hooper Golf Course in Walpole, NH. Read the article from the Brattleboro Reformer.

Photo: (left to right): Mark Foster'83, Garret Wall '83,  John Dunbar '91, and Jim's brother, John MacLaren.

Fore more information, call Athletic Director Mike Atkins at 802-869-6236 or email matkins@vermontacademy.org.

Donald Durkee - “Fluffernutter”  “Rice Krispy Treat”  “Never Fail Fudge” – Household names to countless families across the United States and many parts of the World, and in our very own dining hall!  On May 14, 1920, 2 WWI veterans formed a partnership in the manufacture of Marshmallow Fluff.  One of these men was H. Allen Durkee, father of one of our Vermont Academy alumni, Donald Durkee ’43.  Don took over the business and made marketing Fluff a priority. Durkee Mower’s success has come from adhering closely to its traditions and resisting offers to be purchased and assimilated into large conglomerates.  As President, Don has been able to maintain his dedicated work force, expand production capacity and increase sales every year since 1982 – even during this latest recession.

Photo: Sean Brennan with the Hoyes

Susie French ’00 has started a cool new food blog. Check it out at here.