Homecoming | Tower Hill School

Founders' Achievement Award - Jack Smith

Alumni Reunion Reception

Jack Smith retired at the end of the 2020-2021 school year after 45 years of extraordinary service to Tower Hill School. He was hired in 1976 as an Upper School math teacher after graduating from Franklin & Marshall College with a B.A. in mathematics and his certification in secondary math education. Whether teaching ninth grade math or advanced electives, Smith became known for understanding students’ individual strengths and adjusting his teaching to best meet their needs, all while keeping the academic bar high. Mr. Smith received the Founders’ Achievement Award at the Alumni Reunion Reception on Saturday, Oct. 2, at 5:30 p.m.

The live stream of the award can be found on our Facebook page.

Tower Hill Athletic Hall of Fame

With more than 70 state titles, multiple Hiller Olympians and a century-long commitment to physical education, Tower Hill has a storied history of excellence in athletics. To celebrate the achievements and contributions of exceptional athletes and coaches, the school is launching the Tower Hill Athletic Hall of Fame this fall.

The Hall of Fame will be made up of members of the Tower Hill community who have distinguished themselves as extraordinary student athletes, coaches, faculty, administrators and contributors. A committee of alumni, coaches and faculty past and present reviewed 30 nominations, weighing criteria such as athleticism, awards received, leadership and overall impact on sports at Tower Hill. After spirited discussion and much deliberation, the list narrowed to the following six members of the inaugural class. We salute the following Hillers for their contributions to Tower Hill’s athletic legacy, and we celebrated these inductees at a special ceremony during Homecoming.

The live stream of the awards ceremony can be found on our Facebook page.

List of 6 items.

Ruly Carpenter '58 (to be included at a later date)
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Ruly Carpenter ’58 was first-team all-state for an undefeated football program, third-team all-state in basketball and a semi-pro outfielder into his mid-twenties. He went on to own the Phillies and is a member of both the Delaware Baseball Hall of Fame and the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame.
Steve Hyde '59
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Former faculty member and coach Steve Hyde ’59 lettered in football, basketball and baseball and was the boys’ athletic award winner in 1959. He coached football from 1974 to 1988, earning six conference titles, and baseball from 1974 to 2000, earning 12 conference titles as head coach. He is the only inaugural inductee to both attend and coach at Tower Hill.
Nancy Keith LeFevre ’53
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Nancy Keith LeFevre ’53 holds the Tower Hill record for most varsity letters at 16: six in field hockey, five in basketball, three in softball and two in tennis.
Betty Richardson
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Betty Richardson’s 16-year field hockey coaching career at Tower Hill extended from 1974 to 1989. Her field hockey teams won four Delaware state championships, her first coming in 1974—the first year of state championship competition. Three of her four wins were consecutive, 1980-1982. She also had three second place finishes and a total of nine “final four” finishes. She also served as Tower Hill’s director of girls’ athletics.
Ken Williams '76
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Ken Williams ’76 was the first Delaware high school athlete to triple jump 46 feet, and he holds the state record in the 180-yard low hurdles. He won nine state track championships and set meet records in all three of his events (high hurdles, intermediate hurdles and triple jump) at the NCC meet his senior year. A member of the basketball team, he broke Frank Jamison '69's career basketball scoring record. On the football team, he was a running back who was twice all-conference on both offense and defense. He is a member of the Delaware Track and Field Hall of Fame.
Caitlin Van Sickle '08
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A 2016 Olympian, Caitlin Van Sickle ’08 was Delaware’s most decorated high school athlete in 2007-2008. She was Delaware’s player of the year in both field hockey and lacrosse, as well as second-team all-state in basketball, where she was the Hillers’ point guard for four years. She was named all-American defender in field hockey three times at UNC, which she helped to the 2009 national championship. She was a member of the U.S. Olympic field hockey team in 2016 and was a member of the U.S. National Team over the past five years.