Alumni App | Tower Hill School

Colonel Terry Virts Forum

Colonel Terry Virts spoke to Upper Schools students as part of the Forum Speaker Series on Wednesday, April 6. Virts served in the United States Air Force as a fighter pilot, test pilot and NASA astronaut. He is one of only four astronauts to have piloted a Space Shuttle, flown a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, performed spacewalks and commanded the ISS. Virts has a unique perspective about the earth, having taken more photos from space than any other astronaut. He is also one of the stars of the IMAX film "A Beautiful Planet," shooting much of the stunning footage himself. Virts’ photography is also featured in his National Geographic book, "View From Above."

The Forum was established in 1998 by the Rappolt family in honor of their children Gabrielle '93, Sarah '96 and Bill '99, and in recognition of the dedication, scholarship and professionalism of the Tower Hill faculty. The Tower Hill community thanks the Rappolts for the legacy of remarkable speakers over two decades.

Women in STEM

In celebration of Women's History Month, Tower Hill hosted a Zoom conversation on Thursday, March 10, between Anne Casscells '76, CEO of Aetos Investments; Mona Yezdani Gillen '01, Urologist; Amy Ripka '89, CEO of Lucy Therapeutics; Tracey Twyman '85, Project Manager for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA); and Marianna Wickman '90, Director of User Experience for Google. The conversation was moderated by Tower Hill students Brianna Chi '23 and Charlotte Langlois '23.

Women of Wilmington and the World

Ellen Jamison Kullman ’74, CEO of Carbon and former DuPont CEO; Michelle Shepherd, financial services consultant and former THS Board Chair; Genelle Trader ’70, executive coach and former Silicon Valley executive; and Head of School Bessie Speers shared their insights and spoke about leadership at our Women of Wilmington and the World Tower Talk on April 1.

Virtual Wine Tasting with Bouchaine Vineyards

Hosted by Brian Allard and Gerret Copeland '57, Tower Hill community members (age 21 and over) were virtually transported to the beautiful Napa Valley for a special evening of live conversation and wine tasting on Sunday, Feb. 28. After a brief introduction to the Vineyard and wine-making process, Allard led a guided tasting of three signature wines produced by Bouchaine: the Estate Chardonnay, the Estate Pinot Noir and the Vin Gris.

Virtual Tower Talk and Cooking Demo with Tyler Akin '02

Tyler Akin '02, chef-partner of Le Cavalier at the Green Room, the recently reconcepted restaurant at the Hotel Du Pont, hosted a virtual cooking class for the Tower Hill community on Sunday, Jan. 31. After a brief introduction, Akin led a guided cooking demonstration of a signature dish at Le Cav, short rib bourguignon. If you are interested in watching a recording of the event, please email thsalumni@towerhill.org.

Elizabeth B. Splaine '86 Virtual Tower Talk

Author Elizabeth (Beth) McMillan Splaine ’86 hosted a Virtual Tower Talk on Thursday, Dec. 10. Splaine is the author of the Dr. Julian Stryker series of "Blind" thrillers, as well as "Devil’s Grace," which was released on Nov. 11 and was the winner of the When Words Count writing competition.

Splaine earned an A.B. in psychology from Duke University and an M.H.A. from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She spent 11 years working in health care before switching careers to become a professional opera singer and voice teacher. When not writing, she teaches classical voice in Rhode Island, where she lives with her husband, sons and dogs.

Jim Morris '73 Virtual Tower Talk

Jim Morris '73, the president of Pixar Animation Studios, hosted a Virtual Tower Talk for Tower Hill alumni, students, families and friends on Saturday, Oct. 24. As the president of Pixar, Morris has overseen films such as Inside Out, Ratatouille, Toy Story 3, Cars 2 and 3, Incredibles 2 and Coco. He also produced Pixar's Wall-E, which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film in 2009.

Anisha Abraham, M.D., M.P.H., ’86 Virtual Tower Talk

Anisha Abraham, M.D., M.P.H., ’86 discussed her new book, Raising Global Teens: Parenting in the 21st Century, at a Virtual Tower Talk on Oct. 14. The book explores the hot topics that adolescents experience today in the context of our modern, mobile world.

David Larned '95 Virtual Tower Talk

David Larned '95, a portrait, landscape and still life painter, gave a tour of his art studio during a Virtual Tower Talk on June 17. Larned has a successful career in portraiture and landscape painting, with subjects including Delaware First Ladies and corporate CEOs, and received many accolades, including his distinction as a repeat semi-finalist in the National Portrait Gallery’s Portrait Competition.

Gerard Baltazar, D.O., '98 Virtual Tower Talk

On the COVID frontline since his neighborhood in New Rochelle became an American pandemic epicenter, Gerard Baltazar, D.O., '98, a trauma and intensive care surgeon at NYU Langone Health, has treated and performed medical research for critically-ill COVID patients at multiple centers. Baltazar shared his experience with the Tower Hill community at a Virtual Tower Talk on June 11.

Kate Lemay, Ph.D., '97 Virtual Tower Talk

Kate Lemay, Ph.D., '97 gave an insider's look to curating an exhibition and an early celebration of the women's suffrage centennial at a Virtual Tower Talk on May 28. Lemay is a historian at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery where she curated “Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence” and authored its accompanying catalog of the same name, published by Princeton University Press. She earned a dual Ph.D. in art history and American studies from Indiana University, Bloomington.