February 2005 · Volume l · Number V
The eNewsletter of the Boston Latin School Association

Calling all alumni! We still seek your help with our first online alumni survey, and, with more than 18,000 living alumni, it is critical for us to learn of your likes and dislikes, what we do well, and where we may fall short. The survey itself is brief and can be completed in less than five minutes. If you have not yet registered for the online community, you will need to use your class year as your password, and your user ID. Please click here to participate, and thanks to all who have already done so. If you need further assistance with logging on to the online community, please e-mail blsa@blsa.org.

ARS GRATIA ARTIS

During the month of April, you are cordially invited by BLSA to visit ArtistsGallery at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Boston for a special showing of the paintings of acclaimed Boston artist Nicholas Abraham ’59. An opening night reception will be held in the ArtistsGallery on Friday, April 1 beginning at 6 p.m. and all are welcome. Proceeds of sales from the show will benefit the arts programs at Boston Latin School. The hotel gallery — located at One Avenue de Lafayette in the heart of Downtown Crossing — is open for public viewing from 6-9 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, noon to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, or by appointment at any other time. For more information please call ArtistsGallery at 617.867.7800 or phone Mary Tamer ’85 at BLSA at 617.450.0004, ext. 24 or e-mail blsa@blsa.org. To RSVP for the April 1 reception, please click here.

BLSA GOES TO THE CELTICS

Attention sports fans! Join fellow alumni for a pre-game party at Boston Beer Works on Canal Street, then head to the Fleet Center to watch the Celtics vs. the Pistons. The pre-game party, which included appetizers and a cash bar, begins at 6:30 p.m. and costs $15 per person, $10 for those under 12. A limited number of game tickets are available for $35 and $40, please reserve today by calling 617.450.0004, ext. 20 or click here to register.

A TEST OF TRIVIA

Those who asked for a greater challenge received one last month as our entertainment-based query kept many of our attentive readers guessing! Though less than half of the responses received were correct — and spelling does indeed count ­— hats go off to distinguished reader Mike Norton ’76 for identifying alumna actor Christine Elise ’83 (known as Christine E. McCarthy during her BLS days) whose TV appearances included “Fantasy Island,” “Strong Medicine,” “JAG” and “Judging Amy,” to name but a few. We intentionally neglected to mention two of her better-known and recurring roles, as Emily Valentine on “Beverly Hills 90210” and later as Dr. Harper Tracy on NBC’s “ER”. Fans of the latter program may remember that the character played by Elise romanced both Dr. John Carter (Noah Wyle) and Dr. Doug Ross (George Clooney), a lucky gal indeed.

In honor of Black History Month, we pose the following:

February’s question

What was the name of the first black student to graduate from Boston Latin School, and when did he graduate?

Historians in the know should send responses — including name and class year — magna cum celeritate via e-mail to blsa@blsa.org. The first

BRESSLER CHALLENGE REPORT

As of February 18, the Bressler Challenge has raised $306,818 from 548 alumni which will be matched by Lorraine and Alan Bressler ’55. If you have not yet taken the Challenge, or would like to know what qualifies for a match by the Bresslers, please click here. All gifts make a difference at BLS and this year, your impact can be doubled. Make a difference by making your gift today!

NEWS FROM THE SCHOOL

• UPDATE: Over the course of a nine-day period in January, dedicated students raised a total of $25,000 for the BLS Tsunami Relief Fund, an effort coordinated by a number of school clubs and organizations in the wake of the catastrophic events in Southeast Asia. Student Council leaders and Assistant Head Master Malcolm Flynn donated the funds to UNICEF, and The Boston Globe reported that BLS raised more than any other school in the city.
  
• This month, the following young Latin scholars were honored in the 2005 Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards, having competed against a total of 3,500 entries from around the state. In all, 150 students were awarded Gold Keys, the highest honor, while 291 Silver Keys and 459 Honorable Mentions were also granted. BLS winners are Gold Keys: Peter Bass, Sharon Li; Silver Keys: Jesse Racusen and Chenglin Yuan; Honorable Mentions: Jennifer Lawrence and Martha O’Connell: and Nominee: Stacey Phillips.
  

ALUMNI IN THE NEWS

• Professor John Paul Russo ’61 is the interim chair of the new Department of Classics (June 2004), University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL. This is the newest Classics Department in the United States. Floreant Classics!
• On March 16, top investment strategist Chuck Clough ’60 of Clough Capital Partners will be the featured speaker at BLSA’s latest Boston Business Forum, scheduled for noon at the Baum Conference Room of Merrill Lynch, located at 125 High Street in Boston. His talk will focus on the financial market outlook for 2005. Reservations may be made by calling 617.450.0004, ext. 20.
• BLSA is starting a series of informal focus groups to begin conversations and gauge feedback about what female graduates want from their alumni organization. Three forums have been scheduled in and around Boston, on March 16, March 23 and April 5. For more information, please click here or e-mail blsa@blsa.org.
  

CONTACT US
101 Huntington Avenue, Suite 200, Boston, MA 02199
Phone 617.450.0004 Fax 617.450.0284
Web www.blsa.org
E-mail blsa@blsa.org