2018 CHA Alumni Award Winners

Class agents are, of course, the backbone of any school’s continuing relationship with its alumni. Unfortunately, over the years - out of neglect or because of the controversies surrounding the handling of the CHA merger with Springside - many CHA classes had lost their class agents and were drifting away from the school.  We did not want to let that happen with our class, or with any others.

 

And so, starting last fall, Barry Shannon and Bruce Morgan, both members of the class of 1970, volunteered to lead an effort to revitalize the class agent system.  Their goal was to engage at least one agent for every existing CHA class. They have done an amazing job! And for good reason, as their commitment to the school runs long and deep.

 

Barry was a “lifer” here, joining the school in kindergarten and continuing with distinction through his senior year.  Even though he left Philadelphia soon after graduation, and lives in central Ohio today, he has been a loyal attendee of all of our reunions, and a co-organizer with our late, lamented classmate Rug Hall, of a number of legendary and highly successful “Rugapaluzza” concerts held in the Rec.  Barry has served as our class agent since 2005.

 

Bruce Morgan, though not a “lifer,” also started CHA in kindergarten, so, like Barry, I have known him for pretty much all of my life.  He left CHA to attend St. Mark’s School in 7^th grade, and continued to board there through the rest of his high school career.  Bruce has served as a class agent for his St. Mark’s class for close to 50 years. Amazingly, despite his strong loyalty to that school, he has remained equally loyal to ours.  We are proud to have him as a very active member of the class of 1970.

 

 

Chestnut Hill Academy, Springside School and SCH Academy have been part of Ed Sheppard’s life for most of his 94 years. Ed’s father was a member of the Class of 1900. One of his father’s best friends, who lived at 416 West Springfield Avenue, was a member of the Class of 1901.

 

One day when Ed was about six years old, he was playing in that house and got trapped in the cedar closet where he was MIA for about a half hour. It is a memory he has every time he visits that house, which then belonged to Charles B. Jennings and his wife. Since 1966, Jennings House has been the official residence of all CHA Headmasters from Nat Saltonstall to Frank Steel and is currently occupied by Head of School, Steve Druggan. Ed has spent a lot of time as a guest at Jennings House, presumably avoiding any return visits to the third floor cedar closet.