London, GB | Formerly of New York, Buenos Aires, Fife, and the Western Cape. | Saoránach d’Éirinn.

Old School…

Well today was graduation day at good ole Thornton-Donovan. A chance to see some faces old and new. I was very pleased that the Rev. Benoit van Lesberghe‘s heavenly opening Invocation ended with “we make this prayer in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” [See Touchstone’s Mere Comments on public prayer, and the necessity for Christians’ prayers to be unmistakably Christian in nature.]

Mr. George Herbert Peabody Brokaw, a real great guy from an old Huguenot family, was the valedictorian, and Miss Kelly Ann Webster, whom I was formerly engaged to (jokingly), was salutatorian. George, Kelly, and I were in Ecclesiastical Architecture together during my final year. That was a great class during which much mischief was had by all. It was held in the La Rochelle room, which has a beautiful yellow fleur-de-lys pattern on blue carpet.

Mr. Cove turned up in his old Morgan, pink trousers, purple sunglasses, and handlebar moustache. I believe he currently has possession of a certain flask gifted to me that I have yet to receive. I am currently fostering plans for its speedy reposession.


I was very impressed by the latest issue of the School’s Overlook Journal. It features a left-wing rant by Miss Antonia Cove which was ridiculous to the point of being laughable followed by a basically coherent and thought-out right-wing rant by Mr. Andrew Kagan. What I probably enjoyed most of all was Mr. David Kudlowitz‘s paen to limited government in his article ‘Alexander Hamilton: The Notorious Forefather.’ A very jolly photograph of our late president, Mr. Ronald Reagan, graced the back cover.

I do have one complaint though, and that is the universal black gowns that are enforced upon the faculty. Whilst I enjoy the general idea, no doubt some of our outstanding and respected faculty have much more interesting and formal academic dress than the generic black gowns that they find foisted upon them every June, especially given the number of doctors. I seem to recall that in the graduation exercises of 2001, the Headmaster wore his proper academic dress, but from my graduation in 2002 onwards it has been a return to the black.

It was good to be back with Mr. James Feddeck ’01, Miss Sarah S. ’04, and teacher Mrs. Robert LoAlbo. We four were the main Christian gang at Thornton. Mrs. LoAlbo is a Lauren who was rechristened ‘Lenore’ by our favourite Opus Dei ‘whippersnapper’, Mr. Steven Kane. Despite repeatedly writing Mr. Kane signed notes and handing them to him in person, he never got her first name right. The last I heard of Mr. Kane post-Thornton he was in Navarre.

Lastly, a very heartfelt congratulations to the Class of 2002. May God continue to bless them all. Sapere aude!

Published at 9:49 am on Friday 18 June 2004. Categories: People.
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