The World Comes to Andover

Erin Gruwell
October 20, 2010

Erin Gruwell, most famous for being portrayed in the film Freedom Writers, spoke at PA's All-School Meeting. Gruwell shared her experiences as a teacher in Long Beach, CA where she inspired students from troubled backgrounds to excel in school. Her students' journal entries became the basis for the book The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them. She is currently President of the Freedom Writers Foundation.

Annie Leonard
April 21, 2010

Environmental activist and writer Annie Leonard, received a standing ovation from an electrified audience of 1100 young people at Phillips Academy yesterday for her environmental message of hope and a call to action. Leonard, whose film “The Story of Stuff” has received over 10 million hits on YouTube, told the students that “there are solutions to every environmental problem, but the problem is we are not engaged democratically to make the changes we need.”

Barbara Ehrenreich
January 22, 2010

Author Barbara Ehrenreich visited the Andover campus to give a lecture in Cochran Chapel titled 'Nickel and Dimed: Class, Race and Gender in America.' The event was sponsored by the Brace Center for Gender Studies, CAMD, and the Dean of Studies office.

Spike Lee
January 18, 2010

Spike Lee spoke was the keynote speaker for PA's 20th anniversary Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration.

Willie Perdomo
October 16, 2009

Spoken word poet Willie Perdomo visited campus to do a reading of his works and sit in on an English class. Perdomo received a PEN American Center Beyond Margins Award for "Smoking Lovely".

Li-Young Lee
May 8, 2009

Acclaimed poet Li-Yong Lee came to Andover in early May, attending literature and writing classes during the day and reading his poetry to a packed and enthusiastic crowd in Kemper Auditorium at night. Lee also engaged in a spirited question-and-answer session with the audience afterward.

Lela Lee
May 1, 2009

Actress and artist Lela Lee was the featured guest at the 20th annual Asian Arts Festival. Lee had dinner with Asian and Asian American students and made her presentation entitled "I'm Asian, American and Angry!" later to a larger group of students.

Colin Beavan
April 22, 2009

To mark Earth Day 2009, eco-extremist, and Westport, Mass. native, Colin Beavan, aka No Impact Man, spoke at all-school meeting on Wednesday, April 22 in Cochran Chapel. Beavan’s visit was part of the campus’s "Speaking of Sustainability" series.

Soledad O'Brien
April 3, 2009

CNN journalist Soledad O'Brien was welcomed to campus to speak as part of the 40th anniversary celebration of Phillips Academy's Afro-Latino-American Society. O’Brien’s most recent projects include CNN Presents: Black in America, which focused on the state of Black America 40 years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; CNN Presents: Escape from Jonestown; and continued post-Katrina coverage of New Orleans.

Mark Morris
March 3, 2009

Mark Morris, one of the greatest choreographers of our time, granted permission for the Andover Dance Group to perform a piece of his work. Morris came to campus to oversee a rehearsal of Bedtime and Other Dances and participate in a question-and-answer session moderated by Mikko Nissinen, artistic director of the Boston Ballet.

Susan Faludi
February 18, 2009

Award-winning Journalist Susan Faludi visited PA to present her talk "Why Gender is at the Center of Everything" as part of the Women in Politics series. Faludi is the author of Backlash, Stiffed and The Terror Dream.

Dr. Benjamin Carson
January 19, 2009

Dr. Benjamin Carson served as the keynote speaker at Andover's MLK Jr. Day celebration. His speech open the day's ceremonies that featured over 20 workshops and community service projects. Dr. Carson is one of the world’s foremost pediatric neurosurgeons, a recipient of numerous honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the author of several books.

Dennis Ross
January 9, 2009

Ambassador Dennis Ross presented his talk "Prospects for Peace in the Middle East: 2009 and Beyond" at the Chapel on Friday, Jaunary 9. Ross has been an influential force in shaping U.S. involvement in the Middle East for the past twelve years, aided both Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush. Ross is also a respected author with his latest book titled Statecraft and How to Restore America's Standing in the World.

Morten Lauridsen
May 7, 2008

Composer Morten Lauridsen spoke at Graves Hall on Wednesday, May 7. The talk revolved around his musical journey and life as a composer. Along with his formal talk at Graves Hall, Lauridsen visited campus all week, sitting in on classes and attending various music performances.

Robert Pinsky
April 25, 2008  

 Former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert S. Pinsky visited the Phillips Academy campus Friday, April 25. Pinsky shared his award-winning poetry, participated in a question and answer session, and signed copies of his books, the most recent being Gulf Music: Poems.

Michael Patrick MacDonald
Jan. 21, 2008

Michael Patrick MacDonald spoke at an All-School Meeting at Cochran Chapel, kicking off a day-long tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that involved students and faculty in films and workshops. MacDonald has grasped the elusive alchemy of turning hurt into healing as a community organizer and then as author of two compelling, deeply personal books, All Souls and Easter Rising, which view those volatile times from the inside.

Dr. Georgia Dunston
Jan. 16, 2008

Dr. Georgia Dunston presented a lecture titled, “The Human Genome Project: The Impact of DNA Variations in Populations.” Dr. Dunston founded the National Human Genome Center at Howard University in 2001, which she continues to head today.

Paula Crisostomo
Oct. 19, 2007

Paula Crisostomo, activist and subject of the HBO movie Walk Out, spoke to students at an All-School Meeting. In the spring of 1968, fed up with the horrible conditions of their East Los Angeles schools, Crisostomo and thousands of her Latino classmates organized the largest demostration of high school students in the country. Forty years later, Crisostomo is the director of community and governmental relations at Occidental College in Los Angeles, where she continues to work hard to open doors to higher education for Latino students. 

Angie Cruz
July 12, 2007

Author and activist Angie Cruz read excerpts from her latest novel, Let It Rain Coffee as part of the W.E.B. DuBois Summer Session Colloquia. Cruz is an alumna of the Phillips academy Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers (IRT) and currently teaches writing at Texas A&M University.

Mary Karr
May 4, 2007

Mary Karr, award-winning poet and memoirist, came to the Phillips Academy campus to conduct a poetry reading followed by a question-and-answer period and signing of her books, the most recent of which is Sinners Welcome, a poetry collection published in 2006 that chronicles her journey from agnosticism to sobriety and tempered Catholicism. Prior to the evening reading, Karr taught a Master Class for creative writing students in the English department.

Jared Diamond
Oct. 20, 2006

Jared Diamond, winner of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for his book Guns, Germs and Steel and author of the 2005 bestseller Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, will presented a lecture titled “Globalization: For Better or Worse?” in Cochran Chapel on the Phillips Academy campus. In his talk, Diamond shared his thoughts on what globalization will really bring the world, and how we can minimize its negative impact while continuing to benefit from the advantages of shared cultures and resources.

Amy Chua
Sept. 27, 2006

Amy Chua is the author of the best-selling book World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability. Her talk, titled “Markets, Democracy, and Ethnic Conflict,” offered her unique perspective on how to sustain globalization by finding ways to spread its benefits while curbing its most destructive aspects.

Danny Schechter
July 20, 2006

Danny Schechter screened his powerful and provocative documentary Weapons of Mass Deception as part of the W.E.B. DuBois Summer Session Colloquium. The film sheds light on the role the media played in the 2003 Iraq War, asserting that there were two wars going on in Iraq — one fought with soldiers, bombs, and a fearsome military and the other with cameras, satellites, armies of journalists and propaganda techniques.

William Cochran
July 13, 2006

Using vivid images to tell the astonishing stories of two of his public art projects, Community Bridge and The Dreaming, William Cochran showed how the creative power of people of all ages and backgrounds can be engaged as a catalyst for personal and community transformation. Cochran is one of a handful of living artists adept at the difficult, mind-bending Renaissance perspective technique of anamorphic projection, which creates astonishing illusions of depth when viewed at an angle.

Lee Marmon
May 19, 2006

Highly acclaimed photographer Lee Marmon, internationally known for his distinguished portraits of elders of the Laguna and Acoma tribes, visited Phillips Academy as a guest lecturer in art instructor Peg Harrigan’s photography classes, English instructor Nina Scott’s journalism class, and Ada Fan’s English class. Marmon also attended a reception in Oliver Wendell Holmes Library’s McLean Gallery, giving faculty and students further opportunity to speak with the photographer, whose stark black-and-white photos of Native Americans have appeared for decades in galleries, books, and magazines nationwide.

Richard Wilbur
May 12, 2006

Richard Wilbur, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and 2006 winner of the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, came to the Phillips Academy campus where he conducted a poetry reading, followed by a question and answer period and signing of his books, the most recent of which is Richard Wilbur: Collected Poems 1943 – 2004.  

Imam Zaid Shakir
April 26, 2006

Imam Zaid Shakir, one of the world’s most prominent Islamic scholars in the West and a popular speaker on the talk circuit, visited the Phillips Academy campus to participate in a panel discussion titled, “Islamophobia: What’s the Threat?”

Jonathan Spence
April 21, 2006

Jonathan Spence, a British-born historian who is recognized as one of the foremost scholars of Chinese civilization from the 17th century to the present, delivered a talk, titled “China Now: The Burdens of the Past,” on the topic of China’s growing importance in the modern world and how its role as an emerging superpower is shaped by its past history.

Ross Kauffman
April 5, 2006

Ross Kauffman was on campus for a three-day residency, being named the 2006 Kayden Visiting Artist. Kauffman, co-director of Born into Brothels, a story of the amazing transformation of the children of prostitutes who live in the red light district of Calcutta, Inida, won the 2004 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.  

Mike Shuster
March 31, 2006

Mike Shuster presented his talk, titled “Covering the Axis of Evil: Intelligence, Nuclear Proliferation, and the Public’s Need to Know.” In addition to addressing the challenges of reporting on the secret activities of hard-to-reach places, Shuster explored provocative ethical issues related to journalism and the public’s right to be involved in critical decisions in a democracy. Shuster has worked for National Public Radio for more than 25 years and most recently, he has filed reports from such Middle East hot spots as Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, and Israel.  

Nevil Shed
Feb. 22, 2006

Nevil Shed spoke at an All-School Meeting as apart of Black History Month. Shed was a member of the historic 1966 Texas Western basketball team, the first all-black squad to win and NCAA championship. The story of Shed and his teammates was recently documented in the film Glory Road.

Paul Bremer '59
Feb. 14, 2006

Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III '59 returned to his high school alma mater to share his perspectives on the Iraq War and talk about the fourteen danger-filled months he spent as head of the U.S.-led occupation government in Iraq following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

Sarah Chayes '80
Jan. 25, 2006

Sarah Chayes, the former National Public Radio (NPR) war correspondent who left her job in 2002 to help rebuild Kandahar, a city devastated during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, returned to campus to receive the Claude Moore Fuess Award, Phillips Academy's highest honor.

Dr. Roland Fryer
Jan. 14, 2006

Dr. Roland Fryer, an assistant economics professor at Harvard, serves as keynote speaker on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Just 28 years old, he is considered a rising star in the academic world for his innovative application of economic tools to issues of racial inequality.

David Halberstam
Oct. 26, 2005

Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Halberstam came to Andover to speak on history, Iraq, politics and sports in general before signing copies of his book, The Education of a Coach, about PA alum Bill Belichick. All proceeds from books purchased through the signing were donated to the school’s Disaster Relief Fund.

Ernie Adams '71
Oct. 26, 2005

Andover alum Ernie Adams joined author David Halberstam for his talk and signing of The Education of a Coach. Adams is the Director of Football Research for the New England Patriots and has won three Super Bowl rings with the book's subject and fellow alum, Bill Belichick.

Chang-Rae Lee
Oct. 7, 2005

Chang-rae Lee, award-winning writer whose first novel, Native Speaker, won the American Book Award and the PEN/Hemingway Foudation Award, offered a reading from his recent novel, Aloft, which is a New York Times bestseller.

Britton Keeshan '00
Sept. 19, 2005

In May 2004 Keeshan became the youngest person to successfully scale the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. They include Mount Everest in Nepal, Denali in Alaska and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Keeshan returned to Andover as a guest speaker during an All-School Meeting, where he shared tales of his adventures as well as some advice for those students eager to make their own mark on the world.

Brigit Pegeen Kelly
May 6, 2005

Brigit Pegeen Kelly shared her award-winning poetry from her lastest book, The Orchard, at Kemper Auditorium. Kelly was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award in poetry and the Pulitzer Prize in poetry.

Ralph Nader
April 22, 2005

Ralph Nader, the renowned consumer advocate and three-time presidential candidate addressed students, faculty and staff at Cochran Chapel. His lecture focused on consumer rights, roles of major corporations and politics.

Robert Fulghum
April 10, 2005

Robert Fulghum, author of seven best-selling books including All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, discusses “Pluralistic Communities” at an interfaith service.

Wade Davis
Feb. 18, 2005

Noted plant explorer, ethnobotanist, photographer and author, Wade Davis discussed his book, Light at the Edge of the World: A Journey Through the Realm of Vanishing Cultures. Davis is best known for investigating Haitian folk medicines used in the creation of zombies, an assignment that led to The Serpent and the Rainbow (1986), an international best seller that was released by Universal as a motion picture.

Anthony Quainton '51
May 12, 2004

Anthony Quainton '51, diplomat in residence at American University and former director general of the U.S. Foreign Service, discussed "The Challenge of Combatting Terrorism" at all-school meeting May 12. Later he met with students and faculty at lunch to discuss current events.

Billy Collins
May 7, 2004

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins delighted students, faculty and parents as he read his poetry in a full Kemper Auditorium May 7. Following a question-and-answer period, he signed books in the lobby.

Frank Wu
April 28, 2004

Frank H. Wu, author and Howard University law professor, signs copies of his book, YELLOW: Race in America Beyond Black and White. His all-school meeting talk on the future of race relations and civil rights was the first event of the 15th annual Andover Asian Arts Festival.

Michael Thompson
Feb. 6, 2004

Michael Thompson, psychologist and author of "Finding the Heart of the Child," gave advice and humor to parents in a discussion of "Parenting and the College Admissions Process" at the College Counseling Kick-off for parents of '05 students, held Feb. 6-7, 2004.

Samantha Power
Feb. 6, 2004

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Samantha Power's discussion of “A Problem From Hell: American Foreign Policy in an Age of Terror” filled Kemper Auditorium Feb. 6, 2004, with students, faculty and area residents. Prior to her talk, she met with students involved in the academy's Center for Global Justice and community service programs.

The Rev. William Sloane Coffin
Nov. 19, 2003

The Rev. William Sloane Coffin, one of the country’s leading peace, civil rights and social justice activists, was awarded the Claude Moore Fuess Award at an all-school meeting Nov. 19, 2003. The award honors Phillips Academy alumni for distinguished contributions to public service.

Tobias Wolff
Nov. 14, 2003

Tobias Wolff, award-winning author of This Boy's Life and The Night in Question, read from his new novel, Old School, Nov. 14, 2003, in Kemper Auditorium. Wolff set Old School in 1960 at a New England boarding school with a strong literary tradition.

James Carroll
Nov. 12, 2003

Author and syndicated columnist James Carroll offered reflections on Veterans Day and his journey of loving his country while disagreeing with policies at all-school meeting Nov. 12, 2003, in Cochran Chapel. A former priest, he is the author of An American Requiem: God, My Father, and the War that Came Between Us.

Julia Alvarez '67
Oct. 8 , 2003

Critically acclaimed poet and novelist Julia Alvarez '67 spoke Oct. 8, 2003, at an all-school meeting and a senior-faculty banquet about her start as a writer in Jean St. Pierre's literature class at Abbot Academy.

Robert Hass
May 23, 2003

Robert Hass, former poet laureate of the United States, read his poetry May 23, 2003, in Kemper Auditorium, followed by a question and answer period. As U.S. poet laureate from 1995-1997, Hass made the Office of Poetry and Literature a position from which to launch action, working both to heighten literacy and promote awareness about the environment.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu
May 18, 2003

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, recipient of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, discussed "The Pursuit of International Justice" at a special interfaith service May 18, 2003, in Cochran Chapel. The service included musical selections by the Academy Symphony Orchestra and the Phillips Academy Gospel Choir, as well as readings from the Old and New Testaments and the Koran.

Former President George Bush '42
April 26 , 2003

A frequent visitor to campus, former President George Bush, Class of 1942, spoke at a special ceremony April 26, 2003, in Cochran Chapel, marking the 225th anniversary of Phillips Academy, the 175th anniversary of the founding of Abbot Academy and the successful conclusion of Campaign Andover. He previously attended his 60th class reunion June 8, 2002.

Wynton Marsalis
March 6, 2003

Legendary jazz trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis spent a day on campus March 6, 2003, conducting a master class with the Academy Jazz Band and Ensembles. The visit was capped with a spectacular performance by the Grammy award-winning Wynton Marsalis Septet that brought students, faculty and residents of the surrounding communities to their feet with cheers.

Hawk Henries
Feb. 26, 2003

Hawk Henries, flute maker and storyteller from the Nipmuck nation, presented "Finding Peace Through Music" Feb. 26, 2003, in the Timken Room, Graves Hall. A moving storyteller, educator, flute player and humorist, Henries offered a message of hope through his music and sage advice. He taught as he played, about joy, diversity and struggle.

Trisha Brown Dance Company
Sept. 28, 2002

The Trisha Brown Dance Company presented a performance Sept. 28, 2002 in Tang Theatre, followed by a question and answer session with the company performers. Brown also worked with student dancers for several weeks prior to the performance. Her extensive work was displayed in an Addison Gallery exhibition, "Trisha Brown: Dance and Art in Dialogue, 1961-2001."

Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster
Sept. 22, 2002

What does it mean to be American? What about America is worth fighting for or worth dying for? Why have American principles endured for more than 225 years? ABC News anchor Peter Jennings and co-author Todd Brewster examined these and other questions considered in their book, In Search of America, during an interfaith service at Phillips Academy's Cochran Chapel, Sept. 22, 2002. The service included Christian, Jewish and Muslim readings and music performed by Phillips Academy faculty and students. Following the service, Jennings and Brewster signed books on the chapel lawn.

Bill Belichick '71
Feb. 27, 2002

After his first Super Bowl win, New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick, Class of 1971, returned Feb. 27, 2002, to his alma mater, where enthusiastic students and faculty celebrated "Coach Bill Belichick Day."

Yo-Yo Ma
Oct. 6, 2000

The Phillips Academy orchestra accompanied cellist Yo-Yo Ma in concert Oct. 6, 2000, in Cochran Chapel. Earlier that day, the world-renowned musician led a master class, demonstrating his breathtaking technique.