Jessica Westerman '08

By her own admission, Jessica Westerman ’08 took a risk while running for Student Body President: she made the Honor Code the main issue of her campaign, to restore the Code’s emphasis on respect and trust, and proposed an all-school signing of the Honor Code at Convocation.

Dr. Denise Brown-Allen

Known affectionately as “DBA,” Dr. Denise Brown-Allen served as Upper School Director and a math teacher from 2008–2016. During her eight years, she considered it a priority to add more technology to Upper School classrooms, reflecting time earlier in her career when she managed software development for Bell Atlantic. This technology included the implementation of Pingry’s 1-to-1 Laptop Program (2013), which requires every student to have a laptop in every class. She also played a key role in Pingry’s transition from a five-day schedule to a seven-day “Letter Day” schedule (2013).

Dr. Irfan Khawaja

Dr. Irfan Khawaja ’87 loved the intellectual engagement of, and big ideas introduced in, his English and philosophy classes—especially the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau and books that combine literature, philosophy, and politics. He developed “a powerful attachment to philosophy and the humanities . . . to their ideals and texts.” Pingry also taught him to think about “the situations of less-fortunate people,” such as through Sherwood Anderson’s collection of short stories, Winesburg, Ohio.

William S. Beinecke

Even though he attended Pingry for only three years (Grades 5–7), William S. Beinecke ’31 is one of the most visionary, influential, and generous people in the School’s history, and a paragon of how philanthropy can transform an institution forever.

Mark Fury

As one of Pingry’s first Black students, Mark Fury ’75 joined a 2021 conversation during Black History Month to reflect on his experiences and said, “I found out what it means to love an institution that loves you.” Two aspects of Pingry culture were especially meaningful to him: he was a big believer in the Honor Code and loved giving School tours as a member of Blue Key.

Amanda Freeman

A serial wellness entrepreneur and CEO, Amanda Freeman ’94 attended Pingry for 13 years. “Pingry instilled me with a love of learning, a curiosity about the world, a great desire to achieve, a strong value system, and a wonderful group of friends and peers,” she says. “Pingry taught me that hard work, integrity, and honor are some of the most important values to live by.

Dr. Sämi Ludwig

Pingry has been a partner school for AFS (American Field Service) exchange students since 1960, and Dr. Sämi Ludwig ’78 from Switzerland was one of the School’s two AFS students in 1977-78. A self-described “bookworm,” he says that Pingry changed his life and inspired him to study English.

Patti Euwer

Patti Euwer, a member of the Magistri, taught in the Lower School for 34 years, from 1986 to 2020; she spent 33 of those years with Grade 3 after teaching Grade 2 her first year.

Jeannie Weissglass

Visual artist Jeannie Weissglass was inspired to paint because of her mother, who was a painter, an interior designer, and an avid collector of unusual antiques.

Jack Edmondson

With a law degree from the University of Virginia under his belt, Jack Edmondson ’47 began his career with Cooperative for Assistance and Emergency Relief Everywhere (CARE International) in Germany and Poland as part of the post–World War II Marshall Plan, a U.S. program that provided funding to Western Europe to help with economic recovery...

Robert Fullilove

One of the first African American students to integrate Pingry during the Civil Rights movement, Dr. Robert Fullilove III ’62 participated in the School’s Black History Month forum in 2021 and shared this memory...

Jennifer Joel

Appropriately, literary agent Jennifer Joel ’94 has been a voracious reader from an early age, always drawn to books and storytelling... 

Randy Velischek

Pingry takes great pride in having industry experts as teachers and coaches whenever possible. One example is former professional ice hockey player Randy Velischek, who graced Pingry’s classrooms and coached in the rink from 2007–2009...

Chandra Cain Davis

Chandra Cain Davis ’89 likes people and stories and always wanted to be a lawyer. Growing up, she was told that her solid arguments made her persuasive...

Gary Liu

Pingry gave Gary Liu ’01 a skill that he considered invaluable in launching his career: learning how to learn, and learning how to learn quickly...

Laurinda Stockwell

Award-winning artist Laurinda Stockwell taught at Pingry from 2000 to 2012; her courses spanned the Upper and Middle School, including Photography, Art Fundamentals, Clayworking, Jewelry, and Art for sixth-grade students...

Captain David Baird

Captain Baird ’92 is committed to helping ensure our nation’s security and pursued a career in the military partly because of Pingry’s Honor Code and its emphasis on ethical behavior, partly to work in an environment with similar core values, and partly to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, a Naval aviator.

Ron Rice, Jr.

“Life changing” is how Ron Rice, Jr. ’86 describes his Pingry experience. Compared with his “homogenous community in Newark, NJ of mainly African American families,” he says Pingry offered connections with students from varied backgrounds, he discovered the Honor Code, and he learned about keeping one’s word and the importance of hard work...

Frederick Trapnell

The International Air & Space Hall of Fame welcomed Frederick M. Trapnell, Class of 1917, as a 2015, posthumous inductee (he died in 1975) to recognize his tremendous influence on the U.S. Navy and the history of naval aviation...

Elana Drell-Szyfer

A veteran of the cosmetics industry, Elana Drell-Szyfer ’87 credits Pingry with helping her land an entry-level position, namely because the School developed her love of French—an important influence and language in the cosmetics industry—global travel, and the aesthetics of Art History....

Dr. Billy Cunningham

Disparities among populations are all-too-common in the United States, so Dr. William “Billy” Cunningham ’77 devoted his career to advocating for the health of marginalized communities...

Andre Birotté, Jr.

The Honorable Andre Birotté, Jr. ’83, a federal judge in California, was supposed to have gone into medicine to follow in his father’s footsteps as a doctor, but it didn’t work out that way...

Claudia Hu

Claudia Hu ’16 thought she wanted to be a doctor when she was growing up, but after starting to play the piano at age six, she improved to the point where she couldn’t envision giving up music...

Ed Scott, Jr.

Edward Scott, Jr., a member of the Magistri and an accomplished runner, taught and coached at Pingry from 1968 to 1995...

Rebecca Mozo

Award-winning actress Rebecca Mozo ’00 is drawn to the stage like a magnet—ever since high school, the stage has felt like home...

Dr. Bon Ku

How do doctors make a difference? In the case of Dr. Bon Ku ’91, he tackles all sorts of challenges as an Emergency Medicine physician at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, and he made it his mission to address lots of other challenges as Co-Founder and Director of the Jefferson Health Design Lab...