The End Depends Upon the Beginning

Chris Swihart

Our first 4th generation Andover student, Chris Swihart grew up a 3rd culture expat kid of foreign service parents who decided upon boarding school when his 8th grade class was going to consist of only 1 student, being Chris, in Zagreb. Upon his birth, his father received a note in the diplomatic pouch welcoming him to the Class of 1991. Chris skipped the 8th grade going to a boarding school in Salzburg for a year. Like many of us, Chris knows that he finally found his people when he set foot on campus. His closest pals to this day are his PA people. His story of ex-pat culture shock, his being a year younger than most of our class, and his feeling a little bit behind at all times didn't seem to hold him back.

Willie Tate

Willie Tate came to Andover from Jackson, Mississippi, by way of stops in Ohio, Kentucky, and Massachusetts itself.  An aunt and uncle actually lived in the town of Andover and were pals with Mrs. Skip Eccles, in whose dorm Willie would live Lower year.   Willie’s life changed immensely having been taught, mentored, coached, and shepherded by some of the greats of our time on campus Leon Modeste, Lou Bernieri, Bobby Edwards, Cathy Royal, William Thomas, Thylias Moss, and the incomparable Jay Rogers.  Willie took full advantage of PA: playing football, acting in plays, singing in the Cantata and Gospel Choirs.  To paraphrase Willie,  Andover clears the path for whatever we need to do.  The leitmotifs of this podcast are all here: pivots, resilience, opportunity, the devotion of our class to each other all come through.  Willie hopes to C Ya all soon.

Robin Hessman

A four-year Senior from Andover, Robin Hessman started her time at PA a day student, but, let’s face it, most of us thought she was a boarder all four years. Robin is now an award-winning documentary filmmaker, a producer, and an Oscar voter.  As with so many of us, her time at PA exposed her to people, places, ideas that transformed her world.  A self-proclaimed theater kid, Robin quoted Kevin Heelan who advised that at Andover, “You can do anything you want.” That same spirit continues with her today in taking risks, starting a new company in her fifties, and not being afraid to fail, a theme in our lives. Robin noted that we all had a sense of agency and determination early on in our lives which may have led to her producing Sesame Street in Moscow at the ripe old age of 22. Like many of us, she’s still trying to figure it all out.

Tom Seeley

Tom Seeley is a South Port, Connecticut native, a third generation Andover graduate and the younger sibling of two more graduates. Andover furnished his house on literal and figurative levels. A four year senior, Tom came to PA from Eaglebrook and repeated the ninth grade. His life would have been incomplete had he not attended. A sink or swim place with the survival swim being a metaphor for our time there, Tom eventually swam after a lost and messy Lower year. Sober since 17, Tom gives credit where it was, and is, due to Henry Wilmer, Craig Thorn, Cilla Bonney-Smith, and Pam Brown for shepherding him through his sobriety journey. Tom quoted Pam Brown beautifully, "You can only understand things looking backwards." Our Class Secretary since forever, please remember to send him news for Class Notes!

Phil Lisio

One of our ex-pat classmates, Phil was born and reared in Manhattan and came to Andover after his Catholic school ended in the eighth grade, with a couple of family connections. As for many of us, it is clearly where he wanted to go. Except for his Chinese exchange trip with Melanie Lynch and Atticus Lish, Phil spent all of his time at PA in Will Hall. That one trip to China changed his life. So did have something at school that was his own through his love of Chinese, since there was so much talent on campus. Phil says that there will never be a question if he's coming back to our reunions.