Dear Academy families and friends,
The message I planned for today’s Thursday Mail focused on the return of field trips and Goal III cocurricular activities such as the poverty simulation and the bed-in-a -box experience. That is what I planned and pledge to share in my message following Spring Break. However today, I am opting for a much different message.
Every once in a great while we come to know a person who truly makes a difference . . . so was the case in the Academy’s great friend, Jane Cannon. Below you will have the opportunity to read about Jane’s contributions to the Academy which stemmed in part from her roles across the years as Lower School Coordinator, Development Director and Alumni Director. Greater than each of these was her contribution as an Academy mother to Angie ’74, Cindy ’75, Carol ’77, Robert and Erin ’85 and a beloved advisor and friend to many alumni and staff.
Always known for her warm welcome and gracious hospitality, this past Christmas Eve the Trustees recognized Jane’s contributions through a Board resolution naming the new school entrance the Cannon Portry. The Honorary Chair of Chemin de Fer in 2018, Jane was honored for her labor of love resulting in the history of the Academy, Two Hundred Years: A Legacy of Love and Learning, published for the school’s bicentennial celebration. Her legacy at the Academy is great, clearly her heart abided here.
Just a few weeks ago Jane sent me a lovely handwritten note thanking me for “a perfect remembrance of our too short friendship.” I think it is safe to say that we all feel exactly that way, our friendships with Jane, no matter how many years they spanned, were so very precious, but far too short. In the coming days, weeks, and months, please join me in prayer for the Cannon family and for all who loved our dear friend Jane.
United in mission,
Dr. Susan Dempf
Head of School
