George School Couples Share Their Stories

Thank you for reading the January edition of Under the Trees and for sharing your George School love stories with us.

Kenneth ’51 and Marjorie (Marj) McFeely Burton ’55

“We met when Marj was nine months, and I was six years old. Our fathers were teachers at George School, we grew up living next door to each other and though we did not date until Marj was in college, we were friends for most of our lives.”

Taylor Andrews ’64 and Patricia (Pat) Young Andrews ’65

“I arrived at George School as a sophomore in 1961. Pat arrived that same year as a freshman. I think the first dance of the year was in the Fall and was the Day Student Dance and I asked Pat to go with me. She accepted, but then could not go because her grandfather died. We did not get together the rest of that year. It was in my senior year starting in 1963 that Pat and I started dating. We have been together ever since. We recently celebrated our 53rd anniversary and have three children and one grandchild.”

Walter (Walt) Daub ’64 and Jayne Austin Daub ’66

“Jayne and I met at George School, but she was two years younger than me, so I did not really know her. As I recall, we were not initially impressed with each other. Jayne and I became acquainted during a skiing trip in my senior year when I helped her safely get down a black diamond ski slope. However, it was not until we were both in college that we started dating. I attended Hamilton College, NY and she was at Wilson College, PA. We got engaged after I graduated in 1968 and have been married ever since. We have two daughters, Rebecca and Sarah, and three grandchildren.”

Holly Barnet-Sanchez ’65 and David Foster ’65

Holly and David were classmates and took German classes together with Frau Blaschke during their time at George School. They were aware of each other but never dated during high school. David was an athlete (soccer and baseball) while Holly preferred to manage teams.

Chance and the 35th reunion brought them together. David had no plans to attend the reunion as he was living in Colorado, traveling extensively, and recently divorced. However, classmate Philip Lynes ’65 convinced him to attend and that is where he reconnected with Holly who was attending reunion for the first time. The couple dated for seven years, maintaining a long-distance relationship between Colorado and New Mexico. They were married in 2007 in a Quaker ceremony with classmates in attendance.

“Attending George School together meant I never had to explain who I was to Holly, she knew me. There is something about knowing a person when they are fourteen-eighteen years old when they are fundamentally developing into the person they will become. We have common experiences, references, and it feels comfortable,” said David.

“While at George School we were taught how to talk and work through issues, and our values were reinforced even though we were not aware that was happening at the time,” added Holly. “This common language and shared history created a strong base from which our relationship has grown and developed.”

Emily Fleschner Norton ’86 and William (Buck) Dowdell ’86

“Buck and I graduated in the Class of ’86. He dated one of my closest friends the whole time we were at George School. We both ended up in Massachusetts, and I saw him in 2004 when he hosted a gathering of George School classmates, but then didn’t see him again until 2018 when we ran into each other while walking to work in Boston. It turns out he had been sending me emails for several years to encourage me to attend various reunions, but he sent them to an email account I never checked. We had lunch, then another lunch, and within a year we were a couple. (Even though it had been thirty years since they’d dated, I still called my friend to give her a heads up.) Buck and I are both divorced, and we feel very fortunate to have found one another. There is something very special about reconnecting with someone you’ve known, and who has known you, for such a long time.”

Dorothy (Dottie) and Barry Coppock

“In 1970, Headmaster Eric G. Curtis asked me (I was the Director of College Counseling at that time) to serve on a search committee that would interview candidates and recommend them for George School’s next Director of Admission and Financial Aid. Eric reasoned that whomever the successful candidate was, I would work well together with them because we both would understand the entire application and enrollment process, financial aid, the importance of finding the right fit (school/college), and the benefits of professional travel and volunteer involvement. Barry and I did—and do—work well together. On July 16, 2022, we will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary.

Barry and many other members of the George School community had to educate me about Quakerism. Having lived and been educated almost exclusively on military bases in several states, I knew nothing about kind, wise, collaborative Quakers and the peaceful, inclusive values of the Society of Friends. A place for incorrigible teenagers might have been my naive response as a high school student if I were asked the definition of a boarding school. Barry’s ancestors were Quaker, and he knew Eric Curtis through their time at Earlham College where Barry was a student and then an Admission Officer and Eric was Dean of Students.

Although neither of us benefitted as students from a George School education, that remarkable community remains our favorite home. It’s the place we met, fell in love, married, had two children, worked, and lived on campus. Our dearest and oldest friends are George School alums and past employees. We could not be more blessed.”