25th Reunion
JOHN ANDRUS SHEPARD
Box 1191
New London, NH 03257
JOHN ANDRUS SHEPARD
DELTA UPSILON
207 Harrison St., East Orange, N. J.
Football (1, 2; "'49" 1).
Jack Shepard
I came to Amherst in September, '46 with three semesters' credit from Dartmouth with the Marine V-12 program. After three months in North College - I think that is the dormitory by Johnson Chapel - I was one of the first to move to Stearns where Jim Corrigan joined me as roomate. Together we shaped up a group of fuzzy-cheeked freshmen, a. fine bunch of guys whom I remember happily. One, Bro Park, lives in nearby Grantham and runs a very successful high-class kitchen ware shop. Jim and I went our separate ways in the Spring, he to Psi U, I to DU. I made a try for the football team, but a knee injury gave me the excuse to get out of a situation where I was over my head. Those great athletes at DU still accepted me, and I spent the remaining semesters rooming with such great guys like Dave “Mother” Kunz, Dick Cocheran, Dick Simon, and Jerry Riley. One thing about rooming with Jerry - you didn’t need an alarm clock. That guy was up every morning at six to go to Mass, a wonderful example to those of us whose only exposure to Church was Chapel. I have to admit that my three years at Amherst were not distinguished, but a when there were happy days and good friends.
After graduation I spent 41 years teaching; and Headmastering. My first school was Peck in Morristown, then to Eaglebrook in Deerfield for ten years, the Tuxedo Park School in NY for eighteen years, and finally St, Mary’s Episcopal Day School in Tampa for eleven years. I taught Latin at all the schools and also was Headmaster at the last two. In June, 1991 at the age 65, 3 months, I retired. The only other Headmaster in our Class - I believe - is Ed Hitchcock, whose company I enjoyed at educational meetings.
The most important event in my life was a trip through Europe made possible by a dear aunt who gave me this gift after I earned a Masters at Harvard. While tripping through the highlands of Scotland I sat next to Mary Grindley. Ten months later we were married in Christ Church, Cranbrook. We have given each other 41 years of a happy, satisfying life. I never would have been able to enjoy my successes, survive my set-backs, without Mary with me. We enjoy so many activities together - biking, skiing, tennis, reading, music. We are blessed with four wonderful children, three boys and Louise. Our major tragedy was the death of Louise, age 17, in her bed in Tampa - pulmonary influenza - but we suspect the teen-age equivalent of SIDS. The only good spinoff is that we are a very close family - probably would have been, anyway - and our boys keep in regular touch with us and with each other. Two are teachers. Jake, our oldest, is a teacher/administrator back at the Tuxedo Park School, Fred is at the Tower School in Marblehead, and Rob, ‘82 - also an ex-Marine and Harvard MBA - is with Reebok. They have given us three grandchildren.
When I retired, we moved from Tampa to N. Sutton, NH where Mary and I found a wonderful house looking out at Mt. Kersage. We are healthy, active, involved in our community. Life is good.