Our Sundance Team: A Retrospective and An Update
With the loss last spring of Jeff's mother, Jean (remembered at Sundance as beloved former art teacher, "Mrs. T") and the recent passing of Jeff's father, Dr. Hyman Tobey, we have not been as communicative as we would have liked. We plan to begin to write a monthly newsletter to our Sundance family starting today, which will also be posted on the website. We welcome your responses and suggestions!
Dr.and Mrs.Tobey were also known as Grammy and Pop-Pop, Jean and Hy, Hy-Jean (as in hygiene, as a reference to his role as dentist and her's as hygienist), and "Pops and Shorty" (a nickname earned at the dice table where Jean always needed a stool in order to play next to her 6 foot tall husband of 65 years). Needless to say, they were an unbeatable and well-loved team that is now back together cheering us all on from the other side.
As we have been reflecting on their lives and relationship, we realized how much they impacted our lives and the lives of everyone at Sundance. Our son and Sundance alumni, Nathan recently recalled the time his grandfather spent with him teaching him to appreciate Shakespeare and Latin in spite of his adolescent preconceptions. Nathan not only learned to grasp the meaning of both subjects, but he gained something even greater, something he valued most highly--his grandfather's respect. Children can never have too many people in their lives who they admire and respect.
Not only was his grandmother his grandfather's other half, she was known to value education very highly, even choosing to return to college to earn a Master's in Fine Arts when she was in her 60's. She thoroughly enjoyed her sabbatical from dentistry during her second career as Art Anchor in the Sun Room where she introduced Nathan and countless others to the joy of artistic self expression.
Perhaps one of Jean and Hy's greatest legacy's lies in the way they acted as a couple, as a team. They shared leadership roles at Temple Sholom, taking on serious responsibilities while at the same time creating good humor and fun. Whenever possible, they acted together, performing as Medieval royalty as well as Russian samovars! The energetic couple organized trips to share Jean's love of museums and ballet and Hy's passion for horses. Even at the Hallmark Senior Living Center, they held office, organized book clubs and did play readings, making many friends along their way.
This memorable team had their greatest impact on their closest teammates, their family members. They modeled patience, acceptance, devotion, generosity, forgiveness, and most of all, love. Jeff and I were married in their backyard, 34 years to the day of his father's passing. We have tried to live a life they would be proud of and have found their lessons of teamwork to have been invaluable. Thirty-two years ago, Jeff and I pooled our personal talents to create a school that we hoped would reflect the spirit expressed in the poem Jeff wrote for our wedding invitations (which of course had a sun on them!):
"Two flames dancing beneath the sun
have come together to burn as one"
As the years have passed, many truly gifted teachers have joined our Sundance team. We recently celebrated our dear Ms. Nellie's 30th year, remembering that Dr. Tobey introduced her to us as "a keeper"! We feel so fortunate to have been on the same team as so many of our wonderful long time staff members. They, like Jeff's parents, have served as inspiring role models. Thousands of children and parents, and hundreds of new teachers and assistants have benefited from their influence and gone on to influence thousands of other lives in turn.
Jean and Hy always welcomed new additions to the family. Adoptions, second marriages, new arrivals, all were unconditionally accepted and their unique ingredients added to the family soup. As we prepare to begin our 32nd school year, we reflect on the contributions of all the talented and enthusiastic people that have been part of our Sundance team over the years. Once again this year we hope you will join us in welcoming some newcomers to our veteran team. Postcards from your child's particular team of teachers will go out in late August, and we look forward to a new year full of wonderful traditions and lots of great new ideas.
We also look forward to Jeff's return after what has been a very challenging year. We are pleased to say his health is much improved, and we thank all of you whose thoughts and prayers helped him during this difficult time.
Last but certainly not least, we want to give a special thanks to our son Lee for joining us this year to renew and expand our Sundance website. We want to thank him and all of you for being a part of the Sundance team. We look forward to hearing from you and promise to write often! Thank you so much!
Dr.and Mrs.Tobey were also known as Grammy and Pop-Pop, Jean and Hy, Hy-Jean (as in hygiene, as a reference to his role as dentist and her's as hygienist), and "Pops and Shorty" (a nickname earned at the dice table where Jean always needed a stool in order to play next to her 6 foot tall husband of 65 years). Needless to say, they were an unbeatable and well-loved team that is now back together cheering us all on from the other side.
As we have been reflecting on their lives and relationship, we realized how much they impacted our lives and the lives of everyone at Sundance. Our son and Sundance alumni, Nathan recently recalled the time his grandfather spent with him teaching him to appreciate Shakespeare and Latin in spite of his adolescent preconceptions. Nathan not only learned to grasp the meaning of both subjects, but he gained something even greater, something he valued most highly--his grandfather's respect. Children can never have too many people in their lives who they admire and respect.
Not only was his grandmother his grandfather's other half, she was known to value education very highly, even choosing to return to college to earn a Master's in Fine Arts when she was in her 60's. She thoroughly enjoyed her sabbatical from dentistry during her second career as Art Anchor in the Sun Room where she introduced Nathan and countless others to the joy of artistic self expression.
Perhaps one of Jean and Hy's greatest legacy's lies in the way they acted as a couple, as a team. They shared leadership roles at Temple Sholom, taking on serious responsibilities while at the same time creating good humor and fun. Whenever possible, they acted together, performing as Medieval royalty as well as Russian samovars! The energetic couple organized trips to share Jean's love of museums and ballet and Hy's passion for horses. Even at the Hallmark Senior Living Center, they held office, organized book clubs and did play readings, making many friends along their way.
This memorable team had their greatest impact on their closest teammates, their family members. They modeled patience, acceptance, devotion, generosity, forgiveness, and most of all, love. Jeff and I were married in their backyard, 34 years to the day of his father's passing. We have tried to live a life they would be proud of and have found their lessons of teamwork to have been invaluable. Thirty-two years ago, Jeff and I pooled our personal talents to create a school that we hoped would reflect the spirit expressed in the poem Jeff wrote for our wedding invitations (which of course had a sun on them!):
"Two flames dancing beneath the sun
have come together to burn as one"
As the years have passed, many truly gifted teachers have joined our Sundance team. We recently celebrated our dear Ms. Nellie's 30th year, remembering that Dr. Tobey introduced her to us as "a keeper"! We feel so fortunate to have been on the same team as so many of our wonderful long time staff members. They, like Jeff's parents, have served as inspiring role models. Thousands of children and parents, and hundreds of new teachers and assistants have benefited from their influence and gone on to influence thousands of other lives in turn.
Jean and Hy always welcomed new additions to the family. Adoptions, second marriages, new arrivals, all were unconditionally accepted and their unique ingredients added to the family soup. As we prepare to begin our 32nd school year, we reflect on the contributions of all the talented and enthusiastic people that have been part of our Sundance team over the years. Once again this year we hope you will join us in welcoming some newcomers to our veteran team. Postcards from your child's particular team of teachers will go out in late August, and we look forward to a new year full of wonderful traditions and lots of great new ideas.
We also look forward to Jeff's return after what has been a very challenging year. We are pleased to say his health is much improved, and we thank all of you whose thoughts and prayers helped him during this difficult time.
Last but certainly not least, we want to give a special thanks to our son Lee for joining us this year to renew and expand our Sundance website. We want to thank him and all of you for being a part of the Sundance team. We look forward to hearing from you and promise to write often! Thank you so much!
posted by Janet McNally at
12:53 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home