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A Note from the Chairman of the Board of Governors

Saints, it's a new year, and we're off to a great start! After a refreshing winter break, our boys and faculty are back on campus and are back in the swing of things.

We've enjoyed seeing so many of you recently. Our first-ever Great Saints Dinner event was a smashing success. It was also so rewarding to see alumni at the Baseball Hot Stove Dinner and at events all over the country.

As the warm weather approaches, we have much more to look forward to. We hope you'll join us for an evening with Richard Reeves, author, "Of Boys and Men" in March, in which he'll offer thoughts on the state of boys and men in the United States and around the world. As always, we're counting the days until we see you on Reunion Weekend in May and at other spring events.

There's no place like StC, and we can't wait for what the spring has in store for everyone. Go Saints!

Yours,

Tim McCoy ’87

Chairman, Board of Governors

Register for Reunion Weekend, May 3-4, 2024

All alumni are invited for a weekend loaded with fun activities! Visit stchristophers.com/reunion for a full schedule and online registration.

Alumni Highlights

The hidden StC alumnus story behind Tom Wolfe’s “The Bonfire of the Vanities.”

Most Saints are familiar with celebrated author and alumnus Tom Wolfe ’47. His literary career and trademark white suit are legendary, and his landmark work “Bonfire of the Vanities” came to define an era. But few know the story behind fellow StC graduate Kirk Materne ’65, without whom the novel would not have been written.

The award-winning 1979 book “The Right Stuff” earned Wolfe high praise and critical acclaim. The author had become a celebrity and was known as a leading voice of “New Journalism,” which applied an engaging literary approach to nonfiction writing. A dedicated supporter of StC, Wolfe ’47 asked Materne ’65 to lunch to thank the younger Saint for a recent gift to the school. “I’d never really met him before,” said Materne, who by that time had become a successful bond salesman. “If I had, it was at one of his St. Christopher’s parties at his apartment, which usually involved just a quick drink,” he said. Over lunch at the Friar’s Club, the conversation took off.

“I asked him what he was writing about at the moment,” said Materne ’65. Only half-serious, he then suggested that Wolfe write a book about a bond salesman. Something seemed to click for Wolfe ’47, and the two began discussing a fast-paced world where financial transactions were numbered in the millions every day. Over time and subsequent introductions to other investment heavy-hitters, Wolfe ’47 began his work on his first novel, a story centered on a young banker in the ‘80s. Published in 1987, “Bonfire of the Vanities” drew on themes of class, greed, and race at a time when decadence and conspicuous consumption were very much in vogue. The main character? Sherman McCoy, who was revealed years later to have been an amalgamation of Materne ’65 and other people Wolfe ’47 had been introduced to.

The two remained friends over the years, and the author once graciously spoke at the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, where Materne’s son was attending school. “Our worlds couldn’t have been more different,” said Materne ’65. “He was in the social mix of New York about as thick as you could get, which was not my world. But this book is a part of my life. A small part, but a very wonderful part. Conversely, I became a small part of his life. We both loved St. Christopher’s. We had that in common.”

Faculty Spotlight: Billy McGuire ’85

Billy McGuire ’85 is an Upper School legend. His rapport with the students, his accessible teaching style, his work with the Richmond Fire Department and his interest in antique cars have made him one of StC’s most beloved educators.

What’s it like to be a former student and now a teacher at StC?

When I was given the opportunity to come back, it was really a mission calling for me to serve in the ways that I thought teachers had served me well. I could continue with the work that they’d done, particularly that of my ninth grade biology teacher, who I replaced and who was a friend. I was happily reunited with the School when I started my career here.

What’s the most rewarding thing about your job?

I really like pushing the kids with some abstract concept and seeing that little lightbulb go off above their heads. I get to watch them say, “Oh, that’s how it works!” That’s better than coffee in the morning for me.

You’re well-known for taking scientific principles and showing the boys how they’re expressed in everyday life. Why do you take that approach?

All of nature works in incredible ways that are beyond the theoretical. You can see it in the practical. You see it if you look at life, if you look at machines, if you look at the earth. So anytime I can connect kids with something they're familiar with but explore the science behind what they’re seeing, I think that’s really fun.

Favorite StC memory?

I generally don’t look to the past, I’m a forward-looking guy. We all, in our everyday lives, strive to do our best. If you take care of the little things, the big things tend to take care of themselves. I like getting notes and feedback and hearing from former students. I got a note from a student at the end of the year that said, “Mr. McGuire, this has been a great year and you’re a great teacher and advisor. I’ve come to realize that you were right about study hall (I did need that extra time to study.) Congratulations on your new baby boy. Hopefully, he’ll turn out as good as I did (just kidding).”

To wrap things up, a light question: What's your favorite dining hall dish?

I go to breakfast every morning and see my colleagues, and it’s been like that for 32 years. It’s always over a plate of eggs – scrambled, poached, boiled or fried. We’re all there together, and that’s the way to start a good day at work.

How It Started...How It’s Going

THEN: Will Hardy ’06 and, Elliott Jones ’06 with their Saints 5th grade basketball (coached by their parents).

NOW: Jones and Hardy are joined by classmate Malcolm Hines ’06 before the Hardy-coached Jazz took the court against the Rockets.

Great Saints Alumni Dinner Recap

The Great Saints Alumni Dinner, the first of its kind was held on November 3, 2023 and was a smashing success. The evening event honored the Class of 1964, Donald McEachin '79 (posthumously), Thomas Valentine '76 and Will Hardy '06 for their outstanding achievements and longstanding commitment to our school. Thanks to the Alumni Board for an amazing night! See photos here.

Save the Date for this year’s

Great Saints Alumni Dinner - November 15, 2024!

Please submit nominations for the four awards that celebrate and honor this alumni community.

The St. Christopher's Fund Update

Thank you to the following alumni classes who are leading the way in Annual Giving!

Please consider making an annual gift to The St. Christopher’s Fund

for FY24 (July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024).

Save the Date for Richard Reeves

Save the date for an evening with Richard Reeves, author, "Of Boys and Men", on Wednesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. Reeves will offer thoughts on the state of boys and men in the United States and around the world and will engage with St. Christopher's students on a variety of topics.

This event is sponsored by The Center for the Study of Boys and supported in part by the John Sidney Davenport IV ’60 Memorial Fund, The Class of 1966 Speakers Fund, The Class of 1956 Leadership Endowment and The Class of 2006 Leadership Endowment.