Every year, Woodberry Forest School’s strength and spirit are sustained by the extraordinary dedication of our alumni volunteers. These tireless leaders do far more than simply advocate for the Amici Fund; they build community, bridge generations, and inspire their classmates to invest in the future of the school. From coordinating lively class Zoom calls to spearheading friendly participation challenges, their efforts ensure Tiger connections remain vibrant. This year, we celebrate the devotion of all our volunteers and spotlight several individuals and classes whose exceptional teamwork reached new heights.
Peter Moore ’21, James Horne, Bobby Horne ’96, Christian Burke ’72, Henry Waller ’86, Elizabeth Hobbs, and Whit Hobbs ’14 participated in a service event held at Meatloaf Kitchen.
Christian Burke ’72 — New York Chapter Board Member
When Woodberry’s regional chapters began organizing service events, Christian Burke ’72 knew the perfect place for the New York Chapter to start: Crossroads Community Services, an organization that provides warm meals, healthy groceries, and safe shelter.
The initiative was deeply personal for Christian. Crossroads operates out of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, where Christian, a former vestry member, has served as leader of the greeters and ushers for the past seventeen years.
“In that work, I encourage our team with a Buddhist saying: ‘If you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your path,’” he said. “I think that makes sense for our own service, too.”
As a New York Chapter board member since 2012, Christian has helped channel that same spirit into Woodberry alumni gatherings, organizing multiple service events at Crossroads and other local organizations. For him, it’s a way to honor his family’s alumni legacy and put into practice the core philosophy of J. Carter Walker.
“I love what Mr. Walker said: ‘We try to teach our boys that education is training for service to others rather than for success for one’s self; to give rather than to get.’ That’s still true today.”
Galen Green ’05 — Class Volunteer
For more than a decade, the class of 2005 has shown stalwart support for Woodberry, giving to the Amici Fund at a rate above seventy percent for eleven years in a row.
Throughout that run, Galen Green has served as a class volunteer. This year he stepped up and served as captain of this talented group to ensure 2005 would again have impressive results as a class.
“When I started, the group of guys that were already volunteering were all good buddies of mine, so I saw it as an opportunity to be in touch with them more often while also getting to be in touch with guys I might not otherwise talk to as much,” Galen said. “I still see it that way, which is why I’ve stayed active.”
The 2005 volunteers hold group planning calls each fall and again before OneWoodberry, which allows them to divide up the work based on each person’s availability that year.
Much of the fun of working as a class volunteer, Galen noted, comes from the willingness of so many 2005 alumni to reconnect with classmates and support a school that has given them so much.
“Woodberry creates tight-knit classes naturally, but I think that 2005 is an outlier in terms of how strong our friendships are. Our first full day on campus was September 11, 2001. Going through that generation-defining tragedy while simultaneously adjusting to a whole new life at Woodberry was such a unique introductory experience, and I think that really made our class more cohesive from the start,” he said. “While we’re all united by the broader Woodberry experience, we’ve been really lucky on the ’05 team to have most of the various smaller groups that are more regularly in touch represented at the volunteer level. That’s allowed us to coordinate outreach more effectively and has made the process a lot more rewarding over the years.”
Jojo Beal ’21 — Reunion Spotlight
The class of 2021, like students before and after them, spent their third- and fourth-form years looking forward to the opportunities and responsibilities that come with being a fifth or sixth former. With so many of those milestone events disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, this spring’s Reunion Weekend held even more importance for the group.
Jojo Beal ’21 led a group of class volunteers to ensure the weekend became a memorable moment. “Since we missed out on so much due to the pandemic, we jumped at the opportunity to reconnect as a class and experience Woodberry as alumni,” he said.
Sixty-eight members of the class returned in April, with many of them staying together in two local residences. In addition to the weekend’s itinerary, the class of 2021 enjoyed a special gathering at The Residence with Headmaster Byron Hulsey ’86.
“I’m smiling just thinking about it, because for many guys it was their first time back on campus since graduation,” Jojo expressed. “Bill Robertson and the alumni and development team chartered a bus to take us back and forth, and each night everyone gathered at those two houses. Late at night after everything died down, we talked and shared stories about college, our new jobs, and adjusting to life. These were some of my favorite parts of the weekend. I truly value our class and our perseverance through the challenges of the pandemic. For those who were unable to attend, please know you were missed; I hope to see the number of attendees grow in future years. Thank you to everyone who played a role in helping us create such great memories this past April!”
Members of the class of 1981, including Jon Walker, Wyn Jamison, Joe Lucas, Bleecker Seaman, Rob Jiranek, Tom Spong, and Hense Bennett
Class of 1981 — Reunion Spotlight
For former Woodberry roommates Tom Spong and Bleecker Seaman, serving as class volunteers was primarily about connection and bringing old friends back into the fold. To reach beyond their usual circles, they expanded their committee over time to six dedicated volunteers. “Everyone who went to Woodberry had at least one memorable and positive experience that molded them into who they are today,” Tom reflected. “It’s about figuring out how to connect to that positive experience and get them reengaged.”
From organizing pre-reunion golf outings in Charlottesville to injecting humor into their campaign emails — like playfully holding classmate Rob Jiranek to a promised Cuthbert Lamb clog dance if they hit their participation goal for a matching gift offered by class volunteer Jon Walker — Tom and Bleecker made reengaging with the Forest both personal and fun. The class tied its participation record three years ago and set new ones the past two years. “It has been really gratifying to see the level of commitment and enthusiasm from the class of 1981. Our volunteers have been purposeful and creative in reengaging classmates that have been disconnected from Woodberry, one classmate at a time.”
The pair is passing the torch to new class volunteers after a warm send-off at their forty-fifth reunion, leaving behind a revitalized class already looking toward their fiftieth. A historic gift is in the works; so, presumably, is Rob’s clog debut. As Bleecker put it: “We’re hoping we can get to more than 70 percent participation for our fiftieth reunion. We’re all lucky to have gone to Woodberry, and frankly, lucky to be able to celebrate anything fifty years out.”
Arthur Bryant ’09 — Capital Chapter President
During DC Day, an all-school trip that began in 2025, sixth formers have the opportunity to meet with alumni who call the region home. Arthur Bryant ’09, a long-time Capital Chapter volunteer and the son of two Woodberry alumni (Bridget Bresee Bryant ’83 and Arthur Bryant ’82), has played an instrumental role in helping to organize this networking opportunity.
“It’s been great to help students learn about what Woodberry relationships look like after high school and especially after college as you start your career, and to show them what it means to maintain relationships with the Woodberry community.”
Arthur, who has worked as a Congressional staffer for the last twelve years, also helps organize regular gatherings of Tigers who work in politics. The group tries to gather once a quarter and has grown from a handful of young staffers to include alumni from a wide range of ages and career fields who intersect with politics, government, or policy. Arthur sees these gatherings, like the DC Day events that help sixth formers prepare to become alumni, as ways for alumni to continue to shape and support each other.
“Woodberry is not just a prep school for college,” he notes. “It’s preparing you for life, to be out in the world and making a difference.”
Chuck and Laura Thompson P’21 ’23 ’26 — Sixth-Form Parents’ Gift Committee Members
Zan ’23, Charlie ’21, Malcolm ’26, Laura, and Chuck Thompson on Amici Night 2023
We were definitely one of the new families wandering around the bonfire, thinking to ourselves, what exactly is happening? laughed Laura Thompson, in remembering one of her and her husband Chuck’s first visits to campus in 2017.
Now, as they reflect on nine years as Tiger parents, their third son Malcolm’s graduation, and the experiences their boys have shared with one another and classmates, it is difficult to imagine not dropping them off on campus this fall.
“It’s interesting to think about all the things that have changed but also to recognize that so many things haven’t,” Laura said. “It’s comforting that there are many things that stay constant at Woodberry.”
The Thompsons first considered boarding schools as they prepared to return to Charlotte after living and working in Hong Kong.
Charlie, their eldest, was interested in being part of a small, close-knit school community. After Laura visited campus, she was convinced Woodberry would be a great place for him.
Chuck had previously worked with Ted Garner ’81, and the experience of his son Teddy Garner ’16 was influential for Charlie, who enrolled as a member of the class of 2021 and was followed by his brother Zan ’23.
“We value the way Woodberry boys learn to comport themselves and interact with the people they encounter; it’s just different than their peers at home,” Chuck said.
As their appreciation for Woodberry grew, so did their commitment to supporting the school. They served on Woodberry’s advisory council for two years and on the Sixth-Form Parents’ and Grandparents’ Gift Committee for the 2025–26 school year.
“It’s been really interesting and beneficial to better understand the inner workings of the school,” Chuck said. “The advisory council has several alumni who are parents, and they are obviously doubly committed to Woodberry, but I also loved hearing perspectives of alumni who have daughters or whose children are younger.”
With Malcolm headed to Colby College (his parents’ alma mater), Zan at Tulane University, and Charlie working in Chicago, Laura and Chuck will be making fewer visits to campus, but they will always carry Woodberry with them.
“Neither Chuck nor I attended boarding school, so it was a somewhat extraordinary experience to send our children away to school. I will admit that the day we dropped off our oldest son, I was very anxious and teary. What I found over the weeks, months, and years that followed was that it was incredibly special to see our boys develop relationships with peers, but more importantly with adults on their own. Seeing the boys navigate the world of Woodberry with the guidance and support of their advisors, teachers and coaches — independent of us — was a remarkable experience as a parent.”
Whether sparking friendly competitive rivalries or simply checking in on old classmates, our volunteers are the heartbeat of Woodberry. We extend our deepest gratitude to every volunteer who helps keep our community strong, connected, and committed to paying the Woodberry experience forward.