Karen Hoskin ‘86 left the comforts of her rural Maine milltown in the fall of 1985 and arrived on Proctor’s campus as a first year senior. Familiar friends, coaches, and family, were replaced by countless unknowns, but she was confident the journey on which she was about to embark would change her life. She was right. As her 30th Proctor Reunion approaches, Karen reflects on her journey since Proctor; one that led her to Williams College, to working in an enlightening, albeit unsuccessful, political campaign, to living off the grid with her husband for ten years, to a successful career as a brand builder, and most recently, to starting her own craft distillery in Crested Butte.  

Proctor Academy's history is far from glamorous, however, it is filled with stories of individuals whose creativity, determination, and commitment to Proctor's mission helped shape the school into what it is today. As we celebrate Women in History Month during March, we wanted to highlight a few of the many women who were influential in Proctor's evolution as well as celebrate the young women who are making the most of their Proctor experience today! 

Greg Mickle ’96 knew he liked math from an early age. In elementary school, it came naturally to him, and as he entered high school, he knew he wanted to be an engineer. His journey through four years at Proctor and twenty years since made that dream come true, but he has found being an engineer is far more than working with numbers.

There are few people who have been a bigger cheerleader for Proctor Academy over the past sixty years than Artie Pratt '56, former captain of the Proctor football team. Not only has Artie hosted Proctor events at his home in Naples, Florida, championing all that is Proctor to anyone who will listen, but he has also shaped student lives on campus through his steadfast commitment to Proctor Athletics, and especially the Proctor Football program. 

When we pause and look at our lives, it is fascinating to see how various events unknowingly prepared us for where we are today. As Annie Waterman ‘00 embarks on a new venture AOW Handmade, an international consultancy connecting artisans and buyers around the globe, she sees how each step in her journey prepared her for this new adventure.

Proctor’s experiential roots run deep. While many of our alumni stories focus on the current careers of alumni within the past thirty years, recently, Dick Day, Jr. ‘42 responded to an alumni newsletter with his story. It is not often we are able to share a student’s journey through Proctor from this era, so we jumped on the opportunity.

Proctor Academy is quite a special place for me and my family. Proctor was first introduced to us through a close family friend, Sawyer Meegan ‘14. Sawyer encouraged me to join him during the summer before my junior year for pick-up soccer on Carr Field. Alan McIntyre immediately welcomed me and introduced me to the rest of the group, which included Proctor alumni, current students, faculty, and friends of the school. The warmth of the community was obvious; it was like returning home to family.

The Proctor community is the best. Period. We know we may possess a bit of bias, but time and time again we are reminded of the strength of this community as we attempt to navigate the messy, painful reality of life. Tuesday afternoon was another powerful reminder of why we choose to live, work, and learn within the Proctor family.