Tom Kent '72 and Lucas Merrow '81 Celebrated at Hilltop Honors Event

Read more about the celebration of Tom Kent '72 and Lucas Merrow '81 at this year's Hilltop Honors event.
Lucas Merrow ‘81 - Trustee Emeritus
Speech by Jim Hamilton, Head of School

It is my great honor to name Lucas Merrow, a Graduate of 1981, a Trustee Emeritus. The title of Trustee Emeritus, which is conveyed by the current board of trustees to former trustees, recognizes exemplary service to the school. He and his wonderful wife Robin are parents of three graduates: Sophie ‘11, Jane ‘13, Martha ‘17. Lucas was a tremendous and engaged student while at BA: President of senior class, valedictorian, played varsity soccer, baseball and lacrosse. In 1981 he won the German, Chemistry, Mathematics, Headmaster’s Award, among others. He was also the treasurer of the Abbreviated Cravat Society. Lucas served as a trustee from 2007-2017 and has been a loyal and active Innovation Celebration panelist year after year. Last year, Lucas welcomed Berwick students to his company Mobius Mobility and has sat on our most recent campaign committee. 

From former Head of School, Greg Schneider, "When I think about my partnership with Lucas Merrow on the Board of Trustees at Berwick, I can't help but bifurcate what he has meant to the institution and what he has meant to me. For Berwick, I believe he represents that very best of the school's ideals as a student, parent, alumnus, and trustee: passion, intellect, creativity, empathy, vision, and gratitude. He absolutely embodies Berwick's cherished combination of virtue and useful knowledge. When I consider progress we made in areas like innovation, financial aid, and simply telling the Berwick story more thoughtfully, Lucas was central to all of it. On a personal level, his wisdom made a permanent imprint on my own story. Our time together reflecting on life as a CEO, prodding my own leadership style, building out a leadership team, and considering the future of education in general all inform the way I lead and live today. I will also never forget the one special day I was able to witness him fully in his element - absolutely shredding the iciest ski slope I have seen. Like most things for Lucas, he acted like it was no big deal. It may be hard for him to accept today that this honor actually is a very big deal, and I want to congratulate him fully by saying thank you.”

Tom Kent ‘72 - Alumni Meritorious Service Award 
Speech by Jim Hamilton, Head of School

The Alumni Meritorious Service Award is awarded to a graduate of Berwick Academy who renders service to the School and its alumni through faithful and continued effort in maintaining class or other alumni activity, active stewardship of the School, participation in alumni or School affairs, philanthropy, and/or by being an ambassador of the School. 

Tom Kent, who is a member of the class of 1972, was a boarding student at Berwick from Falmouth, Maine.  To paint an immediate picture of Tom Kent it’s prudent to share with you that when we told him we wanted to honor him tonight he humbly asked to include his classmate Mike MacDonald. Tom, ever the consummate connector, has worked to bring his class together in official and unofficial ways over the years. He has hosted and helped organize reunions. One such reunion involved a spirited game of croquet that became known as the inaugural match of the Berwick Croquet Team. I am told that while Tom wasn’t the strongest athlete during his time at Berwick, he is quite good at the game of croquet and to this day holds the title of Captain of the Berwick Academy Varsity Croquet team. Not only has Tom worked to bring his class together, but he stays connected to many of them following their careers and family changes over time. If we want to know what someone from the class of 1972 has been up to, we just need to ask Tom. Tom has supported the School through his personal philanthropy to The Berwick Fund for many years. When Berwick has an initiative or event to plan, Tom is always at the top of our list to get the ball rolling. A call to Tom rarely goes unanswered, and his enthusiasm for keeping his classmates and school connected is important and meaningful. Tom was an engaged student at Berwick. Rob Howie, also of the class of ‘72, told us that while at Berwick  "Tom was always considered the brilliant one out of our class - we always knew Tom was going places. He stood out among his classmates as someone who was most likely to succeed at a time when most of his classmates weren't likely to.” Rob also shared that while he was a student, “Tom broke into Fogg to get access to 'something called a computer' that was hooked up to a main frame at UNH... he was always into software, at a time when the rest of us thought software was a sports term. He was always kind of geek-ish in a really cool way, and went on to become a top software designer for NASA and have an incredible career." 
Tom has certainly had a successful career in science and software development. After graduating from Berwick he studied science at WPI and then started his own software business during the time that Apple was releasing the Macintosh computer. Making a difference in his own way, he designed and developed scientific software for Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Draper Labs and developed tools that analyze data collected by space telescopes such as Hubble and Chandra for NASA. 

In a newer adventure, Tom is spending his time cataloging the local flora of New England, as well as the Florida Everglades, the Southwest, and the Pacific Northwest. This work has turned into more than a hobby, as he plans to build a specialized camera for botanical photography. Tom is featured in our newest edition of The Berwick Today Magazine, where you can learn even more about his impressive and exciting career and life. 

I often say to our youngest alums or our soon to be graduates that Berwick Academy is only as strong as its alumni want it to be. Tom Kent is the epitome of how our students both past and present hold the school to the highest of standards and help us forge our path upward and forward. We hope that all of our alumni remain as committed to Berwick and their class as Tom has. His stewardship of the school and the Berwick community is impactful and makes this a stronger, more wonderful place. Thank you, Tom, for your efforts in keeping your class connected, especially in this 50th reunion year. We look forward to seeing and hearing from you often.
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Berwick Academy

Berwick Academy, situated on an 80-acre campus just over one hour north of Boston, serves 550 students, Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 and Post-Graduates. Berwick students are from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and several countries. Deeply committed to its mission of promoting virtue and useful knowledge, Berwick Academy empowers students to be creative and bold. Berwick strives to graduate alumni who shape their own learning, take risks, ask thoughtful questions, and come to understand and celebrate their authentic selves.