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Issue: November 2009

Peak Profile: Marc Webb '96

 It’s been a great summer for Marc Webb ’96. His film “(500) Days of Summer” has been one of the biggest releases of its type (small-budget, debut director) this year. “It’s what’s called a ‘platform release,’ which is a system for distributing small films and relying on word of mouth for marketing. The movie has done really well,” said Marc, who has been on the road most of the summer, traveling to film festivals all over the country to screen and promote the film. “Promoting the film has taken longer than it took to shoot,” he said. “(500) Days” was about three and half years in the making, but took…

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Issue: November 2009

Peak Profile: Henry Doyle '73

 Americans exchange seven billion greeting cards each year. That number would be a lot lower if Henry Doyle ’73 put down his pen. Henry is an Episcopalian priest and chaplain at Shattuck-­St. Mary’s, a prep school in Faribault, Minn. He has worked at the school for 20 years, and for almost that long, he has sent greeting cards — tens of thousands of them — noting birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, births, and deaths. Every Christmas, he sends out more than 2,000 cards. It’s a practice Henry says he is proud to continue; one that started innocently enough. “My first year here, I had about 150 students,” he says. “I decided to…

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Issue: November 2009

Peak Profile: Barbara Putnam Coyne '56

 Today, Barbara lives in Flagstaff, Ariz., where she still finds time to teach in retirement. This time around, she’s teaching life lessons. Barbara participates in an all­-volunteer program called Elder Wisdom Circle. Based in the San Francisco Bay area, Elder Wisdom Circle provides free and confidential advice. Elders, who range in age from 60 to 105 years, offer their advice to anyone who asks, on any topic. Most who request it are between the ages of 15 and 35 years. Barbara became involved in the program five years ago after reading about it in AARP’s magazine. She says she was attracted to it because it would allow her to use…

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