TyLisa C. Johnson ’13, Coach Bob "T" Tattersall, Lesley Dennis Tryon ’71, and Bruce Baganz ’69.
A Celebration of Our Alumni Awardees and Coach Tattersall
On the evening of Friday, October 3, more than 200 guests gathered in the Library Learning Commons for a night of community, music, and recognition. Guests enjoyed dinner and a lively performance from the Upper School Jazz Band. The program then turned to celebrating this year’s alumni honorees, who all let their lives speak in their own ways.
TyLisa C. Johnson ’13 (Young Alumna of the Year) — an award-winning journalist and poet, now serving as audience engagement producer at the Poynter Institute, with an impressive career spanning national outlets and public media.
Lesley Dennis Tryon ’71 (Outstanding Service Award) — a longtime Wilmington Friends School leader who has dedicated more than 30 years of service, most recently as Assistant Director of Finance, and who continues to contribute to nonprofit and community organizations across Delaware.
Bruce Baganz ’69 (Distinguished Alumnus of the Year) — a visionary in the textile arts and accomplished business and science leader, whose philanthropy and professional contributions reflect a lifetime of leadership and service.
The evening concluded with a special tribute to Coach Bob “T” Tattersall, who has been part of the Wilmington Friends community since 1968 and is widely known as Delaware’s all-time winningest high school football coach. Speakers including Head of School Ken Aldridge, former Head of School Bill Goulding, Rob Buccini ’86, and Dr. Peter Townsend ’75 recalled the impact of his decades of leadership, mentorship, and sportsmanship. In true Friends School spirit, everyone raised a toast with chocolate milkshakes from The Charcoal Pit—where Aldridge revealed that, for the month of December, the chocolate shake will be renamed the “Quaker Shake” in Coach T’s honor.
When Coach Tattersall spoke to close the evening, his words reflected what has defined his career: humility and care for others. He spoke not of his own accomplishments, but of the character, grit, and achievements of the many students and colleagues he has worked with over the years. It was a night that celebrated not only individual distinction but also the shared values of service, leadership, and community that bind Wilmington Friends School together.
“I think that the experiential leadership experience, trying all these new things, was very, very helpful for me. I knew I felt ready going to a liberal arts college after this experience [at WFS] because of that…but then I think the most important thing to me, and this is where I think it’s foundationally and morally changed who I am, is just leading with empathy.”
Colton Loeffler ’29 participated in the Ulster Project Delaware this summer, a month-long program in July where American teenagers host Northern Irish teenagers while participating in team-building activities, embarking on exciting day trips, and creating lasting friendships- all while fostering peace.
When reflecting on the history of girls’ athletics at Wilmington Friends School, one name stands as a monumental pillar of leadership, transformation, and excellence: Natalie S. “Lee” Bush. Serving the school from 1966 to 1999 as the Director of Girls’ Physical Education, teacher, coach, and grade dean, Lee spent over three decades establishing a culture of empowerment that changed the trajectory for countless female student-athletes.
Drew Milford '00 (left) and Josh Galperin '00 (center) recently returned to campus for a tour with their classmate and Head of Lower School, Chris Loeffler '00!
“It is my hope that when families think about the role of music at Wilmington Friends, they think far past just the entertainment factor of the performance, but all of the influences that music has on their child’s complete education.”
While visiting Paris, Jimmy Butterfield ’20 and Liam Hudgings ’20 enjoyed a reunion at Fête de la Musique, the global free music festival held each June 21 to celebrate the summer solstice.
1st grade teacher Sia Willie won the Black Author Award from the Black Authors Association (BAA) for her children’s book, “Liberian Rice Bread. Be on the lookout for her book as it will be featured in Times Square later this summer. Congratulations on this amazing accomplishment, Sia!
Students traveled on a WFS Language Trip to Spain, exploring the country's rich history, culture, and regional diversity through experiences in Madrid, Granada, Córdoba, Sevilla, and the small town of Dílar.
What makes our school so special? Sometimes it's the people who choose to come back. Did you know that 15 members of 2025-2026 Wilmington Friends School faculty and staff are also WFS alumni?
Former WFS art teacher and parent of alum Cynthia Mellow returned to campus this spring, stepping in as a substitute for Teacher Teal and working with students in grades 1–5.
WFS staff member Javier Rodriguez stopped by 1st grade Spanish class where he taught them a traditional Mexican song and explained the origin and history of the piñata. After this, students had a blast taking turns swinging at the piñata. Thank you, Javier!
Statement of Nondiscrimination as to Student Enrollment
Wilmington Friends School admits students of any race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students of these schools. Wilmington Friends School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin in administration of their educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs.