Distinguished Alumni

Award Description

Named in honor of Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., a member of the Middlesex Class of 1920 and U.S. Senator from 1937-1944 and 1947-1953 (he served in the Army during World War II from 1944-1947), it is a great privilege of the Middlesex Alumni Association to bestow the annual Henry Cabot Lodge ’20 Distinguished Alumni Award.

The Alumni Association has created a place of permanent recognition of the Lodge Award and it’s recipients in the reception area of Ware Hall.  Here you can see a wall of wooden panels engraved with the names of all Distinguished Alumni; individuals whose lives and careers have made a significant and lasting contribution to society, and who have brought great credit to Middlesex.

Honored Recipients

The following alumni have distinguished themselves with extraordinary achievements in their respective fields. While their remarkable accomplishments have garnered worldwide recognition, they’ve also displayed the intangible values Middlesex cherishes most: engagement, leadership, dedication, and integrity.

Class R. Sunstein, Class of 1972

Cass arrived at Middlesex as a 5^th classer in 1967. While at Middlesex, he was the top student in his class, was co-editor of the Anvil, editor of the yearbook, and played varsity squash (where he went undefeated in 13 matches in 1970) and tennis. Cass went on to Harvard where he graduated in magna cum laude in 1975. He wrote for the Harvard Lampoon and played varsity squash as an undergraduate. Cass received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1978, graduating magna cum laude and having served as an Executive Editor of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review.  After law school, Cass spent one year as a clerk for Justice Benjamin Kaplan of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts and one year as a clerk to Justice Thurgood Marshall of the Supreme Court of the United States.

In 1981, Cass became an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He went on to hold various teaching positions at the school before becoming the Karl N. Llewellyn Professor of Jurisprudence at the Law School and Department of Political Science in 1988. In the fall of 2008, Cass joined Harvard Law School as the Director of Program on Risk Regulation.

In 2009, he was named to head the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs by President Barack Obama. Cass has authored nearly 50 books, including Legal Reasoning and Political Conflict, Risk and Reason: safety, law, and the environment, Why Societies Need Dissent, Simpler: The Future of Government andLiars: Falsehoods and Free Speech in the Age of Deception.

In February of 2021, Cass joined the Department of Homeland Security as an advisor to the Biden Administration on immigration policy. He is also currently the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard Law School.

Anthony K. Lake, Class of 1957

Tony graduated from Harvard after Middlesex and layer received a PhD in Public and International Affairs at Princeton. He joined the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer and worked under Henry Cabot Lodge in Vietnam.

After serving as a professor at Amherst and Mt. Holyoke, Tony was named National Security Advisor by President Clinton. He played a central role in the negotiation of cease fires in Northern Ireland in 1994, Bosnia in 1995, and Ethiopia and Eritrea in 200. Tony later served as Executive Director of UNICEF from 2010-2017.

Wanji Barrington Walcott, Class of 1987

Wanji went on to graduate from Howard University and then received a law degree from Howard University School of Law. She began her legal career at Lockheed Martin Corporation and later became a Senior Associate at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. Wanji then joined American Express, where she ascended to the role of Senior Vice President, Managing Counsel.

After serving as Senior Vice President, General Counsel at PayPal, Wanji joined Discover Financial Services where she is the Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel. She is the Board Chair for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association.

Steven J. Carell, Class of 1980

Steve Carell is a renowned actor, comedian, writer, producer and director. He left Middlesex and went on to receive a degree in History from Denison University. After performing in many productions at Middlesex and Denison, Steve decided to pursue an acting career. In 1991 Steve moved to Chicago, where he taught an improvisational comedy class and performed with the Second City Troupe, a premier comedy club, theater and school. While in Second City, Steve began to make television and movie appearances, including his film debut in Curly Sue. From 1999 to 2005, Steve was a correspondent on the television series, The Daily Show. In 2005, he landed the role of Michael Scott in the NBC sitcom The Office, a role for which he received nominations for Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actor Guild awards, each for six consecutive years. In 2016, Steve was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. To date, Steve has appeared in 37 films and has had multiple television appearances.

Patricia A. Melton Class of 1977

Patricia began working as an educator following college, working in urban school districts as varied as Seattle, Boston, Cleveland, and Indianapolis. She helped create nine different K-12 schools during her career. Patricia currently serves as the President of New Haven Promise, a place-based scholarship program collaboratively created by the City of New Haven, Yale, and the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. New Haven Promise challenges students to achieve a B average and complete 40 hours of community service in exchange for funding for college. The program continues to monitor and supports its scholarship recipients through college and at the start of their careers.

Edward P. Herter, Class of 1973

Ned Herter graduated from Bowdoin, where he majored in Classics and Math and was a member of the varsity football and lacrosse teams. After a brief stint on the faculty at Westminster, Ned returned to Middlesex in the fall of 1979 and stayed here for the next 38 years. He taught Math, coached football and lacrosse, and mentored countless graduates across four decades.

Thomas M. Bancroft, Jr., Class of 1947

Tom Bancroft graduated from Princeton after Middlesex. He then served in the U.S. Navy before becoming Executive Vice-President of Turner Halsey Co., Inc., a textile company. He later became President of Mt. Vernon Mills. He also was named Director of the National Reinsurance Corporation and served as Chairman of the New York Racing Association from 1983-1989.

Richard M. Burnes, Jr., Class of 1959

A three sport athlete who served as co-captain of the crew team as a Senior, Rick Burnes later graduated from Harvard and received his MBA from Boston University. He was a pioneer in the field of venture capital, co-founding Charles River Ventures in 1970. He has overseen the company’s development into one of the country’s major venture firms. Rick has also been active in the non-profit world, serving as Chairman of the Museum of Science and the Entrepreneurs Foundation of New England.

Judson Gooding, Class of 1944

Judson Gooding left Middlesex for Yale, where he graduated cum laude. He also received a graduate degree from the University of Paris (Sorbonne). Judson began his journalistic career as editor of The Anvil and he went on to serve as a reporter, foreign correspondent, editor, and bureau chief. His articles have appeared in magazines such as Time, Life, and Fortune, and newspapers such as the Minneapolis Tribune and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Charles Henderson, Jr., Class of 1940

After Middlesex, Charlie Henderson went on to graduate summa cum laude from Davidson College. He later received his Masters and a PhD in Classics from the University of North Carolina. He began his professional career at Chapel Hill as an Associate Professor of Classics and Dean of Student Affairs. He went on to serve as a Professor of Classical Languages and Literatures at Smith College. During his time at both institutions, Charlie was an active member of the Naval Reserve and rose to the rank of Captain.

Martin R. Hoffmann, Class of 1950

Martin Hoffmann left Middlesex for Princeton, where he graduated in 1954. He served in the U.S. Army from 1954-1956 and graduated from the University of Virginia Law School in 1961. Following stints as an assistant U.S. attorney, minority counsel for the House Judiciary Committee, and general counsel for the Department of Defense, Martin was named Secretary of the Army in 1975. He held the post until 1977. He then joined the firm of Gardner, Carton & Douglas and later became vice president and general counsel of Digital Equipment Corporation.

Hiroshi Ishibashi, Class of 1966

Hiroshi Ishibashi attended Claremont Men’s College in California for two years before completing his study at Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. He returned to Japan in 1971 and began working for his family’s business, the Bridgestone Tire Company. Over the years he was involved in various product development projects for the company.  In addition to his work with Bridgestone, he developed the AXIS Design Center, an innovative retail center in Tokyo featuring stores, a photography studio, and art galleries. This interest in art led to his involvement with the Bridgestone Museum in Tokyo and the Ishibashi Museum in Kurume. He has continued his involvement with both museums following his retirement from Bridgestone in 2012.

James L. Kugel, Class of 1963

Jim Kugel graduated from Yale in 1968 and by 1971 had written his first book, The Technique of Strangeness, about modern poetry. Following stints as a Junior Fellow at Harvard, the Poetry Editor of Harper’s magazine, a Faculty Fellow at the City University of New York, and an Assistant Professor at Yale, he was named the first Harry Starr Professor of Classical and Modern Jewish and Hebrew Literature at Harvard in 1982. Jim grew into one of the most popular professors at the school, and his course The Bible and its Interpreters became the largest course at Harvard. In 1992, he began to alternate semesters between Harvard and Bar-Ilan University in Israel, where he remains the Chair of the Institute for the History of the Jewish Bible. He is recognized as one of the world’s leading Biblical scholars, having written numerous books and articles on the subject. Kugel’s 2001 book The Bible As It Was won the Grawemeyer Award in religion for “promoting understanding between human beings and the divine.” In 2007, his book How to Read the Bible received the Everett Family Foundation Jewish Book of the Year Award.

C. Kevin Landry, Class of 1962

Kevin Landry graduated from Harvard, and went on to earn an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania.  Kevin joined the venture capital firm T.A. Assocites and four years later became general partner.  In 1983 Kevin was named CEO of the firm which under his guidance, invested in countless highly successful companies, displaying what The Boston Globe described as “the Midas touch”.  In addition to his great success in the world of finance, Kevin was a great friend to Middlesex, giving of his time and talents as the Treasurer of the Board for over 21 years.  As testimony to the strength of his commitment to the school he loved, Kevin was a driving force behind many of Middlesex’s capital projects and generously supported a wide variety of  countless initiatives throughout the school.   Kevin and his family have also been major benefactors to Harvard University, Westover School, the Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts General Hospital, UNICEF, and the Maranyundo Initiative.  The philanthropy of Kevin and his family has had a profound impact on all of these institutions and the lives of the many people associated with them.

Judge Mills Lane III, Class of 1956

Mills Lane served in the Marine Corps after graduating from Middlesex and then earned a degree from the University of Nevada at Reno. After a career as a professional boxer, he graduated from the University of Utah Law School in 1970. He became a prosecutor in Washoe County in Nevada and eventually became the District Attorney there in 1982.  In 1990, he was elected District Court Judge for the Second Judicial District Court in Reno.  In addition to his accomplishments in the legal field, Mills has also refereed more than 100 championship fights and is a member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Honorable J. William Middendorf II, Class of 1943

Bill Middendorf went on to graduate from Harvard after Middlesex and also earned an MBA from NYU. From 1969 to 1973, he served as Ambassador to the Netherlands. In 1974, he was named Secretary of the Navy, a position he held until 1977. Bill went on to serve as Ambassador to the Organization of American States and Ambassador to the European Communities.

Francis D. Millet, Class of 1936

Frank Millet attended Harvard after Middlesex, and after a brief period of teaching elementary school in New Mexico, he joined the faculty at Milton Academy in 1942 and served the school in every possible role imaginable. He taught English and Classics, coached football, baseball, and squash, and served in the Admissions Office. In recognition of his six decades of service to Milton, he was awarded the Milton Medal in 2002.

John C. Morley, Class of 1950

John Morley went on to Yale after Middlesex and was commissioned in the Navy after graduation. He then received an MBA from the University of Michigan and began his career with Exxon. In 1971, he was named President of Exxon Chemical USA and Senior Vice President of Exxon USA. After Exxon acquired Reliance Electric Company in 1979, John was named President and CEO of Reliance. He has been a volunteer for numerous education and health care groups in Cleveland since relocating there upon taking the post at Reliance.

Li Chung Pei, Class of 1968

Sandi Pei was known as the school’s best photographer while at Middlesex. He went on to graduate magna cum laude from Harvard and also received a Master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Sandi had been recognized as one of America’s preeminent architects. From 1976 to 1992, he practiced at I.M. Pei & Partners before establishing Pei Partnership Architects, where he has served as the lead architect on more than two dozen prominent buildings around the world.

John W. Red, Jr., Class of 1939

John Red graduated from Yale after Middlesex and served in the U.S. Navy in World War II. Following the war, he rose to the position of Executive Vice President at Canada Dry Ginger Ale. He then became President of the Center for Creative Leadership.  A non-profit institution committed to enhancing the understanding and effectiveness of leadership. John worked with more than 1,000 organizations a year in his role at the Center, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and educational institutions.

Dr. Ellis L. Reinherz, Class of 1968

Ellis Reinherz graduated from Harvard in 1972 and Harvard Medical School in 1975. He joined the Dana Farber Cancer Institute after a residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and serving as a hematology fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. At Dana Farber, Ellis rose to the position of Chief of the Laboratory of Immunobiology. He also serves as the Director of the Cancer Vaccine Center at Dana Farber.

The Honorable William B. Richardson, Class of 1966

Bill Richardson graduated from Tufts after Middlesex and began a long and distinguished career in public service. After working as a staff member for the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. State Department, and the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he served as a Representative from New Mexico in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983-1997. He became the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in 1997 and in 1998 was named Secretary of Energy. From 2003-2011, he served as the Governor of New Mexico.

Sydney H. Rogers, Class of 1939

Sydney Rogers graduated from Yale and entered the U.S. Navy, where he served on the U.S.S. Hart in the Western Pacific. After working in the textile and mining industries following the war, he parlayed his life-long passion for sailing into the position of Publisher of Boating Magazine. He later served as Publisher of A+ Magazine, a major computer publication when Apple Computers was atop the world of personal computing. Syd was also a founding member of the Stonington Harbor Yacht Club.

Samuel Sachs II, Class of 1953

After graduating from Harvard, Sam Sachs entered the art world, where he was the Director of the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Detroit Institute of the Arts. From 1997-2003, he was the Director of The Frick Collection in New York. While at the Frick, Sam was credited with making the museum more accessible to the public while attracting increasingly diverse exhibitions.

Edward S. Seligman, Class of 1965

After graduating from Middlesex, Ned went on to Yale, from which he graduated with a B.A. in History in 1969. He then joined the Peace Corps and has spent the majority of his life working in rural communities in Africa such as Cameroon, Somalia, Mauritania and Zaire. His work focused particularly on hydraulic construction such as dams, wells, dikes, canals and reservoirs.  Ned received a Masters in Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in 1986.  In 1993, he founded STeP Up, an NGO located in Sao Tome e Principe, a small country off the east coast of Central Africa.

STeP Up works with grassroots organizations to develop and facilitate projects for community improvement. STeP Up has built health clinics and school libraries in Sao Tome, as well as coordinated an environmental research project with the California Academy of Sciences.

Jeffrey M. Smith, Class of 1963

Jeff Smith graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and went to work in Washington for Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s Presidential campaign and later that of Senator George McGovern after Kennedy’s assassination in June of 1968. Jeff remained a Special Assistant to McGovern and worked on McGovern’s 1972 run for President. Following a stint as President of Cambridge Survey Research, a national polling firm, he returned to Washington to work as a Senior Aide for McGovern in 1977. Jeff later worked as a Senior Advisor for Senator Edward Kennedy and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, helping both Senators launch initiatives in health, education and domestic policy. He then returned to New Mexico, where he served as a Senior Advisor to the Director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Upon his return to Washington, Jeff joined the Clinton White House as policy director for two of the President’s science advisors.  He served as a Senior Aide to President Obama’s Assistant for Science and Technology, where he helps steer innovative policy developments in energy, education, national security, the environment and the economy.

Judge Sidney O. Smith, Jr., Class of 1941

Sidney Smith attended Harvard after Middlesex, where he graduated in 1947 after serving three years in the Army during World War II. He earned his law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. He was nominated by Lyndon Johnson to a seat on the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia in 1965. In 1968, Sidney was named chief judge of that same court, a position he held until 1974.

Rev. Edwin M. Ward, Class of 1945

Ed Ward went on to Emory University after Middlesex and subsequently earned a degree from the Virginia Theological Seminary. He then served as Vicar of three missions in rural Alabama until 1959, when he became Chaplain at St. Mark’s School. In 1965, he was named Headmaster of Salisbury School, where he served with distinction until 1981. Ed went on to become Headmaster at St. Stephen’s School in Alexandria, Virginia for nearly ten years and finished his career as Head of the Flint Hill School in Oakton, Virginia from 1990-1992.

The Honorable William F. Weld, Class of 1962

Bill Weld went on to Harvard after Middlesex and graduated summa cum laude. He later studied economics at Oxford and graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School. He served as counsel with the House Judiciary Committee during the Watergate hearings and was later appointed U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts. In 1986, President Reagan chose Weld to lead the Criminal Division of the Justice Department. He was elected Governor of Massachusetts in 1990 and held that office until 1997.

John Taylor Williams, Class of 1956

Ike Williams went on to graduate from Harvard and later the University of Pennsylvania Law School after he left Middlesex. He began his legal career in Boston at Haussermann, Davison & Shattuck, where he eventually became a Partner. He would later work as a Partner at Palmer and Dodge, where he co-chaired the Publishing and Entertainment Group. He was a Founding Director at the Kneerim & Williams Agency, where he has represented several renowned authors and screenplay and teleplay writers. He has lectured widely on intellectual property and entertainment law and has served on the National Endowment for the Arts Literary Panel and as Chair of the Boston Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights.