Enjoy these words by Joan Countryman, the keynote speaker at a community event prior before Fair 2012.
She was an Indian Brook & Tamarack Farm camper from 1952-55, then staff at IB and F&W 1957, ‘58, ‘59, & ‘61. She was the first African-American graduate of Germantown Friends School and earned her bachelor’s degree from Sarah Lawrence College, a master’s degree from Yale, and was a Fulbright Scholar at the London School of Economics. She went on to be a math teacher and Assistant Head at Germantown Friends School. She was the Interim Head of the Atlanta Girls’ School, Head of the Lincoln School in Rhode Island, and then the Interim Head of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. She is currently the Chair of the Board for Rhode Island Public Radio.
Countryman is a former F&W Board member and is a current member of the F&W Visitors’ Circle.
She is a parent of Matthew Countryman (Camper TL ‘75-‘77, TF ‘78-‘79, Staff TL ‘82 & TF ‘86, and former Board member) and Rachel Countryman (Camper IB ‘76-‘78, TF ‘80-‘81, and Staff IB ‘83-‘85).