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In Memoriam
Dear Mr. Brower:
I am writing to inform the Board of the Storm King
School that a former Board member,
Edward M.
Docherty ’35
, has passed away, at age 95. I have
attached the obituary that will appear in the New York
and North Carolina newspapers. Ted cherished his
experiences at Storm King, and said that they changed
his life. He said, “I never thought that I was anything
special, but somebody saw something in me, and saw
fit to give me that scholarship to Storm King, and that
was the opportunity of a lifetime.”
The scholarship was for a preparatory year before
college. Prior to that year, he was somewhat shy and
seldom spoke up in class. But after his year at Storm
King, he attained a self-confidence and composure that
he retained throughout the rest of his life, helping him
to succeed professionally at the highest levels of his
chosen field.
From his own recounting of his experiences at
Storm King, it is apparent that they were the inspi-
ration for his career as an educator of children.
In
addition to being a teacher, guidance counselor, prin-
cipal, and superintendent of schools for the Washing-
tonville, NY school system, Ted was an outstanding
high school soccer coach, at one time having a streak
of 88 consecutive wins. Some of his ‘boys’ have kept in
touch over the years and still refer to him as “Coach.”
His 95
th
birthday was posted on the Facebook page of
one of the graduating classes of Washingtonville High
School, and he received many birthday cards from for-
mer students.
The announcement of his passing was also placed
on Facebook, and now a number of former students
have asked to write testimonials to his lifelong influ-
ence on them as a teacher and guidance counselor, as
well as coach. We look forward to receiving these and
will share them with the friends and family who attend
his memorial service on February 18
th
. Ted sat on the
boards of several organizations, but clearly, the dearest
to his heart was his participation as a member of the
board of the Storm King School. My mother-in-law, Bar-
bara Docherty, specifically requested that I notify the
board, and I hope that any board members or alumni
who remember him will be informed of his passing.
Sincerely,
Constance Forrest Docherty
Births
Bridgette Olivia Morris
was born to Nicole Raymond
and Ian Morris. Ian Morris is a SKS history teacher in The
Mountain Center. Bridgette was born in Middletown, NY and
came into the world weighing 5 lbs. 11 ounces. Her length was 20
inches. Bridgette and her mother are doing well.
cadets at West Point to honor
their fallen comrades.
Slowly but surely, the
program has begun acquir-
ing specialized gear which
has allowed the group to go
rock climbing in the Shawan-
gunk Mountains and skiing
in Vermont. Taras hopes to
make the program a required
class in the future so that he
can teach wilderness ethics,
camping and backpacking,
and then take a few longer
trips with the students so that
they can practice their skills.
He’s also hoping to get some
canoes so that everyone can
get into the water. “That will
open up a whole new world
for these kids,” he said.
Taras has already noticed
a change in the students who
have been taking the pro-
gram. “The level of whining
and complaining has gone
down!” he said, laughing.
“They’re realizing that this is a
good way to get some exercise
and that it’s beautiful here.
It’s great to not have to get
into a car to go hiking. When
we do get in a car, we have
world class rock climbing in
45 minutes, great skiing in an
hour. And when we do some
of these longer hikes, the
students really feel like they’ve
accomplished something.”
It may take a few years for the
current Outdoors Program
to reach the heights of years
past, but it’s gratifying to see
SKS students enthusiastically
becoming “mountaineers”
once again.
SKS students survey the Hudson River estuaries after Hurricane Irene.
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