Waynflete is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 Drake Award and the 2023 Klingenstein Alumni Award. We will be celebrating these exceptional members of our community during Reunion Weekend on May 19.

Elizabeth Barrett P’14, ’17
2023 Drake Award Recipient

Waynflete is pleased to announce that Elizabeth Barrett P’14, ’17 is the recipient of the 2023 Drake Award.

In 1976, Emerson and Ping Drake, parents of four former Waynflete students, received a special honor for their service to Waynflete. Emerson had served on the board of trustees for 16 years, the last several as president. Ping was active within the Waynflete community, volunteering in many areas of the school. They were recognized by the board with the award that now bears their name. Ping was also made an honorary Waynflete alumna. We honor their example and their memory by presenting the Drake Award each year.

Elizabeth and her family, including children Louis Frumer ’14 and Kelley Frumer ’17, have been part of the Waynflete community since 2007. Elizabeth epitomizes the selfless and generous volunteer who keeps independent schools strong and thriving. During her time as a parent, Elizabeth was involved in every level of the Parents Association (PA). She served as vice president, president, and member-at-large, was a class parent several times, and chaired the Friends of the Library and the Welcome Committee. She and her husband, John, created the PA Diversity Committee and also served on the Senior Gift Campaign Committee during their children’s respective senior years. The two are also members of the Ruth Cook Hyde 1910 Circle, the planned giving society at Waynflete.

Elizabeth volunteered at numerous admission events, accompanying many a division director on their “Discover Waynflete” tours and offering insights to prospective parents. She was always willing to help. More than one facilities staff member commented that she was a “worker,” setting up chairs and tables and never leaving until the event breakdown was complete. Elizabeth has remained a loyal volunteer and staunch supporter of Waynflete in the years since her children graduated. She is a founding member of Waynflete’s Parent Admission Network and continues to serve on that group, one of a handful of parents who have stayed on to provide an invaluable perspective on their children’s education.

The entire Waynflete community expresses its deep appreciation to Elizabeth Barrett for everything she has given to our school.

Susana Hancock ’03
2023 Klingenstein Alumni Award Recipient

Waynflete is pleased to announce that Dr. Susana Hancock ’03 is the recipient of the 2023 Klingenstein Alumni Award.

Waynflete’s board of trustees established the Klingenstein Award in 2019. The award is rooted in our mission, which calls for responsible and caring participation in the world. Through the Klingenstein Award, we seek to recognize one Waynflete alumnus/alumna per year whose responsible and caring participation in the world—at the local, national, or international level—has had broad and positive ramifications. The award is named for its first recipient, Patricia Davis Klingenstein ’47, in recognition of her work as an education advocate, devoted community leader, volunteer, and philanthropist.

Susana Hancock is an internationally recognized polar climate scientist and linguist, working at the nexus of science and global risk within the climate crisis to effect change at the global level. She is a delegate to the United Nations’ Conference of the Parties and other climate conferences, an expert reviewer with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and co-chaired an Arctic working group for the UN International Oceanographic Commission to launch the Decade of Ocean Science. She now heads up a global team that is researching the socio-geopolitical impacts of the climate crisis in the polar regions. In her day job, Susana leads a worldwide science team that takes action on the polar climate crisis, especially as it relates to global risk, to international events and negotiations. She has been invited to speak at international TED events, UN conferences, and other global forums.

As a researcher, Susana contributes policy papers, articles, and book chapters on a variety of subjects related to Arctic climate science and global policy on the urgency of climate action. She serves as president of the International Association for Polar Early Career Scientists, which provides mentorship, publication, and research opportunities in polar and environmental disciplines. In 2022, Susana was the recipient of Connecticut College’s Harriet Buescher Lawrence ’34 Prize, which recognizes alumni who are leaders in improving society or inspiring others for good.

Susana is a former internationally competitive rower, has played cello with chamber ensembles and orchestras in New England and Scandinavia, and is fluent in five languages. She lives part time in Maine, where she is the incoming vice president of Democracy Maine, writes an environment column in the Maine Sunday Telegram, and sits on the RSU5 school board. From coaching Waynflete’s rowing team to moderating alumni lunch-and-learn programs to authoring articles in our annual magazine, Susana also continues to be a dedicated and essential member of the Waynflete community.