The luncheon served as the casual hub of Alumni Weekend festivities, which commenced with the induction of the 2017 Ransom Everglades Athletic Hall of Fame class on April 27 and an evening party for all alumni in the quad on April 28.

The event at the Henry H. Anderson, Jr. '38 Gymnasium followed a morning of recreation on the Ransom Campus: sailing (Townsend participated in the Alumni Regatta, sharing a boat with Michael van de Kreeke '88), soccer (the alumni squad defeated current players, 3-2), water polo (board member Andy Ansin '81 joined the game) and children's pool time and games.

Townsend introduced the Hall of Fame inductees Joshua Greenwald ’87, a swimmer and water polo player; Mark Ingraham '91, a sailor; Jessica Greenwald Ladin ’93, a swimmer and water polo player; Gordon D. Myers ’92, who played football, soccer and track; Daniel Tamayo '97, a baseball player; and coach Owen Paris.

She also announced Timothy Greenfield-Sanders '70 as the 2017 Commencement speaker.

She then summoned Oberstein-Harris to the dais, lauding her for her cheerful and unceasing devotion to the school since her days at Harvard and the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine, where she received her MD.

Oberstein-Harris, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Miami Health System and medical director of EMA Rheumatology for Modernizing Medicine, has served on RE's board of trustees and its alumni board, and has assisted with countless alumni events. She thanked the RE faculty, fellow alumni and her parents, who were in attendance.

"This is a tremendous honor for me," Oberstein-Harris said. "I want to thank my parents for giving me the gift of an RE education."

Townsend also offered alumni a glimpse into the future. She explained that RE has been working to incorporate the La Brisa property to the north of the Ransom Campus into the current Upper School. She said the school plans to repurpose the house on the property, add one additional building and take advantage of the green space the expansive land will offer. She noted that the school was continuing with its plans to build a STEM building on the current campus.

"This is all about providing opportunities to our students," she said.

Alumni Board Member Enrique Condé '97 welcomed the school's soon-to-be-newest alumni: the Class of 2017. About 20 members of the class attended, including 2017 Class Agents Michael Colonna '17, the chair; Debbie Ajagbe '17; Franklin Civantos '17; Jared Dan '17; Joon Kim '17; Gigi Parra '17; Alex Sidi '17; Harrison Tandy '17; Mya Wright '17; and Laura Zaidenberg '17.

"Know that we're here to support you," Condé said. If you ever need anything, you can reach out to us. We want to make sure you are successful in your future endeavors."

Outgoing Alumni Board Chair Ricky Stokes '94 also spoke, acknowledging the alumni who traveled the farthest to attend the event: Michele Faber '68 and Lisa Shaw '77, who traveled from Spain, and Kit Pancoast '77, who flew in from Japan. He commended the Class of '77, which had raised the most for The Fund for RE with $47,000, and the Class of '97, which stood in the lead with 48-percent participation and 65 total annual-fund gifts.

Stokes also recognized Tom Mestepey '91, the chair of The Fund for RE, and Lisa Sayfie '91 and Vanessa Chartouni de la Serna '90, alumni board members who helped prepare for Alumni Weekend.

"It means so much to the school," Stokes said, "that alums come back and show their support for their classmates, the school and teachers."

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