By Cathy Zhou’ 21
The Rt. Rev. J. Clark Grew’58 and valedictorian Jack Griffin’21 will speak at this year’s Prize Day. Both speakers will give farewell addresses to the Class of 2020, and Bishop Grew will read the names of graduates when presenting diplomas.
Bishop Grew was born in New York City, and he graduated from St. Mark’s in 1958. While at St. Mark’s, he was a key member of the School's undefeated football team in the fall of 1956. He went to Harvard College and then served on active duty in the U.S. Navy for five years, including commanding the U.S.S. Constitution from 1965 to 1967. After his duty, he taught at Groton before returning to St. Mark’s as a faculty member. He severed as both Director of Admission and Assistant Headmaster at St. Mark's. He also coached the varsity basketball team to two championship seasons. Later, he received divinity degrees from Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, MA, and served in churches in Massachusetts and Illinois. In 1993, he was elected Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio. After over ten years of ministry, he retired in 2004. He served on many non-profit and educational boards and is currently a trustee of St. Mark’s. His granddaughter is current SM V Former Bannon Jones '21.
The valedictorian this year, as elected by his peers, is Jack Griffin. He is “unbelievably excited” to give an address at the Prize Day ceremony. “This moment means a lot to my classmates and the school, especially given the recent events due to COVID-19. I’m hoping to make it really special for them.” Jack is an outstanding member of the Class of 2020. He loves to participate in everything that St. Marks has to offer: he was a member of both the STEM and History Fellowship, he ran cross country and played basketball, and he founded the student-run improv group at St. Mark’s. Most importantly, he loved to play soccer in the cage and Catan with his friends. In an interview with him, he said “I’ll miss the people most at St. Marks and being on campus around such a brilliant, hard-working, and caring community. I was really overwhelmed walking down the main hallway when I had to clean out my dorm room. Even with no people and a mask covering my face I wanted to smile and stop by Mr. Vachris’ office to say hi.” He will be attending Harvard College next year, which is also the alma mater of Bishop Grew.