A Fond Farewell
These two retiring staff members have left lasting impressions on Concord Academy
Don Kingman
Director of Campus Planning, Design, and Construction
It’s not often this community bids farewell to someone who has so thoroughly—and literally—shaped the school. Over 31 years of living and leading at CA, Don Kingman’s responsibility for the campus and its operations encompassed care for the community.
Shep Shepard, director of major and planned giving, calls his mentor a “consummate communicator, always open to suggestions,” and a natural relationship-builder with everyone from contractors to trustees. Kingman “touched every square inch of this campus,” Shepard adds. “He always thought about how these spaces sing together, and how the community could benefit.”
Before coming to CA, Kingman earned a master’s degree in higher education administration, worked in college residential life programs, and directed planning and property management for Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont. When he was hired in 1994 as CA’s director of operations, he assumed responsibility for a campus in need of renewal.
Kingman oversaw capital planning, physical plant maintenance, security, and, initially, other facets of school life, including food services and summer camp, before narrowing his focus in 2017 to complete an ambitious campus transformation. During his tenure, he supervised renovations of student houses, faculty residences, the Student-Faculty Center, the Performing Arts Center, the Student Health and Athletic Center, CA Labs, and the J. Josephine Tucker Library. He also oversaw the construction of Moriarty Athletic Campus and the new West Campus and Centennial Arts Center, whose Kingman Support Shop is a tribute to his unassuming influence.
“I’ve looked at myself as a steward of this property, and I’ve tried to shepherd it for future generations,” Kingman says. Conscious of setting a tone of collective responsibility with students, he supported their initiatives, never taking himself too seriously (he even lip-synched in a music video to encourage energy conservation).
Chief Financial and Operating Officer Amy Miller-Fredericks P’20 says that above all, Kingman has been a great partner: “Don developed such deep connections within the town and here at CA. He was always available to help, making sure everybody was safe, asking what would be good for the students.”
Former Head of School Tom Wilcox P’01 says, “Easily one of my best hires and closest partners, Don exemplifies the CA standard of excellence and common trust. He loves and is loved by every member of the community. He has brought all perspectives to the creation of CA’s uniquely beautiful and efficient campus. He joins the pantheon of CA greats.”
Speaking at Convocation in September 2024, Kingman reflected on common trust, the intentional work of building community, and the “tugboats” who quietly support the school. He likened CA to a stone wall whose integrity depends on every rock: “This is not unlike how all of us arrive at CA as individuals—stone by stone, figuring out where we fit and how we work together as a whole.”
We have only to admire the craftsmanship of the stone walls in Academy Garden to think of him.
John McGarry
Director of Financial Aid, Associate Director of Admissions
Over his 27 years at CA, John McGarry P’22 ’23 developed a financial aid program prioritizing experiential equity, which became a model for other independent schools. McGarry recognized that ensuring all students have the same opportunities to learn, travel, and participate in sports and weekend activities was both aligned with CA’s values and essential to creating an inclusive school community. He says the ever-increasing complexity of financial aid kept him engaged and that getting to know students and parents as an “ambassador for the school” was immensely rewarding.
“John helped countless CA families navigate what can be a confusing process, always with patience, clarity, and kindness,” says Trish Saunders, associate director of admissions and financial aid. “He elevated the way we think about access, equity, and the power of education to change lives.”
She recalls McGarry’s collegiality in sharing his expertise with fellow admissions and financial aid officers at other schools and his service as a founding member of the Association of Financial Aid Officers. “He’s a true thought leader in the world of independent school financial aid,” Saunders says.
McGarry came to CA in 1998 from Woodside Priory School in Portola Valley, Calif., where he had directed residential life, taught math and economics, and coached soccer, basketball, volleyball, and baseball. Previously, he had been a ski instructor at Killington Resort in Vermont and at Breckenridge and Crested Butte in Colorado. What drew him to CA was a blend of opportunities: to promote the school, improve access, and continue to listen to and learn from students—as both an administrator and a coach.
Alongside his admissions work, building CA’s Alpine ski program was a labor of love for McGarry. Beginning in his first year with half a dozen formerly leaderless skiers, he supported decades of student-athletes through dry land training and competition. The program has had considerable success in the Central Massachusetts Ski League and the Class B New England Preparatory School Athletic Council championships. But much more important to McGarry than the banners in the gym was developing a deeply supportive team culture, he says: “Encouraging students to improve their fitness and skiing ability, learn about themselves and their teammates, keep a healthy mindset, and balance challenge and relaxation has been a massive source of enjoyment and growth.”
“The magic of this program has been John’s ability to provide a rewarding, engaging, fun, and competitive experience for each of his teams over the years,” says Athletics Director Sue Johnson P’20. “It’s been a pure pleasure to watch, and no doubt his former skiers carry many fond memories of building connection and community on the slopes.”
Saunders sums up McGarry as an “all-in CA person, deeply invested in the life of the school”—a campus resident, coach, advisor, administrator on duty, and generous maintainer of campus bikes. “John has fully shared himself, and his family, with the CA community,” she says. “He will be missed, more than words can say.”
