Each year, three alumnae are selected from a large and diverse group of candidates to receive one of the following honors: the Baldwin School Alumnae Award, the Award for Life Achievement, and the Distinguished Young Alumna Award. The following alumnae will be honored at the Alumnae Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 4, 2012 during Baldwin's Classes of Blue Alumnae Reunion Weekend.
Margaret J. Oxtoby M.D. '72 is the 2012 recipient of the Baldwin School Alumnae Award for her work in the study of pediatric AIDS.
Margaret grew up as a faculty child on the Bryn Mawr campus. She came to Baldwin at Grade 8. Between her third and fourth years at Case Western Reserve Medical School, she took a year off to explore what field of medicine she wanted to specialize in Internal Medicine or Pediatrics. She spent a year with varied exposures: Endocrinology at the NIH, Gastroenterology at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, Sexually transmitted diseases at the CDC and two months in Guatemala for a total immersion in Spanish; two months in a TB hospital in Bolivia.
After graduation, she had a three year residency in pediatrics at Duke then became an epidemic Intelligence officer at CDC. Very early in 1984 she began work in the AIDS program.
Margaret has long said that her five years at Baldwin were the most intellectually exciting of her whole educational experience. In particular, her intense language student at Baldwin enabled her to later communicate with physicians and other researchers with her work internationally.
J. Margaret Ada Mutch '22, will be honored posthumously for her lifetime of service to the Baldwin School and greater Main Line community as the recipient of the Award for Life Achievement during what would have been her 90th Reunion. Ada passed away on January 27, 2012, a week shy of her 107th birthday.
Ada began her long career teaching physical education at Baldwin for eight years. In 1932, she had to have her appendix removed. "I went to the hospital for a week, and had the most wonderful time," she later told The Inquirer. "I decided to become a nurse. I figured I could take care of people as I got older, but I wouldn't be able to run up and down a hockey field forever."
Miss Mutch did, indeed, go on to take care of people - for more than 70 years. She graduated from the Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing in New York and earned a bachelor's degree in nursing administration in 1941 from Columbia University. During World War II, she served in the Army Nurse Corps, overseeing military hospitals in England and Ireland. After her discharge in 1946 as a lieutenant colonel, she traveled in Asia before returning to Columbia-Presbyterian as head nurse. In 1948, she earned a master's degree in nursing from Columbia. In 1955, Miss Mutch left Columbia-Presbyterian, where she then was assistant director of nursing and assistant professor of nursing, to become director of nursing at Lankenau Hospital.
After retiring in 1970, she was a volunteer driver for the American Cancer Society. From the early 1980s until 2010, she also was a volunteer for ElderNet, a nonprofit organization serving residents of Lower Merion.
"Ada was an amazing woman," said ElderNet executive director Ruth M. Sperber. "She volunteered for ElderNet for many years as a driver, friendly visitor, officer, and personnel committee chairman."
Miss Mutch also was the inspiration for ElderNet's service delivery program, the Ada Mutch Resource Service Center, which opened in 2009.
Dorothy McCabe, retired director of ElderNet, said Miss Mutch often chauffeured people no one else would drive because they were too difficult. "She never judged anyone," McCabe said. "She was delightful, had a great sense of humor, and enjoyed life." After she gave up her driving privileges at age 98, she continued to volunteer for ElderNet, but behind a desk.
Miss Mutch emigrated to the United States in 1912 with her four siblings and her parents. Her father, the Rev. Andrew Mutch, had been appointed pastor of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. They sailed on the Caledonia when they were unable to get passage on the Titanic.
Miss Mutch was a scholarship student at the Baldwin School and received the Gym Award as best athlete when she graduated in 1922. In 2010, Baldwin presented her with an honorary white blazer, given annually to the school's best athlete. Ada also served The Baldwin School for many years, as a Trustee from 1950 to 1954 and as Council Representative for her class. The following is taken from a presentation of the Alumnae Award, presented to Ada in 1974: "Miss Mutch, you are not only Lankenau's Lady with the Lamp but Baldwin's also. You have distinguished yourself in your field with honesty and intelligence while maintaining a warmth and concern for each person as an individual. You have given generously of yourself to the community. It is our great honor to present the 1974 Alumnae Award to you, an alumna whose life has been full of light and humor and wisdom, bringing warmth and comfort and hope wherever you go."
Samie Kim Falvey '92 is the recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Young Alumnae Award for outstanding career achievement in television production and program development.
Ms. Falvey was named Senior Vice President, Comedy Development, ABC Entertainment Group, in June 2009. In this position she oversees the development and production of all comedy pilots for ABC Entertainment. She reports to Paul Lee, president, ABC Entertainment Group. Ms. Falvey has served as the head of Comedy since joining the company in April 2006.
At ABC Ms. Falvey and her team developed and helped launch the ABC Wednesday comedy block with Emmy Award-winning Best Comedy Series "Modern Family" and "The Middle". Additionally she developed sophomore sensation "Happy Endings" as well as this season's hits "Suburgatory" and "Last Man Standing" starring Tim Allen. During her first two seasons at ABC, Ms. Falvey developed "Samantha Who?" starring Christina Applegate, as well as "Miss Guided" and "Better Off Ted".
Previously Ms. Falvey was vice president of Comedy Development at Fox Broadcasting Company, where she developed “Kitchen Confidential,” with Bradley Cooper, Seth MacFarlane’s animated political satire, “American Dad,” and “Til Death.” In addition, she helped develop “The Loop” from Will Gluck and Pam Brady.
Ms. Falvey began her career with Fox in 1999 as manager of Current Programming. In this role she worked on comedies and dramas, including Emmy Award winners “The Bernie Mac Show,” "Arrested Development," “King of the Hill,” “The Simpsons” and “Ally McBeal.” She also covered Judd Apatow’s critical darling, “Undeclared,” in addition to the hit comedies “Family Guy,” “That ‘70s Show,” “Titus” and “Grounded for Life.” On the drama side she worked on Mike White’s “Pasadena” and David E. Kelley’s classroom drama, “Boston Public.”