Husky Profile: Jeff Glidden '68

Hometown: Lynnfield, MA

Current hometown: Boxborough, MA

Career: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Parametric Technology Corporation in Needham, MA

College and Major: Union College (B.S.); Harvard Business School (M.B.A.)

Years at NHS: 1964-1968

Jeff's Background... After New Hampton, I attended Union College and earned a B.S. in engineering and economics. After working at GE for several years, I went to graduate school and received an M.B.A. at Harvard. During college I dated my wife, JJ (then girlfriend), who was a student at Skidmore College. After she worked for the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene (do you remember “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”?), she too returned to graduate school and received her Ed.M. from Harvard in Early Childhood education. We have had a great life together with our three children: Chris, Emily and Tim, along with a daughter-in-law, Kristen (Chris’s wife) and two grandchildren, Wes (two years old) and Rosie (four weeks old). We all enjoy kayaking and sailing at the beach (Granite Point) in Maine, and while we are in Maine, most summers, we reconnect with PM Costello and his family in Ogunquit.

Experience as a Reunion Volunteer: As a reunion volunteer, we had a fun team including Rick Peyser, John Romagna, Dean Jacobson, PM Costello, and Phil Sawyer. We got started early, last fall, and had fun working together. Being part of the Reunion Committee has been a great way to stay in contact with many of our classmates and friends and past faculty like Skip Howard, Tom Diehl, Bud and Jinga Moore, and Lou Genere. It also allowed us to get to know the current faculty and staff. The School looks great, the food much improved over the past 45 years, and I would characterize the current faculty and staff, led by Andrew Menke P'12, '16, to be very high energy with a clear vision for New Hampton School and its students.

A Highlight of Reunion 2013: A highlight of our Reunion in June was actually attending history class (Who fired the first shot?) in the new Pilalas Center. The classroom was packed and we were asked to read multiple writings which recounted the battle of Lexington from different points of view, including that of a minuteman, a British officer a Yale Historian, and a 1970’s United States History text book. A debate quickly ensued as to what “really” happened, and the answer is that we will never know. This classroom experience gave us a clear view into the character of the current faculty, the difference points of view presented on the same event, and how a lively discussion and debate enhances learning.

Memorable Moment: In addition, this time at Reunion in June brought back vivid memories of our classes more than 40 years ago with Skip Howard and Tom Diehl. While math was always a strong interest for me, I was a slow reader and found English difficult. During my senior year, Tom Diehl introduced us to Russian novels, including “Crime and Punishment” and “Darkness at Noon." On many afternoons I found myself in an empty classroom in Meservey Hall reading Russian novels, and I actually got an A- in senior English with Tom Diehl. To this day I still read a great deal and have a continuing interest in historical novels. As a four-year boy at New Hampton, I was also able to take a total of six math classes at New Hampton School, including Geometry and Algebra IV (Vectors and Matrices) with Skip Howard. I have continued to rely heavily of my mathematical interest and skill throughout my career as a CFO in a number of high technology and software companies in the Boston area.  

Athletic Highlight: Perhaps from my notes above, it is clear that I was more of a student that a jock. That said, a highlight of my athletic experience at New Hampton was playing Varsity Hockey for Coach Skip Howard with Dean Jacobson '68, Neil Stalker '68, Jim Heald '68, Bill Morton '69, Bill Ness '68, Jeff Coffin '68, and others. My recollection was that we had a .500 season, and for me playing together as a team, very much complimented our more individual learning in the classroom. And later in life as a father, I coached our sons' (Chris and Tim) hockey and soccer teams. I am hopeful now that I can now help Dean raise money for the new hockey rink.