F. Warren McFarlan P'92

“Crew gave Elizabeth focus, teamwork, and resilience under pressure,” says her father, F. Warren McFarlan, the Albert H. Gordon Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. “These skills have served her well; her career as vice president of Human Resources at Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco is based on what she learned in the classroom and on the river. Winsor was the perfect place for her.”

His daughter is not the only woman in his family to attend Winsor. Before her, Mr. McFarlan’s mother, Ethel Warren McFarlan ’26 and his sister, Ethel McFarlan Hamann ’58 spent those often transformative secondary school years on Pilgrim Road. “We’ve had someone attending Winsor under three of its seven heads of school,” he says. And although his grandchildren are boys and will not bring another generation of family to Winsor, the McFarlans’ involvement in the school will continue to make a mark.

Mr. McFarlan served two terms on the Winsor School Board, and he and his wife have been generous donor for many years. They made a significant gift to make Winsor’s boathouse possible, and have included Winsor in their estate plans.

“Philanthropy is a life-long endeavor, and I believe strongly in the importance of education,” he says. Mr. McFarlan has spent 37 consecutive years on secondary school boards, including Winsor’s board and that of Milton Academy, his alma mater. “Philanthropy is the absolute life blood of a non-profit. Without securing financial giving, the physical and curricular backbones of the school cannot stand tall; you cannot expand on and grow the programs and facilities that set your school apart.” Mr. McFarlan even wrote a book called Joining a Nonprofit Board: What You Need to Know to help board members of nonprofit organizations achieve an organization’s overarching mission, attain financial sustainability, and develop and execute the systems needed to accomplish both.

Being an ambassador and champion of Winsor for more than 25 years is incredibly important to Mr. McFarlan. “Giving is a tangible way to say thank you to all that Winsor has given to our family,” he says. Like the eight rowers and their coxswain, each member of the boat has to do her part to win the race.