Robert H. Matton

Remarks to the School Sunday Evening
January 19, 2003

Hotchkiss hasn’t been quite the same since Andrew graduated, and it definitely is not the same now since his death. Andrew was a great citizen of the School. He had a big heart, a great sense of humor, and a huge circle of friends. Snapshots of his time at Hotchkiss click easily into focus. Andrew, known to his close associates as “The Dogg” or just “Dogg,” making announcements in Auditoriums. Andrew on stage as a member of the Fin, Fur, and Feather Club. Andrew rooting on the hockey team in Schmidt Rink. Andrew exulting over wins on the lacrosse field. Andrew’s senior picture in the “Names and Faces,” where he appears not once but twice, first as Andrew Dwyer and then as Sean Dwyer. Andrew befriending faculty children. Andrew laughing. And Andrew reveling in the companionship of his friends. To be sure, Headmaster’s photo albums are inevitably incomplete. Much must be left to the imagination—the spring trips to Florida, the pranks in Dana, and the life at Yale.

Fortunately, his friends and family have captured these memories, and they will live on forever.

As wonderful as it was to behold Andrew’s exterior exuberance, his serious side and sensitive side could not be missed. He took things in, he looked after others, he studied, he cared, he had ambitions, and he loved his friends and family.

To have known Andrew was a treat and a privilege, and to have known even a portion of his immediate and extended family has been, and will continue to be, a huge additional privilege. The Dwyer family is as loving and energetic and positive and supportive and strong as any family can be. To be with any one of them means being embraced by the bunch, and what warm feelings those associations convey. The Dwyer’s are also a Hotchkiss family, and with them and with us Andrew’s memory rests secure.

Thank you.