Sara Clark '05

William McIlvaine '70, associate chairman of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles and a visiting associate professor of Clinical Anesthesiology at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, spoke to upperclassmen about alcohol use on February 17. Dr. McIlvaine, father of Julia McIlvaine '05 and Will McIlvaine '06, came to Deerfield to raise awareness about alcohol consumption during and after Deerfield. "I want to help students make an informed choice and to help them understand the consequences. This should be a dialogue, not a lecture," said Dr. McIlvaine.

There is certainly much to talk about. Recent statistics show that 40% of people who drink under the age of 21 will develop an alcohol dependency at some point in their lives. "My challenge to you and your class leadership is to commit to one year without an alcohol-related event needing Health Center sanctuary," said Dr. McIlvaine. The speech had no faculty agenda and Dr. McIlvaine chose to speak after he met with Mr. Richard Bonanno, the dean of faculty, this fall following the tragic alcohol-related death of Gordie Bailey '04.

This speech is the first of a three-part presentation on alcohol use. A group of Dartmouth College students will speak about the dangers of binge drinking in college. In addition, Gordie Bailey's parents will be speaking this spring. Mr. and Mrs. Bailey recently founded the Gordie Foundation, an organization dedicated to educating and keeping kids safe from the dangers of alcohol abuse. "Alcohol is a reality. It's not so much if people choose to drink, but how they choose... This is not a temperance campaign," said Health Issues teacher Sue Carlson. Deerfield hopes that these speeches will expose students to the health issues of drinking and encourage good decision making.