Head of School John Palfrey announced Friday evening that the new wellness center will be named after Becky Sykes, former Associate Head of School.
Construction on the Rebecca M. Sykes Health and Wellness Center will begin at the conclusion of the 2013-2014 school year and is expected to finish by August of 2015. It will be located on Salem Street, between Benner House and Bulfinch Hall, according to [a previous article in _The Phillipian._](http://www.phillipian.net/articles/2013/02/14/new-health-and-wellness-center-be-located-salem-street)
Palfrey announced the naming at the Trustee, Faculty and Alumni Council Dinner this evening, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd.
The dinner was held to honor Becky Sykes’s 40 years of service to the school, as well as the service of Mollie Lasater ’56 and William Lewis Jr. ’74, retiring Charter Trustees, and Brian Allen, Director of the Addison Gallery of American Art. Attendees also recognized Alumni Award of Distinction recipients Hasfat Abiola ’92, George Church ’74 and Frank Stella ’54 and faculty recipients of teaching foundations and instructorships.
After her 40 years at the school, Sykes departed Andover in September to become the first President of the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation. She has already begun her work at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa and flew in specifically for tonight’s dinner. A lunchtime dessert reception open to the entire Andover community was also held in honor of Sykes on Friday.
Sykes, who received the McKeen Award last spring, was a proponent for greater diversity at Andover, pushing for equal-opportunity policies for underrepresented students. She was also instrumental in the foundation of the Brace Center for Gender Studies and the Girls’ Leadership Project (GLP).
Sykes served in numerous capacities during her 40-year tenure at Andover. She began as a switchboard operator in February of 1973, eventually moving up to serve as Dean of Community and Multicultural Development (CAMD), Social Functions Director, House Counselor, Abbot Cluster Dean, and, ultimately, Associate Head of School.
Additionally, Sykes was a Brace Faculty Fellow and co-chaired the COED@40 Committee to celebrate the 40th year of coeducation.
Palfrey has yet to name a successor to fill the position of Associate Head of School since Sykes’s departure.
Calling Sykes “irreplaceable” in an interview with The Phillipian last spring, Palfrey said, “I think that when anybody has been here for 40 years, and done such as amazing job as Mrs. Sykes has, the job sometimes come to describe the individual, or to be built upon the individual strengths of that person.”
> Nancy Sizer, Don McNamara and Barbara Chase join with John Palfrey to honor the PA service of Becky Sykes. [pic.twitter.com/m2r4gqhF6v](http://t.co/m2r4gqhF6v)
>
>
— Phillips Academy (@phillipsacademy) [November 2, 2013](https://twitter.com/phillipsacademy/statuses/396439972582273026)
