Laguna Blanca School was founded in 1933 on the core values of scholarship, balance, community and character. Today, Laguna ardently upholds this tradition, largely thanks to the alumni and faculty.

This fall, as the school hosted its annual alumni reunion on Chase Field before the Homecoming festivities, faculty, alumni and current students gathered for lunch. Among the alumni was a graduate from the Class of 1943—Bam Spaulding.

Spaulding is much more than just a Laguna Blanca graduate; he embodies the spirit and the core values of the school’s mission. Spaulding graduated in June of 1943 and joined the army. Less than six months later, the 18 year-old Owl found himself in Europe on the Western Front in the Battle of the Bulge. He returned home as the  Allied Forces secured victory across the pond, and he attended the California Institute of Technology.

These life trials, achievements, and     challenges helped shape Bam into the man he became, but he credits Laguna for      “giving him the tools and confidence to   succeed in life.”

New head of school Robert Hereford had the pleasure of meeting Bam Spaulding at the alumni lunch; however, this was not the first interaction between the two.

Only two weeks into his new job as   Head of School, Hereford got an e-mail from Bam telling him of the impact Laguna had on his life and offering an invitation to meet and talk about how special of a place Laguna Blanca really is.

“For Bam to contact me 71 years after he graduated really shows the strength of the tradition and legacy that Laguna has,” Hereford said.