Perhaps it could be said that ESPN senior NBA writer and digital editor Henry Abbott ’90 partially owes his career success to OES. Tat, and maybe a few moments of serendipity. His first turn toward fate arrived when Abbott was a sophomore at New York University. During his second semester, Abbott had taken a long trip to India, Nepal, and Tibet for a Tibetan studies class. While traveling, Abbott missed a few deadlines for submitting paperwork to secure the next term’s classes. He had received a phone call from the registrar’s office stating that one of the missing items was his declaration of a major—and it had to be turned in the next day. Caught off guard and unsure what major
to declare, Abbott called OES alumnus Matt Britt ’90 to share ideas. Tough Britt knew Abbott had an interest in anthropology, they discussed journalism as a possibility because Abbott already had a public television internship and a proven way with words. Abbott was developing interview skills, had connections, and was impressed with NYU’s journalism department. He declared his major the next day. Abbott thrived. When asked what elements from his OES education were most helpful for college, he shares, “NYU was very demanding. One thing that I brought from OES that not many other students had was I knew how to write papers. Tanks to teachers like Tom Collins and Sue Lekas, I was happier than most to get a writing
assignment. Te Shakespeare class I took at OES was super intense, extremely challenging, and super interesting.” Abbott adds, “Te balance of Tom, who
stretched the bounds of what education could be and Sue, who was very professional and by the book, lit a fire for me to think about things I never thought about and work as hard as I could. I wanted to turn in perfect papers. I turned in one paper and got a good grade and felt like I’d won the Super Bowl!” Aside from expanding his writing skills, NYU also offered a journalistic mecca of people and topics to cover. Abbott worked at WNYU, the college radio station, and there he observed the balance between how to report on breaking news and uncover stories that weren’t being told. He started a half-hour arts and culture program called Citywide, which still airs today. A few of his first guests included a founding father
of virtual reality, Jaron Lanier, and social activist Geoffrey Canada, President of the Harlem Children’s Zone. Abbott graduated in 1995 with a degree in journalism. Abbott’s first job was as a desk assistant for CBS Radio. He worked nights and was immersed in the real-world, fast- paced, ever-changing nature of news. He had an appreciation for how resourceful people were in newsrooms. Tough he absorbed the often-demanding reporting essentials, Abbott was always more drawn to finding new ways to tell familiar stories. In the next few years that followed, Abbott and his future wife Jessica, also a writer, decided to adventure before settling down. Tey lived in Ecuador for six months, and then went onto Madison, Wisconsin for, in his words, “no good reason.” Abbott landed a few journalism gigs, including stints as a reporter and producer at WIBA news
32 Oregon Episcopal School
www.oes.edu
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