Blackburn Society Member Profile — John Schalow ’69

At Carnival 1966, John Schalow, left, and Juan Jewell, right, compare experiences with Gerd Dash and Heidi Aly from Graefelfing, Bavaria, W. Germany.

John and his wife, Bianca Warner, attend FCS Alumni/ae Weekend 2023.

John Martin Schalow ’69 has declared his estate gift to FCS and joined the Blackburn Society. In 1961 John began his FCS journey as a sixth grader. The following year, his mother Sarah Schalow was hired as a Lower School teacher. And when it came to affording tuition for himself and his three siblings, Paul ’70, Louise ’73, and Philip ’74, John says “The School made it happen.” Now, years later, giving back to Friends’ Central is “an obvious choice—to honor my mother and other FCS teachers.”

How did FCS impact you?

“Friends’ Central nurtured my passion for lifelong learning and inculcated in me values and a worldview that helped make me who I am. I want to give back to the school that supported me and my family. I am particularly appreciative of the strong sense of community I experienced at Friends’ Central and of the individual talents of the faculty, which nurtured and supported me. I was exposed to many life-changing experiences, in particular my year as an exchange student in Germany during tenth grade where I made many friends whom I regularly visit.”

How did FCS influence your career path?

“A love of knowledge, a love of books. Libraries were a perfect place for me to end up as a career.” John worked for many years in libraries in Massachusetts ending his career at the University of Maryland. John recalls, “I remember Liza Blackburn having some bookshelves in our seventh-grade homeroom that had a lot of interesting books that I enjoyed reading in my spare time. She and other teachers provided a very stimulating environment that I continued to seek.”

Why should others join the Blackburn Society?

“If you love Friends’ Central, support it with a planned gift. The School relies on the generosity of its donors. In order for FCS to thrive—students, alumni, parents, former teachers—we need to give back.”