GENERATIONS
A R O U N D C A M P U S
“ Core Values ”
“ Saint David ’ s taught the importance of core values , carrying them with you and having a sense of purpose in life .”
Tiller Tillinghast ’ 08 ’ s message to the eighth-grade boys in Chapel on November 8 , 2023 : The “ little details ” matter in striving each day to be good : something as simple as the morning handshake , the practice of good manners , the habit of reflection on right and wrong , doing good . Each forms a thread in one ’ s moral and ethical tapestry .
As a second grader at Saint David ’ s during the terrorist attacks on September 11 , 2001 , that day for Tiller was “ an inflection point in my life that would inform later decisions .”
This experience and his time at Saint David ’ s so deeply affected him that he knew he wanted to be a part of making the world a better place . Sure enough , after graduating from Kent and Wake Forest , he enlisted in the US Army and served for two tours of duty as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan , up to and including the US withdrawal . He experienced so much , but held firm to and used his values to guide him through . Married this summer , he is now enrolled at Columbia Business School .
Recently , while taking a class , Tiller ran into another Saint David ’ s alum — about 10 years his senior — who , it turned out , also served in the military . They got to talking and discovered that not only were they both Saint David ’ s boys who had served , but also that the older alum , while on duty in Iraq , had received a letter through Operation Gratitude — a long standing Saint David ’ s letter writing campaign to active service members stationed overseas during the holidays — from a young Saint David ’ s boy and that that boy was the man now sitting in front of him . “ These two men were connected through time by their school , their service , and an incredible , simple , but profound act of kindness ,” said Dr . O ’ Halloran .
It was the older alum ’ s Chapel Talk and Tiller ’ s experience at Saint David ’ s that inspired him to speak with the boys . He left them with this final thought :
“ Lean on the basic values you learn here , be empathetic , pay attention to details . Discover your passion and see where it leads you . That was the key to success and happiness for me .”
56 • Saint David ’ s Magazine