Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Spring 2017 | Page 32

Alumni in the News
Jennifer (Conley) Burnett ’98
Brooks Landry ’00
With a $1,000 loan from his
father, Brooks Landry ’00 took his
entrepreneurial spirit and drove
cross-country from
Saco to San Diego.
Brooks’ friends and
even some family
thought he would
run out of money
and return home
in a few weeks.
15 years later,
Brooks owns one
of the top rated real
estate firms in San
Ramon, California.
“I was ready for a
change from the bank I was working
at. My friend Patrick Nannery ’99 was
in San Diego working for a mortgage
company. I’d always had an interest
in real estate. So I started at the
mortgage company he was managing. I
quickly learned the ins and outs of the
mortgage process.”
For six years Brooks worked in the
mortgage industry and found much
success there. However, he was ready
to transition into real estate. “My wife,
Jill, and I were both in the mortgage
industry at that time. We were ready
to go off on our own. So we moved up
to the Bay area and as luck would have
it, got started right when the housing
market was crashing. We probably
started at the worst possible time.”
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1811 Society: Steve Cote ’64
After a brief stint with Keller Williams
and Pacific Union Luxury Real
Estate, Brooks went into business for
himself. In 2010,
he established the
Brooks Landry
Group, a boutique
real estate
brokerage firm
that serves the San
Francisco East Bay
area. “Everyone in
the Bay area knew
a realtor. We didn’t
know anyone at
the time. We had
to build our name
from the ground
up. I’m an ultra-competitive person so
I accepted the challenge. We worked
hard to gain our clients’ trust and
respect. I’m at the office early and often
times stay late. You get out of it what
you put into it.”
Jennifer (Conley) Burnett ’98, a first
grade teacher at Walter Caldwell
Elementary in Florida, was named
a Finalist for Polk County’s Teacher
of the Year. A leader in instructional
technology with 13 years of teaching
experience, Jennifer was recognized
for her leadership and professional
development activities, community
and school involvement, and teaching
style. In remarks shared during the
awards ceremony for this recognition,
it was noted, “She fosters a love for
learning by making every lesson
magical. Jennifer has been known
to dress up like a mad scientist and
sing and dance in her classroom. As
a technology coach, Ms. Burnett also
incorporates the Kindle Fires she
obtained for her class by using online
quizzes and educational apps to engage
her students.”
Brooks has been named by Comcast
TV. as a Top Rated Real Estate Agent
for San Ramon. He’s also been featured
in Top Agent Magazine (Northern
California edition), and recently sold
the house of the lead singer for Motley
Crue (Vince Neil) for $2.5 million. His
brokerage firm currently has seven
agents with plans to expand to 12 by
the end of the year. The key to Brooks’
success is transparency, honesty, and
a strong work ethic. “I got my hard
work ethic from my father and from
growing up in Main e. New Englanders
are known out here for their work
ethic. When we started, we made
friends with other realtors. Many of
their offices have closed since the
housing crash, but ours remains open
and growing.”
BY KRISSY MAILMAN | PHOTOS
COURTESY OF BROOKS LANDRY
Perusing the pages of the 1964 Tripod
yearbook, Steve Cote’s senior photo
and biography share the story of a
young, bright, and involved student
who took advantage of many fantastic
opportunities at Thornton Academy.
Steve was involved in everything from
serving as a Class Officer to Science
Club. He recognized at an early age
that his relationship with Thornton
Academy did not stop at graduation.
In fact, as a member of the 1811
Society, Steve has a meaningful lifelong
commitment to his alma mater.
Steve shared that his parents placed
a great emphasis on education. His
father, Charles, attended Thornton
Academy for only one year during the
Great Depression. Because of tough
times, Charles left school to work for
the family business, Seal Rock Bottling
Company. His father went on to be
a successful businessman, Mayor of
Saco, and served on the Thornton
Academy Board of Trustees for 12
years. He married Dorothy, a graduate
of Biddeford High School. Charles
and Dorothy passed along the values
of hard work, education, and service
to their children Steve ’64, Eric ’65,
Marjory Cote Stewart ’68, and Suzanne
Cote Lemont ’71.
In reflecting upon his time at
Thornton, Steve fondly remembers
his teachers and classmates well. He
still stays connected by attending
football games and musical events on
campus. Steve also doesn’t miss a class
reunion and attends the Senior Alumni
Reunion held every September.
He is thankful for the Thornton
alumni network and looks forward
to reconnecting with his former
BY EMMA DEANS | PHOTO COURTESY
OF JENNIFER BURNETT
classmates to reminisce about the good
times.
Thornton provided an educational
foundation allowing Steve to pursue a
college degree, see the world, and later
return home to care for his parents.
He shared that “one thing led to
another” in his life—from his years at
Thornton, to college at the University
of New Hampshire, and beyond. He
earned a degree in Political Science
and credits his interest in the subject
to his TA teacher, Bill Farrington.
Steve also joined the U.S. Air Force,
which provided a scholarship for the
last two years of his college education.
He served for 12 years and traveled all
over the world from Turkey to Tokyo.
Although his work took him across
the globe, Saco never felt too far away
as his mother sent him weekly letters
with updates from home.
After leaving the Air Force, Steve
moved home to pursue a new career.
He visited the McArthur Library to
look for jobs in the newspaper and
discovered an ad in the New York
Times for a security position at a
nuclear plant in Michigan. After
working hard at the nuclear power
plant for 20 years, Steve chose to retire
as the Director of Security to assist
his aging parents. In the summer of
2001, Steve moved home to Saco to
live in the house where he grew up.
Photos and artifacts from Seal Rock
Bottling Company are proudly on
display throughout his home, along
with family portraits, his Thornton
Academy yearbook, and a plaque
dedicated to his father’s years of service
as a Trustee. As a visitor in his home, it
is immediately clear that Steve is proud
of where he came from.
Steve has been a loyal supporter of
the Thornton Fund for nearly thirty
years. “Once a year, I send a check
to Thornton Academy. I left with a
good feeling and want to support an
institution dedicated to educating kids
in the community,” he said. Caring for
his parents caused Steve to think about
planning for his future. So in his will
he decided to make a gift to Thornton
Academy. Steve can’t remember what
specifically motivated him join the
1811 Society but shared that it simply
“felt like a natural thing to do.”
When asked why other alumni should
consider making a planned gift to
Thornton Academy, the answer comes
to Steve easily: “Consider what you
gained in your time at Thornton. It is
our responsibility to help Thornton, a
well-respected community institution,
to continue to provide quality
education for years to come.”
STORY BY LINDSAY LAPRAD HUDNOR | PHOTO BY KRISSY MAILMAN
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