News and Features
Scudders Remembered at Historic Arni Church
The Arni CSI Town Church celebrated its long and distinguished history on May 20 with ceremonies that included recognition of the Scudders who have attended and supported the church since its founding in 1853.
The convenor of the 173rd anniversary observance was Dr. V. Thiyagarajan, the hostel manager of nearby Scudder-supported Arni School. Ezekiel Scudder founded Arni School which 19 Scudders have served.
Services were led by the local pastor and area chairman, Rev. S. Abraham Aasai Thambi.
Bishop Sharma of the Diocese of Vellore was an honored guest and speaker.
Announcements of the event were circulated in both English and Tamil with latter including a depiction of the Rev. Dr. John Scudder and his wife, Harriet, the first of many Scudder missionaries in India.
Arni, also known as Arani, is a commercial center of 50,000 people which has great historical significance and a rich cultural heritage, including being the home of several remarkable ancient temples. It’s the hub of the state of Tamil Nadu.
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Loss of a Respected Leader
Charles Seelye Kellgren Scudder, 78, of Killingworth, Connecticut passed away on Thursday, June 19, 2025, due to complications from a bone marrow transplant. It had been the only hope to cure a recently diagnosed blood disorder. Beloved husband of Mary and an adoring father to his children, Whit, Jocelyn and Ansley, Charles loved life and fought valiantly to stay alive in what became an uphill battle. He died surrounded by family at Yale New Haven Hospital.
Charles was always full of life. An accomplished attorney who practiced international corporate law, he was also a natural athlete, a college ski racer and lifelong competitive tennis player. A talented performer, he loved playing the guitar and singing golden oldies at friends’ beach bonfire on July 4th and growing up, excelled at theater. In retirement, he famously performed Shakespeare to rave reviews at the Bohemian Grove in California. As a person, he was gracious, warm, unassuming and kind with many close friends that went back decades. A high school classmate remembered him fondly as, “a charming, fun-loving guy who made everyone around him feel included, accepted, and comfortable.”
Those who knew and loved Charles best recognized something quite special in him. He possessed the gift of a rare kind of grace, inner and outer.
Charles was born in London, England to Dr. Nina Kellgren, a medical doctor and Evarts Scudder, an American writer, on February 20, 1947. He was educated at the American School in London, which his father helped found, graduating in 1964. At the age of 17, he left England to come to America and attend Yale University. At Yale, he was a resident of Davenport College, a member of Spade & Grave, one of Yale’s oldest senior societies, and an art history major, earning a BA in 1968.
After graduating college, he served honorably as a captain in the United States Army, stationed in Vicenza, Italy. He was fluent in Italian.
Upon completion of his military service, he read law at Merton College, Oxford and came back to the States, completing an accelerated American law degree at the University of Connecticut. During his career as an attorney, he worked at Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts in New York City and Obermayer, Rebman, Maxwell & Hippel in Philadelphia, and held several in-house positions at different companies, including at the US office of the Dutch corporation Akzo Nobel, where he spent the last two decades of his career until his retirement in 2017.
After his retirement, Charles remained professionally active as President and General Counsel of The Scudder Association Foundation. He was a longtime director of The Andrew Morehouse Trust, which supports Spade & Grave. He was involved in the Merton College Charitable Corporation and the American School in London Alumni community. Charles was a member of the Madison Beach Club for 50 years.
Retirement was a time of peace and contentment for Charles. After a busy, well-traveled career, he and his wife settled into a 1730s house in Killingworth on a six-acre property known locally as Maple Hill. They adopted a rambunctious and cherished golden retriever puppy named Ariel. They planted a rose garden. Happily married and attentive and close to his children, he often said it was one of his happiest periods of his life.
He leaves behind a loving and doting family: his wife, Mary Olson Scudder, and his three children, John Whitney Scudder of Madison, CT, Ansley Harris Scudder of Bloomfield, CT, and Jocelyn Seelye Scudder of Park City, Utah.
A memorial service was held at the First Congregational Church of Madison on July 10, followed by a reception at the Madison Beach Club.
His cremated remains were interred with military honors in the memorial garden of the church.
To send a memory to the family, Click Here.
Sue’s Loss—And Ours
Sage Cadwell Swanson, always known to his friends and colleagues as Caddy, had a full and productive life. He was born October 22, 1937, in New York City and died peacefully at his home in Snoqualmie, Washington, on April 21, 2025, after an extended illness.
He attended Berkshire School in Sheffield, MA, and Trinity College in Hartford, CT, where he played varsity tennis and was vice president of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity chapter, helping to save the chapter from closing.
Survivors include wife Sue, two children, Megan Coleman of Hull, MA, and Kristin Pastoriza of Snoqualmie, and five grandchildren. Sue was elected president of the Scudder Association Foundation in October of 2023, a post she continues to hold today.
Caddy believed that life was for living and serving and he did both fully. He was active in local and national charities including heading the United Fund in Pelham, NY, serving as an associate vestryman and choir member at his church, coach of the Pelham Girls Ice Hockey Team, and organizer of the Pelham Town Tennis Team. He loved model trains, golf, sailing, camping, pumpkin pie, and spending time with his family.
The New York native spent his career in the communications business as a salesman and as president of a number of companies including Capitol Video Communications, Reeves Teletape, MTI Television City, and USA Networks before retiring in 1999. His career led him to broadcasting Live from Lincoln Center (now in its 44th year) and saving the Ed Sullivan Theater from being torn down, turning it into a live studio. It is now the home of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Caddy always said he didn’t want to be remembered as an executive, just a “peddler.” He loved being a salesman and he was good at it. He always had a smile and a love for life as we see in this photo from the 1970s.
Caddy Swanson, who married into the Scudder family, did much for the Scudder Association and his fellow human beings inside and outside the organization. He was greatly loved and will be sorely missed.
A memorial service was held in September 2025 at St. Clare’s Episcopal Church in Snoqualmie.
SMH doctors stress early attention to child hearing
“Good hearing is essential for a child’s learning, communication, and overall development. Early detection and timely treatment can make a life-changing difference.”
So declared Dr. Anbu Suresh Rao, Medical Superintendent and Senior Surgeon at Scudder Memorial Hospital in Ranipet, Tamil Nadu, South India. The occasion was the observance of World Hearing Day on March 3 by SMH’s Department of ENT. This year’s theme was “From Communities to Classroom: Hearing Care for Every Child.”
Scudder Memorial Hospital has a rich history. In 1820, Dr. John Scudder founded a dispensary in Ranipet which evolved into Scudder Memorial Hospital in 1866, eleven years after his passing. He was India’s first American medical missionary, dedicated to saving lives and spreading Christianity. Such service became a family tradition. His pioneering work led to more than 1,100 combined years of missionary service in India by 42 members of his family, spanning five generations.
The Scudder family became a South India legend.
It was Dr. Silas Downer Scudder, following in his father John’s footsteps, who actually founded the hospital in 1866.
Today it is an essential South India institution, with children’s hearing health being an important part of the hospital’s focus.
Posters played a key role in the success of the Hearing Day program.
“Healthy hearing today builds a brighter future for our children,” says Dr. Raj.
His comments align with the SMH pledge: “Through continued awareness and community engagement, Scudder Memorial Hospital remains committed to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to hear, learn, and thrive.”
No doubt thousands of people will be the beneficiaries of this commitment. Their lives will be better.
Walter Scudder School conducts drug abuse program
Walter Scudder Higher Secondary School has distinguished itself for 154 years as an institution that prepares students from low-income families for successful lives and careers. This was exemplified by its recent program about the dangers of drug abuse.
School official Armstrong Swamickan filed this report on the event, the Awareness Camp on Drug Abuse and Mental Health.
“The programme was conducted with the active participation of the Junior Red Cross, psychiatric doctors, and a police officer.
The psychiatric doctors explained in detail how drug abuse affects mental health, leading to depression, anxiety, poor academic performance, and long-term psychological problems. They emphasized that addiction does not develop suddenly but slowly destroys a person’s health, character, and future.
The police officer highlighted the legal consequences of drug abuse, explaining that the use, possession, and sale of drugs are serious criminal offences. Students were made aware of how drug-related activities can lead to legal trouble, imprisonment, and permanent damage to one’s life and reputation.
Speakers clearly conveyed that drug abuse does not harm only the individual, but also destroys families and affects society as a whole. Emotional pain, financial loss, broken relationships, and social stigma are common outcomes of addiction.
The programme encouraged students to say NO to drugs, to choose a healthy lifestyle, and to support friends who may be at risk. The session was highly informative and created strong awareness among students about the importance of mental health and drug-free living.”
SAF Board Member Sherman is
named a Hometown Hero
We always knew she was wonderful and heroic. Now the world knows. Cynthia Sherman, best known to us as Cy, was honored by the Concord (NH) Monitor as one of its weekly Hometown Heroes.
The 87-year-old SAF Board Member and longtime leader was cited by the newspaper for her vigorous fundraising efforts for the annual Crop Walk for Hunger Relief campaign.
In early October, Cy rallied fellow members of South Congregational Church to volunteer to solicit donations and to contribute money to the campaign themselves. Online donations alone totaled $14,000 this year and Cy is credited with raising half of it herself.
Crop Walk collects money for Church World Services, an organization that works toward refugee settlement and offers hunger, poverty, and disaster assistance both in the U.S. and abroad.
Click here to read the Monitor’s article: Hometown Hero Cy Sherman raises money for hunger relief – Concord Monitor
Cy is a descendant of John Scudder, the first American medical missionary to India. She is also the grandniece of the legendary Dr. Ida Sophia Scudder who, among many other accomplishments, founded the renowned Christian Medical College and Hospital in Vellore, India.
She is no stranger to South India and our Scudder missions herself. She went there on three different occasions, helping medical students master the English language.
We always knew she was wonderful and heroic. Now the world knows. Cynthia Sherman, best known to us as Cy, was honored by the Concord (NH) Monitor as one of its weekly Hometown Heroes.
The 87-year-old SAF Board Member and longtime leader was cited by the newspaper for her vigorous fundraising efforts for the annual Crop Walk for Hunger Relief campaign.
In early October, Cy rallied fellow members of South Congregational Church to volunteer to solicit donations and to contribute money to the campaign themselves. Online donations alone totaled $14,000 this year and Cy is credited with raising half of it herself.
Crop Walk collects money for Church World Services, an organization that works toward refugee settlement and offers hunger, poverty, and disaster assistance both in the U.S. and abroad.
Click here to read the Monitor’s article: Hometown Hero Cy Sherman raises money for hunger relief – Concord Monitor
Cy is a descendant of John Scudder, the first American medical missionary to India. She is also the grandniece of the legendary Dr. Ida Sophia Scudder who, among many other accomplishments, founded the renowned Christian Medical College and Hospital in Vellore, India.
She is no stranger to South India and our Scudder missions herself. She went there on three different occasions, helping medical students master the English language.