South Kent School welcomes Hunter W. Groton ’75, Peter B. Hopper ’82, and Richard D. Wood III ’86 to the Board of Trustees while celebrating retiring trustee and 2026 MacLean Award recipient Sid Stockdale ’73.
South Kent School is pleased to welcome three new members to its Board of Trustees: Hunter W. Groton ’75, Peter B. Hopper ’82, and Richard D. Wood III ’86. Each brings accomplished professional experience, a record of service, and a strong commitment to helping institutions and communities thrive.
Their arrival comes as the School also honors Sid Stockdale ’73, who concludes nine years of distinguished service on the Board. This year, Sid received the MacLean Award in recognition of a lifelong connection to South Kent defined by excellence, resilience, and generous service.
Hunter W. Groton ’75
Hunter W. Groton ’75 is a Senior Wealth Advisor in BNY Wealth’s Atlanta office, where he advises affluent families and institutions on portfolios, trusts, estates, foundations, endowments, and retirement plans. Working alongside BNY’s portfolio team and wealth strategists, he also collaborates with clients’ tax and legal advisors on matters ranging from tax and estate planning to concentrated stock positions, asset-allocation decisions, and the sale of privately held businesses.
Hunter joined the firm in 2005, when Mellon Financial acquired City Capital, Inc., where he had worked since 1989. Earlier in his career, he was a financial consultant with Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith, Inc., specializing in investment counsel for individuals and small corporations. He began his professional life in resort and hotel management at The Cloister Hotel in Sea Island, Georgia.
A graduate of Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, Hunter currently serves on the board of the Atlanta Chamber Players. His previous board service includes the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University, C5 Youth Foundation, the Cathedral Book Store, and the Wren’s Nest.
Peter B. Hopper ’82
Peter B. Hopper ’82 co-leads Primary Digital’s Investments Team and helps oversee the firm’s day-to-day operations, including portfolio management. With more than 25 years of industry experience, he also serves on the firm’s Investment Committee.
Before co-founding Primary Digital, Peter was a Managing Director at DigitalBridge Investment Management from 2021 to 2024. DigitalBridge’s portfolio includes several of the world’s largest data-center operators, among them Vantage Data Centers, Switch, and DataBank.
Earlier, Peter co-founded DH Capital and served as its CEO from 2001 to 2020. The boutique investment bank served the internet infrastructure, software-as-a-service, and telecommunications industries, completing more than 190 mergers and acquisitions with a combined value exceeding $30 billion during his tenure. Peter also served as an SKS trustee in 2017.
Richard D. Wood III ’86
Richard D. Wood, III, 58, retired from Wawa in 2024 as the Director of Government Relations and Sustainability after 26 years of service to the organization; prior to that he worked for the Coca-Cola company for six years.
He currently sits on the Wawa Board of Directors and has been a director since 2020. Mr. Wood serves on the Board of Directors of the Riddle HealthCare Foundation, Vice President of the Wawa Foundation Board and chairs the Governance Committee, Mr. Wood also serves on the Board of Visitors and Governors at Washington College and sits on the executive committee as the Board Vice Chair.
Prior to retirement Mr. Wood served on the Board and executive committee as the Political Chair for ESCA (ESOP S-Corporations of America) and served on the Board of the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS). Mr. Wood also served six years (two terms) on the Board of Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire and six years on the Board and Vice Chair at Upland Country Day School K-9, in Kennett Square, PA.
Celebrating Sid Stockdale ’73
As South Kent welcomes new leadership, the School also expresses its deep gratitude to Sid Stockdale ’73 as he completes his ninth and final year on the Board of Trustees. Sid’s lifelong connection to the Hillside began in the fall of 1969, when he entered South Kent during an immense personal trial. His father, Admiral James Stockdale, was being held as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. On the Hillside, Sid found a second home and a steadfast community.
Sid distinguished himself as a student, musician, and versatile athlete, earning varsity letters in football, hockey, and crew. As a powerhouse oarsman in the first boat, he helped lead South Kent’s legendary undefeated crew to a monumental victory on Lake Quinsigamond, completing a season that secured the boat’s place in School history. During Sid’s senior year, the campus shared in his family’s joy when Admiral Stockdale was released after nearly eight years of captivity.
After graduating from South Kent in 1973 and completing his studies at Colorado College, Sid pursued a career in education. He returned to the Hillside to teach history and coach football before continuing his work at independent schools in Colorado, California, and New Mexico. Over a distinguished career as a teacher, coach, and history department chair, he earned a master’s degree from St. John’s College and devoted his professional life to mentoring young people.
Sid brought that experience, along with empathy, humility, and deep wisdom, to the South Kent Board. His calm, thoughtful approach helped the Board navigate difficult questions and build consensus around the best interests of the School. As chair of the Programs Committee, Sid drew on his perspective as a lifelong educator to help transform South Kent’s curriculum for the modern era. His commitment to academic excellence reached another milestone when he and his family established the School’s first named department chair, the Stockdale Family Chair in Humanities.
South Kent extends its gratitude to Sid’s wife, Kit, and to his daughters, Minda and Sarah, for sharing him so generously with the School. Sid’s leadership, friendship, and decades of service have left an enduring mark on the Hillside. The School congratulates him on receiving this year’s MacLean Award and celebrates the lasting legacy of a life lived in service to others.