When Secret Lifer Andre Fenton moved from Guyana to Toronto, he did what all good Canadian boys do. He played hockey. Says Andre:

“This is the first hockey team I played on. It is probably 1978, and I am 11. I was not the best skater, but I was also not bad. I remember being so nervous before the games that I’d get dressed and then have diarrhea, so I’d have to undress and was always last out of the dressing room. I recall being a pretty good goalie, but I also know better than to trust a person’s memory, so who knows. In any case, I recall feeling pretty integrated into Toronto society at this time since I was waking up to play little hockey at 6am on Saturday mornings.” Check out Andre in the lower right corner – your uniform is bigger than you, Andre!

Today, Secret Lifer Andre Fenton’s wardrobe includes vintage and hand-made clothing with color and style. Looking at this photo, it’s clear that this flair started a long time ago. Says Andre:

“I am guessing I was 9 in the photo below. I admit I was probably responsible for dressing myself and suspect I was wearing poorly matched bell-bottom pants that are mercifully hidden from view.” Even then, Andre was Stylin’ & Profilin’!

When Secret Life star Andre Fenton moved from Guyana to Toronto, he had to learn some new customs, and it wasn’t always easy. After a few hiccups, Andre mastered Halloween. Years later, he and his wife passed the tradition down to their daughter, Zora, and they made sure to get it right. Here’s Andre:

“The photo below is definitely my second Halloween, so probably October 31, 1975. The first Halloween was a disaster because neither I nor my parents knew what to do. We got crayon-like makeup at the last minute, and I rubbed it on my face and wore a knit shirt as pants. My family didn’t know better. Thankfully we only took some photos inside, and they did not allow me out of the apartment. We had a whole year to make up for the disaster, and so my mother had this costume made. Notice the attention to fine details. By this time, I understood the game and knew to collect loot. My uncle made me the sword. Halloween is now one of my favorite holidays.” Shiver me timbers!

“This photo is of our daughter Zora’s first Halloween. We never got around to getting her the costume we were planning, so my wife Lisa stopped at a shopping mall on her way home and bought a pirate’s hat, the essential ingredient for a costume. Halloween day I found myself determined to find a red sash. No daughter of mine was going to be a pirate without a red sash. I found one and got back just before Zora’s bed time, and we dressed her quickly and laughed a lot. I made a tin foil sword, and we laughed even more. I didn’t make the connection to my own early Halloweens until the NOVA interviews when producers Jesse Sweet and Josh Seftel juxtaposed my pirate pictures to Zora’s. I’m not sure exactly why, but it brought tears to my eyes. Hey, at least we got Zora’s first Halloween right. That’s real measurable progress.” Shiver me timbers - the sequel. Arghhh, Matey!

Secret Lifer Andre Fenton was born and spent his first few years growing up in Georgetown, Guyana. He took great pride in the hairstyle of the day, the side-part. But trends come and go. Here’s Andre:

“I was probably 4 or 5 years old. This photo below looks like it was taken in front of my grandparents’ house in Georgetown Guyana, where I lived. The side-part was very cool in the early 1970’s.” We’re sure young Andre drove lovely young ladies wild with his sporty do!

“This looks like the school photo from my first year in Toronto, Canada. I was 7. Although I introduced the side-part, I don’t recall it was met with much enthusiasm, and I believe I dropped it by the next year.” Hey Andre…Did you get any sideways glances with that side-part?

Just as we were putting the finishing touches on Steffie Tomson’s “10 Questions” synesthesia video, I was paid a visit by my friend Robin. I’ve known Robin for close to 40 years and she has always been an incredibly visual person. In fact, she makes a living as a graphic designer. Here’s Robin. There’s a synesthete born every minute!

As I watched Steffie’s video, Robin peaked over my shoulder. When Steffie was asked “What color is Monday?,” Robin confidently blurted “Red” about a half a second before Steffie said “Red.”

I turned to look at Robin with an arched eyebrow. “Are you a synesthete?,” I asked her. Robin looked surprised.

“I guess so,” she said. “I’ve always associated letters and numbers with colors. I just assumed everyone did.”

Robin, welcome to the Synesthesia Club. You’re one in one-hundred!

When Judy was young, she and her brother, Jerome, used to build all kinds of forts. They would build them in the woods and they’d build them at home. In fact, Jerome is the inventor of the blow-up tent. According to Judy, here’s how you can make your very own:

“Lift up the heating vent grate and tuck one end of the sheet around it.

“Drape the other end onto a stool or something tall and put a heavy book onto it to keep it in place.

“Place books along the sides of the tent to make sure you have a good seal.

“When the heat kicks on, it’ll blow the sheet up and you’ll have a blow up tent!

“We used to build one and sleep in the tent. So cool.”

Take a look:

Okay kids, DO try this at home.

Behind this family photo are Secret Lifer Judy Lee’s memories of playful battles with her brother Jerome. That’s Judy in the yellow dress. Here’s Judy’s story:

“This is a family photo from when I was in preschool. Those are my parents, Paul and May, and my older brother, Jerome.

“I spent a lot of time with my older brother. He was the coolest person in the world. I remember during the summers when my parents weren’t home, we would turn our living room into a battlefield. The sofa and coffee table would get flipped over, and cushions would become our shields as we launched tightly folded paper darts from rubber bands (like a homemade slingshot). We would battle for hours until we ran out of ammunition. You always hoped that the other person would be out as well, ‘cause the only way to get more was to go into no man’s land to pick up the paper darts. That meant you were completely exposed to taking more hits! I remember once where he popped out wearing a snorkel mask and had two sofa cushions tied around him. I laughed so hard I wasn’t able to shoot him.”

Do we sense a bit of sibling rivalry?

Despite her small stature (Judy is 4‘11”), Secret Lifer Judy Lee was a standout on her high school volleyball team, regularly intimidating her opponents with her “setting” skills. Here’s her story:

“In this picture, I was a senior at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh, NC. As an incoming freshman, I had never played volleyball before, but my friend Nancy and I decided to try out for the team. The try-out was grueling! I remember thinking my forearms were going to be completely black and blue, if not broken, after the first day! Coach Stevens really worked us hard. After what felt like weeks of boot camp, Nance and I both made the varsity team as freshman! We were ecstatic!

“I’m pretty short. It’s funny to think that I played volleyball for 4 years in high school. But height doesn’t matter when you’re a setter. My job was to set the ball up for a perfect spike. One of my teammates, Laura, was 6‘5” or so. It was funny to see us walk out on the court. My head would barely reach the bottom of the net and when she raised her hands, she had an entire hand sticking above the net. The other team would always smile at the height difference. Little did they know that we were a force to be reckoned with. Those smiles would soon be wiped off their faces after the first few minutes.” Despite her small stature, she always wore her ‘Air Judy’s‘ on gameday

Believe it or not, there was a time, many years ago, when Secret Lifer Judy was quiet and shy. Times have changed, in part, due to a great teacher. Here’s Judy’s story:

“This is a picture of me in pre-school. Back then, I was EXTREMELY shy. I mean to the point where I wouldn’t talk to the teachers! I would nod my head yea or no when asked questions, but that was it. I would, however, talk to my two best friends, Esther and Aubrey, out on the playground or whisper in their ears during class. The teachers were on to me… they knew i was still learning despite my silence with them. One teacher in particular made a big difference in my life at the time. I wish I could remember her name. She had long brown hair and had braces and was the nicest woman in the world in my eyes. She spent a lot of one-on-one time with me during class. During recess she would share her snack with me. She liked to eat potato chips with a slice of pickle on top. I even recall going to a movie and getting ice cream with her one Saturday. She was awesome. Over time, I started trusting her and eventually whispered in her ear. I love that she spent the extra time to understand and work with me. We need more teachers like that.” You’d never guess it now, but when she was a girl…Judy was a whisperer

Cancer researcher/Shofar player Len Zon has had a thing for horns for a while.

“Here I am as first trumpet in the high school band,” says Len. “I love playing trumpet, and it is a big part of my life. I play first trumpet in the Longwood Symphony.” See Len Trumpet!

Zebrafish play a huge role in Cancer researcher/Shofar player Len Zon’s life. With over 3000 fish tanks in his lab, he has one of the largest aquaria in the world.

Len’s laboratory has worked on the zebrafish as a model for human disease, with great results (see our “Fishing for Answers” video).

Here is last year’s annual lab picture, where the group pays homage to the zebrafish. “I am pround of this group,” says Len. “We added stripes to the picture this year.” Dr. Zebrafish, I presume?

From the start, Secret Lifer Len Zon’s mother had high hopes for her son. “My mother always wanted me to be a doctor, like her two brothers,” says Len. He made her dreams come true.

The doctor will be with you shortly. He is currently busy making his mama proud!

Here’s our own Stephon Alexander, theoretical physicist and jazz saxophonist performing live. “I was a professor of Physics at Penn State (three years ago),” says Stephon. “I played every Friday at a jazz club called Bar Blue. The band played jazz standards, funk and afro-jazz. The name of the band was called STAQ (the Stephon Alexander quartet).” With some help from Mr. Kaplan and John Coltrane, Stephon is a very cool jazzman.

Here’s theoretical physicist, Stephon Alexander, when he was 3 years old in Princess Town, Trinidad. So what was on his mind back then besides String Theory?

“I played a lot with toy cars and trucks as well as my grandmother’s animals, such as goats, cows, and dogs,” says Stephon. “I also enjoyed going to the beach with my grandfather, Stephon ‘Sonny’ Belfon.” The night sky, the jumbies, the moon…. Stephon is already thinking!

Here’s Biochemist/Professional Wrestler Rachel Collins (a.k.a. MsChif) in action in November 2008 in a match for the SHIMMER title against Sara Del Rey. In this picture you’re seeing a “standing moonsault” in mid-move. So what, you might ask, is a “standing moonsault”?

“It’s become a signature move for me,” says Rachel “It’s derived from a back handspring, which you’ll see lots of gymnasts and cheerleaders doing. Though instead of ending the move landing on your feet, you stop the move short to land horizontally across your opponent making them take the impact of your landing.”

No “standing moonsault” for me, thanks.

Do we even have to say it? Oh, all right. Don’t try this at home, kids!

Biochemist/Professional Wrestler Rachel Collins is known for her trademark green. Apparently it goes back a long way. “I always tried to be different,” Rachel explains. “You can ask a group of people what their favorite color is, and you’ll get a lot of red, blue, black, or purple. Green is one you don’t tend to hear too often.”

Ladies and gentlemen… your soul’s tormentor.

Yes that is indeed our own Biochemist/Professional Wrestler Rachel Collins sporting some 80s hair. Her explanation for this old photo: “That was straight out of the 80s,” says Rachel. “Big hair was the thing.”

Is she worried that her rivals in the ring might see this and not be so scared anymore? “Yeah, let’s hope my opponents don’t get a look at this one or they’d see there really isn’t anything so menacing under all that green hair. Wait… what? Of course there is! It’s just disguised here!”

Our dear Rachel… love is indeed a battlefield.

We felt compelled to ask Jean about this photo of herself that we came across while doing research.

Says Jean: “My friends and I in graduate school (late 50’s) went up to Crane Beach in Ipswich, Mass., to have some fun. So they buried me and we took pictures of my head looking chopped off, as you see. Actually, you get a new perspective on yourself when you see your disembodied head like that. The friends all got their degrees and went on to distinguished careers.”

Now, more than ever, it makes sense that Jean’s favorite language is Sand-skrit.

As you probably know by now, psycholinguist Jean Berko Gleason has a thing for driving fast cars quickly. What you might not know is that she has a long history of being photographed with them too.

This first picture was taken when Jean was a graduate student in the late ‘50s, and her proximity to the car has more to do with the way the car looks than with what’s under the hood.

“The car belonged to a friend,” says Jean. “And I think we took the picture just because it looked good. I am not a Volkswagen fan, never owned one, and wouldn’t want one. I could never understand what people saw in an underpowered little car with no heat. Sorry. I really don’t like them. But I do usually take pictures of myself with my cars, and, as you see, with other people’s as well.”

Following the Volkswagen photo (and after the cut), we present a collage of Jean with some of the cars she did actually like over the years.

Jean and the Volkswagen look good, but there was no love between them

For neuroscientist Mollie Woodworth’s first anniversary, her husband gave her a synthetic replica of a mouse brain that he made himself. Although Mollie says the first anniversary present is supposed to be paper, not brains, she’s more than pleased. “I think it was fantastically romantic,” says Mollie of her husband’s gift. “It was something wonderful that he took a lot of time and effort to design, and that he knew I would love. He used data from an online mouse brain atlas to design the brain in his CAD software, then printed it on a 3D printer. I keep it on the shelf above my desk in the lab, along with my squishy brain, stuffed rabbit, and a card from him that says “You’re my prime mate” with a picture of two monkeys. He and I like to give each other silly presents, clearly.”

Here’s her brain: Has your spouse ever given you a 3D model of a mouse brain? We didn’t think so.