Kavanaugh and his friends bragged about being 'alumni' of the same girl in high school, and she just found out

Brett Kavanaugh.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

In a Fox News interview Monday, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh portrayed his high school days at Georgetown Prep as dedicated to sports, service, church, and academics, said he's "always treated women with dignity and respect," and suggested he never drank to excess. His senior high school yearbook page paints a different picture, including naming himself "treasurer" of the "Keg City Club" ("100 Kegs or Bust") and "Beach Week Ralph Club — Biggest Contributor."

Kavanaugh also identified himself as a "Renate Alumnius" [sic]. That and 13 other mentions of "Renate" in Georgetown Prep's 1983 yearbook — including a "Renate Alumni" tag under a photo of Kavanaugh and eight other football players — refer to Renate Dolphin née Schroeder, a student at a nearby Catholic girls' school, The New York Times reports. Dolphin, one of 65 women who signed a letter attesting to Kavanaugh's respectful behavior toward women in high school, wasn't previously aware of the suggestive references to her in the yearbook, and she isn't happy.

"I learned about these yearbook pages only a few days ago," Dolphin told the Times. "I don't know what 'Renate Alumnus' actually means. I can't begin to comprehend what goes through the minds of 17-year-old boys who write such things, but the insinuation is horrible, hurtful, and simply untrue. I pray their daughters are never treated this way."

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Four "Renate Alumni" released a statement saying the Renate references "were intended to allude to innocent dates or dance partners." Kavanaugh's lawyer said "Kavanaugh and Ms. Dolphin attended one high school event together and shared a brief kiss good night following that event," and that's what he referred to in his yearbook, "nothing else." Dolphin told the Times, "I think Brett must have me confused with someone else, because I never kissed him."

Classmates of Kavanaugh said the "Renate Alumni" tags were part of his "fratty" clique's bragging about sexual conquests, real or imagined. Read more, and see the yearbook pages in question, at The New York Times.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.