Class Notes

Greetings to all my classmates! Carol Miller is near full recovery from her health problems and attended The Virginia Horse Shows Association annual meeting at the Homestead Resort in early December, 2017 and received a special award which included an engraved Silver Tray honoring her many years serving as the Historian and compiling the History of VHSA. Well deserved recognition!

It is with great sadness that I report that Patricia H. Ferguson died on August 17, 2017 of congestive heart failure. Pattie was a friend to all and her beautiful smile would light up any room she entered!

Nan Riley Pointer reports that she and husband, Joe who had a knee replacement in ’17, are both well. They cruised in July ’17 from Venice to Rome, Greek Isles, Athens, and Corinth. January ’18 they cruised to Antartica, enjoyed seeing the penguins! Proud of grandson, Chris, who graduated from Virginia Tech in December ’17.

Highlights of Billie Mitchell Hanes’ 2017 included 2 trips to N.Y. where she and daughter, Leslie, visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, attended productions of “HELLO DOLLY” AND “ANASTASIA” as well as The ROCKETTES!

Class of 1950 Arrington Scholarship, part of the overall Arrington Scholarship Program, was established in 2000 to recognize the outstanding support of our class during our 50th Reunion Gift Campaign! It is awarded annually to a qualified student who is the child of a UMW faculty or staff member. Our current recipient, Benjamin Whipkey, is a computer science major and is due to graduate in May ’18.
In October ’17 EmpowerHouse, a non profit agency in the Fredericksburg area celebrated 40 years of service. Founders of this agency which began as the Rappannock Council on domestic violence were honored. They include our own Florence Overley Ridderhof as well as Becky Butler Guy, Class of 1961 and 1990, and professors Sue Hanna and Alice Rabson (both since deceased). The agency continues its service to victims of domestic violence and their families!

Juney and I are true stay-at-home senior citizens now, but continue to enjoy events at UMW. My new motto is “Enjoy what you can do and don’t worry about what you can’t do

Susan Jergens ’52 is a great grandmother.

Hope 2017 was a good year for all of you. However for us Californians it was not. There were and still are at least some small fires going right now mainly in the southern part of the state. We did have heavy fire fogs here for a few days but it now has cleared nicely and we did have a nice Christmas.

I had a great talk with Sally Hanger Moravitz. We talked about lots of things. She mentioned she and her husband were taking a cruise to the south after the holidays and lots of other things but unfortunately my mind has been so connected with our state problems that I will count on talking to her later on. Sorry, Sally our fires was scary to say the least.

Polly Stoddard Heim traveled east in September for the wedding of Kelsey Heim. A second son was born to the Ben Brook family. They now have 4 greats – 2 of each.

I got a lovely Christmas card from Dorothy Booth Sanders. She and her husband traveled this past year to Florida, northern Michigan, Poconos, Tennessee, and Boston and New England. In addition they enjoy theater, concerts, and of course seeking eating new places to eat featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Drives. They like to grill new things like 12 veggies and fish and Dottie has protected the Kentucky Hot Brown with asparagus instead of tomato. Dewey was unable to do any full marathons this year (still 82 total) due to a knee injury in January at the Ocala Marathon. He has done half marathons and 5K’s but still feels he needs to do more. There was a lot of information about their children, however I ran out of space and it was wonderful reading about them, they sound wonderful.

From Anne Rohrbach Culwell. She says time flies. She has 2 new great-great grandboys this year. She was supposed to go to the Chickasaw Nation in June but she fell and was not moving too swiftly since there would be a lot of walking. She has a hitch in her “git along” with a slight fracture in her left wrist.

Great note from Beth Crawford (Not sure she has a different last name??). She mentioned that when she was waiting at a bus stop, a mother and her little son got off an incoming bus. The two women talked. When Beth found out the woman went to Mary Washington a while ago they had great fun talking about memories of UMW or probably Mary Washington.

Joan Darden says it’s a wee bit cold with about 3-4 images of the white stuff. Awfully early for that in VA. She says she’s hanging in there but not quite as spunky – maybe 85%. She still bowls, plays golf, bridge and pooling. She tells some sad news. Marian Miner’s obit was in the paper in early December and she believes it was from Alzheimer as the paper read that donations could be made to them.

From Joan Kleinknecht. She is doing Bingo and find doing six cards easy for the brain. She is not a fanatic, Heaven’s forbid. For the fun of it. She learned how to play Texas Holkem from six ladies that reminded her of her days at MWC and really fun to share Poker with. She spent time with a lot of students and had a good time with many of them as I did with all the girls that came to my store. I am sure I still miss them as Joanie does.

Phyllis Melillo Shanahan says she got down to DB on a Sunday it was lovely had warm weather after 3 storms in Ct. She was delayed by some skin cancer bouts but all is well so far, she seems that all she does is go from Dr. to Dr. but she can’t complain. She gets good reports from all. She has one new “Great grand” baby. Alice is her first!

Nice card from Patricia Seibert Siegel they are still going strong and getting along every day. She and I too were surprised about the death of Mark Sumner. We had memories of the both of us going to the theatre every night when we had a play going in. She was also to see a picture of Debby Klein who gave us a lot of help.

Anne Strickler Doumas was a pleasant visit for us last May when our family came to Fredericksburg for our graduation visit. We had a pleasant luncheon and visit and shared memories of UMW (or MWC?).

Nice note from Ann Dunaway Criswell. She and her husband are still dividing the year between California and Virginia. Floyd appreciates the water in the Bay Area but not the traffic and exorbitant prices. She appreciates the summer in Virginia.

A year of new beginnings – I called Mickey Foley McDaniel and found her sorting and packing possessions as she and Tim plan a move to an independent living retirement village. She is still playing tennis in a senior league. I am one step ahead of her, joining the ever-growing list of classmates who have moved to retirement communities. I moved to The Virginian in Fairfax, Va. last August. I love the life I am living – new friends, many activities and great food that I do not have to shop for or cook! Classmate Marge Uhler Adcock was one of the first residents that I ran into. She is very active with grandchildren and she goes bowling every week. Other MWC alumnae here are Martha Blake Cooper and Margaret Hines Sickles ’49. Meg White Fary and Frank have moved to Bermuda Run, N.C. from their mountaintop home of many years in Blowing Rock, N.C. Frieda Headley Byrd was kind enough to write me that she made her annual trip to Hilton Head for her family reunion which now includes five children and their spouses, five grandchildren and two spouses and three great grandchildren. Ever faithful Hermie Gross Fox wrote that she spent a week at Glacier National Park last year with her daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren. The group was planning to spend five days over the Christmas holidays in NYC. Hermie walks daily and takes cardio and yoga classes at the YMCA.

Welcome springtime, although as I compile these notes, a snowy winter day is predicted for tomorrow. Please note that future notes to me should be sent to my personal email address listed above. I hope you were aware that our 2017 fall notes were somehow omitted, but were presented on line with apologies of staff. Greetings were sent by Audrey Knapp, Libby Fordham, Dorothy Rice Clark, Jean Durham Busboso, Mary Montague Sikes and Ellen Hertz Hewitt.

First the sad news. Joan Calahan Frankhauser’s husband, Mahlon, passed away on July 10, 2017. Our love and sympathy go out to her.

Notes indicate that our class is very much involved in cheering on the younger generation and in volunteering in many areas within their communities. Libby Fordham recently attended her great-nephew’s middle school band concert in Fredericksburg. I enjoyed watching a Christmas parade in Apex, North Carolina in which my middle school granddaughter marched in her band while my grandson marched in the same parade with his robotics team float. Ellen Hertz Hewitt has been in her new apartment for a little over a year, and while enjoying the new atmosphere she and her husband have become known as “Granny and Grumps” to a special little boy next door. Ellen recommends downsizing, as she is enjoying her neighbors, even having fourteen of them for a Christmas gathering! Jean Durham Busboso tutors at a local school and takes regular turns being hostess in their local historical center. I continue singing with the community production of “The Messiah”.

Dorothy Rice Clark shared her recent travels. She was just back from Italy when the reunion was taking place, and she is planning to visit the Adriatic side of Italy in February. In the fall she visited Northern California, and she was able to see about five National Parks, some sadly, were burned in the big fires after they arrived home. She said, “The biggest change for me was that I now have a new cochlear implant. It is my third. A new phone to control the implant and a new hearing aid” complete the picture. “I thought I was losing it over the phone and making it control the cochlear implant. We finally understand each other”.

Mary Montague Sikes reports that she enjoyed seeing classmates and making a short talk to them at homecoming. She had a book signing at the UMW bookstore for her latest book An Artful Animal Alphabet. “I continue writing and hope to have another book out in 2018. During 2017, I had a show of my Mayan Ruins paintings at Arts on Main in Gloucester and a show featuring some of my watercolors on Yupo at RAL Art Center in Kilmarnock, VA. My painting, “Journey of the Dragonfly,” won an award of excellence in the annual members show at Williamsburg Contemporary Arts Center. Olen and I continued traveling with a trip to Costa Rica, one to Key West, Florida, and another trip for our journeys to a National Park each year. This was to Acadia in Maine and was planned by our daughter, Allison. I continue to have a gallery space in Crossroads Art Center in Richmond, Virginia.”

Fall 2018 class notes deadline is June 15. Let us hear from you.

Here I am sitting at a computer in the Handley Regional Library to prepare the Classnotes for 1958.
I am beginning with the article ORGAN AFICIONADA which traces the career of PEGGY KELLEY Reinburg.
Peggy is a Pipe organ expert and she consults on restoring historic organs and building new ones. The article appeared in UMW MAGAZINE FALL/WINTER 2017.
I received a Christmas card from EILEEN BRILLINGER Harrer who has moved to Cheney, WA to near her son. I appreciate cards, phone calls, g-mails and e-mails from classmates as you all have expressed interest. However this year the mail has been limited.
I received a g-mail from MEREDITH BUSBY Frank that PATRICIA SIMMER Bishap had passed away in August, 2017. Sympathy is sent to family members and friends.
The information came too late to make the deadline for the fall/winter UMW Magazine as there are only two issues of the Magazine each year.
SHERRILL MASSIE Judd has now settled down on her farm with Ray, husband, daughter Marian.
She is being kept busy with getting settled, traveling, visited the Massie homestead in Nelson County, recovering from total knee replacement and PT. She sees our sweet mate, DORTHY NEWLIN who is plans to move out of her home and settle some warm.
As for me I fell in September and fractured my hip in 2 places. Only treatment is rest and
Medication for pain… I had a reaction to one of the opiate ( 3 pills.) No more of the stuff. The other one was not bad. I kept a close watch on what I was taking and stopped pain medication used Aleve.it worked check spelling.) I had to stay home September to December before I was allowed to drive.
When you have a minute drop me a note. Take care

After our mini-reunion Irene Piscopo Rodgers and her English cousin, Kathy, continued on to Connecticut to visit other cousins. Irene, though retired travels constantly, it seems. Went to St. Louis and Kansas City also this summer.
Mary Massey is busy with house projects Quote -from Mary- “Oh, the joy of home ownership,” She is not thinking retirement community at this point. She is content and enjoying Jack’s and her house. She recently broke her left ankle hiking with her dog, Gigi. She slipped on some mud, it will take eight weeks to heal. She has signed up for a solo adventure- The Road Scholar Program- an elderhostel hiking and naturalist study in Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio in October. She plans a relaxing time. It has been a year since Jack passed and she wrote she was doing fine.
Nancy Gwaltney Gillette and Bill have had some busy times in June and July with weddings, graduations, etc.
Celeste Shipman Kaufman left us in August. Her love for family, friends and golf were outstanding. She volunteered 20 years in a Palliative Care Unit at the Univ. of Alabama in Birmingham. She had five grandchildren and one great grandson. Pug was a very active contributor to our column over the years.
Spoke to Jane Tucker Broadbooks in August. She and John really like Chatham. All continue to do a lot of antiquing and enjoy being with their grandchildren. Jane heard from Molly Bradshaw Clark. She travels a lot. Went to India year before last- this year finds her in Spain. She unfortunately missed a step and broke her hand. Says she is still reading. She has sold her home in Georgia and is in a retirement home in N.C. Her daughter is in Colorado and her son in Greenville so she is constantly on the go.
Phone call for Ann Brooks Coutsoubinas who just returned from as super cruise to Greece.
It is with very great sadness I inform you of the death of my dear son-in-law, Matt, who passed away on June 27th, 2017, of a heart attack at the age of 42. He and Virginia had just celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary two days before and were leaving that weekend for their favorite place, Chincoteague for a family vacation Virginia and Lucas are grief-stricken- a good man- loving husband and fantastic dad. He donated three organs which were happily accepted by three recipients.