Class Notes

Kathy Diehl Hartman retired in 2015 after 38 years in cancer research at National Institutes of Health. She has four grandchildren. Kathy writes that Kathye Baldwin Geary has her first grandchild, and Laura Ann Ewers Cline‘s daughter recently married. The ladies of Ball 3 West, including Kathy, Laura Ann, Alison Stern Wood, Jane Albert McGehee, Dana DeGroot Grobicki, Lisa Lyle Wu, and Jody Nutter Amberly ’76 gathered at Kathye’s home in Bethany Beach, Delaware, in July.

Janice Wenning is enjoying retirement after a 35-year career in Environmental Consulting. She and her husband pursue their passion for SCUBA diving, following professional cycling races, and traveling. They spend about half the year somewhere else besides their home base in Berkeley, California, often wintering in Belize where they have a home on Ambergris Caye. They drive from the west coast to the east coast and back each summer and fall, taking a different path each time, and use those opportunities to meet up with other MWC/UMW alumni (Karen Hertzel Pratt, Carol Yancey Orlando, Lisa-Rae Campbell Walker, Mary Dornin Michaud) while crossing the country. Their dog, Blaze, a four-year-old Schipperke, is a frequent traveling companion. Janice also volunteers for an environmental conservation non-profit (Seacology) and is a Commissioner for the City of Berkeley’s Zero Waste Commission. She also is the sole owner of Bayside Marketplace, doing online consignment selling for people going through life’s transitions. Janice says, “All in all, we are having fun and enjoying life!”

Jeanne Marie McDonough McClure writes, “We met up with Joan Castner Niederlehner and Jim for brunch a few weeks ago when they were up for a wedding in Shepherdstown. Ron and I have been retired for four years now and are enjoying every minute of it! We travel quite a bit and were blessed with a precious granddaughter, Adalynn, in June of 2015. We are fortunate to have her with us every Wednesday and love being grandparents. Looking forward to our reunion next year!”

Speaking of grandchildren, I, too, have news! Nora Lee Hallerman was born June 20, and my thoroughly unbiased opinion is that she is the prettiest, smartest baby ever. (Gee, wonder how many other grandmothers think that??)  Her two moms, my daughter Mary and my daughter-in-law Nicole, are easing into motherhood quite well.

That’s all the news from ’77 this time. Our 40th (!) is coming up next year. We have a Facebook page for the class, “Mary Washington College Class of 1977.”  Please join, if you haven’t already done so.