Class Notes

Submitted by Mary Anne Burns.

Thanks to our classmates coming in numbers, perfect weather, and UMW’s wonderful hospitality and planning, our 40th reunion was a great success. The campus was in full bloom and at its best! It was fun from the first steps onto the grounds at Brompton Friday night to the casual, relaxing Sunday brunch. We were fortunate to have professors Dan Dervin, Don Glover, Bulent Atalay, and Marshall Bowen at our Friday night class party at Trench Hill, now the Kalnen Inn. It was great to see one familiar face after another once again in those parlors and on the lawn.

I showed two slideshows, one the UMW Simpson Library Special Collections photo exhibit of campus activism from 1967 to 1971 by Dr. Dervin, and the other a set of hilarious photos friends submitted to our Facebook group. On the screen appeared faces of people who could not be with us (Sue Cottingham, Barbara Halliday, Penn Bailey, Elaine Bell, and Robbie Purner) and those who have passed on (Mimi Hearne Barringer, Elizabeth “Mary Beth” Anania Edwards, and Beth Welsh). We were proud that Mary T. Bradley MacPherson received the University’s Distinguished Alumna Award. YouTube videos showed snapshots of her work affecting far-reaching societal change and her work empowering women entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa.

I want to thank all who sent remarks. You will find the past, present, and future here, because we are once again in a time of great transition. It’s a really fun time in our lives to reconnect, and we don’t plan to wait five years to do it again, so please stay in touch.

Karen Laino of Brussels, Belgium, our Class Notes coordinator and stalwart attendee of prior reunions, sent her apologies that she couldn’t join us this year due to pressing responsibilities with NATO. She also sent her appreciation to Mary Anne Burns, Cynthia “Davey” Ellis, and Kathy “Ernie” Marilla Kent for doing the after-reunion notes and to all for sending information for the magazine, which she urged everyone to continue doing. She was winding down a nearly nine-year tour in Europe, specifically with NATO in Belgium. The job and the task of making people in the U.S. understand the importance of the great alliance, she said, were daunting challenges. Though she and Ralph were sad to leave Europe, they made many friends and memories, planned to return, and looked forward to reconnecting with everything back home, including UMW friends. They were to arrive in the Washington, D.C., area in October. They bought a house and planned to make their permanent home in York, Pa., and Karen was to work at Fort Meade, Md., again. At Bryn Irving Roth’s suggestion, we wrote our regards for Karen on a card at Trench Hill at reunion Friday night, and I sent it to Belgium. We plan to gather after she gets back in appreciation for her work for NATO in support of efforts in Libya and Afghanistan.

Ernie and husband Chris of Alexandria, Va., have two sons and two granddaughters. Ernie lived and worked in family therapy in Philadelphia for seven years and has lived in Alexandria since 1978, working in the arts and as a docent at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery. Summers are spent overseeing their business, Lighthouse Liquors in Fenwick Island, Del. During the winter, she continues her interests in the arts in eclectic Key West, Fla. Ernie really enjoyed the Friday night reunion party, beautiful Trench Hill setting, and Mary Anne’s slideshow, and she felt that the camaraderie surrounding this year’s reunion was special and that we were all genuinely glad to be together. She found a visit to the Eagle’s Nest particularly gratifying, when several compared notes on Mary Washington experiences with a resident assistant. There were more similarities than one might have imagined between the experiences and philosophies he described and our own, 40 years earlier. Another poignant generation-crossing experience was at the post-banquet dance party, where student volunteers were gracious and outgoing in their attempts to bring us all together on the dance floor. What a riot! “These are good people … UMW should be very proud.”

Davey lives in Concord, Mass., outside Boston with husband Hany. After years working for high technology and marketing agencies, she is now a freelance writer and public relations specialist. Older daughter Christina lives and works in Madison, Wis., while younger daughter Claire is a junior at the University of Denver. Davey said that it was wonderful to reconnect with classmates and that a high point for her was the Freedom Riders session Friday afternoon, where Drs. O’Donnell, Cox, and Wilder told the story of the 1961 Freedom Riders, a group of college students, housewives, clergy, and other ordinary citizens who joined together to strike down Jim Crow laws regarding transportation in the Deep South. These courageous individuals were led by the late UMW professor James L. Farmer Jr. Mary Washington celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides in many ways, including welcoming in May the 2011 Freedom Ride, a recreation of the journey with 40 college students from across the country, including Charles Reed Jr. ’11, riding from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans to trace the original bus routes. Davey said she was honored to attend the session and proud of UMW for its leadership role in commemorating the Freedom Riders.

Julie McClelland Seder of Lancaster, Va., said that when she saw the names of classmates who planned to attend the reunion, she was surprised at how few she recognized. She said she still struggled to match faces with names and with the little girls we all were in 1967. But, when she really looked into people’s eyes, she said, she made connections and the memories came flooding back. “Fredericksburg is an awesome town! I can’t wait to go back and spend some quality time wandering around the historic district.”

Pam Temple Roach was my roommate all four years at Mary Washington. (Technically, we were suitemates junior year so we could both be freshman counselors.) After 40 years, we still finish each other’s sentences and believe we were separated at birth. “Our class rocks. We are a great bunch of broads! Thanks to Mary Anne for all she did … I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the whole weekend.”

Elaine “Cookie” Brennan Wright of Woolford, Md., lives on the Chesapeake Bay and boasts three careers, two daughters, two springer spaniels, and one husband. She retired from the EPA, where she held the title of “director of common sense,” and teaches environmental science and public health at the University of Pennsylvania. She also does consulting, running sustainable development programs in Russia, the Balkans, Italy, and Turkey, and programs that are planned to expand to the Republic of Belarus and Ukraine. Daughter Elizabeth, 30, has a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and a master’s degree in systems engineering from University of Virginia, where she is director of operations for the Medical Simulation Center. Daughter Katie, 24, has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and manages marketing operations for DISH Network’s DishLATINO. Despite calling off the wedding the night before the ceremony, Elaine has been married almost 39 years.

Phyllis Rogers Geries of League City, Texas, has taught Houston high school seniors government and economics for 29 years at the same school where her husband teaches them AP English. Daughter Amy and hubby Brad have children Grayson, 9, Ava, 6, and Sophia, 3. Daughter Sarah works for the Department of Defense in England, and Phyllis loves to visit. Irene Stevenson Lauermann of Arnold, Md., enjoyed connecting with old friends at our 40th reunion. She retired after 35 years in education, and she and husband Dale have become snowbirds, leaving home in October, traveling the Intracoastal Waterway to their slip in Marathon, Fla., and returning in May. They plan to spend this winter at home.

Natalee Spiro Franzyshen of Richmond and roommate Fran McDonald returned together to their senior year dorm room on Ball Third. “Other than different beds, a shower head over the bathtub, and new sinks, it looked like nothing had changed since we left 40 years before.” They examined the old kitchen, ironing room, and study areas in the rotunda area, and reminisced about managing with just fans, learning to wash their hair in the bathtub, and the first after-hours dorm meeting senior year, conducted with residents sitting around the open spiral staircase. Natalee recalled that Bruce Finke, one of our earliest token males, blended in at the meeting, sitting on the first floor with his long hair and jeans. Those on the second and third floors were unaware of his presence, as we sat in our nightwear and curlers, until Bruce asked a question with his deep voice and caused a major ripple of squeals and giggles. The memories are great, but they bring to light the fundraising needed to update the campus and its existing buildings for technology-oriented current and future generations. The pictures hanging in Ball Hall and other buildings give alumni, visitors, and students glimpses of earlier times. Perhaps Cookie Brennan and geography professor Marshall Bowen were the two easiest people to recognize after all these years.

Kathy Shred Schoeher of New Hope, Pa., wrote that we were lucky to grow up in an age when women could get interesting work, and, she said, women made up half of her law school class of 1976. She said she liked being at an all-women school because we could be ourselves and she feels lucky to live in America with interesting geography, relatively clean air, and “a political system that allows the occasional nutcase his/her place in the sun.” Kathy wrote that she had made it to the field by 6:30 that morning, harvested lettuce and garlic, weeded, put up a contraption to keep out bean-eating critters, and planted collards, Chinese cabbage, winter squash, and Tuscan kale. She is still married to the same man, both children are in graduate school, and she was enjoying having her sister-in-law stay with them.

Barbara Halliday submitted her news on her Blackberry from the Mall of America near Minneapolis after visiting husband Rick’s family. They are retired and celebrated their 25th anniversary last year. Barbara was in her second term on the Hayward City Council and planned to run for a third. Her father died last year, and her 89-year-old mother, who lives near them, was doing fairly well. She and Rick attended his 45th high school reunion in North Dakota, and Barbara was sorry she couldn’t make our reunion but was looking forward to the 45th and 50th.

Bryn Irving Roth of Fredericksburg had fun reconnecting with college friends at our 40th reunion. She and husband Dick took a Mediterranean cruise last year. Talking points of the year were his 60th high school reunion in Dayton, Ohio, and hitting a deer on the way there; his now-resolved medical problems; and a number of other trials and tribulations. They took their annual trip to visit Dick’s family in Ohio, and Bryn planned an August cruise to Alaska, two fall trips to Ashville, N.C., and another European cruise in 2012. She stays busy volunteering and quilting and sees their children, grandchildren, and great-grandson as often as possible.

Sidney Robins Lockaby of Charlotte, N.C., was headed to the mountains of North Carolina with dear friends, including Gloria Shelton Gibson ’69, Mary Turner Boyd ’67, and Kathryn Fowler Bahnson ’66. She didn’t know them at Mary Washington but met them more than 30 years ago at an alumni party in Charlotte. Among Reunion highlights, Dory Teipel of Falls Church, Va., includes seeing Don Glover and Dan Dervin (thank you, Dory, for having them as your guests), Mary Anne Burns’ presentation, a sentimental journey over Julie McClelland Seder’s jewelry before leaving, dancing in the street, and the sincere affection she felt from everyone. She said it was heartwarming to be with people who remembered so well the same things after all these years. Dory started painting professionally in 1991 and had a website on the horizon. She also was resuming her 35-year career, putting together advocacy projects in downtown Washington, D.C., and seeking clients interested in strategic planning, communications, and public relations for causes with a special niche in the arts and humanities. She is working with longtime colleagues from Crayola to preserve arts education in the American classroom.

Mary Weaver Mann of Fredericksburg sent her thanks to those who worked hard to arrange the reunion and said it was great to catch up. She and Jim have six grandchildren, ages 6 months to 10 years. Her mother is 101½, still scours two newspapers daily, and attends activities at her assisted living facility nearby. Jim is a funeral home assistant, which gives them truly interesting topics of discussion. She still loves her job at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library. Mary said that she would love to catch up with Becky Smith Bouygues, who might still live in Paris and have five children, and that Candace Hilldrup ’69 also is in Paris.

Joyce Garber Gamse of Arlington, Va., had fun with Susan Liebenow and Elaine Bell. Joyce taught English in Charlottesville while completing her master’s degree at U.Va. Inspired by a speech by Ralph Nader, she moved to Washington, D.C., was one of Nader’s Raiders, a congressional correspondent, and an editor at the Library of Congress. She and husband Roy lived on Capitol Hill for 10 years then had two children and moved to Arlington when their son started kindergarten. That son has a JD/MBA from Northwestern University and was married last year in Traverse City, Mich. Joyce and Roy’s daughter has a degree from Pomona College in California and lives in Cape Town, South Africa, where they’ve been twice to visit. Now semi-retired, Joyce substitute teaches, and Roy works with public charter schools. She loved the reunion, wishes Julie Watkins and Kitty Tinkham could have been there, and was shocked and saddened to learn from Elaine “Cookie” Brennan Wright that roomie Beth Welsh passed away.

Betty Barnhardt Hume of Fredericksburg has been a “townie” since moving off campus junior year. Her children, Janet and Robin, went to Randolph-Macon College and UNC Wilmington, respectively. Betty taught for nine years, took a few years “off” with her children, worked at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library, and has worked full time at the Porter branch in North Stafford since 2007. This has enabled Randy Hume ’75 to retire to the life he always imagined, playing golf every day and doing all the cooking. (Maybe he didn’t imagine the second part, but he does it well and is much appreciated.)

Diana “Diney” Rupert Livingston of Port St. Lucie, Fla., always felt that the Class of ’71 had a unique and wonderful personality and that we were bold, interesting, and eternally youthful. Her perceptions were confirmed at the breakfast on the last morning of reunion, when the student volunteers commented on how our classmates were dancing and rocking at the party the night before, long after the much-younger alums had called it a night. Claudith “Dotti” Holmes of Richmond reports that both her freshman roommates, Anita Whitehead Scott and Orita Whitehead Martin, are well. Anita is a retired Fredericksburg schoolteacher and the mother of twins John III and Christopher. Orita has lived in Denver for 40 years, reared two daughters with husband Richard, and is now a grandparent. She worked for the state of Colorado, as did older daughter Toni. Younger daughter Pamela is a veterinarian and tenured professor at Tuskegee University.

Elizabeth “Betty” Robinson Whichard and husband Jim live in Carmel, Ind., outside Indianapolis. But they have lived in Charlottesville, Arlington, and Lynchburg, Va.; Memphis; San Antonio, Texas; and New York City. Elizabeth is a computer applications trainer for New Horizons Computer Learning Centers, and Jim is a semi-retired insurance actuary. They enjoy reading mysteries, walking, working out, doing yoga, traveling, and watching movies.

Sally Reichnor Mayor of Randogne, Switzerland, was sorry not to have made the reunion this year but sent news from the airport in Geneva, where she was on her way to meet Australian friends who have a boat in southern France. She is the quality control person with an educational consultancy for local governments introducing English in the public schools. She has worked for more than 25 years as center exams manager in Switzerland for the University of Cambridge. She planned to participate in a balloon festival in Hotton, Belgium, in August, and asks that Karen Laino let her know if she’s around. Sally has two daughters and granddaughter Zoé, 2. Tish Stoner Sawyer visits her in Florida, and Sally sees Patty Killefer when she gets to the Fredericksburg area. Sally thanks Mary Anne for getting the group together and keeping it active.

Susan Edmonds Whitlow of White Stone, Va., retired in February from admissions at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond. She is volunteering and addressing 30 years of neglected housekeeping. Husband Dave is county administrator in Essex, Va. Daughter Sarah and fiancé Josh live in Alexandria, where Sarah is a reading teacher. Son Colin and wife Jessica are in New York, where Colin is in an MBA/MFA program at New York University.

Mary “Fred” T. Bradley MacPherson of Reston, Va., enjoyed seeing so many classmates at the reunion but was sorry that her roommate, Katherine Brew Barbee of Northern Virginia, and Karen Altizer Tessier of Asheville, N.C., weren’t there. Fred works in the non-profit sector, focusing on entrepreneurship and economic development and on building a businesswomen’s network in the Middle East and North Africa with Vital Voices. She was honored to receive the 2011 Distinguished Alumna Award and accepts it on behalf of the accomplishments of the Class of ’71. Fred sends a big shout-out to Mary Anne Burns for working to make the reunion terrific.

I (Mary Anne Burns) of Alexandria, Va., returned to the East Coast 18 months ago after being in the Southwest since 1976. I got my MBA in finance at the University of New Mexico, then spent the next 30-plus years in Southern California, first in the oil industry and then as a high-technology entrepreneur and consultant. I started in risk management in crude oil commodities trading just as oil was being deregulated and mainframes were on the way out, a confluence of things that launched a string of subsequent amazing opportunities.

After a stint at Disney Online, I got the art bug and undertook a four-year study of Renaissance drawing and painting and digital art with the animation trade while keeping my hand in business. After the events of Sept. 11, 2001, I became an advocate for a strategic shift in the human use of energy at industrial scale. Unbeknown to nearly all, I suffered from idiopathic epilepsy starting in my late 30s. Having found profound healing through yoga, with no seizures for more than 15 years, I feel engaged in creating the life that was intended from the first. Yoga has empowered me to accept joyfully my life of great independence and freedom, which also can be marked by acute isolation.

I work at the Library of Congress and am writing what I hope will be the first of many literary novels. I believe that, as the freest women who ever lived, we have a unique voice and vision that we are responsible to express widely. I enjoy the affection of my dear mother, 93, brother Tom, nieces, and grandnieces and nephew. It was a joy to coordinate the 40th reunion in honor of the caliber of the women and the liberal arts education of Mary Washington.

Several wonderful things happened in the process. I worked with Carolyn Parsons ’83 to obtain and best use Dr. Dervin’s photos. As I groped for a way to best reflect the diversity of our college experience, Robbie Purner of Stevens Point, Wis., emailed me a hooked rug “work-in-progress” with the word “inspiration” in the subject line. We had with us two former Trench Hill buddies, Philo Funk Scott ’72 and Karen Jenkins ’72, who cut up the dance floor with Rick and Rose Hurley like no others. I learned about Anne Gordon Greever’s economic development and micro-lending work with Richmond women; discussed my historical fiction with University Historian Bill Crawley; caught up with Pam Rave Hall and Diney Rupert Livingston, my Jefferson mates senior year; sat on the Trench Hill veranda overlooking Sunken Road talking with Mary T. about the impact American studies had on our thinking; laughed with Davey and Ernie at the hotel as we re-lived the suitemate experience; and enjoyed “girl time” looking at Julie McClelland Seder’s jewelry when, believe it or not, we were too tired to talk anymore.

As photos from Reunion began to be posted, we decided to keep the Facebook group going. The pictures are great! We are still trying to figure out who everyone is, so please join us at “Mary Washington Class of 1971 40th Reunion Photo Archive” and help. Stay tuned for plans for the celebratory dinner for Karen Laino’s return to the States at the end of October. A big thank you to Carolyn Parsons in Special Collections; Dan Dervin for taking those historic photos so long ago; Patti Boise Kemp ’69 for a pre-reunion campus tour, photos of classmates as freshmen in Virginia Hall, enthusiasm, and help; and the Alumni Relations staff, especially Cindy Snyder ’75, who did the big stuff right for us and had patience with me as I pursued the details with occasional excessive diligence.

You are the women who removed from human history for all time the question, “Can a girl do that?” Your faith and confidence in me as a young leader and creative soul led to many adventures and opportunities, and I wanted to acknowledge you with the elegance you deserve. You knock me out. Love and peace.