Class Notes

From Cheryl: I am recently married and enjoyed a honeymoon on Petit St. Vincent in the Grenadines. In honor of the marriage, Aimee Cooper Starr and family and Lejai Baldwin attended a poolside party in Virginia Beach, where we listened to steel drum music as the sun set and chatted into the evening about our fantastically happy days at Mary Washington.

Tim Landis and his dad were featured in the Father’s Day episode of This Week in Baseball on Fox Sports. In 1932, Tim’s dad was a 10-year-old boy in the front row at Babe Ruth’s legendary “called shot” game, voted baseball’s most famous World Series moment in an ESPN poll, where Ruth pointed to centerfield, then hit the next pitch over the fence for a homerun. There has always been debate as to whether Ruth was actually predicting where he would hit the ball, but Tim’s dad is emphatic that he was, and that he had the best seat in the house to see it. Tim collects vintage sports memorabilia and found a photo of his dad at the game, legitimizing his story. They are thrilled his account was made public after nearly 80 years, helping to substantiate one of the most famous events in baseball history.

Stephen Covert, who served for three years as director of human resources for Spotsylvania County Schools, was appointed assistant superintendent for human resources in March. Wife Amy Parrish Covert ’95 is busy with sons Ben and Bear; Bear was to start preschool this fall. Kristin Breata Hodes is an at-home mom living in Northern Virginia with her husband and son. Anne Dressler Fox said Emma and Joseph did great this year on the neighborhood swim team with Ben Salp, son of Jill Whelan and Andrew. They celebrated Rob Teweles’ 40th birthday in May with loads of bourbon. Ann lost her dad in May after a long illness, and he was to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

Ngozi Obi’s second published book, When Dreams and Visions Collide, is available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Mary Ellen Dunn and Mylinda McConnell Green saw Melissa Czarnecki when her mom passed away. Melissa was planning the ninth annual Joey C. Cup golf tournament to benefit Life with Cancer, in memory of her brother, sister, and now her mom. They have raised more than $92,000 so far.

From Bethany: Please take a moment as you read this report to send me a quick email so I’ll have your address. That way, when I get ready to send out the next request for updates, you will be on my email list.

I still live in Arlington with husband Ben Sutton ’95 and daughters Claudia, 5½, and Cara, 2½. I was promoted to chief of staff at the Association of American Colleges and Universities in fall 2010. Tama Welch Press and Jon Press ’92 live in the Chicago suburb of Oswego, Ill. Oldest daughter Maddie is a high school freshman; their youngest is in seventh grade. Tama works from home for SunTrust and leads a college and 20s group at church, which brings back fun UMW memories. Jon is a client relationship manager for the private software company Investortools and travels often to New York and Boston.

Harriet Greenlee-Herndon ferried kids to activities this summer and was training for a 50-mile trail run in Duluth, Minn., in July. Anita Essalih lives in Houston with her English cocker spaniel and dates a gentleman from her church seniors group. Son Tony Essalih ’99, who has daughters Grace, 4, and Libby, 1, and his wife live nearby. Anita does volunteer work and walks and watches pets. She planned to come to Fredericksburg in September, when she was to visit her 88-year-old mother.

Leann Vernon, who works with BethanyKids, a nonprofit organization supporting missionary surgeons in Africa who treat children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, sent updates about others. Suzanne Horsley of Tuscaloosa, Ala., a University of Alabama faculty member, is active with her husband as an American Red Cross volunteer and helped after this spring’s devastating tornado. Cindy Dunnavant Easterday is director of human resources at American & Efird in Charlotte, N.C., and has a Chihuahua named Waggie Mae. Carolyn Herndon Ewers, husband Andrew, and daughter Amy, who live on Kangaroo Island in South Australia, traveled in June and July in the U.S., visiting friends and family. Diane Easter is special assistant to the president and director of events and ceremonies at Longwood University.

Debbie Newell Scott and Stacey McInerney Law returned from Hawaii and Las Vegas, respectively, to the greater Washington, D.C., area with their families. Necole Dunnivan Christmas and her children welcomed husband-dad Brian back home in Fredericksburg last year from Afghanistan. I’m excited to attend the Labor Day weekend wedding of Jason Ackerman, who works at Georgetown University. Kathy Mulvaney was married this spring, lives on Capitol Hill, and works at the National Endowment for the Humanities.