Class Notes

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UMW Magazine – Class Notes
1301 College Ave.
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1940s

1941

Lois Loehr Brown
loislbrown@aol.com 

Greetings from the students who entered the State Teachers College in Fredericksburg in 1937. Most of us lived in Willard and Virginia halls. The next year we became Mary Washington College! Remember, you were a “Goat” or “Devil,” depending on whether your graduation year was an odd or even number?

Eva Catafygiotu Topping, a “town girl” among our class’s most intellectually endowed, died in December, leaving a trail of published works on ancient Greece.

Lenore Magill Powell-Gill is in good health and married Don Gill in May 2011. They traveled, including a river cruise from St. Petersburg to Moscow, and planned to move to a larger apartment. Lenore’s first great-great-grandchild was born last year. In New York, Dorothy Shaw winters at the Buffalo family home and summers at the West Valley farm, caring for dogs, goats, and chickens. She does tai chi, plays cribbage and with music groups, and helps train dogs to aid the handicapped. Myra McCormick Cole’s daughter, Dawn, lives with her in Texas.

Catherine Studebaker Perdue Ryan received a copy of UMW Magazine addressed to her mother, Betty Johnson Studebaker, who passed away in January 2011. Catherine said Betty made lifelong friends at Mary Washington, counted studying there among her proudest accomplishments, and was proud that grandson Jarrett Perdue ’96 also attended.

Having served twice as class agent, I’m stepping down to give someone else this great opportunity to keep in contact with the Class of 1941. Best wishes for the season. Keep well and have fun. Much love, Lois.

1942

Virginia Bennett Skillman
classnotes@umw.edu

1943

Lee Hall Archer
huntenlee@charter.net

1944

Phyllis Quimby Anderson
classnotes@umw.edu

I’m doing pretty well, but my back keeps me from walking far. We planned an August family reunion in Ocean Grove, N.J., with my whole family, including my second great-granddaughter, Katelyn, whom I hadn’t yet seen, and my other great-granddaughter, Layla, who is walking and whom I’d only seen in videos. I still am active in church, choir, and volunteer organizations, and I play bridge and do puzzles.

Elizabeth Cumby Murray had a Fourth of July cookout at daughter Trisha’s home with family members, including two great-grandchildren. On Jan. 1, Elizabeth expects another great-grandchild, whose parents are grandson Matthieu and wife Kerry. Elizabeth doesn’t travel off Nantucket Island much anymore but planned to see Billy Elliot in Boston with Trish. During the summer heat wave, Anna Roberts Ware repotted plants to bring inside out of the heat. She didn’t lose power during the big storm, but more than 40 trees were lost along the golf course. She’s happy, likes to watch golf, and has everything she needs in the one room she has in her beautiful house. Libby Phillips Roe’s computer was down, so she and Anna wrote or called to keep in touch.

Mary Ellen Gardiner Starkey’s granddaughter lives in England and was expecting a daughter, Mary Ellen’s first great-grandchild. Son Don’s family planned to visit England for the big event. Isabel Hildrup Klein and Bob love their retirement-community house and also were expecting their first great-grandchild, whose parents are Robin and Brad. Isabel still drives to church and for shopping but not at night.

I enjoy and appreciate getting news from classmates. Thank you!

1945

Frances Watts Barker
jbarker@intercom.net

1946

Patricia Mathewson Spring
classnotes@umw.edu

1947

Betty Moore Drewry Bamman
bdbamman@verizon.net

This is a long overdue thanks to Jean Ransom, who brainstormed with me before my English essays were due and made suggestions for my art projects. I couldn’t have made it through freshman year without her. Please let me hear from other classmates.

1949

Anna Dulany Lyons
classnotes@umw.edu

June Davis McCormick
jaymccee@yahoo.com

Corinne “Conni” Conley Stuart and husband Bonar of Toronto miss their lakeside vacation home but have everything they need in their condo, including a salt-water pool, exercise room, and yoga classes. Conni recently recorded additional dialogue for the Canadian film Old Stock, which was scheduled for release during September’s Toronto Film Festival. Other than occasional TV cameos, Conni felt that might be her swan song. She returned to live theatre, playing a 90-year-old woman in Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women – hardly typecasting for our energetic Conni! The summer issue of UMW Magazine featured a profile of her and her extensive acting career on page 37. Earlier in the year, Bonar was admitted to the hospital but contracted a bug during his stay and had to return twice. Still, Conni praises their national health plan; a personal care worker, nurse, and physical therapist visited Bonar daily. Conni was amused by an account of former roommate/ suitemate Norah Pitts Byrnes’ physician husband, who complained like the rest of us during his recent experience as a patient in Atlanta.

In Stockbridge, Mass., Primm Turner ffrench had surgery earlier this year and, over family protests, immediately left for her summer home in Ireland. Since husband John’s death, there have been several retrospective exhibits of his ceramics there, and Primm is involved in archiving his work. Betsy Thorne Bultman and husband Phelps made their annual springtime trek from their South Carolina home to their New Hampshire farm and their autumnal return. Conni ended her suite report by saying she can’t believe she and Bonar made the 750-mile trip back and forth to the Bultmans’ so many times “in our youth…like only three years ago!”

In Palestine, Texas, Katherine “Kate” Mayo Schmidt’s brother and sister-in-law visited from Hampden Sydney, Va. They were joined by her sister from Huntsville, Ala. Bill Jr. and wife Terri came from Albuquerque, N.M., for an Easter visit, and Kate anticipated spending Christmas at their home. After 70 years of contract bridge, Kate recently learned to play duplicate bridge and planned to participate in a July tournament.

Elizabeth “Betty” Fischer Gore of Fairfax, Va., still swims. She took a May trip with sister Mary, who spent a year at Mary Washington in 1947, before transferring. They visited Mary’s daughter in Holley, N.Y., and took a boat ride along the Erie Canal.

Frances Houston Layton attended her cousin’s May wedding in Fredericksburg during UMW’s Commencement Weekend. Perhaps you noticed pictures of the traditional procession, where several graduates wore mortarboards perched on the backs of their heads, one corner pointed skyward. Mrs. B. must be spinning!

Anna “Andi” Dulany Lyons and Marion “Wendy” Selfe Kelly had a May luncheon gabfest in Lynchburg, Va. Marion said Esther Reece McVeigh suffered a small stroke in April and, with daily therapy at Westminster Canterbury Health Care, was getting better. Marion said Westminster took good care of its residents during the power outages and oppressive heat. She and husband George made their annual trip to New York City, toured the newly revitalized American wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and visited the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. During their stay, granddaughter Katie came from Poughkeepsie to have dinner with the Kellys, who attended her Boston wedding last December. The newlyweds were to move to Australia for Katie’s husband’s job as an engineer with the world’s biggest mining company; they expected to be there for at least two years.

After the windstorms, Betty Bond Heller Nichols of Lexington, who was without power during triple-digit heat, traveled two hours to stay with daughter Cathy. After her near-death experience in January, B.B.’s doctors are happy with her progress. She looked forward to a repeat performance of last year’s successful four-piano Christmas sing-along.

On Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Judy Stone Johnstone and Bob put their Melfa farm on the market and moved into an Onancock retirement apartment. The first of their grandchildren married in June, another was to follow in October, and Judy and Bob hope for great-grandchildren soon. Frances “Blackie” Horn Nygood spent her gorgeous May birthday without water at her Delaware home but prepared to weed and trim. The spring weather there was odd – hot by day, freezing at night – and she was still using an electric blanket.

Because of extreme heat in Bristol, Lucy Vance Gilmer’s family postponed her July birthday celebration, and her friends rescheduled a cookout in her honor. One of Lucy’s Virginia Intermont College “daughters,” whom she and late husband Sherman mentored as church parents when the girls were students in 1967, visited earlier in the year. Another spent Memorial Day with Lucy, helping her place flowers in cemeteries in memory of family members. Lucy feels blessed to have good friends in Bristol. She visited her sister-in-law in a South Carolina assisted living home and is grateful she can still drive more than 300 miles in one day. Lucy received a birthday note from Barbara Trimm Wright of South Hill, Va., who’s active and healthy but was recovering after a stint in the ER. Barbara stays in touch with Alta Towe Fogelgren of Virginia Beach and Helen “Bebe” Lowe ‘48, who moved into a Delaware assisted living complex. Alta and her husband of more than 60 years winter in Florida and are widely traveled.

Dolores “Dee” Ross, a retired educator who maintains strong ties with our alma mater, faithfully attends the annual April luncheon for scholarship donors and Heritage Society members at the Jepson Alumni Executive Center, meeting and visiting with recipients. Erma Whitaker Bockoven and husband Fred also represented our class again this year. As Fabulous Forty-Niners, we’re proud of our six classmates who have endowed scholarships and are Heritage Society members. Four of our classmates who are no longer with us also were Heritage Society members, so our class has a total of 10 established endowments. We also have the Class of 1949 scholarship for designated donations. With no contributions made for the 2011- 2012 fiscal year, the total remains $49,837.88, with another award to be made to an incoming freshman next year.

An April information meeting in Irvington, Va., drew a good turnout of area alumni. Director of National Alumni Engagement Cynthia Snyder ’75, longtime director of alumni relations, is responsible for forming new alumni chapters in areas not already represented. She brought the group up to speed on changes since their days on Marye’s hilltop. Dee felt Cindy had a good response for the proposed new Northern Neck chapter. Before the meeting, Dee hosted a brunch for Mary Washington friends. She also hosted UMW President Richard V. Hurley and wife Rose when they were in Kilmarnock, Va., in May and called the Hurleys “a delightful couple.” Dee attended the Colonial Downs races, until excessive heat caused cancellations. When the storms struck Kilmarnock, her recently installed backup generator provided comfort for her and her four-legged companion, Joe. Dee planned a two-week trip to Europe in September for a river cruise to Amsterdam and a two-day stay at the Greenbrier in December with her bank group.

Our heartfelt thanks to those who responded to our plea for news. As ever, love to all of you from both of us.