Class Notes

I am pleased to have news from several classmates. I wish more of you would keep in touch.

Carmen Zeppenfeldt Catoni’s granddaughter, Ana Zeynep Yildirim ’13, earned a degree from UMW, then traveled with her brother and sister to Turkey to visit their father’s homeland and their Turkish grandmother. Ana’s mother is Ana Catoni Yildirim ’80.

Carmen spoke to Alicia De Rivera-Cruz, whose health seemed better. On a sad note, Carmen saw on Facebook that Anne Garlette Maling passed away. Carol Bailey Miller still works on Virginia Horse Shows Association history and was appointed to the Hall of Fame nominating committee. She spoke with several well-known people in the horse-show world, including Bill Steinkraus, who was on the U.S. Olympic team for several years. Carol has attended several meetings of Mary Washington alumni in Richmond and enjoyed meeting people from different classes.

Elsie Lee Davidson Floyd enjoyed her spring flowers after all the rain but was concerned for others experiencing rain and tornadoes. Mim Sollows Wieland and Earl had the downstairs of their Cape Cod home painted and new flooring put in the kitchen. Marge Diener Knapp lives with son Jon and recently gave up driving. She fell during a trip to Barnegat Light, N.J., and crushed her left elbow. She had surgery in October and received a new elbow, a titanium implant. She called her therapist “Colleen the Crusher” because she worked her so hard, but it paid off. Marge belongs to a singing and bell-ringing group for seniors, and has lunch and plays Scrabble every Wednesday with her 101-year-old pal, Mabel. Mabel usually wins!

I took another escorted tour this spring to the national parks of Utah: Arches, Bryce, Zion, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I didn’t do some hiking trails the younger people did, but I enjoyed the sunrise and sunsets and was awed by God’s country.

My husband, Edgar D. Morris, passed away June 8.

Classmates, I hope you enjoyed the last news we had in our magazine. Please send more. Enjoy yourselves.

Susan Hutcheson Jurgens visited roommate Maxine Haley Hazelgrove in Ashland, Va., in March. They went to a variety show and met third roommate Carol Oliver Headlee for lunch at a Richmond restaurant the next day. They all talked about college days. Susan finished her October-through-April Orange County Bridge Marathon. One of her two partners was Catherine Matthews Gillespie ’63. Susan plans an October Road Scholar trip to Prague, Bratislava, and Budapest.

I hope everyone had a good, safe summer, despite the crazy climate changes, tornadoes, floods, fires, and droughts. Once again, thanks to those who sent news. My records aren’t always up-to-date, so if you change email addresses, please send me the new one.

Beth Otway Crawford has three daughters and six grandchildren. She lives in the Montreal suburb of Pointe-Claire, with a five-minute walk to the shore of Lake St.-Louis and the village. Other than the activities of Quebec’s language police and talk of separating from the rest of Canada, she finds it delightful and interesting.

Charlotte Fisher Klapproth said it was too darn hot. She was enjoying the AC and ready for fall/winter. Sam Stone, Shirley Gregory Stone’s husband, wrote that Shirley had no news but was still alive and kicking!

Sally Hanger Moravitz’s niece, Sally Patricia Hanger, married Peter Svenlen and lives in Stockholm. Trisha worked in New York in the ’90s and is now operations manager for SoHo’s Gudrun Sjoden, a Swedish firm that opened its first NYC store. Sally hoped to connect with her during her fall visit. Other trips will mainly be to the doctor, but Sally can still pull in a 6-pound rockfish.

Joan Kleinknecht asked if she’d sent info too late for the last deadline, saying we tend to be a little forgetful as we get older. Well, Joan, if you did, I forgot where I put it. Got up the other day and found the orange juice in the pantry and the cereal in the fridge. So, I’ll catch you next time, if I remember!

Barbara Trites Peterson’s grandson, Dan Peterson, studied sports management at Old Dominion University. Barbara attended his graduation and met his girlfriend’s parents. Barbara spent almost three years working with a committee to plan an October meeting for Presbyterian Women of the Synod of South Atlantic to be held in St. Simons Island, Ga., and attended by 350 people.

Ginny Marco Hancock’s daughter, a permanent second mate and relief mate on the Stewart J. Cort, a 1,000-foot Great Lakes bulk carrier, was installed in February as the first female Grand Lodge President of the 123-year-old International Shipmasters Association. On a sad note, Ginny reported the deaths of the son and daughter-in-law of the late Kae Enquist Brown and Dr. Joseph Daniel Brown III. Maj. Gen. Joseph D. Brown IV and Susan Stanger Brown were killed in a small plane crash in April.

Anne Rohrbach Culwell works in Oklahoma City. She survived the tornadoes in Norman, but a hailstorm ruined her roof. Her great-great-grandson and friends were having a wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner when some left for a friend’s house. The rest were to follow, but a tornado alert sent them to a Norman shelter. Tornadoes struck around but not in Norman. Anne planned to visit the Wisconsin Dells and the Windy City.

Sally Watson Castle went with UMW President Richard V. Hurley and wife Rose on a President’s Travel Club trip to Russia, Finland, and Sweden.

The news from California is that my granddaughter, Morgan James ’17, headed to UMW and major in international studies in the fall. She loves the campus. I looked at maps she brought home and at the classes offered. Boy, what a difference from the ’50s.

Take care, but still manage to be a little outrageous.

I am falling behind in trying to use communication technology. My computer is obsolete so I can receive emails only on my cellphone. Please note the new address above.

Frank and Meg White Fary are still active, live in the North Carolina mountains, and visit friends in Williamsburg. Carole Petley Toone planned to visit her sister in August in Long Beach, N.J. She said Hurricane Sandy swept away many landmarks from her childhood there, but I’m sure the memories linger on.

Tim and Mickey Foley McDaniel enjoy retirement, with family, friends, and volunteer work. Mickey said Chandler Hall is gone, a new student center is planned, and naming rights were still available for a sizable endowment. Margie Schauer was leaving Washington, D.C., for Ingleside at King Farm in Rockville, Md. Ann Mitchell Wood said her hair is whiter and her memory fuzzier, but playing bridge goes on forever!

I enjoyed a small July party at Greenwood in Culpeper, where Lafayette dined in 1825, and the next day had lunch in the senior staff dining room in the West Wing of the White House. In June, 57 Chilton family members and descendants of my grandparents attended our biannual reunion at Shrinemont. Mary Chilton Newell ’54 was there sharing news of the birth of her first great-grandchild.

Keep in touch via phone or email. We’re just three years from our 60th reunion!

Thanks to all who responded to the postcard requesting news for our column!

Sheila Liebler Brog of NYC and Avron, who still works at his law firm, are healthy and live one street from the ocean. In summer, they play golf in Amagansett, N.Y., and Sheila plays competitive bridge. She has three boys – two in California and one in Greenwich, Conn. – and seven grandchildren, one a boy! Her oldest is due to have another girl in December. Her grandson studies Arabic at Dartmouth, spent a semester in the Tangier medina, and was doing an internship in Kuwait. He’s fluent in French and studied Gaelic in Ireland for three years. His sister finished her freshman year at the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, loves theater, and was to continue her acting career in Burlington in July. Sheila loves having her near. The others are far from college age.

Betty Ann Rhodes O’Donnell used to take the bus from Mason’s Island to visit Sheila. They’d have lunch, visit museums, and shop. Betty Ann has two children, both married, in Seattle – Adrienne, who has twins, and Brendan. Megan, her youngest, lives in Hartford, Conn.

Susan Bender Trotter of Hendersonville, N.C., planned trips to London with a daughter and granddaughter, and to Scotland and the Western Isles for a weaving and knitting tour.

Betsy Jones Ware’s son and his wife, two daughters, and dog returned to Richmond after three years in Argentina. They lived with Betsy and Latané for three months while work was done on their house. The Wares’ daughter, also of Richmond, works for an investment firm. Betsy and Latané stay busy with family and friends. Betsy often sees Lucy Burwell Meade and chats on the phone with Vickie Majure Souder and Polly Smith Nelson. 

After more than 50 years in Macomb, Ill., Sheilah Kennedy Dye and husband Tom wanted to get closer to daughter Christy and moved in May to the home they bought in Las Palmas, a retirement community in Mesa, Ariz. They plan to visit their daughter and family in Chesapeake and their son, Tom, in The Woodlands, Texas.

Evelyn Nitti Ewald and husband Joe flew in May to Amsterdam, visited the newly reopened Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, and boarded a Baltic cruise that stopped in Northern Germany, Copenhagen, Helsinki, and Stockholm. They spent two days in St. Petersburg, Russia, visiting the palaces and the State Hermitage Museum, which had been on Evelyn’s bucket list.

Since retiring and selling her association management business in D.C., Marianne McDermott has focused on her love of animals. She has four cats, cares for two feral cat colonies, drives injured animals from shelters to rehabilitators, and has kept her bar membership to be an active member of the Animal Law Committee of the ABA. She gave up acting long ago but remains a theater enthusiast. She keeps in touch with good friend Debby Klein, widow of drama professor Albert R. Klein. Marianne still travels abroad every year and this year toured Italy. She has traveled to many wonderful places and met lots of interesting people, but her closest friends are still college roommates Nancy Lee Holmes Bolton, Virginia Nettles Hutchinson, and Sue Carpenter Farmer. 

Bruce Ritchie Spain had a great time when Sally Strawhand Westphalen, who lives with Hank in Vero Beach, Fla., came to Richmond for their 60th high school reunion. They also met for lunch when Bruce was on vacation in Florida. Bruce downsized and moved to Westminster Canterbury Richmond, which, she said, is like a five-star hotel. In February, son Quigg Lawrence was consecrated a bishop in the Anglican Church of North America and Rwanda.

Dottie Spence Dederick and husband Ron of Virginia Beach were to celebrate their 54th anniversary in July. Retired for 11 years, they enjoy traveling. Ron made quite a comeback after an abdominal arterial aneurism five years ago and is involved in church, golf, and an investment club. Dottie plays bridge and tennis with Lois Prime Liles and visited Johanna Taylor Higginbotham before Johanna moved to Colorado. Dottie speaks with Carolyn Ball Baldwin and Sally French Weber, and sees Grace Vakos Dragas. The Dedericks’ only granddaughter is a senior at University of Vermont. Their only grandson is a high school senior in Virginia Beach. Dottie has fond memories of Mary Washington, and Class Notes is the first thing she reads in UMW Magazine.

Jane Oakes retired 21 years ago, lives outside of Abingdon, Va., and keeps up with classmates through Class Notes. Sadly, Jane reported the loss of Mary Jane Leonard in 2009 and Shirley Ann Lee in 2012.

Please remember that this column is a joint effort! Look for deadlines in this issue, and email your news to me. Thank you so much.

When the program arrived for this past reunion weekend, I slowly realized there would be lots of walking and standing, which I still can’t do much of, and had to give up plans to attend. I contacted Marie Somma in the Office of Alumni Relations to see if an email could be sent to classmates asking for comments about their reunion experiences or, if they weren’t planning to attend, for information they’d like to share. I am looking forward to hearing more about the newly formed 1908 Society.

Fran Karins Updike couldn’t make it to reunion. She and her husband were moving to Florida’s west coast, where they’ve spent many winters. Fran looked forward to swimming, biking, and tennis. She still paints and plans to have a studio and a gallery to represent her. Fran keeps in touch with Jerry Sample Stocks and Carol Ann Lassalle Roberts. They had been visiting Mary McCardell Furr in Norfolk, Va., each year, but Mary passed away in spring 2012. Jerry and Fran attended Mary’s funeral with their husbands, and they all plan to visit Mary’s husband in the fall.

Jerry couldn’t make reunion because of her grandson’s play. Her big news – she finally graduated from college in May, receiving a bachelor’s degree in studio art from the University of South Carolina Beaufort. Carol Ann had a wedding and two high school graduations to attend.

Harriet Ayres Chamberlain was doing well after a partial hip replacement six years ago. Sandra Lee Roberts Allen has lived 30 years with her husband on Aquidneck Island, near Narragansett Bay, in Rhode Island. Sandra retired from the library in 2006 and volunteers answering email and letters from those seeking help with genealogies and other research. Sandra said her roommate and sister-in-law, Charlotte Allen Best, died a couple of years ago. Liz Slater Turner said Barbara Thompson Patterson died not long ago.

Sandra Harman LoNano’s husband has his own company, LoNano Financial Advisors Inc. Son Michael is VP and a CFP, and their daughter is office manager. Son Stephen has lived in New Orleans since working on the movie Ray but was in Baltimore, working as an assistant director of a Netflix film with Kevin Spacey. The LoNanos have great-granddaughter Addison Grace. They planned a riverboat cruise down the Columbia River, and trips to D.C. for a convention; Cape Cod to see family; Durham, N.C., for an “Our State” weekend at the Washington Duke Inn; and Fredericksburg.

Kay Martin Britto and Anne dePorry McGrath, who is involved in photography and had out-of-town plans, couldn’t make it to the reunion.

A special thanks to Marjorie Sheetz Lewis ’64 and husband John, who invited area alumni to their home, The Cliff, in Millwood, Va., in June to visit UMW’s first couple, President Richard V. Hurley and wife Rose. President Hurley discussed UMW’s ongoing changes, regarding academics, buildings, and expanded services.

Peggy Kelley Reinburg sent an e-card after my hip surgery. Many of you have been in the same situation, and your encouraging notes meant a lot. It’s a slow process, but it’s amazing what can be done to help our bones continue to serve us.

Thanks to all who responded to the email request. Look in this issue for upcoming Class Notes due dates. Without your support, there are no notes. Please, send us news!

Martha Spilman Clark, president of the Lima Women’s Chorale, was preparing for the group’s 50th anniversary and the annual Women’s Fellowship meeting, and directing the Lima High School graduation ceremony. Paul was involved in training sessions, the April Scripture Union USA conference in Valley Forge, Pa., and writing a book on the history of Scripture in Peru.

My grandson, Lucas, is 4. Virginia started him in preschool, and he loves it!

I know everyone is busy with grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and a myriad of activities that enrich our lives. Can you believe we are 75 years old? What a number! However, we meet again May 30 to June 1, 2014, for our 55th. Let’s do it!