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UMW Magazine – Class Notes
1301 College Ave.
Fredericksburg, VA 22401

1960

Joanne Campbell Close
jodycampbellclose60@alumni.umw.edu

Karen Larsen Nelson
karenlarsen60@alumni.umw.edu

We received much news this time and are delighted to share it with you.

Bayla Goldberg Manis said all was well in Tennessee. Jean Eubanks Holland’s Bethany Beach, Del., cottage was damaged by the superstorm but is repaired and habitable. Pat Garvin Dyke has a granddaughter.

Florida has become Syd Collson Chichester’s second but favorite home. She volunteers at the Environmental Learning Center, mentors at the youth center, and was excited about the new chimpanzee and elephant sanctuaries nearby.

Natalie Robins Lehmann-Haupt visited her daughter and new grandson in California, and spent time with avid surfer Elaine Friedman Horschman, who owns a boutique in Larkspur. Jude Wandell Potter, Gail Mooney Grobe, and others have thanked us for birthday greetings and sharing news. The updates recall MWC memories for Mamie Sue Howlett Scott.

Terry Eagles Dow and Albert were in relatively good health. Terry visited her son and family in Oregon, and they went to Crater Lake National Park. On the other side of the country, her older son and his wife expected their first baby. For 20 years, Terry has been part-time administrative director and sole employee for a medical foundation to support medical education and research that benefits Beverly, Mass.

Gretchen Squires Best has children and grandkids. She and her husband visited their older son and his wife and three grown grandchildren in D.C. Joyce Neill Krost planned to return to Spain and Germany in fall to visit family and paint.

The bishop of the Episcopal Trinity Cathedral in Easton, Md., has worked with Barbara Fisher, Sandy Poole’s partner, on diocesan committees and her counseling ministry. He invited them to have their wedding – the first same-gender wedding in that diocese – there.

Penny Engle Burkhardt and husband of 29 years Brad had a mini-reunion in Florida with her two children from her first marriage. Betty Ditmars Prosser was to fly to L.A. in June for her oldest grandson’s high school graduation and to Dallas in August to celebrate her 29th year with Mary Kay cosmetics.

Through extensive research, Gail Mooney Grobe has found family lines back to the 400s! Gail has a coffee mug that says, “UMW Grandparent,” and she and her husband often visit campus to see the next generation in her line. Son David shares a birthday with Karen Larsen Nelson and exchanged greetings with her.

Sherry Farrington Green discovered sabre fencing and shares her victories at senior competitions with us. She planned to go to the Veterans’ World Cup in Bulgaria in September. She is passionate about maternal health, and her doula/midwife practice is going strong. Sherry did medical volunteer work in Kenya in April, was blessed by a Masai midwife and healer in a mud hut, and had tea with Mama Sarah, President Obama’s grandmother. Sherry speaks Kiswahili but still needed a translator. When husband Alan passed in 1989, she moved to Oregon, away from her four children and nine grandchildren, who live mostly in the Northeast, but she manages to visit them.

Bonnie Davis Hall had cataract surgery, and she and Ross sold one of their homes. They’re still involved with the Revels and were to perform in a couple of concerts. Bonnie’s old roommate, Carlota Muse Rokita, lives in a high-rise condo in Vienna, Austria. Carlota visited Bonnie and Ross in April and May, and they took her to see their 1780s farmhouse in the White Mountains, an Irish pub in Boston, and Longfellow’s home gardens and grave. Carlota attended a family reunion on Cape Cod. When she left Bonnie’s, she planned to visit more relatives in the South.

Jeanette Meyer Juren and Hal traveled to Ashland, Ore., and attended the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. From there, they flew to Minneapolis and toured the city, visiting museums and the Guthrie Theater.

Pat Voelker Donnell planned to travel this fall and said our correspondence renews her love for MWC. As a student, she had to finish college as quickly as possible and missed a lot of fun.

Gaye Roberts Olsen of Boise, Idaho, traded her favorite purple walker for a motorized chair, sold her home, and moved to assisted living, near friends and in-laws. Gaye’s mother, who lived in Texas and suffered from Alzheimer’s for six years, passed away.

Karen Larsen Nelson and Darrell of Mesa, Ariz., traveled to Florida for the high school graduation of their youngest grandson, who was to enter Marine basic training at Parris Island. On the way home, the Nelsons stayed at a South Fork, Colo., RV resort, where they danced nearly a week. Karen had cataract surgery before the trip and enjoyed her new eyesight. They drove to Reno, Nev., in July for the international round dance convention, and explored Oregon and Washington.

Jody Campbell Close does genealogical research. She and others successfully protested the county commissioner’s effort at privatization or outsourcing of the local county libraries for economic reasons. Jody has adjusted to her “new normal,” walking with a brace to avoid pain. She said giving up long daily walks also troubled the dog, and they were both pouting!

Please send us a note. Each of you is part of our memories and tapestry of life. We want to stay in touch with all of you for as long as we can.