Class Notes

Everyone seemed to have a great time at our 50th reunion! The weather was beautiful, and the house and grounds at Brompton for the cocktail party were gorgeous. I’d forgotten the huge trees that must be at least 200 years old. It would be impossible to say here who was there and who wasn’t. Please understand that, although UMW will now send requests for news, you should send your news to the class agent (moi)!

I flew to Richmond from New York on a small plane filled with businessmen and only two women. The other woman turned out to be going to her 55th UMW reunion. It was Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59, sister of Rita Piscopo. The cabin staff was apparently charmed by this coincidence and gave us lots of goodies and free wine. I stayed in Richmond with Sally Crenshaw Witt and husband Sam, who were great hosts and took me all over Richmond.

It was a delight to catch up with people like Sharon Haythorne Stack, whose sense of humor is as lively as ever, and Ilona Dulaski Williams, who still sings and does theater work. Susan Orebaugh Nicholson, Karen Murrell Foreman, and Bronwyn Jones Polk came together. Bronnie hadn’t been back to UMW since graduation and loved the tours, especially of the new Information and Technology Convergence Center. She was proud to see Rick Hurley and to feel that the campus was moving well into the 21st century. Bronnie and husband of 46 years Bob have two grown children and four grandchildren.

Martha Hanks Cooper said William Crawley, professor emeritus of history, was the main speaker at the class dinner and asked who our graduation speaker was. Turns out we didn’t have one! We apparently voted not to. “No time wasted on speakers” was our thought, I guess. The most popular song of the era was the Beatles’ I Want to Hold Your Hand. The most popular dance was the Twist, and a lot of classmates got up and did it. There will be no more individual class reunions. We’re now part of the 1908 Society and can attend any reunion we wish.

Martha said Connie Marsh Pollard couldn’t make the reunion as she and her husband were visiting Budapest, cruising in the Danube, and headed for a tour of Prague. Kristina Totman Ells and husband Theodore have three children and six grandchildren.

Janet Bagg Glancy couldn’t attend as she spent the summer in the village of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where she studied art, silversmithing, and Spanish. She and husband Don brought their youngest son there to study Spanish 14 years ago. Janet still is coordinator of advanced programs for the Cambridge International Examinations program but might retire next year to focus on family, grandchildren, and travel.

Betsy Churchman Geary couldn’t attend as she and husband Ray were traveling in Europe, fulfilling their goal “to cover the earth before it covers us.” They celebrated their 50th anniversary in December with family on a Caribbean cruise.

Lou Davis Smith, Sharon Belknap Brown, and Jeanne Fornes Wendt enjoyed the reunion. Lou and her husband celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June, cruising to Bermuda with family. Their 6-year-old granddaughter won a medal for rock-wall climbing.

Be Davison Herrera still sculpts in copper, fibers, wools, and labyrinth design. In February, her poetry press, Lily of the Field, released a poetry biography of Pat Clark. Be also worked to coordinate the 11th Phenomenal Woman series in California and Oregon to celebrate Women’s History Month. She leads poetry workshops for the local ARC program for challenged adults and serves on a labyrinth team with workshops for 12- to 24-year-old female prisoners. Her studio and commissioned works were scheduled to be exhibited this year, and she plans to keep writing biographies and poetry. Be lost her husband of 42 years in 2010.

Ruth Hill Simmons’husband, Baxter, died in December 2013. Our deepest sympathy goes to her and her family. Ruth retired but stays busy on various boards and with local activities, including the Virginia Store, which she and several friends started in 1992.

Our sympathy goes to Jackie Williams Towler, whose husband, Horace, died this year. A retired Army colonel who served in Korea and Vietnam, he was buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

It’s great to hear from so many of you. Keep in touch! Have a wonderful holiday season!