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UMW Magazine – Class Notes
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1968

Meg Livingston Asensio
meglala@aol.com

I was excited to receive news from two classmates who had never been featured in Class Notes until now. I hope this inspires others to send updates. Suzanne Perri Elliott (whose sister, Roselynne Perri Cody, also graduated with us) worked as a special education teacher and middle school counselor. She retired in 2008 after recovering from breast cancer. Husband Michael was retiring after 34 years in an anesthesiology practice at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. Their children, Daniel and Lisa, both married, recently moved closer to them, along with Suzanne’s first grandchild, Skylar Nathalia Blake. Suzanne was prompted to write after a visit from Michael’s niece, Sabrina Elliott ’17, a UMW sophomore.

Ellen Adkinson Reddingius lives on the central California coast. Her husband passed away two years ago. She recently visited friends on the East Coast. Ellen plays canasta and speaks French with a group of local Francophiles. She said her senior year roommate, Lynn Middaugh Cowen, sold her Ohio home and planned to move to Charlottesville.

Sally Monroe Kelly finally introduced husband Pete to Mary Washington. After years of involvement in his alma mater, they decided it was time to give back to Mary Washington. Pete was so impressed with the campus and people that they’ve volunteered to be part of the committee for the Mary Washington First Campaign. Sally said it feels good to make UMW a part of their estate planning and urges all the queens of ’68 to consider donating to “this beautiful place that helped make us who we are today.”

Pam Tompkins Huggins regrets missing the 45th reunion. After 30 years practicing medicine, her otherwise healthy hubby, Jim, decided to do an undercover analysis of their hospital’s patient care – as a patient. He fully retired last September and they’re enjoying their growing family. All three girls are married to young men they adore. The oldest, Sally, lives in Reston, Virginia, and has two girls, ages 13 and 16. KT lives in San Francisco, has a 2-year-old son, and expected her second child in September. The youngest, Jamie, lives in Cary, North Carolina, and expects her first baby in January. Pam is trying to cut back on long-term volunteer obligations to enjoy Jim’s retirement. She looks forward to our 50th reunion and said, “I understand that Sally Monroe Kelly tried to exploit my absence and reclaim her crown, but we all know who the real queen is!”

Jill Robinson Burkert, still in Alaska flying to native villages to help new teachers, was beginning a book of case studies and stories about remote teaching.

Susan Blosser Wight and her husband travel a lot. She still skis, golfs, and plays bridge. She’s on the board of the Garden Club of Virginia. The Wights took a recent trip down the Middle Fork of Idaho’s Salmon River, fly fishing and whitewater rafting.

Donna Sheehan Gladis and husband Steve live in Fairfax. Donna spent much of the year clearing out and selling her mom’s home, which was emotional as her family roots in Arlington, Virginia, date to 1910. Her mother, Barbara Skidmore Sheehan ’35, who turns 99 this year, lives in a retirement home. Donna spends time with her two grandsons and expected a third granddaughter in November. A current member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, Donna encourages us to stay involved with Mary Washington and spend time on the beautiful campus. There are many new buildings, and it’s exciting to see all the changes, especially the new campus center taking shape on Ball Circle.

Mary Monroe was sorry to miss our 45th reunion, but she and Richard had already planned her first trip to Europe. She connected with a third cousin through the Internet before they left the U.S., so they were treated to a personalized tour of her ancestors’ old stomping grounds. They traveled to Scotland in June to continue research on Richard’s side of the family and arrange a meeting with the international chief of Clan Munro at the family castle. The Monroes retired to Blacksburg, Virginia, in 2006.

In May, Ash and I attended the wedding of my goddaughter, Erika Lotterhos, daughter of Janice Bryant Lotterhos (my freshman/sophomore roommate) in Orlando. It was fun reconnecting with Marilyn Wheeler Hiatt, Betty Haskins McClaskey, and Lynn “Lacey” Pierce Brown ’69. I took a girls’ trip to Paris with my 16-year-old granddaughter, Madison, my daughter, Anne, and Madison’s other grandmother, fulfilling a promise I made to Maddy when she was little. My beautiful mom passed away in June. We attended her memorial service in Texas and spent two weeks with my sisters and our families.