Class Notes

Greetings from hot, humid Baltimore, everyone.  The time seems to go so quickly these days, but I hope you are all surviving the summer.

Nancy Mahone Miller, Terri Hall Alford, Shirley Harris Sutton, Kathryn Ray, Mary Saunders Williams, and Anne Toms Richardson took one fantastic trip to Scotland recently. The pictures on Facebook are totally awesome. It is always such a pleasure to see what this group of friends is up to, and so wonderful knowing the enjoyment they continue to have in each other’s company. Old friends truly are the best, and we owe our alma mater so much because of the friendships that were formed during those years. Thank you, Nancy, for allowing us to enjoy your photos of the trip and all of your other events. Keep them coming!

The above friendships remind me of how fortunate I am in having Cheryl Prietz Childress and Norah Heckman ’73 in my life. They were both a strong support this past winter after my mother passed away. Mom had been extremely fond of both of them. Cheryl and her husband, Dave, traveled to Roanoke for the funeral and stayed on to give both Dennis and me some much needed company. We always enjoy visiting with them even through troubled times.

Cheryl and Dave had some great news the past few months. Their son Alex just became engaged to a young lady who also lives in Richmond. They are planning a wedding in October of 2016. We are all so thrilled for everyone involved. Daughter Thea and son-in-law Eric are in the process of moving to Atlanta from St. Louis. Thea is still an active equestrienne and has enjoyed working for a theater in St. Louis as well. Atlanta should offer her even more opportunities with both of these activities. Cheryl and Dave continue to stay busy with the farm and their animals. Most recently, they added a new horse to the menagerie and he is a descendant of the Secretariat blood line. That is truly exciting. We hope to have them stop in Baltimore sometime this summer.

It was such a nice surprise to hear from Mary Buckingham Lipsey. We used to see each other quite a bit at Mary Washington around the Baptist Student Union and the church we attended. We had some great times together. Mary and her husband, Chris, live in Springfield, Virginia, and Chris continues to work for the USDA. Mary retired after teaching history for more than 30 years but keeps herself busy with all of her volunteer jobs.

In 2010, Mary stumbled upon a largely unknown story which happened in 1908 in Fairfax Station. It concerned a Dr. William Christmas, who built and flew a plane, making him the third American to fly. Three and a half years of extensive research resulted in Mary’s book, A Christmas Flight: Aviation Pioneer, Dr. William Christmas, which was published on April 7, 2013. Congratulations, Mary.  That sounds like a must-read, and I for one cannot wait.

Here is hoping that some of the rest of you who have not been in touch will follow Mary’s fine example and drop a few lines from time to time. We all want to know what is going on in your lives.

Dennis and I took a trip to California in April to visit with friends and family. It was a marvelous break after such a cold winter. I continue with my job at the law firm which stays busy and stimulating. Other than that, we have been dividing our time between Baltimore and Roanoke as we are making plans to relocate to my mother’s home in the future.

In closing, here is hoping that those of you who have been in harm’s way with the strange weather patterns have come through intact. We pray for you and hope to hear from more of you in the future. ‘Til next time, have a blessed summer.