Class Notes

Hi, Ladies, as you can see below from our news, Jody and I are still hard at work each month collecting and disseminating news for those of you with email; but for those that don’t use email, here is a summary of what’s been going on with our classmates:

Peggy Bloxom Verville replied to her birthday e-card that she finally had the delayed surgery on her knee, and Patty Morgan Connolly wrote that on her birthday she was busy baking cookies for an annual bazaar. She still lives in Bloomfield CT, still riding her horse, plays racket ball, sings in her church choir, and spends many hours volunteering. Mona Allen Spilo, altho in her 20^th year of chemo for ovarian cancer (which won’t go into remission) is still active, and happily retired in Stonington, CT.

Lu Omasta Clark wrote that she and her husband were now wintering in Mesa, very near Karen, rather than Payson, AZ in the mountains.

Bonnie Davis Hall is cancer-free and doing great, but chose not to do the Christmas Revels show she and Ross performed in for years. Her husband participated, tho, and they stayed in a nearby B & B for the duration, visiting with many friends. She also finally got her second knee replacement and is doing fine, enjoying motorcycle rides in the sidecar of the motorcycle Ross bought during her cancer years. She has had a note from roomie Carlota Muse Rokita, in Vienna, Austria, and all is well with her.

Joyce Neill Krost has been busy with visits from friends and family, including one from her son who lives in Albania. She also attended her 60^th high school reunion in Richmond, with Jan Rutan Wright, from Seattle and had an enjoyable visit with her and other high school friends.

Judy Jacobs Winer caught us up on personal and family news: She taught Jr high school English for a year in Richmond, married, moved to Philadelphia and south NJ, taught for seven years while starting her family. Her 2 children are graduates of Ivy League universities; daughter is a physician, son an attorney. She moved to Clearwater, FL, 40 years ago, her husband has owned several businesses over the years, and still has not retired! They have toured most of Europe many times. She keeps busy with Bridge. Except for a small stroke and a kidney stone this year, she has been healthy. She has enjoyed 55 years of marriage and has 5 wonderful grandchildren.

When we became your class agents 10 or so years ago, our mission was to “Collect and Reconnect” classmates. We did that successfully, and periodically continue to try to add a few more lost sheep to our fold. At the beginning of 2017, we had 162 of you who hear from us monthly, and the latest search this year added 5 more for a total of 167 on our radar. We are delighted that some of this news is from the new additions.

Joan Linda Tuck West, who was Rita Knupp Burke’s roomie for a year, remains in contact with her by snail-mail, married in 1958 but lost her husband in 1992. She has 2 children, lives in Florida, attends therapy pool classes 2-3 times a week, and does senior yoga weekly. She attends Sunday School Class and Bible Study, does many day trips sponsored by the church or the Sr. Center.

Wonder woman Rita Knupp Burke (Springfield, VA) who has neither email nor FB, sent a long snail mail letter: She is in touch with Bonnie Davis Hall, Dee Merrill Albright, Janet Hook Foley, and Elaine Allsbrook Nix. Rita spent 43 years in education, worked in all levels K-12 and taught a graduate course in reading for teachers. She was a K-12 reading teacher, curriculum specialist, supervisor of elementary schools, and a K-12 supervisor. For 3 years at night school, she taught “Undereducated Adults”—people who did not graduate from high school.   After 27 years, was going to retire, but wanted to re-teach 1^st grade—her first year teaching–to see if the children were the same. She loved it so much she stayed for 16 more years! Rita has traveled to 59 countries and still has 2 more she would like to visit. Last year, she went to the United Arab Emirates.

Elaine Allsbrook Nix, (Kinston, NC) volunteers at her local hospital in the surgical waiting room. She also volunteers at church, but her favorite thing is volunteering each week at a school, helping 1^st graders with reading, math.   The principal of this school was in her class when she taught 6^th Grade there, and she also taught the present mayor of Kinston, NC!   She and Del have been married 56 years, has 7 grandchildren. Her “BFF” will always be roommate Charlotte Noland Downing. Charlotte is doing well, has 3 grandsons, survived the death of her husband so many years ago, many surgeries, and still is optimistic and fun.

We are delighted to have Ginny Barber Lamb “in the fold.” She has been in Westerville, OH, since 1998 when Chuck was sent there by The Boy Scouts of America. He had worked for them since college. Her son graduated from Miami U in 1985.

Audrey Maull Tuttle returned for the 50 Reunion with roommate Joanne Meehan Godfrey [who died 3 yrs. ago from ALS].   She has lived in her husband’s “hometown” of Columbia, CT, since 1961. She raised 3 children there, who all live within 15 minutes of her. She lost Bob 24 years ago to melanoma cancer, but has 9 grandchildren who still live fairly close, lots of friends. She taught in the lower grades for a while, did some substitute teaching, then realized life would run more smoothly if she helped Bob with his business. He eventually built, and they owned, a senior living complex in town. In late June, she planned a trip to Barcelona, and going on a Mediterranean cruise with 2 granddaughters.

Syd Collson Chichester’s shared her memories with us of the Amphitheater on campus, and hoped we could contribute to the restoration campaign.   We all have memories of the events in that beautiful setting.

Natalie Robins Lehmann-Haupt has a new book out and had many readings scheduled this past spring and summer.

Nancy Moncure Diess, had a note from Leecy Thornal Hatch, telling her that their third freshman year roommate in Virginal Hall, Anne Leach Atkinson Eggers, passed away this past March. Suzanne Swann Moon, another member of our class passed this news to Leecy.   Nancy still works at the National Gallery of Art, travels all over the US and Canada, and keeps up with her 9 grandchildren.

We added Nancy Jones Chandler to our Birthday List this year. I found her on FB. Nancy moved from Alton, VA, to North Carolina where children and grandchildren are. She and Betsy Watts Haskell were Karen’s suitemates for a year or two. Sadly, Betsy passed away in February in Texas, where she had moved to be near family.

World travelers Bob and Jan Latven Allnutt planned a trip to Scandinavia this past June. And several years ago, traveled to Iran and Syria, and have made many trips to Africa. They play tennis year round. They have grandsons’ ages teen to toddler. She also finds time yearly for a get-together with college roommates, Joey Van Tol Goetz, Betty Bruce Shepard, Susan Cramer Drouin. They hear from Susan Stanley Sokil, who is fine, once or twice a year.

This past spring, Diane Delamarre Madgic had a get-together with roomie Judy Davidson Creasy and both their husbands, near the San Francisco Bay Bridge.

Tucker Freeman Vicellio reported that she stays in contact with roomie and bridesmaid Cary Tilton Doyle.

Karen and husband, Darrell, made several short visits to Vegas to visit our daughter’s family—4 generations, including 3 granddaughters, 5 great-grands age 1 to 6 yrs. Our son from FL and his then fiancé—now his wife—joined us on one of those visits.   Our passion is working with our church, which is embedded in an assisted living and nursing home facility.   We help with and participate in several usual church activities there, including a weekly church service with the precious memory cottage residents. We spent the summer at our RV resort in the “cool” mountains of AZ.

Jody: “Greetings dear chums, nothing new from me. Looking forward to my eldest granddaughter’s wedding in August. ‘Still busy with genealogy, doing research for others, giving lectures and so forth. Had a super year with Boy Scouts this year- combining them with genealogy is a real gift of joy. It was a great treat to hear from some of you long out of touch classmates. We are hoping that this reminder will galvanize the rest of you into sending a note giving us an update on your comings and goings.”