Class Notes

Robert and Barbara Bishop Mann celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary on a Rhine River cruise from Lake Lucerne to Amsterdam. Last year at our reunion Bobbi told Robert her anniversary gift was NOT inviting him to our reunion and since then their life has been a whirlwind. At her yoga class a new member, Elizabeth Bray, mentioned that she had transferred from MWC to Charlottesville for nursing and broke out singing our fight song! Bobbi immediately thought of Mary Parsons Black and Mary Kathryn Rowell Horner, who on many occasions have created public disturbances with our fight song.

In March Bobbi attended Margot Lee Shatterly’s presentation about her book, Hidden Figures, with an SRO crowd at UMW and was surprised afterwards to learn that our own math- major classmates, Terry Caruthers, Marty Spiegel Sedoff, Mary Kathryn Rowell Horner, Eva Teng and Alice Ann “Sann” Moore had done summer ‘65 internships at the same NASA facility in Hampton, VA. Marty reported that they all lived together in a duplex, worked in separate buildings on different assignments such as calculating re-entry orbits for space modules to touch down on land rather than water, and called it a life-changing experience.

In April Bobbi, Carolyn Eldred, Jana Privette Usry and Lee Enos Kelley attended a celebratory inauguration of Troy Paino as MW’s 10th president and enjoyed a true sense of optimism for UMW’s future. Bobbi heard from Crystal Winston Metcalf that she was recovering from a successful kidney transplant, with a new kidney donated by her own son, Andy! Bobbi would like to know if anyone has news of Elizabeth “Beth” Van Houten. Susanne Landerghini Boehm recalled that Beth and her husband were living and working in the Washington DC area many years ago but had no current information.

Jana Privette Usry accompanied Bobbi to UMW to attend the Annual Luncheon for Donors and also the installation ceremony for President Troy Paino. She, too, remarked on his great sense of humor, outstanding qualities and what a good candidate he is for the university. Jana continues to do court mediations in the Richmond area and sing in the One Voice Chorus. She finished her physical therapy following knee-joint replacement, recommends the surgery for anyone who needs it and is considering having her other knee “done.”

Lynn Smithey Campbell has settled into her new home in the west end of Richmond and invites us all to come visit. Her contact information is the same as in our reunion booklet. Mary Lynn Murray Applegate connected with her “old” suitemate and fencing partner, Joan Cuccias Patton. They shared a delightful and informative luncheon in Richmond VA after many years apart and are astounded at how they have not changed a bit! Joan also had a nice lunch with Sally Souder while passing through Florida. In April Joan performed in her local Heritage Hunt Little Theater in a play called “The Dixie Swim Club,” about five middle-aged friends who once were on a NC college swim team. Just like Joan they gathered each summer in the Outer Banks! Joan, a retired career math teacher, played a “martini-drinking, smart-mouthed lawyer from Atlanta” and had a blast doing it.

Sally Souder and Gerry Sargent Habas renewed their lunch tradition in June in St. Petersburg FL. Sally entertained many visitors this winter (“yes, it IS Florida”) and continues to enjoy an active life there. Mary Kathryn Rowell Horner and husband Charlie spend nearly half the year in Naples FL working on their golf game and socializing with friends, the other half in Alexandria VA. Mary Kathryn insisted on sending regards and good wishes to all our classmates lest we assume she is no longer around!

Anne Meade Clagett claims she’s “one of our class’ most boring people, having no new hobbies, no trips, no grandkids to write about.” Her big news is her recovery from her second hip replacement in November and having to attend too many funerals (like many of the rest of us). Anne and John enjoy their quiet life in rural Fauquier County VA counting their blessings. Joe and Cherie Wells Brumfeld sold their house in Orlando FL and moved back to Volusia County – the Daytona Beach area. They rented a condo for a year and were right on the beach with the closest land east of them being the Canary Islands. While still house hunting they took a break in August to travel to Washington DC to mark their 50^th wedding anniversary with a family celebration in the same place as their wedding and reception.

Bill and Ginny Bateman Brinkley left Florida in the spring to go to NYC for their granddaughter Brittany’s opera event at Julliard, where she is a freshman. While there they stayed with Susan Roth Nurin in her apartment overlooking Central Park and had the grandest tour of the city’s sights, sounds and foods that Susana could provide. Bill and Ginny even learned how to navigate the subway. One memorable spot was the restaurant where the Seinfeld show took place! In May Bill and Ginny drove to Naples FL for a visit with Mary Grace Wright Day in her lovely “winter home,” which is within walking distance of charming Old Naples with its great restaurants and shops. They all enjoyed drinks on the beach at sunset, too. In June Ginny and Bill took a road trip to Texas for their grandson’s high school graduation and were already making plans to re- enact their NYC and Naples adventures in the not-to-distant future.

Susan Roth Nurin delights in the NY city life, serves as a multi-lingual tour guide, volunteers at the Metropolitan Opera, participates in many inter- faith programs and is a champion concert goer. Susan meets and interacts with more performers than most of us see in a lifetime! One special event in May was the 50^th anniversary of the opening of the Met and the Lincoln Center, where Susan exercised her good “opera karma” with an SRO ticket which morphed into a front row seat.

Marty Spiegel Sedoff organized a NYC high school theater trip in March. 49 Minnesotans traveled to the city to see Waitress, Miss Saigon, Wicked, In Transit, Dear Evan Hansen, and Josh Groban as Pierre in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, plus a matinee of School of Rock. Marty has recovered from her foot surgery and has resumed her tap dancing activities with Rhythmic Feet. She also serves on the board of the local chapter of AAUW (American Association of University Women) and the board of her golf league, acting as treasurer. Marty works at Questar scoring comprehensive tests for disabled students outside of MN. She scores tests from kindergarten level through 11^th grade for English, math, science and social studies, sometimes receiving entries on tape, in videos and once in Braille. Her next assignment will be to read writing samples for students in grades 3-8.

Pam Kearney Patrick and husband TaB were finishing up renovations in their Cape May NJ house when Peggy Beeler Burns made her annual visit to Northern VA and missed their usual connection. Pam entered some of her miniature watercolors in Bethesda’s Strathmore Mansion show at that time and proudly announced that two of them SOLD! In March Pam visited with Ambler Carter near Philadelphia where they shared a trip to the art museum for the “American Watercolor in the Age of Homer and Sargent” exhibit. In May she and TaB joined Jim and Pam Ward Hughes and Pete and Carol Bingley Wiley in Brooklyn NY to celebrate Bing’s grandson’s bar mitzvah.

Summer plans included a visit with Marty and Lenore Gilbert Bowne in Cape May. Pam and Lenore are trying to locate Sandy Knobloch, the fourth classmate in an old photo they found. Lenore and her husband have been living in Cape May for seven years where she serves as president of a 100-member garden club. They are exploring the option to move back to Bucks County PA near their children and comfortable medical facilities. Rather than get a townhouse or condo they are looking for an over-55 community with independent living. In April Lenore had a delightful time with Pam Wald Wagner, her maid of honor some 52 years ago, and was pleasantly surprised at the ease of conversation and being together despite infrequent visits. They set a fall date in DC to meet again.

Ambler Carter found that maintaining her home and yard for more than 40 years was too consuming. She easily decided to sell it and move to Philadelphia into an apartment building owned by her daughter and son-in- law. Margaret, David and their 9-year-old daughter ideally live in the same building! Now Ambler is really close to family; can walk to shops, the library and public transit. The move was more of an ordeal than she ever imagined, partly because she broke her wrist before she got settled, but she did manage to participate in the “sister” Women’s March held there. After visiting with TaB and Pam Kearney Patrick Amber had a wave of nostalgia and had a long catch-up phone talk with Anne Sinclair Jones. Anne, widowed in 2006, has since retired from over 30 years’ teaching in the Norfolk public schools and enjoys traveling to visit her three sons and their families. Ambler mentioned that Nancy “Howie” Thompson Mountjoy also retired from a teaching career so she and husband Jim can enjoy their four teenage grandchildren. Ambler heard from Carolyn Kirkpatrick, also widowed, that she had recently returned home from a trip to Nuremburg and is living near her son and daughter in VA.

Last fall Linda Glynn Hutchinson and Pat Lewars Pace traveled to the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. They encountered a tremendous contrast between the two countries: Dubai was ultra-modern, a rich people’s playground with everything superlative, while Egypt was struggling with its economy largely because of a huge drop in tourism to its classic attractions. Pat remarked that the antiquities are awe-inspiring; that structures built over 4000 years ago are incredibly well preserved. Linda and Pat enjoyed a peaceful, safe vacation with the exception of a small incident between angry taxi drivers and their Uber driver. Their next scheduled trip was to Greece, Bulgaria and Macedonia in the fall of 2017. Pat, a classics major, cannot fathom why it took her so long to see the Parthenon!

Lois Rucker Scott had a wonderful time in April being Mother of the Bride in daughter Holly’s Celtic wedding. In tradition all the men in the wedding and many of the guests wore kilts. The music was a bagpipe and a harp. There were no flower girls, only eight little boys in kilts plus bell-ringing page boys leading the bride. (The boys nearly stole the show!) Several other Celtic traditions were incorporated into the wedding festivities and all went well. The happy couple now live in Arlington VA right across the street from Lois, Sam and the rest of the family.

Cathe Cantwell Luria and husband Eric are still living in Ajijic, Mexico, where they participate in several music activities and continue to travel far and wide with their English clog dancing organization. They spent Thanksgiving and Christmas “up north” with family and friends, then later hosted daughter Sacha for a respite from the Portland snow and rain. Cathe’s Spanish is constantly improving with the help of a certified teacher and her voice lessons have boosted her to soloist with the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship there in Ajijic.

Sandra Hutchison Schanné enjoys armchair international traveling through the reports from our classmates. She and Richard attended a rainy April family reunion in the Outer Banks of NC, then an in-law’s 50^th June wedding celebration in Charleston, SC with at least 30 second cousins of all ages. Sandra also flew to Denver CO to visit daughter Amy, Shawn and their three young children.

Yvonne March wrote that she had spent the winter dodging flu bugs and then assisted husband Chris following his double hernia operation. Yvonne is content to stay snug at home but misses having the little ones around.

Anne Powell Young wrote with some added information about her “Mind Benders” group for whom she arranged a gala holiday party. Her “little people” are not children but rather seniors 85 and older, who are always sitting, either at tables or in wheel chairs, making Anne feel “10 feet tall.” Anne and Betty Birkhead Vickers, who lives nearby, continue to have their 4-hour lunches without ever having a loss for words. Betty and husband Vic traveled to Kauai, Hawaii, in the spring and Anne accidentally telephoned her at 2 am – the shortest conversation ever! Betty is quite involved with the Rotary Club, and after 35 years of service she attended a convention in Atlanta with the Rotary Youth Exchange. Betty also keeps busy with six grandsons and a toddler granddaughter, Evie, plus helping her sons with their entertainment venues in Pigeon Forge TN. In April when Anne’s grandchildren made their annual Tennessee visit they all had a wonderful time at one of the venues, MagiQuest, a computerized scavenger activity. Next year Anne plans to treat them all to white water rafting and tubing down the Little Pigeon River while she watches! Anne’s husband Virgil still does considerable contract work in Mexico, building his college Spanish skills also. Anne concentrates on research and spoiling her Schnauzers. Now that Anne’s daughter has moved into a new home in Fredericksburg Anne has resolved to spend more time in Northern Virginia.

Betsy Chappelear Tryon retired from her Princess line “meet and greet” position at Los Angeles airport because 4:30 a m was no longer appealing! She now enjoys following granddaughter Maddy, a super volleyball player, to her games and tournaments which involve travel. In February they went to Salt Lake City, March to Spokane, April to Las Vegas. Maddy’s team earned a bid to the Junior Olympics in Minneapolis in June and Betsy might explore that prettier, quieter place for possible relocation.

Judy Wells Clark, an accomplished pianist, continues to perform publicly in southwest Virginia. Last spring she played four piano quartet concerts in Roanoke, Lexington, Chatham and Wytheville with three amazing string players. Judy invited me (Katharine Rogers Lavery) to join her in some musical selections, perhaps at our next reunion, since I am still playing trumpet and cornet. Get your requests in early!

Katharine Rogers Lavery proudly announced that granddaughter Mary Lavery decided after graduating college that she really didn’t want to teach science in Stafford County VA and enlisted in the Coast Guard. She then tried out for the Armed Forces Women’s Volleyball team and made it! She took TDY for a few months to compete against international teams. Katharine is still looking for Mary to be in the Olympics someday. During their NC beach vacation in June Katharine and Muriel Haley Montgomery met for their annual catch-up luncheon by the harbor in Manteo. In July Katharine and Hank took one last trip through the Great Smoky Mountains to Brevard NC for a gathering of his brother’s clan before their scenic mountain home was sold.

Terry Caruthers headed to Louisiana in April with friends, family and neighbors for the New Orleans Jazz Fest plus a celebration for her sister’s 65^th birthday. In June Terry and her husband celebrated their 50^th anniversary by taking their two eldest grandsons on a tour of Seattle, Vancouver and an Alaskan cruise after the boys’ graduations. Grandson Tyler Fant graduated high school and signed on as soccer goalie for The College of Charleston, a wonderful place for grandparents to visit. Terry, who wrote about her father in a series called “Benny’s Tales,” has embarked on another project of tales about her grandparents and mother, Mabel Hines Terry. Both writings include much interesting information about Highland County VA and surrounding areas woven into detailed anecdotes of family events.

Kitty Downs Gregg wrote and reminisced about traveling east last June when she and husband Don visited Terry and Don Caruthers at their lakeside home in NC. The four of them drove from there to our reunion, where Kitty realized that the only thing she would change about the last 50 years would be to keep better in touch with our classmates!

In February Dennis and Mary Bishop Morris drove from Michigan down the eastern seaboard to Florida. En route they stopped in Manteo NC to visit Mary’s roomie Muriel Haley Montgomery and husband Bob. After wending along the coast with a stop at Jeckyll Island GA they arrived in Orlando FL, where son Jeff and his wife live and work for Disney. They had a delightful visit complete with a Disney art show, “Moana” and various country exhibits. From there Mary and Dennis visited roomie Lynn Norris Harkless and husband Ron in Lakeland FL, where they toured a group of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings at Florida Southern University. Their last stop was western NC to visit Dennis’ siblings in the beautiful Smoky Mountains before returning to Michigan.

Mike and Susie Williams Cluff moved to McLean VA in the independent living section of the Vinson Hall retirement community. Mike runs the fixit shop there and Susie enjoys many activities, including frequent trips to plays at Arena Stage in DC. Susie has also been in a couple of fashion shows. In May Susie and Mike traveled to Kansas for their second grandson’s high school graduation.

Elaine Gerlach McKelly enjoyed our reunion so much that she is encouraging her Woodbridge VA granddaughter to apply for admission next fall. Elaine and Tim took their annual beach trip to Ocean City NJ with about 30 extended family members and then a quiet retreat later to Wrightsville Beach NC on their own. Their new adventure was a river cruise on the American Queen down the Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans. Elaine, a native Northerner, happily learned a lot about Vicksburg, cotton and the French Quarter. They also traveled to Key West FL, stopping along the way at various Florida attractions and a favorite, a spring training baseball game in Clearwater, and already have plans to revisit Key West in February. Since two of Elaine and Tim’s grandchildren are in college; two are high school seniors; three are high school juniors; they anticipate a spate of graduations in 2019! They plan to stay in their Oxford NC home two more years and then move not far to a retirement community in Durham.

Dennis and Robbie James East, after relocating to Southport NC, returned to Virginia in the spring to see children and grandchildren, then continued traveling to the Texas hill country. The Texas wildflowers, blue bonnets and orange poppies, were spectacularly blooming everywhere. On the return trip they stopped in Fredericksburg for a wine tour, visited Wildseed Farm and ate wonderful German food at a small place called Otto’s. At home in Southport Robbie volunteers at Greenlands Farm, an agri-educational organic homestead, keeping her farming talents alive and well.

Diana Hamilton Cowell and her husband spent February in the Galapagos Islands, loving every minute. While snorkeling at Kiki Rock Diana was swimming just above 20 hammerhead sharks! Her Galapagos favorites were the Blue Footed Booby bird and Diego, the Giant Tortoise. In South Bethany DE Diana keeps very involved in community activities. She has immersed herself in merchandising apparel for the South Bethany Property Owners’ Association (non-profit) to sell at McCabe’s Gourmet Deli. Again this July Diana hosted a French couple from their sister city, Periers, France. She squired all twelve visitors through DC for three days and then seven of them through NYC for three days. Diana was instrumental in 2010 in the endeavor to make Periers the sister city to South Bethany and has enjoyed annual joint events since then. Diana and Katharine Rogers Lavery share an interest in WVU since they both have grandsons there. Katharine’s grandson will be a senior in mineral resource engineering; Diana’s will be in a graduate program in political science.

Kathy Goddard Moss announced at our reunion that she was homeless, that she and Tom had sold their house, put their furniture in storage and were headed for Spain to spend two months with their daughter and family. They then drove for months all over the United States, stopping to visit family and friends in many states before settling in an Oakland CA retirement community, Grand Lake Gardens, where they have found wonderful people and delicious food. Their complete tour of 15,000 miles in a tiny car prepared them for living in a small apartment. In recollecting Kathy admits some of her favorite places are Santa Fe, the Grand Canyon and Anza Borrego Desert. In June Kathy and Tom traveled a “short distance” to Ohio for Grandson Quentin’s high school graduation and enjoyed a family reunion at that time.

Lee Enos Kelley made some major life changes since our reunion. She decided it was time to downsize, sold her home in Washington DC and moved to a senior condominium community in Bethesda MD, where she has found a supportive group of new friends. In April 2017 her husband of 34 years died peacefully in his sleep of Alzheimer’s disease, which he had lived with for ten years, the last six in a dementia care facility. Although Lee misses him greatly, she is relieved that he is free of his disabling disease and she herself has been relieved of the extreme fatigue that often overcomes the caregiver. “Life looks promising again.” In memoriam: our sincerest condolences to Lee Enos Kelley in the loss of her dear husband, Kevin.