Class Notes

Mary Ann Pomfrey Casey (’75) wrote that, after graduating as a Music Major in 1975, she learned how to teach and “control” masses of junior high choral music students in Culpeper County. In 1983, she married Larry Casey, an orchestra director in the Prince William County School system. They lived right below Brompton for their first year of marriage and bought a house on sixteen acres of woods on the Spotsylvania battlefield where they still reside today. Mary Ann studied harp with Jeanne Chalifoux while at Mary Washington and that opportunity shaped so much of her music career. She has played with many college and community orchestras, choirs and church concerts around the state. In fact, the harp was present at Rebecca Reames (’76) funeral this past May, who passed away after a four-year battle with cancer. Mary Washington’s policy of free applied music lessons gave Mary Ann the opportunity to take her “country piano lessons” and study with a world-class harp instructor who gave her the technical proficiency and confidence to go out into the world and use her skills. That confidence shaped Mary Ann’s desire to also develop her skills as a middle school choral specialist. In 1990, she started teaching at Saunders Middle School in Prince William County and stayed there until early retirement in 2009 after 34 years in the classroom. Mary Ann and her husband, Larry, presently serve as Choirmasters at the Presbyterian Church in Fredericksburg, where they have five choirs and two instrumental ensembles. Mary Ann’s semesters spent studying organ with Peggy Kelley Reinburg at Mary Washington have been of invaluable service when she needed to cover organ at the church. Mary Ann’s married life includes two step-children who have given Larry and Mary Ann such joy, including two grandsons. Their son, Neil, is a violinist and conductor on staff at the University of South Carolina and his wife, Sunny, is on the Voice Faculty of East Tennessee State University. Their daughter, Allison, is manager of Enterprise Car Sales in Richmond and her husband, Mark, is an assistant principal in the Henrico Schools. Their two sons are the “reward” grandparents receive when life finally gives us time to enjoy the slower moments of life.

Faith Geibel Moore (’75) and her husband, Robert, continue to enjoy travel and they spent two weeks in Scotland in October 2016. They also traveled to Berlin this past October. Faith and Robert still live in eastern NC, where Faith volunteers at Tryon Palace in New Bern, teaches summer water aerobics and enjoys retirement. Faith also wrote that she lost her mother May 12th of this year, so we extend to Faith our deepest condolences and sympathy for her loss.

Jacalyn Bryan (’75) is in her ninth year as a Reference & Instruction Librarian at Saint Leo University, where she was a former dance professor. She received the Florida Library Association’s Library Research Award at their annual conference in May for her research on the preparation of academic librarians who provide instruction, which examined the impact of first careers on second-career librarians. Jackie has presented this research at two international conferences: the Society of Teaching & Learning in Higher Education in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and the European Conference on Information Literacy in Saint-Malo, France. Jackie and her husband are empty-nesters once again and attended a family reunion in Maui this October, along with their two sons and many of their relatives.

Barbara Shepherd (‘75) retired from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in June after 24 years there and 36 years in arts education. While she has accepted some consulting work, she’s looking forward to the usual retiree activities: travel; visiting her children; gardening; and attending Washington Nationals baseball games.

Mary Beth Moore Coya (’75) wrote that it’s hard to believe but, this past August, she celebrated 30 years as the state and local lobbyist for an association in northern Virginia. She continues to enjoy the job, living in Reston, and her weekend home near the mountains of Virginia.

We would love to hear what’s going on in your life, so please email me with your news! All news is welcome!