Class Notes

The clock is ticking and our 50^th reunion will be here in less than 2 years!!!  Our class gift for this special reunion is a contribution to benefit the mental health center on campus.  If you have already contributed, thank you so much.  We also have a Facebook page, Mary Washington College Class of 1970.

In January ten of us from the Class of 1970 met for lunch in downtown Fredericksburg.  It was wonderful to see and catch up with everyone.  Our group included Karen Anderson Muszynski, Frances Cone, Susan Duffey DiMaina, Suzanne Ferguson Buchanan, Tina Kormanski Krause, Kathleen O’Neill , Gabby Pagin, Elaine Wilson Maloney, Barb Bingley, and myself.  Gabby loves retirement and is becoming quite a world traveler.  In Feb. she rented a house in Mexico and in Sept. she will celebrate her birthday in Greece.  Tina took an Athens to Barcelona cruise in Sept.  She has plans for Alaska in June and also hopes to do some domestic travels, possibly to Santa Fe.  Susie’s news made all of us very envious as she and her husband are renting a house in Florence, Italy for a year!  Kathi went to N. Italy.  Elaine retired from Fairfax Co. Schools after 22 years.  She has 3 grandchildren who live locally so that keeps her busy.  Frances took a cruise to France, Paris to Normandy.  Her twins are now 33.  Karen retired a year ago. She is active in community fundraising and put on a Titanic dinner for 60 people.   Her son married in August and plans to build a firehouse.

Sandy Sayre has been leading a very busy life.  She finally retired from teaching in 2015 and has been raising her 3 grandchildren (now 16, 18 and 20) since her daughter died in 2013.  One grandchild is at UMC this summer in Virginia Hall and will be back in August in Curtis Hall.  Her oldest grandchild is at Longwood College where she is majoring in social work and wants to specialize in working with the elderly (Sandy added a big THANK YOU to that!). Her youngest is in the Science and Medical Academy for Chesapeake Schools.  Sandy stay very busy with church, gardening, volunteering with several different organizations, including helping the homeless.

I have stayed very busy traveling over the past year.  In February I made my dream trip to Antarctica and it was everything I had hoped!  John and I spent Easter in Venice and then took a small ship and sailed down the eastern coast of Italy.  We stopped in very small towns, Sicily, and ended up in Malta. We finally got our entire family together this month and it was wonderful to see all of the grandchildren enjoying each other!

Please, please send me news!

Anne

Maureen Paige ’70 wrote this remembrance:

I feel inspired to say that I really appreciated the article in the closing column of the Spring/Summer 2018 issue of Mary Washington Magazine about Venus R. Jones class of ’68. It was poignant to think of how hard fought her opportunities were, how much she gave back, and how much too soon her passing was. The article also brought back powerful memories of my time at Mary Washington and my African-American roommate and I in 1968.

I transferred to Mary Washington College from Trinity College in Washington D.C. in 1968. I had been living at home my first two years of college and was very excited to move on to a campus. I remember arriving on campus happy to meet my new roommate Eveline Cropper. It was planned that we go to dinner with our roommates after arriving. We arrived back to begin moving in when I was told by the woman in charge of the dorm that my room had been changed and I was headed upstairs to have a different roommate.  I could not figure out why and was preoccupied with my own excitement.  I went upstairs and was greeted by a rather huffy student who proceeded to prance around the room in her slip and state that she was told she was going to have a room by herself, so I went back downstairs and said “I’m really happy in the room you gave me and I would prefer to stay.”  I had no idea I was making history and Eveline Cropper and I were then roomies.  I didn’t realize until a week or so later when the newspaper came to interview me and was told that I was  the first case of inadvertent integration of a white student and a black student, in other words not  requested by the students themselves.  I was asked how I felt about it but I really don’t recall what I said. I had black friends at Trinity College in the District of Columbia and I had been raised to be fairly colorblind. However I realized later that was not actually the case and that my Mom had spoken with the woman in charge of the dorm to try to get me moved upstairs to a room with a white student. It may be hard to believe but I was completely oblivious. I was looking forward to my time with Eveline.  Over time I learned there were definite cultural differences.  She was from a small town on the Eastern Shore, and not at all remotely like my former Trinity College black friends who introduced me to soul music. I am not at all sure Eveline knew quite what to make of me either. I recall her being somewhat scandalized by my “groupie” type behavior when a soul band performed on campus. She just had a better head on her shoulders than I did. I like to think I was just a typically self-consumed and liberated Art major at the time, but that’s probably putting too good of a spin on it. I was a bit wild, often in trouble, even so far as going to dorm court. I received a letter from a friend of mine in Vietnam containing marijuana seeds and when I showed them to Eveline, she went screaming into the bathroom with them and threw them in the toilet. Well I certainly hadn’t planned on growing any marijuana anyway but it is a very funny memory.  I just remember feeling somewhat incensed that she would want to throw away my souvenir from Vietnam.  Later on a field trip we went to the National Gallery of Art and I was intrigued with her ability to flirt with the guards there and lo and behold she did get a date and fix me up with a gentleman from Howard University. When I went home and told my parents that I’d had a date with a gentleman from Howard University I found out that in fact my Catholic upbringing which had taught me to denounce prejudice was not something that was completely swallowed by my parents and my mother would not speak to me for a very long time. With Mother’s Day looming I will say on my Mother’s behalf, as the years went by she became a grandparent to mixed race children very lovingly.

A particularly good memory for me was while studying under Julien Binford, I was employed by the Art department to find models for our drawing and painting groups. I remember how happy Julien was when Eveline modeled. He was already famous and still is, for his painting of the African-American culture in his native Fine Creek Mills, Powhatan, Virginia. He and his wife Elizabeth were highly involved with an African-American church there and they held their baptisms in the creek by Julien’s wonderful Foundry home and studio. The last time I checked there was still a mural by him in a church there, Shiloh Baptist.

I took a Greyhound bus to go to Eveline’s wedding which happened at the end of that very same school  year.  I got off the greyhound bus at T’s Corner, literally a corner, and walked through the quaint African-American neighborhood with a lot of dogs barking at perhaps the only white person they had experienced, which felt like the mirror image of what happened to black women walking to work as maids in the neighborhood I grew up in. In fact I was the only white person I saw until I went back to campus. I was greeted warmly by Eveline’s family and friends and I had the pleasure of playing the record player for the music at her wedding in the beautifully decorated small church there.

It took me quite a while to realize that the photo I submitted (attached)with my college application was taken in one of those old-time phone booth style photography boxes at the end of a very long summer of lifeguarding and that for all intents and purposes I appeared to be African-American in that photo. It is possible that is how I came to be placed inadvertently with Eveline.  I do not know where she is today.  We did not stay in touch, but during our brief time together I learned so much from her about things that were not obvious in my sheltered suburban upbringing, and it enriched my life greatly.

On April 21^st, friends of Mary Anne Burns met in Arlington, VA to commemorate her life and remember her friendship. The shock of her death on November 9, 2017 continues to draw sharp intakes of breath as we try to absorb it and the resulting grief.  Those gathered shared warm memories of “Burns” at this last “toast to Mary Anne.” Included at the gathering were: Barbara Bingley (’70), Marion Blakey (“70), Davey Ellis, Natalee Franzyshen, Karen Jenkins (’72), Kathy (Ernie) Marilla Kent, Tina Kormanski Krause (’70), Diana Rupert Livingston, Susan Wagner Lacy (’70), Kathi O’Neill (’70), Joanne Sinsheimer (’70), Dory Teipel, Kathy (Tilly) Thiel (’70), Jane (Touz) Touzalin, and Philo Funk Rosenfeld (’72).

This year has marked a major change for Dennis and me.  We finally moved to my late parents’ homestead in the Roanoke area and are so happy to be here.  It will be terrific to become active in alumni activities as they occur in this part of the world as well as reconnecting with some classmates who live in the region.

Sherrie Mitchell Boone and I have already been in touch and she had some awesome news.  This year marks a celebration of fifty years of friendship with Nancy Mahone Miller, Martha Stansell Vogel, Laurie Clark Crigler, Kathy Duley, Kathy Ray, Shirley Harris Sutton, Terri Hall Alford, Brenda Franklin, Anne Toms Richardson and Mary Saunders Williams.  They certainly illustrate just how the friendships formed during our college years at UMW have stayed special. Several of the group will be getting together in August at Mary’s cottage in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and again, in the fall at Shirley’s place in Nelson County.  At that time, Lona Kardos Tonelson and Gail Sherwood Cervarich will also join them.

It was such a joy to have some news from Elizabeth Lewis Wenner. Although retired, Betty and husband Charles lead very active lives in and around Charleston, South Carolina.  Charles enjoys both vegetable and flower gardening and fishing whenever he can.  Betty loves riding her two Dutch Warmblood geldings in dressage plus sailing her Cape Dory 36.  Painting and photography continue to be some of her favorite activities.  Of special note, she is very active in social justice advocacy in Charleston; striving to reduce racism and homelessness.

Cheryl Prietz Childress and husband Dave continue to enjoy their granddaughter, Ellie.  Daughter Thea and husband Eric stay active in the Atlanta area and son Alex and his wife, Belle recently purchased a new home in Richmond.  As of this writing, Dennis and I will be getting together with Cheryl and Dave at Natural Bridge, Virginia when they journey there for a car club gathering.

That is it for now but enjoy the rest of the summer and send your news.

Over 40 registered to attend our 45^th class reunion weekend. There was time to visit with old friends and tour the beautiful campus. Many have retired, and enjoy exploring new hobbies, traveling and grandchildren. Janet Hedrick promises to retire before our 50^th reunion.

At the class dinner some said you don’t receive news reminder emails. Emails come from UMW, not me. Gone are the days of USPS mailings.  If you’re not getting UMW emails, it may be because you have not signed up to receive them or your email address has changed. Contact UMW to fix these situations. Look in your email Junk folder. Emails are sent about events, campaigns, and reminders. The news reminder for this article came on May 5 from UMW with a subject line “Send Us Your News”. If all else fails, simply keep my email address handy and send your news when it happens. Don’t wait for a reminder. Consider this your reminder.

Kaye Carrithers has a new grandson, who was born on her mother’s birthday.  This is grandbaby #7, and grandson #6.

We celebrated our 35^th wedding anniversary during our annual flight to Sentimental Journey in our 1946 J3 Piper Cub from Richmond VA to Lock Haven PA. After talking to Winnie Stalnaker Feldhaus, I’m more excited than ever about our upcoming adventure to Alaska.

Hope to hear from more of you for the next publication. Just keep my email address handy and send the news as it happens.

Class of 1974, It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Pat Denton Rounds earlier this year.  Those of us who lived on 3^rd Floor of Willard freshman year remember Pat well and join all in our class as we mourn her passing.   Pam Smith McGahagin sent news from Atlanta, Ga, where she and her family have lived for the past 3 decades.  Pam is still working in broadcasting, but plans to retire next year.  She writes that she “can’t wait” to retire, but will miss her annual visits with her Willard roomie, Pat Denton Rounds  who passed away last January.   “A great cook, Pat kept us well fed during our “old girl” get-togethers with Diane Smith Mosier.  Pat was one of a kind, and will be forever missed.”   In June, Pam spent a relaxing weekend with Nonie Gassman Robinson at her home in lovely St. Petersburg, Florida, where they checked out the Salvadore Dali museum.   She’s hoping everyone shows up for our 45^th reunion next June!  Yes, our 45^th is coming in 2019, reserve the weekend of 31 May-2 June 2019 NOW. Reunion planning is in the works so let us know what  you would like to do as a class and start rummaging through your attics and basements for your MWC memorabilia.

Jill from Atlanta wrote, “I have recently passed my 5th anniversary working as a sales associate at Macy’s.  Things here in Atlanta are going pretty well for me.  Am often playing board games with several local groups, a hobby I’ve enjoyed for over a decade.  Some of my current favorite games include Snowdonia, Honshu, Medina and Glux. A special shout-out to all fellow Betty Lewis dorm alums….our numbers are dwindling but it was a special place ‘down the hill and outta sight’…”

Victoria Scarborough (‘75) recently moved back to Virginia after retiring as the Global Director of External Technology at Sherwin Williams. She landed in Charlottesville and started a consulting business called Materia Prima Ventures, helping startup companies commercialize their technology. Victoria says it’s great to be back in VA after those cold winters up north!

Jan Hausrath (‘75) is entering her second year of retirement this September from the global consulting firm APCO Worldwide, while husband, David Seddelmeyer, is getting ready to celebrate his first year of retirement from the National Labor Relations Board in October. Daughter, Jinny Grace Seddelmeyer, enters her high school senior year this fall at South Lakes High in Reston, VA, where the family now lives. Jan and Pamela Hatfield St. Clair (‘75) have regular, lengthy phone check-ins about all things family and friends, in addition to fond memories of Mary Wash.

On my news home front, our daughter, Taylor, became engaged this past June, with a wedding date set for next April 27^th. She is currently a nurse in the Oncology/Hematology/Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, KS and has begun a 2-year Nursing Practitioner program. Our younger granddaughter, Lucy, turned 3 this past June and our older granddaughter, Presley, started kindergarten at the end of August.

Your fellow classmates would love to hear what you’ve been up to! Regardless of whether you’ve never sent in your news or have submitted it multiple times, your news is news to the rest of us, so please take a moment (or two) and email/snail mail me what you’ve been up to!

I wanted to mention the passing on April 23, 2018, of our class president and great friend to many, Jane Reese-Coulbourne.  Jane had battled cancer for many years and was a tireless advocate for more cancer research during the Clinton years. Jane received a BS in chemistry at Mary Washington and was amongst the first women to graduate from UVA’s master’s program in chemical engineering.  Her genuine, ready laugh and easy manner with everyone will be missed.

Carolyn Roberts attended the funeral for Jane Reese-Coulbourne along with Judy Sledge Joyce, Margo Clifford, Ann Chryssikos McBroom, Margaret Spivey, Betty Ann Gupton Teter, Patty Finnamore ?.  Carolyn said it was a wonderful tribute to Jane, and while they were sad, they all enjoyed sharing stories over lunch which would have pleased Jane.  Marti Taylor Clements’ son Tom, who is Carolyn’s godson, was married in Connecticut in May.  He graduated from UNC and is off to a job in Madison, Wisconsin.

Lucy Dee Kinsey wrote that she and Daphne Johnston Elliott recently completed the Virginia Master Naturalist training program.  They can now volunteer to participate in natural resource conservation efforts in their communities.  They learned a lot in the program.  Together, as citizen scientists, they are monitoring the Bluebird Trail at Ashlawn/Highland, President James Monroe’s home near Charlottesville.  Daphne and Lucy see each other every week with all the Master Naturalist activities.

Kate O’Driscoll Sartor Hilburn moved back to Louisiana from Texas in 1993 to marry Wiley Hilburn who was a journalism professor at Louisiana Tech University.  She graduated from Texas Woman’s University with an MFA in photography in 1995.  Wiley passed away in 2014 and she has spent the last four years continuing to create art, travel, and work as a community advocate for her regional domestic violence agency.  She designed a series called “Beating Hearts: Stories of Domestic Violence.” It was a photography and writing collaboration that has been exhibited around the USA over the past 20 years.  She enjoys spending time with friends in France, and visiting her daughter Jenny who is a veterinarian in Kansas.

Beverley Condrey Berry has used her geography degree in diverse fields of work including mapping, helping route development for telecommunications and being a landman in the oil and gas industry in Texas.  She is semi-retired and traveled to Italy with friends.  She and her husband have a peacock that showed up in one of their trees.  It has joined the rest of their little barnyard.  She thinks fondly of her years at Mary Washington with the brick facades, shady paths and dogwood trees.  Her best buddy, Eva Graham, ’75, who shares her experiences on Facebook, including trips to Carl’s Frozen Custard, transports Beverley back to Fredericksburg!

Margo Clifford retired from teaching after 41 years!  She is celebrating with her former roommate Ann Chryssikos McBroom by taking a cruise to the Greek islands.  She is looking forward to the next chapter and new adventures.

Susan Sendlein Luscomb and husband Rich welcomed granddaughter Campbell Reeve Autry born in April to their daughter Alicia and her husband Dustin.  Alicia is a clinical psychologist in practice with her dad and Dustin is a Delta pilot.  Their daughter Ashton and husband Zach are renovating a home in Memphis after living in London for 7 months for Zach’s job.  Sue and Rich took a 10 day trip to northern Italy’s Lake District with friends.

Kim Stambaugh Jureckson and her husband Mitchell became grandparents!  Their daughter Erica and husband Ian had a baby boy named George in December, 2017.  Kim still works as a free lance dance teacher and choreographer in Lancaster, PA.  She is the artistic director of the Grant Street Dance Company which will celebrate its 20^th anniversary in October.  She also works with senior citizens in retirement homes to help them improve their posture and balance.

Mary Johnson Mulligan is retiring from NASA after more than 30 years at the Kennedy Space Center.  She is looking forward to traveling, volunteering and pursuing some hobbies.  She plans to have extended visits with her children who are scattered across the country: a son in San Francisco, and 2 daughters in Northern Virginia and NYC.  Her son graduated from his radiology residency at UCSF in June and they all went out to California to mark the occasion.  They also took a family vacation to Italy last fall.  She misses Virginia and hopes to spend more time here after retirement.

Helen Thornton French is approaching 79 years of age and is happy to report that life is still good.  She focuses on working with domestic violence victims and incarcerated females.  She travels a lot and just returned from a vacation in Mexico.  Her grandsons CJ and Avery have both completed college, and have managed to include world travels into their busy lives. CJ is married and Sybil, her daughter, gets to travel the world as a DELTA flight attendant. She has Sybil’s dog, Baxter, who loves to run, and that keeps her active. She is healthy and well, and feels blessed!

 Hannah Patterson Crew is retiring in September after over 30 years working for the Commonwealth of Virginia.  She has had wonderful positions in several agencies and worked with some fun, very smart people.  Her husband Todd plans to work another year.  Their elder daughter, Elizabeth and husband Chris are expecting a baby in December.  Hannah said it’s a boy so she has some homework to do!  Her younger daughter Emily and husband Brandon live in St Petersburg, FL.  Emily works as the assistant comptroller in the grants division for the University of Florida and her husband is a lawyer.  Emily had some health issues last year but has recovered well.  Hannah and Todd will be spending part of the year in Florida once Todd retires.

Barbara Bryant Zingg was selected as the Secondary Math Teacher of the Year from West Virginia for 2017-2018 which honored her.  Her husband of 42 years, Robert, retired from teaching high school special education in 2017 while Barbara continues to teach in Charles Town, WV.  She is involved with the WV State Department of Education projects and committees to improve math instruction in the state.

Lundy Baker Updike had Helen Taylor Salter come visit in July.  They went to a different Great American Restaurant each night, but always ended with their famous flourless chocolate waffle. Lundy’s son Tom, ’17, accepted a tech job in California and drove across country to find a house to rent.  Kate Gazunis and her husband Randy hosted Tom on his drive across country as only a 76er can!  They made his trip an adventure.  Lundy and husband Jim are gearing up for more traveling.  Last year they drove south looking for cooler weather and now they are going north to get away from the heat.  They hope to go to the West Coast and see California, Vancouver and Alaska and son Tom.

My husband Henry and I spend quite a bit of time with our four grandchildren here in Northern Virginia.  Henry and I enjoyed a trip to Charleston, SC for a wedding in May.  I found the alligators in every pond frightening!  Shrimp and grits, BBQ, time with old friends and lots of history made it a memorable, fun trip.

Best wishes to Kathleen Williams Pyrce and congratulations to her lucky groom John Mischler, who married on July 21.

Janet McConnell Philips is enjoying retirement, dividing her time between Falls Church, VA and Essex, CT. She plans to visit her MWC roommate Sue Whittier Haley in Saco, Maine the end of July. Janet says, “It’s been years since I’ve seen her!”

The Mary Washington Class of 1977 “Goddesses”  – Jo McTague Atkinson, Craig (“Skippy”) Strickland Robinson, Pam Roberts Albrecht,  Terrie Martin Dort, and Vicki Sprague Ravenel — held their annual reunion in early March in Charleston.  This group gets together every year in a different location.  This year they met in March for Terrie’s birthday and to celebrate the life of her husband, Dean, who passed away in January.  It’s always a special time with much eating and drinking, touring, talking, and reminiscing.

Vicki will remain on the UMW Alumni Board and become VP of Alumni Awards, serving as a member of the Executive Board for another two year term.

Wow!   Reunion Weekend was awesome.  The Alumni Staff did a phenomenal job of planning and coordinating a great event.  It was wonderful reconnecting and connecting with so many alumni.  Not only was it fun seeing all of the 1978 Alums but it was also invigorating meeting so many of the alumni from prior years and recent grads.  It was inspiring.

Our fun began on Friday with Registration, great meals in the University Center Dining Room, various exhibits, a wonderful President’s Reception at Brompton (although a little warm), and ending with our Class Gathering on Friday evening.  Dr. Plaino and his wife went above and beyond in hosting the reception and later in the evening, along with Mark Thaden and members of his alumni staff attending the Class Gatherings (all of them).  We were reminded of the beauty of Brompton and its’ grounds making us ever so grateful for it being identified as a Historic Landmark.

Saturday brought many more of our classmates and more events. I would encourage all of you to mark your calendars for 2023.  It is not too early to plan on attending our 45^th Reunion.  I was reminded of what a critical role the Alumni staff plays in keeping us connected.  I would encourage all of you to attend  future reunions and support the Alumni Association in their planning.

I first want to congratulate Gayle Weinberger Petro who was recognized by the UMW Alumni Association with the Frances Liebenow Armstrong ’36 Service Award for her enduring commitment and service to Mary Washington. Gayle has served on the Alumni Association Board for many years and has dedicated much time and energy to our alma mater for which we are very grateful. 

In other news, intrepid world travelers, Carol Middlebrook and Linda McCarthy Milone were at it again. Carol and her husband, John, took a hiking tour of the Douro Valley of Portugal. Linda and her husband, Paul, celebrated his college roommate’s anniversary in Bermuda.

By the time you read this, I will have retired from over 32 years with Fairfax County government and over 35 total in local government. It’s been a great career from an internship in the City Manager’s Office in Charlottesville to Fairfax County’s Office of Public Affairs where I got to combine my love of budget and public policy with writing — lots of writing — I hope to do more of the latter in retirement.  Something else I’ll be doing is serving on the Reunion Committee with Gayle for our upcoming 40th. I hope you all will put May 31-June 2, 2019 on your calendars now so you don’t miss it. If you have any suggestions for our Friday night class party or anything else, please contact Gayle or me.  Looking forward to a great turnout for the Class of 1979 next year!