Class Notes

These are the unedited class notes as submitted by class agents and other alumni. Edited notes appear in the print edition.

If you prefer to submit Class Notes by mail, send to:

UMW Magazine – Class Notes
1301 College Ave.
Fredericksburg, VA 22401

1980s

1980

Sue Garter
skgarter@gmail.com

From Sue Garter – I am still working as a project manager in telecomm, and planning a July, 2019 vacation in Ireland. I had a brief visit with Jan Stankiewicz McCarthy in June, when she spent the weekend at her sister’s home in NJ. My son graduated from Law School in May, and is studying for the Bar exam, before starting a job with a corporate law firm in Washington, DC. Please stay in touch with our classmates through our Facebook group “MWC Alum 1980 and Friends”, and email your updates to me at skgarter@gmail.com.
Susan Anderson is in her third term as Vice Mayor of Blacksburg, Virginia, and fourth term on the Blacksburg Town Council. She earned a Master of Science in mathematics from Virginia Tech in 1982, has been teaching mathematics at Virginia Tech for over thirty-five years as a senior instructor. Susan is also faculty advisor to the United Feminist Movement and a member of the board of directors of the Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley. She is married to Kim Kipling, a philosophy professor, and they have a golden retriever named Maya.
Jim Hely and his wife Rosanne reside in Hillside, NJ. Their son, Daniel, is currently in the 4th grade at St. Michael’s School in Union, NJ. Daniel’s teacher just happens to be Jim’s sister-in-law, Donna Bly Hely ’81. Donna is married to Joe’s twin brother Joe Hely ‘81.
Jennifer Dix Hill spent 6 years in USAF Intelligence, and then went back to school at University of Florida for a BS in nursing. She has lived “all over” and now happily resides in Texas. Jennifer is celebrating 30 years as a neonatal nurse and 25 years as a lactation consultant, and plans to retire in two years.

1981

Lori Foster Turley
lorifturley@gmail.com

1982

Tara Corrigall
corrigallt@gmail.com

Cinda Sheehan Haas ’82 shared the news that her love affair with the great state of Maine continues with the recent purchase of an island cottage 3 miles off the Maine coast! They are enjoying fixing it up and sharing it with friends and loved ones. This has been a 30 year plus dream in the making for Cinda. They are expecting another grandchild (#4!) any day! (from our youngest daughter, her first child!) It is so rewarding watching each of our 3 kids step thru life’s milestones, sharing in their successes, failures and adventures. She also wrote that in this day and age, she is also truly grateful for her economics and business background. It helps her make sense of our economy amidst all the political noise. She thanks Dr Rycroft for an excellent education and understanding of many of the variables. Elizabeth Carter Collins’82 recently attended the annual UMW Scholarship luncheon. After 11 years working in West Virginia, She retired 2 years ago and returned to Fredericksburg. She bought a house and is enjoying being near family and friends. Nancy Kaiser ’82 and wife Mary had a busy travel schedule this year. They cruised Asia in March and recently returned from a trip to Ireland with Mary’s family. While in the “neighborhood”, Nancy and Mary continued on to Scotland and visited with friends they had met on a prior cruise. They stay busy with their home improvement business and Scottie rescue. In early May, they joined Carla Richardson Barrell ’82, Jennifer Goodwin Donegan’82 and I for Virginia Garden Week tours in Norfolk and Virginia Beach. We had a great time catching up and touring beautiful homes (gardens too). While Nancy and Mary checked out grout techniques, we included a tour of the Brock Environmental Center for retired Earth Science teacher Carla. Heather Archer Mackey’82 attended daughter Gillian’s graduation from JMU. Heather and Mike celebrate their 3 college graduates with their youngest, Gwyneth halfway through at JMU. Heather stays busy with UMW Richmond network events and is a faithful Reunion volunteer. 2022 is not that far off people, first weekend after Memorial Day – get our 40th reunion on your calendar now. I was back on campus in May to attend my nephew Josh Filchock’s ’19 graduation. His mom, Mona Corrigall Filchock ’84 and daughter Jordan P. Filchock ’12 joined in the celebration as did our mom/grandmother who attended her 4th Mary Washington graduation. Our next family gathering will be Jordan’s November wedding in Charlotte NC.

1983

Marcia Guida James
marcia.g.james@gmail.com

Lynn Conville Abraham recently retired from the Commonwealth of Virginia with 30 years of service as a Purchasing Officer. Lynn keeps busy with water aerobics and weight training, reading historical fiction and non-fiction, scrapbooking and traveling. Lynn and her husband were to cruise to Alaska in late 2019. Lynn keeps in touch with many graduates from 1984, including Freda White, Mary Driver Downs, Cindy Greer Chalkley, as well as Teresa Lough from the class of 1990.
Hope everyone is doing well, please keep in touch send me your updates via email!

Mary Ann Mayer writes: I am celebrating 20 years in business next month! My Dad & I purchased the Mt. Washington Bed and Breakfast in the White Mountains of New Hampshire on June 25th 1999. Over that 20 years we have seen several alumni from Mary Washington as well as several professors from the Psychology Department. My psychology background has been invaluable to me!
Mary Ann
Class of 1983
Mary Ann Mayer
Mt. Washington Bed & Breakfast
Shelburne, NH 03581

1984

Christine Waller Manca
christine.manca@att.net

Our 35th reunion weekend was memorable! It was great to see many of you there, from the girls I met on move-in day of freshman year, to classmates I had a chance to meet for the first time. I hope even more will make it to our next one in 2024. Among the attendees were Susan Albert, LaVonda Simpson Bailey, Linda Lemanski Blakemore, Joanne Brenton, Dorothye Seward Brodersen, Elizabeth Loftis Brusig, Susan Scafuro Bussy, Gregory Chambers, Darnell Horio DeMasters, Denise Zawadzki Doucette, Mary Driver Downs, Maggie Russell Eastman, Jessica Woodman Godwin, Mary Frances Payne Griffin, Blair Howard, Kerry Devine John, Chele Flanders Kelly, Patricia Pugh Langfitt, Christine Waller Manca, Rebecca Rooks O’Farrell, Carla Palm Rivero, Jennifer Boone Schmitt, Dan Steen, Lynne Wiser Stockman, Kathleen Delao Travitz, Freda White, Dan Wolfe, and Susan Haas Yatta. Forgive me for any missed names! At the Class of 1984 party, we were joined by some friends from our “neighbor” classes, including Abas Adenan ’85 (who was presented with an Alumni Association award later in the weekend), Nan Stanford McCarry ’83, and Heather Archer Mackey ’82. Mary Washington planned an amazing slate of events, including the gorgeous President’s Reception on the lawn at Brompton, a picnic on Ball Circle, and the All-Class Party with a fabulous band.

James Miller is living in the Dallas area, where he is senior vice president at Right Management, a consulting firm specializing in global talent and career management located in Addison, Texas.

Freda White is currently living in Madison, Virginia, and is enjoying her second career as a hearing specialist. Her youngest daughter graduated from college last May and is a nurse in Harrisonburg. Freda writes, “I now have an empty nest, but do enjoy my five beautiful grandchildren. I recently lost my father (in February), so it has been a tough few months. I get together with Cindy Greer Chalkley, Carole Comly Dezii, Mary Driver Downs, Trish Bowdring Gordon Lynn Conville Abraham ’83, Yvonne Koontz Sening ’85, and Teresa Negron Lough ’90.”

Be sure to send me your news for the next issue!

1985

Joanne Bartholomew Lamm
Jlamm88@verizon.net

Kathleen Dwyer Miller ’85: her daughter, Rebecca Gwendolyn Miller, graduated from the University of Mississippi with a BS in Dietetics and Nutrition, Cum Laude. She is a Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors Scholar and a member of Phi Kappa Phi. She will be attending the University of Louisville School of Dentistry on a full-ride scholarship through the Army Health Professions Scholarship Program. Kathleen and her husband are so very proud.

Martha Shears Smith ’85: and her husband, James, are enjoying exploring the Rock Hill area. They are in the process of renovating a little 1954 house, and trying to bring it up-to-date. Life took Martha to academic libraries for her career, but she still is very fond of the history/historic preservation field and continues to follow its progress.

Joanne Bartholomew Lamm ’85 and her husband Christopher T. Lamm ’85: are proud to announce that their son, Stephen Christopher Lamm ’19 just graduated Cum Laude from Mary Washington with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Business French. Stephen is the youngest of their three children, and their second UMW legacy, following in the footsteps of older sister,Rebecca Elizabeth Lamm ’13. Their older son, Thomas James Lamm, graduated from Virginia Tech in 2016 with a degree in Military History and a minor in Russian. Thomas was an officer in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, and an officer in the Army ROTC while a Tech student. Thomas is now a 1st lieutenant in the U.S. Army, stationed in Hawaii, and has been married for 3 years.

Judith Inge Forrest writes: Hello Classmates

The big news is that I am now located in sunny Sierra Vista, Arizona. I have a great view of the Huachuca Mountains and am almost surrounded by the Army Base of Fort Huachuca. Nice to be able to use base facilities again.

I am finishing my last couple of classes for my Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Management with New England College (NEC). It is all on line, so I have been able to transition easily from North Carolina.

It is warm, dry and sunny at the moment. We did have some snow and ice in the winter, which I understand is unusual.

I will be interested to hear how my classmates are doing. My new address is 3700 Barahona Dr, Sierra Vista, AZ 85650 and I am using the same cell 252-676-3202. I enjoyed the reunion last year, and would love to hear from any of you. Yea!! Mary Washington and Fredericksburg.

1986

Lisa Harvey
lisharvey@msn.com

1987

René Thomas-Rizzo
rene.thomas-rizzo@navy.mil

Kim Jones Isaac
mwc87@infinityok.com

From Kim:

Kemetia MK Foley got to campus this year and saw the men’s rugby team demolish JMU in a match. She caught up with Tim Brown who has started working with Old Glory, DC’s professional rugby team. She also saw classmate Tim Aylor. Kem and her husband Brian moved from Virginia to York, Maine in June. Their daughter is a rising senior at Virginia Tech and is planning a career in Public Health Research and Advocacy. She has been active in her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta. In July, Kem traveled to New Zealand and Australia to deliver customer service training at a few conferences. She would love to connect with other Mary Wash grads around their area of Maine and perhaps schedule a social gathering, so if you live in that area, contact her on Facebook.

Suzanne Moe is a paramedical restorative tattoo artist and owner of SUMA Ink in Homestead, Florida. She specializes in scar camouflage and restorative areola tattooing for post-mastectomy patients seeking a realistic or artistic completion to their reconstruction.
Following mastectomy and breast reconstruction, most women are left without a nipple or surrounding areola. She is able to replicate and restore the natural look of a nipple and areola by custom-mixing pigments that match individual skin tones. She then gently tattoos over scars to create a realistic looking nipple/areola, complete with light, shadows and dimension. This specialized trompe l’oeil technique is also known as a “3d nipple areola tattoo.” She re-defines features which were lost or compromised due to illness, injury or surgery. The restoration of these features can also restore self-esteem and self-confidence. The transformation is profound on many levels.
Suzanne earned her BA degree in Studio Art and has worked as a licensed professional tattoo artist since 1997 on diverse and unique canvases. She has a private studio and also works from the offices of plastic surgeons in the Miami region.

Ken and I just celebrated our one-year anniversary with our laser engraving business and we absolutely love it! We truly enjoy using our creativity to help our customers find the perfect gift. We are in our 23rd year of the computer services company and I’m in year six of the yoga studio. As if that isn’t enough, I continue to hone my photography skills and had my first exhibit in July at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge visitor center.

Keep the updates coming! Remember – not everyone is on Facebook and people want to know what their classmates are up to.

1988

News about Veronica O. Faust ’88:

The Delaware River and Bay Authority welcomed a new board member July 16 as Executive Director Tom Cook administered the Oath of Office to Veronica O. Faust of Lewes, prior to the bi-state agency’s monthly meeting. Faust replaced William E. Lowe III who resigned in early June. On June 19, the Delaware State Senate unanimously confirmed her nomination. Her term extends to July 1, 2022.
“I am honored to serve the residents of the State of Delaware as an authority commissioner and am grateful to Governor Carney and the state Senate for the appointment. I will do my best to serve in a manner worthy of their confidence,” Faust said. “My husband and I grew up in Delaware and have continued to live, work and raise a family here. Thus, the economic prosperity of Delaware and its neighboring states is important to me. With its family of transportation facilities, the authority plays a vital role in the economies of both Delaware and New Jersey. I am excited for the opportunity to contribute to the commission and its mission to foster economic growth.”
“Commissioner Faust is a distinguished attorney with significant expertise in real estate, land-use, and business law,” said DRBA Chair Samuel E. Lathem. “She will bring additional insight and expertise to our policy discussions, and we’re fortunate to have her as a member of the Delaware delegation.”
An attorney with the law firm of Morris James LLP in the Rehoboth Beach office, Faust’s practice focuses largely on real estate and land-use law, business law, and commercial litigation. She graduated from Mary Washington College and went on to earn her juris doctor degree from the Catholic University of America. She has been a member of the Delaware Bar for 28 years, and is admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Delaware State Bar Association, and the Sussex County Bar Association.
“Commissioner Faust is an excellent addition to the board,” remarked Executive Director Tom Cook. “We understand the time commitment involved and are thankful she is willing to serve the people of Delaware as a board member.”
The commission is composed of 12 commissioners – six each from New Jersey and Delaware – who are appointed by their respective governor.