Class Notes

The national news covered various weather vagaries this year, including blizzards, a short spring, sustained heat waves, tornadoes, floods, forest fires, a major hurricane, even an earthquake.

In the wake of Hurricane Irene, which raked the Eastern Seaboard from the Outer Banks of North Carolina to Nova Scotia, we learned the tragic news of the loss of our dear classmate Elizabeth “Betty” Forsyth Somers and her husband, Lewis S. Somers III, to carbon monoxide poisoning, an indirect result of the hurricane. The couple was found Aug. 30 at their summer home on Sebago Lake in Maine, where a propane generator was running after the storm knocked out electricity for more than 48 hours. Both Pennsylvania natives, Lewis graduated from Williams College in 1949, the same year Betty graduated from MWC. Betty was an administrator for the former Smith, Kline & French pharmaceutical firm in the 1950s. The couple owned two small medical products businesses in the ’60s and ’70s. At the time of his death, Lewis was chairman of Harmac Medical Products Inc. Betty worked as a volunteer at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Antiques Show, the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, International House Philadelphia, and the Random Garden Club, and she was on the board of Morris Arboretum until her death. A memorial service was held in September at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Lafayette Hill, Pa. The Somerses are survived by two sons, Lewis IV and John; a daughter, Elizabeth Somers Stutzman; and two grandchildren. The tragedy of the Somerses’ deaths is twofold, as Margaret “Peggy” Elliott Sweeney’s daughter, Christine, married Betty’s son, further uniting the former classmates and longtime friends. Our class’s heartfelt sympathy goes to the Somerses’ family.

In August, Dolores “Dee” Ross drove from Kilmarnock, Va., to Fredericksburg for the dedication of the Anderson Center, which honors former UMW President William M. Anderson. The 52,000-square-foot building serves as a space for convocations, concerts, and community events, as well as a state-of-the-art sports facility. Dee observed the youthful appearance of the faculty members and only recognized their status by the colorful bands on their hoods. While awaiting the ceremonies, Dee found her chair with its engraved plaque and had her picture taken in it. She is among six classmates who dedicated one of 500 seats with special nameplates on the arms among the center’s retractable bleachers. One of our plaques is dedicated in honor of every Fabulous Forty-Niner. Dedicate a seat by making a $2,000 gift to the Fund for Mary Washington. Dee took a November trip abroad, with stops in Paris, Luxembourg, Nuremberg, and Prague; cruises along the Moselle and Rhine rivers; and visits to museums, churches, cathedrals, and the American Cemetery, where our gallant men lie as a result of the Battle of the Bulge.

Elizabeth “Betty” Fischer Gore visited Turkey and Greece in October with a group from the Vienna Presbyterian Church in Virginia. They followed some of St. Paul’s routes, and Betty trekked over rough ground but was slowed by steep hills. Upon her return home, she was sorry to learn of the Somerses’ disaster from our faithful correspondent, Mary Elwang Sharpley, and from Jeanne Farrington Leslie.

Marion “Wendy” Selfe Kelly and George planned a much shorter October journey to Jonesborough, Tenn., the site of the annual National Storytelling Festival. The Kellys participated in these festivals when they lived in Bristol. Marion and Anna “Andi” Dulany Lyons had their usual lunch in mid-August. Andi has her routine at The Summit, stays in close contact with family members, and keeps track of her grandchildren in their scattered environs.

Gwen Brubaker Connell and Jack of Florida celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in October with an overnight trip with their daughter and her husband, who married on their anniversary date. Blessed with three new great-grandchildren, including twin girls, Gwen revealed that another little one was on the way, for a total of 15!

Corinne “Conni” Conley Stuart continues to find roles in Toronto. In November, she was shooting a Canadian feature called Old Stock, in which she plays the grandmother of the title character, Stock, who lives in a retirement home with Conni’s onscreen husband. The actor who plays her grandson is 19, and Conni had played his grandmother in another role when he was only 9. Her husband was played by an actor Conni had known in Los Angeles. Small world! Son Curtis, Heidi, and their two teenagers spent a week in August with Conni and Bonar. With no more driving trips to St. Louis or other long-distance locales, the Stuarts rely on Skype to see their boys and grandchildren.

Frances Houston Layton planned a Thanksgiving trip to Kentucky with her blessings: her two children, two granddaughters, and three great-granddaughters, ages 7, 5, and 2. Not only was Nov. 11, 2011, numerically interesting and Veterans Day, it also was Lucille “Tudie” Pope Midyette’s 83rd birthday, which she celebrated by going to dinner with three of her widow friends. “A nice young man,” who also just turned 83, sent a bottle of wine to their table and they celebrated in style. Tudie still has it!

A question came up about Mrs. Charles Lake Bushnell and her retirement as the esteemed dean of women at our alma mater. While reams have been written about her 30-year tenure at what began as the State Normal School and evolved into MWC, we will relate here only the facts of her retirement at age 70, the Commonwealth’s mandatory requirement. We are beholden to that Renaissance man, bon vivant, and music teacher, Levin Houston, for his memorable article, excerpted here, about his longtime close friend, Nina G. Bushnell. The article was printed in MWC’s Bulletin in 1969 and has since appeared in the library’s newsletter. It’s a masterful tribute, written in memoriam and detailing her unique service to the school and her students:

“Those who were around at the time of [Mrs. Bushnell’s] retirement got much amusement from her means of departure – that is, everyone but her successor. Without notifying the Administration or anyone except her faithful maid, she departed, leaving her offices in Virginia Hall without one sign that she had ever been there. The list of approved callers, everything pertaining to her life at the college, was gone. The file was clean and empty. Nothing was in a desk drawer. Her successor had to start from scratch. Later it transpired she had at the age of 70 accepted a similar position at Moravian College in Pennsylvania. She remained there, and from conversations with Moravian graduates, accomplished the same sort of genteel behavior, which had been her aim here. After five years, she moved to the more benign climate of Florida to take care of her older sister. She never returned to Fredericksburg. When the news of the death of Mrs. Bushnell in Bradenton, Fla., on March 18, 1969, was announced, somehow I couldn’t believe it. Although 89 years is a long time to spend on this Earth, I really felt that she was indestructible.”

Levin also wrote that they’d exchanged notes at Christmas until that last year, and he shared part of the last letter he received from her. It was a beautifully worded expression of the pleasure afforded her by a thoughtful souvenir he sent from a trip to the Middle East and of their friendship. Levin noted, “She was 88 at the time she wrote that, the handwriting still as firm as ever.” A few former students reported visiting Mrs. Bushnell at Moravian and finding her the same regal lady we all knew and the majority of us loved.

That’s all we have for this issue. As ever, love to all of you from both of us.