Class Notes

Greetings to one and all. Several classmates were affected by Superstorm Sandy. We heard from Nancy Deiss of Washington, D.C., Sue Whidden Frisch and Mona Allen Spilo of Connecticut, and Jo Lister Jacobs of Virginia, who had heavy rain, some flood damage, and short power outages.

Sandy Poole of Maryland wrote that the Lower Eastern Shore fared well except for the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The quaint town of Crisfield, Md., was severely flooded, but it just seemed like a tropical storm where Sandy lives. One of the earlier East Coast storms blew out power and air conditioning at Jean Eubanks Holland’s home in the Washington, D.C., area. Jean had an extended visit with her daughter’s family at Bethany Beach, Del., last summer.

Gray Shafer Dodson took her work to art shows and summer displays and routinely participated in plein-air workshops in New England and the Virginia mountains. She travels from her mountain home to show regularly in Virginia Beach, her old stomping grounds. Joyce Neill Krost went to Spain in September to paint and to visit her sister, and she visited her son and his family in Germany.

Iris Hall Newton reported the death of her son, Conley, known as Tip, from a fast-acting cancer. His passing caught everyone by surprise. Iris still quilts, making crib quilts, bibs, and other baby items for her daughters and granddaughters to give their friends. Iris stays in contact with Billie Bushong Boyd.

In this summer’s USA Fencing National Championships, Sherry Farrington Green’s four-fencer team, Sordid Ladies, took a bronze. Sherry took a bronze in individual sabre, earning her a place on the USA Fencing Veterans World Team, and went to Krems, Austria, in October to compete in the Veteran World Championships.

Natalie Robins Lehmann-Haupt, husband Chris, and son Noah planned to spend most of the summer at their daughter’s in California, getting to know their grandson and nephew, who was born in July. Carolyn Rolston Rourke of Maine moved to a smaller home in the same town. Liz Hill Heaney and hubby were selling their North Carolina home to be closer to their children and thinking of moving to New Jersey. Sue Smith Goodrick took her dream cruise to the Mediterranean, touring Barcelona, Rome, Monte Carlo, Monaco, and the Greek isles.

Betsy Hopkins Hays’ husband of 52 years, Rusty, passed away in August, following a struggle with Alzheimer’s. With help from friends, they moved from Fort Myers, Fla., to South Carolina, while he was still able. Rusty joined their son, Mark, who died in 2007. Their daughter, Elizabeth, and four grandkids, who live in England, were able to be with him before he passed.

Penny Engle Burkhardt and husband Brad traveled to California, visiting Sausalito, the Marin Headlands, and Amoeba Music in Haight-Ashbury. They drove through the Napa Valley, toured a winery, and headed up the Pacific Coast Highway to Mendocino and Fort Bragg, where they climbed the 145 steps to the top of Point Arena Lighthouse. They drove through the Avenue of the Giants and the town of Ferndale, and ended up in Arcata, where their son lives.

Gaye Roberts Olson’s mother, who lived in Texas, passed away after a six-year struggle with Alzheimer’s. Gaye arranged to transport her ashes from Texas to be buried in Boise, Idaho.

Syd Collson Chichester walks a couple of miles several times a week and does water aerobics. In Fredericksburg, she helped an ex-student of hers start a business aiding folks moving to retirement and assisted living quarters. She planned to return for the winter/spring season to Vero Beach, Fla., where Gay Hall Sullivan lives just three houses away and Nancy Cleaves Blades and her husband winter. Joan Scarritt Reynolds traveled to Cape Cod and Connecticut in August and to Spain and Prague in the fall.

Pat Donnell Voelker traveled to the Boston area and planned a road trip to rendezvous with family and friends in Florida. Pat is involved in her local Delphians Beta Chapter, sponsoring seminars for public education. Members do research and present papers, a fantastic way to use the skills we learned at Mary Washington and keep our retro-brains alert.

Bonnie Davis Hall bounced around last summer among their homes in Cape Cod, in the White Mountains, and outside Boston. In July, they went to Farmington, Maine, to attend Debbie Mallett Cressall’s pre-planned 75th birthday celebration posthumously. Bonnie said it was good closure. Bonnie’s husband, Ross, a conductor on the Cape Cod Central Railroad, worked on two fall scenic excursions. They’re members of The Revels, a singing group that recently cut its second CD. Bonnie is vice president of the Cape Cod Highland Light Scottish Society and sings in her church choir. She talked to Carlota Muse Rokita of Vienna, Austria, who planned to come to the U.S. in April.

Susan Cramer Drouin of Tustin, Calif.; Jan Latven Allnutt; Betty Bruce Shepard; and Joey Van Tol Goetz were unable to make their annual get-together this year. Susan sees Sue Stanley Sokil when she visits her son and his family in San Diego. Beth Gill Daniel reports ongoing pulmonary problems but loves staying in touch with classmates. She travels a lot these days, as do many of us – to and from the doctor. Peggy Bloxom Verville of Virginia Beach goes on cruises and was recovering from babysitting her daughter’s three children while she went to school to update her teaching certification. Nancy Deiss celebrated her birthday in Middleburg, Va., with family and had a second party in Alexandria with friends.

My (Jody Campbell Close) eldest is still in Afghanistan, but I hope he’ll soon be home or transferred to another assignment. I had an exciting fall – not the season – stumbling while walking the dog. I fell on my face, got my first shiner, and broke my nose. I’m fine now, but my hopes for the other type of “early fall trip” (pun intended) were put on hold. I plan to have attended two genealogy conferences and taken more trips by the time you read this.

I (Karen Larsen Nelson) relaxed at our summer resort in the mountains. We took a September trip to Colorado to celebrate our 52nd anniversary with friends who summer near Durango. We drove through the mountains and camped in several national parks before returning to Mesa, Ariz., for the winter and our daily dancing. We planned to visit our daughter, two granddaughters, new grandson-in-law, and twin 2-year-old great-grandbabies in Las Vegas for Christmas. We plan a trip to Florida in May for the high school graduation of our youngest grandson, who joined the Marines and will leave for boot camp. Our son, who now has an “empty nest,” with his two daughters in college, is pursuing a degree to be a high school history teacher.

If you have an email address you haven’t shared with Jody or me, and you’d like to hear from us more than three times a year, let us know so we can add you to our monthly emails. Send your birthdate, and we’ll send you a birthday ecard, too.

prolific poet, has two more books coming out. Her poetry chapbook Vectors: J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Years Before the Bomb was published by Parallel Press of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries in December, and her new full-length poetry collection, The Life and Death of Poetry, published by Louisiana State University Press, is set for a spring release. She and Burke spent five weeks on Emerald Isle on North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

Mary Gilliam Dodson Larson’s first grandchild was due in December, and Mary planned to visit her youngest daughter and her husband in Seattle after the baby arrived. Jan Clarke of University Advancement at UMW visited Jerri Barden Perkins in her new location on Hilton Head Island, S.C. Ellen Rosenthal ’64 joined them, and they shared an evening watching the sun set and discussing how UMW students might become involved with Bread for the City, which offers medical and other services in the Washington, D.C., area. Ellen and Jerri have served on their board. Jerri hasn’t played tennis in years but dabbles at golf. She still works and was invited to give an adult education class on good clinical practices. Noreen Galvin Dunn was recovering from a stroke. Her business, Dunn Appraisal Services, is in Christiansted, Virgin Islands.

On the passing of our Cornell freshman suitemate, Ginnie Cusick Hanlon, in February 2012, Sandee Judkins Armitage said she was thinking of all (Janie Riles; Jane Snyder, who passed away several years ago; Carlotta Croghan; Sandy Kollendar, of whom we’ve lost track; and Nell Leary) that September day in Cornell. Sandee said Ginnie lived in Ohio and had two sons and an active theater career.

Eleanor Knight Jensen and Cliff left in August for a three-week cruise on the Seabourn Odyssey, visiting Istanbul, the Black Sea, and ports in Turkey, the Greek isles, Athens, and Venice. New destinations for them on this cruise included Bulgaria and Romania. They left in October for five weeks on their favorite Caribbean island, St. Barts. Lynne McCarthy finally got through her mother’s paperwork that she packed in 1992 and brought home from Norfolk, Va., but she hasn’t gotten through all her parents’ photographs. Lynn and I commiserate on how our lung diseases and constantly being on oxygen have changed our lifestyles.

Mary McMorrow Swanson of Clearwater and Chloe Irvin Weaver of Dunedin, Fla., met for lunch in July with Mary’s sister and Chloe’s husband, Bill. In May, Jean Ryan Farrell took a three-week trip, seeing Beijing, Xian, Chongqing, and Hong Kong, where son Robert met them for three days. Hurricane Sandy left Bev Carlson Shea and Jim in Bethlehem, Pa., without electricity for almost six days.

In advance of the fall election, Clara Sue Durden Ashley made several politically themed potholders. For Thanksgiving week, she planned to have 15 houseguests, including two sons, two daughters-in-law, and 11 grandchildren. For Thanksgiving Day, they were to have an additional two sons, one daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren, for a total of 23. Oldest grandson Christopher graduated from high school and takes online courses.

As of mid-November, I was still waiting to hear that the perfect lung had arrived. Andy and I relocated to Durham, N.C., in August so I could participate in the required pulmonary rehab, consisting of 23 sessions, both pre- and post-transplant, with continuing daily maintenance. Duke University Hospital is the best place for this procedure, and I’m grateful to be here. The downside is being away from family, especially our 5-year-old grandson, Leo, in Wilmington, N.C. Thanks to those who sent encouraging words. It all makes me more determined to get well!

From Renee: Peggy Howard Hodgkins planned a January cruise to the Southern Caribbean with Pat Scott Peck. Peggy and a cousin have a February timeshare week in NYC. She planned to spend time in March and April with friends and family in Arizona, Texas, and Georgia. Pat and Carolyn Crum Pannu took an October Mediterranean cruise.

Dick Burroughs, the widower of former Class Agent Annie Hopkins, said daughter-in-law Carol is back with Mamma Mia. Carol fell onstage several months ago and tore her Achilles tendon, but she returned to the production when she, Donnie, and their daughter moved back to New York from Las Vegas.

Bev Barkley Weaver, a roommate sophomore year in “the tunnel” with Candes Parker Chumney, lives in Cary, N.C., and works at the state Capitol. Her husband died five years ago. Peggy saw Candes, who’s busy with children and grandchildren in San Antonio, Texas, a few years ago, and has emailed with Cindy Scott Morcott. Gene England Simonds of Oxford, Va., came to our 50th. Husband Harrison died a few months later. Renee Skinner Wheeler of Springfield, Va., where Skip was in the military, sends Christmas letters with news of her three children and her grandchildren. The six of them were on Willard third floor, back hall.

Sylvia McJilton Woodcock and Stuart sold their house and two boats and were preparing to move to an independent living villa in a United Methodist continuous care retirement community in Williamsburg, Va. Stuart was to have hip surgery in February to correct a previous surgery. They spent some time with Marcia Minton Keech and Bill in Hilton Head, S.C.

Mary Hatcher and friend Bill traveled to Texas, visiting the San Antonio Missions Trail, the LBJ Ranch, and Mary’s college roommate, Kathy Byorum Whaley, in Copperas Cove. Mary attended a Friends of the Collection meeting and tour in Williamsburg, had lunch with Betsey Hueston Hansen, spent a summer week in Lake Erie, Pa., and planned a December trip to Phoenix.

I had one more chemo in November and was to take December off before beginning radiation. I can’t thank you guys enough for your well wishes, prayers, emails, and cards. Tests show that I’m cancer-free! When my blood counts are good, I can attend events with crowds. In October, I saw Lily Tomlin’s one-woman show, and in November, I saw Barbra Streisand at the Hollywood Bowl. I’ve managed to have some fun through all this!

To the rest of my group, I wish you’d send news.

From Lynne: During Superstorm Sandy – named after my husband, Sandy – we didn’t lose power in NYC or in Connecticut, so we provided shelter for less fortunate family and friends. We had seven people, including my goddaughter (daughter of Jill Cusack Clay, who was only at Mary Washington for one semester) and family, in our city apartment. Sandy and I went to check our place in Litchfield and were joined for four nights by middle son Parker and his wife, three children, and a chocolate Lab.

Becky Young-Butler Guy was inducted as an honorary member of UMW’s Kappa Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa last April. The ceremony was held in Seacobeck with 46 student inductees. Speakers included Professor of Mathematics Suzanne Sumner, Chapter President and Associate Professor of English Gary Richards, and Chapter Historian and Distinguished Professor of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion David Cain. Chapter member and former Virginia Poet Laureate Carolyn Kreiter Foronda ’69 read an original poem.

Judy Saunders Slifer and twin sister Eleanore Saunders Sunderland got together with Babs Buse Johnson, who was preparing to move to Orlando, Fla., to be near one of her daughters. Her other daughter lives in Washington State. Babs traveled recently to Seattle and Denver. Judy and Eleanore planned a May river cruise from Budapest to Bucharest and lunched with Sue Butzner Maschino. Eleanore was to celebrate Christmas with her family, including her ex-husband, in Winter Park, Colo. She spent months healing after breaking her ankle, and Judy takes a protocol for multiple myeloma.

Sandy Walters Julifs of Sterling, Ill., planned to retire in January after 40 years, 29 as CEO, with a nine-county community action agency. She’ll be a consultant to the agency and continue her involvement with community activities. They visited their oldest son and family in Los Angeles for Thanksgiving.

Elizabeth Ann “Bitsy” Wright Coxe and sophomore roomie Connie Booth Logothetis have been friends since they were 16-year-old “Army brats” at Fort Benning, Ga. Bitsy’s thoughts and prayers are with Connie, who was a bridesmaid in her wedding, as she awaits a lung transplant at Duke. In October, mutual friends Dee Doran Cairns and Doug visited Connie and Andy at Duke on their way to Washington, D.C., to see Doug’s 96-year-old mother, and drove from Montgomery, Ala., lunching with Bitsy and George at the Hopkins Club in Baltimore. Bitsy and Dee, who also was in Bitsy’s wedding, were freshman roomies and have been friends since they were seventh-grade “Army brats” in Arlington, Va.

Jane Riles still teaches painting in San Diego and planned to take artists with her in September to a house she rented on the beach in Cannes. She and Jim were wintering in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. On trips between Miami and Calais, Maine, Pat Scott Peck visited Lloyd Tilton Backstrom and Art. Pat does historical and genealogical work at the Library of Virginia, and the three of them enjoyed wine and Prince Edward Island mussels at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. In September, the Backstroms stayed in a B&B in Diecimo, Tuscany, then went to Florence.

Wow, girls! Could it really be since 1958 that we wore those glamorous beanies and sang those sentimental words, especially the second verse?

“Whene’er we have to leave you

We never will forget

The lessons you have taught us

And all the friends we’ve met.

And we your sons and daughters

Will hold your name on high,

So here’s to Mary Washington,

Our love will never die!”

What a resounding success our 50th reunion was! Missing were our youthful singing voices and the sound of the pipe organ that adorned George Washington Hall.

On Friday evening, despite a big thunderstorm, the expanding campus and Brompton grounds looked beautiful, and the hors d’oeuvres served in the new Tennis Center were delicious. Giant applause goes to Mark Thaden ’02, the new director of alumni relations, and his staff. They did a great job working with members of our class’s reunion committee, Nancy Powell Sykes, Kathleen Sprenkle Lisagor, Betty Stewart Kienast, Margaret Walker MacAllister, Jane Walshe McCracken, Marsha Lynn Wilkins, and Emily Lewis. Our class was able to establish a scholarship in honor of our 50th reunion. It’s an investment fund that keeps growing. Contact Emily for more information.

Our once-in-a-lifetime event included tours, classes, speakers, a Friday night banquet, and a dance and presentations in the Jepson Alumni Executive Center on Saturday night. A picnic Saturday on Ball Circle included tents for all classes. One of the most touching parts was a reverent reading of the list of all our dear classmates who have passed on.

At our Friday night dinner, Maggie MacAllister introduced our guest speaker, William B. Crawley, professor emeritus of history, who entertained us with photos and memories of rules, dress codes, and more. He and wife Theresa Young Crawley ’77 have given their hearts and souls to UMW. Bill’s book, University of Mary Washington: A Centennial History, 1908-2008, is a masterpiece. The Saturday evening dance event featured President Richard V. Hurley’s toast to our 50th reunion and presentation of awards. He and wife Rose have had a positive impact on UMW. They’re awesome on the dance floor, too! We missed those who couldn’t join us, but UMW Magazine is a great way to keep in touch.

Classmates at the reunion came from Virginia, California, Oregon, Michigan, Ohio, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Kentucky. Beverly Sulpice Percell helped several classmates get to the train station and airports.

We appreciate our past class agents. When Kathleen called Pat Mackey Taylor to get pointers on preparing news, she discovered Pat had lost husband Bob in June, then fallen and broken an ankle. Our heartfelt sympathy and wishes for a speedy recovery go to Pat, whose fourth granddaughter was due on Christmas!

Nancy Powell Sykes uses saltwater pools to help her heal from knee replacement surgery. Neither daughter lives nearby. We thank Nancy for representing our class on the Alumni Board all these years and for her leadership for our reunion.

Jane Walshe McCracken was recovering from a stroke and was brave to fly from California to be at the reunion. She said Emily Lewis, Ann Tench Huml, Helen Alexion James, and Judith Lewis ’61 had a mini-reunion in September at Emily’s home on Afton Mountain. Ann missed the reunion; she and her husband were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on a cruise.

Many of us were married soon after graduation. Congratulations to all the 50th anniversary couples! Joyce Wilborn Lacy and husband Lou celebrated their 50th anniversary in August by hosting their three children, spouses, and seven grandchildren on a trip to The Homestead. Their eighth grandchild, the first Lacy baby boy, was expected Christmas week. Kathleen Sprenkle Lisagor, Louise Couch Girvin, and Ella Waller Nargelle were in their wedding party. Joyce and Lou still divide their time between Hilton Head, S.C., and Winchester, Va. Louise and John visit Kathleen en route from Kentucky to his sister’s place in Falls Church, Va. Louise, Peggy, and Kathleen were freshman roommates. Peggy Downs Gerber of Wilmington, Del., and Joan Akers Rothgeb spent the night at Kathleen’s to help tie up reunion details. Peggy and John celebrated the birth of their sixth grandchild. Joan’s daughter, Shannon Rothgeb Powell ’92, her husband, and granddaughter Katie came to the picnic Saturday. Joan and Kathleen met outside Charlottesville in October to discuss the reunion.

Carolyn White still leads spiritual youth groups and revived her violin playing. Rosalie Alico Turner has scheduled speaking tours for her sixth book, March With Me, grounded in Birmingham, Ala., during the civil rights movement and due to be published this year. Faye Grear Metzl moved to Kershaw, S.C., near her two sons, one of whom is a TV station photojournalist. She likes visiting wildlife refuges in the southeast.

Nancy Cheek Mitchell of Winchester, Va., recently had lunch with Joan. Nancy and Bob planned to visit one of their sons in China. Lucy Ritter Todd travels extensively with her husband, who does archaeological digs and research. Carolyn Powell Piotrowski and Sandy Cox Jones, who went to U.Va. for nursing, live in Charlottesville. Betsy Carper Cole and Sue Grandy Farrar planned a fall Viking river cruise on the Danube. Marcia Kirsten Fitzmaurice’s daughter, Carey, created Teal Toes to publicize the symptoms of ovarian cancer.

Sandra McGregor Craig and husband Ken of Virginia Beach made their annual cross-country drive, visiting San Diego for a Navy ship reunion. They saw suitemate Judy Wolfe Allen and husband in La Jolla. Sandra’s and Judy’s husbands were USNA classmates. Aney Melton Massie retired from teaching. She and her husband enjoy grandchildren on their Washington County farm. Aney stays in touch with Ame Garthright Anderson, who retired. She and Ken are still connected to Virginia Tech.

Joyce Hartley Mitcheltree retired after teaching 43 years, does church work, and is grateful for Alan Jackson’s fundraiser concert to repair damage in Mineral, Va., caused by the 2011 earthquake. Retired teacher Kakki Perry Aydlotte of Powhatan, Va., keeps in touch with dear friend Bonnie Platt Larsen of New Jersey. Pat Barrack Gibson, who retired as dean of the Trident Technical College Learning Center in Charleston, S.C., travels abroad and enjoys her two young grandsons nearby. Pat attends the same church as Ruby Hodges Holcomb ’61.

Our sympathy goes to Julia Shumaker Bailess, who lost her 94-year-old mother, who was still living in her own home. Julia was expecting her fifth grandchild and enjoying her new beach house in Emerald Isle, N.C. She and Bob, the exciting Spotsylvania football coach she met as a UMW student teacher, celebrated their 50th anniversary.

On a sad note, Kathleen Sprenkle Lisagor lost her youngest brother, Clarence Sprenkle, on Sept. 11 after a battle with sarcoidosis. He’d been a great support to her since Barry’s long illness, but she likes to dwell on her blessings, especially her eight grandchildren and her cocker spaniels, Buster and Blossom.

What a treasure to have longtime friends. As Myrtle Dean France said, you smile every time you picture us at the banquet trying to move these bodies to The Twist. Hopefully our 50th reunion will help keep our bonds alive. Thanks to all who participated. Keep the news coming! If you don’t do email, our home addresses are on that green postcard.

I have no news this time, as I was in Dubai and South Africa. I want to focus your attention on preparations for our 50th reunion, May 31 to June 2. The committee is preparing a memorable weekend, and I hope many of you will plan to attend. Classes started in the fall of 1911 for students of the Fredericksburg State Normal and Industrial School for Women, and a groundbreaking took place in September for one of the latest buildings under construction, the Information and Technology Convergence Center. It reflects Georgian architecture, blends with earlier structures, and, as was said at the ceremony, will stand as a symbol of “the University’s commitment to high quality, innovative teaching and student-centered learning.”

By the time we arrived on campus in 1959, buildings depicting Georgian architecture created a beautiful community. We sat in small classes taught by a caring, dedicated faculty as we began our liberal arts studies. We were bonded by the Honor Code and a culture that set high standards and helped prepare us for a changing world. These same values and experiences bond us to all who followed. Though the student body is now nearly 5,000, a liberal arts and sciences program is still at the University’s core. Classes are still small, and students still pledge to uphold the Honor Code.

The Fredericksburg Hospitality House on State Route 3 has been secured as the official reunion hotel for our class. Find updates to the schedule on Facebook or on the alumni page of the UMW website. An important part of the weekend is our class participation in the Race for the Eagle. By now, you should have received your Reunion Weekend letter outlining the campaign. Many of us give to our alma mater each year, but during our reunion year, we have the opportunity to make a significant impact. Every gift, no matter what size, counts. We were helped by alumni when we were students, and today the University’s endowment fund supports scholarships, construction, renovation, new programs, faculty awards, and more to enhance the UMW legacy.

This newsletter was written just days after Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast, and our area of New York was still largely without power. Our computer and phone service were a nightmare in the storm, so if you sent an email with your news and you don’t see it here, please let me know so I can put it in the next newsletter.

Patti Jones Schacht and Richard traveled to Italy, seeing the Amalfi Coast, Rome and Vatican City, Assisi, Florence, Venice, and Cinque Terre. Their first grandchild was married in Colorado in the spring. Richard returned from a trip to South America, where he and a group that funds the building of churches in several South American countries visited towns and orphanages. The Schachts planned their annual Thanksgiving reunion.

Anne Liady Lynch retired five years ago but was busier than ever with governmental and nonprofit organizations. She and husband Bob, an attorney in private practice, travel a lot, with many trips connected to Bob’s legal practice. Places they’ve visited include Monterey and Napa Valley, Calif.; Victoria, B.C.; Jackson Hole, Wyo.; and Sun Valley, Idaho. Their oldest daughter and her husband are architects in Phoenix and have 4-year-old daughter Teagan. Middle daughter Caroline of Alexandria, Va., is also an attorney, as well as chief counsel to the Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee. Youngest daughter Stephanie has a doctorate in physical therapy and volunteers in a clinic in Peru. Anne and Bob visited her there last year but looked forward to her return to the U.S. in December.

Susan Orebaugh Nicholson had a bout with breast cancer, had radiation treatments, and was feeling great. Indefatigable, Susan made previously scheduled presentations at the Healthy Kitchens/ Healthy Lives conference at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, Calif., just three weeks after surgery! Between radiation treatments, she presented talks to the Arizona and Louisiana dietetic associations. Autumn brought a conference of the Association of Food Journalists in Washington, D.C., and a visit to the updated Smithsonian exhibit of Julia Child’s kitchen. The Nicholsons spent a week in Paris. Susan reminds us to get our mammograms. Look for Susan’s Seven-Day Menu Planner for Dummies in bookstores everywhere.

Sharon Haythorne Stack planned a November visit to the New York area for a family wedding. Sally Crenshaw Witt and husband Sam have a new grandchild, Henry Witt, born last June to Sally’s son, Clay, and his wife. Sally and Sam have a new dog, rescued from the house of a hoarder. Sally gardens, and she grew a Norfolk pine so healthy and tall they use it as a Christmas tree. Ann McCallum Murray of Buhl, Idaho, is a volunteer guardian ad litem for foster children through the Court Appointed Special Advocates program. She works with the Boys and Girls Club, is a member of her local Rotary group, was preparing for the Octogenarian Dinner, works with metal in her studio, and is president of the Idaho Metal Arts Guild.

Don’t forget to email. Your classmates love to hear your news. I’m impressed with the activities, courage, spirit, and selflessness of our classmates. Have a safe year. As ever, Vicky.

I continue to enjoy being class agent and request you send updated email addresses as they change. I traveled to San Jose, Calif., to help my daughter after the birth of her second son in November. I planned to return there for Christmas, then go to Hanford, Calif., in February to help my daughter-in-law while she delivers her third child, a daughter. My son, Frank, is deployed again on the USS John C. Stennis and won’t see this baby until she is 2 months old.

Margaret Cobourn John said Trudy Kitchen Kohl had a bad fall in January 2012, was having therapy while living at her son’s North Carolina home, and aimed to be home in Virginia Beach by April. Meg also said Barbara Hagemann Hester and hubby Ben of Manassas, Va., visited them in July. Then they followed them to Travelers Rest, S.C., where her daughter lives. They all went to Ashville to see Barbara Wolfeil Weatherall and husband Joe. Barbara and Ben visited son Brad in Denver and daughter Carrie in Charlotte, N.C., in September. Barbara still works but would like to travel more. Oldest daughter Susie and her family live nearby.

Linda Patterson Hamilton and husband Austin moved from Kansas to the Denver area in December 2011. Son Jeff lost his wife to cancer that August, and they helped with his two small daughters. He recently remarried and has a blended family with a total of six children. Oldest son Wade and his wife and three children moved to Denver last summer. Two of their children still live out of state. They’ve ridden their Honda “trike” up mountains with elevations of more than 14,000 feet and took a September peak-to-peak vacation.

Ann Moser Garner planned to retire in June, after 32 years of service as secretary/ attendance coordinator with King William High School in Virginia. She wants to spend more time with her family and three grandchildren, ages 2 to 8, in Alabama while her health is still good. She recently took up a new sport called pickleball. Lee Smith Musgrave planned to sell her Norfolk, Va., home and move to Blacksburg to be near her daughter. She put a reserve on a lot in a senior community and hoped to begin building in December.

Louise Stevens Robbins helped organize her high school class’s wildly successful 50th reunion in October 2011. This summer she entertained the teenage children of her 1983-84 exchange-student son, as well as two librarians from Kazakhstan, where she traveled in February. She visited her sisters, Joyce Stevens Shore and Donna Stevens Boyd ’62, in September. She planned to present at the Evergreen Education Foundation’s Information Technology in Education Conference in China in November, then help lead a session on research for the Library Society of China conference. She spends time with her grandchildren, sons, and daughter-in-law, and keeps in touch with Diane Copty Fadely and Felicity Hallanan.

Agnes “Missy” Bush Shives said Sandra Fields Seymour died in October, after a three-month battle with cancer. Sandra attended Mary Washington for two years before transferring to the U.Va. School of Nursing. She earned her Ph.D. in nursing from Florida State University, taught 35 years at the University of Florida College of Nursing, and worked as a nurse practitioner. She is survived by husband Larry, daughter Amy, brother Michael, and many friends.

Janice Helvey Robinson welcomed her fourth grandchild, first grandson. All live in the Atlanta area, so they see them often. They spent three weeks in Europe, cruising from Lisbon to Rome, a week in southern Italy, and a few days in Rome. She and Rob are in good health except that Rob had surgery for carpal tunnel in his right wrist and might need surgery in his left shoulder. Schlepping luggage did a number on him, and he declares this was his last trip out of the country! Janice is busy with grandkids, church, choir, bridge, the gym, movies, and crossword puzzles. Linda Basheer Halaby of Connecticut/ Florida; Marylee Holt Tinsley of Washington, D.C.; Judy Stivers Collins of Nashua, N.H.; Kaye Oakes Hickey of Richmond; and Cathy May Findley of Atlanta had a three-day mini-reunion in D.C. in August. Sue Woldridge Rosser’s daughter, Anne, moved to Oshkosh, Wis., and Sue visited them in November. She also spent time with Carolyn Shockey Moore in Lexington, Ken.

Barbara Bishop Mann and husband Robert spent three weeks in the national parks of the Northwest and in the Canadian Rockies. They traveled to Victoria, had dinner in Seattle with Roger and Ryan Stewart Davis, and visited relatives in Vancouver. While on vacation, Barbara read Teaching 2030, written by a group of teachers from all over the country, and afterward attended an educational conference discussion in Washington, D.C., about how the teaching profession might evolve by 2030. Bobbi attended homecoming at UMW’s new College of Education, for which she attended an advisory board meeting with Donna Sheehan Gladis ’68. Bobbi and Robert saw the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ Chihuly glass exhibit. Bobbi enjoys good health and takes yoga classes, where she sees Eleanor McJilton Thompson.

Mary Kathryn Rowell Horner and husband Charlie were vacationing at The Homestead in July, when Mary Kathryn decided to try riding a Segway. That resulted in a shattered leg, eight days in the hospital, and months of rehab, healing, and therapy. Charlie had to learn how to go to the commissary, run the dishwasher, and do laundry. By October, Mary Kathryn was walking with crutches and driving. While she was in the hospital, the director of admissions “just had to meet the 68-year-old lady who broke her leg riding a Segway.” Charlie and Mary Kathryn planned again to spend January and February golfing and socializing in Naples, Fla.

Joan Cuccias Patton loves retirement and took a cruise from Montreal to Boston with her siblings and their spouses, honoring a tradition of getting together started by their parents. Joan went to Massanutten, Va., with Linda Glynn Hutchinson and Pat Lewars Pace. Joan and Lee Enos Kelley drove to Skyline Drive and stayed at Skyland Resort. Joan and her New England friends made their annual fall trip, this time to Martha’s Vineyard; Newport, where Joan lived as a child; and West Point. She had a weekend getaway in November in Las Vegas with her sons. Joan subs at her old high school and loves to “just teach” and leave.

Anne Meade Clagett tried to get Bobbi to organize another Mary Washington Lunch Bunch gathering in November, but it was too close to the election, so sights were set on spring. Dee Nottingham Ward still works on tax returns but took a break in June to attend her 50th high school reunion in Richmond, visiting with classmates, including Jana Privette Usry.

Pam Kearney Patrick was having construction in her kitchen and enjoyed her 50th high school reunion. She continues her art shows and sold some watercolors. She was an exhibitor at the Miniature Painters, Sculptors, and Gravers international art show. She, Carol Bingley Wiley, and Pam Hughes Ward were trying to get together for dinner. Sandra Hutchison Schanné and Richard converted their garage into a dining room, expanded the kitchen, and built a photographic studio for Richard and a large shed in the back. Son Ricky, a landscaper, redesigned the side yard. Sandra hosted all the children and grandchildren for the holidays. Ricky, Monica, and family live nearby; Amy and Shawn came from Denver with their 3-year-old son and 14-month-old twins; and Brandon and Allison plus three came from Texas. It was the first time the entire family had gotten together since Brandon and Allison moved back from their five-year stay in Croatia.

Marty Spigel Sedoff was active during the campaign season with Minnesotans United for All Families’ attempt to defeat the marriage amendment. She joined the Minneapolis chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and got involved with chairing the technology and directory committees. Marty joined 17 women on a September AAUW trip to Europe. They toured Vienna, Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic, and Prague. Marty serves on the Edina High School (EHS) Thespian Boosters board, supports the theater program, coordinates trips for theater students, and has traveled annually with the group since 2003. Husband Bob designs and builds sets for Edina’s high school and middle school plays. Son John Riedlinger is a local actor who was to direct the EHS winter play, On the Razzle, and is the voice in TV ads for Beneful dog food. Son Jim lives in Wisconsin. Marty takes tap dance classes, entertains in nursing homes, and serves on a board for adult education in Edina.

Ginny Bateman Brinkley and husband Bill of Florida went to Ginny’s 50th reunion at Washington and Lee High School in Arlington, Va., in October and stayed with Mary Grace Wright Day. Also at the reunion were Lois Rucker Scott, Carol Bingley Wiley, and Lindy Minnick, who was at Mary Washington for three years. Ginny and Bill went to Deep Creek, Md., to investigate the sites of action in Ginny’s book, Earth Quest, available on Amazon. They journeyed into the hills of Virginia to research Ginny’s ancestors’ homes, locating her family’s five old homesteads, dating from the early 1800s, and had lunch in Fredericksburg.

Terry Caruthers of North Carolina took a summer vacation with her clan on Bald Head Island, S.C., and attended her 50th high school reunion in Monterey, Va. She and her husband cruised to Italy, Spain, Morocco, and Portugal, and spent a few days on their own in honor of their 45th anniversary.

The “MWC Fab Four” suitemates gathered at Julie Bondurant Freeman’s Summerville, S.C., home in September. Carol Pettigrew Hallman, Prentiss Davies Murphy, and Sally Albrecht Brennan met in Emporia, Va., and carpooled. They toured the Ashley River plantations and the Charleston Museum, lunched on Kiawah Island, and enjoyed the special Frogmore Stew that Julie’s husband, Bill, makes.

Betsy Chappelear Tryon of Redondo Beach, Calif., daughter Maureen, and granddaughter Maddy, 11, spent time in Seattle in August, then took an Alaskan cruise, seeing ice floes and spending an afternoon panning for gold. Betsy joined cousin Kathy in San Francisco in September. They spent time in Petaluma and Bodega Bay, and attended Kathy’s brother’s third wedding in Santa Rosa. Betsy has a meet-and-greet job at LAX and helped launch Maddy, who’s already only an inch shorter than she is, into middle school. Yvonne March of Tampa spends time with Chris, family, and her grandson. She toured Italy in July with a friend, spending time in Sorrento and Naples, and visiting relatives in Sicily.

Eileen Goddard Albrigo and Kathleen Goddard Moss spent most of the summer and fall assisting their 91- and 93-year-old parents, who celebrated their 70th anniversary in July. Soon afterward, Mr. Goddard passed away. Eileen enjoys her grandchildren, and in July, the family welcomed Benjamin Geoffrey Roth, Liz and Chris’ first child and the ninth Albrigo grandchild. Eileen and John’s children’s families are all in Northern Virginia, and they gather frequently.

Katharine Rogers Lavery tutored high school math students (mostly grandkids), played her horn at church, supported activities with the Pentagon Sailing Club, bowled in senior leagues, served on the vestry at St. John’s in Centreville, Va., and agreed to chair the church’s winter gala. Summer included the usual Nags Head, N.C., beach vacation with most of the family and several extended celebrations of husband Hank’s 80th birthday. Hank and Katharine took a September road trip through North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida, visiting friends and relatives, and spending two days in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Barbara Barry of Marlborough, Mass., has grown daughters Pamela, a computer games graphic designer, and Elisa, a speech therapist. Each is married and has a child, Samara Mae and Jaxon Kai. Barbara, a software engineering manager for Raytheon Company, loves literature, especially fiction. She’s an avid gardener and is active with her condominium association.

Rebecca Linda Raymond Ellison retired in 2001 after 35 years as a newspaper reporter and editor. She began at The Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg, got a master’s in journalism from Columbia University, and went to Louisville, Ky., as a reporter for the old Louisville Times. When the Times folded, she moved to The Courier-Journal, where she was an editor and was public editor (ombudsman) when she retired. She and Bill Ellison, a retired Courier- Journal editor, have been married 28 years. Daughter Susan Ellison is pursuing a Ph.D. in anthropology at Brown University. Since Linda retired, she’s done what she intended to do when she was at Mary Washington – teach. An adjunct at Bellarmine University, she teaches about writing and the First Amendment, and she and her husband do some writing together.

Nancy Legat, who writes and gardens, and husband Dan of Lexington, S.C., are retired and active in their church. They have seven grandchildren and five “granddogs.” They were expecting their first great-grandchild in May.

There was an interesting article in the spring 2012 issue of UMW Magazine on physical therapist Roberta Ann Newton, an internationally recognized leader in fall prevention for older adults. Roberta received the American Physical Therapy Association’s highest honor, the Catherine Worthingham Fellow award, and recently retired as a clinical professor of medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia. She lives in Greensboro, N.C., where she gardens, dances, and does tai chi. She also teaches an online course, writes and reviews manuscripts, and helps former students with their projects. Congratulations on an outstanding career!

Our hearts go out to classmates whose homes suffered damage during Superstorm Sandy in October. No damage was done to the apartment of Linda Huff Alderson and husband Sandy of Manhattan, but their daughter and her family, who live in New Jersey, lost power and stayed with them. Barbara Marks Poppleton’s Jersey Shore home wasn’t damaged.

Last October Bonnie Page Hoopengardner moved her 95-year-old mother, who’s still quite independent, from her Nashville, Tenn., condo to a smaller apartment with more amenities. Bonnie is still a CPA in Northern Virginia, but the 2013 tax season was to be her last. She wants more time for family, especially grandchildren. Bonnie and husband Roger visited with Linda and Sandy Alderson at a Nationals baseball game in August and planned a January trip with friends to Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Connie Cline Bukzin welcomed second grandson Mitxel (pronounced Mitchel) Sotelo Bukzin last July. Connie retired from teaching and takes cooking classes. She and husband Mitchell enjoy fine wine and attend wine tastings, including one last April, when they visited Argentina and Chile. Jane Jackson Woerner of Florida retired after 22 years as a sales representative for Plasco ID and stays busier than ever. She often visits her mother, who’s in assisted living in Bristol, Va.

Iris Harrell completed her Wilderness Connection experience in Lake Tahoe National Forest last July with 23 other Silicon Valley executives, who spent a week in cabins and tents. The goal was to learn how to be better leaders and include the entire community in efforts to shape and embrace the future. Iris returned personally renewed and more intensely committed to protecting our natural surroundings. She, Phyllis Newby Thompson, and Suzanne McCarthy VanNess had an August lunch in California, where they all live, with Donna Gray Mejia, UMW’s Director of Leadership Giving and Corporate/Foundation Relations. In September, Suzanne visited Phyllis at her home in Hawaii, and Suzanne’s family welcomed new granddaughter Castellini.

Patti Boise Kemp was invited to speak at the rededication of the newly refurbished Mason and Randolph halls in September. She spoke of her memories of living in Mason in the ’60s and reminisced about how different the dorms, now called residence halls, and campus life were then. Karen Kilgore Ralston visited Germany, France, and Italy in September with husband Jim and saw The Last Supper in Milan. Karen still volunteers with the Victorian Village in Memphis, Tenn., and has won many awards for the millinery work she does for the local theater.

While visiting family last summer in Virginia and Maryland, Mary Pat Tull Jenkins spent two nights with suitemate Mary Kneip Tyrrell and husband Bob, and Mary Pat’s roommate, Ann Rayburn Curry, and husband Duncan joined them for dinner. The Tyrrells visited Mary Pat and husband Gordon’s California home last spring while on a West Coast trip. Mary Pat, Ann, and Mary hadn’t seen each other since the ’70s.

Nancy Yeager Allard of Springfield, Va., is retired. She and Paul traveled to France in September for their 40th anniversary. Nancy volunteers with the local friends-of-the-library group and spends time with her two grandchildren.

I, Linda Marett Disosway, took a three-week trip to China in September with friends, hitting highlights, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and the Yangtze River. It was humbling to see sites that have existed for thousands of years.

By the time you read these notes, Christmas will have come and gone. Get out those Christmas letters from classmates and send me an email with all the news. Thanks!