Class Notes

Gaye Gregory Elliott is enjoying retirement. She and husband Stephen live in Richmond, Va., and last September they drove up the Maine coast. Kaye Weinstein Gary is the artistic director for K Dance in Richmond and was featured on the radio last October promoting Yes! Dance Invitational at the Firehouse Theatre Project.

Deborah Blythe Weise lives in Elizabethtown, Ky., with husband Jim. Deborah is active in church, president of the Garden Club, and a board member of the Brown-Pusey House. Son Craig graduated from law school and lives in New Zealand with his wife and four children. Daughter Courtney Weise Santonicola ’96 was the MWC Young Alum of the Year in 2007, when she was the deputy chief of staff for the Peace Corps. She and her husband expected their third child in January.

Ted and I were heartbroken to have to put down our beloved Snoopy last Labor Day. She came to us as a stray puppy in July 1999. We were just recovering from her loss when my dad was hospitalized. He passed away peacefully on Oct. 23.

Dennis and I had a wonderful visit with Dave and Cheryl Prietz. Now that their Colonial re-enactments are over for the season, they’re catching up on home projects and taking the boat out. Son Alex works for a radio station, and daughter Thea and her husband are enjoying St. Louis.

I have had many delightful conversations with Norah Heckman ’73. She plans to move to the Rock Creek Park area.

My job at Neuberger, Quinn, Gielen, Rubin & Gibber continues at a fast pace. We planned to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas in Roanoke with my mom.

We enjoyed time with our grandchildren and took a couple of trips over the summer. I particularly enjoyed Oshkosh, Wis., and the annual AirVenture, where we met two of the original Tuskegee Airmen. The summer ended with a trip to Myrtle Beach for a weeklong celebration of a “significant” birthday of Carolyn Collins Vass ’69. My sister, Grace Hines Sorey ’70, and her husband traveled to Sri Lanka in August to visit their daughter, there on assignment with USAID.

This fall I was asked to fill in for our regular organist at St. Peter’s. I continue to play piano but hadn’t played the organ since my Mary Washington days. I took organ lessons freshman year from Jean Edson. I now have a renewed passion for organ and have been asked to play again.

Dianne Friedhoff Blais writes, “Since I skipped a year at MWC, I feel I don’t really belong in your class, but I do.” Dianne ran for a Virginia House of Delegates seat in November 2011 and got over 25 percent of the vote.

Andrea “Andy” Sosnowski Coyle writes that she and longtime friends Carol Maupai Dunham, Nancy Parham Katz, and Janne Frost Arceo still get together. Seems that the friendships forged on Willard third front are still going strong.

Janet Hedrick has returned to Alexandria and will continue to work with the Buffalo Bill Historical Center as Eastern regional development manager. Janet and Sharon Richmond Janis will work on our 40th reunion.

Do you have a story about something good you can attribute to your education or years at UMW? Please share.

Al Brewster is president of Battle-Buddies, a nonprofit that helps military veterans overcome barriers to health care, work access, and educational opportunities as they reintegrate to civilian life. Al continues to sail competitively. Al’s youngest, now 17, is checking out colleges including Mary Washington. His oldest son continues to practice law in L.A., and his first grandson will soon turn 2. Last August, Al spent 10 days providing psychosocial first aid in and around Kabul, Afghanistan, in response to the murders of three contractors.

Pat Barnhardt lives at Woodberry Forest School, a prep school for boys, about 45 minutes north of Charlottesville. Pat has been there for 32 years. Her husband teaches English, and she’s assistant head at a small independent elementary school in Orange. Pat’s son is married and a lawyer in Charlottesville. Her daughter is finishing art school in Portland, Ore. Pat hasn’t been on the UMW campus for a long time, but she takes at least two pilgrimages to Carl’s each year.

Elizabeth “Betsy” Wright writes that she doesn’t have a new FEMA deployment – for now. After her last deployment, Betsy came back with health problems. Diet and exercise, including bicycling, have made a difference. She planned to become active in the FEMA deployment database again near the end of 2012. Betsy assists with an ESL ministry and the 5-year-olds’ music choir at her church.

Jackie Ewansky Bryan is enjoying her fourth year as an assistant professor/reference and instruction librarian at Saint Leo University in Florida. She has presented at library conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. Jackie is secretary and board member of the Florida Dance Education Organization. Husband Rich will retire in May after 31 years as a psychology professor at Saint Leo. Older son Richie graduated from the University of Central Florida and is a graphic designer in Tampa. Younger son Eric will graduate from the University of Florida in May with a degree in English. Before traveling to Switzerland last summer, Jackie and Rich visited with Kathy Magyar Lutte ’75 and husband Eddie, who live in Bethlehem, Pa.

Joanne “Jody” Rehm writes that she was diagnosed last spring with a recurrence of breast cancer after 12 years cancer-free. She decided to walk in her fifth Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Her sister, Mary Jane Rehm Pearcy ’71, came from San Diego to walk with her for 40 miles over two days in Charlotte, N.C. Jody’s son returned to the D.C. area last fall after completing a master’s degree in human behavior at USC in Los Angeles. Jody is training director for Genworth Financial in Raleigh and loves her work and the quality of life in the Triangle.

My husband, Gene, and I relocated last fall to Pinehurst, N.C. By the time you read this issue, I will have become grandmother to a lovely granddaughter in December, compliments of son Ian and his lovely wife. I planned to fly to the San Francisco area to help with the newest family member.

It was great to receive all the news for this issue.

Cathy Colbert and Candy Rossell Baunsgard attended the Superior, Mont., rodeo last summer. Candy’s son took third place in the wild cow milking competition. Candy’s daughter and son-in-law own and operate Pangaea Expeditions in Superior. Carolyn Roberts and Lucy Dee Kinsey met in D.C. in the fall to participate in the National Walk to End Alzheimer’s. They walk every year, since both of their mothers have struggled with the illness.

Melissa Mann lives in New Hampshire and has taught school in the Northeast for the past 25 years. She received a master’s degree as a reading specialist and returned to the classroom to teach kindergarten. She is the worthy matron of her Eastern Star chapter, president of the young women’s organization at her church, and director of a drama group at her school. She has written and directed 12 plays over seven years. Last year she played Marilla Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables. She has four children, three grandchildren, and an Italian greyhound.

Susan Stimpfle took a break from freelance writing to work on the Obama re-election campaign. She knocked on doors and phoned voters, which was exhausting but rewarding. Judy Martens Staples moved back to Houston three years ago after living in Cincinnati for 16 years. She has been married to Keith for 27 years. Their son, Kyle, is and graduated from Texas State, their middle son is Shawn, and their youngest, Katy, is a college junior. Judy is an ER nurse and thinks she will still be working when she’s 70, with orthopedic shoes on. She frequently visits her 90-year-old mother in San Antonio.

Helen Taylor Salter is in Colorado and has had some good visits with Alison Haworth Regan. Alison does needlepoint on commission. Helen also stays in touch with Judy Clark Hays, whose son, William, is in dental school in Baltimore and daughter, Hannah, is in optometry school in Chicago. Helen and family are planning a visit to the D.C. area for the 150th re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Suzanne Hawkins Stephens lives in Georgia and operates her church organ via computer on Sundays. Daughter Linda attends Georgia Southern University, placed 13th in the U.S. Collegiate Archery Championships, and won USCA’s All American Award. She hopes to gain a spot on the 2016 Olympic Archery Team. Daughter Emily is a high school senior. Suzanne and husband Jack coach 4-H archery.

From Texas, Beverley Condrey Berry writes that she does mineral rights investigation and leasing in the Permian Basin oil and gas fields of West Texas. She claims that Professor Gouger didn’t give her a heads-up on the possibility of her geography major translating into a career as a petroleum “landman.” She enjoys trail riding and showing her horses. Beverley also enjoys genealogical research and has found that her father’s family settled in Chesterfield County, Va., in 1751.

Debbie Daniels Sagmiller lives in Maryland and reported that son Robert was married in South Carolina in 2011.

Rob Hall and I continue our lives in Saltville, Va., where Rob is chief of police. I teach yoga classes. I have enjoyed reconnecting with high school and college friends since moving back to Virginia two years ago. Rob and I went to the 25th Virginia Film Festival, held in Charlottesville last November. We were guests of former Mary Washington education professor Jacki Vawter and husband Rod, and stayed at their cabin in Crozet.

Richard Arline was re-elected Nov. 6, 2012, to a three-year term on the Franklin Township School Board of Education in Somerset, N.J. Of five candidates vying to fill three seats, he received the most votes, 10,333.

Laura Baker and husband Geoff are living in Orlando, Fla. Laura is a photographer at the Magic Kingdom and has a blast creating magic memories for happy little vacationers. She and Geoff enjoy the simple life in their RV and travel mostly regionally. They also had a great time at our 35th reunion, with their rig parked at the Tennis Center.

Emily Alfriend Wilson, working for Telamon Corp. on the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, is finally able to put her graduate degrees (MSW and MBA) to work. She manages programs that help the homeless gain temporary housing while they learn skills to become self-sufficient. Emily and husband Mark celebrated their 35th anniversary this past June, and son Justin and his wife welcomed their first child in February. Son Alex is a student at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W.Va.

Pat Seyller was in Oman for two weeks last November as costumer for La Bohème with the Castleton Festival, a new opera company in Rappahannock County, Va. The company performed at the Royal Opera in Muscat. She visited the desert and learned about a Bedouin lifestyle that has rapidly changed since the sultan Qaboos came into power in the 1970s. She saw much of the city of Muscat – the grand mosque, the sultan’s palace, ancient forts built to stop invaders, and the old market. She haggled for frankincense and myrrh, scarves and trinkets.

Emily Cole continues to work part time at her church and volunteers her gardening skills at a library in Alexandria, Va. She’s been studying tai chi, and she and husband Larry went to China last November for two weeks. Em’s nephew, Andy Cole, graduated from UMW with the Class of 2012.

Carol Middlebrook said she and husband John are scheduled to take a walking trip in the Italian Lakes region in April. Carol was also looking forward to seeing brother John Middlebrook ’82 and his family over the holidays. John moved to Bali, Indonesia, with his wife and youngest daughter and opened a guesthouse in Sanur.

I can also add that my sister, Patricia Goliash Andril ’80, is part of the Northern Virginia Art Center in Crystal City. Patty is my dentist sister turned artist.