Class Notes

Mary Margaret Marston Monroe and husband Richard retired to the beautiful mountains of southwest Virginia in Blacksburg in 2006. Richard and their son (who lives in Richmond) are Virginia Tech alums. Their daughter, son-in-law (who both graduated from Clemson), and two athletic grandsons live in South Carolina. Mary teaches a Strength and Balance Class for seniors and is on the Visitation Committee at their church, and she and Richard are also active at Virginia Tech and in the local community. In the past few years they have traveled to England to do family research on Mary’s side, where they met a third cousin and studied gravestone engravings, and to Scotland to research Richard’s side, where they met the Monroe Clan Chief in the Monroe ancestral home.

Nancy Bell Rockey and her husband Len recently celebrated their 14th anniversary and live in the house they built together in State College, Pennsylvania. Together, their clan adds up to 17, with four children, spouses, and seven grandchildren. They all get together at the beach every summer as well as most holidays. Nancy and Len recently traveled to Sanibel, Florida, and Italy. For the past 10 years they have been busy restoring a one-room schoolhouse in their neighborhood, which is now a community center and wedding venue for the entire county.

Condolences to Mollie Fornes Peery, whose husband, George G. Peery III, passed away in 2015.  George and Mollie were married during her junior year.

Donna Sheehan Gladis and Steve are still in Northern Virginia. Steve has retired from career number one in the FBI and career number two at UVA, and now has his own executive coaching firm. Donna volunteers with church and Master Gardeners, helps run her husband’s business, helps with her three grandchildren, and helps with her mom—Barbara Skidmore Sheehan’35, who turned 100 in 2015.

Susan McCrory Braaten and husband Tom settled in New Bern, North Carolina, when he retired from the Marine Corps in 2001 after over 36 years of service. He became CEO of the local Twin Rivers YMCA and is now the Director of Coastal Carolina Regional Airport. After spending time writing internet content for military families for NavyWifeline and Military1Source, Susan became the Technology Coordinator and Trainer at Keller Williams Realty in New Bern. After 36 years and 18 moves from coast to coast in the USA plus Panama and England, they’ve now been in one place longer than at any time in their lives. Their daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter live in Raleigh, North Carolina, so they see them often. Susan sees two MWC grads occasionally in New Bern—Nicole Brooks ʼ77, who coordinates events at Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens and the North Carolinia History Center, and Christie Wineholt ʼ69. Susan and Tom look forward to retiring soon and giving more time to compelling volunteer opportunities. They love New Bern and know they made the right decision to settle there after a nomadic life!

Now that we’re in 2016, Pam Tompkins Huggins is reminded of a Simon and Garfunkel song on their album “Bookends.” One of the last lines of the song is, “How terribly strange to be seventy.” Strange indeed! Pam is just grateful to be here. Despite the post-menopausal belly and the wrinkles, she’s blessed to have poor close-up vision and, without her reading glasses, thinks she looks pretty good! She and Jim are enjoying his retirement and their five grandchildren. All three of their daughters are officially off the payroll and married to great guys. Pam, who lives in Staunton, Virginia, and has a wonderful guest cottage which is open for classmates anytime, is looking forward to the 2018 reunion.

Mary Ellen Ashelford sent a note saying she had a delightful email romp with the May Queens, but it appears that Pam is on a total power trip, trying not only to usurp the May Queen title, but also trying to turn her senior year class presidency into something like Most Memorable Class President, when we all know that one’s freshman class president is the One True President. Apparently, we will have to duke all this out at the gala 50th in 2018. Everybody: Bring a tiara, and Mary will be bringing her gavel (she thinks she actually still has it)! As the One True President, she expects all of the 1968-ers to show up, and as captain of the Ashecans freshman volleyball team, she really expects all the Willard Third Floor Back Hall kids to be there, and yes…she will be bringing The Notices! Since she tried to major in almost everything, she can bring buckets of memories and current evidence about how “a broad-based education in the arts, the sciences, and the humanities … is the most appropriate preparation for life and citizenship.” Her History major turned (oddly) into a compelling IT career, cut short by a merger in 2003, but then it turned out that retirement is great. (Tiny quiz: What eminent future jurist ran her “Only a Quarter Corner” in Willard Third Floor Center Hall?) Ashe sends her best regards.

Maureen Murphy McCart had visits with Sue Farnham Piatt and Suzanne McCarthy Van Ness ’69 in 2015. Suzanne has a son who lives in D.C., so she and Maureen get together several times a year. Last summer, Sue and her significant other spent time in Fredericksburg, D.C., and Annapolis, where Sue and Maureen had a great time catching up. Judy Jackson Jones hosted Maureen in Richmond and took her shopping in Williamsburg, where they enjoyed the ‘real’ shops hiding behind all the historic shops. Maureen loves her job at DeMatha Catholic High School in Baltimore, and is hoping to cut back to three days a week this year. She enjoys not being in charge and not having to be available for all the night and weekend events. Her kids and five grandkids (ranging from ages three to 13) are great. Maureen will be traveling to Italy in the fall with the DeMatha alumni. She sends happy 70th birthday greetings to all!

Sally Monroe Kelly wrote that, as her super observant old roomie noticed from her Christmas card, she is indeed old enough to have a son with gray in his beard. And seeing that most of us turn 70 this year, she would bet she’s not the only one! Her kids range in age from 47 to 34, and she is happy to say they are all healthy, productive, and good human beings. They had a family reunion this summer in Healdsburg, California, and there were 50 attendees, if you count the dog. It was a hoot, and they hope to do it again someday. Pete says he is retired, but somehow the office downtown still beckons a few times a week, which is just fine with Sally. She hopes everyone can make an effort to get back to the 50th reunion in 2018–especially those of you who have thus far successfully resisted the urge to revisit the past at reunion time. We can guarantee lots of laughs, crazy memories, and good times. Please come!!

This photo of four MWC suitemates was taken this year at Frances Rodgers Bryant‘s house in Virginia Beach. Linda Hall Palmer and Mary Ellen Ashelford still live in Connecticut. Georgia Carroll Dinsmore Sherlock and Fran are both in Virginia Beach. It’s rare that the four of them get together but it is always great fun. They lived on the third floor of Madison in a corner suite for every year except freshman year.

With sadness we inform you of the death of Gail Jargowsky Farmer in January. Gail won several awards during her career as an English teacher; she also owned a needlepoint design business. Her husband’s Army career took Gail and their two sons around the U.S. and overseas, including an assignment in Ghana, West Africa. Gail had Alzheimer’s for a year prior to her death. Gail was a lovely woman, inside and out, and she will be missed.