Class Notes

Janice Reynolds Cook writes that her husband of 20 years, John, died five years ago of a stroke. Although she has friends, she is still lonely and sad. She has been living alone in New Orleans for almost 25 years (plus dogs, thank goodness). She and John both taught English at the University of New Orleans, but now she is retired. Her son, Kent, and his wife Erika live in Charlottesville, where she is an oncologist/hematologist at Martha Jefferson Hospital and he is a contractor, mostly on their own house! Their sons are grown: One is at Marist College in New York and the other is doing computer things in San Francisco and Austin, Texas. Janice’s sister and her husband are in Seattle and plan to move back to the east coast at the end of January. Her niece, Alison, spent eight years in Africa studying rhinos, but is now in Gainesville, Florida.

Janice keeps busy with church, a Dickens reading group, and classes in Greek tragedy. I am not really eager to travel. She has become close friends with John’s first wife, Marcia, and her husband. They live one street away. Her stepson, Drew, and his wife live in New Orleans, and her stepdaughter Maggie lives in Dallas. It is good to have that second family.

Janice’s MWC roommate, Frannie Sydnor Cook, and her husband, Wes, are near Durham. They raise cattle and love their farm. Wes retired from Duke as a neurosurgeon, so now they are both farmers! Janice hears from Frannie, but she has not seen her for several years.

Kim Warren Noe and Bob are in South Carolina. Janice saw Kim about seven or eight years ago when she was in New Orleans for a conference. She looked just the same, and gave me some news about Susan Taylor Frank and Susie Sowers Hill.

Janice’s cousin, Ellen Hicks Mixon ʼ77, is still in Newport, Rhode Island, half the year and Florida in the winter. One of my former colleagues from University of New Orleans, Gary Richards, is now the chair of the English Department at MWC (or University of Mary Washington, a name which she doesn’t like).

Janice remembers Karen Laino Giannuzzi, Nancy Battaglia, Anne Jeffries, Lisa Lehman, Patti Santoro, Jane Parker, Pam Temple, and so many others.  She loves reading about everyone in the Class Notes. She will be looking for the next issue.