Class Notes

From Kim:

A lot of us have hit the half century mark or are preparing to. So far, I love my fifties, but it is hard to believe that we graduated from college so long ago. Ken and I are now in our 20th year with the computer business, and the yoga studio just celebrated its second anniversary. Time goes way too fast. In addition to my businesses and my yoga practice, I have now taken up hiking. We are fortunate enough to have the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge just north of where we live and I hike most weekends. I have also started blogging on WordPress about hiking and yoga. Yoga and hiking are affording me new opportunities all the time, and I incorporate photography whenever I can. Life is busy and fun!

Jennifer Lee Parrish’s daughter graduated from high school in 2015 and is attending the Savannah College of Art and Design. In addition, Jennifer was elected in April of 2015 to a three-year term on the Executive Council of the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys (ADTA). ADTA is a national defense lawyer organization with one attorney per community of one million people, and she is the Fredericksburg member. The EC is the governing board of the ADTA. Congratulations to both of them!

Jane Ellen Brennan Herrin is still self-employed and her main client is photographer Joe McNally. She guides his social media across all his social channels, and travels with him and the crew once or twice a year. At the end of last summer, she attended PhotoshopWorld in Las Vegas and had the opportunity to do hair, makeup, and styling for the Cirque de Soleil performers. She also assists Joe with his podcast, “BTS with Bill and Joe.” In addition, she has a group of smaller clients who come to her for personal and business branding, social media training, strategy, analytics, and media coaching. Jane Ellen and husband Jim still live in the same house they bought when they married in 1993. Anna Grace turned 10 in May of 2015 and started middle school at the end of July as she entered fifth grade (Putnam County goes year round). Jenna rules elementary school as she is now in fourth grade. Anna Grace is in her second theatrical production as a workhouse orphan in Oliver at Cookeville Performing Arts Center Both girls are looking forward to the Cookeville Children’s Theater version of The Wizard of Oz. Jane Ellen reports that both girls are hilarious, smart, and sarcastic, and she and Jim couldn’t be more thrilled about that combination. Jane Ellen’s parents are alive and well in their early 90s, but Jim’s mother passed away earlier this year. In addition to the four human members of the household, the Herrins also have Gracie, a 13-year-old shepherd/Akita mix that they rescued from the local shelter; Max, a 15-ish blue heeler mix; Scout (To Kill A Mockingbird reference), who is half English shepherd and part blue heeler and black lab too; and three guinea pigs.

Julie Magness, like many MWC alumni, has celebrated the big 5-0 and survived. The celebration for the Pisces-born started last August with the trip back to Alaska, the land of her birth. Numerous other celebrations of the big 5-0 continued for many months (hey, it’s a milestone birthday so you should celebrate for a long time!) and now she feels like she’s at least 51. Alaska was awesome and everything she dreamed of and she’s saving pennies to go back. Julie and Kathy celebrated 14 years together in October (five of them legally married!!) and she is looking forward to 14+++ more.

Toni Moore Milbourne continues as editor of the Shepherdstown Chronicle (West Virginia). After nearly 20 years in the newspaper business, she is considering a potential run for local office in 2016. Her oldest daughter, Polly, graduated last May from Fairmont State University and will finish her masters with FSU in December. Son Allen has moved from learning the trade of hardwood floor installation to commercial heating and air. Maggie recently started 11th grade and Samantha started 10th grade. After visiting Mary Wash’s campus in June, Samantha has hopes to continue in Toni’s footsteps and attend. An upcoming tour is in the works. Toni and husband, Tom, celebrated 25 years of marriage this year with a trip to the Connecticut shore.

Jan Breen Tomes is married and living outside of Detroit. She and husband Mark became grandparents last July to a wonderful new grandson, Greyson Sean. Their daughter, Ashley, and her fiancé, Rob, live in Florida, so seeing the new grandbaby will not be frequent except on the great Facebook. Mark and Jan both work in automotive-related fields. In her spare time, Jan is the lead researcher and an investigator for Michigan’s largest paranormal investigation team, Metro Paranormal Investigations. She reports that her life is pretty dang busy and awfully fun. The team travels all over the country to investigate and help host events, and they also host their own events on one of the two last Forrest Sherman-class destroyers left in existence.

Please keep sending updates, either to my email address or you can find me on Facebook under Kim Jones Isaac.