Class Notes

When the hurricane hit Houston, Pat Voelker Donnell’s home survived with no damage; but she and her friends shared feelings of frustration and depression that they were too old to be of use in the rescue efforts. She received an email from her church for volunteers to interview hurricane victims who needed financial assistance. Since Pat had spent 16+ years of her life interviewing for Baylor College of Medicine and the Texas Workforce Commission, she is well qualified. Thanks to Pat and other volunteers, over $300,000 was disbursed to hurricane victims, and she is still doing interviews for additional grants. She says it is one of the most rewarding jobs she has ever had.

Sherry Farrington Green reflected that moving to Pacific Northwest 24 years ago as a widow, created a whole new life for her. She still fences, Is still a birthing babies, including two stints in Kenya; and except for obvious old-age aches and pains like the rest of us is still thriving. Gaye Roberts Olsen, thanks to her motorized chair, is buzzing around her apartment bldg active in many activities; and has frequent outings with friends by van transportation. Always eager to be on the go, says she has a “one-track-mind,” sometimes gets derailed, but can’t wait to get back on the track again.

Jean Eubanks Holland, in spite of medical issues, still attends continuing education classes at Johns Hopkins, and enjoys her grandchildren. Betty Ditmars Prosser shared she has a serious medical issue but is convinced she will be better. Her son was in Las Vegas during the shooting as a medic, and helped set up a triage center. Gretchen Squires Best, feels blessed by long-time friends, is involved in a great church, has 13 grandchildren and 3 greats; and is staying young at heart.

Karen Larsen Nelson Rather than celebrate Christmas with our daughter and 10 family members—5 of them under 6, we chose to visit in early December to celebrate Darrell’s 80th birthday. Our son from FLA was also in Vegas, and it was a great party weekend with them all. Here in Mesa, we are extremely busy with our church, which is embedded in an assisted living facility, and have been asked by another new senior apartment community nearby to plant a church program in their facility this year. How 5 couples in their late 70’s are going to manage two churches is going to be interesting! It looks like Darrell and I will get our R&R at Juniper Ridge this summer.

Joanne “Jody” Campbell Close Genealogy continues to dominate my time. I am well into my term as President of our local Genealogical society and have been completely wrapped up in providing educational programs and overseeing all our myriad volunteer activities. I finally dispatched the first “volume” of my own family history to my children and grandchildren, in which I tracked the earliest founding ancestors in our 12 core families and demonstrate how those disparate folks became intertwined. I am fascinated but getting mixed reviews from the recipients-much polite evasion and eye rolling. Oh well, someday they’ll be glad I did the ground work and it satisfies my yearning for learning, for staying intellectually challenged. All that library research reminds me of the stacks in E. Lee Trinkle library (now Simpson Library). Remembering family is like remembering all of you- it elicits much affection and admiration. Hope 2018 is proving to be kind to you and yours.