Class Notes

To the Class of 1978 looking forward to seeing you all at our 40th Reunion in June. What a great time to reconnect. Some of the below information did not make it in to our last Class Notes sections so resubmitting. Enjoy.

It’s been an extremely busy 2017 so far for the Class of 1978. Bobbi ROLLINS Johnson shared the good news that her son, Joseph, completed his PhD in Physics this spring and has accepted a position at Intel in Hillsboro, OR—a real dream come true for him. Bobbi is looking forward to visiting the area!

A little bit of humor from Martha WEAVER Campbell. Martha and husband Dave are on vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC with grandsons Hampton, age 7 and Hudson, age 5. Martha is pleased to announce that boys are much easier to deal with than girls. For those of us that know Martha could this possibly be because husband Dave has all of the personal hygiene issues to address with the boys?

Cindy DRURY Clark and her husband Jim have been married and living in Connecticut for 29 years. She works as the Director of Development (fundraising) for the Westport Library which will break ground on a $19.5 million Renovation in August 2017. She had a successful double knee replacement on November 23, 2015 which allowed her to resume many of the sports she had to sideline like tennis, paddleball and volleyball. To celebrate, 11 months after her knee replacements, Cindy and her husband climbed down the Grand Canyon, spent the night at Phantom Ranch, and then climbed back up again the next day. They also did some climbing in Sedona. Both love their jobs, but are starting to ponder a life of retirement or at least semi-retirement.

Congratulations to Beth D. Atkinson who shared that she and her daughter, Virginia Atkinson, class of 2003, enjoyed their first Reunion Weekend together at UMW in June. They were guests of Mary Wash during the weekend and stayed in a lovely room at K. Inn, Jepson Alumni E. Center. Beth’s daughter was honored with the 2017 Outstanding Young Alumnus Award at the All Class Party on Saturday night. Before attending the ceremony with some family and friends who came from Northern Virginia, they showed Beth’s 14-year old niece around campus potentially planting a seed?! Beth is enjoying volunteer docent work with schoolchildren groups at Gunston Hall in Fairfax
County Virginia and also contributes occasional articles and photos to several Northern Virginia area newspapers. Her June article was about she and her husband, an EPA scientist, celebrating 39 years of marriage this summer. To celebrate their anniversary, they will travel to SC to watch the full solar eclipse and their son, Jeremy will travel to NC to camp and see the eclipse.

For Jeannette SMITH Sullivan It’s been a real year of Mary Washington reunions. She shared that thanks to Class Notes, she was able to reunite with Mindy CAMPO Thomas of Wallingford, PA, tracking her down at Thomas Consulting. Jeannette SMITH Sullivan, Susan HAAS Meyer, Kathy KING Wirtala, and Toni SHOWALTER Scott got together in Williamsburg for a mini-reunion last summer, which she hopes will be an annual tradition. Jeannette was also able to see MaryLinn PHILLIPS Fleming in Fremont, California, and Betsy BEAN Fowler at her shop, The Red Feathered Nest, in Newport News. Missing Robyn REED Eustis in Arlington, she is meeting Rob Clairwood in Connecticut this summer and hoping to catch Barbara BACON Mitchell in Florida this fall. She reports that her siblings, Shirley Smith Bekri, Diane Smith, Leslie Smith Brundage, David Smith, Valerie Smith Koenig, and Niki Smith Pemberton are all thriving and are planning their family reunion cruise to celebrate their mother’s 90th this fall. She lives in the sleepy seaside town of Lake Worth, Florida and is a Professor at Palm Beach State College. She holds a Ph.D. in Higher Educational Leadership and specializes in studies of personality, happiness and student resilience. Topics she will be presenting at the International Positive Psychology conference in Montreal in July.

Malinda WILLIS who has been teaching Acrylic Painting for about 5 years, she has been drawing for about 2 years and now is certified to teach water colors at Michael’s craft store, where she has been employed since 1999. Malinda was married for 16 years, then divorced. She has two sons who are grown, married and moved away, so now she has the house all to herself. Malinda has 2 beautiful grand daughters, whom she adores!

Beverly WOOD-Holt reached out after having received her UMW Magazine and wishes more graduates from 1978 would let us hear from them. Beverly has retired from Hollywood and now lives at her farm in Southern Virginia, where she grew up. She and her husband are busy building their organic farm, complete with chickens, ducks, pot bellied pigs and lots of veggies and fruits. They are building a new home there and still do a bit of consulting, so retired is a bit of a misnomer. Roseanne GALZARANO Wyatt and her husband Jeff, came for a visit. They too, have retired and live in Ashland, Oregon. They are both planning to come to the reunion in 2018-our 40th!!!! Beverly asks, “So where are the women and men of 1978!!!! Please come, or at least write and let us know where you are?”