Class Notes

Our 35th Reunion is nearly upon us! I have enjoyed serving on the Reunion committee with Linda Lemanski Blakemore, Carey Smith Monts, and Dan Steen. We are looking forward to seeing many of you for a wonderful weekend at Mary Washington, May 31–June 2. Don’t miss it!

Karen Warren Beall and her husband, Jim, have recently moved to the Fredericksburg area after living in Maryland all their lives. Jim retired from the Maryland public school system and is now teaching for Orange County Public Schools, besides being a Realtor. Karen has been a top Realtor for the past 15 years and opened Castle Key Realty in Maryland in 2010. Karen and Jim opened a Castle Key office in Fredericksburg last summer. They celebrated 34 years of marriage this year and have four children and seven grandchildren. Karen keeps in touch with roommate Elizabeth Carriker McGinnis.

Denise Zawadzki Doucette is also back in Virginia, living in Vienna and happy to be so close to DC! Jim Emery is commissioner for a recreational field hockey league in Herndon. Susan Johnson Hoehne lives in Lexington, where she teaches 7th grade.

Pam Johnson Jemmison still lives in Chesapeake, Virginia, and gets together every fall for long beach weekends with Jane Coleman Campbell, Lynne Ballard Lansford, Kathy Harris Hutchison, Tina Sawanobori Fredo, Carolyn Lankford, and Jackie Turk Epling. They all hope to make it to the Reunion!

Joanne Brenton Shabelski was married in May 2017. Alums at the wedding included Liz Canale, Betsy Hanna, Dave Hardin ’83, and Renee Kuntz ’85. Joanne says, “My husband, Mel, is a soccer referee, and we met on the pitch. He encourages my love of the sport, and I now play on six teams, including a co-ed team with fellow alum Abas Adenan ’85. I participate in local and state senior Olympic Games, and this year I will travel to New Mexico for the Nationals in June. In 2012, I received a master’s degree in special education from George Mason University, and I now work for Fairfax County Public Schools. I have three children: Skye, Colton, and Elliott.”

Teresa Nugent Forbes writes, “Jesse Forbes and I haven’t posted news since our twins were born, and now they are about to graduate from college. Our son, Jay, graduates in May with a masters in music therapy from Shenandoah Conservatory/University. Our daughter Emily graduates in May with a B.S. in psychology from Bridgewater College. Her twin sister, Jennifer, will graduate in December from Shepherd University with degrees in piano performance and psychology. Jesse continues to enjoy being self-employed, and I am working as a special education teacher in Loudoun County. We have lived in Purcellville, Virginia, for almost 15 years. We are also the proud grandparents of six-year-old Leah.”

 Blair Howard catches us up on life since graduation: “After a brief stint in California, I found myself back in Washington, working in the hospitality and entertainment industry through the 1980s and early ’90s, then had my own marketing firm focusing on live entertainment. In 1996, I became a creative director for a New York internet startup, until 9/11 brought that industry to a standstill. I met my bride, Celine Robbins, as I was leaving town, and we have been happily married for over 10 years. We now reside in Alexandria, where I own a design-and-build firm, specializing in unique residential and commercial projects. I also administer an informal social media group, Our Mary Washington Friends on Facebook, celebrating our lives and friendships at MWC. We’ve just accepted our 2,030th member, and we’re waiting for you.”

Jasmine Jelesoff Larimer also brings us up to date: “After graduation, I made the decision to switch from my med tech job to teaching. I certified in French and Spanish and taught in Stafford County and at Fredericksburg Academy. Then I became a stay-at-home mama to my daughter and two sons for the next 14 years, volunteering and subbing at Holy Cross Academy, where my children were in school. Now I am in my sixth year back at teaching Spanish, currently at Massaponax High School. My husband continues to work at Dahlgren. My kids are in college now—my two oldest at UMW (Chris, 24, and Victoria, 20) and my youngest at Germanna (Sean, 18).”

Here is the latest from Mark Scott: “I am basically retired from mortgage banking. Marianna Rixey Scott ’85 and I have our youngest daughter graduating from high school this spring. Our older two daughters live in Charlottesville, where they were raised. We have a 14-month-old granddaughter, which has changed our retirement plans. Originally planning a move to coastal Alabama, we will now stay closer to home, with a saltwater address somewhere. I recently finished 34 years of officiating high school football, and now do things I could not really do when I worked full time: I deal blackjack for a casino company, substitute teach, and work on a snowplow crew. I drove a truck for a 12-piece band on the East Coast for five months this summer—America’s oldest roadie!”

Bill Waller reports: “I have been married to Rhonda Ritter, a high school friend, since 2014. She has two grandkids that I “share” with her. I live in Knoxville, Maryland, with the Appalachian Trail in my backyard and the C&O Canal and Potomac River in the front, with deer and bear as yard pets. My daughter, Alie, is a first-year law school student in Baltimore, having graduated from Towson U.”

 It was great to see Dan Wolfe featured in the cover story of the fall/winter 2018 issue of this magazine. His career in movie marketing in LA has led him back to Mary Washington to teach a class on that subject. In case you missed the article, you can read it online at magazine.umw.edu.

Sadly, Victor Bradshaw died on December 10, 2018, after suffering a heart attack. Vic grew up in Spotsylvania and began his journalism career while at MWC, as an intern at the Free Lance-Star. He worked for papers throughout Virginia and South Carolina, most recently at the Harrisonburg Daily News Record. Vic is remembered for his concern for people and desire to help others.