Class Notes

I stay busy in Atlanta, play in three tennis leagues, and keep up with four book clubs between trips to California. My son returned in February from his deployment aboard the USS John C. Stennis and was home two months before returning to sea. These trips are a strain on the family. Few understand the sacrifice our military men and women make! My daughter and family live three hours from my son’s family, so I see both on my frequent trips west, visited both in February, and planned to return for Easter, when we all were to get together at my daughter’s San Jose, Calif., home. In March, I left cold Atlanta for a week in West Palm Beach, Fla., with my brother and his wife.

Janet Burnett Morrison has published books on the global business environment, including her latest, The Global Business Environment, Third Edition, that are used as college-MBA textbooks in the U.S. and several other countries. She always includes a mention of her Mary Washington bachelor’s degree in her author’s biography and feels it was a great start to a professional career. Janet and husband Ian moved to France two years ago and planned to move again, to a house with a larger garden. Margaret “Meg” Cobourn John, who grew up in the Syracuse, N.Y., area, enjoyed a mild winter in Myrtle Beach, S.C. In November, they joined friends in Puerto Rico, toured the Bacardi Rum Factory, and found there’s nothing like starting a tour of old San Juan with rum drinks.

Please send news and remember to include your maiden name in the body of your note, so I know who you are.

Hank and I are grandparents of two college graduates, four college students, and several more in practically every grade. I tutor high school math, mostly to the grandchildren; play my cornet/trumpet at church; and knit, sew, and bowl with our two senior leagues. My first year on the vestry at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Centreville, Va., proved rewarding and time-consuming. As a lay delegate to the 217th annual Council of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, I recognized Marianne Graves Phillips ’63, a delegate from Culpeper, Va. We reminisced about the good old days at Trinity Episcopal Church in Fredericksburg with our beloved math professor, Dr. Shaw. The April meeting was at St. George’s Episcopal Church in downtown Fredericksburg, which also holds many memories for our class. With sailing season upon us, Hank and I were busy with the Pentagon Sailing Club, which planned a weeklong 30th anniversary flotilla venture on the Chesapeake Bay at the end of summer. Hank maintains the outboard motors and races with the team, and I work on the distaff side of things.

Barbara Bishop Mann and husband Robert stayed close to home in recent months, while Bobbi managed her healthcare. She arranged a December meeting of our Mary Washington Lunch Bunch at Bistro Bethem in Fredericksburg and, despite lots of rain, 10 of us came. Sheila Denny Young lives in Fredericksburg; Anne Meade Clagett came from Marshall, Va.; Lee Enos Kelley came from Washington, D.C.; Ann Kales Lindblom came from Alexandria, Va.; Jana Privette Usry and Bobbi came from Richmond; Joan Cuccias Patton joined us from Gainesville, Va.; Dale Quel Woods drove from Woodbridge, Va.; Caroline Hogeland Stone took a day off school in Annapolis, Md.; and I, Katharine Rogers Lavery, drove from Vienna, Va. Pictures are on our “MWC 1966” Facebook page. Plans were being made for a spring meeting in Fredericksburg to discuss the U.S. Women’s History project in Jeffrey McClurken’s class. One of his students contacted Bobbi about researching Mary Washington classes by decades. Bobbi alerted everyone on her email list, several agreed to participate, and we responded to a list of questions about campus life and social climate. Long- distance participants include Marty Spigel Sedoff, Mary Wright Day, Ginny Bateman Brinkley, Carol Bingley Wiley, Carol A. Eldred, Pam Ward, and Cherie Brumfield.

Pat Lewars Pace missed our luncheon because she was elected to the Woman’s Club of Ashland, Va., which meets Tuesdays. Pat and Linda Glynn Hutchinson scheduled a spring trip to Egypt and Israel, but because of political unrest, forewent Egypt for Jordan and Turkey. Pam Kearney Patrick was receiving at the Art League the day of our Mary Washington Lunch Bunch meeting and was doing some renovating at home. Tyla Matteson couldn’t attend, since she and husband Glen were at the Durban Climate Change Conference in South Africa. Pam Ward retired in March as regional education officer for Africa, Office of Overseas Schools, U.S. Department of State. She moved from Arlington to Irvington, Va., and planned to spend more time with her two children, who live in Richmond, and reconnect with classmates in the area. Lynn Smithey Campbell retired from Tazewell County Public Schools and planned to pursue quilting, bridge, and mah-jongg and spend time with her grandchildren, who live nearby.

Ginny Bateman Brinkley and husband Bill planned their bi-annual trip to Maui in April to join Roger and Ryan Stewart Davis. After having his second knee replacement in January and finishing physical therapy, Bill said he’s glad he doesn’t have a third knee. Ginny was excited for Dee Dee Nottingham Ward and Mary Grace Wright Day, who went to Cuba in March with UMW’s President’s Travel Club, which was granted a special license for the educational visit. The group went to art galleries and workshops; attended musical performances; toured Havana, Cienfuegos, and Trinidad; and visited the Bay of Pigs Museum. Mary Grace had a wonderful time, was impressed with the warmth and optimistic spirit of the Cuban people, and returned home with an immense sense of gratitude for the blessings we enjoy as Americans.

President General Nancy Shackelford Jones has overseen the Colonial Dames of America, the country’s oldest female genealogical society, for three years, visiting many of the 33 chapters, including those in Rome, Paris, London, Palm Beach, and Washington, D.C. Founded in 1891, the international organization promotes education, scholarship, and historic preservation. Members trace their ancestors back to one of the original 13 colonies.

Elaine Gerlach McKelly retired from what her son called her “hobby jobs” and is a volunteer Girl Scout leader for a troop of 47 girls. Elaine and her husband escaped the cold back home by spending a February week in Key West, Fla. Last June they traveled through the western U.S. and splurged on a fall trip to Paris and London. They resolve to continue traveling as much as possible. Their four children and seven grandchildren, ages 10 to 14, live nearby. Mary Kathryn Rowell Horner and husband Charlie wintered in Naples, soaking up the Florida sun. They rented a condo on the edge of the golf course and walked to the driving range and clubhouse. Several Northern Virginia friends own or rent homes there, so Mary Kathryn felt it was like being at home except she could wear shorts. Her annual stint as waitress at Woodlawn Plantation’s tea room in Alexandria, Va., where Nellie’s Needlers presents a needlework exhibit and luncheons, was postponed to May and June this year. Last year our Mary Washington Lunch Bunch went and enjoyed having Mary Kathryn as our waitress.

Susan Roth Nurin has become an Olympic retiree! After moving into a spacious New York City apartment overlooking Central Park, she bought a city subway and bus pass and takes advantage of Groupons for dining, shows, and shopping. She attends movies, symphonies, recitals, and operas all over the city. She attended Wagner’s last Ring opera, GOtterdämmerung, twice – in a movie house streamed live in high definition (and shown simultaneously in 52 countries) and in person at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Joan Cuccias Patton follows Susan’s activities on Facebook and is competing for her own Olympic retirement medal. In March, Joan toured Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan. In June, she visited friends in Arizona and attended her high school reunion in Coronado, Calif. In July, she spent a week on North Carolina’s Outer Banks with her children’s families and a week in Newport Beach, Calif., with her siblings’ families. Joan cruised from Montreal to Boston in October, hit New York City in December, and planned another international journey, perhaps to Australia, and a U.S. trip to someplace she’s never been.

Susanne Landerghini Boehm’s agent business books instrumental trios, quartets for weddings and parties, and professional singers for church services. She is program chairperson for a Vienna, Va., businesswomen’s group, and her hobbies include making beaded bracelets and necklaces, reading biographies and history, and yoga for seniors. Husband Ralph keeps getting more private violin, viola, and cello students and plans to teach orchestra at Osbourn High School in Manassas at least another year before he and Susanne head south, perhaps to winter in Florida. Younger son Karl returned to Virginia as director of a Fairfax online marketing company after being self-employed in Los Angeles for four years. Elder son Maurice is a programmer/consultant in Arlington, Va., and occasionally travels overseas.

On Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Susan Hanes Chaney and Bill were inconvenienced by a tornado, earthquake, and hurricanes, but their property wasn’t damaged. They traveled to Norfolk for a September reunion of Bill’s shipmates, saw veterans from Korea and Vietnam, and found that Bill and one other man are the only ones left from WWII. In October, Susan and Bill toured France; spent time in Brittany, Normandy, and Paris; and enjoyed ornamental gardens, cathedrals, chateaus, and the impressive Omaha Beach Memorial. After a family Thanksgiving in Ohio, Susan and Bill returned home to concentrate on gardening, landscaping, animals, volunteer work, and preparing Bill’s new 15-foot Boston Whaler for fishing on the river.

Eileen Goddard Albrigo also had no real damage after the earthquake and storms. She sent heart-warming photos of her family and grandchildren, all of whom live nearby. Last year, they celebrated John’s dad’s 90th birthday, John’s 45th reunion at Georgetown University, Eileen’s 45th reunion at UMW, and their Liverpool High School 50th reunion (a year early, combined with the class of ’61), and they took their annual family vacation at Hilton Head, S.C. Kathleen Goddard Moss and husband Tom had all eight grandchildren together last summer for an extended visit. One family lives in Spain, so it was the first time the young cousins interacted in person. Kathleen and Eileen spent several winter weeks caring for their 92-year-old father during surgery and rehab before he rejoined his wife of 69 years in their assisted living facility. Despite the severity of the situation, both daughters relished the opportunity to spend long, quiet hours with their dad, reminiscing about old times and shared adventures.

Elise Strickland and husband Don are retired, sold their Connecticut home of 34 years, and have become snowbirds. Their winter home is in Lakewood Ranch, Fla., near Sarasota, and their summer home is in Jaffrey, N.H. Son Rob works for GE, is married, and has two girls. Daughter Susie is married and has three girls. She and their daughter-in-law stay home with the children. Daughter Betsy works and was finishing her master’s in education at Harvard. They all travel to see Elise and Don, wherever they are. Nancy McDonald Legat of Lexington, S.C., and husband of 45 years Dan, are retired and enjoy their three grown daughters, sons-in-law, and seven grandchildren. Their oldest granddaughter married last year, and Dan and Nancy would love a great-grandchild. They’re active at church, volunteer at a crisis center, and have five grand-dogs.

Sue Spencer Collins has lived in Birmingham Ala., since 1977 and worked with her internist husband, Mike, for 15 years. Their elder daughter studied at U.Va., is a physician’s assistant in a Nashville pediatrician’s office, and has two children, Laura, 4, and Luke, 9 months. She and her husband love to climb in places like Yosemite. Sue and Mike’s younger daughter studied at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. She and her husband work for Blue Cross/ Blue Shield in Birmingham, Ala. They race in triathlons and each has done an Ironman. They have Sue’s grand-dog, Explosion. Mike still works as a geriatrician but has reduced the number of retirement homes he visits. A major surgery two years ago sapped his strength, but he’s regaining it. Sue and Mike have cats Mollie and Ladybug.

Judy Douglass Everett of Houston retired in June as director of donor services at the Greater Houston Community Foundation and was adjusting to making her own schedule. She was to start volunteer work as a computer mentor at a nonprofit that helps women get back in the workforce. She gets to Florida as often as possible to visit daughter Buffy and grandson Aiden, 2 ½. She was helping daughter Jennette get her ticketing company off the ground in Austin and looking forward to visiting daughter Emily next year in Brazil, where she’ll complete her internship for her master’s of divinity degree from Perkins School of Theology. Judy’s husband, Keith, works part time with flexible hours, and they look forward to traveling as much as their budget will allow. Judy stays in touch with Fonda Davis Eyler, Mary Haga Doermann, and Roberta Hatcher Graves, and they hoped to plan a weekend together soon. Judy recently found the audio tape of her 1967 senior voice recital and put it on her iPod. She’d love to touch base with Carol Verell, who was her accompanist, if anyone has her contact information.

Fonda Davis Eyler often recalls our Mary Washington days and friendships. She fully retired in December after 32 years of research, mentoring, and directing an intervention program for special needs children, from birth to age 3, in 10 counties around Gainesville, Fla., where she’s lived since 1974. She became professor emeritus of pediatrics and continues to be involved with the University of Florida Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies and the Children’s Movement of Florida. She and John, who’s also retired, were to celebrate their 45th anniversary in June and work for the Obama campaign. Their children and five grandchildren live in California. Daughter Lisa and husband live in San Diego and have two girls, 10 and 5. Son Jason and wife live in San Francisco and have three boys, 4, 2, and 7 months. Sue and John plan to spend more time visiting the West Coast, traveling, and snorkeling in the Caribbean islands.

Iris Harrell enjoys playing golf with her partner, Ann Benson. Iris heard from Beverly Holt of North Carolina and Pam Hogan Baynard, who was doing well. Iris sees Phyllis Newby Thompson and Suzanne McCarthy Van Ness, who also live in California’s Bay Area. Iris’ company, Harrell Remodeling, was named one of last year’s top 50 winning workplaces by Inc. magazine. Iris is excited about the new UMW College of Business, and she said its dean, Lynne Richardson, and Donna Mejia, UMW director of leadership, giving, and corporate and foundation relations, visited the Bay Area. They met with local members of the Class of 1969, including Iris, Phyllis, Suzanne, and Carole Findlay Phipps.

In February, Gloria Shelton Gibson attended an informal alumni gathering in Charlotte, N.C., hosted by Donna Mejia. Gloria continues her human resources consulting practice, Workplace Dynamics. She and Sidney Robins Lockaby ’71 traveled to Guatemala in January. Highlights included the Mayan weavings and fabrics market at Chichicastenango; Lake Atitlan, a volcanic crater; and a hike through the Mayan ruins at Tikal.

Jeanine Zavrel Fearns of Fairfax, Va., planned to meet suitemates Anne Witham Kilpatrick of Greenville, S.C.; Carolyn “Suzy” Bender Winterble of Yorktown, Va.; and Toni Turner Bruseth of Austin, Texas, for their regular reunion in April. Jeanine said Toni planned a “croning ceremony” for all, since they’re each approaching the age where they can be considered crones. That should be hilarious, and I’ll expect a report for Class Notes. Toni recently retired from a long career in nonprofit foundation work; husband Jim retired from a career in archeology. They’re writing a sequel to their book, From a Watery Grave, the story of Jim’s discovery and raising of the Spanish ship La Belle in the Gulf of Mexico. Anne visited her sister in Aruba in winter. Suzy and husband Charlie had a winter golf getaway in Florida.

CPA Bonnie Page Hoopengardner enjoys golf and her six grandchildren. She lives in Williamsburg but keeps up with two bridge groups in her former home of Vienna, Va. Barbara Marks Poppleton and husband Don of St. Augustine, Fla., travel to see friends and their seven grandchildren, who live in Denver, Indiana, and Boston. Jane Jackson Woerner, who is retired, and Barbara had a wonderful time in February when Jane visited while in town for a wedding.

Patti Boise Kemp asked me to remind you that it’s only two years until our 45th reunion, the weekend after Memorial Day. They’re planning some different things, including something awesome for the Friday night party. It’ll be here before we know it, so put it on your calendars.

Ted and I continue to thrive in beautiful northwestern North Carolina. I’m almost recovered from my second neck surgery and hope I’m running out of cervical vertebrae for the surgeon to operate on. In March, we visited my parents, who are in a Florida nursing home specializing in dementia. We stopped to see Ted’s youngest son, Doug, and fiancée Sarah in Gadsden, Ala.

Lynn DeWitt Fogel and husband Joe of Stone Mountain, Ga., planned a June trip to Italy. She has taught for 31 years in Gwinnett County, and Joe has been with Southern Cathodic Protection for 27 years. Son William, 24, invented the Easy Edger lawn trimmer. Son Matthew, 27, works for a healthcare company and is pursuing an MBA at the University of Colorado. Lynn visited her brother in Lynchburg, Va., last summer and saw high school friends.

Helen Row Mullins of Jolo, W.Va., sings in the Southwest Virginia Community College Choir and travels, especially to see her three grandsons, ages 13, 6, and 4. Their mother, daughter Julie, has a cake business in Fredericksburg. Daughter Karen is a graphic artist at VCU. Pamela Veague Krauss retired from social work; husband Ken is an adult cardiologist at New York University Medical Center. Daughter Ashley, 26, studies art history at Barnard College. Son Alex, 22, studies photography at State University of New York.

Anne Sommervold LeDoux is retired and travels – to Southeast Asia, Russia, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary! She and husband John visited grandchildren, ages 4 and 2, in Arizona. John travels around the country teaching and is a consultant. Son Justin and new wife Cari live and teach in Caroline County.

Bruce and Barbara Forgione Tansey, married 41 years, spent Christmas with daughter Lisa and her husband in Chesapeake, Va. Barbara is active in her women’s club, and Bruce is an avid golfer. Last year they traveled to Florida, New Orleans, and Branson, Mo., and also to Holland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary.

Vince and Frimalee Kaplan Nowicki of Woodbridge, Va., traveled to Tunisia in 2010 and enjoyed the Roman ruins, markets, and mosaics. Last year they traveled to the Caribbean, South Africa, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Vince works for the U.S. Department of State, and Frimalee is on the condo board.

Gene and Gretchen Gregory Davis of Chesterfield, Mo., love to ski near their Colorado mountain home and celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary last summer in Keystone. Gretchen chairs the boards of the Miriam Foundation and the Leadership Advisory Council for the College of Education at the University of Missouri. Gene was named among St. Louis’ top doctors last year. Son Greg of New England works for the Department of the Navy.

Congratulations to Kathi O’Neill Argiropoulos, who was appointed to the UMW Alumni Association Board of Directors. She also was approved to teach a class for the Episcopal Diocese. Daughter Demi graduated in December and works at an Arlington, Va., marketing firm. Son Jack completed an Enterprise Rent-a-Car management-training program and took a technology start-up position in New York. On an August church mission trip to near Cape Town, South Africa, Kathi and Demi worked at a crèche, Jack assisted with school sports, and they worked on a house for children orphaned by AIDS. Kathi enjoyed a November trip to Cancun, Mexico.

Walt and Anne Howell Wood have two grandsons, ages 13 and 1½. Anne, a master gardener, won her first blue ribbon in a daffodil show last year. She attended her 45th Suffolk High School reunion and had a mini-reunion with Beverley Clare Coates ’68, Jan Desmond Melluzzo ’69, Carol Greenwood Trejo ’69, Doralece Lipoli Dullaghan, Loretta Horgan Nagle ’69, Darlene Greenhalgh Hines, Cheryl Ulmer Nashel ’69, Judy Farrell Bechtold ’69, Tanya Belt Nickson ’69, and Kirsten Mackey Fleisher.

Brenda Kay Schutte Flohre, a realtor, and her semi-retired husband of Virginia Beach have three children and five grandchildren. Martha Veasey Sawyer and husband Roger traveled to Las Vegas and Washington, D.C., and sailed the Eastern Caribbean. In September, Martha attended her 45th high school reunion in South Boston, Va.

Dave and Kathleen Horstkamp Beach of Littleton, Co., live near children Stephanie, David, and Melissa and their families. Kathy and Stephanie authored Madison’s Mixed-up Flower Girl Magic and Aiden’s Amazing Ring Bearer Act, for ages 3 to 8. Kathy is writing a middle school novel, studying pottery, has been entering triathlons since she turned 60, and does yoga with Dave.

Bob and Laurie King Myse moved into a new Florida home. Bob golfs, and Laurie plays bridge and tends the flower gardens. Patricia Piermatti traveled to Florida and also made a pilgrimage to Israel. She is historian of the Woman’s Club of Upper Montclair, N.J., and the group’s 1924 clubhouse was to be added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. Ellen Grosskurth spent junior year at the University of Madrid, and she returned to Spain last summer. She teaches ESL in a suburban Philadelphia-area elementary school and is in two Scrabble clubs. Children Veronica and Alex live nearby. Brenda Jennings Louthian’s grandson, Clay, was born in August. Daughter Lindsay was married last November, and her husband had two sons, so Brenda now has five grandsons.

Our sincerest condolences to Tina Kormanski Krause, whose father passed away in 2011, just short of his 91st birthday. He introduced Tina to Mary Washington, drove her down from their hometown of Pearl River, N.Y., and loved the school as much as she does. Tina has been a school librarian for 21 years, the last 11 at The Potomac School in McLean, Va. Husband Paul, vice-chairman of the New York law firm Wilson Elser, manages the Washington, D.C., office. Daughter Lindsay is a corporate secretary in Philadelphia, and Megan is a marketing manager in White Plains, N.Y. They have two grandchildren, ages 1 and 3. Tina sees Kathy Thiel, Kathy O’Neill Argiropoulos, Gabby Pagin, and Mary Pat O’Donnell Weigard.

Thanks to all who wrote, and please continue to send your news.

Lynda White is working with Judy Youngman Wigton ’61 and Lloyd Tilton Backstrom ’61 to establish a UMW scholarship in honor of the beloved art history professor, Pauline Grace King. UMW Gift Officer Jan Clarke is helping send letters to art history grads and publicize the scholarship. They hope you’d like to help or contribute. Mary Anne Burns was instrumental in the success of our 40th reunion and has enjoyed reconnecting with classmates. She works at the Library of Congress, a big change from the oil world. Mary Anne set up a Facebook page for our class. For security, it’s a closed site, so ask to join.

Natalee Spiro Franzyshen’s husband, Henry, retired after 32 years with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, joining Natalee in devoting more time to family and church. It was great to reconnect with Natalee last fall. Freda Lodge retired after 24 years with the Department of Defense. She lives in Sarasota, Fla., near her father, daughter, and son-in-law. She misses the defense mission and colleagues but not the D.C. traffic. She had lunch with classmates Janet Dempster Crow and Linda Shoemaker Maxwell. I hope to see Freda when she comes to York, Pa., this summer.

Susan Brown Lohin is a grandmother. Her daughter is to finish veterinary medicine studies in St. Kitts in the Caribbean in August, and her son is working on a start-up business. Susan was to celebrate her birthday with Wendy Dickinson Smith at a spa in western Massachusetts. She hears from Pat Naybor and Diane Redfern Shelton.

Rich and Elaine “Cookie” Brennan Wright and family left New Jersey for the Chesapeake Bay five years ago. Between boating and dogs, Elaine does environmental consulting here and in Central and Eastern Europe. After earning a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and a master’s degree in systems engineering from U.Va., daughter Elisabeth is set to finish the executive MBA program next year. Daughter Katie has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Wake Forest and was to join the MBA class of 2014 in August. Still with QVC, Diana Rupert Livingston hosted fellow UMW Foundation Board members, including Jeane Baughan Stone ’74 and Lisa Bratton Soltis ’79, for a March retreat at her Florida home.

Jim and Mary Mann have six grandchildren. She’s a lector at St. Mary’s in Fredericksburg and continues in the Fredericksburg Patriots Tea Party affiliate. Son Zephyr is learning to program animation and movie special effects at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Older son Geoff, a Blackhawk helicopter instructor, returned after a tour in Iraq. Mary said Helen Marocchi Iwanik, usually seen taking pictures in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, spent a few winter months in Florida.

Pat Brown Reedy lost family members, including her mother, in 2010 and 2011. Daughter Melissa Dawn Reedy ’02, an accountant, finished Cattle Rustlers, her second book in the A Westward Adventure series, with a third coming. Robin Michelle Donovan ’01, an elementary school teacher, began the Tales from the North Pole series; the first book is Christmas Rescue. Bryn Irving Roth of Fredericksburg continues her church literacy program for women refugees from Africa, volunteers in an ICU waiting room, and is active in a quilting ministry. She and her husband enjoy children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and planned a cruise to Iceland and Norway.

On a sad note, I learned that Tina Rolen passed away at 60 from an aggressive lung cancer in December 2009. Lisa Barker did some research and learned that Tina’s full name was Cornelia Christina and she was director of Hollins Career Center. She was a wonderful person and will be missed by her Mary Washington friends.

Things have been jumping at the law firm, and Easter singing jobs were coming, so I still use my music major. Dennis continues to research and write. We visited Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga., for Thanksgiving and enjoyed the weather and Southern hospitality.

We visited with Dave and Cheryl Prietz Childress, who planned to travel to England and Italy in May. Daughter Thea and her husband moved to St. Louis.

Sherrie Mitchell Boone continues with piano tuning, art, and genealogy. John is in accounting at Hotel Roanoke. Daughter Leighanne and husband live nearby, and Sherrie enjoys her two grandchildren. Son Trey teaches and is pursuing a Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh.

It is with deep sadness that I report the passing of Adm. Albert Heckman, the father of Norah Heckman ’73, my dear friend and roommate. Anyone who lived on Russell Third South and was fortunate enough to meet Adm. Heckman knows what a fine gentleman he was. Norah’s folks treated me as a second daughter, so it was like losing my own father all over again. Norah and her mother are hanging in there. We often talk and say what a fine thing Mary Washington friendships are.

Marty Abbott and I think you’ll like the activities planned for our class reunion. Here’s hoping we see many of you there!

During the past few years, Bridget Binko graduated from nursing school, passed the R.N. exam, and struggled to find a job. She decided to spend three months in the South Pacific on the Navy ship USS Cleveland as a civilian volunteer R.N. with a Project HOPE humanitarian civic mission, working in existing hospitals and setting up tent clinics. Bridget shared a small room onboard with as many as 11 women; she told them she hadn’t had so much fun with the girls since Mary Washington. Back home, Bridget has her dream job as an infusion nurse at an oncology clinic. She enjoys sailing, orchids, and wild mushrooming.

Bettiann Aylor, senior teacher at Hanover High School, has steered several students toward UMW, and they seem to love it. She and several co-workers went to Spain and Portugal last summer, and visited the Rock of Gibraltar on a day clear enough to see all the way to Africa. They plan a trip to England and France in 2013.

We’re two years away from our 40th reunion, so start making plans to attend.