Class Notes

Margaret Bell Synan joined Tabernacle United Methodist Church and was working on prayer quilts and on canvases for Fredericksburg shows. In April, she visited a family ancestral home in Natchez, Miss.

After working with orphans in Dilla, Ethiopia, for years, Jayne Feeney traveled to newly independent South Sudan to open sites for new lay ministers, teachers, nurses, and program managers. She visited Debbie Bradshaw Chambers ’84 at her Texas home and worked with Haitian hydrocele patients with Marianne Blais Dineen.

I live in Philadelphia now but still work remotely for Humana. My husband took a medical director position in clinical/ health policy at AmeriHealth Mercy last year, shortly after my father passed away.

Deona Landes Houff writes and edits for The News Leader in Staunton, Va. Musician son Chance graduated from high school and works full time.

Lisa Bentley Brouelette is a sergeant in charge of training and special events with the Kirkland, Wash., police department, where she’s been for 14 years. She dates a University of Louisville professor. Lisa’s son graduated from Western Washington University, works for Boeing, and plans to marry his college sweetheart. Her daughter, an NCAA rower, is a Western Washington University sophomore.

Catherine Gibbons Kunkel, a Chesterfield County kindergarten teacher, has taught for 21 years. Daughter Katy is to join UMW’s Class of 2017. Daughter Emily, a high-school student, is involved in theater.

Sigrid Skrivseth Houston and husband Scott live in Maryland. Sigrid directs her church’s children’s ministry, teaches English as a second language, and substitutes. Daughter Erika, a University of Delaware senior, studies English education. Son Tim, an Eagle Scout and Towson University freshman, studies music. Michael, a 10th-grader, aims to become an Eagle Scout this year.

College sweethearts Joanne Bartholomew Lamm and Chris Lamm of Pennsylvania met the first day of freshman year. Joanne is in manuscript collection at the Carlisle Barracks Military History Institute. Chris works for National Account Service Co. Daughter Becky Lamm ’13 majored in international affairs. Son Tom studies military history in the Virginia Tech corps of cadets. Son Stephen is in the high school marching band and track and field.

Kaye Bost Pennock has taught economics and personal finance at Stafford High School for 23 years, was named Virginia’s 2012 Outstanding Economic Educator, and was exploring teaching at the college level. Husband Rick is in the Fredericksburg Police Department. Son Kyle is an officer with Stafford’s Rappahannock Regional Jail. Daughter Lauryn is at Germanna Community College and hopes to transfer to UMW to complete a business administration degree.

Sidney Griffith Keith received a master’s of education in instruction and curriculum with a specialty in secondary science from the University of Florida. She teaches high school Earth and space science and American Sign Language. She and husband Mark, brother of Jennifer Keith Jones ’87, moved from Richmond to St. Augustine, Fla., 10 years ago. The Keiths’ son, Ian, is deaf and has a movement disorder. Mark wrote No Dad, It Does Not Involve a Hippopotamus, an e-book of stories about raising a special-needs child.

After 18 months of breast cancer treatment, Sara Jones Uzel was training for a half-marathon. She and husband Mark have an Arlington, Va., consulting practice. Son Mallory is at UNC Wilmington. Daughter Camille is at North Carolina State. A young man named Wes joined their family last year and goes to UMW, so they finally have a third-generation connection!

Julie Clark, procurement manager at XO Communications in Herndon, Va., traveled to India to work with her outsource team. She recently biked 60 miles to raise $1,600 for MS and 200 miles in the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, and hopes to complete all 400-plus miles with her Iowa cousins.

After graduation, dancer Jolie Long trained in NYC and earned an MFA at Florida State University. She returned to Virginia to direct the Chatham Hall dance program, then became a professor of dance at Brenau University in Gainesville, Ga. Jolie recently reconnected with UMW theater professor Jean Hunt and saw a performance in honor of ballet professor Sonja Dragomanovic Haydar.

Katherine Aaslestad and John Lambertson of Morgantown, W.Va., met at MWC. Katherine teaches history at West Virginia University; John teaches art history at Washington & Jefferson College. They have three children, Morgan, a Goucher College senior; Raef, a University of Richmond freshman; and Alaine, a high school junior. They sometimes see Abas Adenan and Eileen Brown Adenan ’88 and their girls.

Renee Allen Kuntz works for the federal government and lives near Baltimore. She and husband Scott celebrated their 25th anniversary in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, rang in the New Year running a 5K, and had tickets for opening day at Camden Yards. Renee belongs to UMW’s Baltimore/Annapolis Regional Alumni Network, sees Kathy Goeller Booth at work, and ran into Sigrid Skrivseth Houston in Annapolis.

Our son Sean graduated college and works in Seattle. Daughter Lauren has another year of college here in Wisconsin and hopes to teach. I work with high school ELL students. Husband Scott is finishing his Ph.D. in military history. Hopefully, he and Lauren will graduate together. I connected with Jessie Jones Lease and Alice Feely Wilson and her husband of Milwaukee.

Hope to hear from you next time!

From Kim: Ken and I are in our 17th year in business. Ken also works another job and enjoys radio-control flying. I’ve started learning about photography and still garden and do yoga; we turned our third bedroom into a yoga studio. It was wonderful to hear from some new people this time. Message me on Facebook or send an email. I’d love to get lots of updates for each edition of UMW Magazine.

Julie Magness and wife Kathy Merritt were to celebrate their third anniversary of legal marriage in July and 12th year together in October. Julie works for Greenbelt Aquatic & Fitness Center. Kathy is vice president of content strategy and development for Public Radio International. They have four cats.

Kimberly Keating McMahon owns Let’s Organize/Let’s Move, helping people downsize, sell their homes, and move. Husband Kevin works for Booz Allen Hamilton. Oldest son Patrick is a sophomore studying biochemistry at University of Maryland, College Park. Son Brian joined him this year at UMD and plays Terps football. Collin is a high school freshman.

Jennifer Lee Parrish’s Fredericksburg law firm, Parrish, Houck & Snead, moved near the courthouse. Jennifer spends time on weekends teaching her 16-year-old daughter to drive and suggests Fredericksburg residents stay off the streets!

Jane Ellen Brennan Herrin specializes in marketing people, destinations, and products with Section 10 Media, is still an image stylist, has a project in Las Vegas, and is working with the developers of The Fancy to learn to teach it to her clients. Anna Grace is 8; Jenna is 7.

Toni Moore Milbourne’s daughter, Polly, changed her major to psychology in her senior year at Fairmont State University. The Red Cross promoted Sara Marple Piehler to lead technologist on overnights.

Congratulations on your and your children’s accomplishments! Keep the updates coming!

Linda Graybeal Hurt works for the Bedford Public Library System; husband Dexter is energy manager for Roanoke County Public Schools. Their daughter graduated from U.Va. Their older son is a Vanderbilt School of Engineering freshman in Nashville, Tenn. Their younger son is a high school junior. The family recently traveled to San Francisco.

Robin Carrier and family’s travels include Dublin, Ireland; NYC; and Gatlinburg, Tenn. Husband Stephen Ritchie published a book, Pro .NET Best Practices.

Anastasia Shirley Carson teaches pre-K through eighth-grade art, gives private art lessons, and is represented by Broadway Galleries in Alexandria, Va. Youngest daughter Nadia is in seventh grade. Oldest daughter Ally was to start a film studies program in London.

My father and mother-in-law passed away last year, so my family was glad to leave 2012 behind. My stepdaughter finished her junior year at UMW, and my son was to start at George Mason University.

We hope to boat more on the Potomac this year.

Keep the updates coming! The next Class Notes deadline is
Nov. 15.