Class Notes

By now, those of you in the northeast have surely thawed out. Others who had weather problems are hopefully back to normal. It was good to receive holiday greetings, but I keep getting less and less news, unfortunately.

Gerry Boswell Griffin of North Carolina visited former neighbors in Atlanta in July, attending a luncheon with church friends and visiting her former church. She drove with daughter Judy of Phoenix to Jekyll Island, seeing friends and doing touristy things.

Carol Bailey Miller attended a December Virginia Horse Shows Association (VHSA) meeting at the Homestead in Bath County, where nominees were inducted to the VHSA Hall of Fame. Carol made the induction speech for Nautical, the palomino that was the inspiration for Disney’s The Horse With the Flying Tail and was on the U.S. equestrian show jumping team that went to Europe and had lots of wins in the ’50s and ’60s. A VHSA historian emeritus, Carol received the Virginia Horse Council’s distinguished service award.

Jane Frazier Snead’s remaining parcel of her Fredericksburg farm, Braehead, is 20-plus acres, with the buildings that are the “heart of the farm” and her residence. Originally a dairy farm, it has been in the Snead family since 1937. They had offered horse riding classes, day camp, and boarding since Jane’s husband, Emmett, died in 2002, but it became too much responsibility. Now Jane’s son George and wife Roxanne lease the property and run an agritourism business, with pick-your-own strawberries and a produce market. They restarted the school tours and educational programs Jane and Emmett did for 30 years. Jane enjoys watching her 8-year-old twin grandsons grow up in a wonderful environment. She showed paintings and photography at Fredericksburg’s Art First Gallery in October.

Nan Riley Pointer and Joe traveled to Alaska with family members and others. They’d been before but saw new territory, despite Joe’s bout with prostate cancer. After radiation, he was doing well. Sons Glenn and Owen and their families live nearby and help with the farm. Glenn had been driving grain trucks; Owen’s son, Christopher, planted soybeans and wheat. He’s in his second year of community college, wants to attend Virginia Tech, and was considering something in agriculture. Nan is district and conference parliamentarian for United Methodist Women and historian for the International Order of the King’s Daughters and Sons, updating files and fixing new museum displays. She received the annual Founders Award at their branch convention.

A call from Puerto Rico in February informed me that Alicia de Rivera-Cruz passed away. She’d had health problems. Carmen Zeppenfeldt Catoni said Alicia introduced her to Luis, her husband of 62 years, and was godmother to her son, Luis Angel. Carmen hadn’t seen Alicia recently, as she no longer drives and husband Luis is not in good health.

Virginia Hardy Vance of College Park, Md., was considering moving to Tallahassee, Fla., in spring. Betty Gavett Breeden of San Diego was recuperating from a November fall with no broken bones but lots of bruises. At the advice of family, she was using a cane. Betty still sings, mends books in the library, and is chair of her church trustees.

Sadly, Kay Venezio Boffa passed away. We remember her as active on campus, as a senior-year member of May Court, and from reunions. Kay moved to Vermont in 1985 to be near grandchildren. She earned a master’s degree in developmental psychology from Columbia University and retired at 70 from teaching college psychology in New Jersey and Vermont. She leaves sons John in Washington, D.C.; Peter in New York; Paul in Worcester, Vt.; and Christopher in Charlotte, Vt.

Billie Mitchell Hanes was enjoying her new home in Virginia Beach. She and Dick lost son Bob in January 2013 due to heart-related problems. Billie was hospitalized for 10 days for pneumonia, and her eyesight has failed, but she was positive and upbeat.

Marcy Weatherly Morris and Juney Morris’ grandson Paul is engaged, granddaughter Erin gave birth to Oliver before Christmas, and all the grands and great-grands were doing well in school and with extracurricular activities. Wasn’t that a great article about Marcy and Juney in the fall/winter issue of this magazine?

Hope to hear from more of you soon.

Hello, everyone. I hope all is well. I’m still waiting for news. Ruth DeMiller Hill, who’s lived in Angola, Ind., for 52 years, heard from five in our class and three from the Class of ’52.

Winnie Horton Brock’s daughter called to say that Winnie’s husband, Ted, died in the fall. Cynthia Medley England sent her photo from Naples, Fla., where she has a lake view. She thinks she’s through writing articles and goes to philharmonic concerts with friend Kaydee. Jackie Atwood Dewey of Sarasota, Fla., and husband Dick’s four children live all over the U.S. Betsy Fletcher Adams of North Carolina is near one of her daughters and travels to see the other three and her grandchildren. Dot Culpepper Wingfield, from freshman year, lives in Perry, Ga., with husband John. Ruth was in touch with one of their daughters, Janie Wingfield of Loveland, Colo.

Ruth heard from Nancy Cass ’52 of Chesterfield, Miss.; Ginny Orkney Philbrick ’52 of Bedford, Va., who has children all over the U.S.; and Nancy Stump Motley ’52 and Ken of Roanoke, Va.

Ruth expected the arrival of two great-grandsons, one in Wyoming, where she has two great-granddaughters, and one in Ohio. A grandson and granddaughter planned June and August weddings. Joni Hill, wife of Ruth’s son, Toff, wrote the Christian romantic novel Restoring the Castle.

I see Sarah Herring Estes, who is in an assisted living program, every Sunday. I hope to receive more news from some of you. Take care of yourselves.

News from class members came less regularly and abundantly than the snow!

Elaine Strawser Cherry said close friend Barbara “Pritch” Pritchard Jones had a massive heart attack before Christmas and passed away. Pritch lived in Northern Virginia for 40 years before moving to South Carolina. She was first and foremost a wife and mother, and she was well known and loved in her community and in college.

Her children came from California and Chicago for her memorial service at Murrells Inlet. Elaine also came with her son from Vienna, Va.

Barbara’s husband, Edwin Jones, passed away in March. She is survived by daughter Karen Jones Bourgeois ’78, son Bruce Jones, and four grandchildren.

Barbara White Ramer lives in Roswell, Ga., with daughter Robin, her husband, Todd Thiele, and two teenage grandsons. Barbara is an educational specialist and secretary of the board of directors at Porter Academy, a school for those with learning disabilities.

Frances Giannotti Scalzo attended a dinner for UMW students working on a Habitat for Humanity house in Wilmington, N.C. Kay Martin Britto ’58, Bonnie Hatch Bowman ’58, Lauren Grant ’15, and Amanda Bletsh ’14 attended.

I’m in touch with Sara Mott Gabler Belvin, who lives in Holly Springs, N.C., with her daughter. I bake cakes for a hospital ACS fundraiser, teach Sunday school to seniors, and lead our Sojourners with “happy times.” Lenny, in his 60th year of tax season, still works full time. We planned to celebrate our 61st wedding anniversary in August with three children and two teenage granddaughters. We attended a recent memorial service in South Carolina for a friend, a 53-year missionary to Brazil, with whom we served in 1969. I still remembered some Portuguese after 45 years! See my Main Street Studios website for gifts, and call me if you need a timeshare rental anywhere in the U.S.

I hope you had a lovely, long-awaited spring! Let me hear from you … you are all a special part of the Class of ’53!

Hit the jackpot with news! Thank you for sending many emails. I want to send a disclaimer to keep in mind while reading this. Anything confusing was caused by hydrocodone “happy” pills from my hip surgery. I’m slowly recovering and pretty mobile but still in much pain caused by bursitis … can’t drink wine yet, rats.

Dotty Booth Sanders had a Thanksgiving family gathering. Dotty’s sister visited last year, and they went to a cousin’s wedding in Georgia. Dotty still sends cards and letters to people during difficult times and bakes breads for family and friends. Her adopted dachshund and constant shadow, Dede, rides in the car with her. They had a cold, snowy winter in the Ohio Valley and northern Kentucky.

Carol Cooper feels unorganized. She likes to travel because, once she reaches her destination, someone else does all the work. She spent September in China and Mongolia, staying in nomads’ tents and a fancy hotel in Ulan Bator, riding a Bactrian camel in the Gobi Desert to look for artifacts in the Flaming Cliffs, and heading south in China near the Himalayas. Carol was thinking of visiting eastern Turkey and the Silk Road. She attended the Itzhak Perlman concert at UMW’s Dodd Auditorium in March.

Polly Stoddard Heim saw Christmas lights with grandson Garrett and his mother. In January, she and Ken visited 1-month-old grandson Zachary and his mother in Maple Valley, Wash., and went to the McCall Winter Carnival. Oldest grandson Ben was married in Chapel Hill, N.C., last year, and the Heims visited family in New York and Virginia. Polly celebrated her 80th birthday in January with family in Maple Valley.

Anne Lou Rohrbach Culwell had been downsizing, wondering what to do with their antiques and silver. She traveled to Little Rock, Bentonville, and Eureka Springs; took a Wisconsin Dells boat tour; and visited Circus World, Lincoln Library, and the home of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.

Charlotte Fisher Klapproth said the weather had been so dismal that when the sun came out she needed sunglasses for inside. She talked to Coralyn White McGeehan, who lives in a Northern Virginia retirement community and was doing well. Sally Hanger Moravitz and Fran saw the relocated Barnes art museum last year in Philadelphia and the Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Mary Margaret Papstein Carter visited Williamsburg with her husband in September. On the way home, they stopped at MWC for lunch and found College Avenue detoured. Our old classroom building and first home of the C-Shoppe, Chandler Hall, was a pile of rubble, and a new building was going up in its place. They headed to the bookstore and learned that the swimming pool we knew is now a café. Mary Margaret said the campus was beautiful as ever. She’d been moving with care since she fell last year on black ice and shattered her wrist. Surgery, a cast, and physical therapy sidelined her until the end of June. She spent January in Scottsdale, Ariz., where her oldest grandson was married, and planned to attend a nephew’s wedding in Seattle in July.

Joan Kleinknecht reads to a second-grade class in Bridgeport, Conn. She taught kindergarten and second and third grades for 28 years to about 800 children, some of whom still write, email, or call. Joan is in a genealogy and a Gaelic-American club, still paints, and planned a garden. Patricia Seibert Siegel finally sold the Torrance, Calif., house and was renting in Oceanside.

Mary Elizabeth Davis Barnes (aka Betty Davis, a member of the Class of ’55 who graduated in ’54) retired and volunteers for a mentoring program at the school where she taught for 25 years. She still does fiber work, weaves, spins, and knits. During the bad winter weather, she made hats for needy children and was amazed how many people stopped to offer to help her shovel snow. She thinks her long white hair clued them in.

Patricia Seitz Hartel is in real estate, sings in church choirs, and was preparing for a big concert with an orchestra. Virginia Marco Hancock is involved with boards and committees for the arts, trees, historic preservation, and public schools. Mike plays clarinet in church and in a college community concert band. Ginny sings in a church choir and sometimes leads songs during services.

OK, I’m done. Cheers!

Betty Davies Morie and Paul have four grandchildren, from nursery to medical school. Last year Betty ran into Angela Walton Barksdale at a Colonial Dames meeting in Williamsburg. Angela’s sister, Margaret “Peggy” Walton Mason ’49, retired from teaching second grade and lives in Houston with her husband, a retired chemical engineer.

Frieda Headley Byrd of Georgia planned a trip to Israel in November to tour the Holy Land with Old Testament scholars. Ann Tillett Leonard of Fredericksburg attends many university events and plays. Husband Charles died in November.

I was invited to Boca Raton, Fla., in January and Sarasota in February. I planned to return to the farm in April after spending most of winter in my Warrenton apartment.

That’s all for now. I hope you’ll write to me for the next issue!

After 30 years in the Chicago area, Barbara Morton Williamson lives in a Chapel Hill, N.C., retirement community. She sees daughter Amy and granddaughter Penelope of Charlotte often. Barbara went to Chicago in 1980 to study with Matthew Fox at Mundelein College, then did clerical work at Loyola, taking linguistics classes at night. She earned a master’s degree in linguistics, was a bilingual (English and Spanish) teacher in Chicago public schools, retired in 2000, and taught ESL in Chicago and Evanston. She’s in touch with Jean Durham Busboso.

Mary Montague “Monti” Hudson Sikes loves baseball and the St. Louis Cardinals. She and husband Olen spent two weeks attending spring training games in Jupiter, Fla., and visiting practice fields at Roger Dean Stadium. Much of the couple’s travels last year to Boone, N.C.; San Diego; Glacier National Park; Sedona, Ariz.; and Hilton Head, S.C., were in connection with Monti’s art. She presented programs about her writing for civic organizations and book clubs, and about her Master’s Meditation mixed water media paintings and poems in San Diego and Sedona, and conducted workshops in experimental mixed water media and pastels in Williamsburg and Gloucester, Va., and in Hilton Head. Her new novel, Daffodils in the Morning, was to be published this year. She has a gallery in Richmond’s Crossroads Art Center and displayed her Animal Alphabet work at Williamsburg’s Prince George Gallery in November.

Nancy Hallett Guest received many feet of snow in Vail! She has granddaughters Ava and Kate. Nancy planned to return home in spring and have a hip replacement to go with her knee replacements. Elizabeth “Libby” Fordham planned a trip to Indianapolis for the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International convention for key women in education.

Joyce Bristow Wrestler has been in her home more than 30 years. The thought of sorting through treasures – old dolls to restore, puppet-show scripts she wrote when she worked with church youths, knitting yarns – blows her away. She’d been busy singing. After her choir finished its Christmas program, they launched into preparation for the church’s 50th anniversary concert in February. Joyce keeps her grandchildren, ages 3 and 4, several days a week and tries to fill their visits with learning, building with Lincoln Logs, and singing.

My sister, Jacqueline Callahan ’56,fell on the ice while walking her beagle, Annie, and broke her ankle badly. She and Annie arrived at our house with Jacqueline in a full cast and wheelchair. We had the perfect house … 100 percent handicapped-accessible, even an elevator, because of my sweetheart Mahlon’s traumatic brain injury 16 years ago. Jacqueline’s ankle didn’t heal properly, so they operated and put screws in it, and she was back to her busy lifestyle. It was nice having her with us for our final Christmas in our home after 40 years. All the while, I was planning the move and overseeing renovations. We went from 4,000 to 980 square feet, and I had lots to sort through. Recently, Mahlon lost his balance and fell on top of me. I ended up with a miserable back injury and a concussion.

I’ve been class agent for almost 10 years. Though I enjoy it, my life is becoming more complicated because of Mahlon’s needs. Brain injury does not improve with the aging process. I’m asking for one of you to volunteer for this job. Thank you for considering it! I appreciate your answering my request for news. I know I can always count on you! God bless.

When I wrote this, it had snowed three weekends out of the past five. Another snow in late March left ice on the roads. The winter weather was stressful for the entire country.

Mary Kay Martin Britto and Bonnie Hatch Dowden attended a Wilmington, N.C., alumni dinner with a group of Mary Washington students there for a spring break service project. Mary said Nancy Gay Dillaman died in February at New Hanover Regional Medical Center. Nancy taught elementary school in Northern Virginia and Maryland for 30 years. A nine-year resident of Wilmington, she followed her faith and her interest in the arts and traveling. Nancy is survived by brother Richard, his wife, and a niece and nephew and their children.

Sherrill Massie Judd settled withher husband and daughter at their Edinburg, Va., farm and planned to sell their house in Richmond.

We’re all busy; time passes quickly. Please take a minute to call, email, or send a postcard. Thank you.

Lois Gaylord “Gay” Allen is active with her local humane society. She and Howard welcomed a great-grandson in July. Marcia Phipps Ireland said all was well. Jane Tucker Broadbooks planned to attend the 55th.

Gloria Winslow Borden had a total right ankle fusion in September due to painful arthritis and was in rehab for two months. Friends and family were supportive. By now, Gloria should have gotten rid of her boot and walker, and be driving. She visited son Cliff’s family in spring and joined them for a Disneyland trip. Cliff left private schools to teach in public schools, and he and Lynda bought a house. Daughter Ashely is in college in Arizona. They visited daughter Beth’s family in their beach house. Husband Dan was job hunting. Daughter Michele works in New York. Amy and Kristen are in college in Texas. Gloria spent Christmas with daughter Caroline’s family in San Antonio. She and Mike, daughter Cynthia, and son-in-law Rob continue to teach, administer, train, and coach.

Audrey Dubetsky Doyle’s granddaughter, Cynthia, Tiffany’s daughter, came home after earning a master’s degree in a nine-month accelerated program at Oxford. Tom Jr. has children Emma, 15, and Owen, 12. Aud keeps busy with swimming pool pals. Mary Carolyn Jamison Gwinn’s grandson, Mason, is 13, in seventh grade, and 5 feet, 7½ inches tall. He grins when he stands beside her and looks down! The family dachshund is positive he is king.

Celeste Shipman Kaufman’s family spent New Year’s in Nassau. Alan recovered well from quadruple bypass surgery. He retired and had a party after 15 years coaching golf at the University of Alabama. In summer, they attended the U.S. Open in Pennsylvania, visited friends in Boston, went to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, and traveled to Maine. In September, they visited Beijing and Tokyo, and came in third after joining the golf team in Japan. Alan’s teams rank ninth in the U.S. One grandchild has a master’s degree, two are seniors and one is a sophomore in college, and one is a high school sophomore.

Joan Whittemore Loock had a knee replacement in January 2013. In March, she and Jim cruised to Australia and New Zealand. Joan was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and, though the trip was beautiful, she didn’t feel well. On her return, Jim rushed her to the ER. She had emergency surgery, followed by more surgery in July, and was feeling better. They visited family and friends in Wisconsin, and Joan hoped to spend two weeks in Mexico with daughter Mardy. Oldest grandchild Logan, the son of Jim’s daughter, Sarah, is 15 and 6 feet, 3 inches.

Julia Coates Littlefield planned to attend our 55th. She is in her church choir; is secretary of a committee reviewing applications for charitable grants; serves as diocese coordinator; and tutored in the public library’s literacy program. Mo serves community charities and had his second term on the vestry at R.E. Lee Memorial. They visit their children, Julia’s sister in Delaware, and Mo’s family in Maine. Daughter Bess’ son, Jack Edward, 20, is a junior at U.Va. Son Scott’s son, Chris, 12, is a sixth-grade basketball enthusiast, and daughter Mary Graham, 15, is an aspiring ballerina.

Mary Massey and Jack Meiners celebrated their 25th anniversary, took a Chesapeake Bay trip, and hiked during the North Carolina Appalachian Trail Conservancy conference. Jack gardens, does yard work, walks the dog, and splits logs for the fireplace. Mary has hiked for 44 years, volunteered with the Audubon Naturalist Society for 21, and been with the Washington Animal Rescue League for three. They have eight grandchildren, ages 12 to 26.

Barbara Ann Barndt Miller and daughter Ann Marie presented a trophy to the best Pennsylvania-bred horse in May. In September, Barbara and husband Wayne Suley attended a Pennsylvania pony show. Ann bought a townhouse and gave Barbara a gray colt named Rafe Rabbit. Also in September, Barbara managed to throw herself off her truck bed while unloading cattle wire. The wire caught on her rings when she heaved it, and she went with it through the air. She had pelvic and rib fractures and needed months of recovery but no surgery. Wayne is an excellent nurse! They planned a Christmas trip to Pennsylvania.

Eleanor Markham Old’s husband, Arthur, is involved with the Civil War Round Table, Sons of the American Revolution, and Mary Washington ElderStudy, and attends plays at Riverside Center Dinner Theater. He and Martha finished moving his treasures from Lancaster to Fredericksburg. Eleanor and Arthur’s son, Jim, is operations manager with Conely & Associates, president of the U.S. lacrosse team’s Hampton Roads chapter, and coach of Old Dominion University’s men’s club lacrosse team. Daughter-in-law Beth is a chronic disease nurse case manager with Amerigroup. Their son, Parker, is in IT customer support for a small online video-gaming company in Norfolk. Son Tyler graduated with honors from high school, is a freshman at Savannah College of Art and Design, and was thinking of specializing in visual effects with a degree in video gaming. They welcomed a standard schnauzer pup, Shiloh, to the family.

Sharon Henry Schafer met with Margie Crisman Kostel, Sharon Green Hope, and May Phillips Slago in L.A. at Thanksgiving. Margie visited daughter Kathryn, son-in-law Jay Litton, granddaughter Cary, and grandson Jonathan out West. Sharon Hope’s daughter, TV producer Kathy Rhodes, hosted a dinner party for them all, including Sharon’s son, Rick Rhodes, and wife Liza. The two Sharons went to the Beverly Hills Hotel cocktail lounge, where they saw movie stars, including Clint Eastwood!

Sally Warwick Rayburn and Jim meet lots of people traveling in their RV. They celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary in February, spent two weeks at a Hawaii timeshare in April, and saw son Steve’s wife, Cindy, receive a master’s degree in Winston-Salem, N.C., in May. In June, Sally and Cindy visited Richmond, delving into Warwick genealogy. Daughter Ginnie teaches autistic children. Ginnie’s daughter, Sarah Kate, was in a national dance competition in July; her group placed nationally.  Sally and Jim’s son, Dick, is an internationally ranked martial arts black belt. In August, the Rayburns joined the Great River Road Caravan from the headwaters of the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. They stopped in Pensacola to see Ginnie’s son, Andrew, at the University of West Florida. Barbara Lewis Leddick and Ken of Atlanta, married 25 years, have two daughters.

Irene Piscopo Rodgers took her annual ski trip to Lake Tahoe in February and cruised from Florida to Montreal in May, stopping in Canada locales they hadn’t yet toured, cruising to the Saguenay Fjord, and revisiting Quebec and Montreal. Then they drove through New England. They flew to Hamburg in July, cruised through the Norwegian fjords, and celebrated their 44th anniversary. They flew to Cologne for another Rhine River cruise, saw the Cologne Cathedral, and spent Thanksgiving in Connecticut. Irene still plays tennis. Sadly, she reports that Nancy Montrastelle Curnutt died in December.

Natalee, daughter of Ann Watkins Steves and Bob’s son, Bruce, graduated from the University of South Florida and married Josh. Son David’s daughter, Brittany, had son Jaxon. Ann and daughter Linda took a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. All grandkids and great-grandkids were healthy and happy. Priscilla Brown Wardlaw’s son, Chris, came home for the holidays, and “Pete” planned to visit Rob and family later in the year.

Charlotte “Charlie” Wohlnick Wiggs enjoys friends and church activities. She and Arch toured Canada and the Panama Canal, and volunteer with Meals on Wheels. Daughter Tracy and husband Andy of Mason, Ohio, have daughters Molly, at MIT, and Anna, an A+ eighth-grader. Since retiring, Tracy spends much time with church and charity organizations. Andy is busy controlling the stock market. Charlie and Arch’s son, Alan, and wife Dale of Raleigh, N.C., are bike riders and endurance runners. Alan received an award for his work as chairman of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission and competed in an international biathlon event in London. Dale completed a parks development-related master’s degree from North Carolina State University.

Pat Gray Proulx and husband Dan’s daughter, Pam, and Max live nearby. Justin, 19, a sophomore at Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies, helps cut grass and is a professional photographer. Meghan Ashley, 16, is in 11th grade. The family has two King Charles spaniels. Son Gray and wife Gina of Palmyra have son John, 7, a black and a yellow Lab, and three cats. The family cruised from Fort Lauderdale to Cozumel and Belize for Christmas 2012. Pam hosted Christmas brunch last year. Dan made his annual trip to Maine in August, visited family in Vermont, and took an October bus trip to New England. He belongs to the singles group Solo Seniors.

Ann Brooks Coutsoubinas lost her husband, Speros, to an aortic aneurism. Daughter Anastasia was relocating, perhaps with Brooksie, and looking for a new job. Son Gregory finished his tours of Afghanistan but feels some effects of a brain injury sustained there. Brooksie’s dad is 96 and still in Fredericksburg.

Edna Gooch Trudeau’s daughter, Virginia, and son-in-law, Matt, still live in Virginia Beach. Grandson Lucas is thriving in preschool. He earned a gold belt in tae kwon do, enjoys dance and soccer, and was ecstatic about his upcoming fifth birthday, which was to feature a Lego theme.