Class Notes

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.