ClassNotes

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Some updates have been edited from emails, letters and social media posts.

1936

Congratulations to Barbara CAULFIELD Robson, Branksome’s oldest living alum, who celebrated her 105th birthday on May 6, 2022.

1948

Luci DECK Shaw is pleased to announce that her new collection of poetry, Reversing Entropy, will be published by Paraclete Press in 2023. She hopes some Class of ’48 alums will have a chance to read this, her 41st volume of poems.

1956

children across Europe saved by Truus Wijsmuller, a Dutch woman. Along with 21 other survivors, Isabel is featured in the Dutch documentary Truus’ Children.

1962

Branksome were always the class average. But the teachers laid the foundations of knowledge that carried me through to my career. Education is the universal portal.”

In summer 2022, Isabel LIEBERMAN Langsdorf, with her daughter Julie, visited Branksome Hall for the first time in 65 years. Isabel reminisced about her happy, carefree Grade 12 year as a boarding student, after a perilous start in life. Rescued at age two just before the Nazis invaded the Netherlands, Isabel was one of an estimated 10,000

Lois WAYMAN Brown was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, England, on April 29, 2022. While working at the Michener Institute as the Continuing Education Coordinator for Diagnostic Imaging modalities in 2002, Lois enrolled in the master’s degree program at Anglia Ruskin University. She recalls: “My marks at

1964

Laurie LAMBE Wallace enjoys the company of three of her five grandchildren under age eight who live in Millbrook, Ontario. Her older son, daughter-in-law and the children live on an eight-acre century farm in the centre of picturesque Millbrook. Her second son and daughter-in-law, who live in Halifax, recently had their second daughter, and

Laurie and her husband are planning a Christmas visit to meet the new baby. They split their time between their cottage on Lake Simcoe in the summer and at their desert home just outside Palm Springs, California, in the winter.

Laurie is a member of the Garden Club of Toronto, and as coordinator of the club’s Scholarship Committee, oversees five annual scholarships to students studying horticulture and landscape design at four post-secondary colleges in southern Ontario.

Nadine LEVIN has lived in Ottawa since December 1975. She sits on the board of directors of the PaulineCharron Community Centre, a gathering place for francophones over the age of 55 that is run by a private, non-profit foundation.

1967 It was a wet, cold, windy day, but these friends did it, and talked all the way. That night they had dinner to celebrate friendships of 55 years, along with Linda SECCOMBE Sommerville’67, Sandra MILLS MacMillan’66 and Janet RUBY’67. The friends shared heartfelt stories and celebrated Branksome.

Class of 1967 Branksome alums’ half-marathon walk in Toronto. Left to right: Nancy MORTON Devitt, Heather BIRTCH Brown, Esther MINGAY Wearing, Barbara SMITH Warren, and Margo NEELANDS Bush.

All those French lessons with Miss Sime and Mrs. Perry, language courses at university, and federal government jobs that required her to speak French left her prepared for her francophone board duties. The Pauline-Charron Centre will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2023, and Nadine is on the planning committee for that event. This past summer, she was a member of the organizing committee for the 100th anniversary of Overbrook, an Ottawa neighbourhood.

Nadine was thrilled to have a visit in Ottawa from Frances SHEPHERD’64, past Head Girl and a worldrenowned cancer specialist.

Frances SHEPHERD still works full time at Princess Margaret Hospital, where she started 60-plus years ago as a summer “volunteen.” Her mother , at age 107, still lives in Toronto, while her children both live overseas: James with his wife, Maria, in London, and Kathryn and

Gilles in Paris. Frances has two Franco-Canadian grandchildren in Paris: Julien, 9, and Stella, 8. She was recently inducted into the Order of Saint George, as seen in the photo of Frances and her two mentors with their robes and medals.

Shelley VARLEY Tidy is delighted to be able to keep in touch with Branksome friends through The READ. She and husband Ashley have been living in the same Toronto home since they were married 52 years ago. A retired hospital chaplain, Shelley is active at St. Paul’s, Bloor Street, and (until COVID) at Bridgepoint Health Care. She happily follows the activities of her son and daughter, their spouses and six grandchildren. She wishes the Branksome community a safe, happy and healthy winter.

1971

Nancy TISDALL recently made the move to Ottawa.

Her nieces are thrilled and can’t wait to spend time together.

1979

Patricia CHRISTIE Planques is excited to announce that she has become a grandmother. Charlotte (Charlie) Planques was born in January 2022 and Pat is loving every minute of this

Class stage of life. She resides in Gravenhurst, Ontario, and loves the natural beauty that surrounds her, especially the amazing fall colours.

Left to right: Sally GODFREY Forrest, Mary WALKER, Wendy ANGUS Scott, Shelley VARLEY Tidy, Susan PARKS and Frances SHEPHERD.

Pat stays busy with charity work, family, good friends and, of course, being a Nana. In the photo, Pat enjoys a late-summer day at a beautiful sunflower farm with Judy GARAY’79 and little Charlie.

Carolyn COULTER bought a house in Coldstream, British Columbia, on the outskirts of Vernon, at the foot of Silver Star Mountain. Not yet retired, she looks forward to living in Coldstream one day. She enjoys skiing in the winter, and hiking, biking and water sports in the summer, and loves coming to a place that feels like a holiday area year-round.

Cynthia DUNCAN Lumsden has been happily retired from teaching for the past four years. She and her husband, John, celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary in July 2022. They enjoyed visiting their daughter in Vancouver in May. A more extensive European trip is planned for spring 2023. Cynthia continues to work on her watercolour paintings (thank you, Ms. Morden and Ms. Simpson!) and has become a firm believer in happy accidents when it comes to water and paint.

Kathryn FIRSTBROOK

Trusler and her husband, Geordie, celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary and welcomed their second granddaughter, Winnifred Koza Trusler (“Windy”), who was born in summer 2022. Windy is a great-granddaughter of Doreen MILLER Pemberton Trusler’46 and Lorna KEENE Firstbrook’51. Kary and Geordie are happy to be living and skiing on Red Mountain in Rossland, in the British Columbia Interior. Pictured is Windy with Geordie and Kary.

Judy GARAY is happy to be teaching Grade 3 at Bishop Strachan School and to be out of the “virtual” realm. She continues to swim and coach with Masters Swimming and is hoping to compete in a few upcoming meets. She has enjoyed regular visits to the new Branksome Athletics and Wellness Centre, which she finds surreal and a far cry from the old pool. She, her husband, Brent, and their family enjoyed a trip out east this summer for a family wedding. They returned to spend time at their cottage on Georgian Bay, only to find that a black bear had broken in and helped itself to the contents of their fridge.

Lois GREISMAN is spending retired life travelling and exploring the world. She enjoyed a great trip to Scandinavia in spring 2022 and is busy planning her next adventure.

Kimberley HARTILL Stanley retired in early 2020, just before the pandemic took hold. She moved from

Brampton to Cambridge, Ontario, in June 2021 to be closer to her daughter, Brittany, and husband Scott. They had to put off their originally scheduled wedding and reception by a year because of COVID.

Kim is now the proud grandmother of Bennett (March 2022), born to Brittany and Scott, as well as twins Emma and Nate (April 2020), children of her eldest daughter, Christianna, who lives in Moncton, New Brunswick. Kim is enjoying all the pleasures that retirement and grandmother-hood have to offer, including taking up the sport of pickleball.

A few alums enjoyed a get-together at the home of Carolyn HELBRONNER to welcome Marianne REYNOLDS Highwood, who was in Toronto, along with her lovely daughters, Lizzie and Louisa. Marianne continues to enjoy a successful career as a senior lecturer at the Business School at Canterbury Christ Church University in England.

Kim also caught up with Lavita NADKARNI, who has been living and working in Colorado for many years.

Carolyn HELBRONNER is busy practising law and not thinking about retirement just yet. She enjoys playing lots of tennis and taking long walks with her husband, Nick. They had a fabulous trip to Amsterdam at the end of the summer. Carolyn and Nick have five children between them and are (im)patiently awaiting future grandchildren. Carolyn enjoyed a fantastic trip to Stratford in September with Lois GREISMAN. Mrs. McRae would have approved!

Rebecca McCORMACK

Scarratt enjoyed 39 sails this summer on the St. Lawrence River near Rimouski, Quebec. For the women’s regatta, which included five sailboats, Becca took the helm of a 30-foot Mirage named Noctiluca for the first time in the all-women crew race, and won the regatta!

Becca and her husband Michael celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on October 11, 2022… and caught COVID! It was certainly an anniversary to remember.

Mirabel PALMER Elliott and husband Gary bought their retirement home in Coldstream, British Columbia (north of Kelowna), in 2020. They will hand over the family business to children Ben and Chloe and retire to Coldstream permanently in mid-2025. An Interior B.C. Branksome Alumnae Chapter could be in the works.

Mirabel, Wendy AIRD, Ginny CAMPBELL, Carolyn HELBRONNER, Lavita NADKARNI and Theresa NORRIS Narduzzi held regular Zoom calls throughout the pandemic to commune and keep each other afloat. They enjoyed an in-person dinner at Carolyn’s place for the Toronto dwellers of this group in spring 2022.

Gabrielle WALLACE Laberge is enjoying retirement with her husband, Raynald. They recently returned from a wonderful trip to England, and were there when Queen Elizabeth II sadly passed away. It was a truly historical time to be in the United Kingdom. In April 2023, she and Raynald will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in Las Vegas. Much to Raynald’s horror, Gabbie has suggested renewing their vows in an Elvis chapel.

Branksome alums in attendance at the wedding of Kaleigh McKINNON’08 included Kaleigh’s sisters and co-maids of honour, Kristin McKINNON’05 (second from right) and Kathryn McKINNON’10 (third from right); bridesmaid Maya ZUZEK’10 (fourth from left) andguest Teya ZUZEK’10. Also in attendance: mother of the bride, Kimberlee CAMPBELL McKinnon’77; aunts Carolyn CAMPBELL’79 and Kathryn CAMPBELL Holland’80; and cousins Kelly HOLLAND’09 and Meghan HOLLAND’11.

The Class of ’79 Remembers Alums of 1979 came together in love and friendship for Lesley ADAMSON Skelly, who passed away in January 2021. The group purchased a red oak tree and accompanying memorial plaque in memory of Lesley through the City of Toronto’s Commemorative Tree Program. The red oak is a hardy tree that symbolizes strength, honour and knowledge, all of which are synonymous with Lesley. Her tree is growing and thriving in Trace Manes Park in Toronto.

1993

Current parent and alum Christina FUNG Stennett was recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Toronto for her work at CGI. Christina is a senior vice-president of consulting services in the CGI Toronto Banking Group and has led business and technology transformation initiatives with various banking clients.

Giselle CLARKE has roots in the Toronto theatre community and holds an honours BFA in theatre from York University. Now a resident of Vancouver, she was recently nominated for a Jessie Award for her work in stage management, and was honoured by the Black Theatre Caucus. She is listed in its 101 Black Stage Managers Celebration. Giselle recently developed a Kindergarten to Grade 7 program called “Black History Matters,” which seeks to educate children about Black Canadian history. She sits on the boards of Nova Dance and ASSITEJ Canada.

1994

Leigh ELLIOTT McGowan, whose BreakfastRant won a People’s Voice Award from the 2022 Webby Awards, was the cover feature of the Fall 2021 issue of The READ. Leigh launched @IAmPoliticsGirl on YouTube in 2015 to inform and inspire, because “when you understand you care, and when you care you vote.”

Leigh revamped the project on TikTok in September of 2020 as @breakfastrant by PoliticsGirl to reach younger viewers by breaking down complicated topics into common-sense language. She can be found on Twitter @IAmPoliticsGirl and Instagram @breakfastrant and is once again posting under PoliticsGirl on YouTube. Leigh has close to a million followers across her platforms. BreakfastRant was also the inspiration for the newly launched PoliticsGirl Podcast. Leigh writes, researches and performs all her own pieces.

1997

Heather MACINNES Travis has an exciting update to her past profile in the Fall 2021 issue of The READ. She has been awarded a Canada Council for the Arts funding grant of $21,240 in support of her solo art exhibition, coming up in fall 2023.

1999

Sarita SAMAROO, principal lawyer at SST Law Professional Corporation, has accepted the 2022 Platinum award on behalf of the law firm, in which they have been recognized by Etobicoke Votes Community Awards as the best lawyers in Etobicoke in 2022. Sarita’s focus of practice lies in residential and commercial real estate law and wills and estates law.

2010

Hillary BALL has been selected as one of the Forbes 30 under 30 (2022) in Europe in the Finance category. She joined venture capital firm Atomico in 2017, and was the youngest person at the firm ever promoted to principal, in 2021. Hillary sits on the boards of employee wellness company Gympass and Amsterdambased interactive design platform Framer.

2017

In October 2022, the Advancement and Community Engagement

Team welcomed Kiana ROMEO back to Branksome Hall as the Communications Officer, Creative Content.

2018

Congratulations to Morgan HEADRICK on her new role as an Associate at the Boston Consulting Group.

1996

Lauren ATWELL Rutherford and her classmates enjoyed a campus visit and tour. Left to right: Robin MULLAN MacNab, Stacy BULLOCK, Lauren ATWELL Rutherford, Trisha HUQUE and Charlene CLARKE’97. The group hadn’t been all together since they left Branksome in 1996, but they have remained good friends. Reliving some memories was a highlight of their visit, in addition to seeing all the progress and upgrades to the school.