Class Notes
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With your permission, we will reprint your note in the Fall 2020 issue of The Review.
1946 As an amendment to her class note in the December 2019 Review, Nancy Washburne writes that in 1943 and 1944, when she was at Ferry Hall, the girls did not read the 12th Chapter of Romans from the New Testament. The text was written on the front wall of the chapel and they would all read it out loud together to start every day.
1947 Marilyn Hays Hopkins continues to enjoy life in Carmelby-the-Sea, Calif., where she has lived for about 20 years since retiring from a career in manufacturing management. Carmel is not only very scenic but also has outstanding music venues. There is a symphony and a chamber music group, and combined with the proximity to San Francisco with the opera and ballet, there is a wonderful variety of entertainment. Marilyn has the good fortune to have a large and well-connected family, including six grandchildren. She says she finds this important because at her age, many long time friends are gone. She says that it is always fun to read the class notes in hopes of seeing a remembered name.
As of early May, Willie Sanderson reports that there isn’t much to do these days with everyone hunkered down. There are no performances at the event center, water aerobics and all other classes are canceled, the fitness center is closed, no bocce ball - even the golf courses are closed, as is the movie theatre and all club houses. However, she says that she is still fortunate to be in Rossmoor. She can walk the golf course, and for those who can still hike, nearby trails are gorgeous. Because Rossmoor has a contract with Comcast, there are special free opportunities, like a week of HBO, for entertainment. The restaurant is doing take-out, and the grocery and drug stores have special hours for seniors along with oneway aisles, hand-sanitizing stations and other distancing mechanisms. Willie can sit on her deck and enjoy the flora and fauna and the still green hills beyond. She can even talk with her next door neighbor, though they cannot
see each other. She can sit on her front porch and talk to passers by, and the residents sometimes gather with their own glasses of wine and sit outside at a distance to socialize. They wear masks, and toilet paper and other necessities are re-surfacing now. Willie sees her family less frequently and at a distance, but those moments are welcome treats. Everyone is working from home. Willie does the TV exercise class each morning and walks around outside several times a day - a nice chance to see people if any are out. With no traffic and less activity, the birdsong is constant and louder. And all sorts of wildlife are more evident. The coyotes in the hills are very rowdy in the wee hours each morning. Social distancing may go on for a long while, no doubt, but it is worth it to stay safe. Willie hopes that everyone is doing well.
1954 John Winsor’s fourth novel, “Maggie’s Revenge,” has just been published, available as an e-book or paperback on Amazon.com. The protagonist, Maggie, is grief-stricken by the deaths of her husband and daughter; fueled by vengeance, Maggie chases the killers through Civil War chaos down the Santa Fe Trail. She befriends Kit Carson, Jim Bridger, and many other famous characters on the frontier. John reports that readers like it, saying, “it is an exciting page-turner, just the thing to escape the boredom caused by the virus.”
1957 Charles “Chuck” Erickson writes that last May, he attended his older daughter Megan’s wedding in Gloucester, Mass. His younger daughter Charli, who works for the Dorsey law firm, travelled from Seattle to join the family. In June 2019, he acquired a 500 square foot mountain cabin near Franklin, N.C. The cabin looks out on Jacob’s Mountain and has a stream flowing nearby. Chuck describes the cabin as beautiful and very peaceful, because his cell phone rarely works. In July 2019, he adopted a new rescue dog, Pepper, who is a half-Lab and half-German Shepard and all black and very clever. In
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