Class Notes

1942

Nancy Selinger Summers of St. Louis, MO, passed away on Aug. 22, 2021. Please see In Memoriam.

1944

Priscilla “Peekie” Stevenson Hunt of Lincoln, MA, passed away on April 17, 2021. Please see In Memoriam.

1950

Anne Oliver Jackson of Portland, ME, passed away on Sept. 28, 2021. Please see In Memoriam.

1953

Sandy Garland Bull writes, “At this time, happy to be in the same place and always look forward to a smile or giggle from our classmate Guy Robinson who comes through — snow, sleet or heat. His missiles often include exchanges with Joanie Dominick and Bob Shields (more smiles). Our roots go deep and far. My granddaughter Allison Abbott Bull will be a freshman at Connecticut College this year.”

1 Guy Robinson in Autun, Burgundy, France, April 2022, leading a French Heritage Society (FHS) Trip, as Co-Chair NY Region, FHS Chapter. His wife, Elizabeth Stribling, is Chair of FHS, with offices in Paris & NY and 10 US Chapters. Guy writes, “With new places in Roxbury, CT, and Savannah, GA, we have been in constant motion since the partial lifting of the COVID pall. Returned to France in August for the sixth time in the past 13 months. Still based in Brooklyn Hts. Smack on the water with a grand view of the Statue of Liberty and the entire Manhattan skyline. NCCS held a NT cocktail party here a few years ago. I am in regular e-contact with a number of NCCS classmates, most conspicuously Robert Shields, a fellow PastMaster of Holland Lodge F. & A.M, (1787).

1954

Cathy Crane writes that she is again serving as the president of the City Gardens Club of New York City, Inc. The mission of the Club is to green and beautify New York City in all its boroughs and to teach city kids about the wonders of nature. The Club celebrated its centennial in 2018 by financing and overseeing the restoration and beautification of Harlem’s Morningside Park in an area around its pond and waterfall. This past fall the CGC raised funds to renovate and create a welcoming visitors center at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden in Staten Island. The Club’s members/volunteers keep busy!

NO NEWS FROM YOUR CLASS? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Please submit your news and updates to Director of Alumni Affairs Holly Donaldson Casella ’04 at hcasella@countryschool.net or on our website. You can also submit notes via mail using the enclosed return envelope. Share your own news, or tip us off to milestones, news and achievements of classmates, children or others in our community!

2 Jennifer Glidden Guberman writes, “My grandkids, Gemma (12) and Luke (10), were an invaluable help in the writing of ‘Chattahoochee Cats.’ It is a fun story for 2nd/3rd graders and for their parents and siblings as well.” Jennifer’s book is now available in the NCCS Library, alongside other Alumni Authors!

Jamie McLane shares, “After our nine years of living on a 53' trawler, plying the waters from the top of Maine to the bottom of FL, Key West, west coast of FL on the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas and islands, Meg and I now spend more than half our time in Sarasota, FL, where we are very involved in the local community and racing model Soling sailboats. We also see several classmates from Yale and keep up with Dick Ogden and Laura, who have been spending three winter months in Sarasota for years. Dick is still playing tennis competitively — and successfully. Caught up with Dave Forney last year when in Westport Harbor, MA, for a good friend’s funeral. When not in Cambridge, Dave is in Westport Harbor. We had a wonderful large family gathering, including Greer McLane Hopkins ’56 (still lives in San Francisco), around Tom McLane’s ’46 memorial service last September. Others in NCCS ’54, please add to the Notes. We are a declining herd.”

Calling Alumni Authors

We are restocking our bookshelves. If you have published a book, please send a copy to Director of Alumni Affairs Holly Donaldson Casella ’04.

1955

3 Caroline DuBois Hutton, who got together for lunch with Susan Carr Pickett and Catherine Cody at Cognac in NYC, writes, “Three Little Maids from school… oh so many years after!”

1956

4 Jay Gunther writes, “Here’s a photo of Bea Holden Guthrie and me guarding the Great Pyramid of Cheops during a two week Egyptian tour last October put together by the Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach.”

1958

5 Tod Ackerly, Lyn Bremer Chivvis ’60 and Eddie Ducey Coggeshall gathered for the funeral service for Dan Bergfeld in September 2021.

1961

Fifi Wharton Holbrook writes, “I have been living in San Francisco for 52 years now. My sister, Lucie Wharton ’65, lives in Woodside, CA, still in the equestrian world, teaching and showing her champion jumper. I am still painting and studying botanical art. I am on the advisory board of the Salvation Army and playing bridge. Sadly I lost my husband of 55 years to cancer on July 13. I see Daphne Walter Bransten ’57 here and she has been our travel agent for years.”

1966

6 Carl Rohde continues to be involved with Pegasus Therapeutic Riding in Brewster, NY. In the photo Carl is with a sleepy Zaggy, who is a 16.3 hand Holsteiner mare and talented jumper.

1971

7 Photographer and documentary filmmaker Robert Baldridge and Elizabeth Sheed returned to campus for the Faculty Party on May 13.

1976

We were delighted to see Carl Brodnax return to campus to teach at Horizons over the summer. He shared that he’s still teaching PE and coaching in Bridgeport PS and coaching tennis players after school in South Norwalk.

1977

8 Heather Knight Pech set a new American course record and won her age group for a fourth time running a 3:03:47 (7:01/ mile pace) in the 2022 Boston Marathon. She also coached two dozen runners who completed the race.

Elizabeth “Ebit” Speers passed away on Oct. 16, 2021. Please see In Memoriam.

IN HONOR OF FORMER TEACHERS — FOR FUTURE TEACHERS

The Speers-Stoddard Apprentice Teacher Fund was recently launched in honor of beloved longtime Country School teachers Pat Stoddard (see In Memoriam page 79) and Sue Speers. The fund was set up by their children, Will Speers ’72, Tom Speers ’73, Sam Speers ’75, Ebit Speers ’77, Dan Stoddard ’71, Jane Stoddard Williams ’72 and Alex Stoddard ’75 in support of our long-standing and renowned Apprentice Teacher Program. To learn more about how you can support this wonderful effort, please visit www.countryschool.net/speers-stoddard-fund.

1980

Stephen Billhardt moved from the greater Boston area to Baltimore around Labor Day, and welcomes any local NCCS alumni to be in touch. He writes, “After 27 years of being a school principal, I am not sure what my next job will be. Looking forward to exploring some new opportunities.”

1982

9 Troy Haynie, Mo Vaughn and Peter Forelli captioned this photo of them together in Florida: “The WB Bus rides again!”

1984

10 Erin O’Neill Argueta, Amy Benusis, Tishie Anderson, Astrid Kleinbeck Peters, Lynne Davis Adeyemi, Eden Wright and Keiley Gaston Fuller got together in July 2022. Lynne writes, “What a blessing it was to reconnect and catch up with each and every one of these incredible women! Our lives converged at NCCS over 40+ years ago and it’s amazing that we’ve stayed in touch after all this time. Hope to see more classmates from the class of ’84 in the near future!”