Sweet Briar Alumnae Magazine | Vol. 84, No. 2 | Winter 2013 by Sweet Briar College

MAGAZINE VOLUME 84 NO.2

Dear

Friends:

ne of the things I frequently say (especially when talking about why we’re so eager to grow enrollment) is that the world would clearly be a better place if there were more Sweet Briar women in it!

It’s a lighthearted remark, certainly, but there’s truth in it. This issue of the magazine will illustrate just a few of the ways Sweet Briar women are making the world a better place. You’ll read about how we’re engaging first-year students in grappling with women’s issues in a global context through interviews with professors Deborah Durham and Padmini Coopamah. You’ll see how their students, along with others in this year’s y:1 program, are participating on Sweet Briar’s Kiva team, making microloans to support the entrepreneurial efforts and aspirations of women in many nations. You’ll learn about the Leadership Certificate Program, in which students acquire the skills they need to translate intellectual understandings into committed actions. And you’ll share in the excitement generated by Dr. Tererai Trent’s visit to campus. Her story both enthralled and inspired the students who filled Memorial Chapel to hear her. You’ll read about ways alumnae are putting their Sweet Briar educations to work to improve the lot of women in many, many ways. Nicole File ’95 reminds us, for example, that enslavement is still a tragic reality for women, and Victoria Bradley Gentry ’12 tells about her work seeking justice for victims of sexual abuse in Guatemala. It’s always a great pleasure to watch the list of stories for the magazine take shape. Every issue is full of information about students, faculty and alumnae: every issue celebrates the achievements of Sweet Briar women. But this issue is, if possible, especially gratifying. Those of us lucky enough to be alumnae of women’s colleges know how that experience transforms the lives and futures of individual students. I have long believed, however, that the real value of women’s education extends far beyond its impact on the lucky individuals who benefit from it directly. It’s what educated women do for others — especially, perhaps, for other women and their children and families — that makes women’s education such a powerful force for development and justice in every corner of the world. For me, educating women means not only educating women students but also educating students FOR women’s empowerment and well-being worldwide. Enjoy this issue! And best wishes for the coming holiday season. Sincerely,

Jo Ellen Parker, President

SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE MAGAZINE POLICY The magazine aims to present interesting, thought-provoking material. Publication of material does not indicate endorsement of the author’s viewpoint by the magazine or College. The Sweet Briar College Magazine reserves the right to edit and, when necessary, revise all material that it accepts for publication. Contact us anytime. MAGAZINE STAFF Christy Jackson, director of media, marketing and communications Jennifer McManamay, editor/writer Janika Carey, editor/writer Meridith De Avila Khan, photographer Charlotte Rives Barbour ’16, student photographer Sarah Lindemann ’13, student photographer Catherine Bost, designer

ON THE COVER: Linocut on Japanese Unryu paper by 2013 graduates Sally Toms and Kaitlyn Aki Holloway

Contact information Office of Media, Marketing and Communications PO Box 1056, Sweet Briar, VA 24595 (434) 381-6262 mmc@sbc.edu SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Paul G. Rice, chair Please see sbc.edu/about/board-directors for the full Executive Committee and board members. SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE ALUMNAE Board Sandra Taylor ’74, president Please see sbc.edu/alumdev/current-board for the full board.

Find Sweet Briar online

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Visit sbc.edu/magazine for bonus content.

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Contents Sweet Briar Magazine | Winter 2013

Features

14-19

Making Leaders LCP’s formula for success

20-23

Education for All One woman’s journey and her unwavering dream

24-29

Two Takes on ‘Half the Sky’ Y:1 seminars examine the “Girl Effect”

30-31

Crime and Justice in Guatemala Excerpts from Victoria Bradley Gentry’s journal

32-35

Fighting Modern Slavery CNN editor’s call to action

Departments 2-13

Bonus Content Visit sbc.edu/magazine for an audio slideshow of the Outdoor Program’s fall hike to Mount Rogers.

On the Quad JYF’s 65th, Byrd Trip, Fringe Actors, Blue Ridge Haze, Girls With Grit, Brown-belt President, Making Waves, SBC Martians, Professor’s Good Deed, Diversity Talks

36-39

Because of You A Chaplain’s House Makeover, Faces of Giving

40-80

Class Notes & Alumnae News Cover Art, Ode to Nancy B., Distinguished Alumna

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JYF Marks 65 Years at Sweet Briar Junior Year in France marked its 65th year at Sweet Briar this fall, and remains the longestrunning U.S. collegiate study abroad program in Paris. There were 67 co-eds in the first group to study in France in the fall of 1948. The University of Delaware operated JYF from 1923 to 1939. It suspended the program in 1939, when a group of 42 students had to return from Paris in September due to the outbreak of World War II, according to a history of the program written for Sweet Briar by C. Robert Pace of Syracuse University in 1959. Delaware resumed its Junior Year when the war ended, sending groups to Geneva instead, but ceased after 1947-1948. Pace’s history corroborates many recollections of Emile Langlois, who served as Sweet Briar’s JYF director from 1984 to 2000. Langlois reports that a Sweet Briar professor of French, Joseph Barker, who’d been a resident director for Delaware in 1934-1935, urged then-president Martha Lucas Pate to take the program. The transfer occurred in January 1948 after the Institute for International Education gave its approval. Langlois says that other colleges questioned first, if a Sweet Briar program could accept men and second, if it could accept black students, since its charter, drawn

in accordance with Virginia law at the time, stated that the College was for whites only. “To solve this problem, the Junior Year in France became part, not of the College, but of the newly created Sweet Briar Institute (which also included the College),” Langlois wrote in an email. Pace writes that the JYF program was a pioneering study-abroad model that others emulated. By 1958, the Institute for International Education reported that 110 colleges had initiated organized programs for study abroad. It was significant, he says, because “the Delaware-Sweet Briar program recognized from the beginning … that a United States undergraduate could not easily find in a foreign university an academic experience which would be accepted by his home institution.” Today, the College also offers Junior Year in Nice, established in 2010 by JYF director Margaret Scouten, along with numerous options in other countries. Every student is encouraged to study abroad, whether through one of Sweet Briar’s programs or through another school. Scouten will retire in July after serving as JYF director since July 2000. She was previously the founding director of the College’s Office of International Studies, established in 1990, and began teaching French at Sweet Briar in 1983. In October, Mary Jane Cowles was appointed the new interim director of JYF, beginning July 1, 2014. Cowles is a professor of French at Kenyon College. She is a JYF alumna and has been a member of the JYF Advisory Board Committee for more than 15 years. She directed the Paris program as resident director in 2004-2005.

Junior Year in

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France Class of

1948

Experiencing Film History Students in Honors 270 — “Strangely Familiar: The Uncanny in Literature and Film” — visited the historic Byrd Theatre in Richmond with instructors Marcia Robertson and Bradley Reichek in October. In addition to hearing the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ firsthand, they watched part of the 1927 silent classic “Safety Last” and peeked inside the theater’s projection room, which houses 85 years’ worth of film projectors. In class, students explored Freud’s definition of the “uncanny” through literature and film and created three short films inspired by various genres.

SBC Actors Show ‘Chops’ at UK Festival Members of the Sweet Briar Theatre traveled to Scotland in August to perform in the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Led by theater director Bill Kershner, the troupe staged “Chops,” an original play by Kirin McCrory. Among the actors were Sweet Briar students and recent alumnae, including Molly Harper ’13, Tiffany Marr ’11, Charlotte Hopkins ’15, Annabel Wallace ’15, Sarah Capen ’15, Jesse Schaaf ’15 and Catherine Ramos ’13, with Julia Cameron ’14 and Jackie Merritt ’11 backstage. “Chops” was part of Fringe’s International Collegiate Theatre Festival and one of more than 850 theater acts overall. The festival also included children’s shows, comedy, cabaret, dance, opera and musical theater. Established in 1947, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is one of the largest arts festivals in the world. More information is at www.edfringe.com.

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$100,000 Grant to Help See Through Haze

Students in assistant professor of environmental science Tom O’Halloran’s Advanced Lab are helping him to implement a $100,000 grant from the Thomas F. and Kate Miller Jeffress Memorial Trust to study the iconic haze that gives the Blue Ridge Mountains their name. He is trying to determine what controls the formation of the haze, and whether it affects cloud properties or regional climate. Some of the grant money is slated to purchase air quality sensors to detect atmospheric aerosols — tiny liquid or solid particles suspended in the gases that make up air. While initial plans called for installing the equipment on the College’s existing weather tower, O’Halloran anticipates approval to use funds from a Cargill Foundation grant to erect a new 120-foot tower and climate-controlled laboratory shed in a loblolly pine plantation on campus. The taller tower will raise the sensors above the canopy, where they’ll be optimally situated to measure the interaction of gasses emitted by the forest and local and upwind sources of air pollution. Data collection will occur in the spring and summer of 2014 with help from a student researcher funded through the Jeffress grant. O’Halloran envisions at least one student working continuously on the project for the next year. This semester, senior environmental science majors Heather Yepez, Megan Link and Maria Cuevas are doing preliminary research and planning for the proposed experimental station for lab credits. They presented a poster on their work at the 15th annual MARCUS Conference in October.

A Lively Exchange for Undergraduate Scholarship The Honors Program hosted its 15th annual MidAtlantic Regional Conference of Undergraduate Scholarship in October. About 90 students from more than 15 colleges and universities presented research from disciplines across the liberal arts spectrum. Sweet Briar projects ranged from those of chemistry students Kaitie Cartwright ’14 and Katlyn Fleming ’14, who are conducting separate investigations into novel cancer treatments, to sophomore Jessica Barry’s (left) examination of Latin epigraphy to learn about the everyday lives of first-century Romans in Ephesus, Turkey.

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MARCUS is an opportunity for regional college and university students to engage in lively inquiry in which they are the experts, presenting to an audience of their peers.

Resolution

the llege Board of Directors and meeting, the Sweet Briar Co ber vem No its at , es. ago rac rs all yea WHEREAS, 50 admit qualified women of to pursue the legal right to Board of Overseers resolved ed at that time were: WHEREAS, those who serv Board of Overseers an J. Wilson Newman, Chairm Board of Directors ry irman J. Wilson Newman, J.D., Cha e-Chair man & Secretary Vic ., M.E n, yjoh Pett C. Raine . A.B wn, Bro Sara Shallenberger c. D.S ., M.D on, Gui M. nie Con Adrian M. Massie, B.A. Buford Scott Lawson W. Tur ner

Executive Committee

Mr. Scott Mrs. Brown Mr. Pettyjohn Mr. Tur ner fficio, President of the College Anne Pannell, D.Phil., ex-o A.B., ex-officio, President of , Juliet Halliburton Bur nett ociation the Sweet Briar Alumnae Ass

hair man & Secreta C. Raine Pettyjohn, Vice-C B.S. an, Bry Wright John J. Corson, Ph.D. Hugh K. Duffield, A.B. . Gladys Wester Horton, A.B B. J. H. Tyler McConnell, LL. B. Charles H. Murchison, LL. LL.B. Ellen Snodgrass Park, A.B., .A. B.B , thro Pro N. rles Cha Walter S. Robertson, LL.D. A.B. Elizabeth Pinkerton Scott, . B.A on, Tys C. Robert B.S. Edward Thompson Wailes, . B.A Jr., , lker Wa B. ham Gor tson, D.D. The Rt. Rev. Richard S. Wa Nida Tomlin Watts, A.B.

Whereas, 50 Years Ago … On Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013, the Sweet Briar College Board of Directors unanimously passed a resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of the College’s decision to pursue the legal right to admit qualified women regardless of race.

and rate their courage, wisdom, cessors, proudly commemo suc ir the we, , ers. sary lead iver and ann s ard WHEREAS, on this . They were wor thy stew et Briar’s educational mission staunch commitment to Swe diversity le, we celebrate the growing on, inspired by their examp acti ir ess for all the r acc afte and rs on yea lusi 50 inc S, g WHEREA leadership to securin our cate edi re-d we faculty and and y f opportunity in staf of Sweet Briar’s student bod ment to diversity and equal mit com our m ffir re-a We qualified students. practices. hiring and in all employment Sweet Briar on the path to or those Directors who set hon we t tha lved began. reso it be THEREFORE, k that they so courageously ment to advancing the wor mit com our rm affi and integration

Mr. Paul G. Rice

Chair, Board of Directors

Jo Ellen Parker

President of the College

November 9, 2013

Museum Seeks Civil Rights Artifacts The Sweet Briar Museum is seeking artifacts related to the College’s engagement and response to the civil rights movement for a special exhibit, “Simply Justice and Fair Play: Sweet Briar’s Engagement with Civil Rights in the 1960s,” that will debut in May 2014.

President Jo Ellen Parker, board chair Paul G. Rice and the Sweet Briar College Board of Directors

Items from any decade will be considered for the exhibit. Contributions can be received as permanent donations or returned after the exhibit closes. For more information, contact Karol Lawson at (434) 381-6248 or klawson@sbc.edu. sbc.edu | Sweet Briar Magazine

President Parker’s Contract Extended The Sweet Briar College Board of Directors has extended President Jo Ellen Parker’s contract through June 30, 2019. “Throughout her first term, Jo Ellen demonstrated insightful and highly effective leadership across a wide variety of initiatives for Sweet Briar,” said Paul Rice, chairman of the board. “Her open and collaborative style, deep understanding of liberal arts education and commitment to forward-looking, innovative methods and practices will serve the College well. It is an important time for American colleges to have talented and bold leadership.” Parker became Sweet Briar’s 10th president in July 2009. Under her leadership, the College developed “A Plan for Sustainable Excellence” and has made

A Brown Belt and a Good Cause The fencing room of an on-campus athletic center might not be where you would expect to see a college president, but that is precisely where you will find President Jo Ellen Parker at 5:30 p.m. every Monday and Thursday as she leads her weekly Nia classes. Developed in 1983, Nia is a movement practice that draws from three traditions: martial arts, dance arts and healing arts. Parker began the practice eight years ago and, when she qualified as an instructor in 2011, began teaching classes at Sweet Briar to promote health and wellness on campus. This year, Parker is asking her students to move not only for their health, but for others around the globe. She and other 6

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significant progress in key strategic initiatives since its adoption in 2011. More than $5 million has already been raised in support of the strategic plan, according to Heidi Hansen McCrory, vice president for development. The funding has supported additional scholarships for students, the renovation of 15 classrooms, and the creation of the Fund for Educational Excellence and Innovation to enhance instruction and curriculum. In addition, a multi-million dollar renovation of Mary Helen Cochran Library is under way, with the first phase completed this fall.

Nia instructors have joined the One Billion Rising for Justice campaign that encourages individuals worldwide to “rise and dance” to demand an end to violence against women and girls. Parker has pledged to lead a special routine in her class at least once a month that encourages those in attendance, primarily women, to take control of their bodies and find power through their movement. “I truly, profoundly believe in the mind-body connection,” Parker said. “Building flexibility, strength and agility in your body builds the same awareness in your mind.” Parker remains dedicated to her avocation, receiving her brown belt over the summer after a six-day session that included 12 hours of physical instruction and exercise each day. Though she didn’t need it to teach her classes, Parker said it was a personal endeavor that signified her commitment to moving forward in the practice. Her next goal? A black belt next summer.

Wanted: G R I T

Women with

ravitas

During Parker’s tenure, the campus also has seen growth in the diversity of its student body. When she arrived in 2009, 11 percent of the first-year class identified themselves as members of underrepresented races or ethnicities. In 2012, the number was 29 percent. Numbers of first-generation college attenders and students eligible for Pell Grant support have grown similarly.

esilience ntent enacity

While preparing her speech for this year’s Opening Convocation, Dean of the Faculty Amy Jessen-Marshall found herself contemplating what it means to educate women at Sweet Briar College in the 21st century. Below is an edited excerpt from her remarks. What experiences should a Sweet Briar woman graduate with that make her uniquely qualified to go out in the world? Why is this particular educational experience so valuable?

“In the past four years, the faculty, staff, alumnae and board have together established exciting momentum,” Parker said. “Sweet Briar is taking great strides toward defining women’s education for today’s students; it’s wonderful to be part of that journey.”

We talk about how our environment allows women to find their voices, develop confidence, practice leadership, and to grow, explore and succeed. As I’ve talked with my colleagues, we’ve joked that what we want is to develop young women who have grit.

Looking forward, Parker plans to further advance Sweet Briar’s strategic initiatives through campuswide curriculum development. Exploring collaborative relationships with neighboring institutions is another priority.

We want you, as young women going out into this world, to not just be confident, not just be articulate, not just be leaders, but to be women who have the strength of character to be tenacious in the face of adversity … and never give up when faced with a challenge.

“Sweet Briar offers outstanding opportunities for young women from all walks of life,” Parker said. “Our strategic plan emphasizes the currency and sophistication of education in the liberal arts. In coming years, the campus will become an even more dynamic and rewarding place to study and prepare for life after college.” Prior to coming to Sweet Briar, Parker served as executive director of the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education and as president of the Great Lakes Colleges Association. She also has served as a faculty member and administrator at her alma mater, Bryn Mawr College, and taught in the English department of Swarthmore College. Parker earned her A.B. in English from Bryn Mawr, her M.A. in English from the University of Kansas and her Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Pennsylvania, writing her dissertation on George Eliot.

All of the support systems we put in place to help you be successful? Those are important, because we expect that if we are really challenging you, you might actually fail. But you learn a lot by being tested to your limits. I’m not talking about failing because you spent too much time puffy-painting and never opened your textbooks. I’m talking about failing because you were challenged to the limit of your skills and knowledge, and in order not to fail, you had to rise up and find the strength to say, “No way! This isn’t going to happen to me!” You find resources, and you ask for help. You learn a new skill, a new way of looking at a problem, a new source for information, a new form of persuasion or exposition, and you pass. And you not only pass, but you excel. That is grit. And it’s what I want for each of you. This is my challenge: Find this within yourself. Be here at Sweet Briar because you have expectations about how this College, this community of teachers and learners, this gritty, tenacious, resilient group can help you succeed.

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Pool Shark Just two months into her first semester, megan Monahan ’17 is making waves at Sweet Briar. She was named ODAC Honorable Mention Swimmer of the Week three times this fall and earned the title of October Vixen of the Month, following five record-breaking performances. After breaking the 200-yard backstroke school record at her first swim meet, Monahan set three more school records during Homecoming and Families Weekend in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference meet, leading Sweet Briar to a win over Greensboro College. Another record followed a week later. “I was not expecting to swim that fast, but it was a nice surprise,” she said. “I could not have done it without the support from the swim team and the wonderful coaches.”

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Alien Invasion The Performing Arts Division Recently combined its many talents to mark the 75th anniversary of a remarkable event in the history of broadcast radio. With stage direction by theater department chair Bill Kershner, students, faculty and staff performed a dramatic reading of “The War of the Worlds,” Orson Welles’ 1938 radio adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel by the same name. Welles’ original program was so convincing that listeners who tuned in too late for the opening credits thought they were hearing actual news reports of Martians attacking the United States. Widespread panic ensued. To heighten the drama, the readers were joined on the Murchison Lane Auditorium stage by the entire Sweet Briar Orchestra directed by Jeff Jones. Jones composed a 26-movement piece for the production, in addition to arranging several period pieces.

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In 2011, then engineering students Sarah Lightbody and Kellner Pruett and their professor Scott Pierce resolved to find functional, properly fitted prosthetic arms for Newton Milton, a man who had lost all of his limbs after he was electrocuted while working construction nine years earlier. They met Milton during a biennial “Tech and Society” field trip to deliver assistive devices that students in the class had designed for patients at an occupational therapy clinic in Ilhéus, Brazil. Fitting prosthetic limbs is always difficult, let alone when the patient is in a Portuguese-speaking country 4,500 miles away. Fortunately, Pierce and his students got a lot of help from Mary Grant and the University of Virginia Health System prosthetics clinic. Although Lightbody and Pruett graduated in 2012, Pierce has persisted. It’s taken time, but he now has the molds Grant needs to fabricate fitted sockets, and she has agreed to assemble the limbs for free. He also has people lined up to deliver them to Brazil in June 2014. He is trying to raise $2,500 to purchase the parts by late January, so Grant can meet the delivery schedule. Why is he doing it? “It was really inspiring how he’s accepted what’s happened to him, that it’s out of his control and he is happy to be alive every day,” Pierce says. “He was so nice to us and so inspiring about how you should face adversity in your life. And so we just decided we’re going to do something to help this guy.”

Scan for the full story and ways to help. 10

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I am Sweet Briar

Mr. Milton’s Arms

For the past three years, a group of Sweet Briar students have bared their souls in front of complete strangers — all in the name of community for the incoming class. Originally named the “Diversity Monologues” and launched by the Office of Co-curricular Life, the performance takes place during spring and fall Orientation and is largely student-driven. The young women are not coached on what to write, and leaders of the program encourage honesty. Above all, it’s the individual story that matters. The authenticity of the pieces is exactly what students have come to love about the program: It’s unflinching and funny, sometimes weird, but always big-hearted. This year, the program collaborated with the spiritual life office and gained a new name: “I am Sweet Briar.” Following the performances this fall, Chaplain Dori Baker led a discussion about the stories students shared. The response was powerful: First-years

stood up and started telling their own stories, sharing their fears of being different or of not being unique at all. Most of all, they repeated how they had heard parts of their own narratives reflected on stage and had found unexpected sisterhood. “I gained freedom,” said one participant. “It’s a great feeling to know that my story makes other girls feel secure here at Sweet Briar.” Returning students, who often come back to hear the new monologues, say the success of the program extends far beyond the night of the performance: It breaks down barriers and helps the young women shed assumptions about their new classmates. College photographer Meridith De Avila Khan caught up with several “I am Sweet Briar” contributors after the fall program and asked them to talk about their experiences on camera. To see the video, visit sbc.edu/magazine.

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Phase I of the library addition was completed this fall. The light-filled space, pictured here from Fletcher Hall, houses a hightech classroom and study and snack areas for students, as well as new offices for library staff.

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Learning Lead to

or Ashley Federico ’16,

constantly being pushed is what she likes best about Sweet Briar’s Leadership

Certificate Program. Sometimes it’s her peers doing the nudging, but often it’s LCP director Joan Lucy.

Story by Jennifer McManamay | Illustration by Megan Wells sbc.edu | Sweet Briar Magazine

from Milford, N.H. “That’s what made me decide to join.” Now, she speaks up, especially on the soccer field, and others look to her for guidance. Last spring, Coach Kevin Fabulich asked her to represent the team on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Joan Lucy, LCP director

“I do harp on them,” Lucy says. “I tell them the whole College is here to support them. This is the best of all possible places to step out of your comfort zone. I tell them if you never fail, you’re not trying hard enough.” Sweet Briar’s Leadership Certificate is earned over three years through academic and experiential learning focusing on the theories and models of leadership, personal development and organizational theories. Its mission is to prepare women to become influential members of a world community and to lead with integrity. The first 22 students completed the certificate in 2008. Forty-four more have followed and 77 are in the pipeline — more than 10 percent of the College’s student body — including 34 in the first of three twosemester phases. Historically, of those who stay through the first year, 95 percent finish. Although many students progress as a cohort, the format allows time for study abroad or other pursuits. It also gives first-years a chance to adjust to the rigors of college before committing to the program. It is a commitment, but students and alumnae say the dividends are real. In high school, Federico wanted to be captain of her soccer team. She wanted to lead in the classroom. Trouble was, her teammates, coaches and teachers didn’t perceive her that way. “I wanted to see what it took to be seen as [a leader],” says Federico, an engineering science major

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“As a freshman and now a sophomore, it is a big deal to me as it means my coach and peers are seeing me as I want them to see me,” Federico says.

A new discipline Studying leadership as opposed to leaders — a worthwhile distinction perhaps best argued by the acknowledged architect of “leadership studies,” James MacGregor Burns — is relatively new in academia. Hundreds of undergraduate programs have sprung up over the past 20 years, even as debate continues about whether and how leadership development should be taught on college campuses. Some programs treat leadership studies as an academic discipline, offering courses taught by faculty from across the liberal arts spectrum. They may result in a minor or certificate; several now offer degrees. The other approach emphasizes skills development and training, often offered as co-curricular or residential life workshops that students can take individually or in series. “Every program has to find its particular niche and fulfill it. You have to find what rings the bell,” says Georgia Sorenson, visiting professor of leadership at the University of Maryland’s law school. Sorenson founded the James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership and was a visiting scholar at the University of Richmond’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies. To some degree, she says, student expectations drive programming, as they should. “They are the customers. When Jepson started, we focused on the science of leadership, but students came in expecting to learn to be leaders. Programs need

components of both, but I think stronger ones are academic.” What’s great about the field, Sorenson says, is that it crosses disciplines. “There is no discipline that can’t include leadership studies and be enriched by it.”

Ringing the bell Sweet Briar’s LCP, launched in 2005 as a co-curricular life elective, doesn’t fit neatly into one or the other mold, but aims to capture the best of both. “Not too many [co-curricular models] have a structured, developmental one-, two-, three-year program like we do,” Lucy says. “It was in place in 2006 when I stepped in. Now, we could have changed it over time, but we want it to be progressive, of substance.”

with each group every other week. Readings might be articles or selections from books such as “The Leadership Challenge” by James Kouzes and Barry Posner, and Marie Wilson’s “Closing the Leadership Gap: Why Women Can and Must Help Run the World.” “We ask them to make connections between what they’re studying in the classroom and what we’re talking about, and to learn by going out and actually ‘doing’ leadership,” Lucy says. “In each stage, we’re getting them to assume a leadership role or take on a project, to go out into the

Professor of Spanish Pam DeWeese, who directed LCP the first year and led its founding committee, says they studied models that stressed collaboration between the two sides of campus life. “We adapted what we thought would work at Sweet Briar, where Motivational speaker Stan Pearson II, “The S.A.L.S.A. Guy,” was a big hit with we did not have academic courses attendees at the 2013 Leadership Conference for undergraduates students. Pearson that ‘taught’ leadership,” she says. “But specializes in engaging young audiences on topics such as diversity and leadership. many existing courses had components that included learning about or implementing leadership world beyond Sweet Briar and practice the things we’re skills.” talking about, preparing them for the world beyond In addition to meeting experiential requirements, college. There’s no way to fully simulate real-world LCP candidates took a minimum of courses from an experience, but we’re trying our best to get them the approved list. Today, the onus is on students to identify things we think will serve them well beyond college.” and document through reflective writing at least 12 Aha moments credit hours of coursework that apply to their leadership Activities progress from focusing on time management, studies. public speaking and other practical skills in the first Lucy ensures they’re equipped to do that through year to planning and executing large projects such as the assigned readings and discussions when she meets

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College’s annual Leadership Conference in the second and third. Phase II and III students also collaborate on semester- and yearlong community service projects that must include a benefit to the receiving organization that persists beyond their participation — developing a marketing plan for a local nonprofit, for example.

“Students are in my doorway all the

Throughout, there are a number of personal assessments, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator for first-years and 360-degree inventories in the third. There is a lot of introspection, then focus on the group, then the broader community.

comes together.”

“One of our big tenets is that leadership is not positional, it is relational,” Lucy says. “Another is that it can be learned, [although] I use the caveat that leadership skills can be learned. I also try to emphasize that good leadership is not about yourself, it’s about the vision, the goals, and the people you lead. ‘A leader gives the credit, takes the blame.’ I didn’t make that up, but I use it.” She savors the moments when students make the connections the program is designed to elicit — for example, when they get that leading is more than managing, that at its best it transforms people and organizations for the better. She sees it in the essays they write or, better yet, an impromptu conversation. “They’re in my doorway all the time talking about their experiences, their successes and their failures, and I love it,” Lucy says. “I feel like that’s where a lot of it happens and comes together.”

Paying dividends LCP alumnae say they benefit from the program in a number of ways. Anne Lojek McQueen ’08 studied biology and government. She earned a master’s and went to work for the government writing technical policy and doing exercise planning. The skills she learned — including advice from guest speakers — helped her negotiate her

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time talking about their experiences, their successes and their failures, and I love it. I feel like that’s where a lot of it — Joan Lucy

starting salary and get the promotion she asked for after a year of employment. A few students seek leadership credentials because it looks good on a resume, and employers say it can be a plus. “Leadership training adds value if the reviewer can evaluate the program to know whether it fits in the work environment,” says Fred Armstrong, CEO and chairman of the Lynchburg architectural and engineering firm Wiley|Wilson. Details will come out in an interview, but he thinks applicants should include basic information about the training when they apply. “It’s much more helpful to know that it’s a comprehensive three-year program, that [they] developed certain skills, etcetera,” he says, adding that he also considers the initiative and drive students demonstrate by completing a substantive program. Melaina Macone believes her promotion last February had a lot to do with LCP. A biochemistry and molecular biology major, she never took a business class, and things like group dynamics and personality types weren’t covered in her science classes — things she has discovered are “pertinent in the real world, especially in manufacturing and production.” Since graduating in 2011, Macone had worked as a group manager in production at the AnheuserBusch Williamsburg Brewery. Now she is the brewery’s

management systems specialist responsible for coordinating more than 500 personnel to implement a plant-wide operations system. She says she sought the job because of her LCP experience. “I learned that I was good at motivating people and bringing out the best in them and it helped me identify roles where I could make an impact,” she says. Macone is also enrolled in William & Mary’s MBA program, where the material in her organizational behavior class sounds awfully familiar. “I’m very thankful that we had the LCP.”

Phase II and III leadership students begin the academic year with a retreat at the Boathouse. Activities include guest speakers and Q&A sessions.

Joan Lucy leads a discussion with LCP students.

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Dreams Unearthed Some called it a magical evening. But it wasn’t just the speech, or the glow of the October sunset that filled Memorial Chapel. After sharing her life story with an enthralled audience, Tererai Trent, who had spoken at a United Nations summit just days before, mingled with students, faculty and staff at an intimate reception in Pannell Gallery. She answered questions, shared laughs, and hugged and took pictures with everyone around her. “I love her! I want to be her when I grow up,” said Jordyn Elliott ’17, one of 10 students invited to attend a special dinner with Trent and President Parker before the lecture at Sweet Briar House. Trent was visiting Sweet Briar as the College’s annual Common Reading speaker. Her story is featured in the book selected for the 2013-2014 program, “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.” Designed to spark discussion across the disciplines between students, faculty and staff, the Common Reading book is part of the College’s selective firstyear program y:1 and is read in each of the five y:1 classes. This year, it also accompanied Sweet Briar’s first participation in the microlending program Kiva, with first-year honors and y:1 students making loans to small entrepreneurs in developing countries. Trent was impressed with the students.

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Tererai Trent shares a laugh with y:1 students and y:1 director Cathy Gutierrez on the way to her lecture.

“They are so bright, it is mind-blowing,” she said after the dinner, referring to the first-years’ grasp of global issues. She brought it up again in her speech.

the time she was done, there were no secrets left — everyone in the village knew exactly what her husband had written.

“I realized tonight that these young women are going to be the champions of our world,” Trent announced, adding that speaking at a women’s college was a rare, but welcome opportunity to share her story.

Trent promised herself then that she would read her own letters.

Religion professor and y:1 director Cathy Gutierrez introduced Trent, poignantly summing up the central theme of the book. “A single moment of intervention can be transformative,” Gutierrez said. “It all starts with the education of women.” Trent’s story of transformation began in the early 1990s, when Heifer International came to her village in Zimbabwe. In the aftermath of its successful fight for independence, Zimbabwe was inundated with American and European aid organizations. Heifer’s president, Jo Luck, asked Trent a simple question: “What are your dreams?” A cattle-herder and young mother of three, Trent had never really thought about what she wanted in life at all. But she knew what she didn’t want. Growing up, she had witnessed what illiteracy did to the women in her village. Her aunt, having received a letter from her husband, would have to find someone who could read it to her. Not trusting just one person, she’d ask three different men to read the letter. By

But it wasn’t common for girls to go to school, so Trent taught herself to read and write by secretly doing her brother’s homework. Eventually, after begging her father, she attended school for less than a year. It all stopped when she was married at 11, to a husband who beat her every time she picked up a book. “I wanted to be able to read, to be able to define who I am,” she says today. “I was hungry for a meaningful life.” So when Luck asked about her dreams, something clicked. Trent knew that what she wanted more than anything was to get an education. Other women were wishing for enough food or for their children to be educated. “If I go to school, I can educate my own kids,” she told them. Her mother supported her. “If you believe in this dream, you are not only going to define yourself, but every life that comes out of your womb,” she said. There is a Zimbabwean tradition in which mothers bury their babies’ umbilical cords near the family hut

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Children enjoy Matau Primary School after the renovation. Trent’s organization and Save the Children built new classrooms, teachers’ houses, a preschool, a playground and new latrines and hand-washing stations. Photo by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/Save the Children.

to remind them of their birthplace. Trent’s mother suggested she do the same with her dreams. On a scrap of paper, Trent scribbled “Go to America,” “Get a bachelor’s degree,” “Get a master’s degree” and “Get a Ph.D.” But her mother wouldn’t let her stop there. “Your dreams will have greater meaning if you include others,” she said. Today, Trent knows what her mother meant. “She told me that I could break the cycle,” she says. So she added a fifth goal — she would come back to Zimbabwe and help other women fulfill their own dreams. Then she stuck her list in a tin can and buried it under a rock outside her village. By 1998, Trent had completed her GED and was admitted to Oklahoma State University. Her job as a community organizer for Heifer International, combined with a favorable exchange rate, provided enough money to buy airfare for her entire family. Fueled by the promise of a better future, they set off for America. At the other end of the world, life wasn’t as glamorous as expected. Between rent, tuition, bills and groceries, it was much more complicated than life in

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Zimbabwe. But Trent persevered. Raising five kids, working three jobs and eating expired food from a Walmart trashcan, she managed to earn a bachelor’s, and later a master’s degree in epidemiology. Every time she reached a new goal, Trent returned home, dug up her can and checked it off her list. In 2009, she received her Ph.D. in interdisciplinary evaluation from Western Michigan University. Since then, Trent has spoken to audiences around the world. Spending most of her time away from her home in Salinas, Calif., she travels extensively to advocate AIDS research and women’s education in developing countries, especially in Africa. Often, the two issues overlap, Trent noted in her speech, saying that U.N. reports have found a striking correlation between illiteracy and the rate of HIVinfected women and girls. Similarly, she added, women’s education is imperative in combating overpopulation, a growing problem in many developing countries. In the end, the solution is simple, Trent says. “The world will be a better place if we educate more women.” But as recent U.N. reports have shown, reality isn’t cooperating — not just when it comes to the education

of girls, but of all children. In 2000, the U.N. set eight Millennium Development Goals — one of them was to have every child in school by 2015. Thirteen years later, the number of elementary school-age children getting an education has instead dropped significantly, with 57 million not in school at all as of September 2013. Trent is doing what she can to change that number. In addition to speaking on the issue of education, she has devoted a big part of her life to improving conditions on the ground for children in Zimbabwe. But she couldn’t have done it alone, she says. A phone call from Oprah Winfrey in 2009 — “the most important phone call of my life” — helped Trent to keep her promise of giving back. That year, Oprah’s team traveled to Zimbabwe with Trent to document her story, and in 2011, Oprah crowned Trent her “alltime favorite guest,” donating $1.5 million to Trent’s organization Tinogona to help rebuild Matau Primary School in her home village. Today, the project is complete, and Trent is building eight more schools in Zimbabwe. “As long as I’m alive, I will do more,” she promised, her eyes sparkling with determination. There wasn’t a speck of doubt in anyone’s mind. As Trent wrapped up her story, images of her most painful memories seemed to fade away. In the end, there was optimism, and the contagious urge to follow one’s dreams — however big or small they might be. It’s exactly what Trent intended. Instead of dwelling on the dark moments in her past, she wants people to focus on the positives — what she has accomplished, and what is yet to come. “This is a story of hope,” she said. “I’m not a victim, but I’m part of the solution. … I’m the master of my own future. … I’ll never keep silent, because I believe in the power of education and I believe in the power of women.”

Actions and Words The 2013-2014 Common Reading, “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide,” has sparked not only discussion and self-reflection on campus, but also action. A $2,000 grant from President Jo Ellen Parker to the Honors Program is helping first-year honors and y:1 students make microloans to small entrepreneurs in developing countries through the online nonprofit Kiva. Kiva allows individuals to lend money to recipients around the world, with microloans starting at just $25. According to Kiva’s website, 99 percent of loans have been paid back to lenders, who can then decide to either reinvest the money or have it deposited into a PayPal account. Students in five y:1 classes and in the Honors Program each received $25 to be allotted to a loan recipient of their choice. While y:1 classes made their decisions collaboratively, with each class proposing two initial loans, honors students each researched and picked their own borrowers. Cathy Gutierrez, associate professor of religion and director of the y:1 program, sees tremendous educational value in this hands-on opportunity. “The students — and hopefully the College as a whole — will better understand the lives of women around the world, the challenges that they face, and how to be a part of changing those lives for the better,” she said. In both programs, ongoing presentations and ePortfolios are part of the deal. “We envision this as a yearlong self-reflection — wherein the student will describe her first impressions, her decision-making process, her values [and] her selfdiscoveries,” said Jill Granger, who directs the Honors Program. Students displayed their ePortfolios during a reception following Tererai Trent’s lecture in October, where they had the chance to meet the human rights activist one on one. Of the five y:1 classes, the two best presentations received funding for their loan recipient, and two students from each class were invited to have dinner with Trent and President Parker at Sweet Briar House.

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Anthropologist Questions

‘Girl Effect’ In “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide,” Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s central premise is that the economic empowerment of women around the world is the answer to overcoming abuse, oppression and poverty — the so-called “girl effect.” Professor Debbie Durham has researched and published on economic empowerment programs for youth in Botswana, studied aging and class in western Turkey, and conducted research on cultural identity, liberalism and democracy. From her anthropologist’s point of view, the authors get a lot of it wrong.

What are your reservations about Kristof and WuDunn’s book? This is a journalistic book, and while it meets its mandate to make us aware of human suffering, people reading it easily come away with the idea that girls are persecuted and devalued everywhere — or, possibly, every place outside the West. There are, of course, individual examples of horrific treatment of women — and men — everywhere. I am concerned, however, with the readiness with which my students believe that throwing acid in women’s faces is an acceptable practice, or selling a daughter, or leaving a wife untreated in a medical emergency, when they are not typical, and arouse great public outcry in their local settings. I want my students to know that not all girls around the world are living in situations where they are beaten and abused, and that poverty does not equal abuse and devaluation. I also think we should look critically at how the book is couched in a neoliberal ideology, which turns away

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Professor Debbie Durham reminds her students that girls everywhere enjoy happy childhoods.

from thinking about community responsibility and interdependency, to hold the individual responsible for his or her own conditions of living. Neoliberalism originally applied to political efforts in the 1980s and 1990s to reduce government; in places like Africa, it meant reducing government food supports, selling off public utilities to private investors, and opening up borders to international capital and free trade — often with devastating effects on local livelihoods and industry. This book talks about freeing women from abusive husbands or parents, and many development programs now try to free young people from family obligations, and women from demands of parents and in-laws. In neoliberal thought — an economic model of society — this is accomplished by giving people incomes, which enable them to be independent.

Why doesn’t that model work? When a woman is enabled to start a small business, she is rarely earning the means to independence. Small enterprises like this catch women and men in a small tug-of-war between protecting their investment against claims for

assistance from children, spouses, siblings, parents and friends, and the strong need to maintain those relationships against misfortunes and other needs, such as sickness, weeks without customers, or help paying for a child’s school uniform. In Botswana, a large number of households are headed by women. Those with incomes are often still quite poor and their children fare worse than households with more contributing adults. Those people who have networks of support are both cushioned and happier. Communities are a better means of support than an isolated small business, and governments should be encouraged and given the means to extend services such as health care, schooling and economic investment, instead of curtail it. Some development programs know this, and focus their efforts on communities, providing potable water or housing for local schoolteachers, for example. But [“Half the Sky”] steers readers away from that kind of thinking: It urges individuals in America to click on their iPhones to lend or give money to a distant person to enable her to flee an abusive husband, [or] an indifferent or hostile local community.

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Did your concerns about the book prompt you to develop your y:1 course,

“Global Girlhoods,” for this semester? Yes. I know from research and my own experiences in other countries that people find joy and meaning for themselves in just about every situation. Whether it is the overt sexuality of young girls in 1920s Samoa, anticipating a fine wedding gathering in Uganda, choir practices in a candle-lit rondavel, or the illicit delight in using a muezzin’s call to summon the goats, girls find pleasure and look forward to daily events. Most societies do have practices in which girls or women — and boys and men — feel degraded. I have an anthropological interest in understanding why people find these practices worth pursuing, why women who felt the degradation themselves then want to inflict it on others. Persistence of tradition is not a valid explanation; practices are undertaken in the present and framed by present meanings. So my interest as an anthropologist in these practices — female genital cutting for example, which some women find empowering — is less to decry them as not in line with my ideas of good and bad, but to understand them as they are thought good and bad options in their own context. The point of my class is to give the students a sense of how girls live in other cultures with other values, and not to see them as suffering because they’re different. Then we look at the ways in which globalization sets up new dilemmas for girls.

Is the “girl effect” model unfair to men? From the beginning, some scholars wondered whether its language echoed that of colonialism — where Africa was depicted as a continent of women and children bereft of its enslaved men, or else laboring to support men lounging at ease, waiting to be saved by white Europeans, and heroic British imperialists rescued South Asian women from South Asian men. University of Toronto graduate student Lauren Classen recently found in a remote and impoverished part of

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Malawi that the language penetrates the consciousness of local kids. Girls thought themselves inherently worthy of help, writing letters requesting aid because they were girls. Boys, on the other hand, went to some lengths to explain how responsible they were, how hard working. They knew that because they were boys, money given to them might end up wasted on drink, women and selfindulgence — an idea that they had internalized in their own self-assessments. The girl effect language says that money given to girls saves nations, because girls are mothers, whereas that given to boys is just given to his self-satisfaction, effectively erasing the majority of men who work hard to support their children and extended families. Across Africa, scholars have noted a “crisis of masculinity” arising not from the declining ability of men to abuse or neglect women, but from their inability to care for families that include women and children, parents, siblings and nieces and nephews — an inability that comes not from drinking their income or spending it frivolously, but from the difficulties in attaining sufficient income through their multiple enterprises. All that said, I do hope that people from the wealthier West continue to provide opportunity and assistance to people in the poorer parts of the world. I am a longtime donor to Heifer International, for example. Deeply impoverished governments and difficult living conditions pose considerable challenges to people even as they pursue those things that are valuable to them: access to health care and prophylactics; low-cost or free education supported by well-trained teachers; books and technology; access to food; and especially jobs in places where youth unemployment rates may exceed 70 percent — these are often the real context for the violence to which Kristof and WuDunn are witness.

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Political Power: A Woman’s Province

This fall, assistant professor of international affairs Padmini Coopamah is teaching a seminar called “Women and Power” for students in the y:1 first-year program. Developing a course on women and political leadership had long been on her to-do list. For one thing, Coopamah studies developing nations and has been following the rise of women in elected office all over the world. Then the College selected “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide” for the 20132014 Common Reading. She was one of several people to nominate it. “When it was chosen, I said, ‘This is the perfect time to offer this course’ because, with the rebranding of the College in the last couple years — we can change the world, women as leaders — it all really tied together,” she says.

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The book argues for the “girl effect,” the idea that empowering women with education, health care and, especially, economic means is the answer to the abuse and exploitation of women and alleviating poverty in underdeveloped regions. Coopamah knows it’s too simple an approach.

there are many ways to wield influence — and that they have a specific role to play as women. To which Susan Scanlan, Class of 1969, gives a hearty “holla, holla.” Scanlan is the co-founder of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues and president of its policy arm, the Women’s Research & Education Institute.

“I agree that we need to focus on girls and women, just because they have been neglected for so long, but we “Want to create a political activist?” she asks. cannot do that at the expense of focusing on men and the wider community,” “A lot of our discussions are about the stigma of women taking she says. “I think the girl effect is small on a very public role. There will never be more women in scale. … It’s only going to transform entire societies if it is being done in positions of political power until there is a society that is much conjunction with other programs.”

more supportive of women’s activities outside the home.”

“Half the Sky” argues that oppressing women holds developing societies down, but Coopamah points out that some women in these same societies are attaining positions of political power. It begs an essential question she wants her students to consider. “If we are saying that women who are in politics tend to champion the issues of women, why is it in some countries where women are rising to power, countless millions of women are still suffering, are still oppressed and are still struggling just to survive?” It is worthwhile to think about how to harness women’s social and economic value — and by extension their political clout — in a worldwide context. “I really wanted us to think about the role of women in general and how do we bring women together to do what they are best equipped to do — i.e. their ability to bring to the table policy issues that have traditionally been overlooked, their holistic and long-term view of how to deal with specific issue areas, and their cooperative and consensual leadership style,” Coopamah says. She also sees that while some students arrive at Sweet Briar eager to get into politics, most aren’t interested. Policy-making is too important not to engage in somehow, she says. She wants her students to understand

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— Padmini Coopamah

“Tell her the Supreme Court is one appointment away from banning birth control. Or that proposed cuts to Social Security mean her mother-in-law will have to come live in her basement. “The suffragists did not go to prison so their great-granddaughters could be apathetic about civic engagement. If ever there was a time to renew the fight for equality, it’s now, when the gains of the last forty years are under siege.” Scanlan also chairs the non-partisan National Council of Women’s Organizations, a coalition of diverse groups working for women’s equal participation in the economic, social and political life of the country and the world (and mentioned in “Half the Sky” for its advocacy for women worldwide). She’s made it her life’s work to ensure women are “sitting at the table and not on the menu at the feast of democracy in Washington.” And, yes, she says, there are many ways to get there, even if they arrive late. “Not just lawyers or political science majors, but [public health] and social workers and teachers who watch, firsthand, as lunatic laws and biased budgets passed by Congress have devastating impacts on their clients. Young women with ‘no interest in politics’

suddenly decide to swim upstream to figure out how bad policy gets made and to learn how to change it.” Coopamah’s class covered the women’s suffrage movement, not least as an example of how the simple act of voting is a form of political power. She also assigned Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” because it provides insight both into the choices women make in professional life and how they are influenced by socioeconomic status. “One thing that keeps coming up is that you really cannot dissociate the political from the social and the economic,” Coopamah says. “A lot of our discussions are about … the stigma of women taking on a very public role. There will never be more women in positions of political power until there is a society that is much more supportive of women’s activities outside the home.” Sandberg’s book highlights the question of whether there are now, instead of legal barriers, social and personal barriers to women ascending to positions of power, and prompts an examination of how women respond to them.

Y:1 student Kieran Cook says she’d already pondered some of these questions, having at one point considered a career in politics, and is neither surprised nor daunted by the questions the class has raised. “I have always had the mindset that I can do what I want, no matter my sex, and have never been told differently,” she says. She is surprised by the lack of progress since women gained the right to vote, and her eyes have been opened in other ways, too. “We have analyzed numerous things in society that stereotype men and women into specific gender roles that I never would have realized otherwise. I notice so many things now that I used to just overlook,” Cook says. “It seems like we have made leaps and bounds, but we really haven’t. We have so much further to go before there is truly equality, and it will always depend on who is measuring that equality.”

Selected readings Global Girlhoods:

Women and Power:

• Margaret Mead, “Coming of Age in Samoa”

• Lynne E. Ford, “Women and Politics: The Pursuit of Equality”

• Jennifer Cole, “Sex and Salvation: Imagining the Future in Madagascar”

• Mona Lena Krook and Sarah Childs, “Women, Gender and Politics: A Reader”

• Lauren Classen, “The Girl Effect and the Gendered Construction of Worthiness,” from her doctoral thesis • Chris Coulter, “Bush Wives and Girl Soldiers” • Vanessa Fong, “Only Hope: Coming of Age Under China’s One-Child Policy” • Anne Becker, “Television, Disordered Eating, and Young Women in Fiji: Negotiating Body Image and Identity During Rapid Social Change,” in Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry

• Ramirez et al., “The Changing Logic of Political Citizenship: Cross-National Acquisition of Women’s Suffrage Rights, 1890 to 1990,” in American Sociological Review • Dianne Bystrom, “Advertising, Web Sites, and Media Coverage: Gender and Communication along the Campaign Trail,” in “Gender and Elections” • Diana B. Carlin and Kelly L. Winfrey, “Have You Come a Long Way, Baby? Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Sexism in 2008 Campaign Coverage,” in Communication Studies

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Finding Justice in Guatemala Victoria Bradley Gentry ’12, a student at Belmont University College of Law in Nashville, spent her summer as a legal intern for International Justice Mission at its Guatemala field office. The Christian human rights organization rescues victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. Gentry transcribed and translated client testimonials and hearings, prepared court documents and attended trials. She even rescued and “rehomed” a victim directly, which led her on a two-day journey through Guatemala. She also kept a journal about her experiences, excerpted here.

June 24, 2013

Our team attended a trial for a serial rapist today. The defense blamed the incident on the minor provoking the perpetrator, citing her mini skirt as a factor. Selena Gomez’s “Come and Get It” played in the courthouse lobby. In the street a barefoot little girl juggled oranges for change. In moments like this the circle of impunity seems pear-shaped.

July 5, 2013

This week I have been reading reports released by a variety of organizations such as the Guatemalan government, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders and others. … These studies pull back the curtain on the relationships between literacy, nutrition, family dynamics and other socioeconomic factors in relation to the criminal justice system. These studies reveal that Guatemala is a very fertile country with high rates of malnourishment, poverty and illiteracy. Additionally, many people in this country are capable of working, but are underemployed, despite their ability and desire to work. These factors create an unusual “socioeconomic cocktail” for the criminal justice system. As a result, this leaves [many] people vulnerable to violent crimes, most of whom are impoverished and underemployed. Because the government has few economic resources due to the low annual income of citizens, along with a string of other factors, the courts

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are left struggling to protect their citizens. As a result, it is commonly accepted that impunity exists for two out of every three sex offenders involved in sexual crimes against children.

July 8, 2013

Part of my position includes translating and reporting the results of policy changes that the Guatemalan courts implemented as a result of the recent developments in prosecuting child sexual assault. In March 2013, the Guatemalan government launched a critical nationwide policy to better protect child victims of crimes, drafted with the help of IJM Guatemala and UNICEF. By merely taking documents to the court, I was able to see the impact that resulted from these revolutionary policy changes. Implementations of these practices include medical rooms where children can be safely and comfortably examined by psychologists, and child-friendly interview rooms for children where their testimonies can be recorded with help from social workers. The major goal of these new policies is creating an environment of sensitivity for children who are victims of sexual assault so that the court can properly respect children’s rights. What a victory for these tiny fighters! When clients are allowed to tell their story in a safe place away from their aggressors, factors like poverty, danger, economic status and illiteracy fall to the wayside. As a result, children who were victims become warriors, empowered by their own courage and support from their local courts.

real and she needed rescue. In that moment, the client needed physical protection, medical services and support from a guardian. People around the world were praying for her rescue and, finally, this precious client was protected via IJM. This journey showed me that IJM’s work matters in a very concrete way for actual people in need. When you read a case file, you begin to help carry the burden of the pain the client has experienced in your own way. The faces of the clients, their stories, their laughter echoing in the office, will forever live in the corners of my heart and mind. I have seen God’s faithfulness on an entirely new level, even in the forgotten niches of the world. Even today, there are entire countries living in fear of violence because of painful histories, widespread distrust and lack of faith in power actors. But this can change. My internship with IJM showed me that when impunity is eradicated, incredible and hopeful possibilities emerge. This knowledge has become a critical element and a motivating factor in my future career goals, and I am eternally grateful for what the people here have shown me.

July 17, 2013

Reading and translating reports like these has opened up a window of the law that I didn’t know existed. As a result, I am drawn to analyzing the structure of the justice system in the developing world, especially where safety, justice and punishment for criminals intertwine with other aspects of a culture. Therefore, I hope to sharpen my analytical abilities and broaden my legal knowledge to pursue a career in the overlapping of these topics.

July 30, 2013

A highlight of my experience has been traveling with the legal and social work teams to a remote lakeside village in order to deliver a client to a safe house. The client’s journey was no mystic Mayan legend; her situation was

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Abolition is an Everyday Choice 32

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“Human trafficking.” “Modern-day slavery.” The phrases conjure up images of dingy Asian brothels, or a line of young women forced across a border by gunpoint at night. Chances are, you don’t link those words to your clothes, your smartphone, your car or your lunch. Yet, in the richest nation on earth, we have little chance of going through a day without using the services of a slave. And according to the best statistics available, most of those slaves are women and girls. To be clear, slavery is not an undesirable or lowpaying job. Most experts define a slave as a person forced to work, under physical threat, coercion or fraud, for no pay beyond what’s needed for them to survive. It can take the form of old-fashioned chattel slavery, as in the hereditary bondage still prevalent in Mauritania. Or it can be more subtle, as in farm workers in the U.S. who have been kept inside armed compounds, underpaid and charged extortionate prices for food, water and other necessities. “Ownership” may be asserted in the form of physical violence, the threat of violence to family members, or the threat of deportation or financial ruin if a worker walks away from an illegal “contract.” Most slaves inside the U.S. are victims of forced prostitution, but at some level, slavery infects just about every category of product we use. In Congo, militants involved in a long-standing conflict force children and adults to mine the metals used in our most popular electronics. In Uzbekistan, a dictator who’s been known to boil his critics alive enslaves most of the population for part of every year to harvest cotton that makes its way into our clothes. In Brazil, slaves cut the wood and make the charcoal used to refine sugar and to produce iron that is used in many cars and buildings. Human Rights Watch and Free the Slaves both have published extensive reports on child slavery in gold and diamond mines. According to Bloomberg Business Week, fish that was sold in some major U.S. restaurants and stores was caught by slaves who were allegedly beaten, raped and

even murdered. The U.S. State Department lists Chinamade Christmas ornaments as among the products most likely to be tainted by child slavery. This should drive us crazy. Ask Americans what they appreciate most, and the majority will say “freedom to choose” or cite the ability to grow up to “be what you want to be.” Yet we’re told it’s impossible to determine whether a fellow human’s dreams and destiny have been thwarted to produce what we’re buying; or even to

Demi Moore (left) and Somaly Mam in CNN’s “Nepal’s Stolen Children.” Photo courtesy of the CNN Freedom Project.

guarantee that a product we purchase did not result in the maiming or murder of a person. We have, in effect, conscripted ourselves as servants of those who profit directly from slavery. How dare anyone imply this is okay? The good news is, women are not just victims and perpetrators of slavery — we are also the solution. In America, women make most household purchasing decisions, and our opinion factors heavily in most choices we don’t control outright. Our purchasing power influences everything from fashion trends to television programming. Female consumers historically have influenced trends toward more environmentally Facing page: CNN’s “Slavery’s Last Stronghold” reported on Moulkheir Mint Yarba’s escape from slavery in 2010. She has asked the Mauritanian courts to prosecute her slave masters. Photo courtesy of Edythe McNamee for CNN.

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friendly products and away from products that rely on animal cruelty. We can have a huge influence on companies’ business decisions when it comes to slavery, too.

From CNN’s “The Fighters”: 30 Filipino girls who were reportedly being trafficked to Syria were rescued by Visayan Forum and The Philippines’ Police Department of Justice. The picture was taken at the police station. Photo courtesy of Leif Coorlim for CNN.

about dealing with shy, angry or traumatized children, Our power isn’t limited to our dollars. Nurses and fostering an atmosphere of passionate curiosity and teachers are some of the most important frontinside a classroom. Public relations experts helped line defenders against slavery inside the U.S., and build websites to get attention and money for worthy both professions are still heavily staffed by women. causes. Businesswomen advised on possible career paths Meanwhile, more women are joining professions for survivors now old enough, and strong enough, to that can directly influence trends in purchasing or support themselves. enforcement — we are CEOs and CFOs, merchandise buyers, lawmakers, lawyers and law enforcement For my own part, I’ve tried to educate myself and officers. And as students and alumnae of one of the others in the many different aspects of this issue. I’ve country’s best women’s colleges, Sweet Briar students been thrilled to help with CNN’s Freedom Project, an and graduates know better than most the role educating ongoing series of investigations into the many different and empowering women can play in aspects of this issue. CFP began as Women are not just improving family lives and influencing a yearlong initiative three years ago; societies for the better, both here and victims and perpetrators the interest has been so intense and abroad. the real-world results so positive that of slavery — we are coverage has been ramped up and Around the world, we’re waking also the solution. is now a continuing part of CNN’s up to the power and responsibility. programming. For Freedom Project, I arranged a In Kolkata earlier this year, I met women working lengthy segment on child slavery in the cocoa industry, for International Justice Mission who investigate and featuring the documentarian Roberto Romano and prosecute people who enslave others. I met women his film “The Dark Side of Chocolate.” Freedom counseling, teaching, comforting and raising survivors Project also collaborated with actress and activist Demi of child sex trafficking. At one rescue home, I met an Moore on the documentary “Nepal’s Stolen Children,” exquisite college student who was also visiting to work which focuses on the work of Maiti Nepal, an NGO on a documentary about sex trafficking in India. She that frees Nepalese girls and women trapped in the was using her access to a good education to help other Indian sex trade. For our documentary “The Fighters,” girls who weren’t so lucky. On this trip to India with CNN spent two years with Filipina activist Cecilia me were other women who had spent thousands of Flores-Oebanda and legendary boxer Manny Pacquiao dollars and left behind families and jobs to spend a as they fought child sex trafficking. After “The Fighters” couple of weeks encouraging and educating those on aired worldwide, the Philippines’ enormous Rizal High the front lines of the fight. A gynecologist taught classes School — the largest in the world — started a youth-led about female health and potential health problems organization to fight slavery. More than 5,000 students arising from sex work. A retired teacher gave ideas

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signed up in the first hour. The Philippines’ vice president Jejomar Binay also is using our documentary to educate law enforcement nationwide on what to look for; and the Department of Education is considering making “The Fighters” mandatory viewing for all secondary school students across the country. Additionally, more than a dozen U.S. universities have asked the film’s star, Flores-Oebanda, to speak to their students this year. The best thing I’ve discovered is that while slavery is a very complex issue, that’s a huge opportunity for those of us fighting it. Like any complicated machine, just a few broken parts can really mess it up; so whatever your job or your cause is, chances are it can help eliminate slavery. Whether you campaign for clean water or against hunger, mentor children, fight for women’s rights, or support microfinance groups, congratulations: you’re an abolitionist. You don’t have to wear paper beads or flip-flops made of recycled tires, either. The abolitionist group Not for Sale has a great phone app that can help you see how brands score on human rights

Nicole File during a recent visit to Kolkata with a street girl who takes care of her younger brother and sister. The children “live” just a few blocks from Kolkata’s main red-light district. Photo courtesy of the author.

issues. Duchess Catherine of Cambridge, for example, has worn labels such as Beulah London and Stella McCartney, which support victims of sex trafficking and other forms of violence. As women, we’re already driving the abolitionist movement, and plenty of opportunities exist for most of us to do even more. After several years of involvement with this issue, I’m more convinced than ever that slavery can become the historical wrongdoing many people already assume it is.

Gender, Films and Feminism American feminist film critic and author Molly Haskell ’61 visited campus in November to talk about “Gender, Films and Feminism.” Haskell recounted a career that included such highlights as having her own “ ‘Mad Men’ experience” working in the French Film Office in the 1960s and writing for The Village Voice, New York magazine and Vogue. Her books include the influential “From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies,” which was first authored in 1974 and revised and reissued in 1987. Her latest book, “My Brother, My Sister,” is a memoir about her brother’s transition from male to female. “The story is one of transformation — for my brother and for me,” said Haskell, who credited the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts for providing an ideal setting to complete her book. In addition to her writing duties, Haskell has served as a member of the selection committee for the New York Film Festival and was the artistic director of the Sarasota French Film Festival for seven years. Her many honors include a 2010 fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the Athena Film Festival Award from the Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College in 2013. In 1993, she was named Sweet Briar’s Distinguished Alumna.

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Leverett Hubbard Jr., 18, with his mother, Gladys Woodward Hubbard ’24

College Devotee Restores the Chaplain’s House

Margie Lippard, director of major and planned giving, knew just the place: the Chaplain’s House. The heart and soul of Sweet Briar’s spiritual life, it had been home to several chaplains over the years, but was now in dire need of repair.

When Gladys Woodward Hubbard graduated from Sweet Briar in 1924, she couldn’t possibly have imagined the profound impact the College would have on her son nearly a century later. Since 2007, Leverett Hubbard Jr. has made several substantial gifts to Sweet Briar in his mother’s honor — most recently donating $500,000 to restore and maintain the Chaplain’s House.

Hubbard agreed to donate $500,000 to restore and maintain it — combining current and deferred gifts, with $100,000 going toward the building’s renovation. Hubbard’s tangibles — including an antique silver service — will be stored, preserved and displayed in the house. A portrait of his mother, who died in 2000, will adorn the mantel in the main living room once renovations are completed.

The building, constructed in 1937, later housed the College chaplain and became known by that name until it was christened the “Hubbard House” at a special ceremony during Homecoming in October.

The house will be open to students for spiritual activities and events hosted by Chaplain Dori Baker and the Sweet Spirits, a group of student spiritual leaders. Baker envisions special meals taking place at the house to celebrate different religious holidays, but also meetings, such as her grief support group and weekly Bible studies, as well as regular “bread bakes.”

Hubbard, a World War II veteran and former teacher, says Sweet Briar has been a part of his life throughout the years — from the memories his mother shared, to his own experiences dating Sweet Briar women while he was a law student at the University of Virginia, to several of his Yale classmates’ marrying Sweet Briar graduates, Hubbard and Sweet Briar crossed paths many times. All of those circumstances presented a pretty strong argument for supporting the College, he says. “Once I was retired, I had the funds to do that,” said Hubbard, who now lives with his wife Catee in a condominium community in New Hampshire. Six years ago, Hubbard established the Gladys Woodward Hubbard ’24 Memorial Scholarship — a restricted scholarship with $12,500 awarded annually to a student from Connecticut, Massachusetts or New Hampshire. The first recipient entered Sweet Briar this fall as a member of the Class of 2017. Hubbard recently endowed the memorial scholarship fund with an additional deferred gift of $600,000, producing annual scholarship funds of $30,000. But he wanted to do even more for Sweet Briar: Hubbard wanted to bequeath valuable family heirlooms and antiques. 36

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“The house will be a center for exploring the connections between world religions, people’s daily practices, and ways students might both broaden and deepen their own spiritual paths,” she said. In addition, the Hubbard House will serve as a refuge to students during times of stress. “During exam weeks, I envision ‘sunset breaks’ in which Sweet Spirits host brief stress relief support sessions, inviting students to walk over and enjoy the sunset before returning to their studies,” Baker said. Her plans sound good to Hubbard. “I hope the chaplain’s program will continue to be as exciting and rewarding as it has been, and that students will go to the house to relax and feel comfortable,” he said. There’s another reason Hubbard is excited. “Now I’ve got something to come home to,” he said during the dedication, adding the back-porch view reminded him of the New Hampshire hills.

Make a tax-savvy holiday gift This holiday season, consider making a gift to Sweet Briar that will also benefit you and your loved ones and minimize your 2013 taxes. • If you are 70 1/2 or older, roll over up to $100,000 directly from your IRA to Sweet Briar, bypass ordinary income taxes and reduce your taxable estate. • Give appreciated stock to Sweet Briar, eliminate capital gains tax and earn a charitable deduction. • Give appreciated real estate to Sweet Briar, eliminate capital gains tax and receive a charitable deduction. • Give a gift in honor or memory of a loved one. Thank you for making a difference by giving to Sweet Briar College. Because of you, Sweet Briar students change the world. For more information, please contact the development office at (434) 381-6161 or toll free at (888) 846-5722 or contact Margie Lippard, director of major and planned giving, at (434) 381-6538 or mlippard@sbc.edu.

Why We Give

Thanks to generous contributions to scholarships and other funds from alumnae, parents and friends of the College, Sweet Briar continues to thrive as a vibrant academic community, helping to prepare the next generation of women leaders. Since the beginning of the year, we’ve been celebrating some of our most passionate supporters with monthly profiles highlighting each individual story. The main question we asked is simple, and it’s universal: Why do you give?

Frances Kirven Morse ’68 (Redwood City, Calif.): “[Philanthropy] was ingrained from dinner table conversations. If Dad had a connection to [an organization] and it had a mission he believed in strongly, he gave to it. And he believed you supported the school that supported you. Sweet Briar was a growth experience and one that I think shaped my character a lot.”

Katherine Powell Heller ’78 (Atlanta, Ga.): “Cliché or not, I do believe in the saying, ‘To whom much is given, much is expected.’ Sweet Briar — and my parents — gave me the foundation to be able to embrace a world of opportunities. Of course I received an excellent education and made lifelong friends, but the personal growth I achieved in the SBC environment is irreplaceable.”

Junie Speight Myers ’87 (Richmond, Va.): “My four years at SBC were truly transformative in so many ways. Besides leaving a legacy for current students to follow, we also are setting the trend for the future. At many places in my life, someone gave me a helping hand. There are students who need that help now. A gift will help them to succeed and, in turn, they will hopefully help others in their own time.”

Mary Morris Gamble Booth ’50 (Lynchburg, Va.): “If you went to Sweet Briar and you loved it and you got a good education … to support it later is a no-brainer. Private schools have to be supported.”

Christine P. Bump ’00 (Washington, D.C.): “It would have been difficult for me to attend Sweet Briar without the assistance of several scholarships, and I am so grateful to the individuals and families who provided the money to fund them. I have made a donation to the College every year since graduating in 2000, and I always designate it for student scholarships. I hope that my donations are enabling young women to attend Sweet Briar with less hardship.”

Cady Thomas ’98 (Raleigh, N.C.): “I want Sweet Briar to remain an option for young women everywhere. I want it to continue growing and excelling so that it stands out not just among women’s colleges, but all colleges. We need strong single-sex options for future generations, and I know SBC has been that, and I want it to continue forever!”

Stephanie Berger ’91 (New York City, N.Y.): “I would not be where I am today if I had not been given the opportunity to go to Sweet Briar. It was such a gift, and I will forever be indebted. Sweet Briar taught you leadership, but it wasn’t masculine. It was feminine and it was powerful. The more I get away from this school, the more I realize that foundation is so key to who I am today.” 38

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Amanda Strickland ’09 (Fort Lee, Va.): “I give to SBC because if an alumna hadn’t given when she could, my experiences and degrees would not be possible. My mother and I were so very thankful for the donations of alumnae, and I wanted to be able to give another deserving applicant a chance to learn at Sweet Briar.”

Bill and Debbie Booth, parents (Palm Harbor, Fla.): “[Our daughter] Alyson has gained so much from her time at Sweet Briar, it feels right to give back and make sure that Sweet Briar can continue to provide students competitive programs and resources. Getting involved and contributing to the Annual Fund is our way of giving back.”

For complete donor profiles, visit sbc.edu/magazine.

Kelly Meredith Iacobelli ’88 (Atlanta, Ga.): “I paid my way through Sweet Briar. That always made me more aware of the need to give back, because the financial aid I received was very generous.”

Peter Daniel, Sweet Briar VP and treasurer emeritus (Lynchburg, Va.): “I love Sweet Briar and everything I did. I enjoyed going to work every day. The students were wonderful. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

A Sweet Briar education transforms lives. “I am utterly confident that a dollar invested in Sweet Briar pays off in dividends that cannot finally be measured in dollars — dividends of cultural enrichment, social development, economic mobility and personal growth for generations to come.” — President Jo Ellen Parker Kelsey Barta ’15 Seattle, Wash. Engineering major; math minor; Leadership Certificate

Activities: Lacrosse, cross country, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Cooking Club, Engineering Society and Tau Phi

Pannell research title: “Engineering for Girls”

Khirsten Cook ’15 Abingdon, Va. Art history and English and creative writing double major; medieval and Renaissance studies minor; Leadership Certificate

Activities: Friends of Art Jr., Sigma Tau Delta, Alpha Lambda Delta, Academic Resource Center tutor, Red Clay literary magazine, QV and Falls on Nose

Pannell research title: “Observing Diversity and Bilingualism in Education”

A Sweet Briar education transforms lives. Your annual support of scholarships, such as the Pannell Merit Scholarship, empowers young women to thrive as scholars, innovators and leaders. Make your gift today by going online to sbc.edu/gift or calling (888) 846-5722. Thank you.

Your gift empowers young women.

N O T ES C L ASS

Behind the Cover As students, former printmaking majors Sally Toms and Kaitlyn Aki Holloway collaborated on many art projects, both on and off campus. They created prints for the Afghan Women’s Writing Project, designed a linocut broadside for poet and Sweet Briar alumna C.M. Burroughs ’04 and spent their last semester working on a Kickstarter project for the Virginia Arts of the Book Center. After graduating in May 2013, the two friends went their separate ways — Toms returned home to Northern Virginia to prepare for grad school; Holloway moved to Orlando to work in the Disney College Program’s entertainment costuming department. Despite the distance, the two promised each other to continue making art together. So, when they were asked to design the cover of this magazine, there was only one answer. “We saw this commission as our perfect opportunity and immediately began collaborating over the phone,” Toms says. “We knew we wanted to combine our efforts in a way that would celebrate our individual artistic strengths — Katie’s

characteristic figurative work and my floral motifs and heraldic compositions.” While all preliminary sketches were composed over the phone and via text message conversations, Toms’ and Holloway’s ideas mirrored each other. “We decided to create a linocut featuring a female figure drawn by Katie into the design of a dove of peace and sweet briar roses, which I had drawn,” Toms says. “We wanted the figure to be classic, striking and represent feminine strength and freedom while avoiding submissive or hypersexualized portrayals. The figure’s direct gaze with her hair tied back and forward-facing pose were meant to assert her strength while celebrating her femininity. We also designed a wing-like shawl, reminiscent of Isis’ outstretched wings, that would both represent her freedom and mimic the iconography of the dove of peace, while also giving her the timeless air of a mythological figure.” Holloway sent the figure drawing to Toms, who then traced it onto a linoleum block, along with her own design. After carving it out, she hand-printed the resulting linocut onto translucent Japanese Unryu paper, whose long swirling fibers complement the design. The final result is on the cover of this issue. Toms and Holloway say they plan to expand this project into a series exploring feminist themes, maintaining their ties as both friends and artists.

Kaitlyn Holloway ’13 and Sally Toms ’13

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1942

1948

771 Bon Air Cir. Lynchburg, VA 24503 amrsbc42@gmail.com

2525 Peachtree Rd NE, Apt 24 Atlanta, GA 30305 Msm700@comcast.net

Ann Morrison Reams

Greetings again. I really enjoyed hearing from several of you this summer. A call from Lucy Call Dabney brought both good and bad news. She reported that Peggy Gearing Wickham had died in Richmond at Westminster-Canterbury after a busy and productive life. She also reported that she stays in touch with Debbie Wood Davis, who lives a busy and interesting life. Lucy says quite a few SBC alumnae live at W-C, and they enjoy getting together from time to time. It was such a joy to hear from Sudie Clark Hanger in Atlanta. Remember that she and Bill were some of the 1st to get married. She wrote that they are celebrating their 70th anniversary on a nice trip, I think to the beach. She stays in touch with Bill’s sister Betty Hanger Lippincott, who is still in the Philly area and doing well. A note from Rene Mitchell Moore’s daughter Warren brought the sad news of her death last fall. Such news always reminds us of how many of our dear friends are no longer with us, but it reminds us of so many happy times we shared there. Her note also reminded me of how many of our classmates had daughters who attended SBC, including Grace Bugg Muller-Thym, Eugie Burnett Affel, Betty Blackmer Childs, Lucy Call Dabney, Sudie Clark Hanger, Peggy Gearing Wickham, Betsy Gilmer Tremain, Nancy Goldbarth Glaser, Anne Hauslein Potterfield, Grace Lanier Brewer, Polly Peyton Turner and possibly others. Let me know if I overlooked anyone. Sally Schall van Allen continues her annual visit to Lynchburg to attend the lovely Mother’s Day party given by her son and daughter-in-law each spring. It’s a highlight for all garden lovers in town. Wish I had more news. Things are going well at SBC. I enjoy its summer theater each yr. It’s fun to pack a picnic and spend a lovely evening there with friends. Please continue to send news, maybe on a Christmas card. All of us look forward to hearing from each other. Love always.

1944

Alice Lancaster Buck alicelbuck@gmail.com

1945

Dale Sayler Morgan 486A Beaulieu Ave Savannah, GA 31406 dalemorgan@comcast.net

1946

Mary Vanderventer Saunders 955 Harpersville Rd, Apt 309 Newport News, VA 23601 (757) 223-5249

1947

Linda McKoy Stewart 18 Osprey Ln. Rumson, NJ 07760 lmckstewart@verizon.net

Margaret Sheffield Martin

Ann Virginia Vaughn Kelly Goodwin House 4800 Fillmore Ave, Apt 614 Alexandria, VA 22311 Dmkelly01@comcast.net

1949

Carolyn Cannady Evans

21045 Cardinal Pond Ter., Apt 119 Ashburn, VA 20147 Ccevans49@verizon.net June Eager Finney continues painting and plays croquet at her retirement home in Towson, MD, near Baltimore, where she has 8 grandchildren and 1 “great.” Her bad back ended her travels, but she still manages to be chair of her home’s 10th anniversary event, interview newcomers for the home’s register and participate in a Spirituality of Aging reading group. She said Sue Corning Mann’s husband Henry died this past spring. June and Mary Fran Brown Ballard meet frequently with Margaret “Peggy” Cromwell Taliaferro, who lives at the Broadmead in Cockeysville, MD. Peggy is very active and “keeps up” with people. She traveled to France this summer. Although both use canes, Mary Fran and husband Don were driven by their grandson, Andy, a 2nd-yr. law student at Duke, to their son Charles’ wedding in MI. Mary Fran also said Marilyn Hopkins Bamborough and Ruth Garrett Precuel are still in their own houses and “doing fine.” She heard that Alberta “Bertie” Pew had founded an organization, Bonne Lea Farm, in Chester, Nova Scotia, that provides community living and opportunities for people with special needs. I found more information with photos about this on Google. Caroline Casey Brandt returned from Vancouver in Aug. after her 31st meeting with the Miniature Book Society. She said the 3 SBC ’49 classmates with her at Westminister-Canterbury, Richmond, are in varying stages of health. Margaret “Maggie” Towers Tolman had a bad fall this summer and is using a cane. Elizabeth “Libby” Trueheart Harris and Katherine “Kitty” Hart Belew have apartments just 2 floors apart, real neighbors. Jacqueline Jacobs Leffers says she is slowing down and writing her memoirs. No married grandchildren yet, but no dread diseases either. Patricia “Patty” Levi Barnet, who had knee-cancer surgery 5 yrs. ago, said “feeling” has returned to the tendons in her leg, and she now walks a mile a day. She recently filled 3 hours in ME with her family when she took them to see the whales. They ate lobster every night! I had a great phone visit with Alice Trout Hagen. We discovered our granddaughters are roommates at Coll. of Charleston. She also discovered that her son Hugo is a friend of the father of Mary Louis “Stevie” Stevens (deceased) and is renting his house in Charleston. This is Alice’s 3rd yr. in her Roanoke retirement community. She is not driving anymore and would love visitors. In July, Catherine “Katie” Cox Reynolds and I visited Preston Hodges Hill at her

condo in Aspen, where Katie’s grandson Chris Reynolds (18), a Juilliard piano graduate, was playing at the music festival. In Sept., Katie and husband Phil will cruise along the coast of Italy and Dalmatia. After Katie and I departed, Pres flew to Nantucket to celebrate the erection of a 75-yr.-old totem pole at her son Gene’s house. A special Boston Pops concert and dinner on the beach followed. Her next event was Gene’s Italian mother-in-law’s 90th birthday party in Boston. Afterward, grandson David was given a “royal sendoff” to medical school in Granada. This spring my youngest grandchild, Thomas Hervey Evans, graduated from St. Paul’s Academy (MN) and my youngest daughter, Mary Pat, married in a lovely garden wedding in Raleigh, NC. A 2nd great-grandchild was born in April and 2 more are expected in Sept. and Oct. I knew my tribe would expand, but I did not expect it to explode! I have been at Ashby Ponds for 5 yrs., am happy and reasonably healthy. I do miss old friends and look forward to Reunion. Sad news for all of us: Ann Eustis Weimer died 8/5/13 at her Riderwood retirement home in Silver Spring, MD. Her life will be celebrated as she joins son Scoot and husband John in the waters off the New England coast. Mark your calendar and contact your friends to join or travel with you to our 65th Reunion 5/30-6/1/14 at SBC “where it all began.” Check sbc.edu/alumnae for Reunion details and updates. Use the registration link after Feb. for an early bird discount.

1951

Patty Lynas Ford

5555 Montgomery Dr. #23 Santa Rosa, CA 95409 patella2@sonic.net I am sorry to inform you of the following losses. These notes are abbreviated. If you would like to see the complete obituaries, please contact Bonnie Seitz at seitz@sbc. edu or (434) 381-6131. Mrs. Joan St. John Curtner of Newport, AR, died at her home 8/5/13, at 83. She was born on 1/25/30 in Memphis, where she grew up. She especially enjoyed time spent outdoors, hiking, fishing, tennis and swimming. She was a 1948 graduate of The Hutchinson School for Girls in Memphis. Following high school, she attended Sweet Briar. She met her husband Tom in Memphis, where they were married on 2/14/50. After their marriage, they lived in Los Angeles; Fort Wayne, IN; and Mobile, AL, before settling in Stuttgart in 1955. In 1967 they made their home in Newport, where they raised their family, doted on their grandchildren and enjoyed life. Throughout the yrs. Joan especially enjoyed reading, flowers, entertaining, corresponding with friends and even fly-fishing. She taught children’s chapel at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Newport. In 2005, the church nursery was dedicated to her for her many yrs. of service. Because of her interest in politics, she also enjoyed working the polling precincts during election time. She loved traveling with her husband, family and friends. Her favorite destinations were AK; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Africa. Anyone who knew this lovely southern lady knew that her family and her church were her greatest loves. She also served for many yrs. as an officer of the Arkansas

More class notes online sbc.edu/magazine Episcopal Church Women, and was twice a delegate to the National Episcopal Church Convention…Memories of this sweet wife, mother, grandmother “Chug,” sister and friend will be shared with a smile for many yrs. She was preceded in death by her husband of 63 yrs., Thomas Robert Curtner, and 1 granddaughter. She is survived by 2 sons, 2 daughters and 9 grandchildren. Mary Jane French Halliday, wife of Quincy Stanford Halliday Jr., passed away on 8/6/13 in Spartanburg, SC. Born in Baltimore, she was a member of the Tom and Tare Garden Club, the Piedmont Club and the Spartanburg Country Club. Mary Jane was an active member of 1st Presbyterian Church. She will always be remembered as an avid Clemson fan, shell collector, loving wife, mother, “Grandmommy” and wonderful friend. In addition to her husband, she is survived by 2 sons and 3 grandchildren. Mea culpa. I owe an apology to Jeanne Molyneux, as I had erroneously referred to Betty Crisler Buchignani as our May Queen. Beautiful as Betty was, she was in the May Court but left after her junior yr. Jeanne was our lovely May Queen and I don’t wish to dethrone her. During our move, my Briar Patch books disappeared in the myriad packing boxes. They have been found so I can be more accurate. Ann Mountcastle Gamble-Blechta: 83 is the yr. of birthdays now—so keep well and stay safe. Off to Mantoloking, NJ, to visit an old school friend and see what is left of the “shore” I knew after Sandy went through—260 houses gone! MJ Eriksen Ertman: I was sorry to hear of Betty Crisler’s death. What an interesting, active and creative life she led. Happy memories! Gardner and I have lived at Brookhaven in Lexington, MA, for 6 yrs. The children visit often. Gardner, with dementia, is getting good care in the nursing center here, and I’m glad to be nearby in our cottage, with a beautiful garden this summer. I’m playing a little music—piano duets with our next-door neighbor (a childhood friend of Janet Broman’s), and other pieces with neighbors who play clarinet, cello and flute. Our chorus reminds me of glee club days with G. Noble Gilpin. Happy SBC memories. Susan Taylor Hubbard: I am in good shape. Still in my 100-yr.-old house—since 1965. I hate the thought of moving so just keep going, doing my best! My main interest now is a Bluebird Trail a friend and I are setting up on a local golf course. We have 7 boxes: 1 family has fledged and we have 2 more occupied boxes. It is pretty fascinating. I keep in touch with Angie Vaughan Halliday, who is still doing tax returns and other business for small companies. Amazing. Lynn McCullough Gush: I had no idea that Betty Crisler Buchignani was a musician. I suppose that living in Carson during sophomore yr. rendered me somewhat remote. It was a lovely obituary. My neighbors go to Kuala Lumpur, Holland, Vietnam, France and Norway. Having purchased a new central air conditioner, I go mostly to ballet and the bayou. I also repair the electronic gate and water plants. Nancy and I will play Brahms’ “Hungarian Dances,” some

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Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff late in Aug. We have a CD by Argerich of the “Nutcracker,” which we will play again at Christmas. Her tempi are horrifying! Ann Taylor Campbell: All quiet here; my boys are busy trying to grow hops on the Taylor family farm in Louisa, VA, and having a hard time doing it long distance (they both live out of state). The good part is that I see more of them because they’re in the area to check on it. Mona Wilson Beard: Thank you for the latest news—even if it is sad. We surely did have a wonderful group in our 1951 class! From what I hear it is still booming and staying in the real world and up-todate. I moved 4 yrs. ago and it was tiring and hard to place extra treasure. Since I stayed local, I still have all my old friends across town. Janet Broman Dingle: Janet’s daughter Cathy Carl reports that not much has changed since the last issue. Angie Vaughan Halliday: We just recently returned from a wk. on Kiawah Island, SC, with almost all of our family there together—just missed our oldest, Malcolm. There were 15 of us and we had a marvelous time. Bob said as we watched the roiling and milling about of these diverse people, “Just think, we are responsible for all this!” We are off in early Oct. to visit Malcolm and his partner in Provincetown, then on to Worcester, MA, for a ‘Schubertiade’ in which Malcolm will perform. I stay busy with my tax and accounting business, and Bob continues to create art. Anne Sinsheimer: I had a nice visit with Julie Micou Eastwood. My Oakland hostess had a former Berkeley friend who lives near Julie, so she could visit a friend, too. Since those of us in CA are probably the last people to receive the alumnae magazine, I recently read your column, which is always great. Now that you don’t have to care for your “farm,” perhaps you and Dick will venture south. While I live in planned development, I do have apple and lemon trees. My best lemon tree was zapped by the frost a couple of yrs. ago and is slowly coming back, so I should have a few lemons this yr. My Gravenstein is bountiful. I may go north again in late Feb. to the Knitting Fair in Santa Clara. Perhaps we could organize a mini-reunion. Mary Pease Fleming: You would think that retired folks have time on their hands, but the opposite is true here at Cedarfield. Not much SBC news to report, though I have found several residents here at Cedarfield who are SBC alums, but in different classes. Ann Sheldon Campbell and husband Bill are bringing lunch here on Saturday and we look forward to catching up as we eat! I looked for Barbara Birt Dow on TV in the crowds at the U.S. Open Golf Tournament—it was played at Merion where Barbara and Bill are longtime members—but couldn’t find them. Maybe they were in MA, their home away from home! Joan Davis Warren: Besides the Devon Horse show in May, I worked at the U.S. Open (golf) here at Merion. I also had a lovely lunch with Audrey Breitinger Post in Camden, ME, in July. And it was great to be back. Loons calling on the lake and lots of lobster! No more on Richard (Richard III), but I can hardly wait until the 22nd to read his obit. Patty Lynas Ford: It’s wonderful to hear from so many of you and the “door is always open” for any of your SBC news. 42

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As I was looking over the previous 1951 submissions, I discovered that I have been doing this for 5 yrs.! It doesn’t seem that long. Thank you for your kind words of appreciation. Yes, the house sold in 12 days so we really had to scramble. We were so pleased that a local winemaker bought it. He grew up in Healdsburg, knows the area and loves the country (and our 2.7 acres). He and Dana are delighted, as is Charlie, his German shepherd. Charlie is my kind of dog, as I have belonged to the German Shepherd Dog Club of America for more than 35 yrs. Some time ago, I got 2 CDs and 1 CDX on my dogs. (Rally, agility and herding hadn’t yet appeared on the obedience scene.) Ted and Dana love the garden with many azaleas, camellias, specimen trees, soft fruit and citrus orchards and a cutting garden with roses and alstroemeria. The timing was right for us, too, as the property was becoming less manageable for Dick. But with the quick sale, and our move from 2,200 sq. ft. to 1,050, we were busy. We had been coming here for some yrs. so felt right at home in our cottage. A carpenter built beautiful cupboards above drawers underneath the TV space on the left side of the fireplace (artificial) and a corresponding music center for Dick with his many CDs and tapes and some old LPs. We have met some delightful people and my cousin and his wife have been here for 6 yrs. It’s interesting that we knew each other as 3-yr-olds in Honolulu and Pearl Harbor in the early 1930s and now we are here together in our 80s! Our fathers were both in the Naval Medical Corps—his a surgeon and mine a urologist. We are happy at home here!

1952

Jane Russo Sheehan 600 S. Main St. Mansfield, MA 02048 dqjane@aol.com

Not as much news as I would have liked to report, but here goes! Joanne Holbrook Patton had her annual Sweet Briar Picnic on 7/20 at Green Acres. Joanie and I were the only ’52ers of the group, and I have to tell you all that she is still her fabulous self. Her son Ben dropped in to say hello, just as his mom extolled his new book “Growing Up Patton.” Several class members sent notes regretting not being there. Anne Hoagland Plumb Kelsey was among these, but also sent me news of the fact that Joanie and her family will be honored by the Essex Heritage Commission and the National Park Service on 10/16. In addition, Anne tells me, Joanne was awarded an honorary degree from Endicott Coll. Others who responded to Joanie’s invitation were Binji (Harriet) Thayer Elder, who sends her greetings to all. Pauline Wells Bolton couldn’t make it because she was going to be in Paris! Ann Whittingham Smith, who lived with the same family as Pauline (and later Pauline’s sister Jay, who went to Paris with Pauline), sent her regrets. She thinks the trip will bring back lots of good memories of those days. Grace Wallace Brown had a family reunion at her daughter Elizabeth’s mountain home in NC. Martha Legg Katz had a reception at the Weston Public Library on 5/12. It was for a sculpture retrospective of her works in wood, bronze and clay and was on display 5/2-31. Martha Yost Ridenour was able to

entertain Dean King, the author of the new book “The Hatfields and McCoys,” when he and his daughter were in Pikeville for a book signing. Martha also had the misfortune of a fire, which burned down her late daughter’s 80-yr.-old home and destroyed everything in the house. So sad for her. Nancy Hamel Clark was going to Grandfather Mt. for a few days in Aug., where she hoped to see Carma Lindsay Burton. Nancy and her son Jim will go to Mayberry Days in Mt. Airy in Sept. Then more travel plans with daughter Ann in Nov. to San Antonio, where Ann is giving a talk on public education. Our Step Singing leader is still singing in the church choir. She wishes Helen Graves Stahmann would look up Janet Graham Scott, as they both live in Queensland, Australia. Nancy also inquired about Jean Caldwell Marchant. I last saw Jean quite a few yrs. ago at a U.S. Dressage Assoc. Annual Meeting, I think in Denver. Would love to hear from you, Jean, and from all the rest of you who read these class notes. Next deadline is probably Feb., so that gives you time! Betsy Wilder Cady and I got together at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for a French film about dressage riders, NOT a documentary. It managed to be provocative—after all, French! We are both going great guns, T.G., as my Irish cousins would say (T.G. means “Thank God!” Another favorite abbreviation is “G.W.” I’ll let you guess…). I just acquired a Jack Russell puppy (3 1/2 mos.). It’s like having a toddler again. My 2 granddaughters started high school this week, Julia at Green Hills in Dallas, and Katherine at HamiltonWenham here in MA. Kevin graduated from Hanover, MA, high school in June, and Emmet is in 8th grade and plays football. Emmet is the smallest on his team, but like my Jack Russell, fast and tenacious. Our classmate Norma Jansen Phelan passed away on 5/13 in Cape Giradeau, MO. She is survived by her husband Robert J. Phelan Jr., 5 daughters and 13 grandchildren. On 8/19 Nell Dumas Herff of San Antonio died. I’m sorry to have to end this on such a sad note, but at this stage in our lives we get this news more often than we would like. Leila Booth Morris passed away 8/26/13 in Columbus, GA.

1953

Florence Pye Apy 40 Riverside Ave. 6Y Red Bank, NJ 07701 (732) 747-4155 floapy@verizon.net

What a 60th reunion weekend we enjoyed! The weather was great. The campus was beautiful as always. Our president M.A. Mellon Root did a wonderful job working with the alumnae office putting together our activities so we wouldn’t get lost in the crowd. We had 19 classmates accompanied by a good number of husbands and a few “children.” This was an excellent turnout. We were happy to see Carolyn Smith return. Betty Bentsen Winn, whom we hadn’t seen in a few yrs., traveled from TX and, as usual, Ginger Timmons Ludwick and David flew in from CA. A photo of our group appeared on p. 75 of the Summer 2013 magazine. From left to right I am identifying us by our maiden

names (with apologies to husbands): Pye, Wallace, Hudson, Graves, Bailey, Arata, Locke, Smith, Timmons, Tucker, Behlen, Shoemaker, Bentsen, Mellon, Duff, Tighe, Hodges, Liles and Johnson. Truly we missed all who were not able to join us. At the alumnae luncheon, Maggie Graves McClung announced that Nancy McDonald had bequeathed $2 million to the College in her will. At our class meeting, Ginny Hudson Toone was elected class president and I will continue as secretary. Ginny’s address is 3 E. 6th St., Carrollton, MO 64633. Her email is vtoone@sbcglobal.net. You will note that I have a new address listed above. Chet and I succumbed to “senior citizenitis” and moved into a continuing care facility in the town in which Chet had his law office and where I had lived while at SBC. Thanks to all who made the effort to make our reunion a success. You succeeded. The 30 responses to our questionnaire indicate that most of us are enjoying the freedom that goes with retirement. We are volunteers in charitable and political organizations and/or following interests that were postponed until we had fewer family obligations. Many are trying to keep in contact with grandchildren and even great-grandchildren who live all over the world. Too many are widows and others unfortunately are dealing with the vicissitudes that come with age. On a personal note, we no sooner returned home than husband Chet developed symptoms that resulted in open-heart surgery—triple bypass, an aortic valve and a pacemaker. Fortunately he is recovering and should be back hiking in a few mos. If you send Christmas letters, please share a copy with me, as Anne (Kim) Green Stone did recently, so I was able to include her news in our last column.

1954

Bruce Watts Krucke 7352 Toogoodoo Rd. Yonges Island, SC 29449 b.krucke@hughes.net

Before you read another word, go to your calendars and mark 5/30-6/1 as our 60th reunion! I expect nearly all of you to be there! The class sympathies go out to the 3 daughters on the death of Joy Bennett Hartshorn. Joy died in April, 1 yr. after Danny. Here is a nice excerpt from her obit: “Joy was predeceased last April by her husband of 57 yrs., Daniel. She is survived by 3 daughters, Heidi Hartshorn McPherson, Tandy Joy Hufford and Karen Hartshorn Hilton, their spouses, 6 loving grandchildren, 8 devoted grand-dogs, 4 happy horses and 1 grateful kitty. A graduate of Kent Place School and Sweet Briar College, Joy was a tireless community volunteer and shared her boundless ‘Joie de vivre.’” The girls have asked me to try and sell a painting of 5 elephants that Danny commissioned me to do for Joy’s birthday yrs. ago. If you know anyone who is into elephants, have them contact me. Another sadness is the death of my senior yr. roommate, Cynthia Sinclair Rutherford. She died in Aug, after many yrs. in a nursing home with Alzheimer’s. Here is a nice note that her husband, Bill, sent me: “Her passing is indeed a sad yet ephemeral moment...She was highly respected, loved by her peers and students alike. A

most unusual woman and she sought out those of equal intellect. I know I should be mourning, but the loss was repeated day after day over the past 10 yrs. as I watched the diminution of her cognitive skills. Today I feel sadness mixed with relief; it’s really confusing and quite contrary to what an onlooker might expect of the widower…Cynthia hadn’t known who I was for yrs., but I was reassured a couple mos. ago when out of the clear blue sky, she said, ‘You’re so kind, you’re kind from head to toe.’” Here are some parts of her obit: “Cynthia’s life was devoted to teaching, with particular fondness for middle level students. She began her career as a day camp counselor; majored in philosophy at Sweet Briar College; coached Korean executives and military personnel in Seoul on American English; taught primary grades in IL; received a degree in education from Wichita St. U.; taught junior high English; got a master’s in middle level education, also from WSU; and also studied education further at U. KS. She served as principal at several high schools in the area and then director of Area II schools in Wichita. After retiring, she joined the faculty of Newman Coll. and took great pleasure in teaching new teachers how to teach. After retiring from Newman, she was a volunteer reader.” Hope that wasn’t TMI, but it’s nice to see how successful one of our classmates was. Belated condolences also to Maggie Mohlman Degler, whose husband Bud died last Jan., also after a long bout with Alzheimer’s. On to happier times. A nice note from Mary Hill Noble Caperton says: “I’m still enjoying having most of my children nearby. One of my granddaughters took a gap yr. before starting at U. GA this fall. She worked as an au pair in Bavaria for a family. The children were beautiful, and she got to learn German. I took a wonderful Viking River cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest the spring before last and did their Portraits of Southern France cruise this last March. I highly recommend the Viking line. Small ships so you meet lots of people from all over and terrific food. I don’t see anybody from SBC, but I enjoy taking OLLI (for seniors mostly taught by retired faculty from all over) courses during the academic yr. I’m a political junkie and am still on the Charlottesville Historic Resources Committee. I keep pretty busy. I haven’t done any more painting, but will take a course when the right one comes along. Other than new knees and a new shoulder, I’m holding up pretty well. Do water aerobics 5 mornings/week. I’m told I’m holding up pretty well for 81.” Speaking of pretty busy at 81, Jean “Sissy” Morris Long sees lots of classmates and writes: “Bill and I have moved into a retirement community here in Memphis but have our own home and love it. I am across the street from Anne White Connell—perfect. Virginia “Pony” Bramlett Lowrance came to have lunch with her last week and she looked beautiful as usual. Betty Gene Orr Atkinson is pretty much at home now, but is 1 block from her son and his family and not too far from her daughter. So many grandchildren live here now and keep her busy with lots of visits. We continue to see Peaches Davis Roane every week. She is doing well and going on a trip with her daughters to Canada and Quebec in the fall. Helen Smith Lewis and I have good phone conversations fairly

often. We speak of ‘getting together’ and actually did that 2 yrs. ago at Wake Forest, where my 2 grandsons are (a senior and junior this yr.). I received a call out of the blue last spring from Temple and Barbara Chase Webber. He had read my book “Finding Kate” and discovered that his family was related to mine. Bill and I have our 2 pianos here and play every chance we get. We enjoy all the music around us. I am still on the League’s board. We flew to Philadelphia in June to see our oldest son and family. They moved to Medford, NJ, in Jan. for a new position with PHH. They’re the ones with twin boys (6). They love it, so I do, too. They’re only 30 min. from Philadelphia, 1 1/2 hours from NYC and 3 from D.C., where his son began his 1st yr. at American U. My daughter and other son are still in Atlanta, so we’ll have some rescheduling to do for Christmas and Thanksgiving!” We’ve not heard from Jayne Berguido Abbott in a long time. In answer to my plea for news she sent a nice catch-up note: “I live in Waquoit, a village in the Town of Falmouth on Cape Cod. Last yr. we had our 1st Waquoit Day and I was named “honorary mayor of Waquoit.” I received citations from Falmouth’s Board of Selectmen and from the MA House of Representatives, a plaque, flowers, and several small presents. I love living here, and my 3 children and family members just ended visits to return to Cambridge, MA, San Diego and Freeport, ME.” Like me, Sally Gammon Plummer loves watching birds. Her nice note said: “Birding remains my favorite activity. I help with the monthly day bird trips sponsored by the Denver Museum of Natural History and also volunteer there weekly in the Education Collections Dept. The museum also sponsors several away trips. Our birding group went to Big Bend, TX, last May for a week and we look forward to the end of Sept., when we’ll visit several of the UT parks on our way south to the Grand Canyon and then stop at the Mesa Verde ruins in southern CO on our way back home. My North American life list of birds is now at 498, so if I’m lucky I’ll pick up the next 2 then and, if not, maybe next spring at Magee Marsh in OH. I’m in 2 different book groups, take spring and fall classes through an adult learning organization and am active in my church. Since my children are widespread—daughter and husband in Portland, OR, son in Missoula, MT, and daughter and husband in Denver area—I’ve started having family reunions every couple of yrs. and hope to have one next summer in Telluride, CO.” Vaughan Inge Morrissette hasn’t slowed down a bit either: “The last few yrs. I have spent a lot of time traveling across the country on Colonial Dames business and it is so much fun seeing Sweet Briar girls everywhere I go! Everyone here is fine and my 2nd grandchild will get married in Nov., so our family is growing. I only have 1 grandchild left at home and wish she was a Sweet Briar candidate, but I’m afraid there’s no hope. Her mother, grandmother and aunt were all SBC girls, but we just cannot get her interested.” Shirley Poulson Broyles writes: “I hate to always send my travel notes but it is better than nothing! In the past yr. I have had 2 ‘grands’ graduate from college and 1 from high school. I have 1 great-grand, who turned 2 on 8/19. We have been to Iceland and Norway, then to AK (again)

for an 80-50 birthday, then to Disney World (again) to celebrate our 20th anniversary, on to Route 66 from Chicago to Albuquerque, and to London and the British Isles in Sept. South America comes in Jan., then the other half of Route 66, Santa Fe to Santa Monica! And then for Norris’ big birthday we are taking his children and spouses on a trip to the Baltic, which will be during our 60th SBC reunion! I will hate to miss everyone, but I cannot miss the birthday celebration!” Shirley is the only 1 in our class besides me who I know goes on Facebook. But if you do, please go to facebook.com/ SBC1954 and check in to let us know if you plan to go to Reunion. Or put anything else you have on the page, including old or new photos. Do you recognize those gals that are shown on the page already? Dallas “Dilly” Johnson Jones writes that she hears from Vaughan and Ann Teachout Collins regularly and that they are fine. Dilly’s grandchildren report is: “Charlie Geddes (Louise’s) is a jr. at Wofford...plays soccer for them. He spent 5 mos. this past yr. at U. of Buenos Aires. Giles Geddes (also Louise’s) is a soph. at W&L...plays soccer for them. Sanford’s triplet boys are in 10th grade in MT...all 3 play football. Lucia, Louise’s youngest, is a soph. at Holy Innocents in Atlanta.” Mary Jane Roos Fenn looks forward to our big 60th reunion. She and daughter Susan had a wonderful trip to the Italian lakes and the Swiss Alps in the beginning of the summer. The scenery was beautiful, the guide was outstanding and the people were all fun and nice. Ruth Sanders Smith’s husband Norman has not been well recently, suffering with Parkinson’s. Although it has not progressed rapidly, it is debilitating and limits much of their lives. She is happy to report that the grandchildren are all doing well. Scott is in dental school at NYU, Ali at Muhlenberg, Taylor at U. CO-Boulder and Barrett is a freshman at Cornell. She took Taylor, Barrett and daughter-in-law Lisa to San Juan for a few days of girl stuff and it was great. Ruth had minor melanoma surgery in July and is happy to report the lymph nodes were OK. She recommends that everyone stay away from baking in the sun. She says she still loves every moment of living in West Palm Beach. She takes several adult classes at FAU and goes to the local theater productions. She stays busy trading the market and managing the household. “Norm cannot do any of it, so I’ve learned to take out the garbage and take care of the cars. It’s amazing what you can do when presented circumstances you cannot change.” Jerry Driesbach Ludeke always comes through with some interesting news of her busy life. Here’s what she recently wrote: “There have been lots of family tie-ins with both sons and families ending up here at some point during the yr. and me making multiple trips to San Francisco for birthdays, 8th-grade graduation, flute recitals and soccer games. I just got back from a 2-week trip to visit my sister Georgia Driesbach Kegley ’51 in Charlottesville, returning from that via a 3-night Amtrak train ride across the country. I love sleeping on the train! I’ve done some fun, quirky little things this yr. The San Francisco family went to a taping of Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion. What a master he is. Then for the 1st time, IN U. held its long Winter College weekend on the

west coast with a stellar list of speakers at the posh Grande Del Mar resort near San Diego. (Not my normal venue!) I took Amtrak almost to the hotel and lived in luxury for 3 days. In a few wks. I am joining the Archeological Conservancy’s tour of the Cahokia Mounds in southern IL and MO. I have to fly to squeeze a long weekend in with my work schedule. Then I’m back on the train in Jan. to attend the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, NV. This is the centennial yr. for Bakersfield Coll. where I still direct the archives. It is keeping me very busy looking up facts and preparing speeches. Busy but fun.” She hopes to make Reunion, too. My 1st roommate Jeanne Stoddart Barends also lost her husband, Fred, last yr. The class sends sympathies. Jeanne was very sick in Jan. following a knee replacement, but is better now and recently enjoyed a nice 10-day visit with their son and his family in MI. She feels like we do—80 isn’t so bad! Lamar Ellis Oglesby: 2013 has been an exciting yr. for my family. We began the yr. in a villa in Costa Rica, all 19 of us. Yes, I rode the zip line. In March, I decided to make the move to Canterbury Court, a retirement center in Atlanta. I moved 7/1, leaving my home of 48 yrs. Not an easy move, but my children have been wonderful. My youngest grandson Rick (7) had a serious but successful brain operation 8/21. Three grandchildren started college: Auburn, Elon and Clemson. Two granddaughters have just announced their engagements. Life is full and God is good. Bill and I enjoyed another trip to southern Africa last spring. We went with friends on OAT’s Ultimate Safari tour. Very good, but we still like self-planned trips better—I hope to go again next spring. We had a nice week at North Topsail Island, NC, with my sister Virginia Watts Fournier ’44 and her family in June. It was fun to have our granddaughter Lauren with us again. She is a jr. at Emory, where she is on the dean’s list and active with Freshman Orientation. She works in the ceramics lab for part of her scholarships. We keep busy with church stuff and choir. I volunteer at Botany Bay WMA and I’m often out looking for birds with my camera. Thanks to all those who sent me news for this column. Please send me your email addresses and I’ll keep in touch with you for the next news. SEE YOU AT REUNION!

1955

Emily Hunter Slingluff 1217 North Bay Shore Drive Virginia Beach, VA 23451-3714 emilyslingluff@aol.com (757) 428-6167

Dede Harrison Austin wrote me a wonderful email from her house in Savannah. She has been in a wheelchair ever since the terrible car accident. I think her spirits sounded amazingly good. Wow. Bexie Faxon Knowles, who lives in Yarmouth, ME, and in Naples, FL, lost husband Bob on 6/29 while in FL, just a few mos. before his 90th birthday. They had 38 yrs. together, full of adventures. He was in failing health and Bexie was by his side for much of the past mos. Bexie has gone back to ME. Both Nella Gray Barkley and Shirley Sutliff Cooper went to ME for Bob’s memorial service. Kathleen Peebles Ballou is happily living in Atlanta with husband Dennis, traveling

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and enjoying life. She sees Newell Bryan Tozzer and Mary Reed Simpson Daugette and other classmates in Atlanta. She is a Bridge Life Master. Probably she is a master at lots of other things, too. Honey Addington Passano and husband Bill were at VA Beach in July. They both looked great and are enjoying life in retirement at their homes in Baltimore, on Gibson Island nearby and in the Bahamas. We talked about Sweet Briar and marveled that she was 1 of only 2 classmates who went back for our 55th reunion. Betty Byrne Ware was the other. However, many of us ’55 classmates stay in good touch! Betty Ware writes that we can start thinking about our 60th reunion coming up in only 2 yrs.! Could it be? Nella Gray Barkley was in Norfolk several mos. ago for Kirkland Tucker Clarkson’s (1953) birthday party. Nella looked fabulous as usual. She still lives in Charleston and does her exciting job in NY. Betty Byrne Gill Ware and Hudnall live a full life, going to Naples, FL, in winter and Smith Mountain Lake in VA often in the summertime, but living in Richmond, where Betty plays golf, exercises, plays bridge and is involved with many worthwhile projects. Peggy West Valentine writes from Richmond that her life is wonderful with children and grandchildren all around. I think all of them live in Richmond near Peggy and Henry. She has a granddaughter entering UVa this fall and other grandchildren at Denison, Cornell and H-SC, plus 2 at St. Catherine’s and 2 at St. Christopher’s in Richmond. She enjoys seeing Betty Sanford Molster and Betty Ware in Richmond, and often sees Emmy Coxe Winburn when she comes to visit her sister in Richmond. Peggy mentioned the sad news that Leezie Parrish Laughlin ’56 died recently. Many in our class were close to Leezie. I know I was. Emmy Coxe Winburn still lives in Savannah, but spends time at her house on the river in Beauford, SC. I had a good visit with her there several yrs. ago. She takes painting lessons and speaks French with a teacher once/wk. and sounds very fit with Pilates classes. Emily Hunter Slingluff has a website, www.emilyslingluff.com, because of a new, short book coming out soon. In the midst of going in the ocean when it’s not too rough, enjoying family and friends, playing bridge a lot, and some gardening, that book project has taken up much time for many yrs. Maybe lots of our classmates have websites? Let’s hear! Please keep the news coming anytime! And remember our class song, “We’re the Tops! We’re the Greatest!”

1956

Frances Shannonhouse Clardy 1700 Queens Rd. W Charlotte, NC 28207 clardyfw@aol.com

Nancy Salisbury Spencer 2580 Club Park Rd. Winston-Salem, NC 27104 jyspencer@aol.com

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1957

Carol McMurtry Fowler 10 Woodstone Sq. Austin, TX 78703 carol@curnon.net

1958

Jane Kuntz

kuntz@columbus.rr.com First, many thanks to all who answered my plea for notes. You are still a fascinating and accomplished group of women. Kudos to our own Elaine Schuster, who was named SBC’s Distinguished Alumna of 2012. Another inspiring member of our class is Poogie Wyatt Shields, who is facing Parkinson’s with courage and a good heart. Four yrs. ago she returned to Crozet, VA. She’s learned to play mah-jongg and spends a lot of time exercising. In 8/13 she spent 2 wks. in Emerald Isle, NC, with her 4 children, their spouses and 7 grandchildren. Much to the amusement of her young, she rented a “tricycle” and got lots of smiles and waves as she pedaled about! Poogie had a fine time at Reunion and, because her Parkinson’s has progressed to a point where she needs help from time to time, said our classmates were “generously forthcoming with assistance.” Poogie thought the highlight was the class dinner followed by photos. “I missed those of you who couldn’t make it but thoroughly enjoyed those who did.” Ina Hamilton Hart has returned to Shaker Heights, OH, where 2 of her sons and their families live. She and John have an amicable divorce and he has stayed in Chicago near his young. She has the travel bug—went to Cuba on an amazing trip with Road Scholars and is going with the same group in Sept. to the Grand Canyon. The 1st time she stayed on the rim; this time she’ll go to the bottom and “see the view looking up.” Mary Taylor Swing has retired as a financial planner so now has ample time to travel on husband Bill’s business. Bill is no longer Episcopal bishop of CA, but continues as president of United Religions Initiative (URI), an organization he founded that operates in 86 countries. They recently visited Warsaw for the dedication of the Museum for History of Polish Jews; while there they visited Krakow and Auschwitz-Birkenau, as well as Prague. Mary says earlier in their careers they spent extended assignments in the Middle East (8 yrs.) and China (10 yrs.); this fall they will be in Kazakhstan, Mexico, England, Ireland and Scotland. Home is Burlingame south of San Francisco; Mary enjoys their little house, gardening, cooking and their 3 grandchildren. During a recent driving trip through VA, Mary was delighted to run into Ginny Tyson Lawrence and Tibby Moore Gardner. She sees Mary Johnson Campbell when Mary accompanies husband David west on business trips and Eleanor St. Clair Thorpe, whose daughter lives near the Swings. She also sees Pat Ashby Boesch, who lives nearby and Patty Sykes Treadwell, who lives in Marin. Edie Knapp Clark retired from teaching high school chemistry for 14 yrs., still keeps busy in Portland, OR. She and Roger are in good health and she does tai chi, volunteers with Planned Parenthood,

studies Spanish, reads and lunches with friends. Happily, both sons live nearby; one manages the prop shop for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the other is a county attorney. Last Jan., Edie traveled to Cuba on a People to People exchange. She said the island was beautiful and the people were very nice. “Parts of Havana are crumbling, other areas of the city in good repair…Lots of equality—everyone is equally poor. Many things Americans consider essential are in short supply.” Edie is especially proud of granddaughter Erin, who broke the state record in the 3000-m run; it is also a national record. Erin is at U. CO to run with the Buffalos. Susan Day Dean also calls the West Coast home in Tacoma, WA. She lives a quiet life but is pleased to be near her daughter’s family. Susan wrote that it was too long a “hop” to Reunion, but was delighted to see the class picture in the last alumnae magazine. Life is good for Adele Scott Caruthers in Santa Fe, NM. She recapped her career as an occupational therapist and in 1991 took the 1st-ever hand therapy exam for board certification, adding CHT to her OTR/L degree. In 39 yrs., Adele practiced in Boston; D.C.; Bloomfield, NJ; and Concord, MA. Some yrs. ago Adele took a painting tour of Provence; she has had exhibits of her work in Albuquerque and in the area. She reads, writes and takes classes at a local organization similar to Elderhostel called Renesan and ushers at Pro Musica chamber music performances. She recently visited her daughter and 2 grandchildren in Clyde, NY, a beautiful area that includes Amish settlements. While Adele has had bilateral hip and knee replacements, she is well and loves her life in Santa Fe. Ruth Carpenter Pitts, Birmingham, AL, broke a long silence with a newsy note. She has been a media escort, hosting authors who are on tour, but says she will soon “pass the reins over.” Her oldest Berrie Bamberg graduated from SBC in ’82 and later received a master’s in counseling. Daughter Berrian McVay graduated from Sewanee and got a law degree; she now works in Atlanta as an assets manager at Bank of America. Son William Henry (Bill) also attended Sewanee ’84 and married Kim Jeffreys; he is senior exec. VP of 1st Commercial Bank in Birmingham. Their son William is a senior at Birmingham Southern and daughter Maggie is a senior at U. AL. Ruth’s youngest, Charlie, graduated from W&L ’85, married Laura Locke and is president and GM at Cigna Carolinas; their son Charlie graduated from Harvard and is now in his 2nd yr. of medical school at Wake Forest U.; daughter Elizabeth is a senior at Princeton. The 4 Carpenter siblings with their young number 64; each yr. the entire group gathers on the “beautiful sands” of the Gulf of Mexico, where they rent adjoining condos, reserve the club house for the duration of their stay and ALL have dinner together each evening. Cornelia Long Matson and Dick have had a busy 2013. They sold their winegrowing estate in the Dordogne, France, to a Hong Kong businessman and now call the Hound Ears Club in the NC mountains home. They bought a mid-century modern house that needs lots of TLC inside and out with 5 stone fireplaces, a pool and elevator. They have kept their residence in Sarasota and plan to spend time there

in the winter. She chairs a fundraiser in Sarasota for Planned Parenthood at the Yacht Club called “High Tide at High Noon.” Son David, ER/MD, and family live near Chapel Hill; their daughter Mackenzie is at Wake Forest U. and 2 other young are at E.H.S. Her Seattle granddaughter has started at Vassar. Lanny Tuller Webster told me about Reunion; our class stayed in the new Green Village apartments—very nice. Fifteen of our classmates were “active, young and swinging!” There was a Friends of Art reception Friday night in Pannell Gallery (the former Refectory), followed by the class dinner after posing for the class picture. The class meeting was held during the dessert course. Molly Archer Payne was elected president and I will happily continue as secretary. Heidi McCrory, VP of alumnae and development, joined the guests for dinner and reported that we raised $48,605 with 40.6% participation and 62% over our goal of $30k. Heidi congratulated us as “super strong!” This is the 1st time I have missed a reunion, but my heart was at SBC. I was already committed to a big fundraiser in Cincinnati for an affordable living complex supported by Episcopal Retirement Homes; I’m starting my 3rd 3-yr. term on the corporate board—one of the most satisfying volunteer positions I’ve ever had. My dear husband Eddie died in April from complications of emphysema; we were married 53 yrs. and I’m slowly getting accustomed to widowhood. Our girls have been wonderful: Lee Caira continues her career as a victim/witness coordinator in Clarksville, TN. Her son Scott just graduated from TN Tech. U. and works in sales for Enterprise. Martha Schenck, Ashburn, VA, is working as a vet tech; husband Don is about to retire from the Dept. of State— future plans pending. Their daughter Katie graduated from Mary Washington U. with a degree in fine arts; Lauren completed a program at Woodrow Wilson, a post-sec. school. Cole, a high school senior, is taking a college-level course in web design, plays the saxophone in the band and boxes at a local gym. Anne Kuntz is community liaison for Zusman Hospice. She also does grief workshops. Eddie and I moved to Powell, OH, in 2009; we have a charming patio condo about 10 min. from Anne and her partner Rick Farley. When Anne left Dayton, the girls wanted us to move close to one of them and Columbus made the most sense. I have gotten busy at my church, St. John’s Episcopal, in Worthington as chair of the Prayer Shawl knitters group; my dear friend Carole Lougheed and I are the “kitchen mamas” organizing the 3 kitchens there and I serve on the pastoral care committee and belong to the book club. I sang with Capriccio, a vocal ensemble, for 3 yrs., but retired this past spring at the onset of Eddie’s health problems. Carole and I joined the Friends of the Governor’s Residence for a private tour of Mt. Vernon and an evening on Old Town Alexandria. I’m a “Governor’s Gardener,” spending 2 mornings/month working on the mansion grounds. My own garden is great therapy for me. I hate being the bearer of sad tidings, but we had 3 deaths in the class this yr.: Nancy Milan Alexander died 2/16/13; Mary Louise (Weezie) Lineberger Roberts died 8/22/13; and Judy Graham Lewis died in early Sept. I know all of you

send your condolences; their names will be listed in this magazine and read at the Alumnae Memorial Service during Reunion. Please keep the notes coming—you don’t have to wait for a reminder from me. I’m so proud of all of you. Carry on!

1959

Ali Wood Thompson 89 Pukolu Way, Wailea, HI 96753 (808) 874-8028 travisnali@hawaii.rr.com

Dear 1959ers, many thanks to those of you who sent in your news. We had a good response. Keep in mind that our 55th reunion is 5/30/14--6/1/14. We will need volunteers to pull this off. If you plan to attend, let Elizabeth Johnston Lipscomb know if you can help in any way. Elizabeth’s email is cllipscomb@ntelos.net. Address changes: Gay Hart Gaines: 2 North Breakers Row, N-35, Palm Beach, FL 33480. Phone: (561) 512-2291. Email: gayhgaines211@ gmail.com Deborah Dunning: 72 Prospect St., Providence, RI, 02906. Phone: 919-8245509. Email: deborah.dunning@sphere-e. com Erna Arnold Westwig: We are on the ME coast enjoying the weather. Our big thing this fall is a sailing trip on a 4-master clipper ship called the “Star Flyer,” 1st in the Mediterranean and then across the South Atlantic, where we will position ourselves for a total eclipse of the sun before continuing to Barbados. There will be lots of astronomical talks and also insights into Columbus’ sailing since we follow his route from the Canary Islands. I just hope I can walk on land after 23 days on a sailboat! This is Ralph’s way of coping with selling our sailboat this May after 24 yrs. We are fine; the kids are fine, as are the 6 grands. Hope all of you are, too. Betsy Colwill Wiegers: In May when in NYC I gathered several of classmates for a mini-reunion lunch—Alice Cary Brown, Jackie Hekma Stone, Di Doscher Spurdle and Claire Devener. A fine time was had by all—except by me: I was in the hospital with pneumonia! “The girls” did keep me posted with many laughter-filled cell phone calls during the event. Tricia Coxe Ware: Tabb Thornton Farinholt and I spent a fun few days this summer in Charleston, SC, with Ellen Pringle Read ’60 and husband Mayo. Di Doscher Spurdle: I had lunch in May in NYC with Alice Cary Farmer Brown, Jackie Hekma Stone and Clair Devener. The major missing person is Betsy Colwill Wiegers, organizer and gatherer. The only acceptable excuse was that she was in the hospital with pneumonia. She is now slowly getting her strength back. Claire was celebrating the 25th anniversary issue of the magazine she started—Anguilla Life. Jackie is now retired, plays bridge and enjoys life. Alice Cary has been up to her ears decorating and renovating 1st in Vienna, then continually in FL. We didn’t speak about NY. I continue to spend my time in NYC and California every chance I get. A bit of a spread there. This summer at home is different but amazing: everyone has tried to recover and resume their lives after the storm. Last fall I enjoyed having many dinners, seeing plays and various

exhibits while Judy Welton Sargent was in town. Since then she has been recovering from a bad auto accident in Austin, which put her in a wheelchair for many months. Fortunately her daughters are there and have been a huge support, as well as her grandson, Jean Paul, who has provided the light, fun and humor. Alice Cary Farmer Brown: I had dinner with Lizora Yonce here on Fishers Island, where we have been coming for many summers with our families. Lizora wins golf tournaments with great ease and is a star at the bridge table. Of course she misses her wonderful Sam, as we all do. I enjoyed a LONG and hilarious lunch this past spring with a group of classmates Betsy Weigers organized. Jackie Hekma and her husband celebrated their 50th anniversary on a cruise on the Danube in Sept. We were in Vienna and had them to our apartment as we did when Susan Taylor Montague came a few yrs. ago. Everyone is welcome to come! Penny Fisher Duncklee: Not much new here. John churning out some neat new books and I have been painting covers for them. We are a good team. People can get them on Amazon or from him directly. If from him, he can sign them. I still have not had to mow the lawn this yr.—advantage of no rain. Aug. might be different because it has rained twice in the last week. Meriwether Hagerty Rumrill: Our prerevolution family farm occupies a lot of my time, besides wonderful grandchildren. I recently had a USDA grant to eradicate 16 acres of ailanthus trees. Google this nasty thing and if you see it, kill it! It was the tree in “A Tree Grows In Brooklyn”—it grew out of a crack in the sidewalk but is not a sweet little thing. I am glad I can do something for the environment and encourage my clients to be mindful. I had a big family celebration with all my kids and grandkids (except those from SD—too far) for the christening of my next-to-youngest granddaughter, Katharine Juliana. Her Hungarian mother speaks only Hungarian to her, so she will be a lucky bilingual—or more. Gay Hart Gaines: I turned 75 in Feb., but was recovering from a shoulder replacement at the time, so right now I am celebrating with most of my family; we are 16 in all, cruising the Baltic on the beautiful Silver Whisper. We left Copenhagen after a lovely 2-day visit and are headed to Helsinki, then St. Petersburg for 3 days, then to Tallinn, Estonia, and ending up in Stockholm for 3 days. We are having a ball; all the children love it! I retire from the board of Mt. Vernon at the end of the yr. and feel my legacy will help in a big way to build a library for our 1st and greatest president, which will open 9/26 and 9/27. Very exciting. Our eldest granddaughter (28) is getting married in Oct. and our youngest (4 1/2) is with us on this trip! I remember very well when I was 4, so I so hope she will remember some of this trip. Mary Ballou Handy Williams: I am sorry to have been such a poor correspondent, but I am not good with the computer. We spent a lovely week with my daughter Cricket in Nantucket in Aug. She is moving from New Canaan, CT. If anyone lives there, let us know. Otherwise, we have spent a lot of time in Mathews Co., VA, on the Piankatank River—about 1 1/2 hours from Richmond. With 8 children and 16 grandchildren, we are busy! I also took 2 grandchildren to Stratford Hall (home of

Robert E. Lee) camp for 2 days. I recommend it highly as it is most informative of life then. It is not all about the Civil War. If interested, contact me. All states have a representative. Elizabeth Johnston Lipscomb: The high points of the yr. for Lloyd and me have been times with our family. Some of us were together for Father’s Day in Jamestown, RI, and we had a wonderful late July trip to Ontario with our 3 sons, 2 daughters-in-law and 4 grandchildren for Lloyd’s family reunion. We treasure those rare occasions when we can all be together. I hope that many of you are planning to return to SBC next spring for our 55th reunion from 5/30/14-6/1/14! We’ll be in touch with more details soon. Jini Jones Vail: I have some news, 2 items: I have begun to blog, Revolutionary Rochambeau! What else? It is never too late. I have always been a late bloomer. I am posting on the 1st and 15th each month. If you want to be notified, please send your email address to jinivail@gmail. com. It is not only about history, although that is the main thrust, but for example, on 8/28, in time to prepare for the Labor Day weekend, I posted a recipe for a crust-less, almost sugarless, no-bake, mixed-berry revolutionary tart. Join the fun! Post your comments so I know you are out there! Our group of 6 is getting together for annual fun week, this time at Sandy Sylvia’s daughter’s summer home on the beach at Buzzard’s Bay 9/22-27. Hopefully all of us, Erna Westwig, Mary Davis, Polly Taylor, Sarah Moore, Sandy and I will gather for late-night Quiddler on the porch! Still finding fun in life at 76! I am not sure if I will be at Reunion. I am doing as much travel as I can for book talks. Last Oct. I was in VA for a double dose of fun. Met my SBC roomies in Williamsburg for 5 days and then went on to book talks in Yorktown, VA. We all do what we can even as we age. What? I hate to admit it, but I do get tired sometimes. Don’t tell anyone. I swim laps 2-3 times/wk. at my daughter’s pool in Washington, CT, and walk 3 times/wk. with a friend. Isa Mary Lowe Ziegler (written in March): The best news is that so many of us are active and enjoying life. Life without Alvin is still transitioning. “Busy” is the formula of the day. There are never enough hours— friends and family, incl. a 10-day-old grandson (am I the oldest of us who is still doing this?) definitely fill the days. Plus I still enjoy my San Francisco playground. And I am just off to Delray Beach, my other playground. Virginia MacKethan Kitchin: We went to Sandbridge this summer for our annual weeklong family vacation at our beach cottage. It’s not too different from last yr. except that we have added a wife (last yr.’s girlfriend) and baby boy for Robeson, which is exciting. The cottage is now too small to hold us all, so we parked an RV in the driveway to take the overflow. They live in Charlottesville, Memphis and Portland. Sorrel Mackall McElroy: We are still having fun restoring our old house and 1770s cabin on our MD farm. We thought some of our 13 grands would love to come paint the old red barns. Guess what? They still stand unpainted! Jobs and camps won out. We will go down to MS in Sept. I’ve never been to that part of the U.S. Sally Martin Kohrs: I am sure no one remembers me as I left my junior yr. and married. I am taking my family to Bald

More class notes online sbc.edu/magazine Head Island, NC, in Aug. for a big family trip. Five of us come from Sudbury, MA, and 3 of us come from Phoenix. We live in Sedona, 2 hours north of Phoenix, and my son and daughter-in-law live about 2 hours south of Phoenix in Aarivaipa Canyon. Anyone live out this way? We golf, work out and hike here. We have the monsoon season for about 10 wks., which brings lots of water to our state. Big storms roll up every day; sometimes they hit us, sometimes they go somewhere else. The storms are so beautiful! We all grieve over the 19 hotshot firefighters who were killed in the forest fire. Nita Mixson Cox: Nothing exciting going on here in south GA except for lots of rain! Had visits from a grandson from TX, and 1 from NYC. They’re really scattered. I guess the most activity is babysitting our oldest granddaughter’s puppy while she finishes her 4th yr. in medical school. It will be good to have a doctor in the family as we get older and more decrepit. Fleming Parker Rutledge: Betsy Smith White and I met at the Montreat Conference Center (NC), where I preached the sermon one Sunday. It was a wonderful occasion for me. Betsy has changed less than anyone else I can think of in our class! I have finished my 600+ page book about the crucifixion of Christ. I took 1 break with Dick and we went to the Italian Lake District, where it rained nonstop for a week. It was gorgeous anyway. Ann Pegram Howington: Dottie Moore Lawson had some of us to her marvelous place at the beach; now she and Tom (months later) are coming here for a wedding so she, Tom, Sally Beattie Sinkler, Betsy Brawner Pittman, another pal and I will have supper this week. They don’t realize it’s going to be something like spaghetti, not Julia Child. We had the best trip. I took 1 son (Jay), his wife and 2 teenagers on a cruise from Istanbul to Rome. It was a crowded, hot tour, but the boat was orderly and calm and cool (Crystal Symphony, I recommend it) and so were my darlings. Robert liked best: the food, the cats everywhere and Mt. Etna. It was the perfect time, age and venue. And if you ever can, it was a marvelous thing to do. I hope to see Dottie again at Sea Island next week; they have a great condo that we visited last spring (we rent). Betsy Brawner Pittman and friends went to Santa Fe opera last week, but maybe I should let other folks report on their moves, not try to play Walter Winchell. I just visited my daughter in Cohasset—a genteel blast, and they loved HI last month. Virginia Ramsey Crawford: I was at my condo in Chautauqua, NY, for most of the summer. My dear husband died in 2007 and I moved to a life care facility in Redding, CT. It is very beautiful, and best of all there are many stimulating trips and activities. I continue to paint watercolors and have had a couple of shows. Last Jan. I had my 2nd laminectomy and spinal fusion (1st was in 2004). So far all is well. The big family news is that I am now a great-grandmother to a beautiful girl (1) named Mercy. All the grandchildren are out of college now except for 1, who is getting an advanced degree in nursing.

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Barbara Sampson Borsch: I spent 1 day in Oahu visiting with my cousin Caitilin Embree and then returned to Maui. In the ’70s I used to go occasionally to Maui to visit my cousin Lou Campbell, but she has died. This time I went with a friend who had an “all expenses (well, not quite) paid” trip to Lahaina, incl. airfare and hotel for a wk. She’d never been to HI and couldn’t find any other of our friends to go. It has been the spring of flying as Fred and I went off to England when I returned from the Maui expedition. We still have dear friends there from our time living there; 2 of them have died, so an annual visit is in order—if we can get ourselves up and off to the airport. That seems to be more work than it used to be. Add to that going to FL to visit eldest son, wife and child and to NY to see middle son and family. All of this has resulted in serious visits to the physical therapist. Fred and I still spend our time in Philadelphia and at our home in Los Angeles. Mary Blair Scott Valentine: We were in Anguilla. I missed seeing Claire Devener celebrating 54 yrs. Grandson Scott Philips is going to W&L in the fall; so is Betsy Seaman’s grandson George. Ann Smith Heist: It seems like there are so many of us in FL in various spots that we ought to be able to find a central town to meet in for lunch this fall or spring. Maybe this idea will catch. Otherwise, we had 2 lovely mos. in Italy, working our way up to Hamburg to catch the Queen Mary home. Shortly thereafter, we helped our daughter relocate in Ridgefield, CT. She has a horseback rider among her brood so maybe Sweet Briar will get a look in a few yrs. It’s hard to get my CT Yankees below the Mason Dixon line these days. Betsy Smith White: Fleming and I had a great visit when she was preaching at Montreat on 8/4. Bill and I drove over from Brevard, NC, where we have a home, and loved hearing her preach to a congregation of about 500. The Presbyterians love Fleming because she is such an outstanding Biblical scholar, and they knew that she comes to Kanuga (the Episcopal retreat for NC and SC not far from Montreat) every summer with her family. My news is just about grandchildren. Oldest granddaughter, Bess Dickens, has graduated from Davidson and is living in NY! She is finishing an internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and works full time for Penguin Books. Fleming and Dick took Bess to dinner in June with their granddaughter Dabney, who is 1 yr. ahead of Bess and works for Sotheby’s. Grandson Al Dickens is a junior and on the golf team at East Carolina U.; granddaughter Kate Willingham has just entered Coll. of Charleston as a freshman. Our other 3 grands, Amelia Willingham, Bobby Black and Betsy Black, are all in high school. When you have 3 daughters, all of your grandchildren have different last names! Bill and I are fine. He is slowing down a bit at 83, but still the best! Be sure that Mary Blair lets you know about the great scholarship and award won by her grandson Scott Philips! The award and scholarship are in memory of a wonderful Carolina Panthers player (Sam Mills) who was loved by all and died of cancer some yrs. ago. Scott was honored at the 1st Panthers’ game 2 wks. ago on the field at halftime— and all of this on TV.

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Val Stoddard Loring: Steve and I enjoyed April in Paris to celebrate our 50th anniversary. Then, as my present to him for his 80th birthday, we enjoyed a 10-day cruise to study the Civil War sponsored by the American Antiquarian Society of Worcester, MA. The trip started in Richmond, so I was able to spend a wonderful day with Dede Mayer before embarking on the ship. We both are dealing with downsizing and the questions of when and where to move in order to live those “golden yrs.” to the fullest! I had a visit in June with Margie Lippard, director of major and planned giving. She is revving up interest in 55th-reunion gifts! Kathy Tyler Sheldon: We had a very busy summer, just returned from our son’s 2nd wedding in our capital, St. John’s, with lots of family here. We had very good weather and enjoyed our sailing and good seafood, lobster, crab, shrimp and—of course—the codfish! Judy Welton Sargent: In Feb. a HUGE Ford F-150 pickup pulled out in front of me on a busy fast road. I tried to stop, but ended up colliding with it. Fortunately, the other driver was not injured, but my car was totaled and the tibia plateau of my left leg was fractured, requiring surgery, 5 days in the hospital, 2 wks. in rehab, 8 wks. with no weight bearing, in home PT followed by outpatient PT, wheelchair to walker to cane. I was just beginning to walk well on a cane and walking in the house without assistance when I developed tendinitis and tarsal tunnel syndrome in the ankle, OUCH! I am now in a boot and using a cane. Oh, yes, the day after the surgery, my oxygen levels started falling, and they discovered 2 pulmonary embolisms in my right lung. I am taking Coumadin, but I hope to stop taking it by the end of this month. First and foremost, I am grateful to be alive and all of this should soon be behind me. I have been living with my daughter Catherine and her family since 3/1. The renovation of my house should be complete in early Sep., and I am very eager to get moved and settled. I’m sure my kids will be glad, too. I think I will love it, and it is near both of my girls. I really enjoy Austin and see Ann Turnbull Lowry frequently. She often invites me to sub in her bridge foursome, which is great fun. Susan, Catherine, Tom, John Paul (5) and I flew to Seattle to go on an Alaskan cruise to celebrate my 75th birthday. We were looking forward to the trip AND getting out of the heat! In Seattle I met Jane Headstreet ’60 at dinner. Although I did not know her at SBC, we found lots of mutual friends from her class and ours. Ali Wood Thompson: It has been a quiet 6 mos. here but all will change shortly beginning in Sept. In the middle of next month, I take off for the Senior Hula Festival in Kona, where our group will compete against about 20 other groups. We do this every yr. and it is always fun. Later, I will fly to Chestertown, MD, for a mini-reunion and up to ME to visit my daughter for about 5 days. In Oct., Travis and I will go to Tanzania, where we will fly into 3 small camps to observe the wonderful animals. We love safaris!

1960

Carol Barnard Ottenberg ottenbergc@aol.com

1961

Bette Hutchins Sharland thefroghall@verizon.net

1962

Parry Ellice Adam 33 Pleasant Run Rd Flemington, NJ 08822 (908) 782-3754 peaba@comcast.net

Mary Steketee MacDonald hiked in Norway for the 1st time this yr. The allure of the mountains continues! Children and grandchildren are nearby. As of Aug., she was off to Chautauqua. Puddin Newbury Lansing has launched into farming in Versailles, KY. She and her “farming partner,” Warner, are learning all about it while enjoying the ambiance farming as to offer. Admittedly, winter opens up lots of opportunity for serious reading. She still enjoys local antique auctions and planning a dinner party for this yr.’s debutantes. Sadly, Brooke Hamilton MacKinnon reported that Gillis died on 6/16 after a yearlong battle with lymphoma. His most recent positive attitude has enhanced his memory and Brooke’s support. We all send sincere condolence. Also, as I write, notice came to me that Addie Kamke Cooke died 8/19. We extend our deep sympathy to her family.

1963

Allie Stemmons Simon 3701 Guadalajara Court Irving, TX 75062 asimontc@verizon.net

The Class of 1963 celebrated its 50th reunion in great style with 60 classmates plus 18 husbands and friends. It was a wonderful reconnection for many of us, including 3 1st-timers, Susan Alexander, Susan Scott Robinette and Tish Skinner Dace. We all wished even more classmates had joined us. One of the highlights was having our class sponsor Adelaide Hapala, together with son Milan Jr. and his wife Susan, join us at our Friday night dinner. Put our next reunion in 2018 on your calendars right now—we propose to have the largest returning 55th reunion class ever! It is good to hear from some who were unable to attend Reunion. Barbara Sullivan Wanamaker is still in Huntington, NY, still sells real estate full time and enjoys her 5 grandchildren. Daughter Amy is in business with her and son Dave sells real estate in NYC. Barbara has a condo on the water on the North Fork of Long Island and spends as much time as possible there. Nancy Nix-Karnakis also still works—as a proposal manager for Northrop Grumman. She belongs to a halau (hula group) that recently won 10 prizes at a competition in Orlando. Nancy and Nick enjoy time at their beach house on the Outer Banks of NC. Next yr. Nancy will join sisters Amy and Ann Lyn on a river cruise to see the tulips in Holland; later she and Nick will join his family on a trip to France. Ann Knickerbocker McCulloch writes that 2013 has flown by with the blessings of Bill’s successful surgery, grandkids’ matriculation to high school and a wonderful adventure in Morocco. Judy Johnson Varn

Hays and Spurgeon lost their lake/mountain cabin and boathouse in the 4/11 tornado. They are now in their brand-new house, having lots of company and watching the new trees grow. Judy was sorry to miss Reunion but just couldn’t get away at that time. Most who attended Reunion wrote that they had “no new news” but Betty Stanly Cates traveled to MI where she had a good visit with Nancy Hudler Keuffel ’62, who wanted to hear all about Reunion. In Sept., Betty took a cruise from Seattle through the San Juan Islands, then traveled to Vancouver and Toronto on Canada Rail’s Dome train. The Sweet Briar Cocktail Party in Vero Beach, which Betty sponsors annually, will be 3/4/14; the next day SBC Prof. Steve Bragaw will lecture at the Vero Beach Museum of Art. Betty encourages anyone to attend these events! Nikki Griess Deupree and Tom are beginning their new residency in Venice, FL, where they will be for 2 mos. in the fall and 4 in the winter. They’re right on the beach and Nikki extends an open invitation to any classmates who would like to visit. Lyn Clark Pegg is excited that Susan Alexander and Nancy McDowell will join her on the Witness for Peace delegation to Cuba in late Nov. Karen Gill Meyer recently accepted an invitation to join the AZ St. U. foundation Women and Philanthropy and is also involved with the U. AZ Friends of Cancer Research. In addition to working at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, she finds time for the Boys and Girls Club Endowment, the Barrow Neurological Institute and the Sweet Briar Board of Directors. The funniest follow-up I received was from Margaret Millender Holmes, who said I should give her at least 10 yrs. before asking for more news. Her life is “get up, feed horses, groom horses, put medicine on horses’ feet, eat breakfast, mow, weed garden, eat lunch, maybe ride, mow, spray herbicides, fertilize, mow, eat supper, crash. After 50 yrs. it has become clear that I should have been a farmer!” She and Tom did sneak away from horse and farm duty to spend a week at the beach in SC with kids, grandkids, brother, his kids and grandkids in a wonderful house jam-packed FULL! While planning for Reunion we had trouble tracking down Penny Pamplin Reeves and eventually located her at the Cascades of Verdae Assisted Living Home in Greenville, SC, where she is comfortably situated but unfortunately suffering from early-stage Alzheimer’s. Shortly after Reunion, Betsy Parker McColl visited her and a few wks. later returned with Susan Scott Robinette. Penny was thrilled to see them and they had a wonderful visit. In an amazing coincidence Susan and her husband have now rented their “barn apartment” to a young lady named Ryerson Pamplin, who turned out to be the daughter of Penny’s younger brother Ned. It’s a small world! Now Susan and Betsy will keep in touch with Penny and we all keep her in our thoughts. I want to express thanks to Jane Goodridge, who has been such a terrific secretary for the last 5 yrs., and congratulate Sue Jones Cansler, who is taking over as our class president. Please keep in touch—send me your news anytime and I’ll stockpile it for the next class notes.

1964

Virginia (Ginny) deBuys H16 Shirley Lane Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 gdebuys@comcast.net

We have news! And for it to be wedding news at this time in our lives brings a big smile. Martie Benn Martin was married in 2/13 to Dr. J. Douglas McDowall, someone she’s known for many yrs. through her church. We send our best wishes to Martie and Doug! Vera LeCraw Carvaillo writes that she and Philippe ended 2012 with 3 miracles. They sold their house outside Paris, bid once and bought a new house and moved (with their baby grand piano) to Geneva, where they are in a lovely town and near their children and grandchildren. It is time for a new class secretary, and a new voice to the notes. Please let me know if you are interested in helping us keep in touch. You do need to be online and use email, but that’s the only requirement. You can send me news anytime. I look forward to seeing you all at Reunion 2014!

1965

Sally Hubbard

52 Sherwood Trail Sewanee, TN 37375-2166 sally@hubbard.net Eugenia Dickey Caldwell retired on 8/1, imagine that. She and Peter are going back to Peru for another birding expedition, this time to the Rio Tambopata in SE Peru near Bolivia, to see the largest known clay macaw and parrot lick, or ccollpa. She expects almost as many parrots and macaws as mosquitoes. They’ll stop in Cusco on the way home to sightsee. Her new email address is eugeniacaldwell@ gmail.com. Alice Virginia Dodd sends greetings but no news. Sally McCrady Hubbard barely managed to hike 160 mi. with bronchitis from the west to the east coast of England on the Wainwright Trail with her stepdaughter and 2 friends in Aug. A once-in-a-lifetime, humbling event—beautiful, otherworldly, a total distraction from usual concerns. Happy 70th birthday to us all this yr.! Gabrielle Fraser Hale is celebrating the Yr. of the Puppy and the Novel. She has a yellow Lab puppy. Her husband (92) continues to write his column for the Houston Chronicle and run his blog. Her 1st grandchild turned 1 in Sept. Gabrielle writes stories and is working on a 2nd draft of a novel about World War II. Mary K. Lee McDonald continues to sell real estate, travel and enjoy her 2 grandchildren, but husband John has MDS and hydrocephalus. He is doing much better. All are invited to visit them in Glen Allen, VA. Susan Strong McDonald started a company called Singing Flower Studio to make botanical soaps and lotions and sell her botanical prints (www.singingflowersstudio.com). She markets in northern WI in summer and Jacksonville, FL, in winter. In summer she tends her garden and fruit trees and paints in watercolor; in winter she paints in oil and encaustic. Her oldest grandchild will be a sophomore at Beloit. Laura Haskell Phinizy gathered with all the

children and grandchildren for a week at Kanuga, where the family has convened in Aug. since 1973. Harriet Houston Shaffer ’64 and Margaret Street Wilson ’64 joined them with their families. Real estate pokes along with technology exploding with possibilities for agents and buyers; it is exciting and trying. Milbrey Sebring Raney wants to get in touch with Sally Wright Hyde, since she ran into friends of hers at a family wedding on Orcas Island. Magda Salvesen is teaching a seminar course at NYU in 18th-century British gardens and landscape. She also lectures on landscape designer William Kent to tie in with an exhibition at Bard Graduate Center, “William Kent: Designing Georgian Britain.” Sally Rasco Thomas’s son Bill’s band, the Styletones, was heard by more than 100 million people in the Super Bowl commercial, the milk ad with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. She looks forward to travel and time with friends in well-earned retirement.

1966

Jane Nelson

jnelson@wcrichmond.org

Penn Willets Fullerton pennhome@aol.com

Susan Sudduth Hiller ssdh22@yahoo.com

Keenan Kelsey

kkelsey@earthlink.net Approaching her 70th birthday, Barbara Dublin Van Cleve loves her life in her “newto-me” cottage at Pennybyrn at Maryfield. She decided downsizing sooner rather than later was the wiser way to go, so sold her house and took the plunge. Her kids and their families are scattered from near her to Peoria, Tulsa and Seattle. “All are well, productive and happy...Life is very good.” Jeannie Jackson Exum writes that she and her husband live in Kinston, NC, “which is our ‘official’ address,” although they spend a lot of time on the coast. Three children and 6 grandchildren (plus a 7th on the way) also live in NC, with lots of opportunities for fun, family get-togethers. Joe and Jeannie have been able to travel a lot since she retired from teaching. She also has enjoyed playing duplicate bridge again and treasures reconnecting at the card table with Marcia Pace Lindstrom and Nancy McLean Parker. She relishes the pleasure of maintaining contact with Harriette Horsey Sturges, Sheila Nolan Fuller, Virginia Pennel Brooks, and Carol Dean Spratlin Davis. Harriette Horsey Sturges met Marcia Pace Lindstrom and Virginia Pennel Brooks in Atlanta and hopes to meet there more often. She and her husband are both retired although Harriette is still on staff at a nearby Episcopal Church in Oxford, NC. She is still an advocate for the environment and the Latino community and continuing to learn more Spanish. She’d love to hear what others are reading, enjoying or being challenged by. Susie Wilson Ashcom and Bobby just passed their 49th wedding anniversary and are looking forward to their 50th. They live near Warrenton and

Charlottesville. Ninie Lang, who taught at SBC for many yrs., Betty Gookin, and several other SBC alumna live nearby; the area SBC reunions are fun. Grandchildren are accomplishing things they never would have dreamed of. Wilson spent a part of the summer traveling across China on the Orient Express on his way to Mongolia to help in an orphanage, then on a trek riding Mongolian ponies. His sister, Annabel, spent 6 wks. at Interlochen because of her extraordinary voice. She sings in the choir at The National Cathedral while attending The National Cathedral School. Their little brother is a Northern VA swimming and diving champion. These children make Susie tired thinking of what they do every day while their parents compete in triathlons! The CA grandchildren are just normal young girls who like dressing up and glittery things! They are “no-brainers” when Christmas comes around! Susie and Bobby are very thankful for what life has brought and for their education, which has helped enormously. Jean Campbell Barquin writes that life is good. Their daughter was married on 3/30/13 in Barcelona, where she has been living for 10 yrs. She married an American from VA Beach (they met in Spain) named Tim Stutts. Elisa finished her doctorate in linguistics last Nov., and she and her husband have recently left Spain to move to Austin. Their son still lives in D.C. and has a daughter who will be 3 in Nov. and is expecting a boy in Dec. Babysitting for her granddaughter keeps Jean very busy. She feels so lucky to have them all nearby. Jean still plays tennis and has started to play lots of competitive bridge traveling to tournaments with her partner, hoping to become a Life Master soon. She and her husband continue to travel quite a bit—short but frequent trips as he is still running his company. Wonderful news from Sidney Turner, who writes: “On 3/5/13, after much testing and monitoring, I received a kidney transplant. The donor was my twin sister. I am so grateful to her and the 2 other family members who volunteered to donate a kidney. I am also thankful for Baltimore’s 2 (!!) transplant centers, the skilled and compassionate surgeons, nurses, and other staff at Johns Hopkins Hospital, good medical insurance, and supportive friends and family. What an incredible blessing. My post-operative journey was more hectic and complicated than I ever imagined but I have been making steady progress and look forward to a future where life is almost normal.” Peggy Gilmer Myers writes that her family is still basically the same—her husband raising cattle; grown children all in VA; and 2 delightful grandsons. Her major 2012 activity was having a great time and learning a lot co-writing a local tour book, “Sunday Drives: Cruising the Back Roads of Amherst and Nelson Counties,” with fellow SBC alum Ann Hopkins Rucker ’74. The book is available online at Amazon. com. Marilyn Garabrant Morris writes that her big news is being a grandmother for the 1st time! Daughter, Blair, and her husband, Michael, had a little girl born 6/12—“of course she is perfect.” Marilyn saw Mary Meade Winn and Marty Rogers Brown this past winter in FL in Vero Beach and will visit Marty in VA Beach in Sept., joined by Eleanor Gilmore Massie. Marilyn keeps in touch with classmates each yr. if

possible. She is already planning several trips to NYC, where her granddaughter and parents live, so the West Palm Beach to LaGuardia route will be well traveled. Ellie Gilmore Massie’s news is that she recently moved back to Baltimore, where she grew up and is enjoying reconnecting with old friends and classmates. She has signed up for a lot of interesting classes, plus a chorus with which to sing, taking advantage of the many educational opportunities nearby. Ellie looks forward to the visiting with Marty and Marilyn, with lots of catching up. Abby Patterson Shultis finds it hard to believe we are turning 70 this yr. or next! She feels lucky to be able to have a very full and active life in the Southern Pines/ Pinehurst area—still riding and driving her horse, busy in her garden and yard—too much mowing this yr.—and lots of friends and activities of all kinds. She hopes anyone traveling her way will stop by. Her daughter Parker (SBC ’90) is still in Roanoke with a successful career and a horse for relaxation. Younger daughter, Ashton, is in advertising in Seattle—a big trip to go visit the grandkids, but well worth it. Judy Barthold Desimone writes she is responding to class news requests because it’s so “dang nice” to hear from classmates and because she retired from law practice and is enjoying the great joy of having time to savor important and heart-touching matters—responding to a call from much lovingly recalled friends and recollections of and from Sweet Briar. She is blessed to have a husband of 47 yrs.; 2 healthy, well-grown and independent children; 5 grandchildren and 2 more “almost” grandchildren. She is finding herself encouraging a 16-yr.-old “grand boy” to think of the value of a liberal arts education in this technological era. Judy is increasingly harking back to the incredibly important foundation for her life that was laid at Sweet Briar. “I am always curious, tickled, happy, and giggly to read about my classmates.” Andrea Pearson Pennington has been retired for 2 1/2 yrs. She volunteers as a mentor in a girls program at Strickland Youth Center, from which she retired; through her Catholic church; as a reading buddy for a child in elementary school; and mostly as president of the League of Women Voters of Mobile, working with kids, educating and encouraging them to be participatory citizens. Andrea and Al have 2 2-yr.-old grandchildren. Granddaughter, Caroline Ferry, lives with her parents in Washington, D.C. and Madrid, where her Dad’s work with the FBI takes them. They have been visiting recently, and the Penningtons went to Madrid for 3 wks. in May and June. Their other daughter and son-in-law are in Mobile with grandson, Harding Powell, so Andrea enjoys him on a regular basis now. Both of them are so wonderful to watch grow and learn. Andrea had heart bypass surgery unexpectedly in Feb. and was very lucky to have no damage. Al is also retired but officiates tennis for the SEC at LSU, for Tulane, and for the Sun Belt Conference at U. South AL. Both Andrea and Al enjoy using retirement yrs. to give back to their community. Penn Willets Fullerton and family have had a wonderful yr.—blessed with having 3 grandchildren close by, and 3 others not too far away! Penn loves teaching creative

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writing part time in the public schools and in classes at home. Husband, George, is busy part time with civil engineering. Penn and George escape when possible to their cabin near Yosemite for weekends of hiking and fishing and feel very lucky that the big fire spared their cabin. Penn sees Randi Miles Long and Keenan Colton Kelsey often, and enjoys the “golden time” of the yearly visit with SBC roommates Keenan, Jane Nelson, and Susan Sudduth Hiller. Penn is active in her area SBC alumnae club, noting it is great to see how excited the current students are about the college. They are always so impressed when the alums get up to share stories about “the old days”! Penn encourages all to get in touch if in San Francisco. Susan Sudduth Hiller recalls the highlight of the yearly roommate reunion. Since her husband, Chuck, retired completely from pulmonology practice, they are having more time to visit children and other relatives. Daughter, Penn, continues to practice law in NYC while being an incredible single mom to precious Katie (11) and Andrew (6). Susan sees them as often as possible and was so pleased that they visited in Little Rock recently. Penn is engaged to wonderful Christopher Anderson, who is also a lawyer. Dear 12-yr.-old Corgi Finian Maelgwyn [translated: “handsome prince of the hounds”], continues to be a joy—moving a little more slowly, “but don’t we all?” After 35 yrs. of skiing, Susan sustained her 1st fracture—her leg—on the slopes last Jan. All fine now, and she is looking forward to more skiing in Feb. She continues hospice, lay chaplain and grief counseling work. Judy Wilson Grant writes of a busy summer for the Grant family! Son Will is in Mongolia for 3 mos. collecting material for a book on the horse culture there; daughter Caroline and her husband, Fred Waddell, have relocated to Wellesley, MA, where she runs Paper & Presents; son Newell Jr. and his wife, Helena, are still in downtown Boston, where he works for his boarding school, Westminster; daughter Margaret and her husband, Scott, are busy with Tairis (3) and Keller (1). Judy and Newell have had a wonderful summer of house guests, both family and friends. As of July, Judy returned to the SBC board as development chair, so we will ALL be hearing from her!!! Tia Campbell McMillan and Bob are still living in the Eastern Panhandle of WV, having moved from Martinsburg to Shepherdstown 4 yrs. ago, with their house overlooking the Potomac. They are still in the beer business. Son Andrew has recently moved back to WV to work in the distributorship—so nice to have children and grandchildren living nearby. Their 2 other children and families remain in San Francisco. Tia had a nice visit with Jo Ellen Parker and Heidi McCrory last mo. when they stopped by for lunch on their drive up I-81 and very much enjoyed hearing about all that is happening at SBC. Jane Utley Strickler had a great trip to Rome for a week in May, spent a week in London in Aug. and has been going to Highlands, NC, lots—loves traveling with her friend Bill. Daughters Kathryn and Leigh visited Egypt with their father, Cy, before “all hell broke loose.” Jane is working part time for a wonderful commercial real estate person who has started a networking organization for people involved with commercial real estate in Atlanta. She

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is going to 2 ballet classes a week, playing lots of tennis, and loves her Anglican Church in Atlanta—“God is good all the time.” She would love to visit SBC 1 day. Dianna “Peppie” Yaeger Rankin moved to Lake Worth, FL, very near Wellington, the winter equestrian place to be. She still rides at least 4 days/wk. and works full time in West Palm Beach as a medical practice administrator. Four of her 5 children are married and 1 is in graduate school. Peppie has 6 “fantastic” grandchildren—5 playing ice hockey but only 1 equestrian. She has taken up and really enjoys golf—introduced to the game while visiting her daughter and family in Toronto. Lee Mackubin Miller writes that life is good and all is well in Atlanta. She and Rick are busy as always with work, family and fun, with Lee working with the homeless and mentally impaired. She sees a great deal of her 3 grandchildren, who live in Columbia, SC. “They are a blessing!” Off to Disney World in Oct. Martha Madden Swanson and David traveled during the past yr. to Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti and Bora Bora; then to England and Scotland; and then to Austin, TX, to see Georgetown win the national championship in Coed Sailing. They recently were in St. Petersburg, FL, to watch Georgetown in the College Sailing Championships and a few days in Key West. In 9/12, they were in New England to see a good friend inaugurated as president of the College of the Holy Cross, staying north to see some family and at Cape Ann, MA. They also attended Martha’s 50th high school reunion. They spent Christmas in CA with their daughter—“different atmosphere in Santa Monica from Arlington, VA.” The Swansons are still busy with things at Georgetown, going to sporting events, lectures, and performances. They also continue to fundraise for their school in Kenya for AIDS orphans. Children are doing well—Sarah travels for the NFL Network; Michael is happy not to travel, unless for fun. Martha is trying to get her siblings and their offspring together for a family reunion—truly a challenge! She and her daughter spent a day at the U.S. Open in a really nice suite, watching Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka play their semifinal matches and Serena and Venus play a doubles semi. Great fun! Betty Booker Morriss and Dabney were invited in July by in-laws Makanah Dunham Morriss and Bob for a wonderful week of Chautauqua Institution lectures on “Markets, Morals and the Social Contract,” subjects the sisters were well-prepared for by SBC. Love liberal arts! I continue my work as a lay chaplain at the continuing care retirement community Westminster Canterbury Richmond. We had a wonderful family reunion, which we do every other yr., in Culpeper in June— much intergenerational fun, including relay races, the family “philharmonic,” group singing, laughter, and catching up. Lots of preparation work, but so worth it! I too love the yearly reunion with my SBC roommates and enjoy hearing what all of you are doing. Best wishes for the holiday season and the rest of 2013.

1967

Gail O’Quin

cgrobins@ix.netcom.com I do not like starting with a sad report, but I’m sure most of you know Randy Brown died of lung cancer in June. She had a long and valiant struggle and was able to hang on until the birth of her grandson, her son’s 1st child. I feel so blessed that I was able to visit with her in March of last yr. when she and her sister Robin came to New Orleans. Bill and I also stopped by her home after the reunion in May and had a delightful visit. She was quite an individual! Several classmates in VA were able to celebrate her life at her memorial service in Tappahannock. Also, Elizabeth Bernard Hatch died Jan. 23, 2013, in Lake Worth, FL. The SBC alumnae office sent out an announcement; I have no other information. Kudos to everyone who responded to my plea for class notes. I 1st heard from Toni Naren Gates, who stated her philosophy succinctly, “True, time flies as we get older, but the wheels of change grind slower.” She is now the designated ‘Class Philosopher.’ Toni sent a follow-up e-mail after reporting that she had no news: “I am up at my summer home and the pace has been so hectic only the very, very obvious make it to the brain. First, my daughter became engaged this winter to a wonderful man. Both her 8-yr.-old son and his teenage daughters have given their stamp of approval to the union. Now, if only they can find a date! Secondly, my son, daughter-in-law, and 2-yr.-old grandson welcomed a new baby boy to the family in March. His name is Dodge, which is an old Gates family name. Looks like he might be a redhead! Thirdly, Betsy Kurtz Argo and her husband Jim came to visit us on Lake George this June. We caught up with too many yrs. gone by and just enjoyed being together! Next fall we will visit them on their lake in MI. We are also having an endless political discussion via email! And lastly, I want to brag about a Sweet Briar woman. Through mutual friends, I have gotten to know Lynn Esmay, who graduated a few yrs. ahead of me (I only know her married name). My daughter and I had the pleasure of attending a talk and book signing by Lynn this July. The talk was amazing, and the historical background/ research was fascinating. The book is about Katrina Trask, ‘Lady of Yaddo.’ My hat is off in due respect to quite a Sweet Briar woman!” Betsy Kurtz Argo and Toni Naren Gates got all up to date with Betsy and husband Jimmy’s visit to the Club Gates in Bolten Landing, NY. Toni’s beautiful daughter Lindsey and her son Jake were there too and ready for a great boat ride on Lake George captained by Toni’s husband, Bud. It rained nearly every day, but Toni and Betsy didn’t even notice they were so busy talking and catching up. Toni’s nephew Todd Wyett lives only 20 minutes away from Betsy in Northern MI, so Betsy is trying to get Toni to come for a visit and kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Betsy and Pam Pryor enjoyed their 50th reunion from their high school in April. Judy Schlatter Fogle is still racing to keep up with 5 grand boys. “Surely this counts as aerobics!” She is planning to accompany older son Ander and family to Oktoberfest in Munich and Berlin in the

fall. She comments, “Hope it’s better than “near beer” at Tommy’s—I think that’s the name of the place near Sweet Briar where I celebrated my 21st birthday with Kerry Weber. The waitress checked my license and when I informed her I was 21, she sniffed and grumbled, ‘Just barely.’” Victoria J. Baker writes that after helping celebrate her parents’ 72nd wedding anniversary, she and partner Lee headed north from FL on a monthlong sightseeing road trip up to northern ME to celebrate Lee’s 50th high school reunion. (It was Victoria’s 50th, too, in SLC, UT, at the same time—but Lee had more roots in his area.) Victoria’s next trip is to take Lee to “her village” in Sri Lanka and hope that he won’t come down with an acute case of culture shock! Judith Bensen Stigle moved in June to Venice, FL, and is enjoying being there except for the heat. She is waiting for the cooler season but still playing golf 3/wk. and hasn’t collapsed yet. She’s meeting new people and getting involved. One side benefit is she lives about 15 minutes from Bonnie Blew Pierie’s winter home, so that’s fun! She wants people to start thinking about our 50th in 2017. She’s heading north in Oct. for her 50th high school reunion. “Of course we graduated only 33, so it’ll be interesting to see how many show up!” Anne Stuart Brown Swann knows how wonderful it is to reconnect with classmates after so many yrs. (she left Sweet Briar in 1965). “Since I attended public high school before shipping out to boarding school, I was included in 2 50th reunions this yr. I couldn’t attend my St. Catherine’s reunion, but I made it to my Manassas high school reunion. Amazingly, after so many yrs. apart, we all reconnected like it was yesterday. My other news revolves around family and health. My 2 sons, daughters-in-law, and 5 grandchildren (2 boys and 3 girls) all live near us. We are blessed to see them often. Health is another matter. Late last summer I was diagnosed with an acoustic neuroma (benign brain tumor that is attached to the nerve leading from the ear). The tumor unfortunately grew over the past yr., as shown in my latest MRI, so while it is still small and not close to the brain stem, I am preparing to have CyberKnife radiosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital next month. This will involve 3 subsequent days of treatment with light radiation. Unfortunately, I have lost most of the hearing in my left ear, but otherwise I am not complaining. As we all know, old age is not for sissies. I stay in close touch with 2 other classmates: sister-in-law, Peggy Kennedy Brown, and Linda Grizzard Tiffany, married to my 1st cousin. They are both well.” Carol MacMillan Stanley is enjoying practicing law in Delray Beach (43 yrs.). Her son Tom is her law partner. Her husband, CR, and she celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary and are enjoying spending a bit of time at their summer home/farm in Tryon, NC, where they continue to ride their horses with 2 hunts, Green Creek and Tryon. They are avid conservationists and enjoy their cattle ranch near Indiantown, FL. Son John manages the FL ranch. Diane ‘Toots’ Dalton reports, “Nothing new here!” Page Munroe Renger says, “Life continues to be good these days. I thoroughly

A Distinguished Honor Sweet Briar’s Distinguished Alumna

followed by a long career in private practice. Outside

of 2012 is Elaine Schuster ’58. Schuster received the

of work, Schuster has devoted much of her time to a

award during Homecoming in October.

number of local, regional and national organizations,

Given out by the board of the Alumnae Association, the award honors alumnae, preferably graduates, who have brought distinction to themselves and to the College through outstanding accomplishments in a volunteer or professional capacity. Any member of the Sweet Briar family — including students, alumnae,

including the English Speaking Union, the American Association of University Women, the National Kidney Foundation of Oklahoma-Southern Kansas, the Oklahoma regional church of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Oklahoma City/County Historical Society.

faculty, administration, staff, and members of the

In 1982, Schuster was the first woman to be appointed

alumnae board and the board of directors — is asked to

to the original board of education for Oklahoma City’s

nominate candidates.

Metro Technology Centers, a nonprofit career and

According to Mollie Nelson ’64, former president of the Alumnae Association, Schuster was unanimously selected because of her extensive career as an attorney in her hometown of Oklahoma City. After graduating from Sweet Briar with a B.A. in English, Schuster went on to complete her master’s and law degrees at the University of Oklahoma. She was the first woman at Whitten & Whitten Law Firm and later became assistant district attorney of Oklahoma County,

technology center with six campuses offering training to high school students, adults and businesses. She currently serves as an elected board member for District 4 of Metro Technology Centers District No. 22. Throughout her career, Schuster has been a strong supporter of Sweet Briar, serving on the College’s board of directors, on the alumnae board and as a member of the Reunion Gifts and Boxwood Circle committees. Schuster has been an emerita trustee since 2006.

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enjoy time spent with 2 precious granddaughters (6 and 4) who live close by and spend overnights with their Nana as often as possible. Had a wonderful trip to southern Spain in early June, visiting Madrid, Savilla, Cordoba, Granada and Marbella with side trips to Ronda, Gibraltar, Tangiers; weather was perfect and the Spanish people lovely. That was followed by 2 glorious wks. at the beach with extended family. Next trip in midAug.—a road trip to PA to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Waters, then thru Corning, Ithaca, Skaneateles, Cooperstown, Lake George, and Lake Placid in NY; Middlebury and Warren, VT, for an overnight with Gretchen Bullard Barber; and then to Avril, VT, where some friends have a neat family compound with tennis courts, baseball diamond, lake with boats, and huge, comfy house. Then back to the beach for about 2 wks. over Labor Day.” Page is still trying her hand at tennis—“not an easy game for me but love the group with whom I play and it is good exercise. Playing a little bridge, doing a little reading, trying to be available for friends with health issues and keeping up my yard. I realize every day is a gift and I do appreciate each one I am granted.” Maria Wiglesworth Hemmings and her husband just got back from NYC, where they had lunch with Lyn Milton Cooper and her husband—great visit. Both couples had recently traveled (separately) to Turkey and Ukraine on the Baltic Sea and had fun sharing their experiences. Maria reports, “I am down to 3 days/wk. at the hospital. In Feb. Jeff and I finally went to Australia (via Hong Kong) to visit my brother, who has lived there 38 yrs. Had a great trip and spent special time with my brother and his family...but saw a lot too. At 67, I have moments of feeling old...body parts just do not work the way they did at 22. Solution: I start thinking I am 22 and feel better...delusional though it may be. And a plea to anyone who has retired...I am looking for coping mechanisms...I need to be busy and challenging my mind/ solving problems; structure works too. Help!” Jane Stephenson Wilson is still being swept off her feet by her 3 grandsons and enjoys seeing them often since they live so close. “Two wks. ago I went to my 50th high school reunion, and I’m trying to figure out how that many yrs. have gone by. I guess that means that half a century ago I was getting ready to come to Sweet Briar—Wow! Kim Waters Keriakos was able to go to Randy’s memorial and reports, “Her sisters have often said how much it meant to Randy to have our class bring Reunion to her after our 45th last yr. Hallie, Mellie, Putzi and I visited at her service in Tappahannock remembering good times shared, laughter and of course Randy’s unfailing energy and enthusiasm for life, family, friends, students, flowers…Here at home, I still get great joy from volunteering at church and at Travelers Aid at Dulles Airport. I especially like arranging flowers for church and special events and celebrating times with family—mom in Lynchburg and NC and my stepchildren in CO, AZ, and NJ. Our oldest granddaughter was married in Waco last spring, and we had a grand reunion. Earlier I visited family in Bozeman, MT, and Mount Pleasant, SC. I covered a lot of the country, and as I traveled, often thought there is probably a Sweet Briar classmate nearby.”

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Hallie Darby Smith reports, “It is going to be sad this yr. without Randy to visit. She was remarkable to the end. I saw Mellie, Kim, Sue Morck and Putzi at the memorial service. My son is getting remarried in Oct., accompanied by his sons (5 and 8). I am going on a wine tour of Germany and Alsace, France, in Sept.” Josephine ‘Jo’ Wiens MacMichael is delighted with “all the news ‘fit to print.’” She is still working for the DOD while her husband, Skip (John), continues with the AMTRAK IG. The MacMichaels live 10 minutes from the King Street metro in Old Town Alexandria and had 2 SBC students stay with them last spring during an internship. The entire family, 2 sons and 6 grandsons (5-27), enjoyed the students! Virginia Carpenter Delgado spent 2 wks. in the states in April and visited with 2 classmates. “While visiting a high-school friend for a week in FL, she and I went to see Bonnie Blew Pierie in Venice, FL, and naturally, we went to see the riding installations where Bonnie rides! We had a leisurely lunch at Tim and Bonnie’s, caught up on family and SBC, and talked horses! Then to NYC for a family wedding and a 4-day visit with Gracey Stoddard. Gracey is quite occupied with work, but we got to go to a musical, a concert and a couple of restaurants for dinner and enjoyed catching up on family and friends, too. Gracey Stoddard is still enjoying her job as caseworker and district rep in the NYC office of Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney. “I have become the go-to person for questions about Medicare and Medicaid (this can come in handy, girls), health insurance, IRS issues, and non-immigrant visas. I am also very involved with my church as an active elder and co-chair of the Adult Education Committee. For the past 2 yrs., I have served as a board member on an independent not-for-profit, the African Dream Academy Foundation, which funds a new school, the African Dream Academy, located in Monrovia, Liberia (www.africandreamacademy.org). When I find time to relax, I love visiting family and friends in MA, VT, and FL and taking advantage of the theater, opera, and many fine restaurants NYC has to offer. I would love to see anyone visiting and often have an empty guestroom to offer, so please give me a ring. I love my life and hope that all of you are enjoying yours—it doesn’t get much better than this!” Peggy Pittman Patterson is now serving as associate priest at the Church of the Holy Faith in Santa Fe. “It is fun to be back in parish life after 3+ yrs. as a hospice chaplain when I 1st retired to Santa Fe. I enjoy the arts and music of Santa Fe, the mountains, and the fun evenings and great food with my many new friends. This summer I am looking forward to attending my 50th high school reunion in Columbia, SC, and to visiting my 5 grandchildren who live in NY, Houston and San Francisco. I enjoyed a visit (after 40 + yrs.) with my old SBC roommate Anne Kern Uher in San Francisco recently. We hope to join our other roommates, Judith Haskell McCarthy and Margaret Williams Hurt, at our SBC 50th! Ginny Stanley Douglas and husband Bill spent a week at Fallen Leaf Lake at Tahoe in June, hiking, reading, etc. “Bill has been up at Lassen with the grandkids and our son-in-law, while Becky and I went to Napa for mud baths, massages and wonderful French food. Miles is going into 3rd grade

and Genevieve into 1st grade. Bill continues with his medical consulting, and I am playing bridge and enjoying my investment group. Anyone out our way is welcome to visit us in Sacramento, as we have plenty of guest rooms. We are planning a trip to Turkey next May...which seems too far away at the moment.” Bonnie Blew Pierie definitely wins the prize for keeping up with the most classmates. She writes, “We are very sad to know that Randy Brown passed away in June; Hallie Darby Smith was the best friend possible and kept up with Randy through the entire ordeal. I cannot say enough about her devotion and courage in such a difficult situation. This summer saw us celebrating our 45th wedding anniversary with friends of some 40 yrs. who also celebrate the same day...theirs is 50 yrs.! Other friends and family have been “on the move” after selling their previous homes and moving out. Two couples have spent transition time staying with us here is MA, and 1 couple will be staying longer term. So, it looks from here like the real estate market is back in operation. Earlier this spring, a visit from Ginny Carpenter DelGado was wonderful. She promises to come to the next reunion. Carroll Randolph Barr had a delightful time at her 50th high school reunion and is committed to our next reunion at SBC. “Seems that the older we get, the more we enjoy our friends from high school and college…Our big news is that Angus is getting married in Oct. at our house in Powhatan. We continue to spend our summers in MI and love it. We were not able to get together with Lisa Braden Moody and Margy Dortch Brooks this yr., but they were both close by—1 in Charlevoix and the other in Luddington. There were just too much family and activities to let us leave our respective summer homes. We are going home next wk. (late Aug.) to get yard and house ready for the wedding. Angus is marrying a darling girl, Erin Holshouser, who has been his special lady for over 7 yrs. We are all very excited. We had everyone here with us in MI for the 4th of July week, including our granddaughter, Eloise (2). She will be in their wedding.” Linda Fite has not changed a whit—here goes: “Let’s see... what’s happened thus far in 2013? I did NOT go downhill skiing— that is about the 12th yr. where I have NOT gone skiing. I didn’t go water skiing either. I did, however, take my granddaughter Beatrice (4 at the time) trout fishing on opening day here in Ulster County, NY. No, she didn’t catch anything despite the use of a fabulous pink Disney princess fishing rod and reel. Two of my sisters, my daughter Amelia, a pal and I all went to London for a week in April. We rented a charmer of a house in Hammersmith, and the weather was superb all week long. Then everyone flew home except Amelia and me, who drove out to Cornwall to visit old chums for a few days. It’s been a great summer—hot and super summery—plenty of visitors here as well as visits to my out-of-town kids (Brooklyn and Rockville Centre). Drove down to WV to visit Joanne Tumolo Bario ’68 and see her mom, 95, who subsequently died, so it was sweet to get to say a sort of good-bye to her. I just got back from a week in ME with a few friends from high school. We’re planning our 50th HS reunion in early Oct.! I bought another house in my same hamlet—Pataukunk. I tell everyone I feel as though I were playing

Monopoly and I now have all 3 of the ‘red ones.’ I’m going to France next month, spending a couple of days with Pam Ford Kelley and Brendan in Paris, then heading south to hang out with an English friend I’ve known since our 30-something kids were toddlers. Life is good!” Adele Laslie Kellman returned to New Orleans for her 50th HS reunion. She and her husband, Paul, are in Great Barrington, MA. Barbara Tillman Kelley and Carlton spent 2 glorious wks. in Switzerland this summer. “We had perfect weather and my backpacker husband got to see all the mountains on his dream list. Had a mini reunion with family in Charleston—we rented a house on Seabrook island where our cousins own a home. Our youngest son, Trey, lives in Charleston and older son David and Morgan (hope everyone is enjoying her in the Wendy’s commercials!) came down from NYC and daughter Darcy and DJ came over from Bham. We had a wonderful time with all the many cousins and their children. I enjoy working out side by side with Julie Bodin Converse at the Y. Talking certainly makes the time go faster! I am so very saddened to hear of the deaths of our classmates.” Jill Berguido Gill and her husband, Bruce, have been living in (and working on) the same circa 1884 house in Haverford for almost 30 yrs. “Bruce is still the director and curator of historic Harriton House in Bryn Mawr. “My son, Tim Clement, graduated in June with a master’s from the Drexel U. School of Public Health. He served his internship with the Thomas Scattergood Foundation in Philadelphia and was hired in July as the Scattergood Fellow on Social Justice and Behavioral Health. I am still enjoying doing freelance tutoring with students from the elementary grades through high school. I’ll retire when I run out of students! I haven’t traveled to any exotic places lately, but I visit my oldest sister in Cape Cod almost every summer. I am a lay reader and chalice bearer at Christ Church in Old City, Philadelphia. I also enjoy gardening, writing in my various journals, taking long walks with my dog, and spending time with friends and family.” Judith Stigle Bensen: I recently moved to Venice, FL. Love the golf and a change of lifestyle but it’s HOT in June! Lynn Gullett Strazzini reports that she has just returned from her 3rd biennial drive around the U.S. with a fellow retired FAA girlfriend. “This yr. we drove 5,000 miles. Our previous trips were 7,500 and 9,000 miles. The emphasis this time was the Civil Rights era in the south, where we visited many National Park Service Civil Rights historic sites as well as many national parks and battlefields. Just 10 days after this adventure, I was aboard Ed Strazzini’s sailboat cruising the Chesapeake Bay for a week. After that adventure is the annual gathering of 9 “girls” from my grade school and HS days. 2013 will be our Nifty 68 trip. I also travel with a subgroup of this group, and we call ourselves the Saucy 60s. Another group I travel with is called the Check Mates. All in all, I have been on the road about 200 days annually since retirement 7 yrs. ago. Ed and I visit our 3 grandchildren in NYC as often as we can now that he has retired from 23 yrs. in the Army and 22 yrs. as an EMS helicopter pilot. Bill and I (Gail Robins O’Quin) are doing well in Baton Rouge. Unfortunately, his

prostate cancer has returned and he has had to start hormone therapy. So far, no side effects but we’ve been warned of hot flashes, everything that we girls experienced when we went through menopause. We returned from a wonderful trip to France, a river cruise through Provence then up to Normandy just in time for this diagnosis. We’re muddling along with our 3 old dogs, the oldest 14 and the ‘puppy’ 8 (old for a standard poodle), as well as 4 chickens. We thought we were bored and needed more responsibility, hence the chickens! We’re looking forward to a Safari in Kenya in Nov.; Bill has threatened murder and mayhem on me if I insist on bringing any wild animals home! I’ll repeat Judy’s request to start thinking about our 50th in 2017. When we were students at SBC, did you ever think we’d actually be that old and be in the alumnae magazine as the ‘mature ladies, the blue-haired set (Excuse me, please. Most of us, at least I, get our color from a bottle—no blue hair.)’? We arrived on campus only 50 yrs. ago in Sept.—flying time, a repeating theme! Please consider a gift to the College—gifts add to our lifetime giving amount and what else are you going to do with your money? As my financial advisor instructed me, you’d better start spending and giving away your money or your children will! Any amount will be appreciated and adds to our giving percentage. Put your thinking cap on for fun things to do to get everyone excited as well as incentives for giving; we want to/will blow this one out of the water!

1968

Lynne Gardner Detmer

125 Wareham’s Point Williamsburg, VA 23185 lgdetmer@aol.com or lgdetmer@cox.net Hello to all, especially to the 12 or so of us who returned to SBC for our 45th reunion. Our cast of characters included Diane Hunt, Sara Granath, Emmy Savage, Connie Williams de Bordenave, Amanda de Coligny, Courtney Cash Mustin, Francie de Saussure Meade, Martha Bennett Conner, Amy Thompson McCandless, Blair Walker Lawrence, Kathy Obenchain Glass, Lynne Gardner Detmer and a few husbands and significant others. We certainly had a marvelous time together sharing experiences, joys, concerns, reminiscences…reconnecting in wonderful ways. We elected Martha Bennett Conner and Francie deSaussure Meade as copresidents and I am continuing as your class secretary. Yay and thank you! For our Reunion giving we had a stellar participation rate of 60% of eligible classmates. THANK YOU to our generous donors, and… get a new envelope started for our 50th reunion! Ahem…don’t forget where you put it! We wished that every last one of us could have been there for a magical weekend. Please PLAN on coming to our 50th! Make it a priority. Don’t worry that you will not be recognized…we all had to adjust to our different appearances! Besides, you’ll have nametags to help. Here are some post-Reunion comments: Courtney Cash Mustin: “It was really fun seeing all of you again in the environs of our alma mater. Hard to believe how fast the time has gone. Hope to see everyone again in 5 yrs. at the longest!” Francie deSaussure Meade: “It was wonderful seeing everyone at Reunion. Loved being together

again!” Blair Walker Lawrence: “I wonder if it is typical; our little group seemed to be closer, despite our differences in life experiences…It was wonderful to be with all of you.” A class note to share that got missed (my fault completely) in the spring issue: Addie Russo writes, “All good wishes for 2013. I doubt if I will attend Reunion because I am on sabbatical in France this term, finishing a book on the contemporary poet Michel Deguy. I am convinced that Sweet Briar is not interested in news from alumnae who have chosen academic careers. In 2008 I won 2 important prizes for my 2007 book “Le Peintre comme modèle: Du Surréalisme à l’Extrême Contemporain” (Presses Universitaires du Septentrion, 2007): the Modern Language Association Scaglioni Prize for the outstanding book in French and Francophone Studies published in 2007, and a Prize from the French Académie des Beaux Arts. It was a wonderful experience to find myself under the Coupole of the Institute de France to receive that award…I was also inducted as a Chevalier in the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2009, named director of the program in comparative literature at LSU that same yr. and awarded the Phyllis Taylor Endowed Chair in French Studies.” Addie continues, “2011 was a sad yr. marked by the death of my beloved father. I am in touch with Jane Weihman Block, Stephanie Bredin Speakman and Kristin Kuhns Alexander. Although I was not able to attend Alicia Glass’s memorial service, I shared my good memories of her with Melissa Allen Kalinowsky and Christina Bacchiani. I have lost touch with some of my Sweet Briar friends and would have liked to see them at Reunion.” Remember to send me Christmas letters, etc. for inclusion in the next issue. Deadline will be early in 2014! Thanks to you all, and have happy and healthy fall and winter seasons!

1969

Nancy Crawford Bent 14 Dopping Brook Rd. Sherborn, MA 01770 ascb614@comcast.net

Mary Lee Bell Coffey and Shelby, married 44 yrs. and parents to a 42- and a 39-yr.-old, apply the QTR test (Quality Time Remaining) to each new project, passing on the ones that don’t measure up. Mary Lee has retired from the trenches of the E.R. and is doing a lot of volunteer medical and advocacy work, finding it satisfying to get back to the reasons for going into medicine in the 1st place. Shelby is still involved with news and politics and has given a few guest lectures on the media, Washington, history, security and intelligence issues. He loves TED and All Things Digital and seems to have jumped to the next platforms easily. They recently spent a month in Scandinavia and Russia. Mary Lee is learning to speak Russian. Martha Brewer “retired” from LA St. U. in March and took some time off, traveling to Mexico and France. Happy in a new relationship and hoping to go back to work, she’s also working on Marriage Equality for all Americans. Increasingly dismayed by the use of Christianity to justify hatred and bigotry, and as the recipient of same, she worries about the future of our divided country and quoted MLK: “In the end, we

will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Hattie Coons Babbitt and Bruce, married 44 yrs. and still in the D.C. home they moved into in ’93, have 2 sons: Chris and wife Claire (both lawyers) also live in D.C. and have “2 perfect children”; son TJ & long-time partner David are planning to marry and Hattie and Bruce are thrilled. Bruce travels to the Amazon basin countries (mostly Peru), working to manage non-destructive development of the mineral resources of the Amazon. Hattie chairs the U.S. Water Partnership (USWP) and Population Action International (PAI) and hikes regularly with other women “of a certain age.” Hattie and Bruce traveled to Patagonia in 2012 and to Slovenia in 2013. After 37 yrs. working for someone else, Giana DePaul and another woman photographer now own their own business and are having a great time with it. Giana also serves on the boards of the Dallas Theater Center Guild, the Women’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum and Nexus (a rehab facility for young mothers and mothersto-be), and she is a member of the Dallas Museum of Art Women’s League. When not marketing her business (mostly by computer/phone) she spends the hot TX summer gardening & swimming with her 3 crazy rescue pups: a 10-lb. Dachshund, a 25-lb. Schnauzer and a 65-lb. Pit Bull. She had up to 6 dogs but luckily found homes for 3. Mary Follows Keith wrote, “If you want to see what this alum is into, go here: TheEscapeProject.org,” the website for Mary and husband Carlton’s foreign and domestic aid programs. Melissa Griffith Manning wrote, “I am fine, enjoying 4 grandchildren, still riding, helping Pam Noyes keep her horses fit, and pretty much not using my education for anything but enjoyment. Not a bad use for it, either.” Lesslie Guthrie Keller runs the nonprofit Episcopal Community Services, providing programs in education, housing and mental health services to San Diego Co.’s residents. Her son in Phoenix is involved in TV and film production; her daughter in Chicago works in publishing and is the mother of Gracie (3 1/2) and Sam (7 mos.), who are the delight of Less’s life. She sees Lin Rick Rosenthal in both Chicago and San Diego and last yr. had a fun reunion with Ginny Stanford Perdue, Mary Nelson Wade and Haden Ridley Winborne. I swap book titles with Cathy Hall Stopher, who appears to read even more than I do. She also plays “really bad golf” and is “a little better at bridge,” which she wishes she had played in the Smoker at SBC. Daughter Marshall’s Walter (1) and son Charles’s Lucy (2 1/2) are “both adorable, of course.” Claudette Harloe Dalton is occupied with her consulting job, spending time with her grandson and trying to clean out 40 yrs. of accumulated “stuff” so she can sell the house and downsize. Frequent travel for her “real job” (helping hospitals prepare for their accreditation surveys) has meant that flying has lost whatever romance it once held and sleeping in her own bed has become a treat. Aside from that, her only problems are the deer that eat her plants and an occasional power outage when the overloaded lines feel a breath of a breeze:

More class notes online sbc.edu/magazine “Life is pleasant but not exciting—which suits me.” Kim Johnson-Smith reports that she has gotten more conservative and is somewhat active in that department, “still never quite content, still always trying to ‘fix’ whatever I think needs changing. I still have my Political Philosophy text—which I actually use in some of my writings.” Living in rural Madison Co., where sludge, Clothianidin and GMOs are among her top issues, Kim is enjoying her 33rd yr. of maternity leave. She does scientific research for fun, took the Master Naturalist class, does anthrax drills and animal readiness programs for the Medical Reserve Corps, works on Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Healing Waters and general service to veterans through the American Legion Auxiliary, coordinates a food pick-up group for her local food bank, and is trying to learn “country skills” (sewing, knitting, art and shooting). Elizabeth Lewis and David are working a couple of days/wk., allowing them time to enjoy each other’s company and take advantage of local pleasures, e.g. biking in Golden Gate Park, seeing a museum show or a movie matinee. Stopping in Seoul for a few days en route, they traveled the Silk Road through Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in 2013, which enabled them to add to their collection of textiles and rugs, and they plan to visit Myanmar (Burma) in 2014. Son Matt (28) is co-founder of an online clothing business, betabrand.com, a fusion of social networking and retail. He lives close enough to drop by for an occasional meal, do laundry or borrow the car. In Maui with Bob on their 35th anniversary trip, Mary Mahan Marco was driven inside by tropical storm Flossie and decided to send news. She recently contacted her SBC math prof. Phillip Kannan, “a terrific instructor who had a gift for developing math intellects in ways that didn’t seem possible. Without his courses, I’m certain I would never have completed graduate school. He taught the 1st computer programming class, Fortran, at SBC and provided many of us with our 1st computer experience, which included punching those 80 column cards in the basement of Boxwood.” Fellow math majors can contact him at pkannan@ColoradoCollege. com. Mary had a surprise encounter with Midge Yearly in Lewes, DE, where Mary and Bob just built their (future) retirement house and where Midge is active with the historical society. Mary also reports that Sue Roessel Gibson, retired from teaching, and husband Gene plan to cruise with the Marcos in 1/14, and Phyllis Girard plans to teach for 1 more yr. and spent this past summer at her house in Nova Scotia. Mary plans to retire in 8/14 from teaching math at Bucks Co. C.C. after 27 yrs. She has 2 grandchildren, David (2) and Monica, the new baby, and she wants more time to visit them in Wilmington, DE, as well as son Todd and wife Megan (Chicago) and John (Boston). Liz Medaglia and husband Joe Sinnott spent a lovely weekend last July with Erik & Peggy Davis Molander at Jimmy and Jan Sheets Jones’s beautiful vacation home in Narragansett, RI, eating, drinking and talking about the past and the future. In early

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2013, Patsy Parkinson Riley and Liz met in a Viennese Waltz class and recognized each other immediately, even after 43 yrs. “Guess it’s true that SBC women don’t age,” she wrote. After nearly 40 yrs. of hose and high heels every day, Frere Murchison Gornto retired on 7/31/13 and husband Dean was planning to retire in 8/13, both eagerly anticipating total freedom to visit children and grandchildren and to travel whenever they choose. Frere’s making no major commitments for at least 6 mos. (though she is going to volunteer with a local nonprofit and continue serving on the Habitat Advisory Council), but she couldn’t resist Ginny Perdue’s request to chair our Reunion Gift Committee. She sends “fair warning to the Fat City Class of ’69: Please be generous when contacted for your support and a Reunion gift.” Mary Nelson Wade enjoys boating on the Cumberland and being on their farm in Franklin or at their condo in Ponte Vedra, FL. Although she left SBC for U. NC she’s still in touch, which she attributes to Ginny Stanford Perdue’s skill at keeping friends connected. The “good news” from Lyn Oakes Miller was that her daughter planned to be married in 11/13 in Big Sur. Lyn still works for U. SC in HR. Haden Ridley Winborne (Atlanta) visits Ginny Stanford Perdue regularly (“She helps keep me sane and we still laugh like silly freshmen”), enjoyed a visit last summer with Ian and Kay Giddens Glenday in Point Clear, AL, and sees JP Powell and Lucile McKee Clarkson (“whose interior design skills are so valuable”). Ginny and Haden spent a long weekend in San Diego with Less Guthrie Keller and Mary Wade Nelson, and 2 summers ago, Haden, Less and Ginny had “a very moving and powerful visit with Mabry Chambliss DeBuys in Seattle right before she died of a terrible brain cancer. The tangible love was a blessing to us all as we ‘said goodbye’ to a really brilliant lawyer and special friend.” Haden has been on leave from her docent duties at the High Museum (Atlanta) since 1 of her twins, Annie, gave birth to identical twins! The babies came very early (they’re now healthy and growing) and their brother (almost 2) was in shock, so Haden was a big part of his childcare for mos. before and after the girls’ arrival. How lucky that Annie and her lawyer husband moved to Atlanta from NYC, via D.C., so Haden lives nearby! Daughter Lizzie and her doctor husband are in NYC with daughters (9, 5 1/2) who go to William T. Sherman Elementary School. Is this fair for a Southern girls’ children? John has moved his law practice home and Haden hopes that soon he’ll have it set up in the basement and off the dining room table. Maureen Robertson Baggett and her “high school sweetheart” are relishing retired life, their days filled with classes, friends and minutes-away children and grandchildren. She wrote, “I was just sitting on the beach reading ‘1968: The Yr. That Rocked the World’ when I got your email about whether the dress code had relaxed when we were undergrads and whether we drank 3.2-beer. It really struck me…because I’d been thinking how sheltered we all were before that yr. Those of us who went to France experienced the taking over of the Latin Quarter by the students and the drama of a city closed down by people of our age. It was hard to come

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home and settle into the expectations of our parents and professors. Maybe that is why in our senior yr. at SBC some of us were openly ‘marching to our own drummer’ while others of us were just simmering and waiting for our moment.” Keithley Rose Miller continues working in interior design for Kemble Interiors, Palm Beach, and has been truly busy in recent yrs. doing residential and commercial projects (clubs). She had a great Christmas-inJuly trip with her kids to London and Paris, hosting a dinner party in London for 30 of her old Hong Kong friends (ex-husband included!). When she wrote, Keithley was headed to NYC for her annual dinner with Belle Quesenberry McIntyre (“we LOVE to reminisce about the old days in Houses 1 & 2!”) and a “last gasp of vacation before serious work and installations begin.” Son Gib (35) works in the media business in L.A. and daughter Tory (32) lives close by in Delray, working for ION Media Television. Keithley was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Cathy Hall Stopher for the winter so they could resume their lunch visits. Jean Rushin Brown claims she’s “just hanging out” while Jonathan is adjusting to retirement and involved with organic gardening. He also continues to teach classes on organic gardening and the iPad at various senior centers and the local community college. Son Rob will be married in 2014 to Julia Strong, a high school classmate. They started dating while working in London and now live in NYC, where he’s at Deutsche Bank and she is with JPMorgan Chase. After 41 yrs., Sue Scanlan will be calling it a career in Dec., retiring as head of both the National Council of Women’s Organizations and the Women’s Research and Education Institute. She thought she’d ease out the door, but 2013 was gridlocked with speeches and travel, in Feb. touring Israel & Palestine as part of the Progressive Women Leaders’ Mission to the Holy Land, in June keynoting the Uzbekistan Women’s Commission’s 1st convention in Tashkent, and in Oct. making a 5-day speaking tour of Swaziland for the State Dept. Sue’s retirement plan includes board memberships with the National Women’s History Museum, the Kahn Family Charitable Foundation and— most important—SBC. Jan Sheets Jones and Jimmy plan to move back to Atlanta, where they started married life, after he retires in 6/14 from a decade as president of Trinity Coll., Hartford, CT (although she is sure he will continue to teach). Jan looks forward to the move as their 3 married children live in Atlanta, Nashville and Charlottesville, so she’ll be closer to the 5 grandchildren. And now a word from our president—Ginny Stanford Perdue is enjoying her life with husband, children and 4 grandchildren all close by. She could only be happier if #1: you would email her at ginnyperdue@ comcast.net if you have not been receiving emails from her so she can include you in future mailings; #2: if you’re on Facebook, you “like” our Facebook page, Sweet Briar College Class of 1969; #3: you show up at our 45th reunion. Having tactfully nudged, tutored and reminded me about my duties as class secretary, and having appeared in more classmates’ emails than anyone else, I understand why she was named “Most Responsible” in her high school class, an honor she now sees as a “curse” because she keeps trying to live up to it.

When she wrote, Pamela Tipton Newton was recovering from a dreadful fall from her back deck in July. She dislocated her shoulder and broke it close to the rotator cuff, requiring 4 hours in the ER, where they were afraid she had a concussion, although tests revealed no brain injury. Pamela had since been spending her life going to P.T. and praying that she would avoid rotator cuff surgery: “The physical therapy is painful but helps a lot, so at this point, I’m putting the very thought of surgery on the back burner.” Ann Tremain Lee’s life is slowing down some, but she keeps granddaughter Larkin (19 mos.) 2 days/wk. so she’s “home more, but on the move!” Ann had fun catching up with Joan Adriance Mickelson and Melville Douglas Krebs in Richmond last June when Joan was visiting her daughter there, and she saw Carol Moseley Tash and Stephanie Piper at Saint’s 45th UVa reunion. The Lees enjoyed a family gathering in Nags Head in Aug. with Maria, her husband and daughters Sterling (11) and Kendall (9); Cameron and “friend”; and Allie, her husband and Larkin. Ann’s yard feels bigger every yr. but she suspects she won’t get Saint away from their spot on the James River for quite a while! AtLee Walke Walker taught me a new word: she “farbles” a bit with her artwork! She hasn’t found a gallery yet to sell her stuff (as she had in very rural VA where she was making fabric sculptures, wearable art and beaded jewelry). She moved back to D.C. in 2008 (husband’s health issues) and since then has been unable to get back into her creative rhythm. AtLee’s daughter turns 40 this yr.—QUITE the big deal for AtLee, who wonders if she can be old enough to have a 40-yr.-old child. Said daughter and 2 grandchildren are in Baltimore, so there are frequent trips there, and last summer AtLee took her daughter and family to Estes Park, CO, for a Walker family reunion that was “awesome.” Maria Ward Estefania retired almost 3 yrs. ago and has been making her working days’ fantasies of travel, volunteer work and studying Spanish a reality. She enjoys time with her family at her condo in Marco Island, FL; she took a 4-wk. cultural immersion trip to Ecuador in 9/12, and in 3/13 a trip to Aruba with stepson Ray and his family, including Ava (4), “who is of course too adorable for words.” Ray is founder and clinical director of Family Recovery Specialists, an outpatient addiction treatment program in Miami for adolescents and families. He also has a national intervention practice helping adolescents and adults find appropriate addiction treatment. Maria’s volunteer work includes serving as president of Bright Beginnings, a preschool in D.C. for infants and toddlers of homeless families. The program is in the midst of expanding to double the number of children it can accommodate. Maria is in yr. 3 of the Episcopal Church’s 4-yr. adult course Education for Ministry, and she continues to serve as parliamentarian for the board of directors of the Junior League of Washington. She sees or talks to Kay Giddens Glenday often, which is an enormous treat, as well as Marcy Fisher, who attended SBC a few yrs. ahead of us and whose SBC links Maria just discovered. Nancy Wendling Peacock notes, “Our lives are definitely not like our parents’

lives.” She continues to write songs and owns Washington Street Publishing in Nashville. She pitches songs to artists and film/TV/commercials, and works with the management team of Uriah Shelton, who wants to be a country artist, so she’s working on that record deal for him. She’s also developing a business reality show for her friend/client Patrick Rettig. And she’s been asked to be the music supervisor for a film to be produced in New Orleans. Daughter Jenni is an attorney at the AG’s office in Nashville and is “almost engaged” to Steve Jobe, an attorney for 1 of the TN Supreme Court justices. Steve’s daughter Lorelei (8) has decided to call Nancy ‘Nanner’! Son Josh is an architect with Zimmer Gunsel Frasca in Portland, OR, and has projects all over the world. Nanner takes a yoga/Pilates class twice/ wk. with Ginny Stanford Perdue and is in touch with Mary Nelson Wade, Kay Hutton Barry, Ann Arnspiger Canipe, Missy Huggins, Haden Winborne and Carolyn Map Hewes. And finally, our big news is that Charles was married in July at the golf club on Buzzards Bay where Peter’s father was a member for many yrs. and where Peter’s mother used to take Charles and Adele to walk the course on summer evenings on “bunny hunts.” We love the bride and her family, and the location was beautiful and full of happy memories, so despite the heat, humidity and rain, it was a joyful day. It was great to hear from so many of you. Please do email Ginny, as she requested, if you haven’t gotten an email from her recently since that means we don’t have your current address. Send your news for the next issue by 2/14 or send me your holiday newsletter if you write one. And by all means, save the date for our 45th reunion: 6/30/14-6/1/14.

1970

Stuart Simrill

Stuart.simrill@gmail.com

1971

Carol Remington Foglesong

(Rhoda Allen Brook-Cindy Gridley Pruden) cfoglesong@cfl.rr.com

Anne Milbank Mell (Catherine Gross Hendron-Carol Newman) anne.mell@yahoo.com

Beverly Van Zandt (Wendy Norton Brown-Diana Zeidel) beverlyvz@gmail.com

We may have missed submitting last time around, but hope you’ll agree that this offering makes up for it. We keep working on current email addresses for everyone. If you haven’t heard from us, it’s probably because we don’t have the correct email address for you. Send it to SBC, or one, or all of us, and we’ll make sure to reach you next time around. Also, be sure to check out our FB page, Sweet Briar College Class of 1971. Rhoda Allen Brooks says they spent most of July and Aug. in Harbor Springs, MI, on Little Traverse Bay, where they spent 10 days over the 4th with her sister Adaline Shinkle ’68, her 2 children and their spouses and granddaughter (2), along with Rhoda’s 2 children, daughter-in-law

and 2 grandchildren. It was a fun partial family reunion. Sister Ruth Allen Budde visited them in Cincinnati with 2 of her boys over Labor Day. Rhoda’s son and his family moved back to Cincy 2 1/2 yrs. ago so they now have their 2 grandchildren living 5 minutes away: Jack (3 1/2) and Adaline (almost 1). She reports they couldn’t feel luckier, unless their daughter in Denver were there, too. But Denver is a pretty nice place to visit. Frances Barnes Kennamer still loves retirement! In summer 2012, she traveled with a group of friends, including SBC roomie Martha Roton Terry, to Eastern Europe on a Danube River Cruise. What history and fantastic people! In 2/14 she will be off to Australia and New Zealand. At home in AL, she plays golf 2-3 times/ wk. and works as a Master Naturalist at the AL Wildlife Center. She also volunteers for the local humane society in any capacity NOT at the shelter. (She already has 1 rescue dog and says that if she goes back, she would probably come home a carload more.) Frances and husband Seabie of 40 yrs. recently purchased a 2nd home in Highlands, NC. It is a huge renovation project, which they hoped to finish by mid-Sept. Are any SBC ’71ers in the Highlands-Cashiers area part of the yr.? Let Frances know! They also spend a bit of time in Nashville, TN, with daughter Helen, her husband and granddog Simon, a Spinone Italiano. In May she spent a fun 2 days with Amanda Megargee Sutton at her Pound Ridge, NY, home. Manda has become quite the gardener! Loved her visit and getting to know Manda’s sweetie, Goody. She ended by reporting that she was glad to be a healthy and happy 64-yr.-old! Andrea Bateman is still in the Orlando area and busy working, but also trying to be a writer/poet. She actually placed 2nd in a contest in poetry and won a prize; hopefully not her last. Dre has been attending the organizational meetings of the Orlando area chapter for the Florida State Poets Assoc., which hosted the state conference in Oct. She also helped the Pet Ministry do their 1st Pet Adoption Day 8/31. Beryl Bergquist Farris continues to practice U.S. visa, green card and citizenship law from Atlanta. She volunteer-instructs JAG officers at Ft. Stewart, GA, near Savannah, and serves as a mentor to JAG officers at multiple military bases, while assisting low bono or pro bono on their cases. She visited her childhood Camp Ton-A-Wandah in Hendersonville, NC, in Sept. for the camp’s 80th anniversary! Her SBC ’03 daughter Kristin will return to camp, as well as her daughter Ariana, who acknowledges her error in not attending SBC. Judy Brown Fletcher writes that she and Steve just came back from a lovely fishing/ snorkeling trip to Green Turtle Cay in the Abaco with the kids and their significant others. She hasn’t seen such healthy reefs since the early ’60s on St. John. The reef was just at the foot of the dune in front of our cabin, so she could go right in the water and snorkel. The 1st time she counted close to 20 juvenile species. The fishing was great, too. They went out into the Atlantic on a 22-ft boat and trolled (tuna, wahoo, sierra mackerel), bottom-fished (grouper, snapper, hind, grunt, trigger, etc.) and cooked fish for dinner every night.

Carol Cooper reported that she is doing okay and is, for the most part, recovered from her 2008 accident. She retired in 1/10 after 38 yrs. with the U.S. Patent Office. After Reunion in 2011, she handled the extensive rehabilitation and eventual sale of her father’s house, which she is glad to have behind her. For the last 2 yrs., much of her attention has been focused on her own health and improvements are happening. Carol reads, mostly nonfiction, and listens to her nighttime talk shows. She is a Redskins fan and a teddy bear collector. One of her bears was her grandmother’s, who passed it to Carol’s mother, and now Carol has it. Bet that bear could tell some stories. Carol is planning to have a fully accessorized computer in her home before the end of 2013 and promises to share her email address once it is set up. Louise Dempsey McKean wrote that her summer was so hectic that she couldn’t remember whether or not she’d sent in an update, but now she has! She and Ted are thoroughly enjoying retirement and still dividing their time between NH and their house in Québec (with a few trips south to get warm now and then). Because they live in resort areas, they seem to have a lot of visitors: family and friends. It is wonderful to have all 3 of their children within driving distance (NH, ME and Montreal) and to have been able to spend a lot of time with them. Their next big journey is to Brittany and Normandy next spring, which will be especially interesting for Louise because that is where her French Canadian ancestors came from in 1641. Thanks to the Catholic Church genealogy in Québec, it is very easy to trace the families back to the towns in France. Jill Dunbar has not stayed in touch much with SBC. She left after junior yr. and graduated from Boston U. She’s in real estate, which she’s happy to report is improving in her neck of Long Island. In the small world category, she lives in the same community on Long Island where Mimi Fahs lives and the 2 of them catch up with each other periodically. Betty Duson responded that she had nothing new to report. She did take her husband to see SBC a couple of yrs. ago, and hardly recognized some of it. There have been so many changes, all improvements, it seems. Mimi Fahs had quite a summer. On 6/15, she married Elizabeth Thompson, after 33 1/2 yrs. together! Their handsome son (22) escorted each of them. They were married by a good friend and judge at the Orient Yacht Club, surrounded by family, friends and the beautiful sea. The weather was stormy the week before and after, but on their wedding day it was glorious. Then they joined Mimi’s sister Alice (SBC ’73) and her family in Umbria, Italy, in a gorgeous villa. They were all together when the Supreme Court announced the DOMA decision. The Italian paper’s headline: “Rivoluzione gay: il matrimonio non è solo uomo e donna.” What joy they felt! Back in Orient in July, Mimi came in 2nd in the Spindrift Regatta. In Aug., Mimi performed “Sail Away Ladies” with her fiddle band at Ashokan Fiddle and Dance Camp (Southern Week). All in all, the best summer ever. Kathy Garcia Pegues sent greetings from Warrenton, VA. She and John retired from public schools 3 yrs. ago but remain incredibly busy. She is an educational consultant mentoring new teachers, teaching

a few seminars at the Governor’s School, reviewing troubled schools and designing curriculum. She’s enjoying being grandma of 2. Son Adam is still a Naval aviator, working on an MBA at Darden (UVa), and he and his Army aviator wife have the 2 kids. Daughter Emily (SBC ’00) is a Ph.D. candidate in art history (Courtauld Institute in London) while still working at the National Gallery (D.C.). They have a pied-à-terre in Charlottesville so they can follow UVa wrestling, and they head to Annapolis for Navy football. They will travel shortly to Cape Cod for a fall vacation and hope to have some free time in the calendar for a visit to central Europe. Thanks to some fine weather, they had a beautiful garden, payoff for some hard work! John is a duplicate bridge fiend, racking up master points every week. They are enjoying retirement and can hardly believe that they ever had enough time to hold down demanding jobs. Is that everyone else’s experience, too? Susan Greenwald kept her update short indeed! She wrote: Not only is life short, the summer is flying by. Busy, busy on this end. Work and fun activities after work. Sleep sometimes fits into the week. Wish I had more time to travel to visit my SBC friends. Lendon Gray is still teaching and being the advocate for youth in dressage. She’s been traveling the country with students for various national championships and reports that so far they’ve been pretty successful. Catherine Gross Hendren notes that if anyone has a hankerin’ to visit WinstonSalem, they should come see her. She has just bought a house in Old Salem, and for the 1st time ever, has a guest bedroom. Her house is the Charles Cooper Shop, a skinny little gray house across from the iconic Coffee Pot on South Main St. You can reach her at (336) 624-4116 or at CatherineHendren@gmail.com. By way of explanation, Catherine and Tom separated last yr. Their kids, Cate and Matt, are good. Matt’s working in Ethiopia and Cate’s a rising senior at Davidson—only 1 hour away. Catherine is fine, too. Pammy Henrey Arey writes that she ponders retirement and “tries on” different ideas by visiting other venues. None feel as “comfy” as her current digs in MD, where she is relatively close to her 4 children and enjoys work as a preschool director and teacher! Two yrs. into it and she is acclimating to widowhood. Anne Helms Cooper wrote that she has been in the Dominican Republic with her son and his sons; Punta Cana is a beautiful place. Now she is in Kure Beach with her daughter, her 2 daughters and her husband for another great week. Claire Kinnett Tate wrote that the past yr. has been an interesting one, including the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. Claire and John are both retired and devoting themselves to visiting family, continuing their nonprofit involvement and traveling. Claire’s mother died in late March so they are still adjusting to a life without that dear sweet, wise lady. Even though she was 85, they were still not ready to lose her! Her father is doing well and she still spends several days a month in GA with him. Their children—daughter Bright with husband Tim and son Austin— are hardworking, wonderful adults and their favorite travel companions. Bright studies nursing and Tim entomology at

U. AZ. Austin works for NASCAR. The 5 of them still manage a trip at the end of each yr. For various reasons, Claire has thought a lot about SBC this yr. Jill Lowry Wiemer told us that 2 small blessings were added to her family in the past yr. Julia Bell and William arrived 6 mos. apart so they have been enjoying this return to “all things” baby. She now has 6 grands (6 mos. to 8 yrs.), 3 boys and 3 girls. Since no babies were due this summer, they took a late spring trip that started in Rome and ended in London. It was nice to travel again, although it was a wet, wet spring and they saw some record water levels! Mary Lyman Ray recently retired after teaching 30 yrs. of middle school life science in Howard County, MD. She is now embarking on her next phase of life and looking forward to new experiences. She spends her time playing in several bridge groups (thanks to SBC for this valuable game), playing golf, volunteering as an usher at 2 theaters in Baltimore, subbing at her previous school so she can see colleagues, learning how to knit and planning trips to new places. And now that she has more spare time she can go into Baltimore and D.C. and visit all the great museums and art galleries without all the tourists. She will also have more time to visit her 2 grandsons Will (4) and Henry (2), who live outside of Chicago with daughter Meredith and her husband Paul. Younger son Kevin and his wife Amy live near her; older son David lives with Mary for now until he can figure out his next vocation. Maggie Mather Feldmeier reports that all’s well with them. They had their 2nd grandbaby in April—another little boy, Campbell John Franz. He and his older brother, Anderson, live right in Cazenovia, and they are so blessed to see them all the time! Maggie is still doing some training for Carlisle and a lot of bookkeeping/ HR stuff for Jake’s new business. She keeps thinking retirement is around the corner but it’s not happening yet! Life is busy and very full—and she hopes all’s well with the rest of the class. Gina Mancusi Wills wrote that she is still retired and trying to figure out the best way to deal with retirement, although she and Ashley are having a lot of fun exploring D.C., and she’s found that she really enjoys working one-on-one with elementary school children on reading. They are still not sure where they want to live, but are spending lots of energy working on that one! She also commented that grandchildren are a wonderful addition to life and that they’re hoping for a few of their own someday. Lynne Manov Echols had just celebrated her 1st wedding anniversary with Frank when the call for class notes arrived. The couple has spent the past yr. getting started on the renovations needed to their new-to-them 1922 American Foursquare home in Williamsport, PA. In Phase I they painted every room in the house (some more than once), refinished 2,000 sq. ft. of floor, replaced 25 windows, gutted the attic and converted it to 1 spacious guest room, enlarged the master bedroom onto an old sleeping porch, and widened the 5-ft wide bathroom by stealing space from an adjacent bedroom, completely remodeling both in the process. Phase II involves gutting and remodeling the kitchen, mudroom and 1st-floor bathroom. Phase III, as yet unscheduled, entails a

sbc.edu | Sweet Briar Magazine

new furnace, a new roof, new siding and with luck, if the money holds out, a 2-car detached garage and some landscaping. Lynne hopes to have Phase II complete by Christmas. “Frank has been an absolute champ about it. He’s a GEM and I feel so blessed to have him in my life,” she says. Simultaneously she’s taking classes required for eventual (but only potential, her Bishop having the final word!) ordination as a vocational deacon in the Episcopal Church, a process that will last for the next 3 yrs. at least. She has answered a call to the ministry of healing prayer but still needs to discern whether she’s to practice this ministry as a lay or an ordained person. Carole McIvor reports that she has been employed as a research ecologist by the U.S. Geological Survey for most of her career. She works primarily on coastal wetlands and specifically on the habitat ecology of estuarine fishes. She is presently based in St. Petersburg, FL, where she enjoys gardening, photography and travel. (The FL contingent keeps growing!) Amanda Megargee Sutton wrote that Frances Barnes Kennamer came to Pound Ridge in 6/13. They had a great visit and Amanda went to Manhattan with her to meet her daughter Helen. They celebrate their birthday together in NYC every few yrs. Anne Milbank Mell reports that she and John are getting closer to pushing the “retirement button.” They have had some great trips this yr., thanks to the wedding circuit (HI, Sonoma, Martha’s Vineyard and Boston). So now that Anne has no vacation time left, she’s trying to conjure up ways to get more time off! Anne’s last vacation was a week at a country inn in NH. All 3 kids, their spouses/significant, plus 2 grandsons were able to come. What a treat that was. Their daughters are in San Francisco and Cleveland; their son is in NYC, which is nearby, but he’s always en route somewhere else. Mary Frances Oakey Aiken wrote to say that the yrs. seem to be flying by! She’s often awed by the explosion of technology that has occurred since our almost prehistoric SBC yrs. Our grandchildren will be (some already are) amazed that we got through the college yrs. with only a typewriter and whiteout, no Google or Internet. How did we do it? Mary Frances and John happily split their yr. between Naples, FL, and Richmond, VA, and love volunteer work in both locations. Her children are all in Richmond so she gets lots of good grandmother time. The current count is 4; 2 more are on the way in early 2014! Such a happy occasion! It has been so nice to get reacquainted with Wendy Norton Brown in Richmond when she ran into her at church! She hopes all our classmates are healthy and happy and looks forward to reading all the news. Wendy Norton Brown also says all is well in Richmond. Their granddaughter was born 8/11/13 to older son David and his wife, who already have a son. She says they are so blessed to have 1 of each and both healthy! Only other news was seeing so many classmates at Nan Glaser LaGow’s funeral in April. They came from all over, a true testament to Nan. What a legacy she leaves behind. Such a sad loss for us all. Jacque Penny writes with great enthusiasm that she is now working at SBC in the development office as the director 54

sbc.edu | Sweet Briar Magazine

of Boxwood Circle, a dream that became reality. She has a house not far from the office and encourages those coming to campus to get in touch with her and promises to keep all of us updated on our vibrant institution. Carol Remington Foglesong had a brush with breast cancer during late spring 2013, and by the time the SBC magazine arrives, should be about finished with chemo and radiation. It’s been a journey, that’s for sure. During the heat of the summer in Orlando, FL, she basically didn’t bother with wigs or scarves and went to work bald-and-proud-of-it. Still working full time, Carol has begun to imagine retirement in about 4 more yrs. Susan Schmidt will spend 2 wks. as “artist in park” living in a Dune Shack on Cape Cod National Seashore. She just found out there’s no electricity, she has to pump water, it’s 100 ft to a pit toilet, there’s a leaky roof, and the previous tenants were mice & weasels. You might conclude (rightfully) that she’s feeling a bit apprehensive. She’s beginning research on the Gulf Stream and climate change for her next book. Libby Tyree-Taylor reported in from San Francisco. Libby and husband Barry are as busy as ever. Barry’s practice has a focus on China and Silicon Valley and she serves on some boards of local community groups. They continue to travel regularly to Asia and Europe. Daughter Alexa was married on Memorial Day weekend in Sonoma’s Wine Country. Libby was delighted that Anne Milbank Mell and John and Jeannette Bush Miller and Flip were able to join them for the CA celebration. Alexa and new husband Paul, both UVa Law graduates, have just moved to San Francisco from NYC and Charlottesville. Both have new jobs in SF and are enjoying life in CA. Son Lee, also a UVa grad, is working at Microsoft-Yammer and living in San Francisco. Quite a change from having both children on the East Coast! Bev Van Zandt reports that all is well in San Miguel, and she keeps hoping she might become an artist by osmosis. So many friends are painters, sculptors, clay artists, assemblage artists. She tried clay but it doesn’t talk to her. She is taking a new watercolor class, and the teacher promises everyone goes home with a piece of art; she’s still hopeful. Beverly and Roberta have come for visits and also share her love of SMA. They were here as children and still remember horseback riding in the canyons and swimming in the warm springs. Even with a lot more people and more amenities, the charm and magic of San Miguel remain strong. Wendy Weiss Smith says that following a summer of family gatherings, she and husband Gilbert look forward to joining Susan Greenwald on a W&L week in Berlin; they haven’t been back since the demise of the Wall. Home continues to be Durham, NC, where Gil oversees the Office of Corporate Research Collaborations at Duke while she loves ESL teaching privately to professionals, mostly from South America. No retirement in sight yet. Ellen Weintraub still lives in Miami, FL, and just recently moved to a loft. Very avant-garde, right? She was devastated almost 2 yrs. ago to lose her mom. She thinks many of you may remember that they were very close, almost like 2 peas in a pod. Ellen’s mom even came to SBC and stayed in her dorm room in Meta Glass

freshman yr. for a few days. Her roommate Jennifer Slade Belovsky was sweet to lend Ellen’s mom her bed. Ellen took off 5 yrs. and cared for her mom with Alzheimer’s until her death, giving up her job and her home. She is now back at work, working for a NYC investment house, which has kindly left her in FL, and set up an office for her close to her new home. Ellen has 2 wonderful fur kids, Beau, the Golden Doodle, and Lily, the pound rescue. They frequently go to the dog park and have a whole social life there. Anne Wigglesworth Munoz wrote to report that she and Milton have had a fun yr. so far. They went to Cabo to see the whales in Feb. and then to Italy in April. They’re heading to South Africa and Zimbabwe in Jan. Anne has been teaching batik and dyeing workshops this summer and will be teaching again this fall. Her daughter recently told her that her memories of summer include green grass, blue skies and dye on mom’s feet. Alisa Yust Rowe says she still spends lots of time playing with her 3 in-town grandchildren and has a granddaughter (little Alisa) in Denver, too. They continue to enjoy weekends in the country at the farm and she is still on the board of Arts for Rural Texas, where she enjoys helping bring art education to children in rural areas. This past yr. she had an encounter with breast cancer but it was caught very early and she is now done with treatment and looking forward to a happy and busy fall. She lunched with an 82-yr.-old friend recently who had been one of her high school teachers. Her advice: Enjoy every day. Diana Zeidel and spouse Jon are happily retired in FL, spending summers at the beach in DE. They both decided to give up their part-time consulting jobs when Diana was diagnosed with breast cancer for the 2nd time last spring. But she’s happy to report that she is doing fine, and was able to spend a lovely week with her sisters/ children/grandchildren in Bethany, DE, in July. She sees Mimi Pitts Dixon whenever she is in Washington (which is often), and keeps up with Caroline Tuttle Murray, as well. The 3 of them are planning an overdue trip soon. She keeps busy helping her parents, doing some volunteer work, yoga and Mahjong with her friends.

1972

C. Jill Johnson jilljohnson@isisllc.us

See pp. 70-73 and sbc.edu/magazine for photos. Classmates, just a reminder, if you’re not receiving my amusing (I hope!) messages, then I don’t have your correct email address. Please verify with me at your earliest convenience. Another tip: Many of us are posting on Facebook in our private group, “Sweet Briar College Class of 1972.” Please consider joining. You don’t have to “do” Facebook, but you do have to sign up in order to join our group. As the administrator, I make sure the herd is just us girls. It’s a lot of fun, so please think about it.

1973

Evelyn Cowles ecc52@icloud.com

Sue Mossey Laufer: My husband Ken and I moved to Cape May, NJ. We enjoy our new home on the DE Bay and the incredible sunsets every night. Our Standard Poodle Jette loves swimming in the bay. Ann Major Gibb: Ernie and I recently celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary in London. I loved seeing everyone at Reunion in May. So good at be back at SBC. Christine Eng Leventhal: Sorry I missed Reunion—tough time of yr. for me with finals, etc. Peter and I celebrated our 35th anniversary on 9/2. I still teach forensic science, genetics and science research at Darien High School in CT (wish Drs. Sprague, Bellows and Bennett could see me now!), as well as 1 fitness class/wk., volunteer with Hyde School and church, and take 3 ballet classes/wk. Peter and I love to hike and stay active—especially important as he is fighting Parkinson’s disease. Daughter Amy is expecting her 1st child in Sept., so we are excited about being 1st-time grandparents. She opened a fitness studio in Montpelier, VT, last Sept., which is a big success. Son Nick is on a temporary work assignment in Maui, and we will visit him in Feb. Youngest Jon is figuring out his next step after a great road trip this summer across the U.S. Molly Dunn Martin: Missed Reunion due to a family wedding, but became “Grandmolly” in March to William Coleman Farr. Such fun! William is a very happy baby. Daughter Cameron and her husband recently moved to Charlotte, NC, so grandfather William and I look forward to becoming more familiar with that area. Kris Howell: I still spend half my time in Key West (love it!) and half in NC. I went on an Amazon cruise in Peru in Feb. I just got back from a week in New Orleans and, by the way, got engaged! Going to TX in Sept. to visit family and to Honduras in Nov. with a girlfriend. Lots of camping and working with animal rescue still—loving retirement! Sara Meyerdierks Hillgrove: We remain happily ensconced in the Richmond, VA, ’burbs, and just sent our last child “off into the world.” (I have a feeling I’m one of the last of us.) After graduating from college in 3 yrs. (why would anyone do that?!), she was accepted by Teach for America (which I discovered is about the equivalent to getting into Harvard!) and starts teaching 8thgrade English (she was a history/government major) next week in far eastern NC. We’re proud of her—and a little anxious. Our other 2 children do well in D.C. and Charlotte, so Tom and I keep busy here—I with teaching at the U. Richmond business school, he with our national recreational management company, which keeps growing and growing. No big vacation travel plans (that nasty “work” thing), but we both just turned 60, so I see Italy on the horizon. Recommendations welcome! Diane Dale Reiling: I re-licensed for real estate in OR and hung that license with John L. Scott on 7/1. With a hot real estate market and our need to buy a home down here, it makes sense to join husband Chuck back in the business. I also have a full-time “seasonal” job starting 9/1 at Harry & David as a trainer of their seasonal associates. And here I thought I was moving to Medford to retire. I guess not

yet. All is good with me and mine. Loved seeing so many at Reunion, but it was way too short. We need a Reunion week! Carol Anne Provence Gallivan: Mills and I have a new grandson (10 wks.) and granddaughter (18 mos). They are grand, indeed, and have brought such joy to our lives. Two of our 3 grown children are married to really wonderful people, and all 5 of them are gainfully employed and happy. We have 2 attorneys, 2 business executives and 1 in the medical field. Mills is on the mediating/speaking/traveling side of law now, and I have enjoyed accompanying him around the country. The friendships of other attorney couples have been the most enriching aspect of these professional meetings. We just passed our 40th anniversary and are taking a trip to Europe to celebrate. We feel extremely blessed and hope for more of the same! Joan May Harden: I just walked our dogs to a cacophony of cows, donkeys and roosters—my new life in Lexington since we sold our Ridgewood, NJ, house. I loved Reunion, especially seeing Cindy Bekins Anderson and Ginna Rogers-Gould after all these yrs.! It was wonderful to see Diane honored for all her hard work, too. Right now, we are well, kids and grandkids are well and all visit us here on the farm regularly, so I am happy! Kristy Alderson: Mark and I are taking daughter Tegwyth to Dartmouth in Sept. to begin college. I also received happy news that my cousin’s daughter is attending SBC as a freshman. Mary Buxton: Grateful to be spending lots of time in North Lake Tahoe! Renee Sterling: Reunion was great. I presented a talk on estate planning and the benefits of giving while reconnecting with wonderfully accomplished women. Spent days before and after in Charlottesville with fabulously creative friend Boyd Zenner ’74, who is architectural acquiring editor at UVa Press. Wow! I’ll share that I was voted into “5 Star: Top 100 Wealth Managers” published in 8/13 Texas Monthly magazine. Barb Prentiss: This has been an amazing and busy yr. for me. The highlight (so far!) was marrying Al Davis, a very genuine Santa in his spare time. We were married at dawn on 6/1 in the north Cascade Mountains followed by a family unity ceremony on 6/22. Family and friends joined us throughout June to celebrate. My oldest son, who lives in southern CA, and his family, including 2 precious grandsons (2 and 9 mos.), made it, as did Al’s daughter from Reston, VA, and her wonderful son. Al’s twin sister and husband made it from TX as did many others from around WA. Missing was my younger son, who is in the Coast Guard in HI. He and his wife are enjoying paradise, but couldn’t get away. I love my position as IT director for the U. WA med school. It’s truly my dream job. I try to stay in touch with a few of our classmates through Facebook and am more than happy to connect with more. No name change so I’m easy to find! Ginger Woodward Gast: It was great seeing everyone at our 40th reunion. I was amazed that none of us have changed a bit! I so appreciated Sue Dern Plank’s offer for a ride from Fairfax. I had a lovely lunch with Ann Major Gibb in Berlin, MD, this summer and have enjoyed Renee Sterling’s thoughts about Italy. Youngest daughter, Katie, will study in Milan fall semester and of course I’m planning a visit

in Nov. with another daughter. Son and daughter-in-law are expecting twins in Dec. and I am joyfully looking forward to my 1st grandchildren. Lisa Fowler Winslow “Really enjoyed our 40th (gulp!) reunion. Everyone looked great. Betsie Meric, Jane McFaddin and I were suitemates once again, just like back in our senior yr.! The campus looked beautiful, but I sure missed the dairy yogurt! I saw Peggy Cheesewright Garner in Seattle in July. We had lunch together in her beautiful surroundings. She was disappointed that she could not make it to Reunion— hopefully she will to the 50th! Kathy Pretzfelder Steele: After 40 yrs. with the same company, I retired at the end of July and am totally enjoying my new life. I get lots of exercise and participate in many community activities and functions, but the best part is that I’m spending more time with my daughters and granddaughter (1). It was wonderful to see everyone at Reunion. Trish Gilhooly O’Neill: Just got back from Barcelona on a 10-day cruise from Venice with our family to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. So hot, but so much fun! Living between Greenwich, CT, and Honolulu now. I get together with Jan Story Honick for lunch whenever I am in NYC. Nan Robertson Clarke: Like you said, Reunion was so much fun. Great to see the “usual suspects” and some classmates I had not seen since graduation— I’m looking at you, Cathy Razz! It is really gratifying to see what strong and remarkable women we have grown into. My favorite Reunion moments were the unscripted ones, like a stroll around campus and a walk up to Monument Hill. (Why did it seem such a strenuous hike in 1973?) A month after Reunion, son Charlie got married here in Charlotte; the month after that, son Robbie got married in Fort Worth, TX. So an eventful summer for us—we are kind of glad to settle back into our normal (boring) existence! Jeanne Schaefer Bingham: Rack and I wanted to come to Reunion this yr. but my son graduated from high school that weekend. He is a freshman at U. FL—only a half hour away! Stacy, our married daughter with 2 sons (2 and 5), is building a house this yr. on 5 acres next to us. Could the Lord have treated me any better? I am so happy. Sue Dern Plank: We started the New Yr. in Belize, joined by our daughter and family. We enjoyed scuba diving and playing with our granddaughter (6 1/2 mos.). I spent part of each of the next several mos. with Elena and Clara in Clarksville, TN, while her husband was away. He returned home safely a week ago after 7 mos. away. We also saw them in May, when my daughter attended her 10th reunion at Albany Academy for Girls, and again in June, at a wedding in Cohasset, MA. If I’d known grandchildren were so much fun, I would have had them sooner! In late May, I lost my dear friend, Elisabeth, from my St. Andrews days, to melanoma. It made me realize that we had known each other for more than 40 yrs. and that perhaps I am older than I feel most days, but what memories we have of our times together! I had a lovely time at our 40th reunion—what a great bunch we are! It was such a fun time I wish we could see each other more often. I’m glad so many, including Ginger Woodward Gast, returned to “the Patch” for the 1st time in decades. I have been

busy catching up in my gardens this summer since little was accomplished last yr. when I was involved settling my mother’s estate. Additionally, we have been babysitting our daughter’s dog (114 lbs.) and cat since April, in addition to our own cat. Visits to various vets seem to occupy a large amount of my time. In early Aug., we hosted the annual “Send Off” for incoming 1st-yr. students, their families and alums of Norwich U., my husband’s alma mater. Visits from family and friends have made the yr. fly by, too. Weezie Blakeslee Gilpin: I have been back on the East Coast for a yr. living in Needham, MA, and working as a counselor at St. Mark’s School in Southborough. I still miss San Diego, especially during the storms last winter! Bob continues to work as an independent college counselor helping students navigate the college process. We celebrated his 70th birthday with a trip to Portugal over my spring break and had a wonderful time. I discovered that there is a white port, but it is not imported to the States, probably a good thing. After a wonderful time at SBC at our 40th reunion, we spent the summer on Martha’s Vineyard, most of it with children and grandchildren. Blake, a history professor at Tulane, Abbey, and Bear (18 mos.) were with us for 8 wks. Alexa, now a stay-at-home mom, Mike, and Elizabeth (5 mos.) spent a week with us and we are hoping to get Christopher, a manager of a Sydney, Australia, Lululemon, Allison and Tillie (2) back for a visit in Oct. They are expecting their 2nd in early March, so we have tentative plans to go to Sydney in the spring. Bob and I adore being doting, silly, hands-on grandparents and it is a true joy to watch our children raising their own kids. Jane Potts: Reunion was fun, and great to see so many old friends. I have seen Deborah Ziegler Hopkins twice since Reunion, as she and her husband bought a house in Cashiers, NC, and I visited her there this summer. Fortunately it is only a 5-hour drive from Charleston. We had a 3-hour lunch with Harriet Broughton Holliday; it was fun catching up with her. She hopes to make it to our next reunion. We also had a nice dinner with Catherine Cranston Whitham, who was 2 classes behind us at SBC, and who now lives in Richmond, but has a home in Cashiers. When Deborah, Betsy Perry, Terry Christovich Gay and I returned to Richmond after Reunion, we had a really fun SBC dinner with Linda Lipscomb, Lisa Wickham Haskell, Lacy Williams, Melinda Williams Davis and Sandra Taylor at my mom’s house. Lots of talking and laughter! Evelyn “Evie” Carter Cowles: I am sad to report that Jane Jordan Crawford passed away on 8/6/13. I do not have any other information at this time. As I compile these notes, I am in MT enjoying the cooler weather, fishing, photography and beautiful views. Back to VA in mid-Sept. to enjoy riding, foxhunting, painting and more beautiful views (yes, I am spoiled). Reynolds claims he’s going to cut back to working 3 days/wk. but I wonder how long those days will be! We went to England in March to see the Grand National and what fun that was, both the races and visiting old friends. Thanks to everyone for their quick response to my plea for news!

More class notes online sbc.edu/magazine

1974

Rossie Ray Spell

rossiespell@yahoo.com I am sad to report the death of our classmate Anya Starosolska on 7/2/13. Our sympathies go out to her family. Ann Stuart McKie Kling: Bill and I are essentially empty-nesters now. Daughter Shelby is a junior at Northwestern and son Jay is 25 and living/working in NYC. The sale of our skin/wound care manufacturing company last yr. gives us more time to do fun things. We have done some traveling (Santa Fe, France, Scotland this past yr.). Bill started a new venture and I was asked to join SBC’s board of directors! I attended my 1st board meeting as a “member-elect” in June in D.C. and will begin the next 3 yrs. of service in earnest at our meeting on campus this Nov.—I’m so honored and excited to be a part of this stellar board. I stay connected with lots of SBC alumnae through our DFW Alumnae Club and with frequent calls to my close friend Cindy Sorenson Sutherland. Mimi Hill Wilk: Am proud to announce our best yr. ever with 2 weddings: 1st, we just attended the 6/22/13 wedding of son Kenneth Walter Wilk Jr. to adorable Heather Ann Stevens with only immediate family at the beach. They will be settling here in AZ as educators with their master’s. The next wedding event is 11/16/13 when daughter Liz marries John Richard Harrell (who is everyone’s dream son-inlaw) in Paradise Valley, AZ. Pictures to follow in Nov. of the dashing couple! Miss everyone, but as you see my life is here in the warmth of AZ. So please come visit or call when you’re in town. Ellie Boyd: I celebrated Bastille Day in Boston at a mini-reunion with Robin Christian Ryan, Ruthie Willingham Lentz, Lee Wilkinson Warren and Liz Thomas Camp—finally got to ride on the Duck Boat! Boston bounced back in style! I will join Robin on the SBC Friends of Art board and look forward to learning more about the sculpture/folly project being commissioned to complement the library addition. The plein-air group I started last yr.—Pomperaug Outdoor Painters (POP)— had its 1st show with 20 painters and 46 paintings in Sept. It can be seen on Facebook: http:/tinyurl.com/kul5dql. Kelly Borrowman Slobodian: I just came back from a week in Annandale, VA, helping Susan Stubbs Brown with her granddaughter Elizabeth (2) while Susan’s daughter and son-in-law got away for a few days. I live between VT and NC and went to meet Susan by train. My husband Paul and I have a waterfront real estate business in New Bern, NC. Our 3 sons are grown, 1 married. When not in NC, we are in southern VT. Mary Bush Norwood announced that she will again run for Atlanta City Council in the Nov. election. Debbie Pelham Bigum: The biggest news is the birth of granddaughter Natalie Huttman, born 12/ 22/12 in Alexandria, VA. Randy and I still enjoy our retirement in Miramar Beach with the beautiful waters and golf courses. Our mountain home in Boone, NC, was finally completed and is

sbc.edu | Sweet Briar Magazine

a great gathering place for our daughters and their families. Sandra Taylor: I still work at SunTrust Mortgage as a compliance manager. I am now engaged with the SBC board of directors and the Alumnae Association as its new president. I am learning a lot and love learning the latest about our beloved College. I am already looking toward Reunion and hope to see all of you. Hard to believe that many of us have known each other over 40 yrs.! During the last yr. I have spent time with Nancy Mortensen Piper, Robin Christian Ryan, Mary Witt, Jennifer Smith Hanes, Terry Tosh ’75, Marsha Taylor Horton ’76, CeCe Smith ’77, Dee Hubble Dolan ’77, Jane Potts ’73, Lacy Williams ’73, Melinda Williams ’73, Linda Lipscomb ’73 and Lisa Wickham ’73. Jennifer and I, along with Robin’s mother Peggy Christian ’47, coordinated a lovely breakfast event at Westminster Canterbury for Sweet Briar alumnae living there. A recent grad, Jennifer Young ’11, told us about her college experience and how she leveraged it into a rewarding career. We were all energized by her remarks. Leslie Elbert Hill: At last David and I are grandparents! Ailey Laurel Hill was born 5/19 and for the 1st time in my life I’m able to buy little-girl clothes after raising 3 boys. What a joy! Elizabeth Andrews Watts: We now have 3 grandchildren, Chip (4), Pete (2) and Laney (1), and expect our 4th in Jan. After 22 yrs. at Episcopal High School, Bobby and I plan to retire next yr. (6/2014) and move to our house on the VA Eastern Shore. Jane Piper Gleason: Back in May, Sherrie Snead McLeRoy and I were guests of P. Allen Smith at his Moss Mountain Farm in AR. He’s very charming and toured us around the house and gardens he built up there. He spent the whole day with our St. Louis group and we all had a blast. I’m currently serving a 2-yr. stint as president of the St. Louis Woman’s Club, so I’m not doing much traveling for a while. Eleanor Magruder Harris: Sandy and I continue to live in Norfolk, VA, where Sandy is an investment advisor and I do volunteer work, but make jewelry on the side. Our 3 boys are spread out in LA, D.C. and Norfolk, and we have 1 grandson with another on the way! Mary Witt: Fritz and I just returned from Oxford, England, where we took the UVasponsored history class The End of British America. We were students again at Trinity Coll. Our group stayed in the dorm and we had meals together in the beautiful Trinity Coll. dining room. We stopped into as many pubs as we could! We had side trips to Ben Franklin’s house in the center of London and to an 800-yr.-old country estate. Still working at United Healthcare and spending volunteer hours with UVa medical school. What has been fun for me is my return to riding—we are never too old to resume a hobby we love. Liz Thomas Camp “still glows and glimmers from the banner 60th yr., meeting up with ’74 classmates.” The Camps met Nancy Lea Houghton and Hoot for the races in Camden, SC. Joined Barb Ashton Nicol, Jane Hutchinson Frierson, Mary Bush Norwood, Edie McRee Bowles, Emory Furniss Maxwell for a bridal luncheon in Atlanta for Emory’s daughter Christie. Liz had a 60th birthday bash in Atlanta with Ellie Plowden Boyd, Paula Hollingsworth Thomas, Barb and Emory. Face time in Richmond with our renowned 56

sbc.edu | Sweet Briar Magazine

Dr. Mary Witt, who distinguished herself and this class when the UVa Medical School Foundation chose her as its 1st female recipient for its highest alumni award. This yr. I cherish 2 fine family portraits painted by freshman 3rd-floor Reid roomie, Ellie Plowden Boyd…1 done posthumously. Her work, which draws many awards and honors, can be found on Facebook: “Elinor Boyd, Enduring Portraits,” Southbury, CT. Tricia Barnett Greenberg’s daughter Patty married Drew Shenkman in a beautiful ceremony at Lowndes Grove Plantation in Charleston, SC, on 4/6/13. They live in D.C., where Patty works as the manager of legal learning for the law firm Hogan Lovells and Drew is an attorney with Holland and Knight, specializing in media law. Andria Francis: I still work at CTB/McGrawHill developing educational tests (27 yrs. and counting). Last yr. I went on a transatlantic cruise from FL to Europe with my sister and spent Christmas in England with daughter Ashleigh, who is working on her Ph.D. in archaeology. This fall, I will again go to England to spend time with my daughter. I’m still a volunteer at the local animal services and enjoy gardening and reading. I look forward to retirement one of these days! Thank you, SBC and dear Class of 1974 friends for the wonderful education and memories! Bianca Chronowski Brophy: Sadly, I lost my mom, Lee McShane, in Jan. in Wilmington, NC, where she resided. Happy news is that our son Christopher Dixon will marry Lori Allen, a nurse, in Cabo San Lucas in Oct. Helen Travis attended Lori’s bridal shower here in Summit. Having left Heinz in Pittsburgh, Chris landed a job as marketing manager of Foster Farms in northern CA (where he’s always wanted to live). Daughter Meghan is PR manager for J. Mendel in NYC and dresses celebs. Beyonce and Taylor Swift were vying for the same dress! A perk for me is that I get to go to Fashion Week! Jim is still at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. We enjoyed our annual trips to St. Barth’s and Nantucket. I’m gearing up for Bible study again in my parish, which keeps me busy and very grounded, and I enjoy my bridge games: anything to keep the mind sharp! Marcia Brandenburg Martinson: My husband Terry and I moved to Plymouth, MA, in Jan., in preparation for his retirement on 6/30. After enjoying a couple of mos. of retirement, we now find ourselves packing for a move to Martha’s Vineyard! Terry has been asked to serve as interim pastor at the Federated Church in Edgartown. We also became new grandparents last summer. Son Andrew and his wife had a baby girl, Hadley Jane Martinson. Life is good. Jan Renne Steffen: Jim and I bought a new 3500-RAM truck and with our 5th wheel Cameo we have taken long trips up the CA coast and through OR and WA, as well as Victoria, B.C., Jasper, Alberta and Lake Louise, where Fabio (our Lhasa Apso) drank out of the glacier lake. While on a trip to sightsee through AZ and NM and visit my sister in CO, we received the call that Jim’s father had hospice ordered for him. We went back to be with him before he passed in late June. I have been holding weekly family gatherings for Jim’s family. I still quilt, sew, make cards and scrapbook. I am the editor for the SCCOG and San Diego ASG newsletters. I’m also a Close To My Heart consultant. My blog is

at janrsteffen.blogspot.com; my website is Janicesteffen.com. I’m also on Facebook. Jane Hutcherson Frierson: New guy in my life. He’s 16 hands, a very red chestnut thoroughbred and a great-great-grandson of Secretariat. His real name is Lord Baltimore, but I call him Earl. He lives near Paul Cronin in Rectortown, so I have had fun getting in touch with Paul and working together to get Earl on the right track, not the race track! I am still working for the MITRE Corp. and support the chief scientist at the National Counterterrorism Center. Son Laurance (31) is an attorney for Customs and Border Protection in their Office of International Trade. I see Elizabeth Andrews Watts, Karla Kline Bradshaw, Mary Witt and Edie McRee Bowles as often as possible. Mary Lee Doering: We live in the Sacramento area and love being close to San Francisco and Lake Tahoe. I have a busy tutoring business and keep myself involved with school, as well. I just finished helping out teaching French for a couple of wks. at a local private school. My oldest son was married almost 1 yr. ago and oldest daughter Marissa graduated in May from Ithaca Coll. with a degree in clinical exercise science. We get back to the Rochester, NY, area fairly often as my sister, father and sons live in that area. Dean continues to be a leader in sales in his company with mortgage wholesale lending. We enjoyed 2 wks. in HI in June. I was disappointed that the date for Reunion coincides with my youngest daughter’s high school graduation. I wanted to make it to our 40th since I missed the 35th. I will be at SBC in spirit! If anyone is in the area, give me a call (216-973-0046). Laurene Sherlock: Two yrs. ago, I started Greysone Appraisals LLC. It just goes to show you there are no boundaries in life and that a B.A. in art history comes in handy. At the Antiques Roadshow filming here 2 yrs. ago, I had the opportunity to interview lots of folks who drove up to 900 mi., bringing their “worthies” in the hopes of making it onto TV. Each and every one had a unique tale to tell. You learn so much about people, history and human nature by appraising their personal property. I’m paddling my Greystone Appraisals canoe in interesting and enjoyable waters in my 3rd act these days. Never a dull moment. The more I do the more I learn and the more fodder I’ve got for cocktail chatter. Rossie Ray Spell: My big news is that daughter Anna and husband Gustavo had a beautiful baby girl in May. I love being a grandmother! Meredith Thompson Sullivan: Over the Christmas holidays, John and I picked up our Seabourn floating hotel in Singapore and cruised through Indonesia, down the Great Barrier Reef and ended up in Sydney. From there, we rented a car and headed along the Australian coast to Melbourne. A quarter of the way down the highway, bush fires forced us off the coastal drive and into Kangaroo Valley. That month, filled with Hindu temples, Komodo dragons, Koala bears, gingerbread houses and wonderful new friends, was certainly a different way of bringing in the New Yr.! I think this yr. we’ll spend Christmas at home in MT.

1975

Johna Pierce

johna_pierce@yahoo.com Virginia Holden retired and bought a home about 90 min. from Chicago in SW Michigan, wine-and-fruit country with lots of acreage and abundant wildlife. She now has time to email old classmates and friends! She reports to 2 rescued dogs and 4 rescued cats. She’s happily working on the Michigan State Council of the Humane Society of the U.S., remaining on the development board of PAWS Chicago (stateof-the-art no-kill shelter), and is playing farmer, gardener, bird feeder, sky watcher, pond caretaker, volunteer for local spay and neuter clinics, amateur vegetarian and vegan chef (and member of 2 CSAs), part-time political activist, hostess, crisis care and animal foster mom, occasional traveler, and generally doing all the things she’d longed to do other than practice law. She says she would welcome news from other SBC folks enjoying life! Vhh@ me.com. Coni Crocker Betzendahl’s eldest daughter Lindsay gave birth to a son—their 1st grandchild—6 wks. prematurely in March, but all are doing well. In June, her mother (88) passed away sleeping in her own bed with Coni’s dad by her side, holding her hand. Her dad (91) is doing well and still living on his own. Daughter Ashley is setting the social media world on fire at the Goddard School, corporate. As Coni wrote her update, the movers were packing up 6,500 sq. ft. of stuff accumulated over the past 15 yrs. for storage until they move into their charming, fully restored 1888 mill house. Although excited about the move, fitting it all into a 3,000-sq.-ft. home is a hassle. For a month, they will shuttle between living on their boat in Cape May, NJ, and their farm in VT., and Coni will sneak trips home to stay with friends so she can ride her horse. Richard still works but it is his own business, so as long as he has a computer, he is good to go. Coni dabbles in painting but not as much as she should! All are healthy and happy—at least for the moment; check in after a few wks. of being “homeless”—and feel blessed with family and friends. Randi Marie Hoffmann is owner and acupuncturist at Rivertown Acupuncture and Rivertown Healing Arts in Dobbs Ferry, NY. After the death of her sister, she and husband Janos Marton finished raising her 2 sons in addition to their own 3 sons. The youngest is due to graduate from college in 2014. Freedom! Life is good. Catherine Cranston Whitham reports from Richmond that she is in touch with lots of SBC friends, especially since many of us celebrate our 60th birthdays this yr. Catherine stays busy doing volunteer work for various nonprofits and church while happily chasing their adorable grandson (2), who moved to Staunton from Missoula, MT, with his parents this past spring. Ann is an urban planner at Shenandoah Valley Planning and Development Office. Her husband, Steve, is the field director for his business Wildland Trekking, which organizes and runs custom trips for individuals and families in Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. If you are planning a trip with friends or family, Catherine says to check out www. wildlandtrekking.com. Son Craig is working on the Hill and Whit is busy as ever with

his law practice. They are taking a trip on the Rhine this fall to celebrate Catherine’s birthday since she decreed no party! Johna Pierce Stephens begs your forgiveness for being MIA as the last few yrs. have involved intensive hands-on care for her dad and husband Tom’s mom. But the blessings outweigh anything else, and Johna is everlastingly grateful that she has had time to spend with them since retiring from the federal government. After a pacemaker malfunction that landed him in the hospital the day her daughter Rachael graduated Bryn Mawr in 2011, her dad had a long recovery but was able to regain his mobility, albeit a bit slower. Unfortunately, he took a fall at the end of Jan., after his 95th birthday. It seemed he could recover, as there was no intervention needed. But it was clear he was on his final path and he passed peacefully at home with his family at his side, as he’d always wished. Johna and her sisters manage their father’s farm outside Warrenton, as well as the NC farm, and are partners in another family farm in KS. All need some major work, and things generally go slower when a committee (family or otherwise!) has to make the decisions, so things are busy. Johna’s horse pulled a suspensory ligament in late April and she’s just now getting him back into work. She enjoyed the Warrenton Horse Show over Labor Day with Tom’s nom. Tom still works in institutional equity research sales and still helps support a few drag racing competitors. Daughter Rachael remains in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and loves her work at the NYC nonprofit StreetWise Partners. Libby Whitley Fulton reports that life in Nelson County, VA, is lovely. Husband Dave (W&L ’72) and Libby live on 45 acres with a constantly evolving pack of dogs (10 at last count), horses and ponies (6, although 2 more are out on lease), 2 donkeys and multiple indoor and barn cats. The restoration of the 1820 farmhouse is finished and they have also moved an 1800 log cabin to the property as a guesthouse. Great fun. The business Libby started in 1994 working with seasonal employers to furnish legal foreign guest workers is holding steady, although the economy has not helped much. Libby says she’s looking forward to seeing everyone at the next reunion! Barbie Tafel says middle age has brought many surprises! She loves her life and work. She’s been a landscape/exterior designer for 25 yrs., owns her own company, is a writer for Kentucky Homes and Gardens Magazine, and recently a realtor with KY Select properties. Her website is barbietafel.com. Having survived a divorce and breast cancer, she is delightfully on the other side, enjoying life, working harder than ever at 2 jobs she adores that enable her to travel and frequently see her 3 children and their families scattered from D.C. (Coast Guard captain) to Ft. Lauderdale (private boat captain) to San Diego (Beneteau yacht sales)—all 3 boat captains! Mary Desloges is in St. Louis as are her 3 sons (lucky Mary!) and is selling real estate for Janet McAfee Real Estate. Last summer she was lucky enough to go on a Silversea Cruise from Venice to Istanbul— a seriously cool trip she highly recommends. Other getaways included Vail, Fish Creek and Boca Grand! Kathy Wilson Orton retired from J.P. Morgan after 30+ yrs. in 2008 and took

off nearly a yr. She worked for Sanford Bernstein for 2 yrs. but was recruited back into banking in 2011 to head Wells Fargo’s TX region in healthcare financial services. “I guess I wasn’t really cut out for retirement yet,” she mused. She’s become friends with Cotty Wallace ’74, who is a colleague at Wells Fargo in L.A. Husband John still practices law in Houston; older daughter Betsy is executive director for After-School All-Stars, a nonprofit that provides after-school enrichment programs for low-income middle school kids in Dallas, and Ginny is working in banking in Dallas as well. John and Kathy try to get to their home in Aspen as often as possible. Hiking, biking and playing golf in the summer and downhill or cross-country skiing in the winter. There is never a bad time to be in Aspen. Some day they hope to spend 6 mos. a yr. there! Beverley Crispin Heffernan continues to enjoy her work as manager of the Environmental Resources Division for the Bureau of Reclamation, Upper CO Region. Though eligible for retirement, she does not yet want to call it a career. Same for husband Jim, an administrative law judge for the Department of the Interior. They schedule “a big vacation” every yr.: Peru in 2012 and a whirlwind tour of Europe (Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain, Netherlands and Belgium, plus a teensy bit of Asia) in 2013. They recently bought a winter getaway in Hurricane, UT—on the edge of the Mojave Desert near St. George, with palm trees in the yard. Son Jimmy (32) is on the job hunt, while younger son Chris (28) lives in Salt Lake City and works for a moving company while chipping away at his college degree. The menagerie consists of 2 horses and 2 dogs. Beverley had a lovely trip to the Grand Canyon in 10/12 with roommates Nancy Haight and Robin Singleton Cloyd; Cynthia Manning Chatham was unable to join them at the last min.. This yr.’s roommate adventure will be at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in Dec., where they plan to admire cowboys in tight jeans, and oh, yes, the rodeo of course. She was also visited this yr. by Linda Uihlein ’77, who attends the Outdoor Retailers Convention in Salt Lake City to sell product lines from her business. Sadly, both of Beverley’s parents passed away in the last yr., her dad in 10/12, and mom in 7/13. Pat Parker says she talks to Liz, Cyndi and Lynn fairly regularly and is planning on going to FL in 10/13 to visit Lynn Dann. Michael and Pat were in HI in 12/12 with 2 of her sisters, Charlotte and Elena. Then Michael and Pat spent a week in Aruba in 6/13, and are planning to spend a week in Puerto Vallarta in 12/13, with sister Charlotte and husband. Otherwise, Pat spends her days working with clay and talking to her chickens and kitties. Wendy Wise Routh says everything is great in Water Mill, NY. Carlos and Wendy’s summer was centered on golf between the Women’s Open at Sebonack and the Walker Cup at National—tons of house guests. The children are great! Lexie graduated from Rhodes and, after 2 yrs. in Memphis working for the Orpheum, is living and working in NYC. JohnCarlos graduated from College of Charleston, giving Wendy ample opportunities to visit Chris Hoefer Myers and Anne Cogswell Burris. JohnCarlos is now freelancing in the film world of “The X Factor,” film festivals and reality TV. Wendy is busy

decorating and running the JC for JD Foundation (JohnCarlos for Juvenile Diabetes) because “a cure is forever.” They are celebrating their litter of Labs’ 1st birthday, as they kept Memphis and Charleston. Joining the pack is their mom and great aunt! So 4 dogs and 4 adults are happily enjoying life in the Hamptons! Denise Montgomery is doing well, but her dad started having blackouts a few mos. ago, and decided to stop driving. Doctors 1st suspected blood pressure, but discovered that 1 artery in his neck is almost blocked, and another is congenitally narrower than the other. Ordinarily they could stent the blocked artery, but with the narrow 2nd artery, he could have a stroke or die during the surgery. So, he is on baby aspirin and cholesterol-lowering medication, which is ironic because his cholesterol is about 157! Her Aunt Olive still plays bridge daily and golf at her country club 3 times a week at the age of 93. Denise’s 2 cats, Tom and Huck, who both joined her at the same time 15 yrs. ago, died the same weekend this July. Denise still has 1 cat, a pretty young energetic gray female named Dusty. Denise’s book was published by Scarecrow Press in 8/11, was reviewed by Library Journal, Choice Magazine and the British library journal Reference Reviews. It was included in the 2012 list of Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic titles. Denise’s travels include Dallas, Anaheim, CA , Seattle and Chicago for the American Library Association Conferences that met in those cities. Gerry and Denise were supposed to go on a cruise around Asia this past April, but Gerry’s knees have been bothering him for the past few yrs., so they canceled it. He had physical therapy for a while, and finally underwent surgery in July. Hopefully he will be all right by the time they take a Thanksgiving cruise on the Queen Elizabeth to Italy, Greece and Turkey. Denise came to MD to visit Gerry for a long weekend in mid-July where the highlight was taking Elizabeth Cobb ’15, daughter of Cheryl Lux Cobb ’76, out to dinner at Jaleo and to hear Joshua Bell and the National Youth Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. Elizabeth was interning at Sen. Jon Tester’s office for the summer. Denise also visited Myrtle Beach, SC, in July to see an old boyfriend and meet his wife. Also, in the last 2 yrs., Denise bought 2 paintings from Kathy Orr Knuth, who has pursued a 2nd career as an artist since her retirement from Kraft. And Denise still maintains her Facebook page, Sweet Briar College: The Whiteman Years, open to anyone who attended or worked at SBC from 1971 through 1983. Ellen Harrison Saunders writes that she and Whitney have 2 weddings in the family. Harrison (30) will be married in 6/14 and Mary-Carson (27) will be married in 10/13. Harrison lives in Philadelphia and works for Ellen’s family’s business. MaryCarson recently graduated from William & Mary’s law school (in the same class with Sara Ruhle’s son!). Daughter Grace (21) is a senior at Sewanee (U of the South). Betsy Brooks Jones will be the emcee for Mary-Carson’s wedding and Kathy Rose Rawls continues to be a best friend right here in Suffolk, VA. Ellen says her life took a different path 3 yrs. ago when she began working with her father (86 and still working full time) and son in the longterm healthcare business that her parents founded 40 yrs. ago in PA. If anyone has

advice about succession planning in family businesses and/or healthcare for senior citizens, she says “Give me a call! It has been a challenging 3 yrs.!” It is with great sadness that we shared classmate Sandra Vonetes’ passing on 6/28/13 in a special email to the class the following Monday. Understandably, Maria Vonetes is devastated at the loss of her twin. Tragically, Sandra died unexpectedly the day after their 60th birthday. Our hearts go out to Maria and her family and we offer our deepest condolences.

1976

Cissy Humphrey cissy1234@yahoo.com

Kari Anderson Shipley is in Delray Beach, FL, and writes that 2nd son, Walker, is in law school in Jacksonville. Youngest son, Matt, returned from the Peace Corp after 2 1/2 yrs. in Dec. 2012, but went to teach in Brazil and is back before heading off to Monterey, CA, for grad school. Oldest son, John, is senior manager for an AnheuserBusch distributor and lives in Delray. Husband, John, is still practicing law and very excited to have 1 of his sons follow in his footsteps. Kari is still raising money for 4 different charities, chairing several events and involved in mission work for her church. Due to worn out knees from yrs. of tennis, she now swims and paints. Kari and John manage to get away to their home in Lake Toxaway, NC, but there is always a lot of work to do as the forest is trying to constantly take over. She is relandscaping the Delray Beach backyard due to the loss of 2 gigantic 80-yr.-old ficus trees and praying for no hurricanes! Always plenty of people staying at the Shipley Hotel, Restaurant, Zoo and Parking Lot, so come visit! Beth Bates Locke is still in Dallas and says her daughter Becky (21) had emergency mechanical aortic valve replacement surgery to correct 2 undiagnosed congenital heart problems on 8/3 and is currently recovering. Beth is still in agent services at Briggs Freeman/Sotheby’s and her husband, Claude, is an executive producer for Janimation, which shoots commercials and corporate films. Carrington Brown Wise, is living in Memphis, TN, and has lots of news! First, she is a grandmother! Daughter Anne Churchman Wise ’06 and her husband, Greg (VMI ’05), had a daughter, Carrington Garner Staat, in March. Daughter Elizabeth began her college career at SBC, had to leave for health and financial reasons and is returned this fall for her senior yr. and to graduate in May 2014! Daughter Margaret is film photography major at the U. of Memphis. Son Henry is in the graduate writing program at Ole Miss and a published poet. His wife, Jessica, teaches math at Oxford High. Carrington and husband Alex spent a week in Switzerland for an international conference on racial reconciliation around the world. Alex is at the Church Health Center, a nonprofit that offers affordable healthcare education & facilities to the working uninsured. Carrington has a catering business (Carrington’s Catering is on Facebook. Please “like” me!) and she is the children’s choir director at her church. She is also getting ready to audition for the Memphis Women’s Chorale and is very nervous!

sbc.edu | Sweet Briar Magazine

emembering Nancy Baldwin ’57

Nancy Godwin Baldwin ’57 died Aug. 5, 2013, at the age of 78 following a lengthy illness. With her passing, Sweet Briar has lost one of its most ardent advocates, who devoted much of her life to advancing the College’s mission as an alumna, longtime administrator and dear friend.

directed and stage-managed productions. She was elected to the May Court, served as toast mistress for the Junior Banquet and was tapped as a Q.V. by her classmates. She also was a member of the Curriculum Committee, Judicial Board vice chairman and her sophomore class president.

Born Feb. 20, 1935, in Oklahoma to Francis King Godwin and Cannie Sells Godwin, Baldwin liked to say of Sweet Briar, “Shortly after I was born, I turned right and came here.”

In 1958, Baldwin returned to Sweet Briar, where her public speaking skills helped her steadily advance from an admissions office “traveler” to director by 1966. She served as director of admissions until 1980, but was lured from retirement six years later to edit the alumnae magazine, a position she held until 2007. During that time, she also assisted in the development office.

And she practically did, although her family moved around before landing in Richmond, where she graduated from St. Catherine’s School. Once she arrived at Sweet Briar, save for a year pursuing a master’s degree in speech and drama at Bowling Green State University, the College was her calling. A natural thespian, Baldwin earned her B.A. in drama at Sweet Briar and accumulated numerous credits including authoring “Lord Jeffrey’s County,” a pageant produced for the town of Amherst’s bicentennial observance in 1957. She directed the Freshman and Senior Shows and was a member of Paint ’n’ Patches, where she took eight leading roles and

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Chief of staff Louise Swiecki Zingaro ’80 was director of the Alumnae Association during Baldwin’s tenure as magazine editor. “It wasn’t just a job to Nancy,” says Zingaro, whom Baldwin also recruited as a student. “She had an abiding love for Sweet Briar that was reflected in everything she did.” Baldwin’s niece, Sophia Crysler Hart ’81, says that while a student, her aunt “observed many impressive female leaders

and educators up close — including the indomitable [then-president] Anne Pannell” and saw Sweet Briar as an “ideal place for young women to develop a strong sense of self and to realize their full potential.” Hart and her sister, Cannie Crysler Shafer ’78, often visited from Philadelphia. The Baldwin home in Monroe was a base camp for summer adventures, exploring the campus dairy and boathouse as well as nearby attractions such as Natural Bridge. “She was our fun, young, wonderful professional aunt,” Hart says, adding that both she and her husband, Thomas Lee Baldwin, were “funny, vibrant intellectual people with a great zest for living.” Hart’s sister agrees. “No two little girls could have had a more devoted aunt than we did, and when Nancy married Tom Baldwin, we had a fan club cheerleader in Uncle Tom,” Shafer says. “We were their children along with many of their dogs and cats. Sophie and I could tell you stories of innumerable Aunt Nancy humorous adventures, be it combing the alleys of Williamsburg and eating hot fudge sundaes for breakfast, hiking in the Blue Ridge or collecting shells on North Carolina beaches.” Those visits were filled with books, learning new card games and singing the lyrics to musicals, she says, also recalling a bit of teasing at school thanks to her aunt’s influence. “I announced that Groundhog Day should be declared a national holiday because my Aunt Nancy believed it was such an important celebration.” Baldwin never pushed Sweet Briar on her nieces. She didn’t have to. “From the time I can remember, I knew there was college. It was called Sweet Briar and I owned all sorts of things with the emblem and the rose on them,” Shafer says. She did eventually understand there were other colleges and universities, and in due time her aunt took her to visit them. “She actually drove us to look at other schools, but I knew I wanted Sweet Briar and so did my sister.” Nannette Crowdus ’57 says Baldwin’s personality and love for the institution drew students in. For many alumnae, she notes, other than the campus, Baldwin was their first impression of the College. “They were her girls. She mentored and counseled them,” she says, suggesting it explains why there is such devotion for her and, by extension, for Sweet Briar. She had a knack for looking at you as if you were the most important person on earth, says Crowdus, who came to know Baldwin better when the two worked together as alumnae. “You had her entire attention,” Crowdus says, describing her friend as elegant and ladylike. “She was just a very self-effacing person. Never tooted her own horn, always wanted to make everyone else feel good and that she was interested in you and what you had to say.”

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Alumnae board president Sandra Taylor ’74 is one of the students Baldwin mentored, but it was Mr. and Mrs. Taylor whom Baldwin had to convince that Sweet Briar was OK for their daughter. She simply promised to look out for Sandra. Taylor eventually learned of this pact, when she could better appreciate her parents’ fears about being one of the only black students on campus. Baldwin later hired Taylor as an admissions counselor, where she underwent what she calls the “Nancy Baldwin School of Public Speaking.” A banking executive, Taylor has since done a lot of public speaking and thanks her teacher every time she receives a positive response.

An avid gardener and cook, Baldwin also loved to travel. She assisted with the alumnae office’s travel program and went on a number of trips abroad. In 2007, the College honored Baldwin with the

“It’s still hard for me to imagine my life and Sweet Briar without Nancy,” Taylor says. “She embodies every positive SBC value and will always be my mentor.”

Outstanding Alumna Award for her service and in honor of her retirement that year, the Alumnae Association established the Nancy Godwin Baldwin Reunion Attendance Award for the class with the highest number of alumnae attending Reunion in a given year. She was also proud to be a member of the College’s Silver Rose Society.

Baldwin’s junior- and senior-year suitemate Anna “Chips” Chao Pai was surprised her good friend never pursued professional acting. But she was always proud of her service to the College and knew Baldwin’s “caring and kind and funny” personality was Sweet Briar’s gain. She recounts a time in the early 1970s as the two were in the car headed to Sweet Briar for Opening Convocation, where Pai, a university professor, was to speak.

“Like her father, Nancy led a life of dedication and service to others that, in nature and spirit, was both oldfashioned and forward looking,” Shafer says. “I consider my sister and I to be most fortunate that in addition to our grandfather and our mother, Nancy’s older sister, we had such a strong role model who also loved us. It left an indelible imprint on us at a young age and helped to form the adults we grew to be.”

“She and I looked at each other and marveled that here she was, a dean, and here I was to be giving a collegewide speech. It was a moment I shall forever remember and recall with joy.”

In addition to her parents and husband, Baldwin was preceded in death by her sister, Rosemary Godwin Crysler. She is survived by Shafer and her husband, Win, and their two children, Francie and Blake; and Hart and her husband, Richard Hadley.

Nancy and Tom Baldwin met in 1960, cast opposite one another in a community play in Lynchburg. He was a young nuclear engineer and became the love of her life — who fully supported her commitment to Sweet Briar, Hart says. The couple sponsored the classes of 1968 and 1973 and entertained students in their home. They lived a fulfilled life together until Tom’s death in 1996 following a brief illness. They had recently returned from Indonesia.

Nancy Baldwin with nieces Cannie Shafer (far right) and Sophia Hart and husband Richard Hadley, when Shafer was inducted into Sweet Briar’s Athletics Hall of Fame at Homecoming 2006.

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A memorial service was held Saturday, Oct. 26, on campus during Homecoming and Families Weekend. Memorial gifts in her honor may be sent to Sweet Briar Office of Development, P.O. Box 1057, Sweet Briar, VA 24595. Donations will be designated to a scholarship fund to be established in Baldwin’s name.

Memoriam

If you wish to write to a member of the family of someone recently deceased, please contact the alumnae office, (800) 381-6131, for the name and address.

1934 Frances Darden Musick Sept. 4, 2013 Marjorie Smith Zengel June 25, 2001

1935 Jacqueline Chappelle Everett June 8, 2013 Lavalette Dillon Wintzer Aug. 13, 2013

1938 Frances Cargill Stone Jan. 15, 2005

1939 Janet D. Thorpe Aug. 12, 2013

1940 Arline Simmen MacArthur Oct. 13, 2013

1941 Barbara Briggs Niederhofer May 30, 2013

1942

1946

1956

1970

Marilyn Hannah Crocker June 4, 2013

Ann Libby Jordan Dec. 29, 2007

Catherine Headley Wiebold May 14, 2008

Adele Bethel Hampton Aug. 4, 2013

Barbara Collis Rodes June 7, 2013

1971

Ann Atkinson Keever Aug. 27, 2013

1957

Mary Barnes July 20, 2013

1947

Nancy Godwin Baldwin Aug. 5, 2013

1973

Blair Burwell May Oct. 2, 2013

1958

Jane Jordan Crawford Aug. 6, 2013

Maria Gregory Tabb June 29, 2013

Nancy Milan Alexander Feb. 16, 2013

1974

1948

Sally Kendall Bundy Oct. 18, 2013

Anya Starosolska July 2, 2013

Phyllis Thorpe Miller May 4, 2013

Judith Graham Lewis Sept. 5, 2013

1975

Virginia Wurzbach Vardy May 16, 2013

Mary Louise Lineberger Roberts Aug. 22, 2013

1949

1960

Virginia Anderson Simons Aug. 17, 2013

Patricia Russell Howard July 21, 2013

Ann Eustis Weimer Aug. 5, 2013

1961

1950

Suzanne Carr Fitzgerald June 18, 2013

Jane Munnerlyn Carter Aug. 20, 2013

Betty Yeager Powell July 10, 2013

1951

1962

Grace Crisler Buchignani May 11, 2013

Adeline Kamke Cook Aug. 19, 2013

Joan St. John Curtner Aug. 5, 2013

1963

Joanne Williams Fraser Aug. 29, 2013

Jean Young Behan Sept. 23, 2013

Mary Jane French Halliday Aug. 6, 2013

1967

1952 Cornelia Dumas Herff Aug. 19, 2013 Leila Booth Morris Aug. 26, 2013

Dorothea Hutchings Donley June 24, 2013

Norma Jansen Phalen May 19, 2013

Margaret “Peggy” Gearing Wickham July 23, 2013

1954

1944 Margaret “Peggy” Gordon Seiler July 6, 2013

Sandra Vonetes June 28, 2013

1982 Cynthia Lowe Bender June 11, 2013

1984 Valerie Kernohan Sharpstone Aug. 11, 2011

1986 Sharon Beard Testa Sept. 11, 2013

1997 Susanne Nifong Baker May 15, 2013

2000 Elinor Fairchild Stebbins May 14, 2013

Elizabeth “Randy” Brown June 16, 2013

1968 Charlotte Hummel July 10, 2006

Barbara Tompkins Ames Feb. 17, 2013 Cynthia Sinclair Rutherford Aug. 10, 2013

Grace Woodard Wysor Oct. 16, 2013

1945 Edith Page Gill Breakell June 19, 2013

sbc.edu | Sweet Briar Magazine

From New Orleans, Becky Burt says she sold her parents’ house in May 2012 and is living in the front of the little house where she went to kindergarten(!) for short time until she can figure out which way to jump. Becky has been teaching at the New Orleans School of Art and Craft (nolaartandcraft.com) for the past several yrs. and life would be much easier without the hour drive each way. Becky did take time off this summer to have rotator cuff surgery, but is much improved and is getting ready to go back on the show circuit. She will be doing Indian pow wows in TX (Sept. in Grand Prairie, Oct. in San Antonio, Nov. in Austin), plus the Covington (LA) 3 Rivers Art Festival in Nov. Also has a gallery opening on Dec. 14 in Covington and she was recently named as 1 of the 30 People to Watch by New Orleans Magazine. In Feb. 2014, Becky will be riding down St. Charles Ave. as a member of the Krewe of Muses, tossing glitter shoes to the adoring and maybe drunk crowds. Becky isn’t letting life slow her down!!! Sherry Buttrick Rebak and husband Forbes have just finished building a house on a farm near Charlottesville that they have owned for 20 yrs. The home is based on an 1840s plan of Andrew Jackson Downing. Candi Casey Beatty writes from Chicago that after 17 yrs. in international institutional sales at William Blair, she has joined a team at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management as a financial advisor and equity specialist. At Christmas, Candi will become a grandmother since Richard Jr. and his wife are expecting a baby! Everyone is thrilled! Teesie Costello Howell and husband Chris celebrated their 36th anniversary in June 2013. Son Jackson (26) is living in NYC and daughter Suzannah (22) is living in Greenville, SC. They are now officially empty nesters! Kay Ellisor Hopkins, is in her 25th yr. working for Neiman Marcus Direct in the training area. Daughter Beth and her husband, Jim, welcomed Kay’s 1st grandchild, Harper Katherine, in July. Kay is burning the highway between Dallas and Houston to see her grandchild! Mary Beth Hamlin Shannon and Jim Shannon were married on 6/30/12 in Keswick, VA. Mary Beth met Jim in 1973 when he was at UVa law school and they have been friends ever since! They are living in Richmond (and keeping the house in Winnetka, IL). Mary Beth went to Meg Sheilds Duke’s mother’s funeral earlier this yr. She also had dinner with Gray Thomas Payne ’75 and her husband, Tom, in Richmond. She looks terrific and has the same funny fabulous personality she did in college. Mary Beth visited Peggy Weimer Parrish at her new B & B in Danville, VA. Peggy is still in the renovation stage, not sure when it will open, but it’s a spectacular grand dame of a house on Main St. MB sees a lot of Cathy Slatinshek Prillaman and Bill (aka “Bo”). Bo is the architect on the renovation of the home Mary Beth and Jim bought in Windsor Farms. Slats is doing very well after breast cancer surgery, great fun and a lot of laughs every time they get together. Margot Mahoney Budin and Mary Beth decided to renew a pastime they participated in yrs. ago just after graduation when they were both living in D.C. They have re-subscribed to season tickets to Arena Stage in D.C. and have been going for the past 2

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yrs. Great fun to get together several times a yr. (at least) for dinner and a play. Mary Beth talks frequently to Margaret Milnor Mallory, who is quite the world traveler. Mary Beth also stays in touch with Cora Snyder ’75 who moved from Charlottesville back to her family home in Whiting, ME. Mary Beth, Jim and her children went to China for 2 wks. last summer and had an amazing time. Culturally, quite an eye opener, but the pollution was really bad! MB spent a quick week in London this summer as son Hollis (20, sophomore at Denison) was studying at the London School of Economics. Daughter Caroline, almost 25, is working and living in Evanston, IL. Looking forward to turning 60 and celebrating with some of our classmates! Let’s hope this next decade finds us all in great health and frequent visitors back to The Patch! Ainslie Jones Uhl and husband Robert have lived in San Diego for the past 5 yrs. (his career took them west) but plan to return to NC. The 3 oldest have graduated from college and are working in their respective fields of interest. Daughter Colbern is a culinary publicist in NYC, and other daughter Everett graduated in May and works in PR in Boston. Son Hart is program director for a think tank in D.C. focused on Syrian democracy, and youngest son Henry will attend the U. of Puget Sound in the fall. Ainslie recently accepted a position as a literacy specialist for an educational consultant and continues to work as a freelance writer/editor. Emptynesting will be strange, but she still has her faithful curly-coated retriever, Scout, to baby. Ainslie happily gathered her extended family in June at their beach house in NC. Nothin’ could be finer. Lynn Kahler Rogerson says she continues to thank Miss Laing for her riveting “baby art history” class!! This yr. it led to her organization opening exhibition tours of the decorative arts of “DECO JAPAN: Shaping Art and Culture, 1920—1945” and “Toulouse-Lautrec and La Vie Moderne: Paris 1880-1910,” with exhibitions of American folk art and Henry Moore to come soon. Lynn loves working on her 1820 house in Alexandria, VA and participating in tours with her grandfather’s 1953 Packard automobile. Lynn’s daughter will be beginning high school in the fall and is already thinking about attending SBC! Cheryl Lux Cobb’s daughter, Elizabeth Cobb ’15, recently received the 2013-14 Alumna Daughter Scholar Award at SBC. Mare Moran Goerler is planning to retire in 2014 to North Myrtle Beach, SC. In the meantime, coping with the stress of being marketing director for a fast-growing law firm in NY, she is taking more trips! Recently, Mare traveled to Charleston, SC, and Captiva Island, FL. Debbie Mutch Olander says she has become an avid bird watcher while living in Jacksonville, FL, and manages to take art classes, too. Tennessee Nielsen has joined the Dallas office of CS Group LLC as director of career services, providing executive search services to mid-level management through C-suite clients seeking new career opportunities. Connie Radford Butler and husband Robert live in Louisville, KY, and their daughter, Austin, graduated from Colorado, has a master’s in early childhood intervention and teaches. She is

married, living in Louisville and has a son, Charlie (3). Charlie spends several afternoons with Connie. Son Robert graduated from Wake Forest and attended U. of Louisville Medical School. He and his wife are living in Providence, RI, where he is in his 2nd yr. of residency in emergency medicine. Connie has just begun her 24th yr. of teaching preschool—it keeps her feeling young! The engagement of Meg Shields Duke’s daughter, Margo (SBC-JYF ’05 and D.C. resident), was cause for celebration in Washington this spring. On hand to toast the future bride at the engagement party, bridal shower, and/or Georgetown group dinner were the following SBC pals: Mary Beth Hamlin Shannon, Caroline Bickel McLoughlin (Margo’s godmother), Gray Thomas Payne ‘75, Chris Strous Conner ’63—whom Meg lived with during 2 winter terms, Cathy Slatinshek Prillaman, Ookie Hays Cooper, Margot Mahoney Budin, Sally Mott Freeman and their various spouses. MB, Gray and Chris (along with Jimmy, Tom, and David) will represent the Briar Patch at the Denver wedding in Sept. 2013. Thank you, fellow Sweeties, for making this time so special! Cathy Slatinshek Prillaman remarried 5 yrs. ago, retired from government service, went back to work for a U.S. congressman as his outreach director, then finally retired when she received a cancer diagnosis. Slats is feeling great now considering she has been through a double mastectomy, many cycles of chemo and rounds of radiation ending in Dec. 2012. Slats has been playing tennis and golf, riding and visiting/caring for her parents (dad 95, mom 85) in D.C. Slats also sees Sally Mott Freeman, Margo Mahoney Budin, Caroline Bickel McLaughlin, Ookie Hayes Cooper, Meg Shields Duke, Lisa Nelson Robertson, Mary Beth Hamlin Shannon, Ann Kiley Crenshaw, Liz Jenks Cardin, Terese DeGrandi Busch, Paula Brumm Hennessy ’77, Maggie Shriver ’77 and Angela Scully ’77. Gina Spangler Polley and husband David took a tour of China in July 2013 and David had his hip replaced on Aug. 21. Gina has been nurse and physical therapist. She has a new horse and enjoys showing under saddle for the 1st time in 6 yrs. Marshá Taylor Horton has been appointed interim dean of the College of Education, Health and Public Policy at DE State U. in Dover. She took on her new duties on 8/19/13. Ann Works Balderston writes from WY that her mom passed away in 2012 after several yrs. of suffering from Alzheimer’s. Ann and her husband, Biv, are now actively involved with Biv’s parents’ care—definitely the sandwich generation! Ann spends spring/ summer in WY with daughter Sarah ’09, who is working as a nurse at the hospital, and daughter Maggie ’11, who is working as a wrangler at the R Lazy S Ranch. Son John, who will be a senior at St. Lawrence U., came for visit with Biv in June before heading back to Rochester, NY, for work. Ann will stay in WY until Sept., when Biv arrives for a break! If any of you find yourselves in Jackson, WY, Ann is there from May through Sept., give her a call. She would love sharing cocktails on the porch! And I, Cissy Humphrey, the “pesky” class secretary, finally got hired as a permanent employee at the oil and gas company where I have been working as contractor after 1 ½ yrs. Gotta love those benefits!! And for class notes, you will be hearing

from me again about the time you will read these notes! Thanks to all who wrote/ emailed me. I appreciate it and your fellow classmates enjoy reading that all of us are still here!

1977

Sally Bonham Mohle

5039 Lewisetta Dr Glen Allen, VA 23060 SallyBonhamSBC77@aol.com Becky Mayer Gutierrez: I just spent a week in Old Orchard Beach, ME, with my 2 oldest sons and families. My 4 grandchildren make it amazing, watching them chase seagulls or being excited about finding seashells. It eases the pain of school starting in less than 10 days. I am teaching a 4/5 class again this yr. Summers get shorter and shorter. A friend who graduated in ’83 and I visited SBC in April. We were shocked it had its own exit. We completely enjoyed touring the campus early in the morning. I am truly blessed in life and enjoy its wonders and new experiences. Debbie Koss McCarthy: Our family news is that Courtney and John and our 2 wonderful grandbabies are moving from Atlanta to Charlotte (woohoo...back in NC!) and Alex has taken a new job in D.C. and is starting an MBA at Georgetown U. The Augustine Literacy Project keeps growing and keeps me way too busy. If any classmates are interested in starting a replication chapter, I’d love to talk with them about it. Linda Uihlein: I’m still hard at work on Em Paks and Owl’s Nest Games creating more USA outdoor preparedness board and card games. Still involved in fire/rescue work. Still looking for a single male, over 2 ft 4 in., head on top of his shoulders, eyes facing forward, who loves animals, adventure and laughing. If he comes with a ranch—more points. Reconnected with Nan Stuart ’75 at a Foxcroft School reunion. Lots of common connections. She still has an incredible sense of humor. Learned about animal rescue in her Code 3 Assoc. VA classes and found out about our similar lives of working with animals and rescue work. Nan has done more for animals than I ever would. I had lunch with Beverley Crispin Heffernan ’75 via Nan Stuart ’75 when I was in Salt Lake City in Jan. Saw more of Bev and her family in early Aug. Rode Bev’s horses, too. What FUN to reconnect with her and her laugher! Anyone traveling to Charlottesville may feel free to stay at my farm. Missy Flanigan Clark: I’m happy to report that with our 3rd child graduating from college this May we have had 3 up and 3 down! Woo hoo, no more new tuitions for us! Gregg Smythe: I am a 2x-granny; my husband finally retired—no regrets leaving D.C. in our dust; we have renovated our house and love porch and dock time; we’ve had a string of summer visitors. Very happy in Charleston. Vera Blake Thiers: Greetings from sunny Germany—we are having a couple of wks. of great summer weather. Not much to report—everyone is currently healthy and gainfully employed. I look forward to a trip to Elba, Italy (in an RV!), and my fall trip to hunt in Ireland. Let me know if any of you are coming this way—always have room in my dungeon for any SBCers. Kathy Roantree Renken: This has been a big yr. for us. We are grandparents to a

beautiful boy, Benjamin! Unfortunately, they live in GA. Road trips are in our future! I have gone back to school to get my master’s in curriculum and design, with a specialty in instruction design and technology. I am enjoying relearning the technology—it has greatly changed since I stopped working at Control Data 20 yrs. ago. Beth Wade: Ellie is 16 and going into junior yr., so we are inundated with SATs and college decisions. Noelly is in 7th grade and plays on 2 basketball teams and on a football team this fall. John’s D.C. management consulting firm is doing well and I am still at IBM in federal sales to Homeland Security. My “relief” comes from running, cycling and Pilates! Laura Burrell Garden: I met the love of my dreams online 3 yrs. ago and this summer we have bought a ranch in Conifer, CO, named Gratitude Springs. My daughter Sarah is a senior in high school looking at colleges. Son Lloyd is doing an internship in Thun, Switzerland, with the International Ski Federation. I am still painting on glass and selling at art shows. Carla Kinney Reiniger: Daughter Heather (25) is a seasonal zookeeper at the Indianapolis Zoo. She tends to the giraffe and rhinos. She was an intern in the Marine Mammal exhibit from Aug. 2012Jan. 2013. She is living her dream! My youngest (18) attends St. Petersburg Coll. here at home. Her dream is to become a nurse/educator for children with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes, which she has lived with for half her life. My husband Dan continues to work for AT&T on VOIP future technology services. I tend to everyone, including my mother-in-law who has lived in an independent living facility close to us for over 3 yrs. I’m learning to make simple quilts and have begun crocheting again. Gay Owens Gates: Bob and I celebrated our 30th anniversary cruising to Turks and Caicos, San Juan and St. Thomas in Sept. Lily is beginning her sophomore yr. at Westfield St. studying special education and is an RA this yr. Lauren is busy in Philadelphia directing some shows, assistant-producing some shows and nannying to pay the bills. Fran Scott: Fran is starting her 15th yr. with her company Scott.Gardner Group Inc. in Nashville. Son Zach (a.k.a. CutThroatKid) continues to release new music online and work towards a career as music producer. Sally Bonham Mohle: Pete and I celebrated our 35th anniversary this yr. Also went on 2 short trips—to NC to visit a work friend who took us to see the Biltmore mansion (wow!) and to my 40th high school reunion in Northern VA in June.

1978

Suzanne Stryker Ullrich suzullrich@aol.com

Michelle Tarride Frazier Michelle6135@me.com

Reunion was the SBC highlight this past spring, and so many of you were missed, but great to hear from those of you who have been ‘off the grid’ for a while! You’ve been missed! Hope to hear from more of you in the future! Becky Mulvihill McKenna spent last summer driving coast to coast to attend her daughters’ graduations (and subsequent moves!) with a nice side trip to Bangor,

ME, to stay with Cecie Garcia Tunon Lear. Katie (29) is in her 1st yr. of medical residency (family medicine) in Portland, OR; Maggie (27) completed her master’s in sustainable community development, working in urban farming in the Twin Cities. Erin (25) just received a master’s in clinical social work (Boston) but has moved back to St. Louis to start the job hunt. “No engagements yet. I’m afraid they might all happen at nearly the same time! Yikes!” Becky continues with her private practice in marriage and family therapy, as well as being a professor. Husband Ken has been at a St. Louis high school as a college guidance/personal counselor for 25 yrs. and still loves it, but has a 2nd ‘career’ as a traditional Irish musician. Julia Sutherland took a leap of faith, jumping from Public Strategies after 11 yrs. to her own public relations consulting business. With a half dozen clients she if off to a strong start! Her home office, the space formerly known as “Phil’s study,” is a plus, along with her “2 loyal and only occasionally loud Scottish Terriers!” Julia also reports that the “real house” they moved into 3 yrs. ago was expected to have all renovations complete by the end of Sept. Be sure to clean out those air ducts! Lenore Cox is still in Richmond, but was glad to have come back to SBC for reunions to catch up with everyone. She says it was great fun catching up with roomie Katherine Powell Heller, as well the other Class of ’78 friends at Reunion! Ieke Osinga Scully wrote in from Simsbury, CT, about a mini-reunion with Jane Hemenway, Dana Dotten and Dana’s daughter Ariel. It made it a little easier after having missed Reunion this yr. Ieke had to have ankle surgery so was unable to attend. Son Kirk is a senior and freestyle skier at Simsbury High School. William is a senior at Trinity Coll. in Hartford, where he is co-captain of the crew team, which led to a family vacation in London to watch William participate in the Royal Henley Regatta! Another highlight was oldest son Brendan’s graduation from Middlebury Coll. in VT. Brendan now works in Chicago as an actuarial consultant for Milliman. Ieke and Mark continue with their little farm—“ducks, chickens, dogs, mini-horse and pony…all made a bit tricky this yr. because of the ankle operation.” She also continues singing with the Women’s Praise Choir at church and volunteers with the Simsbury Historical Society, adding “Time flies too quickly. You are 50 (something) before you know it.” Jane Hemenway wrote in also about the mini-reunion. Jane has been involved with a wonderful project, helping the SBC history department. After reading Daisy’s entries in a diary, Jane realized that much of the NYC Daisy described was preserved and standing. “Daisy was a remarkable, sophisticated young woman—who bounced back and forth to NYC and Sweet Briar. When she was in NY she was a foodie; a fashionista; a culture vulture—and the NY of Daisy and her mom/best friend is here!” Stay tuned! Jane is also busy with college hunting for daughter Elizabeth (17), a senior at Spence School. Son John is a sophomore at Grace Church School and part of pioneering a new high school in NYC near Cooper Union in Greenwich. Another Jane, Jane Armstrong, and husband Mark are still in Atlanta, where Jane is in her 14th yr. of teaching at her alma mater Westminster Schools. Son David

recently finished his master’s in accounting and works for an investment bank while daughter Kate will graduate next spring from W&L with a double-major in biochemistry and music. Robin Jones Eddy can’t seem to stay away from a party! She hosted a small group at her place the Thursday before Reunion and apparently “had a heckuva time keeping up with my roommate once again… Jackson…at Dru’s (Springer daughter’s) wedding…it was a blast and lots of Sweet Briar gals of all ages!” She also enjoyed catching up with Helen Bauer Bruckman. After those festivities Robin is ready to go back to Mobile, AL! Cannie Crysler Shafer commented on what a fun Reunion we had but also reported the loss of her “wonderful Aunt Nancy” (Nancy Baldwin) in the beginning of Aug. “As my sister Sophie and I read all the dozens of notes and letters we are receiving, it is confirming something we knew already…how influential she was to generations of SBC students and staff!” They were both looking forward to the memorial service on Homecoming Weekend as “a celebration of a special person who was in a special place!” After a long absence, Nancy Robinson Lindberg wrote in, 3 sons and 32 yrs. of marriage later! Andy (28) recently married and is a teacher; Tim just returned from 2 yrs. in the Peace Corps and is looking to become a physician’s assistant; Alex (22) is finishing up college before “taking over the world!” Nancy is in her 23rd yr. of a medical practice in Enfield, CT. “It has been a rollercoaster of a ride, but it is nice to be a dinosaur and have stayed in the same practice for so long.” She and husband Mike are passionate about hiking and have climbed the 48 4,000-footers in NH. They were excited about some other new plans for “self-inflicted torture” later in the summer. They were in Solda, Italy, last July and did some great climbs in the Alps. “Don’t let anyone imply age is a limitation; one of our hiking buddies is 83!” Barbara Behrens Peck wrote in from Greensboro, NC, “enjoying our 2nd yr. as empty nesters!” Sarah (23) works in NYC in advertising, Haley (19) is a sophomore at Chapel Hill and husband Jeff is still with International Textile Group, but finds time to keep a vegetable garden, making cooking together a joy! The 2 spend as much time as possible with the girls, traveling and catching up with family and friends. Barbara still consults with a nonprofit, dealing with art installations for the city of Greensboro, and is active in the art community as president of the Weatherspoon Art Museum Board and on the board of the artist collaborative Elsewhere, a “living museum.” Having recently been invited to rejoin Sweet Briar’s Friends of Art board, she was excited to reconnect with other SBC alumnae on the board. If anyone comes to Greensboro, she would love to take you on a tour of its art community! Hallie Cardwell reports from Austin that son D.W. attends Woodberry Forest as a freshman. “I’m delighted his selection for boarding school will bring me back to VA for many visits over the next 4 yrs.” Liz Williams was able to make it to Reunion. She and husband Chuck spent a lot of time last summer on their sailboat, “the weather was unusually cooperative this yr.” They are both coming to the conclusion that, when talking about owning a house, “20 yrs. is the magic number for

More class notes online sbc.edu/magazine everything to start falling apart,” hence the many home projects they have had to undertake! Liz still works as a management consultant while foxhunting in her spare time. News from Truro, MA: Anne Taylor Doolittle looked forward to returning to Nashville and her horses. She was busy with a family business, working with the shareholder’s council during a transition to a non-family management for the 1st time in 3 generations. Daughter Betsy has been a senior admissions director at McDaniel Coll. in Westminster, MD, but was hoping to find similar work in Northern VA to be closer to a steady boyfriend in Alexandria. One reason for wanting to head back to Nashville…6 grandchildren! Anne was sorry to miss Reunion but adds that she is on Facebook. Speaking of Westminster (Coll.), Cathy Mellow Goltermann wrote in that her twin daughters graduated, with Catherine teaching at Oak Hill Nursery School and Christen teaching Kindergarten at Better Learning Children’s Academy. Son Woody is a junior at Ole Miss and “livin’ large” in Alpha Tau Omega, which he pledged. Cathy still teaches preschool and is a “mother’s helper” in the afternoons. Chris still manufactures shoelaces. Both enjoy having the girls back in St. Louis! Paula Brown Kelley and Jack just got back from delivering daughter Genny to SBC, where she is a freshman and was tapped to be a Sweet Tone! It was a beautiful day and the campus looked gorgeous. It was an emotional experience being greeted in the Wailes Lounge to check in. Prior to the start of school, Paula hosted incoming freshmen (in the D.C. area) and their families. Several “young” alumnae (15 yrs. out) attended, as well as several current students. It was exciting to hear about the careers of recent graduates. Through social media, Paula discovered that Liz Maynard has a daughter at SBC who is a junior! It was fun to connect with Liz and to discover that both girls are in the same dorm. Son JP is a senior at Loyola U. in Baltimore, majoring in finance. He recently completed an internship with the parent company of Transamerica in Baltimore but hopes to work in NY after graduation. Paula continues to operate Kelley Commercial Real Estate Inc. in Fairfax. The market is always a challenge but she enjoys the variety of transactions. She is very involved in her local Rotary Club as its 3rd female president. The empty nest is strange but Paula and Jack had a busy fall planned. Classmates are always welcome to look them up if they are passing through the D.C. area! Holly McGlothlin went back to Reunion after 15 yrs. It was fun showing Mike around and catching up. “How the campus has changed! Elevators, phones, fans and real heaters in rooms! Spent the rest of the summer tending to my veggies so I could make pasta sauce, pickles and peach jam for the winter. Had a great time seeing Suzanne Stryker Ullrich and Rick for dinner in San Francisco on their way back East.” Muffy Hamilton Parson also had a blast at Reunion. They are excited that oldest James will graduate from college in

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Dec. Younger son Spencer is a senior at Roanoke Coll. and on the lacrosse team. It has been fun for Muffy to watch his games and see Robin Jones Eddy, Toni Christian Brown and Lynn Spillman. Katherine Powell Heller has been busy staying afloat with 3 separate waterrelated incidents, along with the insurance claims that went along with them, stating that it ‘dampened’ their fun for about 6 mos. The unusual rains in Atlanta last summer kept most everybody inside. She was very much looking forward to fall football season. Her youngest daughter is a senior at U. GA; the oldest is a kindergarten teacher at a charter school in the Boston area. Ann Yauger is busy doing special events for Christopher Guy…a luxury furniture design and manufacturing company based in Singapore. Her most recent projects (all in NYC) were planning the grand opening for CGNY, a national sales meeting and another event called What’s New What’s Next @ 200 Lex in Sept. Busy lady! One of the baseball caps for sale at The Book Shop in June was a spin on Dr. Seuss’s “Oh, The Places You’ll Go.” This particularly holds true for Carolyn Ennis. She works with UNHCR in Kinshasa, Congo, as senior regional officer. In 1/14, she will be assistant regional representative (protection), DRC. Daughters Sara and Mariam are both in college and fluent in German! “Thanks, Herr Horwege, for the German foundation our family has thanks to the SBC German department!” After moving from Iraq to the DRC, Carolyn has been able to visit Zanzibar, Cape Town, Nairobi and Pretoria, as well as D.C. last Sept. She still runs, but more slowly in the heat and humidity, and no marathons since Istanbul 2008. Talk about travel! Another traveler, Jean Beard Barden, has been on a road trip of a lifetime. Jean took off in her Mini Cooper from Stamford, CT, and ‘Go West, Young Lady’ she went! She wrote, “I am on an adventure to explore our great country: from Niagara Falls, Badlands, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons and Glacier National Park to Zion Park and the Blue Ridge Mountains…and parts of the country I have not visited, like Salt Lake City. I am driving in my little mini and camping with the skills I learned last yr. from my 50-day mountaineering expedition in India. Beside that I continue to be unemployed, but searching…sort of!” Wow! Cindy Whitley Auman is also ‘searching… sort of!’ after downsizing in late 2012. She continues to work on house renovations and raising lab puppy Riley. Husband Dave continues in his own firm, and the 3 of them enjoy spending time at the Outer Banks with friends. Katie Renaud Baldwin was also in the Outer Banks this past summer, at a family reunion in Duck, NC. Then there was camping in OR, weddings in CA before heading back to reality teaching 1st and 2nd grade. “Lots of changes, aligning standards, new curriculums, report cards, etc. My yr. will really be busy!” Daughter Amanda is an RN, busy looking for jobs, doing part-time nursing, as well as going back to school for her BSN. Daughter Emily is done with college, looking for jobs, but spending time fishing in AK to make money. Otherwise, all is well in OR! Missy Powell Adams reports her twin boys are doing well. She recently visited Philip, who lives and works in San Diego and Whitman, who lives and works in Denver. 64

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Far from Baltimore, but great spots to visit. Michelle Tarride Frazier, Audrey Townsend, Missy Powell Adams, Emily Dick McAllister, Lizabeth Lambert Bowden and daughter Zara, and Lisanne Purvis Davidson will head to the Bahamas in Nov. for the wedding of Helen Bauer Bruckman’s daughter Meg. The girls are planning on staying afterward for a few days to catch up and enjoy the beauty of the area. Michelle also reports that her family is doing well. Son John graduated from TX Christian U. and is back in Houston working and enjoying his friends. Daughter Margaret is a junior at TCU. She enjoyed attending Reunion with her former roomie Michelle. It was a wonderful weekend. Jamie Murray writes, “All is well with us in Portugal, economic and environmental news notwithstanding. Surfing lessons, riding, playing with our springer spaniel, visiting friends and family and traveling are the norm for us these days. Sweet Briar friends and children or grandchildren are welcome to visit; this is a great place to enjoy history and nature.“ Mary Gearhart writes, “I am up in the Adirondacks, managing a family camp where I have spent many wonderful summers. I live in Baltimore with my son the rest of the yr.” Rick and I were sent off to New Caledonia, in the middle of the Coral Sea, for a shortterm assignment. The French territory has certainly presented some changes and challenges, as well as many adventures! While it takes us far from family and friends, we adjust and enjoy! The snorkeling, kayaking and sailing help us forget, for a short time, those we miss so much. Alex (32) works in computer software engineering outside Philadelphia; Andrew (30) married this past summer (which we were able to come back for) and works for a German network domain company outside Philadelphia; Ned is learning the challenges and joys of dog ownership in Reading, PA, while working as a metallurgist for Carpenter Technology. We are not sure where the next assignment will be, but we will enjoy this window of opportunity while we can! The very long trips back and forth from Philadelphia to Noumea, including layovers, give us time to catch up with friends on both coasts. My time here on the other side of the world has given me time to catch up with many friends, but there are still many I’d like to reconnect with. Technology has changed the way this happens. (Sorry…snail mail from here is ‘iffy’ and expensive.) So, as a way to ‘reach out and touch,’ please be patient when you receive multiple emails or Facebook messages. Those I wasn’t able to reach this time, feel free to contact me…if you wish, with your preferred contact info. We’d love to hear from you. Besides, we’d like to get information about the Reunion pictures to you! Maybe that will help entice you to join the fun in 2018!

1979

Mary “Robbie” McBride Bingham Bingham123521@yahoo.com

1980

Fran McClung Ferguson franferguson@comcast.net

Phyllis Watt Wilson

phylliswjordan@hotmail.com All 5 living presidents and 1st ladies, plus Sally Gray Lovejoy and Kim Wood Fuller, attended the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas in April. A must-see, says Kim. Sally lives in Charleston, SC, where she retired in 2009 after 28 yrs. working for Congress and the Bush Administration. She has her own consulting firm and works for the Spoleto Arts Festival as patron services manager. Kim stays busy with work. She and Bryan enjoyed a visit with her sister in July for 10 days in ME (a perfect vacation), and spent 4 nights in Vail enjoying cool mountain air. Karen Black Meredith and husband Robin enjoy living in Santa Fe, NM. She was elected president elect of the Women’s Council of Realtors in Santa Fe in Jan. and attended the WCR Leadership Academy in Chicago to prepare for her yr. as chapter president in 2014. Ann Connolly Simpson has been traveling and having fun: St. John with her beau and a bunch of his friends; New Orleans to meet all his relatives and friends there; then to family events in New Canaan, Nashville and CO; and to Nantucket with some gal pals for a long weekend. Her daughter, Hannah, finished grad school and teaches 6th grade geography. Ann still works at The Dragon’s Nest, selling toys like mad and playing tennis for MA and NH teams. Gail Coyne Pierdiluca lives in Lincoln Park in Chicago. She works in the exhibit business, and travels often, developing new business for AD-EX International. Jeannine Davis Harris is living in Princeton (solo) and works as a manager at J. McLaughlin. She wants to start her own business. She sees Barbara Wesley Bagbey, Fannie Zollicoffer Mallonee, Ginny Faris Hoffman, and Lillian Sinks Sweeney frequently. Her daughter graduated from Furman and works in Atlanta. Her sons are both sophomores, Reid at Miami (OH) and Bradley at boarding school at Woodberry Forest. She doesn’t like the empty nester thing! Claire Dennison Griffith is still running Direct Hits Education, her SAT/ACT business. She markets 2 vocabulary books on social media: check out Twitter @directhitsfan and Facebook at Direct Hits. After 24 yrs., she and Luther are downsizing to a townhouse in midtown Atlanta. With 2 dogs and only a patch of grass, they are doing lots of dog walking! Catherine Flaherty and Jimmy celebrated their 25th anniversary on a quiet island and enjoyed a family trip on July 4 visiting Commodore Lisa Schneider Thornton. Her OLB trip to the Highlands in early summer, courtesy of Georgia Schley Ritchie, with some beautiful Southern Belles was the highlight of her yr. Killian is at Creighton (2nd yr.) in business. Callaghan participated in New England’s Elite Football camp and visited prospective colleges. Catherine’s youngest, Macartan, plays soccer, basketball, ping-pong, golf and billiards, plus math league. She says she and her Newfoundland (12) both need more exercise to stay in shape for all the many yrs. of fun and play they have ahead!

Missy Gentry Witherow has been promoted to director of alumnae relations and annual giving at Sweet Briar. Mary Jo Giambatista lives near Syracuse, NY. She had been a flight attendant on private jets that took her around the world with the rich and famous. After losing her mother, brother and sister, she now works as a bartender/manager at a very popular Italian joint and takes care of her dad (93). She says there’s no place like home. All 5 members of Pam Koehler Elmets’ family went to Paris and Amsterdam this summer and had a ball. Caroline is a senior this yr. and Pam is not looking forward to the empty nester thing. They get to San Francisco and LA often to visit their kids. Fran McClung Ferguson has been at the VA Museum of Transportation for 4.5 yrs.— longer than she’s worked anywhere else. Son Robert is an educator at Discovery Place in Charlotte. Daughter Carol ’12 is in her 2nd yr. at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond. Fran is the secretary/treasurer for the SBC Alumnae Board. Myth Monnich Bayoud retired from Neiman Marcus in April after 32 yrs.! Her son Charlie started HS this fall at Bishop Lynch. She took much needed vacations this summer to Nantucket and Destin, FL. Myth sees Susan Boline Thompson and keeps up with other friends on Facebook. Emily Quinn McDermott is down to just 1 teenage girl at home this fall as Elizabeth is in her freshman yr. at Denison. Martha Fruehauf and Laurie Newman Tuchel traveled to Provence for Jill Steenhuis Ruffato’s oil painting workshop, and had a wonderful time. On recent tours, Jill has seen SBC friends in Charlottesville, including Missy Gentry Witherow, and stayed with Anne Darden Self in Ft. Worth. She had very special visits in Lynchburg and Amherst with Mr. and Mme Van Treese and Peter Daniel. Alums in Richmond, VA, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, and Newnan, GA: be sure to look for Jill’s fall tour! Her youngest, Jimmy, left for college this fall. Garrow Hudson Crowley saw Jill Steenhuis Ruffato during her tour in Spartanburg, SC. Garrow is a travel agent and Chris is an artist, and their nest is empty, too. Elsa married Olivier Hepner from Nantes, France, in March. Mark is in graduate school at GA Tech in electrical engineering. Kathleen is in D.C. at Catholic U. getting a graduate degree in architecture. Diana Tarride Palmer has good news and bad. Her daughter Anna is a freshman at Sewanee. Unfortunately, Diana’s breast cancer came back in her spine this spring, and she was treated with radiation at MD Anderson this summer. She hopes that will be the end of that! Betsy Thomas Rook’s son Wiley (19) has flown the coop--to the College of Southern NV. He completed a bachelor’s in sound engineering and is looking for work in Vegas. Son Kirby (15) is a HS sophomore, playing soccer and basketball. Her husband Roger turned 70: he is a retired actor and president of the SW Herpetological Society in LA. Betsy has been working on her historical biography for 9 yrs. and hopes to finish it by our next reunion! Shannon Thompson Eadon and Gordie celebrated 30 yrs. of marriage with a trip to Istanbul and Greece, returning a week before Hurricane Sandy hit. She says living on the Jersey Shore for the last yr. has been humbling. While they sustained very

little damage, many friends and neighbors lost their homes and businesses. It has been a yr. of cleaning up, volunteerism and fundraising. Shannon was promoted to director of development at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ, a yr. ago. With 200 shows a yr., arts education, and a $15-20M capital campaign, she will be crazy for a few yrs. Gordie is an investment banker and still enjoys surfing. Their daughter Logan (23) graduated from MICA in Baltimore and works as a graphic designer for Mighty Engine, a creative marketing firm in Philadelphia. Son Tucker (21) is a senior at Endicott Coll., interning with the Boston Bruins through Jan. Empty nest. Happy kids. Carolyn Hallahan Salamon has moved and downsized to something more manageable. Son Thomas started high school and daughter Meaghan is in 7th grade.

1981

Claire McDonnell Purnell Four Thompson Street Annapolis, MD 21401 cpgd@verizon.net

Carrie Maynard Nichols lives in Charlotte, NC, where she has just begun her 6th yr. as a preschool teacher at Christ Church. Husband Tommy works for Wells Fargo; son Bucky (18) attends a school for disabled children. Son Austin (18) is a freshman at High Point U. Carrie’s niece, Katherine Hoyt, daughter of Liz Maynard Archibald ’78, is a junior at SBC. Sam Masters Durham and husband Buck have moved to Corpus Christi, TX—a huge improvement from the frozen tundra of MN! Buck is Chief of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery at the children’s hospital. Sam is coordinating all after-hours events at TX State Aquarium. “This past May we all went to ME to celebrate Ann Husted’s (26) wedding to our precious new son-in-law Luke. Arch (30) has moved to Houston, so it’s nice that we see him often and Rob (23) will finish up his aviation management degree next yr.. We are very blessed.” Karen (Battle) Smith lives in Denver and teaches in the School of Pharmacy at Regis U. “It seems as though I’ve moved from larger universities back to a smaller university. More similar to SBC! Who knew that would happen?” Karen traveled to France to watch the 100th Tour de France. “I was on Alpe d’Huez which is an iconic mountain climb with 21 switchback turns! I even was able to recall some of my French from SBC days!” Quinne Fokes is the creative director for Peak Hosting. She also paints, rides and works on EquestrianGiftsByQuinne. They have a Facebook page and are happy to post photos of classmates’ horses. There are photos from last yr. of Susan Campbell’s equine friends. Quinne is still living in San Anselmo, CA, and says “please let me know when any of you are in town, and we’ll do surfing, lunching and exploring.” Sigrid Carlen Veasey: I am back in Philadelphia with Doug and our 3 sons after a sabbatical in Southern France. The twins are gearing up for college applications. Campbell (18) is in Peru working in rural medical clinics. Carlen (18) is doing an internship at Urban Outfitters headquarters. Wylie (16) returned from a series of European squash tournaments. Crew

minus Campbell is headed to the Rockies for fly fishing expedition guided by younger sister Lisi Robison ’84. Liz Seacord’s son Sasha Feldman (24) received his B.F.A. from the Art Institute of Chicago. He is preparing for the 2nd 1-man show of his abstract ceramic sculptures (a previous show was at a small gallery in Los Angeles last Feb.). The show opened in Aug. and continued for another week at a space in Shelter Island, NY. Daughter Iris (16) has returned from her community service trip to the Andes in Peru and is a junior in high school. Husband Adam received one of Ernst and Young’s Regional Entrepreneur of the Year awards. The national awards will be in Palm Springs, CA, in Nov. “I knew he was talented and had excellent business acumen, but I didn’t realize to just what extent!” One of Adam’s offices is located near Geneva, Switzerland, so they combined his business travel with a trip to the South of France in the Pyrenees. Stephanie Stitt Fitzpatrick: “Life in suburban D.C. has been busy this yr. I am still managing art collections, corporate and private, while engineering husband Dirk has taken on a 2nd job as general contractor of our home renovation.” Some of her favorite jobs take her up to NYC museums, where she sometimes sees Liz Seacord. Daughter Alex (18) will be a freshman at U. MI this yr. Son Robbie (15) is a sophomore in high school. Hope Keating and G.W. Harrell married on 4/21 in Tallahassee, FL. “We had a wonderful honeymoon in Santorini, Greece. We spent several quiet and relaxing days until the Kardashians showed up at our small hotel to film their TV show!” DJ Stanhope is with the USO in Sharana, Afghanistan. “This is my 4th location since returning overseas with the USO in 2010—we are now prepping this base to be handed over to the Afghans in a month…I love my work! Being from a huge military family, the culture suits me. One of the perks is getting to travel to great places on leave—Greece, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Italy, Germany, both Irelands and England! I’m always looking for a travel buddy so if anyone is interested, let me know. I have a townhome in Williamsburg, VA, for those who live nearby.” Nancy Webb Corkery and David spent the summer in Marion, MA, where they golfed, sailed and enjoyed many cocktail cruises. She is slowly getting back on the tennis court. They headed to Scotland this Oct. for more golf. Son Kevin (25) is an associate alumni relations director at The Brooks School in Andover, MA. He also helps out with the football team. Kyle (23) works at State Street Bank. He is a pricer on their London and Brazilian desks. Husband David still works for CBRE, commercial real estate, in Boston. Nancy is a trustee on her family’s educational foundation. Sadly, they had to put down their Australian shepard, Ozzie, in 2011, and are thinking about getting another dog. Nancy saw Molly Rogers Cramer and Carla Cabot ’84 at a cocktail party they hosted for the installation of ‘Compatible,’ a painted steel sculpture by Mike Hansel. Nancy and David took a golfing trip to Baker’s Bay with Laura Evans ’79 and Virginia Donald Latham. Brendy Reiter Hantzes: “Steady as she goes would be the theme for me this summer. Everyone is out of the house and Molly is getting ready to move into the

Albero House in Norfolk.” Brendy and Nick vacationed in Yellowstone, spent some time in Jackson Hole and are planning a 30th anniv. trip this yr. “Eve Devine and I have hit the antique/junk stores a few times this summer looking for good stuff.” John and I are still in Annapolis, MD. Our daughter Mary (19) is a sophomore at U. DE studying English. Liz (16) is a junior, studying hard and managing the varsity football team. I had a nice lunch with Mary Kate Ferguson, who is busy running Beeswax Bookkeeping and working with her family-owned company, the Ferguson Corporation. She rides as often as she can and is knitting colorful handbags. For the 5th summer in a row, we visited Long Lake, NY, and saw Liz Seacord and daughter Iris. Liz has been so welcoming. I went home to Pittsburgh and saw my other SBC Liz friend, Liz Winson Sweeney. She is doing well and it was a wonderful visit.

1982

Jennifer Rae

sbcclass82@gmail.com Monika Kaiser: I’m doing great. Youngest Julius graduated top 5% of his class and will go on to U. of Miami for pre-med studies. He received a scholarship. Daughter Alexa is busy auditioning and getting callbacks. Musical theater is a hard business, but she has the passion for it. She also teaches dance and tutors students from elementary to high school. Alexa is still auditioning but working at Laffing Matterz (a dinner show) until March next yr. So she is home at least during performance days. It will be quiet at home with both kids out of the house. I hope to visit my mother in Germany this fall or next spring. We shall see. Otherwise, we are working on small renovations. I will continue working as a substitute teacher at my kids’ former high school to kill the boredom after I have uncluttered and cleaned the house and garden. I know the teachers from all my volunteer work and am still familiar with some students. Eventually I may do something else—who knows. Deborah Price Bowman: I joined Morgan Stanley as a financial advisor in 7/13. Daughter Kate will be a senior in high school this yr.; son Kessler will be in 7th. I managed to get to the French Open in May but I’m not sure it helped my game. I hope to get to Wimbledon one day soon. Priscilla Ream McPheeters: This yr., along with work, Priscilla has been planning daughter Heather’s wedding! Heather (Class of 2010) was married 5/18/13. Nancy Daugherty Davidson: So maybe I can get the “1st joint replacement” award? In May I parted company with a horse, broke my hip and ended up with a full hip replacement. I’m in the recovery process and hope to be back to riding before long! At the Upperville Horse Show in June I saw Lele Frenzel Casalini, Lisa Zuke Kline, Molly Finney Grenn and Mary Engle Earnhart—Lele was in town with her aunt whose horse was receiving a lifetime achievement award and Lisa was showing her VA-bred pony! I also saw Linda Barrow in June at the Warrenton Pony Show, where Linda’s daughter was champion! And in Aug. while in Lexington, KY, for the U.S. pony finals I met up with Lele again! Lots of fun! Anne Bortz: Anne was busy enjoying the summer and working on the continued

development of her website, Franklin Cards, a photographic e-card company. Sally Peek: Not much is new around here. But I’m extremely happy that my roof leak of 13 yrs. appears to be fixed! Mary LaVigne: Oldest daughter Eugenia will be a freshman at U. AR planning a pre-vet curriculum and study abroad in Botswana next summer with friends who operate horseback safaris. Henley will be a sophomore in high school; we plan on some horse trials together in the coming yr. She might consider Sweet Briar. Lots of love to everyone! Ginny Beverly Parker: Husband Walt, son Tom and Ginny just returned from a hiking trip. Now we are busy getting ready for school. I hope you and your family had a wonderful summer! Gay Loudon-King: She is currently “in between jobs” and has 2 children, Andrew (14) and Gracen (12). Andrew entered high school (9th grade) and Gracen is in 7th grade. They just left for the UK with their choir. They will be there for 2 wks. singing in 3 different cathedrals and doing some sightseeing on the side. Martha Tisdale Cordell: David and I are enjoying being empty nesters. We took a nice hiking trip to the Cotswolds in May and have been spending a lot of time at our condo on the Gulf Coast in Pass Christian, MS. I recently met Althea Hurt Randolph ’80 in NYC for our annual girls’ trip. We love going to the theater and shopping! I was promoted to associate dean last yr., but remain dean of students for the College of Law. I have the best job ever! Cathy Miller: I cannot believe how quickly 2013 is flying by. My family and I have had a very good yr. to date. In May, David and I traveled to Istanbul and then went on a river cruise in the Black Sea and up the Dnieper River in the Ukraine, ending in Kiev. It was a fantastic trip. Our 2 daughters are still in college and have discovered the study-abroad experience has really changed since we were in college. Madeline went to Tanzania for her J-term at Randolph-Macon to study early civilization and the origin of man for a biology class. Ali went to Peru for her E-term at Ferrum to study environmental science and Spanish. Both young women truly had enriching experiences and learned a lot! I continue to be challenged with many growth experiences at the behavioral hospital, where I am director of pharmacy and oversee the information systems department. We are implementing many new projects to improve patient care, staff satisfaction and to keep up with changing and challenging health care reform. I am blessed to have a job I love and to work with many great people. My family and I are still enjoying our new home and have been quite busy with vegetable gardening, canning fruit, growing oysters and living on the water. I still ride but this yr. I’m having a young woman from VA Tech showing my horse. It has been fun being a horse owner. I look forward to hearing from the rest of the class. We look forward to our annual trip to Blowing Rock, NC. Both girls are excited about going back to college. Rachel Harriet Giles Gronsky: Rachel still works as a litigation paralegal in the Seattle-Tacoma area. Husband Joel is still an aerospace engineer with Boeing and really hopes to retire soon—he certainly deserves to! Her children are now 23, 21 and 19. She says, “Hard to believe we’re that old!” Youngest daughter Jordan is a

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sophomore at WA St. U. and enjoys studying communications and marketing and staying busy with her sorority, Alpha Phi. Her 2 older boys, Jake and Connor, are attending a local community college and working on transferring to a 4-yr. school. She stays very active skiing with her family in the winter at Crystal Mountain, their local resort on the side of Mt. Rainier, and in the summer, boating. They have a 54-ft Bayliner that they enjoy taking up to the San Juan Islands and British Columbia. They have 2 dogs, a Beagle and an English Springer Spaniel, that also keep them busy. No horses now, but possibly when she is retired she can get back into it. No time now! She hopes to see everyone at Reunion someday. She doesn’t get back East much anymore—she is a transplanted West Coast gal! Torie Lee Adams: Torie was sorry to miss Reunion last yr. but son Will was graduating from high school the same weekend. He started his 2nd yr. at High Point U. in NC. Oldest son George is a senior at Elon so husband Henry has been traveling to NC for visits. It has been a few yrs. since she has seen any of her Sweet Briar friends but hopes to catch up more now that they are empty nesters. Heidi Willard: Heidi sends greetings from Asia, where she has moved to teach and take a sabbatical. Ever the world traveler, she continues to connect with others making life one adventure after another. And a BIG thank you to those of you who have volunteered to send her care packages from cookies to school supplies. This is very much appreciated! Charlotte Prassel Fitzgerald: With the viral infection of her heart finally behind her (2012 was filled with doctors’ appointments, procedures and bed rest), it was time to travel and have some welldeserved fun with family and friends. She and 2nd-oldest Tricia went to San Antonio and Austin to start the New Yr. Tricia is teaching 4th-graders this fall in the Montgomery County School District. Andy and she had a romantic getaway mid-Jan. at Captiva Island, FL. In Feb., she spent a day in NYC with a girlfriend to see the Broadway show “The Heiress.” She went to Raleigh, NC, to help oldest Cece switch her MD license plates to NC tags, which means she will probably settle permanently in that area. Cece works as a computer programmer for Credit Suisse. The whole family went to Hilton Head, SC, for a niece’s destination wedding in May. Charlotte had a girls’ getaway on the Gulf Coast of TX with her sister (a freshman at Mary Baldwin when we were seniors at Sweet Briar) and cousins in July. Lele Frenzel Casalini: After having had several tough losses the past few yrs., Eli, Liza, Sophie and I have had a great yr.! I purchased my own farm 30 mi. north of the family farm where I currently live. As of now it’s a stone in the rough…soon to be a diamond in the rough…and with a bit of hard work and TLC soon to be a sparkling jewel! Liza, with help from Sophie, opened a baby/children’s clothing store a yr. ago. The store is called MiniThreads, Clothing For Little Ones. Check out her Facebook page. Eli has been accepted to IN U. School of Medicine; Liza and husband Ethan expect their 1st child, a baby girl, in Oct.; Sophie has been accepted to nursing school and just bought her 1st house! I saw Molly, Dirt and Marie in early June at the Upperville Horse Show and just spent

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a few days at Pony Finals with Dirt and daughter Lydia. Love seeing my SBC classmates! I miss you all! Liz Hoskinson: Not too much has changed since the last class notes. I’m still riding a lot, with my study of dressage started by default, but now it’s permanent. I try to ride the jumpers and I’m nursing my elderly horse through his dotage. I spend afternoons helping young people (and adults) learn how to ride. This is a daily test of character. Still growing heirloom herbs. They’ve had a good summer with the ample rain and full sun. Reading a ton, in between watching all those fabulous series on TV, like “Downton Abbey” and “Breaking Bad.” Still involved with trying to make a local difference in important issues, primarily the environment. And it’s been a great way to meet great people. Michelle Martinez, the past class secretary, suggested including a few tips, and the simplest I could come up with is to run the kitchen tap at a lower rate when doing dishes, etc., than at full volume. Have a try! Jean von Schrader Bryan: As of 2013, they have been in Norfolk, VA, for 11 yrs.! Peter and Jean just celebrated 25 yrs. together and the kids will be 20, 21 and 22. “Time flies when you are insane!” She is working as an account manager for Principle Strategies, a human resources company offering hands-on and virtual support for anything HR-related. Peter and Jean took a fabulous trip to Prague, Czech Republic, in May. She suggests everyone put it on your bucket list if you have not been. “Maybe we can all go together when we are in our 70s.” Her wonderful parents are still alive and well. They celebrated her dad’s 90th birthday with all the von Schrader clan this summer. After all the hustle and bustle she and Peter ran off to Sanibel Island to regroup and refresh for a week in Sept. Jean really enjoyed Reunion in 5/12. She received a very nice certificate from SBC that thanked her for 25 yrs. of continual support. “If everyone just gave a little bit we would look like ROCK STARS! We need to get more classmates connected so we can have one heck of a 40th reunion in 2017.” Nancy Smith-Jackson: Nancy and husband Jerry are parents to 4 cats and she loves them dearly. She continues to tutor, volunteer on the Senior Board of Children’s Hospital and serve as a deacon at her church. She will teach an ESL class to adults this fall, a new endeavor and she is excited about it. “Love to all.” Claude Becker Wasserstein: Living in NY with my 3 teenagers. Challenging at times. Trying to get through the hormones and the homework. Love hearing news from everyone. Marie Earnhart: Our daughter Mary Whitney will graduate from Sweet Briar in 5/14. Chandler is in his 2nd yr. of college. Still teaching government and U.S. history in Fairfax. Hope all is well with you! Betsy Kyle Donahue: Betsy has been living outside Charlottesville, VA, for the past 15 yrs. with her husband and 3 kids, who are now grown and on their own. She teaches life and earth sciences at Buford Middle School in Charlottesville and spends her free time playing bass guitar. Just got back from her usual summer retreat—3 wks. in TN at Victor Wooten’s bass camp—and performed in Nashville with Victor Wooten, Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band) and Howard Levy (Bela Fleck and the Flecktones)—fun! If anyone ever gets

to Charlottesville, check out her band, Clusterfunk. Gracie Tredwell Schild moved back to Santa Fe, NM, after 17 yrs. in Germany, in 8/11. Her son Christoph is a sophomore at the same school Gracie attended, Santa Fe Prep. Gracie works in the advancement office of the Institute of American Indian Arts as the queen of all data. In her “spare time” she teaches ESL through the Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe. Brianna Brown: Hannah finished a master’s in elementary education at GWU and begins teaching at The Lamplighter School in Dallas this week. Sarah begins her senior yr. in the nursing program at TCU, and Matthew is a high school senior and hopes to run cross country and distance track in college. We hosted a student from Prague last yr. and enjoyed spending a week with him and his family in the Czech Republic this summer. Anne Goebel Bain: 2012 was a big yr. for travel. Anne spent 3.5 wks. in Peru with her husband, visiting various sites (Arequipa/Cusco/Lima/Machu Picchu) and then mountain biking and climbing in the Andes. She joined her parents in the summer for 2 wks. at their cottage on the ME coast—lots of blueberries, lobster and watching the boats sail by the cottage. In the fall, Anne was accepted at a special Ashtanga yoga program in Mysore, South India, and spent 6 wks. studying Ashtanga and Sanskrit. She went without her husband and lived with another student from Denmark in an Indian apartment (no shower—buckets!), getting up very early in the morning for class. “It was an incredible yr.” Mark and Anne celebrated 20 yrs. of marriage with a trip to Hong Kong this yr. It was a foodie trip, and they took an apartment in an up-and-coming neighborhood on Hong Kong Island. And now she’s back at work, riding her bike to the office and hopefully planning another trip somewhere this Christmas. Life has been an adventure—she’s glad she threw away the road map yrs. ago! Beth Engelsmann Flanigan: This has been a yr. of graduations; daughter Lacey graduated from W&L last May and is working and living in NYC. Son Drew graduated from Kellogg business school and has moved to Dallas with his wife. Beth and family are still living in St. Louis but have recently started spending much of the winter in Naples, FL. They are in the book, so please call them if you are ever down that way! Lee Watson Lombardy: Lee is still working as an assistant city attorney for the City of Orlando, FL, and her husband is still a director with Darden Restaurants in Orlando. While they’ve been working, daughter Georgia (16) has been growing up. She is a junior at Bishop Moore High School and they are just beginning the college search process with her, so it promises to be a challenging yr. for all. Beth Reed: Beth and husband Bryan just got back from a wonderful and unusual 2-wk. vacation in AZ. They rented a 30-ft. RV so that they could take 5 Cavalier King Charles spaniels with them, the youngest being under 3 mos. And yes, she did take her turn driving. She was surprised at how easy it was to maneuver. This was the 1st time for her to see the West in person and she is in awe of how beautiful our country is. On the way home they traveled part of the way on historic Route 66; it really was a kick!

Heather Pirnie Albert: I took a new job last yr. here in Dallas—still as district manager—and relocated just outside of Dallas. Graduated my youngest Samantha last May. She attended the U. of the South. She has a job in Memphis as a financial analyst. Married off my oldest Rebecca in Atlanta in Nov. She is a paralegal. Had the whole tribe out to our new digs in Dallas for Christmas. Michael and I celebrated our 30th anniversary in Feb. with a short trip to San Antonio, where we spent some time with Lollie Noble. We also love to cruise and went on cruise No. 15 in late June. Michael just took a permanent teaching position in Dallas (4th and 5th grade). Lisa Henderson Bice: She is married to Michael Thomas Bice (almost 27 yrs.); they have 2 children, Michael T. Bice Jr. (22) and Caroline Westbrook Bice (19), and live in Birmingham, AL. She is currently not employed outside the home, although she did work for yrs. in retail, special events, arts events and as the exec. secretary for the president of the AL Policy Institute. Once they had children, she stopped working full time and only worked part time here and there. She has volunteered for various organizations and at her children’s schools. Husband Mike is in medical management consulting. He is a die-hard Auburn U. fan, and he indoctrinated both of her children at a tender age and neither of them would even look at another college. Caroline is a sophomore at Auburn, majoring in communication disorders and desiring to become a speech therapist. Her son attended Auburn but decided to take some time off to “find himself” and explore non-college opportunities, while earning just enough to get by and travel some. Lisa was not ready for it— he’s having a good time, but mama is worried! Their 2 dogs and 2 cats are trying to fill her empty nest but shed too much to be perfect replacements. Lisa has loved reconnecting with SBC friends on Facebook. Now to just be better about traveling to get together with old friends in person! Lisa is trying to resurrect her dabbling in the arts and will let you know if she accomplishes anything newsworthy there. She is having fun with a little painting and mixed media work, as well as some craft making with her kids. Lisa thinks she may want to focus on arts in conjunction with missions work and has completed a few pieces along this line. Go, SBC Class of ’82! Ann Morton Young Habliston: This has been a bittersweet transition yr. for me. I lost my father in 10/12, my mother (Marion Mundy ’42) in Feb. and all 3 of my children graduated this spring. Caroline (W&L ’10) received her DPT from Marymount U. and is now studying for her boards and beginning the job search. Chazzo graduated from Davidson Coll. and relocated to Charlotte, NC, for a position with Davenport & Company. Youngest Bennet graduated from St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School and is off to W&L, where he will also play football. Charlie and I are thrilled to have another 4 yrs. in Lexington. I continue to work at St. Paul’s Nursery and Day School as the assistant head, enjoying the hugs and smiles of the sweet little ones. Jennifer “Jenny” Rae: I very much enjoy doing the class notes; it’s great reconnecting with everyone! Thanks to all for your extra special effort for this issue. I toast the amazing Class of 1982!

1983

Cary Cathcart Fagan Cary1983@bellsouth.net

1984

Debbie Jones elliesam@aol.com

Cindy Pike Gaylord lives in Chatham, NJ, with husband Jeff. She went to graduate school and earned an M.F.A. in creative nonfiction, then taught writing at Fairleigh Dickinson U. for 5 yrs. until this past May, then returned to Morgan Stanley, where she worked for a good while before Virginia was born, to help out on a communications project. Cindy enjoys being back in NYC but likes getting back on the train and coming home! Peg Twhoy Devan wrote that she would go back for Middleburg Classic 9/20. Check out the prize list—her daughter Carolyn and “Christoph” Crown Royal are on the cover! They are hoping to get into PA and D.C. horse shows this fall. She saw Anne Watkins Templeman a lot at the beach this summer. Carolyn is a senior this yr. and looking at colleges back East. Peg and husband Bob are going on 26 yrs. of marriage living in Basalt, CO, and love it. She still works for the Aspen Ski CO. during the winter, which is the best! “Hello to all. Come visit anytime. Erika Marshall is having fun as Cheryl Fortin Young’s son Tim gets tuned in to The Citadel with her son Foster, saying they text all the time with the what, why and how of a military school. Liz Rogers Boyd’s son Louie is also there! Bobby, the children (Wiley, 22; Foster, 21; Elise, 16) and Erika have opened the Marsh Tacky Market Café and Reel Marsh Charters and Excursions on Harbor Island, SC. It is a casual café in which they consider to be generally convenient and conveniently general. Find them both on Facebook and come visit if you are in the Fripp, Hunting, Harbor or St. Helena Island area. Erika’s sister-in-law Elise “Lisa” Marshall Chalmers ’73 recently passed away and several of her classmates were in attendance at their plantation. She enjoys seeing Elizabeth Harley Willett, Liz Rogers Boyd at The Citadel and Elizabeth Sher while fox hunting with Lowcountry Hunt. Abby Strohmeyer ’16 has been schooling one of Erika’s greenies—the riding program is still producing top riders with an amazing love for the sport and sport horse! Lee Hubbard aka Sister Mary Leanne, SND, writes that she has completed her Doctor of Ministry degree from Washington Theological Union in 8/13 with a project entitled, “Communal Discernment for Catholic Young Adults.” She is beginning her 7th yr. at St. John’s Seminary, the Roman Catholic archdiocesan seminary for Los Angeles, as the director of pastoral formation and field education. Lili Gillespie Billings has seen several friends over the yrs.—more recently Liz Sprague Brandt, Mimi Kitchel DeCamp ’83 and Elizabeth Perry Liles ’85 last Parents’ Weekend at Vanderbilt. They had a fun evening reconnecting. Lili stays in touch with Elizabeth Cahill Sharman and Heather Willson Freeman. They met in NYC to celebrate Heather’s 50th. Allison Bennett Pishko ’85, Ellen Clare Gillespie Dreyer ’83 and Suzanne Turner Brennan ’83 came, too. Lil has a daughter (out of college)

living in Boston and son (out of college) living in NYC, a daughter at Sewanee (several SBC connections there) and a son who is a senior in high school. She and her husband live in D.C. Sloan Yeadon Mills writes that eldest daughter Mary Pate is a senior at UNCChapel Hill majoring in art history with a biology and medical anthropology double-minor. She hopes to attend medical school. Daisy is a freshman at Baylor U. in Waco, TX. Son Jack is in 8th grade at Wesleyan. He is an avid cycler, biking 100 mi. in an adult event in July. They now have 2 children at college and 1 child left at home. The house is so quiet! Roxanne Marguerite Lie writes from OR where she has been for almost 15 yrs. Working lots of little jobs, including a small horse barn with Polish Arabians. She is still ‘owned’ by her Vizsla dog, Dartagnon, who is 10 yrs. old. She lost Salus, her other Vizsla, last yr., at 13 yrs. old but inherited a German wirehair pointer whose owner had passed away. Liz Rogers Boyd writes that son Louie is a sophomore at The Citadel and Tommy is a senior at Bethel U. (10 mi. from home)— a military school and a fundamental Christian school, so no one can accuse them of pushing their boys in 1 direction! Louie checks in every day but they never hear from Tommy. To have Louie’s knob yr. behind them is thrilling, as it was hard on his mama, too. Tommy plays both football and basketball this academic yr. after missing them both last yr. because of back surgery. Liz plans on going to the games but keeping her eyes closed. Watching him take hits is going to be painful! Tom and Liz love the empty nest. It is so nice being back to 2. No chaos or drama…peace! Chris Svoboda has a great time with Liz Boyer when she’s in D.C. and often sees Laura Ferrazzano in D.C., as well. She had a great time at the alumnae lacrosse game weekend with Karen Gonya, Katie Hearn, Kim Knox, Shannon Wood, Linda DeVogt ’86, Susan Finn and Missy Ackerman. Chris spends her time developing single-family homes in D.C. and as a member of the founding organizers of the VA Equality Bar Association and working with Lambda Legal & the ACLU of VA on Harris v. McDonnell. When in Richmond, Chris and Debbie Jones catch up, but lately it has been a game of phone tag! Ann Alleva Taylor and Carter still live in Vero Beach, FL. Their girls are thriving with lots of outdoor time. Juliet Jacobson Karstoff is in her 20th yr. at Endless River Adventures. It does not seem like 20 yrs. have passed since moving to NC and starting up a business! While planning anniversary events, she has also been making improvements at the RioQuijos EcoLodge in Ecuador, where a yoga platform is being added. It is on the beach, so riverside yoga sessions will be possible. Wendy Hyland Warren is recovering from a creepy case of shingles. However, life has been very good for her and her family. Husband Stephen is a social worker for the city of Roanoke. Her 3 children are practically grown and out of the house. Elizabeth (22) is a junior at Radford U., following in her father’s footsteps in the field of social work. Chris (21) is taking time out from college and working for Wells Fargo as a customer service representative. Elizabeth and Chris share a house with friends in Roanoke. Emily (almost 18) is a senior at

Hidden Valley High School and plans on attending college, but not sure where yet. She would like to study music, theater arts or both. This past yr., Wendy completed her associate’s in accounting at Va. Western C.C. This was a much needed degree for her job, as she is still finance director for the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. It’s amazing where a history degree from SBC can take you! Wendy and her husband love genealogy and have an account on Ancestry.com. She still has a passion for history and is amazed at the information available online about their ancestors. She and Stephen even share the same gggggggg-grandfather! She would like to give a special shoutout to Linda DeVogt ’86, Fran M. Ferguson ’80 and Leslie M. Berger ’83 as they are starting to connect more at local SBC reunions. Holla, holla, holla! Wendy looks forward to connecting with everyone at our 30th reunion and hopes to see us all there, especially Ann A. Taylor and Jocelyn B. Spelker! Staci Skufca keeps in touch with Juliet Jacobson, Kristin Bryan, Ann Alleva and Anne Sewell. Anne and Staci spent a wonderful week at Wild Dunes on Isle of Palm and Kiawah, SC. It was magnificent! Staci looks forward to meeting up with people next yr. Holly Pflug Allport and family just got home from their summer at the Allports’ farm in upstate NY. On their way home they took their 3 girls through SBC…more beautiful than she remembered. Son Peter and daughter Sarah will graduate from high school in the spring—2 almost out of the nest; only 2 more to go. Holly was on the campus of High Point U. this summer and met an adorable incoming freshman named Katherine Guthrie who is best friends with one of Cathy Toomey Gregory’s daughters—how cool and crazy is that! Pete is still growing Florida Capital Bank and Holly still teaches little ones how to swim. She hopes everyone is happy and healthy and looks forward to seeing everyone at Reunion. Ginger Reynolds Davis sees Debbie Jones from time to time and came up to Richmond recently to hang out. She even helped Debbie decide to buy a small horse property! As for me, Debbie Jones, I am happy to report that the Square One Organic Spirits business is growing with my sister at the helm in our 7th yr. and I enjoy doing my small part while doing my day job still in mortgage banking. Am most excited about moving to the country, as I bought a small horse property 30 min. outside of Richmond. I cannot wait to be with the horses every day and have a little more elbowroom, which means mini-reunions in Crozier, VA! Thanks to Ginger Reynolds Davis for helping me decide on “going for it.” Chris Svoboda and I try to catch up when she is in Richmond but as with all of you, Facebook has kept us in touch along the way. I look forward to Reunion and hope everyone can make it. Also, PLEASE send me any updated contact info for you or anyone else. The hardest part of being a secretary is keeping information current! Holla, holla! Special mention: Valerie Kernohan Sharpstone died 8/11/11. Her name is listed in this magazine and will be read at the Alumnae Memorial Service during Reunion next spring. We extend our sympathy to her family and friends.

More class notes online sbc.edu/magazine

1985

Ellen Reed Carver Ellenreed8@yahoo.com

1986

April Adelson

adm1127@yahoo.com April Adelson reports that all is well in her life. Still recruiting at Fannie Mae, been a VA resident 1 yr., and just legally changed her name back to ‘April Adelson.’ Oh, how she has missed that name! It reminds her of her SBC days, which is awesome! Daughter Lily is a senior at Savannah Coll. of Art and Design and son Hayden a U. MD-Baltimore County junior. April reports that she was just elected by McLean Bible Church to lead the ‘Focus’ singles community of over 300 single men/women. It’s going to be a VERY busy yr. for April! Mary Jo Biscardi Brown still lives outside of Philadelphia, works as a paralegal and does some legal marketing for the firm. She and husband Frank have decided to head to southwest FL upon retirement (in a few yrs.) and bought a house there over the winter. She continues volunteering with the Boxwood Circle Committee for the 2013-2014 school yr. and enjoys connecting with many SBC friends on Facebook. Anne Toxey writes from Paris, France, where she, husband Patrick and neighbors are doing a barn raising. They are building—from the ground up—their garage, which was crushed by a neighbor’s tree. (Anne’s architectural education is coming in handy.) Anne feels endless gratitude to the SBC JYF Program for introducing her to France, which has been a very important part of her life every since. Dana Avery Hulme and husband Tom celebrated their 27th anniversary this summer in Italy. Their girls are busy with school, cheer and dance. Courtney has made the competitive dance team at TX Christian U. Alexandra, a sophomore at The Harpeth Hall School, is involved in completion cheerleading. Dana has been involved with various volunteer projects and a fair amount of traveling. Carol Dickson Jahnke and husband Nic still live on their farm outside Middleburg, VA, and will celebrate their 21st anniversary in Nov. Carol continues to serve on 2 nonprofit boards and functions as professional driver to Nicholas (10), who has never met a sport he didn’t love. Daughter Madeleine (15) is a sophomore boarder at Madeira. Elizabeth Lindsey reports a different energy around, now that her mom’s no longer living down the block. She finally conceded to age and moved into a retirement community near her sister in MI. For the 1st time in 6 yrs., Elizabeth is no longer worrying about how she will get her mom up when she falls. Elizabeth is still doing freelance copy-editing, mostly for a religious publisher. She still has her bassets. Ken has been away, hiking as much of the Appalachian Trail as he can in a 2-month sabbatical. Shannon Kuehlwein reports that her careers in law enforcement and firefighting/

sbc.edu | Sweet Briar Magazine

EMT keep her busy and that she’s managed to find time for her latest obsession—golf! She plays as much as she can, which can be challenging in the short “non-snow” seasons in VT. Shannon’s big news is that she’s getting married next Oct., so the planning has begun! She and her fiancé will be married at an inn in VT, following a blessing of their rings at her former prep school in DE. They are busy trying to merge homes, dogs and lots of stuff! Shannon enjoys catching up with SBC friends on Facebook. Go, Vixens! Valerie Winborne is still the department chair of the Gifted Dance Education Program in VA Beach’s public school system. Valerie married in Oct. and has added a son (21) to her family. Her husband was a single dad. Valerie and her husband sent their son to Japan to visit her husband’s relatives—now he wants to study there. Her girls are 8 and 6. Oldest Ming performed with the theater company during the summer and now wants to do Broadway. Ryleigh has started voice lessons and has an amazing voice. Valerie has served as artist-in-residence at some local universities and does master classes wherever invited. She hopes all in the Class of ’86 have good news and are doing well! Eve Hill just received a promotion to deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Justice Department, where she supervises the department’s disability rights enforcement. This summer, Eve traveled to Ireland and Japan, as well as to Marrakesh to help negotiate an international treaty to make more books accessible to the blind. She was thrilled to walk 16 mi. overnight throughout D.C. on The Overnight Walk to Prevent Suicide. Husband Henry Claypool left his job at the Department of Health and Human Services to become exec. VP of the American Assoc. of People with Disabilities. Life in D.C. is busy and very good! Robyn Bailey-Orchard teaches 8th-grade English and is also drama director, newspaper advisor and forensics coach. She enjoys acting with her community theater, The Indiana Players. This is her last yr. as a soccer mom since her younger son is a senior. Susan Swagler Cowles is celebrating 12 yrs. working at U. AL and couldn’t ask for a better job! Daughter Elli is a junior at U. AL; son Jake is a senior in high school. Susan is hoping that this yr.’s travel for work will take her to cities where she can also reconnect with SBC friends! Meme Boulware Hobbs and husband David look forward to a yr. of traveling to see their 2 children play sports at their respective schools. Libby is a sophomore at TX Christian U. and a new member of the dance team. Whit is a senior in high school at Woodberry Forest and plays football, squash and lacrosse. Meme and David have never been on a trip to VA where their paths have not run into old college friends, and they hope to make the most of their time enjoying the Blue Ridge Mountains during his last yr. at WFS. Christine Jones is still in London (20 yrs. now) and still loves it, but misses the U.S. Kids (20, 18, 16) flying the nest. Chris is still working in publishing, as is her husband, who makes her look bad by also writing books. Chris’ favorite pastime is keeping up with SBC friends on Facebook and their gorgeous families and pets— they always make her smile! She had a 68

sbc.edu | Sweet Briar Magazine

fabulous evening in NYC this summer with Jackie Denu and her stunning daughter Sophia, a sophomore at Hamilton. Terry Cerrina Davis is happy being a stayat-home mom (although due to many volunteer commitments, not home much!) and is gearing up for a very busy school and dance yr. with her 6th-grader Lindsay Claire. Terry is enjoying communicating with the Class of ’86 on Facebook! It makes her realize and remember how special this group of women is and what a special place SBC holds. Terry loves keeping in touch with so many lovely, insightful, open-minded, intelligent ladies through all of the ups and downs of life, sharing thoughts, book reviews, recipes and simply reflecting on times gone by and celebrating the successes with everyone along the way. Paula Veale reports that Karen Gonya Nickles swung into NYC for a quick visit with her and Stephanie Pesakoff this past spring. They all laughed a lot and had a great time. Paula had a long overdue dinner recently with Jackie Denu. She feels so lucky to have had her as a roommate. Paula is still enjoying NYC and her work at the Ad Council. Sandra Wyllie had a great visit this summer with classmate Anne Merriman Duffy in Amherst, MA. They toured an old Shaker village, kayaked on the Deerfield River and visited the MA Museum of Contemporary Art. Husband Kevin is in his 3rd yr. teaching interior architecture at Marywood U. in Scranton, PA. It’s too far from D.C. to commute, so he stays in PA during the week and is home on weekends. Kids Cameron (16), Heather (14) and Jimmy (6) keep them busy! Harriet McNair Alexander enjoys her art consulting business and her oldest daughter is applying to college for fall 2014—she is the 1st of her 3 chances for a 4th generation of SBC graduates! Holly McGovern Barber says all is well in Tampa, FL. Chas is starting his 2nd yr. at Ole Miss U. where KA fraternity, beautiful girls and school keep him busy. Caroline is a senior completing her International Baccalaureate program and persevering through the college application process. Will started 2nd grade and is happy as ever. Holly and husband Ralph are gearing up for a new adventure. They will head to Columbus, OH, for Ralph’s new job once Caroline graduates, in summer 2014. Lots of changes, but excited and looking forward to this new chapter! Holly loves hearing from and keeping in touch with SBC friends! Catherine Stevens reports that she and family are well in southern VA. Henry (13) started at Galileo Magnet School in Danville. Even though it brings many changes, they are excited about the school yr. Henry also plays travel soccer, takes riding and voice lessons and is active in his Boy Scout Troop, so his parents will be very busy this fall. Catherine still rides and gives lessons whenever she can squeeze it in after her day job (institutional effectiveness specialist at the Southern VA Higher Education Center). She and Nelson celebrated their 24th anniversary in Sept. Tricia Lonick Vergel de Dios is living happily with husband Rey and 3 boys (Michael, Jonathon and David). They are busy with the boys’ baseball (go, Giants!), soccer, basketball and scouting. Tricia’s stepson J.R. is currently in the Air Force in NM. Tricia and Rey vacationed in Las

Vegas and enjoyed seeing the Grand Canyon via helicopter and boat. Holla, holla, everyone! Susan Mann Levy and husband Geoff still practice law together in Columbia, SC. They spend as much time as they can at their place near Brevard, NC, and love it up there! They just took their daughter for her 1st yr. at Wake Forest. She loves it! Although she and Geoff are thrilled for her, it’s a little sad for them.

1987

Pamela Miscall Cusick Pjcusick1@msn.com

Lee Carroll Roebuck Leeroebuck12@gmail.com

1988

Christine D. Ans 16812 Falconridge Rd. Lithia, FL 33547 ubahfla@yahoo.com

Susan Detweiler enjoyed Reunion a lot more than she anticipated; especially becoming friends with gals she didn’t hang out with back in college. She and Ned guided climbers again in the Tetons last summer and then headed back to Antarctica to teach survival skills and guide scientists again. On their way home they plan to follow up on last yr.’s sailing course in New Zealand by renting a boat and gaining more experience before returning home. Vida Henry Fonseca says that her daddy had a massive heart attack on 7/10 and they are slowly fighting their way back out of the healthcare system. “Long story short, I’m pretty much unemployed again except for my part-time gig with Christine Mohn Carmouche ’89. If anyone else needs her, the website is updated daily.” Cecilia Moore is sorry that she did not make it to our 25th but did have a minireunion with 2 dear friends in May: Beth Stookey Sargent, Caroline Corum and Cecilia had a great weekend celebrating our SBC yrs. at Beth’s house in Ashburn, VA. Beth and husband Doug have a very sweet and smart little girl, Macy. Perhaps Macy will choose SBC for college one day, too. Cecilia hopes so. She stays in touch with Rapti de Silva and Praka Punniamoorthy Sahi. Rapti returned home to Sri Lanka to teach about 4 yrs. ago. “I am very honored that Rapti entrusted me with the care of her Syracuse-born cat, Ibby. Praka is a dentist and she and her husband Guru have 2 great boys. I am entering yr. 17 teaching in the Department of Religious Studies at U. of Dayton.” Kathryn Deriso Schwartz reports that she and Alan thoroughly enjoyed seeing everybody at Reunion. Burgen is up in Tallahassee with older sister Kacki attending FL St. U. Webb started his EMT certification program at Miami Dade C.C. Medical Campus and continues to be a volunteer firefighter. Chandler just started her freshman yr. at Coral Reef Mega Magnet High School in the business strand. As everyone has just about emptied the nest, Kathryn is looking for employment! Katie Keogh Weidner reports that she is just doing her mom thing, enjoying summer and happy! Great to see you at Reunion, Katie!

Elizabeth Kistler: I had so much fun at our 25th reunion! We started the school yr. smoothly. Lauren is a senior at Spartanburg High School. We are visiting UNC, Georgetown U. and UVa in a few wks. I’m finding it hard to believe we are looking at colleges for next yr.! Sam is also at Spartanburg (9th grade). We are headed to the DMV today for his restricted license! I am working with a skincare company called Rodan and Fields. I am also volunteering as a guardian ad litem for neglected and abused children in Spartanburg County. I missed seeing a lot of friends at Reunion and hope they can all come next time! Christine D. Ans: It was certainly great to go back to SBC for our 25th. Those who could not attend were there in spirit, as we had their faces with us wherever we went…luncheon, dinner and dance, etc. A lot of us reconnected or connected with classmates we did not have the opportunity to connect with 25 yrs. ago…as some of us lived off the beaten path in the Language House! It was so great to see Andrea Fraley at Reunion and again later, as she came down for a visit to check out the Tampa Bay area! I still live in Tampa, FL. Son Aleks (23) is in his 1st yr. at IN U. Graduate School for Russian/Russian studies. My daughter (17) is a senior in high school and has assured me that one of the schools she will be applying to will be Sweet Briar! Holla, holla!

1989

Emmy S. Leung 7102 Wynnewood Ct. Richmond, VA 23235 Fan-han@prodigy.net

1990

Kelly Wood Erickson Skjs2@charter.net

Janeen Mongar: I went to SBC my freshman yr.. After college, I obtained my master’s in counseling. I work for the state of Colorado’s Department of Corrections as a mental health clinician; I am a member of the Hostage Negotiation Team and the Critical Incident Response Team. I am currently the interim mental health supervisor for one of the facilities. I recently signed on with CO Christian U. as an affiliate faculty member for the Coll. of Adult and Graduate Studies in psychology. I have 7 wonderful children and a wonderful husband.

1991

Lorraine Haire Greer lhgreer@gmail.com

1992

Charlotte Bonini cbonini@mac.com

Amy Peck Driscoll apdriscoll@verizon.net

1993

Lauri Dabbieri

Lauri.Dabbieri@comcast.net The class of 1993 celebrated its milestone 20th reunion in June. And what fun we had! As much fun as it was, we couldn’t help but feel like it could have been so much more fun had more of our class been on campus. Please consider coming to the 25th! You won’t regret it. During Reunion, I took up the mantle of class secretary for the next 5 yrs. I hope you enjoy reading about your classmates as much as I have enjoyed receiving their news. Amy Densford Giarmo is living in Old Town Alexandria with husband Matthew and son Cameron. She still enjoys her job as a photographer at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Susan Messikomer Horenkamp and her family have relocated to Dubai, United Arab Emirates for a 2-yr. ex-pat assignment with her husband Matt’s company. Trevor (6th grade), Lily (4th grade) and Ryan (1st grade) are excited to be attending an international school and will be taking Arabic lessons every day. She is hoping to continue teaching yoga once settled. Patty Sagasti Suppes is living in Roanoke, and teaching at Ferrum College. Husband Jeff works from his home office. Sebastian is 13 and in 8th grade, and Adrian is 10 and in 5th grade. Amy Larsen West, living in Washington with husband Kevin and son Winston (4), still loves working at the French language preschool cooperative that she started with friends. Amy Edwards: “I’m slowly adjusting to a relaxed life in the Pacific Northwest after 15 yrs. in Manhattan. The kids enter French immersion school in the fall (Brooke in kindergarten and Alex in preschool), which will give me a chance to dust off my rusty language skills. I am consulting part time while networking my way into a full-time position (fingers crossed). If there’s any free time left in the day, you can probably find me, hubby Brian, and the kids at the ice skating rink. All the best to the Class of ’93! If anyone finds their way to this neck of the woods, look me up—I’m always happy to offer some hospitality and a glass of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir to an SBC gal.” Mimi Wroten was a terrific hostess to the Class of 1993’s Friday night dinner at reunion. If you stop by campus, I suggest you drop in on her. She’d love to see you! Mimi writes: “It was great to see everyone at Reunion! I suggest we make a plan to all get together again before the next reunion. Connor is 3 1/2 going on 5. We had a busy summer but did find time to hit the beach and jump off the diving board at the pool.” Colleen Grace Daughtry: “Matthew is entering middle school, Catherine is in the 4th grade, and Emily is in the 1st grade. Between Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, tae kwon do and swimming, the kids keep us constantly busy! Chris is practicing law in Chesapeake, VA, with his friend from high school and is happy. I am busily preparing for my 21st yr. of teaching. I have enjoyed teaching 1st grade for the past 9 yrs.! I recently received an award from the superintendent for efficiency and effectiveness in the classroom!” Ellen Ober Pitera: “Charlie and Douglas are growing fast and keeping us busy.

Farm life is so good and our businesses are thriving. Check us out at www.rountonfarm.com and then stop by for a visit!” It was terrific to see Renee Rose Flowers at Reunion! We were literally awestruck to hear about all what she and husband Tyrone do to help the at-risk youth of Kansas City. Their non-profit organization, Higher M-Pact is doing amazing work and working miracles 1 kid at a time. Renee was accepted into the Centurions Leadership Program established by The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Members spend 2 yrs. focusing on building community awareness through civic opportunities and on community issues that affect greater Kansas City. Heather Safrit moved to West Palm Beach, FL, with her 3 Cavalier King Charles spaniels (aka the girls) this past spring as the COO/operating partner of SDS Salon Partners, the Sola Salon Studios franchisee for 5 counties in S. FL. Sophie (7), Stella (9) and Kate (1) are enjoying lizard hunting as a new hobby, and Heather is having fun exploring the area and meeting new people. Nalini Mani: “This yr. has been a whirlwind of work and travel and, well, more work. The yr. has seen me in India, Paris, Fort Worth, Bangkok, Basel, Barcelona, London, Rome, Chicago, Brussels and now NYC through Oct. I’m busier than ever with work and am somehow still finding time to take my passion for wines to a new level—sommelier classes at the Culinary Institute! And I’m half a step closer to partnering on a restaurant in Mauritius. Fun times, indeed. Whilst traveling for work I am trying to see fellow SBCers often—so far Chandra Garcia ’94, Vicki Matter ’90 and Nora Oney ’92, not to mention hoping to connect with Carey Bates ’91 in the Big Apple sometime this month. Counting down the days to vacation and Sri Lanka in Oct. and Rome in Nov.—some R & R is in order!” Jen Risey had an awesome summer. She missed Reunion because of the competitive tennis tournament schedule for her oldest. She and her husband took their 3 children (9, 11, 13) to Europe for 3 wks. this summer—to London (Wimbledon) and then yachting in the south of France. She got to visit with Kristen Swensen Sloop while at a tournament in Cary, NC, and she sees Kerry Pollock and Corinne Judeikis Hodges in ATL regularly. Kristen Swensen Sloop and husband David still live in Raleigh, NC. John is in 7th grade, Eliza is in 4th and Katherine is in 2nd. After 10 fun yrs. of running her own business and exhibiting at trade shows, she decided to close the business, slow down and enjoy life! She says it was a great decision and now spends her mornings teaching preschool at their church. Heather Greaves still lives in Gainesville, FL, and recently became certified as a nuclear medicine technologist. At Munroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala, FL, she performs nuclear medicine scans on all manner of patients. Pamela Subranni Berman is still married to John Berman. Daughter Jordyn is now 8 and son Blake is 6. Twin daughters Colby and Logan are now 18 and they are off to college this fall! Colby will attend Lehigh U. and Logan will attend Penn St. U. Pamela is on the board and serves on the development committee of Children’s Crisis Treatment Center in Philadelphia. She also

volunteers as fitness liaison for the Lower Merion School District. For the past 9 yrs., she has been on the Merion Park Civic Association. She is also on the committee for Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s Butterfly Ball black tie gala. Sisi Zirkle Carroll and family—William (7), Andrew (6) and Chappy (4) and husband Wil— are about to start their 3rd yr. in MT and are loving it more and more every yr. They skate, ski, mountain bike, hike, trail run and generally take advantage of all Big Sky has to offer. Katie Feiss ’06 and Sisi spent many weekends together this past yr. on ski slopes and in the mountains. Sisi also became involved in her family’s 380-yr.-old winery in Germany and is working on importing wines to the U.S. www. weingut-boecking.de. She spent the summer on the East Coast with her boys and had lots of fun seeing Jennifer Murphy Boelter, Lynn Russell ’69 and Kate Haw ’92. “Please look me up if any alumnae are in MT,” Sisi writes. Dana Varnado Campbell: “I’ve had a busy summer, but got to kick it off by going to Reunion, which was an amazing time! I’m still keeping my part-time work status, but was recently hired to be an administrative assistant for a local investment firm. It will be different than working for the running store (can’t wear jeans and sneakers!) but will be a great opportunity. The rest of my time seems to be spent shuttling the kids around! I’m still running, tackling half marathon #6 this fall.” Hilary Taylor LeBlanc: “I am married to a great guy, Jay LeBlanc. I have an adorable Westie and a genius cat. I just started a new job as a staff attorney for the Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Baton Rouge. I still ride weekly and love to sail.” Christina Hoy was also at Reunion. “I enjoyed catching up on everyone’s past 20 yrs. (surely it hasn’t been 20 yrs.!), and learning about the journeys and accomplishments among our small group of attendees. It was good to know ’93 can still dominate the dance floor. As for me, I continue to love teaching. I switched schools this summer, and will teach 5th grade at J.V. Washam Elementary in Cornelius, NC. I have been tapped to support teachers in balanced literacy based on my time at Columbia’s Teacher’s College. Summers are, of course, great for teachers, and my family and I headed to Isle of Palms, SC, this yr.” Sabryna McClung Roberson writes: “What a treat to see some of you at our 20th reunion in June! For those who made the trek, I hope you enjoyed your samples of Geasoning, our all-purpose spice blend. Hoping to have a logo and marketing material soon! We spent our 1stsummer at home since Greg and I were relocated to Sacramento 9 yrs. ago! (Somehow it was even busier than traversing the country with 2 small children and a pooch!) Today Brooks started 5th grade and Lilly started kindergarten! Soccer season for both of them is in full swing, so we will relax sometime in Nov.! Happy fall y’all!” Dianne Hayes Doss and husband Bill are busy keeping up with their kids and adjusting to ailing family members. Son Dan (13) is going into 8th grade, and is over 6’4” with his shoes off! He is quite the technology geek and wants to go into weapons design or software development. He plays basketball and enjoys kayaking and camping as often as he

can. Daughter Jenny (9) is going into 4th grade, and is coming up on 5’ tall. She is a social butterfly, very organized and excels beyond belief in school. She plays soccer and basketball, and is in the Girl Scouts (Dianne is her troop leader). They went to France and Spain at the beginning of this summer (missing Reunion—boo hoo) on a trip coordinated by a Spanish teacher from Dan’s middle school. Dan hopes to go on another trip next summer to France and Italy! Their parents are getting older, but the surprise was Bill’s older brother being diagnosed with cancer. This has put life in a whole new light, and has shifted priorities. So, don’t be surprised if she starts trying to find a way to visit us ladies more often! Laura Warren Underwood’s girls, Christine (12), Katherine (9) and Charlotte (6) are well in VA Beach. They moved from Norfolk in June. Sabryna came the week after the reunion and helped them pack! Laura works with children with autism in VA Beach. She also had a couple of great visits with Jamie Del Monte Galbreath ’92. Alex Alexander: “Reunion was fabulous. Harpreet Bedi came to stay with me for a few days in West Palm prior to our attending Reunion. My daughter, Lily (6), came with us and loved rooming in the dorm and the experience of a community bathroom. Her Auntie Preet spoils her and Lily is over the moon for Auntie Preet. We plan to visit Preet and family in Singapore again next summer. Lily has already been on several trips abroad with me and is a fantastic traveler. I still work for Lockheed Martin. 17 yrs.! My current role is a test lead for one of our autonomous underwater vehicles. I am fortunate to work for this company. I tend not to do the same thing for very long, I’m always learning and I am never bored! I moved from VA back to FL with the company 2 yrs. ago. I love being closer to family and my gal-pals from my graduate program—FL Atlantic U. Ocean Engineering. Son Justin (19) is a Marine. I am extremely proud of him. He is stationed in Norfolk, but my hope is he will attend college in FL after his training is complete. Lily is starting 1st grade this yr. She is fearless and headstrong! She is always happy and keeps me laughing. Life is good!” Courtenay Cranford Leiphart recently adopted a new dog named Jack and from time to time fosters puppies and dogs up for adoption. She enjoys being the membership and marketing director at Willow Oaks Country Club in Richmond, where they just launched a new website. Maura Hutchens McCarthy recently made the trip up to visit. Polly Crawford is living in and loving Atlanta just down the street from her sister and her family. Last yr., she left Williams-Sonoma after 10 yrs. and is now the district manager for Talbots in Atlanta and SC. In the past yr. she has had reunions with other SBC girls: Lisa La Londe Hamaker, Kristen Hooper, Ashley File Phoenix, Izzy Harder Botzis, Kerry O’Donnell, Michelle Constable, Lyssa Vaught ’95, Karen Hott ’91 and Sarah Reidy Ferguson ’96. Debra Elkins is working for the Department of Homeland Security in D.C., running the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Bio Study (which is funny as she despises bio creepy science stuff!). Norma Bulls Valentine is still doing real estate in Wellington, FL, and has horse farms in Aiken, SC, and Portsmouth, NH.

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13 1. Jaclyn Fowler ’07, Brittany Lambert ’07 and Kristina Bloxom ’07 in Aug. 2013 celebrating Brittany’s upcoming wedding

7. Michelle Badger ’06 and Sarah Ruff ’04 at Pan-Mass

2. Emma Quinn, Class of 2035 (daughter of Kimberly Gibson-McDonald ’05 — onesie made by one of Kimberly’s students)

9. 2009 graduates Maggie Nicholson, Abigail Adkins and Melissa Diehl sport their Vixen ears on the beach at Hilton Head Island, SC.

3. Susan Snodgrass Wynne ’72 and husband Dubby on safari in Tanzania

10. Vicky Thoma Barrette ’65 and Nancy MacMeekin ’65 at a giant tortoise sanctuary in the Galapagos Islands

8. Barb Prentiss ’73 and husband Al Davis

Rice ’08 and Emily Vermilya ’08; front row: Natalie Batman Barton ’08, Caroline Byrd Dozier ’08, Ginny Moncure ’08 and Virginia Edahl ’10 13. Marilyn Elizabeth McQueen, daughter of Anne Lojek McQueen ’08 and Jared McQueen 14. One of May May Bryan Gay’s (1972) daughters with all five grandchildren, minus the one on the way

11. Virginia Byrd and Luke William Dozier, children of 15. Penny Pamplin Reeves (L to R) at a post-Reunion Caroline Byrd Dozier ’08 and Blake Dozier (H-SC ’05) visit from Susan Scott Robinette and Betsy Parker McColl, all Class of 1963 1 2. Baby shower for Caroline Byrd Dozier ’08 (L to R, 5. Trish Neale Van Clief ’72 and husband DG with starting second-to-left, back row): Kate Skafidas the grandchildren at home in Virginia 16. Proposal to Chelsea Capizzi-Walsh ’08 by Daskalakis, Sarah Ross Stewart ’08, Sarah Christian Lomicka (VMI ’08) 6. Joanne Patton ’52 at Boston Sweet Briar Day McLemore ’08, Jessica Abramson ’08, Lindsay 4. Wedding of Megan C. Manubay ’08 and Philip S. Carson, M.D. (H-SC ’08)

25 29

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17. Natalie Batman Barton ’08 with husband James Barton (H-SC ’06) and daughter Eleanor McLean Barton 18. Vivian Finley Boyer ’72 and husband Clyde overlooking a river in Katmai 19. Wedding of Shanna Ryan ’08 and Mike Whalen

20. SBC alumnae at the wedding of Caroline Camp ’07 and William Gordon Harrison IV (H-SC ’07) on Oct. 22, 2011 (L to R): Anne Harvard Smith ’09, Susan Lea ’06, Julie Sellers ’06, Brittney Berry Sgroi ’08, Caroline Camp Harrison ’07, Maria Kitchin Moore ’04, Ginger Tripp McAdams ’05, Selby Phillips Smith ’84, Sally Old Kitchin ’76, Emily Langhorne Bell ’82 and Chic Grones ’79 21. Kathy Walsh Drake ’72 daughter’s wedding: Hadley, granddaughter Emmy, Virginia, Kathy, bride Courtney, bride-to-be Liz 22. Jameson MacArthur Simmons, son of Sarah Ross Stewart ’08 and Kyle Simmons 23. Gannon Hunt ’98, Hobby Holmes Cole ’98, Mary Friberg ’98 and Kate Bryan McCulley ’98 24. Law professor, author and speaker Georgene Vairo ’72 in Mexico after a 2-hour stand-up paddle

25. Two SBC alumnae in Las Vegas: Alice Johnson Fessenden ’44 (L to R) and Pamela Jones Brown ’66 with husband Joseph W. Brown (UVa ’65 and W&L Law) 26. Katie Tipton Wilson’s wedding (L to R): Virginia Edahl ’10, Melissa Ramos ’10, Renee Modzelewski ’06, Lieschen Cluiss ’08, Margaret Barnes Watts ’08, Katie Tipton Wilson ’08, Whitney Towler Carpenter ’08, Erin Coyne Lanier ’08, Eleanor O’Connor ’07 and Tess Drahman ’08 27. Amanda Prine Bryant ’08 and husband Eric Bryant with daughter Lillian Louise Bryant 28. Kelly Mosher ’12 and her fiancé Aaron Lipscomb after he proposed at the St. Augustine Lighthouse in Florida

29. Natalie Pye ’07, Jennifer Wolf ’07, former SBC chaplain Adam White, Rachel Reynolds Baxtresser ’07, Maggie Saylor Patrick ’07 and Laura Schaefer ’07 at the wedding of Rachel Reynolds and Dean Baxtresser in April 2013 30. Deirdre “DeDe” Conley ’72 and husband Gerard at the Ganagobie Monastery in France 31. Sweet Briar big and little sisters (L to R): Briana Deane ’08, Petra Weisbrich ’10, Lisa Weisbrich ’10 and Brittany Deane ’08

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Elizabeth (Izzy) Harder Botzis had a reunion in Chicago this yr. with Kerry O’Donnell, Michelle Constable, Lisa La Londe, Ashley Phoenix and Polly Crawford. Taking a break from selling pharmaceuticals, she has enjoyed having the summer off. She is playing lots and lots of tennis! She spent most of the summer at the beach (Edisto Island, SC) with son Reid, who turns 8 this fall. Husband Elliott loves that Reid is a mini-me of him: a hunter and fisherman. They still live in Greenville, SC. On 6/14/13, Lt. Col. Katherine Polevitzky assumed command of Support Battalion, Recruit Training Regiment, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC. Her parents, Gege and Serge Polevitzky, as well as Beth Gilkeson King and Tracy Camden Wilburn joined her. Beth writes: “I left my 3 1/2 yr.-old twins with my husband and Tracy left her 3 teenagers with her husband. We hit the open road and didn’t look back. It was just like the good old days; I was the driver and she was the perfect shotgun. Our visit with K.L. was short, but we all had great time.” Stacey McClain: “I am a proud mom of a 3rd-grader! Ever started her 5th yr. at the Bolles School. Where has the time gone? Seems like yesterday she was starting pre-K. Hubby Bob, Ever and I are looking forward to seeing Tracie Allen Webber and her family in Orlando in Oct. I am busy volunteering, planning Bob’s 50th birthday party and working part time on a Wallace Foundation research study.” I, Lauri Dabbieri, had a fabulous time catching up with K.L., Dana, Renee, Alex, Mimi, Ellen, Deb, Christina, Sabby, Catherine Jannik Downey, Harpreet Bedi and Heather Bowers Hockman at Reunion in June. I brought my newly moved-in boyfriend, Jerry, along to the party, where he quickly became our mascot for the weekend. A great time was had by all! Back home, I am still teaching Latin in Fairfax County, VA, but only part time. I spend the balance of my time studying for an M.A. in Latin language and literature from U. MD, traveling (I was in Italy for the month of July) and running. Continue to send your news to me either via email, or on Facebook. We all love to see what our old friends are doing. Don’t disappoint!

1994

Mary-Linda “Molly” Morris Flasche Molly.flasche@gmail.com

1995

Beverley Stone Dale bsdale@comcast.net

1996

Sarah Reidy Ferguson serferguson@gmail.com

Kelly Collins Lear

Kellycollins13@yahoo.com Mary Margaret Dixon Biss still lives in Skaneateles, NY (Finger Lakes area in Central NY), with husband Andy and daughter Anna (6). Anna completed her 3rd and hopefully final heart surgery in 10/12! She started kindergarten this yr. and is very excited about it. “I haven’t decided what I want to do when I grow up, so

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will substitute teach at Anna’s school for this next yr.” Jesse Durham Straus writes that July was filled with Sweet Briar! Husband Oron surprised her with a trip to the Bahamas and included surprise guest Jen Beck Locke! Later that month, Jesse took road trip with Catharine King Laufer and Rachel Baltus Price up to CT to meet up with Sarah Reidy Ferguson, Sarah Chaffee Paris, Jill Jen Trzupek Pala and April Collins Potterfield. Melissa Snyder Giggenbach writes that life continues to hum along in Morgantown, WV. They are now the parents of a middleschooler! Nikolaus started 6th grade this fall. Thomas is in 3rd grade. “We spent the summer at the baseball field since both boys play and both made post-season teams. Bader’s legal practice continues to grow, and I recently accepted a position as a lecturer at the WV U. College of Law working with students at the W.Va. Innocence Project. I’d love to see anyone who is passing through.” Sue Whitehead Froehlich writes that things are good. “I just got a promotion at work to talent placement specialist and celebrated 1 yr. with Manpower in Sept., extremely happy to finally be out of retail and spend more time with my family. Caden started kindergarten, Lilah is in preschool, and Mike and I celebrated our 14th anniversary on 9/5; another big milestone will be my 40th birthday in Oct., but I don’t want to talk about that one. Sarah Chaffee Paris writes, “It was great to get together with Sarah Reidy Ferguson, Catharine King Laufer, Rachel Baltus Price, Jesse Durham Strauss, Jill Jen Trzupek Pala and April Collins Potterfield in Lakeville, CT. I especially loved rooming with my old roomie Catharine.” Mary Copeland Stockton got married on 4/20/13 to Martin Stockton. Amelia Dudman Atwill has seen Claire Myers a few times and has loved reminiscing! Lee Foley Dolan writes that the Dolan family is doing well. “We had a crazy winter that started with a trip to Disney, only to return home to a flooded house due to a toilet that overflowed while we were away. All 3 floors had severe water damage and we had to move out for 5 mos. while our house was rebuilt and repaired. We’ve spent all summer moving back in and are so happy to be home. This spring, I enjoyed traveling to CA with Laura Susan Lechler for Mary Copeland Stockton’s wedding. We also saw Natalie Brown Adee and had a wonderful time being together. Our kids are doing great and are busy with school, sports and friends. Henry is 11, Mattie is 8 and Fred is 5.” Sarah Reidy Ferguson writes, “I’ve been living in Atlanta now for 16 yrs. and can’t believe it! I split my time between writing daily posts for my lifestyle blog, Duchess Fare, and continually I’m on the hunt for interesting one-of-a-kind décor to feature on my One Kings Lane Vintage & Market Finds page. So great getting to spend a 4-day weekend in July with Sarah Chaffee Paris, Catharine King Laufer, Rachel Baltus Price, Jesse Durham Strauss, Jill Jen Trzupek Pala and April Collins Potterfield in Lakeville, CT.

1997

Amy Leigh Campbell

Amycampbell1975@gmail.com

1998

Chantel Bartlett

pinkgreen1998@yahoo.com The Class of 1998 had a fabulous time celebrating our 15th reunion. An amazing turnout of 32 classmates traveled from all over the U.S. to return to our beloved “pink and green bubble.” Those of you who were not there were greatly missed! We hope you mark your calendars for our 20th reunion in 2018. Mary Friberg is living in LA and works PR for Hourglass Cosmetics. Mary shared exciting news that she recently got engaged—he proposed under a full moon on the waterfront in Charleston, SC. The couple will marry in Charleston at Mary’s mom’s home in May 2014. They are super excited! Mary also had a mini SBC reunion with Hobby Holmes Cole, Gannon Hunt and Kate Bryan McCulley in Charleston for a girls’ weekend and they had a blast. Per the picture, it looks like a grand time was had by all! Emily Busse Schwartz was sad to miss Reunion but she had a good excuse. The Schwartz family welcomed Cyrus Michael in late July. Big sister Phoebe loves having a baby brother and both sides of the family are thrilled to have the 1st boy of this generation. Emily hopes to see Ashley Grosvenor Tian, who recently moved to Pittsburgh for a yr., and Lindsey Hall ’99, who hopes to come down for the Pitt vs. Notre Dame game. One of the stars of Reunion had to be the daughter of Jory and Rush Harris Mitchell, Katie Anne! Katie Anne turned 2 at the beginning of Sept. The family celebrated her birthday early with a mountain bike trip to NC over Labor Day. Southern Living did a photo shoot of historic Mooresville, AL, and next summer the Mitchell family can be found in the group photo of the 53 town residents. How exciting! Cynthia Bumgardner Puckett reports that she has overcome postpartum depression, and is busy homeschooling the Puckett kids: Virginia (8), Abram (6), Eliza (3) and sweet little Joshua (1). The family might move to FL. Cynthia and Darrin are holding on and praising God for the awesome ride! They celebrated 13 yrs. of marriage at the very romantic Chuck E. Cheese and are eager to love on wherever God takes them. Virginia Blair Moss lives in Irvington, VA, with her high-school sweetheart, George. Virginia retired from George Mason U. in 6/12, where she served as the coordinator of operations, Loudoun Academic Site. She’s enjoying life by playing golf, sailing, visiting with family and volunteering at the North Neck Free Health Clinic. Virginia reports that her life is simple but she is extremely happy. We’re envious (or at least I am)! Jennifer Anderson moved back to her home state of MD and has taken over operation of the family heating and air conditioning business, ProTab Inc. It’s a lot of change all at once, but she enjoys being closer to her family and childhood friends. Laura Fitton Pieper’s miracle baby, Jacob, is doing remarkably well in spite of being born nearly 12 wks. early. She and husband Nathan can’t believe that Jacob

turned 1 in Aug. already! Laura is staying home to take care of Jacob instead of returning to her position as managing editor at The Perry Chief. Jacob is an energetic, happy little guy and his parents love him like crazy! Valerie Walston is going into her 3rd yr. as an emergency medical technician with the Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue team. On one of CA’s busiest SAR teams, she responds to medical emergencies and traumatic injuries, crime scene evidence searches, helicopter operations, swift-water rescue and fire evacuations. As the team’s public information officer (PIO), she works with the media to ensure timeliness and accurate storytelling. Valerie just began with the Montecito Fire Protection District as PIO. For anyone who is familiar with fire and law enforcement politics, it’s comical that she now represents the sheriff’s office and a fire department! She helps reunite families, initiates pre-hospital care of near-death patients, plays with adorable search puppies, and jumps out of helicopters. She says it’s just another day on the job! Andrea Sheetz McCarney’s dance school is a great success. Her students participated in an Irish show called Irish Mystique in the D.C. area. Several world champions competed with some of her students, and her husband played drums. Andrea’s children, 10 and 7, are nationally ranked Irish dancers. Andrea says having her own school keeps everyone very busy but it is a family affair. Our class president, Cady Thomas, loved seeing everyone at Reunion and wants to thank those who participated in the Annual Fund drive by giving time and money to the wonderful bubble that is Sweet Briar! She is also honored to report that she began a 2-yr. stint on the Alumnae Board as the regionals chair. She looks forward to working with SBC alums from around the country to promote and enjoy SBC! Courtney Hayes Toomey and husband Bill (HSC ’99), moved to Houston the day after Christmas last yr. He was given the opportunity to be a BB&T regional president, managing Houston, San Antonio and Austin operations. Courtney spent the 1st 6 mos. getting her medical license and helping Callie (5), Billy (3) and Hayes (1) get acclimated. The 2 older ones started at River Oaks Baptist School in Aug. Courtney now works as the physiatrist at HealthBridge Children’s Hospital. She loves her work and is doing clinical care, marketing and program development. The family is building a new house and hopes to be in it by Christmas. The entire Yeatman family, Lesya Shroades Yeatman, husband Ken, Connor (11), Rylan (9) and Cody (7), will travel to Colombia to bring back their 3 adopted children. They are Diana (7), Yuli (4) and John (2). WOW Lesya—we await news of the new arrivals and hope that you all will join us on campus in a few yrs. Maybe Diana and Yuli will be future Vixens! Candice Broughton Maillard and family are settling into their new home and are busy with renovations. Candice and Richard got away to Palm Springs in Aug., to celebrate 15 yrs. of marriage spanning 2 continents, both sides of the U.S. and much growth in between! Speaking of on the move, Sam Brodlieb Platner is moving her family to the ’burbs in Milburn, NJ, about 30 mins. from

Manhattan. Sam will continue doing PR and events consulting for fashion brands in the city, but Madeline needs a yard. Exciting, Sam, can’t wait to see pictures! Finally, Chantel Bartlett is busy as ever! She still works in D.C. for a small non-profit and works the front desk at a hair salon in Georgetown. Two jobs is not ideal, but necessary for now. She is looking forward to an upcoming business trip to CO Springs in Oct., followed by a local craft fair, where she will sell her jewelry, then a possible business trip to Vegas in Feb., where she will extend her trip to visit with Candice.

1999

Lindsey Neef Kelly lindseyckelly@verizon.net

Connie Paris Sabo: I’m currently working at Celgene, as well as keeping busy with my cake business, Stone House Cakes (www.stonehousecakes.com). My daughter Emily (7) is practicing for the junior lacrosse team (hoping to be a Vixen one day) and Isabelle (4) is in kindergarten. Becky Hamby and I met up in NC for Cassie Ross’s wedding this July!

2000

Marilen Jordas Crump 212 Rock Creek Court Yorktown, VA 23693 artinspiredme@gmail.com

Alison Cooper lives near Daytona Beach, FL, and is a self-employed personal trainer. Kibby Jane B. Fergusson, along with husband Donnie and kids Iain (8) and Anna (6), is still in HI loving her job as a wedding planner for Oahu Wedding. Kristen Lawlor Steege is in Palmyra, VA, and celebrated her and husband Brian’s 10th anniversary in Sept. Daughter Cordelia is in kindergarten and Tilly (1) is a little whirlwind! Lucy Brooks Thomas and husband Mike, who works for Wells Fargo, reside in Fort Mill, SC, with Norah (4) and Will (2) waiting for baby #3 to arrive in Jan. Sadly, Lucy’s grandmother passed away this summer. Amelia Anne Scott in SC looked forward to seeing Allison LuAnn Davis at her 10/5/13 wedding to Jon Atkinson in New Orleans, LA. He proposed in Peru on a mountaintop overlooking Machu Picchu! Allison is a program director for Jacobs/ CSRS, which manages a rebuilding project worth $1.2B. She is close to Germaine Gottsche, who opened up her own dental practice in Ocean Springs, MS, with husband Michael and daughter Addie (4). Sarah Sunshine Cunningham moved to Asheville, NC, in 2012; loves being back in the Blue Ridge Mountains and is horse riding again. Ardyce Gregor Lee is also in Asheville, where she runs her mother’s dance studio, Center Stage. She instructs and her students recently won 2 national championships in SC and New Orleans. Her new retail store at the studio is named “VIXEN.” She recently saw Susana Bobadilla ’01 and Amy Sherman ’01. Elizabeth Davis Baker loves her new job as full-time college English prof. and still lives in Smithfield, NC, with husband Brian. They are also celebrating 10 yrs. Kimberly Leach Burge welcomed baby girl Rebecca Lily 6/9/13 and made a tough

decision not to go back to her job with NC Wildlife Resources Commission, but instead stay on as project leader for her Easter Box Turtle Project, teach horseback riding lessons, keep up her Environmental Ed. Cert., all while breeding/selling Green Tree Pythons. She says life is busy yet wonderful! Our fellow Vixens overseas have gotten to see each other: Evangeline Easterly Taylor, Amy Hess Snawder, Kimberly Harden Fella and Susan Christine Bobb. Evangeline, Kim and Amy even did an SBC table at a college fair on base! Evangeline and husband Eric took a dream trip to Australia and New Zealand. She also traveled to Bangkok, Thailand, and Paris. The couple will leave Azerbaijan in 1/14. The other ladies are back in the U.S. Susan, husband Jamie and Ben (4) moved from Germany to the Chicago, IL, area. She has a new research position at Northwestern U. Amy is now in Columbia, MD, with Jared, who is working at Ft. Meade for the next 3 yrs. Kim and Chad are back from Germany, where Chad finished his 3-yr. tour with Spec. Ops. Command-Europe in Stuttgart. They are now stationed in Norfolk, VA, for 3 yrs. and Kim is seeking a school counseling job. She keeps her fingers crossed that something will come up soon. Lindsey Brooker Brooks is in Yorktown, VA, training for her 4th half-marathon in Richmond, VA, in Nov. She is active at her church Waters Edge and is living it up with husband Andy and their boys David (kindergarten) and James (2nd grade). Marilen Jordas Crump’s kids Sahara (9) and Mason (7) attend school in Lindsey’s neighborhood: “I’m on Facebook on the lookout when Lindsey is whipping up her delicious home cooking. My husband Ken and I own a couple of dance and wellness studios in Yorktown and Newport News called ArtInspired, and our baby Sophia is now 1. I get to see Sarah Kingsley ’99 for business and networking events.” Lindsey Michelle Custer is in Richmond doing HR management and rescued and rehabbed an OTTB horse. She is planning a fall trip to see Kristy Lynn Chatham and her 2 sons. In central VA, Sarah B. Ogden lives in Amherst with husband James and son James (16), who will be receive his Eagle Scout Rank this month. Son Will (12) is in 7th grade. Brandy Cash Watts teaches 4th grade in Nelson County and celebrated 9 yrs. with hubby Les. Daughter Audrey (5) just started kindergarten. Alissa Joanne Harris, who lives in L.A. doing art department work in commercial production, was just in Woodbridge, VA, visiting with Alison Freya Stockdale, whose family includes 2 adorable daughters. Alissa also saw Elizabeth Lynn RiceKinnaman, who is busy teaching and being an amazing mom and frequently chats with Marlena Koper, who is pursuing her Ph.D. at U. NH. Christine P. Bump was recognized in the Washington Post as a “Rising Star” in FDA law by SuperLawyers. She practices in the FDA group at Goodwin Procter LLP and serves on the editorial board of the Food and Drug Law Journal. Elias and Christine moved to a new home in Alexandria, VA, in Jan. Nicole Jeannette Lamm also lives in Alexandria and is active with her professional singing group 7Sopranos.

Elizabeth Hamshaw Mitchell lives in NH with Evan (4) and Simon (2). With her husband she runs The Cheshire Horse (www.cheshirehorse.com), a growing family business. Abby Bradford Anzalone still works for TJX and visits SBC twice annually. She teaches Pilates at MiT, is working on a Pilates podcast project and fixing up their barn in Sudbury, MA. Amanda Atkinson moved from CA to Philly in the summer of ’02 and started a job as house dean at U. PA. She was expecting baby #3 in a few wks. They will know then whether it’s a girl or boy! Josie Erin Beets is in TN outside Ft. Campbell with Sonia (3) and Ellis (1) awaiting husband Sean’s return from Afghanistan in the spring. She works in Nashville at the TN Bar Assoc. on their legislative advocacy efforts and is involved in a military spouse attorney advocacy organization, supporting those trying to have a career while married to someone in the military. Melissa Jean Bellan is proud to announce her bid for Justice of the Peace in Precinct 5 of Dallas County, TX. Primary election is in 3/14. Follow the campaign at fb.com/ MelissaJBellan. Melissa also started Bellan Law, a solo practice, on 9/1/13. She recently saw Kibby in HI in May. Emily McGregor Fenlaw and husband Jay are enjoying Dallas with their 4 kiddos. She stays busy with artwork commissions and freelance architectural design. Laura Wessells Waisner still lives in CO Springs, CO, with boy/girl twins and baby Hope, born 12/2012. She stays home with her precious kids and it’s a joy! Elissa Pugh-Arguello is in Nashville, TN, with husband Enil and kids Ziggy (5) and Goldie (2). Elissa is expecting baby #3 in Nov. She teaches ESL and blogs at greenmoonrising.blogspot.com. She visited Sarah Elkins Ince ’99 this past spring in WV. Katie Wright Thomas and husband Spencer Thomas (H-SC ’00) announced the birth of Caroline Porter Thomas, 7/22/13. Big brothers Spence and Elliott are thrilled. They live in Newport, TN, and Katie volunteers with the American Cancer Society as a county chairperson and at the local hospice. Jennifer Dronkers recently left her job as a multimedia producer to live in Budapest with fiancé Brian Blake-Collins, where he is pursuing his MBA. Thank you to our wonderful group of SBC sisters for the updates. Feel free to contact me, Elizabeth Davis Baker (elizabethbake@gmail.com), and our alumnae office to update your contact info.

2001

Julia Kientz Ambersley jambersley@sbc.edu

Hello, Class of 2001! It was great to hear from so many of you. It sounds like the ladies of our class have been as busy as ever! Chanel Smith Williams graduated from Baruch Coll. last summer with her exec. MBA. Chanel, Steve and son Daniel welcomed Ella Nikole Williams into their growing family on 8/30. Steve is in the last yr. of his residency so they’re trying to enjoy all NYC has to offer before they leave. Chanel frequently speaks with

More class notes online sbc.edu/magazine Joanna Hughes, Emily Keating Haag and Jenaire Terry. Leah Solivan Busque and husband Kevin continue to live in the San Francisco Bay Area and are enjoying rapid expansion of the TaskRabbit business to many more cities across the country (including D.C.!) and internationally. They were able to get some exciting trips in this summer for the business to Barcelona and London. She enjoyed catching up with Misa Sarmento Francis ’02 when Misa visited San Francisco in June and loved swapping pregnancy tips, since they are due just a few wks. apart. Leah and Kevin were thrilled to expect their 1st baby, a girl, in Oct. Lys Burdette Paulhus loves living in Atlanta with Michael and daughters Caroline (4) and Camille (2). She was fortunate to visit with Meghan Frier Stawasz’s and Emily Black Burns’s lovely families over the summer. It was so much fun to see the kids play well together! Katherine Morse looks forward to finishing a 2nd degree, a B.S. in psychology with a concentration in human services. She had a booth for M. K. Wellington Art at the Shrimp & Grits Festival on Jekyll Island in Sept. (Sarah Peterson ’03 helped with that.) Katherine also founded a group called the “Jekyll Amphitheater for the Arts and Humanities” in an effort to gain the project on Jekyll Island State Park. She’s had a very successful petition and it has been a tremendous learning experience. In March, Catherine Peek moved from Rockville, MD, to Harrisonburg, VA, with her twin toddler sons. Her whole family misses being down the hall from Ariana Wolynec-Werner and sharing Sunday night dinners! Catherine designs schools and churches at Blue Ridge Architects, which just moved to an interesting historic warehouse space. Come see it if you are in the neighborhood! She visited SBC’s senior art exhibit last spring and had fun seeing familiar faces, including Laura Pharis, Joe Monk and Mark Magruder. Catherine is starting an interview series about creating a legacy, interviewing women who pursue a larger vision and give back to their communities. If anyone is willing to contribute or can suggest others she could interview, please contact her at catherine.peek@ gmail.com. Amy Whitney Rippey and husband Brian welcomed Wyatt Clayton Rippey on 12/31/12. They still reside in Westminster, MD. Amy left her position with Arnold Palmer Golf Management and is now working with her family as the business manager for Spider Hall Farm, LLC. Sarah Belanger Levinson and her husband bought a house in Jan. She is entering her 3rd season as a coach with the St. Louis chapter of Girls on the Run. Natasha Nickodem Stevens and husband Matt welcomed son McClean Swanson Stevens on 6/25. They’re enjoying every min. with baby “Mack.” She enjoyed a visit in May from Sarah Houston Kenning, Dawn Martin, Sarah Belanger Levinson, Anna Lundberg and Christine Rangel for a fun girls’ weekend in Chicago. She also enjoyed visits from Stephanie Sherrard. Tamara Trout is about to have a very busy yr. She started medical school this fall at

sbc.edu | Sweet Briar Magazine

the Marshall U. Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. Twins Nadia and Layth started kindergarten and daughter Elyse is in middle school. Her future stepsons Chris and Charlie Murphy (also twins) moved in and started their freshman yr. at Marshall U. In May, fiancé Scott will graduate from the same medical school and begin a family medicine residency in July. In June, she and Scott are getting married. Tamara looks forward to the many changes and blessings of the upcoming yr. Emily Carter still lives in Chicago. She married Andrew Oloffson on 4/13; they have 2 cats. Emily is busy completing her M.A.T. in elementary education at National Louis U. She will be finished with her degree in 4/14. Jennifer Stringfellow Lamanna and Paul were expecting their 1st child, a boy, in early Sept. They were very excited to meet him! Jenn and Paul had a fantastic time catching up with Sonya Truman ’02 and her fiancé, who came up to Alexandria for a visit recently. Katie Wood Rea continues to live just outside Charlottesville, VA, with husband Bryan and 2 children, Brenna (7) and Matthew (5). Katie finally found a way to combine her biology background and nursing career; she has worked for the last 3 yrs. as a clinical research coordinator for the Department of Surgery at UVa. The Rea family had an awesome summer camping at their favorite little water town, Urbanna, VA. Jennifer Montfort still enjoys life in Boston and can’t believe it’s been 7 yrs. since she moved there from NJ! She made the move last yr. from Harvard Medical School to working for the MIT Sloan School of Management in the Office of External Relations, where Jennifer serves as the associate director of alumni communications. She’s still involved in Thoroughbred retirement, working with the New England chapter of the national retirement group CANTER, and recently assumed the position of co-exec. director of the all-volunteer board. Jennifer’s excited to continue her work marketing ex-racehorses and acting as the track liaison with Suffolk Downs in East Boston. She hopes to be able to take home her own OTTB in the near future! As for me, Julia Kientz Ambersley, it’s been a very busy summer and back-toschool season. Gus (7) and I enjoyed a fantastic visit to see Emily Keating Haag and her sweet family. We visited every fun spot in Philadelphia! Robbie, Gus and I also enjoyed a couple of wks. of utter relaxation at the beach this summer. We are all excited for a visit from Dawn Martin and daughter Katie in the next couple of wks. I’m still teaching 5th grade at VassLakeview Elementary, a Title I-funded school in Moore County, NC. There I am serving as 5th-grade team chair and chair of the all-school Literacy Committee. I also keep busy as the fundraising chair for Communities in Schools of Moore County. Well, ladies, I love hearing from you every time we do class notes. Keep the information coming! You can always email me updates at jambersley@sbc.edu. Also, any time you have a change of address, email or phone number, please let me know and I’ll keep the alumnae office updated. Have a wonderful fall!

sbc.edu | Sweet Briar Magazine

2002

Margaret Brooks Buck brookiebuck@gmail.com

Lori Smith Nilan Lori.nilan@gmail.com

Heather Minor Gelormine and her family moved from CO to Omaha, NE, this summer, where her husband, Tony, will be serving a 3-yr. tour at Offutt AFB. Both kids (Brenna, 9; Anthony, 6) are in school full time now. She is working from home as the site editor and project manager for 3 websites geared toward Americans associated with the U.S. military living in Okinawa, South Korea, and Germany. They celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary in Aug., shortly after he returned from a 9-mo. deployment with the U.S. Army, and are glad to be back together as a family again. Meg Anderson Richburg and her husband are in Alexandria, VA, where she teaches high school social studies for Fairfax Co. She had her 2nd child, Qieran, on 8/14/13. Son Aaron (3) loves being a big brother. Stacy Armentrout Fallah and her husband moved to Montclair, VA, where they bought their 1st home and have been busily making it their own. She writes that her hubby is starting to get sick at the sight of paint cans. Her son Jackson celebrated his 5th birthday back in 2/13 and is about to start kindergarten. He’s VERY excited. She still enjoys being a stay-at-home mom. Jennifer Taylor Catano was happy to share that she was expecting her 2nd child in late Sept./early Oct. She currently lives in Houston with husband Dave and daughter Taylor Grace (3), who is very excited to become a big sister. Sonya Truman was excited to be marrying Joshua Jacobs in 10/13.They recently bought a house in the Candler Park neighborhood of Atlanta and added a new puppy to the mix (which her current Golden may or may not love—jury’s still out). She was excited to celebrate her upcoming nuptials at the beach in 8/13 with Lori Smith Nilan, Margaret Brooks Buck, Maria Thacker Goethe and Kelly Monical Goossens. She is also thrilled to be reunited with Blaithin MacMahon ’03, who has relocated to Atlanta and is living right down the road. Mary Tassone Dunlevy says things are very busy in her life right now. She and husband Dale are expecting a baby due in 1/14. They are moving out of their apartment and into a house. Daughter Ariana (3) is starting preschool. It’s a lot of change in a small span of time, but they are very excited. Amy Mullen is still living and working in the D.C. metro area. Her Mint Parcel illustrations were recently featured in the book “Print & Patten Kids” from Bowie Style and Laurence King Publishing.

2003

Kristin Bergquist sbckristin@hotmail.com

Anna Legum and husband Ross welcomed a daughter, Claire Ellery Legum, on 8/3/13 and she shares a birthday with Erin Keck Walsh’s 3rd daughter, Brienne. Claire Affleck has her own horse farm, Claire Affleck Training, in Skaneateles, NY,

where she trains and shows horses. This past June, she was bucked off a horse and broke her back. She has not been able to ride and had to miss out on summer horse show season. She has been able to continue teaching riding lessons and hopes to get back in the saddle this fall. Virginia Lyon gave birth to her 2nd son, Connor Lee, on 3/18/13. Big brother Parker loves to be mama’s little helper, which Virginia appreciates! Virginia hosted Danielle Oberg and daughter Nora as they made their way to the SBC reunion. Virginia continues to work for Deloitte in Arlington, VA, and really enjoys it. Jessica Campbell lives in Beaver, WV, and is teaching 9th-grade math. And I, Kristin Bergquist, continue to prove that growing up in the age of technology doesn’t mean you grasp it, so sorry to everyone for the late request for class notes. I’m a realtor in Atlanta, recently adopted the dog version of me, and spent a month in India, where I learned that elephants rampaging through a city is fairly normal, that they grow coffee but serve the instant kind, and that my digestive system is not invincible.

2004

Ginny Wood Susi 7975 Dunstable Cir. Orlando, FL 32817 ginnysusi@gmail.com

Anne Oakes experimented with homelessness in July. After a short time she bought a new house in Durham with Randi Byrd. While an adventure, it’s not something she’d like to try for any longer than she had to. There aren’t many places that you can garden if you don’t have a home and yard. Sara Gredler is still living in Austin, TX. She is slated to speak at the Texas State Genealogical Society conference in Round Rock in Nov. Brienna McLaughlin Pruce and her husband had a little boy this winter in Monterey, CA. They all enjoy hiking the redwood forests together and exploring San Francisco. Brienna continues teaching yoga locally and selling her art at brienna. net. This summer, Tiffany McCabe Carr met up and had lunch with her former roommate Leia Manuel. Tiffany and her husband, Joe, celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary in July and her son David turned 4 in Aug. Tiffany will be entering into her 10th yr. of teaching music at 2 elementary schools in Southampton County. She was selected to be a mentor teacher for 2 new teachers this yr., and is very excited about the possibilities this school yr. has to offer. Camilla Russell is working at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in the Southeast Asian department as a specialist. She is really happy she gets to write again. Previously, she did public relations for the Mandarin Hotel in Bangkok. She loves Hong Kong. Sarah Ruff rode in her 3rd Trek Across Maine, where she got to see Jennifer Warde Darrell riding too. Sarah also rode in her 1st Pan-Mass with Michelle Badger ‘06. They rode Wellesley to Provincetown and together raised almost $10,000 for Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund. Their team name was Pedals and Pearls! Susanna Knouse ‘05 came to the East Coast and Michelle, Sue and Sarah had lunch together in Boston.

Sarah saw Nicole Basbanes, Michelle, Kait Goodwin ’15, Lindsay Profenno ’15, and Madi Cromwell ’16 at Ginny Wood Susi’s summer house where she hosted the ME back-to-school event in July. Kelli Bergmann Thomasson will be entering her 4th yr. teaching online AP psychology classes. She is enjoying the privilege of working from home and getting to stay home with her daughter, Eleanor (2). Over the summer, Kelli and Eleanor had the opportunity to visit Misty Vandergriff Forsberg in NC. They had fun letting the kids play together and reliving old SBC memories. Jozanne Summerville relaxed this summer by going to at least a dozen vineyards on the East Coast. She is looking forward to our 10th reunion in May! The Black Pearls are putting on an event to celebrate. She will be attending Homecoming, too. Schyler Ellis Burke and family relocated to Oklahoma City. Her husband, Peter, accepted a new position as a drilling engineer with Chesapeake Energy. Their 2 oldest children, John and Victoria, began preschool at their new school. Schyler is busy shuttling them to school and to their activities as well as their youngest, Marin. She can’t wait to come back for reunion in the spring. Jessica Porter Sadeq and her husband, Fady, had their 1st child, Lina Rae, on 4/11/13. 6lbs 7oz, 19 inches long. Megan Owens Thompson and her husband have been enjoying life in Charlotte, NC, with a very busy toddler. They are expecting their 2nd child in March. Megan is still working as a middle school counselor at Cannon School. Erin Coleman continues to reside in Los Angeles. Recently she created and produced “The Tiffany and Erin Show” web series, which will debut this fall. She also performs stand-up around L.A., including the renowned Comedy Store. Recently, she produced a series of Internet sketches with fellow SBC alum Catherine Tooke ’07. She is super excited about Reunion and looks forward to seeing her fellow ’04 SBC girls! Jennifer Warde Darrell submitted her dissertation in March, gave birth to her 1st son in April, graduated from Yale with a Ph.D. in Spanish in May, biked (most of) the Trek Across ME in June, where she was excited to catch up with Sarah Ruff once again, and moved to Fairfield, CT, in Aug. In Sept., started a new job as visiting assistant professor of Spanish at Fairfield U. Breanne Leibering Wyman and her husband, John, welcomed a baby boy into the world 4/27/13. Tobias (Toby) John Wyman weighed 8lbs 11oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. Bre, John, and Toby are still living in Herndon, VA, and Bre is teaching English at Herndon High School. In addition, she is finishing up her master’s in educational leadership as well as doing an administrative internship. She still carves out a bit of time to hang out with Mary Davis Blood. She’s looking forward to seeing everyone at Reunion in May and introducing her husband to a real Sweet Briar experience. Mary Morris Park is still loving her crazy life with 3 kids. She was fortunate enough to spend her family vacation on Cape Cod this Aug. She spent a wonderful day with Diana Marshall checking out Hyannis and getting to visit some wonderful places she never would have found without a local. Stacey Maddox is expecting her 1st child, Denali LeeAnn, on 12/22/13. Denali has

been diagnosed with anencephaly and is not expected to live past birth. Stacey has taken an indefinite leave of absence from her residency program and moved to Anchorage, AK. She asks that you keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

2005

Melinda “Mindy” Katherine Wolfrom 5925 Almeda Road, Unit 10711 Houston, TX 77004 mindywolfrom@gmail.com

Christie Sears Thompson completed her master’s in marriage and family therapy at Regis U. in Aug. She is excited to move on in her new career. In Sept. she started working in a private practice as a marriage and family therapist on her way toward licensure in the state of CO. On 5/7, Kimberly Gibson-McDonald gave birth to Emma Quinn Uyen-Khanh McDonald. It has been the best adventure of her life so far. She and husband David are already astonished at how fast she has grown! Beyond that, Kimberly says her life has been run-of-the-mill: she and her husband both teach at E.C. Glass High School and live in the sleepy city of Lynchburg. Megan Knight Bowling and her college sweetheart got married 12/12/12 in Antigua! They just moved back to their hometown of Amherst, and she hopes to start school next summer for an accelerated B.S.N. program. Daughter Siena (named after the city in Italy where she studied abroad) started kindergarten and her little man Jonah turned 2 in Sept. She regularly visits SBC and fellow classmate Lynsie Steele. Ginger Tripp McAdams and husband Judson welcomed new baby Eliza on 8/9. Tripp (18 mos.) loves having a baby sister around! Ginger is still teaching at Charlotte Latin School. Sarah Kidd Burchett moved into a loft in Shockoe Bottom in Richmond. She says she would love to connect with any SBC gals who live in Church Hill or the Bottom! She obtained a personal training certification this spring; fitness continues to be a central part of life for her! She ran the Maymont 8-mi. trail race in Sept. and planned to rappel off the Suntrust building in Oct. to help raise funds for Special Olympics, VA. She was fundraising through mid-Sept.—$1500 meant she would get to wear a webcam on her helmet on the way down to capture the whole thing. Christina Marchetti left Williams & Connolly, LLP, and moved to Sydney, Australia, to be with her significant other. It’s a major life change, but she figured she would rather come to the end of her life and say ‘I wish I hadn’t’ than ‘I wish I had!’ She now works at the not-for-profit Redkite, which helps young cancer patients up to age 24—quite a change from a glittery law firm! She loves it. Erin Gibbs had a wonderful weekend in Atlanta, where she visited with Lindsay Woodward Russell ’07 and attended the wedding of Chesley Phillips Gaddis ’03 with Samm Grist ’03, Alisa Cline Berry ’03, Erin Keck Walsh ’03, Christi Rose Hart ’02 and Sarah Farber ’01. Erin is still in CO and loves it. She spends a lot of time enjoying the mountains, trail running and training for her 1st ultra-marathon.

I, Mindy Wolfrom, still live in Houston and work at a wonderful private school. I traveled a ton this past summer and have become an avid salsa dancer. Houston is so diverse that many of my friends are from other countries. I’m trying to learn as much Spanish as I can since so many people speak it here!

2006

Nicole “Nicki” E. Brandt 205 Crown Circle Brunswick, GA 31525 brandt06@sbc.edu

Just a stone’s throw from the MA/CT border, Ellena Bethea teaches chemistry at the Millbrook School in NY. Reminiscent of Guion adventures, Millbrook uses its outdoor space for science—students can explore the forest through a canopy walkway and go on “marsh-mucking” walks through the wetlands preserve on campus. Victoria Chappell Harvey has crossed the pond to England, near Oxford, where she and husband David will live for the next 3 yrs. Alexia Redick Bartlett was married on 9/1/12 to Cabot Bartlett Jr. They live in Northern VA; she teaches at the Conservatory Ballet. They just celebrated their 1st anniversary and are quite happy. Laura Pierce was married in June to Joshua Barton with Kate Dobie, Sarah Corpron and Leigh Darrell as bridesmaids. Leigh says they had a glorious time. Leigh works as an assistant state attorney in her home county in MD. Sarah Hart Corpron and husband Ben relocated to NYC, where Ben attends Columbia U. School of Dental Medicine and—if Facebook photos are to be believed—has the most adorable NYC apartment ever. Sarah said one of the best things about the move to the big city is getting to visit with fellow NYC alumna Kate Dobie. Kate has been working for the Metropolitan Museum of Art as their associate development officer. Ashley Figueiredo ’08 saw Driftwood Fire, the folk music brainchild of duo Charlotte Formichella and Lynn Scharf, perform this summer at the Upper Valley Music Festival in Turner Falls, MA. Driftwood Fire toured this summer in France. Their music has been featured in a few SBC YouTube videos (check out the Homecoming 2011 video), and last yr. they lead a beginner’s songwriting workshop at the Valley Center for the Creative Arts in Woodstock, VA. Ashley said it was great to see them perform and remember how far they’ve come since their early performances back in the Vixen Den. Katie Vaughan is the new vice-chair of the SBC Friends of the Cochran Library. Melanie Stine, Ph.D., has moved to San Antonio, TX, and accepted a job as assistant professor with the geography department at the U. TX-San Antonio. She says things are good so far! Anel Avila is embracing the life of a traveling Bedouin—her update is that she’s still alive, and you’ll never know where she might turn up next! Preparing to celebrate her 2nd wedding anniversary, Kerri Faust de Monsalve enjoys life in Colombia with husband Felipe and teaches 2nd grade (with the help of Colombia’s infamous coffee). She’s tackled some great hiking in Colombia’s mountains and looks forward to regular visits

along its coast, where sister Kendall lives. Julie Drake has a new surname as of Oct., when she married Mike Jamal during a San Francisco ceremony. Melissa Massy Powell and Nicki Brandt planned to attend. Julie and Mike will relocate to the Atlanta, GA, area, where Julie hopes to continue teaching. As Julie prepares to leave the Golden State, Melissa Massy Powell is moving to Monterey, where her dashing Army husband will attend the Defense Language Institute. She visited with Dr. Cara Cherry this summer in MN. In addition to road trips, Melissa has been taking advantage of her last summer in CO, bagging 14ers, triathlons, and even a hot springs backpacking adventure with Nicki Brandt. Nicki escaped the humid heat of GA for the mountains of CO for a short vacation packed with farmers’ markets and food, hiking and yoga—as well as Mallory Sherwood Engelstad ’09 for lunch in Breckenridge. Sadly, she had to return to sea level, to begin preparations for a busy winter field season and her training for the Army 10-miler in Oct.—did any other D.C.-based alumnae attend or run? Nicki also had the opportunity to visit with Tabitha Dixon Ward and husband Andrew when they vacationed in nearby FL; they live in NC, where Tabitha does marketing work for the Baptist Children’s Homes. Michelle Badger attended the Presidential Inauguration of President Obama’s 2nd term, meeting up with Natalie Pye ’07, Megan Behrle ’09 and Corinne Adams ’12. Along with Megan, she attended Cat Cox Hamilton’s (’08) wedding and saw Sarah Ruff ’04, Alicia Modzelewski ’11 and Rebecca Olander Christian ’09. During a work trip she met up with Brianna Meighan de Hanna ’05. Michelle is still at the MA Maritime Academy and enjoys being on the Plymouth School Committee, and having visits from Beth Farnsworth Warner ’05 and Sue Knouse ’05 when they are in the area. She recently fulfilled a long-time goal by riding with Sarah Ruff ’04 in the Pan-Mass Challenge, a 164-mi. bike ride for the Dana Farber Cancer Society. Speaking of epic physical prowess, Jill Frier has been kicking butt with some awesome running adventures. Jenn Wiley Schmidt lives in Philly, but has seen several VA/MD-based alums, including Lindsey Cline, Joanna Meade and Meg Shortlidge. While they haven’t been able to visit in person, Jenn says she chats often with Abby Adams, who lives in Baltimore and works as a nurse. There are discussions to try to get folks together for some autumn hiking—maybe at Homecoming? Joanna Meade works as a personal trainer in Baltimore, MD, and has (squat)—jumped onto the CrossFit train. Several classmates have welcomed new bundles of joy into the world, including Haley Graham Bouvatte and husband Bob, who welcomed daughter Amelia in April. Colleen Karaffa Murray and husband Brandon welcomed son Henry (9 lbs. 2 oz.) in a home birth in Aug., joining big sisters Rosie and Scarlett. Brandon is excited to not be so outnumbered at home and the girls are tickled pink (blue?) with their new brother. Paula Kirkland Ledbetter’s baby boy Peyton is all grown up and started preschool this yr. Paula and husband Mike relocated to the Richmond, VA, area last yr. and enjoy being close to family.

Kathleen Wilson Wissel and husband Tony looked forward to celebrating an important milestone this yr.—daughter Maddie turned 1 in Oct. Proud aunt Kimberly Wilson visits when she can. Kim earned her Ph.D. from U. of Notre Dame this past spring. Jennifer Jones Collins and husband Tommy left Germany; the Army has sent them back stateside to Fort Polk, LA. Son Will is growing fast and will be joined by a new baby brother in Dec.! Jennifer and Will met up with Jessica Mercier Andryshak and daughter Jordan this summer for a toddler play date. Michelle Badger sends along a note to all fellow classmates: “I look forward to seeing many of you at Homecoming, in my travels, and in the yr. and mos. to come. Don’t forget to make your best gift to help our class get to 50% participation for the Young Alumnae Giving. We need your support to reach our goal!”

2007

Emily Olson

emilynicoleolson@gmail.com As usual, the ladies of the Class of 2007 are busy doing lots of amazing things. Ferrell Lyles Smith is back working in Kandahar, Afghanistan, until Jan. 2014. She still lives in Bluemont, VA, and writes, “When I get back, if anyone is still in the area, come out to go wine tasting!” Heidi Trude just started her 6th yr. teaching French at Skyline High School. She writes, “In Nov., I will travel to France to work with Nicolas Houpert and his students at the Lycée Bazin (our sister school). In Dec., I will present at the VaASCD (Virginia Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) Annual Conference in Williamsburg, VA. My presentation focuses on how teachers can extend learning opportunities for students through global connections.” Megan Meighan built her 1st house this yr. in Charlotte, NC. She continues to work from home doing medical software sales and loves to visit NYC and NJ friends monthly. She enjoyed seeing everyone at SMS for her 10th high school reunion this yr. Maggie Saylor Patrick writes, “I had a great trip to D.C. in April for Rachel Reynolds’ wedding to Dean Baxtresser. We had an amazing time with Natalie Pye, Laura Schaefer, Jennifer Wolf and Margaret Loebe ’06.” The wedding photographer was Laura Spencer Bryan ’05. Meanwhile, Maggie has been working to finish her M.A. in political science at Miami U. and is very excited to graduate in Dec.! Karen Summers was re-married to Marvin M. Stone from Atlanta, GA, in 8/11. She moved from Lynchburg to Atlanta in 12/12 and is now working at Emory U. in Atlanta as the program coordinator for the Division of Cardiology in the School of Medicine. Daughter Samantha married Texan Stephen Chase Dennis in 5/13. Son Matthew is now the proud father of Karen’s 1st grandchild, William Owen Summers. Caroline Camp Harrison married William Gordon Harrison IV (H-SC ’07) on 10/22/11. There were lots of H-SC men and SBC alumnae in attendance, including Anne Harvard Smith ’09, Susan Lea ’06, Julie Sellers ’06, Brittney Berry Scgroi ’08, Maria Kitchen Moore ’05, Ginger Tripp McAdams ’05, Shelby Phillips Smith,

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Sally Old Kitchin ’76, Emily Langhorne Bell and Chic Grones ’79. She writes, “I am currently head of the Special Events and Wedding Division of Stage Right Lighting, where I do lighting design for special events, concerts and weddings in VA Beach.” Brittany Lambert writes, “I am getting married on 10/11 to Alper Lökçü and over the weekend of 8/17, Jaclyn Fowler, Kristina Bloxom and I managed to get together in D.C. for a reunion/bachelorette party. It was a smashing time and good to be back together with the girls. Look forward to seeing them in Oct. for the wedding, and to Kristy’s wedding in 9/14!” On 5/11, Morgan Roach Viña wed Stephen Rene Viña at All Souls Episcopal Church in D.C. They celebrated with a reception at Washington’s historic Eastern Market. Morgan and Stephen honeymooned in South Africa, traveling to Cape Town, Stellenbosch and ending with a safari near Kruger National Park. Morgan continues to work at the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee along with Carolyn Leddy ’98. In April, Morgan and Carolyn met SBC students accompanied by Prof. Bragaw. I, Emily Olson, moved to the Portland, OR, area in Jun. to begin an M.A.T. program at Pacific U. I will graduate in Jun. with endorsements in middle school/high school drama and English. In Aug., I got to see Sarah Kindschuh when she came back to her hometown of Portland from NM for a brief visit. I’m really loving OR so far and have had a lot of fun exploring. If anyone wants to visit, my door is always open!

2008

Mary Dance Berry marysdberry@gmail.com

Chelsea Capizzi-Walsh: I just earned an M.S. in technology management with emphasis on homeland security and am working on an MBA next. I also just moved to Columbia, MD, and got married on 9/14/13 in my parents’ church in my hometown of Ocean City, NJ, to Christian Lomicka (VMI ’08). My bridesmaids included Heather Coley (MoH) and Meg Hammock. Christina Johnson Pappas: I need to be better about my alumnae updates! I received my M.S. in mechanical and aerospace engineering from UVa in 2012 and am aiming to finish my Ph.D. in 2014. I celebrated my 3rd wedding anniversary with my husband in 7/2013! Life has been busy since graduating 5 yrs. ago! Mary Dance Berry: Stephen (H-SC ’09) and I will celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary in Nov. Stephen, our puggle Hayley and I live in Arlington, VA, where I work as a contract specialist for the General Services Administration. I run half marathons with Stephen and his family and just spent 8 days rafting down the CO River this summer with them. (Who would have thought?) Katie Tipton Wilson: In 2/11, I was married to Brad Wilson (VMI ’07) in Savannah, GA. Eleanor O’Connor ’07, Margaret Barnes Watts and Lieschen Cluiss were all bridesmaids. Other alumnae in attendance: Tess Drahman, Erin Coyne Lanier, Whitney Towler Carpenter, Melissa Ramos ’10, Virginia Edahl ’10, Renee Modzelewski ’06, Serena Putegnat ’98 and Beth Conner Pace ’86. Brad and I now

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live outside Columbus, GA, where he is stationed at Fort Benning. I teach middle school math and enjoy playing with our Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Okie. Teresa Papaleo: Professionally, I have continued to support the Department of State as a cyber threat analyst in D.C. I’ve also been accepted to a master’s program in international affairs at GWU and plan to pursue a concentration in Middle East studies. Many thanks to Dr. Berg from the Sweet Briar history department for his recommendation! In terms of equestrian activities, I’m beginning to transition from the hunter/jumper world. Northern VA is known for eventing, and I’m taking lessons in Middleburg and leasing an adorable paint gelding named Calvin. Ginny Moncure: I moved from Richmond, VA, to D.C. in April to work for a company called SmartBrief. I moved in with Blythe Lloyd ’07 and Sarah McLemore. In Jan., I held a baby shower for Caroline Byrd Dozier and we had a mini-SBC reunion in Richmond. Caroline gave birth to twins in March. Mary Pat Jones Rodriguez: I married Isaac Rodriguez on 9/19/10 and welcomed a baby boy, Marshall Isaac Rodriguez, on 4/3/12. Marshall weighed 6 lbs. 3 oz. and was 19 3/4 in. long. He is a very happy baby. Megan C. Manubay: I married Philip S. Carson, M.D. (H-SC ’08) on 9/15/12 in Newark, DE. Carly R. Peoples ’11 served as maid of honor and Heather M. Theunissen ’09 was a bridesmaid. Meg Hammock and Whitney C. Wheeler ’07 were in attendance. Phil and I met in 8/04 during the SBC/H-SC 1st-yr. orientation “ice breakers” in the Dell. I continue to compete in horse shows up and down the East Coast with my 2 horses “Sunny Days” and “Street Fighter,” and I work in the business office at Caravel Academy in DE. In 12/12, I hosted a Sweet Briar Day event for the DE and Philadelphia areas and was excited to see some old friends and meet some new ones! Rebecca Penny: I’m still working on my Ph.D. in biology at Indiana U. in Bloomington. I’m entering my 5th yr. (yikes!) so the end is somewhat in sight, though there’s still a long road ahead. I adopted a sweet Australian shepherd, Zeke, a few yrs. ago, which has been fun and rewarding. He’s been my travel companion for several long road trips to NC (for field work and family visits). We even made a stopover at SBC this summer, but campus was mostly quiet—except for the cicadas! I was sad to miss Reunion this yr., but hope to catch up with some of you over the next few yrs. Caroline Tade: I’m having a busy summer studying for boards and entering my 3rd yr. of medical school here at the Southwest Coll. of Naturopathic Medicine. This starts my clinical studies and I am beyond excited to start seeing patients! Despite the sweltering AZ heat, I have enjoyed SBC alumni functions with Mollie Linden ’09 and Diana Simpson. Alexandra DiFeliceantonio: In April, I received my Ph.D. in psychology (biopsychology) from the U. MI. I have since moved to Boston to wait and hear about a job and take some time off. Diana Simpson: In 2011, I received my J.D. from Roger Williams and was admitted to the Colorado Bar. I currently live in Tempe, AZ, where I am a Constitutional Law Fellow at the Institute for Justice. It’s

hard to believe it’s been 5 yrs. since we graduated, but I really enjoy getting to know the wonderful alumnae in all the places I go. Anne Lojek McQueen: My husband Jared and I welcomed Marilyn Elizabeth McQueen into the world on 12/27/12. We currently reside in Fairfax Station, VA. Laura Tanner Bowrey: After graduation I moved back to Dallas to be with my high school sweetheart. Tim and I were married on 6/6/09. Kristin Barnes, Meggy O’Neal and Lisa Ruffle were bridesmaids. Just a month later, Tim and I bought our 1st house. We adopted a cat in 2009 and a dog in 2010 and they keep us thoroughly entertained. I’m still riding on the weekends and occasionally Kristin Barnes gets to come out with me. I’ve been working for the past 4 1/2 yrs. at an aerospace company that supports military aircraft. I’m currently getting certified to teach elementary school and will be leaving the business world to start my student teaching this fall. I’m super excited! I try to make it to local SBC events whenever I can and was glad that I could make it up to SBC for Reunion this summer. I had a great time catching up with everybody and enjoying the campus again. I just hope it won’t take me another 5 yrs. to get back! Tess Drahman: I currently live in NY and started a new position in late Aug. as the program coordinator at Columbia U.’s Institute for Research on Women, Gender and Sexuality. If any alumnae are ever on campus, please stop by to say hello! Amanda Wisz Keener: I’m wrapping up my Ph.D. research at UNC-Chapel Hill, where I’ve been studying immunology and microbiology. I’ve also been freelance-writing and plan to go full time into science journalism after graduation next spring. I was married to Justin Keener in 2/12. He is a medical physicist in Winston-Salem, NC. We live in Greensboro with our dog, Dude. I’m so excited to be in Brandon Ayers Agnew’s wedding this Nov.! Amanda Prine Bryant: Eric and I welcomed our 1st child, Lillian Louise Bryant, on 8/26/12. Caroline Byrd Dozier: I live in VA Beach and my husband Blake Dozier (H-SC ’05) and I are now proud parents to beautiful twins Luke William and Virginia Byrd, born on 3/28/13. Alison Carr: I finished my master’s in industrial/organizational psychology in 2010 and am now working to finish up my doctorate. In my free time I enjoy teaching therapeutic riding lessons to kids with developmental disabilities and competing in dog agility with my Sheltie! Sarah Ross Stewart: Kyle Simmons and I live in Mooresville, NC, with our son Jameson MacArthur Simmons! Jameson was born on 5/30/13 weighing 8 lbs 1.7 oz. and 21 in. long. I am currently a stayat-home happy mother! Julie Midgley: I live in McLean, VA, and work as a senior consultant for KPMG. I am also working on various fundraising committees for the Northern VA Therapeutic Riding Program, currently planning their annual fundraising event—a polo match! I keep in frequent contact with Jenn Doherty, PJ Davis, Jessica McCarthy Sarolli and Alison Carr. Shanna Ryan: After 4 yrs. of prodding, I got married this spring to the love of my life, Mike Whalen!

Laurel Sanders Berry: I married Christopher Berry (H-SC ’07) on 5/28/11. Alumnae in attendance were Kristen Bergquist ’06, Kendra Hawkins Simpson ’07 and Rebecca Soliwoda Marsten. I graduated from FSU Coll. of Medicine in 5/12. Christopher and I now live in Asheville, NC, where I am completing my 4-yr. residency program in obstetrics and gynecology. Emily Clifton Stump: I married Charles Stump in 5/11—we dated from 2005, during my time at SBC. We currently live in Southern MD with our 3 dogs, Flash, Rebel and Minnie. I am pursuing an M.S. in applied physics at Johns Hopkins U. part time while working full time for the U.S. Navy as an engineer. Natalie Batman Barton: I returned to the U.S. in 4/13 after nearly 3 yrs. living in Shanghai, where I set up a subsidiary for a U.S.-based sourcing and supply management company. While in China, my husband James and I celebrated the birth of our daughter Eleanor McLean Barton (9/2012). We currently live in Charlottesville, VA. I recently accepted a position with an international manufacturer in the furniture industry and am excited to begin a new professional endeavor. Brittany and Briana Deane: The Deane twins have both recently graduated from law school. Briana received her J.D. from the U. of Houston Law Center and has accepted a position with a Fortune 500 company in the oil and gas industry, handling internal investigations for the company’s Western Hemisphere. Briana was a news reporter for a Houston TV station and was named Miss Houston International. Brittany received her J.D. from the U. of WY Coll. of Law, and has just been made executive vice president of commercial development at the 2nd largest title company in the state of WY. Brittany was named Miss Congeniality, WY USA. The twins take time to visit each other in their respective cities and keep up with their creative writing. Brittany and Briana were thrilled to have recently had a reunion with their dear friends and SBC little sisters, Lisa and Petra Weisbrich ’10 (also identical twins). Meg Hammock: I completed my master’s in heritage preservation at GA St. U. in the summer of 2011 with a study-abroad opportunity in Cuba. I had a wonderful mini-reunion in the Outer Banks this spring with Heather Bowen ’07 and Cat Brumley ’05; then was celebrated this summer at a ceremony honoring 10 yrs. of work as an outdoor living skills educator with High Meadows School and Camp. I look forward this fall to celebrating the weddings of Chelsea Capizzi-Walsh and Elizabeth Baroody ’07. Celeste Wackenhut: I am currently opening an art gallery in San Antonio. I migrated 3 yrs. ago for an internship and subsequent job at the McNay Art Museum after completing my master’s in modern art at the U. of Edinburgh in Scotland. Jessica McCarthy Sarolli: I married Giandomenico Sarolli in 10/10. PJ Davis and Julie Midgley were my maids of honor, Alison Carr was a bridesmaid and Kathryn Brock ’09 was in attendance. This past May, I received my master’s in industrial/ organizational psychology from NYU and currently work as a senior consultant for Ernst & Young in NYC, where we live with our 2 cats. I have also recently taken up running and completed 2 10Ks this spring.

I have my sights set on a half marathon in the future! Dawn Slekis: I graduated from TX Tech U. in 5/11 with my M.S. in environmental toxicology. From TX, I moved to the Outer Banks, NC, and spent a yr. volunteering at the Nature Conservancy Nags Head Woods Preserve and the Roanoke Island Aquarium. I now live in WV and enjoy having time to go 4-wheeling, hunting, fishing and hiking. Courtney Culbreth: I reside in Richmond, VA, and began a new position as program coordinator for the Massey Cancer Center at the Medical Coll. of VA. In fall 2011, I was awarded a full travel grant to represent VCU at the Hamad bin Khalifa Symposium on Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar, and had the opportunity to learn from the world’s top Islamic art historians. In my spare time I train for half marathons, completing my 1st race in 2012 at the VA Beach Shamrock Half. I purchased my 1st home in 5/13 and recently rescued a sweet but shy schnoodle named Jacques from Richmond Animal Control. I also volunteer for the Junior League of Richmond (JLR) and am on the JLR Fund Development Council, the JLR Operations and Programs Committee, and was elected the chair of special events for 2013-14. I hope to finish my Professional Development and Public Relations Certificate in spring 2014 from VCU. Jenn Doherty: I graduated with a master’s in preservation studies from Boston U. in 5/12 and have been working as a historic preservation consultant in MA since then. I’m also a volunteer for Preservation Worcester in Worcester, MA, and recently led an architectural walking tour of Hopkinton, MA. Gretchen McDonough: I’m beginning my 6th yr. teaching at Greenbrier Episcopal School, a small Pre-K-8, where I teach Spanish and PE to the whole school and 6-8 math. I run competitively in races (5Ks to half marathons) almost every month and will run my 2nd marathon this Nov. in Richmond.

2009

Julia McClung

Mcclung.julia@gmail.com Laura Cromwell: I left the NRA in Feb. to take a position as a copywriter for Corporate Cabela’s in Sidney, NE. While I miss VA like crazy, I’ve been able to explore CO and WY while getting to know some lovely people out here. NE has had a hefty dose of pink and green since I moved here! I also recently took a trip to San Diego to visit Megan Combs Veney and had a blast seeing my wonderful roomie! Maggie Nicholson: I moved to La Tour de Peilz, Switzerland, outside of Lausanne for a yr. after graduating. I’ve since moved back to Atlanta and have been working at Meeting Expectations. I plan and manage meetings and conferences for an international business brokers association. For anyone wanting to reconnect, my email is now Nicholson.Maggie@gmail.com. In 8/13, Abigail Adkins, Melissa Diehl and I met up in Hilton Head Island for a mini-reunion.

2010

2012

mckee.alaina@gmail.com

2528 Avenham Ave. Roanoke, VA 2014 davey12@sbc.edu

Alaine McKee

Zehra Asghar concluded her time in Tampa, FL, as an Urdu media analyst and will be moving up to NYC to attend CUNY School of Law in the fall. She’s also excited to announce her engagement to Noah Bonsey. They plan to marry in Lynchburg, VA, next June. Adella Robinson has a new job as a tissue recovery specialist at LifeNet Health. She has also received her certification as an AAATB Tissue Recovery Specialist. Allie Garrison Bridge has relocated to Charlottesville, VA, where she has started a new job as an auto claims rep for State Farm Insurance. Isabel Patterson is the exec. assistant to the 6-member exec. team at WeddingWire in Chevy Chase, MD, one of the leading technology companies in the area. She is also volunteering with the Junior League of Washington. Melissa Ramos has accepted a job as a candidate sourcer with Open Systems Technologies in Reston and relocated. Recently she traveled to Amsterdam to see Alexandra Mebane ’12.

2011

Ashley Corren Hinkle Hinkle11@sbc.edu

Annie Colpitts is the co-founder and managing director of TheatreLAB, an ensemble-based theater company in Richmond. TheatreLAB was founded in 3/2012 and has already produced 7 shows, including the critically acclaimed productions of “Riding the Bull” by August Schulenburg and “Trojans” by Augustin J. Correro (RTCC Award Nominee—Best Locally Developed Work). TheatreLAB is close to attaining its 501(c)3 status and announced its 1st full season of shows in 9/2013. Ashley Hinkle (Arlington, VA): I am an M.A. candidate in exhibition design at the Corcoran College of Art+Design in D.C. going into my final yr. I’ve had the privilege of working with some very influential people in the exhibition design field, including the designer for the upcoming “Yoga: Art of Transformation” exhibition at the Smithsonian’s Freer and Sackler Galleries of Asian Art, the 1st exhibit on yogic art and history. Currently, I am working with the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s Bechhoefer Curator of American Art on the design and layout of the permanent reinstallation of the American Art collection, which tentatively opens 9/7. Alexis Simmont: Where do I start? In the last 6 mos. I’ve been accepted into grad school (master’s in public administration with a concentration in nonprofit management at U. Baltimore), finished 2 half marathons (D.C. and St. Michaels) and landed an amazing career opportunity at the fundraising arm of Children’s National Medical Center in D.C.

Ebet Davey

After only a yr. of venturing out into the world outside of the Pink Bubble, the Class of 2012 has been busy making its mark on the world. Starting stateside, we wish Kellner Pruett the best of luck as she works through medical school at the WV School of Osteopathic Medicine. A little farther north, we celebrate with Isabella Formento as she begins her job as development associate at Bucks County Playhouse in Princeton, NJ. “Working at the Playhouse is incredibly exciting for me. I can’t help being proud of myself, and I owe it all to the education and experiences SBC provided me.” We are proud of you, too, Isabella! We welcome Victoria Bradley Gentry back from her summer internship in Guatemala City with International Justice Mission, a human rights organization that “brings rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression.” The Guatemala office provides legal and aftercare resources to child victims of sexual abuse. Victoria is “so grateful to SBC for equipping me with a broad knowledge of the Spanish language and with a heart for sharing other cultures.” We have no doubt that you will change the world, Victoria! Another swan is set to venture south (well, Central): Seanne Weekes has accepted an offer from the Peace Corps to travel to Costa Rica. She will leave in March, and we wish her all the best. Last—but most certainly not least—we celebrate with many of our sisters as they reach different milestones. This summer has seen the marriage of Heather Bradley Megginson to Chris Megginson, Sierra Palmieri Leske to Jack Leske and Stacy Ludington-Snider to Mike Snider. Joining them is Kelly Mosher. Kelly and Aaron Lipscomb (H-SC ’11) married at the Sierra Vista in Bedford, VA, on 10/26/13. Kelly also accepted her 1st teaching job at Lake Monticello, where the couple resides. Best wishes on this new part of your journey! While not all exciting new adventures are mentioned here, we extend a final “Holla, holla!” to the entire Class of 2012, for there is nothing that you cannot do!

2013

Jackelinne Ruth Montero jackiermontero@gmail.com

Elizabeth Hansborough is in WinstonSalem, NC, until March 2014 as a BB&T Leadership Development Program Associate with a concentration in business banking. Sarah Morgan recently started her position at SBC as a new accountant. Dani Humphrey is currently a professional swim coach at Machine Aquatics Club in Northern VA, and also works at the Machine Aquatics Swim School in Vienna, VA. Katie Bitting is currently attending Duke U. to get her Ph.D. in chemistry.

Lee Grove has moved to Raleigh, NC, and traveled throughout Europe in the summer 2013. Lindsay Davis is a process engineer at AMTI, an electronic manufacturing company in Lynchburg where she lives with her dog, Doppler. Elizabeth Koslow began medical school at DMU in Aug. 2013. She also joined the Army and enrolled in the Healthcare Professional Scholarship Program. Kate Macklin is currently hiking the Appalachian Trail. Caitlin Swauger has relocated to Raleigh, NC, to start her 1st yr. of law school at Campbell. Alyson Booth is currently in her 1st yr. of veterinary school at OSU. Stacie Wilson is employed at Danville Pittsylvania Community Services at a residential crisis stabilization house. She is also working on a master’s in marriage and family therapy from LU. Victoria Mills married Drew Ramsey on 6/8/13 at SBC and currently works for Genworth Financial in Lynchburg. Carli Hammer will move to NYC in Jan. 2014 to apply to physician assistant programs. Sarah Lindemann has moved to Manassas, VA, and is working as a regulatory technician at Wetlands Studies and Solutions, Inc. in Gainesville, VA. Cristina Thomas is attending Loyola U. College of Law in New Orleans. Morgan Franke has moved to FL and is interning at the Plant Ecology Lab at Archbold Biological Station. Samantha Schwartz is in Corolla, NC, and employed by Kitty Hawk Kites. Ann Roach is a front desk agent for The Inn at Perry Cabin in MD and is planning on attending grad school for art therapy in 2014. A research paper Jennifer Gray wrote was recently published in the fall 2013 issue of the SBC Honors Journal. Marianna deLyon is pursuing a master’s in education at Lynchburg Coll. Julie Moorhead is working in the House of Representatives for Congressman Scott Rigell. Rachael Ashdown lives in Freeville, NY, and is a part-time contributor for American News Review. Julie Green is deferring her grad school admission at W&M for a yr. to retake core accounting courses at CVCC. She hopes to qualify to take the CPA exam next fall. Kaitlin Eckenberger works at Capitol Office Solutions, a Xerox company, as a client relations manager for large accounts. Ali Davidson recently moved to Ocala, FL, to work at Don Stewart Stables. Jessie Edington is the development and event coordinator at the Prevent Cancer Foundation. And I, Jackie Montero, am living and working at Grey Gables Farm in Swoope, VA, training and riding horses as well as teaching lessons. I am also the new IHSA coach for MBC.

Please submit your notes to classnotes@sbc.edu as follows: • Summer 2014 notes due March 3, 2014 • Winter 2014 notes due Sept. 5, 2014 sbc.edu | Sweet Briar Magazine

Homecoming &

Families Weekend 2013

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eunion 2014 May 30-June 1

If you are a member of a class ending in a “4” or “9,” or if you simply want to join the festivities, please mark your calendar now! Go to sbc.edu/alumdev/reunion for more information.