Sweet Briar Alumnae Magazine | Vol. 89, No. 1 | Spring 2019 by Sweet Briar College

Dear Sweet Briar alumnae and friends, Friendship and family have been on my mind lately, and so I want to tell you about some new friends I’ve been making this semester. One of them is Ray, who is tall and smart and also known as Love Z, and the other is Blues, who is very personable and a wonderful teacher. My friendship with Ray has grown over time; frankly, I didn’t seem to make much of an impression on him at first. My friendship with Blues blossomed immediately; we seem to be simpatico. As I joked with Merrilee “Mimi” Wroten, the director of Sweet Briar’s acclaimed riding program, maybe I bonded faster with Blues because he’s rather short, and so am I. And if you haven’t already figured it out, Ray, a chestnut warmblood, and Blues, a gray quarter horse, are members of the College’s equine family, and along with Mimi, they’ve been teaching me how to ride. As Sweet Briar’s president, it’s vital for me to learn as much as I can about the College, its programs and its people. That’s why I taught a course in our inaugural threeweek session in the fall of 2018; that’s why I have just instituted collegial gatherings of faculty and staff every Monday evening (called Sweet Briar Hour); and that’s why I’m taking riding lessons, so that I can better understand our equestrian program, its accomplishments and its needs. Riding also gives me a connection with many members of our Sweet Briar family; a full third of our students identify as riders, whether for competition or recreation. In fact, the more I learn about horses and riding, the more I see that equestrian skills have a strong connection to our new core curriculum with its focus on leadership. Riders develop trust in and empathy for their equine partners; riders learn perseverance and discipline; riders gain confidence. These traits are among the habits of mind, along with problem-solving and creativity, that democratic leadership requires, and which our core curriculum aims to inculcate in every Sweet Briar student. Seeing our horses grazing in our pastures is a beautiful, bucolic sight and always raises my spirits. It also reminds me that farming was part of Sweet Briar’s history — and it’s about to become an important part of the College’s present and future. We are implementing a number of agricultural initiatives, ranging from an apiary to greenhouses that will grow organic vegetables and herbs for our dining hall, to vineyards that will produce grapes we will market to wineries throughout Virginia. You can read more about our plans to bring aspects of Sweet Briar’s farming legacy back to life and the ways in which the farm will be integrated into our academic program in the story on page 2. I’m excited to share this news about the farm with you, many of whom I’ve had the pleasure to meet and become friends with since I came to Sweet Briar. As I reflect on the benefits of friendship and family, I want you to know how much I value the stories you’ve shared with me about Sweet Briar’s influence on your personal and professional lives. Thank you for all that you do to support the College. I look forward to seeing you back on campus — and if you haven’t already met them, I’ll introduce you to Ray and Blues. Sincerely,

Meredith Woo

Spring 2019, Vol. 89, No. 1

MAGAZINE

This magazine aims to present interesting and thought-provoking news about the College and its alumnae. Publication of the material does not indicate endorsement of the author’s viewpoint by the College. We reserve the right to edit and revise all material that we accept for publication. If you have a story idea or content to submit for publication, contact the editor, Amy Ostroth, at aostroth@sbc.edu. Magazine Staff Amy Ostroth, Editor Clélie Steckel, Director of Annual Giving and the Sweet Briar Fund SilverLining Design, Lead Design Cassie Foster Evans, Photographer Contributors: Janika Carey ’10, John R. Shannon, Gardner McFall, Alex Grobman ’12, Sybil Slate, Annie Begly Wetli, Kiliii Yuya Contact Information Office of Communications P.O. Box 1052 Sweet Briar, VA 24595 434-381-6262 Office of Alumnae Relations and Development P.O. Box 1057 Sweet Briar, VA 24595 800-381-6131 Parents of Alumnae If this magazine is addressed to a daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please email us at alumnae@sbc.edu with her new address. Thank you! Find Sweet Briar Online sbc.edu

CONTENTS

2 Deep Roots: Farming at Sweet Briar

Sweet Briar has a long history of farming. This year, agriculture returns to the College.

10 Leaders in Public Service

Careers in public service are as diverse as the Sweet Briar women who have them.

16 Ahead of the Game: Sweet Briar Lacrosse

The College launching its athletic association in 1907 was ahead of its time. In the years since, lacrosse has been an important part of the community.

18 Daisy’s Harp

A new experimental ensemble bridges music and engineering, as well as past and present.

20 Sweet Briar Goes to Washington

Sweet Briar’s amazing alumnae network has helped make an annual trek to Washington, D.C., a chance for students to network and learn about job opportunities.

23 Sweet Briar’s 2019 Presidential Medal

Student Government Association President Caroline Thomas ‘19 has won Sweet Briar’s highest honor: the Presidential Medal.

24 New Kids on the Blog

Our award-winning Admissions Blog is a great way to learn about day-to-day life on campus from the perspective of students, faculty and staff.

30 Q&A with Alison Lifka ’13

Last fall, we had a chance to talk to Alison Lifka ’13 about her training for the Iditarod, a 1,000-mile sled dog race through Alaska.

34 JYF in Paris: a Family Legacy

As JYF in Paris celebrates its 70th anniversary, read the story of one family, who sent three generations to study in the City of Light.

38 The Camille Flood of 1969

Read how Sweet Briar faculty, staff and students helped rebuild the community after the historic 1969 flood.

DEPARTMENTS

26 On the Quad 40 Giving

43 In Memoriam 46 Class Notes

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Jan Y. Osinga worked at the Sweet Briar farm for more than 41 years. In a memoir written in 2009, he said he was often asked, “What is a dairy farm doing at a college?” Jan’s response was always the same: that the farm was there first. Indeed, it was. The Sweet Briar Plantation was founded in the 1830s and operated as a farm throughout the 19th century. After the College’s founding in 1901, the school’s acres were divided into an orchard; a sheep, hog, chicken and Black Angus beef farm; and a Holstein Friesian dairy. In the end, the College streamlined its farming efforts, increasing the milking herd and focusing on dairy operations.

A watercolor rendering of how the wildflower meadow might look. Artist: Annie Begly Wetli

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“Old and former barns are still a silent witness of the past, part of the Sweet Briar Farm History, while the open fields, once planted in hay, corn and small grain, will remain a constant reminder of the past.” — Jan Osinga

Driving around campus after his retirement and the end of dairy operations, Jan observed that “old and former barns are still a silent witness of the past, part of the Sweet Briar Farm History, while the open fields, once planted in hay, corn and small grain, will remain a constant reminder of the past.” No longer a thing of the past, this year, farming will return as an active part of College life. In setting her strategic vision for the College, President Meredith Woo identified the campus as a distinctive asset and stewarding its land as everyone’s responsibility. She began asking questions about how to build an artisanal agricultural community that would have a purposeful academic component. After consulting with the College’s Sustainability Committee, President Woo asked Lori Husein, vice president for finance and administration, and Nathan Kluger, director of agricultural enterprises, to implement new farming activities

that would weave sustainable agriculture into the fabric of Sweet Briar’s campus. These efforts have two primary functions: to provide academic opportunities for Sweet Briar students and to produce alternative streams of revenue for the College. But more than that, Sweet Briar wants to honor its agricultural legacy and create chances to connect with residents of Amherst County. And the timing couldn’t be more perfect, with more women taking on agricultural businesses than ever before. “As women run an increasing number of the nation’s farms, Sweet Briar will be poised to recruit and educate women who will be the agricultural and natural resource leaders of tomorrow,” President Woo says. “Moreover, by reactivating heritage agricultural lands, the farming operations will provide us with critical sources of auxiliary revenue, and will help ensure that we fulfill our responsibilities to be wise and proper stewards of our natural environment.”

Sweet Briar is Growing

In March, the school’s new agricultural operation buzzed back into life, when the bees in the hives that were installed last summer began foraging for pollen after a long winter. The first steps for the worker bees involve feeding the queen so she’ll ramp up her egg laying. In Virginia, early spring bees typically feed on flowering trees and as you read this article, our bees are venturing out to seek maple tree pollen and nectar. Bees need both nectar and pollen to be healthy, and a healthy hive should produce 35 to 40 pounds of honey in the first year — and maybe twice as much in later years. Later this summer, you’ll be able to purchase honey harvested at Sweet Briar in the Book Shop. The College’s agricultural efforts will be a hive of activity this spring and summer. Near the apiary, Nathan is overseeing the planting of a meadow, which will be home to wildflowers and native grasses. The meadow will take approximately three years to mature, but already significant changes are taking place. “This pollinator field is a healthy buffer space that supports a variety of natural fauna like butterflies and humming birds,” says Nathan. “It’s a vast safe space, not only for the bees whose hives are nearby, but for a wide array of pollinators that keep our plants healthy. Of course, it also contributes to the beauty of Sweet Briar’s campus, which is one of its most valuable assets.” Something else visitors to campus will be able to see very soon? Grapevines. Earlier this spring, Nathan and his team broke ground on what will become 20 acres of vineyard.

They took surveys and conducted soil testing so they could make nutrient adjustments and ensure that the vines would grow strong and healthy. The team built trellises and now vines are being planted. “In the first year, we’ll train the vines,” says Nathan. “We should see the first yield in about three years with maximum yield in five.” Ultimately, there are about 60 acres of vineyards planned. Making good use of the level spot that was home to the lower tennis courts, a greenhouse is being built. When construction is complete later this summer, the College will begin planting crops that its food services partner, Meriwether Godsey, will use to feed students, faculty and staff in the dining hall. When Sweet Briar is not in session, the hope is that Meriwether Godsey will be able to use the crops for its other local customers, ensuring a steady market for the College and plenty of farm-to-table produce for Meriwether Godsey: a win-win for everyone. Nathan says an orchard site has also been identified near the community garden, so fruit trees may also be in Sweet Briar’s future. In addition, there may be opportunities for livestock like cattle and sheep to take up residence on campus. Even farther out? Perhaps the College might use its grapes in its own winery. But no matter what additional agricultural endeavors the College engages in, says Nathan, “we have to operate within a regenerative model that treats the land that has been entrusted to the College in a responsible manner, and there has to be an academic overlay for everything we do.”

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Members of the staff survey the land near the green barn for the installation of grapevines.

FACULTY PROFILE

Rachel Davis ‘22 works in the apiary

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Agriculture and the Classroom

The faculty are already looking at ways to bring the farm into the classroom. In fall 2018, just after the apiary had been installed, Dorys McConnell Duberg Professor of Ecology Linda Fink — in collaboration with Brooke Savage, the beekeeper from Elysium Honey — began offering a Saturday afternoon class in beekeeping for students. Those who completed the course will be prepared to take the Apprentice Beekeeper exam from the Virginia State Beekeepers Association Master Beekeeper Program. Next year, Linda and Brooke will provide another course for beginners, plus more advanced opportunities for students who completed the first course, and students will take on more responsibility at the apiary as they gain more proficiency. There’s also ample opportunity for Linda to use the bees to teach insect biology. Last fall, students in BIOL 111: Introduction to Organisms spent an afternoon lab period learning about honey bee biology and collecting data on bee foraging behavior. One senior biology major conducted research in the apiary in the fall. In Linda’s three-week course this spring, students will do projects associated with the bees. Linda also plans to use the meadow extensively. “I’ll be teaching insect biology next year and having the meadow close at hand will be a wonderful asset. I’ll probably use it in ecology, too,” she says. Indeed, the opportunities to link academics to the College’s agricultural efforts are limited only by the ingenuity and creativity of the faculty. CORE 140: Sustainable Systems, will introduce the concept of sustainability by teaching students about the interconnect-

edness of environmental, cultural and economic systems. The need to test the soil for nutrient levels offers an opportunity for biology and chemistry students. Engineering students can develop tools to help the College monitor its fields. In fact, this year’s Capstone students are engaged in something similar already, though they’re doing it at UVa. Business students could learn to develop plans for agricultural businesses. The greenhouse also provides an opportunity for on-site learning. Raina Robeva, director of the Center for Engineering, Science and Technology in Society, sees collaborative opportunities for her center and the Center for Human and Environmental Sustainability. “The plans are for a smart farm where modern technology compliments and assists with land management and use. This will be fertile ground for collaboration between the STEM center and the sustainability center,” says Raina. Carrie Brown, director of the Center for Creativity, Design and the Arts, is equally invested in developing ways for her center to take advantage of the growing agricultural efforts at the College.

The Bottom Line

There are complex financial issues involved with agriculture at Sweet Briar, from startup costs to long-term revenue. According to Lori, startup costs will be funded by private donations and public and private grants. The College is actively pursuing these private dollars, as well as grant opportunities at the federal, state and local levels. It is also looking into developing corporate partnerships. The Commonwealth of Virginia has prioritized agriculture as a driver for economic development — a sound decision

Brooke Savage teaches a class in the apiary

Agriculture by the Numbers USDA research says that 11% of jobs in the United States are related to agriculture and food and in 2015, these industries accounted for more than 5% of the U.S. GDP. This impact is felt strongly in Virginia, where agriculture is the state’s biggest industry. The impact of women on the industry continues to grow as well. According to the USDA, the share of U.S. farms operated by women nearly tripled in the last 30 years. About 32% of farmers in Virginia are women, with an economic impact of $238.7 million. Nationwide, women farmers have an impact of $12.9 billion.

that will help us leverage grants and partnerships with government agencies and private sector companies that provide smart farm technologies.” Sweet Briar will use these external funding opportunities to minimize the impact to the College’s bottom line in the short term and maximize revenue in the long term. “To be sustainable,” says Lea, “these agricultural efforts must provide unique auxiliary revenue opportunities and we need to start investing in them.” Lori agrees. “We have a ready market,” she says. “There is demand for the products we can produce here.” As such, Nathan is tasked with ensuring that Sweet Briar’s agricultural enterprises are revenue-centric, starting with

Sweet Briar is seeking a director of the Center for Human and Environmental Sustainability. Half the director’s time will be spent teaching and the other half will be spent leading the development of a sustainability plan and implementing those practices at the College. Visit sbc.edu/human-resources to learn more.

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since agriculture is the state’s largest industry. As a result, the state has developed incentive programs for agriculture-based economic development. Of course, economic development is particularly important to Amherst County and the region around the College. Sweet Briar is the fourth-largest employer in the county, so it can provide real development opportunities to the county and its residents. That makes Sweet Briar a good investment for the state, and has the added benefit of building up the College’s relationship with the county and its residents as an active part of the county’s economic growth. In fact, the College is already working closely with the Amherst County Agricultural Committee to partner with them on growing agritourism in the county. At the local level, Sweet Briar is already working with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture, to mitigate invasive species and prepare the land for these new endeavors. At the federal level, there are larger Conservation Innovation Grants to be had as part of the farm bill. These grants drive public and private sector innovation in research conservation, helping to develop next-generation agricultural and conservation tools, technologies and strategies. The NRCS is also committed to supporting historically underserved groups — like women — providing a real opportunity for funding at Sweet Briar. Ultimately, the efforts funded by the NRCS boost production and improve water quality, soil health and wildlife habitats. “This is not just a ‘build it and they will come’ thing,” says Lea Harvey ’90, director of foundation and corporate relations. “We’ve done research to know where our access points to market are. And we have an opportunity to give back to Amherst County to drive economic development and be a demonstration site for best practices in agriculture. All of

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Clearly, agriculture and livestock are deeply embedded in the life of Sweet Briar College. The note on this picture from our archives says: The early lawnmowers. Sheep on the lawn c. 1908

the apiary. Because the College has its own hives, as well as a contract with nearby Elysium Honey to process the honey, Sweet Briar should see a modest profit from the apiary soon. Likewise, the vineyard will produce revenue because there is a big market for Virginia grapes. “Virginia is the fifth-largest wine-producing state in the country and in order to produce a Virginia wine, vintners must use a minimum of 75% Virginia grapes,” says Nathan. The state currently has a shortage of grapes and Sweet Briar will help provide a solution to that problem. “There is a lot of upside to using Sweet Briar’s many south-facing slopes to grow grapes,” says Nathan. In addition to creating alternative streams of revenue, adding agricultural learning opportunities may also open some avenues to recruit students who are interested in farming or related industries. After all, what better place to educate women to be leaders in agriculture than at Sweet Briar, where there is a long history of farming and a renewed commitment not only to developing women leaders, but also to stewarding the land left to the College by Indiana Fletcher Williams? Certainly, there are similarities between Jan’s farm and the agricultural enterprises Sweet Briar is undertaking today. For one thing, back in the days of the Sweet Briar dairy, Jan wasn’t afraid to try new things. And, like Nathan, Jan was charged with building a farm that would create revenue. But one thing is different: Jan thought the farm should have been a more integrated part of the student experience. “I always thought it a missed opportunity that the academic part of Sweet Briar never took great advantage of incorporating the farm and dairy in some way into their academic curriculum,” he wrote in his memoir. We’d like to think Jan would be pleased to see the College bringing farming back

Engineering Capstone Takes Sweet Briar Students into the Field All engineering majors at Sweet Briar undertake a yearlong culminating experience called Capstone during their senior year. It is a chance to hone and develop skills while working on a project for an external client. This year’s project is an excellent example of how agriculture and academics can work together: Sweet Briar capstone students are designing an autonomous vehicle that measures carbon dioxide in a vineyard to estimate soil respiration. Working in partnership with the systems engineering and environmental science departments at the University of Virginia, students are integrating sensors, along with locational data, to create a map of soil conditions. The data must be transmitted, interpreted and stored by the control systems so that the robotic control system can adjust its future course and sampling locations to provide relevant information to the vineyard.

to campus with new products and new ideas, and that he’d be happy to know that the farm will have a place in the curriculum. Yes, agriculture has deep roots at Sweet Briar. The latest efforts are part of a new chapter in farming at the College, one President Woo anticipates will have a lasting, positive impact. “We have a significant inheritance in the beautiful land. It is ours to keep and ours to honor,” she says. “I’m proud of what we will accomplish as we merge our agricultural legacy with our commitment to the future of the liberal arts and women’s leadership.”

Nathan Kluger joined the staff at Sweet Briar in 2018 as the College’s director of agriculture. He has nearly two decades of experience in enterprise-level agriculture and horticulture-based businesses. A native of Indiana, Nathan is a graduate of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. At one point, he was a double major in business and pre-med, which meant that he spent a lot of time in the biology and chemistry departments at the university. Although he didn’t complete his pre-med studies, he says the time he spent studying the sciences as an undergraduate helped him wrap his head around wine making later in his life. After completing his business degree, Nathan spent time in central China, where he taught English as a second language, “spread his wings a bit” and also met his wife. Both taught there until the SARS epidemic brought them back to Indiana. That’s when he began his career in agriculture, although it wasn’t his first foray into the field — he’d begun beekeeping around the age of 17. Returning to Indiana in 2002, he began working in a family-run, high-end garden supply business in the southern part of the state, which brought him a connection with Rosemary Verey, a renowned English garden designer, who was highly influential in Nathan’s sense of design and love for plants. Nathan’s horticultural specialty is English roses and culinary herbs. While operating his family company, he ran a retail greenhouse operation with eight locations for about 10 years. That company was focused on roses, perennials and the culinary garden experience. In 2010, he turned his beekeeping hobby into a business. He began selling honey and eventually looked for ways to

increase his profits from his apiaries. In 2012, he and his wife founded one of the area’s first mead wineries and eventually became one of the larger Midwest producers of mead with strong regional distribution. In addition to producing mead — wine made from honey — he produced Traminette in his vineyards and worked on creating pollinator-friendly vineyard practices. While building his wine business, he became familiar with local, regional and national distribution strategies and collaborated with local and state governments to establish farmers’ markets, wine festivals and small-business-friendly policies. He also collaborated with Purdue University’s College of Agriculture, which has a large presence in Indiana enology and viticulture. On the evening of Feb. 28, 2017, Nathan’s historic farm, winery business and apiaries were destroyed by a tornado. In looking to rebuild the business, Nathan and his wife considered the economic potential of relocating their operation. They looked at places from California to France, but ultimately decided that Central Virginia was the best place for their family and their business. They bought a historic property on the Piney River on the southern edge of Nelson County and began setting up shop. He has now 40 to 60 hives in his apiary and is building up his own winery operations. In spring 2018, President Meredith Woo and Lori Husein, Sweet Briar’s vice president for finance and administration, put on bee suits and met Nathan in his apiary to talk about what it might look like to bring honey bees to Sweet Briar. As the discussions continued, Nathan began advising Sweet Briar on sustainable agriculture, apiary management and viticulture. In July 2018, he was asked to join the College.

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NATHAN KLUGER

Sweet Briar Women

LEADING IN PUBLIC SERVICE

Critical thinking, communication skills, ethical decision-making and problem-solving are all hallmarks of a liberal arts education, but they also provide excellent preparation for civic leadership. Perhaps it is unsurprising then, that so many Sweet Briar women become civic leaders after graduation. Some stand for elected positions, some are appointed to their positions and others are employed by governments at the local, state and federal levels. Regardless of the type of positions they hold, we’re proud of the many alumnae who have dedicated their careers to public service. They’re truly making a difference. sbc.edu

Here are just a few of their stories.

Curatorial associate in the department of sculpture and decorative arts at the National Gallery of Art The department Emily Pegues ’00 works for at the National Gallery of Art is responsible for acquiring new works of art; organizing exhibitions; and preserving, displaying and interpreting works of art in the permanent collection. “My favorite part of the job is traveling as a courier with works of art we lend to exhibitions,” Emily tells us. “I’ve gotten to travel and work all over the world! It is quite special to accompany a Raphael back to Urbino, a city I first learned about from Professors Lee Piepho and Rosalia Ascari.” Sweet Briar has a lot to do with where Emily is today. “At the SBC retirement party for Professor Emerita Ninie Laing ’57, I was one of the speakers and met another speaker, Lynn Rogerson ’76, who was the director of Art Services International. She was looking for an assistant to join her nonprofit traveling art exhibition organization. I remembered ASI from a J-term arts management class visit; it was a company that really intrigued me.” Emily went to work for Lynn. A few months in, ASI needed an education coordinator to cover someone’s maternity leave. “I leapt at the chance, and at age 22 was suddenly doing a dream job of coordinating exhibition catalogues, working with international scholars and gaining tons of experience — an extraordinary opportunity,” Emily recalls. She’s had a number of jobs in the years since — and she’s completed a master’s degree and is almost done with her

Ph.D. dissertation, all while doing full-time curatorial work. While exhausting, she says, that double duty has “led to some exciting professional opportunities and cross-collaborations.” If Sweet Briar’s alumnae network helped make her career, it is the College’s education and its faculty that shaped her as a leader. Emily Pegues ’00 “Having great professors — great in their professional fields but also as generous mentors and role models beyond the classroom — has been instrumental in my life,” Emily says. “Being accustomed to speak up in the classroom, to take charge on the hockey field, to dive into life as a student in a foreign country are all things we learned as natural at SBC and which have shaped my understanding of leadership.” Good leadership, Emily says, is “doing the fearless right thing even if it makes people uncomfortable. I’m amazed by how often bad decisions are made just because people want to avoid rocking the boat or taking responsibility for saying the tough, true thing. Good leadership is being clear about goals — defining and committing to a mission, having a vision — and working collaboratively and fairly towards achieving it. It’s also about recognizing the value of each member of that team, whatever their role — like the famous photo of President Obama giving a janitor a friendly fist bump, in recognition of the person behind the job and the value of his work.”

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The Art Historian: Emily Pegues ’00

The Judge: Verda Colvin ’87 Superior court judge in the Macon Judicial Circuit in Macon-Bibb County, Ga.

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If you didn’t know Judge Verda Colvin ’87 before March 29, 2016, you probably know her now — thanks to a viral video showing her lecture a group of troubled youth. As superior court judge in Macon-Bibb County, Ga., Verda has exclusive jurisdiction over felony cases, divorce, land and equity cases. “No one day is ever the same,” she says. “It is said that we are the busiest trial courts in our nation.” Verda’s career started at a civil rights law firm, but she found her true calling where she never expected it — as a prosecutor. “I enjoyed being a litigator — engaging in bench and jury trials,” she tells us. From there, Verda went to work briefly as assistant general counsel for Clark-Atlanta University. “I honed my moral compass there,” she says. Her next step: assistant district attorney in Clayton County, Ga. “I learned that my role as a prosecutor was life-changing, as I could ensure that people were treated fairly as I controlled prosecutions,” she explains. “It was rewarding to ‘do the right thing’ even in a role that people readily assume is antagonistic to someone who finds him or herself in the criminal justice system.” It is a good thing for Verda — and for Sweet Briar — that she stopped by the College’s table at a fair in College Park, Ga., some 36 years ago. She double-majored in government and religion and held a variety of leadership positions,

including as a resident advisor and a member of several student organizations. What drew her to Sweet Briar in particular? “I wanted to attend a secondary institution that would be concerned about me, as a person, and my development as an intellectual,” she says. “I wanted an environment that would care about me.” And she got it. “Sweet Briar Verda Colvin ‘87 molded me into the woman I am today,” Verda says. “I learned to love myself at Sweet Briar and value all that I had to offer the world. There can be no greater joy than to choose an institution that empowers you on a personal level to be your best self. Sweet Briar did that for me.” And it did something else. “Sweet Briar left me with a keen sense that my success was a necessity,” she adds. “Not just for myself, but for the world at large. I left Sweet Briar with a tenacious desire to do something, to matter, to fulfill my destiny — whatever that was to be. I knew that success was not optional, but expected. That has been the guiding quest since becoming an alumna of Sweet Briar.” And her career is a testament to it. “Leaders DO,” Verda says. “Leaders are those who seek the highest good, who demand the best and give the same to others. They don’t ask that others follow their example but instead, others follow them because of their admiration and recognition that this leader is who they’d like to be.”

State Representative in Vermont In November 2018, Felisha Leffler ’17 was elected to serve in the Vermont House of Representatives — an impressive accomplishment for a young woman less than two years from her Sweet Briar graduation. Felisha says her primary tasks are to listen and advocate. “For all of the concerns and ideas and initiatives I’ve listened to,” she says, “I then must act in a creative and responsible manner to bring solutions forward. To be effective as a representative, I need to be fierce, diligent — leveraging good compromise and creative problem-solving — understanding and honest.” She says her college experience was an excellent launching pad for her current role, but as a member of the Class of 2017, she experienced some upheaval. “I experienced some of my highest and lowest moments at Sweet Briar,” she says. “But Sweet Briar pushed me out of my comfort zone and put me in a position to forge myself into a better person.” The Sweet Briar community helped her develop resilience during those difficult times. “It was the most compassionate place with the most understanding staff, peers, professors,” she told us. “It’s really the most incredible place for both education and development.” She knows the resilience she learned at Sweet Briar will help her handle whatever challenges come her way. In addition to the support she got, she also had plenty of leadership opportunities. Beginning with practically her first day, she was involved in one kind of leadership or another, from being a leader in the classroom to serving on student

government, clubs and more. “Having a community of so many driven women, there’s always a lot of good ideas on the table,” Felisha says. She learned to define the problem and how to make the best use of many ideas: “Collaboration and leadership go hand in hand, and Sweet Briar really helped me learn that.” Felisha says running for office felt Felisha Leffler ’17 like a pipe dream or something she would do after she established a career. But as a student, she was able to intern on campaigns. Those internships helped her understand the ins and outs of why people run. “It was different than I had always thought,” she explains. “It was moms looking to change the conversation around education and opportunity. It was young professionals who were passionate about policy and wanted to get involved locally.” Those internships changed her thinking. “I was able to recognize the opportunity to serve my hometown and neighboring community. This allowed me to throw my hat into the ring decades before I thought it possible.” Her time at Sweet Briar also ignited a desire to strive for change and growth in her community. “The student council, Inter-Club council and so many more gave me an appetite to connect with the people and groups around me and work to make a comprehensive environment that’s robust and innovative. My role in public service really hones in on these goals and experiences and allows me to really act as a facilitator for my constituents.”

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The Representative: Felisha Leffler ’17

The Chief of Staff: Morgan Viña ’07 Chief of Staff to the United States Permanent Representative of the United Nations

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Working in a political position like chief of staff to the United States permanent representative to the U.N. isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a job that requires confidence and a willingness to make tough decisions. Morgan Viña is just that kind of person — and she’s never been the type to take no for an answer. That fortitude goes all the way back to her college days. For example, when she says she “bombed the LSAT” and worried she might not get into law school, she researched and discovered that graduate schools in the United Kingdom didn’t require an admissions test. “I ended up getting my master’s degree at the London School of Economics

in one year, half the time and cost it would have taken me to attend graduate school in the United States,” she recalls. “Working for the U.S. government, I hear a lot of reasons why we shouldn’t change the status quo. To this, I say, ‘Don’t tell me why something can’t be done, tell me how you’re going to Morgan Viña ’07 accomplish it.’” That’s a lesson she learned at Sweet Briar. “To be successful, students must do the work and be prepared to be challenged by their professors as well as classmates,” she says. “Similarly, in my career, I am most successful when I do my homework and prepare to be challenged by my principal and peers.” As a student, she knew she wanted a career in public ser-

the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. When Nikki Haley was nominated to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, it was Morgan’s job to brief her on the committee’s priorities and vet her fitness for office. “I liked her so much that after she was confirmed, I asked her for a job,” Morgan says. “After joining her team in New York and serving as her advisor on management and reform, she asked me to be her chief of staff.” Morgan has an impressive career, but she still has time for Sweet Briar. She loves mentoring students and recent graduates on their careers. “Working in politics and government can be like navigating a minefield,” she says. “There are so many unwritten rules and protocols one is expected to follow. I had to learn a lot of these lessons the hard way.” She likes the opportunity to help fellow Sweet Briar women learn to swim in those waters.

spring 2019

vice, but wasn’t sure what that would look like. She did a lot of internships, but when she took former history professor John Ashbrook’s class on modern European history, she realized foreign policy was her niche. Early in her career, when she was working as a research assistant for the Heritage Foundation, Boko Haram attacked the U.N. Headquarters in Abuja. She realized the attack could have broader policy implications. When she told her boss, he said that if it mattered to her, she should write a policy statement. “More to prove a point than anything,” she recalls, “I wrote a blog post and then a longer policy piece. This turned into a bigger campaign to get the administration to designate Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which they eventually did.” That led to her organizing a working group on Sub-Saharan Africa, which in turn led to a recommendation that she work with Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) when he became

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Ahead of the Game: SWEET BRIAR LACROSSE

Note: Many thanks to Theresa Carriveau ’20 for letting us use her Honors Summer Research paper, “Ahead of the Game: A Look at the History of Athletics, Field Hockey, and Lacrosse at Sweet Briar College from 1900-1930,” to write this story. Lacrosse came to Sweet Briar in 1912 along with recently hired physical director Cara Gascoigne (pictured opposite page). The first club team at the College was organized in 1914. It appears that Sweet Briar may have been one of the earliest institutions to introduce the sport. In fact, it may have been the first institution in the country to play lacrosse. In 2007, long-time Sweet Briar coach Jennifer Crispen (pictured above) wrote in the Alumnae Magazine, “You cannot underestimate the influence of the early physical educators at Sweet Briar. They valued athletics and competition not only as necessary, but as good for their students. Much of the early progress in women’s competition was due to the competitive philosophy of women’s college athletics, particularly the Mid-Atlantic and Southern women’s colleges. Cara Gascoigne left a legacy that still benefits Sweet Briar student-athletes today.” Crispen began coaching lacrosse

at Sweet Briar in 1977 and became not only a beloved member of the Sweet Briar community but also boasted an impressive history of accomplishments as a coach. She won many collegiate championships, was named ODAC Coach of the Year four times and coached 12 All-Americans in lacrosse. She also coached eight All-Americans in field hockey. In her 30-year career at the College, she coached more than 500 lacrosse games and two nationally ranked lacrosse teams. Among her many legacies: the Sweet Briar athletics logo, which she drew herself, and which is affectionately known as the “Crispen Vixen.” She mentored hundreds of lacrosse and field hockey players before her death in 2008. Today, lacrosse is in good hands at Sweet Briar. Jodi Canfield, who joined Sweet Briar as athletics director in 2018, is a longtime lacrosse coach and player and like those early Sweet Briar women back in 1907, Jodi believes that athletics are a critical part of the academic mission of the College. “Athletics help foster leadership abilities through being a part of team, conflict resolution and communication skills,” she says. “As a department, we have educational sessions, mentoring pro-

grams to be proactive on the academic front, and then constant contact with our student-athletes to try and intervene at the first spot of difficulty. Student-athletes have a higher GPA than the general student body.” She is optimistic about the future of Sweet Briar lacrosse. “The Sweet Briar program is growing and should be competitive in the conference in the coming years,” Jodi says. “ Teams that are as large as a lacrosse team (2025 players) often need more time to develop to become competitive. Specialty positions in attack, midfield, defense and goalies need time in the recruiting process to develop and yield.” Jodi’s faith in the program’s future is justified by Meredith Newman ’09 as the head coach. Prior to coming back to Sweet Briar in 2017, Meredith was the founding head coach of the lacrosse program at Beloit College in Wisconsin. She also spent two years at Augustana College in Illinois, where she compiled an overall record of 37-5, a perfect 12-0 regular season conference record, and back-to-back College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) tournament titles, as well as NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances. Meredith takes being a head coach

Sweet Briar Athletics: The Early Years

seriously and knows that her job is about more than just teaching the rules of the game. Her own opendoor policy comes from what she learned from her own favorite coaches at Sweet Briar. “My experience as a student-athlete molded me into a more responsible, committed, organized and effective leader because of the incredible mentorship and leadership of the coaches during my time as a player: Missy Ackerman and Hilary London,” Newman says. “I am honored to be in such an influential role and aim to provide the same degree of mentorship to our athletes today as they gave to me.” Meredith is excited about the future of the Sweet Briar lacrosse program. Her immediate goals are to increase scoring opportunities, limit turnovers and establish a tradition of relentless defense and hustle, but she also looks forward to recruiting the next generation and leaving a strong foundation for the future. “ The lacrosse players who will carry the torch in the future will be committed to pushing the program forward and may very well find themselves in fiercely competitive company with some of the strongest programs in our conference,” she says. “ They will be competing in the conference tournament.”

Meredith Newman ‘09 coaches one of her players

spring 2019

In 1907, when Sweet Briar College launched its athletic association, college-supported athletic competition for women wasn’t all that common. Mount Holyoke had introduced physical education in 1837, but it didn’t much resemble what we consider athletics today; it included light exercise, walking and calisthenics. By the end of the century, more sports had been introduced to college women, including horseback riding, croquet, bowling, boating, ice skating, archery, tennis, crew, walking, bicycling, fencing, swimming, baseball and football. But some sports were considered inappropriate for women. Basketball, it was thought, was too rough for girls, causing them undue exertion. Intercollegiate athletic competition among women was rare. Lucille Eaton Hill, the director of physical training at Wellesley College, noted that “fiercely competitive athletics have their dangers for men, but they mainly develop strength. For women their dangers are greater and the qualities they tend to develop are not womanly.” In addition to the worry about introducing “unwomanly qualities,” people worried about the expense of hiring professional coaches and paying for equipment. Furthermore, women’s athletics for the enjoyment of spectators was frowned upon. Women were supposed to enjoy the game rather than emphasize winning or individual accomplishments. Sweet Briar students formally created their athletic association in June of 1907, just one year after the school started accepting students. These Sweet Briar women challenged the ideals of the time, suggesting that they could be interesting without being pale and “sufficiently intellectual without rising our health.” Further bucking trends, Sweet Briar began scheduling intercollegiate contests in field hockey and basketball in 1919.

DAISY’S HARP

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New student ensemble bridges music and engineering, past and future

There’s that half-hushed air of anticipation in Babcock 127 as students trickle in and take their seats — some pulling out instruments, others phones. And it’s not your everyday class. These are all members of Sweet Briar’s brand-new ensemble Daisy’s Harp, and this is band practice — pretty much. Corin Diaz ’19 has settled in at the piano and is playing a few notes, while classmate Anne Meyer is fiddling, just a little, on her violin. Two weeks earlier, Daisy’s Harp performed its first concert in Memorial Chapel. “This is really like being part of a rock band,” Assistant Professor of Music Joshua Harris, who directs the group, told the audience then. That first show was a colorful assembly of contemporary pieces chosen, arranged and performed by the students — from Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In an Aeroplane Over the Sea” to “Five” by John Cage. “Being in the first song was nerve-wracking, but I had the support of everyone who was on stage with me, and I want-

ed to put on the best performance possible for their sake,” says first-year Rachel Davis from Van Wert, Ohio, who played electric guitar and sang on the Neutral Milk Hotel song. “I’d say we rocked it.” In just three weeks of class, the students had — through improvisation, rehearsals and rearrangements — put together their first big concert, with Harris serving as more of a facilitator than a director. On board: one violin, one cello, two clarinets, one flute, three guitarists, three pianists, several vocalists and two dancers/choreographers. Even a last-minute change of plan — one student lost her voice, so another, Ellis Carroll ’20, had to make the song hers and learn it in one day — didn’t shake Daisy’s Harp. That’s what musicians do every day, Harris noted. But there was something else that impressed listeners in Memorial Chapel: an unusual instrument that can be played by waving one’s hands over it. “This is a light-sensitive harp,” Harris explained. “These

little bumps are phototransistors that react to light. When the light is blocked, they send a message to the computer that basically says: ‘Play a MIDI note.’ From there we can really do anything. … In the case of the song you just heard [“Aeroplane Over the Sea”], we’re controlling a synthesizer that students designed last spring in a course I taught called Interactive Computer Music. The glitches you hear correspond to the light levels being registered by the phototransistors.” That instrument and its development, Harris added, reflect exactly the kind of “Do-it-Yourself ” ethos Daisy’s Harp is trying to foster: “We believe that students need to have opportunities to be makers. Eventually, we hope to design another, larger harp with similar functionality, but with several improvements, and we’re collaborating with engineering faculty on some of the design.” One of those faculty members is Assistant Professor of Engineering Kaelyn Leake ’09, who, along with Harris and two other faculty members, team-taught Sweet Briar’s very first Design Thinking class to first-years during the College’s inaugural threeweek session last fall. Meyer, the ensemble’s violinist who is also an engineering major, was instrumental in building the light harp, Harris said. She took the prototype for the instrument and soldered the circuitry

to a circuit board, then installed it in the enclosure box. Using a modern light harp in this experimental ensemble makes perfect sense, Harris says, especially given the group’s name, which is as much a nod to Sweet Briar’s history as it is to its future.

“This is really like being part of a rock band” “My music colleague Jeff Jones and I have been thinking about ‘Daisy’s Harp’ for a long time,” he explained during the concert. “If you didn’t know, Daisy Williams, the daughter of Sweet Briar founder Indiana Fletcher Williams, played the harp, and you can see her harp on display in the Sweet Briar Museum on Elijah Road. In naming this ensemble Daisy’s Harp, we are seeking to make a connection between our history and our future. Having a kind of modern harp in this ensemble was important to me as a symbol of our respect for tradition even as we press forward with more experimental approaches to music.” As someone who is new to Sweet Briar, Davis can name another reason the ensemble is unusual. “What really makes Daisy’s Harp different

spring 2019

The members of Daisy’s Harp pose with Assistant Professor of Music Joshua Harris

is the sort of attitude that permeates the group,” she says. “In high school, my symphonic band instructor was incredibly strict. Working in an environment where the professor is on good terms with all of his students and is actually friendly to us is a huge change, and it’s much more conducive to making the best music we can.” Back in Babcock, the group tackles its next challenge — a very different one: excerpts of Philip Glass’s opera “Einstein on the Beach” (which they would perform later that fall in Pannell Gallery). “I’ve been thinking about the space and the arrangement,” Harris starts. “A lot of [the text of the opera] was written by someone who is autistic —” “— Christopher Knowles!” adds Davis, delving into an impromptu presentation about Knowles’s life and work, which earns her genuine gratitude from her bandmates. They start talking about patterns, and about how repetition can make words sound and look differently over time. “Minimalism plays on this idea, and Knowles is a great example,” Harris offers. And yet, singing Knowles’s endlessly repetitive lines, Daisy’s Harp quickly realizes that this is going to be a tough one. Harris reassures his choir that they will figure it out. “If you trust the music, the score, that’s the experience you’ll provide to the audience,” he says. It’s another valuable lesson — and one that fits in perfectly with a class “designed to prepare students for the realities of being a musician in the 21st century.” Is it working? “We’ve been really pushing ourselves past what we thought were our limits,” Davis writes in an email three weeks after that first opera rehearsal. “Philip Glass is pretty demanding on performers, but we’re rising to the challenge and really making everything come together.”

Sweet Briar students with Director of Career Services Barb Watts (second from right), Katie Schellhammer ’95 (right) and Suzanne Ullrich ’78 (left) in front of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Sweet Briar goes to Washington sbc.edu

Some of the best learning happens outside the classroom, and that is especially true for Sweet Briar students during what has become an annual pilgrimage to Washington, D.C. Instead of using spring break to head home or to warmer climates, a group of about 20 students headed to Capitol Hill for tours, job shadowing, networking and advice. Barb Watts, who leads Sweet Briar’s Office of Career Services, and a host of alumnae, including Katie Schellhammer ’95 and Suzanne Ullrich ’78, came together to make it happen. Schellhammer and Ullrich are co-chairs of the Networking Group of the Alumnae Alliance Council. The trip began with a dinner and reception with more than 30 D.C.-area alumnae — just the first of several opportunities to meet

alumnae and get advice about the next phase of life. The next morning, Karen Williams-Wickre ’84 hosted the group for breakfast at the Capitol Hill Club. Williams-Wickre has extensive experience with legislative and regulatory issues in both the legislative and executive branches. She observed that working with students is the most important role for alumnae. “You inspire us,” she told the assembled students. She also noted that their careers would take “twists and turns you don’t anticipate. Those are opportunities.” Chrissy Rabuse ’18, who was a student on this same trip just last year and is now the majority staff assistant at the United States Senate, joined the students for breakfast. Last year’s trip made her want to work on Capitol Hill. She acknowledged that there is a steep learning curve and that there are things you can’t learn in government class. “Running letters for co-sponsors was eye-opening,” she said. But she enjoys having access to members of Congress and seeing them in real life instead of just on TV. After a group photo on the steps of the Capitol, one group headed to the Library of Congress. There, Phoebe Brunner Peacock ’68, who is retired from the library where she worked as a classics reference specialist, and Constance Carter, a Smith College graduate who has worked at the library for 53 years, led the group on a backstage tour. Carter was charming and full of stories. “Being a librarian is the best job,” she told the group. “You give me a name and I’ll get you a book. I love helping researchers who have hit a wall. It’s a wonderful occupation.”

Sweet Briar students with Julie Moorhead Devine (back row, second from left) in Congressman Sam Graves’s office

The other group went on a tour of the Capitol Building with a guide who graduated with a degree in history from Randolph-Macon College. “She was excited to be touring the Sweet Briar students,” said Watts. “She spent time talking to them about what they could do with a history or liberal arts degree if they had an interest in museums or art history. She also talked to them about navigating the federal jobs hiring process.” After lunch, the groups headed to the Senate side of the Capitol. Joined by an alumna from the Class of 1990 and Meg Murphy, chief of protocol for the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, they spent a few minutes sitting around the table that belongs to the foreign relations committee. It was a moving experience, in part because the committee has produced seven presidents and 20 secretaries of state. The visit to the committee room was possible because Mary Pope M. Hutson ’83 is friends with Murphy. Julie Moorhead Devine ’13, who serves as the legislative director for Congressman Sam Graves of Missouri, told the group “Master the entry-level job. Show your boss that you are worthy of getting promoted. You do not need a political science degree to succeed here.” What’s more important? Setting aside your personal feelings to serve your constituents. “ This is a civil service job,” she explained. “Idealism is great, but we are civil servants.” A trip to the office of Ben Cline, who represents Sweet Briar’s district, rounded out the first day. Cline’s senior legislative assistant, Hallie Pence, a graduate of the University of Virginia, talked about the importance of building strong

Breakfast at the Capitol Hill Club

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Constance Carter has worked at the Library of Congress for 53 years.

relationships with everyone on Capitol Hill, especially those on the other side of the political aisle. “That’s how things get done,” she said. On the second day, the group once again split into two. One headed to the White House for a tour arranged by Teresa Papaleo ’08. The other group went to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, where they had a chance to meet with Mary Bates Washington, a friend of Watts’s. Washington joined the group for lunch and talked about her time growing up in D.C., along with her work with George McGovern, Bob Dole, Ted Kennedy and Jesse Jackson. “It was the perfect way to top off our tour of the museum,” Watts said. After lunch, the group visited Eleanor O’Connor ’07, who is the managing director of Cato Books at the Cato Institute. Schellhammer was with them. “Eleanor and her colleague educated the students about the broad role of think tanks and the multitude of career opportunities they have to offer,” she said. “Suzanne Ullrich’s nephew Liam Donovan talked about his career in lobbying and media. A truly educational experience!” The trip is a collective effort on the part of the many alumnae who set up visits and tours, as well as those who hosted students in their homes. “Our tight-knit alumnae

network has been in place for generations, and so many alumnae have benefited from it,” Schellhammer said. “Career networking provides the opportunity to ‘pass it on’ and is an alternative means for alumnae to stay engaged and give back to their beloved college that launched them into their careers. It’s their way of saying thanks. It is such a joy to meet our brilliant students in person and watch their faces light up with excitement at all the people and places they are visiting. We can watch them dream and see the endless possibilities that await them.”

Students at the Cato Institute with Eleanor O’Connor ’07 (standing, second from right) and Liam Donovan

Sweet Briar’s 2019 Presidential Medal

goes to dual-sport athlete, SGA president from Appomattox Among her athletic achievements are two Old Dominion Athletic Conference All-Academic Team awards (2015-17) and an ODAC Sportsmanship Award (2016-17). Outside of Sweet Briar, Thomas has served as head coach for Appomattox County High School’s girls’ junior varsity soccer team since 2016. But there is more to this Presidential Medalist, as her nominators remind us. “A bold woman of intelligence, strong character, superb performance, courage and humility, [Caroline] came to Sweet Briar College four years ago in August of 2015 with a deep faith and belief … Instead of running from the storm, she was one of the very few who turned into the storm and its aftermath,” a nomination from the admissions office reads. At Opening Convocation that fall, it continues, Thomas was chosen as “Keeper of the Story” by current Dean of Students Marcia Thom-Kaley. “[Caroline] embraced the charge entrusted to her and courageously became an integral part of the process of healing, rebuilding, strengthening and helping to lead the College with boldness into an era of innovation and excellence that is now rated first among equals.” During her four years, the nomination continues, Thomas showcased all of the hallmarks of a true leader: “Not only did she write her own story, but she helped write Sweet Briar’s story.” Thom-Kaley agrees, praising Thomas’s natural leadership skills and writing

in her nomination that she credits the SGA president, with whom she meets weekly, with “steering the student body towards a place of stability and encouraging every member to thrive.”

Jason Capps, head soccer coach, couldn’t agree more. Thomas, he notes, “embraces the wise notion that real leadership risks popularity. Miss Thomas is a team-first, steady, strong example of quality leadership and by leading in such a confident, passionate manner, she creates a positive and meaningful impact on those around her.” Thomas, Capps’s nomination continues, “epitomizes what it means to be a Sweet Briar woman. Part of the mission of Sweet Briar College … is to grow future leaders and Miss Thomas is already miles ahead, leading the way for other Vixens to follow.” In short? “With a booming voice that needs no microphone, unwavering strength that stands in the face of intimidation and unwavering faith in Sweet Briar College, Caroline Thomas is the obvious choice for this year’s Presidential Medalist,” the admissions office writes. spring 2019

Appomattox native and Student Government Association President Caroline Thomas is the recipient of the 2019 Presidential Medal, the highest honor a Sweet Briar student can attain. “My first reaction was an emotional one,” said Thomas. “When President Woo mentioned me speaking for the SCHEV council last May, I broke into tears. I’d been shaking and I could feel my heart beating so fast, waiting to find out. I am so honored to be recognized among some of the most outstanding Sweet Briar women. It was a great feeling to be recognized by my college for my hard work in supporting them and encouraging class and school spirit for the last four years.” While the Presidential Medal rewards intellectual achievement, honorees must also have shown distinction in a combination of areas, including community service; the arts; global awareness; fitness and athletic achievement; and leadership, civility and integrity of character. A three-year varsity swimmer and four-year soccer player, Thomas is known across campus for her extensive and enthusiastic involvement in and outside of class. A former Class of 2019 president and vice president, she has served as an admissions ambassador for three years, was vice chairwoman of the program her junior year and is chairwoman her senior year. She has held a Presidential Scholarship all four years and is the recipient of multiple honors and awards, including the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges Award (2017-19), the Mary Mackintosh Sherer Award (2017), the Rickards Award (2016) and the Jean Pschirrer First-year Award (2016). She is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa and Alpha Lambda Delta, serving as president in 2016.

NEW KIDS

Admissions Blog: 5 fierce Sweet Briar women leaders 45 and unde

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Janik

a Carey

ON THE BLOG

If you haven’t seen our Admissions Blog yet, here are some highlights and “soundbites” from the past 18 months. In fall 2017, we launched our first weekly Admissions Blog. The goal: to give prospective students a real, behind-the-scenes look at Sweet Briar College. Just a few months later, our blog was named among higher education’s best, and our editor and vice president were invited to talk about the blog on Hashtag Higher Ed, a higher education podcast. We’re pretty proud of that. But none of the accolades would be possible without our amazing bloggers, most of whom are students working as ambassadors in the admissions office. We’ve made blogging part of their job. Other bloggers include student leaders who are kind enough to write about their adventures studying abroad or presenting research. Still others are administrators and faculty. We’re grateful to each of our writers for making our blog sparkle!

You can find our Admissions Blog at sbc.edu/admissions/admissions-blog. It is updated every Friday afternoon.

Sweet Briar alumnae are pretty amazi ng: They’re entrepreneurs and artists , lawyers, teachers and scientists. They’re explo rers, innovators and leaders. They’ re collaborators, community builders and change-mak ers. Here are some recent Sweet Briar women leaders you should know.

Our most popular post (so far) was shared 518 times! No surprise, really, since it featured Swe et Briar’s biggest selling point: our fierce alumnae.

Admissions Blog: My 5 favo rite campus tour spots

Posted on October 26, 201

7 by Caroline Thomas ’19

Sweet Briar House is a favori

te spot for Caroline Thomas

when she is giving campus

tours.

Over the course of my time as an admissions ambassad or, I have given many tours every tour is always a little , but different because I base it on the visiting students and interests. The tour always their reminds me of how lucky I am to be receiving a stella tion in a place that never grow r educas old. Although I love the entire tour, I have five favor places that I always enjoy ite stopping at and talking abou t.

Student Government Associ ation President Caroline Thomas is one of our busiest students. One of her many roles on campus is serving as admissions ambassador chairwoman and giving tou rs to prospective students. In this blog post from Octob er 2017, she shared some of her favorite places at Sweet Bria r.

Admissions Blog: “Why the liberal arts? Let’s start with what it really means” “Sweet Briar’s new cur riculum emphasizes the importa nce of adaptability. These ess ential skills translate across all dis ciplines and stay relevant as the job market changes and new jobs are created.” — Audrey Peterson ’20 , art history and history double ma jor from Fairhope, Ala.

he power of Admissions Blog: T single story é Cole ‘20

“Being an international student at Swe et Briar is not an experience found anywhere else. Here, you will find a home, no matter where you’re from. You will find your voice — I know I have. At Sweet Briar, you are a leader. You are a wom an with vision. At Sweet Briar, you are fierce.” — Shifti Kamal ’20, inter national affairs, psychology and philosophy triple major from Dha ka, Bangladesh

9, 2018 by DaZan

Posted on November

Admissions Blog: My home away fro m home — Studying at Sweet Briar as an international student

Admissions Blog: The 5 most important things to pack for colle ge

y of “Americanah”

s DaZané Cole’s cop

hie sign Chimamanda Adic 2018. College on Nov. 1,

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after her talk at Swe

English class, and ninth-grade honors ’s brown girl sits in her writer Chinua Achebe n A vibrant, passionate eria Nig g din rea to read class has been t not to. She loves she is enraged. The bes her ng tryi is s Apart,” and she plexity, and so doe novel “Things Fall ld abounds with com , what it lyze books. The wor what the world was and discuss and ana into y rne jou ing been an interest are not new to she. This class has xes and its cruelties is. The world’s parado will be, and who she all the same. her, but they ache

it to Sweet imamanda Adichie’s vis Best-selling author Ch beautiful s thi te wri to Zané Cole Briar inspired junior Da psychology Zané is a biology and essay for our blog. Da Hartford, nor in chemistry from double major with a mi . Va s in Hampton, Conn. She currently live

“Diversity comes in ma ny forms, and ‘winning’ a debate is nev er as rewarding as sustaining an open dia logue. Seek to understand the belief s and values of those around you. Try new foods. Step out of your comfort zon e. Take risks and fail often.” — Vic Lindsa y, director of student life

Admissions Blog: 5 reasons Sweet Briar made the top of my list

Admissions Blog: Why I’m glad I’m attending a women’s college. “At Sweet Briar, my professors see my potential and push me to dig deeper. They have exposed me to some of the coolest topics imaginable! It’s easier to dig dee p academically at a women’s college because I’m not worried about impressing anyone. It’s all about me and my education.” — Leyte McNealus ’18, former histo ry major, religion minor, pre-law track from Landgrov e, Vt.

“Not only do our alumnae care; they are doers! I can’t think of a better way to validate the succ ess of a college than to look to its alumni. I remember my dad joking right after I made my decision to attend Sweet Briar: ‘Now you have an entire network of women willing to ‘bail you out’ of anything.’ I know that whenI start applying for jobs, the name ‘Sweet Briar’ will catch the eye of my future emp loyer, and it will show that I am an empowered woman who learn ed in her undergraduate education how to think critically, spea k up and lead.” — Cailey Cobb ’20, business major from Tyle r, Texas

ON THE QUAD

on the QUAD

news & notes around campus

LIZ PHAUP ’18:

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RETURNING HOME TO SWEET BRIAR

For many alumnae, graduation can be bittersweet. Luckily for Liz Phaup ’18, she was able to return home to Sweet Briar this fall after spending the summer in Sydney, Australia. Liz went to Australia for a one-month internship with Disability Sports Australia. She worked with three other American interns, primarily coordinating travel schedules for the 12 teams that came to compete in the GIO Wheelchair Rugby World Championships. During the competition, she was the liaison to the U.S. Paralympic team, helping with equipment and coordinating the team’s travel. “I loved working with the U.S. team,” Liz says. “It was incredible to watch the matches from the sidelines and see the team culture on the bench, in travel and during competition. I loved seeing elite athletes operate from just a couple of feet away!” When her internship ended, Liz made a last-minute decision to stay in Australia — even though she had nowhere to live and no job. Fortunately for her, a co-worker from DSA let Liz stay with them until she was able to find an apartment — right next to Sydney Opera House and the Harbor Bridge — and get a job at a large outdoor retail store. “I really enjoyed my time in Australia and made good connections with the people who worked at DSA and the USA team,” Liz tells us. “Before I left, I had the chance to dive at the Great Barrier Reef, which was amazing and beautiful.”

Despite the wonderful time she had abroad, Liz was grateful for the opportunity to return to Sweet Briar to work with Head Lacrosse Coach Meredith Newman ’09 [read more about Sweet Briar lacrosse on page 16]. “It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I knew I could learn so much,” she says. In fact, she has two positions at Sweet Briar — assistant lacrosse coach and resident coordinator. On a typical day, she spends several hours in the office with Meredith emailing recruits, planning events for the season, coordinating departure and arrival times for games and analyzing film. In the afternoon, Liz joins the team for two hours of practice, where she provides general coaching, but also helps train the goalie. As a resident coordinator, she’s on call one weekend a month and one day every week. In addition, there are meetings with student life and resident advisors to help ensure that Sweet Briar students are safe and happy. The biggest difference between being a student and being on staff? Seeing exactly how much goes on behind the scenes. “Now I see all the work everyone does for the students. As a student, you don’t always realize that,” she says. Liz isn’t sure what her next steps will be — graduate school or staying in the workforce — but whatever she decides, all of us at Sweet Briar are happy to have her back!

ON THE QUAD

LET’S BUILD

A KILN In the fall, Shawn O’Connor’s students built a kiln as part of a course on alternative firing processes. “I chose the paper kiln for a few reasons,” Shawn said. “The first was that the students had to construct the kiln themselves, so they had a better understanding of how the kiln worked and the process of firing. The other reason was for the immediacy of the process and cost of the kiln.” The students built the kiln in one day using wood, chicken wire, bricks and clay-covered newspaper. After letting it all dry for two days, they fired up the wood inside the kiln. On the third day, they took down the structure to reveal the baked ceramics pieces. Studio art major Amelia Mendelsohn ’20 said the project was one of her favorites. She enjoyed getting outside with her classmates and had fun getting a little messy. It was also a learning experience, of course. “My piece had actually taken some damage in an earlier firing process, but Professor O’Connor helped me put it back together and I ended up with something I was proud of,” she says. “I think the best thing about the project was learning how much is left to chance in ceramics and how to be happy with a result you didn’t initially expect.”

Check out the video of the students working on the kiln on our YouTube Channel under “Academic Pursuits.”

ON THE QUAD

A Perfect

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PAIRING

Beginning with their first education class, Sweet Briar education students are immersed in the classroom environment through field experiences in local schools. Their field experiences vary from pure observation and reflection to supervised teaching in local schools. But Assistant Professor of Education Meredith McCool is committed to doing more. She wants to offer her Sweet Briar students service-learning experiences to complement what they learn in and outside of class. International Outdoor Classroom Day on Nov. 1 provided the perfect opportunity. Meredith partnered with Education Coordinator Danielle Racke at the Claytor Nature Study Center in Bedford, Va., to create a service-learning opportunity for students in the curriculum development class. Sweet Briar students were challenged to create a place-based lesson teaching interdisciplinary concepts to homeschooled students in the region. The experience really was a win-win for Sweet Briar students, the home-

Service learning takes center stage for education students during International Outdoor Classroom Day

schooled students and the Claytor Nature Center. The Center often gets home-schooler requests that can be difficult to support given the high number of public school students who use the center. International Outdoor Classroom Day was an opportunity to give home-schooled students a chance to participate in a fun, outdoor group-learning experience, meeting an identified need in the community. In addition, Sweet Briar students were able to develop a place-based lesson plan and to have their own teachers on hand to guide them through the experience. Meredith says that’s part of the goal for service learning. “Service learning should address a community need and the outcomes should be balanced between the beneficiary and the provider. Both should get something good out of the experience.” Service learning should also be tied to coursework — for both the college students and the K-12 students. In fact, Meredith notes, service learning is a particularly important

addition to her students’ education. Students are often sent into early field placements to observe without supervision. They bring preconceptions to those experiences which can be reinforced, particularly if those preconceptions are negative. “Service learning allows our students to have us with them, so it can be a learning experience. When something happens, our students get to see how we react so we can provide a model for how to respond in a variety of situations,” she observes. Because the Sweet Briar students were working in interdisciplinary groups to develop the lessons, they also had the chance to learn how to bring disparate learning goals together. Meredith hopes that her students were inspired to think about how they can engage in service learning when they are in charge of their own classrooms. So, what did Sweet Briar students learn? They learned to be flexible and to have a backup plan — a good lesson for life outside the classroom, as well.

ON THE QUAD

President Stone (left) admires his new portrait with Georgene Vairo ‘72, chair of the Sweet Briar Board of Directors

Set in STONE In November, a group of alumnae, friends and donors to Sweet Briar College gathered to honor the hard work of former president Phil Stone at the unveiling of his official portrait. Although Stone was only president of the College for two years, he had a lasting impact and is credited with laying the foundation on which the College would begin its next chapter — with engaged and united alumnae, faculty and staff joined in common purpose and a new generation of Sweet Briar women. The work he did to secure the College’s future was done with warmth and compassion and those attributes have earned Stone the abiding affection of so many at Sweet Briar College. At the event, several people spoke of President Stone, including Georgene Vairo ’72, chairwoman of the Sweet Briar College Board of Directors. “Your steady

hand was key to resuscitating our college,” she remarked. “You put us on a firm footing and you set the stage for Meredith Woo to come in here and made sure that we would not only survive, but thrive. We are a beacon of how a small, liberal arts college can be excellent, relevant, affordable and sustainable in the 21st century.” Stone thanked the speakers for their kind words and said he was grateful for the kindness and friendship of the College’s alumnae and supporters. In typically modest fashion, he downplayed his own contributions to thank the faculty and staff who supported the work to bring the College back to health and to acknowledge the students and families who put their faith in the College. Stone’s portrait was painted by Ying-He Liu and will be on display in the Reading Room in Mary Helen Cochran Library.

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Sweet Briar College unveils portrait of former president Phil Stone

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ALUMNAE PROFILE

Photo by Kiliii Yüya

ALUMNAE PROFILE

Q&A:

with Alison Lifka ’13 After five years in Alaska, Sweet Briar grad Alison Lifka gets ready for Iditarod The Q&A below was excerpted from a longer piece. You can find the full Q&A, along with a video of the talk Alison gave when she was on campus in April, on our website at sbc.edu/lifka.

“Sweet Briar molded my current character. Entering college, I was a shy, quiet student”

In 2014, we wrote about Alison’s move to Alaska in the Sweet Briar Magazine. Little did we know we’d be checking in with her four years later because she was going to do something as extraordinary and (awe-) inspiring as the Iditarod, so yes: We wanted to know everything. Lucky for us, Alison told us a lot about how she ended up in Alaska, what made her want to race in the Iditarod and how she was getting herself and her dogs ready for it.

What made you want to move to Alaska, and what was your first job there? A: I moved to Alaska three days after graduating from

Sweet Briar for multiple, mostly subconscious reasons. I believe the strongest motivation stemmed from an internal struggle with the concept of settling into a predestined career — and the desire for adventure and living more in sync with the outdoors. The lure of the romanticized notion of Alaska as the Last Frontier appealed to me. I spent my first summer working as a sea kayaking guide in the town of Whittier in Prince William Sound. A fellow alumna and close friend, Mary Rora Alexander ’12, helped me secure this job and we worked together that summer.

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No bones about it: Alison Lifka has a giant appetite for adventure. It’s why she moved to Alaska three days after graduating from Sweet Briar College in 2013. And it’s why she’s decided to train for the Iditarod — the world’s “last great race.” Alison, who was born in Ohio and grew up in North Carolina, says a lot of her fierce spirit comes from her four years at Sweet Briar, where she studied environmental science. “Sweet Briar molded my current character. Entering college, I was a shy, quiet student,” she recalls. “While determined with a strong work ethic, I was easily intimidated and wasn’t very confident in my skills. I still tend toward quiet and reserved, but now there is a steel edge and resiliency to my quiet determinedness. This is very much thanks to Sweet Briar. My professors, soccer coaches and peers taught me the value of the strength of women and pride in doing something not quite the norm. In the sport of racing sled dogs, where the gender of the competitor doesn’t matter, I have found a niche that Sweet Briar helped prepare me for.”

ALUMNAE PROFILE

Alison before the race with her Sweet Briar fan club: Deidre Conley ’72 (left), Mary Rora Alexander ’12, Marisha Bourgeois ’99, Harriet Dinegar Milks ’77 and Seanne Weekes ’12 (sitting)

How did you end up working with sled dogs? A: In my last month as a kayak guide, I gave a tour to a

friend of a sled dog musher. At the time, I wanted to work with sled dogs, but didn’t know how. This musher’s friend put me in contact with the musher, Lev Shvarts, who was looking for help training his dog team that winter to compete in his first Iditarod.

Has the Iditarod been a lifelong dream of yours?

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A: Before racing, I had a vague desire to eventually run

the Iditarod, but it was a bit like a fantasy, not very solid or fleshed out. Other mushers encouraged me to try, but I had no real notion or plan of actually making it happen. Yet, when I ran my first race, I ran it as an Iditarod qualifier. To run in Iditarod, you have to run and receive good marks on three mid-distance races before even signing up for Iditarod. That first race, the Northern Lights 300, cemented my love for the sport. I wasn’t particularly competitive, but I enjoyed traveling across vast spans of the back-country by dog team. I enjoyed the camaraderie of my fellow mushers. Most of all, I enjoyed watching my dog team. In training, the dogs and I generally run on the same network of trails and fall into a pattern. But out on the race, they came alive in a way I had never seen before. They were competitive

and driven. I was holding them back in my inexperience at running dogs for 300 miles in a race setting. When we crossed the finish line, I wasn’t proud of myself — I was proud of the dogs. After that experience, the dogs and I trusted each other even more to get each other through thick and thin. Last winter, I completed my final two qualifiers and got permission to run a younger group of dogs from Linwood’s kennel in the next Iditarod. My group of dogs consists of 22 dogs, 11 of which are 2-year-olds. This means that my team won’t be going for any records. Instead, we will be running the Iditarod trail as a training run for the young guys.

How are you training for the Iditarod? What does a typical day look like? A: In late September, my team and I began our training. We start slowly at first and build up their conditioning. We don’t have snow until November to December, so until we get snow, I hook up my dog team to an ATV. My goal is that by February, they can run 40 to 50 miles continuously with only short meat snack breaks. Typically, we train on a three days on, two days off, day on, day off schedule. Every day, we get up before the sun and feed our dogs. Their breakfast consists of a watery meat soup with varying amounts of kibble added, depending on the nutritional requirements of the individual dog.

The distance and type of dog run vary depending on the training schedule. As the fall progresses into winter, the focus will shift to conditioning (higher miles, pulling strength and recovery time). My team and I will also begin going on camping trips to get the dogs used to sleeping and eating away from home. The dogs’ dinner consists of a thick meat mash mixed with kibble. The meat in the winter is usually high in fat, but additionally we feed fat mixed with fish, almost like a dessert at the end of their main meal. Dogs process and use fat more efficiently than humans, and it is a necessity in feeding a working sled dog team in the cold winters. Before going to bed, if it is extremely cold outside (think 20 to 40 degrees below 0), we bring the dogs into what my boss has coined the “dog hotels.” The dog hotels are outbuildings with individual cubbies for the dogs to sleep in. These dogs are double-coated arctic breed dogs that typically would rather be out in the snow than inside by a fire, but these dog hotels are much appreciated by them. In addition to training the dogs, I have to keep myself in shape. Mushers view this aspect of training in varying amounts of importance. For me, keeping myself in good physical condition ensures that I will be able to care for and help my team (running up hills, running alongside the team, ski poling) for the entire trail. Right now, this just equates to hauling heavy feed buckets around and going for human foot runs. Learn more about Alison’s team at www.bearnecessitiesmushing.com. You can also follow her on Instagram: @bear_necessities_mushing

The Iditarod takes place each year in Alaska, beginning in Anchorage and ending in Nome, a distance of nearly 1,000 miles. This year, the mushers took off on March 3. Alison arrived safely in Nome on March 16. She finished in 32nd place, a strong finish for a first-time competitor with young dogs. This despite the fact that about 300 miles into the race, her sled broke; Alison carried on with the help of fellow musher Shaynee Traska, who, scratching out, gave up her sled so Alison could continue. As you might imagine, the race garners a lot of attention. Alison was featured in a Vogue Magazine article by Blair Braverman — another rookie Iditarod musher — about some of the women running the race. “The poster for this year’s Iditarod features a woman and her dogs gazing into a distant sunset over the words WOMEN ON THE TRAIL,” Blair wrote. “It’s a fitting theme for a race that has always been inclusive of women — in fact, long-distance dogsledding is one of the only sports where men and women compete together at elite levels.” Of course, Sweet Briar women know all about the kind of fierceness that is necessary to take on a challenge like the Iditarod. To honor Alison’s grit and determination, a group of nine Sweet Briar alumnae traveled to Alaska to cheer her on. DeDe Conley ’72 was instrumental in getting the alumnae together for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. “She’s such a powerful role model,” DeDe said of Alison to KTVA, the CBS affiliate in Anchorage, Alaska. Alison was cheered on not just by the alumnae who made the trip to Alaska, however. Hundreds of alumnae and Sweet Briar friends anxiously followed the race on Twitter and Facebook, and Alison received dozens of “musher grams,” messages called in by alumnae from all over the country and handed to the mushers when they reached checkpoints. The people answering the phone learned pretty quickly how to spell, “Holla, holla!” In April, Alison came to Sweet Briar to talk about her epic experience.

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The Last Great Race

ALUMNAE PROFILE

JYF IN PARIS:

a Family Legacy sbc.edu

Sweet Briar’s Junior Year in France program — these days known as JYF in Paris — is America’s longest-running coeducational study abroad program in Paris. Study abroad experiences are some of the most meaningful a student can have, so it is perhaps no surprise that some JYF attendees are not the first members of their family to participate.

ALUMNAE PROFILE

Celebrating 70 Years of JYF

Generations of students have participated in the program, fundamentally changing their views of the world.

The Kadish family is one example. The Kadish family tradition of studying in France actually began with Doris Kadish’s father, a Russian who studied in France when he was young. Doris thought it was a wonderful thing that he’d studied in France. Though her mother was fearful of her daughter spending a year in France, her father won the argument and in 1959, a young Doris — majoring in French at Skidmore College in New York — spent a year in Paris, launching a legacy that would see both her son, Matt, and granddaughter, Melissa, attend the JYF program. Doris arrived in a country still suffering the effects of World War II. “I think it’s probably hard for younger people to realize what it was like after the Second World War and how tough things were in Europe in terms of physical conditions and mental attitudes,” Doris told us. “I think that the French were hurting. They had lived through very horrible times.” Doris remembers her granddaughter, Melissa, being in Paris last year and

Though today’s students are different than those earlier students, Marie Gree, the program’s director, notes that students are still attracted to JYF because it allows them to discover French studies through real immersion. That commitment has always been at the core of the program, and it will remain so.

Félicitations à l'étudiant du programme. Here’s to another 70 years.

sending pictures of herself eating crêpes or ice cream. Doris’s experience was more stark. “We didn’t have heating. [My host] would give us a bucket of coal every morning and we had a stove in our room. There was no heating in the bathroom. The toilet was down the hall and there was newspaper for toilet paper.” That was quite the change for Doris, who, although having grown up in modest circumstances, was used to things being Doris Kadish less primitive. But the Latin Quarter location was great and the family was interesting and after just one year, Doris’s French was fluent, which she attributes to conversations with her host family. More than just perfecting her French, the experience helped shape a more mature Doris. One of her Skidmore pro-

fessors didn’t think she was ready for the program. Thankfully, she didn’t listen to him. She said, “I went from being this, you know, babyish little hick to being a sophisticated person and then I went on to live in New York City. It completely transformed me in terms of maturity level.” She would come home and marry and have children, as women often did then. “At the time, at schools like Skidmore, women did not have career paths; the term didn’t even exist,” she said. “They were finishing schools and many times women walked out the door and got married that very summer. That’s what I did.” But eventually, she would go on to get a Ph.D. in French, which led her to a 40-year career as a French professor.

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The program had gotten its start at the University of Delaware in 1923, but was interrupted by World War II before coming to Sweet Briar in 1948. That year, the United Nations was still in its early days and in December, the organization adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, acknowledging a need for better understanding among the peoples of the world.

ALUMNAE PROFILE

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Matthew Kadish (right) enjoys dinner in Geneva with his mother, Doris (center), and his girlfriend (left)

She feels strongly about study abroad programs and still believes that Sweet Briar’s is the best, but she has little use for what she calls “study abroad tourism,” where students go to a foreign country for cultural experiences without knowing the language. “I think that before people go to a non-English-speaking country, they should have a good command of the language and then be perfecting it,” she said. In the early ’80s, Doris’s son, Matthew, then a French major at Williams College, chose the JYF program on his mother’s recommendation. Like his mother, he lived with a family, though unlike his mother, the family didn’t live in Paris, but rather in a suburb: Asnières-sure-Seine. That family was his second host family, as the first was not a good fit for young Matt. But Mme. Denis, the JYF coordinator, was caring

and arranged for him to move to an especially warm family, one Matt said she kept in reserve in the event someone had a bad experience. At that time, Asnières was a 10-minute train ride from the Gare Saint-Lazare in Paris. “I made it a project to write a poem each way for three months and it became a book of just my poetry sketches,” he said. In fact, that train ride is one of Matt’s favorite memories. “I made use of that time and it became something I still have to this day in that book.” He also remembers fondly a French girlfriend with whom he enjoyed exploring France — and getting lost. The pair traveled all over the country in her car and Matt became part of her family. Like his mother, Matt was devoted to perfecting his French so he “went native” and didn’t talk much to other Americans during that year. While he didn’t become

a French professor like his mother, he ended up going into law and, he says, “it’s just like another language.” In the days before the internet, he only got one or two phone calls the entire year and airmail letters were expensive, so there were only a few of those. Despite the challenge of isolation, Matt said the loneliness was good for him, but, like a lot of things that are good for you, it wasn’t always fun. Remembering that Christmas — his first away from his family — he said they were down in Bordeaux staying in a cheap hotel. “I found a small plastic trash can that was green, turned it upside down and put a balloon on top. That was the ornament,” he said. “We put our presents underneath. we opened them at 12:01 in the morning.” It was pushing beyond the loneliness that allowed him to learn and grow. Flash forward to 2017. Matt’s daughter,

ALUMNAE PROFILE Melissa, a French and psychology major at the College of Wooster, was looking for her own study abroad experience. She’d looked at several French-speaking places — like Morocco and Senegal — but Sweet Briar’s program allowed students to study and directly enroll at local universities, which was the kind of experience Melissa was looking for. Oddly, Melissa didn’t realize until after she’d started the application process that it was the same program her father and grandmother had attended. “They always referred to it as the Sweet Briar program and it was advertised to my college primarily as Junior Year in France. I didn’t get the name Sweet Briar in conjunction with it until partway through the application process,” she said. But once she did know, their glowing reviews of the program made her try a little bit harder. Melissa spent the Fall 2017 semester living right in Paris — for her, the 17th district — and like her father, she ended up at the Gare Saint-Lazare most days, taking a Metro train there before boarding another train to class. “I really enjoyed the Metro,” she said. “Because no matter where I was in Paris, I could get

to pretty much anywhere else in an hour or less. It was amazing.” Also like her dad, she didn’t mind getting a little bit lost. Her normal stop was the second to last one on the train, and she wondered what was in the other direction. “So I got on the train and said, ‘Let’s figure out where this goes.’” She doesn’t remember where she got off, but she does remember getting out, wandering around and grabbing a bite to eat. Like many JYF students, Melissa improved her fluency in French a lot from living with her host mom. “It was a little bit like living with a French professor who’s going to call you out on your language all the time,” she laughed. And her host mom wasn’t the only person who corrected her French, she said. She made an effort to befriend some French students in her classes at the university. “I found my French wasn’t perfect. I made a lot of mistakes and I had to correct myself, but as long as I was trying, people were really accommodating. Some of them pointed out my errors and I would say, ‘Thank you so much. I was working on that.’” But sometimes, fluency in a language is about more than just grammar. “I had a lot of trouble in

Paris understanding the subtext of what my peers were saying,” Melissa told us. “A lot of it relied on social knowledge and general people skills. One thing I’ve learned is that if there are two different words, they mean different things and there’s no way to learn them until you learn them because it’s all about context.” After graduation, Melissa hopes to continue exploring and learning the complexities of language as a teaching assistant in France or elsewhere. The whole family acknowledges that you get out of the program what you put in. All three talked about getting out and experiencing the country. The Sweet Briar program, Melissa added, was great about taking students on field trips to locations such as Versailles and Normandy. “Sweet Briar will get you there and does an amazing job of giving you a strong foundation. But you have to use it,” she said. The other thing all three agree on? That the JYF experience builds confidence and gives students perspective on the world. “You learn about yourself and you build self-reliance and confidence,” Matt said. “You learn how to communicate differently on a new level.”

On the ship back to the United States, Doris Kadish (second from right) celebrates a birthday

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Sweet Briar will get you there and does an amazing job of giving you a strong foundation. But you have to use it.”

HISTORY Buffalo River covered the bridge at Boxwood Farm Road with debris. The approach at the other end of the bridge was washed out.

THE CAMILLE FLOOD OF 1969

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AND HOW SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE HELPED TO REBUILD THE COMMUNITY

By John R. Shannon, Professor Emeritus of Music, Sweet Briar College Photos courtesy of the Amherst County Museum & Historical Society Photograph Collection.

Mountain landslide. Tons of earth and trees from a mountain behind W. O. Tucker’s Store on Route 60 caused heavy damage.

In late August 1969, Hurricane Camille struck the eastern part of North Carolina. The storm appeared to have traveled along the eastern slopes of the Appalachian Mountains. I remember that Friday night vividly. My family and I were living on a road connecting Amherst to Sweet Briar College, where I taught for the better part of 30 years. It rained throughout that night as I have never seen it rain again in all my 85 years. I went the next morning to the town to get a haircut. The reports were astounding. U.S. 29 was closed north of town because of damage to the bridge over the Tye River. The Southern Railroad bridge just to the east of the highway was completely destroyed, and rumors floated about that the town’s water supply and that of Sweet Briar were in danger. Fortunately, these rumors proved to be false. Access by rail to Sweet Briar from the north was difficult for months. On the Monday after the weekend flood, chemistry professor John McClenon, a very good friend of mine, and I decided to go up to Massie’s Mill, a village on the Tye River reported to be decimated by flood water. By this time the waters had retreated. After a harrowing trip over the back roads, we got to the town. The scene was beyond belief: Dead cattle were everywhere in the fields, houses and buildings clearly showed how high the waters had crept, debris of every kind was strewn about and, in some places, piled head-high by the water. The small Episcopal church, the only church in the town, appeared relatively unharmed from the outside, but in its interior, pews, pulpits, hymnals and all other manner of trash were indiscriminately piled in one enormous heap. It was obvious that many homes in the town were going to require extensive renovation. It was also obvious that what help any of us could provide would be of use and much welcomed. On the return trip to Sweet Briar, John and I drove up the valley toward the Blue Ridge Parkway. About a mile above Massie’s Mill, we spotted a two-story framed house which appeared to have originated in the early 20th century. It had been flooded up to window height. Inquiry produced the fact that before the flood, it had been inhabited by two elderly ladies. After what must have been a most harrowing experience, they had managed to brave

the unlighted stairs and climb from the first floor, where they had been living, to the second floor. There they were rescued. They both expressed the deep hope of returning to the home they loved. Everyone we talked to wanted to make this hope come to fruition. John and I solicited help from our colleagues and from a local retired contractor, Carter Ambler. His help and advice were crucial throughout the reconstruction process, which lasted from the flood in August until our ladies resumed residence directly before Christmas. After this long passage of time, I cannot begin to name the host of members of the Sweet Briar community, faculty, staff and most of all our students who volunteered weekend after weekend to the reconstruction. I must also recognize the substantial gift the College made to the reconstruction cost. Finally, I would like to return to the student contributions, which were nothing less than marvelous. I had often heard comments that described my students and others at Sweet Briar as “spoiled, self-centered, lazy, vain, rich and essentially a drain on society.” I always resented this erroneous appraisal of Sweet Briar students. My experience on the project I have just described proved my resentment was completely justified. Every Saturday morning for nearly three months, a group of 20 to 25 students arrived to work. They drove their own cars the 50-mile round-trip to the project at their own expense. They were given the dirtiest and most tiring projects. They cleaned walls, they washed floors covered with a half-inch of grime, they climbed on roofs, they painted, they carried lumber, they leveled gravel on the driveways and they learned to live without indoor plumbing! They were never paid a cent. I never once heard a single complaint. The students could hardly have been more useful or more gracious. Thank God for women like these Sweet Briar students. ln this unfortunate day in which the contributions and aspirations of women are so often demeaned, they demonstrated what it really means to be truly feminine. I hope and know we will have many more Sweet Briar students like them!

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Approaches at the bridge on Route 60 at Sandidges were washed out.

GIVING

Putting The “Annual” In

ANNUAL GIVING:

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SWEET BRIAR’S FIRST LAW OF MOTION

No matter how you came to know Sweet Briar, if you have been on our campus you know that the physical space of the College elicits a physical reaction within you. So many of our current students begin their descriptions of their love of their college with “We drove into the entrance and I just knew…” A visit to campus can transform an accepted student into a deposited one. An alumna returning campus for the first time in many years can become a reactivated volunteer and donor. For that matter, those who come back annually often describe the feeling of coming “home” as they come down the drive for Sweet Work Weeks or Reunion. Whether your last visit to campus was earlier this year or more than ten years ago, we want you to feel the physical reaction to Sweet Briar’s place that you did when you were last on campus. We try to convey that feeling in all of our communications — The Briar Wire, our website, social media, and yes, even this magazine—so that you truly feel that you are an integral part of this community. Because you are. As an alumna, parent of an alumna or current student, a faculty or staff member, retiree or a friend of Sweet Briar — you’ve probably also received a letter from Sweet Briar asking you to support the College. The reason? Because as a member of this community, every year you make a difference to Sweet Briar. Like any community, it takes the support and investment of all of its members — at all levels, every year — to keep the momentum going. As described by Isaac Newton way back in 1687, momentum is a unit of measure related to the property of inertia. For those whose classes in Guion might be less than top-of-mind, inertia is a simple concept: an object cannot start moving, stop moving or change direction all by itself, i.e., without external force. To put that in context for the College, Sweet Briar’s continued success — its forward motion — relies on an external force: our donors and their renewed support of our college. What will make the difference to Sweet Briar is if the

external force — YOU — will sustain our forward motion — our momentum. Every gift matters, and every gift positively affects our momentum. As a member of this community, you have the opportunity to find that momentum within yourself and use it to galvanize this next chapter in our history. You have the chance to make a difference! Here are the ways you can make an impact: Make your most significant gift possible to Sweet Briar — every year, not just in your Reunion years. Of course, if it is one of your Reunion years, there are many opportunities for your class to shine, as you’ll see in the list of Reunion Participation and Giving Awards to the right. “Significant” gifts are not the same amount from person to person. What matters most is what makes your gift significant to you. If you made a pledge four years ago and have completed it, replace your pledge payments with an annual gift of the same amount. If you have made arrangements to make a planned gift to Sweet Briar, be sure to notify the College of your intent. While those gifts do not count toward our unrestricted giving goal, they do make a difference to the College’s total fundraising effort each year and help us keep accurate records. Making any of these kinds of gifts is easy — you can even use the envelope found in this issue of our magazine! AND Get involved! We have learned that the Sweet Briar community is made up of experts in many fields and with infinite knowledge that can be used to Sweet Briar’s advantage. The Alumnae Alliance offers many opportunities for alumnae to get involved. The Parents Council is also coordinating with the Alumnae Alliance Council in many areas that need more hands, such as Admissions Ambassadors.

GIVING If you have already made a gift to Sweet Briar this year, thank you for your support! As of April 8, 2019, the College had raised $6.7 million, or 67%, toward its $10 million unrestricted giving goal. At this time last year, we had reached 60% of our total fund-

raising goal, so you might say our community has found some momentum. Now is the time to keep the momentum going — don’t rely on the inertia to get us there. Help us make Sweet Briar a national treasure!

CLASS GIVING AND PARTICIPATION AWARDS

SWEET BRIAR FUND - FY 2019

For All Classes Visionary Donor Class Created in 2016 to honor the classes that have made gifts over $1 million within one fiscal year to the College.

GOAL: $10 MILLION RAISED: $6,690,237 (67% OF GOAL)

For Classes in Anniversary Reunion Years (4s and 9s) Nancy Dowd Burton ’46 Award Given to the reunion class with the highest total giving to Sweet Briar for the current fiscal year. Centennial Award Presented to the reunion class with the largest total giving to all funds of the College over the five years since their last anniversary reunion. Nancy Godwin Baldwin ’57 Award Recognizing the class with the highest percentage of its members attending an anniversary reunion. Participation Award: 5th-20th Anniversary Reunions Presented to the class that has the highest giving participation rate among the 5th through 20th anniversary reunion classes. Participation Award: 25th–50th Anniversary Reunions Given to the class that has the highest giving participation rate among the 25th through 50th anniversary reunion classes.

Make a gift at sbc.edu/give.

Making a planned gift? Contact Claire Dennison Griffith ‘80 at 434-381-6479 or cgriffith@sbc.edu. Want to help in other ways?

Check out our volunteer opportunities at

sweetbriar.imodules.com/alumnae-alliance-council.

PLEDGES: $2,544,980

RECEIVED: $4,145,257 as of 04.08.2019

Thank you for your support!

“The more you look, the more you find out; the more you find out, the more questions there are.” —Steven Squyres discussing the Mars Rover Mission, Cornell University, 2006.

At Sweet Briar’s Cochran Library in the cold archives room, I comb for traces of Mother’s young self, one I never knew as her child, assuming she had no life before I was born. A good mother, she never bothered me with facts from before. To what end? She stares at me from the window on her past, clowning on some stairs, her friends having placed two fingers behind her head: a V for devil’s horns. This snapshot for the Briar Patch – 1949, commemorates Aints ‘n’ Asses, her improv group, its purpose — making fun of the regular theatre troupe, Paints ‘n’ Patches? Here, she’s in the sociology club, oddly solitary, even dead-center. Was Sociology her intended major? She preferred friends and social events to academics, judging from other pictures of her in the Chung Mungs and Q.V., a secretly elected society. I study the yearbooks from 1947 through ’49, the 1950 volume, where she’s absent senior year. Her name appears in a list of thirty-seven under the headline: Those who fell by the Way. She was off, marrying the handsome Academy grad, the love of her life, my dad, she told me. She liked to say: the mind is a great thing; you can think anything, and no one needs know. There’s power in such mystery. It brings me here, searching for her. How striking she looks, how lovely. If her mother had let her model in New York, would I even be here? If Daddy had turned in his wings, might she have lived more years, or long enough

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for me to ask how she felt at eighteen, stepping off Southern Railway (it stopped at the college then),

Mark Cross suitcase in hand, the little stole martin’s mouth, shut at her throat, so ready for life to begin?

Gardner McFall is the daughter of Joan Livingston McFall ’50. Gardner was in residence at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in 2013 and 2018, where she wrote this poem, memorializing her mother’s time at Sweet Briar. Gardner is a poet, opera librettist and writer. You can learn more about her at gardnermcfall.com.

ALUMNAE BRIEFS

of former English professor, VCCA director William Smart The Sweet Briar community was saddened to learn of the passing of William Edward Smart Jr., who died Feb. 9, 2019. Smart was a noted professor of creative writing and English literature at Sweet Briar College, long-time director of the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and a founding member of Res Artis and Res Artis America, key advocates for artists colonies on an international and national basis. His teaching collection “Eight Modern Essayists” went through eight editions and is still used in many classes. Smart was born in 1933, to William E. Smart and May Ferne Smart, in Jefferson City, Mo. He received his B.A. from Kenyon College in Ohio and an M.A. in English literature from the University of Connecticut. Smart’s teaching career took him from the University of Connecticut, New Britain, to Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., to Sweet Briar College in Virginia. He was a two-year Fulbright Fellow to the United Kingdom from 1964-66, where he worked on a biography of George Orwell and started “Eight Modern Essayists.”

While at Sweet Briar College from 1966 to 1985, Smart started the College’s first film series, helped organize a weeklong celebration of rock and soul music that drew numerous top critics and musicians to the College, initiated sensitivity training for the community, and nurtured several generations of lifelong writers. In the mid-1970s, after attending the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in its first incarnation outside of Charlottesville, Va., he saved the young institution by becoming its director and moving it to a vacant historic estate owned by Sweet Briar College, creating the first relationship between an artists colony and college. In his 20-plus years at the VCCA, Smart grew the artists’ colony into becoming the nation’s largest, rebuilding its campus after a major fire and helping to mentor and inspire hundreds of authors, artists and composers who have gone on to win MacArthur genius grants, National Book Awards, Pulitzer Prizes and other major fellowships and grants. Smart also helped found the international organization of artists’ colonies, Res Artis, and set up a number

of key scholarships and artist exchanges with artists’ colonies in France, Germany, India and the Dominican Republic. Creatively, Smart periodically published poems, short stories and essays in many of the nation’s top literary and mainstream magazines. He made a number of short 16mm films in the late 1960s and early 1970s that won awards at major film festivals. In addition to the eight editions of his “Eight Modern Essayists,” Smart published a well-respected and groundbreaking anthology for teaching short stories, “Women & Men, Men & Women,” and edited “From Mt. San Angelo: Stories, Poems & Essays,” the first anthology published directly by an artists’ colony. Smart spent the last 20 years working on short stories and novels, traveling, visiting his many artist friends around the world, and enjoying his shared life with his beloved wife, Aynur, of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The Smarts moved to Amalgamated Housing Cooperative in The Bronx a decade ago, to be closer to grandchildren, art galleries and the opera. Smart was an enthusiastic reader, lover of art, films and music, and grand conversationalist throughout his life, always ready to share the things he loved with those he loved.

spring 2019

Sweet Briar community mourns loss

In Memoriam:

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Sweet Briar Mourns the Loss of Gilberte and Glenn Van Treese

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our dear friends and colleagues Professor Emeritus Glenn J. Van Treese on Friday, Jan. 4, 2019, and his wife and Professor of French Emerita, Gilberte, on Feb. 12, 2019. Glenn J. Van Treese was born on May 18, 1929, in Indianapolis, Ind. He received all of his degrees from Indiana University: his A.B. in 1951, his M.A. in 1962 and his Ph.D. in 1968. He began his tenure at Sweet Briar College on July 1, 1963, as an instructor of French, served as an assistant professor from July 1, 1968, to June 30, 1973, and was awarded tenure in 1969. He was promoted to associate professor on July 1, 1973, and to full professor on July 1, 1981. Glenn retired from the College in May 1989. Gilberte Van Treese was born on April 6, 1927. She received her B.A. at Bowling Green State University in 1950, certificate de licence from the University de Paris in 1951, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1961 and 1964, respec-

tively. She joined the faculty of Sweet Briar as an instructor of French in July 1963 and was appointed as an assistant professor in July 1965. She was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor in July 1971. She was then promoted to professor in July 1979 and retired in May 1989. Gilberte and Glenn married in 1953, honeymooned in Italy, and lived in England as newlyweds in a tiny camper trailer while Glenn was in the service. After Glenn completed his military service, they moved to his home state, Indiana, where they pursued graduate school and welcomed their only child, Jeffrey, in 1956. They joined the French department at Sweet Briar and lived in faculty housing on Elijah Road. Jeffrey spent his formative years there before heading off to Cornell. The Van Treeses escorted many Sweet Briar students to Paris for JYF and made scores of Atlantic crossings on the Queen Mary, always preferring that mode of travel to flying. Tragically, while they were

in Paris, Jeffrey passed away suddenly at age 55 in Orlando, Fla. With deep affection for Sweet Briar, Gilberte and Glenn established the Jeffrey Glenn Van Treese JYF Scholarship Fund in his memory. In an article about their retirement in the spring 1989 Alumnae Magazine, Prof. Dominique Leveau said they were the “heart of the French section, teaching the language of la belle France, its literature and its civilization to generations of young women.” It’s difficult to think of either of the Van Treeses without the other. After their retirement, they lived quietly on Waugh’s Ferry Road, keeping in touch with former students and faculty friends. They went everywhere together, including on their daily trip to the Sweet Briar post office and to community picnics and events. They will be very much missed. Many thanks to Kathy Pegues ’71 for her significant contribution to this article.

1938

Frances Bailey Brooke Dec. 18, 2018

1940

Mary Miller Sharp Aug. 16, 2018 Sarah Elizabeth “Betty” Mayo Sohn April 1, 2011

1941

Betsy Tower Bennett Sept. 10, 2018 Gertrude “Trudy” Marill Stanchfield Sept. 6, 2018

1943

Lillian Roberts Deakins Jan. 9, 2019 Jane Hardy Harris Oct. 31, 2018 Jane Gregory Moore Nov. 11, 2018 Doris Silverstein Weitzner Aug. 9, 2017

1944

Ernestine “Tina” White Chandler Jan. 20, 2019

1945

Catherine “Cappy” Price Bass Sept. 11, 2018

1946

Jean Love Albert Sept. 12, 2018 Flora Cameron Crichton March 2, 2019 Marilyn Mandle Dick Feb. 8, 2019 Jane Cook Ross March 1, 2019 Nancy Sanders Starr Dec. 15, 2018

1947

Jane-Arthur Etheridge Hamlin Oct. 16, 2018 Virginia King Oct. 11, 2007

Anne Hyde Long Nov. 9, 2018

Barbara Fitch Petree Feb. 3, 2019

Bettie Golden Tyler April 9, 2015

Audrey “Didi” Stoddard Jan. 22, 2019

1948

1956

Eve Godchaux Hirsch Dec. 17, 2018

1958

Alice Butman Bellows Sept. 28, 2018

Mary “Eleanor” Russell Nov. 13, 2018

Margaret “Peggy” Sheffield Martin Oct. 7, 2018

Carol Hall Majzlin Oct. 11, 2018

Margaret “Peggy” Pierce McAvity Aug. 5, 2018

1959

Mary Anne Goodson Rogers Brown Oct. 15, 2018 Cornelia Wattley Feb. 16, 2019

1949

Katharine “Kitty” Hart Belew Dec. 30, 2018 Alice Dahm Crane Nov. 26, 2018

1950

Mary Virginia Roberts Mellow Feb. 19, 2019 Catharine “Dolly” Clark Rasmussen Jan. 29, 2019

1951

Dorothy Marks Herbruck Sept. 22, 2018 Ann Van Norden McDuffie Oct. 22, 2018 Myrtle Alston Mott Aug. 16, 2018 Mary Kraus Pierson Dec. 26, 2018 Mary Semple Riis Oct. 29, 2018

1953

Virginia Jago Elder Nov. 21, 2018

1955

Elizabeth “Dede” Harrison Austin Nov. 23, 2018 Nancy McCray Brisson Dec. 26, 2018

Ann Eagles Carrell Nov. 5, 2018 Mary “Suzanne” Hafer Hambrick Jan. 12, 2019

1960

Mollie McDonald Feb. 2, 2019

1961

Jill Crawford Adams Jan. 4, 2019 Lucy Giles Richey Sept. 12, 2018

1963

Laura Sauls Wallace Jan. 17, 2019

1964

Lynne Smith Crow Jan. 8, 2019 Diane Hatch Oct. 13, 2018 Nancy Lynah Hood Feb. 14, 2019

1965

Jeannie McIntosh Feb. 8, 2019

1966

Marion Farwell Jan. 8, 2017

1967

Katalin Kelety Jan. 1, 2019

1969

Elizabeth Thomas Colaneri July 24, 2018

1970

Emily Snyder Lind Jan. 2, 2018

1971

Christine McLain Jan. 8, 2019 Amanda Thrasher Segrest Feb. 5, 2019

1972

Lisa Chiles May 19, 2014 Pamela Drake McCormick Feb. 10, 2019 Karen Terstappen Morr Jan. 24, 2019

1974

Anne Hall Whittle Aug. 4, 2017

1977

Edith Durham Sapp Oct. 8, 2018

1980

Louise “Lisa” Kean Jan. 5, 2019

1987

Crystal Sanford Feb. 10, 2019

1990

Kristen Hofheimer Jan. 18, 2019

1995

Shannon McCarthy Roberts Nov. 26, 2018

1997

Ronda Lehenbauer Countiss Sept. 19, 2018

2008

Ashley Figueiredo Sept. 27, 2018

spring 2019

in MEMORIAM

CLASS notes 1948

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Wayne Stokes Goodall 1500 Crestwood Dr. #2305 Charlottesville, VA 22903 434-202-7444 wayne48goodall@gmail.com

Surprise, surprise: we have a few notes for our class. Sweet Briar sent me a list of classmates, their addresses, emails and/or phone numbers, so late last fall I wrote a letter to each of them. One afternoon several weeks later, I got a phone call from Rosemary Gugert Kennedy in New Orleans. We talked for a half hour or more. I asked if she was still playing tennis and she said she had been playing up until recently when she had an operation on her left ankle. She has a granddaughter at the University of Virginia and that brought back some memories of our weekends in Charlottesville. Rosemary hopes to play tennis again if and when the doctor says it’s okay, but she’s scared to ask. The first letter came before Christmas. It was from Evvy Sharp Vidal’s son, Larry. He said his mother was in a nursing home in Cape May, doing well and he sees her once a week. Before moving she lived in Morristown, NJ. It was such a thoughtful, sweet letter and he ended it “I know she remembers all of you and the good times you all shared and I’m sure she wishes all of you the Merriest of Christmases and Best Wishes for a wonderful New Year! Vi Whitehead Morse wrote a long New Year’s greeting in answer to my letter. “I did go to reunion last year!! I felt lost as nobody else came.” Her daughter took her and they sat on the front row. She says she’s still in the old home place — “Edgehill” — in Amherst and hopes we can get together since I’m just up the road in Charlottesville. I hope so too, and wrote her that I would certainly try once the winter snows and rains are gone for good. We’re both pretty old! She misses the news of the class so here’s hoping this is just the begin-

ning of 1948 news in the Alumnae Magazine. Then, just the other day I got another long letter, this one from Jane Shoesmith Newcomb in Wolfeboro, NH. Like all of us, she can’t believe how long it’s been since we were all at Sweet Briar together. She has been very involved in their library and its major renovation and expansion. She says: “Life is good here in NH. So far, I enjoy good health and living alone in a condo with, of course, a black cat Sasha.” She sends best wishes for a Happy New Year. I just called Liz Beltz Rowe and found her at home. She’s in independent living in Alpharetta, GA, has nine grandchildren and nine great grandchildren, some in Texas, some in Georgia. We had a long good conversation as though it hadn’t been 71 years since we were all together at Sweet Briar. Getting in touch with classmates after so many years, without Maddin pushing and shoving us with postcards to “please send news,” has been fun. Some letters were returned with change of address notices but I hope to still hear from them. Their news may not make this issue of the magazine but next time, I hope to hear from more of you. Remember what we always said “our class is the best class ever at Sweet Briar” and we believed it then and we believe it now!!

1949

Preston Hodges Hill 3910 S Hillcrest Dr. Denver, Colo. 80237 edhillj@earthlink.net Caroline Casey Brandt reports that she had a knee replaced in early January and is doing well. Her second great-grandson was born on Christmas Eve. She says that Libby, Elizabeth Trueheart Harris, is also at Westminster in Richmond, in the health unit. And lastly reports the deaths of both Kitty, Katherine Hart Belew, and Mag, Margaret Towers Talman.

Carolyn Cannady Evans reports that she is not sure whether she will be able to attend Reunion this spring. Catherine Cox Reynolds still resides outside Hartford, CT. Katie and her husband, both over 90, continue to be involved with their music and are planning a trip to Portugal in June. Margaret Lawrence Simmons lives in Midland, TX, and volunteers in many local aspects, especially at Trinity School. Preston Hodges Hill lives in Denver and turned 90 in October. She celebrated the occasion with a big family party in Aspen at Christmas that included night time cross country skiing and a horse-drawn sleigh ride. Her great-grandson turned two in January.

1952

Pat Layne Winks Class Secretary 312 Arguello Blvd., Apt. 3 San Francisco, CA 94118 415-221-6779; (cell) 415-350-2994 plwinks@earthlink.net As I collect your messages and notes of conversations, I’m reminded of the Stephen Sondheim lyric: “Good times and bum times, I’ve seen them all and my dear — I’m still here.” As years go by, we enjoy reminiscing about our past rather than anticipating our future. Some of us are caretakers for husbands, some husbands and others are our caretakers. We cut down on activities that once engaged us. We rejoice in the prospects and achievements of children and grandchildren. A few of us remain gainfully employed. Polly Plumb deButts continues to conduct guided tours during Washington, D.C.’s active tourist season. Her student groups, who come from all over the country, marvel at Polly’s active pace. Benita Phinizy Johnson works three days a week at a retirement facility, not quite ready to move in herself. Jackie

Razook Chamandy maintains a real estate practice. Many are active in other ways. Phoebe DeFoe Adams and Pat Beach Thompson continue to garden. Betsy Wilder Cady renewed her love of riding by learning dressage, and was recently awarded membership in the Century Club of the U.S. Dressage Federation. Janis Thomas Zeanah works with the Birmingham Symphony, theater and geological society. Casey Black Underwood still plays tennis! Sue Judd Silcox regrets the loss of a garden in her new home, where she cares for her ailing husband Jack. Jane Russo Sheehan has spent much of the last year attending to Dick as he moved from hospital to rehab to home. Pat Beach Thompson and husband Calvin no longer climb the Himalayas, but 94-yearold Calvin takes great pleasure in following the activities of all the creatures just outside their home: birds, turkeys, bats, bull frogs, chipmunks, fox, deer, opossum, and even an occasional snapping turtle. Several of you have moved to be closer to family. Casey Black Underwood now lives in Fallbrook, CA, north of San Diego, near her daughter. Ann Whittingham Smith is in Torrington, CT, close to her two daughters. Anne Hoagland Kelsey is nearer her children now that she has moved to Wellesley, MA. Josie Sibold has traveled the farthest, moving from Chattanooga, TN, to Georgia. And Laura Radford Goley still lives in sight of her beloved Blue Ridge Mountains: she and her husband moved just six minutes down the road from their home in Forest, VA (now occupied by her daughter and family), to a retirement community in Lynchburg. Most no longer travel far from home, but some of us are reluctant to give up the habit. Pauline Wells Bolton joins her daughter Mary in Mexico each year, and will spend a month there this spring when Mary moves her yoga studio to San Miguel de Allende. Grace Wallace Brown, who lives in Massachusetts, joined

1953

Florence Pye Apy 40 Riverside Ave, Apt. 6Y Red Bank, NJ 07701 floapy@verizon.net Recently the Alumnae Office notified me that Virginia Jago Elder,

passed away on Nov. 21 at her ranch in Chappell Hill, TX. Born in London, England, her family emigrated to the United States when she was six and settled in Houston, TX. She attended Kinkaid School in Houston, St. Mary’s in San Antonio and Sweet Briar College. She loved all sports, but especially tennis and golf. She was also an avid rider who bred and raced thoroughbred horses in many states, including Kentucky. She was predeceased by her parents, her husband, John William Elder, and her son Charles (Nick) Jago Elder. She was survived by four nieces and nephews and four godchildren. A few of our classmates have moved. Because of her partner’s failing eyesight, Kay Amsden and Mary Lou Fuller have moved, with their cat Rusty, from Heritage Heights in Concord, NH, to Ravenwood, another section of their continuing care community. They are being well taken care of. I, an ice-cream-aholic, am envious of one of their perks. They have a SCOOPS ice cream parlor right on the premises and the cones cost only 25 cents a scoop. Katzy Bailey Nager and C.J. have moved to a small home they have owned for almost 30 years in Longboat Key on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Their large house in South Carolina was requiring too much upkeep, plus a beach, dock and boats to maintain. They left a legacy to ensure that their book program, which they conducted for 10 years, continues. In December, they hosted a 90th birthday party for Katzy’s sister, Bill Bailey Fritzinger ‘50. Katzy’s comment “How could she be 90 when I am 39.” Fourteen family members from seven states attended and had a grand time. Ginnie Hudson Toone entered a nursing home before Thanksgiving as a result of an accident. She was moving a washtub of beautiful herbs to the garage for the winter which resulted in a compression fracture of a vertebrae. In excruciating pain, she was transported twice in two days to the emergency room of the local hospital before being sent to Kansas City to have the fracture cemented. At this writing I believe she is still in the nursing home, but plans on leaving soon — none too soon. Dale Hutter Harris wrote that,

because of health problems, which included some falls, she is currently in their health care unit in their continuing care community in Durham, NC. She and Ted are planning on downsizing to an apartment within the same community as they are happy in that location. Jane Perry Liles wrote, three of her grandsons graduated this past year, one twin from W&L and the other from Clemson. A third grandson graduated from Duke. Still another grandson will graduate from UNC law school in May. He had a brief published in the Law Review, which is quite an honor. Between graduations Jane doesn’t sit still. She is heading for the Turks and Caicos with family in February and up the Mississippi in April. Harriette Andrews also has twin grandsons. They will graduate this coming May, one from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, the other from Ohio University. She recently returned from her Christmas visit to California. Her family is in Northern California, one in Davis, the other south of San Jose. They want her to move out there, but she is “not ready!!” Maggie Graves McClung and Dave report on their two sons Lew and Tom. Lew’s son, Harper, got engaged recently to a lovely girl, which Maggie labeled “a keeper.” No wedding date has been set. Tom’s daughter, Lauren and husband, are building a house up the hill from Tom, so the family compound continues for another generation. Maggie and Dave now have two great grandchildren — Will (10) and Blair (2). Ginger Timmons Ludwick and I finally made contact. I failed to find Ginger and David before Reunion. Her Christmas response to me got lost in a black hole somewhere. I tried again and “voila” got an immediate answer. During the holidays the Ludwicks and the Clarksons took a “freezing” cruise through Newfoundland, Halifax, Quebec and Montreal. David Ludwick celebrated his 90th birthday. Cold weather seems to have permeated our lives this year. According to Ginger it was so cold in Boston in October that the Los Angeles Dodgers lost the World Series. At home they were shivering in Palm Springs.

At this writing it is 8 degrees in Red Bank, NJ, with lots of wind. Thank you to those of you who have answered my plea for news. I hope some of you from whom I have not heard will drop me a line right now so that I have material for the next column.

1954

Bruce Watts Krucke 201 West 9th St. N.-Unit 184 Summerville, SC 29483 bwkrucke@gmail.com The best news for this issue is that there aren’t any deaths of classmates to report. We do send condolences though to Margie Morris Powell and Ann Thomas Donohue whose husbands passed away in 2018. Caroline “Kobo” Chobot Garner is so faithful at sending me her Christmas letter every year. In May she, her daughter Laurie, and her granddaughter Caroline flew to Calgary, BC, Canada, rented a car, and toured the Banff and Lake Louise areas. This was their first three generation trip and it went so well that they hope there will be many more. Laurie, who sells children’s toys, was “Rep of the Year” for Diverse Marketing. Travel is her avocation. Kobo’s grandson Parker is the Manager at the Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta and granddaughter Caroline is a junior at UGA, majoring in Real Estate. Last summer she had and will have this summer, an internship with Prudential. Kobo’s son Gailor and family are in Atlanta where he teaches AP American History at Mount Vernon Presbyterian School. His son Thomas is a senior at VMI and his daughter Clara is a freshman at Randolph Macon. It’s so nice that Kobo sends all this news. I wish everyone would! Kobo might come to reunion too. Another faithful sender is Jerry Dreisbach Ludeke, who includes a good letter with her attractive handmade cards. In December she attended an Archiving Workshop in Sacramento to help her with the converting of the Bakersfield

spring 2019

family for a reunion in Arizona over the holidays. I had asked you to tell me more about sons and grandsons. At least two sons are college professors: my son Christopher is chair of the Comparative Literature Department at Queens College. Benita Phinizy Johnson’s son William is a professor of classics at Duke. Carma Lindsay Burton’s son is also at Duke, where he is a doctor. Nancy Hamel Clark’s son Jim has written over 25 books, and is a consultant at the new Andy Griffith Museum in Mt. Airy. Maybe some of you read about Joanne Holbrook Patton’s son Ben in the November 2018 AARP Bulletin. Ben teaches film to veterans transitioning home from combat zones. Film has proven to be a valuable therapeutic tool to help them deal with PTSD. We can anticipate future SBC alumnae — there are many great-grandchildren. I think Sue Judd Silcox, with 10 great-grandchildren, has the most, but perhaps by the time this is printed she will have serious competition (or yet another great-grandchild). Carma Lindsay Burton has 6 grandsons, 6 granddaughters, and 3 great-grandchildren. Janis Thomas Zeanah has 2 great-granddaughters. Harriet Thayer Elder (Binji) was delighted to welcome a new great-granddaughter. Pat Beach Thompson has four great grandchildren. Polly Plumb deButts grieves the loss of her dear daughter, Mary Gregory, in May 2018, but takes joy in her 5 great-grandchildren; the most recent arrival, in September 2018, was named Emma Plumb. Also, in September 2018, Joanne Holbrook Patton welcomed her first great-granddaughter, Summer Mattingly Patton. Do remember to stay in touch with each other, with the college, and with Joanne and me.

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College Archives to a new management system. Jerry has been the Director of the Archives for 12 years and is looking forward to a new Director being hired so Jerry can just help, but not have all the responsibilities. She took part in the January Women’s March and anti-gun march, wearing at both her pink pussy hat knitted by her pastor. She also attended two Taize events. Like me she is enjoying Mah Jongg. There were five trips to San Francisco: One for her grandson’s play, another for his volleyball tournament, and a third for his high school Generations Day. Number four was for Stanford’s Family Weekend where another grandson is a sophomore, and the fifth was for Thanksgiving with son Scott and family and including two grandchildren from son Kevin’s family in Costa Rica, and also great grandson David. In her spare time, Jerry spent a week in Charlottesville, a week in Arlington and DC, and a few days in Pittsburgh where she was impressed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. From there she took an American Cruise Line boat down the river to St. Louis, where she boarded the Amtrak Texas Eagle for a three night return trip via the Mexican border. The day after Christmas the whole family planned a trip to Costa Rica for the Ludeke family reunion. She hopes to come to our reunion, depending on getting a ride from Charlottesville. I’m exhausted just writing her fun year! Faith Rahmer Croker plans on coming to our big 65th Reunion. I hope you are too. Her granddaughter Katie graduated from SBC in ‘17, making three generations, as Faith’s daughters Sue and Sally, graduated in ‘84 and ‘92. Mary Jane Roos Fenn is coming to reunion with Faith too. A nice note from Hattie Hughes Stone mentions trips to Alexandria, California, and Key West. She and Dick are still living in their home which is not too far from their children and ten grandchildren. Shirley Poulson Broyles writes “Norris and I will try to make reunion--we’re waiting for our new retirement home in Atlanta

to be ready so a lot will depend on moving instructions!” I hope they make it. Hadn’t heard from Billy Isdale Beach in a while. She writes that she is doing chair seat weaving and rug hooking. She is now working on a 5’ x 2.5’ piece based on 15th C. woodblock of Cologne, Germany, for her daughter Alison, who just finished editing Cambridge University Press 2 volume history of Medieval History in the Western World. She and her husband, David, were in Trim, Ireland, to witness the Solstice sunrise at Newgrange, Dec. 21st, and then flew back via Frankfurt, Germany, to New York City for Christmas. Billy’s granddaughter Eliza has been in a two-year internship at The Howard Hughes Axel Lab for Neurobiology and is applying for doctoral studies now. Grandson, Andrew has switched from Violin to Horses! He is a Student Intern at Highpoint Farm, in Georgia for Dressage. Last year Billy and Jack were presented with “ The Key to the City Winterville” for their volunteer work. They are also Active with St. Gregory The Great Episcopal Church. A second note came from Billy with more recent big news about daughter Alison, which you may have read about in January — I saw it but didn’t know our connection. Alison and some colleagues’ work has gone viral on the internet! The publication is is ScienceAdvances. The details are listed on her website www.abeach.org/research. She is the historian whose work on medieval women as scribes, is linked with the research of three women with the Max Plank Institute to show that a woman in the late 10th C was a scribe/illuminator using Lapis Lazuli Ultramarine for production of high value manuscripts. You can check the Popular Science and/or National Geographic comments that show how Alison’s work connects humanities and science! Alison is a Smith Graduate and strong supporter of Women’s Colleges. Our congratulations to Alison on this work. That covers everyone I heard from. My news is that I’ve just been reelected to serve another

term as president of the Residents Council here in The Village at Summerville where we live. It’s the oldest and largest of the six Presbyterian Communities of South Carolina. That, water aerobics, and mah jong keep me busy. The Village is making a new marketing video and Bill and I are featured in it. You can see it by double clicking on the left video at: https://drive.google.com/ drive/folders/1_J4ez7MNO6PjyrOdXUajz4_4UBm3BJHn Two more things: Please try to come to reunion if you’re at all able. It’s our 65th--a big deal! And who knows if we’ll make it to the 70th. Second is the usual plea for donations to our special reunion year fund. We have the most money of any class so far, but our participation number is a pitiful 9%. I’m sure many of you have meant to send something but have just let it slip by. Big donations are great, but even little ones make that important participation figure better. Sweet Briar is being nationally recognized as an innovative women’s college recently and we need to show that we approve of its comeback and it’s continuing to be a superior college. And do it also to remember all the fun we had way back then.

1955

Emily Hunter Slingluff 1217 North Bay Shore Drive Virginia Beach, VA 23451-3714 emilyslingluff@aol.com 757-428-6167 First of all, we are saddened by the death of our classmate, Dede Harrison Austin. Dede had spent the last several years of her life paralyzed after a car accident, but with the great care of her husband and full-time professional help, she lived in an amazingly lovely way in her house in Savannah until she died on Nov. 23. Nella Gray Barkley is still living in her house in Charleston, SC, and sometimes, too, in NYC, where, through her business, Crystal Barkley, Corp., she counsels those who want help planning their futures. Nella gave the Sweet Briar com-

mencement address, May 2018, a very wonderful honor. Peggy West Valentine is still living in her house in Richmond with her husband, Henry. Not many of our classmates still have husbands alive. Maybe most classmates themselves are not alive. Peggy has had a few physical problems, but is enjoying her children and grandchildren, I think all of them in Richmond, and her dog and her beautiful rose garden. Kathleen Peeples Ballou, is living now back in Macon, GA, and still missing her husband, Dennis, who died in Oct. 2017. Having been on several mini-reunions with Kathleen and Dennis, I can imagine how much she misses his kindness and his intelligence, too. But Kathleen sounds happy with life. Catherine Cage Bruns says she is happy living a quiet life in the same house in the city of Houston where she has been for many years. She has a son in Minneapolis, who comes to visit her in Houston, but she says she stays where she is, with contentment. Jane Feltus Welch is still in her big house in Prospect, KY, just outside of Louisville, and sounds wonderful and says she feels good but that sometimes when she walks, she “wobbles a bit!” Her daughter, Eliza, was coming from San Francisco to spend a few days with her. Eliza loves her work with Hospice in San Francisco, where she lives, and where she was recently happily married. Jane was planning to head to her New York apartment this January to spend ten days, but says she has retired from acting. Some of us probably bet she would still be good at that! We all enjoyed our famous actress! Sue Lawton Mobley, still in Atlanta, GA, sounds happy as always, writes that her elder granddaughter just graduated from Auburn in early childhood education. Wow, very important topic, early childhood education, we know. Elise Wachenfeld de Papp, living in Pittsford, NY, is a mother, grandmother, physician, renowned rider, and also a teacher of other subjects. This winter, through Osher (OLLI), she is teaching about the Holy Roman Empire. As she says, many know that it existed, she met a 1982 SBC alum there, but do not

and net her double what she and her husband paid for it in 1999! She has reluctantly stopped playing tennis, the game she has loved since she was 11 years old. She spends most afternoons at the pool, reading and chatting with friends. She says she is a member of a superb Episcopal parish in Naples which she will sorely miss when she moves permanently to Scarborough, ME, to the “wonderful CCRC” she bought in 2016. It has “380 magnificent feet of oceanfront, interesting, active residents, gorgeously maintained gardens, and so much always to do!” She says she will miss the weather in Florida but knows all about Maine winters because she has survived 50 Maine winters! And…Bexie’s daughter and her daughter live nearby in Portland. A few months ago, her daughter gave her left kidney to her daughter. Both were happy with the successful transplant and are happy to be rid of daily dialysis. She said that thanks to her second husband, Bob, she has five children, all of whom have families, so it is difficult to keep up! But she said there was excitement when she had two great-granddaughters born on the same day in June: Zelda in D.C. and Olivia in Oregon! That makes 8! Emily Hunter Slingluff is appreciating life as always. I so appreciate being alive and healthy and living where I do, in an old house on the water, and dearly love my family and friends; and also, through writing and talking, very much like helping parents realize the huge importance of kind parenting. More about that is on emilyslingluff.com. More radio shows are on the horizon. And maybe one more book about kind parenting. Writing these notes does take time and energy, but oh what a joy, too! It is a treat reconnecting with so many intelligent and kind friends. I wonder if the class of 1955 was so special, so different from others in the past, and guess maybe not. Sweet Briar was amazing to attract and further educate so many smart and nice females. The positive words from all of you, doing different things but appreciating life, is heartwarming. Please keep up the connecting.

1956

Mary Ann H. Willingham P.O. Box 728 Skyland, N.C. 28776-0728 hicklinw@bellsouth.net First the sad news: from her obituary we learn that Eleanor Russel of Houston, TX, and Nashville, TN, died Feb. 13, 2018, leaving behind a surviving daughter, son and nine grandchildren spread from Savannah, GA, to Fairbanks, AK. After SBC she attended Rice and attained a degree in art education from the University of Houston. She taught in San Antonio for 23 years, taking many graduate courses in her field along the way and influencing many students. Her particular interests included extensive life time travel, calligraphy, hand-weaving, stitchery and poetry. She had recently moved to Nashville where she continued to exhibit in art shows, many of which were juried. Virginia Echols Orgain’s daughter-in-law, Neil Orgain, responded to my request for information with sad news: Ginny died last February. She had moved to the memory care unit at the Crillton Assisted Living facility in Hickory, NC. Sadly, she had had Alzheimer’s for 10 years. Neil said that Ginny had loved her SBC years and that the family had asked that memorials be sent there. Jane Slack Sigloh lives at Westminster Canterbury in Charlottesville and plans to write no more books. She is working on talks about “The Gospel according to Harry Potter,” her favorite model. Although probably not approved by the church, her favorite mantra these days is, “When I am an old woman, I will wear purple and a hat that doesn’t match.” Helen Turner Murphy was quick to respond that she has no news, but wanted to support my effort, which I really appreciate! Helen continues to enjoy her younger friends, grows day lilies and kayaks in warmer seasons. Daughter Anne and 4 children live in Richmond so Helen and Tayloe see them often, as well as take annual vacations together to Bermuda and Nags Head. She feels blessed to still have just non-life-threatening health issues and to still have Tayloe.

Bunny Burwell Nesbit is happily living in The Glenridge in Sarasota, FL, a community of about 400 independent residents and another 100 in assisted living. Life there she says exceeds all expectations and there is more to do than one can do. The ambience is superlative and the food is gourmet. They have their own theatre and a 5-star fitness center, well-staffed with trainers, numerous on campus as well as off campus activities plus wonderful, interesting intelligent people too! Barbara Page McFarland, alias Billy Rowe, writes that she continues to live her retired life of golf, bridge, Barre3 and reading “every old book” that is not a legal brief. The new man in her life is Havanese puppy, totally adorable, smart and loving. Spends most of her time on the golf course, although occasionally spending time in Scottsdale. She is expecting her first great-grandchild in February, a little boy whom they steadfastly refuse to name Barbara. How can this be, she wonders, admitting that she has just turned 39! Nancy Ettinger Minor reports that two surgeries told her that she must sell her house near Savannah, GA, and move to The Cypress of Hilton Head, SC. Her house sold fast, settled within 30 days, but not even a hint of when the Hilton Head condo she wanted might be available. So she “slept around!” Friends were wonderful! Moved to Hilton Head in July. Her daughter, once doing a wonderful job in economic development for the Peace Corp in Georgia, now lives close enough to visit Nancy in Hilton Head. Lottie Lou Lipscomb Guttry boasts that she has spent 62 years with the same husband! In earlier years they enjoyed careers, extensive travels, scuba diving, gardening, ballroom dancing, three children, eight grandchildren and five great grands. However, recent medical problems have kept them at home in a lovely neighborhood of patio homes in Longview, TX. They take advantage of a great exercise facility and still enjoy visiting the Rocky Mountains. Recently they attended the wedding of a grandson in Orlando, FL. Losing many dear friends has saddened them. For their ages she says their bodies and brains work relatively well. For these blessings they are thankful!

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know details. She is using PowerPoint for presentation, and says that is a whole learning curve in itself. Wow, Elise! Patty McClay Bogg sounds so upbeat! She raves about the retirement center, “The Marshes,” where she lives. It is on Skidaway Island, a part of Savannah. Patty’s husband died four years ago and shortly after that, she decided to move to The Marshes. A son with his family lives in Savannah and another son lives in Detroit, and a daughter lives in Raleigh. When asked whether she has grandchildren, she said oh yes … and great grandchildren! On the phone, Patty sounded as young as when she was at Sweet Briar. Amanda McThenia Iodice is now living in an independent living facility in Rochester Hills, MI. She and husband, Don, had moved there just before he died. She says it is sort of like being at SBC because she has to sign in and out when she goes shopping or meets friends for lunch. Also, someone makes sure she wakes up in the morning by a certain time. She has interesting companions, she says, and they laugh a lot about their new lives. She has a new great-granddaughter named Clara, the mother being her granddaughter, Amanda. They live in Phoenix, AZ, where he is an Air Force doctor and she is an urban planner. Manda said he studied with my son at UVa med school. Manda also has a grandson studying Forensic Science at Northern Michigan in Marquette and a granddaughter in high school. Another son is president of the Southeast Michigan Realtors Association and spends a lot of time going to meetings in their state capitol as well as in Washington, D.C., and his wife is working with General Motors to get their vast history digitized and preserved for posterity. Manda hopes to visit her brother in Lexington, VA, this summer and hopes to see Sweet Briar on that same visit! Ethel Green Banta spends lots of time visiting her daughters and son and their children in Massachusetts, Washington and in Richmond. And, she enjoys life at her same historic house in Natchez. Bexie Faxon Knowles writes that she is about to list her very desirable condo in North Naples, FL, privately. She thinks it should sell quickly

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Lee Chang Crozier says she has not much news — i.e. no news in the wild living category! She just wants everyone to know that she and her family are well, and that she is working hard at “growing old gracefully!” She wishes all her classmates a New Year of good health, joy and wonderful surprises! Karen Steinhardt Kirkbride writes that she and her husband are managing reasonably well, although are finding it difficult to find time for all that is scheduled and all that is not scheduled. Richard has Parkinson’s, but has an excellent PT program that helps a lot. They continue to travel to see their sons and their families and, in the warmer months, to their second home in Milton, DE, very close to Rehobeth, DE. Janet Monroe Marshall in Ellicott City, MD, writes of all the roles she has played: daughter, student, wife, mother, activist, employee (hospital, University and science non-profit), grandmother, widow and now resident of a continuing care community with a cultural slant on ‘never too late.’ Who knew acting would now be her newest role? What fun she says! Once again, she is a political activist for making certain state regulations keep their residents well-armed with oversight ability for a fiscally strong community. Having a family focus, she is still able to travel to Pennsylvania, the Poconos, Ireland and D.C. Brandon Forrest Rohr writes of the arrival of yet another great grandchild! She and her deceased husband had 2 children, 7 grandchildren and now 10 great grandchildren! As a remarried widow she lives in the Rappahannock Westminster Canterbury in Irvington, VA, close to her former home on the Chesapeake Bay and friends from her previous retirement years. She says her health is still good and that she does a bit of traveling. Paula Purse Pointer is smiling at the thought of a wild life! She is handling “the old age thing” slowly and carefully! She says actually she is doing pretty well. Right now she is teaching a life skills class for adults working toward a GED, digging out course outlines from the past. She finds many ways to enjoy her life, none of them wild, but satisfying and fun. She sends her best to all

the other old gals from the Class of 1956! Hands down, the PRIZE FOR WILD LIVING goes to Denny Dolan Henkle because her travels this past year have included Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kings Canyon, Sequoia National Parks, Iceland, Scotland, Munich, Salzburg and the Galapagos. (And did I not just hear that we are dangerously close to old?) In case you cannot picture Denny, she was in our class only junior year, lived in Boxwood, married Steve, her W&L love that summer and moved to Washington State. They have 4 children and 10 grandchildren. Sadly, Steve died in 2012 and Denny now dwells, obviously only once in a while, in an apartment on Mercer Island. Kay Smith Schauer is selling her home of 54 years this spring and will move into a retirement community in Palo Alto CA, which she sees as a fabulous move for her. She hopes all her classmates have found such a great old age as she has. She is very happy that many wonderful SBC supporters have jumped in and saved the college! Peggy Anne Rogers wrote that she continues to share her treasure with SBC. This time a 3’ x 8’ bronze replica of the Shakespeare tomb in Stratford, England. She has given the SBC library many books in the past as well. She is still living at Signal Mountain, TN. Caroline Robinson Ellerbe and her husband of many years still live in Columbia, SC, except when summering in Highlands, NC. So maybe our paths will cross next summer because Highlands is in close proximity to where I live. That would be great fun after all these years! In May Bett Forbes Rayburn spent two weeks in Tokyo and Kyoto with one of her daughters and her son-in-law. She noted Tokyo’s cleanliness and beautiful hydrangeas everywhere. She and her husband still often travel to their farm in central Georgia. For entertainment she cites Book Club, Church and Silver Sneakers exercise as predominate activities. Two quick visits with Ann Allen Stevens recently, Bett quotes Ann as saying that she is just resting and enjoying what she has accomplished.

Jean Dowdy Von Schilling writes that after living on a farm in Virginia for 47 years, she and Dutch have moved to Boca Grande, FL. She tells us that she has recently spoken with Kitty Harrison and Betsy Parker and that they are both well. There is an untold chapter in Mary Koonz Gynn’s career: You might remember that she joined her father in running their 350-acre farm in Indiana. Armed with several degrees she had an additional career in the worlds of big corporations and universities in research and development of chemicals, fertilizers and seeds. The list is impressive: Purdue University, Dow Chemicals and Dupont. Describing herself as once perceived as a “dumb blonde ditz,” she succeeded very successfully rising in a “man’s field” as a respected woman who was knowledgeable not only in the how-to of successful farming but also a dependable researcher who was frequently called for consultation. Now she has retired, not to a life of leisure. There is more to come! Nancie Howe Entenmann Roberts reminds us that the saying is, “Come alive at 85!” She spent Christmas with Jim’s family, plus a visit to Entenmanns in Wisconsin. Last June they had a great reunion with all aged Roberts in Corpus Christi, TX. She hopes to visit a friend in NYC in June while Jim goes fishing. She is hoping to attend our reunion in 2021! As for me, I love seeing SBC friends, which happens on various occasions! I am still in my NC house and stay very busy — even got myself elected President of my Garden Club. Aren’t you envious?

1958

Eleanor St. Clair Thorp 3 Stoneleigh #6D Bronxville, N.Y. 10708 schatzethorp@gmail.com Tibby Moore Gardner sends news while on a Viking cruise around Cuba with her husband, Bill, and son Ryland, Ryland’s wife Shari and her parents. They are all having a wonderful time. She met Mary Campbell and Mollie Payne

for a holiday lunch in December at the Williamsburg Inn. A wonderful time had by all. Elizabeth (Woody) Coggeshell Nock is busy with her work as a docent at the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC. Since Woody lives in Darlington, about 85 miles away from the museum, she says it’s a long drive, but she loves that too. She sends her best to her classmates, and perhaps we should all stop by the museum when Woody is there! Beedy Tatlow Ritchie shares the good news of the arrival of her second grandson, Charles Jackson Ritchie IV, early on Jan. 10, 2019, in “the city that never sleeps.” (I guess she means New York City!) Beedy and her husband Bruce love their life in Palm Desert, CA, where they keep busy with golf, pickleball, hiking and enjoying with their new friends. Beedy sees Mary Kent Zimmerman Ireland in Michigan every summer and loves her fabulous boutique in Northport. Mary Johnson Campbell attended a speech by our President Meredith Woo at the Richmond Women’s Club and reports that she spoke beautifully without notes. Her topic was Korea, where she was born, and the history of the division of North and South Korea. Mary said the room was packed and there was loud appreciative applause from the audience. Dorothy (Poogie) Wyatt Shields moved to Crozet VA in 2016, to The Lodge at Old Trail, a so-called senior living community. She reports that she is happy, being back in a conventional life with “people who are caring, charming and talented.” She enjoys spending her days exercising, playing Mahjong, dealing with her Parkinson’s Disease and “hanging out with my true love, a handsome 95-year old named David.” Sounds good, Poogie! Mary Taylor Swing and husband Bill live a very full life with a home in Burlingame, CA, travelling as representatives of URI, and they spent their working time this fall in Toronto. They are planning a spring trip to Costa Rica in the spring. Mary’s note came to me just as she was finishing time at the computer working on a TED talk that Bill gave on Jan. 15 in San Francisco. The URI is still a major factor in their

ar) and will see some Sweet Briar graduates at the forthcoming Iditarod which is being run by Alison Lifka ’13. Betty and her husband are off to Hawaii for the winter. Ann McCullough Floyd sent a note from Murells Inlet, SC, where she has lived ever since she and her husband Jack were married. Though Jack died 6 years ago, Ann is still in their house and sees some of our classmates, i.e., Jane Waring, Sandra Harper and Beedy Ritchie, and she would love to hear from, and see any and all of you. Bessie Smith Stone, and her husband Bob, are still living on Martha’s Vineyard and would welcome any visitors in the area! Both happily are healthy and busy with outdoor activities in the summer and indoor activities in the winter. Bessie shared her support and excitement about the new academic program at Sweet Briar and says “we seem to be jumping ahead in determining a new path for women’s education.” Well said. Eleanor St. Clair Thorp (that’s me) can report that she and Peter are still in Bronxville and their three girls and seven grandchildren are thriving. And additional news is that I still have family at the school: The granddaughter of my sister (Nancy St. Clair Talley ‘56), Alix Talley, is in her second year and is enjoying the academics and the campus life very much. Peter and I are on our way to Florida in March and plan to stop off to see Tibby Moore Gardner and Mary Johnson Campbell in Richmond, as well as Lynn Prior Harrington in her winter home near Savannah. Anyone else close to I-95 South to Stuart, FL, let us know since we would love to stop by and say hello.

1961

Julie O’Neil Arnheim 41 Pitt St. Charleston, SC 29401 jarnheim@princeton.edu Ann Gregg Mciver was so thrilled to receive a card from her former roomie, Sheila Haskell Smith, that she was motivated to share how much she is enjoying “smelling the flowers” after a hectic career of teaching at CUNY, working in NYC gov-

Janna Staley Fitzgerald ’61 and husband Hans take an autumn walk in their Williamsburg neighborhood

Lida (FeeFee) Matthews Tingley, ’61’s avid golfer, poses in tandem with an avid golfer in Tralee, Ireland

ernment (where daughter, Kathryn Garcia continues the tradition and is current NYC Commissioner) and finally in non-profit management. Living in the same Brooklyn brownstone for 48 years, Ann has seen the neighborhood gentrify and her children grow up. They all live close by and now populate a regular Sunday dinner which includes seven grandchildren — “a fairly wild affair.” The peripatetic Lida (FeeFee) Matthews Tingley enjoys family and friends outdoors, spending summers in Bloomfield, CT, fall and spring in

Wilmington, NC, and part of the winter in Key Largo, FL. She plays lots of golf. During a 2018 trip to Ireland, she walked 9 courses in 10 days and has sent a photo from Tralee! Several times each spring she and Ruth Jones Bassett meet for lunch. Ruth has a house on Wrightsville Beach. And FeeFee has a multigenerational “family dinner” with Ruth’s daughter, her husband and their 2 sons when her own grandson comes to visit. Her main complaint is that “temps keeps fidgeting.” Don’t we all agree about that?

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lives, the organization is thriving and continuing to grow in size and impact on global religious relationships. Lynn Crosby Gammil says she is still catching up after her husband Stewart passed away two years ago. Lynn and Stewart were married for 60 years and have 3 children and 6 grandchildren. I will quote her list of current endeavors: “Cosby Arboretum Mississippi State University ES in Picayune, Mount Vernon Ladies Assn. (George Washington), Miss. Department of Archives and History, Center for the Study of Southern Culture at Ole Miss, Hattiesburg Arts Council and Trinity Episcopal Church.” Quite a list, and also Lynn reports that she is the only surviving member of her Junior Year in France (1956-57). A note from Ann Taylor reports that she is still living in New York but has left NPR. Since the summer of 2011, Ann has been doing voiceover work which she finds very interesting but says she is afraid there are more auditions than jobs. She looks forward to hearing from her classmates. Mimi Gerrard Seawright continues to be busy creating both dance for video and dance for the stage. Her last concert for the stage in NYC was Nov. 11, 2018, at New York Live Arts. In addition, she has a half-hour program on Manhattan Neighborhood Network that is shown twice a month. She has also been collaborating with her husband, James Seawright, and their visual arts program has been seen recently at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She has participated in about 50 international film festivals over the last three years and has been awarded seven first place awards. Mimi and James are very proud of their two grandchildren, Sam, 18 and Hayden, 15. A very impressive year’s summary from our classmate, Mimi! Betty Gallo Skladal sends her news from Anchorage, AK, where she and her husband have lived for over fifty years. They also have a home in Lynchburg where they were before Christmas, so they missed the large earthquake that caused severe damage to Anchorage and the surrounding areas. But they returned to many strong aftershocks as well as a mess to clean up. Betty is a member of the Anchorage Concert Chorus (she was a voice major at Sweet Bri-

Martha Ann Chandler ’61 weds William Killian Romoser in Carmel, CA in 1963

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Bill Romoser has lots of dessert offerings — but only if you like ice cream

Mary Denny Scott Wray moved Jan. 4 into Westminster Canterbury where she has 4 cousins and many friends. She is excited both for herself and for her sons who can stop worrying. Outside of 1 hip and 3 knee replacements, she is in good health; but mobility is a problem. “Thou shalt not fall.” Contact her at

Apt. 3128, 1500 Westbrook Court, Richmond, VA 23227, 804 2001359 and cell 804 304-5556. She wishes us all great health and happiness. Bette Hutchins Sharland keeps current about county politics by serving as secretary of her local umbrella civic association and keeps her

mind active through discussions at a book club in her parish. She recently had lunch with Barbara Murphy Archard Hale ’60 in Cambridge, MD, and keeps in close touch with former roomie, Margaret Gwathmey, and Susie Pritchard Pace. As co-secretary for our class, she keeps her ear to the ground for news about SBC’s undertakings. Some pretty exciting things are happening there. In wishing us a Happy New Year, Chloe Lansdale Pitard adds that she lives in the Lake District on the Eastern Shore and is aware now of getting too much of what you wish for. Martha Ann Chandler Romoser’s husband, Bill, passed away on Nov. 6, 2018, in hospice care in Winchester, VA. A vital outdoorsman— graduate of Annapolis, beekeeper, carpenter, marathon runner—Bill had been only recently diagnosed with MDS and leukemia. He attended our 50th Reunion. Class co-president Maria Garnett Hood reminds us that our 60th Reunion is not far away. She attended Sweet Briar Day in Norfolk in early January and was treated to an update of what’s happening there. The emphasis on ecology, engineering and the sciences is impressive. Combining sciences with the arts and making use of Sweet Briar’s unique physical plant and location in course offerings is exciting. They grow some of the food for the College and they raise livestock. It occurred to Maria that the best of her mother’s era in the twenties at SBC is being revived and augmented with innovations and ideas for the future. Maria also added “I am co-president of Delta Kappa Gamma Teachers Society, an international organization furthering women in education. We raise money for scholarships to assist budding teachers, for those working on advanced degrees and for training for the courses they teach, and we assist with whatever is needed for teaching children. For example, we send used shoes to Africa where children who have the opportunity to attend school may not go unless they have shoes to wear. I am still volunteering at our community hospital here on the Shore. And, of course, our news always includes Camp Greenbrier where we spend all of our summers with boys from the world over. There

I still am in charge of the Food Service and Tutoring, which is offered for campers that need some summer reading, remediation, or regular tutoring. It’s a wonderful life, and Bob and I feel so fortunate still to be able to participate.” Also, very impressed by change implemented at Sweet Briar is Bee Newman Thayer who visited in 2018 and will visit again this spring. She urges, “Please, everyone, consider the best gift you can to our SBC…in honor of our years… and the wonderful friends that we have known.” Bee is renting in Florida for 4 months and will return to Hanover, NH, in the spring, heading to the mountains in June. She is taking life one day at a time, still grieving and leading life as Brad would have hoped. She saw many classmates in 2018: Sally Mathiason Prince and Jill Babson Carter in NH, Sheila Haskell Smith; Jeanne Bounds Hamilton and Catherine Caldwell Cabaniss in NYC. Sally Mathiason Prince lost her dear husband of 57 years, Ted Prince, after a brief illness in April. They had just returned from a wonderful trip to Italy, and he was still a strong tennis player and golfer. They had met when Ted was in law school in Charlottesville. His family was his greatest joy and they were blessed that their children and grandchildren live in DC and nearby. Ted’s passion was “Ubering” his grands, going to their games and playing sports with them. Sally too reported reminiscing with Jill Carter and Bee Thayer in Hanover near her summer home last summer. Sally added, “Old friends are the best. I still have one lemon twist shop in Chevy Chase and have sold the others. That’s enough to keep me busy.” Lou Chapman Hoffman and I, Julie O’Neil Arnheim, join Bee in urging our classmates to donate to Sweet Briar a priority this fiscal year, which ends June 30. Our class participation percentage does not reflect the affection most of us hold for our alma mater, which has struggled to reinvent itself and is making awesome changes yet continues to adhere to high academic standards. SBC needs the Class of ’61 to step up. Stuart Bohannon Evans will join Lou for Mardi Gras weekend. Good taste and good judgment…

dens being cultivated by faculty and students.” Life stays busy for Janna Staley Fitzgerald. She and Hans celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary Dec. 22. They forgot to celebrate because both his children and three grandchildren spent the holidays with them, but they had a good time playing board games with the kids, sending them off to play disc golf and badminton and, of course, cooking holiday meals. She had visited her son, Scott, and her only granddaughter for a week in Charlotte earlier in December. In October, she and Hans saw fall colors all across Canada as they joined a tour of Canadian capitals — Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec. Immediately afterward they drove from IAD to Western Maryland to celebrate her twin brothers’ birthday, which was a nice family reunion with 40 in attendance. Then, off to Galveston to spend Thanksgiving with Hans’ daughter and family. Janna had rested up the first half of 2018 in anticipation of that whirlwind second half. She sent a photo of the young married couple, i.e. she and Hans, walking in the neighborhood. She loves Williamsburg in spring and autumn; but, after conditioning as a race car driver in Charlotte she got two tickets in 25-mph Williamsburg. She has had to put a mental governor on her accelerator pedal. She keeps up with Holly Chaikowski Davis in Lebanon, PA, by phone and visits occasionally with Holly’s daughter in NJ and Canada. She also keeps up with her lovely roomie, Anne Worboys Buske’s daughter, Dana, via Facebook and cards. My, i.e. Julie’s news, is a bit of le plus ça change…. I take classes for credit for fun and mental exercise at College of Charleston and, so far, maintain a 3.9+ average. School seems more fun at the beginning of the semester however. I spent a month in Paris and a week in the Dordogne last summer followed by a week in Wisconsin with my children and grandchildren followed immediately (à la Janna) by a week at Kanuga outside Ashville with the extended family of my roommate, Marion Lucas Fleming. I had never met Mimi’s husband of more than 57 years, so it was about time! They were married while I was in Paris with Sweet

Briar Junior Year in France ’59-’60, the group of 90 students for which I am the self-appointed secretary. At Kanuga we celebrated Mimi and her sister’s co-birthday; they were born exactly one year apart. I look forward to our classmates turning over a new ten’s digit in 2019!! Sadly, ‘61 recently lost three classmates: Suzanne Taylor Gouyer of Monroe, VA, died on Aug. 25, 2018. Lucy Giles Richey, of Gallatin, TN, passed away on Sept. 12, 2018. Jill Crawford Adams of San Antonio, TX, died on Jan. 4, 2019.

1962

Parry Ellice Adam 33 Pleasant Run Rd. Flemington, NJ 08822 peaba@comcast.net Ann Ritchey Baruch has built a small house in Spring Island, SC (between Hilton Head and Beaufort). She spends July and August in Harbor Point, MI, where her family has spent summers since 1884. Ann has five grandchildren, ages 7-2, three in Darien and two in Mill Valley. Her other passion is her native plant garden on 1/3 acre, in progress for the last 10 years. Seeds, cuttings and divisions are the sources of the display. She also loves to play bridge, embarking on her second 3-week bridge cruise. May Bell Scott Rauch says that she has seen Jocelyn Palmer Connors, Alice Allen Smyth, Patsey Carney Reed, Ray Henley Thompson and Ann Ritchey Baruch in the past year and all are doing well. Anne Allen Symonds spent four months last summer and a month at Christmas in Park City. Last winter she had a fascinating trip to Colombia led by a garden club relative of the Ambassador to the U.S. Anne and Taft are going to Scotland in July on a garden tour. Patsey Carney Reed’s son’s family are still in Casteldefells, Spain, near Barcelona where the 3 grandsons attend The English School. Her daughters are each on the opposite

coasts here. Patsey keeps busy and fit, sending her love to all. Letitia Sanders will be a guest lecturer at SBC for the Leadership Core Course “Women and Gender in the World.” What an honor for Tish! Julia Shields is hoping for improved luck in 2019. She fell while gardening in the rain, developed sciatica, her car was slammed into and she had a hit-and-run collision on the rental car! However, she had a happy reunion with her roommate Marcia Armstrong Scholl and her sisters. Finally, some food for thought which appeared at the end of Fran Early’s Christmas letter which I’m sure she’d like to share. “I Will Light Candles This Christmas” by Howard Thurman: Candles of joy, despite all sadness, Candles of hope where despair keeps watch. Candles of courage for fears eve present, Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days, Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens, Candles of love to inspire all my living, Candles that will burn all the year long.

1963

Allie Stemmons Simon 3701 Guadalajara Ct. Irving, Texas 75062 asimontc@outlook.com Greetings, Ladies of ‘63! Everyone is still raving about our 55th Reunion and how much fun we had, and our newly elected Class President, Lucy Otis Anderson, wants to remind us to put our 60th on our calendars. 2023 will be here before we know it! On that subject Prue Gay Stuhr wrote “I was pleased to receive a photo of the members of our class who were able to attend the 55th from Ginger Cates Mitchell on the very day of the reunion. The photo arrived on my cell phone while in rehab for an ankle fusion. Let’s hear it for cell phones that allow us to receive pho-

spring 2019

Bill and Catherine Cabaniss, entertained Bee and Ross and Jeanne Hamilton at a celebration dinner given by the Vaclav Havel Foundation Board feting the 100th anniversary of Czechoslovakia at the Bohemian National Hall on Sept. 27 in NYC. The day before, the Hamiltons and Cabiniss’ took a fantastic tram tour at Storm King Sculpture Park outside the city. In 2011 Mary MacKenzie Shaw lost her wonderful husband, Jim, to cancer at age 82. They had 3 children, one of whom, Lisa, graduated from SBC. Of 5 grandchildren, the oldest starts college in fall 2019. Mary lives full-time on Cape Cod in a house she and Jim designed and built. She had spent 30 years working in financial areas of a large insurance corporation. She is very involved in her community: Board of Trustees of Eastham Public Library (3rd term), where its new construction received ALA and AIA awards in 2018 and for which Mary was on the Capital Projects Committee and was co-chair for its building fund which raised over a million dollars; Eastham Board of Finance, appointed as the only woman on nine-person board. Mary added “I play a lot of duplicate bridge—good for my mind!” Our reporter on-the-ground, Judy Greer Schulz, is teaching piano at the College this semester and is working up a piano recital. Judy: “I will enjoy becoming familiar with the new curriculum. President Woo is making hard choices, and I know we all hope she succeeds in her effort to restore Sweet Briar to firm footing. Steve (now retired) and I are still in our home. Daughter Cecily ‘85 is teaching at Boston University Law School and son Garth works for J.P. Morgan in NYC. We have 5 grand-children, three in college (two at SMU, Dallas) and one at Boston Univ. Lucie and Charlie are thriving in high school. I am grateful to Sweet Briar for connections with so many local friends in classes other than ours, and I am always delighted when a ‘61 graduate comes to town. Had a nice reunion with Jane Garst Lewis and Celia Williams Dunn here in April 2018 — just days after a tornado ripped through our neighborhood. We got to Sweet Briar on a festive day to see the individual gar-

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tos as the events are happening! It gave me great joy to see class friends at the College on that day.” Prue says recovery from the surgery has been slow but steady and her husband, Ed, had a health emergency in December but is recovering well. Prue and Ed have one grandchild graduating from college, one just beginning college, one beginning high school and two in middle school, plus their beloved Dalmatian, Ticket, who is 8 years old. Susan Scott Robinette and Lamar are still getting used to living in a town (Clemson) in a house 1/2 the size of their old one in the country, on 1/3 of an acre versus 36 acres! Their daughter, Kate, who lives nearby in Asheville gave them a 5th grandchild last March. And they enjoyed a 2-week river cruise in November, beginning in Switzerland and ending in Belgium with a myriad of wonderful experiences in between. Keitt Matheson Wood writes that she and Frank are flying to Los Cabos in January to join a Lindblad National Geographic cruise around Baja California “to see whales, blue-footed boobies and who knows how many more fabulous sea, land and air creatures!” Ginger Mitchell and Mitch entertained their whole family at their farm for Christmas then left for Costa Rica for a 10-day birding adventure. Ginger says, “Great trip, but this OLD girl is exhausted and ready for some real honest R&R.” In October, Ginger and Betsy Flanders Spencer visited Cecil Collins Scanlan and had a wonderful time with her in San Antonio. Lucy Anderson reports a visit with Nancy Nix-Karnakis several months ago — Nancy was visiting in the Charlotte area and stopped by Lucy’s for lunch. Sadly, Nancy’s husband, Nick, died last year. Lucy has taken on a project helping the Charlotte Latin School, where she worked for many years, compile highlights in its history in preparation for its 50th anniversary. Lucy says: “They asked me to do this because I’m old but what they apparently didn’t realize is that in my world there is an inverse relationship between age and memory!” Lucy and David are planning a trip to the Holy Land in May and a family trip to Alaska in June. Nancy Dixon Brown reports

taking a fabulous Alaskan cruise last July. It was great to hear from Barbara Sullivan Wanamaker who is still working at her small real estate company in Huntington, NY, on Long Island. She is very proud that all 3 of her “kids” (now 49, 47 and 45) are real estate agents “and good ones”! Barbara says she’s working at taking time off and doing some of the things on her bucket list but she failed to tell what they are! More information, please, Barbara! Heinz and I (Allie Stemmons Simon) and our daughter, Karen, enjoyed a transatlantic crossing on the Regent Seven Seas Voyager from Barcelona to Miami in November. In the middle of the ocean, our ship came across a life boat, mercifully empty, which had fallen from a freighter and had been bouncing around the Atlantic since April! I always appreciate getting notes from those who claim to have “no news” but just check in — assures me that my email list is still up to date! From Jane Goodridge, “Nothing exciting to report from here — just trying to weather the Arctic Vortex!” and from LaRinda King DeBeck, “I look forward to reading what everyone else is doing - nothing new with me.” Finally, to end on a sad note we just received word of the death of Laura Sauls Wallace who was our classmate freshman year on Jan. 17, 2019. Happy New Year. May 2019 be a good one. Best to you all.

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Peggy Aurand 26387 Oak Plain Drive Santa Clarita, Calif. 91321 pegzaloha@yahoo.com One of our dear classmates, Lynne Smith Crowe, was killed by a hit and run driver while on her evening walk on Jan 8. Many of us, including Caroline Tate Theus, Ann Sims Fauber and Kate Roy Massie Christian have expressed our sadness and shock at having such a vital force snatched so suddenly from our midst. Many prayers are going up for her family. VM Del Greco Galgano fondly remembers building play sets, con-

structing May Day dance decorations and recently working Sweet Work Weeks, or traveling with Lynne and describes Lynne as “Such a force!” VM and Michael are finally retiring from teaching at JMU after this semester — just in time to enjoy dear ones at reunion! Like most of us, she stresses that each meeting gets more precious. JoAnn Soderquist Kramer attended Lynne Smith Crowe’s funeral on Jan. 23 in Short Hills, NJ. She continues to delight us with the beautiful photographs that she posts on Facebook. Marshall Metcalf Seymour has filled her life without husband Jack with travels, family business, lecture series, and family and friends. Over Christmas she returned to the Big Island for the first time since she was a child living on O’ahu. She relates that it was wonderful delving into the history and geology. She spent exactly one hour on a beach! She hopes to see us all at Reunion. Marsh has had the good fortune to fly to far-flung spots (Tahiti last Christmas), as well as destinations closer to home (Salem/Boston for Chinese art in August). In June, she and son Randle took a Princeton tour to southern England with his senior thesis advisor at Princeton, focusing on “Great Libraries and Literature” in London, Canterbury, Rochester, Cambridge, Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford. It was a treat to look through old books, old manuscripts, and old libraries — mixed in with state-ofthe art new buildings. She still gets goose bumps over what they saw — up close, and not always under glass. They “traipsed through cemeteries ‘haunted’ by writers, and frequented antiquarian bookstores inhabited, in one case, by a resident mouse.” Elizabeth (Betsy) Pigeon Parkinson tells me that she and Geoff are still living in CT. Since her three children live in the area, she and Geoff will probably stay there. Their oldest granddaughter will be graduating from UVa in May. “Where did the time go?” wonders Betsy. She is still busy with CHAMPS, a program for students about the issue of landmines and the detection dogs who are doing amazing work around the world. She and her team bring a retired dog to the schools, which is a highlight for the students. To date,

students in her area have sponsored 14 life-saving dogs since the program started in 2006. She is so proud of them! Betsy also manages the church bookstore and is involved with raising money for scholarships for women. She is thrilled that SBC is making such a wonderful comeback! Lee Huston Carroll is living in Lexington, KY, and keeps busy tutoring math at the local jail and the juvenile detention center. At the jail, inmates are working toward a GED and at the juvenile detention center students are just trying to keep up with their high school classes in hopes not to be too far behind when they are released. She also enjoys spending time with the three of her grandchildren who are in Lexington. She took two granddaughters to London and Paris last summer and tries to get to NYC at least once a year. She still enjoys reading. Penny Writer Theis thinks that the shock of hearing about Lynne’s death makes her realize how precious every day is. She and Stu will be headed to Charlotte to babysit for three of their seven grandchildren ages 5, 11 and 12. “It should be fun!” says Penny. She and Stu don’t live near any of their children and their grandkids. They all come to Cleveland to see us over July 4 week. It is great to have the cousins interact. They all love it. Penny sends her best to all members of the Class of ‘64! Barb Little Chuko has been busy with art: painting. (See her website: barbchuko.com) She has been active with her church choir and other church activities and with the Friends of the Columbus Symphony. Meetings, fundraising, helping out with special events fill her days. Her son, Ed, is doing well but still needs frequent advice and support. Her other children Wayne and Kat are busy with their lives near Cleveland and Philadelphia. She laments that she doesn’t see them enough but enjoyed painting her five grandchildren’s portraits. Barb tells us that there is LOTS available to do in Columbus, more than she has the energy to do! She keeps hand and knee arthritis in check with trips to the gym for sessions and classes. Rosamond Sample Brown is grateful to report that her health is good and she still travels overseas a couple of times each year. She is so

in California last August. She plans trips to Virginia for our 55th reunion, May 31-June 2 and to Taiwan to see grandchildren soon.

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Sally Hubbard Class Secretary 47 Parsons Green Circle Sewanee, TN 37375 931-598-5338 cell: 931-636-7320 sally@hubbard.net Brenda Muhlinghaus Barger is very excited about President Meredith Woo with all her enthusiasm and good ideas. Brenda worried about donor fatigue but, with her great team of classmates, personally renewed contact with many classmates and inspired significant donations. Blair Both and Inza lost three trees in last September’s hurricane but were spared serious damage. They spent 10 days at the home of friends who had a generator. Blair’s mother, Blair Bunting Both, a very devoted alumna from the class of 1940, celebrated her 100th birthday on New Year’s Eve. A Hallmark movie called “Home by Spring” was filmed at Anne Butler’s home, Butler Greenwood Plantation in St. Francisville, LA. Anne knew she was getting really old when the only cast member whose name she recognized was the grandson of Steve McQueen! Mary Ellen Freese Cota sent news about her Christmas season with lots of family around. Her husband Alberto’s health is fragile but stable. Son Memo is living with them and has eased some of the stress by assisting with his father’s daily care. Alberto is 88 and Mexico has very little health care coverage. Gas is currently rationed. They don’t much like the new president Obrador but hope he will end rampant corruption. Fair MacRae Gouldin and Fred have spent half the year in Vero Beach, FL, and half in Ithaca where they’ve been since 1970. They unexpectedly had to move into a cognitive care facility in May, impelled by Fred’s slide into dementia and her resolve to get him moved immediately while he could learn his way around,

recognize people and adjust. Then a severe B1 deficiency was discovered and treated, restoring his ability to play some tennis, ride his bike and enjoy people in his quiet and contented way. What a gift. Thanks to the community of wonderful people, abundant activities, and restorative physical exertion, they are enjoying a second honeymoon while gathering strength for the future. Sally McCrady Hubbard has retired from a few activities, including a choral group (after 67 years of singing), a caregiver group that she has chaired for 5 years, and the exhausting annual fundraiser event that she’s also done for 5 years for the vocational school for HIV orphans in Uganda. She’ll still do an annual letter campaign for them, but someone else will have to throw the party. Whew. Mimi Vogt Macht acknowledges our new phase of life — her children are grown, the grandchildren are becoming more self-sufficient, the house needs more repairs, the yard work seems overwhelming and the body needs repair. She frequently forgets where she left her phone. But just look at her photo! Nancy MacMeekin and Vicky Thoma Barrette had a lovely couple of weeks in Japan in October. They had great views of Mt. Fuji and spent one night at a traditional inn, sleeping on futons on the floor — which reminded Nancy of spending overnights at the cabin and hiking through the pastures and woods at Sweet Briar. Bonnie Chapman McClure is happy to be back in the fold again, with thanks to Brenda Muhlinghaus Barger and Molly Sutherland Gwin. She and her husband live in the countryside half an hour outside of Paris and 50 yards from the Seine, which they enjoy, but which flooded their ground floor with 6” of water a year ago. Some health issues are nearly resolved, and Bonnie is still riding and supporting a couple of her old mounts. Mary K. Lee McDonald and John are headed to Florida on the Amtrak Auto Train for the month of February. They are decluttering and finding it a bit hard to find good homes for their collected treasures, such as John’s extensive model railroad collection. Mary K. asks us to

Mimi Vogt Macht ’65 enjoys a sunny day on the slopes

remember to share our blessings with Sweet Briar. She is proud of our class for increasing our participation and donations. SBC needs us to show our FIERCE! Laura Haskell Phinizy and much of her family went to Saint Simons Island for Christmas and then all 11 assembled in Savannah, the first time all together in 2 years. Stewart is enjoying the Jud Hickey Center for Alzheimer’s, Monday-Friday, a blessing for all. During a brief visit at the end of January, Laura and Sally McCrady Hubbard will test their venerable mettle in a spinning class. Laura stays fit gardening and pruning. Milbrey Sebring Raney and Bev moved from their lovely mountain home near Brevard, NC, into its beautiful downtown, where everything is 5 minutes away. They particularly enjoy the Brevard Music Festival each summer. Carol Reifsnyder Rhoads and Bob celebrated Christmas in their new home near Boone, NC, with her daughter’s family. They are planning a Viking trip to Portugal in October. They are blessed with good health, and love being on the East Coast

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looking forward to seeing classmates at our Reunion, May 31-June 2, 2019. Ginny DeBuys doesn’t have much that’s new to report but urges everyone to come back to reunion. She warns us that “We are moving fast to the beginning of the Class Notes list. There is no time to waste. Come back to reunion!” Carrie Peyton Walker is back on her feet after a bout last fall with “legs like mules” that sometimes fail to work. She frets that her balance is “lousy,” echoing many of us, I’m certain. She vows to keep on trying. Trying, indeed! She and Rick plan a trip to Italy, France and London in mid-April; Sweet Briar Class of 1964 Reunion, May 31-June 2, and a visit to some of Rick’s relatives in Texas in June, with stops at home to rest in Palo Alto. Home to rest is better than a rest home! She enjoys an interesting variety of friends, young and old, some of them friends since the early 70s and enjoys inviting them for a good cup of tea by the fire. She enjoys being warmly welcomed by old friends at her club in San Francisco, when she can get there. She tells of being impressed by a World War I documentary called “They Shall Not Grow Old,” put together by director Peter Jackson. She says it’s a masterpiece, and worth watching if you get the chance. Carrie has bought a new car and tells me that one needs a degree in computer science to drive it! Carrie is still teaching at Stanford and in her spare time enjoys reading a book, or two or three. She enjoys the feel of an actual book or the pages of the New York Times in her hands, as do many of us! Your scribe, Peggy Aurand, hops between her condo in Santa Clarita (northeast of Los Angeles) and her family home/vacation rental in Honolulu. She has some musician friends in Honolulu and the musical evenings keep her happy amidst the trials of maintenance and improvements. Church service, writing, genealogy, digitizing family photos (over fifty thousand at last count!) and managing the vacation rental consume much of her time. She has written a life of Jesus for children and hopes to publish it soon. She was delighted to see her younger son, Peter, who came to visit family

again where people have heard of Sweet Briar and there are at least four alumnae at St. Paul’s. Magda Salvesen continues her dedicated work as Curator of the Jon Schueler Estate in New York. She sent a newsletter about the paintings, exhibitions and recent sales. Meredith Leslie Welch and Bill are about to celebrate their 20th anniversary, and enjoyed a pilgrimage to Iona last spring with a long dawdle in Edinburgh, and a Utah canyons trip this fall. All 11 grandkids are now in school, the oldest a college freshman at SUNY Binghamton, the two youngest in preschool. Mal spearheaded a team that spent five years to achieve certification of The Landings (Savannah) as a sustainable community. They are scheduled to go to Egypt in the fall. Fingers crossed. Ms. Barton lives!

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Susan Sudduth Hiller 4811 Garrison Rd. Little Rock, Ariz. 72223 501-256-4550 ssdh22@yahoo.com

What a pleasure it is to be able to compile our class notes! I love hearing from all who respond and then recall memories from our days at SBC. I thank my roomie Keenan Colton Kelsey for helping me in this endeavor by sending out emails soliciting news. Penny Winfree Gooch reports the sad news that her husband died in June, after a 7+ year-old bout with lung cancer. What a positive note from her: “The doctors are so capable now to extend life between radiology, chemotherapy and immunotherapy. More and more types of cancers are being identified, and therapies are being developed.” Thank you, Penny. She continues to be involved at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Roanoke, as lay reader, lay minister and crucifer at memorial services. She also started going again to Garth Newel, a music center in Bath County known for its chamber music and cuisine. She sends “Blessings to all.” We all send prayers and thoughts for continued comfort to you, Penny. An obedient Cherry Brown Peters sat “right down and [sent] notes.” The first remark that “it has been a

very, very weird year for me” made me feel “oh, no—what is to follow?” In May, a huge oak tree, after a massive rain, pulled up out of the ground and fell into her house. It destroyed the bedrooms and bathrooms and did further minor damage. She and two sweet dogs (standard poodle and lab) had to find temporary living quarters. Not easy, but she found a furnished town house and has been there since. I am hoping that by the time that this is submitted that she has been able to return to her house. Well said: “That’s all I have been thinking about all the time. “I can’t WAIT for life to get back to normal.” Cherry, we are all holding you in our thoughts also. Sally Kalber Fiedler started out by saying that she didn’t have much news. However, she continued by saying that she and Jay took a 7,000+ mile trip to be with daughter Julie and husband for Thanksgiving in Wichita Falls, TX. Then to Portland, OR, to visit son Lee and family. (She sounded a bit shell-shocked that grandson Lee is taking drivers’ ed!) This young man is evidently taller than Sally’s husband Jay! Along the way they visited Memphis (Graceland and Peabody ducks), Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly and Dallas. In the Big D, they visited Sally’s roomie Deanie Finch Hampton and husband Tom (Sally introduced them in 1964!). Sally offers to all of us her favorite bit of wisdom re: getting older, “It’s like frying bacon naked. You know it’s going to hurt — you just don’t know where.” She wishes all a healthy and happy 2019. Marty Rogers Brown held a mini-reunion at her home mid-September, attended by Marilyn Garabrant Morris, Carey Judy Weathers and Mary Meade Gordon Winn. Marty reports that she will be able to see Marty and Mary Meade often in Vero Beach this winter, and Ellie will come at the beginning and end of Marty’s stay since she will be helping with the driving to and from Virginia Beach. Sounds like all are enjoying being together. Martha Madden Swanson said that there was not a lot new this year but said that she continued taking classes, watch sporting events and going to the theater. Even though the “event is practically over before it begins,” she enjoyed watching her cous-

in’s son compete in the Olympics in bobsled! They enjoyed a March trip to Captiva Island and Fort Myers and then a wonderful two-week cruise to Iceland, plus a fun weekend with their daughter and friends before sailing for Copenhagen. Her children are doing well with Michael still local and Sarah in London. A milestone was experienced when the “last relative in my parents’ generation died in October. It feels very much of a loss.” Good news: “We have avoided surgeries this year but do have the usual aches and pains.” Fingers crossed! Dianna “Peppie” Rankin Yeager was exuberant as she described her attendance at the Kentucky Derby. “What a special Derby as the winner, Justify, went on to win the Triple Crown.” In August Peppie spent time in Wisconsin with two of her grown children. She shared the sad news that her oldest son, Tommy, “passed away from a sudden heart attack. He was such a wonderful son to me…loving husband…and adoring father. I miss Tommy every day of my life.” Peppie, all of us send love and prayers for comfort. In December she flew to Toronto to spend Christmas with her daughter and her family, where they enjoyed skiing, and Peppie wisely stayed warm in the lodge! She is now back in Florida and looking forward to the start of horse shows. She has enjoyed staying in touch with Nancy B. Reed, “who has been such a dear friend.” Peppie wishes all “a wonderful and happy new year.” Harriette Horsey Sturgis “wondered what it would be like moving back to Louisberg (population 3,000) after living in D.C.” She had moved there more than 50 years ago from Atlanta. She said that she had been serving in larger churches with numerous clergy. “It has been great. It’s been rather like a reunion at SBC when you see former classmates. We have all changed in many ways, but there is still a deep connection. I have long time friends and new ones.” She has found retirement challenging and great. Despite that her husband has experienced some illnesses, they have been able travel. “I find myself most grateful and am still grateful to be still connected with SBC and friends there.” Natalie Roberts Funk and husband Jeff moved from the house she

had lived in for over 40 years to the Lutheran Villages at Miller’s Grant, a retirement community in Ellicott City, MD. They are pleased to have given up snow shoveling, raking and grass cutting and now are letting others worry about upkeep. They spent several weeks in Williamsburg and plan to visit France and Spain in April. They became great-grandparents last year and are still active in their church, spending a lot of time reading and traveling. “Hope all is well with you and yours.” Mary Anne “Coon” Calhoun Farmer reports that they took a cruise around Puget Sound and to Vancouver in August. Yuk news: the heavy fall rains resulted in a flooded basement. They are putting in a French drain “(did someone in France come up with this?)” It necessitates laying “stuff ” in a trench “big enough to have won WWII.” She hopes for “more global peace, and more peace at home, in 2019.” Their 8 grandchildren bring them great joy! “Best wishes to 1966 classmates.” Marcia Pace Lindstrom says that duplicate bridge and travel are two of her favorite things. She enjoyed meeting Jeannie Jackson Exum at several tournaments. Marcia and Fred went on a wonderful cruise from London to Lisbon in September and had the pleasure of meeting SBC graduates Mickie and Chris Svoboda. “So happy the college is doing well.” Kit Baker Sydnor sends greetings: “having survived a year in the city, sidewalks, streetlights, dog-onleash…” “Very different, miss the mountainside, but also count my blessings…my daughter Jenn running our business beautifully, and still lets me come help…” She loves seeing updates from classmates on Facebook. Barbara Dublin Van Cleve sent a lovely photo. “My family gathered during the holidays to celebrate my 75th birthday. Totally joyous occasion.” Gracie Butler Johnson replied that “there is no further news.” Evie Day Butler reports several great trips: the Adriatic, Scotland and London (for the Butler Society Rally). They spent most of August and September in Cashiers, NC, with highlights being touring the Biltmore Estate and seeing the Chihuly glass exhibit. In October Evie

and Randi Miles Long, then connecting with roommates Penn Willets Fullerton and Keenan Colton Kelsey. On to Ashland, OR, where we were joined by Susan Sudduth Hiller for the Shakespeare Festival and our annual roommate reunion. We didn’t see Shakespeare but four very different plays, one of which we did not understand! I continue to enjoy very much connecting with Anne Ward Stern when she visits her sister, Dearing Ward Johns Lewis, class of ’63, in Charlottesville. Retirement continues to be very busy but interesting! Since I, Susan Sudduth Hiller, am writing this one, I will stick with the “first person.” Chuck and I continue to receive such joy from our Cardigan Corgi puppy Drea. He is still adorable but has thankfully gotten beyond the puppy stage during which he redecorated some of the woodwork in the kitchen. I treasure the time spent with my daughter and her family. Grandkids are 16 and 11 now! Penn, an attorney, divides her time between their home in Georgia and apartment in NYC but also has clients in Colorado! Busy girl. My main activities and interests continue to be centered around Hospice volunteering, grief counseling, lay chaplaincy and my church, St. Margaret’s Episcopal, as well as wonderful times with great friends. Chuck and I returned recently from our twice-yearly trip to Snowmass, CO. I felt somewhat like a grown up since, after more than 40 years of delight and exuberance on the ski slopes, I decided to leave this sport to the next generations, doing so with trepidation. Well, it was a little tough— but liberating. I rented a car and did many things in the Snowmass area that I never took the time to do before. One bucket list item checked off: taking a dog sled ride!! It was WONDERFUL, and the conditions were perfect. So another example of the truth of a line from the Sound of Music: “When God closes a door…” You know the rest. Having read the notes, I grieve for those of us who are experiencing sadness and rejoice in our happy times. Thank you for so many wonderful memories.

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Gail Robins O’Quin 2651 Kleinert Avenue Baton Rouge Louisiana 70806-6823 cgrobins@ix.netcom.com Maria Wiglesworth Hemmings reports, “Luckily, no changes in my life since the last notes. We have been in Florida since late October and go back north in mid-January. I am looking forward to getting back to work, some squash, Bible study, etc... skiing (we must assume snow skiing in the Frozen Nawth!). We will do another mission trip to rehab homes with our CT church in March. Finally enjoying reading non-fiction. Who knows what 2019 will bring? It’s certainly not retirement! Victoria J. Baker declares she has no interesting news to report so she’ll wait until our next publication. Sure; she’s just keeping us in suspense so be sure to stay tuned! Madeleine Long Tellekamp made a driving trip to Virginia recently and went to Sweet Briar. One forgets what a beautiful campus we have; Madeleine ends with the statement, “We must keep Sweet Briar open!” Truer words were never written/spoken! Judy Schlatter Fogle “moved to a townhouse condo in Buckhead area of Atlanta and am enjoying it immensely. (Though I miss my late husband as well as his good advice on repairs, cars, etc!) My two sons live 2 miles either way and I have many “grandmotherly” duties for my five grandsons. Daughter Suzannah still lives and works in London near Tower Bridge. Hope 2019 is a great year for all!” Amen to that! Mary Sabra Gillespie is enjoying retirement and being available for the grandchildren! Age has its privileges! Barbara Tillman Kelley and Carlton had an amazing 2018 year! “We went to Norway, Iceland and Scotland in the spring. It was amazing trip — my favorite part was in a giant four wheel going through glacial rivers to reach a remote volcanic area. This trip was followed by a visit to Dave and Morgan in LA. If anyone is in LA, check out NoMad restaurant where Dave is a manager; it is in an old 1923 Italian bank building and just beautiful. Next

was a great visit to my hometown for my 55th high school reunion and a good visit to see family. Our next news was the arrival of our granddaughter Maddie, our little miracle (thanks to medical science!). Darcy had to spend two weeks in the hospital and they delivered Maddie at 34 weeks; she spent two weeks in the NICU. Now she is 15 pounds and the happiest baby ever and of course the most beautiful! Yes, we waited a long time to be grandparents. In October, our son Trey married Leslie in a beautiful outdoor ceremony in Charleston, SC. We had the rehearsal dinner on a yacht — great time: barbecue, a harbor cruise and a beautiful sunset. I am still volunteering with Assistance League, still a docent at Vulcan Park and Museum and an usher with our local theater group. So life is busy and lots of fun with our baby Maddie!” Carroll Randolph Barr claims, “There is not much news here in Powhatan. Had a lovely Christmas and New Year’s quiet celebrationsdidn’t have the grandchildren for Christmas so calm and serene here... Mike still struggling with his knee — recovery from fourth surgery is quite slow, but he is being a very good patient and sport.... He gets the husband prize! All is good with the boys except Angus is almost divorced - good and bad news - and he is doing quite well. Looking forward to warmer weather and our summers in Michigan but expecting snow this weekend... love to all....” Page Munroe Renger writes: “All’s well in my world. Heading to Puerto Rico next week to see most of the original cast perform Hamilton. This a fundraiser for the arts there. The guy I’ve been dating for 12 years actually lived in Puerto Rico for 12 years so will also be exciting to visit that island. Since we have VIP tickets, will probably get a chance to meet Lin — and I’m a real fan of his. Have been listening to the CDs of Hamilton and have also seen Mary Poppins Returns. That man is so talented. No other real news in my world. Just, walking, playing bridge, babysitting some ... and enjoying life!” As we all should be! Patricia Neithold Hertzberg reports that she and Mike have done a lot of celebrating this summer: “For the big 50th anniversary, we were in the mountains in south-

spring 2019

experienced a hip replacement. Their children are doing well, and they treasure the times that they can get together. Keenan Colton Kelsey felt energized by participating in the 3rd annual Women’s March, realizing that “a new round of political activism is just beginning for me.” She is now centering on immigrant support and policy reform, gun sense laws and environment. She was so pleased to have been able to watch the full lunar eclipse. “The natural world never fails to impress.” She attended the annual SBC Roommate Reunion with Jane Nelson, Penn Mullin Fullerton and Susan Sudduth Hiller in Ashland, OR. The drive up from the Bay Area, through scorched and still burning land was a sobering experience. “California is still grieving and coping.” Keenan and 13 other members of her family took an “awesome” trip to New Orleans: food to jazz to swamp trip! She continues to go to Sweet Briar for board meetings and fills her life with kids, grandkids, Warrior games, ballet, theater, museums, concerts, including Elton John’s Farewell Tour. “I am happy, savoring my life.” Penn Mullin Fullerton regales in the memories of our BIG Class Reunion. She expressed the realization that our group consists of DOers and GOers, always looking ahead. Returning from Reunion, she felt supercharged, excited about the wonderful opportunities in the future. Good health is a true blessing and a boon for making plans for the future. She prays for classmates who face challenges right now and sends them much love. She also feels blessed with a full life: kids, grandkids, treasured visits with close friends, time with husband George at their mountain cabin, the opportunity to teach writing in local schools. A golden moment of the year for her was standing in a Montana fishing stream with her son on one side and her grandson on the other, each waiting for the Big One. She recently saw a photo of a man fishing with his WALKER in the stream! “Yes, I am going into my nineties out there!” Penn, Jane, Keenan and Susan are starting to plan our 2019 reunion. “Love to all!” Jane Nelson reports that September brought great SBC visits but began with a trip to California. First stop was to spend time with Herb

John Morse, Ash Sofaer-Morse, Frances Kirven Morse ’68 and Xylia Sofaer-Morse engage with a Star Wars character on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Dec. 2018

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Tonia MacNeil ’68 and husband Steve

ern Spain with Diana Cassidy Rich ‘69 and husband Sandy. Celebrated our nephew’s high school graduation in Niagara Falls. Relaxed in N. Topsail Beach, NC where Mike and my brother commiserated their adjoining birthdays. In FL for seven months, starting December. Have seen Pat Sadtler Baxter and Maria Wigglesworth Hemmings there.” Peggy Pittman Patterson is impressed with the new vision for Sweet Briar academics and reduced costs, as I know I am. Peggy’s news: “I am currently completing my 2nd year living in the East Bay of CA. I live near one of my 3 children and am enjoying life with beautiful San Francisco right outside my 8th floor Bayview Balcony. I am teaching at the Episcopal Seminary in Pastoral Theology and serving as assisting priest at my church in Berkeley. I also enjoy going to visit my 5 grandchildren and 2 other children in New York and Dallas.” Peggy is definitely a priest on the go! Bill and I are being slugs in Baton Rouge. Bill is actually fully retired and driving me crazy; he stays awake at night dreaming up projects, most of which I’m not particularly excited! We were thrilled that a mental health bill passed in the city that will provide a facility for mental patients to detox, get back on medication, etc. rather than be jailed as was done in the past. He’s now lusting over antique firetrucks — one of which he already owns; just what I need in my

golden years — a fleet of firetrucks! As always, if anyone is ever in the Baton Rouge/New Orleans area, please let me know — we run a B&B for friends (Bed and Bar, not Bed and Breakfast) and love company. Also, don’t forget Madeleine’s advice about SBC and support our alma mater when you can! Gail

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Anne Kinsey Dinan 8 Peter Cooper Road, Apt. 11F New York, N.Y. 10010 akdinan@rcn.com Pamela McConnell Post-Ferrante: My husband has been seriously ill in recent years. I have a postcard someone sent me, “We are all just walking each other home,” Ram Dass, which says it best. So sorry I missed our reunion. Jennie Lyons Fogarty: 2018 was busy for the Fogartys with the arrival of a ninth grandchild, my retirement, and our 50th wedding anniversary. Twenty of you replied to our informal survey about a mini-reunion. The results were overwhelmingly for meeting in either Charleston or Savannah in April or May 2020. There’s still plenty of time for planning and plenty of room for more. Look for emails this summer or fall — or write to me: jenniefogarty@ gmail.com.

Amy Thompson McCandless: Steve, my sons (Alastair and Colin) and I spent the week between Christmas and New Year’s in Belize where we snorkeled with sharks (the nurse ones without teeth), zip-lined, cave-tubed, visited the Belize zoo with its big cats and toured Mayan ruins in the west and north. And, of course, we enjoyed the local cuisine and beverages. Back in Charleston, I enjoy playing tennis, volunteering at Grace Episcopal Cathedral, taking a course in religion, planning new travels with Steve, and shopping and dining with “girlfriends.” Tonia MacNeil: I am still in San Francisco in a cottage on Potrero Hill with a view of the skyline and Bay Bridge, retired from working for the SF Arts Commission, and enjoying friends, church, short trips, and the love of my partner, Steve. Sometimes I have a guest room, so get in touch if you want to visit. I was so sorry to have missed the Reunion! Many thanks to those who reached out. Nancy Hickox Wright: During a New Year’s Eve Party this year, various people sang songs so I quickly made up a song and sang it. Several people asked me to sing it again because it included many party members’ names. I told them I couldn’t possibly sing it again because I had just made it up. They were amazed and I was thrilled because I realized that at least one part of my brain is still functioning at 100%: the Ass lobe!

Libby Harvest Fitzgerald: Last July, Fitz and I joined a Bicycle Adventures group to cycle for a week in Quebec Provence from the blueberry lakes above Quebec City, and along the Saguenay River to Tadoussac on the St. Lawrence Seaway. Then we rented a car to explore New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Bay of Fundy, Campobello Island. We continued south along the Maine coast to visit Percy Clarke Gwinn and Michael as well as my niece and her family. Life is an adventure, active in Rotary and community, mentoring women in science, playing tennis, thinking I’m 27 — not 72. Betsy Wolfe: Although Ed’s Alzheimer’s has been progressing over the last five years, we are fortunate to have support from family and friends as we continue to bike and trike with each other. While Ed is with his excursion group at wine tastings, museums and plays, I go out separately with a women’s biking and hiking group several times a week and swim daily. I have become an even more avid reader in the wee hours of the night that I have to myself and am always open to classmates’ suggestions for good books. Sophie MacKenzie Belouet: 2018 was a stellar year for us. Grandson number 4, Clement Inam, arrived on May 26 to the joy of all. The only hitch was that this prevented me from attending Reunion. We spent the summer and much of the fall at our house on the northern coast of

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Kristin Herzog 20060 Tavernier Dr. Estero, FL 33928 703-591-9929 kherzogart.hotmail.com

Pamela McConnell Post-Ferrante ‘68 at American Repertory Theater with grandchildren

Brittany in Cancale, the oyster capital of France. We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary July 8-9 with all our family and many friends. Please let me know if you are travelling to Paris or Brittany. I would love to reunite with my classmates. Kristin Kuhns Alexandre: Ten years ago I decided to write a screenplay and sell it at the American Film Market. I found producers and money and hired actors and now I’m in the business. I’m a producer/WGA Screenwriter with a film coming to theaters this summer called “Altar Rock.” My actors, India Eisley and KJ Apa are hot right now but it will be hard to make back the investor input. I’m engrossed in the business now and it’s fun but tough. I’m selling two other screenplays and a series. Suzanne Little: I’m alive!! Treatment

finished at MD Anderson, and I’m back to Jazzercize three times a week. Life is good. Susie Brush Croft: Kudos to all those who organized and attended our 50th class Reunion; it was fabulous. Later that summer, husband Laurie and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary with our five children and their families in my hometown of Lexington, VA. Life is grand! Frances Kirven Morse: It’s been a very busy winter. John and I took a fun road trip to LA with our grandkids Ash (14) and Xylia (11) to see the musical Wicked. We are soon to make an exciting, but scary move to Channing House — a retirement community in Palo Alto, CA. Residents are active, interesting and fun, and include a Sweet Briar alumna

Whoa! Here we are at 70 for the Class of 70. One thing I learned from 60 was to tell friends and relatives in advance: Do not send me cards with numbers on them. Not fun. Cake is another story, though. Everyone can send me cake, in any form. Birthdays and retirements have been an ongoing theme this year. Speaking of cake, Mary Kelley got a great one from the Heartland Dance Club where she is an active member. She sent a photo to prove it, decorated in pink and green and “Still Kicking!” with a cowboy boot. Wonderful to hear she has fully recovered from her broken ankle last year and is back in action. And for her farm she reported, “No July/ August drought. Good for soybeans and weeds! But corn yields were down because of extensive rains and winds.” She ends with “May 2019 treat us kindly!” Hear, hear! Debbie Ohler Bowman still looks 40. I can vouch for this as I caught up with her in Lynchburg last November while I was at VCCA.

She says she has concentrated this year on relationships and keeping her focus closer to home, more on family and friends. Her schedule includes much group participation, including Sunday School and a large Book Club, among others. And she travels, too, managing to squeeze in a wonderful food tour to Rome and Barcelona as well as a serious wine tour. Heather Tully Click sums up her birthday year with “2018 had wonderful highs and a few lows but overall life is indeed good. I suppose turning 70 qualifies mostly as a high! I have enjoyed being an admissions ambassador for Sweet Briar the past few years, meeting students and parents at college fairs, speaking with high school counselors and corresponding with potential candidates. I highly recommend it as a way to keep up to date with current activities at SBC. I shed tears of joy when a young friend who visited Sweet Briar on my advice accepted her place in the Class of 2022! Holla, holla, as they say.” Finding another spectacular way to mark 70, Ann Gateley writes, “I’ve been traveling hard to celebrate my 70th. My husband, Ira, and I have visited Italy, Holland, the CR, Germany and are now in Australia and New Zealand for 4 weeks visiting friends and bike touring. We have stopped by Botanical Gardens in each county to check if they need assistance from Sweet Briar’s Sweet Work Weeks team (so far each county seems to be doing fine!) Hope to see our class at 2019 Sweet Work Weeks. Happy New Year! Also buzzing around the planet to see as much as she can see before our rising oceans leave nothing to view but the tippy tops of mountains, is Kate Schlech. She is now off to the Middle East, “A trip I’ve wanted to take since I was a kid — a week in Jordan, seeing Jerash, Amman and most excitingly, Petra. Then to Egypt for 2 weeks — 4 days or so in and around Cairo/Giza/Sphinx, then Nile River cruise for 10 days visiting Abu Simbel, Luxor, Thebes, Valley of the Kings, El Amarna and all those other riverside fabulous places. Yippee. Expect to see a picture of me on a camel posted in FB or on SBC site.”

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Libby Harvey Fitzgerald ’68 and Percy Gwinn Clarke ‘68, Maine coast, July 2018

from ’56! We will still be close to our daughter, grandkids, friends, and places and activities in which we are involved. It is a BIG downsize, but we will have room for guests. Come visit! Anne Kinsey Dinan: I am so proud of Sweet Briar’s strength, resilience and amazing renewal. What a remarkable legacy for all who have studied and worked at our College and all who will do so in the future. Hurray for Sweet Briar! She has succeeded in maintaining the value of her history while embracing the challenges of the 21st century. Finally, Frances Kirven Morse, Nancy Hickox Wright and I continue to search for “missing” classmates. So, please, please, please — if you receive this Alumnae Magazine but did not receive an email requesting news, write or email me. My street and email addresses are above, at the top of these news entries.

Laura Sickman Baksa, Candace Buker Chang, Jo Shaw Robinson, Jane Gott, Barbara Offutt Mathieson, Class of 1970

Katy, Emanuel Youth Mission student, graduating first in her class in El Salvador. She is with her mother, John and Jonna Clarkson ’70

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Our Class of 1970 mini reunion of the Carpe Diems (Wallis Raemer, Lorie Amass, Katie Webb, Connie Haskell, Mary Jane Brock, Jessica Holzer, Frances Gravely and May Fox) took place at Frances’s lovely home in Boothbay Harbor Maine in August. As usual, Jessica regaled us with delicious food and our socks were a special surprise from Wallis. A good time was had by all!

Candace Buker Chang retired last January, but after 8 months of rest and recuperation (from chemo, surgery and radiation) took a new part time job in September “to keep my brain active. In December, I had my right knee replaced — not an enjoyable experience, but I hope worth it in the long run. Even though I just graduated from a walker to a cane, I’ll be getting on a plane Jan.17 to go to St. John for my oldest (of 4) grandchild’s 9th birthday. Jo Shaw Lawson will meet me there for a week of fun in the sun.” Almost a year into retirement Nia Eldridge Eaton says she relishes this phase of my life. “I volunteer as a guide at Winterthur, Henry Francis Dupont’s estate, in addition to being involved in animal rescue and support organizations, and a local

hospital gift shop to raise money for affiliated charities. Enjoying the time to explore different organizations and interests and time with friends. I loved my career and the friends I’ve made but to my surprise I’m busier than ever. My boxer dog enjoys having mom around and I’ve been re-organizing and re-thinking my living space now that I’m not work dominated.” Lawson Calhoun Kelly reports from Atlanta: “Kristin’s threat to make up something motivated me to write! Frank retired from 40 years of Orthopedic Surgery, and I retired from my Medical Family Therapy position at a local hospital. We moved 2 years ago from hot Macon, GA, to hot Atlanta in order to be near to both our children and all the grandkids. We were burning up the

interstate to get to all their functions and babysitting so it was a smart move, which we have enjoyed. We are spending the cool summers in Cashiers, NC, another smart move. Thank you SBC for the smarts!” Jean McKee Carmichael actually retired 4 years ago, but stays busy as the secretary of the National Board of YMCA Alumni in addition to serving as president of her local chapter. She sings with a show choir that performs about 20 times a year at area community venues after having just kept at it after all those fun years singing with The 13th Floor at SBC. She travels when she gets a free minute and is heading to the British Isles next May. And would you believe, she’s still taking spin classes at the Y and trying to stay in shape enough to make it to our 50th reunion! Gold star for Jean! Just thinking about spinning at this age makes me tired. Sarah R. Becker remains in Alexandria, VA, writing her column for the Old Town Crier and sent a recent article on Ratification of the ERA. Sigh. “The dates, the delays tell me how long ago we graduated,” she writes. I sure hope Sarah does not retire from this project, the ERA needs all the help it can get. And I’m awed that she has the tenacity to keep going. Loring Harris Amass says that her friends have spoken for her, but she reminds concentrate on the beauty of nature — it is always there and nourishes our souls.

Jonna Clarkson Creaser and John continue their mission work and had the most wonderful experience to celebrate the close of 2018 and a new beginning. “We attended high school graduation in rural El Salvador to support some of our mission students whom we have known since they were 3 years old, the first from their families to ever attend school and graduate. Emotions ran strong as the whole community celebrated their accomplishments. Education is now valued as a path to break their chains of poverty and forge a more hopeful future. We returned to VA filled with that hope and love!” 2018 was a busy year for Elizabeth Smith Avery as she launched a new Internet-based Solo trekker 4 U travel app, the Solo Sherpa, and Solo Travel Pricing to give individuals direct access to travel deals. And her very best news is that in 2019, she is busy planning a September wedding to her childhood friend. “Looking forward to hearing everyone’s news!” Congratulations and best wishes to Elizabeth from all of us! Tricia Mast George and her husband, Kenn, are still in Dallas. “I am the owner/manager of Georges Creek Ranch, where I raise Angus cattle. Dallas offers many opportunities for charity work, and I am presently President of a Foundation. Kenn remains active in politics and business. Our eldest son is living in Chevy Chase, where I still see Put Mundy Ebinger! Two sons and

spend the month of November at VCCA and got to visit SBC most days. And I’m delighted to be going back for a month this spring. Down here I’m getting to know new neighbors and am busy plugging into the local art scene. We have a SBC luncheon group that gets together every few months. And a very beautiful design studio/gallery is showing my work, so that is exciting. 2019 is looking good. P.S. Do think about fitting Sweet Work Weeks into your schedule this summer! I promise it is a gloriously fun week-long party, and it helps SBC!

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Class Secretaries: Mary Frances Oakey Aiken jmaiken4@me.com Anne Milbank Mell anne.mell@yahoo.com Beverly Van Zandt beverlyvz@gmail.com As many of us celebrate a milestone birthday this year that ends in a “0” let’s also remember the countdown has begun to start thinking about our upcoming 50th reunion in 2021! Frances Barnes Kennamer welcomed a new granddaughter, Frances, in May 2018. She now has two precious little grand girls, Frances and Catherine (3), drawing their hearts to Nashville where they live as well as their daughter, Helen, her husband, John, and granddog, Simon, a 108 pound Spinone fuzzy bundle of love. Let’s all embrace our “own” age 70! Dr. Betty Duson is finally back in her home 14 months post Hurricane Harvey. 2018 is a year she would just as soon forget! She and Al are eager to return to normal and are looking forward to a lot of travel in 2019 as well as plunging themselves into Democratic support for the next 2 years. Wendy Norton Brown and husband, Lee, welcomed their 4th grandchild, Virginia Grace Brown, in December while she was in the hospital having a knee replacement! Who knew that a 4th baby could be a week late — she thought she had planned her surgery for the perfect time!

Judy Brown Fletcher has had a busy time the last 6 months. She bought a new(er) house, made changes, moved in and then had a knee replacement. She does not recommend moving just before replacement surgery! They are still emptying out the old house and having it fixed up for sale and hopes to have it on the market soon. In the meantime, she hopes to have some warm days before it sells so she can dig up a few of her favorite perennials. Carol Remington Foglesong is happily adjusting to retirement, finding her calendar fills up quickly. She prefers plays, musical performances, book club gatherings and long lunches to doctor appointments which seem to proliferate with each passing year. She visits her mom, Ann Moore Remington ’44, in Baltimore about every 8 weeks. Carol is still active in her professional association, the Property Records Industry Association, and has gotten involved with the Orange County League of Women Voters, the largest League chapter in the nation, heading its Government Committee. She is aiming for a small ship cruise this fall to England, Scotland, Ireland and Norway. Barbara Wuehrmann had a wonderful 2017 but 2018 was more difficult. After being separated for 5 years, she and her husband decided to finalize their divorce. They stayed social friends but he decided to leave Arizona and move closer to his son in Florida which left her without her support person which was harder than she thought. On a good note, she was able to spend the summer up in the mountains of Colorado enjoying hiking, musical events, etc. and to visit Betty Rau Santandrea ’66 in Santa Fe on the drive home. She also enjoyed a once in a lifetime trip to Australia last October with Field Guides on a bird watching tour. She saw fantastic birds and enjoyed the Australians immensely. She also plans to enjoy some winter skiing in the mountains. Mary Frances Oakey Aiken had a wonderful 2018! Both she and her husband, John, had BIG birthdays during the year and celebrated with a trip to Ireland, Scotland and Iceland. They also planned a family reunion party last fall at Tuckahoe Plantation in Richmond with all 5 children, 7 grandchildren, and oth-

er extended family and friends in attendance. Bev Van Zandt is still loving living in San Miguel. The president of Mexico is tackling the gasoline corruption, and she is walking even more. Residents are hopeful — quite a few senators, governors, mayors and executives in a wide range of businesses covering the whole country have been arrested or fled abroad. She feels fortunate to be there — she welcomes visitors! Jacque Penny’s life has not changed much. She is still caring for her Mum but did manage to sneak off to France for her birthday in November. She spent 8 days in Provence and on the Riviera in the little village she lived in 25 years ago. It was lovely and a joyful reunion. She is blessed with good health and a sweet Mum and excellent brother who helps out as well. She hopes to travel more in the coming years. Kathy Garcia Pegues has had lots of travel: Clemson (her daughter-in-law received a PhD); Sweet Works Weeks (4th year); 3 weeks in Portugal and Spain. They especially enjoyed Santiago de Compostela, Bilbao, the Pyrenees, Barcelona, and Montserrat. “Camp Grandma-Gee” happened while their son’s family moved to West Point. For 2 weeks, grandchildren, Siena (9) and Bryan (7), earned badges: Artist, Citizen, Explore, Outdoors, Explorer, Camper, Ice Cream, Love the Earth and Super Reader. They also visited an artist’s studio, Sweet Briar and UVA, memorials/museums in D.C., attended a naturalization ceremony, hiked and fossil hunted! Daughter, Emily, class of 2000, is completing her PhD dissertation, received two prestigious study/travel/research grants, and has lectured in Bruges, Canterbury, the National Gallery of Art and the Frick. John plays and teaches duplicate bridge and both are enrolled in Master Gardener classes. Kathy has also resumed watercolor painting. Dee Kysor is still enjoying her job as music director at Grace Episcopal Church in Goochland, VA. She loves the church and its members. George often comes to the church with her when she practices and they have made some wonderful friends there. They also enjoy visiting their daughter, Jenn, in Buffalo, where she is a psychology professor

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daughter and families are working here. One son served as a Lieutenant in the Navy and one is a major in the Marine Reserves. Daughter Elizabeth earned her MBA at University of Chicago Booth School, where she was elected president.” May Humphreys Fox writes: Our mini reunion of the Carpe Diems— Wallis Wickham Raemer, Lorie Harris Amass, Katie McCardell Webb, Connie Haskell, Mary Jane Hipp Brock, Jessica Holzer, Frances Gravely and May Humphreys Fox — took place at Frances’s lovely home in Boothbay Harbor Maine in August. As usual, Jessica regaled us with delicious food and our Carpe Diem socks were a special surprise from Connie. A good time was had by all! Our SBC roots are deep! Lorie adds “I can’t think of anything to say! My friends have spoken for me. Concentrate on the beauty of nature — it is always there and nourishes our souls.” A beautiful toast to the new year. And Jane Gott managed to cram in two mini reunions. “September was a month of reunions, first with my SBC classmates and then with participants of the SBC Junior Year in France 50 years ago (1968-69). Five of us planned all year to meet for 5 days at Laura Sickman Baksa’s artist retreat on Cape Cod. Together Barbara Offutt Mathieson, Jo Shaw Lawson, Candace Buker Chang, Laura and I created lots of new memories involving seawater, food, music, and laughter. At the end of September, my husband and I went to NYC to attend 2 events organized to share memories of that fabulous year in Paris.” Barbara Offutt Mathieson loves life with husband Tom on her small farm in Oregon, where fruit and flowers are the main crops. Daughter Anna-Rose and family are in San Francisco and come three or four times a year for week-long visits with 5-year old Milo who adores being able to run free. A little brother joins the family in April. Son Skye lives near D.C. with his wife and toddling twins. Barbara visits several times a year, providing an excuse to see Jane Gott, a few minutes away. “I’m looking forward to our 50th reunion, can anyone believe that?” And then there’s me, Kristin Herzog. Here in Florida, I’m warm and happy, and painting away. I did

at Canisius College. They have two grandchildren, Sam (9) and Maisie (5). Dee enjoyed being a veterinarian but is thrilled with retirement and her new career as a musician. Alison Jones had a fun time recently with Jean Mackenzie when she came into NYC for the night to attend a SBC luncheon. There was a fascinating presentation on the evolution of the school by Carrie Brown, head of the Center for Creativity, Design and the Arts. Wendy Weiler was also there so our class of ’71 was well represented! Carol Johnson Haigh and her husband have enjoyed extensive travel over the last few years. Their journeys have included England, Scotland, Wales, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Ecuador, Iceland, and South Africa. All good wishes to everyone in 2019! Laura Mink Gardner moved from Roanoke, VA to Salem, VA almost five years ago after deciding she and Marvin no longer needed a three story colonial home with the children gone. They are now nicely settled into a one story California style mid-century ranch with enclosed pool and covered porch in the back. They sold their sailboat last spring and have had much more time to spend in the water in their backyard. Marvin is semi retiring as of the end of January, working only two days a week instead of four, and will turn 76 in March. Laura is still working and enjoying part time court reporting for the Social Security Administration. They have two granddaughters, 3 and 1, and hope for more grands in the not too distant future. Their daughter, Faith, was married three years ago and her husband is in the Army, stationed in AZ but will be transferring in the spring, hopefully to the east coast.

ment her bold vision for our college. The class of 1972 wishes to thank Georgie for her loyalty to Sweet Briar and outstanding leadership for ‘such a time as this.’ Martha Holland and Chris Iribe welcomed their first grandchild, a girl, on Jan. 8, 2019. The family is thriving and the grandparents are overjoyed. In May 2018, Martha and Chris downsized to a townhouse (with elevator) in Old Town, Alexandria just 7 blocks from their new granddaughter. In September, they went to England and Scotland, and Martha learned more United Kingdom history than ever before. Also, staying in castles and other ancient abodes is quaint, but they found that they preferred elevators to steps. They spent part of the winter in Key West, returning to Alexandria a few times for baby time. Not much has changed for Jeannette Pillsbury since the last time she reported in. She is busy finishing her last year teaching at Luther College. Right now, she is consumed with writing the re-accreditation reports for the Teacher Education Department: national and state — due every 5 years. Data, data, data — almost another dissertation! As a respite on the side, she is enjoying being co-chair with Joanne Hopkins ‘98 of the Alumnae Alliance Council Clubs working group. She says the best part of that work is communicating with alumnae of all ages across the United States. She is visiting Sweet Briar at the end of February, for the Alumnae Alliance board meeting and can’t wait! Though our class news appears to be somewhat limited this time, we look forward to sharing volumes of exciting information and headlines with you in future publications!

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Georgene Vairo continues her work on the Sweet Briar board and is now serving as chair and working with President Woo to help imple-

Noreen Conover Reed: Busy traveling and planning weddings! My son, Craig, married on St. Patrick’s Day in Chapel Hill, NC, and my daughter, Melissa, will be mar-

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Jill Johnson MarySue Morrison Thomas 98 Pine Bluff Portsmouth, VA 23701 72sweetbriar@gmail.com

ried on Sept. 1 here in Greensboro. Life is good with family expanding exponentially! Jane Potts: Had a nice visit from Diane Dale Reiling last May on her way to Reunion. Great to catch up with her! Keep up with Pascal Boulard Dutilleul in Paris. She and Pierre now have 10 grandchildren and are doing well. Lisa Wickham stopped by for a fun visit at the end of Dec. “I still get to Richmond as often as I can, and while there usually see Melinda Williams Davis, Lisa Wickham, Lacy Williams, Sandra Taylor, and Susan Dabney Smith. We have a great time reminiscing!” Debbie Pollock Arce: “I’m enjoying semi-retirement, but finding doing the occasional project for my clients is mentally and socially invigorating, so I don’t plan to give that up soon. I recently started playing pickleball, after Kathy Pretzfelder Steele told me how fun the game is! I started 2019 with some long-anticipated bucket list travel to Australia and New Zealand at the end of January with a good friend. We climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge and snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef. I have room for guests if anyone ventures to the Pacific NW!” Lisa Fowler Winslow: “After living 42 years in Pacific Palisades, CA, I have retired and moved to Laguna Beach in Orange County. I’m closer now to my kids and mom. I love my new life and just became a docent at the Laguna Art Museum.” Diane Dale Reiling: “All good with us in southern Oregon! Both kids are married, but no grandchildren in sight. We are taking a barge trip, as a family, through the Burgundy area of France this summer; one major item on Chuck’s “bucket list.”I hope I remember most of my SBC

French! I run an AirBnB, so if you are in the area (Ashland’s Shakespeare Festival is pretty famous), contact me for the “family” discount! And sign up on our Facebook page: “Sweet Briar College, Class of 1973” to stay in touch with our group!” Ginger Woodward Gast: “My husband and I were in Italy for 10 weeks this fall touring, visiting friends, and teaching English in a small village, Montecosaro, in the Marche region. We stayed with local families who wanted to learn English and were treated like royalty because we were fluent in English! We toured Venice with friends and stayed in the Puglia region with other friends. It was lovely. I can’t wait to go back, hopefully a bit more fluent than before.” Kristy Alderson: “We sold our house in Maine. Sad that we will not see my freshman roommate, Betsy Perry and husband Neal as often. Tegwyth is a 2017 Dartmouth grad and is pursuing acting in NYC. So lucky to visit as much as possible. I am still teaching, my 14th year since I happily made the career move from banking and Mark is as busy as ever renovating houses.” Christina Hegarty Savage: “All is well with me, healthy and happy. I’m very much enjoying my retirement. My 20 hours a week babysitting for my grandson (2) and playing pickleball several days a week help to fill my days. In early June, my Colorado son and daughter-in-law are expecting their first baby so I’ll be doing even more visiting out there. They keep saying they’re moving back to Cleveland area soon but we are not holding our breath.” Betsy Thayer: “After 40 years of living in Maine, I am packing up again to move to Burlington, VT, to

Evelyn Carter Cowles PO Box 278 Free Union, VA 22940 ecc52@icloud.com

Sally Flieger Moore, Rita Anselmo, Cindy Redman, Dede Conley Evelyn Cowles, Class of ’73, at the riding center during Reunion

live closer to my sister. I keep getting drawn to living near lakes, after my roots of spending time around Lake Michigan. I continue part-time in clinical social work. My daughters continue living in D.C. and Denver, each “attached” and one married. I’ve occasionally connected with Chris Sherwood Warner ‘74 and Candy Sheffield Nielson in New England and kept in touch with Sharon Sanders Williams, and my cousin, Jeannette Pillsbury ‘72. I am looking forward to our 50th Reunion” Renee Sterling: “2018 was a challenging year for a portfolio manager and financial planner. Mini vacations seem to be a good remedy. My second home in southern California is a good getaway and discovering all the wonderful outlying communities like Palm Springs keep me sane. Staying in touch with Bonnie Damianos Rampone ‘75, Boyd Zenner ‘74 and Linda Lipscomb, so many lifelong friends forged at SBC.” Christine Eng Leventhal: “We welcomed our second grandchild, Luciano, in April last year. He joins his big brother Milo (5). Our daughter and her family live in beautiful northeast Vermont. I am happily working full-time teaching science at Darien High School, as well as teaching fitness part-time, volunteering, and taking ballet. Peter continues with Tai Chi, physical therapy, language studies, and everything he can to combat Parkinson’s disease. Our family looks forward to spending time together on Block Island this summer, as we do every summer. If anyone passes by Wilton, I would love to hear from you.” Ann Major Gibb: “Life is good on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Our daughter Emily was married in Bryn Mawr, PA, last July. Our son David finished at Yale and headed to Los Angeles to begin his medical research at Cedars Sinai Hospital. We will be going to California soon!” Mary Buxton: “I volunteer to preserve our environment by working on climate change with a 350 Silicon Valley Legislative Team for 2+ years, and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter. My lifelong learning is taken care of by taking Continuing Education Classes at Stanford. We are traveling as much as we can. All good!” Deidre Conley: “Great to see 24 of our ‘73 classmates at Reunion last June! In Miami now working on lots of SBC projects. College fairs in October, our offering of interest to students and counselors. In November, I helped with JYF 70th Anniversary Magazine, online: https://sbc.edu/ jyf/jyf-alumni-magazine/. JYF an experience of a lifetime for all. Went with a group of alumnae to Alaska in March to support alumna Allison Lifka ’13 who was racing in the Iditarod dog sled race. She has a website\FB\ Instagram to follow, Bear Necessities Mushing. Happy New Year!” Kathleen Cochran Schutz: “We are enjoying our first 2 grandchildren. Steve retired from his consulting job and we finally have time to be more involved with our church. I’m starting my year as president of a ladies’ club that emphasizes connections and lots of activity groups. It’s fairly intensive and a great way to learn more about MS and to meet lots of nice people.” Susan Dern Plank: “Life contin-

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Nancy Mortensen Piper npiper@virginiasoftware.com Kathleen Kilpatrick has moved to a lovely old farm on the Rivanna River. She enjoys being closer to SBC, something she would have appreciated last year when the project to rehab and redecorate Sweet Briar House was in full swing. She logged so many miles then, and is proud of the work. Now she gets to play with my own historic house! She encourages all to come visit — bring a paint brush and hammer. Dogs and horses aplenty!

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Peggy Weimer Parrish 862 Main Street Danville, VA 24541 peggyparrish@gmail.com Kay Ellisor Hopkins retired in Aug. 2018, from Neiman-Marcus after almost 30 years and loves not hearing a 6:30 alarm each weekday morning. She has spent more time with granddaughters Harper (5 1/2) and Taylor (3) this fall, and that has been wonderful! Her husband Joe has mostly retired from oil and gas consulting. They are planning an early March trip through New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, where we will meet their middle daughter, her husband and the girls in Park City for some fun in the snow. Joe and Kay celebrate our 41st anniversary this March 4. She is looking forward to supporting the Sweet Briar riders at NCEA competition this April in Waco, TX. Tennessee Nielsen, Cissy Humphrey and Kay had lunch with Asimina Coroneos when she was in town last summer. Tennessee, Cissy, Beth Bates Locke and Kay still enjoy their girls’ nights out to keep in touch. Maureen O’Hearn Slowinski and her husband, Hill, became grandparents. Their daughter, Caitlin and her husband, Jeremy Steed welcomed Caroline Isabelle Steed on Jan. 14. Maureen’s 103-year-old mother, Isabelle, was overjoyed to meet her new great-granddaughter. Karen Adelson Strauss now claims Park City, UT, as her home, and remains passionate professionally and personally about environmental and public health challenges. Skiing has become a mission, with improvements galore thanks to the locals willing to ski with her and give her pointers. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are also frequent winter activities. Karen enjoys spending time with her two grandchildren. She would love to connect/ reconnect with SBCers in the area (visitor or permanent resident), and may be reached at adelsonkc@ icloud.com Melanie Holland Rice has been blessed with 5 grandbabies in 4 years… “Gigi” is full of joy! Melanie is still rocking and rolling as a top producing Realtor with Howard Hanna in Virginia Beach, and sees

spring 2019

Nan Robertson, Diane Leslie, Karol Kroetz Sparks, Class of 1973

ues as usual: visits to see grandchildren, visits to our home away from home — Belize — also fall trips to our respective alma maters since I unfortunately missed our Reunion (due to a family wedding) and visits with longtime friends as we drove to Florida (for 3 yrs.) and now back and forth to Tennessee since our daughter and family moved.” Scottie O’Toole: “My husband, Ed Goss and I have had a great year with two cruises. The first on a Viking River Cruise. The Danube was lovely, the river boat and staff were terrific. It is so nice to not worry about meals, tidying up, nor what to do each day! We were hooked! Most recently we enjoyed the warm Caribbean in the middle of January just as the temps dived here in North Georgia! Good timing!” Joan May Harden: “Rick and I rented a car for three weeks in Sept. 2018 to visit Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia. It was all beautiful. Our 5th grandchild, Lillian Gray, was born in Charlottesville on Jan. 6, 2019.” Evelyn Carter Cowles: “I am still trying to keep active with riding, fishing and painting. Reynolds and I are off to Cuba fishing for a week spending two nights in Havana. Then in July we are off with four friends to horseback ride into the Bob Marshall Wilderness, MT, and float out fly fishing the South Fork of the Flathead River. That should keep us busy. So glad to hear from so many. As you have heard Reunion was great and we should all start planning to attend our 50th!

Kari Anderson Shipley ’76 and Linda Guardabassi Michael ‘77

Debbie Massie Thurmand ’76, husband Russ and great-grandaughter Mia

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Amy Stein Fucini ’76 and husband Peter

many great Vixens in her daily travels…. which also brings a lot of joy! Robin Rodger Heller and her husband Bill are still enjoying life in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. While Bill continues working, he has started a long-desired project: building a 1930 vintage Indy Race Car. Robin is involved with several nonprofits, serving on the boards of organizations and foundations in the areas of special needs children, historic preservation and gardening. If any classmates are planning travel to the Detroit area, please let her know as it would be lovely to connect with SBC family.

Lisa Nelson Robertson writes that 2018 was a busy year for her family. They welcomed two more grandchildren: one to her daughter, Cally, in New Jersey, and another to her son Willis, in Los Angeles. Her youngest daughter, Abby, was married in May. At last count, their 5 children have given husband Tim and Lisa 10 grandchildren. Lisa’s first book, The Path of Life, based on Psalm 16:11, will be released in May 2019. Lisa sees Sally Old Kitchin and Ann Kiley Crenshaw regularly. Lynn Kahler Rogerson continues to run her non-profit traveling exhibition organization, though

the allure of hobbies beckons! She enjoys driving her 1953 in Packard Club events, though her 1934 continues under restoration. Her husband is a sailor, and all free time now is spent recovering boat cushions. They did squeeze in trips to Chile and Brazil. Her daughter Olivia (20) has transferred to Sewanee and it is a perfect fit for her. Lynn has enjoyed seeing Maureen O’Hearn Slowinski and Sally Mott Freeman over the year, as well as art history professor extraordinaire Ninie Laing! Debbie Mutch Olander has had some big life changes in the past few months. She adopted another kitten, got her very long hair cut off, went through 20 sessions of physical therapy and embarked on an all-out campaign to rid her life of clutter and stress. She writes that she feels better now than she has in a long time. Cheryl Lux Cobb survived the winter of 2018 which was the coldest with the most snow in 50 years! Due to the snowpack and heavy rain, her feedlot and barns flooded, and they are still working to get things back to normal. She breeds Karelian Bear dogs which are rare with several hundred in North America. The dogs do a good job chasing off grizzly bears! Her daughter, Elizabeth Cobb ’15, still lives in Kansas City, she and her friend Jesse Schaaf ’15, will visit in February. We’re looking forward to it. Cheryl still serves on her national breed association board, which luckily enough is headquartered in Kansas City, so she does get to see her daughter several times a year. Other than hosting a family

reunion in June, she has no big travel plans for 2019 and is looking forward to having a ‘normal’ year with just the normal stresses to recuperate from the hyper-stresses of 2018. Sherry Buttrick is still working for Virginia Outdoors Foundation in Charlottesville doing land conservation and hunting the Farmington Beagles in spare time. Her husband, Forbes, and she completed building a new house in an old style — an 1840s Andrew Jackson Downing plan for an impecunious parson — a couple years ago and are enjoying that with their two dogs. Linda-Jean Smith Schneider is starting her 8th year as firm-wide Research Systems Administrator at the global law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP. While she has served on a variety of professional committees in the field of law librarianship through 40+ years, she now focuses on mentoring newer colleagues. She and husband Lee enjoy attending plays in both Philadelphia and Princeton in addition to a wide variety of musical and cultural events. They’ve been volunteers for the Philadelphia Folk Fest for more than 15 years, too. Linda-Jean joined a community chorus after a 10-year break, and is happy to be officially singing again! In January 2018, she attended a lively gathering of alums from classes ranging from 1968 to 1998 for Sweet Briar Day in suburban Philadelphia at the home of Alex Manwarren ’94. In April, she teamed up with Joanne Hopkins ’98, to host a college fair at Central Bucks South High School. This January, Joanne hosted an SB Day in her charming home near scenic Lake Nockamixon; the previous week, many of the same alums (including Linda-Jean, Joanne, Alex, Margaret Frederick ’93, Angela Scully ‘77, and Verena Joerger ’15) attended an SB Day at the home of Suzanne Stryker Ullrich ’78 in Kennett Square near Longwood Gardens. Kari Anderson Shipley and husband John (recently retired from his law practice) are able to spend all summer and fall in Lake Toxaway, NC, and the spring and winter in Delray Beach. She remains very active fundraising and chairing events for several charities and board officer of one non-profit and her church. She loves helping her youngest son who started an environmental non-profit, Community Green-

a Gold Looper! Husband Peter and she cruised America’s Great Loop from Punta Gorda, FL, in their Sea Ray Sundancer in exactly 8 months and 5,500+ miles. Of 500 boats that were “in process” during 2018, only 139 boats completed the loop. They followed the same route shown on the AGLCA burgee through Ontario, Canada, plus side trips on the Delaware River to Philadelphia, PA, and the Cumberland River to Nashville, TN. They are ready to go again in 2021! Karina Schless still has her 27-year-old quarter horse “Angus” and is still riding. She enjoys her Spencer-cat, who is a real love bug and plays fetch/ball. She will be returning to Red Rock Ranch in Jackson, WY, in September with a bunch of riding/cowgirl friends. Ann Works Balderston reports that Sarah, Maggie, John, Biv and she are all well. Ann invites anyone who is out in Jackson, WY, to contact her for a glass of wine, a visit and to share our view. She is in Jackson from late May until early October! Becky Burt writes that her B2 Estate Sales business was busier than ever. She held 12 sales total in 2018 including 3 that were massive! She still has the antique shop (B2 Antiques) in Ponchatoula, LA, and just got elected as treasurer of the Ponchatoula Chamber of Commerce. She spent a week in July up in Maine, first a relaxing weekend at the lake with friends and then a couple of days with Cassandra Smith Babbitt ’78. Next on Becky’s agenda is Mardi Gras where she will be riding again in the annual Krewe of Muses Parade. She’s busy glittering shoes like a fiend to throw to on Feb 28. Cynde Seiler Eister and husband Ron spent a week visiting their youngest daughter in California this past summer. They enjoy visiting their 6 grandchildren and their adult children and spouses in Virginia and New Jersey on weekends when they are not at their cabin in the mountains. Ron is still working in family medicine and Cynde in real estate development. She spends her free time in her city planning department and horseback riding. They are looking forward to a vacation in Wyoming this summer.

1978

Suzanne Stryker Ullrich 820 Waverly Road Kennett Square, PA 19348 suzullrich@aol.com Deb Davison Klein, on the other hand, wrote in from warmer California! She and Terry have been bopping across the country for a wedding in Central Park, NY, and fun times in Connecticut; to Los Angeles to celebrate their 13th anniversary with Mary Page Stewart and Bob, who were passing through to Houston for the birth of their 3rd grandchild! “Such a wonderful start to the holiday!” All children were home for Christmas, which was made even more special having granddaughter, Brooke (16 mos.) around to keep things lively! Deb’s daughter Whitney is expecting her first child in May, so next Christmas may be even more lively! Ann Key Lucas reports that “life is good in the Lou” (St Louis, that is!). There was a trip to Corsica last September, and she was also looking forward to a trip to Ireland in 2019. “My boys are great, my mother (95) is doing well and my shop keeps me busy. Life is not only good, but great!” And the glow from Reunion was still bright! Ann reiterated how much fun she had “not only reconnecting with old friends, but actually connecting with many classmates for the first time!” Yes, many of us can say the same thing! Occasionally, Ann has a dinner date. Rick Ullrich has been seen with ‘Stormy’ when he is in St. Louis on business! And true to SBC, the two brainstorm all things SBC and Class of ’78! Paula Brown Kelley was busy with Janet Rakoczy last fall, as they conspired to have a get-together for visiting classmates Maggie Laurent Gordy and Susan Negaard Harley. Also, there were Anne Thrash Jones, Dorothy Lear Mooney, Suzanne Stryker Ullrich and Lynn Westine ’79. Fun times before, during and after dinner! Suzanne and Rick stayed with Paula and Jack, so both hubbies were able to crash dinner, as well as be great DDs! Paula and Jack spent time in Annapolis for many Navy football games, went up to Hanover, NH, for Thanksgiving and to spend time with son JP and his wife Katie. “It was cold but lots of fun. We

Holly McGlothlin ’78 and Suzanne Stryker Ullrich ’78 dwarfed by the redwoods in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

got to King Arthur Flour (a real education for me!) as well as hiking around Quechee Gorge.” JP will be leaving Dartmouth for the summer to head to Boston for an internship, while daughter Genny has moved to NYC. She will be working as an account rep while living in Brooklyn. Paula continues to see friends Liz Williams, Janet Rakoczy and Michelle Youree Hostler in the DC area while they ‘explore’ this thing called retirement! While Paula nurses along her commercial real estate business, she stays involved with Rotary, the Salvation Army and a book club. Lucky Paula and Jack were also able to go see Hamilton at the Kennedy Center!! Jane Hemenway Sullivan continues to stay busy in NYC. She is still very active with the Dragonboat races, the whole team made up of breast cancer survivors. Their team is currently #1 on the East Coast! She had a wonderful time showing Sally Ann Polson and her husband around NYC on a whirlwind sightseeing tour. “It was just like 1978. We had an amazing time!” Last Fall Jane and husband Jay went to Scotland to attend The Patron’s Program at St. Andrews. “It was a wonderful weekend of lectures and performances, sightseeing and whiskey tasting.” A birthday celebration in January resulted in a concert for a small group performed by pianist Matei Varga at the Fabbri Mansion. “Nothing like heading into the ‘Sweet Sixties’ (in NYC) with and amazing concert in a Renaissance Mansion!” Jane also hosted a number of students from the University of St Andrews (her son’s friends) over

spring 2019

ing, in south Florida, which plants thousands of trees. All of her sons have returned to Delray with great jobs which is wonderful. She and her entire family travelled to Africa last year and saw her families that she lived with when she attended Witswaterstrand University before transferring to SBC. Linda Guardabassi Michael ‘77 visited her African inspired art show. Debbie Massie Thurman is a great-grandmother! Her husband’s son’s daughter welcomed an adorable baby girl on Dec. 27. Her other big news is husband Russ’s retirement on Dec. 31. They look forward to traveling more now, with a Caribbean trip planned for spring. Debbie was still recovering from foot surgery in late January, but doing well. Ann Kiley Crenshaw writes that all is well with the Crenshaw family. They had a great time at the Greenbrier over Christmas with family and grandchildren, and another grandchild is on the way in May! Ann has enjoyed the energy of our wonderful President Meredith Woo and her team. She continues to work with the Alumnae Alliance and the College, and Virginia Beach’s local Sweet Briar Day had a banner turnout! Ann practices law with Kaufman & Canoles and is “over involved” in community activities (and loves every minute). Larkin Barnett will have her 4th feature article on her athletic/dancebased Pilates system in the March/ April 2019 Pilates Style Magazine. Thanks to her Sweet Briar College inspiration — dance professor Eija Celli — she looks forward to turning 65 and still “flying” through the air. Melanie Coyne Cody is still living in Winnetka, IL, and working at Wunderman as VP director of talent. She serves as president of the Woman’s Club of Evanston and is busy launching a capital campaign in support of its historic clubhouse and battling city hall regarding an inappropriate development next door. In April 2018, daughter Sarah Cody married Mark Gallas. Missy Briscoe McNatt flew in for the weekend of festivities, looking gorgeous and about 40 years old. Melanie spent last summer hanging around Green Lake, flea marketing, boating and having cocktails on the porch. Amy Stein Fucini writes that she’s become a seasoned boater AND

From left: Lynne Westine ‘79,Susan Negaard Harley, Anne Thrash Jones, Janet Rakoczy, Suzanne Stryker Ullrich, Dorothy Lear Mooney, Paula Brown Kelley, Maggie Laurent Gordy, Class of ‘78

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‘Dames’ in D.C. (Suzanne Stryker Ullrich ’78 and Allison Egbert Brokaw ’78)

Paula Brown Kelley, Michelle Youree Hostler, Liz Williams (all ‘78) and Paul Cronin in Middleburg, VA

their Christmas break. With her son having spent time at St Andrews, she would encourage any SBC student to take advantage of SBC’s study abroad program and attend school in Scotland! Jane greeted the visiting students with cookies from Levain Bakery (co-owned by Pam Weeks ’83). Jane has also been working for years on a house in Eatonton, GA, and says that now it is all finished, except for a bit of the landscaping, so, “Come visit!” Anne Taylor Quarles Doolittle is still talking about Reunion. “Mounds of joy.” She and husband Bob are “enjoying full doses of grandparenting from top to bottom!” Eldest is graduating from Lehigh University in 2020, with the youngest only 4 months old, and 6 in between! They are all scattered from Pennsylvania to Louisiana, Columbus and Virginia! Travel has taken Anne and Bob to Ireland, with a trip and cruise on the Rhine slated for May 2019. Between visits to family, Anne continues to ride “an old slow gelding and enjoy every minute being out in the woods with him.” She has also started a website for her paintings (annedoolittle.com) and she continues to sew for the littlest grands! “I may try to smock something this spring!” It has been a challenging year for Anne. “Between my daughter’s cancer journey and my mother’s death, I have plenty to say grace over! I am ever grateful for the circles of love that bind and uphold me and for years of rich and happy memories with all of you and my family.” Yes, we are all fortunate to have rich and fulfilling lives! Carolyn Ennis is currently in Geneva but has been appointed to Amman, Jordan, as deputy representative in UNHCR’s office there. So, she will be moving to Jordan! Daughter Sara is a dentist near Freiburg, Germany, with younger daughter Mariam at Northwestern University in Chicago studying…. a lot! Carolyn spends a fair amount of time traveling between Europe and the U.S., as well as Canada visiting her 95-year-old father in northern British Columbia. “I have missed most SBCers traveling in Europe but maybe someone will look me up in Amman! I’m amazed to be 60+ years old….so far, so good!” Lisa Wray Longino is still loving her work with Sweet Briar’s Office of Alumnae Relations and Devel-

opment! It’s always good to see both classmates and new friends as she travels around the country. When traveling through Atlanta, “Betsy Ryan Glenn is always the perfect hostess!” Travel plans with George will include Panama this spring and France in the fall! Lisa continues to volunteer at Camp Seafarer as a Mother Duck, as well as serving on the advisory board for both Camps Seafarer and Sea Gull. Barbara Behrens Peck continues to stay in touch with SBC through the Friends of Art Board, attending meetings on campus and looking forward to catching up with Mary Page Stewart and other members at their next Board this Spring in Baltimore. While North Carolina is still home for Barbara, Christmas was spent in Vermont, with lots of family and friends. Jeff is on a break after his 30 years in the textile industry, having to wait six months (a non-compete clause) before deciding what his next chapter of life will hold! “One thing for sure…he knows that he isn’t ready for retirement (nor am I!)” For now, they will continue to take advantage of their time in Vermont, some skiing, and just relaxing! Looking forward to heading back up for the summer months, Barbara was hoping to get together again with Lauren Place Young again. In the meantime, Barbara feels she is closing in on the final phases of the public art for Greensboro’s Downtown Greenway which she has been involved with since 2007. There were some more installations recently on MLK Day. “It is a wonderful and fulfilling part-time career. Oldest daughter, Sarah, was engaged last October so Barbara will also be busy planning a summer wedding in Vermont. Sarah is now in Portland, ME, after having left her NYC life behind. Youngest daughter, Haley, is still working in Charlotte at Sun Trust. Me, Suzanne Stryker Ullrich? I still get to be with Rick on the road as well as in the air, and we try to fit in visits to as many SBC friends as possible wherever we go! Last fall, he had to visit a plant in San Francisco which allowed us time to spend a day with Holly McGlothlin and Mike, complete with a visit to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park where we were dwarfed by those redwoods! Ieka Osinga Scully stopped by on

Myth Bayoud and Janel Wiles, Class of ’80, at the Book Shop in January 2019

Myth Bayoud ’80 and son, Chuck, at SBC in January 2019

ranging from the Class of ’67 to the Class of ’15! It was a great group of women! Lots of phone calls to Muffy keep things lively, always conspiring on our next ‘project.’ Many classes are still ongoing at Longwood Gardens, but I’m taking a little hiatus from the horticulture program to dabble in landscape design! Lots to learn, always fun and stimulating! My therapy, when I can’t be outside pulling weeds, is in the ceramic studio! The lure of the wheel has been taking a fair amount of my time lately. I have gotten myself into ‘local’ politics as the treasurer of our HOA, and somehow, I manage to get a book read for book group each month!

1980

Myth Monnich Bayoud 6269 Oram St. Apt. 21 Dallas, TX 75214 mythbayoud@yahoo.com Ginny Farris Hoff writes that she is past mid-life, like all of the class! She would like for the class to go to Sweet Briar Work Weeks the same week. Amy Campbell Lamphere writes that she is looking forward to a March trip to New Orleans and a trip to Cabo in April. She is loving the flexible schedule that allows her to travel with hubby, Jim and visit her kids in Princeton and Chicago. Amy is still teaching Nia. She is looking forward to summer days, a family reunion in Nebraska and Sweet Work Weeks. Several San Antonio and south Texas alums get together regularly. Louise Mueller Cook, Claire Vaughan writes Susan Megnden. 2019 is off to a good start writes Francie Root. She is back in Atlanta, having retired from Citi in New York. She volunteers at the High Museum and Midtown Assistance Center. She had a fantastic trip to South Africa with Georgia Schley Ritchie and Fannie Mallonee. Emiy Quinn McDermott writes that she and Ed celebrated their 25th anniversary in September. Daughter, Elizabeth works in D.C. and daughter Faith is a junior in college in California. Emily is still involved in town government and a local arts center. She spent a weekend with Phyllis Watt Jordan, Cindy Stover Motkya

and Lisa Connors in Rhode Island this past summer. A trip to the Iowa State Fair with Ed and the girls, addressed her bucket list! Toni Santangelo Archibald celebrated her 15th year working at her high school alma mater, School of the Holy Child, as director of alumnae and parent relations, special events. Toni writes that she had the privilege of presenting at the New York Association of Independent Schools last March. In July, she traveled to Israel and swam in the Red, Dead and Mediterranean Seas and dipped her foot in the River Jordan! She plans to go South Africa in June 2019. Visitors to New York include Hollis Hutchins Volk and Jill Steenhuis. For Lillian Sweeney Sinks, 60 has been full of life. After a fabulous 60 celebration in St. Thomas with 11 SBC Class of ’80, she was offered a job in Philly. “We purchased a home by cell phone and up and moved to Fishtown. Never knew it existed when I lived here in the 80s. I am VP of clinical services for the East Coast for a company called InnovAge out of Denver, CO. I hope this will be the last hurrah for work life and serving this population is

very important! John is with me and our son Taylor.” As for your class secretary, Myth Monnich Bayoud, I had dinner with Dave Perry-Miller, W&L ’80 in Charlottesville in June. I played golf with Janel Hughes Wiles. I see Tish Longest Tyler and Carolyn Birbick Thomason about twice a year. Recently, I was at Sweet Briar and saw Mary Callahan Arnold, Florence Rowe Barnnick, Claire Dennison Griffith, Janel Hughes Wiles and Tish Longest Tyler.

1981

Mary Claire Purnell Five Park Place, Apt. 408 Annapolis, MD 21401 cpgd@verizon.net Anne Grosvenor Evrard and Walter still live on the Basque coast and are beginning a massive renovation of their home, which will keep Walter very busy. Anne writes, “I am learning to play golf and am busy with trips to Paris to visit grandchildren, Helene had a girl last year so that makes two, and another is on the way for this summer! All is well

Carol Hays Hunley ’81 and family celebrate daughter Chrissy’s wedding to Mac Hoggan in September 2018

Tiffin ‘81 and Trent Fox in the Canadian Rockies, fall 2018

spring 2019

her way to Amherst to see her Mom. Thai (one of our Siamese cats) was particularly enamored with her! Being involved with Colonial Dames, I was able to spend time in D.C. with ‘dames’ from all over the country! How fun it was to see Allison Egbert Brokaw who was there representing Delaware, as their president! A trip to visit youngest son Ned in Madison, AL, for Thanksgiving included some business in Savannah, and concluded with the trip up the coast with stops in Sneads Ferry to visit Elizabeth Perkinson (Perk) Simmons and her husband Stephen. I’m lucky that Rick’s work occasionally takes him to some exciting places….and I get to go! Currently we are both looking forward to a trip to Athens! We get to see the older boys (Alex and Andrew) and their families. It is always so amazing to see the next generation grow! Laurel is now 2 ½, while Leo is 15 mos. old. In January, I hosted a fun Sweet Briar Day event and got to catch up with Mimi Borst Quillman as well as ladies

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with family otherwise, and am getting to meet my youngest daughter’s American boyfriend this weekend! Clotilde lives in Tennessee so we have children on both sides of the ocean now!” Nancy Webb Corkery sent her notes from India where she was celebrating her 60th birthday with Laura Evans ’79 and Carla Pelligrino Cabot ’84. Nancy is “looking forward to my next trip to the Dominican Republic with Molly Roberts Cramer, Laura Coleman Proctor, Caroline Hawk Sparrow, Olivia Chaplin Baker, and Angie Odem Wright all celebrating our 60th. Last year I replaced my right knee and my oldest son, Kevin, got married to Lucie Nadler, the girl next door in Marion, MA. They live in Boston. Kevin works for Chase Bank, and starts business school at Babson this January at night! Kyle is finishing business school at Boston College this spring and will move to Charlotte, NC in July and will be with Bank of America.” Nancy is looking forward to David slowing down, more golf and more traveling. She is half way through a 4-year program in the Museum of Fine Arts associates program. She is “happy! And fortunate.” Martha Freeman Brouse writes “My dad, George Freeman, passed away in August after a full life of 87 years. Soon after that, my best OTTB foxhunter whom I hunted and fed for 18 years unexpectedly passed. Steve had a biking accident which put him in the hospital.... but now is slowly healing. The fun news is that we took Vivian and her My Dear Watson all the way to Virginia to the Junior North American Field Hunter Championship in which she made the finals! Recently, Vivian’s high school band marched in our Alabama inaugural parade. We met up this summer with Felicia Nelson Baker in Houston and had a wonderful visit. Everything else is pretty much the same, teaching voice at UA Huntsville. We miss all of our SBC friends.” Stephanie Skinner Daney turns 60 soon and reports that all is well! She writes “my husband, sons, and I are all healthy! Chris and I are still enjoying running in half marathons! We are slower now but still strong!” Stephanie Stitt Fitzpatrick has a new job forming a foundation to represent the local abstract painter, Willem de Looper, who also worked

as a Curator for the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. Husband Dirk programs at Booz Allen during the week. On weekends he is renovating a row house in Baltimore, MD, with daughter Alex. She is earning her MS in Nursing at Johns Hopkins, hoping to be a midwife someday. Son Rob (21) is a junior at UW Madison. Erin Lynch is loving life with a bossy Corgi, a sweet Shel-Aussie and her daughter. Chase (22) has straight As in school, “so watch out Appalachian State!” Erin writes that she “is a senior test manager of health and life sciences at SAS Institute. I have lots of people working for me but my passion as a manager is raising the next generation of leaders. So, I’m especially watchful of my employees that can take my place one day! I think as we’re right there at 60 — YIKES — but it holds honor and experience. It also holds passing the baton and smiling and saying, ‘You can do this!’” Nan Dabbs Loftin saw Allison Roberts Greene, Jane Terry and May Carter Barger. They talked about fun times at SBC and look forward to seeing everyone at the 40th reunion. Nan writes, “Last summer my family (23 of us) celebrated my mother’s 80th birthday on Cape Cod. In the fall Bill and I, along with Martha, son-in-law Adam, and Will spent a beautiful week along the Maine coast.” Allison Roberts Green and Carson are enjoying their home in Florida especially during the deep freeze. Allison writes, “This is a big year for us. I have enjoyed the start of 2019 with my Diamond Jubilee. That’s right 60! We had a good weekend celebrating in New Orleans. In May, Carson turns 70 and it will be our 25th anniversary. I am working on party plans. To celebrate our anniversary, we will be taking a Viking cruise on the Baltic Sea.” Barbara Bush Cooper works three days a week as the director of philanthropy for VA Hospital Center Foundation (in Arlington). Barbara and Doug bought a town house in Old Town, Alexandria. Barbara writes “we still divide our time between St. Michaels, MD for long weekends and more international travel with Sophie now in her 2nd year at UMW. Doug continues in his real estate development business with a focus on developing senior

independent and assisted living facilities nationwide so hopefully there will be a place for us down the road.” She stays in touch with Tania Voss Ryan and Ingrid Christner Kolb ’79 in Old Town and Jane B. Terlizzi ’86 in St. Michaels. Sharon Resener Miller writes “I am living in New Smyrna Beach, FL, with my husband, Toby and our two Jack Russell terriers. Our son, Bailey (25), lives in San Diego. I know I was only at SBC for two years but I love keeping up with everyone on Facebook!” Nancy Golden lived in Los Angeles for 25 years and moved back to the Washington, D.C., area nearly 4 years ago. She writes, “My career path in the not-for-profit sector included being a development director for 2 environmental organizations and an executive director for a family foundation. When I wasn’t working I was SCUBA diving — about 2,000 dives logged off California and around the world. I am currently the vice president for development at Oceana, the largest international ocean advocacy organization. Oceana’s board and staff are outstanding and I thoroughly enjoy my job, especially because its scientifically-based goals and milestones deliver results — over 200 substantial victories and more than 4.5 million square miles of oceans protected since its founding in 2001.” Nancy travels a great deal nationally and internationally and looks forward to becoming more engaged in SBC alumnae activities. She feels that the education provided by SBC has been invaluable. K Ellen Hagan built a home in Gainesville, GA, in October 2017. She lives in “Cresswind at Lake Lanier” which is a 55+ community. K Ellen writes “If you’re around Gainesville, please let me know. Bailey, my dog, and I would love to see you!” In September, 2018, K Ellen visited Yellowstone and Big Sky, MT, along with other sites. Kay says, “It is a beautiful part of our country. My brother and sister in law have bought a condo in Big Sky and I had a wonderful time visiting. Look forward to other visits!” Hope Keating and husband, G.W., are enjoying married life in Tallahassee, FL, where they recently renovated their home that was built in 1959 (a very good year!). Hope had a “wonderful visit with Harriet Bielitsky Anderson, Stephanie Ri-

naldi Charlip, Julie Brooke Davis and Jane Terry in Jacksonville last spring at Julie’s beautiful home on the St. John’s River. I am now in my 23rd year at Greenberg Traurig law firm — looking forward to retirement one of these days!” Tania Voss Ryan and Stephen have been in Alexandria, VA, for over 30 years. Tania is the director of a school which, Tania says, keeps her hip and on her toes. Stephen works 3 blocks away. They enjoy spending time with Eve Devine and her family and Barb Bush Cooper and her husband. Tania writes, “Our daughter, Meredith (26) lives in Dallas, TX, so we have enjoyed traveling there to visit. Our son, Andrew (30) lives with us and we manage to continue to enjoy one another’s company. We have enjoyed spending summer weeks in Nantucket and continue to be grateful for simple days playing tennis, swimming and reading.” Betsey Simpson Hilberts continues to teach math in SW Philadelphia to 4th, 5th and 6th graders. She writes, “I miss the younger students, but I am (most days) enjoying the challenge of all that this age group brings to the classroom. Our 2 older daughters are living and working in New York. One works for The North Face and the other one is with a design company in the marketplace. They both seem happy with what they are doing — and where they are doing it — right now. Our youngest is a junior at Wake Forest, majoring in math and computer science.” Bobin Bryant Williams says that all is well in Richmond. They are living in an “in-between house” as they build their new home. Their kids are good! Rowdy is scheduled to finish up at SCAD with a degree in visual effects in the spring. He will then head to Lacoste, France, to take classes and enjoy the summer in Provence. Ginx is in her 2nd year at University of South Carolina and loves life in Columbia, SC. She is a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and in the Darla Moore Business School majoring in Finance. Bobin writes, “Rowland and I are enjoying our growing family, three great nieces & two great nephews. We saw Wendi Wood McAffee and husband, John, in Atlanta — good times as always!!!” Tiffin Hartman Fox and Trent hiked in the Canadian Rockies with their youngest son, Edward last fall.

that included alumnae and students spanning from class of 1942 to a potential class of 2024! Always great to see fellow classmate Carrie Maynard Nichols. Hope all of our classmates are celebrating big surrounded by loved ones in the year many of us turn the big 60!” Margaret Robinson Tallmadge writes, “We had a wonderful family gathering and celebration for my son’s graduation from Dartmouth last June, including both of his 86-year-old grandfathers. Douglas works in Seattle now — Dan and I had a great visit in October. I continue to teach Chemistry at the U of Cincinnati Blue Ash College. In August I was promoted to adjunct associate professor.” May Carter Barger is finishing up another year at Queens U of Charlotte and is prepared for a job in arts leadership for her community. May writes, “I just have to convince everywhere that the ARTS MATTER. My hometown is somewhat of an art dessert and there is a good bit of education involved if I am going to succeed.” Debra Kertzman retired at the end of June and lives in Sag Harbor, NY. She is celebrating her 60th birthday by going to Antarctica in February. Debra enjoyed participating in an SBC get together in New York in January and was impressed with the new leadership and changes. Debra writes, “No change with my children except now I get to spend more time with them.” Nina Brown MacDonald has had 2 careers. She writes, “The first was advertising where I worked in New York City and then moved to Boston. After several years I switched to human resources which was definitely a better match. I got married to Leo and moved down to Raleigh, NC, where we have been for 26 years. We built a wonderful house that sits on over 2 acres and backs up to a horse farm. After city life this is a dream. I retired early and have finally started utilizing my BA in Studio Art. I enjoy working with colored pencils and pastels and have been showing and selling my artwork in exhibitions across the country.” Nina remains very close to K Ellen Hagan and they see each other quite a bit. Mary Kate Ferguson says that this last year has a good one. She writes, “I rode horses on the beach in North Carolina and in the snow

of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. In November I bought a log home in a wooded rural area of northern Harford County Maryland where I live with my dog Hogan. In 2017 my father passed away and I feel his spirit with me in all of my adventures.” Eve Devine had a busy 2018 with three family weddings. Two nieces and one nephew got married in Jan., June and Nov. of 2018. She is “so happy that they found wonderful young people to marry. Next chapter will probably be babies! Spent Aug. 2018 at Sweet Work Weeks with Brendy Reiter Hantzes. I love the experience of going back and helping. It was our fourth year and I look forward to Aug. 2019.” Elaine Arozarena continues to split her life between NYC, Madrid and Mexico. She became a U.S. national last March after 25 years of legal visas! Elaine’s “international advisory business is still running with interesting complex projects as the world’s global geo political issues continue to change constantly. So we need to continue to help businesses work more effectively in all countries. Also art and finance conferences in the Mediterranean and Latin world continue to be another tangible asset management side of our business and gives us the opportunity to view the world of collections.” Brendy Reiter Hantzes had a great time with Eve Devine at their fourth Sweet Work Weeks. Brendy says, “If you can come this summer — it is lots of fun. I’ve been helping organize events for the DC SBC Alumnae Club; meeting fellow alumnae and current students. Meeting the students is confirmation that all of work and donations are well worth it. My family is doing well and my son, Will, is engaged. I see Amy Marshall Lewis and Cari Thompson Clemens ’80 a couple times a year; hopefully I can convince them to come to reunion. Haven’t decided how epically I will celebrate my birthday this year; all ideas are welcome!” Susan Graham Campbell says life in Medford, NJ, is very nice. She is volunteering for Medford Leas, a Quaker retirement community, and Medford Cares, a small nonprofit that raises money for 50+ Medford families in need. Susan writes, “I am riding my horses and trying to see as much of my family and friends as possible. Sarah keeps me return-

ing to Philadelphia since she works and lives in the city.” Susan is going to Palm Beach in February and taking one of her horses to the World Equestrian Center in Wilmington, OH, in March. Lori Faust Williams had her hip replaced last March and says that it is the best thing that she has done. She has gotten very involved in mustang rescue and adopted seven geldings last Jan. 2018 and 2 pregnant mares in Nov. Now they are waiting for babies. Daughter Shelby is still teaching at Sacred Heart Academy in Winchester, VA. Lori’s son Ted is working at Evolve, which makes all stuff fiberglass, like climbing walls, decorative rocks, etc. They still have the retirement boarding business, and currently have 78 horses on the farm. As for me, Claire McDonnell Purnell, I turned 60 last September and it was a wonderful birthday. The family is well but the kids live too far away. If any of you are ever in the Annapolis, MD, area, please let me know. Lastly, thank you to all of the classmates who sent news, 31 in all! Please remember, the only way that I can reach you is through email. If you want to know when class notes are due, update your information with SBC directly.

1982

Patti Snodgrass Borda Mullins 15 Tenth Avenue Brunswick, Md. 21716 pattibmullins@gmail.com It’s my honor to be your secretary, and I strive to improve communications among us going forward. I have settled into my position as communications manager/public information coordinator for the City of Frederick, MD. I keep busy with public relations, social media, video production, graphic design, script and speech writing. Husband Earl actively sails boats in retirement, and daughter Virginia (18) is choosing among the big schools that have accepted her in biology/zoology programs. Her primary college choice criterion of BIG ruled out our beloved SBC. Gay Kenney Brown: My life is full right now, I have a new book

spring 2019

Their Christmas was fun as they watched grandchild, Annabelle (2) running around the house. Last January they toured Rajhtsan, India, and went on a tiger safari. Tiffin writes, “It is my pleasure to work with many special people doing several volunteer projects and directing a women’s help center. Classmates, please feel free to come visit us in Germany!” Sophie Crysler Hart is still living in Williamsburg, VA, where she continues to work in fundraising at Colonial Williamsburg and as an adjunct professor at William & Mary. She “can’t believe a lot of members of the Class of 1981 will be 60 this year!” Pam Wood Valle and her husband, John, live in the Chicago suburbs. They have 4 kids. Chris (married to Lauren) lives in Minneapolis. Ashley (married to Jose) lives in Chicago. Madeline (married to Joe) lives in the Chicago area. Rachel is living in Portland, OR, area. Pam writes, “no grandkids yet but we are ever hopeful. I have been a college admissions consultant for 15 years. I enjoy hobbies including travel, reading, and gardening. My daily fitness regime keeps me focused on staying ahead of the aging curve balls. My mother, Diane Duffield Wood ’57, lives in the Chicago suburbs too. Although she has struggled with her health over the past years she is doing generally well these days.” Caroline Hawk Sparrow is still in Birmingham, AL, where she works as a communications consultant for Chalker Group and Callen practices law. Their daughter, Elizabeth (27), is living and working in Birmingham. Younger daughter, Cece (24), lives and works in Nashville, TN. As Nancy Webb Corkery mentioned earlier, Caroline, Nancy, Molly Rogers Cramer, Virginia Donald Latham, Olivia Chaplin Baker, Laura Coleman Proctor and Angie Odom Wright are headed to Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic, in March to celebrate their 60th birthdays. Caroline can’t wait! Carol Hays Hunley’s daughter Chrissy was married in Gloucester, MA, last September. Vickie Archer and husband Tad were there. Chrissy and husband Mac are moving to Charlotte in February. Carol says, “I have enjoyed attending SBC events in Charlotte, including a recent event

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coming out in April, “Living with a Green Heart.” It’s about environmental health and how to protect yourself in our increasingly toxic world. You can buy it on Amazon. Please share with all your friends. Each book I sell will get me a closer to the bestseller list! I will be doing book parties in various cities, so if you’re interested in coming to a book signing, please go to my website, gaybrowne.com, and look for the date of your city! Monika Kaiser: In March, we went to see my son in Guatemala, where he volunteered assisting doctors for 6 months. In April, I went to Germany to pick up my mom, took her to Cleveland, OH, for a reunion, and accompanied her back to Germany in May. The kids, Richard and I took a 5-day cruise to Cuba. We then flew to Germany for a festival in my hometown. Richard and I flew to Mexico for a wedding and some sightseeing. I loved Pueblo. Richard was laid off from PepsiCo only to be rehired in October. Life is good! Gracie Tredwell Schild: This has been a wild and wonderful year for me. I went into business for myself, doing consulting in database management, bookkeeping and editorial work. I don’t post often, but I have a website and Facebook page under my business name: Bluebird Business Services. It is great to be my own boss, and to feel like I can run my own life. I could use more clients, but with tax season upon us, I think I’ll pick up some work. My son, Christoph, is a junior at Northern Arizona University, doing very well. Come to Santa Fe, NM, and visit! Lele Frenzel Casalini: 2018 was a fabulous year. All three of my kids had babies! Liza/Ethan had a baby boy, Hayes, June 26; Sophie/Mike had a baby girl, Kinley Belle, Oct. 10; Eli/Jillian had a baby boy, Gianluca, Oct. 15. Harper turned 5 on Oct. 19. She loves her baby brother Hayes and baby cousins. When not playing with my grandbabies, I work as a yoga therapist with Heartland Yoga YES To Vets Program. Ground breaking for my new house on Two Creek Hollow Farm is planned for May! Going to be a great year for my farm, my kids, my grandbabies and ME! Celebrating a big birthday all year! Jennifer Rae: Life is spectacular when you are in the amazing circle of Sweet Briar College! So proud of the smarts, courage, and fortitude of

SBC alumnae! I am working in an office again. Sorry to have scared too many with my Uber and Lyft driving — a necessary, temporary solution, but over. I adopted a rabbit, Oatmeal, to join my 5 parakeets and me. As our class enters the next year, we will be entering another decade. Love to you all. Sally Shapard Peek: Life is Good! Mark and I are enjoying the empty nest stage of life in Griffin, GA. The four children are scattered and happy. No pending marriages …. But I am getting my first grand puppy in April. I’ve already been asked to puppy sit! Looking forward to the next reunion .... Wish it was a little sooner. Mary Ames Booker: 2018 came in like a lion and went out like a lamb. During the year, I was able to refinance my house, get a new car and roof (paid off in far future) and then Hurricane Florence visited in September. I was out of work at the Battleship North Carolina for weeks (but still paid) due to damage and flooding at the Battleship. This area is still in recovery, but we are open for business on the southeast coast! Blessings to all in 2019. Rosemary Hardy: Although nothing really newsworthy to report, thought I’d submit something anyway, to simply honor the spirit of the class of 1982. So many times, I wish I didn’t live 1,000 miles away from Sweet Briar — would love to visit on occasion. Here in Kansas City, though, continue to make the most of retirement — what a great place to be in life! Angela Averett: 2018 has been a year full of joy for our family. We welcomed my first grandchild, Ava, in the summer. I continue to grow my Rodan & Fields Business globally and plan much international travel with family and friends in 2019. Fay Powell Smith: Tom and I are looking forward to when he fully retires. In the meantime, we’re living in Madison, VA, and I volunteer at the archaeology lab at Montpelier and love it! We are also leasing a condo in Richmond beginning in February, and I look forward to spending a lot of time at the museums and volunteering at Feedmore and the James River Association. We have 2 grandchildren, whom we try to see every chance we get. Love to all my buds at SBC.

Rachel Giles Gronsky: Joel and I retired last year, and we are enjoying the extra time to travel, ski and relax. Our 6-week cruise last summer on our boat through the Broughten Islands in B.C., Canada, was amazing, including catching 100 pounds of salmon and seeing whales, dolphins and bears. We are now planning a New Zealand trip next winter. Our kids Jake (29), Connor (26) and Jordan (24) are doing well. Jordan is a flight attendant with Delta, and we enjoy the free airline miles! We hope to make it back for our 40th Class Reunion. Priscilla McPheeters: All is well in Columbia, SC! Chip and I just finished a kitchen remodel; I’m still teaching 4th grade, still hugging 3 granddaughters as much as I can, and still riding my horse every chance I get. Life is good! Polk Green: I’m good. The only news I really have is my sweet Daddy got remarried this January, 1.5 years after we lost our sweet Mama. Good for him. He seems very happy, and that makes all of us happy. Jean Von Schrader Bryan: For the most part, all is well in Amherst. We had a busy holiday season. Successfully moved my 93-year-old mother-in-law from Norfolk, VA, to Lynchburg. Looking forward to spring and pool season. Would like to ask all classmates to keep Molly Finney Grenn in their prayers. She is undergoing aggressive treatment for breast cancer. If anyone wants more info or her address ask them to contact me. Holla, holla, everybody!

1983

Virginia Claus Buyck vbc414@aol.com Wylie Jameson Small and her husband Stuart were busy traveling to England and France last fall. They spend a lot of time at their second home in Hilton Head. Their son Rudy is finishing up his business degree and their Jack Russells, Peyton and Cleo, keep them on their toes. Wylie continues to train for her goal of completing a half marathon — someday! Kim Howell Franklin is the director of relocations and referrals for TTR Sotheby’s International Realty — covering nine offices in the met-

ropolitan D.C. area. She is learning a great deal (as in drinking from a fire hose) about the real estate side of the mobility industry, and also studying for her real estate license. Call Kim if you need an agent recommendation anywhere in the world! Kim gets to Bluffton when she can to enjoy that beautiful view and visit with her Dad. Alice Cutting Laimbeer is teaching art at Highland School in Warrenton. She organizes the sister school project in Kenya and leads annual trips to work at the Enkijape School and go on safari to important conservancies. A focus of her work is finding sponsors for Masai children to enable them to attend school. Alice and her husband live on their farm in Rappahannock County and ride their aging band of horses. Travel continues to be a passion for Amy Boyce Osaki. During the winter break, she completed 100 miles of the 88 temple pilgrimage on Shikoku Island, Japan, with her husband and daughter. Amy has enjoyed talking with Sarah Sutton and Desiree Bouchat, and reconnecting with Valerie Johnson and Claude Becker Wasserstein ‘82. Sally Archibald Roberts is enjoying winters in Vero Beach — sounds good to me! Alicia Nygaard Formagus and her husband are looking forward to retiring their dental practice in less than 2 years and enjoying their “growing like a weed” grandson. She treasures any time with Tracy Gatewood and enjoyed reading her book. Alicia misses Adriana Garza Reed and Leigh Cox Gerry. Alicia noticed that Miriam Baker Morris still has all of her fun energy, and because of Miriam’s fine example, is trying to also nap whenever she can! Libby Glenn Fisher and husband Charlie live in NW Florida near Grayton Beach — give them a shout if you are in the area. Libby has a flexible “second career” in real estate. She also volunteers as her church’s coordinator for Hurricane Michael relief and teaches two classes at the state prison, which has been very rewarding. Libby and Charlie’s children live in NYC, so they enjoy trips there. She saw Elena Quevedo a few times and hopes to see Sue Gay Dailey and Kit Gibson on her next trip. All is well with Elizabeth Taylor Webster, her 5 children, and new husband in Pinehurst. She has been

From left: Virginia Claus Buyck ‘83, Elizabeth Cahill Sharman ‘84, Lesley Allen Bell ‘85, Suzanne Turner Brennan ‘83, Ellen Clare Gillespie Dreyer ‘83, Heather Willson Flaherty ‘84, Mary Pope Maybank Hutson ‘83, Mimi Kitchel DeCamp ‘83, Miriam Baker Morris ‘83, Lee Anne MacKenzie Chaskes ‘83 and Laura Morrisette Clark ‘85

1984 Debbie Jones ’84 hosted a Back-to-School event at her farm just outside of Richmond

at GlaxoSmithKline for 21 years and loves the policy challenges Congress, the administration, and states constantly throw at them. Many wonderful travels for Elizabeth — St. Barts in April, Camino De Saint Iago in May, Barcelona for a wedding, and Greece in the Fall. 2018 was a year of beginnings and endings for Elena Quevedo. After 35 years in NYC, she and her son Sebastian relocated to Miami. Elena left her job at The New Jewish Home, Inc. to become the chief development officer with the Miami City Ballet. During this period of transition (new apartment, new job, new school), Elena had the unexpected and tragic loss of her beloved father on Christmas Eve. Miriam Baker Morris and Clay are looking forward to becoming

grandparents! Son Claiborne and daughter-in-law Courtney, who also live in Birmingham, are expecting in June. Daughter Sally and son-in-law Braydon live in Paris where he is the chef at Chez La Vieille. Wendy Chapin Albert and Tolly stay busy with their 1 ½ year old mischievous and active standard poodle Harvey. Wendy is retired from real estate and Tolly is a stock broker with Chapin, Davis. They are looking forward to a Mediterranean cruise in October. Daughter Eleanor works for the Maryland Jockey Club, and Annie is working on two masters in historic preservation and city planning at UPenn. She asked that we keep our fingers crossed that their race horses have a successful year!

Louise Jones Geddes 2590 Woodward Way NW Atlanta, GA 30305 LJGeddes5@gmail.com Once again, we had a full year in 2018. Our classmates lead lives that are incredibly rich and full and blessed. Receiving these updates is really fun for me. If you haven’t been paying attention, this is our 35th Reunion year! The passage of time is incredible, isn’t it? By the time this is printed, Reunion will be around the corner and, hopefully, 1984 will be very well represented. Reunion will be May 31-June 2. I am very excited to see everyone there! Roxane Lie writes that she has been living in Portland, OR, for 20 years. Since college she has worked with several opera and theatre companies, equestrian facilities, dog grooming companies and retail companies. Currently she is working for Ricoh, delivering mail and packages

on the Nike campus in Beaverton, OR. She still owns vizlas but misses being around horses. Debbie Jones loved hosting an SBC Back-to-School event at her farm in August 2018. There were current students, students who had just graduated, and incoming freshmen in attendance. Debbie was really impressed by the talent of all these women! Alice Dixon ’82 stopped by and gave a great update of all the positive things happening on campus. I also attended while on my D.C. to Atlanta road trip and spent the night at Debbie’s and the 2 of us met up with Mary Earle McElroy the next morning for a long walk at Mary Earle’s parents’ farm, which is near to Debbie. We had a fabulous time visiting! Debbie also keeps up with Ginger Reynolds Davis and reports that Ginger is still hilarious and makes Debbie laugh. Debbie is still working her Square One Vodka gig with her sister while simultaneously keeping her mortgage day job! She is busy!

spring 2019

McKenna Snyder ’20 (left), current president of the Bum Chums, with Lee Anne Chaskes ’83 wearing her Bum Chum scarf at the Bum Chum Bazaar

2018 Washington, D.C. area Back-to-School event hosted by Karen Williams-Wickre ’84 Class of 1984: Elizabeth Harley Willett, Penney Parker Hartline and Louise Jones Geddes visiting over Labor Day weekend

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Class of 1984: Cheri Burritt Yates, Cindy “Skip” Pierce Kohlenberger, Betsy Becton Hannah, Helen Pruitt Butler and Kathleen “Kp” Papadimitriou during a recent get-together

Liz Sprague Brandt reports that all is well in Kansas City. Her daughter Betsy (28) has relocated to Boston and is working on her MBA. Liz and Perry enjoyed a fabulous trip to Morocco with former SBC roomie Elizabeth Harley Willett in Oct., and she and Perry are busy planning their next trip — an African safari — this spring. Liz stays busy with volunteer work, exercise, tennis, and running a small high-end designer consignment business out of her home. Caroline Reece Aquino reports that she and her husband still live in The Plains, VA. Caroline continues to work with horses and has recently taken up agility with her border collie/cattle dog mix. Her son Jamie is still in school and recently transferred to VCU and is excited to move to Richmond.

Diana Crandall Nielsen is living in Provo, UT, south of Salt Lake City. Please look her up on Facebook if you are visiting out there! She and her husband Clark are enjoying their life together as empty-nesters. Two kids graduated from college and one is a freshman at the University of Utah. They spend as much time as possible skiing at Sundance. Ann Alleva Taylor is in Vero Beach, FL, and is working for the Indian River Land Trust as the director of marketing and philanthropy. She completed the certification in fundraising at BU last summer. Carter is consulting in tax and general business operations. Her daughters are growing faster than she would care to admit. Cabot, 17, in the 11th grade and working at her first job! Caroline, 15, is in 8th grade and loves sports, particularly golf. Last

but not least, Charlotte, 14, an avid hunter/jumper, ballet dancer and great student. Ann hopes to make it to reunion. Maria Ferran sends hellos to all of us and reports that 2018 was a busy and fruitful year. After a beautiful trip to Tulum, where she enjoyed making art at the beach, exploring real estate and making many new international friends, she continued her work in executive search and growing her recruiting practice. She had the honor of taking her 90-yearold mom on a whirlwind vacation to see family in Florida as well as a very fun week in Las Vegas. Her children are pursuing their passions and they all look forward to another family traveling adventure soon! Marie Lascombes is a teacher at Rabelais Middle School (France) and is more than ever involved in organizing student exchanges. This new project has to do with restoring The Auld Alliance with partners in Perth and Aberdeen. If any of you have any new proposal for enriching this growing network of exchanges, please let Marie know. In her area there will be a Medieval banquet this coming June 8 and 9, to which we are all invited! See the following for more information. https://www. berryprovince.com/agenda/fete-historique-franco-ecossaise-chatillon-sur-indre/ Peg Twohy DeVan writes that all is good out west in Colorado. There is plenty of snow this winter so come out and ski! Carolyn graduated from Chapman University last spring and now works for the family propane business in the Roaring Fork Valley.

Yes! Women can do anything! Peg stays in touch with Ann Watkins Templeman who came out to visit Peg during last July 4, which was during the time of the Basalt fire. That fire was scary! She is still involved with horses and is showing in California. Liz Rodgers Boyd is still happy and healthy in Minnesota. Tommy and Kailey (married 2017) are living in Springfield, MA, where Tommy is attending graduate school - getting a master’s in education for strength and conditioning coaching. Kailey is teaching high school and getting her MBA online. Louie is a first lieutenant in the Marines and stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He recently returned from Romania where they were training NATO forces. Liz and her husband did the unthinkable and got a puppy, Frances, last June. Although it seemed like a good idea, some days she wonders. Of course, she is adorable. Robin Cannizzaro, DVM CVA is still in Brooksville, FL, with her partner of 21 years, Debbie Cappola. They have 4horses, 2 minis, 6 dogs, 4 cats, 2 birds and 2 cows on their 10-acre farm. Robin is still working at her holistic veterinary practice out of her home office and doing phone consultations nationwide with homeopathic medicine for treatment of all ailments for our loved fur animals. They enjoy riding most days of the week and Robin is competing in dressage on her big Palomino warmblood gelding, Barbados. She also has fun jumping him and occasionally competing, and braves some cross country as well! Robin is in touch

occasionally with Wendy Chapin Albert ’83, Ann Reisner Bonney and Chris Svoboda. Patsy Roby Gotfredson and husband Ed are still in Grosse Pointe, MI. Patsy writes that they moved back to Michigan from San Francisco in 2003 so her 2 boys could have the experience of shoveling snow! Teddy (22) graduated from University of Michigan in April 2018 and is working for Qualtrics in Dallas. She reconnected with Brianna Boswell Brown ‘82 when she helped Teddy move to the Big D. Patsy really enjoyed seeing Brianna and reports that she hasn’t changed at all. Patsy’s son, George (18) is a Freshman at University of Michigan, studying the organ in the music school there. He had his first semester at University of Richmond, but it just was not enough music for him. One plus of his being in Richmond for that first semester was that Patsy got to reconnect with Mary Earle McElroy. Patsy and Mary Earle had the best time, and Mary Earle and George became great friends. Patsy stays busy as President of the Garden Club of Michigan, a GCA club, along with serving on the board of an auxiliary at the Detroit Institute of Arts and a couple of other local non-profits. She is also an elected official, supervisor, of her little township where she and Ed have their summer cottage. Ed is in advertising sales for a big social media company, so they are still in the trenches, but are blessed. Patsy keeps an eye on her mother too, as she lives 2 blocks away. Looking forward to reconnecting with everyone in the class of 1984 at reunion! Elizabeth Harley Willett and Chris are enjoying empty-nester-

hood in Atlanta, and spending some time in Charleston as well. They have loved seeing Louise Jones Geddes and Jim, Penney Parker Hartline and Roger, Marian Wahlgren, Mary Howard Patterson Hatcher and Richard, and Liz Sprague Brandt and Perry, all recently. In Charleston they have been able to catch up with Helen Pruitt Butler and Herb and Cathy Toomey Gregorie and Harry as well. The past year was busy with travel, to San Francisco, Sullivan’s Island, Morocco, Colombia and Mexico. Her girls are in Nashville (travel biz) and NYC (grad school). Chris is still in the stock biz, and Elizabeth loves her small design firm work and stay busy as a buyer for a non-profit gift shop and with the High Museum of Art. Juliet Jacobsen Kastorff sent her notes from her lodge in Ecuador, the Rio Quijos EcoLodge. This is where she migrates to in the winter to run kayaking trips. She is really pushing birding trips now, so she has become much more knowledgeable of all the fabulous birds that call the lodge home. As much as she loves her time in Ecuador, she always looks forward to returning home to North Carolina. She is looking forward to seeing everyone at reunion! Anne Frierman Sewell and Henry are loving life in Atlanta! Anne says many of you readers may remember Henry from Big Weekends at SBC. All 4 children are finally out of the house. Her oldest graduated from Hampden Sydney and is now getting a master’s in journalism at UGA. Second one graduated from Ole Miss and is working in Atlanta. Third one should graduate from Clemson in May 2019. Baby

coordinator for the Rollins College Child Development and Student Research Center. Their son Pete is a software engineer with INTL FC. Their daughter Stone is an RN at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. Another daughter Kate is a coxswain for the University of Louisville women’s crew team, where she is a junior. Julia is a senior in high school. Empty nest on the horizon! Can’t wait to see everyone in May. Mary Leanne “Lee” Hubbard is an assistant professor and formator at St. John’s Seminary, Camarillo, CA, and a spiritual director and liturgical musician for her religious community. She has been following the new curricular direction of SBC with great interest since her community has girls’ schools that are struggling. She thinks President Woo and the administration are on to something in finding that particular niche in a very competitive market of private school education. She is on the board of trustees of one school that she hopes to encourage to move in a similar direction. Cathy Cash Mays continues to enjoy her work at Sweet Briar overseeing the Elston Inn & Conference Center and summer programs, and serving as liaison to our dining partner, Meriwether Godsey. There are lots of exciting changes taking place on campus! Her son, Jason, built a home one mile away where he, his wife and her precious 5-year-old grandson reside. It’s great having them so close by. Grandchildren are true blessings! Daughter, Ashton, graduated early from SBC in May 2018 and is currently enrolled in the nursing program at Duke University. She will complete her studies in December 2019. Cathy is looking forward to seeing many 1984 classmates at Reunion. As for me, Louise Jones Geddes, I had a few road trips in 2018: pulling a U-haul to New Orleans to help set up my daughter Lucia in her off campus rental house at Tulane and also an Atlanta-D.C. trip to help son Giles move apartments in D.C. (Do we ever retire from being a mother?) On the D.C. trip I caught up with lots of SBC friends as Cindy “Skip” Pierce Kohlenberger fed me a meal, and Mary Earle McElroy and Debbie Jones both housed me at points along the way. During this trip I also went to Sweet Briar for a few days of Sweet Work Weeks and had a

spring 2019

Sharon Ingham Brown ’84 and grandson Thomas

Girl (#4) is at Ole Miss and “rebeling” every day. Anne is still making a living with her monogram business after 18 years and loves celebrating everyone’s special days with a monogram. Sharon Ingham Brown and family still have Tampa as home base. Daughter Caroline is at Georgia Tech, son Davis at Shoreline College in Seattle, and grandson Thomas Robert Brown at age 3 charms us all! Sharon has enjoyed catching up with SBC friends in 2018 and looks forward to the reunion! Laura DeHaven is excited about learning and adding new tools to her spiritual practice. She will be attending several spiritual retreats throughout the year. Laurie Scovel Pfeifer is teaching Kindergarten on Cape Cod. She and husband Brad Pfeifer (HSC ’83) volunteer for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Brad is the president and she’s the game day and intern coordinator. She really enjoys working with the college interns each summer. They also volunteer for the Sampson Fund for Veterinary Care which helps to provide vet care for cats and dogs on the Cape. It was great to see everyone at the recent Boston Area alum gathering at DJ’s Wings in Falmouth! Karen Williams-Wickre has been busy supporting SBC in the D.C. area. She hosted a Back to School event in late August 2018, and she attended Founders’ Day on campus in the autumn and she really enjoyed both events. She also plans to help with SBC career day this spring with local D.C. Alumnae Club to support SBC students. Tracy Glaves Spalding continues to teach in a natural food chef program and she loves her wonderful students who share her passion for food! She and Randy celebrated their 30th anniversary in Amsterdam last July. They went on to Dubrovnik and, luckily, happened to be there for the World Cup final that Croatia was playing in! They then travelled to Prague to meet their daughter who was interning at Charles University for the summer. Tracy is looking forward to reunion! Holly Pflug Allport and her husband Peter celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary in February. Peter is still with Florida Capital Advisors, and Holly is the afternoon

blast. Loved seeing Jean Von Schrader Bryan ’82, Mary Pope Hutson ’83 and Lea Sparks Bennett ’83 while on campus. The more things change, the more they stay the same! The College looked great and the students — as mentioned in a couple posts already — were awesome! Back home, I love being neighbors with Elizabeth Harley Willett and catching sight of Penney Parker Hartline a few times a year and also love that our kids are friends. I also caught up with Janet Lewis Shepherd this past year and enjoyed meeting Janet’s handsome son Robert while I was traveling in Santiago, Chile. And I also chat with Anne Frierman Sewell from time to time and want to recommend her monogram business, Properly Mine. It’s great! I can’t wait to catch up with so many of you at Reunion. Our class has a Facebook page and an Instagram page. Be sure to follow them and upload pictures.

1985

sbc.edu

Caperton Morton 30 E 55th Street Kansas City, MO 64113 cape1916@gmail.com

Barbara Tragakis Conner has had a wonderful year — she became a grandmother! Her sweet grandson, Aaron, is 6 months old and brings her pure joy. Jeanie Guthans Wilkins reports that she and Richard are well. Their oldest son, Richard, is married, lives in Virginia, and works on the Hill. Their middle son, Christopher, is working in Nashville and loves it! Their youngest, Michael, will graduate from VMI in May and hopes to pursue a career in the Secret Service. He’s also newly engaged and will be married in June! Also, Jeanie and Richard enjoy traveling when they can. Drop a note to her when you’re planning a trip near Mobile. She’d love a mini reunion! Jeanie ends with, “Happy Mardi Gras to all!” Laurie Limpitlaw Krambeer continues to appreciate working for herself in private practice. However, she adds “the best of my life is the people in it.” She’s been married 20 years. Her older daughter is a freshman in college. “Alas, not at our alma mater but so be it.” Her younger daughter is a sophomore in high

school. Laurie enjoyed dinner last fall with Kansas City SBC Alumnae Sarah Machinist ’01, Alexandra Blair ’06, Jenna Lindsey ’10, Cheryl Bishop Gilman ’90 and Caperton Morton. (The evening ended with a sleepover at my house, “which proves,” Laurie added, “we are not too old for slumber parties!” She also enjoyed hanging out with my daughter, Berit, and husband, Chris. She thinks our dog, Wilbur, is great, too!) Kim Knox Norman writes from Atlanta to say she continues happily in her position at Emory University as head of library conservation. She hopes to return to Rare Book School at UVA again in 2019 as she works toward a new certification. Kim and her husband, Bart, look forward to daughter Sally’s college graduation this spring from the UGA-Terry School of Business. Their son, Joseph, is a freshman at University of North Georgia, majoring in Art. Kim often sees classmates Katie Hearn, Lenetta Archard McCampbell, Christine Corcoran Trauth, Ann Martin Gonya and Karen Gonya Nickles ’86 and is super happy to be on their annual tropical getaway. Lenetta Archard McCampbell is also happy to report that she’s escaping the worst winter storm in decades with fellow Vixens Kim Knox Norman, Katie Hearn, Christine Corcoran Trauth, Ann Martin Gonya and Karen Nickles ’86. On this super-cold, January submission day, here in much of the US, they’re happily ensconced in St. Maarten for their annual getaway. Lenetta started a new job last Fall, working for a small DC-based tech firm, Volanno. The company primarily supports the transportation industry. She’s currently working on a project to build out Metro’s new operating and public safety radio systems and she’s loving it! “While others in our class are moving toward retirement,” wrote Madge Hall Vosteen, she decided to leap into a new career as a project coordinator at the Green Bank Observatory, WV. She enjoys working with radio astronomers, scientists, and educators. Over Christmas, Madge, her husband, Paul, and son Wils, made the trek to Boulder, CO, to visit their daughter, Vaden. She’s working on her master’s degree in counseling at Naropa University. Their daughter, Styker-Ann, just started a job with Hilte and wasn’t able to join them.

Madge wrote, “The best part of the 3-day drive was a chance to visit Caperton in KC!” (We loved having these fab human beings as our guests!) Renata Leckszas Davis writes from New Zealand. She and Bill are empty nesters and enjoy traveling often. They downsized, moving to downtown Annapolis last January and she’s finding new things to which she can devote her energy. Their children are well and employed and 2 of the 4 are in the midst of married life and beginning parenting. This has been a busy year for Deborah Fischer Oleisky! She continues as science department chair at Garrison Forest School outside Baltimore. During the school week, she lives on the school’s campus where she helps oversee the boarding program and helps organize activities on campus. Husband Jonathan owns his own company and on weekends they spend time at our off-campus

home on Maryland’s eastern shore. Their daughter, Sarah, 25, works in Columbus, OH, for a non-profit and daughter Emily, 21, will complete her junior year at Bowdoin in Brunswick, ME. A recent highlight was spending Christmas with her dear friend (and roommate) Linda Miller. Debbie’s hoping that 2019 will bring more adventures and time with friends and family! All is great with Laura Morissette Clark! She loves working as a travel advisor with Brownell Travel. Last fall, the family welcomed their third grandchild, Laura, to the fold and Grammy Laura travels to Nashville as often as possible to see her. Laura also enjoys seeing Sweet Briar friends throughout the year and hope to see even more of us in 2019! Vicki Vidal Blum is SVP at Black Knight, a mortgage banking technology company and works on compliance and government affairs. She appreciates the college admis-

Barbara Tragakis Conner ’85 with her daughter, Margaret, holding her grandson, Aaron

Here are the St. Maarten Vixens: Photo bomber Karen Gonya Nickles ‘86, Katie Hearn ’85, Chris Trauth ’85, Ann Gonya ’85, Kim Norman ’85 and Lenetta Mccampbell ’85

Stacy Zackowski Lukanuski ’85, Anna Janay Lukanuski ’18 and Letha Dam

New SBC graduate and alumna Anna Janay Lukanuski ’18 with Stacy Zackowski Lukanuski ‘85

Stacy Zackowski Lukanuski ’85 on a mission trip in the Dominican Republic

Madge Hall Vosteen ’85 and Caperton Morton ‘85

spring 2019

From left: Alexandra Blair ’06, Jenna Lindsey ’10, Laurie Limpitlaw Krambeer ’85, Caperton Morton ’85, Sarah Machinist ’01 and Cheryl Bishop Gilman ’90

sbc.edu

sions advice Barbara Tragakis Conner shared over dinner in Middleburg. Vicki’s son, David, who’s a high school junior, plays soccer for 2 travel teams, plus his high school team, and hopes to continue playing in college. Her husband Dave is a wholesale mortgage banker. They love living in Clifton, VA, and enjoy the “rural” atmosphere in the middle of NOVA. Vicki continues to paint and teach oil painting in her free time. She gets to see Heidi Belofsky Cromwell (attended her wedding reception at Top of the Town), DeAnne Blanton Higgins, Kate Byrne Markham, Joan Byrne Voss and others. She looks forward to seeing more fellow Vixens in 2019. Stacy Zackowski Lukanuski is enjoying working as a dentist/business owner and living in Richmond, VA with her husband Greg (W&L ’85) and their children. Their son Sam is in his second year at VMI, majoring in civil engineering; Anna Janay Lukanuski ’18 is working as a jet engine engineer; and after traveling around Europe, Olivia is now working in Medical Sales. Stacy also sees her sister-in-law, Letha Dameron Zackowski ’81, often. Last May, Anna Janay graduated from Sweet Briar with proud Mom, Stacy, and the rest of the family in attendance, including Stacy’s dad and their extended family. Caperton Morton: I’m getting closer and closer to launching my podcast as I finish editing my first six episodes. The main theme of the podcast is the people I meet, or know, and their infectious passions for one thing or another. I look forward to my upcoming interviews and for producing the episodes they’ll become. This audio production path I’m traveling is SO exciting, crazy fulfilling, and an absolute joy! Chris and I truly love Kansas City and the Midwest in general along our time with his family here in Missouri. But, when we, or I alone, head east, I get giddy. I LOVE our trips back east. We also soak up my daughter, Berit, being home with us while she figures out her path forward. Last fall, my son, Elijah, along with three business partners, took over the 44-year-old Mediterranean restaurant, The Med, in Asheville, NC. He’s enjoying this new, early-hour side of the restaurant industry as chef co-owner and looks forward to stirring in more of his

own influences. In September, I was on Bald Head Island for the wedding of a friend’s daughter. I posted a photo on FB and Linda DeVogt ’86 sent a note, saying she, her husband, Robert Freis, and her mother, Ann, were vacationing there and that she’d love to get together. So, we did. And, as Hurricane Florence headed towards the island, our connecting up became even more noteworthy. (Movie trailer to come! Ha!) As Laurie Limpitlaw Krambeer mentioned above, some members of the Kansas City Alumnae Club had a farewell dinner with Sarah Machinist ’01 as she embarked on her new career path back in North Carolina last October. I miss Sarah’s spunk, but it made my day when she texted a selfie with our Karla Kennedy Hicks! Christmas Time in Kansas City is always special, but it was made even more special by Madge Hall Vosteen, her husband Paul, and their dear Wils as they paused on their trek to Colorado. They made it just in time for our annual Holiday Open House, adding their lovely Eastern sparkle and superb humor! After the New Year, we headed to Cherrywood, our Virginia farm, and had another gathering with family and friends. I’m so glad that Linda DeVogt ’86 and her momma could join us. They so kindly swung by Kendal in Lexington to pick up Aunt Sadie! And, then, Cherrywood was set ablaze by the arrival of Spitfire Jean Von Schrader Bryan ’82 with all of her zippy-goodness. (She made us all laugh so hard! She’s such a shining star.) Last thing, I promise! Chris and I recently attended an interactive play geared towards children called “Secret Soldiers: Heroines in Disguise.” I immediately thought of DeAnne Blanton who co-wrote “They Fought Like Demons, Women Soldiers in the Civil War.” I texted her that we had tickets and she responded, “Oh yah! It’s so gratifying to see mine and Lauren [Cook]’s research being used in creative ways.” After the play, I spoke with the playwright, who beamed when I mentioned DeAnne and our connection. She said that DeAnne [and Lauren’s] book was her bible as she wrote this play. Made me smile. I also love compiling the Class of ’85 Notes and for all the side conversations that are sparked.

1986

Alis (Piper) Van Doorn 1896 Park Drive Columbus, GA 31906 alisvandoorn@hotmail.com Alis (Piper) Van Doorn had a difficult fall 2018, losing her beautiful 93-yr. young Mama in Sept. 2018 and starting the overwhelming chore of sorting and clearing out her family home. Piper did get to spend Thanksgiving with Star Hollis Waldron and her amazing family including Sophie’s beau, the aptly named Beau Hollis, beloved long haired chihuahua of Star’s Mama. Otherwise, Piper has been savoring her solitude, grateful for the many Vixens that reached out to her during this healing time. Piper is finally beginning to look towards her future with more

than a whiff of enthusiasm, and has just rented her first apt. ever, on the banks of the Chattahoochee river! She is hoping the future involves a good bit of travel, planning a NYC and New Haven trip in May for her niece’s graduation from Yale, and is hoping to catch up with some vixens whilst there. She is also looking forward to a long-planned girls’ trip with Ingrid Weirick Squires, Star Hollis Waldron and Lee Gryzbowski Sakowicz. Ava Spanier who threw herself into the theatre community in Arizona after moving from the east coast, has happily become an empty nester and done a full circle, temporarily returning to NYC and Chicago (Northwestern business school alumni) as assistant director on the AEA tour of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas musical. Her creative consulting and

Leigh Ann White ’86 with her horse Hamilton

Julia Andrews Milstead reports that 2018 was a year of big changes. She left journalism after 21 years and is now working in communications for the City of Raleigh. She is loving the fact that she can now have a social life and spend more time with family. Julia is still keeping up with classmates Kira Flores Ector, Olivia Hardin Pettifer, Lee Malley Lowe and Tracy Gilmore at their annual get together. Their bond is as strong as ever! Karen Gonya Nickles reports that change is in the air! Their son, Garrett (28), recently got engaged and will be married in May 2020. Their daughter, Claire, is not far behind. Karen says “Retirement to the beach in North Carolina is on the horizon. Life is good!” Lee Grzybowski Sakowicz reports that she is “happy taking care of my family, living in southern CA and pursuing her creative interests and outdoor adventures.” Lee would love to have Vixen visitors anytime and proposes a Class of ’86 trek through the backcountry of Joshua Tree! Piper is all in…if it’s a leisurely trek! Leigh Ann White says that except for 2 years teaching economics at Sweet Briar, she has been in the Boston area since 2006 and can’t believe it’s been that long! After leaving SBC in great hands, and back in Boston, things fell into place with a great job at Evidera, a lovely barn for her horse, Hamilton, and the stability of home without work in another state. The only setback in 2018 was shoulder surgery for a rotator cuff problem which is now fixed! Leigh Ann is riding horses again and is looking forward to seeing how Hamilton performs in Ocala. She is missing her Sweet Briar sisters and looking forward to our class reunion! Mimi Holland Dinsmore is still living in Charleston, WV. She keeps busy with her art consultancy business and thoroughly enjoyed recently curating an art exhibition for Dolly Hartman ’53! Mimi and husband Tyler (HSC ’86) remain in touch with many college friends. Big news is the engagement of their son, Mac. No wedding date set yet! Rushton Haskell Callaghan reports that life as an empty nester is wonderful! Her son Hampton is a junior at the University of Alabama and daughter Farley plays D1 softball at Florida Gulf Coast

University in Ft. Myers! She and husband Charles travel to see many of her games as well as taking wonderful trips around the U.S. and world. Rushton has recently visited with Vixens April Adelson, Missy Duggins Green, Meme Boulware Hobbs, Holly McGovern Barber, Nancy Buckey Rothacker and Mary Jo Biscardi Brown ’86 while traveling. She is looking forward to seeing a few more Vixens in 2019! Sally Engleby Farrell says she and her husband are enjoying their third year in NH. Sally is still working at Christ Church in Exeter. Her twin boys are almost finished with their junior year in college. One is at Sewanee (he is friends with Ann Bruce Faircloth Porter’s daughter) and the other is at UNH. Her oldest has become a fly-fishing guide in Durango, CO, with some carpentry on the side, or is it the other way around? Sally and husband Chris have adopted a rescue pup that keeps them busy and they love going to UNH hockey games! Empty nesting is definitely agreeing with them! Stephanie Hamilton Gregory and her husband, Devin are empty nesting in Connecticut and will celebrate their 25th anniversary all while working together every day! Both her girls are in college leaving behind their rabbit, cat, chickens, fish and the in-laws for them to care for in addition to the family dog. Stephanie remains a Girl Scout, without a troop, serving her 3rd year as service unit manager for 2 towns! Susan Finn Adams says she has had a great year working at William & Mary. She has learned so much and is enjoying her inspiring colleagues there. Sue says being on campus reminds her daily of her 2 boys who are off at college and that brings her joy. They moved husband Michael’s mom into a retirement home this summer and celebrated her 95th birthday in December. Sue reports that “Life is good.” Terry Cerrina Davis says, “Happy 2019 all!” Terry is working part time and busy getting started with college search for daughter Lindsay who’s a junior this year. “So much to think about!” Terry has greatly enjoyed keeping in touch with so many classmates and fellow Vixens; she deeply appreciates their voices of reason and kindness and their creativity!

1987

Ellen S. Smith 1360 Northview Avenue NE Atlanta, GA 30306 cell 404.308.5469 ellensmith10@att.net Jill O’Ree Stryker, along with Pamela Ythier Barkley, Kristen Whitney Lowrey, Lezlie Varisco Pinto and Mary Sue Cate Mayes, is planning a memorial tennis tournament at the 2019 Reunion in honor of Anne Adams, our classmate and friend who passed away in September 1984. Anne was funny, adventurous, full of spunk and loved Sweet Briar, especially as a member of the varsity tennis team. Looking forward to seeing everyone in June at the Reunion! Jennifer Wise is an assistant facilities planner with the University of Virginia Office of the Architect. Angelyn Schmid reports that her kids (ages 19 and 16) will soon leave the nest, so it’s time to start the next phase of life — at junior college (!) taking digital marketing and web technology courses to support her literary business. Angelyn is living in Plano, TX, with her husband of 28 years, John. Recent travels included a trip to Berlin while her daughter studied there, and another trip to the south of France with her mom. She keeps in touch with Karen Conway Holloway. Mary Sue Cate Mays had a great year. She will celebrate 30 years at Iowa State in April. She has a new boss and is working in both beef and dairy genetics. Lots of new challenges and excitement, even an award of merit thrown in! Andy, her oldest, has moved closer to home and is teaching history in Des Moines. Her youngest, Jenny, will graduate in May with an elementary education degree. Larry and Mary Sue are doing the empty nest dance after 32 years together and it’s wonderful. Lots of good things started in 1987. Kristen Kreassig Carter wishes Happy New Year to her SBC sisters! She and Dave are still living in Virginia Beach and have completed the first semester of being empty nesters. It’s liberating! They are lucky to see Scotty most weekends as he is playing on Randolph-Macon’s inaugural men’s volleyball team. Most tourneys are up north, so they bit the bullet

spring 2019

investments firm, Headspark Productions, has been involved with the development of newly staged material including the Broadway-bound projects “Be More Chill,” opening in March, and “Jagged Little Pill” which hopes to find a NYC theatre home by this fall. Carolyn Hepperle Richardson reports that 2019 will be an exciting year in the Richardson household. Their eldest daughter, Charlotte, will graduate from McGill University in Montreal and their youngest daughter, Emma, will graduate from Frankfurt International School. “We are in the midst of waiting to hear from universities and it will be a relief when the decision is made!” A big dream for Hepp is to hike the last third of the Camino de Santiago this summer with her daughters and their friends. Carolyn will be in Frankfurt until summer of 2020 when she will join husband Tim in Moscow. She’s hoping everyone is well. Catherine McNease Stevens and husband Nelson are adjusting to being empty nesters since their son and only, Henry, is at Duke Kunshan University in China! Catherine and Nelson have gotten two trips to China out of the deal so far, and can’t wait to go back. They miss Henry very much but are thrilled he has this opportunity. Eve Hill is finishing year 2 at her new law firm and civil rights consulting practice. She is preparing for two big civil rights trials this spring, so life has been hectic. Eve got to see Mary Beth Miller Orson, Caroline, Eric and Carl when they stopped by D.C. “Such a beautiful family!” she says. Eve was selected for the Susan Daniels Mentoring Hall of Fame…” Apparently mentoring is just showing up and telling people what you think — who knew?!?” Eve is dreaming of going to Paris with friends and to Disney World with her 3-yrearold great-niece once her trials are over. Ingrid Weirick Squires is still teaching 1st grade in Virginia Beach, and says “Teaching kiddos to read fluently is so rewarding!” Ingrid’s son is graduating from high school in June and then they are off to England and Sweden for a few weeks. They are anxiously waiting to see which Virginia college he will be attending. She loves keeping up with her SBC sisters and says “Y’all are the best!”

sbc.edu

Class of 1988’s Denise Landau Blind, Cameron Cox Hirtz, Paige Shiller Okun, Denton Freeman

and bought an SUV with 4-wheel drive. Kristen is not a winter warrior; she loves the beach. Speaking of which, this summer they had a wonderful visit with Pam and Ted Cusick at their new beach home in Maryland. That’s what SBC does — creates lasting friendships and memories. Holla-Holla! Kathy Bryan Sanders is still enjoying life in Charleston, SC. She and John celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in 2018 with a trip to Italy and Greece in June. Their oldest son Josh is 28, living in Chicago and is a financial analyst with AON. Their daughter Emily (26) lives in Charleston and works for Orangetheory Fitness, and their youngest son, Tommy (22), just graduated from College of Charleston. Life is good! Kathy loved seeing Lezlie Varisco Pinto and her family when they visited College Station, TX for the Clemson game last fall. Karen Conway Holloway reports that on Aug. 24 she welcomed the addition of a beautiful grandson to her family. Her daughter got married and blessed her with the birth of Noah. She also turned 28 and that makes Karen feel old (haha). Karen’s son (25) still lives at home. Karen is working client-sided with an engineering company still doing graphic design, and is now lead creative. Her New Year resolution was to start painting regularly, and hopefully have sourced a studio “type” building to get covered in paint. Let’s see what 2019 brings. Lee Carroll Roebuck is enjoying life in Baltimore. In May, 2018 her son graduated from Vanderbilt and started his job a few weeks later. Her daughter is currently a junior at Da-

vidson College and plays field hockey for the Wildcats. Charles and Lee enjoy traveling to her games during the season. She keeps busy and active as a “professional” dog walker, and as a middle school and club field hockey coach which she loves. One of her club players is currently at SBC! Pam Miscall Cusick, Drew Hardy Jubert and Lee were together in June and it was awesome!

1988

Jennifer C. Lewis 7331 San Carlos Rd Jacksonville, FL 32217 LCRLLC@aol.com Kelly Meredith Iacobelli is trying her hand at teaching Fundamentals of Marketing at Georgia Highlands College. She continues her marketing work with contract clients like Coca-Cola, Deel Media and Clean Energy Associates. Her Girl Scout troop now has seven high school juniors who are all working on their Gold Award projects. Kathleen (16) has worked several college fairs to represent SBC. Kelly, John, Kathleen and Cordelia (a very spoiled English bulldog) live in Marietta, GA. They will be travelling to Denver and Hilton Head for gymnastics meets this year. Tracy Thompson Goodman writes that she is in her 29th year of teaching and currently teaches 2nd grade. Kaitlyn is a junior in high school and wants to become a veterinarian. The family plans to look at Virginia Tech this spring. Ryan graduated college and is in the work

force. She stays content watching them grow up. Cecelia Moore would like to thank our class for the really sweet birthday card that she received in January from our class. Thank you, Class of ‘88! Cindy Rhoades Sherrell had a fabulous time at our 30-year Reunion! She is loving life in New Bern, NC. Her dogs, Patches & Rascal, have a foster pup, Colby so there’s lots of playing in the river and hilarity daily. She enjoys working from home full time and extends an open invite to any Vixens passing through! Katie Keogh Weidner writes that 2019 is off to a great start. Her three children are grown and flown. Her job in the development office at SBC has been extremely rewarding. She has enjoyed traveling all over the country meeting fellow Vixens keeping the momentum of Sweet Briar alive and well. She has found it humbling to witness firsthand the generosity and devotion our fellow alumnae have for our alma mater. Ellyn Palermo Theophilopoulis is still living in Tarpon Springs, FL. She is practicing as a pediatric hospitalist and is a medical director for Humana involving statewide pediatric Medicaid healthcare with an interest in fraud waste and abuse. Ellyn has 5 kids! Her daughter is a senior at Fordham and will be starting medical school in fall 2019. Her eldest son is doing well as a freshman at Florida Gulf Coast University. She has 3 boys at home doing great. Her time outside of work revolves around the kids but she has run some 10Ks and half marathons in the past year. Denise Landau Blind had a lot of fun at our 30th Reunion last spring. She especially enjoyed spending time with Cameron Cox Hirtz, Denton Freeman and Paige Shiller Okun! Denise would love to see Julie Martin Collins as well! Denise says it’s also been wonderful to meet and reunite with so many alumnae from NYC and NJ at SBC events. Denise’s son, Tyler moved to NYC to work for PricewaterhouseCoopers. Chelsea is a junior at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and is spending this semester abroad in Australia living the life we all wish we could! Denise will travel to Australia and Fiji to catch up with Chelsea this spring.

Lisa Thompson Barnes reports that her law practice in Vero Beach is extremely busy and that she is now the managing shareholder. In the last year she and Trevon took two amazing trips; first, to Alaska over the summer and then to Italy during the holidays. Their Yorkie, Macintosh, keeps them on their toes and is the center of their home life. Lisa and Trevon enjoy spending as much time as they can with family. Trevon’s daughter is in Lafayette. Lisa’s enjoys following her nephew and niece’s involvement in many different extracurricular events and is very proud of her niece Lynsey making the golf team her freshman year in high school. Lisa continues her involvement with charity events, including co-chairing the Dancing with Vero’s Stars event that raises money for Indian River County Healthy Start Coalition. Laura Ferrazzano writes that after living in D.C. for 30 years since graduation she has moved to Aiken, SC, to live with and take care of her 96-year-old grandmother. Laura has found this to be a big adjustment but has been supported by some Sweet Briar sisters in Aiken; Norma Bulls Valentine ’93, Girl Conger Wolcott ’87 and Beth Hensley Martin ’90. She has also enjoyed frequent visits from Karen Temple Hott ’91. Laura has learned to draw and paint over the past year in art classes taught by Girl and is becoming a true Aikenite by learning to ride horses. Laura says she is learning to embrace life after 50 one day at a time. Anne Powell writes that she wants to say hi to everyone. Anne is building a new home which she hopes to be moved in to by Easter. Anne has a new job working in the corporate tax department for Carilion in Roanoke, VA. Jeanne Rovics Dees enjoyed our 30th Reunion with Maia Jalenak, Kristen Randolph and Nici Pechman. They also had a girl’s weekend in Boca and attended an Ole Miss vs LSU football game in 2018. She is enjoying her job with Hilton and was recently promoted to managing director of the association group sales team. Jeanne hope to reconnect with many Vixens during her travels in 2019. Carrie Winkler Rowe writes that she is still in beautiful Sag Harbor. Her daughter Isabelle is a sopho-

Chile in June. While there Diana competed in Chilean Nationals winning the 50 and 200 meter butterfly among other medals and helping her team’s women win several relays. We are not sure if we will stay in Jacksonville, FL, or return to West Palm Beach after she graduates. I also enjoyed seeing so many of you at our 30th Reunion as well as a fun mini reunion with Christine Diver Ans in St Petersburg, FL, while there for a swim meet.”

1989

Emmy Leung fan-han@prodigy.nem Gina Pollock Davis reports that she, Lisa, Kimberly and Heather managed another get together in July (our 4th year in a row), this time at Kimberly’s home in Larchmont, NY.

1990 Amy KD Donnelly Tobik lives in Fort Mill, SC, with her husband of 28 years, Steve. Amy has managed Autism Parenting Magazine, a job she loves, for nearly 5 years. Her daughter Katie made the big move to Utah upon graduation from Clemson to work for the Huntsman Cancer Institute and Emily entered her sophomore year at Clemson to study biology. Amy has enjoyed reconnecting with SBC classmates on social media and at special events.

1992

Amy Peck Driscoll tsteele@ferrosteele.com Kristin Liljegren Maurice writes that after 2 Navy moves in the last 2 years, she is now on the beautiful island of Guam for the next 2 years. She is currently taking a break from working, but doing a lot of volunteering as well as exploring this part of the world with my family. She enjoys keeping up with my SBC friends on Facebook. Come visit anytime! Holla, holla from where America’s day begins!

1993

Norma Bulls Valentine 206 Four Oaks Rd. Wagener, SC 29164 Norma_v0@yahoo.com Sabryna Roberson writes that she happily calls Northern California home, northeast of Sacramento — between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe! Daytrip areas: Napa, Sonoma, Lodi, Yosemite, Monterey. Come visit! During her Reunion East Coast trip she was graciously hosted by Katherine Schupp Zeringue ’94, Kelly “Dr. Pepper” Coggshall ’95, Laura Warren Armstrong, and Mimi Davies Wroten. So enjoyed our 25th Reunion — we missed those not present and *see y’all in 2023, if not before!* Norma Bulls Valentine reports that she is still doing real estate. She was happy to see Dianne Hayes Doss at Sweet Briar Day in Atlanta in this January. Norma hosted a Sweet Briar Day in Aiken, SC, and Charleston, SC. Nancy Bulls is working in real estate in Wellington, FL. She enjoyed spending the summer at sister, Norma Bulls Valentine’s farm in Aiken, SC. She saw Girl Conger Wolcott ’87 over the summer.

1994

Molly Flasche 152 N Remington Rd. Bexley, OH 43209 molly.flasche@gmail.com Hello, Class of 1994! We’re quickly approaching our 25th reunion this May (or I like to call it, the 15th anniversary of our 10th Reunion.) And I am getting ready to be on campus! I hope you’ll join me! We’ve got some news from our classmates too! Let’s get the ball rolling: Tysha Calhoun and her husband Pat purchased four acres in Lockhart, TX, and are planning to build their “forever” house. She continues to be very active in the local theatre, and is being cast in two “bucket list” roles. She’ll be directing Steel Magnolias in November, and will unfortunately miss Reunion since she’ll be playing the Witch in Into the

Woods. She’s staying fit and active in the outdoors with Pat (going on 20 years!) and her dogs. Betsy Lanard McCafferty and her family rescued another mini pig. She opened a CBD (Cannabidiol) store in New Jersey. Her kids are finishing up kindergarten, 3rd and 8th grades this year, and she’s looking forward to Reunion. Life is good in OKC for Katie Blaik James. Conner (19) is a freshman in college, Jackson (17) moved in with Katie and John, and Elizabeth (10) is in 4th grade at Katie’s alma mater, The Casady School. Katie took a job there in 2018 as their director of annual giving. She loves the job, her co-workers, and especially getting to spend time with Elizabeth. She’s working with Katie Gumerson Altshuler ’97 since she and her husband, Brooks, are the school’s annual fund chairs. John is working as a computer engineer at their local college. They’ll be celebrating 14 years in June, and she’s looking forward to a solo trip to Reunion. Lenora Farrington-Sarrouf is un-hyphenating her name, starting a new job (director of marketing for Zaxby’s), moving to Roanoke, VA, and publishing a children’s book. In the midst of all this, she promises she’s still “Lion.” Liz Gilgan owns a certified WBENC company (“a fancy way of saying a woman-owned business”) in the Boston area. The company shreds paper and recycles electronics. “So, I destroy stuff all day.” Her kids are still in elementary school and they enjoy skiing, soccer and baseball. She keeps in touch with Lia DeSimone Colbert, Ashley Henderson Swigart and Amelia McDaniel. She and Corinne Gaillard are considering texting each other ideas for a remake of 90210. She also had a long-awaited vacation in February. Vinca Swanson is in Portland working from home for a marketing agency. 2018 was her year to “bust out more art” and she did! She did a large mural in a commercial space over the winter. (Molly says: I saw it on Instagram and it’s beautiful!) She bought a Ural motorcycle so she can ride off-road, go camping and climbing, and see the sights without using up too much space in the world. She built a deck on her home, complete

spring 2019

more at Cornell University studying sociology. Carrie has been adopted by a Haitian boy, Dambite, aka Ted. Ted followed Isabelle to university. Carrie has retired from decorating and construction management after 25 years. She now helps kids write their college essays by getting them to think deeply about why they are choosing a college and what they hope to achieve. Carrie is grateful to have had the world expanding experience of attending SBC. Maia Free Jalenak writes that she and husband Jay (HSC ‘87), enjoy being empty-nesters in Louisiana. Their son, Jack is in his 3rd year of medical school in New Orleans and recently got engaged. Daughter, Nina is studying graphic design and is a sophomore at Louisiana State University. Maia and Jay were excited to host Jeanne Rovics Dees along with her husband Scott for a Baton Rouge Mardi Gras ball. Jeanne’s son, Blake Mexic, who is a sophomore at Ole Miss also came in from Oxford, MS, to celebrate the event with Nina. Kate Cole Hite writes that after our 30th Reunion she and her crew didn’t want it to end. So, in fall 2018, Beth Haga hosted Katie Weidner, Minta Ford, Cary Milden Grace Thompson, Whitney Lewis, Paige Montinero and herself at Beth’s home in Aspen for a long weekend. They had lots of fun exploring the area, shopping, and a ton of laughter. Also, in January, Leslie Stillwagon hosted Kathryn Reese, Cary Milden, Katie Weidner and herself for a weekend in Rehoboth. Alesia Hildebrandt Gowen is in her 26th year of teaching and is getting married to her sweetie in June. They are looking forward to their honeymoon in Las Vegas! Jennifer Crawley Lewis writes “I am tracking my daughter’s flight from Albany, NY, on her way back from an official swim team recruiting visit at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as I write these notes. Max and I cannot believe Diana is graduating from The Bolles School this May. As of now we have no idea where she will chose to attend college. Diana was excited to swim the 100 butterfly in 58 seconds at States this fall. She helped the Bolles women bring home their 28th consecutive States victory. The three of us traveled to

with a clawfoot tub so she can experience a fully-plumbed outdoor bathtub experience whenever she wants. “Our house is dialed. The cat is still alive.” (I think we’d all like to be Vinca.) Molly Phemister and her daughter are enjoying life, opting outdoors as often as possible. Molly is now the ED of Nebraska’s first publicly accessible food forest. She road tripped throughout the intermontane northwest this past summer where she delighted in the lovely home (and chickens!) of Melissa Broderick Eaton ’96. I’ll be at reunion, and I look forward to seeing everyone that can make it! I’m sure Tysha Calhoun, Amy Biathrow Ross and I will be in touch with a lot of you before then. Don’t forget your Reunion gift this year!

1995

Katie Maxwell Schellhammer 22914 Goldenrod Dr. Brambleton, VA 20148-6967 Katie@schellhammer.net

sbc.edu

We are very saddened by the deaths of two classmates last fall from long battles with illnesses: Pepper Coggshall Anderson and Shannon McCarthy-Roberts. Pilar Collier Brady wrote this perfect tribute for Shannon. “Shannon McCarthy passed away on Nov. 26, 2018 after a battle with cancer. Shannon was a carefree, fun-loving soul and she had a smile that could light up a room. She loved the arts and dance and Professor Wassell’s math classes, but her true passion was horses. She was an accomplished rider and later a passionate animal

Shannon McCarthy passed away on Nov. 26, 2018, after a battle with cancer

advocate. She was fortunate to be able to build her career around animals and their care and well-being. Shannon was smart, compassionate, and she had a wonderful wit and mischievous side. She was my best friend and served as my maid of honor...I am forever grateful to have been a part of her life. Rest in Peace, Shannon. Love, Pilar Collier Brady” Classmates remember Pepper as open and welcoming, a proud Guionite spending long hours in the chemistry lab, die-hard Caps fan, a HUGE animal lover and a strong supporter of Saving Sweet Briar by even offering her amazing art for auction. Pepper had a magic way of including everyone in her big heart like they were the only one there. When classmates first met her, she said, “Call me Pepper. That’s what I’ve been called forever. Because I look like Peppermint Patty.” When she got her PhD, she proudly announced she was now “Dr. Pepper!” On a happier note, Gwen Hickey Babcock and Devin are building a new house and should move in May. They are really excited to be moving out of a neighborhood and onto some acreage. Kaeden is 16 now and in 10th grade. Rory is 10 and in 5th grade. “We also have a 5-yearold Weim named Wicklow and a 6-month old Weim named Dublin. We will finally have guest space in the new house and would love any visitors. Holla Holla!” Kelly Hall had a great time in January traveling to the UK, Spain and Iceland. She just accepted a position as the director of global initiatives at Cedar Crest College (a women’s college!) in Allentown, PA. Thanks to Jen Parker Raudenbush for helping her with the move to Pennsylvania. “So nice to have SBC friends around the world!” She got

Pepper Coggshall Anderson

to see Amy Woods Jarich in London and me (Katie) in West Virginia over the Thanksgiving. Christy Patten Hundertfund and her daughter Eloise traveled from England to Virginia in October and divided their time between Heather Aspinwall Chile’s and Katie Maxwell Schellhammer’s homes. She also visited with Daniela Ricci, Anna Reilly and Tracey Walters Fox ’96. It was Christy’s first visit to SBC since graduation, and her first overnight stay at the beautiful Florence Elston Inn. Our daughters were successfully brainwashed! Eileen Yates VonHerbulis and her husband Brian stayed with Meredith Williams and her husband

Markham Erickson in Arlington, VA. Maren Howard Leggett and her husband Peter joined them along with Lynn Ivey Turner. We all roasted marshmallows with our kids by the fire and relived the good ol’ days at SBC. Sarah Clifford Weaver still works as the department chair of a successful fine arts program at Osbourn High School. Her two boys are 19 and 16. Her oldest son, RJ, is thriving as a freshman at Virginia Tech in the industrial design program. Her youngest, Tyler is a junior in high school and is looking at the military upon graduation.

Class of 1995: Maren Howard Leggett, Lynn Ivey Turner, Eileen Yates VonHerbulis and Meredith Williams

Class of 1995: Christy Patten Hundertpfund, Katie Maxwell Schellhammer and Heather Aspwinall Chiles at Sweet Briar’s Lower Lake

Eileen MacMurtrie Zuckerman 718 Larchwood Ln. Villanova, PA 19085 eileenrita@gmail.com Class president Sarah Reidy-Ferguson loves living in Atlanta’s Inman Park neighborhood. She continues to write her lifestyle blog, Duchess Fare, as well as freelance writing assignments. Sarah’s thrilled to be volunteering with the Alumnae Alliance as co-chair of the communications committee, and encourages everyone to follow them on Twitter and Instagram @ sbcalumnae. She’s looking forward to mini-reunions with Sweet Briar classmates over the summer! Elizabeth Groves Aycock shares her big news that she’s back in Baltimore after a great few years in Charlottesville, and she’s looking forward to reconnecting with Vixens in the area. Sarah Chaffee Paris writes that she’s still enjoying living in Pawleys Island, SC. She’s looking forward to seeing friends soon! Lastly, Anne Collins shares the exciting news that she co-founded a market research (MR) company, Panel Consulting Group (PCG), almost 2 years ago. PCG has been busy working on MR and panel/ community projects. PCG is also hard at work on software development — updating an existing mobile ethnography platform (made up of a web interface + an Android and iOS apps) and launching it in North America later this year. She loves living at the beach and watching dolphins swim by from my desk here on the lagoon! If anyone wants to discuss MR, panels/communities, or software development, or living at the beach, feel free to reach out!

1997

Melanie Vracas mevracas@comcast.net Alison Hall had a fantastic time this summer participating in Sweet Work Weeks and highly encourage all of you to sign up next year! It was great fun (did you hear we painted

2019 and plans to pursue a PhD in mythological studies and depth psychology.

1998

Cynthia Hineline 1613 Finefrock Rd. Fremont, OH 43420 Cyndi.hineline@gmail.com Joanne Hopkins: I’ve been busy chasing after Andrew (3 1/2) and Julia (2), while still doing some parttime energy policy consulting. I’m also serving on Sweet Briar’s Alumnae Alliance as a co-chair for clubs, helping to organize Sweet Briar Day and Back-to-School events and to make sure we have strong alumnae club leadership across the country. I’ve enjoyed getting to know some new alumnae! Chantel Bartlett: All is well with me. We are just celebrating a year in our new home. I was promoted at work and am now the director for our special interest council of remodelers throughout the U.S., representing the interests of the remodeling industry and also responsible for ensuring we are providing maximum benefits, services and education for members of our organization. It’s a great opportunity with tremendous responsibility. I’ll be traveling a lot more. I’m super excited that I get to once again visit with several of my besties this year! I’ll see Candice Broughton Maillard for a few days in L.A. in February; Anna Meres Wade in D.C. while she’s here for a conference in March; and Kim Izquierdo as soon as we can, possibly we’ll meet up in New Orleans when I’m there in October for work. I’ll be in Boston in October as well and Louisville in November. I’m excited to have the opportunity to host a Sweet Briar Day, originally it was supposed to be in January but we rescheduled to March due to snow. I began the journey to become a single mom by choice last summer, so far it hasn’t worked but it WILL happen, in time. Cyndi Hineline: Outside of my full-time job managing the office at The Blonde Swan, I’m busy as usual with much music and theatre. I continue to regularly perform in a holiday dinner cabaret, which has

become very popular. The Toledo Opera Chorus is performing “Carmen” in February and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in May, and I am currently directing the music for a production of High School Musical. I enjoy working with this group of theatre teens so very much, and was able to chaperone some of them on a trip to New York City in March (my first time!). My family is also looking forward to an upcoming trip to Colonial Williamsburg — a first for my husband Shawn and son Alex (12). I wish everyone a wonderful spring and summer!

2001

Meredith Taylor Eads Meredithk8eads@yahoo.com Katherine Morse is currently living on St. Simons Island in Georgia while working on a master’s degree in marketing with a concentration in digital marketing. She has spent time with Natalie Delvoie Benton this past year. In October of 2018, she enjoyed the Festy Experience in Arrington, VA, and got to watch Carbon Leaf perform from the side-stage and camped, she cannot wait to attend the Festy in 2019! Her sister has given her two beautiful nieces and this year a handsome nephew. Her art business is growing and she is thrilled that her work will be in a couple local island restaurants.

2002

Kathleen McNamara Brown 2115 Natahoa Ct. Falls Church, VA 22043 mcnamara02@gmail.com Amy Mullen is still freelance illustrating in her spare time. She recently worked with Hallmark on Halloween cards and Kinder on their Joy of Moving Campaign. She is also celebrating her 15th year at Gensler. She is hoping to do Sweet Work Weeks this summer 2019! Aja Grosvenor Stephens is enjoying life with her family in Brooklyn. Her motto for 2019 is just say NO and encourages you to do the same. Especially to the PTA! There is nothing new going on! No babies, no new job, just life!

spring 2019

1996

Reid!?) and it was such a blast meeting alumnae from various classes. Jill Gavitt still lives in Staunton, VA, with husband Zack. Shockingly, that marks 9 years in one place! She continues to teach HS Spanish (and plug SBC as much as possible). Jill was able to visit with Jill Butcher and Kathy Johnston this summer as well as spend time with Sweet Work Weeks with awesome alumnae from all years! Kathryn Cunningham McMahon writes that she and Casey are settling into their new home in Rutherfordton, NC. They enjoy weekends gardening, dinner with neighbors, and visiting friends & family nearby. She is the Volunteer Coordinator for the FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018, September 11-23. Casey is still with Mettler-Toledo and traveling twice a month. We are welcoming a new Labradoodle puppy into our home in November. Looking forward to this fall. Karina Balding Bills and Kevin celebrated their 20th anniversary by taking a trip to Ireland for 10 days in late February, which would have been fine except for the freak snowstorm! They really had a lovely time and it was an adventure for sure. Kenny is in 9th grade and Keara is in 3rd. We have 3 young dogs, all different types of rescues, who are a riot. Love being back on campus often! Amy Tyler Louthan is living in Rio Grande Puerto Rico with her 3 children, our pets and ponies. They finally have power and water back (at least most days) after hurricane Maria where she had a lot of damage but all except a few of the major repairs have been completed. Loved seeing the photos of all your happy faces from reunion! Holla, holla! Kate Hall is so excited for her daughter Grace Lombardi, Class if 2023, to begin her adventure at SBC in the Fall. She is already meeting new friends and loving every minute of it! Kate is beyond thrilled and so proud of her! Alicia King Anderson is now self-employed and freelancing as a Search Engine Optimization consultant for the first time in her 11year SEO career. The flexibility of consulting allows her to continue her graduate work. She hopes to have a master’s degree by the end of

sbc.edu

From left: Jennifer Taylor Catano ’02, Taylor Grace (8), Emily Claire (5), Dave Catano

Liz Waring McCracken and husband Chris (HSC ’03), along with daughters Isadora (9) and Athena (6), are happily living in the gorgeous mountains of Boone, NC. Liz teaches at Appalachian State as a dance professor and recently dusted off her ballet shoes to perform in the local Nutcracker this past December with Athena. Athena was a Ginger kid while Liz danced in the Waltz of the Flowers. Chris is busy with a family medicine practice in town, and the whole family has been enjoying the big snowstorms! Their big adventure this year will be a trip to Japan for a few weeks in April. Exciting! They also have plans to visit the SBC campus this summer, as they do almost annually. Isadora and Athena think it is a magical place and already say that’s where they’re going to college! Maria Thacker Goethe has been promoted to president and CEO of Georgia Bio; Georgia’s public policy and business solutions organization representing Georgia’s bioscience, medtech and digital health industries. Mary Tassone Dunlevy has moved with her husband and daughters from Indiana, PA, to Fayetteville, NC. In the fall of 2018, Mary began attending graduate school at NC State where she is working on her Master of Arts in teaching. Mary’s girls are growing very fast! Ariana is 8 years old and in 3rd grade. Lorien is 5 years old and in pre-kindergarten. How time flies! Mary is substitute teaching while working on

her degree. Mary plans to go back to teaching high school English full time after graduation. Jennifer Taylor Catano is working as a part-time instructional coach and health and fitness coach. Taylor Grace is now 8 and in the 3rd grade. Emily Claire is 5 and will be starting kindergarten in the fall. They added to their family with 2 little boy puppies in October — Mister and Peanut — so now there are 3 girls and 3 boys in the house! They took a fantastic family vacation to Disney last May and this December Jennifer’s family from Florida came to visit in Houston for a special Christmas treat! Dave and Jennifer are excited to take their first trip together sans kids since Emily Claire was born — a cruise in March! Melissa Gist Mundy ’03 and Jennifer discovered they live about 10 minutes apart and enjoy keeping in touch on Facebook and helping each other snag some great deals at Target post holidays. Katie McNamara Brown and her husband Adam Leary are overjoyed to be expecting a baby boy in March 2019. Katie, Adam, Emma, Carolyn and all the pups and horses are looking forward to welcoming the new family member when he arrives! Katie continues to enjoy her work as deputy CIO and plans to return to work after a short maternity leave. Her family is already looking forward to a sunny relaxing beach trip this summer and can’t wait for this Virginia winter’s rain, snow and ice to be over!

Julia Schmitz ’05 and Laura Russell ’03 traveled to NYC to visit Katy Kummer Varughese ’03 and her daughter, Ella

2003

Nicole Crowder 11003 Howitzer Drive Fredericksburg, VA 22408 swtnic@gmail.com Hello everyone! It was great to see the attendees of our 15th Reunion in June. Start planning now to attend in 2023! I was elected class secretary and am happy to report our classmates’ news as follows: Megan Doughtie married Michael Stewart in May 2018 in Atlanta, GA. Danielle Ross Oberg,

Virginia Uchello Lyon and former Meta Glass roommate Zoraida Palencia were in attendance. Megan attended an alumna event in February 2018 and met City of Atlanta’s mayoral candidate Mary Norwood ’74 and City of Columbus’s mayor, Teresa Tomlinson ’87. Megan started her own team at Berkshire Hathaway in 2016 and was so busy that she convinced her then pilot boyfriend to change career paths and become a Realtor himself. Since 2004, she has owned a property investment company, Sweet Briar Investments, Inc., that builds new homes around Atlanta.

Class of 2003’s Zoraida Palencia, Megan Doughtie, Virginia Uchello Lyon and Danielle Ross Oberg at Megan’s wedding

Diana Marshall ‘04, Lindsey Karmen Martin (Bridgewater College ‘07) and Schyler Ellis Burke ‘04 at the Local Bar in Katy, Texas, on Labor Day Weekend 2018

of our classmates this year, including driving to Reunion with Anna Fines Herbert, spending time with Allison Funkhouser in D.C., and having dinner with Becky Follin Liddell and her two sweet daughters in Hampton, VA. Laurel Rodgers reports that she has been selected as the honors program director at Shenandoah University. This is a new program that she helped to develop and can’t wait to see grow.

Last year, Erin Coleman started teaching at her post-SBC alma mater the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She just had an epic weekend in San Francisco performing at the renowned SF Sketchfest. Erin is eternally grateful to SBC sister Lisa Renfrow ‘03 for attending her 11pm (!) show on the first night. She continues her work with Second City and the Westside Comedy Theater performing live around Los Angeles. On the “good person front” she is thrilled to start working as a mentor for 5th grade budding screenwriters through the Young Storytellers Foundation. On the SBC front, she is a proud admissions ambassador and was honored to meet President Meredith Woo at an SBC event in California. She continues to be endlessly blessed and supported through the love of her girlfriend Lizzie and their two amazing dogs.

2006

Victoria Chappell Harvey 8618 Waldon Heights San Antonio, TX 78254 sweetbriarcollege2006@gmail.com

2018 was a big year for Joanna Meade. She bought a house in Baltimore’s Roland Park neighborhood in the spring and then married Josh Runaldue in October. Cara Meade ‘01, Meg Shortlidge, Jenn Wylie Schmidt and Lindsey Cline were bridesmaids. In 2019 she will step down from managing her department to return to full time personal training and volunteering with a local nonprofit that offers fitness

2004

Virginia “Ginny” Wood Susi 2929 Dorell Ave Orlando, FL 32814 ginnysusi@gmail.com Ginny Wood Susi and husband welcomed their second son, Jameson Trumbull on Oct. 2. The family of 5 lives in Orlando where Evie (6) and Nicholas (3) attend Montessori school. Husband Phil works as

Cara Meade ‘01, Joanna Meade ‘06, Lindsey Cline ‘06, Jenn Wiley Schmidt ‘06, Meg Shortlidge ‘06

spring 2019

Anna Fines Herbert and husband, John are still living the salty life in Chesapeake Beach, MD. Their daughter turned six this past August, and they are currently struggling to figure out the 1st grade “new” math! This past fall, Becky Follin Liddell and I were lucky enough to escape for a weekend of ladies fun and plan to do it again this spring. This winter, my family decided we were going to learn to snowboard together against my protests that I’m too old to learn how to speed down a mountain. And for the Oscars this year, I’ll be traveling to the Left Coast for the first time to visit Lisa Renfrow! Amanda Carpenter Page is living with husband, Michael, in Forest, VA, where they will welcome a 4th child, a girl, in May 2019. Class of 2041?! Lisa Renfrow: I moved to Nashville in February 2018, to start a role at Lyft, only to move back to San Francisco in November to accept an amazing opportunity at Google. I have been lucky to visit many

a software engineer. Ginny works as occasional stage manager and SAHM. They continue to fight the forces of evil on a daily basis. Heather Shumaker married her husband, Christopher Campbell, in November 2017, after which they enjoyed their honeymoon on safari in South Africa. They welcomed their daughter, Astrid Andrews Campbell, on Sept. 24, 2018. Astrid’s middle name honors Heather’s maternal grandmother, Dorothy Andrews Kramer ‘34. Heather, Chris, and Astrid, live in Falls Church, VA. Heather works in D.C., as senior counsel to the National Women’s Law Center, where Heather focuses on reproductive rights. Diana Marshall visited New Hampshire and stayed with SBC alumna Norma Valentine ’93 and granddaughter for a weekend to attend Boston area SBC Back-toSchool event. Over Labor Day weekend, DeeDee visited Schyler Ellis Burke ‘04. They were lucky enough to catch a Houston Astros game and visit the Museum of Natural Science. Also during the year Diana was able to get her Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis under control after a few years of struggling and lost 50lbs. Sarah Barrett and her husband, Ivar, are having a great time making single malt whiskey, gin, amaro and more at their distillery, Spirit Lab Distilling, in Charlottesville, VA. They welcome alumnae to come check out the distillery and try samples of their products, or you can find them at some of your favorite bars and restaurants in Virginia and D.C. www.spiritlabdistilling.com

opportunities to underserved youth. She and her husband hope to adopt a dog and host many visitors in the new house. Paula Kirkland Ledbetter, her husband Mike, and big brother Peyton welcomed Madeline Grace on Sept. 30. Paula is in her 4th year as the head of school at Catholic School in the Richmond area. 2018 was a busy year for Heather-Anne Speer. In May, she graduated summa cum laude with her second bachelor’s degree, and in September she began her master’s program in clinical psychology at Eastern Michigan University. Just before Christmas, she got engaged to Brent Oertel. They currently live in Clio, MI, with their two cats. In 2019, she is hoping to move closer to Ypsilanti and run her first half marathon.

2007

Emily Nicole Olson 1106 N. Rio Street Fort Stockton, TX 79735 emilynicoleolson@gmail.com Morgan Roach Vina, her husband, Stephen, and their beloved corgi, Jackson, are thriving in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Morgan

serves as chief of staff at the United States Mission to the United Nations. In December, she was delighted to reconnect with Christina Mulvihill ‘88 for some Christmas cheer. During her down time, you can find Morgan at the latest foodie attraction, Central Park, or spin class. [You can read more about Morgan and her job on page XX.] Danielle Briggs-Hansen, Elsa Mittelholtz Cannon and Renee Modzelewski Jauregui ‘06 had a mini SBC reunion at Elsa’s baby shower celebration on Jan. 5, 2019. In 2018, Eleanor O’Connor was promoted to managing director of the Cato Institute Press and became an auntie! Rose Reimi O’Connor was born in April and she’s already heard a lot about SBC. Between getting books to press and babysitting a future vixen, Eleanor enjoyed being back on campus for Sweet Work Weeks in August and saw Angelica Shea when she visited D.C. Megan Meighan de Carlson lives in Panama with her husband, Elliot, and daughter, Sally Marine, who was born July 16, 2018. They enjoy traveling and going to the beach, and are now starting a new project of property renovation. Please reach out if you are planning a trip to or through Panama!

Heather Theunissen Gregg ’09 with husband Bradford and their Bernese Mountain Dog, Bubba

2008

Jessica LaTray Wilson 122 Berkshire Pl. Lynchburg, VA 24502 henson08@sbc.edu Amelia Villacorta Lojek welcomed her first child, Blake Lojek, in November 2017.

2009

sbc.edu

Jenny Walkiewicz Dill 13938 SW Crist Court Tigard, OR 97223 Jenny.Dill11@gmail.com

Danielle Briggs-Hansen ’07, Elsa Mittelholtz Cannon ’07 and Renee Modzelewski Jauregui ’06 had a mini reunion at Elsa’s baby shower on Jan. 5, 2019. Here Danielle guesses Elsa’s belly size while Renee looks on

Sarah Doyle got engaged to her partner in adventure, Nathaniel Walker, while on vacation in Iceland this past September. They will be eloping to Pemberton, British Columbia, in June and following their marriage with 2 weeks of mountain biking and hiking in the Canadian

Rockies. Sarah was also the recipient of the Port Townsend Marine Science Center’s Eleanor Stopps Environmental Leadership Award in September. Ginny Lightfoot Gordon and her husband, Derek, are still living in Lynchburg and celebrated 5 years of marriage this past November. She is loving being a stay-at-home mom to their son, Kirk (2.5). They hope to welcome a new son to their home within the next year through adoption as they have recently been matched with a little boy from India! Mallory Sherwood Engelstad spent most of 2018 renovating her house in North Denver. She and her husband, Jeff, and 2-year-old son, Teddy, cannot wait to move back in, hopefully sometime late this winter or early spring. Mark her words, this is the last renovation she is doing! Mallory is currently working towards her postpartum doula certification so that she can support and educate new mamas in the Denver area. When she isn’t reading and studying, she spends her days at

Bernese Mountain Dog puppy (@ Bubba_the_BMD), to their little family. Heather and Brad look forward to what 2019 has in store and welcomes SBC graduates who are traveling through NOVA to stay with them (as they’re 10 min from IAD Airport)! Ashlee Mays Kidd and her family moved to Monroe, VA, this year! I, Jenny Walkiewicz Dill, am currently juggling a house renovation, part-time job, my husband’s MBA and a 2-year-old! Life is wonderful and hectic, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am looking forward to a year of travel and hopefully reconnecting with some Sweet Briar sisters along the way!

2010

Heather Theunissen Gregg ‘09 married Bradford Gregg on Nov. 17, 2018, at Rocklands Farm Winery in Poolesville, MD

Mallory Sherwood Engelstad ‘09 with husband Jeff and son Teddy (2) in front of their home while under construction in North Denver

home full-time with Teddy and still fits in some freelance illustration work. She loved seeing roomie of 3 years, Caroline Chappell Hazarian this past summer! With her new guest room, she’s hoping to host anyone that wants to come visit her in Denver in 2019! On Nov. 17, 2018, Heather Theunissen married her best friend (and the man of her dreams), Bradford Gregg, at Rocklands Farm Winery in Poolesville, MD. With a love for adventure and exploring, they traveled to the Hawaiian Islands of Kauai and Maui for their honeymoon and visited the Waimea Canyon, Na Pali Coast and Haleakala National Park! After returning to Sterling, VA, they added Bubba, a

Lindsey Davis got engaged to Erik Aurigemma in October 2018. They currently reside in Brooklyn, NY. Erik is finishing up his last year of his pediatric residency and Lindsey is working as a veterinarian. Helen Chatt Mauney married Andrew Mauney (HSC ‘11) on Jan. 14, 2018, in Dallas, TX. Temma Clark-Braverman and Anna White ’11 were in attendance. Nancy Drew Hampton was married Oct. 14, 2018, to Matthew Hampton at Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant in Coalinga, CA. Lindsey Davis and Jasmine Jones were both at the wedding. Rosalie Morgan Louis was selected as a Super Lawyer Rising Star. Only 2.5% of attorneys under 40 are named to the Rising Stars list. She practices at Lynch, Traub, Keefe & Errante in New Haven, CT. Lindsey Davis, Natasha Boraas, Andria Pasquel, Lindsay Arnold, and Rosie Morgan Louis all made the trip down to Montgomery, AL, to surprise Molly McLemore for her nursing school graduation! Heather McPheeters Lake relocated to Columbia, SC, in December of 2016 with her husband Will. In May 2018, they welcomed their daughter Anne Frances.

spring 2019

Rosalie Morgan Louis 403 Whitney Ave. New Haven, CT 06511 Rosalielouis02@gmail.com

Lindsey Davis, Natasha Boraas, Andria Pasquel, Lindsay Arnold and Rosie Morgan Louis surprising Molly McLemore ’10

Nancy Drew Hampton ’10 married Matthew Hampton on Oct. 14, 2018

sbc.edu

Helen Chat Mauney ’10, Temma Clark-Braverman ’10 and Anna White ’11 at Helen’s wedding in Dallas, TX

Heather McPheeters Lake ’10 and daughter Anne Frances

Lara Kate Lucille Parsatoon, born Dec. 19, 2018

at the Albert Career School and is looking forward to a summer vacation with her SBC gals. In the fall, Julia Pittman started her 7th year of teaching, her 3rd at North Stafford High School. Every year is different and this year certainly brought adventure. In October, she accepted the opportunity to work with the honors programs: Commonwealth Governor’s School. In December, her boyfriend, Charles Diaz, proposed, and they are planning an October 2019 wedding. Elise Stine-Dolinar and Brian Dolinar expect their first child on Jan. 25, 2019. They are excited to find out if it is a boy or girl that will be joining their new family. On Dec. 19, Nick and Sara Buttine Parsatoon welcomed a baby girl to the world, Lara Kate Lucille Parsatoon. She is a bounding bundle of joy and love. They cannot wait to share her with the world and their Vixen Family.

2012

Carol Ferguson 978 Ravine Drive Villa Hills, KY 41017 ferguson12@sbc.edu Emily Jones Dent met up with Catherine Gumpman Springer ’10 since they both live in the sunny state of Florida. Sweet Swim forever! Mandy Helms Griffin graduated with her master of music education in music therapy in May 2018 and is practicing full-time at a community

mental health center as a board-certified music therapist. Mandy is also working on music therapy research with colleagues at the University of Kansas. She is back in Lawrence, KS, with her husband, 2 dogs, 2 cats and plants.

2013

Jackie R. Montero jackiermontero@gmail.com Julie Dopheide Robinson married her high school sweetheart, Benjamin Robinson, on Nov. 17, 2018. The two are enjoying married life and reside in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. In January 2018, Julie celebrated 2 years with Zoetis Animal Health as an inside sales specialist. After a stint out west, Master Molly Harper moved to the East Coast again. She can now say that she will be joining the Sweet Briar M.A.T Program of 2019-2020. The more masters, the better as they say! Suzannah Feldman is happy to report that literally nothing has changed in her life. Cody Ann Anders Gross is currently living in Fort Benning, GA, with her husband. She volunteers at the Family Readiness Group and chases around her now one-year-old daughter Clover. She is currently pregnant with her second daughter and is due in May. Elizabeth Hansbrough Riley and her husband, Jackson, bought their first home last summer in Cary. She is also gearing up to start the

Catherine Gumpman Springer ‘10 and Emily Jones Dent ‘12 in Florida

2011

Heather Marianne McTague 1065 Brennan Drive Warminster, PA 18974 HMMcTague@gmail.com mctague11@sbc.edu Heather Marianne McTague is in the middle of her first year with her new position as Lead Teacher

From left: Emma Campbell Dittoe, Jackelinne Montero ‘13, Sarah Cooper ‘15, Julie Dopheide Robinson ‘13, Diana Dopheide and Julie Moorhead Devine ‘13

spring 2019

Caitlin Nealon received her PhD in biomedical sciences from Penn State College of Medicine and is working as the life sciences experience developer at the Tech Museum for Innovation in San Jose, CA. She is really enjoying reconnecting with all the vixens who come through the Bay Area!

Julie Dopheide Robinson ‘13 and Benjamin Robinson in Malvern, PA, on their wedding day, Nov. 17, 2018

Kelsey Barta ‘15, Ariel Harper ‘15 Juliette Michael ‘15 and Courtney Todd ‘15 at Juliette’s law school graduation in December 2018

sbc.edu

Cody Ann Anders Gross ’13 announces the birth of her second child with husband, Lieutenant Seth Gross, and daughter Clover

weekend MBA program at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business this spring. They are loving life in the Triangle region of NC. Caitlin Playle received her master’s in the history of art and artworld practice from Christie’s Education, London, and the University of Glasgow in 2016. She recently took a position as the events and communications coordinator at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY. Jenness Gough was promoted to be the director of marketing and external communications of VelocityTX. Jenness also recently became the president of Young Texans Against Cancer, a board member of Thrivewell and a member of the Advisory Council for United Way

of San Antonio’s Emerging Leaders Council. Alyssa Berkeley Doneghue and family welcomed a future Vixen, Isla Haydon Doneghue, to the family on Dec. 4, 2018

2015

Lea Gray Graylm27@gmail.com Ashley Tomlin Madison married Nicholas Madison on Nov. 5, 2017. The Madisons moved to Harrisonburg, VA, in July 2018. She transitioned from her team leader/ AMHP career at Virginia Baptist Hospital in Lynchburg to a TDT

specialist in Harrisonburg, VA in September 2018. She is currently working in the mental health field and transitioning to work within the Department of Corrections of Harrisonburg for 2019. Ashley and her husband enjoy volunteering at the local SPCA in their free time. Acacia Salazar is currently working at Modern Woodmen of America as a recruiter and assistant to the regional director. She was featured in the work magazine for her community service efforts in her region. She was engaged to Jimmy Robinson in June 2018. In her spare time, she is renovating a 1950s home in Cary, NC, and is on the planning committee for the SBC Triangle Alumnae Club in Raleigh, NC. Caitlin Daniel is living in Mechanicsville, VA, and recently started her own business as a women’s freedom and lifestyle coach helping women boost their mindset and confidence so they can show up in and design their dream lives without fear or hesitation. Her website is thesundayseries.com. She continues to stay in touch with her incredible

Sweet Briar sisters and is excited for her next visit to campus. Carter Garrett is working as the 21st century grant coordinator for Lynchburg City Schools. Juliette Michael received her Juris Doctorate from Charleston School of Law on Dec. 16, 2018. Kelsey Barta, Ariel Harper, and Courtney Todd attended the graduation ceremony in Charleston, SC.

2016

Julia Eckstine eckstine16@sbc.edu Shannon McCarthy celebrated the second anniversary of moving to D.C. by accepting a full-time position as registrar at Encore Stage & Studio, the children’s theatre where she did her post-grad apprenticeship. In her spare time, she performs in community theatre productions, posts about books on IG, and leads a youth small group through her church.

Start Planning Your Legacy

In 1899, Indiana Fletcher Williams founded Sweet Briar College through a visionary planned gift. Indiana’s vision of a college for the education of young women inspired her to establish a trust of land and other assets that became her enduring legacy. This planned gift has provided transformational education opportunities for generations of young women for more than 100 years.

Please join us as a Williams Associate to ensure that her legacy — and yours — will prosper in perpetuity.

Become a Williams Associate

Not sure how to get started? Visit: plannedgiving.sbc.edu For questions, contact: Claire Dennison Griffith ’80 434-381-6479 | cgriffith@sbc.edu

Box 1057 Sweet Briar, VA 24595

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If this magazine is addressed to a daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please email us at alumnae@sbc.edu with her new address. Thank you!

REUNION WEEKEND: May 31-June 2 Come home to Sweet Briar for Reunion 2019! Although we will be celebrating classes ending in 4s and 9s in particular, remember that all classes are invited to attend and we hope you’ll join us! Find out more and register at sbc.edu/reunion.