1964 Class Notes for 2015
In the afterglow of our fabulous 2014 50th Reunion; we’re all still remembering and talking about the events enjoyed and the friendships rekindled. Thanks again to the committee whose hard work and creativity created the aura for us. We can’t wait for 2019!
I noticed the age ranges and generation-crossing of our extended families. There are not quite as many inter-continental solo or couple treks being reported, but lots of travel to and with children and grandchildren. For example, Kelly Snider Dunn (Lincoln, MA) traveled to Iceland this past summer with her son‘s family including 19 and 16 year old grandchildren, and she also baby-sits regularly for her daughter’s twins.
Kathy Nealon Piva hosted family from Steamboat, CO in Durham, NC; they will return the visit for two winter months. She and John often “double-date” with Michele Murdock and Peter of nearby Chapel Hill. Michelle continues her work on the life of Sister Dorothy Stang, does volunteer work for Haiti with Notre Dame Mission Volunteers AmeriCorps, has begun a memoir, and often accompanies Peter as he gives workshops to teachers using his childhood in Prague to develop lessons exposing intolerance and genocide. Michelle and Peter welcomed their first grandchild, Jackson Oliver, in May. Welcome to the Grandparents Club, Michelle, the dues can be hefty but the rewards are extraordinary.
Michelle and Peter stay with Kay Meyer in Arlington, VA on their frequent visits to Jackson in DC. Kay is commuting between a position at the National Science Foundation and her hometown of Columbus, OH. Her two daughters’ weddings book-ended this summer, one in June and the other in September. Both girls live in the San Francisco area. Ever-energetic Mary Lou Heck Farmer and Greg were plagued by a string of health issues over a two-month period, but their customary outstanding health is now restored. Mary Lou is un-retiring. Since their happy move last year to Avon by the Sea, NJ, she has begun a small job editing reports, which she hopes to parlay into more work. There is a new granddaughter, Sophia, in the family, 14 years younger than her high school aged sister.
Julie Cirillo of Springfield, VA continues to organize an annual Notre Dame High School DC-area alumnae luncheon, which this past year included Marie Sheehy Klemann of Naples, FL and Pat Sheehan Gill of Alexandria, VA. The Gills enjoyed a wonderful trip to Iceland, France, and Italy with their son’s family, treasuring the view of the sights through the eyes of an 18 month-old. At the other end of the spectrum, they planned to visit their eldest granddaughter at the College of Charleston while enroute to their winter retreat at Marco Island, FL, where they often enjoy the company of the Klemmans. All told, the Gills’ seven grandchildren range from 18 months to 22 years. This spring the Klemmans celebrated the 18th birthday and high school graduation of their eldest grandson, as well as his acceptance of a baseball scholarship to Penn State. Marie’s current passion is raising beautiful Monarch butterflies, which require only a supply of milkweed plants to flourish.
Newly retired Lorraine Noe Bergkvist and Ward have just entered into their travel phase. Life after University of Baltimore included a glorious rail trip across the Canadian Rockies last May and a trip to Scandinavia and Russia last August. This past winter they became snowbirds at their new home in Mt. Dora in central Florida. Lorraine’s dad, still living independently, celebrated his 100th birthday last year.
Marie Dennis reports another year of “interesting and challenging encounters with good people working for a “more just and peaceful world”. She attended the Pax Christi International 60th anniversary in Bethlehem last May, which she found both hopeful and heartbreaking, and a Vatican event called Voices of Faith, a platform for Catholic women to speak for ourselves to the institutional church without being reinterpreted. See it at www.voicesoffaith.org. Marie also attended a brunch at Marie Lynn Schryver’s house in McLean, VA along with Juanita Mulaire Cullen of Vienna, VA.
Anne Higgenbotham Nardi has underwent treatment for ovarian cancer last spring. The results so far have been extremely positive, and Anne asks for our prayers. Mary Beth Jacobs visited her in Morgantown, WV, with “many good conversations and lots of laughter and chocolate”.
Despite working as a realtor in Westerville, OH, Carole Higgins Aultman still finds time for extensive travel with Mark. In a single trip they toured the Valley of Fire, Zion and Bryce Canyons, Hoover Dam and Las Vegas, experiencing 100 degree heat, sleet, and everything between. Last October they spent a week in a rustic cottage and did the roof tour of the Biltmore estate. Snowed in for the last 3 days after a freak storm, they kicked back and enjoyed the solitude and the sight of bears foraging in the trash bins. In other trips, they visited her brother in Galveston, TX, cruised the western Caribbean, and drove to Arkansas to see the Crystal Bridges Art Museum. Last June Carol underwent surgery on her tongue. Since the date coincided with Mark and Carol’s 49th wedding anniversary, Carol joked that her gift to her husband was five days of silence. All is healing well and neither further treatment nor speech therapy was needed. Carol planned to see her twin Gail Higgins Fogarty at the Turner Falls 55th high school reunion. Gail keeps busy in retirement as a board member and booster of the Providence Festival Ballet and a booster of Providence in general. She is broadening her computer skills with an Apple class and traveled to Chicago which she found to be a vibrant, diverse and cultured city.
Fran DuRocher spent a magical Christmas season in Ulm, Mainz and Heilbronn. Although she and Siggi have traveled to Germany many times, Fran had never been there at Christmas and Siggi not for 25 years. Fran had hip replacement surgery scheduled for their return, so she did most of the touring in a wheelchair. She is recovering well from the surgery, and attended her 45th reunion from Drexel Medical School in Philadelphia. Last June they spent a month dog and house-sitting for friends in Sarasota, FL, enjoying dinners, concerts, the pool and the lanai and seeing many friends and former patients who have moved south.
Travel was also a big part of Alice Meehan Clement’s year, to the Bay area and Salt Lake City, but especially notable was a cruise with husband David’s family to the Caribbean which included their daughter Alex and her family. Last May she attended her daughter Beth’s wedding in Salt Lake City to her partner Kellie. Interestingly, the ceremony included no bridesmaids or best men, but 15 of the younger members of the family served as flower girls, ushers, and ring bearers. The Clements hosted Kit Lane Dodge and Marshall last February. I’ll bet those Mainers were delighted to escape New England’s endless winter of 2015! Alice is keeping busy doing contract work for charter schools in Los Angeles, and was looking forward to Marcie Grant Dahlen’s sixth annual “Fourth North Buddies” get-together in October.
Sharon Lamont Charde of Lakeville, CT has been awarded several prizes for her writing this past year, both for her poetry and for two books After Blue and Incendiary. She spent five weeks of writer’s bliss on fellowship at The MacDowell Colony. Since husband John has retired, the Chardes have done more travelling. They went to Nepal last fall, then spent time in Little Compton, RI visiting Rosemary Dies Haverland and Dick, and on the way home from a poetry workshop in North Carolina, Sharon saw her sister-in-law Maureen Mullen Charde at Maureen’s daughter’s house in Charlotte. Rosemary and Dick celebrated their Golden wedding anniversary with the whole family at Christmas, and spent a weekend last June, the actual anniversary date, in NYC, their home of 50 years ago.
Mary Fanning Broderick survived the 2015 winter in Hampton, NH only thanks to a month’s respite in Arizona. She is seriously considering giving up home ownership, but the rest of the family including Frank are not convinced. Cheer up, Mary, that was a once-in-a-hundred-year winter—I sincerely hope! Social life for the Fannings revolves largely around their grandchildren’s activities.
Betty Condon reported getting together with Karen Weis Kershenstein when Karen was in Boston for a meeting in April.
Pat McEnearney Stelzner does not understand the question from non-retirees “What do you do all day?” In her case there is the NY Times to be devoured with coffee, the dog to be tended, El Salvador fundraising activities she engages in with friends, and currently Camp Grandma for the Albuquerque grandchildren during summer vacation. And then there is the travel, to El Salvador, back home to Trinidad, and to a wedding in Puerto Rico that will include rain forest exploration and relaxing at the beach. The grandchildren are doing well in school and their parents, all pediatricians, are happy in their work…so life is good.
Are expectant great-grandparents Linda Hardesty Ring and Dennis the first of our class to achieve that status? I’m sure I’ll get email corrections if that is not the case. February was the expected due date. Linda muses on the hostages to fortune we all have, looking at our children and grandchildren growing up in the current fearful world situation and can relate to her grandma’s question “What is the world coming to?” She voices the lament common to all us seniors: “Gravity is winning, the memory cells are not cooperating, and the stamina and flexibility are waning. What is most frustrating is not being able to select the right words.” But Linda is still working three days a week and alternate weekends, and keeps in touch with kids via text and Facebook, something I haven’t mastered yet. You go, girl!
Diane Dacunto Ingram is also among the working women, still selling real estate in Spring,TX. She was waiting for her fourth bonus grandchild to join the one, two, and three year olds already here. Now that must be a busy household on holidays!
Many thanks to Ann Duross McMahon, Diane Chesley-Lahm, and Mike Connolly Egan who sent no news but a very welcome check for the AATC class fund. For those who still wish to donate, you can make your check payable to AATC Class of 1964 Fund, and mail directly to:
Alumnae Association of Trinity University
125 Michigan Ave NE
Washington DC 20017-1094
I learned of the death of Carol Abney’s mother from our classmate, Nydia Delgado Abney on June 5, 2015. Nydia most recently resided in Solana Beach, CA. Please accept our sympathy to you and all your family, Carol.
We must also extend heartfelt sympathy to Sheila McPhelin Mutchler of Treasure Island, FL, who lost her husband Michel (Mike) Orceyre on March 2, 2015.
My work/play balance has shifted well toward the play point with a three day work week and four day weekends during the past year. I still enjoy software development, and Cobol programming is a niche occupation now that most who know it have retired. I spend lots of time at Thompson Lake in Maine, some blissfully alone time with the cats and some surrounded by the mobs of kids, grandkids, and other visitors to the lake. Like Fran DuRocher I am becoming more bionic, having had cataract surgery to replace the lens of my right eye. I now need glasses only for close work, and am amazed to distinguish individual pine needles, stripes on sparrows, and other natural wonders. The left eye will be done this fall. I am generally healthy, in proof of which I offer that I personally shoveled all 118 inches of snow that fell on my walks and driveway last winter. I hope not to have to repeat that effort ever again and was more than happy to escape for a few days to Englewood, FL with friends from my Raytheon days!
Love to you and yours, and wishes for a year filled with serenity and joy for all.
Kate Sullivan Ryan, ‘64
ryanks98@verizon.net