1975 Class Notes for 2021

Joanna Mieso had a few life changes this past year. Since I was furloughed from my job at a travel company, I’ve been semi-retired. I sold my condo in NJ and moved to Tampa. It’s been a transition but I’m enjoying Florida. I always swore I’d never move to Florida, but I’d had enough of winter. I got my vaccinations and I’m busy exploring the area (as much as is possible during these times of Covid-19). Thankfully my family and friends have been healthy and Covid free.

Mary Hogan Sullivan It has certainly been a challenging year for so many reasons. Hopefully, we will return to some sense of normalcy soon, while retaining the hidden blessings we found during the pandemic. I am happy to report that we are doing well. We are fortunate to have a home in the Western mountains of Maine, where we have spent the bulk of our time since Covid arrived. It is very easy to be socially distant there to say the least. Surprisingly, we discovered that we could manage quite well even in the heart of winter. As a result, we are planning to relocate in Maine permanently in the near future. While both my husband and I are retired, I keep busy by working as a consultant to the national organization that trains and supports local veteran’s treatment courts. We are looking forward to doing some traveling when circumstances permit.

Maureen O’Farrell My God daughter/niece is finishing her second year of medical school and will start clinicals soon. Niece Maggie is a CPA with a Baltimore accounting firm and niece Lizze is a special ed teacher in NYC. I invest in my church, its hybrid classical Catholic school, Hillsdale College which requires Constitution 101 of all students and classical courses for the first two years of college. I’m also supporting a local pregnancy center and a rescue cat, Marley. My mother is 96 and doing well. I am busy with the Republican Women of Baltimore County and my friends and family. Looking forward to herd immunity and a ballgame at Oriole Park at Camden Yards with my brother. Hope everyone is aging gracefully.

Mary Ann Francis All is well here in Northern Virginia. The year has flown by. I had planned a less busy 2020 recreation schedule to focus on home and yard maintenance and repairs, so had no travel plans to cancel. I guess it will be mostly the same again for 2021.  Also I’ve been really busy teaching two classes at the University of Maryland, plus I have a third appointment developing approaches to teaching college students and adults how to use search engines effectively. Right now this is taught almost nowhere so it’s a great project.

Marianne Horstmann English I started a new job in the pet industry with Answers Pet Food which is a small family owned raw pet food company based in Pennsylvania. I am doing Marketing and Education with retailers in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and Maryland. I love this new venture. Even during Covid I was able to keep working. Now since being fully vaccinated Mike and I are able to visit our two Grandchildren in Reston, VA. Our granddaughter, Emma is turning four in June and grandson, Burke will be two in September. We enjoy being with them and leave exhausted. I’ve missed visiting Mary Surano Conaway and her sweet husband John at their lovely home in Naples due to Covid-19. I did ride down to attend Sister Seton Cunneen’s ‘65 funeral and Marita McGrath ‘62 came with me. We had lunch with Betsy Stewart Foley in B- Land after the Cemetery. It was fun catching up and enjoying a nice Spring day in DC. I hope all are well and I hope to see you all soon at our next reunion.

Carol Kolb Phillips We are all healthy so we are lucky. My husband has been working the whole time of the pandemic to keep the business going. I have been meeting with the students virtually all year. I go into school to check books out to them, but they get the luck of the draw – which is whatever I choose for them, usually! Seven of our grandchildren are in New Jersey, another one in Boston and one in Ottawa. Until we had our vaccines, our kids were hesitant to come too close to us. Crazy, isn’t it?  To have our kids telling us where we can go and where we cant!?!  Quite a reversal of roles. It is toughest for our youngest daughter in Canada with her baby.  The border is closed again so we cannot even go up to visit her.  Thank goodness for FaceTime and Zoom. As I said before, we are lucky.  Business is picking up; we have our health and we have our family. I hope all is well with you and your family.

Cora Darragh It’s surreal that so many of us are not here. I retired in October 2020 and moved to Pittsburgh with my sister Mimi (class of 74). We are sharing a townhouse and trying to be cautious and get thru the pandemic. My children Carmelita (36) and Lucas   (32) are both well. Carmelita is a police officer in Charlotte NC and I am praying for a peaceful next few months. Lucas has been basically out of work for this whole time, working in the hospitality industry. Hopefully will be able to resume in the next few months. I know how fortunate I am and I am hoping to reconnect with some friends for our reunion, whenever that will be. My best to all my classmates and stay safe.

Eleanor “Ellie” OBrien Sylvan I am so sad that we won’t be hearing from Kathleen Talty anymore. I had a chance to see her a few years ago when I went to a wedding in Baltimore, and I am sorry I didn’t see her more often over the years. I am sure the past 12 months have been strange for all of us but I feel lucky that I have been able to adjust and stay healthy. I was even able to kayak last summer since it has built in social distancing. My big news is that my eldest son and his fiancé are moving to Chicago. I figured they would be on one coast or the other, so I will be very happy to have them nearby. My younger son is still in Seattle but has acknowledged that Chicago will now become the family hub. As for retirement, I can feel myself getting ready. Many of my friends are happily retired and involved in all sorts of organizations. We will see what 2022 brings.

Susan Feenan Sullivan My life on the north shore of MA has been busy working part time at Harborlight Community Partners, a supportive home for elders. Love the residents & staff!  I moved to an over 55 community a few years ago in Wenham, best decision, feels so good to downsize. My three daughters, Laura, Katie and Kelly all have a daughter & son locally which keeps me a busy nana! Trying to keep ahead of the virus updates along with the help of my oldest daughter Laura who practices Family medicine. Hope all is well with you and your family.

Monica McGoldrick I have been blessed working for Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty in Savannah, Georgia where I was recognized as the 2020 agent of distinction in Georgia. The real estate market has been very healthy in Savannah so life is good.

Theresa “Terry” Smalls Murphy This has been a year we’ll all remember. In the midst of the pandemic there were some silver linings, I hope, for all of us. Our daughter, Kate and her husband, Brad, moved up to Huntington Bay, Long Island from Washington, DC in late August and now are expecting their first child in early October. My husband Jeff and son, Kieran, are beleaguered lawyers and now working from our home. Daughter, Maggie, is in NYC working for a hedge fund as a compliance director. After months of not seeing our kids we are often together and happily vaccinated. However, on a personal level, the most impactful event has been the loss of my dear roommate, Kathleen Talty. Talt was a friend since the age of 14, a big sister, although she always reminded me that she was younger than I, a mother hen and a cheerleader, always in my corner – sitting in the first row at concerts, right in front to cheer on all the Belles in the Rat, and helping me to overcome any insecurities I had. Her deep faith, her devotion to her family, her well known pride of her Irish heritage, her love of beer, Tab, Diet Coke and M & M’s, and her intense loyalty to those in her “camp” were just some of the defining characteristics we all can probably remember….and cherish. I pray that Talt is now happily united with her dear friend, Seton Cunneen, in the heavenly realm where they are drinking one down together and helping us along this path of life.

Mary Surano Conaway Thank you, I appreciate you all sharing your news with our classmates. We may be small but we are mighty! I will share some of the highlights and lowlights, starting with the highlights. John and I continue to enjoy our retirement in Naples, FL. I am playing tennis five days a week and loving it. I am still involved with USTA (United States Tennis Association) I currently serve on the USTA Florida Section Board of Directors. I also serve on the USTA National Training Advisory Group providing Training and Leadership Development for Volunteers. Zoom has been a great connector during a time in our lives when travel has been limited. Our family continues to grow. We now have five grandchildren. Our daughter Katie and husband Carl have three boys, Carl (14) who will be entering high school in the fall, John (10) who keeps Katie busy with multiple travel sports and William (2 1/2) who keeps Katie young. Our son Kevin and wife Erin have Maddie (5) who will be going to kindergarten in the fall and Henry John Conaway (11 months) AKA Harry will turn (1) in June. Our family is precious to us and thankfully we have been able to see them a few times this past year. As for as the low lights go, I am still heartbroken over the passing of my partner in crime Kathleen Talty, not only for the Trinity news but we have always been thought of together as the class president and student government president. With this past crazy presidential election, I really missed talking to Talty about politics and life as you know she never held back her opinions and I loved her for it. I am also very sad about the passing of our class of 75 advisor and my sister and best friend, Sister Seton Cunneen. Seton was a part of our family, our children and grandchildren called her Aunt Seton. We both grew up in South Orange, NJ and our families knew each other. When I came to Trinity in 1971, since I had a car, I would drive Seton home on breaks, spending all that car time together formed a friendship that would last 50 years. Seton really had a big impact on my life and I can truly say I would not be the person I am today if it were not for her influence on me. Seton was the epitome of kindness, love, friendship and social justice. Seton was a fierce champion for everyone who she cared about. She was loyal and always made you feel valued. I will always miss Seton but will try to carry on her legacy of love, kindness and loyalty. Photo: Mary and Sister Seton Cunneen

Barbara Fallon wrote in that BJ and I continue to be happy in retirement, healthy and vaccinated as are our kids. Alyssa finished her Masters at Loyola and is teaching eight grade English in Baltimore County. Remote was hard; hybrid is harder. Hopefully that won’t last for the whole next year. Dan and his girlfriend live in Framingham where he works in insurance; an MBA may be in his future. Looking forward to sailing past Long Island sound this summer if restrictions are eased. Feeling grateful for our health and that of family and friends. Missed our 50th!