1980 Class Notes for 2019
Red Class of 1980
Hello Class of 1980! The past year seems to have brought personal losses to a number of us who reported the death of a parent or parent in law. My sympathies to all who have experienced these losses. On the bright side, those who reported in are engaged with their lives and doing all sorts of interesting things.
Rosmara Ortiz Harvey continues in her work as a clinical pharmacist at Beth Israel Deaconess in Boston. She works two days a week in the research pharmacy and enjoys the work and her colleagues. Husband John has cut down his work hours to four days a week. The Harvey family has bought a farm in New Hampshire and John and daughter Carolina (went to law school but prefers farming), are starting a flower farm. So far, Rosmara reports that it is a lot of work and they can only work at the farm on the weekends, but who knows. Middle daughter Melanie, who is a teacher in NH, has been married for almost three years. Rosmara is hoping for grandchildren! The youngest, Gabriela, is a social worker, and she will be married late summer. All are well and healthy. Next year John and Rosmara will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. As many of us remember, John and Rosmara met at Trinity and John was a friend to many, but the spark was there for Rosmara. She hopes to make another reunion soon. Maybe next year?
Rosmara also noted that about two years ago she and Jean Petrilli reconnected, meeting for lunch. Rosmara reports that Jean is looking fantastic, and doing very well. She has four kids who are very busy in their careers and education.
Maureen O’Leary Brown resides in the perennial political battleground state of Ohio and we try to carve out time to talk every once and a while so that that we can stay reasonably up to speed on our lives. Maureen’s eldest, Corrine, is in her second year as a fifth grade teacher at a Cleveland Metropolitan Charter school, while simultaneously working on her Master’s in Education from Johns Hopkins. Maureen marvels that it is possible to receive a master’s degree from a University without ever once setting foot on campus. Corrine is expected to finish her studies next May. Younger daughter Cara graduates with her undergraduate degree on Mother’s Day Weekend and she will continue in a direct admit program at Misericordia U. and will continue her studies that will yield a Masters in Occupational Therapy degree in May 2020. Her field work will be in Cleveland, so Maureen will have one or more daughters back home for a bit. Maureen’s husband Dave is doing well; he enjoys his singing with The Cleveland Singers Club. The group performs often and is gearing up for their May concert. Maureen describes herself as “pleasantly employed” at Junior Achievement, although she is still trying to figure what makes Millennials tick as she starts her 16th year with the organization.
Dottie (Donnelly) McCarthy is busy. Dottie’s oldest son Joe is married and working in California in television production. Her youngest son, Francis, graduated from Auburn U. and lives in Texas and is working in Finance. As the nest emptied, Comet the Springer puppy came into the lives of Dottie and Mike. She and Mike regularly vacation in Charleston and she continues to work full time with Producer/ Writer George Stevens Jr. Dottie and Lynn Delaney and Sally McCarty O’Connell all go to beach each year – we want some pictures!
Sally (McCarty) O’Connell has become a grandmother twice since she last wrote (Erin and Maeve). Sally visits the grandkids often in St. Louis where her daughter Caitlin is a lawyer. Her creative juices are still flowing as she takes an annual trip to Mexico where she spends time painting outside. She also designed and oversaw the installation of her community garden. And of course there is the yearly beach trip with Dottie and Lynn.
Lynn Delaney actually missed the annual Dottie and Sally beach trip and any semblance of summer last year because she was drafted five days a week for five weeks for a Grand Jury Duty stint in DC. Lynn is still working for a human rights organization and living with her partner Christopher. They get to Cape Cod 1-2 times a year to see her family and to Princeton, NJ to see Chris’s family. Work and vacation travels in recent years have taken Lynn to South Africa, Greece, Cuba, Mexico and most recently, exploring Vienna, Munich and Salzburg with her beloved niece Meaghan who often joins her in DC for protests and marches. Lynn ran into Hut (Holahan) Beall on the beach in Martha’s Vineyard a few years back- seeing each other for first time since graduation. Lynn is looking forward to not organizing the TC80 reunion in 2020 and she eagerly awaits November 3, 2020.
Lynn also reported on Loli Ramirez who is living in Puerto Rico. She recently left her career with Coviden and is turning her side business into a full time venture. Look for the launch of Loli’s Suitcase, coming soon. She will be selling unique jewelry and home accessories and other treasures she has discovered during her travels the world over. At the time of this writing, Loli has yet to turn 60!
Lynn often sees Ann (Kelleher) Pitkin who owns a stationery/gift store in Bronxville, NY (Kensington Paper) She and her husband Steve and their daughters Emily and Maddie enjoy their home in Maine in the summer and continue to ski together in the winter. Emily is in Boston and Maddie works in New York City. Ann is currently winding down her store and is looking forward to new adventures and spending more time with her girls in Boston and NYC. Ann plans to be one of Loli’s customers as soon as Loli brings the boutique to New York City.
Old friends Anne (Camas) Phelan and Cathy (Hrabsky) Hawkes recently reunited for lunch in New York. Anne lives on Cape Cod and is the CEO of the Plymouth Library Corporation. Anne spends as much time as she can in NY with her 11 nieces and nephews. Anne’s stepdaughter Colleen is a firefighter in Brewster, MA and is getting married next spring.
Cathy Hrabsky Hawkes’ daughters KC and Natalie are both living in Charlotte. KC is a PA with a Health Coach Certification and her husband is a Derm PA (there were married in July 2017). Natalie is heading off for her MHE in August at Elon U. Cathy is so proud of them both and misses them terribly. Sadly, Cathy’s dad, Paul, passed away in July 2018.
Alicia (Tierney) Johnson reports that she and her husband Doug are great and they have become grandparents for the fourth time. Her daughter Jennifer is a nurse at NYU and with her sons in Great Falls, VA, San Francisco and Charlotte NC, they have a lot of ground to cover. She is still hard at work at JCrew and wants to catch up with old pals, hopefully at our 40th reunion next year.
Kathy Burke – Deoudes reports that life is good and busy. She and husband Nick live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Stepdaughter Angelica works for CNN Money Matters and stepson John is with the secret service, where his first motorcade assignment was the funeral of President Bush. Kathy is the chair of the Compass Hospice, leading the expansion of their services and facilities.
Mary Sue Twomey wrote saying she intends to put our 40th reunion on her calendar. She is doing well, consulting to the federal government on elder abuse and Adult Protective Services issues. She feels blessed to have meaningful and challenging work that she finds interesting and someone is willing to pay for! Mary Sue’s partner, Carol, just retired from 30 years on the Superior Court bench. They are looking forward to more walks, more museum visits, and more travel. Mary Sue is very grateful for the gifts of good health and the love of family and friends.
Mary Kayne Heinze wrote that it was unbelievable that the 40th reunion number could be associated with any of us. She says she remembers when her mother had her Trinity 40th reunion and thinking at the time, wow — what will I be doing then? You still have a year my dear!
Mary Kayne is still working with a family business in Southern Maryland and a few other things. In September there was the first family wedding of the next generation – My neice, my sister Cathy’s (’81) daughter, was married in Asheville amid the remnants of one of the many (too many) hurricanes that hit North Carolina during last hurricane season. My family is well – and there are three upcoming college graduations amongst the nieces and nephews and the last high school graduation.
Holly Hubler is working for the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, VA, where she lives and the Museum has an easy commute; it is right across the street from home. She is a part-time gallery host and has been working there for a year now. It’s a beautiful museum and place to work. There is an impressive Fine Arts collection with art from Monet, Gauguin, Degas, Cezanne, and Renoir among others. The glass collection, featuring lamps and stained glass panels by Louis Tiffany, is among the finest and most extensive in the U.S.
Holly and her sister, Marian, (also a Trinity graduate), as well as another friend are
traveling to Portugal in March and Holly is excited to go, as it’s a new country for her to explore. Holly plans to spend more time in Europe and Latin America on tourism trips, as well as working on volunteer programs teaching English and working at eco-friendly hotels.
Pam Pagnani with her grown children Charlie and Jennie
Pam Pagnani wrote that she is the proud mother of two children, Jennie, a practicing attorney and Charlie, a wealth manager, who will be attending Columbia Business School for his MBA. Pam is also a happy grandmother to two adorable girls, Charlotte and Leigh. After 24 years of practicing law, Pam is now running the Greenwich, CT office of Sotheby’s International Realty, which has been a wonderful pivot. As a result, she has been traveling more often, with an upcoming trip to Vancouver. Pam is also involved with her community where she serves on the following boards: Inner City Foundation; Greenwich Land Trust; Greenwich Preservation Trust; Greenwich Riding & Trails Association and Greenwich Academy Alumnae Association. Pam wishes everyone will and looks forward to our upcoming reunion.
Rita Muir dropped a quick note to say she has completed renovations to a 1930s Craftsman bungalow to her specifications in Roxbury MA.
I also heard from Kathy Kundtz Miki, who wrote that she hopes to attend our 40th reunion next year. Kathy lives in Cleveland OH and works at her former high school part time. Her husband is well and their son is living in Tokyo working for a company using his language skills with both English and Japanese.
My life consists of working as a communications attorney; I am a partner at Drinker Biddle & Reath in the DC office, and I also chair the Government and Regulatory Affairs Group in the firm. I am very active with the Federal Communications Bar Association and their charitable and educational activities. My husband Jerry is planning to retire from the FCC at the end of 2019. I have no similar plans but many have told me I may feel differently getting up and out for work bright and early when he has all the time in the world to do what he wants! Our children are both in college. Lizzy should be getting a degree in May 2020 in Film and Video Studies at George Mason U. – let me know if you ever need a cinematographer. Elliot is a year behind in Burlington at U. of Vermont in the Business School, which is where you can find him if he is not skiing. I continue to play acoustic guitar as part of the ensemble at Holy Trinity in Georgetown on Sunday evenings, which makes me happy as it is a creative outlet. One goal either as a family or as a couple is more travel consistent with our other commitments; Rome and Florence in February with my sister Lisa Phillips (‘79) to visit my niece who was studying in Rome was my big travel highlight this year.
Finally, I want to thank Lynn Delaney for getting some extra reports from some of our classmates. I gather the letter asking for news that I had the Trinity Alumnae Office send to everyone was not widely noted. I would ask that you please get me your emails so I can use them next time to get the request for news out and seen by more of you.
Yours in Trinity,
Laura Phillips
4635 Kenmore Drive NW
Washington, DC 20007
laurahathawayphillips@gmail.com