1982 Class Notes for 2015

Dear classmates,

It’s been a while since our years in Cuvilly, Kirby, and Main. 1982 graduation was a transitional time and it seems many of us have weathered other transitions lately, as more of us adjust to empty nests, consider pursuits of further education, make travel plans, and look towards retirement.

Although much time has passed, Kathleen Saunders-Mitchell says it seems like yesterday that she was graduating from Trinity. She continues to work as the disclosure officer for the US Mint, where she celebrated 37 years of federal government service in April, 2015. Daughter Delisa Mitchell graduated this past spring from Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in architecture and Kathleen is quite proud. Kathleen concludes that she is healthy, living life, and looks forward to retirement one day.

Suzanne Konzelmann wrote in from the South of England where she and husband Marc continue to enjoy life. They live in Ely, a cathedral city just north of Cambridge. Sue describes the countryside as beautiful, yet close enough to London so she can commute to work at the University of London in Bloomsbury. Sue wants to let all of us know that if we ever have the opportunity to go to the UK, please get in touch with her, as she would love to catch up.

Deborah Rea D’Albora says things are quiet at home. She is still in Olney, MD, and works in human resources at Brooke Grove Retirement Village. Daughter Caitie works and lives in DC and daughter Meg works at Discovery in Silver Spring, MD. Husband Jim is still with AT&T. Debbie says that since they are finished with college tuition, they have begun to do some traveling. She and Jim visited Peru last May and went to Aruba in December. She plans a return trip to Peru with her sisters in March. Debbie has also been in touch with Martha Moran Rollins. They enjoyed a fun-filled girls weekend to visit Debbie’s mom in Lewes, Delaware, in November.

Martha Moran Rollins works full time at two nursing jobs and has returned to school full time in a  BSN-MSN program with the goal of becoming a nurse practitioner, specializing in geriatric psychiatry. Just in time for retirement. Martha says she is on a 20-year plan, hoping to be finished with school in five years at 60, then work another 15 years and travel on the weekends. Husband Chris is in what she and her family refer to as “early retirement” since his stroke. Glad to hear he is doing well. She and Chris were lucky enough to get tickets to the Grateful Dead  Fair Thee Well concert in Chicago. This will be show 118 or more for Chris, and Martha is excited to revisit her hometown of Chicago for the July 4th weekend with all her family.

Oldest son Michael works full time and attends school full time in Michigan with a focus on microbiology on a track towards medicine. His girlfriend Katie finishes law school in May at Michigan State on a full scholarship and has had several interviews for work with the US Congress. Martha would be happy if they ended up being DCers and they would be much closer to home. Youngest son Matthew graduated in May with a biochemistry degree and has been accepted at two of his top three chosen programs (Georgia Tech and University of Arizona) for a PhD. He is waiting to hear from Notre Dame. He currently works at the Los Alamos  National Laboratory doing research on a genome project in bio renovations and enjoys the opportunity to travel all over the Southwest.

Julie Clancy Grady wrote amidst a very full schedule. She is completing her master’s degree in school counseling. She is currently doing an internship at a nearby middle school and works in her spare time as a tutor, substitute teacher, and teaches adults at night. Husband Tim is great and her girls wonderful. The oldest Beth (26) will graduate with her master’s degree the same day as Julie. Beth will be at Xavier in Cincinnati and Julie will be at GMU in Fairfax, Virginia. Daughter Caroline (24) is studying to be a physical therapist. Maggie studies engineering at UVA and Colleen just started at William and Mary. Julie says her empty nest is very quiet. She has recently seen Carol Cavanaugh D’Amico and Carey Donohue Voth. She also keeps in touch with Lana Franznick Marr, Denise Tahan MacRea and Nancy Robbins Winn. Julie also mentioned she is on Facebook and Instagram.

Ann Marie Meany Metzger begins with the news that she and Greig are brand new empty nesters. Their son Sam is a freshman at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. He presently studies music (percussion performance) and mathematics/statistics or political science.  Ann Marie says it is his journey and they are so proud of him.

She continues to be involved with local and state politics. She ran for the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2012. Even though she did not prevail at the polls, it was a successful campaign that highlighted and garnered support for progressive policies like universal health care, equitable funding in education, higher wages, marriage equality and protecting and expanding the right to vote.

Husband Greig has followed a new path and is executive director at the local Woodbury, MN, food shelf. Ann Marie says she is actively looking for a new endeavor and enjoys the search. She also mentions she can be found on Facebook.

Liza Freeze Ebeling shares her big news that oldest son Ty just moved to Oslo, Norway. He fell in love with a lovely Norwegian girl while they were students at U Penn. She had returned to Norway for med school because education is free in her country. That was an offer too good to pass up. The transatlantic relationship became a challenge, so Ty decided to resign from his job at Lincoln Financial in Philadelphia and move to Oslo for work and be with her. Liza says it is a wonderful opportunity and adventure. She and husband Jim wish them well.

Her youngest son, a junior at Vanderbilt, is currently spending a semester abroad in Florence, Italy. He loves every minute of this experience – the art, the culture, the food, the new friends, and travels to new cities on the weekends.

Liza and Jim are in Baltimore and look forward to visiting their sons very soon. They are so happy that the children of this generation seem to embrace so many exciting opportunities here and abroad. Liza sends her best to all.

Nancy Foley remarks that the Midwest is COLD! It was -25° the day she sent her email. Other than that, life is good. Daughter Katie is a senior and they are navigating the college search, applications and the long wait for acceptances. Katie hopes to head to Boston and they should find out where she will be in April. Katie’s days are filled with numerous  school activities, work and volunteering but as Nancy says, she does show up for meals occasionally, so they know she is still alive! She finds it difficult to believe that her little girl is 18 and ready to head across country and begin her life. Nancy recalls that time vividly, when she met all of her lifelong Trinity friends. She is hopeful that Katie has a similar experience.

Son T.J. is a sophomore and a political junkie. He is involved in student government and the State of Iowa Youth Advisory Council where he has discovered he loves legislation and lobbying. He is an accomplished debater and travels the country talking fast, convincing judges he knows what he is talking about. This year he has travelled to both coasts and many places in between. Nancy wishes she could enjoy that kind of travel schedule. Nancy says husband Tim is okay but was ill over the winter.  Nancy still teaches K-6 gifted children. She loves the kids but could happily do without the paperwork and overbearing parents. As with many of us, she sees the light at the end of the tunnel – empty nest and retirement – although it is still a few years away.

It was great to hear from Lori Ridob-Sine. She and husband David celebrated their 30th anniversary this past year. They still reside in Reedsville, WV, about 90 miles south of Pittsburgh, PA. Lori works at WVUH in Morgantown, WV, as a help desk specialist. In 2010 she completed her doctorate in information systems. This past summer she decided to go back for a master’s in engineering at WVU. Lori says she must be a glutton for punishment but after all it gives her something to do on a cold, snowy day in West Virginia.

Margaret Johnston Hallam will celebrate her 30th wedding anniversary with husband Mark in May. They were married at Trinity where daughter Caroline is enrolled in the occupational therapy program, which she seems to like very much. Eldest son, Matthew is moving to Philadelphia in March for a new gig in investment. Son Andrew and his wife Lee will celebrate four years of marriage in the fall.

Lana Franznick Marr has been focused on raising her five children in central Virginia and volunteering in her spare time. She lives on 10 acres with three kids, go carts, and a huge beaver dam. She remarks that they spend many a summer afternoon watching the beavers swim and play in their creek. Daughter Alison (22) is finishing her undergraduate studies at Virginia Tech and middle child Jenny studies at Alabama while waterskiing for their team. Oldest CJ heads back to Vermont after an 18-month break to figure out what he really wants to do in life. Collin (18) is finishing his senior year and awaiting packages in the mail. Youngest Corinne is a freshman, dancing with a dance company in Orange, VA, and into all things a 14 year old girl is into. She has been a Girl Scout and Lana a Girl Scout Leader for the past 7 years. Corinne has achieved her bronze and silver awards and is about to begin the gold award process.

Lana and husband Craig recently celebrated their 26th anniversary. He works for Polycom in Herndon. Lana recently went to lunch with Julie Clancy Grady and Carol D’Amico and traveled to Mendocino CA last summer with Denise Tahan MacRae. She is also in touch with Nancy Robbins Winn.

Patricia Diventi Mann writes that all is well with her family. As she put it, “life has been blissfully mundane these past few years.” She and Jeff will celebrate their 24th anniversary in March. Their fifteen year old son loves 10th grade at Holy Ghost Prep in Bensalem, PA, and he can’t wait until next year when he will be able to get his driver’s permit. Pattie says she is starting to get used to the idea that her young son will very soon be independent.

Gerianne Smith has dived back into the Vergennes Opera House organization after a 13-year hiatus. She was the leader of the group for several years in the 1990s during its most intensive restoration. She is once again president of the all-volunteer nonprofit, and has enjoyed creating a sustainable organization for the past year and a half. She finished a 4+ year stint at ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center late last year and has reopened her Smart Communication consulting business which she operates out of her home in Ferrisburgh, VT. She enjoys watching her 15-year-old daughter blossom and find her way as an early “young” adult. Gerianne says she is continually reminded how blessed she is to have Grace in her life (literally and figuratively).

Maryel Barry also feels very blessed. She writes about how much she enjoys taking care of her almost 5-year-old daughter Grace, adopted from Ethiopia in 2011, and her dog Martha, adopted in 2003. Maryel teaches 7th grade English in a public school in Falls Church.

Casey Wagner lives in Cincinnati, Ohio and works in Regulatory Affairs at Fifth Third Bank. Daughter Emily is a senior at Wright State University majoring in psychology. Casey attended a conference in Washington, DC, early last year and enjoyed catching up with Madeleine Shea McKnight and Liza Freeze Ebeling in Baltimore, and with Meg Heery Murphy in Virginia and DC.

In December Casey had the opportunity to reconnect with Sr. Rose Ann Fleming (college President during our Trinity years) when she attended Sr. Rose Ann’s book signing for her new book Out of Habit (which can be found on Amazon). Casey says her talk was delightful and Sr. Rose Ann was eager to hear about updates on our Trinity class. Casey sends best wishes to all her Green classmates and asks that you get in touch if you are ever in Cincinnati.

Debbie Neibel and family are busy with work and their four children. Debbie says the kids are amazing and they had a wonderful visit with her mother, Pat O’Keefe Neibel ’48, in Florida last August.

Barbara Parker-Kalemkarian starts her 7th year as the director of meetings and travel at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and enjoys working with so many great people for a great cause.

On a sad note, her mother passed away last September. Our thoughts and prayers are with you Barbara. She says her dad is still going strong – he will be 90 in April and puts all of them to shame with his endless energy. Barbara and husband John are surviving winter in northern New Jersey and counting the days until spring when they can return to the golf course.

Susan Brady Mejia also wrote in from New Jersey. She works full time at Special Olympics New Jersey and otherwise juggles between her 6th grader and her mother. Her mother had a stroke last August and fortunately made a good recovery.

Susan says her daughter is “way overbooked.” She dances for the Rutgers University Junior Knights dance team which has provided some great opportunities. She danced at halftime at Madison Square Garden during a Harlem Globetrotters performance. Susan was green with envy! Her older daughter lives in DC and works as a paralegal. Susan tries to see Trinity friends when she visits her daughter. She looks forward to seeing everyone at the next reunion.

Carey Donohue Voth is thankful that her family is well. Husband Charlie is still with WETA (20 years) and talks about retiring. However with son Eamon (20) still in school at the University of Montana, retirement talks are on hold. Son Liam has returned home temporarily. He works as a server while playing music at local places.  His original work can be found on soundcloud.com (Liam Voth). Daughter Bligh lives in Astoria and auditions for musicals, plays, and TV. She is in a web series “BroBrunches” on the TV Channel. Carey admires not only her daughter’s talents, but her tenacity and passion (you can also find her on YouTube).

Carey worked at an IT management software company for 7 years until she left last April. She is still searching for that  “perfect” job where she can be helpful and make a difference while having flexible hours and decent pay!

Carey has stayed in touch with Mary Cichello Beck, Susan Brady Mejia (whom she owes a hot air balloon ride), Terri Auchter Byers (back from Korea for a few years), Mary Beck O’Donnell, Liza Freeze Ebeling, and the “First Friday Gang” with the Class of ’81 (Carol Connelly Hank, Maureen Bresnahan McCarty, Beth Dezell McGowan, and Ellen Callinan Fischer) going strong after 20+ years. Carey says the best part of these lasting friendships is getting to know everyone’s amazing children and realizing the impact of that very special Trinity bond.

Lisa Geller Schaad shared wonderful news about her daughters. Younger daughter Katie graduated from Villanova in May and she and her sister, Christine, moved into an apartment in Philadelphia over Labor Day weekend. Katie helped Christine’s boyfriend Mike plan a surprise marriage proposal and they became engaged this past weekend. Both families are thrilled.

In the meantime Lisa and Bob bought a home in Florida last April, in a retirement community called The Villages. They plan to spend more and more time there to make the transition smoother when the time comes to retire. However, much of 2014 was overshadowed by health issues, which forced her to leave her job in counseling and adoptions at Catholic Charities in July to focus on getting well. Lisa says it was difficult to leave her job but the journey to wellness had to take priority, especially now that she has a wedding to plan. Lisa, please know that we are thinking of you and send prayers for your recovery.

Carol Crawford has accepted a position as executive director/investigative counsel with the Maryland Judiciary Commission on Judicial Disabilities. This office investigates and handles matters involving allegations of judicial misconduct. Carol has been a prosecutor for the past 20 years but is very happy in this new position. 2014 was very challenging for Carol as her mother Betty Crawford passed away last summer. I am truly sorry for your loss Carol, and send prayers for peace and comfort. Although this was an extremely difficult time, Carol says she is blessed to have both faith and her incredible partner Emily to lean on. She closes with the acknowledgement that their family continues to sustain them as life marches on.

All is quiet here in the Schunter household. Doug retired from his job as air traffic controller at the end of November. He is adjusting well to retirement. I am patiently waiting for all those promised home projects to be completed. Rosalie and Noah enjoy academic life in Princeton, NJ, where Noah pursues his PhD in music composition. Rosalie manages their label Underwolf Records and writes lyrics for their group Dollshot. Paxton lives in Richmond, VA, but travels quite a bit for work. He has enjoyed working in Nebraska, Ohio, Vermont, and Georgia.

I continue to write poetry, although I had an extended dry spell this year. My mother passed away at the end of June and it was difficult to focus on anything for a very long while.

As I prepare to submit these notes, we are packing for a cruise to Antarctica. This has been a much anticipated trip for me. I look forward to socializing with penguins and observing whales.

I am so glad to be class scribe. This year about 25 emails bounced back to me and I am not certain how many of my snail mail letters went to correct addresses. If you receive this journal and did not have an opportunity to send news, please email me so I can add your current information to the class list.

I wish for happy and healthy days for everyone; help where needed to care for aging parents and busy children; and great success in work and academic pursuits.

Sincerely,

Marilou Sheehan Schunter