Corley Gibson Friesen
P.O. Box 533
Silverthorne, CO 80498
corleyfriesen@comcast.net
Nancy Cundey Peacock
1887 River Oaks Road
Williamsburg, VA 23185
capbigbird@earthlink.net
As your class agents, we wish you a happy spring and thank you all for the news you have sent.
From Corley:
Rita Brahs Hawkins has remarried after losing her husband of 40 years. Her new name is Rita Hawkins-Frimodig. She reported that her life is now full and happy with her new husband. Bob lost his wife of 46 years before meeting Rita. Since their marriage in June 2004, they are making up for lost travel time. They have been to Europe four times and spent eight weeks traveling through northern California. They play golf whenever they can and are having a ball. Rita has seven grandchildren and Bob has two.
Anne Hart Martin wrote that she and husband Bill escaped the hot weather in Illinois by spending two weeks in Iceland and then went to an Inuit village on the east coast of Greenland. To anyone visiting Chicago, Anne highly recommends a visit to Frank Gehry’s Pritzker Bandshell in Millennium Park.
Marie “Weege” Attianese Harlow appears to be happy in her Southport, Conn., home. She keeps busy playing tennis and bridge, and she enjoys her five grandchildren.
My husband, Ernie, and I met up with Carol Edgerton Cooper and Charlie in San Francisco last April. Because some of us married Marines, we were all there for the 55th reunion of the 7th Basic Class. Carol and Charlie are proud of their grandson, Trevor, who graduated first in his class at the Naval Academy and is now a Rhodes scholar.
Marjorie Gibson Blaxill is now a bronze life master in bridge. She travels to bridge tournaments and enjoys visiting her eight grandchildren.
Susan Hutcheson Jurgens also is an avid bridge player; she belongs to several clubs. While she and her husband, John, have done little traveling this past year, they have enjoyed entertaining family and friends at their Gordonsville, Va., home. Susan teaches an adult Sunday school class and is president of the Gordonsville United Methodist Women.
Rita Morgan Stone and Gwen Amory Cummings journeyed to Fredericksburg to enjoy a performance of the UMW-Community Orchestra in the newly renovated Dodd Auditorium. They reported that the refurbished auditorium is spectacular. Rita wrote that the Alumni Executive Center also merits accolades. There is a lovely photo of Janet Heilman Meador and special recognition of our classmate Frances Bold, who remembered our alma mater in her estate. Rita said each time she returns to campus, it reminds her of how proud she is to claim Mary Washington as her alma mater. Incidentally, we have news of Janet, who served as our class president. She and Dan are living at Westminster-Canterbury in Charlottesville. They donated steeple bells to the Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville.
Anne Smith Harmon reported that she and her husband, Fred, have moved to Callao, Va., on the Northern Neck and would love to hear from classmates.
The mail brings us a voice from the past! We had not heard from Mimi Evans Lasher for many years, but she sent a synopsis of her life since she graduated in 1952. After Mary Washington, she went to Penn State, received an M.S. in clinical psychology, worked for several years and then married Donald, a surgeon, from Erie, Pa. Mimi said living on Lake Erie was certainly different from anything she had ever experienced. She learned to ski, ice boat, and make the most of the cold weather. Their summers have been devoted to water sports. Along the way, they had three children – one is a naval architect, another is a physician’s assistant and the third is a geneticist. Mimi and Donald, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last April, enjoy visiting their grandchildren in different parts of the country.
From Nancy:
Having talked with several of you, I was able to gather some news from the East Coast. Nancy Parker Richardson has moved back to Virginia Beach from the Eastern Shore of Virginia. She planned a trip to Colorado for Thanksgiving and Ohio for Christmas. Barbara Burgess Goldsten and Joe hosted a Thanksgiving weekend for 28 family members in their Lexington, Va., home.
Dorothy Davis Craig and Daley spend three months each winter in Palm Beach. While there, they attend P.G.A. events. Dottie keeps busy playing tennis and croquet. Daley bought a plane and is now flying high. I guess one is never too old to take up flying! A trip to Scotland is in next year’s plans. Happily for the Craigs, their family is located nearby. Claire Sims Braun of Denville, N.J., retired dietitian, sells her pen-and-ink art work at shows in her area. Claire rallied after she fell in her garden last summer and broke her back. Fortunately, her family is local and was able to help with her recovery.
Claire Sindlinger deGroot spoke with joy of her mother’s long life of 100-plus years. Claire and Ward have been dividing their time between New Jersey and Virginia. They took on the challenge of redoing the family homestead in Holmdel, N.J. On their return to Virginia, Claire stopped at the hospital to have her appendix removed! Thanksgiving was in New Jersey with the deGroot family, and Christmas was in Virginia.
Hurricane Wilma brought houseguests to Elizabeth Brice Lendian’s home in New Smyrna, Fla. Lots of family, kids, dogs and cats arrived for shelter. This past year, Elizabeth and her husband toured the Rocky Mountains and Canadian Mountains by train. Elizabeth raved that the trip was wonderful, but not as exciting or as eventful as their trip to South America where they endured an avalanche. Pat Line Whalen has done little traveling since 2000, except to take day trips sponsored by Brookdale Community College. Her family and grandchildren live in New Jersey so holidays are special. She enjoys watching college football and knitting squares which are bound into blankets for the Warm Up America Foundation.
Hammond, La., fared relatively well during last summer’s hurricanes, according to Pat Leech Benton. Pat works for the Parish Tourist Commission. She also serves as an usher at the Columbia Theatre of Performing Arts. She is still busy restoring old houses, but took time off last fall to travel with friends to Branson, Mo., as part of the Dixieland Tour.
Eleanor Michelet Mulbry and Len wrote that their Saratoga, Calif., home and spacious lush yard continue to give them room to entertain their four sons and families. An early 55th wedding anniversary was planned for February.
Charlotte Adams Harrell and husband Bob have moved to Westminster-Canterbury in Virginia Beach. They are enjoying life to the fullest and have lots of time to travel and also entertain their family in the area.
Ginny Orkney Philbrick lost her husband, Phil, this year. We send Ginny our condolences and heartfelt sympathy. He stayed alert and busy working until he passed away at age 88. They have nine children and 13 grandchildren scattered across the United States. We remember Ginny fondly as our class valedictorian, and I have treasured memories of Ginny as my roommate in both Cornell and Virginia halls.
Shirley Bowman Stotts is on the move. She and husband Vernon traveled to Minnesota for a family reunion. In an effort to downsize, they are selling their home in Queenstown and moving into a new home in Easton, Md. Suzanne Branner Kessler lives in Richmond, but she travels frequently to visit grandchildren in Cary and Charlotte, N.C.
Mary Eleanor “Mimi” Bruce McCombie and husband Bob have settled in to their waterfront condo in Virginia Beach. Chuck and I have enjoyed their company and the water views several times. Mimi and Bob make frequent visits to their children in Connecticut, New Hampshire and Fredericksburg. They also travel a great deal.
As for Chuck and me, we spend about five months each year in Newport Beach, Calif., avoiding the heat of summer and cold of winter in Williamsburg. Our family has grown to 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, all of whom live in states other than Virginia. We spread ourselves around for happy visits. However, there never seems to be enough time for the volunteer work and trips.
Let’s have a record-breaking column for the summer issue! Remember to send your news to Corley or Nancy. Think reunion in 2007!