Katharine Rogers Lavery
507 Devonshire Drive N.E.
Vienna, VA 22180
hlavery@erols.com
Our fearless leader, Barbara “Bobbi” Bishop Mann, is thoroughly
enjoying her retirement. She and husband Bob completed their kitchen-remodeling
project in Richmond and added a garage. Bobbi has also attended some lectures
at Mary Washington, where she saw Carolyn Perry Grow and husband David. Ann
Ball Gavin ’69, the mother of some of Bobbi’s former pupils, also
attended. Small world!
Jana Privette Usry wrote last fall from Richmond that her sister was throwing
a huge 60th birthday party for her. By the time we meet at our 2006 reunion,
we will all have passed that mark and can really celebrate.
Carolyn Perry Grow lives in Charlottesville, Va. She continues to guide school
groups through Monticello and is active in her DAR chapter. Their beach condo
escaped the ravages of Hurricane Isabel, though their home was inundated with
rain and fallen branches, and they endured a lengthy power outage. She and
Dave have traveled to visit family and friends; their most memorable expedition
was to St. Louis and Louisville following a Lewis and Clark commemoration
kickoff at Monticello.
Peggy Beeler Burns visited Illinois and Wisconsin in the spring. Last fall,
she visited with Pam Kearney Patrick and husband Tab in their Mount Vernon,
Va., home. Peggy’s son, Jay, completed his tour of duty in Germany and
returned to the Washington, D.C., area in July. He was to be married in August.
Jackie Harwood Flammia wrote for the first time since graduation to say that
she never left Richmond. She married her high school sweetheart, Russell,
and had two children, who are now grown and live in Santa Cruz, Calif., and
Chicago. Russell was a school teacher and Jackie works with severely and profoundly
disabled children as a school counselor. She said the turning point in her
life came 25 years ago when she found her spiritual teacher, Avatar Adi Da
Samraj; she now holds monthly Way of Adidam events in her home.
Susie Williams Cluff was a member of our class, but postponed graduation until
her husband went to Vietnam in 1969. She inquired about friend Norma Woodward
Batchelder, who now lives in Tryon, N.C.
Winnie Woodson Stribling lives in Alamo, Calif. She and Brad have overcome
health problems, and she and daughter Sarah headed to Greece and Turkey during
the summer with Sarah’s high school choir.
Mary Kathryn Rowell Horner lives in Alexandria, Va. She and husband Charlie
had dinner last winter with Linda Spangler Berkheimer and husband Phil, who
live in nearby Frederick, Md. She mentioned that she had recently seen Nina
Russell Randolph and Bob, who live in Old Town Alexandria. In anticipation
of retirement, Mary Kathryn finally reduced her work to three days a week,
allowing more time for golf. Charlie retired in April after serving 35 years
in the federal government.
Roberta James East still doesn’t understand what retirement is. She
continues to operate her very successful flower farm in Purcellville, Va.,
which requires many long hours during the growing season. She and husband
Dennis did manage a long, leisurely trip last winter to visit their daughter
in Orlando, Fla., with several stops en route to see old friends and former
neighbors. One stop was lunch in Charlotte, N.C., with Kay Smith Majeski and
husband Bob.
One of our first-time grandmothers is Yvonne March, who lives in Hollywood,
Fla. She proudly announced the arrival of Anthony Bourke Kusilka last August,
the son of daughter Margarita. Yvonne was ready to retire from her FBI translator
job and be a full-time nanny. Yvonne and Susan Roth Nurin had a brief but
happy get-together at the Miami shipping piers last December.
Barbara Barriga Rowe still lives in a historic home in Unionville, Pa. Her
daughter had been in Madrid during the terrorist bombings but, fortunately,
was not directly affected.
Eileen Perna Thomason successfully completed managing the Royal
Ball fund-raiser for the Virginia Opera, raising more than $55,000 through
a silent auction.
Vera Wilson Wenzel is director of global studies at the College of St. Catherine
in St. Paul, Minn. Vera and John’s four children are located in Boston,
New York, Virginia and California.
Another happy Minnesota resident, Marty Spigel Sedoff, wrote from Edina that
she has been having an exciting year despite missing life on the East Coast.
Marty is a consultant at American Express and her son, John, is an actor.
Ginny Bateman Brinkley and Bill celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary,
sold their home in Florida, and traveled to Hawaii to help Ryan Stewart Davis
celebrate her birthday. Ginny and Bill have moved to a Florida lake house
and also purchased a small condo at Jacksonville Beach, where all their grandchildren
live.
Eileen Goddard Albrigo and husband John celebrated the arrival of a second
grandson. They are very involved with their parents’ lives and enjoy
their frequent visits. As soon as John retires, they can think seriously about
occupying the beautiful stone home they built in Upperville, Va., about an
hour away from their home in Falls Church. Meantime, they are busy with work,
friends and family, including Eileen’s brother and sister, Kathleen
Goddard Moss, who also lives nearby.
Hank and I continue to keep busy with the export licensing business, 19 grandchildren
(blended family for 10 years now), church, and our health. We want to keep
up this pace a while longer. Since nearly all the children and grandkids live
nearby, we are continually blessed with family interactions. Now that my tibia
plateau fracture has healed and I’m mobile again, we are looking forward
to resuming travel. Our first trip will be to Nantucket and then we’d
like to go to Sweden.