University of Mary Washington - Index

University of Mary Washington - summer08 - Index

Borland, Ann Buckle Orteig, and me.
We have met for this occasion for many
years and have lots of laughs. Justin’s son
Curtis was married last year, Peter is a
senior book editor in New York City,
and Cabell is in Greensboro, N.C. Justin
is entertaining the idea of retirement
living but is still in her home.
Gene Watkins Covington and her
husband travel some, to Costa Rica,
Fort Lauderdale, Myrtle Beach, and
Virginia Beach, but they thoroughly
enjoy being at home as almost every
weekend there is someone – family or
friends – visiting. Gene’s one son lives
close by in Tappahannock, and her
oldest granddaughter is in her first year
at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Gene continues her close friendships
with Ashby Griffin Mitchell, Janice
Merritt, and Becky Fristoe Goode.
Lois Blake Tankersley wrote that
she is in good health though less agile
than she used to be. She is not having
to admit to most people that she is 80.
She moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, last
year, and planned a trip to Israel this
spring. Her youngest son was married
New Year’s Eve, and the New Orleans
children live in an area fully recovered
from Katrina.
All the sons of Jeanne Reifsnyder
Wiseman are now stateside, two in
Yorktown, Va., and one in Arizona.
Her daughter lives in Houston, and
her three grandsons are all in college.
Jeanne traveled a lot when she lived
in Germany and in Hawaii, so she is
content now to limit her traveling to
family visits.
While still teaching 20 private
violin pupils a week, Elva Welday
Newdome also babysits her son’s
3-year-old twins. Such stamina! Her
43-year-old daughter has fought cancer
for several years, but it is now under
control due to a new drug. Elva and two
other daughters took their second cruise
in late 2007.
Ann Scott wrote from Sarasota,
Fla., that she is glad to miss the winters
in New York. She goes to Sag Harbor,
N.Y., for the warm months. Her
grandnephew is now in third grade
and at the top of his class. Ann and
Cass communicate, and she also stays
in touch with Charlie Beal, Lunette
Harris’ widowed husband.
Barbara Longaker Yowell has a
wonderful family – six sons with six
young families, and they are all close
by. Her grandchildren are ages 6 to
25. Barbara will visit her first greatgranddaughter
and attend two family
weddings this summer. She and sisterin-law
Betty Jane Yowell are close.
Ruth Gilmer Huettel noted their
luck in traveling in and out of the
Denver airport on days that the blizzard
was not raging. They had gone to visit
children in Boulder. Getting around was
difficult, but the snow was spectacular.
Ruth has seen Betty Meade Thornton
several times recently, once at dinner
and again at Barter Theatre.
It was a joy to hear from Edith
Matzenger Balfe, a Mobile, Ala.,
classmate now settled in Seabrook,
Texas. She has three daughters with
busy families. One lives in Texas, one
lives in Florida, and the youngest lives
in Maryland. Edith and husband Bill
mostly stay at home, enjoying quite a
bit of reading, entertaining friends, and
staying in touch with far-flung family
and friends via frequent long phone
calls. Edie’s health is remarkably good,
she writes, though she finds herself
slowing down some, enjoying home life
rather than globetrotting these days.
Living in Colorado Springs, Colo.,
Jean McClarin Jones is generally
in good health. She wanted to be at
our 60th reunion to hug all her “old”
friends. Jean has four children, a
granddaughter practicing law in Seattle,
and two grandsons in college in Seattle
and Phoenix. She occasionally enjoys
the opera in Santa Fe, N.M., went on
a Danube River cruise in 2007 with a
missionary friend, and celebrated her
80th birthday with family and friends at
Estes Park, Colo.
Barbara Thomas Phillips wrote
that she is age-appropriate, still plays
a bit of tennis, and exercises. Their
publishing company continues in a
reduced way and she does freelance
editing work and, as of this writing,
does intensive volunteer work for Sen.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Barbara’s
three daughters, all with families, are
productively engaged – one as a museum
director, one as a communications
director for Sen. Joseph Lieberman,
and one as a senior teacher in a school
for highly motivated at-risk children.
Barbara recently enjoyed a canal boat
trip in the Loire Valley of France.
Norvell Millner Thomson wrote
that she is A-OK, still serving as a docent
for the Lynchburg, Va., museum system,
taking piano and computer lessons,
participating in a book club, and working
out in a gym and walking. She spent
some time touring Natchez, Miss., before
Christmas – a delightful visit to homes
beautifully decorated for the season.
She took several mini-trips during the
year, one to Jamestown for the Colonial
Dames gala, where she spent time with
Justin Edwards Borland.
1949
Anna Dulany Lyons
1400 Enterprise Drive, Apt. N236
Lynchburg, VA 24502
June Davis McCormick
18 Lynnbrook Road
Saint Louis, MO 63131-2925
jaymccee@yahoo.com
FROM JUNE: Sadly, we must relate
the passing of two classmates. The first
was belatedly reported to Virginia Lee
White, who forwarded the news to us.
Mary Lou Morgan Glossbrenner’s
husband, Jax, wrote that his wife of
nearly 58 years had passed away quietly
in her sleep in August 2006. After
spending much of the last year in poor
health, she died just four days after
being diagnosed as terminal, he said.
His letter was a moving tribute from a
loving husband, to whom we extend our
deepest sympathy.
Word then came in a note from
Elizabeth “Betty” Fischer Gore who
reported the demise of her roommate
and lifelong friend, Josephine Drury
Ramsburg, in September. Jo had been in
an assisted living home in Berryville and
suffered from severe
emphysema. We know
Jo is sadly missed by
all who knew her and
loved her.
In her note, Betty
said she continues
to keep busy with
her watercolor
paintings. She
attended a workshop
in Myrtle Beach, S.C.,
where she studied
monoprinting in
watercolor. Betty keeps in touch with
Mary Elwang Sharpley, who resides at
The Colonnades, a retirement home in
Charlottesville, where Betty also plans
to move in the next year or two. Mary
later learned that Betty was in rehab
following hip replacement surgery. Mary
also told us that Barbara Westerman
Newlon’s husband, Howard, had
recently had a hip replacement himself.
Betty and Mary are formulating plans
for our 60th reunion next year.
In news gleaned from Christmas
cards and notes, we learned that several
class members had health issues during
the year. Dolores “Dee” Ross wrote of
having a double bypass heart surgery in
May 2007.
Jackie McConnell Scarborough
said she had an angioplasty in July, with
one stent inserted into a heart artery
that failed by October, necessitating a
double bypass for her, too. Jackie said
husband Les has had his hands full but
pronounced him “a very good nurse.”
Elva Tate Hasher said she thinks
she is “falling apart” as she has lost
hearing in her left ear and “Arthur”
(one of the “Ritis” boys) has taken
up permanent residence in her left
knee! Elva spent Christmas with her
daughter, Ann.
Keeping busy and happy most of
the time, Barbara Trimm Wright wrote
that “for some reason” DMV requested
a vision test and updated photo last year.
She quipped, “I can’t imagine why!”
We know, and so does Barbara; many
of us hit that special year, too! Happily,
Barb passed her test and her license
was renewed again for five years, for
which she credits her successful cataract
surgeries.
From Richmond, Dorothy
Desmond Helfrich wrote of continued
sciatic pain and recently added
peripheral artery disease to her list of
health problems. She was scheduled to
have angioplasty in February to clear
the plaque from the arteries in her leg.
Her good news is the acquisition of a
new companion, a 3-year old toy poodle
retired from a puppy mill.
Frances “Blackie” Horn Nygood’s
Christmas card was an adorable picture
of her kennel’s 6-week-old basset
hounds, who kept her home for the
holidays. However, in February, she was
again ringside at Westminster for her
45th show and happily embraced one
of the owners when the judge chose the
perfect beagle “Uno” as best-in-show.
Corinne “Conni” Conley
Stuart ’49 performed another
production of Six Dance Lessons
in Six Weeks. She was onstage
continuously and whirled through
the six dances, from the waltz
to the cha-cha.
Still enjoying their new home and
the small town ambience of Palestine,
Texas, Katherine “Kate” Mayo Schmidt
and Bill had their son, Bill Jr., and his
wife with them for the Thanksgiving
holiday and were expecting a quiet
Christmas.
Lucy Vance Gilmer wrote that she
would have her brother and his family
for Christmas Day dinner in Bristol, Va.
As usual, Jean “Murph” Murphy
Baptist expected 16 family members
for her Christmas Eve dinner, with
entertainment probably to be provided
by her two little great-grandsons. Jean
joyfully reported that her son, Edward,
had finished his 16-month tour of duty
in Iraq and was back in Germany with
his family. He was to spend February on
the East Coast before reporting to Fort
Irvin, Calif., where he’ll spend the next
two years. Jean said she is “still vertical,”
but everything she does takes twice as
long as usual. Happily, her children are
nearby in Martinsville.
From their transplanted home
in Roswell, Ga., Jeanne Farrington
Leslie and Mike sent holiday greetings.
She reported that they are in good
health although Mike had torn his
rotary cuff, could not play tennis, and
faced a lengthy rehab. In celebration
of octogenarian birthdays for both,
Jeanne and Mike’s daughters took them
to Hilton Head, S.C., where Jeanne
reported that all had a marvelous time.
In July, they drove to Quantico for their
grandson’s Basic School graduation and
subsequent commission as a second
lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps.
With the arrival of their second greatgrandchild
and another due in May,
Jeanne concluded that they are “in awe
of God’s goodness.”
Gwen Brubaker Connell and John
left their Fort Myers, Fla., home for two
special trips last year. First, they drove
through Virginia, Pennsylvania, and
Tennessee, and had a wonderful time
visiting family and friends. Their second
trip was to Utah for a memorable
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