University of Mary Washington - Index

University of Mary Washington - summer08 - Index

58
CLASS NOTES
vacation and the celebration of their 61st
wedding anniversary. Both Gwen and
John observed their 80th birthdays in
August, and they were made even more
special as the occasion brought their four
children and their spouses to Florida
for a weekend of togetherness. Gwen
reported two new great-grandchildren
born last year and at least two more
expected this year, for a current extended
family total of 45! With so many
wonderful events during the year, there
also were some things that provided
a better understanding of the familiar
poem Footprints in the Sand. Gwen
added, “I’m sure God carried us more
than once.” Amen.
In her Christmas message, Jane
Yeatman Spangler wrote that she and
Bob have enjoyed having their daughter,
Janet, living with them in Concord,
N.C., during her nurse training. She
planned to finish in May. An added
bonus was having Janet’s children join
the family for Thanksgiving, together
with 1-year-old Taryn, the Spanglers’
great-granddaughter, and Nancy,
their daughter. As usual, Jane and Bob
planned a Christmas
visit with their son and
his family in Carlisle,
Pa., then traveled on
to Washington for
New Year’s Eve, with
a stop in Lexington
for a brief visit with
Betty Bond Heller
Nichols. In reference
to our upcoming 60th
reunion next year, Jane wondered how
many “Fabulous Forty-Niners” might
make the sentimental journey back to
the scene of our youth. “We’re still as
cute as ever!” she observed.
Betty Bond recapped her busy
schedule in her holiday note, saying
that during the Christmas season,
musicians do not have a life of their
own. B.B.’s daughter, Anne, directs the
children’s choir at their church, so guess
who got “volunteered” to rehearse and
accompany them?! After the holidays,
B.B. was anticipating a very special
event – Anne and her husband and four
children (ages 12, 10, 8, and 7) were to
take B.B. to Jamaica for her milestone
80th birthday. She was looking forward
to the sunshine and warmth, especially
the warmth provided by 80 lighted
candles. Welcome to the Octogenarian
Club, B.B.!
Seeking a respite from Toronto’s
wintry weather, Corinne “Conni”
Conley Stuart and Bonar planned
an eight-day Caribbean cruise in late
February. Flying out during a major
snowstorm, they basked in the tropic
sunshine then returned home during
another snowstorm. With others
reported at sea in February, mayhap (in
fond memory of Lady B.) our cruising
classmates were on ships that passed
in the night. Earlier, Conni performed
another production of Six Dance Lessons
in Six Weeks. Onstage continuously,
Conni whirled through the six dances,
from the waltz to the cha-cha, and said
she was “in pretty good shape” by the
end of the run.
Now settled in at The Summit
in Lynchburg, Anna “Andi” Dulany
Lyons is enjoying its many benefits.
She is taking a weekly tai chi class, has
joined the book club, is a new member
of Friends of the Library, and was to
begin line dancing lessons in March.
Andi finds Lynchburg to be a lovely
old city with many interesting places to
visit therein and nearby. She also enjoys
a breathtaking view and spectacular
sunsets from her back balcony, which
overlooks a lake, with woods leading the
eye up to the mountains and the Peaks
of Otter. Two sons, Hal and Scott, and
their families live in Lynchburg, and
son Clay and family are only an hour
“and three mountains away.” Son Rob
and his new family aren’t in immediate
proximity; however Rob’s in-laws live
in Lynchburg. Andi had a surprise visit
from Bob Barden, husband of her Mary
Washington roommate, Barbara Watson
Barden, and their son, who came from
Lancaster, Pa. Andi has reunited with
her classmate and lifelong friend Marion
“Wendy” Selfe Kelly and husband
George, who also enjoy their condo in a
nearby retirement complex.
Carol Bailey Miller ’50 has been
appointed to the Cumberland
County (Va.) Planning
Commission.
Marion is delighted to have Andi
available for convenient lunches, frequent
phone calls, and lots of “remember
when’s.” The Kellys went by train to an
Elderhostel offering in New York that
revolved around the five boroughs of
New York City, with morning classes
followed by exploring on the subways. In
September, Marion and George flew to
Basel, Switzerland, boarded a river boat
with 115 passengers, and floated down to
Antwerp, Belgium. The highlight of their
year was a very special party for George’s
milestone 90th birthday observance.
It was a gala celebration with all their
children, grandchildren, and old friends
gathered. The Kellys started off the year
with a trip in February to Puerto Vallarta,
Mexico, for 10 days of welcome sunshine,
temperatures in the 80s, and leisurely
visits with some of George’s old friends,
who make their home there half the year.
We are delighted to finally have
news from two dear classmates. From
Dallas, Virginia “Ginny” Jones McKie
reported that she and Jay continue their
seasonal changes by driving to Norfolk
around the first of May for five months,
then returning to Dallas on the first of
October. One special event last year
was having the whole family together
for Thanksgiving at daughter Betsy’s
home in Newport Beach, Calif. Feeding
22 relatives for dinner required two
huge turkeys. Ginny and Jay have two
grandsons in college, one at Rensselaer
and the other at NYU. Their other
grandchildren are girls.
UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON MAGAZINE����������������
Dawn McElrath Gill also sent a
welcome update, saying that she’s happy
to have attained her octogenarian status.
Dawn counts these things among her
many blessings: She enjoys good health;
she’s still in her home of 40 years; she’s
a bird watcher and a “party animal”;
she still plays bridge and goes out a lot;
and she enjoys visits with her son and
family in Roanoke and her daughter
and family in Culpeper. Dawn further
reports that she has a regular “gentleman
caller!” Sam is a retired rheumatologist
who works at the Free Clinic and attends
the same church as Dawn. They became
acquainted seven years ago during a
church pilgrimage to England. Sam was
a recent widower, and Dawn’s husband,
Frank, died in 1996. Dawn’s daughter,
Pam, took her on a cruise to Alaska last
summer and had scheduled a cruise to
the Caribbean in February; Dawn admits
she easily could become a “cruise junkie!”
Dawn also visits her twin sister,
Ann McElrath Quinn, in Charlottesville
as often as possible. Ann’s husband, Earl,
has Parkinson’s, and their two older sons
live nearby while their youngest son lives
in the Boston area.
As for me, when I reported the loss
of my beloved sister, Betty, last March,
I had no inkling that only three months
later my other sister would be diagnosed
with terminal lung cancer. In just three
months, she also was gone. Many may
remember her: Evelyn Knight, a popular
singer and recording star of the ’40s and
’50s, whose records aired everywhere
during our junior and senior years. In
1949, four of them topped the charts
for several months, unheard of today,
earning her gold records, network
radio programs, and frequent guest
appearances on TV variety shows of that
era. Few know that after graduation, I
joined my sister in Los Angeles to work
as her secretary. Throughout the next
two years, appearances at the top supper
clubs of the day necessitated touring to
every major city for two- to four-week
engagements at each hotel.
It was while on tour in Chicago that I
met my future husband, John, a nationally
known broadcaster. Two years later, we
were married in Los Angeles, with a
lovely reception at Evelyn’s Brentwood
home, and soon returned to Chicago.
Evelyn remarried that year and gradually
closed out her singing career as music
tastes turned to other styles, notably rock
’n roll. In 1961, Evelyn was honored by
having her star placed on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame. Now, “the song is ended,
but the melody lingers on.” Both in her
private life and public performance,
Evelyn always was a class act.
Because of her love and generosity,
I was afforded four years at Mary
Washington and a wealth of postgraduate
experiences. All of us sisters
shared a lifetime of wonderful memories,
which remain inviolate. Heartfelt
thanks to those caring classmates who
offered sympathy and shared their fond
recollections.
As ever, love to you all from both
of us.
1950
Dorothy Held Gawley
177 McCosh Road
Montclair, NJ 07043
dnigawley@juno.com
I am pleased to be able to have more
news for this column due to the
wonderful notes that appeared on my
Christmas cards, and I thank everyone
who took the time to write a few words.
I would like to backtrack to my last
news in which I wrote that Jean Sprower
Hampton had lost her home. This was
due to a fire, which greatly destroyed
the structure. Her latest note reported
that the old fire-damaged house is now
a lovely, new, and modern house. Jean
is happy to have her youngest grandson,
age 6, living nearby, and she has three
older grandsons in Vermont.
I also delivered the sad news of the
death of Jackie Newell Recker. During
the holidays, I received a nice note from
her husband, Len, who mentioned that
Jackie had experienced failing health
for about four years. While she lived in
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., she was on the
board of the Women’s Golf Association
and was a sustaining member of the
Junior League of Jacksonville.
Peggy Litton Fox and Bill still live
on Lake Harding in Hamilton, Ga., about
30 miles south of Callaway Gardens.
They both volunteer at the gardens
and with PAWS – Bill has taught his
Australian sheep dog to read! – and they
have worked more than 11,000 hours
at St. Francis Hospital. They recently
celebrated their 57th anniversary and
became first-time great-grandparents.
There was sad news from Gerry
Boswell Griffin in North Carolina. Her
husband, Dave, was recovering well
from brain surgery, when he contracted
pneumonia and then an unidentified
infection, which spread to all his organs.
He died within four days. She has had
wonderful support from friends at The
Pines, where they have lived for two
years. Gerry is trying to keep busy,
serving on various committees and
attending exercise and water aerobics
classes, as well as taking advantage
of season tickets to various Davidson
College events. Her daughter, Judy, who
lives in Phoenix, was diagnosed with
breast cancer and was fortunate not to
have bad effects from her treatments.
Gerry is looking forward to a more
tranquil and less stressful 2008.
Helen Hopkins Timberlake lost
her husband, Neal, in August of 2007.
He had been seriously ill for two years,
having had lung cancer and heart
surgery. Our sympathy is sent to Gerry
and Helen.
It was nice to receive two letters
from Connie Metzger Verlander and
Joe. Their lives have changed a bit
since Joe’s stroke in 2005. It was very
serious, but with many hours of therapy
and hard work, he is doing OK. All of
their children live nearby. Son Paul is a