University of Mary Washington - Index

University of Mary Washington - summer08 - Index

60
CLASS NOTES
into their 90s. Betsy’s daughter had an
11-day work assignment in India.
We are saddened by the death of
Pat Saunders on Jan. 6, 2008. Martha
“Ginny” Bailes wrote that Pat had
been ill and in a great deal of pain for
some time. Ginny is still in Strasburg,
retired, doing volunteer activities, and
gardening.
Peggy Hopkins Johnson sent an
impressive supplement that ran in The
Free Lance-Star highlighting UMW’s
Centennial Celebration. So many
exciting events! Peg had a nice trip to
Florida with her sister in January. She
plays cards every Saturday night with a
group of six friends.
Pam Powell Wiehl reported from
sunny Florida that she and Bill are
relatively healthy, the grandchildren are
great fun, and Naples is a wonderful
town. They enjoy outdoor concerts,
walks on the glorious beaches, excellent
tennis facilities, and many programs at
the Philharmonic Center for the Arts.
Norm and Garnette Bell Crawford
have become quite active at Salisbury
University in Maryland, where Norm
served as president. They attend most
of the football and lacrosse games,
luncheons, convocations, etc. Church
activities also take a chunk of their time.
Their travels are confined mostly to the
East Coast, and they take an occasional
cruise. Garnette enjoys their annual
trip to Rhode Island to see hometown
friends. Daughter Sally lives nearby,
and they visit daughter Ellen and her
husband in Charlotte, N.C., a couple
times a year.
A Christmas card from Ginny Poole
Kinniburgh reported that she and John
take great joy in the successes of their
six grandchildren and satisfaction in
sharing time and talent with their church,
friends, and community. They were
looking forward to a Christmas journey
as they visited family from Virginia to
Florida, where they spent several weeks
at a condo in New Smyrna Beach.
In the building next door to
Ginny and John’s condo were Kitty
Garland Obenshain and her husband!
Kitty’s sixth children’s opera officially
premièred at Radford University in
November, followed by six school-tour
performances. “The school tour is
always a great pleasure for me,” Kitty
said, “seeing children so intent on
the characters and the story is truly
ample reward for my labors.” Her older
granddaughter graduated from the
University of Evansville and is finishing
her internship in music therapy at a
hospital in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Here is a wonderful story from
Betty Mason Roper: During the
holidays, son John and his family (wife,
3-year old, and 1-year-old twins) were
driving from Atlanta to Boston when
they slid off the interstate on some black
ice and rolled their van, totaling it.
Fortunately, all were strapped in, and no
one was seriously injured. When her son
called in the early morning, he said they
were being checked out at a hospital near
Christiansburg. Betty immediately called
Kitty Obenshain. Kitty and Ray went to
the hospital, took the family to a motel,
and took John to Roanoke to get a rental
car. “We are so grateful
to Ray and Kitty for
being surrogate parents
to our offspring,” Betty
said. “It gave us some
peace of mind knowing
they were in good
hands.”
Joan Schlesinger
Miller called to report
that she stays busy
as a member of the
executive committee
of the opera company
that performs in Norfolk, Richmond,
and Northern Virginia. She was to
leave soon on a tour she designed for
opera and museum patrons, with visits
to Moscow and Leningrad. She also
serves as president of the auxiliaries for
two area hospitals. She and Janet Swan
Clements Jacobs stay in touch.
I just heard from Peg Johnson
that Doris Ann Lindsey Whitfield is
being treated in North Carolina for
Guillain-Barré syndrome. I surely hope
that by the time you are reading this, she
will be enjoying a full recovery. What
a wonderful focus on her conservation
work in the winter issue of TODAY!
Many, many thanks for your news!
By the time we read this, we’ll have more
news from the reunion.
1954
Ruth Gillespie Simpson
6610 Elgin Lane
Bethesda, MD 20817
Regs2000@aol.com;
Regs2008@gmail.com
Thanks to all of you who contacted me.
Please note that there are two email
addresses for a while. Please use both,
since I don’t know when I will switch.
Best wishes to all.
Pat Hatfield Mayer called with the
sad news that Anna Nash Kay McDaniel
died on Jan. 31, after a long battle with
cancer. We extend our deepest sympathy
to her family, which includes a 10month-old
great-grandchild.
Pat has finished her three-year tour
as state regent of the Virginia DAR and
is now one of 21 national vice presidents
general. Her husband, Donald, is a
semi-retired estate planner with an
office overlooking their garden, which
he carefully maintains. The Mayers
attended Mary Washington’s Centennial
Celebration on March 14 and enjoyed
chatting before dinner with the speaker,
author David McCullough.
Mary Lou Puller Griggs wrote
with sadness that Lucy Ann Ingalls
Hostettler died on Jan. 3. Lucy Ann
was in our class but stayed at Mary
Washington only two years. She married
Stephen Hostettler, a ’53 graduate of
the Naval Academy, and they had two
children. After many duty stations
UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON MAGAZINE����������������
around the world, they settled in
Annandale, Va., about 30 years ago. We
extend our condolences to her family.
Pat Swain Holzberlein ’54 taught
swimming, gymnastics, and
driver education for 40 years
and now drives a van full of dogs
and cats for the Lost Dog and
Cat Rescue Foundation’s weekly
adoption events.
Toni Miller Drain and John spent
a week last summer in Chautauqua, N.Y.,
going to lectures and musical events and
discussing Ethics and the Media, and
they spent another week exploring the
Finger Lake region of New York. They’re
glad to have had Christmas in California
in ’06, because Pfizer transferred their
daughter, Ann, back to Connecticut in
the spring. Toni and John are still very
busy with church work. Toni sees Jane
Bradfield Davison occasionally and
Helen Wilber Vogel often. Helen also is
busy with church work and helping care
for her six young grandchildren.
Linda LeHardy Sweet and Jauncey
have regular Thursday visits with their
5-year-old grandchild. Linda often
sees Peggy Hopkins Johnson ’53,
who also lives in Fredericksburg. The
Sweets were delighted that Babs Wilson
Taliaferro-Potter and Bob could
spend two nights with them, while
attending Mary Washington’s Centennial
Celebration.
Babs said that the celebration
started at Brompton in the late
afternoon, continued on for dinner
at the alumni center, and was an
elegant affair. Pat Mayer was the only
classmate she recognized. This year,
Babs’ travels have included London
and Newfoundland with the Grenfell
group, Plattsburgh for a grandson’s
graduation, Bermuda for an anniversary,
Asheville for “leafing,” and several trips
up the road to St. Augustine, where her
world-traveling son broke his neck. He
was on his bicycle coming fast down
Vilano Bridge when he hit wet grass
and tumbled over his handlebars. Babs
had prayer circles going all over the
country. After six weeks, he had no
paralysis and was back at his job as a
head and neck surgeon.
Pat Swain Holzberlein taught
swimming, gymnastics, and driver
education in the public schools for
40 years and now drives a van full of
20 dogs and cats from Falmouth to
Fairfax for the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue
Foundation’s weekly adoption events.
They have three rescued dogs and are
now fostering a basset hound who,
tied to Pat’s waist, hikes, blades, and
bikes with her.
Helen Hodges Conte has
been taking classes at the Frederick
Community College Institute for
Learning in Retirement. The first was
tai chi, which was a challenge, then she
took American history courses with
interesting day trips. She continues to
be active in her church and volunteers
at Homewood, their church retirement
community. Helen is also a member
of the Frederick County Genealogy
Society and has spent many hours
researching her mother’s family, whose
members have lived in that county for
several generations.
Sue Sykes Shipman and her
husband keep busy with church activities
and their active senior group. The
Shipmans planned a Thanksgiving ’07
Carnival cruise out of Mobile, Ala.,
with the entire family (three children,
spouses, and two grandchildren).
Pat Ashley Mathena sent
information that Virginia “Jingles”
Kirkwood Browning moved to
Rappahannock Westminster Canterbury
in Irvington, Va.
Bootsie Simpson Johnson’s
son and family have moved into her
neighborhood, so she gets to enjoy
their two children, ages 2 and 4, more
often. Her daughter’s daughter is now
16. If anyone is interested in organic
homeopathic medicine, Bootsie will be
happy to talk with you, as she attributes
her recovery from lymph node cancer
and shingles to that therapy. She’s
looking forward to our Class Reunion
next year.
Ruth Russell Cobb was inducted
into the Maryland Senior Citizen Hall
of Fame last fall. The group recognizes
individuals for their skills and willingness
to serve in many capacities as a volunteer.
She was also the feature quilter in
November at their quilting guild’s
show. Ruth began quilting many years
ago with the Steppingstone Museum and
lives close to Lancaster, Pa., which is a
quilting center. Congratulations on both
honors, Ruth!
I have apologized to Carolyn
Osborne Jenkins for the entry in the
winter ’08 edition of TODAY, which
was caused by editing problems. She
and Bob plan an August trip to
Prague, Nuremberg, and sailing on the
Danube to Budapest. They will return
via London for a visit with the twin
grandchildren.
1955
Christine Harper Hovis
1481 Balboa St.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
chrishovis@aol.com
Wow! I’ve got so much news from you.
Ann Dunaway Criswell and her
husband live in their Virginia home in
the summer and in Los Altos, Calif., in
the winter, where for the last 29 years
of Ann’s teaching career, she taught at
Castilleja girls’ school. Castilleja was the
“rival” of Miss Harker’s School for Girls,
which I attended.
Coralyn White McGeehan’s
beautiful grandchildren range from
ages 16 to 23. In November, she took