University of Mary Washington - Index

University of Mary Washington - summer08 - Index

76
CLASS NOTES
May 18, which was also the day Kathy’s
eldest daughter was to graduate from
Christopher Newport University. Sara
finished CNU in three years and is
an English major (like Mom!) and
a leadership studies minor. With Sara’s
wedding date set for May 31, Kathy
figured she could not attend any reunion
activities. Her son, Tim, 18, planned to
graduate from Fredericksburg Christian
High School in May. Kathy’s “baby,”
Amy Elizabeth, is now 15 and studying
American history in-depth at home this
year. Kathy was a museum professional
in the photographic preservation field at
both the National Archives and Records
Administration and the Smithsonian
American Art Museum. She had her
own consulting and photographic
preservation business for several years.
They are currently caregivers to Joe’s
dad, former Germanna Community
College President Arnold Wirtala.
Kathy regularly sees her best friends
from UMW: Toni Showalter Scott,
Susan Haas Meyer, and Robyn Reed.
She is also in touch with Jeannette
Smith Sullivan, who is in south Florida.
Martha Cross Swafford and her
husband, Dave, will celebrate their 30th
anniversary this year. After 20 years
of leading a military life and moving
numerous times, they have settled back in
Virginia. Martha worked for several years
at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, but
now enjoys working in her own gardens.
Venetia “Tia” Kite Cadow has
lived in Fredericksburg since graduation
and has been married to her husband,
Robert, for 27 years. They have two
daughters – Megan, 20, is a sophomore
at George Mason University, and Kelsey,
16, is a sophomore in high school. Tia
had a commercial banking career in
Washington, D.C., for 10 years before
she “retired” to have her children. For
the past 10 years, she has owned
Fredericksburg Rentals, a party/event
rental company that offers tents, tables,
chairs, linens, china, flatware, glassware,
dance floors – everything you’d need for
a party, wedding, or corporate event. She
is a very involved alumna and sits on the
UMW Galleries Advisory Council. She
hoped to attend our 30th reunion, but
that is a very busy time in her business.
Beth D. Atkinson will celebrate
her 30th wedding anniversary in August
and has two grown children, Virginia
and Jeremy. Virginia graduated from
Mary Washington in 2003, and Jeremy
graduated from U.Va. in 2006. Beth, who
lives in Northern Virginia, has worked as
a substitute teacher and chief officer of
elections and has volunteered in various
community groups for many years.
After graduation, Bill Leighty
earned a master’s degree in business
administration from Virginia
Commonwealth University. He retired
in September after a 29-year career
serving in various capacities with state
government. The last five years of his
service were as chief of staff to governors
Warner and Kaine, and a real highlight
of his career was serving as the main
point of contact with Buckingham
Palace for the visit of Her Royal Majesty,
Queen Elizabeth, to Virginia in May of
2007. Bill is an adjunct faculty member
at VCU and has a private consulting
practice that specializes in performance
management and includes several
international contacts in Scotland and
England. He is married to Marti Kearns
Leighty ’75, who was his high school
prom date. Their son, Matthew, married
Bill’s best friend’s daughter, Shannon, in
October. The two met when Bill and his
friend took them along on a hiking and
camping trip to the bottom of the Grand
Canyon in May of 2005. He reports, “Life
is very good!”
Lynn Kramer Hallahan didn’t
graduate from Mary Washington
because she transferred to MCV in
Richmond, but she’s still an alumna!
Lynn is single and has two children – a
daughter, 18, and a son, 20. They live in
Warwick, N.Y., and she’s a laboratory
information systems coordinator for
the Bon Secours Charity Health System.
Interestingly, she works
remotely with Pattie
Hart. Both transferred
to MCV together in the
same program, went
their separate ways
after college, and now
are working parallel for
the same organization.
As Lynn says, “It’s a
small world.”
Patti Gutteridge
Meire has been
married to her
husband, Leo, for 22 years and has
two sons, ages 16 and 12. They live in
Richmond, where Patti practices law at
Hunton & Williams. Patti reports that
she visits Fredericksburg – especially
Carl’s – from time to time. Whenever
she goes, she walks around the campus
and is thrilled to see Mary Washington
thriving.
Lucy Eppes Swanson reported
that 2007 was a stressful year. In March,
she and her family moved to a six-acre
property in Pierson, Fla., that had been
in her husband’s family since the 1920s.
They moved two weeks after having to
put their son’s 13-year-old cat to sleep
and three days before her 94-year-old
father died. Lucy had just transferred to
a new job location, too, so everything
was topsy-turvy! She was looking
forward to 2008 being a much better
year, and so far so good.
Karen V. Jones Bourgeois has
been married for 19 years and has one
son, Frederick Joseph Bourgeois IV,
who’ll enter high school later this year,
and one spunky cat. Karen earned a
master’s degree in systems management
from USC and has worked for various
government and aerospace contractors
in Virginia, Colorado, and California.
She lives in northern California in the
hills near Monterey Bay and is active in
Calvary Chapel Santa Cruz. When she’s
not working, commuting, maintaining
the house, or spending time with her
family, she likes to garden, play flute,
read, and paint. She was considering
coming to the reunion with her mother
(Class of ’53) and other friends from
UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON MAGAZINE����������������
Mary Washington and hoped to see
some of her professors.
Victoria Bennett Goodrich lives
in Virginia Beach and, as of June 17,
2008, has been married to Tom for 30
years! They have a 24-year-old daughter
and a 21-year-old son. Vicky worked as
a vascular technologist in the Hampton
Roads area for 28 years and is now
working part time for Sentara – no
weekends, no on-call, no holidays! She
and Tom are actively involved with Grace
Bible Church in Virginia Beach. Tom
works as a woodcrafter/carpenter for the
federal government. They now live with
Tom’s father, who is almost 85. Vicky is
also a Mary Kay beauty consultant. They
have a red miniature dachshund and a
gray tabby. Vicky and Tom planned a
trip to San Diego, Calif., for a vascular
convention and were to continue to New
Zealand and Australia. They planned to
celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary
at the Great Barrier Reef.
A highlight of the 29-year state
government career of Bill Leighty
’78 was serving as the main point
of contact with Buckingham
Palace for the visit of Her Royal
Majesty, Queen Elizabeth,
to Virginia in May of 2007.
Lynn Connor Merring lives
in Costa Mesa, Calif., and works in
Newport Beach. She manages the library,
records, and docketing departments of
a law firm of 120 lawyers in five offices.
Lynn has been married for almost 12
years to her husband, Bob, a lawyer
who practices out of their home. They
have no children, but they do have two
fabulous royal standard poodles. Lynn
is very close to her junior-year Mary
Washington roommate, Pamela Brown,
and she saw her in December when
visiting family in Florida.
Laurie Jean Baker Brown is now
Laurie Baker Jewett; she married a
contractor from Vermont in 1995. They
live on a house barge that is tied to
an old fishing dock in Poquoson, Va.
They just won a five-year battle to save
the building, and they plan to restore
it. Her grandchildren, Vanya, 9, and
Daedalus, 3, live with them. Laurie sings
with Publick Times Chorus of Sweet
Adelines International and is illustrating
a children’s book about recycling. Laurie
reports, “Life is interesting.”
After graduation, Seth Brown
was an economic statistician for the
Department of Commerce and worked
evenings at Desperado’s, a blues club
in Georgetown. He earned a master’s
degree in accounting from Georgetown
and pursued an interesting career
path – from Arthur Andersen, he went
to Fairchild Industries, a public company
focused on the defense and aerospace
markets. He helped negotiate the sale
of Fairchild to Banner Industries and
then to a French company called Matra.
He became vice president/controller of
Matra’s space and defense businesses
in the U.S.; then, when Matra’s U.S.
operations were sold to Orbital Sciences,
Seth became Orbital’s vice president of
finance. Later, when a British company,
Smiths Aerospace, took over part of
Orbital, Seth assumed responsibility
for Smiths’ information systems
business. In January of 2005, he became
chief financial officer and general
manager of Canadian operations for
the Australian company, Adacel. Three
years later, he sold Adacel to another
public corporation, and retired. He and
Maryann McGuire (Mike’s sister) have
been married since 1985 and live in
Leesburg, Va. They have two children:
Kathryn is a sophomore at U.Va., and
Seth is a high school junior. The senior
Seth, who serves as cantor at Christ the
Redeemer in Sterling, Va., has sung all
over the D.C. area at weddings, funerals,
and other events.
Susan Cody Dane, now in
Spotsylvania County, has taught music
for 30 years in eight different states. She
is the choral director at Freedom Middle
School. Her two daughters are grown;
one teaches second grade in Texas, and
the other is an analyst at ONI, having
finished four years of active duty in the
Navy. Susan planned to celebrate 30
years of marriage in May. Her husband,
David, teaches at the FBI Academy at
Quantico.
Cheryl Chapman Smith and her
husband, Tim, have been married for
25 years. They have lived in a suburb
of the Twin Cities in Minnesota for the
last 15 years, after Tim completed 10
years as a Navy flight officer. Cheryl
teaches second grade. They have two
children: son Glenn is a lieutenant in
the Navy stationed in Norfolk, Va.,
and daughter Blair is a senior studying
secondary education at Winona State
University. Tim and Cheryl enjoy travel
and many different outdoor activities.
Kim Barlow Hoffman worked in
retail management after graduation,
married the man she dated through
college, and settled down in
Fredericksburg. Husband George was a
landscaper with a small garden center,
and in 1988, Kim started full-time
work at the nursery. After George was
diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in
1991, Kim kept the nursery growing. By
1993, George needed a wheelchair and
assistance with most everything. In
September 2001, he had respiratory
failure due to pneumonia and was sent
home on a ventilator and given 10
days to two weeks to live. Kim proudly
reports that six years later, though
still on a ventilator and feeding tube,
George is still with her; and the nursery,
which adjoins their home, continues to
grow. Kim works full time and is there
for George. In addition, she bakes cakes
for the alumni association. Her faith and
optimism are amazing.
Regan Mulreany married Tim
Plunkett and has a 16-year-old daughter,
Shannon. After graduation, Regan
worked for Delta and was based out
of Boston and then Miami, where she