class notes

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1960s

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1960

Gail Bendix Jaffe
gbjaffe@msn.com

After spending the winter in Florida, Suzanne Denby Pelton is back home in Framingham, MA. Being close to her daughters and grandchildren allows for babysitting and spending special times with them. She enjoyed a birthday treat in June, babysitting for Torin, 18 months, and Kaila, 5.

In June Judy Harmon Miller and husband Roly hosted a “roommates reunion” for Barbara Block Zwick, Mary Kelchner Lindner, Liz Atterbury Harrington, and Kathy Adair Coombs in their home in Lenox, MA. Sightseeing in the Berkshires, Hancock Village, and Tanglewood were highlights, with shopping, eating out, cooking together, and “lots and lots of talking” enriching their time together. Mary reports talk of another reunion next summer at her new home in Pennsylvania.
Marilee Karins Pellegrini sends an update on Elizabeth Pugh ’62 (now married to Philip Grout), who transferred from Skidmore to Penn: Liz skated competitively and now teaches and judges at the Olympic level. Because Liz moved from Colorado to Philadelphia, she and Mary now have time for an occasional lunch date. Liz’s zest for living continually reminds Mary that “creative thought does indeed matter, and living a life of commitment, honoring one’s gifts, and giving of oneself contribute to living life to the fullest.”

Becky Martin Watson will return to the Skidmore campus to help her oldest grandchild “look the school over.” Becky had the pleasure of helping her granddaughter plan and modify the pattern for her prom dress and says, “I feel that I am putting my college education to work!”

Kudos to Lois Blum Reitzas, who is “determined to ‘habla español.’” She has taken an intensive training course as well as an Internet class in Spanish. While attending her granddaughter’s horse show, Lois observed several ladies “of our vintage” competing.

Mary Winters Cooper is president-elect of the League Club, an organization in Naples, FL, composed of 650 current or former members of the Junior League. She and Floss Bishop Bogdan, treasurer-elect, will work together for the next two years. Mary also serves as chair of History Day, an all-day educational forum for members of the next class of Greater Naples Leadership. Visit www.theleagueclub.org to find out more. Mary babysits every Saturday for her 4-year-old granddaughter and every other Saturday for a 14-year-old grandchild.

Sue Smith and Mary Cooper attended their 50th high-school reunion in Summit, NJ, in early April. Both attested to enjoying a great time, recalling “memories that go on and on.” Mary has kept up through the years with Sue Crosby Graves and Pat Boyes Demonet. Pat and Sue Graves visited Naples about four months ago and had a great visit together.

Carol Santry Covello and husband Tim have a vacation home in Naples, FL, and had dinner with Mary and Jim a couple of months ago. The foursome celebrated with some Veuve Cliquot champagne. Mary and I (Gail) discovered that we had a mutual friend living in Naples.

Savannah, GA, resident Barby Ann Morse Townsend recently chaired a big fundraiser, which took more time and energy than she had expected. She got some breathing room this summer to catch
up with friends. Jacquie Cropper Insley and husband Phil visited for a weekend this past spring and had fun catching up. Barby belongs to The Notables, a group of 20 women who sing a cappella in nursing homes all over Savannah. The group’s director is none other than Sue Parker Prior ’61, who lives a couple of blocks from her. Jacquie is still busy with the concrete business, which she began running about five years ago. Her son is involved now, so she is looking forward to retirement with Phil.

Barby also chats with Marty Miller Spencer, who enjoys singing with the community chorus.
Marty was particularly proud to learn the words for an 11-hour vesper service with a work by Rachmaninoff in Russian. “It was a fabulous concert and a joy to participate,” she says.

Rita Lamontagne Bowlby sold her house in West Hartford and bought a condo in Portsmouth, NH. The move brings her closer to her daughter, Lynn, who lives there too.

Alan and I celebrated our 45th anniversary in January with a trip to the Galápagos and Machu Picchu. Both were remarkable experiences. Alan and I climbed Huanya Picchu, the mountain always pictured in the background of the historical site. The height of the ruins is 7,710 feet, and the additional climb ascended to 9,000 feet. On our return we discovered that we were the oldest people to have climbed the mountain that year. Yes, it felt like a real accomplishment—at any age. We like to leave the summer heat of Tucson and visit cooler places, like San Jose, where we spend time with son Thomas. We’ve also visited with son Michael, his wife, and their boys, ages 8 and 5. We love our time away but are equally happy to return to our glorious desert city.