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In Memoriam | People & projects

1970s

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1970

Barbara Crossman Bell
bici@twcny.rr.com

Laurie Williams Hamilton was invited by the Red Cross to be a national lead instructor in a new program to support military families. Eldest son Jake graduated from his residency in radiology and started a fellowship in neuroradiology in Houston, TX. Younger son Will received his PhD in neuropsychology in Palo Alto, CA, and started a postdoctoral tour of Europe and Asia, observing and writing about psychology practices in other cultures. Laurie and husband Jack (Colgate ’71) continue being supportive children to their parents (now in their mid to late 80s). The Hamiltons are happy to be working, considering the current financial environment and, at age 60, the medical challenges as well. They spend their free time with family, playing with the dogs, watching movies, and generally hanging out in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.

After 30 years as a self-employed accounting software consultant, Jessica Wexler Tomb is now director of finance and administration at the Tinker Foun­dation in NYC. Among her other careers, she says, was a “fun but short stint selling bamboo and other sustainable flooring products.” Son Benjamin graduated from Vassar College this year with a degree in urban studies and Spanish.

New Hampshire resident Lissie Eichler Stephenson traveled to Plum Island, MA, this past spring to visit Judy Downes and Maureen Magee, who flew up from Naples, FL, for the weekend get-together. Back at home, she ran a small backyard maple-sugaring operation on 60 acres that she and husband Dave bought in 1974.

In April Liz Miller Grasty’s stepson Jeff was married in England; he met his wife while on a three-year assignment with the National Security Agency. Following a January trip to the Florida Keys, Liz spent an afternoon with Christine Vitolo in Fort Lauderdale and says, “She looks fabulous!” Christine continues her law practice, owns and runs a family entertainment center, and is a partner in an award-winning restaurant called Christine’s. While in Fort Lauderdale, Liz and her husband stayed with her brother Bruce Miller ’80, who, along with his girlfriend, gave them a lovely tour of the city and beaches. Liz is happy to report that the Northwest Federal Credit Union branch she manages is thriving. She stays busy making baby quilts for friends at work and for the Children’s Miracle Network.

In March Sandy Skipsna Muehlenbachs and husband Karlis went on a Princess cruise through the Amazon; she encourages everyone to see “the beautiful, soothing caramel ribbon that fuels the planet and all the fantastic birds, plants, and people!” She finally feels as if she went on spring break! Their eldest son, Atis, is completing his pathology residency and continuing research into malaria and pregnancy at the University of Washington. His free time is taken up by serious mushrooming with wife Clare, a public defender. Daughter Lucija is finishing up her dissertation in agricultural economics at University of Maryland and divides her time between Zurich and Wash­ington, DC. Youngest son Emils is an engineer in Edmonton, Alberta, helping bring oil to the lower 48. In June, Sandy and Karlis returned to Davos, Swit­zerland, where they honeymooned in 1971. It is also the setting for Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain, frequently referenced by our beloved and deceased art history professor, Harry Gaugh. Sandy exhibits her art throughout Edmonton, does curatorial work at several galleries, reviews art for the Edmonton Journal and other publications, and takes art courses at the University of Alberta.

Margie Mellman mailed me a clipping of a March 8 New York Times article featuring Karen Santry. The article, titled “Karen in Wonderland,” recounts how she has created a “feathered nest” in her 500-square-foot artist’s studio/apartment in the Westbeth housing complex for artists in NYC’s West Village. The article is a fascinating look at a successful and very innovative artist who has painted such personalities as David Bowie, P. Diddy, and the prime minister of the Caribbean nation of Dominica, and who learned printmaking from Andy Warhol. We knew her when!

Sharon Duffy-Verhoef has spent the past couple of years teaching figure drawing and anatomy at the Martland Art Center in Martland, FL. She also works with a few private students and continues her own painting. She is amazed at how old we are all getting. She says the work ethic she learned at Skidmore has proved invaluable and is still operative.

My son David, 38, married Tracy Infield in May. David is the founder and CEO of RelaTV Media in Astoria. My other son Joshua, 33, and wife Karolina had their first baby, Julia, in June. Josh is CFO of RelaTV. I am a freelance writer and copyeditor for Suite101.com, which was recently named by Alexa.com as the largest original-content Web site in Canada.