class notes

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1960

Gail Bendix Jaffe
gailbjaffe@mac.com

To celebrate Suzanne Elsesser’s 70th birthday, she and her entire family of three kids, their spouses, and five grandchildren gathered for a weekend in Saratoga Springs. Suzanne gave them a tour of the “old campus” dorms she had lived in (and where I was her rommate for most of our four years): East House, Pea­body, Court Street, and Skidmore. They took in a flute concert on the “new” campus. She hopes that a grandchild or two might consider Skidmore when the time comes. Daughter Rebecca Shimkin ’91 and son-in-law Bill Halsey ’89 have already continued the tradition.

Gail Corwin celebrated her 70th last May when her three daughters took her to Chicago, IL, for a long weekend. “It was great fun,” she says. Then Gail, her daughters, and five of her grandchildren gathered in San Diego, CA—a first! In September, Gail traveled to Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos with a friend. She especially enjoyed seeing the reclining Buddha in Bangkok and the faces of the “guardian spirits” adorning the walls at Angkor Wat. Back home in San Diego, she has been studying ceramics in an adult-education class, which is a creative outlet and has enhanced her social life.

On a gorgeous October weekend, Judy Harmon Miller hosted the “annual roommate reunion” at her home on Martha’s Vineyard. Mary Kelchner Lindner, Barbara Block Zwick, Kathey Adair Coombs, Liz Atterbury Harrington, and Judy’s next-door neighbor Jean Braddon Lewellyn enjoyed “never-ending but meaningful conversation, long walks, great food, and, of course, golf.” The group celebrated their individual 70 years as well as 48 years of knowing one another. Judy and Liz met in second grade in Glenridge, NJ, breaking the record with 62 years of friendship!

Bonnie Vare Smith and husband Chapman enjoyed a 25-day vacation in Italy with two other couples from Memphis, TN. They cruised from Corsica to Venice and stayed in a house in Penna-Umbria for nine days. While Bonnie thought the trip would be the highlight of 2008, her son changed that by getting married on New Year’s Eve in Bonnie’s house—very exciting. Bonnie volunteers as a fund­raiser; in her down time, she plays golf and gardens.

Cindy Pendleton ’85, daughter of the late Georgia Anderson Pendleton, is a class volunteer. She lives in Spencer, MA, with husband Bill Cronin and their 6-year-old son and 3-three-year daughter. Georgia’s other daughter Julie lives and works in Waltham, MA. Son John (Trinity ’89) practices law and lives in Ports­mouth, NH, with his wife and their two children, while Brigham (Union ’92) is a Web-site designer, also in Portsmouth.

Nancy Coxon Olson’s daughter Kari and her family live in Boston; Nancy’s granddaughter Sarah starts college this year. Nancy spent Christmas with son David and his wife, who live in Vancouver, WA, with their twin boys. Nancy is a part-time private-duty RN, runs a bookstore at her church, and takes art classes. She is looking forward to our reunion next May.

Karuna Wyatt Kress loves living in Vermont. Besides her work as kitchen manager and cook at a resort center in Leyden, MA, Karuna practices “multidimensional coaching at the Spirit Fire Meditative Retreat Center (www.spiritfire.com). She holds a master’s and a doctorate in meditation and has taught courses in over 15 countries.

Mary Winters Cooper sends greetings from Naples, FL. She and husband Jim had dinner at the Naples home of Tim and Carol Santry Covello in December. The couples, longtime friends, had a great evening together. Mary described Carol as “beautiful, slim, cultured, and very happy.” Carol plans to attend our 50th!

After she retired from the Cincinnati VA Hospital, Susan Hathcock Brown and husband Bob promptly moved to western North Carolina and built a house. They enjoy golf, tennis, and international travel. Sue, who has acquired a new knee, also plays duplicate bridge four times a week. Her three children live in Virginia, Arizona, and California.

Ellie Schmidt Schweigaard-Olsen welcomes hearing from classmates at elliesso@mac.com. Ellie traveled to Chile to hike in Patagonia and cruise in the fjords last year. She was delighted to learn of the many cocktail parties being held in anticipation of our reunion.

Marilee Karins Pellegrini joined the Hershey Community Chorus this past year and says, “It is fun and challenging to make music again.” She continues to relish the opportunities semi-retirement allows. She spends her time being with friends and helping care for her youngest two grandchildren. She is very happy to have all five grandkids nearby.

Ellen VanDusen Guthrie had a second knee replacement last March, making both knees bionic. In January she traveled to Guatemala to help build homes with Habitat for Humanity. She is active as a construction leader for the local HFH affiliate in Louisville, KY.