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1960

Marcia Mattson Todd
mmtodd1@attglobal.net

Planning is already underway for our 45th reunion in 2005. Rosemary Bourne has agreed to be reunion chair and attend planning sessions on campus. Class president Carol Siccardi Roberts convinced Rosemary that she needed to “fill up the lazy days of old age” now that she was retired. Thank you, Rosemary—it is no small job!

Carol Siccardi Roberts took her daughter on one of Sue Shaffer McGown’s shopping trips to San Miguel, Mexico, last March. Carol managed to get really sick, and her daughter blamed the guacamole. “Those Texas gals do some real serious shopping,” reports Carol, “and some of them go to San Miguel more than once a year.”

Toni Wolcott is making quite a name for herself as a popular watercolor artist in the Boca Grande, FL, area. Since 1997 she has been a member of the board of directors of the Boca Grande Art Alliance, whose workshops and artists she credits with helping her realize her talents. Toni, whose subject matter is mainly botanicals, uses pastels once in a while, and is planning on developing skill in oils. Prior to painting, Toni had studied photography and darkroom technique at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Connie Taylor Patterson may be leading the field of classmates with the most grandchildren—she has 11. Are there any others who might be contenders for the Grandma’s Prize at our 50th reunion in 2010?

Hadley Sillick Robertson and husband Dick are moving a mile away to a new section of Foulkeways, a continuing-care community. Three other couples with whom they are close friends are making the move with them. Hadley is looking forward to living life as usual, but having someone else plan and cook dinner.

Hadley got some advice from Linda Stevens Lucas on how to sell your home without a real-estate agent. Linda, who sells lots of high-end real estate in Hingham, MA, is also very active in her community and serves on a committee to preserve the town’s character and well-being. A current project in Hingham involves building an underground tunnel for the train to Boston, rather than having it run through the center of town.

Hadley also got some ideas from Justine Cohen, who spent her junior and senior years at Parsons School of Design and enjoys helping friends with their interior design projects, and Carol Vandeventer Baker, who just completed some redecorating herself. “Getting great ideas from classmates is one of the benefits of making fundraising calls,” quips Hadley.

Justine Cohen does volunteer phone-calling for her synagogue.

Last February Peggy Hiller Harris and husband Stanley became grandparents for the first time. The proud parents are their son and daughter-in-law, who also live in Savannah. GA. Along with teaching part-time, Peggy has been doing some tutoring through the United Way. She was very excited to learn that one boy she had tutored has been accepted at Skidmore. Peggy, who completed a master gardening class, enjoys spending many hours in her garden.

Betsey Chatfield Rider and husband Gary have purchased a vacation home in Green Valley, AZ. It has a lovely view of the mountains and is very close to their favorite recreation spa, where they enjoy the fitness center and outdoor lap pool. Betsey has joined a nine-hole golf league and a hiking club, while Gary plays tennis and golf. They recently had dinner with Sue Smith and her husband, Bill Wilkes, who have a home near the mountains in Tucson.

For the past 21 years, Pam Crossley Faulkner has served on the board of St. Andrews, a boarding school in Providence, RI, for youngsters with learning-style differences. She also serves on the board of the Providence Library. Last March, Pam and husband Bob welcomed a new grandson; they now have six grandchildren, all under the age of 4.

Leslie Knight Abbott and husband Bob have sold their Weston, MA, home of 40 years and purchased a winter home in Vero Beach, FL. They will continue to spend summers in Chatham, MA.

Cherry Talbott, who moved from Colorado to Fort Meyers, FL, underwent knee surgery this past spring after many years of skiing. This summer she was planning to hike and work on trail restoration, with a granddaughter, in a Sierra Club multigenerational program in Aspen, CO, as well as in the Tetons and the Sawtooth Mountains.

As a permanent resident of Sarasota, Susan Laird Robinson has enjoyed reconnecting with classmates there. Eleanor Schmidt Schweigaard-Olsen recently moved to the area, and Susan is having fun introducing Eleanor to “her” Sarasota. Susan also sees Sandra Blair Ohanian, who has a vacation home nearby. Last year Susan accompanied her husband on a business trip to Turkey and Lebanon and topped it off by renting a villa in Lucca, Italy. She serves on the Sarasota Arts Council Grants Committee, which she describes as “a new learning experience.”

Eleanor Schweigaard-Olsen and husband Bert are enjoying their first season in their home in Sarasota, FL. Eleanor reports that getting together often with Susan Robinson and husband Malcolm has been one of the many rewards of moving south.

Sandy Fucci Smith and husband Chris are semi-retired, having sold most of the copyrights to their nursing books to Prentice Hall. They still have a software program online, to help prepare nursing students for the licensing exam. They also sell a similar program to nursing schools. One of their daughters, an equestrian, recently won the world amateur championship in western reining.

Betsey Dawes Dale sold her Mill Valley, CA, home of 42 years and moved to Anthem, AZ. Her new place is in a planned community for all ages, located north of Phoenix. She had helped a friend move to Anthem, was ready for a change, and on the spur of the moment decided to move there as well. She is very happy with her decision.

Eleanor McConihe Cain is proud of having produced 15 years of great community theater with Potomac Theater Company. This year’s program includes a musical, a comedy, a festival showcasing local playwrights, and character education in elementary schools via 50-minute musicals.

Betsy Dunnet Lindfors is semi-retired and enjoying life in New Hampshire. She has many happy memories of Skidmore and is glad her alma mater is doing so well.

Nancy Howard O’Hara traveled to Thailand and Cambodia with her daughter and son-in-law earlier this year.

Marilee Karins Pellegrini spent an “exhilarating and spiritual” week climbing canyons in Utah and Arizona with daughter Pamela, followed by a “no less fulfilling” climb in the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon with granddaughter Emily. “Like two bookends,” observes Marilee, “the experiences marked heart-felt bonds.”

After selling their Cape Cod home, Cynthia Caffrey Villano and husband John spent all of last year in Florida. They are building another home in Middlebury, CT, to be closer to family and friends. Cynthia spends most of her free time on the golf course. Now that John is completely retired, there is “lots of togetherness,” she says.

Living very close to Saratoga, I often see news of Skidmore happenings in our local paper. A recent article focused on the fate of the “pink palace” (Moore Hall), the last off-campus building still being used by the college. The 2004–05 year will be the last time students reside there, as the college is building a new apartment complex to house 380 students, allowing more students to live on campus. It will be located near Scribner Village, at the edge of the North Woods. The old “pink palace” is for sale.