class notes

1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s

People & projects | UWW | In Memoriam

1950s

1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959

1955

Mardi Duggan Drebing
mardifly@aol.com

Adele Albrecht Wakefield-Gren and husband Art spent a wonderful evening with Syl Grove Hitchcock and George at the Hitchcocks’ South Carolina home. The foursome later dined at a restaurant, where they were entertained by the Yale Glee Club.

Margie Bowers Rogers has enjoyed keeping in touch with classmates over the years and was looking forward to attending our 50th.

Jo Firor Alfenito and Ralph lead what they think is a great life: winter in Palm Beach, FL, summer on Long Island, a bit of travel, and time left over to enjoy children and granddaughters. “What more could we want?”

In May Adrea Gelb Seligsohn and husband Leo returned from a trip to Senegal, West Africa, as US delegates of the United Nations Development Fund for Women. The fund promotes human rights, economic and political empowerment, and gender equality for women around the world. The Seligsohns met with US Ambassador Roth, attended presentations by UNIFEM/West Africa, and toured villages and schools.

Georgia Goddard Charles sent greetings to those at our 50th and queried, “Are we that old?” When not busy with eight grandchildren, church, and volunteer work, she plays golf. Georgia loves the new single-story home she had built last October.

Bobbi Gordon Spiegel’s granddaughter Adrian and her middle-school classmates won first place in Maine’s Odyssey of the Mind competition this year.

Helen Haas credits alternative therapies for healing tumors on the back of her tongue and lymph glands; we will continue to keep her in our prayers. Ricky was able to compete in a women’s doubles tennis tournament in Florida and enjoys watercolor painting.

Judy Hackwell Cornell works as a hospice nurse two days a week. Husband George works full-time, buying and selling bulk cheese for Pacific Cheese in Hayward, CA. Their first grandchild arrived in March.

B.A. Kalteux Callanan discovered a “fabulous” spot to enjoy a weeklong family vacation: a private home in Ft. Myers Beach, FL. It offered plenty of space and amenities for her, John, three children and spouses, and four grandchildren. The residence is just a few steps from Ft. Myers Beach and close to Sanibel and Naples. For details, contact her at johnbac@comcast.net.

Life is good for Nancy Lee Farrell, who says she is nonetheless “suffering over the militaristic ‘might makes right’ priorities of our government. Too many in our country and in the rest of the world are being hurt by this.”

Jackie Loohn Stempfle was looking forward to attending our grand 50th reunion, as was Anne Griggs Danzberger and Sue Hubert Harvin. Phyl Bartlett Towle was too, even knowing she had to leave Saturday for husband Parker’s Yale reunion.

Monie Malcolm Smith connects with Margie Bowers Rogers and Sue Gannon frequently. Monie and Kay Scharmann Mower have been calling each other a lot too. Kay and husband Kendall had an overnight with me when they came to Washington, DC, for a wedding. It was good to reconnect!

Having retired from the family auto business, Jan Maselli Augeri enjoys a lot of traveling. She has three children and four grandchildren—“all bright and beautiful”—whom she sees often. Nancy Passaro Whittaker planned to spend a few days in NYC and New Jersey visiting brother Dick before heading to Reunion, accompanied by a grandson.

Patti Sherman Jones is busy settling into her new home in Vero Beach, FL. She is immersed in gardening, decorating, watercoloring, and oil painting. In January she joined Lois Herpy Benedict and husband Bob in Palm Beach for a waterfront luncheon and lots of conversation. She and Walter cheered at one of the annual rites of spring in Vero: Dodgers spring training.

Mert Smith Ingholt is happily settled in her new retirement home near Phoenix, AZ; it features a golf course and a man-made lake—complete with docks and geese—but few human neighbors at present. A guest room is available to any Class of ’55 travelers, she notes.

Carol Stewart Schneidewind planned to attend Reunion with husband Gil and Joan Creed Appleton.

Nancy Sulkin Marin was amused at my interpretation of her previous note regarding last year’s Florida hurricanes. Her husband, Sal, did not leave Florida alone. He dragged Nancy with him to Tampa and New York. When Jeanne hit, Nancy talked Sal into accommodations at the local middle school after convincing him that they could bring an air mattress into the “four-star” administrative suite. Nancy reports that her decision to replace the old cedar-shingle roof may have been ill considered. In March she was contending with leaks everywhere as the roofers had only gotten as far as installing roof paper. Floridian Bryna Cohen Potsdam found herself in the same predicament.

Contrary to her inclusion on a list of deceased classmates, Jacque Ward Trebour is very much alive in Bonita Springs, FL. She and husband Jack meet with Phyl Fox Silver and Ron frequently for dinner.