class notes

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1940s

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1946

Miriam Blechman Grimes
Miriam2166@aol.com

Connie Seeley Andrews was kept busy by five hurricanes, trying to care for their Orlando, FL, home and their Cocoa Beach condo. They had quite a bit of damage, so went on a cruise “to see even more water.”

Faith Hope Barnard had the pleasure of entertaining her California son and Chicago daughter and their families for a Florida Christmas. After they left, Faith and husband Dave and their two golden retrievers went to son Jason’s in the Keys and went kayaking on Christmas Day. They see Dave’s four children and eight grandchildren when they go to Chicago in the summer.

Janice Chiquoine Beacham is not too sad that the children won—they finally convinced her to move back to the Dallas area, where she was reunited with family and old friends. Happy hopes to rent a place in her beloved desert during the winter.

Jean Alvord Donohue is still in the Seattle house she and Dick bought 49 years ago. They also own a ski condo and a house on Hood Canal.

For eight years Phoebe Darling Harper has lived in Montana, where she says her mind, body, and spirit are well nourished. She enjoys spending time with friends, participating in arts and crafts shows, and taking part in Native American drumming. The huge drum they sit around “reverberates through one’s whole body and synchronizes everyone’s energy so we all feel like one,” she says. Every Sunday she gets together for a potluck brunch with her adopted Montana “cousins,” neighbors who befriended her the first week she moved there and are now like family. Phoebe enjoys lectures and workshops on healing and energy work, as well as an occasional Red Hat Society lunch for laughs. She also teaches tai chi classes. She says, “The name of the game at this age is keep moving!”

Connie Abbott Koeniger’s grandson Paul ’09 spent his first semester in England before returning to campus in Saratoga Springs.

Barb Smith Martien says last year was full of “mixed blessings.” She lost her darling dog and sold her summer home, both of which evoked much emotion. Now she is trying to unload her winter home so she can move on to whatever comes next. Barb is fine, but not so husband Harry; she is his principal caregiver.

Ellen Hinds McGrath took the big step of packing up and throwing out 50 years’ worth of stuff, then moving to New Hampshire. It was a heroic task since she was on chemo. Her daughters rebuilt Ellen’s father’s beautiful lakeside log cabin, making it year-round, cozy, and comfortable, and bringing her near to them. Ellen keeps in touch with her Massachusetts sons and friends by phone and sees them frequently, but limits her own driving.

Betty Ewald Opie is happy in her new apartment, where she moved after husband Al’s death in 2004. He had Alzheimer’s for four years and was able to be at home until the last four months. Betty had help from a live-in young woman from the Republic of Georgia who had
experience with Alzheimer’s patients. Al adored her, and she thought of him as her grandfather. Betty now hopes to reconnect with old friends.

Priscilla Smith Osbourne is happy to be able to stay in her home, thanks to her son who lives with her. Pris has recovered well from a stroke and still drives, but she found it daunting to maintain her home alone. She is proud to have two great-grandchildren.

Fran Schermerhorn Sherley and husband Warren have lived in Hanover, NH, for over seven years and are fully involved in the community. She sits on four boards and plays tennis at Dartmouth’s tennis center. The Sherleys went to the US Open in September. They spent Christmas in Quebec. Son David and wife are now in Wheeling, WV, a lot closer than Boise, ID, where they had been previously.

In Florida Dottie Weeth Wiitala and Edwin experienced a dry-season brush fire in the woods across the street, with huge black clouds billowing over their house. Later, Hurricane Wilma arrived. Fortunately, their place had no structural damage, although it took two weeks to clean up the garden (now there’s a better view of the pond). Living full-time in Florida affords them plenty of activities. Dottie notes that they can tell the seasons by what’s blossoming in the garden, and they enjoy seeing snow on TV.

Betty Bryan Rosenbaum wrote of husband Gil’s death a year ago; he had an aneurysm and succumbed to cancer. Having seen others who suffered for years, he refused treatments and went peacefully in his sleep before the cancer became a painful problem. In Connecticut Betty works on the Elim Park retirement community archives. She hopes her library experience will help her get 100 years of documents and picture files in order. Betty’s granddaughter was accepted at Skidmore but chose to follow the money to Hobart, which makes a big difference since her father is retired. Betty’s 8-year-old grandson, like the European side of his family, is bilingual in French and English.

I was saddened to hear that Vivian Manperl Fishbone lost her husband, Herbert, in March 2005 and had back surgery last August. She is “doing OK.” She continues as a visiting artist at Lafayette College.

I am fine, grateful that a recent health problem has been successfully dealt with. My most recent trip was to Mexico’s Copper Canyon. My volunteer work organizing bus day trips for our township’s adult education school is fun and demanding. We venture to New York, New Jersey, Maryland, D.C., Delaware, and of course around Pennsylvania.