class notes

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1963

Deborah Frankel Reese
bybynj@aol.com

Alex (formerly Sandy) Wilbert Fleischman and longtime significant other Tom Hays spent the winter in Tucson, AZ, where she frequently saw Ronnie Zolondek Bramesco and her man, Art Suekoff. During their three months in Arizona, Alex and Tom played golf and tennis, and did some walking, hiking, and sight-seeing. Alex found living in such an alien environment invigorating and stimulating. She spent an enjoyable evening with Ronnie and Art at Patti Foreman Balbirer’s beautiful home overlooking Tucson. On the return trip home to Massachusetts, Alex and Tom visited landmarks like the Clinton Presidential Library, Graceland, and the Grand Ole Opry. Alex has been helping daughter Erica get a new business started in Southampton, NY. She and Tom are looking forward to Reunion next year.

Class co-president Ronnie Bramesco married Art Suekoff on March 14 in Arizona; Alex Fleischman and Tom Hays were their witnesses. Ronnie says she and Art have been “celebrating ever since!” After knee-replacement surgery, Ronnie stayed in Arizona for a few extra months to recuperate. She enjoyed a reunion planning weekend in Saratoga and hopes that those of you interested in working on Reunion ’08 will get in touch with her (ronz120@aol.com) or co-president Judy Pettingell (judithpettingell@verizon.net). In Hanover, NH, Judy started painting after a hiatus of more than 40 years; unfortunately, she says, “I’m not any better now than I was then,” but she enjoys it. Judy exhibited in a small group show at a nearby library in May.

Jane Finneman Hochman’s consulting position as a learning coach for the Hilton Early Head Start Program (Special Quest) came to an end in May. The only “work” she is planning to do now is lecturing, especially on the material covered in the book she co-wrote with Gil Foley, Mental Health Principles and Practices for Non-Mental Health Practitioners in Early Intervention. In April, Jane gave the alumni lecture at Tufts University’s Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development, on “A Brief History of Early Intervention and Infant Mental Health,” followed in June by a similar presentation at the annual conference of the New York Zero-to-Three Network.

Judy Hestwood Feagin reports visiting family and friends in Tennessee and then heading to Maryland “to commune with grandchildren, who continue to fulfill all their parents’ greatest
fears and expectations.” Judy and her husband happily dote on their many charms and accomplishments. From there they traveled to the Catskills to visit with their other son and
his wife.

Donald G. Baker, former head of the American studies department at Skidmore (Donaldgbaker@yahoo.com), wrote to ask about former student Judith Serbe Hunger, who had been in the Peace Corps and traveled to China. Isn’t it nice to know that some of our professors do remember some of us!

Hether Connor Turner and husband Sam, who sold his insurance agency in 1999, are retired. They spend winters in Siesta Key, FL, and summer on Nantucket Island, MA. Their lives “seem to revolve” around children, grandchildren, boating, and enjoying their two homes. Hether had knee-replacement surgery in March and is working hard on the physical therapy necessary to resume normal activity. All three of Hether’s children graduated from Skidmore. Is this a record for our class? Michele ’88 lives in Northampton, MA, where she teaches high-school English and creative writing. She has two girls: Lucy, 3, and Hazel, 2. Sam ’89 lives in Sonoma, CA, where he owns a construction company that builds small commercial and large residential buildings. He and Anne have a daughter Grace, 7, and son Jack, 4. Bert ’96 lives on Nantucket, where he and Meg own the Water Closet, a high-end bathroom and kitchen fixture and accessory store.

Elizabeth Cater Jones has two beautiful grandchildren: Sean, 9, and Audrey, 6. She is director of the College of Botanical Healing Arts, which trains women to become healing practitioners with plants, essential oils, herbs, and nutrition. Her college held a Santa Cruz Community Wellness Fair for businesses and practitioners last summer at Cabrillo College. She went to France with two friends last September.

Up here in Vermont the two feet of snow from the April nor’easter took a long time to melt off. I am yearning to be back on Fripp Island in South Carolina, where John and I vacationed in early April. In March I lost my 95-year-old mother. Life without her is very strange, and I will miss her forever. I saw Chrissie Fueller, aka Lucretia Robbins, at Mom’s memorial service in Wilton, CT. Otherwise, life goes on smoothly. I had a large solo art exhibit at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in the spring and will have another in September at the Woodsum Gallery in Warner, NH. We’re planning some major work on the house starting in mid-July, which requires that we vacate for a while (Nantucket for a week, then kids’ houses and friends). But come fall, Chez Reese will again be open for visitors!