class notes

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People & projects | In Memoriam

1940s

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1949

Edith Armend Holtermann
holterglas@aol.com

Lois Smith Klauder celebrated her 55th wedding anniversary on the Outer Banks of North Carolina with her family this past fall. In the last year Lois has cruised above the Artic Circle, traveled by train to Copper Canyon, and survived three hurricanes (holing up in their Florida condo). Her three children have given them many grandchildren. Four are in colleges around the country; her first grandson graduated from West Point and was married in Duke Chapel before leaving for Iraq. Lois is a docent and on the board of the local history museum.

Dottie Schaap Adler’s biggest event of the year involved Hurricane Katrina. Granddaughter Brynne is a senior at Tulane, where her sister Jessica was to be a freshman. Jessica was dropped off in New Orleans for orientation. When the hurricane hit, she was evacuated to Jackson, MS. Brynne fled by car with friends to Houston. Dottie’s daughter Kathy and son-in-law Alvin drove 17 hours to get Jessica and then flew home. “Thank God for cell phones,” Dottie says. Jessica is now a visiting student at Syracuse, and Brynne attends the University of Pennsylvania. Neither can wait to get back to New Orleans. As for Dottie, she has been playing lots of golf.

Phoebe Fox Liss retired from her private practice as a learning disabilities consultant and moved to the Binghamton, NY, area to be closer to children and grandchildren. She welcomes hearing from classmates.

Alice Ziegler Bomer has been traveling since last spring. She and husband Steve were on their way to Olympia, WA, to see his ailing sister when they learned she had passed away. The couple took a 19-day vacation in the Mediterranean, starting in Marseilles and exploring southern France via bus. From Nice, they traveled by schooner down the coast of Italy. Although not as relaxing as Alice hoped, the trip was very interesting.

Elizabeth Wersen Schlossberg was re-elected to the board of directors of Chelsea Square. She is writing a book, takes care of two poodles, plays the piano, and watches lots of news. In June her granddaughter performed in the NYC production of Applause.

Caroline Bruner Dean enjoyed a great summer on the St. Lawrence River in Ontario, Canada. Six of her 10 grand children have completed high school. A granddaughter entered veterinary school at Ohio State, and her brothers are going to Indiana University.

Georganne Hinchliff Eggers chaired her 60th high-school reunion, a three-day event, with fantastic results. She intends to “go for the 80th in 2025.”

Mary Mitchell Durland had a total knee replacement this past fall but is doing very well. Better yet, her colon cancer is in remission. She is visiting daughter Susan and family in Palm Springs, FL, in January before moving on to Naples. Mary looks forward to seeing Skidmore friends and sends her love to all ’49ers.

In September I met with Leah Cunningham Wood in Atlantic City, NJ. She is recovering from a stroke in her left eye as well as a deep cut to the knee she suffered after crashing into an antique bike rack. However, she still has a smile on her face and is doing well.

Two years into packing and storing and selling her house, Helen Buch Thorpe is still waiting for the final hearing on her house in Chatham, on Cape Cod. It seems the builder took too much down because of a crumbling foundation, and the Historic Preservation Commission has been fighting with her since March. Helen and her attorney could write a book. On the lighter side, she is leaving for Boulder, CO, for the arrival of her new grandchild.

I have just finished running my 60th high-school reunion; we had a light turnout of 31 classmates. The Women’s Auxiliary of the Staten Island Historical Society (which I serve as president) presented Christmas in Richmondtown—the only historical village in NYC where demonstrations of life in the 1830s can be viewed. This past fall the society sponsored Old Homes Week, opening 17 historic houses to the public.