class notes

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UWW | In Memoriam

1950s

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1959

Carolyn Brown Straker
Momstraker@aol.com

Mary Heep van Riper writes of the exciting reunion of 11 classmates at the Norwich Inn and Spa where they got beautified and exercised. Says Mary, “I think everyone felt they got to know better someone they hardly knew at school, and that was one of the best parts for me.”

Lynn Morrison Dallesandro writes from Florida, “I see more of Jean Travis Davies and her husband, Jim, since we moved down here near Sarasota.” Lynn and husband Bob are playing lots of golf and tennis and making many new friends. We are all invited to visit, and Lynn says she will leave the light on!

A proud mother and wife, Anne Henszey Pyle writes that both her husband and son have been invited to lecture at Harvard this fall. Husband Ken is a professor of history and Asian studies at the University of Washington and will lecture on his new book titled Japan Rising. Anne’s son is an associate professor of economics at Middlebury and will lecture on the Russian banking system.

Evy Zoda Shippee writes that Janet Lucas Whitman had a lovely birthday party with several alums in attendance, including Jean Gracie Lifland and Evy, Nancy Wyman Horner ’57, Judy Lyman Shipley ’57, and Sue Corbet Thomas ’62.Writes Evy, “After everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Janet, the Skidmore group got up and sang the alma mater. Evy took three of her grandsons to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, for an eighth birthday gift for one of the boys. Evy has had many responses from classmates with ideas for our reunion, May 28–31, 2009, and she thinks the theme will be “The Golden Girls.” Please write her with any and all ideas!

Marilyn Ramshaw Adair is losing weight as she is running around selling high-end real estate in Upper Saddle River. It is country living near NYC, writes Marilyn. Check it out at Realtor.com. Marilyn took her grandchildren camping in July, tenting and in a lean-to. They also rented a cottage on Schroon Lake in the Adirondacks for a week.

Joey Haufler Rosenthal wrote about a wonderful reunion at the Norwich Inn in Connecticut. Joey and husband and another couple sailed for three weeks in Croatia. Says Joey, “Beautiful place, lovely people! But sailing is not really my favorite thing—did it for my husband.”

In NYC Helen Halpern Lerner stepped down from her administrative position and is enjoying a more leisurely life teaching graduate nursing at Lehman College and practicing as a nurse practitioner at a local community health center. She plans to see more of her grandchildren.

Sue Finkelstein Pucker is off to Rwanda this winter with a group of fellow Bostonians for the dedication ceremony of a school they have sponsored and built there. In addition Sue and the others will participate in a teacher training initiative. The majority of Rawanda’s teachers died in the war in ’94.

Barbara Denney Woods is retired and loving it. She is very involved in raising two of her grandchildren, a third-grader and a first-grader, the sons of her late son, Jeff. Their other grandsons live in Oregon.

Ann Hovell Dew, among many who sent congratulations to me on becoming a grandma for the first time, writes, “Grandchildren are wondrous.” She has 14!

Barbara Huge Homeier and husband Dave went to Portland, OR, to do some serious wine tasting with their wine club. Barbara is trying to get more mini-reunions going in the West and Midwest; if you’re interested, please contact her.

Syl Smalley Chapman sees Evy Zoda Shippee, Beth Oliver Linguri, and Sue Gosch Martineau. Syl writes, “I’m trying to get back to playing golf, etc. It is nice to be a one-year survivor and have all the chemo and most of the after-effects behind me!”