class notes

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In Memoriam | People & projects

1970s

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1970

Barbara Crossman Bell
bici@twcny.rr.com

In addition to enjoying her two granddaughters and husband of 32 years, Betsy Evans still travels as an early-childhood educator and is working on a third book. Most recently Betsy traveled to Beirut, Lebanon, to work with 40 educators from six Arab countries to discuss conflict-resolution strategies for young children. She deemed it a moving and humbling experience; the participants’ “determined courage and desire to collaborate was inspiring.”

Elaine Allen’s youngest daughter, Julia, graduated from Pomona College last May and is a chemist for Genentech. Son Chris finished his qualifying exams for his PhD in math from NYU and is teaching at John Jay College while writing his dissertation. Elaine is research director at Babson College, where she teaches analytics and data mining to grads and undergrads. While her academic research has been focused on entrepreneurship and online education, she has also written papers on the analytics of baseball. She is currently
a consultant for a major-league team and ESPN. She and husband Jeff spend most of the year in Dover, MA, but head to East Hampton, NY, in the warmer months. They saw Gail Kern at her art opening in August.

Kendra Steinert Strauss traveled to the Galápagos in 2007 and recently to South Africa to join a safari to Krueger and explore the Garden Route and areas around Capetown. She is grandma to three adorable boys: twins Dakota and Kyle, 3, and Brent, almost 1.

Dottie Uhle LeClair’s husband of 28 years, D’arcy, retired from a career in international banking in 2001. Son Rich, 34, was born in San Francisco, CA, daughter Christiane, 31, was born in Tokyo, and the youngest, Cynthia, 28, was born in Singapore. After returning from Asia the LeClairs lived in the United States for a while before relocating to Oslo, Norway, and London, England. The couple is blessed with three grandchildren: Jack, 3, Caroline, 2, and Casey, almost 1. They love to vacation as a family, “anywhere the wind blows us at the time.” Dottie and D’arcy work for a nonprofit Christian organization called Alpha, play golf and tennis, and pursue other interests. Dottie is riding director at the Pegasus Therapeutic Riding Center in Brewster, NY, where most of the students are autistic. “It is wonderful seeing how the horses can help these children,” she says.

Carol Christensen and husband Fred Parker are now empty-nesters, with oldest son Jonathan working in Shanghai, China, as a jazz musician in great demand. Younger son Ned is a college sophomore, studying engineering physics and playing club lacrosse. Carol is still a painting conservator at the National Gallery, traveling with paintings to Berlin, Paris, and Bilbao in the last three months. She also continues backpacking, with recent trips to the Grand Canyon and the Great Smoky Mountains. She spent time in Saratoga this past summer performing at Caffè Lena with classmates Terri Huxtable, now retired from teaching, and Liz Hood, who works for the NY State Department of Education.

Jane Roberts Alpert and husband Mark serve as dynamic and very busy fundraisers for Tufts University, Mark’s alma mater. Over the summer Tufts sent them to France for a seminar; the Alperts then traveled through Italy on their own. Recently they attended a gala in Washington, DC, to celebrate the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy’s 75th anniversary. Daughter Lauren lives in Manhattan, loves her job with Bloomberg News, and planned to be in London in December for graduation from the London School of Economics.

Landscape painter Gail Kern (www.Gail­KernStudio.com) exhibited at the Grenning Gallery in Sag Harbor in early October. She is affiliated with Peconic Land Trust, a preservation group on the East End of Long Island. The October show featured trust properties, and part of the proceeds were donated to the trust. Gail’s elder daughter lives in Boston and builds Web sites; the younger one is a student at Middlebury College. Skiing and sailing continue to be a big part of Gail’s life. Husband John is busy designing their new house in Scottsdale, AZ. Jess Wexler Tomb spent a weekend with Gail over the summer.

Liz Miller Grasty and husband Warren had a great time touring in Scotland, where they took in castles, lochs, highlands, picture-postcard towns, heather, sheep, more sheep, and a whiskey distillery. They hit golf balls at the St. Andrews driving range, and Liz claims that she actually enjoyed haggis. She says the tour was not just for “old folks,” although after “60 revolutions around the sun, some might put me in that category!” They visited Warren’s son, who is on a three-year assignment in England. Liz is a branch manager for Northwest Federal Credit Union in Herndon, VA, is active in her church, and recently became a volunteer ESL teacher. In what’s left of her free time, she enjoys quilting and making jams and applesauce.

Susan Lane Herley and her husband of 26 years, Pete, are retired and enjoying life in the northern California town of San Rafael. Susan plays piano and sings for the elderly, gardens, collects antiques, and attends book and movie clubs. She accompanies Pete on weeklong law-enforcement seminars four times a year. Son Brad, 25, lives in Seattle, and Jordan, 23, lives in San Jose, CA. The Herleys visit them often and are glad that the boys still join them every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. In 2006 they spent three weeks in Europe with their sons. In 2007 Susan flew to Paris for a fabulous two-week vacation with a girlfriend. Most recently the family cruised the Eastern Caribbean. Susan loved seeing the “new campus” and Saratoga Springs a few years ago. Last May, she traveled to Savannah, GA, to see Andrea Donkin Gartland for the first time in almost 30 years! They had a great time. Susan hopes to make it to our 40th reunion in 2010.

This past summer Janet Sangenito Fagal attended the wedding of former fifth-grade student Lauren Henegan ’06 to John Byers ’06. Many Skidmore grads were in the wedding and attending as guests. Janet was delighted to meet Lauren’s education professor, Joyce Rubin. Lauren is in her third year of teaching in Brooklyn. Janet is still teaching in Skane­ateles and enjoying it a lot: “I have always credited my Skidmore education with my ability to remain enthusiastic, creative, and successful as a teacher.” She has gotten to know teacher Barbara Allen Nearpass ’68, who is married to a Union College frat brother of her own husband, Fred. After discovering they live nearby in Seneca Falls, NY, the foursome has gotten together several times.

Carol Johnson started the second half of her life journey in 1991, when she met Richard Clarke and rekindled a love for Eastern spirituality first instilled by Dr. Chu at Skidmore. Last November, Richard retired and the couple moved to South India to live at the base of the holy mountain of Arunachala, in the state of Tamil Nadu. They spend their days exploring the mountain, riding a motor scooter in the crazy Indian traffic, meeting friends, and meditating. They are also helping out a local charity called Quality of Life Trust by providing composting EcoSan toilets, and establishing an old-age home for local villagers abandoned by their families. Carol has two kids, Amy and Brody, from her first marriage. She would love to hear from classmates at carol@infinitepie.net. Richard posted their amazing Indian adventures in his blog at www.richardarunachala.wordpress.com; Carol has a few photo essays on her own blog, www.infinitepie.wordpress.com.

Jeweler and metal artist Sharon Church was on campus in November to give the Raab Visiting Artist Lecture.