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1970s

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1972

Martha Pantier Tehan
marthvic@aol.com

Pat Lawrence Bucher loves being a grandmother. Daughter Katie gave birth to son Tommy last May. Youngest daughter Suzy graduated from James Madison University and lives and works in Arlington, VA. Husband Rich authored a third edition of his book Diversity Consciousness, which credits Pat as a contributing author. Rich was a Colgate exchange student for a semester at Skidmore. Pat was appointed chair of the math department at her high school in Mont­gomery County, MD, for the current year. She still teaches a few classes and is enjoying the challenges of this new job.

Pam Scott Morris is thrilled to report that she and Gary are grandparents. They welcomed Cailyn, daughter of Kristin and husband Justin, in June. Cailyn joins her “brother,” an English bulldog named Bubba.

About 10 years ago Linda Boise was getting ready to go to work teaching English in Cornwall, NY, when she experienced kidney failure. Fortunately, her brother was with her and drove her to NYU Medical Center, where she then experienced heart failure. After years of dialysis, Linda received a kidney transplant in Burling­ton, VT, in 2000. She recently joined Facebook to reconnect with old friends. After years of renting, she now owns a small house in the Village of Canton, NY, and loves retirement.

Lesley Graham sent in news for the first time. She enjoyed a 10-year teaching and coaching career, having received her master’s in phys ed from Adelphi University in 1977. After teaching at Friends Academy in Locust Valley, NY, for five years, she moved to southern California to become tennis director for the City of Huntington Beach and an instructor at Coastline Community College. In 1982 she became an executive recruiter for Roth Young, and in 1984 she joined JPM International, a franchise office of Management Recruiters International. She moved to Joplin, MO, in 2004 to take care of her now-94-year-old father. Lesley has also worked in the retail, telecommunications, and health-care industries. She is currently a field service manager for MRI, helping franchises set up and run a help desk. In July she had a great time with Keppie Miller Sullivan while visiting southern California.

Katherine Tobin joined the US Department of Education’s Office of Management as deputy assistant for performance improvement. Formerly with the US Postal Service (she got to unveil new stamps, among many other things), Katherine has 18 years of experience as a university administrator, faculty member, and social science researcher.

Lynn Ritchie Hooper is alive and well with her family in Topsfield, MA, where they have lived for 30 years. Oldest daughter Samantha graduated in May from Furman University in Greenville, SC, and son Nathan is a high school senior. Lynn has been retired since 2000, and husband Don retired in 2004. Most of their excitement now comes from their new dog Jester (he’s a cogol, a golden retriever and cocker spaniel mix), who is a love, and from raving about the lunatics in public office. The Hoopers have a condo in New Hampshire, which they try to frequent as much as possible. About 17 years ago, before Nathan was born, Lynn sang with the Newburyport Choral Society.

Opie Smeragliuolo is a clinical social worker two days a week and notes that people tend to plan their crises for Tues­days and Thursdays! She loves the work but sometimes becomes burned out. However, it is flexible enough that she has blocks of free time in the summer. Her children live in NYC, a rendezvous point with the illustrious Emily Stein. Emily has helped her find referrals in the Big Apple, for which she is really grateful. Sue Grosbeck and husband Mark visited Opie in NYC last summer on their way to their new home in Canada. The Grosbecks’ girls are happily married, and their son is engaged. Opie’s stepdaughter is a sophomore at UCLA, making her and her husband empty-nesters. (“It really isn’t so bad!” she says.) They welcomed grandchild Samuel last March. Sue also became a grandmother, to Mason in April. Both classmates are delighted with a second chance to watch a little one grow up. Opie visited Sue and Mark in Toronto last Christmas. Emily visited Opie in Maryland in January to attend a shower for Opie’s daughter and was cool as “Auntie Em.”
In March, Emily and Opie listened to Bill Maher debate Anne Coulter at Radio City. Opie recently hooked up with Leslie Hammond Coll on Facebook.

Editor in chief of Gifts & Decorative Accessories magazine, Caroline Kennedy headed down to Dallas, TX, in June to cover the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market, where she presented two retailer seminars; she covered a similar trade show in Atlanta, GA. Work keeps her busier than ever with fewer staff and less budget. She makes time to pursue competitive ballroom dancing, which keeps her body fit and her mind sharp. At home she has transformed an ugly orange bathroom (the only one in her house) into a nice room. You can follow Kebbie on Twitter. The art major never dreamed she would become an editor and writer; she studied art to avoid writing papers at Skidmore. Last fall she toured Italy for two weeks, an art major’s dream come true.

Holly Altner Dreman breathes beautiful mountain air at her home in Aspen, CO, where the Jazz Festival “raged” this past summer. She enjoys hiking and biking—and wildflowers. Her two children are officially no longer teenagers. Son David Jr. finished writing a 400-page novel and is looking for a publisher. Daughter Meredith, a junior at Pitzer College, spent the summer in San Diego working with autistic children and riding her horse. Husband David is still writing for Forbes magazine, running his investment business, and tearing up the trails on his bike on weekends.

Kathi White Taggart’s son Brian graduated from Skidmore in 2008, and husband Gerry retired the same month. They all spent that summer becoming reacquainted. The Taggarts celebrated their 25th anniversary and attended their 40th high school reunion last October. Observes Kathi, “The numbers just keep getting bigger, don’t they?”

Insurance executive Nancy Brennan ’72 is VP of customer service at MedRisk Inc., which specializes in maximizing savings and efficiencies for the insurance industry. She was formerly VP of quality and performance improvement for The Hartford Financial Services Group Specialty Risk Services LLC.

Trish Passmore Alley’s husband, Bill, acquired Bien Fait Specialty Cakes in 2008. The microbusiness has been restructured as one of the country’s first L3Cs, a low-profit corporation with a charitable purpose, which can receive funding from private foundations. The L3C is being piloted in Vermont by the IRS and is supported by state legislation. Bien Fait’s net profits support Greensboro Wonder & Wisdom Inc., the nonprofit Trish founded 10 years ago that promotes lifelong learning. Bien Fait teacakes and fruitcakes have been written up in the New York Times and other national publications. If anyone wants a catalog, e-mail Trish at trish@wonderwisdom.org. While you’re at it, check her out at www.wonderwisdom.org, where she has an interesting blog on autism research, medication and memory, and teaching the arts to promote peace. Trish, 60, decided she couldn’t eat as much cake as she used to, even if it were chocolate. For the first time she is stepping back from daily operations in order to share the work with a larger audience, possibly by developing a train-the-teacher program. Trish attended the Skidmore graduation of nephew Lincoln Lande ’09; he graduated with honors in economics.

Jerri Jerman Ginman and husband Dick are happily settled in their new home in Old Town Alexandria, VA. Several months were spent on cabinet installation, office construction, landscaping, painting, and interior design projects. They enjoy living in the historic area, close to restaurants, shops, and activities. Dick is working in Washington, DC, on military contracting issues, and Jerri continues with her interior design business and takes classes in watercolor and Ital­ian. She was sorry to have missed our last reunion but was in nearby Williamstown, MA, to watch son Alex graduate. She looks forward to 2012!

Debbie Richardson Thomas thinks it is great having a fellow Garden View alum as class secretary! She and Peter have been back in Melbourne, Australia, for six years, having left Hong Kong in 2002 after nearly eight years there. She loves being back among their Aussie friends. The Thomases started a cycling group in Melbourne about 17 years ago and still ride with most of the same eight couples. When their twins started college in the United States in 2008 the Thomases experienced the first pangs of “empty-nesthood.” Erin is a junior at Connecticut College and spent last fall in Copenhagen, Charles is a freshman at Lafayette, and Cameron is a freshman at Elon. Debbie is truly grateful for e-mail and Skype. She’d love to hear from anyone contemplating a trip Down Under. A New Zealander, Peter is happy to offer suggestions for places to visit in their neck of the woods. Debbie still keeps in touch with Barbara Scott ’71, who she saw about 10 years ago in San Francisco. She would love to hear what other “Garden Viewers” are up to.

Last February Nancy McNiff spent several days in the Ozarks, helping to rescue dogs from a breeding facility that the distraught owner burned nearly to the ground. She was there with Noah’s Wish, the animal welfare organization she volunteered with in Slidell, LA, after Hurricane Katrina. You can see Nancy pictured on noahswish.org; search for her by name.

Elementary education major Bobbsie Hertz Rifkin retired after 30 years of teaching. She now spends time tutoring, substituting in nearby schools, and babysitting for granddaughter Lily. She and husband David have lived in Tampa, FL, since 1983. Bobbsie was present at our 30th and 35th reunions and is looking forward to Reunion 2012.

Retired in 2007, Betty Sandbeck is working on her golf game and attended last year’s US Open, a muddy event. “My shoes will never be the same,” she says, “but it was exciting to the end.” Her mother has moved near her and is in assisted living; Betty sees her two to three times a week. To keep herself out of trouble, she works in a flower shop in Alex­andria, VA. She assures us that it is less stressful than IBM.

I attended the wedding of Joanne Fabrizio Spencer’s daughter Cara last summer and stayed for the Fourth of July. I’ve been a member of the Edmond, OK, Community Chorale for 10 years, will be singing at Carnegie Hall on Memorial Day this coming May, and would love for you to come if you’re in the NYC area.