Skidmore College - Scope Magazine Fall 2018

36 SCOPE FALL 2018 I received some great news from Skidmore Fund staff member Beth White: “The Skidmore Fund raised over $7.1 million this year, with more than 6,500 alumni participat- ing. The Class of ’62 raised $90,602 for the Skidmore Fund from 121 donors, translating into 43 percent participation! Total giving for your class was $1,691,589 and there were 16 Presidents Society donors.” Kudos to us! Lynn Garrett Meyer won the raffle for our class quilt at our 50th reunion, and when it was raffled again at our 55th, Linda Blanquart Smith emerged the winner and agreed to share this prized item with Nancy Cutter Parker, Brenda Baekey Mi- han, Glenda Arentzen, Lynn Pringle Anastos and Bobbi Mann Bigham . But since none of them could take the quilt, it continues to hang on Linda’s guest-bedroom wall, safe from dogs and grand- kids. We hope to raffle it off again at our 60th. The above classmates had a mini-reunion on Cape Cod this summer to enjoy some fun and frolic. I received a typed noted from Bobbie Gottlieb Falk , who after 25 years is officially a tour guide emerita at the Met- ropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. Husband Bob is retired from a career in private eq- uity. Now living at the Desert Mountain adult community in Scottsdale, Ariz., they enjoy golf, hiking, gardening and bridge, as well as many new friends. When not traveling, the Falks divide their time between Scottsdale and their home in Scarsdale, N.Y., to experience “the best of all possible worlds.” They are “truly grateful for good health and the time to enjoy children and grandchildren.” Janice Sachs Davis and hus- band Steve celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary in August at the Club Med in Punta Cana, surrounded by their 12 children and grandchildren. The couple’s five grandchildren include a 25-year-old granddaughter and four boys. Two of the boys are college seniors, one at Towson and the other at Syracuse. Another is a fresh- man at RPI. The youngest is in eighth grade. “They keep us very busy,” observes Janice. A card from Janet Gardner informed me that her Gardner Documentary Group won the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary at the New Hope Film Festival in Penn- sylvania this summer. Their documentary Quakers: The Quiet Revolutionaries was also screened at the Rhode Island Film Festival in Providence. Sue Vanek Heidtmann and her husband saw two of their grandsons married five weeks apart, both in Virginia. Henry IV (son of their son Henry III) and Lance (son of their daughter Debra Sue) were both wed to lovely peo- ple. Sue hopes that her home in Connecticut sells soon, as she and husband Henry are anxious to begin retirement in Sarasota, Fla. Henry retired in December. Although Sue is no longer working full time as a vice president of nursing services, she still consults on assessment cases in Connecticut and New York for long-term-care insurance companies. Alice Goodman recently enjoyed time with Skidmore friends Saralee Elegant Evans, Meg Reitman Jacobs ’63 and E llen Pomeranz Sax ’64 . A medical journalist, Alice writes about cancer for medi- cal publications read by physi- cians. She says, “Everything is good — knock on wood.” Mary Campbell Kemp enjoyed her time at Skidmore and then graduated from the University of Michigan. An early retiree from AT&T, she stays busy conducting genealogy research, keeping track of 10 grandchildren and traveling. Most recently, she hiked with a Road Scholar group in Patagonia, Easter Is- land and the Atacama Desert. An avid “park collector,” Mary has been to 55 of the 60 major national parks. Other activities include membership in the Village Chicago, part of a national network that helps adults age in place through collaborative community. Mary notes, “It’s a great way to connect with others and an excellent resource for navigating the new longevity.” Nancy Smith Bushnell would love to get in touch with any classmates in the Sarasota, Fla., area, (espe- cially Laura Stanley and Candice Taylor Boyd ). Nancy goes to alumni gatherings sponsored by Skidmore-Sara- sota and says the best are the Rays games at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. Rays owner Stuart Sternberg’s daughter, Natalie ’18 , just graduated from Skidmore, and local alums are invited to attend a game “with priority parking and a gathering in a lovely box with good things to eat and drink. It’s always a lot of fun.” The Skidmore- Sarasota group has also organized tours backstage at the Asolo Theater and the Ringling Museum. Nancy spent six weeks recover- ing from ankle replacement surgery this summer. After lots of physical therapy, she is back at home but contin- ues outpatient visits. Nancy hopes to see roomie Susie Donner Wells when Susie comes to Florida. Liz Pugh Grout enjoyed the reunion news from last year and would like to know if any- one can identify classmates featured on the cover of the Class Notes newsletter pub- lished in summer 2017. (This is a project Mollie and I thought of. Anyone want to volunteer?) Liz is planning trips close to home this year, as they are building townhouses in Ches- ter Springs, Calif., Ashville, N.C., and Maine. Molly McKinnon Baxter told me she “hated” leaving Skidmore after her sopho- more year but could not be accommodated when she changed majors from French to elementary education. She returned home to complete a bachelor’s in education from Elmira College in 1963. She still says she enjoyed Skid- more much more than Elmira. She has had a successful ca- reer selling real estate for 28 years, the last 26 in Bozeman, Mont. With no plans to retire, she is just working fewer hours, allowing her more time to ride her Morgan horses and play pickleball (her latest passion). Molly’s three kids and three grandchildren live within 20 minutes of her home; she feels very lucky to have them all so close by. She wonders if anyone has con- tact information for Dee Dice Thompson , whom Skidmore lists as “missing.” SaraKay Sherman Smullins was hired as a consultant to the HBO film The Tale , and she has found it particularly meaningful to witness the film’s success. Written and directed by documentarian Jennifer Fox, it deals with child sexual abuse and is based on Fox’s own abuse by a trusted mentor. Joellen Maloney Toussaint is “still here!” She welcomed a new kitten to her house- hold and attended a family reunion at the Saratoga race- track and Lake George. Terry Tiffany Sullivan and Sara Lee Lubin Schupf attended Sue Wilhelm Hands ’s April memorial service in St. Petersburg, Fla. Sue and Terry had gone to high school together. After 18 years in their riverside home in Vero Beach, Fla., Terry and husband Peter have simpli- fied and downsized, and they love their new apartment in Indian River Estates, a continuing care community. Married 29 years, the couple recently enjoyed a cruise to Iceland and the U.K. islands as well as a Disney cruise to Alaska. She says, “There are so many blessings!” Lollie Engel Triebold be- lieves, “Once a nurse, always a nurse.” Although she retired from teaching nursing 20 years ago, Lollie still gets plenty of practice. Husband Dave had a major back surgery in December 2017, followed by a slow recovery. In April he suffered a stroke just as he was preparing to plant his first acre of corn. Thanks to great rehab efforts, he is now looking forward to harvesting the crop this October! Karen Marsh Gobrecht and Katharine Simonds Cunningham enjoyed a long- overdue reunion in Boston in June. Roommates their senior year at Skidmore, they had not laid eyes on one another in 56 years! There was plenty of catching up to do. Kathy came from Colorado to visit her family in Boston en route to Paris, and Karen traveled from Hilton Head Island, S.C., to join her. June Kahl Schubert attended her 60th high school reunion in Baltimore, Md., noting, “That’s a big number; when did we become so ‘mature?’” C L A S S N O T E S ’62