Skidmore College - Scope Magazine Fall 2018

38 SCOPE FALL 2018 Bev Fuhrmann Gregory is very enthusias- tic about plans for our 55th reunion. Bev joined Linda Keating Fuller and Ellen Pomeranz Sax to fine- tune the details for our big weekend, May 30 to June 2, 2019. They will be looking for classmates willing to help the cause, so please say “yes” if you can. Barbara Kezar Whitman is also looking forward to Re- union. She and Bill recently returned from a trip to the Dalmatian coast by ship, which included stops in Ven- ice, Mykonos and Athens. Lindsay Knowlton enjoyed a lovely New England summer in Vermont and Maine. She plans to spend the winter on a dude ranch in Tucson, Ariz. Kathanne Kuhn Mitchell ’s husband, Willis, died of cancer in 2005, a few days before their 51st wedding anniversary. With the help of family and friends, Kathy has regained her strength and continues to live in their home on Lake Canandaigua, N.Y. She also maintains a condo in Rochester, N.Y. She is joining some Rochester friends this month to cruise up the New England coast and down the St. Lawrence to Montreal. Jane Boyle Gerrish moved to Huntington Common in Ken- nebunk, Maine, in December. She enjoys her new commu- nity and rents a two-bedroom cottage with an attached garage, sunporch and access to assisted living. Jane con- tinues to work from home as an expert for Social Security disability hearings. In her spare time, she enjoys read- ing to the blind and singing to hospice patients. Susan Viuker Lieberman joined a Shanghai-born friend on a two-week Road Scholar tour of China. Susan loved visiting the homes of her companion’s parents and grandparents, as well as the school that she attended. Betty Anne Edge Kreut- ziger and Karl celebrated 54 happy years of mar- riage in June. Five of their seven grandchildren are college graduates and two are still pursuing college degrees.  Due to extended travel, Betty cannot attend the 55th reunion. She en- courages everyone to view her plein air artwork at bettyannekreutziger.com. She is a member of Laguna and Southern California plein air painters associations, and her work currently is exhibited at galleries in Laguna Beach and Costa Mesa. Deborah LeedomMcGeorge taught school before retiring in 2000, when she and her husband moved to an adult community in Tucson, Ariz. The couple play golf and en- joy international travel. They have four children, one of whom lives nearby; three reside in Boise, Idaho.  They have four grandchildren. Lilless McPherson Shilling is “so thankful for all the class news” she has been reading. Her daughter, Paz, is a physical therapist in Mount Pleasant, S.C., where Lilless makes her home. Their proximity is “a great comfort” to her since the passing of husband Mackie shortly be- fore their 40th anniversary in 2012. Lilless still occasionally teaches online courses for East Carolina University and the College of Charleston. A member of the Alliance Fran- cais, she continues to pursue French and Spanish studies. Another source of inspiration is genealogy, which uncov- ered a family connection in Germany. A few years ago, the Shillings spent several weeks in Newtonmore, Scot- land, the site of a McPherson Clan museum. Lilless loves meeting old Peabody friends from time to time. A major work by renowned abstract painter Stephanie Rose was recently acquired by the Museum of the City of New York. Her portrait of Columbian-American author Jaime Manrique is now part of its permanent collection.  Steph- anie, who has been teaching undergraduate and graduate students of fine art for decades, holds the view that “the rationale for education involves furthering the development of student preparation for a profes- sional career.” She also believes “the accomplishments of alumni are a credit to their alma mater.” She is certainly proof of that. The Wikipedia page about her includes an observation by Professor Emeritus of Art His- tory James Kettlewell that “The extraordinary art of Stephanie Rose occupies a critical place in Modern-Postmodern art history.” Nancy Gardiner Milstein and husband David moved from Scarsdale, N.Y., to a co-op apartment in the same community. David continues to work in the nuclear medicine department of Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. Retired from her career in IT consult- ing, Nancy enjoys spending time with her three children and four grandchildren.  I am saddened to report that Lynne Tower Combs died of cancer June 10.  Lynne’s hus- band, Bill, welcomes news from her classmates. Having enjoyed a wonderful family vacation in Edgartown, Mass., this past August, I still find myself flashing back to vacation mode at times. Our oldest son, Chris, and his family have moved from Indianapolis to Lenox, Mass. Son Ted and his family live in South Boston; our son Tim and his family reside in Brook- lyn, N.Y. Bob recently finished up his leadership of the New England Surgical Society. Our 55th reunion will be held May 30 to June 2, 2019.  Although our 50th was a great success, our class spirit continues to grow. Let’s make our 55th the best ever! Stay tuned for updates. Janice BozBeckian Toujan- touloukian@gmail.com ’65 Sandra Koch Prior reports that two of her five adult children are undergoing treatment for similar types of cancer. She remains confident that they are in good hands and is praying for full recoveries. Zack Murphy , fiancé of Car- ole Walter Maeder , lost his dad at the age of 102 after a period in hospice care in June. Carole was one of sev- eral attending a get-together at the home of Ed and Eileen Kirwin Cameron in March. In addition to a couple of slightly younger Skiddies and their husbands, attendees included Kathy Lord Chap- man, Sheila Schmidt War- shawsky, Penny Thompson Jones, Linda Ellenbogen, Joan Berejik, Peg Kend- rick Kuechle, Linda Miller Thorell and me. Many of the same people gathered to celebrate 75th birthdays at a luncheon in April. Leslie Atkinson Thomas celebrated a 27-year work anniversary with Coldwell Banker Residential Broker- age in Westford, Mass. While returning home from Florida in March, husband Harvey and I stopped for lunch with Sue Steele Isbell and Bob and were also guests of Lenore Bethka Wersten and Tom. In August, Harvey and I joined 11 family members, including my sister Carol Weisberg ’69 , on a European tour with stays in Rome as well as a cruise with two excursions in Spain, one in France and three in Italy. Afterward, Carol headed to Denmark while Harvey and I made additional stops in Italy with our son’s family. At the Vatican and the Borghese Gallery in Rome, I finally saw works of art I had learned about at Skidmore. I also took in the statue of David and the Florentine Pietà in Flor- ence. We enjoyed a private tour of Pompeii led by an archeologist and a VIP tour of the Petra winery in Tuscany, where some of the grapes were originally planted at the direction of Elisa Bonaparte, Napoleon’s sister! Gift annuity payout rates are now more handsome than ever: 6.2 percent for a 75-year-old! It’s a wonder- ful way to support your retirement and the College simultaneously (earning you membership in Skidmore’s Legacy Society). Contact Andy Campbell, director of gift planning, at 518-580-5658 or andy.campbell@skidmore.edu for a personal consultation. Howdo you celebrate your 75th birthday? We’d love to know! Toby Weisberg Rubenstein owcpclaimsconsulting@ gmail.com C L A S S N O T E S ’64 REUNION ’19