ADVANCE
also in the freezer, and the garden is now free range for all the deer daring enough to jump the fence.
ADVANCE
In July they spent a glorious week in Grand Teton National Park with their three children, their spouses and 6 grandchildren. It was a wonderful celebration of life with activities for all generations and a lot of bonding time among them all. In 2014, Cameron and Gus will spend February, March and half of April in SC at their beach house on Isle of Palms. Cameron is looking forward to our 50th reunion and hoping that some old friends who have not come to previous reunions will surprise us with their presence. So mark your calendars for our 50th Class Reunion April 4 and 5, 2014 and remember to bring a “Brown Bag” treat for our Friday night gathering at Naomi’s Kelley Jackson’s home when our Reunion fun begins! Expect a letter in early February with final plans for this special weekend. Please contact us if you have questions! Don’t miss the fun and the opportunity to see the Coker College campus today, Pearl Fryar’s Topiary Garden, and much more!
1968 Looks like retirement is keeping everyone very busy with travels, grandchildren, home renovations, and personal enrichment. Faye White Coan and Gil have been enjoying the view from their own back porch, situated in the Blue Ridge Mountains. They have extended us all an opportunity to come visit and enjoy making s’mores in their outdoor fireplace. Also, a sad reminder that a classmate, Pansy Lou Bazen, has recently lost her son, Stacey. He taught agriculture at the high school level and leaves behind small children. Martie Dobson White and Jim recently enjoyed a visit to both New Hampshire and Boston with some friends from church. They also had a fun week with their grandchildren at Holden Beach, a summertime treat for all. Jim was headed for some additional surgery this fall. Barbara Nexsen Lansche spent several days in Saluda visiting with Charlotte Hamer Moulton and Wallace who are now in their new home. Bonnie Kearney then accompanied Barbara to Denver on a visit to see her son Will. They took in all the sights, touring the Denver Botanical Gardens, the Red Rock Amphitheatre, the Garden of the Gods, Broadmoor Hotel, Brown Palace, and Georgetown, Colorado. Their trip was over just one week prior to the first snowfall in Denver! Judi Hege Bailey reports that her “news” sounds like more like a travelogue. She and Bren celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary visiting Myrtle Beach and the Spoleto in Charleston. A “girls beach week“ at Atlantic Beach was followed by visiting Virginia Beach and then traveling to Rhode Island to celebrate Bren’s 50th Class Reunion and Judi’s Birthday. They packed once again for Maine and then made it home just in time to start traveling on the road for football season. When she’s not traveling, Judi volunteers for the Shepherd’s Center of Greater Winston-Salem, is involved with the Ladies of Coker, and is a member of the Deans Advisory Council for the College of Liberal Arts and Human Studies at Virginia Tech. In May she was honored by being
23 | W I N T E R
2014
C A M P U S I S S U E
named President Emeritus of Northern Michigan University. Nancy Strahn Hall has recently been absorbed in the tales of Curious George with her 2-year-old grandson, Drew. In July she and Weller spent ten days in Norway, then five days in Paris, followed by a river cruise on the Seine. When the leaves turn, they plan to spend time each month in New Hampshire in Waterville Valley where they can relax walking or cross-country skiing. Can you believe, Judy Hesley Toney and David will be retiring on the exact same day in December? Her retirement plans include both some beach trips and a sentimental journey back to her birthplace in Philadelphia. She definitely plans to begin sleeping in late, enjoying an extra cup of tea each morning, mentoring high school students, and spending more time with her six grandchildren – the lights of her life! Barbara Whitaker Terry and George made a trip to the North Carolina Mountains, where he unfortunately suffered a stroke. Their visit ended up in Tennessee at the Johnson City Medical Center before returning home to Florence where he is undergoing physical therapy. Wilson and I have been spending time on renovations. I can direct you most anywhere in both Lowes and Home Depot for whatever you might need. We are planning a Floridian Christmas with Mom and my sister, Donna. After all, that’s what holidays are all about—family. Don’t forget to stay in touch with classmates. Contact someone you haven’t heard from in ages and it will be a joy to both of you! Take Care, Joni Ladinig Abernathy
1970 I want to thank everyone who contributed their family news for our fall commentary! It seems each of us has been quite busy with the goings on in our lives. I surely did receive much information from our classmates which was a delight! Diane "Thrasher" Mills has recently retired from the teaching profession and adores it!! She is especially pleased that she can sleep and get up as she wishes and doesn’t cringe when she hears a bell. Diane is free to go out on a week night without worrying about the next day. The best part is she doesn’t have to ask anyone for permission. What’s not to like? Ray Torrance Vance says she is like most of our class. She and husband Mike are enjoying their 3 grandchildren who live nearby. She is designing their Halloween costumes. Martha Flowers Herbert and Ray enjoy quilting together and making road trips to different events. She is especially excited about a beach vacation with their entire family of eight! Brenda Thompson Stewart and her husband have a son Brandon who was recently married in Hawaii. He has joined the Air National Guard after being in the Air Force. Their daughter Margaret and her husband have three children. Brenda is asking for volunteers to help them with these three while their daughter and her husband visit Hawaii! Brenda and Larry enjoy playing golf, taking care of the yard, entertaining friends and definitely keeping busy! Jane May Gable is delighted that their
daughter Margaret was married this past summer. Jane admits she wanted to dance a jig down the aisle! She continues to work as a Title One Reading Specialist. Their other daughter Laura and her family (one child 14 months old) live in Raleigh. Jane’s car is frequently on auto pilot for Raleigh! Maxine McGarity has joined the elite group of retirees in our class. She taught Health and P.E. for 38 years. She lived in several places while doing this. She also served in the Air Force for 4 years. Nell Cutts Daniels and husband Ken are just ecstatic about the birth of their first grandchild this summer. This was a little girl. They are currently making quite a few trips to Florida. I hope each of you enjoyed the holidays. Your Co-Rep, Harriett Council
1971 Jan Bonnette Frye is headed back east after her move in 1988 to Washington. She and Carroll will move to Charleston, just a mile from her sister Libby and Ron. They will be in Carolina Bay in West Ashley. Jan and Carroll’s home is still on the market, for anyone looking for a home in Puyallup. Their daughter Julie and family are back in Germany for another two years after spending the summer with them. Son Darren is in Tacoma, but his parents hope he will decide to head east at some point. Wendy Lamm Leonard reports that she and hubby, Danny, returned to Virginia from North Carolina in 2010. They moved into their new home in March, 2012, right before their son, Wayne, married and moved into the farm house. He and his wife blessed them with a grandson in March 2013, just after Wendy's hip replacement surgery. They have four grandkids, and Wendy relishes in her role as Grammie. The hip surgery delayed a planned trip to Hawaii, but Wendy and Danny are headed there in March 2014. She said she enjoys keeping up with her Coker friends on Facebook and invites others to "friend" her. She'll accept. Teresa Burrell McKenna reports a busy summer with their barbeque business Lillie’s Q in Destin, FL. They packed up their 27-foot trailer and traveled to The Citadel in September to cook for the LT Dan Week 4 Event, serving several hundred hungry folks in Brittle Bank Park on the Ashley River and enjoying a VIP reception and dinner on campus. In July Teresa was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer, had a lumpectomy and lymph node biopsy in August and is undergoing 33 radiation treatments. She says she is doing great and stays busy with weddings and catering. She, too, enjoys keeping up with her Coker friends via Facebook. Kathryn Latimer Welch cannot seem to get enough of first grade. She retired after teaching 30 years at Bishopville Primary and moved straight to RE Lee, where she is now in her 14th year. She says she just doesn't know when she will retire again. She and Benny's sons, Benny and Stephen, have given them four grandchildren, and all live nearby. She fills her car daily with her grandchildren and a niece to take them to school with her at Lee. The proud grandparents follow 10-year-old Conner from ball field to ball field. He is a fourth generation pitcher for the highly ranked 10 and under Dirtbags, a travel baseball team. The entire
family belongs to Bishopville Presbyterian Church, where Kathryn grew up and she and Benny were married. Ginger Haselden’s Celebration Singers of Asheville, a community children’s chorus she founded in 2007, will be busy in December, performing with the Asheville Choral Society and presenting a musical sponsored by Macy’s, “Yes, Virginia: The Musical.” Her singers performed at Carnegie Hall in 2011. Katherine Ledbetter Meyer is celebrating the arrival of a new grandson, Ethan, born in June, who joined cousins Dylan, 6, and Brandon, 3. She is thrilled the latter two will be welcoming a baby sister in October. “A girl finally,” Ledbetter exclaims. She and Fred enjoyed a Viking Rhine River Cruise in May with three other couples, traveling from Amsterdam to Basel. If you were a Facebook friend, you followed her journey through posted photos. She is enjoying semi-retirement, especially lots of golf, grandkids and travel. She also shared news of her annual get together with Beth Poole Garrett and Julie Stackhouse Eggen in Hiawassee, GA. Julie is about to move from Florida to either Georgia or North Carolina. Christiana Glover Wallerstein continues to crisscross the States from Pasadena to Lynchburg, VA, to spend time with her mother, Phil, who has been very ill for five years. Chris’s business, Playworks.net, which specializes in toys for special needs children, keeps her busy. Chris and David’s son, Edward, is a contractor in Pasadena. Leonard and I are relieved to have our daughter, Mary B., back at home after her World Race Christian mission trip that took her to 11 countries across the globe in 11 months. In April I joined Mary B. and 40 other parents and World Racers in Kenya for five days of mission work in Kijabe. Before heading to Kijabe, I spent an afternoon with Mary B.'s team of seven remarkable women, delivering belated Christmas gifts from their parents. The young women had spent the morning of their day off at West Gate Mall in Nairobi. I continue to serve on Coker’s Board of Trustees and remain in awe by the growth, changes and educational opportunities offered. A new field house, years and years overdue, is under construction, the music department is working to become an allSteinway program, the School of Education has moved to what we remember as the Hartsville Messenger building, the men’s baseball team made it to the College World Series (what a ride!)… Keep up with the happenings by checking out the college website regularly or “friend” Robert Wyatt, the president. And “friend,” me, too. I’ll link you to 14 or so I keep up with regularly via Facebook.
1972 Congratulations to Janice Wilkins, who was recently inducted at Woodmont High School in to the Athletic Hall of Fame for 25 years of coaching (volleyball and softball). She reported that it was quite an honor and she was humbled to be included with many others that were inducted into this initial class of 20, some who are really great athletes that she coached as well! It was a very exciting event! She also shared that she retired in June after 38 years of teaching and coaching! She says that she is really enjoying it and doesn’t know why she didn’t do it sooner! Her mom is 93 and she W W W. C O K E R . E D U