class news class news | ’62 - ’64
week in Mount Pleasant to help out and helps a friend in Pawley’s Island every day, who needs someone to walk her dog and drive her to various appointments. Joanne’s pets are weathering the cold very well and she mentioned her son, Matt, lives next door and is a wonderful cook, willing to share his creations from time to time. He loves to hunt. Cathy Ward Parker is perched in her chilly home in Nova Scotia and had just returned home from cataract surgery when I spoke to her. She thankfully has friends who are cooking and tending to her needs while she recuperates. They have been in the middle of snow storms. Bruce and Mary Frances Zachary Williams ’64 delayed trips to Disney World and a Caribbean cruise after Mary-Frances had her annual physical. A CT scan and scan-guided biopsy discovered lung cancer and she had her left upper lobe removed at MUSC in early November. By December she had no cancer and the doctor said “live your life as if this never happened”. The cancer was in its earliest stage, 1-A. What a blessing! The Disney World trip is now scheduled for March and a cruise to Scandinavia, for May. As Bruce says, “Life is for the living. So live it to the fullest!” Nancy Wilson reports that it’s plenty cold “down here” in Arizona. She doesn’t “do” cold! Mary Ann Wycliff Johnson’s husband for 48 years, Joseph Johnson, M.D., died last fall. Joe had been a Pathologist and unfortunately had suffered from Parkinson’s disease for the last seven years. Their daughter, Deb, lives in Arizona with her husband and three sons, from 5 to college age, and insisted on borrowing Mary Ann for Christmas where she had a lovely time. Mary Ann still carves and takes good care of her horse. Caroline Quick Zweidler returned to the USA in last Fall for her 50th high school reunion in NC. She made it to Georgia, Florida, California and Massachusetts and had a fantastic time. She could not make it to our 45th because her daughter was expecting twins. She hopes to go to Israel in March. Peggy Zeigler Reeves’ consulting contract has been renewed and she is happy about that. Her next National IMA Conference will be held in Denver, CO in June this year and she looks forward to attending that. Peggy misses having the excuse to see Coker’s campus when she served on several Board positions and had to attend those meetings. In conjunction with its 100th anniversary, Coker College has published In Quest of Excellence: A History of Coker College on its Centennial (Coker College Press, 2008). Written by Dr. Malcolm C. Doubles, former provost and dean of the faculty, the history examines the first 10 decades of the college’s existence and discusses special topics, such as Kalmia Gardens, unique Coker traditions and athletics. It costs $50 and should be available at Burry Bookstore in downtown Hartsville and at Coker College. Gaby
>> C lass o f 19 6 3 N anc y W arren C larke P.O. Box 988 Montreat, NC 28757 828-371-0572 | frauclarke@mindspring.com E dit h Floride R e y nolds 105 South Rosemary Avenue Andrews, SC 29510 843-264-5173 | edithreynolds@verizon.net Happy 2009 to all members of the Class of 1963! There were not too many “sightings” of the Class of 1963 after our Reunion at Coker last April. That was a special time for us to reacquaint ourselves. We look forward to our 50th in a few years. Please put the date on your calendar as soon as you hear from the college about the festivities.
W W W. C OK E R .E D U /A LUMN I
We have a little news for you. Anna Phillips Chandler and her husband, Archie had a surprise meeting with Nan Warren Clarke and her husband, Erskine recently. Archie, Nan, and Erskine were pouring over some old records in the Zion Presbyterian Church near Bishopville, when Archie said,” My wife Anna will be here in a few minutes.” Soon Anna appeared around the door and what excitement there was for Nan and Anna. They had no idea of the love of Presbyterian History connection between their husbands. It was a great mini reunion. Anna is enjoying retirement from her “Judgeship”. Nan continues to enjoy her retirement from teaching German. More “Nan” news – she enjoyed a trip to Central and Eastern Europe this past year. Erskine led a group of Presbyterians on a Reformed Heritage Tour of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. It was a great trip to learn about the church there, its history and present day connections with the church in the USA. Nan had a recent telephone conversation with Joan Henley Brendle, who now lives in Flat Rock, NC after an exciting career as an interior decorator in England. Edith Floride Reynolds has gone back to work after her retirement!! She is working part-time in the family owned and operated drugstore in Andrews. Nancy McConnell Wilhelm is laid up for a while after foot surgery. We’re hoping for a speedy recovery for Nancy. We send condolences to Margaret Brown Young, who lost her mother, Trudy on December 6, 2008. We were also sorry to hear the sad news about the death of Nancy McConnell Wilhelm’s mother-in-law, Jeanne Byerly Wilhelm ’50 after Christmas. Budgy, we’re thinking of you and sad for the loss of your mother. Here is a special plea for our class–We would like to stay in touch. Please send us some news and plan to come to our 50th Reunion.
>> C lass o f 19 6 4 L orena C ook J ames 24 Dearborn Road North, SC 29112-8201 803-874-3332 | lorenajames@windstream.net Beck y S parrow 505 Law Street Hartsville, SC 29550-3646 843-857-0782 | rgs2000@aol.com C ameron C ouncil S pet h 986 Forest Road New Haven, CT 06515 203-453-8985 | cspeth@hopkins.edu In a beautiful and inspiring letter, Diane Barber shares her personal triumph over many adversities, major challenges and changes during the past eight years. She says, “At the age of 66, I am finally sensing a feeling of being settled both physically and emotionally. What have I learned from these transitions? I appreciate the simple things of life, the sunrise, the smell of coffee, easing into each day with a slower pace. I have learned to get rid of excess baggage — things, emotions and stuff. I cherish each day and try not to place demands on myself.” Diane is a social worker at Carolina Dialysis and now lives in Landrum, enjoying the small town life style and feeling she has truly “come home”. Her two daughters are doing well. Joy, who received her Master’s in Social Work in 2008, is working for ten months with a youth program in the town of Pune on a grant through the National India Foundation. Also, she is studying the lives of those who collect trashed recyclable items for money to survive. Lisa is the associate director of a YMCA in Raleigh NC, and she mentors a teenage girl through the Big Sister Program. Hopefully, Diane with her bright smile and amazing
spirit will be at our reunion to share more of her story with you. “Let’s do Coker this spring!” from Catherine “Katie” Tanner Mishler’s brief holiday note. We’ll look forward to a great update from you, Katie, at our reunion. Marshall and Nita Nunn Danenburg’s Christmas note exclaims, “What a wonderful journey we are experiencing learning to be grandparents; it is the most fun we have had!” Twins Cameron and Morgan are growing fast. Mary Louise Antley Glesner included great pictures of children and grandchildren in her Christmas letter. All are busy and thriving. Son Scott and his wife Suzanne live in Christiansburg VA, and he works for Yokohama Tires plus making some Domino’s pizza deliveries and keeping stats for Virginia Tech during football season. Suzanne works and takes courses toward a Master’s degree. Daughter Jill, who lives down the street from her mom and dad, is enjoying her job at Indoor Biotechnologies and will be doing a poster presentation at a spring meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Trevor, three, and Dustin, one, keep daughter Sharon and her husband Barry fully occupied! With daughter Reaves and her husband Michael expecting a baby girl in March, Sarah Ann Alford Horton’s sewing machine was turning out lots of little girl outfits and nursery items at press time! And Pat Holland Chapman writes, “My happy news is that both of my daughters-inlaw are expecting girls in March 2009. Jim and Carrie live in New Jersey where he is in a family practice in Middletown NJ. Leighton and Buffy live in Lexington, and he works as a graphic designer for an engineering firm.” Pat and Frank enjoyed beautiful scenery on a gold dome train trip through the Canadian Rockies in June 2008. Karin Armstrong Harper is enjoying the blessings of family and says, “I have two sons, two great daughters-inlaw, and six wonderful grandchildren — three boys and three girls. The oldest is nine years and the youngest is fifteen months.” Life continues to mostly revolve around Rotary leadership and Foundation activities involving much travel for Anne Lamb Matthews. Her January schedule included a twelve-day stint in San Diego serving as the Lead Trainer for the International Assembly for Rotary International, her second year in this role. District governors from all over the world were to be trained to start serving in July as Rotary governors. Anne had the honor, responsibility and hard work of training the trainers who work with them. Linda Milam Law and Charlton had a great trip in September. After flying to Paris and enjoying a day and a half there, they boarded a river boat and were on the Seine for seven days with daily stops in wonderful villages or towns. Linda says, “We loved seeing Van Gogh’s and Monet’s homes; and Normandy was special. Of course, the food was great, and we enjoyed meeting lots of new people.” Your reunion committee (Becky Sparrow and Naomi Kelley Jackson) is planning the best “45th” you’ll ever attend; and that’s a promise! “Naomi Kelley Jackson and I are very excited about the plans for our 45th Class of 1964 Reunion! Our first event is dinner at Naomi’s home on the evening of Friday, April 3 at 6:00 p.m. Naomi says you may need to prepare for a Civ Test BUT you will be rewarded with a “Coker dining room Sunday night brown bag” complete with Heath bars and an apple! Anyone needing a ride or directions to Naomi’s house should contact either of us! Our phone nos. and email addresses are on the letters you will be receiving from us! It has been so much fun to hear from many of you who are planning to come and from as far away as California, like Susan Frank. Our class has contributed 23% of our class gift goal of $6,500 to the Annual Scholarship Fund. Let’s put it over the top by April 4th! Come see the beautiful new campus and enjoy our 45th reunion gathering!” Becky Sparrow
THE QUARTERLY OF COKER COLLEGE , HARTSVILLE , S . C . - C O M M EN TA RY
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