DEVELOPMENT
oversee a kitchen renovation. Paula and Bill hope to go on a few vacation trips before Christmas. Betsy Coker reports that life continues at a moderate pace for her- horsing, motorcycling, and camping. Harriet “Libby” Cannon Danel writes that she loves being retired and has no idea why she thought it was fun to work all those years. 32 years with Bank of America seems like a long time, but the years flew by, just as the years since our graduation have flown by. Libby has enjoyed reconnecting with a few classmates. She had lunch with Estelle Truesdale McKenzie and her husband Mike. She met Marsha Hatfield Marcelli and her husband Dave for a lovely afternoon and pizza at their beach house. She also talked with Diane Parker Mann on the phone. Libby and her husband enjoy traveling-especially cruising. They kept a blog on the last two cruises at jackandlibby.blogspot.com. Her son Keller lives close to her. Her daughter Eliza lives in Nashville. Jack’s two, Chris and Jen are in the Atlanta area. Jen has three girls and three boys from age eighteen to five. She was saddened to learn of her Coker roommate, Libby Jane Cress Moss’ death and has been in touch on Facebook with her daughter, Ashley. Mandy Hubbard Sedgwick continues to LOVE retirement. She and husband Mike live on Tybee Island, which is crowded with tourists this summer because of the Gulf beaches oil spill. She says we need to pray for all those that have been touched by this disaster. Their pet cock-a-poo, Mitsy keeps them active and loves her walks. Mandy looks forward to the Hubbard Family Reunion in Durham, NC in July. April Garnier Poitras and husband Joe’s biggest enjoyment is spending time with their first grandson, who is 17 months old and toddling around exploring everything. They are very happy to be expecting another grandchild in November when youngest son, Mark and his wife have their first baby. They traveled to Florida in June and look forward to escaping the Texas heat in August by traveling to Yellowstone, Teton, and Glacier National Parks. Hyatt Ann Keels Brandt sends her greetings to all members of the Class of 1969! At this point, she is still employed by the SC Budget & Control Board. Her family is healthy and reports that her oldest son, Stewart returned safely from Military duty in Qatar. His wife and four children join her in celebration! It was 40 years ago when she welcomed his father back from Vietnam. She is pleased to report that she enjoyed a delightful visit with Leigh Anne Farnell and her husband Jeff in Maine last September and her mother and she enjoyed a brief visit with Leigh Anne and her mother in July when they came to SC. Those special moments in time mean so much! Classmates: Please inform the Alumni Office of any new e mail addresses or any changes of mailing addresses for yourselves or other classmates.
1970 DEVELOPMENT
Jane Brown Riechmann
2970 St. Johns Avenue Jacksonville, FL 32205 904-384-8650 | stjohnsjane@bellsouth.net Classmates, it’s hard to believe that over forty years have gone by since we donned those caps and gowns. But those who attended our reunion can attest to that fact. We surely enjoyed seeing everyone and catching up with one another. Those who attended were: Caroline Jordan Black, Connie White Boleman, Marguerite Sloman Botkin, Linda Smith Bradford, Myra Cato
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2011
A LUMNI ISSUE
Coffey, Harriett Council, Nell Cutts Daniels, Jane May Gable, Elaine White Gilbert, Martha Sherrill Flowers Herbert, Linda Burnett Jeter, Beth Abrams Jones, Jessie Markley Lee, Pat Jacobs Lipe, Ginny French Lyles, Lucy Maxwell, Beverly Armstrong McLaughlin, Chris Reynolds McNinch, Diane Thrasher Mills, KayKay Duelley Nooft, Codie Simmons Quarles, Mary Edmunds Reed, Roxanne Copeland Richardson, Jane Brown Riechmann, Gayle Buckheister Sawyer, Joyce Floyd Shaw, Betty Moore Snowden, Brenda Thompson Stewart and Ray Torrence Vance. Seven fellows were brave enough to join our Friday evening party. It was SO good to see classmates who were making their first trip back in forty years. We missed four classmates who had planned to attend but had last minute emergencies that kept them away: Candee Constable Craven, Sandy Myers Denny, Martha Carpenter Shaleuly and Pie White Sharpe. In fact, we missed all of you who were not there. Time melted away and we were all seventeen (okay, some were eighteen and Nell was only sixteen)! One thing for sure is that we were all impressed with the Coker of today. The campus has not looked better. Candee Constable Craven emailed that she has grandson number two. Mason Robert was born May 5, 2010 to her daughter Meredith and her husband. He is little brother to 4.5 year old Blake. We had three MOB’s (Mother of the Bride) at the reunion: Elaine White Gilbert, Jessie Markley Lee and Nell Cutts Daniel.. I am happy to report that they all survived the weddings! Elaine’s younger daughter Ginger became Mrs. Ray Teachey on May 1, after becoming engaged on Labor Day, 2009. During that quick eight month span, Elaine (and husband Vic) not only worked on a wedding but also welcomed a second grandson, Miller Lestrade Upchurch who was born to their older daughter Laura and her husband on October 18, 2009, joining his older brother Max. Both girls, husbands and grandsons live not too far away so that makes Elaine very happy. Jessie Markley Lee sent a picture of her beautiful daughter Caroline and son-in-law Will Barnette as they were departing the Citadel Chapel. Jessie said everything was even better than she had imagined….at least she thinks that’s the case and will verify when she sees the video! It was great hearing from Ginger King Hilderbrand. Both of her sons are following their dad Terry in the military. Their two boys, both married, are serving in the Army. Their younger son Matt is stationed in Afghanistan while their older son Neil is serving with the Ranger Training Brigade in Florida. Ginger and Terry have two grandsons, Boone and Case. Terry works at Georgia Tech in the Research Institute and Ginger is enjoying retired life after teaching math for many years in Georgia. We give thanks to and for our military families. Lynda Patton Land is also retired after 37 years of teaching. She cannot quite let go as Lynda says she plans to volunteer at her former school as well as teach reading there one day a week. But her retirement was not Lynda’s biggest news! The birth of her and Gene’s first grandchild, Xander Lucas Smith, on March 12 took top billing. Lynda is loving taking care of her precious grandson 3 to 4 days a week while his parents work. Speaking of grandsons, Mary Edmunds Reed has her second. Barrow Huger Reed was born on November 4, 2009. He joins older brother Thomas Center Reed. Both are sons of Mary’s older son Center and his wife Virginia. Are any girls being born these days? Before she and her three daughters and oldest granddaughter headed out of Jacksonville on a cruise,
Fran Crisp McCaw and Jane Brown Riechmann enjoyed a morning together at Jane’s home in Jacksonville. Fran’s three grown and married daughters are all beautiful as is her red-headed oldest granddaughter. Report is that the all-girl vacation was super. Fran now has six grandchildren. The others were a little young (and some male) to take this trip! Mary Judd Utley Montgomery wrote to say how much she hated missing the reunion. She is already planning for our 50th in 2020! Mary (Judd) has been in business for 36 years in their family owned insurance agency. At the time she wrote, she was looking forward to a week at the beach with her husband Buck. Art is still one of her passions which she enjoys when time permits. She had heard from Niramol Eed Thanomkulbutr who said she was doing well and that things had quieted down somewhat in Bangkok. Linda Burnett Jeter says that her husband Jay has very few regrets about retiring from teaching. The Jeters are now both retired and are watching with interest as their daughter Jayne pursues an acting career. Jayne was chosen for an acting apprenticeship at Horizon Theatre in Atlanta which lasts through May of 2011. After that, Hollywood perhaps! Retirement is also good for Pie White Sharpe. After learning that a balance problem was not serious, Pie is thankful and enjoying reading, gardening and volunteering. And another recent retiree is Martha Carpenter Shaleuly who was at Furman University for 12 years as Director of Teaching Fellows. That job allowed her to see Gayle Buckheister Sawyer from time to time and I am sure both will miss that connection. Speaking of Gayle, she and Beverly Armstrong McLaughlin, who both now live in Rock Hill have promised to see one another more often after being together at our reunion. It was so good to see Beverly doing so well at the reunion. A big thank you to our reunion team – Myra Cato Coffey, Kay-Kay Duelley Nooft, Mary Edmunds Reed and Linda Smith Bradford. Kay-Kay was a super corep and we will all miss her positive, can-do attitude. Her death on July 16, 2010, saddens us all. Our deepest sympathy to Al and the family. The Coker website is setting up a link by classes (if I understand correctly) which will show the current monies collected toward our annual goal for the Alumni Scholarship Fund which always runs July 1 – June 30. We surpassed our goal for 2010. Thanks to all who participated. I am hoping that many of us will participate in “THE PLAN”. I know as I write this, I am at $40 and counting and by the time you are reading this, I will be at $80. I do hope you find that you are able to participate as well. Thanks to all who sent news. Please send your news or any you know of fellow classmates so we can all be “in the know”! Best wishes to all for a safe and happy summer and fall.
1971
Sarah Jo Wood Safrit
Post Office Box 388 Beaufort, NC 28516 252-728-3213 | leonards@mail.clis.com Priscilla Perry Arnold, Lynda Rhyne, Trisha Braid Collins, Elizabeth Cockfield Bushardt and Sarah Mims ’72. celebrated a mini Coker reunion in late May with a three-day trip to Myrtle Beach. They are looking forward to a bigger reunion, when our class gathers in June 2010 for our 40th reunion.
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