CLASS NOTES
grandchildren. I also have four boys from my first marriage, and three grandchildren. I attended Boston University after Friends as a pre-theology student, but found it was not the right road for me. I spent 22 years in the US Army. Six of my first ten years were spent in Germany, where among other things, I was a linguist—French, German, Polish, Slovak, and Czech. I used these and a few others, including Latin, as a translator of foreign documents for the Social Security Administration for 15 years before retirement. After those years in Europe, I spent eight years in Asia, including almost two years in Vietnam, and on Okinawa as an Ordnance Officer. Now in retirement, I dabble in an autobiography requested by the kids.”
1957
Tom Baker and his wife, Sue, hosted a gathering of “locals” from the Class of ’57 over Homecoming 2009 weekend. (See photo.)
Barbara Wesp Murry won a gold medal at the 2009 Adult National Figure Skating Championships in the Ladies Class V group (age 61 and up) in April.
1958
The alumni office caught up Barbara Wesp Murry ’57 with Jacqueline Tallard Fossati in the summer of 2009. She was an exchange student and spent August – December 1958 at WFS. She wrote, “I have a very good memory of these months and would be happy to hear what all the pals of the class did all these years. My partner was Mary Gilruth, and I have no news of her for over 40 years. I am French, and went to Swiss Institute of Technology in Zurich. I graduated in 1963 and got a Ph.D. in biology in 1966. By that time, I was married with a Swiss student and my name became Fossati. I spent all my professional years as a biology teacher in a High School in Geneva. I live now between Geneva and Lausanne in a winegrower village. We have three boys and six granddaughters.”
Class of 1957 “locals” gathering, seated: Ann Harper Heaton ’57, Lynne Autman Erbach ’57, Alice McGovern Doering ’57; standing: Rob Hoopes ’57, Tom Baker ’57, Joan Keller, Chris Shields, Pete Shields ’57, Paul Erbach, Al Doering, Robert Heaton, Jerry Poole ’57, Susan Poole, Sue Baker, Wayne Keller ’57 Gerret Copeland and his wife, Tatiana, were honored in November as Outstanding Philanthropists of the Year by the Brandywine Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Avid supporters of the arts, the Copelands launched Arts for Delaware’s Future, a campaign to raise $12 million to provide long-term support for the Delaware Art Museum, Delaware Symphony, Delaware Theatre Company, Opera Delaware, and the Grand Opera House. An October 2009 News Journal article about the effort noted that the Copelands were also recognized for their lead gift to the Delaware Art Museum’s most recent capital campaign, and for their support of Christiana Care’s Center for Heart and Vascular Health, the Delaware College of Art and Design, the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, the Delaware Humane Association, and numerous other organizations. Abbie Greene Fassnacht (See 2001.)
22 Spring 2010 • Friends magazine
1959
Dee Morris Stevens wrote last summer that she was enjoying being a docent at Hagley Museum and Mt. Cuba Center. She has four grandchildren, including two currently attending Friends, Laura Gates ’14 and Merritt Gates ’16, daughters of Stephanie and Friends Trustee Scott Gates ’80.
Charlie Jacobson posted an online note (good job, Charlie!) in July 2009: “My life has been a great adventure with work and family. I spent the first half of my career in international finance for several Fortune 100 companies before joining a friend in a financial consulting practice in Minneapolis. After spending some time with the Masai in Tanzania on the Serengeti and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, I discovered that my priorities needed to change. This led to the dissolution of my first marriage and consulting partnership. I then transitioned into a new lifestyle, and subsequently met my new wife, Diane. Between us, we had four children and six grandchildren. Sadly, my oldest daughter, Sarah, died a few years ago after suffering a long bout with a rare cancer. We lead an active lifestyle in The Villages, FL, traveling to over a hundred countries and to all of the continents. Last year we trekked in the Simian Mountains of Ethiopia, kayaked in the Arctic Ocean, and hiked in the Amazon. We wonder how we ever had time for traditional work.” Peter Morrow was honored in November 2009 by the Brandywine Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) with a Professional Lifetime Achievement Award for his many years of service to the non-profit community. During his tenure at the Welfare and Longwood Foundations, Pete oversaw contributions of more than $500 million to charities in Delaware and Southern Chester County. Prior to his foundation work, Pete spent 12 years as the corporate giving director for DuPont. Over his lifetime, Pete most likely has managed the distribution of more charitable dollars than anyone else in the history of the First State. He also was the guiding force behind the creation and development of the Community Services Building in Wilmington, a 200,000 sq. ft. office building dedicated exclusively to non-profit organizations. The building houses more than 75 nonprofit agencies, serving as a national model.
Nick Everhart is retired from the DuPont Company, where he was a scientist and business manager for 28 years. He works seasonally as a tax preparer for Daniels and Tansey. He and his wife, Charmaine, have four children and four grandchildren. He wrote in September 2009, “In addition to family, my primary interests have been gardening, reading, and a variety of outdoor activities. I am most proud of climbing Mt. Rainer, running a marathon, and trekking to Mt. Everest base camp in Nepal.”
Charlie Jacobson ’59 with his wife Diane and a new friend in the Simian Mountains of Ethiopia