CLASS NOTES
In May, Jeannette and Walter Smith attended an exhibition and Awards Ceremony of Cumberland Valley Artists at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown, MD. Carol Mackay Mertz, wife of Walter “Skip” Mertz, won best of the show with a sculpture titled “Tribe.” Skip and Carol’s two sons and their families also attended the event.
The Class of 1962: A 50th Reunion to Remember In the summer of 2011, Phoebe B. Baker ’62 set forth to create an updated “yearbook” to celebrate her class’s 50th Reunion, and along the way received considerable support from many classmates. Over the year, they reached out to every single member of the Class of 1962 and ended up—quite remarkably—with updates from nearly all of their classmates. Something special happened along the way. By all reports, their reunion weekend was incredibly meaningful, and included the generous decision to start an endowment fund in the class’s name. Terry Lawrence ’62 took that project on, and within one month secured more than $60,000. Combined with Walter ’62 and Jeannette Smith’s Endowment Fund and Tim ’62 and Mona Bayard’s gifts to the school, this 50th Reunion was the most philanthropic in the school’s long history. Excerpts from the printed “yearbook” distributed at the 50th Reunion:
George Curme IV ’65 and his dog Duke at home in Roanoke, VA, August 2012. Note the Friends sweater that George’s wife, Sue, knitted for him. 1965 George Curme IV (See photo.) In December, Barnes & Noble “Nook First” launched Leslie Davis Guccione’s first e-book, The Chick Palace, her 31st book overall. It hit #1, spent two weeks on the bestseller list, and became January’s “staff pick.” The Chick Palace is also available on Amazon’s Kindle. Leslie’s 1993 young adult book, Come Morning (dedicated to her WFS class), is summarized on Amazon this way: “Twelve-year-old Freedom, the son of a freed slave living in Delaware in the early 1850s, takes over his father’s work in the Underground Railroad when his father disappears.”
1970 Chip Oat has moved to Washington D.C. from NYC and looks forward to connecting with fellow alumni in the area.
1977 Mimi Cordrey-Cotsell recently became a grandmother. She emailed us the happy Grandson to Mimi news: “Son (and Cordrey-Cotsell ’77 and son fellow alumnus) to John Bloxom V ’01: John John Bloxom V ’01 Bloxom VI. and his wife, Jessica, have a child—John Bloxom VI, of course—born on March 28! (He is really the most adorable child ever.)”
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The classy Class of 1962 came back in full force for homecoming and reunion. While many graduated 50 years ago, some classmates transferred to other schools, but still keep Friends in their hearts and minds. A handful could not attend:
Although John Sparks of South Dennis, MA, sold the consulting firm he formed, he still consults and is now an executive recruiter with his firm, Westport Associates. John enjoys reading escapist novels and playing golf.
Although retired now, By Bishop of Savannah, GA, had a good excuse for missing the reunion: he and his wife, Patricia, have taken turns attending their reunions. This was her turn. In April, they celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary; they were married three days after By was medivaced back from Vietnam.
Norm Vernon is encouraging his classmates to hold a reunion in his home of Naples, FL. In his retirement, he has devoted his time to golf, achieving two holes-in-one. Norm, who has volunteered to support the humane societies, also had a good excuse in the minds of all who have ever owned a pet.
Terry Lawrence and his wife, Maureen, who found their perfect retirement home in Machipongo, VA, also had a good excuse for not attending: doctor’s orders. But he is well on his way to coming back strong and is continuing his efforts to establish and augment the class endowment fund. Ellen Ginzburg Migliorino resigned as an assistant professor of American Studies on the faculty of the arts at the University of Trieste, Italy, because of her impending and now incapacitating illness. Ellen and her family are in our thoughts. Aline Laurent Nogues joined our senior year as an exchange student. Before the reunion, Ned Davis left many phone messages for Aline and plans to continue trying to reach her. According to the alumni office, Aline lives near Paris and has at least one child. Sally Reed Skey of Princeton, NJ, [in what the yearbook noted as a trend] has also become quite a good golfer and is an avid bike rider. She’s also granny nanny two days a week in NYC.
Many from WFS ’62 attended at least part of the four-day reunion and homecoming celebration: Skip Allen has retired in Smithfield, VA, after a career as a mechanical engineer in marine repair. He keeps active with a lifelong learning society, book and breakfast clubs, genealogical research, and as a volunteer “nail pounder and wood butcher” with Habitat for Humanity in Smithfield. Sheila Brown Arbury of Washington, DC, has continued her studies over the years and is now learning Greek. As a health scientist with the US Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, she writes and reviews policy papers and outreach documents about work place health hazards and their solutions. Phoebe B. Baker of Avondale, PA, has retired after editing a now-defunct community newspaper, teaching business managers and researchers writing techniques, and writing explanations of health and welfare benefits for a church plan.