Class Notes Linda Morrison Robbins ’59 writes, “Hanson and I have been living in Maryland for five years now. We truly love it. There are seasonal changes but no harsh winters like there were in Boston. We both continue to experience great health. I am facing cataract operations but have not replaced any other body parts. As I reported two Reunions ago, I have become a mediator. I will step down as Chair of the Community Mediation Board in January but will remain on that board for another two years. We have expanded our programs to include the local public schools. These new programs include truancy and restorative justice. We had our bucket list trip last January Australia and New Zealand. We traveled to Sydney and Melbourne in Australia, and the South and North Islands in New Zealand. Opera, city lights, birds and boats caught our attention. Our Grand Banks, Titania, takes us up and down the Chesapeake Bay. We have been to Washington, Yorktown, and Irvington VA, home of the Tides Inn, by boat. I have acquired another grandchild, Eric Michael Chase, which puts me at four. Two are fairly close in Quakertown, PA, but two are in New Hampshire. My mother, who is 96, has just agreed to go to assisted living. She has been residing at Dunwoody for almost 15 years. I am looking forward to seeing you all again. Has five years really gone by?” Joan Schoettle ’59 “How to compress 55 years into a class note? Impossible. Married, lots, divorced, lots, son Barry died at 24 from leukemia, daughter Margo in England with husband, Roger, and 11-year-old daughter, Amy. I live in Stuart, FL with my very dear Patrick O’Malley; we have a dog, Mulligan, a Goldendoodle, play lots of golf, walk, bike, swim, read, talk and travel. My sister Polly lives nearby in Vero Beach, which is very nice. My life is lovely. I am looking forward to seeing everyone, can hardly believe all the friends I see on Facebook, what a treat that is. See you all soon.”
:: Joan Schoettle ’59 with Patrick O’Malley
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The Agnes Irwin School Magazine :: Spring 2014
A well-lived life of civic service As a lifelong resident of Lower Merion Township, Patricia Richards Cosgrave ’59 has served in more civic roles than a person could count on three hands. “I was brought up in that mode so that is what I knew. That’s what I kind of fell into,” said Cosgrave, whose father was a longtime head of many charitable organizations and whose mother was “a dynamo in the committee meetings world.” In her adult life, Cosgrave has given her time and talents as a volunteer for library leagues, civic associations, political committees, garden clubs, higher education, public television, senior citizen programs and the cancer society. “It gives me more than I give it, and I’ve learned skills in one type of service that I could apply in another type of service.” “But it was Irwin’s that laid the foundation for everything that I’ve done,” said Cosgrave, who attended from kindergarten through 12th grade. Cosgrave, who attended Pine Manor College and received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, said she started out as a local committee person for the Republican Party in Lower Merion, a post she has held for 45 years. “It is the earthworm level of politics,” said Cosgrave, who has worked diligently to keep voters informed about issues and candidates. Her political interests and obvious skill at organization led to paid employment as the executive director of the Republican Committee of Lower Merion and Narberth, a post she held for many years. Her other political affiliations include: Republican Women of the Main Line and board member of the Montgomery County Republican Women’s Leadership, now serving as membership chair. Cosgrave has been past president of the Gladwyne Library League and Board of Trustees; past president of the Haverford Civic Association, past board member of Inglis House, which provides residential care for nearly 300 people with disabilities as well as services and support for independent living; past member of the Women’s Board of the American Cancer Society, past chair of the Ladies Tennis Program at the Philadelphia Country Club, and past chair of the on-air auction for WHYY-Channel 12 public broadcasting station. Today, Cosgrave is a board member of ElderNet of Lower Merion and Narberth, serving as first vice president. ElderNet helps seniors and disabled adults remain living independently and safely in their homes by providing free, practical, volunteer and social work services. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Ursinus College, serving as liaison to the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art; a member of the Board of Trustees for the Youth Work Foundation of The Union League of Philadelphia, president of the Villanova Garden Club and a member of the Appleford Committee that takes care of the Appleford Estate in Villanova. A member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution, the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society, the Harriton Association and the Henry Foundation, Cosgrave said that each of her volunteer efforts has brought a new dimension to her civic service that has enabled her to continually build on her success. “Each activity has been totally different, but they all intersect on one level or another,” she said. “I like to accept different challenges, gleaning knowledge that I can use from one to another.” While Cosgrave does not have a favorite civic activity, she said she was most proud of being named the recipient of the 2011 Alexandra G. Toland Award, given by the Women’s Council of the Republican Women of the Main Line for service above and beyond. “I was really honored to receive the Toland Award. That was a highlight,” she said, along with the dedication of a print room in her name at the Berman Museum at Ursinus College. “I’m also really proud of my three granddaughters, one of whom will be attending Agnes Irwin this fall.”