Agnes Scott The Magazine, Winter 2026

PASSION WITH A PAYOFF

CARING FOR THE FUTURE

IDEAS THAT TAKE FLIGHT

Two Scotties take a risk to follow their hearts and build thriving careers.

A historic donation will train providers and meet community health needs.

Trustee Jay Bailey builds a community where innovators thrive.

WINTER ’26

Entrepreneurship in a Changing World

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WINTER volume 99, number 2 Managing Editor: Cari Wade Gervin Editorial Advisers: Malaika Dowdell,

Associate Vice President, Communications and Marketing; Jennifer L. Colter, Senior Director, Communications and Marketing; Cheryl Webster, Vice President, College Advancement; Mary Rinaldi Winn, Senior Director, Office of Alumnae Relations; Hannah Suggs, Alumnae and Donor Relations Manager; Andrea Bond, Interim Alumnae Relations Coordinator Contributing Writers: Michael Blanding, Josh

Cornwall, Jill Cox-Cordova, Beth Harrington, Donna Williams Lewis, Joanna Nesbit

Agnes Scott The Magazine is emailed to alumnae and friends of Agnes Scott College.

Print copies are distributed by U.S. Mail to alumnae class secretaries and members of the Tower Circle Society, The 1889 Society and the Frances Winship Walters Society. Information about these societies is available at agnesscott.edu/giving/gratitudeand-donor-recognition. This and previous issues are available at agnesscott.edu/ magazine.

The content of the magazine reflects the opinions of the writers and not the viewpoints of the college, its trustees or the administration.

Designer: Garon Hart Graphic Design Nondiscrimination Policy: Agnes Scott Photographers: Aretta Baldon “Shades

of Light” Photography, Agnes Scott College Archives, Chloe Bell, Adam Hagy Photography, Deb Mosley, Alex Slitz Mission: Agnes Scott College educates women

to think deeply, live honorably and engage the intellectual and social challenges of their times.

College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age or disability in the recruitment and admission of any student.

For the full policy, visit agnesscott.edu/ nondiscrimination-policy.html.

Change of Address: By mail to Office

©2026 Agnes Scott College. Published twice a year by the Office of Communications and Marketing, Agnes Scott College, 141 E. College Ave., Decatur, GA 30030-3770.

of Advancement Services, Agnes Scott College, 141 E. College Ave., Decatur, GA 30030-3770; by telephone, 404.471.6472; or by email to alumnae@agnesscott.edu.

Email: info@agnesscott.edu Website: agnesscott.edu

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@agnesscottcollege @agnesscottcollege Agnes Scott College

ON THE COVER: Left to right:

Katie Deedy ’04, Kelly An ’14 and Cristina Gutiérrez ’12.

COVER STORY

FEATURE STORIES

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Entrepreneurship in a Changing Society In a culture that prizes speed and productivity, the key to successful entrepreneurship may lie in slowing down — and nurturing the kind of deep curiosity fostered at Agnes Scott.

Entrepreneurship in Emerging Fields Two alumnae are using the latest science and technology to grow their businesses.

Doing Business From the Heart After personal tragedy, two alumnae leverage the power of profit models to promote societal change.

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ALSO INSIDE

Turning Passion into Profit Exciting things can happen when entrepreneurial classmates leave stable jobs to start their own endeavors.

Group Project Trustee Jay Bailey leads a group of innovators committed to seeing Atlanta soar.

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MAIN NEWS 4 Back to School 5 New Trustees 6 U.S. News & World Report Rankings 7 New Faculty 8 Women’s Global Leadership Conference 10 Black Cat Week

President’s Message Alumna Spotlight Faculty Spotlight Donor Spotlight Class Notes

Contents

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President’s Message Leading the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs As every Agnes Scott College graduate knows, a transformative liberal arts education does more than prepare students for a career; it empowers them to lead lives of purpose and global impact.

We teach our students to think critically, live honorably and engage the intellectual and social challenges of our times.

These qualities not only shape scholars and community leaders but also inspire many of our alumnae to forge their own paths as entrepreneurs and innovators. This issue of Agnes Scott The Magazine celebrates their creativity, courage and tremendous Scottie spirit.

Entrepreneurship, at its heart, is about vision and calculated risk-taking — the ability to imagine a better future and the determination to bring the idea to life.

The stories in this issue highlight the many ways Agnes Scott alumnae are doing just that. They are launching startups, building thriving and sustainable businesses, and leading organizations around the world.

You will gain insights into navigating the dynamic global workforce and understanding how women are leading and shaping the global economy from alumnae such as futurist and strategist Nancy Patierno Giordano ’85, who helped launch the TEDx network globally. You will also read about Kelly An ’14, who is pioneering new AI technology, and Jeannine Garbutt Rollins ’79, whose family created BIOLYTE hydration drinks — which her CEO daughter Jesslyn has taken to new heights.

We also feature stories on Katie Deedy ’04 and Priya Malani ’04, who used the fortitude gained at Agnes

Scott to leave stable careers and pursue their passions.

Additionally, Rachel Balog Donnelly ’01 and Cristina Gutiérrez ’12 turned personal tragedy into innovative businesses that help others navigate similar challenges.

Some of the alumnae featured also shared their stories in October at our sixth annual Women’s Global Leadership Conference, which drew a record-breaking crowd.

We are pleased that the educational model inspiring this entrepreneurship continues to earn national recognition. For the eighth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report has named us the No. 1 Most Innovative college. We are also ranked No. 2 for FirstYear Experiences, No. 8 for Undergraduate Teaching and among the Top 20 Best Value Schools. These honors reflect the deep commitment of our faculty and staff to our distinctive SUMMIT experience, which equips students with global perspectives, leadership skills and professional readiness from their first day on campus.

As you read this issue, I hope you will be inspired and share the pride I feel in seeing our graduates innovate across the world, from Atlanta to New York City to Singapore. Each story reminds us that the spirit of innovation is alive and well in the Agnes Scott community — and allows us to imagine what is possible for our future. That is the essence of the Agnes Scott experience, and it continues to help build a better world, one Scottie at a time.

Warmly,

Leocadia I. Zak President

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main news Back to School The end of August was a busy time on the Agnes Scott College campus. The electric atmosphere during Move-In Day on August 15 helped firstyears feel excited about settling into their new homes. On August 18, the class of 2029 made the commitment to integrity that thousands of Scotties

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before them have made: signing the Honor Pledge during a ceremony in Gaines Chapel. And on August 19, the class of 2026 formally entered their final year with Senior Investiture, celebrating their new leadership role on campus. It’s going to be a great year!

Welcome to Our New Trustees In July, five new members joined the Agnes Scott College Board of Trustees: Deirdre Donohue Campbell ’00, Shaunda Blackwell Fales ’99, Gail Grimmett, Edward A. (Ned) Montag and Shannon Sale.

Each will serve a four-year term.

“I look forward to working with our newly elected trustees,” says Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak. “Together, we will continue to ensure Agnes Scott College is a place that prepares our students to claim their place as leaders in our communities, workplaces and world.”

Frank Blake, Duriya Farooqui, Loucy Tittle Hay ’87, Kathy Scott ’85 and Tawana Lee Ware ’96 concluded their terms as trustees on June 30. Blake, along with Mary G. Bankston ’74, Lib McGregor Simmons ’74 and Susan G. Smathers ’75, were elected as trustees emerita/us.

Deirdre Donohue Campbell ’00 is an expert in strategy, marketing, analysis and communication. Most recently the director of marketing and community engagement for the Chicago nonprofit Academy for Urban School Leadership, Campbell began her career at McKinsey and later worked for Abbott Labs. She currently serves as the president of the National Charity League chapter in Winnetka, Ill., which she co-founded.

Shaunda Blackwell Fales ’99 is a financial professional who most recently served as a credit portfolio manager for Capital One Bank.

Before that, she was vice president and relationship manager for PNC Financial Services in Dallas. Currently Fales teaches in the Dallas Independent School District and volunteers with numerous nonprofit organizations.

Ned Montag is the CEO of MONTAG Wealth Management in Atlanta, a position he has held since 2009. He joined his family’s firm, now in its 40th year, in 1996.

MONTAG specializes in both private wealth management and institutional management, preserving and growing financial assets while carefully managing risk with sound portfolio stewardship.

Gail Grimmett is the president and CEO of Delta Flight Museum. Since joining Delta Air Lines in 1995, she has held a variety of executive positions, including senior vice president of sustainability performance and strategic partnerships. She was named among the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in New York by Crain’s Business for six years in a row.

Shannon Sale is the executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Grady Health System in Atlanta. She works to identify areas of opportunity and execute strategies for growth while overseeing services including pharmacy, IT, facilities and hospital-based emergency medical services. Sale is a member of the Atlanta Regional Collaborative for Healthcare Improvement, a nonprofit advancing community partnership coordination for improved health outcomes.

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Agnes Scott Again Recognized as National Leader in Innovative Education For the eighth consecutive year, Agnes Scott College has received top recognition for its innovative education in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings. Ranked the No. 1 Most Innovative college in the country and the No. 2 among all colleges and universities for First-Year Experiences, Agnes Scott has again demonstrated how a deep investment in learning makes a significant difference for students.

“We are excited by these exceptional rankings that celebrate the outstanding liberal arts experience we offer our students and the faculty who teach them,” says Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak. “Eight years at number one confirms that innovation is part of our DNA, and our number two ranking for First Year-Experiences reflects our dedication to development from the moment students arrive.”

That dedication starts with Global Journeys, an academic experience that builds intercultural competence, curiosity and confidence. In sophomore year, students move into SCALE (Sophomore Class Atlanta Leadership Experience), where they take the skills developed in their first year and apply them to externships with leading corporations and nonprofits in Atlanta.

“Our programs lay a solid foundation for students to succeed while in college and, even more importantly, after graduation,” says Zak. “We are preparing students for their first job, as well as jobs that we cannot imagine today.”

Additional national rankings for Agnes Scott include No. 4 for Social Mobility, No. 6 for Study Abroad, and No. 8 for Undergraduate Teaching, along with a Top 20 placement for Best Value. Agnes Scott also placed in the Top 20 for Co-ops/Internships.

“These rankings reflect what our community delivers: strong first-year programs, excellent teaching and direct pathways from coursework to internships and careers,” says Zak. “They affirm that we are delivering on our promise and our commitment to every student.”

New Faculty Join Agnes Scott Welcome to all the new professors appointed to Agnes Scott College in 2025.

Hannah Carter Assistant Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling Hannah Carter recently completed a doctorate in counseling education at Georgia State University and researches multicultural teaching competence among counselor educators. She has a master’s in vocational rehabilitation counseling from GSU. Kristi Lee Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling Kristi Lee, LMHC, has been a counselor educator for 16 years.

Her research focuses on gender-based violence, social justice and women’s mental health. She has a doctorate in counselor education from The College of William and Mary and a master’s in clinical mental health counseling from Idaho State University.

Erin Lepp Associate Program Director, Mary Lou Cornwall Hawkes ’65 and James B. Hawkes Physician Assistant Program and Associate Professor of Physician Assistant Studies Erin Lepp, MMSc, PA-C, has 20 years of experience as a health professions educator. Her research focuses on curriculum and instruction, interprofessional education, faculty development, and the use of narrative medicine to teach PA students about health disparities.

Robert Oldham Assistant Professor of Political Science After completing his doctorate in politics at Princeton University, Rob Oldham served as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in the office of U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.). His research focuses on congressional policymaking in response to crises.

Jacqueline Robinson Assistant Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling Jacqueline Robinson, LPC, is the founder and clinical coordinator of VOICE Counseling Services. She has a doctorate in counselor education from Mercer University, and her research centers on integrating trauma, crisis and family systems counseling within an ecologically informed framework.

Sara Saba James T. and Ella Rather Kirk Fellow in Neuroscience and Philosophy Sara Saba has a doctorate in philosophy from Emory University. Her research examines the impact of colonial legacies on health care and racial dehumanization in the medical profession.

Thomas (Mitchell) Toomey Assistant Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling Mitchell Toomey focuses on counselor professional identity development and the intersections of counselor identity, client wellness and public policy. He has a doctorate in counselor education from the University of South Carolina and a master’s degree in clinical rehabilitation counseling from Georgia State University.

Lynell Williams Assistant Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling Lynell Williams, LPC, has a doctorate in counselor education from the University of Georgia and is the founder of Get Mindful With Me Consulting and Wellness. Her research focuses on ADHD, perfectionism and barriers to help-seeking in marginalized communities.

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The Sky’s the Limit at Sixth Annual Women’s Global Leadership Conference

BY JILL COX-CORDOVA

This October, Agnes Scott College’s sixth annual Women’s Global Leadership Conference had a record-breaking turnout for a conversation about entrepreneurship.

“A recent study revealed that a majority of today’s college-age generation aspires to own their own businesses,” Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak said in her opening remarks. “We are committed to providing our students with the liberal arts education and high-impact experiences that are proven to develop the confidence, critical thinking and adaptability needed to thrive.”

Emceed by Professor Mina Ivanova, the October event featured insightful discussions and speeches. The day started with award-winning journalist Rose Scott and futurist and strategist Nancy Patierno Giordano ’85 discussing the work of the future. Giordano urged attendees to align their values with their work.

“What does the future need and expect of us? When are we each in a unique position to create and contribute to that?”

Giordano said. “The future isn’t happening to us — it is us.”

The conversation then shifted to the challenges of entrepreneurship and growth. Jewel Burks Solomon, Collab Capital managing partner and owner of 310 Studios, noted the importance of listening to customer feedback and leveraging relationships. She also discussed how her experience as a Black woman has limited her ability to raise the same funding as her Silicon Valley peers, which is why she is now an investor who helps founders with limited access to capital.

Jessica Owens ’98, co-founder of INITIATE Ventures and GRAIL, Inc.,

revealed that she raised over a billion dollars using her connections.

“People don’t give you a billion dollars unless they know you,” Owens said.

As the day continued, the conversation turned to helping others. Agnes Scott trustee Jay Bailey, president and CEO of the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs, praised founders who have “built something bigger than themselves.” Thirty years ago, Arden’s Garden CEO Leslie Zinn helped

transform her mother’s juicing hobby into a retail business with 19 locations across the greater Atlanta area.

“I felt that I could have a positive impact on my community by making healthy juices, and I could also have the freedom that I sought,” Zinn said.

Refuge Coffee Co. founder and CEO Kitti Smith Murray ’78 spoke about her chain of coffee shops that provide workforce development for Atlanta-area refugees. “[I wanted] to highlight the beauty of immigrants and refugees in a country and a world where they’re not often

spoken of in that way,” Murray said.

The speakers also discussed the downsides of entrepreneurship, such as not being able to initially pay oneself, and the upsides, including loving what you do every day.

Women helping women was another running thread throughout the day.

Kelly An ’14, co-founder of Opencord AI and chief of staff of Final Round AI, discussed the importance of her membership in SoGal, a group that champions female entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups, saying it changed her life.

Sushma Barakoti, the executive director of Refugee Women’s Network, said growing up with strong women in her family inspired her business acumen, which was further honed when she joined an Emory University business accelerator program.

Katie Deedy ’04 commented that women-led companies helped her launch her fledgling wallpaper company.

The conference’s keynote speaker was Jesslyn Rollins, CEO of BIOLYTE. She talked about how her family business began when her mother, Jeannine Garbutt Rollins ’79, felt dehydrated after chemotherapy for breast cancer. Her anesthesiologist father worked on the formula, and the whole family taste-tested until it was ready for production. Although Jesslyn had studied theater in college, she discovered that she did have an entrepreneurial spirit — within a year, the hydration drink was on the shelves of Kroger grocery stores.

Conference sponsors included Truist, BIOLYTE, RICE, Lotus Disability, Lisa Jo Therapy and Perfect Image.

The next Women’s Global Leadership Conference is slated for Oct. 6, 2026.

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Spirit Shines During Black Cat Week Agnes Scott College students threw themselves into activities during this year’s Black Cat week. Starting Oct. 19, with the rush to decorate Woodruff Quad, each class spent a day showing off its school spirit. Evans Dining Hall sported decorations in different class colors (and staff baked desserts in coordinating colors to enhance the celebration).

“It was very cool coming into the dining hall and seeing each class’s colors,” said Chloe Bell ’27.

Students enjoyed crafts and class parties all week. On Thursday, Scotties gathered for the annual bonfire and reveal of the first-year mascot, the Shooting Stars.

The next night, students were entertained by the Junior Production in Gaines Chapel. The senior Red Class Lightning McQueens took home the Black Kitty award, and the junior Green Class Luna Moths placed second. The week ended with a vibrant formal, where students danced the night away.

Celebrating Our 1889 Society The 1889 Society, established in 2012, honors the college’s most generous benefactors. It recognizes donors with cumulative lifetime giving of $500,000 or more and includes donors dating back to the founding days of the college. Agnes Scott College is pleased to announce the newest members of the 1889 Society from November 1, 2024 to October 31, 2025. » Fuller E. Callaway Professorial Chairs Trust » Mary Ann Courtenay Davidson ’46* » Martha Holmes Keith ’59 and Garnett L. Keith » Cama Clarkson Merritt ’50 and Robert E. Merritt » Elizabeth A. Scully* » The David, Helen and Marian Woodward Fund *Deceased

COV ER STO RY

Entrepreneurship in a Changing World In a culture that prizes speed and productivity, the key to successful entrepreneurship may lie in slowing down — and nurturing the kind of deep curiosity fostered at Agnes Scott.

BY CARI WADE GERVIN

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If you look at the numbers, the dream of entrepreneurship has never been more popular. Different surveys have found that between 40 to 60 percent of teens and young adults want to be their own boss or start their own business. While some Gen Z would-be entrepreneurs plan side hustles — selling handmade jewelry while working as a teacher, for example — most hope to launch their own companies, make a living as influencers, or work to improve their communities.

Although a significant percentage of young entrepreneurs are forgoing or postponing college to get a jump-start on their business plans, others are realizing that a traditional liberal arts education — such as that offered at Agnes Scott College — is the best possible launching pad for startup culture.

“If you talk to people who are most at the front end of the tech world, they’ll tell you a liberal arts education is increasingly important because it helps you understand how people think, how people behave, and how to understand the past so we can structure things more humanely in the future,” says Nancy Patierno Giordano ’85, futurist and strategist and founder of Play Big Inc. “If anything, we’re moving back in the other direction to a liberal arts education based on contextual understanding, as opposed to tactical or vocational training.”

Giordano didn’t start her career intending to become an entrepreneur. However, when she launched her own company 17 years ago, she found herself relying on skills and knowledge she had first developed during her years at Agnes Scott.

“It’s that curiosity and that capacity for deep listening for what is needed — that’s what allowed me to find the opportunity that I felt was uniquely mine to contribute to,” Giordano says.

“I think a liberal arts education gives you more confidence and opens you up to other people’s points of view.”

— Nancy Patierno Giordano ’85, futurist and strategist and founder of Play Big Inc

NANCY PATIERNO GIORDANO ’85

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“Most students will not become founders, but we hope the (Bridge to Business) program prepares them to make the most informed choices possible about their post-college journey, whether that means entrepreneurship, a role at a business or nonprofit, or graduate school.”

THOMAS E. WILL

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— Thomas E. Will, professor of business management at Agnes Scott College

Forty years later, that same curiosity is what the college continues to instill in students.

“Agnes Scott alumnae exemplify the power of a liberal arts education to transform bold ideas into impactful realities,” says Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak. “I strongly believe that the education we provide allows Scotties to continue to grow as leaders and changemakers.”

says. “What I have found is most people don’t build the capacity to sense change because they don’t feel like they have the ability to respond. But I think a liberal arts education gives you more confidence and opens you up to other people’s points of view.”

A GENERATION POISED FOR DISRUPTION

Entrepreneurs — especially at the early stages of a new venture — do a little bit of everything.

“When they’re getting started, an entrepreneur might do marketing, accounting, supply chain management, strategy, new product development, human resource management and finance,” says Thomas E. Will, professor of business management at Agnes Scott College.

“Additionally, entrepreneurs need to be able to handle ambiguity, assess risk, prioritize, delegate, speak up, listen actively, manage emotions and navigate overwhelm.”

Until recently, Will was the director of the Bridge to Business program, a three-week summer intensive for Agnes Scott students. Taught on Georgia Tech’s campus at the Scheller College of Business, the curriculum mirrors this “a little of everything” format and exposes students to a broad range of post-college possibilities. Around 20 to 30 students participate in the program each year, and most are not business students.

“The program was not really designed to create entrepreneurs, but by its nature it sometimes does that,” Will says. “Most students will not become founders, but we hope the program prepares them to make the most informed choices possible about their post-college journey, whether that means entrepreneurship, a role at a

Giordano gives a lot of speeches every year, and she likes to talk about the “youthquake” shaping the future and creating an impending massive digital and economic transformation.

“Half of the world’s population is under 30, and around 42 percent of the world’s population is under 25,” says Giordano. “A lot of people don’t understand why Gen Z feels the way that they feel. But they have experienced things that we did not grow up with, from school shootings to a pandemic to tremendous fear around climate instability. While they wish for the same stability that all of us enjoyed, the reality is that we will all see a lot more disruption.”

That desire to create their own security by starting their own businesses may seem counterintuitive to older adults who have navigated the post-college financial realities of mortgages, taxes and retirement accounts. But that disruptive thinking is what may best prepare young people for business, whether or not they end up as entrepreneurs or follow more traditional career paths.

“There’s a phrase called AQ — adaptability quotient — and that ties right into the growth mindset,” Giordano

BRIDGING EDUCATION AND ENTERPRISE

STUDENTS IN THE BRIDGE TO BUSINESS PROGRAM

business or nonprofit, or graduate school.”

The program also helps students to realize a liberal arts curriculum can build the soft skills needed to succeed in business.

“Our participants see that what they are doing daily at Agnes will be relevant to their first job after college,” Will says. “I think this gives them greater confidence as they face the process of getting that first post-college job.”

Will also teaches classes in entrepreneurship and leadership at Agnes Scott, where he shares his own experiences and belief that entrepreneurship should be about more than just money.

“I have a consulting LLC of my own, and it has greatly enriched my life in ways completely unrelated to finances,” Will says. “There is no place on an income statement or balance sheet for self-actualization, relationships with others, or purpose, but these are things that students should take into consideration as they make choices about full-time or side-hustle entrepreneurship.”

SLOWING DOWN TO BUILD SUSTAINABLY Refuge Coffee Co. founder and CEO Kitti Smith Murray ’78 has learned a lot since launching her chain of nonprofit coffee shops a decade ago. She discovered firsthand that the ability to pivot and change is equally important as having a drive to succeed and a passion for what you’re doing. But Murray says she’s also realized that her mission to help people through her business had to start with her company — and herself.

KITTI SMITH MURRAY ’78

“I always think about that Mark Zuckerberg quote, ‘Move fast and break things.’

But I think when you move fast you can break people, if you’re not careful.”

— Kitti Smith Murray ’78, Refuge Coffee Co. founder and CEO

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SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 40 TO 60 PERCENT OF TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS WANT TO BE THEIR OWN BOSS OR START THEIR OWN BUSINESS.

“I think if you care about the people you serve and the people that work for you and work with you, you have to slow things down,” Murray says. “I always think about that Mark Zuckerberg quote, ‘Move fast and break things.’ But I think when you move fast, you can break people, if you’re not careful.”

As Murray has advanced her company, which provides job training and development for refugees and immigrants in the Atlanta area, she’s focused on finding the best pace for growth.

“Momentum is important, but momentum is also a function of privilege,” Murray says. “What I’ve discovered is that I’m often like a freight train, and I need to have my eyes open to notice when my momentum is going to be harmful.”

Taking the time to assess the whole picture — beyond the finances and beyond the pros and cons — is how Murray sees a path forward for a humane, global entrepreneurship.

“It doesn’t mean you always have to do things slowly, but I do think you should question speed,” Murray says. “ I don’t think that’s a very popular perspective. But when you don’t think about the consequences of what happens when you break the things, then you’re dealing with a lot of broken stuff to clean up for a long time.”

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RETHINKING THE FUTURE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP Giordano says that there are two questions she asks all the time in her work, both of herself and the companies for which she consults.

“This is my compass: What does the future need and expect from us? And what are we each in a unique position to create and contribute to that?” Giordano says.

It’s not surprising that young people feel determined to chart their own paths rather than follow an old map.

But Giordano says that in this changing world, it’s more essential than ever.

“If you follow the map, it’s actually really dangerous, and I think it puts you in very vulnerable terrain,” Giordano says. “I think it’s crucial instead to have a compass, so you sense and respond more effectively in real time — and my experience at Agnes Scott gave me the confidence to follow mine.”

Murray says one key to her success is surrounding herself with the right people — something she also learned at Agnes Scott.

“You just don’t do it by yourself ever, right?” Murray says. “I was talking to somebody the other day who said, ‘I couldn’t say no to my boss.’ And I thought, ‘I don’t want anybody that works for me ever to say they couldn’t say no to me.’”

experts corner

How did Agnes Scott prepare you for your entrepreneurial career?

KITTI SMITH MURRAY ’78, FOUNDER AND CEO, REFUGE COFFEE CO.

KATIE DEEDY ’04, OWNER AND DESIGNER, GROW HOUSE GROW

Agnes Scott prepared me by helping me learn how to think and how to read. I have a dear friend who always says every nonprofit — and I think this is true in every business — needs someone who writes prose with their work and someone who writes poetry with their work. And I’m a poet. I’m not a prose writer. But I think my education prepared me to think poetically — to create elegant solutions with fewer words. Also, so much of my time at Agnes Scott was spent in creative collaboration, and I think that’s essential to any work — you just don’t do it by yourself, ever.

Going to Agnes Scott gave me the sense of self-worth to do what I had to do and not shy away from the hard choices I had to make. The school really prepares women to be their whole selves — to not be afraid to step on toes or enter spaces that might be difficult Growing up in the South, it’s easy as a woman to be a people-pleaser. It took me a minute to discover that I can be assertive without being rude. Having the experience of being on a campus filled with women who were open, strong and direct really helped me, and I was able to put that into practice once I started my business.

KELLY AN ’14, CO-FOUNDER, OPENCORD AI; CHIEF OF STAFF, FINAL ROUND AI

NANCY PATIERNO GIORDANO ’85, FUTURIST AND STRATEGIST, FOUNDER OF PLAY BIG INC.

Agnes Scott gave me a completely new way to think about things and encouraged my curiosity. I also met my best friend here — she was my roommate, and we’re still very close. She’s also an entrepreneur, and our career paths have been so similar.

Without Agnes Scott, I don’t think we would’ve built such a strong bond. Over the past 10 to 15 years, we’ve grown together and witnessed each other’s career and life changes. That’s what Agnes Scott truly gave me.

Agnes Scott gave me confidence in myself and my voice.

Throughout my career, I’ve paid attention to what is happening around me and how I could add value.

Seventeen years ago, I started my own company because doing so gave me more flexibility and freedom to act on the things that I felt were important, even if others couldn’t see it yet. I lean on my intuition and trust my ability to both sense and respond to the changes around me and to encourage others to “play bigger” too. This confidence was rooted in my experience at Agnes Scott.

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Entrepreneurship in Emerging Fields “Emerging fields” can sound abstract until you zoom in on real-life scenes — like when a woman in a gym reaches for a bottle or a student has her first job interview.

BY JOSH CORNWALL

In a packed Atlanta fitness class, Jeannine Garbutt Rollins ’79 reached for her bottle of BIOLYTE only to hear, “Stop, that’s mine.” She turned to see a woman with the closecropped hair Jeannine once had — hair she’d lost during chemotherapy — reaching for the same bottle.

It was at that moment that Jeannine knew her family’s emerging company was resonating. BIOLYTE is the drink the family created to “bring the IV bag home” during Jeannine’s own breast cancer treatment.

“Here she was using my drink to help her,” Jeannine Rollins says. “I was like, wow, we really have something here.”

The mission stayed clear from the start: Help people feel human again. For BIOLYTE CEO Jesslyn Rollins, Jeannine’s youngest daughter, early proof of potential success came from back roads and bleachers, not focus groups. Rollins loaded her car with cases of BIOLYTE and visited high school football programs across Georgia, Alabama and North Florida, leaving samples of the drink.

When she called back a week later, she often closed sales because the product worked so well.

Then came a monumental break — Kroger’s Atlanta division offered shelf space in 300 stores within a year of the product’s launch.

“We were in the biggest grocery retailer out there,” Rollins says. “That is when we knew we were on the way.”

Although they were competing with the huge budgets of legacy sports drinks, they stayed focused. They threw every skill they had at the business. As the company matured, they found expert partners who could translate the clinical science behind the drink into plain language and create packaging that would catch consumers’ attention.

“We were the one that you could drink, and in 20 minutes, you were going to feel better,” Rollins says.

THE NEXT GENERATION OF AI

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Across the world, in Singapore, Kelly An ’14 talks about building in a different register. She co-founded Opencord AI, a small tech company that creates easy-to-use tools to help young startups meet customers without big ad budgets. The tools allow a founder to say hello to new customers, share a short video that connects with the right viewers, and follow up with potential clients at the right time. The aim was practical: Help tiny teams operate like much bigger

JEANNINE ROLLINS ’79 AND JESSLYN ROLLINS

ones and prove there was a business behind the idea.

“Launching a product is never the end goal,” An said.

“Scalability and making money are the end goals.”

At her new project, Final Round AI, An points her lens at a painfully human moment: the job interview. The product acts like a copilot during the process. It helps people prepare to answer questions and offers gentle prompts in the moment for those who freeze when the stakes rise.

An pairs belief in people with building real-world tools.

Resumes can be AI-polished and interviews AI-coached, so her teams run paid work trials. They are building simulations that let companies invite dozens of “people” into a virtual environment and see who can actually deliver.

Even so, some things stay deliberately human.

“We were in the biggest grocery retailer out there. That is when we knew we were on the way.”

— Jessyln Rollins, BIOLYTE CEO

“The thing we still do is personally interview the user.

We actually talk to our customers a lot and hear what they’re giving feedback about,” An says. “This is the future of hiring.”

A CHALLENGE THAT’S WORTH IT Both An and Rollins note the challenges women face when leading companies in entrepreneurial spaces. Not only is there the inevitable “good old boy network,” there are the subtle and not-so-subtle credibility tests that appear when you try to rethink an established industry.

“Men don’t always think of you as smart,” Rollins says. “But ignorance was a competitive advantage for me, because staring at the statistics too long can talk anyone out of going for it.”

An hopes that her generation of leaders will make it easier for the female entrepreneurs of Gen Z and beyond.

“Fewer than 2 percent of women who lead startups get investments,” An says.

Beyond the sexism and beyond the financial challenges, there’s also the personal toll. Rollins says she has to remind herself that healthy leaders make better calls — her decision quality is linked to the basics of rest, nutrition and hydration.

“You don’t make good decisions when you’re exhausted or in a place of fear,” Rollins says.

An talks frankly about the freedom of entrepreneurship and the life it has provided her. She knows her choices carry trade-offs — she doesn’t have a mortgage, and she doesn’t have family responsibilities tying her down. But An values spontaneity, following her work from Atlanta to San Francisco to Singapore, even to months in France. She views entrepreneurship as aligning with a life in motion.

“I think in the life I have, I don’t want to have something to really hold on to,” An says. “It’s part of my journey.”

KELLY AN ’14

“Fewer than 2 percent of women who lead startups get investments.”

— Kelly An ’14, chief of staff, FinalRound AI

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E N T RE P R E NE U R S H I P I N A C H A N G ING S O CIE T Y

Turning Passion Into Profit Through art and economics, these two entrepreneurial classmates have charted their own course.

BY MICHAEL BLANDING

Katie Deedy ’04 grew up listening to stories. Her mother was a professional storyteller who had immigrated from Cuba to Decatur, Ga., and Deedy planned to follow in her footsteps as an illustrator, telling stories with art.

“Aside from being an astronaut, when I was growing up, I always wanted to be an artist,” Deedy says.

As a studio art major at Agnes Scott, Deedy got the most out of her liberal arts education, taking classes in English, history and science. But while working as a freelance illustrator in New York City after college, she felt uninspired and longed for a change.

KATIE DEEDY ’04

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Deedy’s classmate Priya Malani ’04 had a different childhood dream — to be a ballerina. She started the Atlanta Ballet’s pre-professional program and danced 50 hours a week during her first year at Agnes Scott. Then financial realities set in, and she took a hard pivot into economics.

After graduation, she worked at Merrill Lynch as an asset manager for high-net-worth clients. The stress wore her down, and when the 2008 financial crisis hit, it seemed like a sign to leave the industry.

As both women assessed their careers and what they wanted in life, they made the risky decision to follow their hearts and start their own businesses.

TURNING ADVICE INTO BUSINESS Malani has one word to describe what made her decide to leave her lucrative Wall Street career.

“Lunacy,” Malani says. “Absolute lunacy.”

A first-generation Indian immigrant, Malani considered pursuing a career in medicine after leaving Merrill Lynch.

But then something funny happened: Her friends started coming to her for financial advice.

Malani realized that while her friends might not have the generational wealth of her former clients, they were

well on their way to creating significant future assets. She calls the group “High Earners, Not Rich Yet” or HENRYs. “It made me think, ‘Why is nobody talking to this group?’” Malani says. “There was this huge opportunity.”

So Malani started her own company to serve these thirtysomething professionals: Stash Wealth. As she learned about legal compliance, taxes, marketing and advertising, she drew on the critical thinking skills she’d learned at Agnes Scott.

“Being a self-starter, which Agnes Scott promotes, is what allowed me to succeed,” Malani says. “I didn’t wait for someone to tell me what to do, I just figured out what I wanted and got it done.”

From the beginning, Malani has worked to differentiate herself from traditional financial advisors by teaching clients how to utilize their wealth to support and enhance their lifestyle — for example, purchasing a second home as both a vacation destination and an investment property.

“ Being a self-starter, which Agnes Scott promotes, is what allowed me to succeed. I didn’t wait for someone to tell me what to do, I just figured out what I wanted and got it done.”

— Priya Malani ’04

“One client really wanted to buy a BMW, but her dad told her it was a bad idea,” Malani says. “After we built a financial plan, we found she could afford a BMW and still be on track for her other financial goals.”

With nearly 1,000 past and current clients and almost $50 million under management, Malani swears she’s just getting started. Recently, she launched a new podcast called “The ‘F’ Word” (it stands for “finance”) so her advice can reach a larger audience.

“We want to help people enjoy the money they work hard for,” Malani says.

TURNING ART INTO COMMERCE One day, when she was feeling stalled creatively, Deedy scanned one of her drawings into Photoshop, flipped it upside

PRIYA MALANI ’04

down, and then mirrored it. Immediately, she dreamed of seeing her design repeated in patterns on the wall.

“It felt like a literal light bulb lit up over my head,” Deedy says. “It hit me so hard — I’d never even thought about wallpaper before. It was a whole new way to express myself.”

Deedy threw herself into the idea, calling wallpaper companies and apprenticing herself to a screen printer.

After decades of wallpaper being “out” in interior design, it had just started to make a comeback in Europe. Deedy hit the curve at just the right time and launched her company, Grow House Grow, in 2007. Now she ships her designs to over 1,000 interior designers, following her passion for telling new stories through bold, colorful prints.

“It feels just like being a kid and doing what I’ve always loved to do,” Deedy says.

Deedy’s designs draw inspiration from multiple disciplines, including a series inspired by female artists and another based on ancient codices. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Elle Décor, O, The Oprah Magazine and other notable publications.

Her wallpaper is now also part of the Brooklyn Museum’s collection.

Deedy credits her experience at Agnes Scott for helping her build a network of strong, ambitious female artist-entrepreneurs who all support each other.

“We’re competitors without being overly competitive,” Deedy says. “I can call any one of them, and they wouldn’t hesitate to help.”

Deedy admits that being an independent entrepreneur isn’t always easy, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“There have been many dark days,” Deedy says. “But so many other days, I feel like I made the best decision in the world, serving a company that’s made me happy — and making money doing it.”

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E N T RE P R E NE U R S H I P I N A C H A N G ING S O CIE T Y

Doing Business From the Heart Two alumnae leverage the power of profit models to promote societal change.

BY DONNA WILLIAMS LEWIS

Rachel Balog Donnelly ’01 and Cristina Gutiérrez ’12 both had successful careers in major corporations and educational institutions. Then, shaken by life changes, they shifted gears, reinvented themselves and became entrepreneurs on a mission to improve the lives of others.

FINDING A NEW LIFE AFTER DEATH “Helping the living deal with dying” is how Donnelly describes her after loss consulting and legacy planning firm. Launched in 2020, AfterLight provides empathetic support for managing end-of-life issues, including aging

care, estate planning, navigating probate requirements, and assisting with the disposal of personal belongings.

Donnelly’s empathy has come naturally because she has walked in her clients’ shoes. She lost her father at age 16. After her grandmother, mother and uncle died within several years of each other, Donnelly faced emptying five houses and settling multiple estates.

The idea for her business came to Donnelly as she left a bank in frustration over the hours she’d spent there dealing with “red tape after red tape of bureaucracy” in a matter related to her uncle’s estate. She ran into one of her Agnes Scott classmates, who asked her what was going on.

“I think there was steam coming out of my head, and I just said, ‘I’m going to create a business,’” Donnelly says.

“I had a great career at Georgia Tech at the time, but it was just something I felt that, if I didn’t do it, I would really regret it.”

“If you see a problem in the world, you can fix it.”

— Rachel Donnelly ’01

RACHEL BALOG DONNELLY ’01

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She credits her alma mater with teaching her to “think clearly, write clearly and lead with empathy.”

“A class I took on Women, Leadership and Social Change in my last semester really shaped my belief that if you see a problem in the world, you can fix it,” Donnelly says. “That philosophy is what pushed me to start my business and later to write my book.”

Donnelly chose to start a business rather than a nonprofit because for-profit models can offer greater efficiency, innovation and scalability.

“The profit motive keeps us accountable to deliver compassionate guidance, and the social impact is the very reason clients come to us in the first place,” Donnelly says.

Motivated to educate, Donnelly is the newly published author of Late To Your Own Funeral: How To Leave a Legacy and Not a Logjam. She normalizes death in witty, engaging ways, often using a dinner party analogy to represent life and encourage legacy planning.

“Agnes Scott shaped how I show up in the world — to think deeply, communicate with care and lead with empathy.”

— Cristina Gutiérrez ’12

“Why are you expecting others to clean up after the dinner party when it’s yours? This is your life. This is your legacy,” Donnelly says. “I think that the greatest act of love you can give to your family is having these conversations.”

CREATING PURPOSE AFTER TRAGEDY Gutiérrez and her partner, Emily Stanislaus, were on vacation in Mexico several years ago when the unimaginable happened: Stanislaus suffered a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed from the waist down.

In the months that followed, they adjusted to new realities of parenting from a wheelchair and caregiving while working full time in people operations at American Express.

As they struggled to navigate workplace benefits and insurance systems, they found little guidance or empathy.

From that experience, the two found new purpose — and a passion, too. Today, Gutiérrez and Stanislaus are advocates for disability inclusion in the workplace and the co-founders of Lotus Disability, a new company dedicated to bringing clarity, connection and dignity to the lives of people with disabilities and their caregivers.

Launched in January 2025, Lotus partners with employers to integrate disability and caregiver support directly into employee benefits. Its services range from educating workers about their rights to accessing public resources to building personalized care plans and helping families navigate complex systems, such as benefits, insurance and special education.

Gutiérrez credits Agnes Scott with shaping her ability to lead with both empathy and vision.

“Agnes Scott shaped how I show up in the world — to think deeply, communicate with care and lead with empathy,” Gutiérrez says. “In the world of disability and caregiving, you learn quickly that listening is just as important as problem-solving. My liberal arts education helped me see people first — to find meaning, ask hard questions and create connections even in difficult spaces.”

Rather than forming a nonprofit, Gutiérrez and Stanislaus chose to create Lotus as a business, a decision they see as a deliberate way to drive systemic change from within the corporate world.

“By launching Lotus as a business, we could build a sustainable model that integrates directly into employee

CRISTINA GUTIÉRREZ ’12 (RIGHT) AND EMILY STANISLAUS

benefits,” Gutiérrez explained. “That ensures support isn’t optional or ‘extra,’ but woven into how companies care for their people.”

That vision is already making a difference. One caregiver supported through Lotus was on the verge of leaving her job, overwhelmed by the demands of full-time work and caring for her disabled child. Through Lotus’s partnership with her employer, she received tailored support, including coordinated care, mental health resources and a proactive treatment plan.

“To me, that is Agnes Scott’s mission alive in the world,” Gutiérrez says. “We’re leading with courage, thinking deeply about what inclusion really means, and building systems that help people thrive.”

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external voice 24

Group Project Entrepreneur Jay Bailey leads a group of innovators committed to seeing Atlanta soar.

BY MICHAEL BLANDING

Jay Bailey learned the importance of community the hard “It’s a place of deep belonging, where you can see value way. As a real estate entrepreneur in the early 2000s, he in your own reflection, have a safe space to fail or to fly, was on top of the world. and be vulnerable enough to learn,” Bailey says. “For “I had the houses, the cars, the clothes,” Bailey says. many underrepresented groups, that is a luxury that isn’t But when the housing market crashed in 2008, he lost too often afforded.” everything.

Bailey began his entrepreneurial journey as a child, sell“At the age of 26, I was literally living in a storage unit,” ing popsicles for a dime in his Decatur driveway. After he Bailey says. “I had subscribed to this notion of a self-made lost his mother during his sophomore year in high school, man, and I failed miserBailey’s budding business acuably when I didn’t lean men turned serious. college and on my relationships and rented rooms to his fraternity networks.” brothers. By 23, he’d made his Since that time, Bailey first million. has rebuilt his life to help “I’ve constantly been full of other would-be entrepreideas,” Bailey says. “It’s the burneurs — people who have den and the curse of the entreideas and visions but need preneur. Every big company was support and perspective once a silly idea nobody believed to make them a reality. As in.” president and CEO of the That’s where RICE comes Russell Innovation Center in — helping innovators know for Entrepreneurs (RICE), which ideas to follow. he leads a business “Maybe your mind is full of generator for innovators ideas, but which ones can you from underrepresented actually grow and scale?” Bailey communities. says, noting that RICE can help Named after Herman people sort through all the noise J. Russell, an Atlanta and find focus. businessman who created Once stakeholders have focus, one of the nation’s largest Bailey’s team helps them access minority-owned construcfunds, networks and training tion and real estate firms, that enable those ideas to grow.

RICE provides physical “We lose GDP every year space for coworking and because the brilliant ideas that meetings, mentorship and reside on the south side of the training programs, and tracks in every American city — access to venture capital but especially Atlanta — never funds. Now the largest reach the marketplace,” Baicenter of its kind in the ley says. “The only difference TRUSTEE JAMES M. (JAY) BAILEY U.S., RICE currently between Bankhead and Buckserves more than 600 head is access, opportunity and entrepreneurs who have exposure.” created over 4,300 jobs and contributed over $577 million During a recent interview, Bailey noted that his shirt, annually to Atlanta’s economy. jacket, watch and even his underwear were created by More than anything, however, the center provides a entrepreneurs his organization supports. He says RICE sense of community. In RICE, Bailey has created a haven has cultivated a thriving internal marketplace where stakefor those underserved innovators to succeed. holders intentionally support one another’s businesses.

“Find your people. Get around people who can give you input and give you insight — those who can pressure test, challenge and advise you.”

— Jay Bailey, president and CEO of the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs

Jay Bailey speaks with potential entrepreneurs at the Walmart 2025 Road to Open Call pitch event, held at RICE in July.

Jay Bailey talks with Walmart spokesperson Mark Espinoza and Paul Mayberry, RICE director of community, during the pitch event.

“We’ve created a true ecosystem where the dollar circulates an infinite number of times, because we all support each other as part of the magic we’ve created,” Bailey says.

One of the people the center has worked with is a founder who lost his previous business during the pandemic. RICE helped him pivot to start a commercial cleaning company.

“His first client was the Russell Center,” Bailey says. “Once he got to the point of readiness where he could compete in the marketplace, we connected him to JPMorgan Chase. Fast forward to today, he’s operating in 45 states.”

Another entrepreneur began as a contractor who built out the interior of the Russell Center. Now he has his own construction company, with 15 full-time employees and a multimillion-dollar pipeline.

These success stories have inspired Bailey’s advice to young entrepreneurs: Tap into your ecosystem and become a part of it.

“Find your people,” Bailey says.

“Get around people who can give you input and give you insight — those who can pressure test, challenge and advise you. Because nobody can do it on their own.”

Bailey joined the Agnes Scott Board of Trustees in July 2024. He has also served as a mentor to several Agnes Scott students, hired alumnae and sponsored students through SCALE (Sophomore Class Atlanta Leadership Experience).

“Growing up in Decatur, Agnes Scott was the first college I ever saw,” Bailey says. “Now that I’m a father of two girls, I think a lot about how powerful and capable women are, and how we need to provide social capital and relationships to support them.”

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alumna spotlight

Nancy Patierno Giordano ’85 A top futurist and strategist guides leaders to visionary outcomes.

BY JILL COX-CORDOVA

The words “top” and “first” are often used before the name of Nancy Patierno Giordano ’85. Globally, she’s known as a top futurist and the world’s first TEDx licensee. But long before that, Giordano was the first intern from Agnes Scott College at Ogilvy, one of the world’s largest advertising and marketing agencies.

“When I started that job, I cannot tell you how happy I was. I’d found my place,” Giordano says. “There was not a task they could ask me to do that was too mundane. I felt like I’d found my people.”

Giordano’s on-campus job in the accounting office gave her the connections to land the internship, as her supervisor’s husband knew people at Ogilvy.

That was the first step toward turning her connections and natural curiosity into a career — a curiosity that her Agnes Scott education nurtured.

“At Agnes Scott, I had a chance to ask, ‘What am I really curious about? How do I fit inside this system?’” Giordano says.

Graduating from high school early, Giordano arrived on campus at 17. She planned events as a member of the college’s Social Council for several years, and her involvement in the Georgia State Student Association expanded her outreach, making her an advocate for students venturing beyond their syllabi for learning opportunities.

Drawn to figuring out what makes people do what they do and urged by her father, a serial entrepreneur, to pursue business, she majored in both psychology and economics.

“I was really curious about why people make decisions — not only for their own psychological well-being, but as part of a larger system,” Giordano says.

One guiding principle that stuck with her came during a two-week externship she did with an alumna who worked in organizational psychology.

“She’s the one who said, ‘The company won’t be with you on Christmas Eve. You’re going to want to make sure that you have a balance in your life,’” Giordano says.

Although Giordano eventually found a way to integrate her career and motherhood — she has three children ages 28, 25 and 23 — she remains frustrated with the ways business culture continues to fail women. That’s one reason she co-founded the Femme Futurist Society: to ensure women’s voices and contributions are more visible in the work ahead.

She is also launching a new podcast called Futurist Mom. According to Giordano, the show’s premise is “to help today’s parents make better informed and more confident decisions as they help their children prepare for an uncertain future.”

In her own household, one of her philosophies is displayed prominently on the wall: “Wonder. Think. Do. Repeat.”

“This motto reminds me — and my children — to own our curiosity, to be in a state of wonder and awe, to be grateful we each have given our unique download, and to have the confidence to create something meaningful, over and over,” Giordano says.

Giordano has delivered more than 250 keynotes and presentations globally. One of her latest speeches took place in October, when she and award-winning journalist Rose Scott opened the sixth annual Women’s Global Leadership Conference at Agnes Scott with a discussion about the mindset needed to reshape and build a better future for humanity and the environment.

In her own household, one of her philosophies is displayed prominently on the wall: “Wonder.

Think. Do. Repeat.”

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“At Agnes Scott, I had a chance to ask, ‘What am I really curious about?

How do I fit inside this system?’”

— Nancy Patierno Giordano ’85

Creating that mindset is a significant part of her mission and strategic work as the founder of Play Big Inc. The consulting agency has worked with some of the world’s largest businesses, including Google, Samsung, Microsoft and Coca-Cola, inspiring leaders to reorient their mindset to encompass a broader vision.

She says a line from the book A Return to Love by the spiritual writer Marianne Williamson inspired the name.

“I was deeply influenced by an essay titled, ‘Our Deepest Fear’ — especially the line, ‘Your playing small does not serve the world,’” Giordano says.

Her work at Play Big Inc. also inspired her to write a business leadership book, Leadering: The Ways Visionary Leaders Play Bigger.

“Leadering is a verb and a practice of alignment and impact that each of us can cultivate,” Giordano says.

Giordano wants her next book to be about repatterning.

“If everything is breaking down, and everything is falling apart, that’s an amazing opportunity to be able to restructure things in a way that works better for everybody,” Giordano says.

Giordano remains grateful she attended Agnes Scott.

“It prepared me well for the work that I was supposed to be doing after that,” Giordano says.

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faculty spotlight 28

Thomas E. Will This professor knows that preparing students to adapt to change is smart business.

BY JOANNA NESBIT

Thomas E. Will, professor of business management at business professionals struggle to put into practice.

Agnes Scott College, can pinpoint the moment he shifted Will used his new knowledge to launch a class on adaphis teaching methodology. The year: 2014. The event: a tive leadership for Agnes Scott students. Adaptive leadweek-long program at the Harvard Kennedy School. The ership is defined by a leadership style that incorporates topic: “The Art and Practice of taking feedback and the ability to shift Leadership Development.” The direction as needed. takeaway: Many professionals “For my students, I will have them struggle with immunity to change identify one thing they’d like to get better in the workplace, but thoughtful at, things like speaking up in class, taking training and education can help risks, or getting better at saying no and address the problem. establishing boundaries,” Will says.

“I wasn’t a leadership guy when Using a constructive-developmental I signed up for the course,” Will psychology lens, Will helps students says. “But that program completely understand that impediments to their changed what I saw as my purpose. growth aren’t really cognitive — that I felt like in one week I understood making real change is more complicated what was really keeping people and than simply knowing what you need to organizations stuck in a way I had do. As Will explains it, everyone has a never understood by just studying self-protective reason for not making a it at the academic level.” change. That’s the immunity-to-change Will, who joined Agnes Scott phenomenon. in 2006, had focused on business “I help students understand the strategy throughout his career, self-protective nature of their wiring and including his doctorate at the have them go out and test some of the University of Georgia. However, assumptions they’ve developed,” Will discovering adaptive leadership says. “We design these small, safe tests strategies upended everything he of students’ assumptions that they can understood about organizations take into their internships, jobs, classes and the people who ran them. and their lives.”

As Will explains it, Will suddenly had a framework to Assumptions might be that saying no address why professionals often to a request for your time makes you everyone has a selfhave an aversion to change and why look selfish or unlikable, or that asking protective reason for new ideas are difficult to adopt. questions makes you look incompetent. A Will had already been working test might involve asking your internship not making a change. with other faculty members to supervisor a question when you would develop the leadership developstay silent, and then recording That’s the immunity-to- normally ment program in the then-new how the supervisor reacted, how you felt SUMMIT core curriculum, which and how long that feeling lasted. change phenomenon. emphasizes leadership develop“With this framework, I can help ment and global learning. During students anticipate the developmental his week at Harvard, he realized he needed to alter his challenges they will have in the workplace,” Will says. methodology. His new focus would help his business Will also teaches a class in entrepreneurship, a senior students tackle personal growth while studying effective seminar in strategic management, and an internship business leadership. It’s deep work that even seasoned course. Until 2026, he directed Agnes Scott’s Bridge to

“I will have (students) identify one thing they’d like to get better at, things like speaking up in class, taking risks, or getting better at saying no and establishing boundaries.”

— Thomas E. Will, Agnes Scott College professor of business management Business summer program, a three-week intensive program that enables students to explore various business topics, including marketing, strategy, accounting and finance. Not surprisingly, Will asks students to examine their assumptions about business.

“An organization needs all kinds of people with all different interests and passions to function,” Will says. “I ask students to be open to possibilities for themselves that they might have been inclined to write off early on.”

He has also applied his new adaptive leadership expertise to the business world outside of campus. Will is a senior consultant and executive coach at The Developmental Edge, a small group partnered by Harvard professors Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey. He also facilitates developmental workshops directly with clients through his own

consultancy, Growth at Work LLC, and at The University of Georgia’s Terry Executive Education Center in Buckhead.

His experience coaching adults through professional sticking points — such as difficulty delegating because they do not want to be disliked or perceived as unaccountable — deeply informs how he teaches business education classes. Coaching management professionals “who have hit their own developmental walls” enables Will to see where his students are going.

But Will has recently turned his lens on his own profession, publishing research that explores how academics might also benefit from an adaptive leadership framework.

“Professors can be prisoners of their own need to always be the expert — a lot of us could use developmental work at that level,” Will says.

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donor spotlight

Advancing Agnes Scott With a magnanimous donation, the Hawkes invest in the future of medical education and the health care workforce of Atlanta and beyond.

BY BETH HARRINGTON

When alumna and trustee emerita Mary Lou Cornwall Hawkes ’65 and her husband, James (Jim) B. Hawkes, decided to make a gift in honor of her 60th Agnes Scott College reunion, they went big. Their $15 million gift — the largest in Agnes Scott’s history — will launch and sustain the college’s new physician assistant (PA) program.

The two-year Master of Medical Science (MMSc) program is designed to train compassionate, mission-driven medical professionals. The new degree builds on decades of successful pre-medical education at Agnes Scott.

“The Hawkes’ extraordinary gift positions us to meet urgent workforce needs while staying true to our mission of educating principled leaders,” says Agnes Scott President Leocadia I. Zak. “Their investment helps us build a program that will serve students, strengthen the health care workforce and advance the college for generations.”

by the end of October 2025, attracting an additional $2.5 million from other donors.

“In making this investment, we knew it would benefit everyone — the college, students and society,” Mary Lou says. “Agnes Scott always does things first-class, and this program will be no exception.”

The gift comes at a pivotal time. Georgia is facing a shortage of primary care providers, and the demand for PAs in Atlanta alone is projected to grow by more than 34

INSPIRED BY THE PAST AND EMPOWERED TO SHAPE THE FUTURE For Mary Lou, Agnes Scott has always felt like home.

As a student in the 1960s, she found the freedom to explore new academic paths, ultimately choosing to major in mathematics at a time when women were rarely encouraged to pursue STEM fields.

“It was a place where I could be curious,” Mary Lou says. “There were no limitations. Agnes Scott opened that door for me.”

Mary Lou’s connection to the college is lifelong. She was close friends with longtime Agnes Scott President Rev. Wallace M. Alston’s daughter. On the same day she graduated, Mary Lou married Jim, with Alston officiating.

Over the years, Mary Lou has remained an engaged alumna, including serving as a trustee of Agnes Scott.

“That kind of personal history gives us a deep fondness for the place,” Mary Lou says.

A STRATEGIC INVESTMENT WITH COMMUNITY IMPACT

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The Hawkes’ gift includes $10 million to endow the PA program through a planned gift made through Mary Lou and Jim’s estate, ensuring its long-term financial sustainability. Another $2.5 million will fund the program’s launch. An additional $2.5 million has been designated as a challenge match to help reach the college’s $10.6 million goal for the renovation of Hopkins Hall, which will soon house leading-edge medical training facilities. The college secured the full value of the match

MARY LOU CORNWALL HAWKES ’65 AND JIM HAWKES

“This is where the future of medicine is heading.

When I had surgery, all of my follow-ups were done by (physician assistants).

They’re filling vital roles.”

— Mary Lou Cornwall Hawkes ’65

“The Hawkes’ extraordinary gift positions us to meet urgent workforce needs while staying true to our mission of educating principled leaders. Their investment helps us build a program that will serve students, strengthen the health care workforce and advance the college for generations.”

— Agnes Scott College President Leocadia I. Zak

percent by 2033, outpacing national trends.

“This is where the future of medicine is heading,” Mary Lou says. “When I had surgery, all of my follow-ups were done by PAs. They’re filling vital roles.”

“It’s a high-return investment for students starting their careers, for health care systems in need of support, and for Agnes Scott’s long-term vision for growth,” says Jim.

WHERE LIBERAL ARTS MEET HEALTH CARE INNOVATION Agnes Scott’s approach to launching the PA program is both visionary and mission-driven, as the college prepares skilled clinicians who can respond to community needs with empathy.

“The program represents a forward-thinking response to the evolving demands of health care,” says Rachel A. Bowser, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. “By integrating rigorous medical training with the broad perspective of a liberal arts education, Agnes Scott is uniquely positioned to develop health care professionals who can innovate and adapt in a rapidly changing field.”

The college has already seen success in pre-medical education. In 30 years of offering a Post-Baccalaureate Pre-Medical certificate, students have been accepted to top medical schools across the country, including Duke University, Morehouse School of Medicine and Yale School of Medicine.

In 2023, 100 percent of qualified students from both the pre-med and MS in medical sciences programs were admitted to the medical school or health professions program of their choice.

A GIFT DESIGNED TO PAY IT FORWARD Although the Physician Assistant program will not welcome its first cohort until October 2026, interest is already strong among prospective students, with nearly 400 applicants.

For many students, especially women entering an evolving health care landscape, Agnes Scott offers a distinct advantage: a strong liberal arts foundation,

R to L: Agnes Scott College President Leocadia I. Zak, Board of Trustees Chairperson Elizabeth Hardy Noe ’86, Jim and Mary Lou Hawkes, and Vice President for College Advancement Cheryl Webster. ongoing support and mentorship, and a focus on ethical leadership.

“This program helps to address critical healthcare shortages for Atlanta, rural Georgia and beyond while providing students with a clear path to economic and social mobility and career success,” says Cheryl Webster, vice president for college advancement. “That is the transformational impact that defines an Agnes Scott education.”

A NEW ERA OF GROWTH Beyond health care, the Hawkes see their gift as part of a broader effort to preserve and propel Agnes Scott.

“We want Agnes Scott to be here 100 years from now,” says Mary Lou. “To do that, it needs strong programs, top faculty and well-maintained spaces where students want to spend time learning and thriving.”

Jim adds, “If you’re going to give, give where it will have the largest impact. For us, that’s Agnes Scott.”

31

class notes All news current as of October 2025.

’45 No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu.

Betty Franks Sykes celebrated her 102nd birthday in August. She retired 30 years ago from teaching elementary school in Philadelphia.

She resides in the Ann’s Choice Community in suburban Philadelphia.

’46 No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu.

No news was submitted.

’47 No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu.

No news was submitted.

’48 Adele Dieckmann McKee adelemckee46@msn.com Minnie Hamilton Mallinson reports life is good at Lake Oconee.

She has family nearby, and this makes life fun for her.

Nancy Deal Weaver is at Highland Farms in Black Mountain, N.C., near two of her grown children. Her daughter Nan Willson ’72 has moved nearby from Texas. This location suffered loss of power, water and physical beauty from the ravages of Hurricane Helene.

32

Martha Hay Vardeman and her daughter Cile are still living in the same retirement home in Atlanta, though the name, Wesley Woods Tower, was recently changed to Viridian Towers. Life is good to them. Martha and her daughter stay busy, and Martha has seen all four children, nine grandchildren

and 10 great-grandchildren at least twice during the past year. Martha says she would love to hear from her classmates!

To Susan Daugherty we send our deepest sympathy for the death of her brother, Ed, known widely as an Atlanta distinguished landscape architect who had improved many local public gardens, as well as those of individual families, with his outstanding talent. Ed’s obituary in The Atlanta JournalConstitution noted, “While at Harvard he apprenticed with Olmsted Brothers in Brookline, Mass.”

’49 Mary Coulling maryc@kalexres.kendal.org

her six children, 21 grandchildren and an assortment of her husband’s French cousins. One grandson is at the University of Virginia in the Army ROTC, one is a Navy ensign, and three are in the Navy ROTC at the University of Virginia and Catholic University. Milly also has two granddaughters at Virginia Tech, and one grandson is in banking in New York.

Betty Phillips Lindsay is still active and living at Carolina Meadows CCRC in Chapel Hill, N.C. Her family is living too far away to visit often, but she now has an iPhone with FaceTime! Betty is amazed to have great-grandchildren who are old enough to drive!

’51

In April, Mary Price Coulling moved to a nice, sunny room in her retirement community, Kendal at Lexington, leaving the independent cottage she and her husband moved into in 2000. In July, Kendal celebrated its 25th year since opening. Mary says it is hard to realize she has lived there for a quarter of her life.

No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu.

Betsy Deal Smith is enjoying life in an adult-living apartment community. Two of her daughters live nearby and pop in and out! She feels blessed!

Edith Petrie Hawkins retired 25 years ago from being a pediatric pathologist at Texas Children’s Hospital. She did volunteer work at the church and the food bank for more than 20 years until her husband died three years ago.

Now Edith lives in a senior living facility. She has three children, four grandchildren and two greatgrandsons.

Julianne Cook Ashmead is still on her feet, playing bridge and bocce once a week when the weather isn’t too hot, cold or windy. She fixes her own breakfast and lunch every day and her dinner every night, except two or three nights when she goes to the clubhouse. Life is good.

’50 Sally Aycock marv_sally@yahoo.com Milly Flournoy de Marcellus is doing OK. She celebrated her 64th wedding anniversary and enjoyed her biannual family reunion with

No news was submitted.

’52 No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu.

’53 Anne C. George acgeo@att.net Jane Crayton Davis has spent more than 50 years as an advocate, activist and planner for history and historic preservation. She has been instrumental in establishing historic preservation ordinances for Aiken, S.C. She has served on local and

statewide boards advocating for adaptive use of historic structures — expanding knowledge of our history and built environments and supporting these causes with her time, expertise and finances.

In Aiken, several buildings were saved and adaptively reused in part due to Jane’s advocacy and involvement, including Banksia Cottage and the Wilcox Inn. Jane was invaluable in helping efforts to list more than 100 sites in Aiken’s three Winter Colony districts on the National Register. She served on the committee that drafted Aiken’s first historic preservation zoning ordinance, wrote the first historic tour brochure for the town, and helped establish an archive for the Aiken County Historical Museum.

Jane also served 10 years on the city of Aiken Planning Commission and eight years on Aiken’s Historic Preservation Commission. For more than 20 years, she served on the board of the Historic Aiken Foundation in every capacity a board member can, including in positions created just for her. At the state level, Jane was a member of the task force that created Preservation South Carolina. She served 12 years on the Executive Council of the Confederation of South Carolina Local Historical Societies and eight years on the South Caroliniana Society, plus she established the Jane Crayton Davis Preservation Endowment at the South Caroliniana Library for the restoration of historical documents.

Jane has a passion for historic preservation that has led to the accolade “a real pioneer in historic preservation in South Carolina.” Her unwavering dedication to preserving South Carolina’s heritage makes Jane an exemplary recipient of the Governor’s Award. The Governor’s Award is in recognition of an individual’s significant achievements or landmark efforts in the support of historic preservation in South Carolina.

Lilla Kate Parramore Hart reports she is still living at home and says that it has been a hard time for her as her eldest son, George, died in April of melanoma. She says she was blessed to have him for almost 70 years.

Selma and another resident enjoyed a Caribbean cruise this fall. Selma reports that it is a blessing to be in a safe and friendly place!

Keller H. Barron ’53 with alumna friend Ana Gracia Zavala ’16, mother of Susana Valeria, born Sept. 17.

Martha Duval Swartwout decided to stay in her home and live alone as long as she can following the passing of her husband, Donald, in 2022.

She is 93 years old and still drives.

Her children visit her often. Martha wants her roommates Frances Minick and Mitzi Law to know that she loves them.

Keller Henderson Barron shares that her protest sign, “Defend Democracy,” reflected her concerns about constitutional violations on Presidents’ Day 2025 at the South Carolina Capitol in Columbia. This summer, she enjoyed her 20th visit to the Chautauqua Institute, to which she was introduced by her classmate Jane Newland Manning.

Keller welcomed two greatgranddaughters, Mary Keller Du Bose and Daisy Enrico Bumgardner.

Her work forever continues with the League of Women Voters and Vote411.org. Check it out!

Katharine Hefner Gross lives near her daughter, Margaret, who helps her with shopping and food preparation. Katharine and Margaret both go to the same book club and enjoy discussing their assigned books. They usually read books awarded the Booker Prize, as well as some classics, and Katharine finds it very enjoyable. She also reports that she is “still walking — for now.”

Jeanne Winters Walker’s granddaughter, Kaitlyn Walker, has moved to Atlanta from Savannah, Ga. She was an attorney with the public defender’s office in Savannah for six years. Kaitlyn will be opening her own practice in Atlanta and another one in Savannah.

Since Georgia Syribeys launched her book of five sections and 52 poems in 2015, nine of her new poems have been published in various literary journals. COVID-19 stopped universities from publishing for quite a while. COVID-19 also hit her, and Georgia is thankful the vaccine was available. Georgia has now sent 10 new poems out, and one humorous poem has been published online.

’54 Frances Minick fminick@gmail.com Frances Minick shares that she stays busy at Sunrise Senior Living with exercise, entertainment, outings, news and games. A lot of entertainers perform there, too.

Frances is healthy and enjoys being able to walk around the campus and visit other residents.

Selma Paul Strong has lived in the same continuing care facility since 2014, and there is much to keep her busy. In the church on campus, Selma serves as secretary of the council, one of the two who count the Sunday offerings. She walks around campus 30 minutes every day but Sunday.

’55 No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu.

Hannah Jackson Alnutt recently enjoyed a lunch with Bradie Barr ’85 and reports that it was nice to catch up on Agnes Scott news. Hannah and her husband, Tom, are living in a retirement home, where she belongs to two clubs and exercises with a personal trainer two to three times a week — have to keep moving!

Hannah reports that she still drives and that Tom has bad hearing and very poor eyesight but that they are right where they should be!

Jane Gaines Johnson reports that she is still alive and cannot believe her age!

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class notes

’56 Helen Haynes Patton helenpatton@comcast.net Sarah Davis Adams, a resident of the Pacific Palisades, recently relocated to a senior living facility in Santa Barbara following the devastating wildfires that swept through her community. The fires destroyed both her home and condominium, leaving her with nothing. Despite the overwhelming loss, Sarah has found solace in her new environment and is embracing this new chapter of her life. She has also reconnected with Fran “Ducky” Green Oliver, a former classmate from her time at Agnes Scott College.

Ann Alvis Shibut reports not much is new in her life except for a cute three-year-old girl who is being fostered (with plans for adoption) by her granddaughter and her husband. It is great fun to have a smart little one around again. Ann is still quilting, reading and producing two newsletters monthly for the quilt guild. She does a lot of yard work and has really enjoyed a delightful mild (not humid!) August, which is rare for Virginia.

has restricted travel, Frances still enjoys reading about distant places.

As an avid reader, she will usually complete at least a book each week.

Recently, her family threw her a surprise party to celebrate her 90th birthday!

Frances Sue Cork Ross celebrated her 90th birthday celebration with daughter Stephanie Engle and brother John Marvin Cork.

Frances Sue Cork’s yearbook photo from the 1954 issue of The Silhouette.

No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu.

Nancy Alexander Johnson enjoys her garden, which has many potted flowering plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. She and her husband, Pierce, enjoy watching all the activity. They have been married for 67 years but have known each other for 70 years.

What a blessing! Nancy reports that Frances Gwinn Wolf and her husband, who live next door, enjoy their place in the mountains all summer.

Jean Clark Sparks is on the waitlist to move into a retirement community in Stone Mountain, so she is busy with downsizing. She is excited about returning to the Atlanta and Agnes Scott area.

Nancy Grayson enjoys getting together with her two sisters in Charlotte, N.C., where they were all born and grew up. Nancy is doing well and enjoying good health.

’59

Pat Forrest Davis has had a hardwon recovery from a stroke earlier in 2025 and has “graduated” from the health center at Westminster Canterbury in Charlottesville. She and Ed are in a catered apartment.

Such good news, Pat!

Dr. Joanne Smith T lives in Opelika, Ala., in the same house she grew up in since the age of 1. She retired from the medical profession 14 years ago. She loves to watch March Madness and roots for Auburn.

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Elizabeth Hanson Duerr ebelld@aol.com

Mary Clayton DuBard dubardmary2@gmail.com Blanche Helm Nichols nchobo331@gmail.com

’57

John Cork, brother of Frances Sue Cork Ross, shared that she entered Agnes Scott College in 1953 as an art major in the class of 1957.

She spent most of her adult life in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, until moving back to her hometown, Talladega, Ala., with her husband, Dick Ross.

Frances has traveled the world, done downhill and cross-country skiing, played tennis and done other activities. She still has art lessons once a week and continues to enjoy painting. Her art lessons sometimes include wine tasting. Although age

’58

Embroidery by Helen Johnson ’57. The original idea for this bagpipe-playing pig is a medieval manuscript in the Royal Irish Academy. He is embroidered with silk thread, gold thread and beads, opals, tourmalines, carnelians, a garnet and freshwater pearls. The pig is mounted on a piece of vintage handwoven Irish tweed.

Helen Sewell Johnson enjoys hours of embroidery each day as she takes international classes in Japanese embroidery and goldwork.

Lila McGeachy Ray was able to spend extended summer time at her house in Montreat, N.C., but appreciates her new permanent location at Givens Highland Farms in nearby Black Mountain, N.C. Kay Wilson Shurden and her husband, Buddy, are enjoying life in their retirement center near their daughter, close to the Smoky Mountains in Maryville, Tenn.

Blanche “Boogie” Helm Nichols is exulting in a fall trip to Emerald Isle on the North Carolina coast with her son Bobby’s family.

Lynn Frederick Williamson and John have happily moved into an “active lifestyle” retirement community, Asbury-Solomons, in Solomons, Md. Many of their friends from nearby St. Mary’s have already moved there; life is good and easier.

Mary Dunn Evans DeBorde enjoyed having a full house last summer at her Lake Rabun house in Georgia with her grandchildren: Ellie Evans, who just graduated college, and Alden Evans, a new bride who is starting law school in Houston.

’60 Rebecca L. Callahan callahan80009@gmail.com Dear classmates, the six of us missed you at our 65th reunion. Thanks to Lucy Cole Gratton for working hard to make our reunion special. We all appreciated Phyllis Cox Whitesell, Becky Evans Callahan, Ellen McFarland Johnson and Mary Jane Pickens Skinner for their leadership. Unfortunately, Phyllis was sick at the last minute and could not attend. Louise “Corky” Feagin Stone was gracious enough to become our president for the next five years. Becky will continue as our vice president, and Mary Jane will remain our fund chair.

Louise “Corky” Feagin Stone is currently moving from Washington to Birmingham, where she has relatives.

Barbara Specht Reed had planned on attending her 65th reunion, but became very ill and was in the hospital. She recovered at the home of her niece in Marietta.

Betty Gzeckowicz LeMoyne came all the way from Coronado, Calif., to join her classmates at their 65th reunion in April.

Mary Moran Crook now lives in Atlanta with her daughter, who is an architect. She enjoys walking her dog and is still playing her ukulele.

Rebecca Wilson Guberman joined her class for her reunion’s daytime activities. She lives in an independent retirement home, where Jane Law Allen also lives.

Lucy Cole Gratton has moved to a retirement community in Braselton, Ga., and is still adjusting to the new place. She has a wonderful attitude.

Becky Evans Callahan’s husband, Tom, was the only man to join Becky’s 65th class reunion. The two still enjoy their home on Lake Burton in north Georgia. They stay busy with volunteer activities and their church. Becky plays bridge at least twice a week with Shirley McDonald Larkey ’58. Becky says that she loves the nature that surrounds her, particularly all the wildflowers.

In June, Jane Law Allen lost her grandson in a terrible accident.

In April, Ellen McFarland Johnson lost her husband, Charles.

’61 Dee Irwin dee.irwin@gmail.com Page Morahan was pleased to receive the Founder’s Award at the 30th anniversary of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine program for women on May 1. The program has graduated over 2,000 women who now work in academic medicine, dentistry, public health, pharmacy and other academic medical and scientific fields. She also received the 2025 Social and Racial Justice Award from the First United Methodist Church on Jan. 19.

Edith “Dee” Conwell Irwin and Tom will move back to Aiken, S.C., in November, where they had their first retirement residence after leaving Virginia in 2000 to go motor homing from 2000 to 2002. One daughter and family live in nearby Augusta, Ga., as does classmate Jane Weltch Milligan, whom Dee meets weekly to work on a jigsaw puzzle and catch up on family news.

Christy Hages Demos writes that her wonderful husband of 62 years, Angelo, passed away two weeks after his 100th birthday celebration. His memory will live on, however, as the street they have lived on in Miami, Fla., for 62 years will be named after him.

Anne Newsome Otwell’s daughter, Elizabeth, wrote that Anne died on Sept. 2 at her home in Decatur. She was still reading a book every two days through the end of July and often talked fondly about her Agnes Scott classmates.

Letitia “Tish” Moye Unver is still living in Istanbul, Turkey. Although she has slowed down, she still travels to the U.S. once or twice a year to see family. She had a nice reunion with Ann Womeldorf Noland in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., this past May and enjoys reading the forwarded letters from Paula Wilson Shull.

Patricia “Tricia” Walker Bass writes that the last couple of years have been pretty eventful in ways that were not always good. She had a couple of bad falls, resulting in broken wrists and damage to her pelvis, but she has made a pretty good recovery and gets around pretty well. Her children have been wonderful and are seeing that she is well taken care of.

After being in the hospital, Alice Boykin Robertson moved to Alabama in November. Her daughter, Mim, is five minutes away and visits Alice often, making sure she has what is needed. The joy of her life is her 3-year-old greatgrandson who visits twice a week so they can read, play games, count and use his imagination.

Grace “Ann” Peagler Gallagher and husband Marty visited New York City in June for the graduation of their grandson from Elizabeth Irwin High School. After graduation they joined him, his parents and another grandson at a vacation home on Cape Cod. Ann and Marty visited Edna McLain Bacon at her home in Charlotte, N.C., in early August.

Julie “Panni” Doar Grubb and her husband are still in Charleston, S.C. and also spend time at Pawleys Island with friends and family.

Ann Womeldorf Noland recently moved to Nashville, Tenn., near her daughter and her family. She was glad to learn how much music besides country there is in town.

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class notes

Mildred Love Petty and husband Robert moved in summer 2024 to the Lenbrook Retirement Community in Atlanta. Sadly, Robert passed away peacefully in his sleep in October. His memory will be cherished by all who knew him.

Lucy Maud Davis Harper and husband Ed continue to live in the house they bought in Miami 25 years ago. The two of them are active in church work and at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Miami, where for years they taught and took courses. They spend happy times with daughter Elizabeth, son Peter and their families.

Eleanor “Bunny” Henry Coates continues to paint in oils and is putting together a book of her paintings. Her granddaughter graduated from Hillsdale College and is getting married in January.

Linda Ingram Jacob now lives in downtown Tuscaloosa, Ala., several houses away from where she grew up. The best thing is that her daughter has bought the house next door so she can keep an eye on her. She is blessed with relatively good health and stays active by joining lineage societies and going to meetings.

Annie “Nancy” Hughes Peabody writes that after 52 years in Americus, Ga., where her husband, Henry, taught English at Georgia Southwestern University, they moved to Auburn, N.Y., in the Finger Lakes. They finally found an irresistible house only a mile from their son. Their plan is to spend the warmer months in New York and the cold ones at their cabin in western North Carolina, which is close enough to their daughter, Tracey, in Athens, Ga.

’62 Milling Kinard emkinard@verizon.net

36

In June, Kay Gilliland Stevenson, Sylvia Pruitt Karch and Pat Flythe Koonts enjoyed a Celtic pilgrimage to various sites in Scotland and northern England.

Ruth Shepherd Vazquez and her sisters and their daughters attended the Tucson Rock and Gem Show in February. They had fun seeing so many beautiful rocks. Ruth finds learning about and using tuning forks for biofield sound therapy fascinating. She is happy to be gardening and walking 3 to 4 miles in nearby green space.

Beverly Mason Askren reports that one of her granddaughters graduated from Georgia Tech and is now in Paris, and a grandson is in Washington, D.C. She stays active by taking classes at the local YMCA three times a week and getting together with her Decatur High School class for lunch several times a year. She has given up driving after her children persuaded her to take the driving test and, much to her surprise, she did not pass. She thinks the test is rigged!

In July, Ann Lee Sullivan Gravatt spent a delightful week with her daughter and her family in Madison, Wis. They attended her grandson Steven Wilke’s violin concert with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra on the grounds of the State Capitol. It was a beautiful evening, and the concert ended with a rousing rendition of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. At the end of that week, Ann Lee took a wonderful trip down memory lane when she, daughter Lee and son-inlaw Nathan drove south, stopping in her hometown of Danville, Ky., for a visit to the cemetery and the bakery, as well as a tour of homes. They spent the night at Cumberland Falls State Park in Corbin, Ky., where she worked during the summers of 1958 and 1959.

Sue Amidon Zoole and her grandson spent a glorious two weeks in Japan visiting her friend Chika, who was enrolled in Sue’s class when she taught English. They saw all the tourist spots, watched a sumo wrestling event, and took an overnight ferry to Chika’s hometown in Kyushu. There her grandson went fishing with Chika’s uncle, and they all enjoyed a neighborhood fish fry afterward.

In July, Milling Kinard spent a week at the Berkshire Choral Festival learning and performing a choral work entitled Considering Matthew Shepard. The poignant piece recounts the life of Shepard, including his brutal murder in October 1998. The singers were housed on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park. At the end of an intense and emotional week of rehearsals, the chorus gave a performance in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Shepard’s parents were in attendance, which made the experience even more meaningful.

Betty Kneale Zlatchin finds life full of surprises, puzzles and challenges. She claims to be a poor French student but tells herself she does speak some French — or at least Franglais.

’63 Mary Beth Thomas thomasmb1980@gmail.com Our latest “Organ Recital” revealed that among those reporting, we only had two sets of broken ribs, one black eye, one pair of ear infections, dehydration, and some COVID and COPD. Most of the class, including those with “issues,” joined Lyn Lindskog Deroy, who said, “Every morning I wake up and give thanks just to be able to ‘carry on’ like the day before!” She was in France and England for two months. Dot Laird Foster and Quintin took a Viking River Cruise in Portugal.

Anne Miller Boyd celebrated her birthday with her family on a trip down the Rhine. Ellen Hodgson Oakes traveled with family to Chile, where they enjoyed seeing street art, museums of the indigenous people, Valparaiso and the Andes. Gloria Ellis Pylant, her daughter, sonin-law and a friend explored the country around the Great Lakes on a Viking River Cruise from Toronto to Minneapolis.

Anneke Schepman Corbett held a family reunion at the beach in Rhode Island, while Nancy Duvall Hargrove met with her family at a resort on the Gulf Coast. Valerie McLanahan Goetz and Charlie spent their summer in Nantucket;

their family, as well as our classmate Anne, came to visit. Ipek Absugur Duben and Alan vacationed on the Aegean. Betsy Schenck Kylstra and Chester visited friends in Colorado Springs, who have a home overlooking Pike’s Peak.

Carol Lown Clark drove from South Carolina to Ohio to see her daughter and family; she then went down to Florida to visit son and family. Anne “Nancy” Rose Vosler and Michael’s daughter, son-inlaw and two grandsons live within an hour’s drive of them. Teresa Carrigan Simmons doesn’t have to travel even an hour to see her daughter, as her daughter, son-inlaw and their two 90-pound dogs have moved in with her and her two cats. Lydia Wammock Ramsey has just completed her third move in five years and commented that “moving with a 19-year-old cat is an adventure.”

Some classmates still work. Becky Bruce Jones continues her ministry, conducting two worship services at her retirement home and adjacent health care facility. Betsy was recently interviewed by Focus on the Family about her recent book, Healing for Every Heart in Adoption.

Betsy and Chester have four more speaking engagements before they retire at the end of this year.

Anneke is working on an upcoming quilt show with her daughter. This summer, Dudley Milward Zopp had a major solo show, The Lens of Attention, at Artists & Writers gallery in Camden, Maine. The show was a retrospective of her work since she moved to Maine 30 years ago, incorporating her paintings, installations and artist’s books. (See her work at artistsandwritersmaine. com/dudley-zopp). Dudley also continues to write her Substack, The Hidden Pond. Ipek was part of the 18th Istanbul Biennial. (See her work at bienal.iksv.org.) Lucy Gordon Andrews and her husband, Trygve Tollefsbol, still have Pair O’Docs Farm, where they teach horseback riding, have trail rides, and offer additional activities. Anne, Lyn, Anneke and Mary Ann Gregory Dean continue their volunteer work.

Pat Conrad Schwarz does needle art on canvas and golfs. Mary

Ann, Anne and Anneke enjoy gardening, with Anneke managing her home garden plus two plots in a community garden. Sandy Johnson Barrow’s Laurel Garden Club in Cashiers, N.C., is laser-focused on native plants, something Mary Beth Thomas also promotes through the Green Team at Park Springs. Book clubs are important to Anne, Lyn and Teresa.

Sandy joined about 40 other alumnae and President Zak at the annual Agnes Scott luncheon in Sapphire Valley. Gloria has sent her granddaughter off to “Agnes” (Scott to most of us) for her senior year.

and only house in unincorporated DeKalb, a block from the Atlanta city limits. When they bought this house in 1971, their peers were moving outside the perimeter, and the couple were the only young people in Briarwood Hills. They loved their older neighbors, and when their daughter, Rebecca, was born, all sorts of baby gifts appeared in their mailbox. Sue and Bernie continue to love living in a multigenerational neighborhood. They now have new young neighbors and are viewed as the neighborhood grandparents. Their daughter and her husband travel between their condos in Atlanta and Manhattan, and their granddaughters live in Manhattan and Cambridge, England. Lulu and Walker work in merchandising, while Kitty and Ben are completing degrees in religion and philosophy at Cambridge. Sue reports that she remembers so many of her classmates fondly, and she sends her best wishes as she and Bernie “gracefully age.”

Betty Alvis Girardeau ’64 and her daughter.

’64 Lucy Molinaro lucythelibrarian@yahoo.com Betty Alvis Girardeau is in her fifth year of being a mobile notary in Tennessee — a job that she really enjoys. Maybe someday when she retires from this work, she will write a book. Her travels this year have been limited to the U.S., with a fabulous two weeks with her daughter camping in Northern California and southern Oregon.

Betty’s only wish is that she had gotten cortisone shots in her arthritic knees beforehand. She smartened up and did get them before heading off to Santa Fe and Taos for a fiveday iPhone photo workshop. Betty continues her daily French lessons (she has been doing them for over 2,000 consecutive days). She is still ringing handbells, too. Life is never dull, and she frequently finds she has a lot of spare time. Betty guesses that is a good thing at her age.

Sue Parkin TeStrake and her husband, Bernie, are grateful to be healthy and still living in their first

Eve Anderson Earnest ’64, Carolyn Newton Curry ’64, Kay Gerald Pope ’64, Lucy Herbert Molinaro ’64, Helen Davis Hatch ’65 and Jean Salter Reeves ’59 attend Mary Mac Mitchell Saunders ’64 memorial service in March.

Carolyn Newton Curry is aware of the debate as to which class she belongs to — ’64 or ’66. She responds to both. Her third book, Trudy’s Awakening, came out Sept.

2. She is now on a book tour. There was a fun champagne tea on Sept.

7 at the alumnae house, and many Scotties showed up to celebrate.

Carolyn says that she is grateful. See carolyncurry.com for more info.

Katie Shearer Schane reports that she and Nina Warren Jagers are continuing their partnership singing duets for performances at their senior living facility near Roswell.

37

class notes

They even get praised! Katie and Nina often see Florence Willey Perusse, who lives in the same facility with her husband, Joe. Since retiring in 2006, Lucy Herbert Molinaro has traveled with Road Scholar to many international destinations — most of them with her cousin Frankie Ansley ’69.

This summer she enjoyed staying in the U.S. and traveling with her daughter, Susan Vincent Molinaro ’97, to an old family camp in the woods overlooking beautiful Squam Lake in New Hampshire. They spent three nights in a rustic cabin above the lake, where they loved hearing the loons after sunset. Back in Bronxville, where Susan lives, they enjoyed seeing Hugh Jackman’s musical variety show at Radio City and Audra McDonald starring in Gypsy on Broadway.

Mary Womack Cox and her husband, John, have had an eventful year. Both John and their daughter, Gillian, have spent some unexpected time in the hospital, but both have recovered well. Major appliances had to be replaced. And their church has begun the search process for a new rector. Mary enjoyed her high school class’s 65th reunion in October.

Barb Symroski Mayer chose to celebrate her 80th birthday on a 25-passenger riverboat on the Amazon River. She and her fellow travelers explored the Ucayalli River and Marañon River and took skiff rides and walks through the rainforest.

Bettie Anne Humphreys Mahony celebrated her 80th birthday with her son, his family and five friends at Union Square Restaurant, where they enjoyed a lovely meal and company.

Classmates attend a celebration of life for Betsy Anderson Little ’66.

Betty Rankin Rogers’ family, ages 15 to 83, went to Streamsong, a world-class golf destination, for her 80th birthday celebration. Jim and Betty splurged on one of the prestigious 18-hole courses.

Bonnie Henderson Schell, fleeing Hurricane Helene, became a refugee in Pennsylvania for her winter solstice 80th birthday. She visited the Smithsonian with her daughters and attended a show at the Renwick Gallery of Fiber Art.

Classmates have their annual BLT celebration of the resignation of Richard Nixon at Susan Thomas’s house.

’65 Carol Sutton Lumpkin lumpkin@optilink.us Some good news: Married to Amazement, a book by Kathleen Johnson Coskran, has been published and can be found on Amazon. There is one brief mention of ASC! Betsy Dykes Leitzes writes that her daughter, Cary Leitzes, is on the Forbes “50 Over 50: 2025,” a list that honors the top older U.S. female entrepreneurs, inventors, artists and businesswomen.

’66 Peggy Marion Ryals mryals001@sc.rr.com Alice Davidson is having the best month-long 80th birthday ever, thanks to catching up with old friends, some lifelong.

38

Jan Gaskell Ross ’66 and Libby McGeachy Mills ’66 visit at Montreat.

Betsy O’Daniel ’66 and Peggy Ryals ’66 spend an evening in Jacksonville Beach, Fla.

Jan Gaskell Ross celebrated a wonderful 80th birthday with family in Round Pond, Maine, at the Muscongus Bay Lobster restaurant, where they sat on picnic table benches and feasted on lobster and beer.

Cecile West-Settle spent her 80th with family at Marcel’s in Washington, D.C. She enjoyed a beautiful meal with daughter Cary; Frank’s children, Cynthia and Sam; and grandchildren Ella, Asher and Sarah Margaret.

BJ Brown Freeman ’66 hosts her annual Bridge Camp in North Carolina.

Ellen King Wiser had her right hip replaced, so she spent her 80th birthday at home, switching between physical therapy and occupational therapy. She’s grateful to now be driving and getting out!

Frances Hopkins Westbrook celebrated her 80th birthday with family and by fulfilling her high school senior prediction to write “a tale of three cities.” Her project was a family history that spanned the cities of Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta!

Kay Roseberry McCarron’s simple but special 80th celebration was hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains with her son and grandson!

Joan Kiker Kruse celebrated her 80th with two other classmates who had birthdays within two weeks.

They invited their Wisconsin-based Wednesday golf group of about 30 individuals. The best part was the champagne toast to the five Wacky Wednesday golfers who didn’t make it to 80.

Marilyn Breen Kelley and her husband, Walt, visited daughter Joyce’s family in the fall of 2024 to celebrate Halloween, grandson Peter’s first birthday, her own 80th birthday, Kamala Harris’s election and Thanksgiving. Clearly, all events did not go according to plan.

Mary Brown Bullock’s husband, George, gave her a great dinner for her 80th birthday at the Agnes Scott College Science Center named for her.

There were attendees from Chicago, Houston, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, and all of Mary’s siblings, children and grandchildren came.

Nancy Bland Norton’s son, Matt, and wife Dana threw her a big 80th birthday bash complete with a low country boil, tasty adult beverages and a giant cake! Later Nancy joined friends to watch the Mariners win a baseball game.

Portia Morrison celebrated her real birthday with a dinner party at home, followed by a winter escape to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

It was almost surreal, visiting Saigon, Danang, Hue, Hanoi and other places that are tourist destinations now.

Sara Caroline Moseley’s sister hosted 20 family members for a combination Fourth of July and Sara’s 80th birthday celebration at their Cedar Creek Lake compound in East Texas. Both of Sara’s sons and her four grandchildren attended, as well as cousins, aunts and uncles, for a grand multigenerational party.

Suzanne Scoggins Barnhill started her 80th birthday celebration early with a visit from her daughter and granddaughters. On her actual birthday, she enjoyed a pleasant lunch at the Mellow Mushroom.

’67 Avary Hack Doubleday avaryd@juno.com

Martha Thompson ’66 and Peggy Ryals ’66 visit Bernie Burnham ’66 in Charleston, S.C. Martha Thompson celebrated her 80th birthday with her old classmates in Lincolnton, N.C. They had a potluck lunch, entertainment provided by a classmate, and a great fun afternoon!

Linda Richter Barnes wears a number of volunteer hats at First Presbyterian Church in Savannah.

She is also a docent at the historic Green Meldrim house, which was offered by its owner, Charles Green, to General William Sherman as his headquarters following the campaign “from Atlanta to the Sea.” It was here that Sherman telegraphed President Abraham Lincoln to offer the city of Savannah as his Christmas present.

The good news was that Savannah escaped being burned!

Cindi Carter Bright offered “nothing really special” except that she went to Spain and France for

a week this past April for her 80th birthday. It involved a lot of walking, but she had a great time.

Avary Hack Doubleday and Gerry celebrated their 80th birthdays with a party at Zoo Atlanta, overlooking the African savanna. Their nieces planned the event and invited family and friends from Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Susan Stevens Hitchcock says she won’t forget 2025 because it brought two health setbacks: one dermatology-related minor surgery and one surgery in April to repair a severely broken ankle. The latter was followed by a lot of physical therapy.

The good news is she recovered from both and is almost “normal” again.

She and Garland celebrated with a cruise in September and October!

More good news: They welcomed their third great-grandson in July.

After three trips to Europe between February and July (Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Wales, Scotland, England, Northern Ireland, Ireland and Norway again) and four domestic trips (Colorado, Michigan, Colorado again and Washington state), Ann Roberts Divine decided to stay home for a while. Luckily, the very destructive tornado that went through St. Louis on May 16 missed her neighborhood!

Day Morcock Gilmer Kennon just returned from two amazing days watching U.S. Open tennis in New York City. Her two sons took her for her 80th birthday. They also went to a play; walked Manhattan at night; walked and sold her son’s book, The Other Dr. Gilmer, in Central Park; and spent two full days watching incredible tennis matches. Because they all play tennis regularly, their viewing was enthusiastic. “It made me feel young again. New York is so exciting.”

Clair McLeod Muller is excited about Agnes Scott’s new physician assistant program. She thinks it is a great move and is spreading the news to friends who have grandchildren interested in this field.

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Jane Royall was delighted to be able to assist Betty Anne Boyd Domm to document (for insurance purposes) that her Montreat home had been undamaged the day before Hurricane Helene. Jane was attending the Fall Craft Conference in Montreat and had taken the photo on the Tuesday before the hurricane struck. She made it home to Avondale Estates in the nick of time before all the roads were washed out.

Other attendee friends were stranded and had to be walked down the Swannanoa side of the mountain by rescuers!

Sylvia Harby Hutton and husband Dave celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary in March. In June they crossed an item off Dave’s bucket list with a trip to Crater Lake, Ore. All five of their children, along with partners, grandkids, one greatgrandson and two dogs, came to celebrate July 4th. Daughter Leah, eight-year-old grandson Alex and dog Sodapop stayed for the entire month of July.

Betty Derrick bderrick@agnesscott.edu

The Salem Camp Meeting, where Becky Griffin Ramsey and Alice Griffin Walker have served as duo pianists for over 50 years, was especially enjoyable this year, with record numbers of young people and children. The campground has purchased a building that serves as a basketball court. It has two floors of meeting rooms, an elevator and air conditioning, which is very popular during Camp Meeting Week!

Ann Glendinning ’68 standing on both North American and Eurasian tectonic plates in Ireland.

The Hudson and Beale families in England: Hugh Beale, Martha Beale Hayday, Will Hudson, Addie Harmer, Gué Pardue Hudson’68, Jane Cox Beale’68, Dana Papp Hudson, Max Hudson and Bill Hudson.

’68

Mary Rogers Hardin remarried Willard Lester Strain on Dec. 22, 2024.

Darby, the dog of Ann Glendinning ’68, shows off her new leg.

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In June, Ann Glendinning and husband Dale Kelly had a wonderful trip to Iceland with stops in Newfoundland and Greenland. Their dog, Darby, has a new artificial leg but is faster on three!

Gué Hudson and husband Bill went to England for two weeks in the summer. The highlight was getting their family and Jane Cox Beale’s family together for a lovely dinner at the home of Martha Beale Hayday, Jane’s daughter.

Sherry Grogan Taylor is serving her third year as Area 10 Director of the Georgia Retired Educators Association. Her local unit, Coweta Association of Retired Educators, hosted the area meeting in August and welcomed about 80 guests to

the Donald W. Nixon Centre for Performing and Visual Arts. She encourages all Agnes Scott alumnae who are retired from any educational setting to find and join a nearby local unit. On a more personal note, in November 2024, Sherry finally reached a settlement with the contractor who renovated her house after the tornado that destroyed much of Newnan in March 2021.

She credits the research and writing skills gained at ASC with enabling her to navigate this journey of three years and eight months without a lawyer, for the most part.

Becky Griffin Ramsey and Alice Griffin Walker were joined

by William Callaway in the fall for a piano and organ concert at Covington First Presbyterian Church. The repertoire was classical music, popular favorites and hymns, specially arranged for three instruments. The concert was open to the public.

The ASC hikers: JC Williams ’68, Barbara Dowd ’67, Eleanor McCallie ’68, Poppy Wilson ’67, Gué Pardue Hudson ’68, Katherine Mitchell ’68, Martha Thompson ’66, Alice Davidson ’66, Ann Glendinning ’68.

In J.C. Williams’ retirement, she is learning Cheng Man-Ching’s T’ai Chi sword form and writing poems, a few of which have been published.

In May, nine Scotties from the classes of ’66, ’67 and ’68, who all claim to be hikers at various levels, gathered in Harpers Ferry to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Appalachian Trail. They hiked a little but also ate and drank well, laughed a lot, remembered dear hiking friends no longer with them, and even sang a song or two.

’69 Lalla Griffis Mangin lallamangin1@gmail.com Evelyn Angeletti e_mangel@bellsouth.net Lalla Griffis Mangin and husband Al recently traveled with the Georgia Tech travel group to the Canadian Rockies, taking the Rocky Mountaineer Train from Vancouver to Banff.

Marsha Norman wrote that she is happily retired from Broadway and living in Great Barrington, Mass.

Recently, the Juilliard School, where she taught playwriting for 25 years, gave her an honorary doctorate, of which she is extremely proud. Her life in the theater has been rewarding and successful, buoyed as she was by her three years accompanying the dance group at ASC. Yes, she has won a Pulitzer Prize for drama, but so have 11 of her students, which really makes her proud. She recently spoke to her roommate Eliza Starnes and wishes her classmates a determined survival of these difficult times.

Ellen Joyce Sherling ’69 and granddaughter Calliope in front of an ancient baobab.

Ellen Joyce Sherling took her 11-year-old granddaughter, Calliope Herring, on a weeklong safari in Tanzania. The travelers saw all the vast landscapes the reserves had to offer, including the Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Tarangire and Ngorongoro Crater. There were birds and animals galore. It’s likely just the first safari for Calliope, now an enthusiastic and skilled game spotter, but Ellen’s last. Such a wonderful experience

to share! In other news, Ellen shared that her sister, Marge Joyce Cromer ’65, lost her wonderful husband, Rick Cromer, a Georgia Tech engineer, on July 17. They had celebrated their 59th anniversary the month before his death.

Lou Frank Guill was assigned to escort the Agnes Scott Class of 1975 to lunch after the convocation celebrating their 50th reunion.

Check out her picture on page 5 of the previous issue of Agnes Scott The Magazine, where she is shown carrying the banner for the class.

She wrote that she had a great time being an outsider and observer at the reunion!

Winnie Wirkus Djajengwasito shared that Bali is finally recovering from the COVID-19 shock and adjusting to the impact of global conflict. Tourists are trickling in but spending less money. The whole economic landscape has changed for the country. While not directly affected by tariffs, because the country does not export, potential visitors who might vacation to Bali could be impacted. Since the Skype application is no longer, the Gang o’ Four (Betsy Fuller Hill, Bunny Teeple Sheffield, Marion Hinson Mitchell and Winnie) have moved to email. They stay in touch by cc’ing each other and still manage to have some interesting conversations.

Bunny Teeple Sheffield and husband John recently attended their 60th high school reunions.

They delighted in reconnecting with friends from the past and marveled that they have so many decades of memories to cherish.

Bunny loves connecting with Agnes Scott classmates in real life and cyberspace.

Marion Hinson Mitchell and husband Jack have traveled to Europe several times, recently taking river cruises up the Rhone River through Provence and then on the Rhine River from Amsterdam to Basel. She and Evelyn Angeletti drove to the Western N.C. alumnae lunch and enjoyed President Zak’s update on the goings-on at Agnes Scott.

Sally Gillespie Richardson wrote that her church, Black Mountain Presbyterian, marked the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene that devastated that North Carolina region. She related that much restoration work still needs to be done in many areas and funding is lacking.

Mary Anne Murphy and husband Jon enjoyed a Georgia Tech trip to Italy in the spring. It was 14 days of fun, great food, new friends and tired feet! The scenery was fabulous!

Mary Anne and Jon got together with Helen Stavros when she was in Birmingham for her high school reunion.

Terri Langston continues to enjoy living in Berlin, Germany. Recent months included a trip to the island of Corsica and another to Bologna and the surrounding countryside in Italy. As a member of the American Women’s Club of Berlin, Terri is engaged in the activities of the Democracy and Human Rights group and the Democracy Study Group. These groups are advocates for things such as protecting voting rights for Americans who live abroad, and they also offer readings about democracy and how to keep it.

’70 Janet Pfohl Brooks jbrooks48@aol.com Ruth Hyatt Heffron writes that she and John went on a Danube River cruise “as spring was in glorious bloom.” She has been busy painting and is a member of the Local Color Gallery in Belfast, Maine. She has two grandchildren now in college.

Cathy DuVall Vogel and Cheryl Granade Sullivan live down the hall from each other in Holbrook and are enjoying dining together.

Cathy had back surgery in August, which she says has made her “a bionic woman”!

Hollister “Holly” Knowlton lives in Philadelphia but spends time each summer enjoying the New York Adirondacks.

Bryn Couey Daniel planned to travel Italy in November to celebrate her birthday. She writes that she is

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doing okay following the sudden death of her husband, Ross, and that Italy will offer a good change of scenery.

Christine “Chris” Pence stays busy with travel, writing, photography and life.

Sally James Robyn has settled in Bedford, Pa., to be near their son Paul. Between Paul and another son, Jed, she has seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. They will be taking the youngest grandchildren on a two-week trip, which they have done with each grandchild as they turned 16.

Liz Crum is still practicing law and enjoying it, so she and Jim have not traveled this summer. However, they have hosted many who traveled to them.

Molly Douglas Turner re-retired in December 2024 from her part-time job as priest associate at the church she grew up in. She then booked a transatlantic cruise to Barcelona, with quick stops in St. Maarten and Madeira, in February/March! Spring and summer brought visits from her grandchildren. August saw her in England performing with her church choir, and in October she took her 16-year-old grandson, Julian, to London and Scotland.

Karen Cappel Hendrickson lives in Seattle with her husband, Joe, surrounded by their children and grandchildren, all of whom are within walking distance.

Mary “Mary Agnes” Bullock Seabrook and Johnny are still living at his home place, Allandale Plantation, on Wadmalaw Island in South Carolina. They stay busy with various church and community activities. She writes that the Netflix series Outer Banks has filmed multiple scenes on the Leadenwah River, near their home.

’71 Cindy Ashworth Kesler cindyk315@gmail.com

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Clubs Flower Show Schools after a year of writing, teaching outlines and meeting additional requirements.

She and Skipper traveled to Spain for a food-and-wine tour, and enjoyed a stopover in Antwerp to take lessons from her Sogetsu ikebana teacher.

Anna Gordon Burns writes that she is beginning a new career teaching design in National Garden

Nancy Lee Hutchin ’71 and her family in 2022.

Nancy Lee Hutchin is enjoying every day of her retirement and having a blast with her son, daughter and four grandchildren. She sold her West Virginia vacation home and plans to travel more, with an upcoming destination of San Francisco to visit her son and his family.

Eleanor Ninestein ’71, Paula Hendricks Culbreth ’71 and former ASC librarian Ann Morton at the Western Carolina alumnae luncheon.

Eleanor Ninestein and Paula Hendricks Culbreth attended the Western Carolina alumnae luncheon in August. President Zak spoke about the college. They also met Ann Morton, a former librarian at Agnes Scott who collected the works of Robert Frost, and English professor Emma Mae Laney.

Carol Durrance Dunbar and Ellis have been limited in their travels to their Florida condo or to their daughter’s home in New York City since Carol had back surgery in June. She says that recovery is a slow journey, but here’s hoping for big changes in mobility!

Bunny Folk Zygmont and Paul had another grandparent/grandchild Road Scholar experience with youngest granddaughter, Juliette, age 7, in California at Safari West.

After they were back home with her parents, Juliette revealed that her favorite animal was the giant African millipede, Archispirostreptus gigas. A budding entomologist?

Though she loves living on St. Simons Island, Mary Alice Isele has had a great year of going offisland. In April, she visited Puglia with a group trip through Georgia Tech. She spent a month in Denver after she and her daughter-inlaw’s parents swapped homes, thus enabling her to see her oldest granddaughter graduate from high school at the Red Rocks Amphitheater, as well as to see her grandson play baseball and soccer.

In her ongoing quest to visit all 50 states, she made a trip in August to South Dakota.

Lyn Corder ’71 and grandchildren Gabe, Bayard, Gene and Aidan.

Lyn Corder wrote of some special reunions this summer. In July, Bunny Folk Zygmont and husband Paul, as well as Julia Couch Mehr, met her at the Oceanside Harbor for a lovely lunch on the patio of Oceanside Broiler. Later, her three children, their spouses and her four grandsons met her for a week on the south shore of Lake Michigan. They had a wonderful lake house with a path down to the beach, where the kids

“wrote her a love letter” in stones.

Margaret Morrison Hamilton and her husband, Jeff, divide their time between Wilmington, N.C., and Manchester, Vt. They have six grandchildren: three in Charlotte, N.C., and three in Brookline, Mass.

Margaret enjoys walking, golf, reading and playing bridge.

Bunny Folk Zygmont ’71, Carlene Kirkman Dockery ’71, Betty Scott Noble ’71, Margaret Funderburk O’Neal ’71, Paula Hendricks Culbreth ’71 and Carolyn Newton Curry ’66 at Carolyn’s book signing.

Bunny Folk Zygmont, Carlene Kirkman Dockery, Betty Scott Noble, Margaret Funderburk O’Neal and Paula Hendricks Culbreth attended a book signing for Carolyn Newton Curry ’66, at the ASC Alumnae House on Sept. 7, to celebrate the debut of her historical novel Trudy’s Awakening.

Your class officers want to remind you that our 55th reunion is coming up in April 2026. We had such a good time at the 50th and would love to see even more of our classmates at our 55th!

’72 Anne Kemble Collins annekcollins@gmail.com Cindy Current Cole and husband Roy have had another great year. The couple took a Viking cruise from Rome to Istanbul last fall. In August, Cindy accompanied her daughter, Currie, and Cindy’s grandchildren on a trip to Kanuga Retreat and Camp Center in Hendersonville, N.C., where they had a wonderful time. Having attended for several years, Cindy and family have made some lovely new friends in the

rarefied Kanuga environment. Cindy sends her best to all her Scottie friends and family.

Amy Cooper Dean writes that she and her husband, Howard, are enjoying the wonders of this life by living on Lake Lanier and spending lots of time with their three children and their families, all of whom live an hour or less away. Amy’s family now numbers 18 when they all gather, with the grandkids’ ages ranging from 8 months to 21 years. It is lively and sometimes a bit dramatic with five teenagers, but always an enormous blessing! For those wondering about a head count, this number includes a blended marriage, an adoption and a guardianship — all in Amy’s older son’s family. That warms Amy’s heart. The more the merrier at the Deans’ home! As an aside, Howard and Amy enjoy a number of hobbies, friends and various activities in addition to their family, but they enjoy family the most.

Mary Beaty Watkins sends news that she and husband Jim still go back and forth from Pawleys Island, S.C., to Decatur every four to six weeks or so to keep up with their kids and grands. Both of their children live in the Oakhurst neighborhood about half a mile apart, and while there, Mary and Jim stay in their son’s carriage house.

Mary has had an attitude adjustment about travel after a gut health issue arose. The “road less traveled” has new meaning for Mary, and she is sad to say that the trip she had planned to the south of France and wrote so glowingly about in the last ASTM had to be canceled. She has discovered that simple trips are rewarding and relaxing. For example, short trips from Decatur to the North Georgia mountains, where great hiking trails can be found, work well. Mary has developed a mantra these days to grow old gracefully, doing what’s needed when it’s needed, and being content with that. She would be interested in hearing from others who have made adjustments and leaves us with the belief that life is good!

Sharon Jones Cole sends joyful news of the birth of a new granddaughter this June to son, Lewis, and his wife, Gina. Her name is Gracie, and Sharon and Matt are delighted! Travels this year for the Coles included a barge trip in the Netherlands and a visit to Morocco and the Canary Islands.

Helen Webb Godwin ’72 , Montie Smith Acuff ’72 and husband Steve Acuff in Charlotte, N.C. Belita Stafford Walker writes that she continues to tackle projects around the house, enjoy her family, keep in touch with friends, and be of service when and where she can.

Belita celebrated her 75th birthday by surprising and joining Helen Webb Godwin for her birthday in April in Charlotte. Belita capped off the summer with a best friend from high school’s daughter’s wedding at a winery in San Martin, Calif.

The second week in September, Belita joined her 10-year-old granddaughter for Grandparents’ Day at her school and saw her youngest granddaughter, age 5, play in her first T-ball game. Belita also gently suggested to Anne Collins that the word “old” to describe their class could perhaps better be substituted with “older,” and so it should be. Anne is grateful to Belita for the reminder that the class of 1972 is far from obsolete and is out there doing their thing and, hopefully, anticipating their 55th reunion, which, who knows, could well be more of a hit and a hoot than the 50th!

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class notes

Saphura Safavi Long waited until it happened to send an update for a wonderful event to include in Class News. Saphura and her husband, Nelson, are blessed to be grandparents for the fourth time. Eli Josef Long was born at 11:50 p.m. on Sept. 11 to their youngest son, Allan, and his lovely wife, Anna. Eli is a gorgeous big baby.

He weighed 9 lbs., 9 oz. and measured 22 inches at birth. He looks just like his daddy! The most wonderful aspect of Eli’s arrival is that he lives about a mile down the road from his grandparents in Chattanooga, Tenn., and they are overjoyed to finally have a Chattanooga grandchild. Saphura asks that the class send prayers and good wishes to Eli, Anna and Allan, as well as to the world we live in today.

Mary Reid Kelley, daughter of Margaret Guirkin Reid ’72, with her father, Tony, at the National Portrait Gallery.

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Gigi Wilson Muirheid writes that she and her husband, Terry, left for London on Sept. 3 to meet Margaret Guirkin Reid and Margaret’s family to attend the art show opening for Margaret’s daughter, Mary Reid Kelley, an important artist, at the National Portrait Gallery. Gigi’s husband is an artist as well as an architect, and he and Gigi were both very interested in seeing the show as well. Mary and her husband, Patrick, create video works that combine painting, performance and poetic verse to reinterpret historical and mythological characters. Terry and Gigi spent a week in London, Stratford-uponAvon and Oxford, touring around and enjoying the food and scenery.

They traveled to Greenwich one day with Tony and Margaret to see the Prime Meridian site and the National Maritime Museum.

Gretchen Smith Mui sent news of the death of Jerry Kay Foote Hodgkinson on July 6, 2024. As Jerry Kay was a close friend of hers, Gretchen composed a reflection on Jerry’s life. In Gretchen’s words: “Jerry Kay was a dear friend of mine. We became friends almost immediately during our freshman year at Agnes Scott College, in part because we were both thinking about majoring in music, taking the requisite music courses, and spending many hours in the practice rooms in Presser Hall. It was clear from the outset that Jerry Kay was an excellent pianist. But she did many things well.

She was also an outstanding tennis player and spoke French beautifully.

Her strong leadership qualities were broadly recognized throughout the Agnes Scott community, and during senior year she was selected for both Who’s Who and Mortar Board.

After receiving her master’s degree in piano performance and pedagogy from Southern Methodist University, Jerry Kay for many years maintained a private piano studio in Dallas.

She was undoubtedly a wonderful teacher, and she obviously earned her students’ great respect and affection.

After her death, more than 30 years after she had left Texas, her former students held a memorial service for her there, a telling tribute. We kept in touch at least annually over the years but did not see each other frequently.

Only after she completed seminary and then moved to the Northeast did we visit back and forth. One spring, I invited her down for the annual luncheon of the Agnes Scott Alumnae Chapter of the Washington, D.C., area, of which I was president. I did not hesitate to take advantage of my own invited guest and asked her on the spot to give the invocation! She celebrated Thanksgiving with us in Silver Spring, Md., and Diane Gerstle and I drove to Philadelphia to attend her wedding to Chuck at the historic First Presbyterian Church there. At the reception, the half dozen Scotties in attendance, including the bride herself, formed an impromptu chorus and sang as many verses as we could remember of ‘God of the Marching Centuries’! Jerry Kay’s caring, compassionate nature served her well in her later position as minister of congregational care at First Presbyterian Church. She tended her

flock with great love and grace. She was beloved. Jerry Kay took life — and her role in it — seriously. We are all grateful for such a life.”

Melissa M. Carman reports the sad news that dear Connie Brown Harris died on June 7. On a brighter note, Melissa and Mike welcomed their first grandchild, Lydia Lieb Caldwell, daughter of son Ted and his wife, Lauren, on July 4. Melissa mentions the possibility of Agnes Scott or Georgia Tech in Lydia’s future! (Thanks, Melissa, for coining “Huckleberry News.” Now we have to figure out a good use for it!)

While visiting her daughter in Huntsville, Ala., Louise RöskaHardy had a lovely dinner with Lucinda Martin Schreeder and husband Martin. After dinner, Lucinda showed Louise a decorative map she had picked up at an antique shop. She had noticed that it had Germany on it, and she knew that Louise collects maps. She brought it back as checked luggage, and the TSA checked all three nested boxes right down to the plastic bag the map was in. They taped everything back together with TSA tape; that’s how she knows they examined it. It turns out that it is an original printed map from the 17th century, not a modern reproduction. It has been through a lot, judging from the water damage and patches on the reverse side.

However, the French description of the map on the back is still legible.

Terry and Gigi Muirhead ’72 at Greenwich.

There are quite a few other maps like this one available in Europe, but this one is very special because Lucinda found it and thought of Louise! Every map has a story, and this one has a marvelous story.

Montie Smith Acuff ’72 and Lane Ervin Lotspeich ’72 in Orange Beach, Ala. In early September, Elaine “Lane” Ervin Lotspeich and Montie Smith Acuff had a fun — but all too brief — chance to catch up at Orange Beach, Ala., where Montie and husband Steve were visiting with some of Montie’s family. Although one day was not enough time to cover all that they would have liked, they did manage a bit of surf bobbing in the Gulf waters, enjoying some good coastal food, with just a little bit of imbibing. Lane and husband Rick are beginning their second year in Fairhope, Ala., and staying busy with their grandkids and meeting new people.

Katherine “Montie” Smith Acuff and husband Steve took a road trip with their Airstream camping trailer in June. Their first stop was Charlotte, N.C., and they had a wonderful visit and dinner with Helen Webb Godwin. It was so much fun to catch up, especially since Helen was unable to attend the class’s 50th reunion due to a family wedding. Montie and Steve’s road trip took them to the Airstream Assembly Plant in Jackson Center,

Ohio, which was amazing. A visit to the Henry Ford Museum and Ford F-150 pickup truck Assembly Plant in Dearborn, Mich., was next on the list. Then they put their toes in the freezing water of four different Great Lakes. Montie and Steve made a couple of stops at state parks in West Virginia to see the synchronized fireflies. Yes, it is a thing, and it is spectacular — a true miracle of God! They capped off their travels with their usual week at Kanuga in North Carolina for the Fourth of July.

Mary Ann Powell Howard reports that sometimes age is an advantage.

Moving up an age bracket enabled her to finish in third place in the Northside Hospital Atlanta Women’s 4 Miler and in fourth place out of 141 in her age/gender division of the Peachtree Road Race. She is considering whether it is time to scale back while she is ahead, especially since all three grandsons have weekend soccer games, and she, daughter Christy and grandson Jack love attending the Atlanta United games.

In late April, Anne Kemble Collins and husband Steve made a longawaited trip to South Korea (their first since son Stuart and daughter-inlaw Goree’s wedding in 2012), to visit grandson Odhran and his parents.

Younger son Penn was able to join them for most of the time. Odhran is a delight — smart, funny, happy and affectionate. South Korea is a small country of beautiful scenery dotted with very large cities. South Koreans are prolific walkers and hikers, and the Collins family tried to keep up!

(The food is also amazing.) This fall, Steve and Anne were treated to a very large tree from one next-door neighbor’s front yard falling directly across their front yard. The tree completed its total collapse in their other neighbor’s yard. The buzzing of saws and the thumps and booms of large chunks of tree being cut were their only entertainment for several days. Candles and lanterns lit their evenings. Power and telephone cables were out of commission, but after about four days, the household finally returned to the current century!

’73 Peggy Callaway pcallaway51@gmail.com Paula Holmes paulabholmes@sbcglobal.net Carolyn Arant Handell and Lady Wornat Emrich traveled to Kenya, where they went on a safari with their respective husbands, Don and Bill. They also visited Tanzania. They promised to fill in the details in an upcoming post.

Jane Frazier and husband Wayne enjoyed a cruise to Alaska recently. Two highlights of their trip included white-water rafting on the Mendenhall River and whalewatching near Hoonah. They were thrilled to see three humpback whales. Jane described the event as “glorious.”

Having recognized the location of her sophomore roommate in a photograph on Facebook, Peggy Williams Callaway contacted Carol Gordy Carroll. They met for lunch at Carol’s house, which is just before the bridge that leads to Fernandina Beach, Fla. Oddly, Peggy has been coming to Fernandina each summer for over 40 years. Carol has lived there for over 20 years, but their paths have never crossed. They had a great time recounting their lives since graduation. (It was a long conversation!)

’74 Jamie Osgood Shepard gojamieshepard@gmail.com Ann Elizabeth Clites annclites52@gmail.com This year, Mary Jane Kerr Cornell has enjoyed visits with all five grandchildren (and their parents), Jazz Fest in New Orleans in the spring, and two weeks in Montreat in July. Highlights included baptizing Mila in New Orleans and celebrating Teo’s second birthday in Seattle.

She and Ann Early Bibb caught up with each other on a lovely walk, followed by coffee and biscuits.

Tania Gumusgerdan had a vacation adventure in Norway with her son, daughter and their families.

They flew to Oslo, rented a van and drove north. One of the Airbnbs

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class notes

was literally a tree house. Tania says that her grandkids loved it, which was adorable to watch. However, the only bathroom was outside, making access in the middle of the night a challenge. She cannot imagine what would be involved in the winter!

Mary Alice Compton Osgood ’48 and her favorite niece, Jamie Osgood Shepard ’74.

Patsy Cook Bates ’74 and Ann Early Bibb ’74.

Ann Early Bibb spends most of her time enjoying her three Decatur grandkids and their parents, along with walking or going out with friends. Highlights included an awesome bike ride in Provence in May, as well as great weather, food, wine and people. Then in July, she and her 13-year-old grandson, Ian, went to Ontario to visit a grandmother and her grandson that they met on last year’s trip to Quebec and the St. Lawrence Estuary. Ann reports that Ian got to stay with his friend on a 3,000-acre farm owned by her friend’s son and family. What an exciting place for a boy — huge machinery, ATVs, barns full of hay bales to climb, and animals everywhere. Ann says that it is such a different life and pace from what he knows in Decatur. She also met Patsy Cook Bates following Mark Bates’ mother’s funeral. The two remembered old times with family and friends.

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York, Durham and Doxford. The group toured historic sites, such as the remains of abbeys and priories, and admired prominent cathedrals. Additional points of interest included the coastal town of Seahouses, as well as Farne Island, a renowned bird and nature sanctuary celebrated for its puffins and historical connection to St. Cuthbert.

Susan Walker Sullivan died peacefully in her sleep on April 7, 2025. Susan was known for her love of cats, many of whom she rescued over the years, and for her love of books.

She loved going to her class’s reunions and would joyfully wear her Mickey Mouse garb to all events. Susan’s closest surviving relative, a niece, wrote, “She loved her family and her people and her animals and her alma mater, Agnes Scott. She will be greatly missed. Such a generous person.”

Jamie Osgood Shepard and husband Randall are spending their children’s inheritance, some of it with the children! Jamie reports that they spent 10 days in Normandy, Paris and Bruges with son John and family in May and then spent a week in Michigan and the Upper Peninsula for a Shepard family reunion with son Lee and family.

In October, they celebrated their birthdays in Las Vegas and saw Sir Paul McCartney. Jamie also went to Massachusetts to visit her aunt, Mary Alice Compton Osgood ’48, and then went to the Big Apple. In between trips, Randy and Jamie both work — they’re not retired, Jamie says, just tired.

’75 Becky Mistretta beckymistretta@bellsouth.net Rose Ann Cleveland had her short story, “The Secret Keeper,” published in the spring 2025 edition of storySouth, a prominent quarterly online literary magazine.

Read her story and see what else she has been up to at her website, roseanncleveland.com.

Margaret Williams Johnston, her husband, Rip, and their daughters, son-in-law and three grandchildren visited Livingston, Mont., in July.

They enjoyed their first rodeo, scenic hikes, a 5K race with a parade, and trips to Yellowstone National Park and Big Sky resort.

Tammi Devore recently participated in a church group excursion to northeast England, visiting notable locations including

Sandy Sheridan Bennett regrets that she missed her class’s 50th reunion weekend due to illness. She and husband Craig celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on July 19. They have two girls, twin boys and 12 grandchildren! Sandy retired from her job as a medical technician.

Craig is a structural engineer for historic preservation projects, and one of the boys is following in his footsteps. Sandy and her family live in Charleston, S.C. Sarah Harrison and her husband, Jeffrey, now live in Columbus, N.C., after having lived in South Carolina for most of the past 45 years. They have three children and one grandchild. They all vacation in California, where two of their children live. They have a small cabin in the Sierras, north of Lake Tahoe.

Susan Balch Clapham reports that her husband, David, is preparing to officially retire from his long career in scientific research at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. They have four daughters: Katie Rose is a cardiologist at the University of Utah, Rebekah is in graduate school for clinical psychology at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, Charlotte is finishing up her doctorate in biostatistics at Johns Hopkins, and Julia is busy working at Manulife in Boston in their forestry and agriculture department. Susan and David welcomed their first grandchild in March. Susan keeps busy as a community volunteer in their hometown of Wellesley, Mass., serving on the town’s financial advisory committee and teaching knitting to elementary school students and seniors.

Anna Case-Winters celebrated the marriage of her middle child, R. Michael Winters IV, to Madhulika

Nancy O. LeSourd ’75, Linda W. Jacobsen ’75, Margaret R. Lemon ’75 and Ruth McManus ’75.

Helen D Whittaker ’75, Anne T. Hunter ’75, Susan G. Smathers ’75 and Glenn H. Ridley ’75 at their 50th reunion.

Catherine P. Cuneo ’75, Joyce M. McDonald ’75, Ann F. Kanuck ’75 and Charlotte Gillis ’75.

Becky W. Mistretta ’75, Lily Chan ’75, Della E. McMillan ’75, Mindy R. Stuk ’75, Robbie G. Bowman ’75 and Margaret W. Johnson ’75.

Chaudhry, and her own 50th wedding anniversary to her husband, R. Michael Winters III. Anna loves her work as a professor of theology at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago and is trying some new things, including recording a podcast called Faith for Normal People, based on her fourth book, God Will Be All in All. She travels internationally for the World Communion of Reformed Churches. This fall she will go to Chiang Mai, Thailand, for the General Council Meeting.

Mindy Rapp Stuk and Della McMillan and their respective husbands decided to go to beautiful Norway together. They took the Hurtigruten Coastal Express North Ferry Boat up the coast from Bergen to Kirkenes, which is near the Russian border. A highlight of their trip was the new Oslo Opera House, where people stroll and eat on the roof overlooking the harbor and beach. They attended Antonín Dvořák’s Rusalka, more commonly known as The Little Mermaid, at the opera house. They also saw the

works of Edvard Munch and visited the last apartment and museum of Henrik Ibsen.

Thanks to everyone who made our 50th reunion so special, and we honor the memories of our 16 classmates who have passed away.

’76 Brandon Fortune ebbfortune@gmail.com Martha Smith retired this year from managing the public library in her hometown of Elkin, N.C., and is now busy remodeling and repairing her family’s 1895 house. She had a daytrip rendezvous in June with roomie Barbara Williams in Lynchburg, Va., where they caught up on news over a delightful summer luncheon and then did a little shopping.

Susan Grier had two great trips this summer. The first was a trip to San Diego for her older son’s graduation from medical school at the University of California San Diego. She writes that this was an

Marie Newton ’75, Ellen P. Smith ’75, Rebecca Thompson ’75,Victoria B. Stephan ’75 and Lyn Satterthwaite ’75.

Beth W. Ely ’75,Vick B Jackson ’75 and Allison G. Spears ’75 driving around during Alumnae Weekend.

especially huge achievement given that he decided to pursue medicine later in life, graduating at the age of 45. She is incredibly proud of him. Her second trip was a 10-day small-group tour with her sister in Yellowstone National Park, followed by several days in the Grand Tetons.

Susan reports that a highlight was being on a horse for the first time in many years for a trail ride through wildflower meadows and pine forests alongside Jenny Lake. She was in a perpetual state of awe throughout the trip, deeply moved by the natural beauty of both places. She is grateful that our national parks have been protected in their pristine natural states. May it always be so!

Pam Braswell relocated to the Atlanta area from California in May, arriving on her birthday. She’s missing the West Coast and has traveled back to visit. She spent the summer landscaping her cousin’s new investment property in Bowden.

Pam is almost fully recovered from major surgery in late July, which she is so happy to have behind her.

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in her totally unbiased opinion. They live about three hours away, so she gets to visit often. She and husband Al are refurbishing their pop-up camper, which has been home to mice and other creatures, as it sat unused for multiple years. Genevieve has started looking through boxes of pictures to share next April.

The youngest grandchildren of Ginny Poole ’76.

Ginny Maguire Poole enjoyed a wonderful Labor Day week at her beach house in Pawleys Island, S.C., along with friends and family, including the two youngest grandchildren. She came home and had a total knee replacement two days later! She reports that all is good so far.

Nancy Leasendale Purcell and her husband, Roger, celebrated her 70th with a Georgia Tech Travel cruise to the UK and Normandy in June 2024. Nancy says it was a delightful experience, highlighted by having David and Julie Eisenhower as the guest speakers on the cruise. Wanting more, they crossed the Atlantic again this May for a 10-day tour of London and Paris. Otherwise, she is busy with church activities and her grandchildren, Paul and Tate, who are in second grade and kindergarten, respectively, at the same school where Nancy taught! She and Susan Grier are their class’s reunion chairs — they hope all Raggedy Anns are planning to attend our upcoming 50th reunion next April 17-19, 2026. Please plan to be part of the fun! They want you there!

’77 Ruth McMullen Valdez ruthbursi@bellsouth.net

The grandsons of Georgie Elortegui ’76.

Georgina Elortegui took a wonderful cruise to the Bahamas with her extended family this summer. She reports that there was something for everyone to do, from zip-lining to salsa dancing. The trip turned out to be an amazing experience for all, including the grandsons, brothers Benjamin (9) and Sebastian (11), and brothers Lucas (14) and Logan (8).

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Genevieve New Chaffee shares that she is now a grandma. She celebrated grandson Wagnor’s first birthday in Spartanburg with his maternal extended family. Allie and Alfred created the cutest baby ever,

Cindy Hodges Burns and husband Kevin are enjoying lots of adventures with their seven grandchildren, ages 1 through 19. She reminds her classmates that their 50th reunion is a year from spring 2026, and they should start coming up with great ideas now!

Ellen Fort turned 70 and celebrated her “big birthday” on April 5, with friends and family. She very happily reports that she married her longtime partner, Jim Rogers, on July 11 in Las Vegas. The pair decided on a Monday, got married that next Friday, and kept it a total secret! They said “yes” in a chapel (but not the Elvis Chapel), then celebrated at the Bellagio Hotel and saw a performance by the Backstreet Boys at the Sphere! She reports that it is pretty fun to be a bride at 70!

All four of their children and their three grandchildren were surprised — and thrilled that they did not have

to plan wedding festivities. Earlier travels this year were to Croatia and Germany, as well as to Lake Burton, Ga., to see Lois Turner Swords and husband Gary. Consulting work for nonprofits keeps Ellen busy, so she is really only halfway retired.

Ellen meets up with locals Sue Jinks Robertson and Pat McWaters as often as possible, and there is an annual girls’ weekend for seven of her classmates coming up at Eleanor McCain’s farm.

Sylvia Foster Page ’77, Linda Shearon Wistrand ’77 and Sally Shurley Hayes ’77.

Sally Shurley Hayes writes that she, Linda Shearon Wiistrand and Sylvia Foster Page recently visited Quebec for a few days to celebrate their 70th birthdays. “How did we get this old?” she wonders. She says she is really looking forward to her 50th reunion coming up in a year and a half.

’78 Paula Lipford pslipford@gmail.com Cindy Peters has retired! After 47 years at Duke University and 25 years with the Nicholas School of the Environment, Cindy cleaned out her office effective Aug. 1! She is still figuring out what comes next as she gets all the systems set up for finances, health care and the like.

She is having to buy a computer! She has always used her work laptop, but now she will be haunting Best Buy and pestering the Geek Squad. If you are ever in the Triangle area of North Carolina, look her up.

Janet Kelley Jobe and her husband, Ron, continue to serve the municipality in which they live. Janet does the budget, taxes and fees in support of the current

commissioners, and Ron is the city engineer. Their newest mission, since the Belarus border is closed, has been to support their elderly neighbors, family members and church members with physical needs and decisions for their last season of life. It is an honor to serve them. They also travel internationally several times a year.

They visited Iceland for the first time — and loved it — and revisited the British Isles. Janet attended the Chelsea Flower Show in London, a must for any master gardener.

Martie Lovvorn Moore has been directing The Pantry on Church at First Presbyterian Church in Marietta, Ga., for three years. They distribute groceries to approximately 375 families every week who either live or work in Cobb County.

The pantry partners with nearby nonprofits and churches, as well as the local school system.

Beverly Brown Schmidt is a grandmother of two boys, Silas (3) and Callum (1). They belong to her son, Paul, and his wife, who live in Dallas, Ga. This summer they visited the Atlanta Zoo often.

Mary Brown Diehl ’78, Barbara Duncan ’78 and Kathleen O’Brien Burchill ’78 in Greensboro, N.C. In May, Barbara Duncan, Mary Brown Diehl and Kathleen O’Brien Burchill enjoyed a mini-reunion at Mary and husband Mark’s beautiful retirement home in Stokesdale, N.C. Trip highlights included sitting out on the porch of the home and enjoying high tea at the historic O. Henry Hotel in Greensboro, N.C.

Bill and Kathleen O’Brien Burchill ’78 visiting Lamega, Portugal.

In August, Kathleen O’Brien Burchill and her husband, Bill, went on a cruise on the Douro River in Portugal. They also spent several days in Lisbon, Portugal, and Santiago, Spain.

Marty Knight ’78 and her grandchildren.

Marty Knight is a retired school counselor. She lives in her hometown of Cartersville, Ga. She cherishes her Agnes Scott memories!

Sharon Pittman Powell and her husband, Steve, moved to a 55-plus community in Hermitage, Tenn., in 2021. They celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary in August of 2025. Steve is an adjunct instructor in the Architecture Department at Belmont University, and Sharon stays busy with two book clubs, a weekly mahjong group, a monthly bunco group, twice-weekly water exercise, volunteering with Meals on Wheels, and a variety of church activities. They now have five grandchildren. Daughter Leigh (married to Kris) lives in Brentwood, Tenn., and has two boys aged 4 and 7. Daughter Taylor (married to Richard) lives in Marietta, Ga., with three children, a boy (7), and girls aged 4 and 2. Sharon and Steve enjoy traveling and have recently taken a couple of Caribbean cruises with siblings and a Viking River cruise on the Danube in November

2024. Sharon and Steve also have a home in The Villages, Fla. Their house is in the village of St. Catherine. Sharon would love to connect with any Scotties in the area.

’79 Sandra Eichelberger sandraei@yahoo.com Angela Carter Sprunger writes that she has finally retired from midwifery after 23 years of catching babies and helping women and families in seven countries. After 12.5 years working in West and Central Africa (Congo, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Rwanda) and a short two-year stint in Bangladesh, Angela and her husband, Mark, decided it was time for the next generation to take over. They now visit and support their four sons, two of whom are working overseas in Egypt and Myanmar, and two who are in the United States. Angela has such wonderful memories of shared days at ASC and considers those years formative in friendships, adventures and faith.

Linda McInnis traveled to Barcelona, Spain, in May with her oldest grandson for his first trip abroad. There she managed to have a family reunion with her brother and sister-in-law and their family.

In July, Linda went back to Spain to help her cousin move into a place she bought north of the city of Leon. Then in August she traveled from Spain to Paris to meet up with Virginia Rockwell, Eleanor Graham, Sandy Fowler and Susi Gomez Boutier to explore the city and experience a David Hockney exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton. They also were able to see the newly renovated Notre Dame Cathedral, and all found that to be extremely moving. After that, Linda headed back to her cousin’s Spanish village by way of Bilbao, where she got to experience the Guggenheim Museum and see Jeff Koons’ Puppy.

Catherine Crook Woodcock and husband Stan are enjoying retirement, although she can still be enticed to cater an event here and there. They are in the mountains of New Jersey most of the time, where they care for Stan’s 93-year-

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old mother, who has Alzheimer’s, fulfilling their promise to keep her in her own home as long as they possibly can. They still have their home in northern Virginia, so Catherine can continue to do her civic service as the chief of her polling precinct. In New Jersey, they round out their days with vegetable and flower gardening, serving in church and dancing. Catherine has been competing in ballroom dance in the New York City area, partnering with the owner of her dance studio. She also performs twice a year in a showcase at that studio. She performs the Argentine tango, Viennese waltz, foxtrot and West Coast swing. It is a workout for her body, her brain and her spirit!

Angela Fleming Rogers reports that she has been playing golf this year. She sees Julie Johnston Wiggins regularly, as they are members of the same church and in the same Bible study. Hurricane Helene clobbered Augusta last September. Angela’s home was hit, but the damage was minor by comparison. They are still waiting for a crew to begin repairs. Angela’s parents are 89 and 90, so she spends a lot of time helping them out.

Angela and her husband Gerald are blessed with eight grandchildren ranging in ages from 9 months to 11 years, so they are a happy priority!

Debby Daniel-Bryant traveled to Denver for a baby shower for daughter Leah Bryant ’13, with daughter Rachel Bryant Pack ’09 and daughter Sarah B. Roberts. Leah turned the shower into a surprise reveal party, with pink cream-filled doughnuts. A future Scottie is in the works!

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Lynden Harris recently had the world premiere of her musical A GOOD BOY at the Playmakers Repertory Theater in Chapel Hill, N.C. Drawn from over two decades of intensive work, including death row workshops, interviews with families and training with correctional officers, A GOOD BOY brings audiences face-to-face with the most hidden among us: men living on death row, the families who love them, and the officers who work alongside them. Though

the characters onstage are fictional, every story they tell is rooted in real life. Lynden is the author of the book and lyrics.

Diane Banyon Pardoe is living in lovely Burbank, Calif. After years as a talent manager, Diane made the move to being a talent agent. Her agency is Bloom Artists Agency.

Diane says she will probably never retire and has no grandchildren, but she does have a cat! She enjoys being in the entertainment industry and loves being in Southern California.

Ginny Risher Wilcox retired in 2021 after 18-plus years leading Ambleside, a K-8 Charlotte Mason school. Randy and Ginny sold their home in Falls Church, Va., in 2024 and moved to Harrisonburg, Va., halfway between grandchildren in Pennsylvania and Tennessee. They are near one daughter and close enough to Washington, D.C., to get their Colorado kids from the airport and see old friends. Ginny’s most dramatic news is that in July, while on a family vacation with all five children and spouses plus eight grandchildren, she had a bad fall. As she was carrying her one-year-old granddaughter in her arms, Ginny tripped and rolled down 14 steps, protecting the baby. Ginny ended up with a broken pelvis, hip, knee and ribs, plus clots in her legs and lungs. Thankfully, the little one was totally fine! The only good thing Ginny reports was that they cut off her 15-year-old bathing suit that she should have trashed years ago.

Ginny spent 10 days in the ICU and another 10 days in rehab, but she is now recovering nicely at home.

Thank heavens, Ginny!

Leslie Doyle writes that she took a turn in a sound studio as she recorded a bit from an audiobook she co-wrote: The D.O.P.E. Breakthrough (Divining Our Perfect Eternity). Leslie also went to Niagara Falls and then to Toronto and surrounding areas to do a little hiking and biking, with a day of horseback riding mixed in — along with lots of eating!

Sandra Eichelberger is enjoying retirement! In May she went on a two-week trip to England with her

boyfriend. They used BritRail passes to travel all over southern England, mostly doing day trips out of London to see cathedrals, castles and museums. It was a wonderful trip!

After a hectic start to retirement in early 2021 (selling their Decatur home and building a new home in Hoschton, Ga., then signing up for too many committees and activities in their new “active adult” community), Anne Jones Fears recently decided to slow down and “de-volunteered” from everything except a book club. Anne and husband Don celebrated their 25th anniversary in May with an Alaskan cruise. Every October they spend fall break at the beach with family, including their six grandchildren. It is four days of chaos, but so much fun! Ironically, Anne left Decatur, and Elizabeth Wells Lang recently moved to Decatur. Now Anne visits Elizabeth in town, and they attend ASC events. They recently met at the Alumnae House for Carolyn Newton Curry’s book launch.

Ginny Lee McMurray is thoroughly enjoying retirement. Her husband, Shawn, retired fully from his part-time work in January, and they took an amazing three-week trip to Italy in April and May. The first two weeks they spent primarily in Florence and Rome, soaking up the art and history as well as enjoying the food and wine. The third week they met Elizabeth Wells Lang and Don and traveled to Manciano, a small town in the Tuscan province of Grosseto. There they stayed for a week in a villa and hiked up and down the hills of various small towns in Southern Tuscany. Highlights included viewing Etruscan ruins dating from the fourth century B.C. and the unique and colorful Tarot Garden by artist Niki de Saint Phalle, as well as visiting a few small local wineries. It was an amazing trip. However, hiking up and down the hills of various Tuscan towns was not pleasant for Ginny’s arthritic knees. She had the right knee replaced Aug. 6 and has had an excellent recovery. She looks forward to having the left knee replaced soon so that she will not be hampered by travel or playing with her two-year-old grandson, Wendell,

who lives nearby. Meanwhile, Ginny enjoys volunteering at First United Methodist Church in Little Rock, where she chairs the Board of Stewards this year. She also continues to sing in the choir and play handbells.

Jeannine Garbutt Rollins shares that her daughter Jesslyn Rollins, who is CEO of their family company BIOLYTE, was asked by Agnes Scott to speak on entrepreneurship in October at the Women’s Global Leadership Conference in Gaines Chapel. Jesslyn has inherited and improved on Jeannine’s theater skills and can be quite entertaining. All three daughters have now moved back to Atlanta, and Trey and Jeannine are surrounded by four wonderful grandchildren and one more due in November. Jeannine and Trey spend most of their time at their farm in Canton, Ga., taking the grandchildren on tractor rides and gathering eggs from the coop. Life is good for Jeannine!

Cindy Dantzler Hammond and husband Chris reside in Tifton, Ga., where they participate in church and community activities. They have five sons, five daughters-in-law and seven grandchildren. Cindy continues to waterski when possible, and Chris and she travel frequently, whether attending Georgia Bulldogs games in Athens, spending time at Lake Oconee or visiting Highlands, N.C. Cindy’s stained-glass business is active, including a large commission for a new church in Tifton. She also serves on the boards of the Tifton Council for the Arts and the Tiftarea YMCA, contributing volunteer work to support local initiatives.

Maggie Evans ’80 and her new book.

’80 Debbie Bonner dbbonner@cox.net Betsy “Bean” Burrell ’74 and Sally Harris ’80 in Croatia.

Sally Harris and wife Flo spent 10 unforgettable days exploring Croatia in June. One of the highlights was running into a house counselor from Salem Academy, where Sally attended high school. Adding to the connection, the counselor’s sister-inlaw is Betsy “Bean” Burrell ’74. In other big news, Sally became a great aunt to twin boys in November.

Debbie Boelter Bonner ’80 hanging out with Charles Darwin on San Cristobal Island.

Debbie Boelter Bonner and a friend from Baton Rouge embarked on a bucket-list journey to the Amazon, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands in June. They savored fresh ceviche and local specialties. While on the Galapagos Islands, they marveled at blue-footed boobies, giant tortoises and playful sea lions basking on the shore.

Kathy Hollywood’s youngest child, Steven, got married in June in Seattle. Sarah Fairburn Pannill and Katherine Stearns Thomas ’82 both attended with their spouses.

With such great friends, Kathy put them right into the family photo as her “chosen family.”

Sarah Hunter writes that her granddaughter, Nico Swearingen, is a first-year at Agnes Scott. When questioned by classmates as to how she could be old enough to have a grandchild in college, she replied that she was “a child bride.”

Margaret Evans Porter’s 17th novel and second contemporary novel, Sequins and Starlight, was published in May to excellent reviews. The book is partly based on her experiences in the theater and dance world and is set primarily in London, where she frequently spends time, and at her own vintage lake cottage in New Hampshire. As part of the promotional campaign, she and husband Chris spent time in England in May and June. In addition to participating in various events and writing conferences, she celebrated the first anniversary of Turning Pages, the monthly literary television program she produces and co-hosts.

Lisa Lee Quenon survived the Kerrville Flood in July. After assisting others, she relocated to the Houston/Katy area to be with family.

Her thoughts are that the damage is worse than any story suggests — the river and landscape are changed forever.

Gwen Spratt retired in May and, together with Aden Draper ’06 and Penny, moved to North Yorkshire, England, for a yearlong adventure.

After settling in, the trio took time to explore nearby cities, including Leeds, Scarborough and York. They also made a memorable trip to Scotland, attending the lively Edinburgh Fringe Festival — which they agreed was a highlight — and visited Aviemore. In August, Gwen’s daughter, Ila, met

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them for a special journey to Norway, which Gwen’s sister, Melinda Spratt McKinnon ’83, and her family also joined. There the group visited Oksendal, an ancestral homeland, and cruised the breathtaking fjords to Geiranger. Back in North Yorkshire, Aden continues to work full-time, and the group eagerly anticipates a visit from their friend Sarah Meng ’06 in the coming months.

’81 Liz Steele Forman forman21@comcast.net The Yellow Pages are getting excited about their upcoming 45-year reunion, and the reunion committee is busy putting together a wonderful weekend for all.

Katie Bonta is continuing to enjoy retirement, and she and her husband, Barry, have been traveling up a storm with more trips to France, Japan and Taiwan.

Ila Burdette had a lovely visit with Susan Nicol Dobbins and the Dobbins family in St. Augustine, Fla., in August. They spent four wonderful days enjoying ocean breezes, sunshine by the pool, the old city, fresh seafood, Brunswick stew and simply catching up. Nothing beats a beach day with friends!

Maggie Conyers Zerkus shared the very sad news that both her parents passed away this summer. The couple were married for 71 years.

Maggie’s father was 96 at the time of his death, and her mother, Jane Hook Conyers ’53, who was 93, died not long after.

Laura Klettner Bynum’s mother, Virginia Hays Klettner ’53, also passed away.

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Stephanie Segars Blevins left her professional career last year to finally become a full-time working artist, which has been her dream since college. It is going well, and she wishes she had done this years ago! You may see Stephanie’s work at alittletexture.art and on social media. Other exciting things are happening in Stephanie’s life as well!

Her youngest daughter is working

on an Elven Lord of the Rings wedding theme with Stephanie’s help, although she says this may be outside her “realm” of experience.

We know an artist as talented as Stephanie will come up with some great ideas!

Liz Steele Forman is thrilled to report that she is now a grandmother. Forrest Gregory Warren arrived in July, and Liz is gathering a lot of frequent flyer points going back and forth to the Florida Keys to see him.

Beloved classmate Lynda Wimberly passed away in August, following a nearly six-year battle with glioblastoma. Following the initial prognosis, she decided to live her life on her own terms. Lynda had a wonderful dedicated medical team at Vanderbilt University, and she continued to run her company as well as play golf and travel as long as she could. Lynda absolutely loved Agnes Scott and the lifelong friends she made while there. She was her class’s fund chair for many years, and if you’d like your donation to be in Lynda’s memory, there is a place to add her name on the donation page.

The Class of 1981 Facebook Group is very active, so please join facebook.com/groups/ agnesscott1981 to keep up with the latest!

’82 Kathy Fuller-Seeley khfuller@aol.com Lee Kite lee.kite@alum.agnesscott.edu No news was submitted. Please send your news to your class secretary.

’83 Margaret Kelly Parry maggieparry@comcast.net No news was submitted. Please send your news to your class secretary.

’84 Linda Newland Soltis linda.soltis@international.gc.ca Meg Jenkins Locke had a busy summer 2025 that included spending a week with her extended

family at the Chautauqua Institute in upstate New York. The trip included a visit with classmate Linda Soltis in Buffalo, N.Y., and a lot of sightseeing. They took in the majesty of Niagara Falls from the American and Canadian sides, toured the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center, AKG Art Museum and Frank Lloyd Wright’s earliest prairiestyle home, and rode the merry-goround at the Herschell Carrousel Museum in North Tonawanda, N.Y. Meg is busy with her growing family, including grandson Xander Locke.

She regularly sees classmate Tammy Jenkins, who stays with Meg as she travels from her Tampa, Fla., home to visit her family in Richmond, Va. Julie Norton White is active in regional Bible ministry, traveling to teach at retreats and conferences.

She and her husband, David, spend time at Lake Hartwell on the Georgia-South Carolina border.

Their only son, Grady, followed Julie’s footsteps into local church ministry. Julie reports that she and her sister Jeanie Norton Carr ’88 are grieving the 2025 loss of their brother and the 2021 loss of their sister.

Alicia Paredes Laramy’s retirement from banking became official on Aug. 1, after four decades of service that included at least three mergers, with the final bank being Wells Fargo. She is fully leaning into the moment with late summer trips to national parks Kings Canyon, Yosemite and Sequoia. These travels resulted in Alicia’s first time cooking river trout. Alicia’s traveling companion was her mother, who turned 85 years young on Aug. 17.

Alicia’s mother now lives with her, and her mother’s senior dachshund, Maggie, completes the household.

In 2025, Anne Markette and her husband, Bill, moved from Atlanta, where Anne had lived and worked since her graduation from Agnes Scott. The couple splits time between two places: Amelia Island, Fla., and Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

After several decades in the financial services industry, Anne reports that she is loving the slower pace of retirement life.

As of March 2025, Patricia Ballew Hibbard and her husband, John, officially departed Atlanta and became residents of Statesboro, Ga. They are enjoying their proximity to Savannah, as well as being in the same community as their daughter Sarah, her husband, Brian, and granddaughters EmmaKate and Iris.

Since the move, Patricia has been unpacking, meeting new people, volunteering, gardening and sewing — when she is not babysitting the granddaughters.

but think of her class’s “mentor,” Robert Redford, who passed away Sept. 16. Because of his iconic role as the Sundance Kid, he and all the Sundance Scotties share a special bond. Ellen hopes she and her fellow classmates can keep that bond strong and keep in contact. She always loves hearing about what everyone has been up to.

’86 Holly Rogers Markwalter hmarkwalter@yahoo.com

’85 Ellen Grant Walker arizonascarlett@yahoo.com Ann Fitzgerald Aichinger has had an exciting year of travel! In March, she spent 10 days exploring Italy, beginning in Venice and ending in Pompeii. In June, she enjoyed an Alaskan cruise with two friends, marveling at the stunning landscapes and the fascinating stories of Alaska.

In August, she attended her first Road Scholar class on C.S. Lewis at Montreat, N.C. Ann continues her daily videos on Facebook, having recorded over 2,000 of them, sharing trivia and interesting facts. Life in Bristol goes on, and she is working with Central Presbyterian Church to continue making a positive impact in the local community.

Kim Spinnett Dameworth and her husband, Bill, spent much of July traveling through France, enjoying the sights, history and cuisine in celebration of Kim’s birthday!

Kristen Sojourner and her husband, Mark, spent most of August traveling through Italy. Upon their return, Kristen underwent foot surgery. We wish her a smooth and speedy recovery!

Ellen Grant Walker has been enjoying retirement. She spent a week at the beach in Rocky Point, Mexico, with her grandchildren.

She also spent 10 days in New Hampshire with her daughter and had two separate two-week stays in Phoenix visiting her mom. She also had the pleasure of reading 15 books — none of them school-related — since June 1! As she reflects on her connections, she cannot help

Amy Jackson Hoskins ’86 with garden class.

Amy Jackson Hoskins teaches an after-school program about organic farming, mindful eating, pollinators and growing our own food. She is partnering with Rhizome Films to fund a short film based on her novel Rebekah’s Closet. She had two recent poems published: “Send Flowers”

by Steel Jackdaw Press and “Cup of Tea” by Mayari Literature. She was interviewed by the Briar Haus Writes YouTube channel in the spring.

Ginger Berry Verch and her husband, Richard, enjoy snowbirding between Naples, Fla., and Three Lakes, Wis. They swing through Atlanta on the drive each way to visit family. Their two sons are well. They spend a lot of time with Richard’s parents, as they do the same snowbird locations, and they have become experts at playing Mexican Train dominoes with 85-year-olds!

Ginger is looking forward to her class’s 40th reunion April 17-18!

Mary Margaret Krauth Cooke is the new vice president deputy chief compliance officer of Blaylock Van LLC. It is the oldest minority-owned financial services firm in the country.

They do corporate and municipal debt and equity underwritings.

Edie Krakowiak was very touched that Shawn Mucklow Williams and her husband, along with Linda Peterson Baskin — who attended her first year of ASC with the class of 1986 — were present at the March remembrance service for her mother.

The small nonprofit she was working for closed at the end of last year, but her plan to begin coaching and teaching the Enneagram is on hold as she continues to settle her mom’s affairs. She co-facilitates a cohort for a Cynthia Bourgeault online program.

Ruth Feicht ’86 and husband.

Ruth Feicht ’86 and Gué Hudson ’68 with husbands.

While traveling the English canal system with her husband, Iain, and dog, Mays, Ruth Feicht met up with Gué Pardue Hudson ’68 and husband Bill in London.

Trudy Smith Marinier and Philippe love living in Charlotte, N.C., even after 23 years! Their daughter Renee recently got her MBA and is working in Charlotte.

Daughter Charlotte just moved to Washington D.C. for occupational therapy school. For over 30 years, Trudy has taught middle school French. A highlight of the summer was a magical trip to Nashville with her gals to see Coldplay.

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Since August of 2023, Lena “Ansley” Scoville has been traveling from her home in Brunswick, Ga., to Griffin, Ga., almost every weekend to check in on her parents with the intention of moving back home.

Before that could happen, her father passed away in March. Then in May, her mother fell and broke her hip and arm. So, Ansley has mostly been in Griffin to take care of her. She hopes to see everyone at her class reunion in 2026.

Pam Tipton met up with Laura Smith, her wife, Krista Enos, and son, Cooper Enos-Smith, in Sky Valley, Ga., this summer while Laura and family were visiting her parents.

Since then, Claire Guiton ’84 and Julie Walls ’87 passed through.

Jennifer Spurlin Barnes ’87 and Julie Blewer ’87 were in the north Georgia mountains for the weekend, and they organized a lunch! Laura and Pam also caught up with Beth Davis ’85 as Laura, Krista and Cooper headed to the airport. So great to catch up with Scottie sisters!

Holly Rogers Markwalter feels so lucky as class secretary to be able to correspond with all her classmates!

On a personal level, Brian and Holly welcomed grandbaby number four, traveled to Alaska and Portugal, and sold the family cabin in Sky Valley.

With the passing of Brian’s mother in December, they spend time caring for their two dads, as well as spending time with their four kids, spouses and grandbabies.

’87 Melissa Martin Calandro melissajcalandro@gmail.com

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Elaine “Laine” Crosby and her husband, Chris, have had a year full of milestones. Their daughter, Anne Christine, graduated from Georgetown University in May with a master’s in integrative neuroscience, and in August, she was off to Virginia Tech to begin her doctoral studies, researching new ways to help those with PTSD. Laine says she is ready to move back to the (real) South and write books full time! But until then, she is happy being just two hours from her ASC roommate Beverly Jones in Richmond. Bev is an attorney, and yes — they are still up to their old antics!

Tuba Goksel Malinowski was promoted to head of core and valueadd business, overseeing the flagship investment platform at Stockbridge Capital Group, a leading real estate investment management firm.

Stockbridge manages approximately $18.7 billion in assets across its core and value strategies. She has been with the firm for 15 years.

Town Alexandria so they can be close by, and she can be the kind of grandma this sweet babe deserves!

Jackie Stromberg DeCarlo retired from Manna Food Center in Maryland this year after three decades of service in the nonprofit sector. She’s very grateful to have more free time to spend with her wife, Capt. Kristen Moe, now retired from the U.S. Public Health Service.

They plan to enjoy the new vacation home they have purchased on the Jersey shore. When not working on improvements to the house, Jackie volunteers her time for prodemocracy efforts and does some consulting with local nonprofits.

’88

Mary Humann Judson ’87 with grandson Owen and husband Mark.

No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu.

Beth Brubaker Cornelison celebrated the retirement of her husband in March, followed by the marriage of their son, Jeffry, in May. Beth continues to write for the romantic suspense line at Harlequin Books and has published more than 40 books.

Skotti Ray Frese ’87 with grandson Trey.

Mary Humann Judson and her husband, Mark, relocated to Franklin, Tenn., to be near their daughter, son-in-law and grandson, Owen Judson McCrary, born May 29, 2024. Since retiring from The Goizueta Foundation in 2022, Mary has launched a philanthropic consulting practice. She looks forward to connecting with ASC alumnae in the Nashville area.

Skotti Ray Frese joined the “grandmother club” and says it is the best thing ever! Leon Stephen “Trey” Chomiak was born to her daughter, Mary-Carter, and her husband on July 21 in Alexandria, Va. Skotti and her husband are over-the-moon thrilled and are now actively searching for a house in Old

Donna Beck Blannon ’88’s daughter Sylvie married Alexander Fonzi in June.

In April, Donna Beck Blanton and her husband, Robbie, celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary.

In May, their daughter Sylvie graduated from Georgia Tech summa cum laude in chemical and biomolecular engineering, and their second daughter Hannah graduated from Berry College summa cum laude in biology with a cellular and biomedical concentration. In June,

Sylvie married her fellow Yellow Jacket “Tech Wesley” sweetheart, Alexander Fonzi, at the beautiful Agnes Scott Chapel, followed by a lovely reception at the Solarium (historic Scottish Rite Hospital) in South Decatur. Alex graduated from Vanderbilt Law School in May and is working for a patent law firm in Atlanta. Hannah began a doctoral program in biomolecular research at Emory University in the fall and hopes to work for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention down the road. Donna continues to enjoy teaching English to adult immigrants and refugees.

Her husband is still working in civil/ environmental engineering in stateof-the-art landfill design.

’89 Dolly Purvis dali.llama@yahoo.com Cindy Franks has been spending time at her mother’s side in the hospital. Her mother entered a palliative care program in early August focused on pain relief and symptom control. Meanwhile, Cindy is working through Amazon’s reading challenge and keeping her hands busy with needlepoint.

Susanne Hollister writes that she, nearly 82, and husband Clinton, 87, are busy aging in place — though she admits that may not be quite as exciting as it sounds.

They have marked 60 years together and are grateful for it. The four grandchildren are grown. Though weddings are not yet on the calendar, Susanne says they are optimistic and still hoping for great-grandchildren.

Their days are full of family, old friends and their house and garden and volunteer work. She sends love and hugs to all the Cheshire Cats.

From Sri Lanka, Nela De Soysa shares happy news: Her daughter Naomi graduated from the University of Leeds medical faculty and is now serving the National Health Service as a junior doctor. Nela and her husband, Sean, traveled to the United Kingdom for her graduation. Naomi traveled with Nela from Sri Lanka to attend one of Nela’s class reunions when she was just 12. Nela also notes that she has migrated from Facebook

to Instagram. She says this makes her younger, not older, and she hopes to see classmates there, along with their pets.

Jill Jordan ’89 shows off her certificate in Ecological Gardening.

Jill Jordan earned a certificate in ecological gardening from Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware, building on her Master Gardener certification.

Mt. Cuba is a nationally recognized center for native plant research, and Jill says the program gave her a new depth of knowledge. She also shares that she and her family now have a place in Charlotte, N.C., and she would be glad to connect with classmates in the area.

Dolly Purvis slipped back into freelancing for clients, who have been asking for everything from magazine articles to photographs to graphic design and websites. One particular joy was writing a profile of classmate Mary Ruth Ray for her organization’s magazine. Dolly is pecking away at a new novel and still making a hash of knitting. Her latest experiment is a “reasonably healthy” biscuit — the jury is still out. She also brushes Aslan, the Havanese dog, a lot and answers the door whenever the self-appointed security terrier, Rosie, insists it is time. Dolly reports that life is pretty quiet these days, but she has come to appreciate the gift of being bored.

’90 Teresa Ramirez Dore tdore891@gmail.com Jennifer Miller retired after teaching elementary school for 34 years, and now she works part time

as a supervisor for the department of elementary education at UGA. Her oldest is teaching ski lessons in Lake Tahoe and loves the weather and being outdoors in California.

Jennifer’s youngest just graduated from Berry College and moved home for a year to start vet school at the University of Georgia. Jennifer and Steve celebrated their 33rd anniversary and found that many, many of the Agnes Scott College/ Georgia Tech marriages they knew of celebrated similar anniversaries.

Katie Fisher and her husband returned from a two-week trip to Scotland and Ireland. It was amazing! She even got to see a few Scottie dogs. In her other “free” time, Katie has been teaching a graduate class at Lenoir-Rhyne and helping a friend with her 8-monthold son while she is teaching pre-K. Claire Jones and her husband traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, the first week of June. It was an absolutely delightful experience — the weather, parks, history, museums, culture and people were all top-notch! Upon returning, Claire started a new job as director of implementation for home care at WelcomeHome Software in Buckhead. She is thrilled to be working with young, energetic fellow staffers at an amazing company that provides a customer relationship management solution for sales and marketing in the senior living and home care industries. She sees Wendy Worthy Robertet, Kim Goodwin Henderson and Tracy Perry Willoughby regularly, and she stays in touch with Jennifer Boyd Miller!

Kimberly Swaak has been living part time in Amsterdam and part time stateside in Atlanta. Her son is getting married in May to his lovely Dutch girlfriend, so the Swaak family will be celebrating big in Sicily next spring. Kimberly’s daughter is about to start an exciting new job at The Knot in NYC, so plenty of milestones in the family.

On the work front, her novel The Paris Widow won the Edgar Allen Poe Award this year, a peer‑judged honor presented by the Mystery Writers of America to recognize excellence in

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mystery fiction, nonfiction, television and film. A highlight of her career, for sure! Kimberly also has several more books in the works — two she is currently wrapping up and another co-authored story she will begin writing early next year. She is not planning to stop anytime soon.

Melissa Marino and her wife, Sandra, are still living happily in Germany. After last year’s vacation of 17 days in Tanzania on safari (and a bit of beach time in Zanzibar), and travel the year before in Rome and Florence, Melissa and Sandra opted for a calm trip to Lake Constance this year. Unfortunately, the weather was not too cooperative, and they spent more time biking and hiking than on the beach. Melissa’s niece and her boyfriend visited from the U.S. this year. They also had visitors from France, and more U.S. visitors are coming. Melissa and Sandra still love their work, and Melissa’s academic editing business is flourishing more than she thought it would.

Shama Shams and her husband, Curt, are heading to Bangladesh in November with a stop in Istanbul, where they plan to see Zeynep Yalim Uzun and Evren Dagdelen Akgün. Shama started a fully remote job as the senior director of development with the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, based in Washington, D.C., while enjoying the Pacific Northwest. She signed a publishing contract for her second book, Dreamers: The Search for the American Dream. Shama’s younger child is finishing out her senior year at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and her older child is living in Atlanta and working as a software engineer. Amna Jaffer and Shama are meeting in Calgary this September for their annual hike — this year in Banff.

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Pamela Kripeos spent a week at the beach with family as usual, which included Amanda DeWees this year. She visited with Michelle Irvin ’91 for several days as well and had a lovely brunch with Josie Giles ’94. Pamela’s older son is in Austin, Texas, where she spent a lovely visit in May with the amazing Scottie Lee

Kite ’82. Lee was a godsend, as she was an incredible host to Pamela’s son until his beloved graduated, and they were able to move into their apartment. Pamela’s younger child graduated from high school and is now her designated companion for a multitude of concerts and excursions, while the family gnaws their nails in anticipation of his acceptance to an inclusive postsecondary education program for autism at the University of Georgia.

Karen Anderson is in her second year as managing director of the Social Finance Institute. Her team had a big moment this summer with the launch of a book and a forum on opportunities to improve economic mobility through outcomes-based workforce development programs.

Kyle, Karen’s older son, graduated from Kenyon College last spring and is beginning his career as an upper school math teacher at the Kiski School, a boarding school for high school students outside Pittsburgh.

He will be teaching statistics and geometry this fall. Karen and her family also love to travel. They visited Mexico, Cuba, Germany and Iceland last year. They have yet to make plans for this year, but ideas are underway.

After 35 years at UPS, Teresa Dore’s husband, Greg, retired. Now that they are both free to roam, they travel extensively. Exercise and volunteering are both very important to Teresa, as the activities serve as her “me” time. Their kids are spread out — one is in Boston, one in Seattle and one in Atlanta. She is pleased to report that she is happy and healthy.

Debbie Sirban Doyle is still practicing law in Philadelphia. She and her husband, Bill, love their three children but have been empty nesters for the past three years and are enjoying the freedom that comes with it. They have traveled during that time to Argentina, London, Poland, Prague, Budapest, Vienna and Berlin, in addition to many spots in the U.S. In February, they spent three weeks in New Zealand,

Australia and Fiji visiting their daughter, Kate, who was studying abroad in Sydney. In May, their older son, Nick, graduated from medical school, and they helped him move to Chicago for residency. Debbie followed up a week in Chicago by spending 10 days traveling in Japan with her son Andrew. When she is not traveling or working, she can usually be found with a book in hand or attempting (and failing) to perfect her pickleball game.

Suzanne Tourville is still working at Columbia College in Columbia, Miss. She stopped teaching math about three years ago and is now serving as the associate provost. Sue would like to retire soon but still has three kids in school. Her oldest daughter is working on a master’s in human-computer interaction at DePaul University in Chicago, and her middle daughter is in pharmacy school at the University of Missouri. Finally, her youngest daughter is getting a degree in food business management at the Culinary Institute of America and will be spending this fall as a pastry chef intern at Cafe Boulud in New York City, in case anyone is in the area. Sue’s father passed away in December 2024 from a heart attack, as did her mother in 2021. In her spare time, Sue has been traveling around the world with her husband, Loukas, often while working remotely. They are trying to go to all the countries of the world (currently she is at 91) and hit a number of other milestones, which she tracks at Most Traveled People (mtp.travel) and Nomad Mania (nomadmania. com).

Anita Pressley is adapting to being an empty nester as her only child, Ava, headed to Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala., in the fall.

While she is still working full time at Southern Company, Anita recently completed a restorative yoga teachertraining class and plans to continue exploring opportunities in alternative healing and functional medicine. Anita is looking forward to more travel, more hiking, taking guitar lessons, singing in the praise band at church, and seeing where God leads her.

’91 Annmarie Anderson Anderson.Annmarie@gmail.com Anne Harris reported from beautiful Grinnell, Iowa, where she serves as the president of Grinnell College. A recent update of the president’s page on Grinnell College’s website features a photo of Anne that beautifully centers the Agnes Scott ring she wears with pride.

Cara Cassell ’91, excited to start her second career.

Cara Cassell enjoys building her second career at the Chattanooga Public Library, where she leads a music and movement group for young children, book clubs for adults, and a small but mighty group of teen volunteers. Every day, she finds great books to read and learns about community resources. She wishes happiness and hope to all the Scotties.

Susan Cowan divorced in 2023.

After a short spell of living in northernmost New Hampshire, she has returned to living in central New Hampshire, where she first moved long ago in 1996. She is happily living a small, simple life and continues to work for herself. In 2023, she completed yoga teacher

training, and now she teaches yoga classes in her local community. Since 2006, she has worked for herself as an educational coach and life coach. After taking some time off to do some of her own healing, she is excited to be taking new clients again. Susan enjoys spending time with her stepsons and their partners.

The Women of the Woods 2025: Christina Christina “Chrissie” Lewandowski “Chrissie” Lewandowski ’91, Christian ’91, Tamera “Tammy” Shirley ’91, “Cris” Ford-Cannon ’91, Annmarie Annmarie Anderson ’91, Stephanie Anderson ’91, Erika Stamper Gilbert ’91, Wallace ’91 and Christian “Cris” FordAllyson Whitley Burroughs ’91, Suzanne Cannon ’91 putting together a puzzle.

Sturdivant Satterfield ’91, Mary Alice Smith Clark ’91, Stephanie Wallace ’91, Tamera “Tammy” Shirley ’91, Dr. Mary Matthews Kassis ’91, Elizabeth “Nicole” Harrison ’91, Melanie Mortimer ’91 and Dr. Daphne Norton ’91.

Sharon Harp is now boardcertified in adult psychoanalysis.

Allyson Whitley Burroughs had a very eventful spring as her daughter, Grace, graduated from the University of Georgia, and her son, Lawson, graduated from Decatur High School. In late 2024, Allyson took a major professional leap and established her own consulting practice, providing fractional strategic marketing support to small and midsized businesses. Her professional passion remains providing marketing leadership to companies in the health care space, with a focus on ensuring access to high-quality, equitable health care services.

Dr. Daphne Norton ’91 watching Annmarie Anderson ’91 open a gift.

Annmarie Anderson ’91 and Tamera “Tammy” Shirley ’91 at Smithgall Woods State Park.

Allyson Whitley Burroughs, Tamera “Tammy” Shirley, Melanie Mortimer, Suzanne Sturdivant Satterfield, Elizabeth “Nicole” Harrison, Christina “Chrissie” Lewandowski, Erika Stamper Gilbert, Christian “Cris” Ford-Cannon, Dr. Mary Kassis, Mary Alice Smith Clark, Stephanie Wallace, Dr. Daphne Norton and Annmarie Anderson attended their 11th annual weekend retreat at Smithgall Woods State Park. They went on walks, hikes and a roller coaster; put together jigsaw puzzles; cooked; played games; and talked until the wee hours of the morning. The group, also known as Women in the Woods, has already booked cottages for next year.

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’92

No news was submitted. Please send your news to your class secretary.

the challenges faced by executors, and in October she attended a summit of the Professionals of After Loss Services in Decatur, Ga., which was founded by ASC grad Rachel Balog Donnelly ’01.

’93

’94

Tonya Grieco bluesilver71@gmail.com

Nikki Webb Alger nicolealger@me.com

Carrie Powell Borgerding’s older son, Henry, graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in May. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant and joined the infantry at Fort Stewart, Ga. Her younger son, Gregory, is a sophomore at Auburn University studying mechanical engineering.

Julie Dykes published a memoir about her dogs Johnny and Mercy called Surely Goodness & Mercy: A Memoir. It’s available on Amazon in hardback and paperback, as well as in e-book and audiobook versions via Kindle and Audible.

Aida Najarian aidanajarian@gmail.com

Staci Catron, in her role as the Cherokee Garden Library senior director for the Kenan Research Center of the Atlanta History Center, has been awarded an honorary membership in The American Society of Landscape Architects. Read more about her work at asla.org/2025Honors.aspx.

Peggy Lyle retired and is living in Asheville, N.C. She and her husband have a 1975 vintage camper and are traveling around the country and into Canada.

’95 Emily Stone emilyrdstone@outlook.com No news was submitted. Please send your news to your class secretary.

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Tracy Peavy Roussey and her husband are living full time at Wintergreen Resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Va., just south of Shenandoah National Park.

Their two sons are prospering, with one attending Landmark College in Vermont. Tracy’s professional organizing business, Treasure Editor, is going well. You can check it out at treasureeditor.com. She will be expanding her services to assist with

’97 Deanna Turner georgiagirl121@gmail.com No news was submitted. Please send your news to your class secretary.

’98 Jennifer Odom jennifermodom@hotmail.com Jennie Hatfield de la Cruz accepted the position of chair and program director of the Mercer Physician Assistant Studies Program in July. She was named Georgia Faculty of the Year by the Georgia Association of Physician Assistants in June and was named a Victor W. Marshall Fellow in Applied Gerontology by the Southern Gerontological Society in April.

Heather Flanagan was named one of The Identity 25, an industry award given by Okta, recognizing the top movers and shakers in the digital identity industry. Read more at okta.com/resources/datasheet-theidentity-25.

Tonya Smith Grieco recently celebrated two years at 211 Brevard.

In August, she earned her Certified Crisis Counselor certification from the American Association of Suicidology. Her daughter is a senior at the University of Florida and was elected president of Floridance, the oldest dance club at UF, founded in 1988.

Karin Ford Marsh ’96 and daughter Hannah.

Daniela Edelkind Lafond ’95 and Susan Aho Lang ’95 in Washington, D.C.

’96 Mary Carol Patterson Sheffield msheff@uga.edu Karin Ford Marsh reports that her daughter, Hannah, graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in literature, media and communication in December 2024. After graduation she stayed in Atlanta to work full time for Home Depot Supply in the marketing department.

Erica Stiff-Coopwood sends news of her kids, Rebecca and Riley. Rebecca, a junior at Houston High’s Honors Academy, recently completed a summer program with The School of The New York Times, hosted at Fordham University. She studied and completed projects designed to help craft her investigative journalism skills. Rebecca aspires to be a human rights attorney.

Riley is a Gabelli Presidential Scholar at Boston College. Riley spent the summer working in process automation in Jakarta, Indonesia. She is currently studying foreign policy at the University of Copenhagen. She will return

to Boston College in spring 2026 as she pursues her career goal of becoming a foreign service officer for the U.S. Department of State.

Marisa Scalera is shaping the symbolic civic landscapes of the nation’s capital in her new role as the landscape architect for the U.S. Capitol Grounds and Arboretum.

She is looking forward to inspiring memorable experiences for millions of annual visitors through nearly 300 acres of cultural landscapes surrounding the U.S. Capitol.

services, Shaunda has been teaching in the Dallas Independent School District, serving as a ruling elder for First Presbyterian Church of Dallas, and volunteering for several local nonprofit organizations. Shaunda states that serving on the ASC board is the honor of her life, and she hopes she can make her fellow classmates proud!

’99 Liza Fewell liza.fewell@gmail.com

Heather-Leigh Owens Nies ’99.

Annie Chanpong Kuo ’99 and Matthew Becker.

Annie Chanpong Kuo and Matthew Becker self-solemnized their marriage vows in August 2024 in Colorado.

This summer, they renewed their vows on a blended family trip in Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. She and Matt were both solo parents of young children when they met and founded a social club for widowed young people, Club Wid Seattle, which has been a great source for community and new friends. The group was featured twice this past year in The Seattle Times.

Congratulations to Shaunda Blackwell Fales, who joined the Agnes Scott Board of Trustees, effective July 1. Shaunda spent 20 years in the financial services industry, most recently as a credit portfolio manager for Capital One Bank. Previously, she served as vice president and relationship manager for PNC Financial Services in Dallas. Since leaving financial

Heather-Leigh Owens Nies continues working as a mental health therapist with StorieBrook Therapy and Consulting. She earned her licensed clinical social worker degree in September. She was most recently accepted into the social work doctorate program at Tulane University. She is kept busy by her cat, Ringo, and her three children, Vivian (15), Roz (17) and Catherine (20). She and her partner, George, can be found on the band competition field leading the pit and props crew for Parkview High School!

Jessica Ulack Carothers reports that all is well in sunny New Mexico.

She (mostly) enjoys running her three beauty salons, which keep her very busy. Jessica and her husband, Josh, are proud of their older son, Abbott, who just started his freshman year at University of California, Berkeley. While her eldest is away at college, Jessica is comforted at home by her 10thgrade son, Cole, and her menagerie: two dogs, two cats and five chickens.

Tiffany Prather McAneny left her native Florida and moved to Davidson, N.C., near Charlotte, for a new position with TIAA. Her younger daughter, Linden (10th grade), is settling into her new

school. Her older daughter, Mia, was recently accepted into Florida State University’s College of Nursing.

Husband Lenny is excited to join her in North Carolina as he transitions his business there to be with his family.

MaryKate Ryan reports that the Thriving Communities Program through the U.S. Department of Transportation remains funded, meaning she continues to have technical support and a little bit of money to manage the community impacts of the largest multimodal transportation hub in the city of Seattle. Brava!

Liza McDaniel Fewell continues her pursuit of a master’s in teaching through Augusta University online.

Having taught fourth-grade language arts last year, she now teaches first grade at a project-based learning school in Norcross. Her younger child, Indy, is doing well in 11th grade at a public school of the arts in Gwinnett. Her elder child, Xander, changed schools and degrees and is now pursuing computer science at Kennesaw State University.

’00 Jackie Pardue Goldfinger jacqueline.goldfinger@gmail.com Yalonda Rice yalondarenee@gmail.com

Jackie Goldfinger ’00.

Jacqueline “Jackie” Pardue Goldfinger (she/they) discussed the new edition of her book Playwriting With Purpose in the summer 2025 issue of the prominent performing arts journal Theatre Topics.

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scholar appointment at Stanford (stanfordevaluationsciencesunit. org), Cati’s new venture is SLAY AF Loans, a zero-interest microlending nonprofit focused on supporting LGBTQ+ adults, youth and families (slayloans.org).

’03 Anla Gisclair Etheridge butterflyanla6318@gmail.com

’01 Cristy Sellers Smith csellerssmith@pacificu.edu No news was submitted. Please send your news to your class secretary.

’02 Deborah Vincent Scianna deborahscianna@yahoo.com Amber Stanley ’00 with her new book.

Amber Stanley published her first book, Everyday Life and Loss: Grief Workbook, which helps people better understand grief, as well as to take steps toward healing.

Cati Brown-Johnson (she/her) and her family have moved from Oakland to Berkeley, Calif., and have a new spare bedroom (come visit!). In addition to having a senior research

Kira Barden ’00 and her wife, Soo Huey Yap.

Marguerite “Mandy” Lane is teaching piano in Atlanta, and her daughter, Penelope, was accepted to this year’s Delta Wing Flight for middle-school girls. She will be on an all-female flight and learn about the history of women in aviation.

Mandy is very proud of her!

Annea Claire Robinson was recently appointed deputy chief information officer for the city of Chattanooga.

Tai Min Tegeder ’23, Marie HodgmanSchoeneberg ’98, Treah Caldwell ’00, Carolyn Stover Harvey ’00, Esther Cook Collins ’00, Janet Rauscher ’99, Kira Barden ’00, Jo Cranford Hodges ’00, Kathy Swink, Dolly Purvis ’89 and Laura Croft ’98.

Sarah M Gillooly ’03 with Colleen Wessell-McCoy ’01 and Julia Lentini Marquis ’02.

Sarah M. Gillooly was awarded a Master of Divinity from Earlham School of Religion in May. Sarah was joined at graduation by Julia Lentini Marquis ’02 and Colleen WesselMcCoy ’01, who is an assistant professor for peace and justice studies at ESR. Sarah continues to

Marie Hodgman-Schoeneberg ’98, Soo Huey Yap, Kira Barden ’00, Kathy Swink, Esther Cook Collins ’00, Jo Cranford Hodges ’00 and Treah Caldwell ’00.

Kira Barden and Soo Huey Yap celebrated their wedding over Memorial Day weekend. They welcomed family, friends and Scotties to a Malaysian lunch with a tea ceremony on May 24. Kira and Soo Huey married in Ivy Hall at Roswell Mill on Kira’s birthday, May 25. The wedding festivities concluded with a Waffle House-catered brunch on May 26. Lots of Scotties joined in the celebration: Janet Rauscher ’99, Laura Croft ’98, Marie HodgmanSchoeneberg ’98, Jo Cranford Hodges, Esther Cook Collins, Dolly Purvis ’89, Carolyn Stover Harvey, Tai Min Tegeder ’23, Treah Caldwell and honorary Scottie friend Kathy Swink.

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serve as the executive director of Quaker Baltimore Yearly Meeting and as a second-year chaplain intern at Washington, D.C.’s largest Level I trauma center.

In June, Gretchen Buckalew was promoted to a junior accounting specialist with Georgia Power.

After being on the customer side of the business for 20 years, she says it’s nice to work “behind the scenes” and ensure her customers are billed correctly. She and her husband celebrated 20 years of marriage in April and are still living in McDonough, Ga., with their two German shepherds, Walter and Mina, and cat, Vera.

Hollie Craig has returned to college to pursue a career as a surgical technologist after moving back home to Salem, Va., with her son. She is on the fifth of six semesters and in clinical rotation, participating in surgeries in specialties ranging from general surgery to neurosurgery.

Following her graduation in spring 2026, she will pursue a Surgical First Assistant certification. Hollie has moved into her “forever home” and is unpacking and setting up their new home.

’05 Megan Golden meking.teacher@gmail.com Megan Skelton Golden completed her doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Georgia College and State University in August.

Karen Streetman completed her master’s in marriage and family therapy at National University, specializing in systemic sex therapy.

She is passionate about working with individuals, couples and families and is dedicated to fostering relational growth, healing and resilience.

’06 Courtney Ware Lett courtneydware@gmail.com

Lauren Clarice Davis ’03 and Jacob Allen Walters.

Lauren Clarice Davis married Jacob Allen Walters on Aug. 19 in Moran State Park on Orcas Island, Wash. She is overjoyed to announce this has made her a stepmother to two amazing sons.

’04 Martha Gaston magaston@aol.com Sofía Becerra-Licha relocated from Washington, D.C., to New York City to assume the role of director of knowledge and legacy at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

She previously served as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ lead (and first!) archivist for six and a half years.

is now working as a registered nurse case manager for Pathways Hospice.

It is a better fit for her and truly an honor to support and serve folks at the end of their lives.

Linnet “Tamanna” Charles ’06, Nolan McPhail, Grayson McPhail and Brendan McPhail.

Meggan Murphy-Grayson recently left her job of three years at Poudre Valley Hospital as an operating room registered nurse and

Courtney Ware Lett ’06, Kayleigh Shebs Waters ’06, Amy Flaggs ’06 and Elizabeth Lucht Jones ’06.

2006 class officers Kayleigh Shebs Waters, Amy Flaggs, Elizabeth Lucht Jones and Courtney Ware Lett attended Reunion Boot Camp on campus at Agnes Scott in June to start planning for the Vixens’ 20th reunion next year! They cannot believe it has been 20 years, but they are excited!

This past year, Erika Barnes Ford led boldly as president of the North Fulton NAACP and chair of the Mack Henry Brown Remembrance Coalition, driving equity and justice across her community. She was honored as an Inspirational Survivor and Servant Leader by the Lean on Me Cancer Support Foundation, celebrating her resilience as a 14-year survivor of triple-negative Erika Barnes Ford ’06. breast cancer. With her doctorate in global leadership and change from Pepperdine University, she presented groundbreaking research on racial equity, empathetic leadership and Black women’s electability at national and international conferences.

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class notes

Linnet Charles’ quilt, From Loss, a Garden Grew, won Highly Commended in the Quilts Across Queensland competition in the Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) in the category of Non-Professional — Applique or Other Techniques.

’07 Kristin Hall kristinshawhall@gmail.com No news was submitted. Please send your news to your class secretary.

’08 Lily Takata ltakata01@gmail.com Evan Joslin evanjoslin12@gmail.com No news was submitted. Please send your news to your class secretary.

’09 Tiffany Claiborne tiffanydaniellec@gmail.com

Rachel Wacks won the prestigious School of Public Health and Health Sciences Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award for the 2024-2025 academic year at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she is a doctoral candidate in epidemiology. She is officially one step closer to becoming the Jewish doctor her parents wanted her to marry.

Ashley Mengwasser has added two more trophies to her shelf.

At this year’s Southeast Regional Emmys, she racked up her 10th and 11th Emmy Awards with Georgia Public Broadcasting for the longform program, Georgia’s Forests Live Exploration, and the short-form series, Tiny Mic, Big Designs, which showcases K-12 student inventors participating in Georgia Tech’s InVenture Prize program. At this rate, she’ll need a separate room in her home for all the golden statues!

Jean Panek Hiefner was awarded the Staff Member of Excellence Award for 2025 at the Midwives College of Utah. To quote the college: “Jean is the kind of person every team hopes for — steady, sharp and deeply committed.” Your classmates definitely agree!

’10 Meredith Goodman Ash meredithgreggash@gmail.com Jessica E. Probus jessicaprobus@gmail.com

Jessi Probus recently relocated back to Manhattan after a spell in the Hudson Valley and now lives with Cameron Bunker ’09. They recently adopted a dog, and both would love to connect with other New Yorkbased alums.

Virginia Underwood is celebrating 18 months cancer-free following a hysterectomy. She is really enjoying not having a uterus and is happy to talk to other alums who would like to discuss their experiences.

Margaret McMillan ’10 and son Robby.

Margaret McMillan Hamrin and her husband, Jason, welcomed their son, Robert James McMillan, on Aug. 22, in Knoxville, Tenn. He has auburn hair, just like his mom! Their dog, Peanut, is adjusting slowly, while their cat, George Raisin, seems eager for a new playmate.

Kali Bertelsen ’09 and spouse Amy Meadows celebrate their marriage at San Francisco’s City Hall.

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In December 2024, Kali Bertelsen was diagnosed with breast cancer.

After eight months of treatment, she is thrilled to announce she has been declared cancer-free and is back at work as a union organizer for nursing home workers. Additionally, on Sept.

16, Kali and her partner of nine years, Amy Meadows, finally made their marriage legal in a fabulous ceremony at San Francisco City Hall. The couple has also adopted a new dog named Bunny, and the whole family is as happy as can be.

Sharon D.Wilson ’10 on set.

Sharon D. Wilson lives in Duluth, Ga., with her husband, Jeff. An empty nester, she has been acting and writing full time and recently self-published her first novel, Realm of Echoes.

Emily Walters ’10, Julie Drinkard Fogg ’10, Margaret McMillan ’10 and Emily Buckner Pierce at Margaret’s baby shower.

Julie Drinkard Fogg joined Emily Walters, Margaret McMillan Hamrin and Emily Buckner Pierce at a celebratory baby shower for Margaret in June.

Monica Spitzer began a new role as an immigration attorney at Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley. She lives with her family in Half Moon Bay, Calif.

Michelle Krakowiak ’10 with husband Joey and sons Sam, Thomas and Max. Sarah Kielborn Rock ’10 in Japan.

Sarah Kielborn Rock traveled to Japan in April with her husband, Chris, and friends, fulfilling a childhood dream. She and Chris celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary in July and live with their four pets, Yoshimi, Floyd, Nezuko and Thor, in Decatur, Ga.

Michelle Krakowiak lives in North Augusta, S.C., with her husband, Joey, and their three children, Sam (8), Thomas (6) and Max (1). After her middle child was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, she became active with the Bleeding Disorder Association of South Carolina and has advocated for legislation to protect access to lifesaving medication. In 2024, she was honored as Advocacy Coalition Ambassador of the Year.

Candace Kwakye lives in Washington, D.C., and owns a dental practice in Silver Spring, Md. She and her husband welcomed their first child, François “Frankie,” this summer. She looks forward to taking surfing lessons with him in the future.

Emily Moore Weiss ’11, Caroline Martin ’11 and Ruth Reveal ’11 in Dayton, Ohio.

In March, Emily Moore Weiss, Caroline Martin and Ruth Reveal got together in Dayton, Ohio, with their families.

In September, Caity Walker started a new job in human resources as a compensation data specialist at the University of North Georgia.

She celebrated 10 years at UNG in November!

Michie Summer-Perez Whatley and her husband celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary on Oct. 10. She also celebrated her four-year work anniversary at CAN Capital with a promotion to senior partner account manager.

’11 Sarah Bowen Hersh sbowen314@gmail.com

Ginny Vellani ’10 and son Ezra.

Ginny Vellani became director of financial resource development for the Greensboro Jewish Federation on the same day her son started kindergarten. She lives in Greensboro, N.C., with husband George Sullivan, son Ezra and cat Lydia.

Tricia Jackson Lakes ’11 and Nicole Wood ’11 reunited in Sydney.

Ashley Williams ’11 with her husband.

Ashley Williams married her best friend, Marcel Alvarez, on May 10 in Central Park in New York City.

Tricia Jackson Lakes and Nicole Wood reunited in Sydney, Australia, this year. They have been best friends for 18 years now! Nicole has lived in Melbourne, Australia, for six years.

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Beverly McCall is graduating in December with a master’s in professional accountancy from Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson College of Business.

women working in sports. Avi is an architect specializing in sustainable and equitable design at Populous, a global design firm. Since 2024, Avi has helped launch and shape the company’s women’s professional sports market, leading purposedriven strategies and collaborating closely with leagues, teams, investors and stakeholders to deliver athleteand fan-first environments.

Callan Wells ’11 welcomed daughter Alice Rose Wells in March.

Callan Wells and her husband, Nick Stephens, welcomed their daughter, Alice Rose Wells, in March 2024.

She is the beloved first grandchild on both sides and is doted on by her entire family.

Lauren Kaleta and her wife moved back to Georgia from Las Vegas in July. Lauren is now teaching math at her alma mater, Osborne High School, in Marietta. She shares that it has been so incredible to be back in her hometown with family, friends and the community that helped her build her love of mathematics.

Emily Stanislaus and Cristina Gutierrez ’12.

Cristina Gutierrez and her partner, Emily Stanislaus, founded Lotus Disability, a business that aims to connect individuals impacted by disability with holistic and proactive support.

’12 Devin Alford dalfor14@pratt.edu

Presence O’Neal ’12.

Presence O’Neal is finishing her final years of research on schoolbased gun violence as a doctoral candidate in the University of Oregon’s Critical and Sociocultural Studies in Education program, and she is organizing academic workers as the president of her local labor union.

’13 Caitlin White caitlinthomaswhite@gmail.com Bhumi Patel ’12.

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Bhumi Patel graduated with a doctorate in dance studies from Ohio State University in May.

Avi Greene was named a 2025 Woman to Watch by Women Leaders in Sports, an organization committed to recognizing the achievements and successes of

Kristin Couch ’13.

Kristin Couch was awarded the 2025 Task Force Member of the Year Award by the Georgia Commission on Family Violence on Aug. 25.

This award recognizes an individual whose work to end domestic violence in their community is truly outstanding. The Task Force Member of the Year consistently rises above the call of duty and goes beyond what is expected in their work for survivor autonomy and safety as part of a coordinated community response.

Maddye Mitchell DeSante and her husband, Christopher, welcomed a healthy baby girl, Shoshana Kelly DeSante, in May 2025. The family resides in Columbus, Ind., with their dog, Clue.

Megan McCulloch received a favorable decision in her U.S. Court of Appeals case! In June, Megan was recognized by the State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division for Achievement in Service to the Public.

Anahita Sotoohi and her husband, Corey Stone, welcomed their first child, Shahrazad Ruth Sotoohi Stone, on Dec. 6, 2024. She is such a healthy, happy baby and a constant source of joy!

’14 Aminah Hussain aminah4488@gmail.com

Lauren Ashley Wagner ’06, DO, and Aminah Hussain ’14, MD. Aminah Hussain graduated from her pediatric residency program in Macon, Ga., in June. She will be joining fellow Agnes alumna Lauren Ashley Wagner ’06 as a pediatric hospitalist at her home institution of Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital in Macon.

at the 20th Anniversary Decatur Book Festival, and a short book tour will follow in early 2026. Ronan has also garnered a Pushcart Prize nomination for his poem, “Ghost Strada,” and is an active member of the Academy of American Poets. In the Atlanta area, he sits on the board of A Sip of Paradise, a nonprofit garden geared toward the holistic wellness of hospitality workers. You can also find him working the polls in DeKalb County.

Phoebe Perry’s solo character show about a stork who is late for mating season is being produced by the Amsterdam Storytelling Festival this November. Phoebe is a regular at a comedy club in Rotterdam, where she performs in both English and Dutch. She recently fell in love after an hour-long date. When asked what she did for exercise, Phoebe forgot the Dutch word for “weight training,” so she replied, over and over, “I lift heavy things.”

Caroline Recio and their wife, Brianna Recio, welcomed their daughter, Emerson, on March 12.

In addition to getting married in the Julia Thompson Smith Chapel, Ronan Lewter has started his own small publishing company. Pink Pocket Books debuted its first title

Brittani Glynn Magee recently completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training and now teaches the Warm Deep Stretch class at Highland Yoga. She is also a sound bowl therapy practitioner, incorporating motion and sound to create spaces of healing. A proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Brittani recently transferred to the Atlanta Pi Alpha Omega chapter. Follow her on Instagram, @brittaniglynn.

Maggie Berardo continues her career as an AP English teacher.

She has added to her list of accomplishments by completing her graduate school program to get her master’s in library and information sciences from Texas Woman’s University this year.

Asha Boston is celebrating 11 years of leadership at her nonprofit, the Dinner Table Doc. She and her team are also excited to share that they are now official vendors for the Atlanta Public School System.

Chelsey Cole, an English teacher at Druid Hills High School, was named Teacher of the Year for the 2025-2026 school year. She also earned her third degree this summer as a Specialist in Instructional Technology, and is looking forward to celebrating three years of marriage with her wife, Rachel Cole.

Camille Cassingham is excited to share that they completed their master’s in religious studies at Georgia State this year and are now going back for a certificate in chaplaincy. They also bought their first house, and in October they will be marrying their partner of six years!

education and the corporate sector to college counseling at Léman Manhattan Preparatory School. She is elated to be in an environment with kids ages 12 months to 18 years, and she looks forward to contributing to their development and happiness!

’15 Ashley Girone ashley.girone@gmail.com

Abigail Scanlon ’14, Queso the Corgi and Marco Gomez.

Abigail Spurgin Vaka Nifong and her husband, Taylor, welcomed their first child in early September. They are excited to become parents to their little baby boy, Tucker Reed.

No news was submitted. Please send your news to your class secretary.

’16 Claire Kirchharr clairemk14@gmail.com

Abigail Scanlon recently moved her onyx ring to her right hand after marrying Marco Gomez in a joyful celebration surrounded by family and friends in the Boston area. Their dog, Queso, happily joined them as the dog of honor in the ceremony.

Ashley Lawrie has professionally transitioned from roles in higher

Victoria “Tori” Forbes Lark ’16, husband, Allen, and their first child, Parker Allen Lark.

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Victoria “Tori” Forbes Lark started a new position as human resources program coordinator at Troutman Pepper Locke LLP in January. After working as a legal practice assistant at TPL for over five years, she is enjoying the challenging and fulfilling work in her new role.

Ana Garcia Zavala is happy to report that she got married, and she had a beautiful baby girl on Sept. 17!

’17

’19 Laura Sato laurasato96@gmail.com

Jessica Luegering jessica.marie.luegering@gmail.com

No news was submitted. Please send your news to your class secretary.

Since completing Western Illinois University’s master’s program in theater and costume design, Rio Cañas has been working in the costume department at Hartford Stage in Hartford, Conn. Rio has been working there for a year and has loved every minute of it!

’20

Despite busy schedules, Denisse Saucedo Petree, Elizabeth “Stokes” Lorenz, Jessica Luegering and Madelyn Kent ’18 were able to get together over Labor Day weekend at Lake Oconee. It was great to have time to catch up and hang out with each other’s families.

Jessica Luegering, your class secretary, says that if any members of the Class of 2017 have never received her emails asking for class news, it is likely that she has an old or misspelled email address. Please email her with your updated info so your classmates have a chance to hear from you!

’18 Abigail Camden camden.abigail@gmail.com Celeste Minor and her husband, Tushar Gupta, who were married in 2021, moved back to Decatur, Ga. Celeste also recently joined the National Society of Leadership and Success, which is the nation’s largest leadership honor society.

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A Comparison of the International Trauma Questionnaire and the Self-Report Inventory for Disorders of Extreme Stress.” She is now a postdoctoral fellow at the VA Medical Center in Durham, N.C., with a focus in women’s health, trauma and dialectical behavior therapy.

Abigail Camden graduated with her doctorate in clinical psychology from Auburn University in August.

Her dissertation is titled “Defining and Measuring Complex PTSD:

Lauren Neal lauren.neal827@gmail.com No news was submitted. Please send your news to your class secretary.

’21 Teresa Enriquez Texis tenriqueztexis@gmail.com

’24 Nathalie Slaughter nathaliesslaughter@gmail.com No news was submitted. Please send your news to your class secretary.

’25 Sadie Boonin booninsadie@gmail.com Aurora “Rory” Roberts teaches at South Bronx Classical Charter Schools through the Classicorps program in New York City and describes postgrad life as a whirlwind.

Abigail “Abby” Reid moved into a townhouse and is busy working in subrogation, getting money back from at-fault parties, at Starr Companies in Marietta, Ga. Grace Phillips is obtaining a doctorate in neuroscience at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

No news was submitted. Please send your news to your class secretary.

’22 Amil Greene amil.greene1@gmail.com No news was submitted. Please send your news to your class secretary.

’23 No identified class secretary. Please send any news to share to alumnae@ agnesscott.edu.

Lynette Shaw accepted a position as a behavioral crisis care manager at Emory Healthcare, a goal she has been working toward since she first graduated from Agnes Scott’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. She will split her time between seeing clients in private practice and seeing patients in the inpatient hospital setting. Lynette is thankful for psychology professor Jennifer Hughes, all the CMHC professors, her classmates, and everyone else, without whom she believes she would not be where she is today!

Alexandria Corn ’25 teaching dance lessons.

Alexandria “Alex” Corn describes her life since graduating from Agnes Scott as full of adventure. She lives in California and is a business owner of Pacific Legends Dance Group.

Emma “Em” Gosse enjoyed a family trip in four European countries and works in Atlanta as a consulting arborist for Brookwood Tree Consulting, the Agnes Scott campus arborist.

Aom Juneau is a paid intern for the Guppy Project in the northern mountain range of Trinidad and Tobago.

Morgan Durham lives in El Paso, Texas, and describes her postgrad life as an adventure. Along with starting a master’s program in the biological

sciences with an emphasis on ornithology research, Morgan has visited four countries this year: Canada, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.

Sydney “Syd” Little works as a production coordinator for Gallo Legal Services in Decatur, Ga., and in the past year has traveled to Portland, Minneapolis and New York City.

Alaska “AK” Griffin is obtaining a master’s in nursing with a concentration in clinical nurse leadership at the Athens campus of Augusta University.

Sydney Smith studies actuarial sciences at Georgia State University.

Lindsay Moore lives in Stonecrest, Ga., and has found life hectic working as an assistant coach for the Agnes Scott College basketball team and studying at the University of West Georgia.

Dax Delvira is obtaining a doctorate in computer science at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. Postgrad life is full of the unexpected, and highlights include purchasing a first home, winning a Presidential Fellowship at Georgia Tech, and working as treasurer for the School of Computer Science’s Graduate Student Association.

Cara Ebers is obtaining a master’s in earth and atmospheric science at Georgia Tech in Atlanta and spent the summer exploring the Pacific Northwest.

Julia Rademacher-Wedd is in Bolivia volunteering with Indigenous Aymara Quakers.

Kaitlyn Fairbanks works as an account representative at Safeguard Business Systems in Columbus, Ga. Mary Shawhan lives in Chestertown, Md. She reports that her life is full of adventure. Mary is working as a sales associate at Walnut & Wool, a small business that sells clothing, furniture and more.

births ’10 Sebastian “Seb” Ferron Gabriele, born to Alice Ferron Gabriele and Ray Gabriele, Dec. 19, 2024 Robert James McMillan, born to Margaret McMillan and Jason Hamrin, Aug. 22, 2025

Coleen Thorson ’25 practicing physical therapy techniques.

’11 Coleen Thorson is obtaining a doctorate in physical therapy at the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega and describes her life since graduation as transformative.

Sofia Hart lives in Buford, Ga., and works as a paralegal at the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. She describes postgrad life as fast.

Ivey Portis is a quality control chemist at Alcon in Decatur, Ga., and says that her life after college is busy. She recently went on a trip with friends to Japan.

Lauren Miller ’25 in Mexico.

Lauren “Ren” Miller is an English language instructor at Potters Centro de Idiomas in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Lucy Sackin lives in Atlanta and works at the Society of Biblical Literature in administration and press. She visited Poland and the Czech Republic in the past year.

Mari Walsh lives in Graz, Austria, teaching English through the Fulbright program. She reports that she feels fulfilled.

Nia Sanders lives in Atlanta, Ga., and works as a feeding technician at Marcus Autism Center.

Delano Bielamowicz is a biomedical lab technician at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va.

Alice Rose Wells, born to Callan Wells and Nick Stephens, March 2024

’13 Sharhrazad Ruth Sotoohi Stone, born to Anahita Sotoohi and Corey Stone, Dec. 6, 2024 Shoshana Kelley DeSante, born to Maddye Mitchell DeSante and Christopher, May 2025

’16 Parker Allen Lark, born to Victoria “Tori” (Forbes) Lark and Allen Lark, July 14, 2025 Julia Rademacher-Wedd ’25 enjoying Bolivia.

Aurelia VanderWilde teaches English through the Fulbright program in Jabal Abad, Kyrgyzstan.

Susana Valeria Zavala, born to Ana Garcia Zavala, Sept.

17, 2025 67

deaths ’27 Thomas G. Cousins, son of I.W. Cousins ’27 and Lillian Wurm Cousins ’29, July 29, 2025 ’45 Margaret Virginia Norris, sister of Annie “Eugenia” Norris Hughes ’33 and Janie E. Norris ’36, April 8, 2017

’52 Theresa Dokos Hutchison, May 10, 2025 Nancy DeArmond Gentry, June 16, 2025 ’53 Anne D. Warren Thomas, March 21, 2025

’46 Edith Stallings Shedd, 2025

Dr. George H. Hart III, son of Lilla “Lilla Kate” Parramore Hart, April 3, 2025

’46 Ann Hagood Martin Barlow, Sept.

25, 2025

Sara “Margaret” Walker Moore, April 5, 2025

’48 Ann Patterson Puckett Bynum, June 23, 2025 ’49 Julia Weathers Wynne, aunt of Christy Jenkins Walters ’99, May 2, 2025 ’50 Betty Asbill Anderson, March 31, 2025 Donald K. Campbell III, son of Catherine “Ann” Williamson Young, brother of Sarah Campbell Arnett ’81, grandson of Catherine Montgomery Williamson 1918, nephew of Margaret Williamson Smalzel ’55 and cousin of Martha Williamson Riggs ’32, Aug. 25, 2025 Rev. Donald K. Campbell II, husband of Catherine “Ann” Williamson Young, father of Sarah Campbell Arnett ’81, son-in-law of Catherine Montgomery Williamson 1918, brother-in-law of Margaret Williamson Smalzek ’55, and cousin of Martha Williamson Riggs ’32, Sept. 17, 2025 ’51 Julia “Julie” Cuthbertson Clarkson, daughter of Julia Hagood Cuthbertson 1920, sister of Marie Cuthbertson Faulkner ’49, and sister-in-law of Harriet Hampton Cuthbertson ’55, April 2, 2025 Ruth “Ruthie” Vineyard Cooner, June 29, 2025 68

Elizabeth J. Ragland Perkins, sister of Caroline Newbold Swails ’42, Jessie Newbold Kennedy ’44 and M. H. Ragland Sadler ’46, July 24, 2025

Jane Dalhouse Hailey, aunt of Deborah “Debbie” Leigh Dalhouse ’73, June 14, 2025 Shirley Samuels Bowden, cousin of Nancy Blount Robinson ’59, June 23, 2025 Joseph Watts Conyers, husband of Jane Hook Conyers, daughter of Margaret Conyers Zerkus ’81, June 28, 2025 Ellen Hunter Brumfield, July 12, 2025 Jane Hook Conyers, mother of Margaret Conyers Zerkus ’81, Aug. 17, 2025

’57 Marti Black Slife, April 6, 2025 Anne Gilbert Henniss, niece of Ethelyn Dyar Daniel ’41, April 8, 2025 Mary Kinman Flanigen, June 20, 2025 Miriam Cale Harmon, Aug. 4, 2025 ’58 Julia Jones Lindsey, April 17, 2020 Elizabeth “Betty” Elliott Lewis, May 12, 2022 Caroline Romberg Silcox, May 14, 2025 Suzanne Long Goree, Aug. 22, 2025 ’59 Patricia “Pat” Lenhardt Byers, March 12, 2023 Leah “Bugs” Mathews Fontaine, Feb. 22, 2025 Diane Foelsch Steele, July 19, 2025 Sterling “Tucker” Grigg, husband of Irene Shaw Grigg, Aug. 19, 2025 Anne Selph MacKay, aunt of Jennifer Garner ’05, Sept. 7, 2025 ’60 Charles S. Johnson, husband of Ellen M. Johnson, April 28, 2025 Louise “Peace” Fewell Gaston, July 15, 2025

’54 Jacquelyn “Jackie” Josey Hahne, April 23, 2025

’61 Henry A. Garrity, husband of Mary T. Lipscomb Garrity, Feb. 21, 2025

Marilyn Belanus Davis, July 30, 2025

Mary “Jo” Hester Patterson, mother of Trudy Patterson Owens ’84 and Bonnie Patterson Potts ’86, July 12, 2025

’55 Mae Huie Fortson, April 1, 2025 Dorothy “Dot” Weakley Gish, sister of Martha Weakley Crank ’51, June 24, 2025 Julia C. Beeman, niece of Ruth Ernestine Drane Williams 1925, July 28, 2025

Edna McLain Bacon, Aug. 25, 2025 M. “Anne” Newsome Otwell, cousin of Diane Woodward Calhoun ’77, Sept. 2, 2025 Nancy Jane Barker, Sept. 22, 2025

C. “Sue” Walker Goddard, Aug. 9, 2025

’62 Lucy Schow McGough Bowers, May 25, 2025

’56 Lota Bruce Smith, July 23, 2025

Cordelia E. Cooper Humphrey, Aug. 14, 2025

Judith Peace Harte, aunt of Pedrick Stall Lowrey ’76, Aug. 17, 2025 Dorothy Belle Thielman, Sept. 27, 2025

’63 Christine Griffith Box, April 18, 2022

Michel Deroy, husband of Virginia “Lyn” Lindskog Deroy, Aug. 10, 2022 Bryce Burgess Beasley, June 21, 2023 Elizabeth “Bette” Winters Parsons, March 16, 2025 Jere P. Zollicoffer, husband of Judith “Judy” Hawley Zollicoffer and sister of Alice “Zolly” M. Zollicoffer ’68, Aug. 26, 2025 ’64 Pamela “Pam” Stanley McCaslin, mother of Jennifer “Jenny” McCaslin Lobel ’89 and sister-inlaw of Suzanne Campbell McCaslin ’67, June 1, 2024 ’65 Lelia Taylor Brown, July 2, 2025 Richard “Rick” Lytle Cromer, husband of Marjory “Marge” Joyce Cromer, brother of Alice C. Cromer and brother-in-law of Ellen Joyce Sherling ’69, July 17, 2025 ’66 Eleanor Corwell, Dec. 9, 2021 Robert “Bobby” H. Hood, husband of Mary “Bernie” Agnes Burnham Hood, Feb. 14, 2024 Harriet “Teena” Biscoe Rodgers, April 7, 2025 ’67 Susan Johnson Marett, daughter of Eugenia Hailey Johnson ’42, June 10, 2025 Patricia Smith Edwards, cousin of Suellen Wheless Estes ’64, Sept. 14, 2025 ’68 Kevin F. Butler, husband of Lynne Anthony Butler and sister-in-law of Susan C. Anthony Carmichael ’75, April 11, 2025 ’69 Margaret “Peg” Barnes, June 1, 2025 Victoria Hutcheson Bardis, mother of Stephanie Bardis Turney ’91 and Christine “Christy” Bardis Petterson ’99, June 6, 2025 ’70 Dr. Charles N. Hubbard, husband of Marilyn Merrell Hubbard, Jan. 16, 2025 James W. Skardon, father of Sally Skardon, March 31, 2025

Emerson Ross Daniel III, husband of Bryn Couey Daniel, July 23, 2025 ’71 Julia “Judy” D. Watlington Hudgins, daughter of Lelia Carson Watlington ’39, April 16, 2025 ’72 Jerry Kay Foote Hodgkinson, July 6, 2024 Constance “Connie” Brown Harris, June 7, 2025 ’73 Deana Craft Trott, March 15, 2025 Karen H. Adams Montgomery, July 29, 2025 ’74 Beverly “Bev” Nix Coiner, Jr., son of Kathleen Moon Coiner, March 25, 2023 Susan M. Walker Sullivan, April 7, 2025 ’75 Henry Donald Frantz Jr., husband of Frances Frantz ’75, March 10, 2025 Thomas Marshall Blackstock, son of Kay L. Teien Blackstock ’75, March 20, 2025 ’76 Dr. Richard H. Carpenter, husband of Ann Baxley Carpenter, Nov. 10, 2022 Katerine Akin Brewer, Aug. 31, 2025 ’79 Michael Cherry, son of Sandra E. Eichelberger, March 27, 2025 ’80 Laramie L. Larsen Weise, May 14, 2025

’82 Barbara P. Owen Harkey, June 26, 2025 ’83 Carol Catherine McCormick, Feb. 2, 2020 ’84 Donald “Don” R. Avery, husband of Fara A. Haney Avery, Jan. 23, 2025 ’86 Warren K. Scoville, father of Susan Scoville Morris and Lena “Ansley” Scoville ’86, March 20, 2025 Hope F. Hill Westphal, May 2, 2025 Elizabeth “Liz” Wilder Brown, May 7, 2025 Sarah Ann O’Connor Feicht, mother of Ruth Feicht, June 27, 2025 ’88 Sam Barrick, son of Leigh Ann Smith Barrick, Oct. 25, 2023 ’90 Michael B. Johnson, father of Andrea Johnson Swilley, March 21, 2025 ’95 Melanie E. Effler, May 29, 2025 ’02 Brandi L. Collins, June 25, 2025 ’05 Lisa Anne Gaston, April 3, 2025 ’07 Rebecca Freeman Adams, mother of Jasmine Adams, March 12, 2025

Faculty and Staff

’81 David “Hal” Harold Averett, husband of Virginia “Gina” Philips Averett, Nov. 28, 2018

Marcia Hegman, wife of John Hegman, former vice president for business and finance, April 4, 2025

Ruth Ann Cook Fountain, mother of Juby A. Fountain Phillips ’81, Dec. 12, 2024

Gail Cabisius, associate professor emerita of classical languages and literatures, April 20, 2025

Lynda J. Wimberly, daughter of Joyce Skelton Wimberly ’57, Aug. 2, 2025

Elizabeth A. Scully, great-greatgranddaughter of John and Agnes Scott, great-great-niece of George Washington Scott, greatgranddaughter of John Scott II, granddaughter of Mary Scott Scully and daughter of Charles Alison Scully, April 30, 2025

Donald K. Campbell III, brother of Sarah Campbell Arnett, grandson of Catherine M. Williamson 1918, nephew of Margaret Smalzel ’55, Aug. 25, 2025 Rev. Donald K. Campbell II, father of Sarah Campbell Arnett, Sept. 17, 2025

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141 E. College Ave. | Decatur, GA 30030-3770 agnesscott.edu