class notes

Sally Sanford Rugaber and Walter visited his hometown, Macon, Georgia, for a three-day lookaround and a visit with his sister. They enjoyed searching for family tombstones in a cemetery and marveled at the changes in the city.

Nancy Turner Gibson feels blessed to have a huge family and a great community in which to live. She recalled her close friendship with her roommate, Ann Harvey, with gratitude for being able to virtually attend her memorial service.

Hope Weathers Bothwell and David have moved to Wesley Woods Towers, which is on Emory property (including landscaping) but operated by the North Georgia Conference of the Methodist Church. They enjoy having meals prepared, as well as the other advantages available.

Kay Wilson Shurden and Buddy moved to Maryville, Tennessee, to be near a daughter. They are in Shannondale, a Presbyterian retirement center. She is currently planning a workshop for the residents on the Enneagram, which she has taught a number of times previously. ’60

Ellen McFarland Johnson ecmcjo@gmail.com

Phyllis Cox Whitesell writes that she and Bill have resumed attending the Metropolitan Opera and the Philadelphia Orchestra, both easily accessible by train. They have seen all of their family in the last three years but have been unable to have everyone together. They visited a grandson at Earlham College last spring and plan on visiting granddaughters at their New England schools later this spring. Two grandchildren will graduate from college this May after struggling through the COVID restrictions and online classes for the first year and a half.

The last book of June Hall McCash’s trilogy about Jekyll Island will be published this spring. It’s called “The Memory of Home” and follows “Marguerite’s Landing” and “The Truth Keepers.” She gave a talk at the Alumnae House on March 9 to a group of fellow alumnae about the book at the invitation of Carolyn Curry ’64. June had a mild bout with COVID earlier in the year, but was able to travel to Grenada in December, and is now planning a Caribbean cruise with her stepgranddaughter in April, and is looking forward to the May graduation of one grandson from law school and another from high school.

In October, Mary Jane Pickens Skinner had great fun when she traveled from Toronto to Vancouver by train with alumni from about eight universities. The food on the train was delicious, and she loved being lulled to sleep each night by the rocking of the train. She was the lone representative of the University of Alabama, and because no one on the trip had ever heard of Agnes Scott, Mary Jane thinks we, the alumnae, have some work to do in spreading the word about our fine college!

Anne Morrison Carter hikes, plays bridge, enjoys theater productions in New York City and locally, and is on the board of Ethical Culture. These activities give her fun, stimulation, friendship and a pleasant lifestyle. Her two cats are great company at home. She and two friends are going to Curaçao for a week in March, and she hopes to hike in Maine in September. She has occasional conversations with Kathleen Kirk-Leason and Charlotte King Sanner. She reports that Kathleen and Charlotte are in senior residences.

Angelyn Alford Bagwell is adjusting to life at Westminster retirement community in Tallahassee. She is on her church’s finance committee and is the moderator of her women’s circle. Five of her grandchildren are in college, and two are out and working.

Carolyn Hoskins Coffman and her husband continue to live in their home with help from Home Instead.

Although Helen Mabry Beglin has stopped most pastor-like activities, she will do weddings if she knows the couple. She is in a couple of theology-related study groups, including one at her retirement community. She is reading “The Righteous Mind,” a book about how good people can differ on religion and politics.

Corky Feagin has been cleaning out her house with help from a former student tenant. Corky is also hoping to clean out the raccoons in her attic.

Suellen Beverly attended her grandson’s wedding in California. There were 250 guests, maybe 300, at the winery owned by the bride’s family. Suellen is a member of a Quaker meeting that is attracting people from all sorts of religious backgrounds.

Lucy Cole Gratton has been experiencing a lot of sadness. She lost her sister and brother-in-law this past year. Lucy was a caregiver during her sister’s illness.

Ellen McFarland Johnson and her husband, Charles, recently moved from their home of 34 years to a nearby Chapel Hill retirement community. Three grandsons are out in the world pursuing three different careers — software developer, freelance photographer and auto technician.

’61

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

Janice Henry Coleman reports sad news — the loss of her husband, Jim, on Sept. 5, 2022. The service was held on Oct. 19, 2022, when he would have celebrated his 89th birthday. Jim has a large family, and Janice felt blessed to have over 40 relatives come to Nashville in his honor. By searching Jim Coleman Nashville and selecting the Dignity Memorial site, you can find the completed obituary.

Anne Russell Hagler is happily retired in Memphis and facilitates grief support groups and a clergy cohort. She enjoys traveling with her partner and is hoping to visit Anne Christensen Pollitzer soon in Beaufort, South Carolina.

After nearly 20 years back home in Thomasville, Theresa Kindred Brown is downsizing and has totaly redone a house on the Fairways — much smaller than Glen Arven Country Club, where she and her husband, Joe, met at the pool when 14 and 16 years old. Both of her daughters arrived from Europe and Washington D.C. to help with the move, and one of her grandchildren is coming in between semesters at the University of Munich to hang pictures.

Mary Ann McSwain Anthley has published a book — “John Donne in the Time of Covid: An Analysis of Devotions upon Emergent Occasions.” The book compares Donne’s response to a pestilential illness to Kubler-Ross’s “On Death and Aging.” Congrats, Mary Ann!

’62 Milling Kinard

emkinard@verizon.net

In August 2022, Betsy Jefferson Boyt boarded a cruise ship for a weeklong trip around Puget Sound. Two days later, she tested positive for COVID and was confined to her cabin for the remainder of the cruise. Soon after she returned home, she was hospitalized with heart failure, from which she thankfully recovered. Betsy believes the onset of heart failure was precipitated by her experience with COVID. In February 2023, an ice storm in Austin left her without power for six days. Fortunately, she was able to stay with her son and daughter-in-law until power was restored. An interesting seven months.

More weather-related comments came from Betty Kneale Zlatchin, who said it is not always sunny in California after rivers of rain inundated San Francisco from late December through midJanuary. Last fall, she and Carl spent five weeks in Paris enjoying wonderful exhibits and great theater. Recently, she took a wonderful class in English poetry, which reminded her of Miss Leyburn and her first-year English professor Merle Walker. Both contributed to Betty’s love of English literature and taught her how to write a good paper. She enjoyed Professors Harn and Cilley who gave her one-on-one help with their classes and with formal speaking of a foreign language. Every morning at 8 o’clock, she met with Professors Harn to discuss the merits and miracles of Spanish poetry. They reminisced about Betty’s aunt, Mary Kneale Avrett, who was taught German by Professors Harn. Betty says the small class sizes and excellent professors at Agnes Scott enabled her to form a foundation for continued lifelong learning.

Louise Kimsey Sheftall is battling Lady Windermere Syndrome, a lung disease known medically as middle lobe syndrome. She would like to hear from anyone who has had experience with this disease.

In February, Sue Amidon Zoole spent a week in Cuba with her sister-in-law. She said traveling is easier when one is accompanied by younger folk. Painting remains her default activity while she finds her place in a new retirement community. The courtyard facing their apartment needed grooming, and she became de facto chair of the committee to make improvements. She finds this a pleasant task as it involves meeting and engaging new people to search for creative solutions. Sue declared, “I’ve gotten over being 83 and really don’t mind it a bit!”

’63

Mary Beth Thomas thomasmb1980@gmail.com

Ipek Absugur Duben, an internationally known and highly respected artist who has devoted her career to addressing the sociopolitical issues of discrimination and gender inequality, is the recipient of Agnes Scott’s Distinguished Career Award! Her installation “Love Game” was in the exhibition “Guilty, Guilty, Guilty”