class notes

farm is watching the otters, which are regular visitors to the farm pond.

Relaxing of COVID restrictions allowed Melisha Miles Gilreath to make good on her promise to visit Ann Patterson Clites in Silverton, Oregon. The Clites’s home in Silverton was Melisha and her husband, Ron’s, first overnight stop on their drive to see Crater Lake, old growth forests of the Rogue River area and back up the coast of Oregon to Portland. Ann and Melisha enjoyed their minipreview of the Agnes Scott class of 1974’s 50th (yikes!) class reunion next year!

Jamie Osgood Shepard is looking forward to her transition from full-time work to as-needed/ desired contractor status with the Florida Veterans Business Outreach Center. She and her husband, Randy, go to California as often as possible to see their sons and their families. “All in all, life is good by the beach,” reports Jamie.

Martha Howard Whitaker is delighted to be a grandmother for the second time. Grandson Isa Branciforte was born in late July, joining older sister Frankie, who’s almost 4. Martha is glad that she and her husband, Richard, moved to Durham to be close to them. Last May, Martha was diagnosed with ALS. She feels fortunate to be a part of the Duke ALS clinic and to have access to new medicines that slow down ALS. Martha writes, “We are learning to appreciate each day we are given and make adaptations as they come.”

’75

Marie Newton mhnewton@sbcglobal.net

Marene Emanuel spent Christmas 2022 with Michelle Oltman in Yountsville, California. Michelle transferred after our first year, but remembers Agnes Scott, Hopkins Hall and classmates fondly. She works for Frog’s Leap Winery in California. Marene and Michelle enjoyed a wine-tasting tour. In September 2022, Marene went with a friend on a trip to Peru, visiting various cities and enjoying the beautiful country and the food.

Lyn Satterthwaite spent Christmas in Asheville, North Carolina, and New Year’s in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was warm enough to walk on the beach while enjoying the Christmas lights, Christmas shows and other events at the beach resort.

Allyn Fine Linas was finally able to spend two weeks in Melbourne, Australia, visiting her daughter Isabel; her daughter’s husband, Blaine; and her 2-year-old grandson, Cy. Allyn had to cancel previously planned trips due to COVID restrictions and is madly in love with Cy, whom she met for the first time. She has fought COVID twice as well as two weeks of the flu. Her current fights are with coyotes in her neighborhood and watching and protecting her dog and cat.

Victoria Burgess Stephan and Bruce evacuated their waterfront home in Fort Myers, Florida, for Hurricane Ian and were very happy that while the house flooded with a few inches of water, it is now back to normal after a lot of hard work. Vicki’s Rotary Club continues to give lots of money and lots of work hours to help those in need. She is loving being a grandmother to Sophia Victoria.

Charlotte Gillis saw the Pumpkin Lights at Dollywood but no sight of Dolly, celebrated the Winter Solstice in Chattanooga with neighbors and friends, is hoping for the best with her yard after a serious deep freeze, and is attending Atlanta Braves spring training in South Florida. Charlotte also went to a sold-out speaker series at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga that featured Dr. Angela Davis. She continues an active lifestyle playing pickleball, rowing and hiking.

Rebecca Thompson is fully in a grandmother role, with three new grandchildren in 2022. Son James and his wife, Nora had a second baby boy, Graham, in August, who joined older brother, Jack, and daughter, Caroline, gave birth to identical twin girls, Josephine Lee and Charlotte Rebecca, in December. Caroline and her wife, Tracey, are meeting the challenge of two growing baby girls.

Rebecca, M.A. Bleker, and Rose Ann Cleveland enjoyed a leisurely brunch in November when M.A. was in the Washington D.C. area.

Susan Gamble Smathers stays busy with her local garden club activities and as a horticulture judge with the Garden Club of America. She also serves as Conservation/National Affairs & Legislation Representative for GCA Zone VIII, which comprises Florida, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. This requires a lot of time and travel.

Shelby Cave Cobb does volunteer work with her Atlanta neighborhood, Historic Brookhaven. She serves on the board of directors, chairs the Transportation Committee, and serves on the

Community Maintenance and Enhancement Committee. Her son, Forrest, is 30 and works as the production engineer at H & H Metal Fabrication in St. Louis.

’76

Brandon Fortune ebbfortune@gmail.com

Beth Boney Jenkins continues to work as a development officer for the North Carolina Community Foundation. She has just completed certification as a chartered advisor in philanthropy. She reports that “it was a pretty intense study process that brought back memories of pulling allnighters on Third Rebekah and McCain Cottage!”

’77

Ruth McMullen Bursi

ruthbursi@bellsouth.net

The class of 1977 was well-represented at our 45th reunion gathering in June. Feeling perhaps a bit too seasoned to act like Dennis the Menace, we skipped the denim overalls and bright yellow tees and instead carried bright yellow sunflowers, which were reminders also of the ongoing war in Ukraine. A high note in our celebration was Dr. Harry Wistrand’s laudatory comments on his former biology student Sue Jinks Robertson’s achievements in her research into genetic links in cancer.

Congrats to Ellen Fort, who has welcomed a new grandbaby! Ellen went to NYC not too long before Christmas for snuggles with new, little Ava Sophia.

Barbara Byrd Gaines lost her mom in September. Her mom hadn’t been well for quite a while but remained a bright, positive light in the world. Barbara proudly reports that her son received his doctorate from Georgia State, writing on “Artificial Intelligence/ Machine Learning in Medical Decision Making.” Kudos to your son, Barbara!

Lynn Wilson McGee retired from the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) on Oct. 1, 2022, after 16 years of service. As vice chancellor of advancement for 13 years, Lynn received the highest international award in State Legislative Relations Programs given by CASE (Council for the Advancement and Support of Education). She served on the department of business administration faculty and as business internship coordinator during her final three years at USCB. Lynn and David are happy to call Callawassie

Island, South Carolina, their home. All four McGee sons — Philip, Peter, Will and Skip — continue to serve in the U.S. military across the U.S. and overseas. Sadly, Lynn’s brother, Chip, who graduated from Davidson College and worked for International Management, their father’s consulting firm, passed away this year. Lynn enjoys visits with her father, Frank Wilson, who has lived at Lanier Village Estates in Gainesville, Georgia, for the past 20 years.

Melinda Morris Knight wasn’t with us at our reunion in June because she and Graeme were celebrating their 45th anniversary on a magnificent cruise in the Greek isles! She got COVID not long after returning, but it didn’t keep her down long — Melinda, Graeme, grandkids and extended family enjoyed a great week at Disney World later this past summer.

Your class secretary, Ruth McMullen Valdez, visited son Lt. Col. (U.S. Air Force) Chuck Bursi and family in Boston, where he’s studying in an international economics consortium at Harvard. She enjoyed time with her grandsons seeing some great historical sights, a wonderful bookstore and a Boston Bruins hockey game. She gained a sweet new grandson this past spring; between them, she and Dave have 13 grandkids, a lot to keep track of! ’78

Mimi Holmes mimiholmes@mindspring.com

Cathy Walters fulfilled a childhood dream of going to the Tournament of Roses Parade for New Year’s! After volunteering to help on a dragon float in the 2022 parade, Cathy began “working” on the 2023 float when members voted for the design in February 2022. Not only that, but Cathy also roller-skated the 5.5 miles of the parade to illustrate the theme “Adventure Awaits” for people 55 and up. What a fabulous way to start her Retirement Year!

Trish Dale retired from teaching third grade, giving her time to paint the deck, volunteer at school and church, and return to crafting. Tom and Trish love living in Morehead City, North Carolina, and are navigating the realities of his newly diagnosed heart failure. Their children, Michael (27) and Andrew (24), have both moved to Florida. If the kids can’t find their way back to North Carolina, a move to Florida might be in Trish and Tom’s future.