often as possible. They have 4 children and 11 grandchildren. The oldest grandchild backpacked around Europe for a month after graduating from Tufts last year. His brother keeps them connected to the Newton College/Boston College tradition. He is an enthusiastic BC rising senior who spent a semester this year at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Their younger sister was just back from her high school’s nineday trip to the Galápagos Islands. Marion commented on how times have changed since she was a Newton day hop! • She also noted for our information that the Newton College Book Club started by Mother Maguire for Newton alumnae is still in existence. Over the years the leadership (Sr. Elizabeth White, H’06, Professor Emerita Judith Wilt) changed, the venues (Barat, Cadigan Alumni Center) moved, and the membership expanded to include BC alumnae and other women with BC connections. They meet about eight times each year and enjoy lively discussions. • I don’t think I mentioned that my granddaughter Casey Barry ’09 married her BC classmate Jason Holdych ’09. They now have a son, Danny, who is prepping for the Class of 2028! Correspondent: Cathy Brennan Hickey cbhickey7@gmail.com 914-834-6907
1957 Tom Johnson writes that he is living on Cape Cod and is “involved with golf, writing, and an occasional ‘Danny Boy’ outburst with friends. Life is good.” He and his wife, Beverly, celebrate 60 years of marriage this year, and they enjoy many family activities. He wishes good health to all! Correspondent: Norma DeFeo Cacciamani altonorma@gmail.com 135 Franklin Street Arlington, MA 02474; 781-648-6784
NC 1957 Nice memories of Sunday brunch at Newton College in the 1950s were sent by Kate McCann Benson NC’58: “Wearing trench coats over Bermuda shorts to meet the dress code, feasting on waffles and maple syrup. A reminder of priorities in an earlier era.” Is there any dress code left, she wonders, or today would it be a challenge for people to turn off their cell phones at the table? Is etiquette now such an old-fashioned word? Thanks, Kate, and let’s hear more spontaneous memories from all you classmates. • Mary Winslow Poole is teaching a literature class at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at American University in DC—20th-century novels and stories to classes of 25, all about our age. Stimulating and fun she says, and we say wow! Go, Mary! Mary also sent along these words written back in 1958 by Patsy Murray NC’54 about our classmate Joan David (who passed away last year): “Joan can always turn my head to the things of the heart. Perhaps it is because she cares so much…that you cannot know
her without catching some of the heat of her feelings.” • After a big local move, Frank and Lucille Saccone Giovino spent three months in Florida and had a chance to meet up with Neil and Joan (Hanlon) Curley in Naples. They enjoyed each other’s company and attended the annual Sacred Heart schools Florida luncheon. Joan reports that she and Neil have now sailed on all three of the Cunard Line’s Queens, the last most recently. • Margy Craig Sheehy writes that in October she traveled to Rome with her sister and brother-in-law. She then spent a month in Alexandria, VA, to celebrate her grandniece’s and grandnephew’s graduations from Duke and Green Mountain College. • On a sad note, Peggy McMurrer Haberlin writes that her “wonderful husband, Richard, passed away in March after a fall and then a broken hip, which had led to complications. God took him peacefully, and we are forever grateful for our many blessings.” We extend our sympathy to Peggy and her family. • Another sad note was about Ellie Pope Clem’s brother George Pope, CSC (Congregation of Holy Cross), who passed away in April. In his middle 80s, he had returned to Notre Dame to retire after 56 (yes, 56!) years in Bangladesh as a missionary. Ellie and Dave were in the middle of unpacking from their move from DC to Charlottesville, VA, when they received the news. They drove out to Indiana for her brother’s very moving funeral in the basilica at Notre Dame (with some Bangladeshi nuns attending). It was a great loss to Ellie and her family as well as to the University of Notre Dame and the Holy Cross order. Correspondent: Connie Weldon LeMaitre lemaitre.cornelia@gmail.com
1958 Spring was here, and so was our 60th reunion luncheon in June. I will fill you in in our next issue. • Tony ’59 and Bea (Capraro) Busa hosted the Florida luncheon in March. Their guests were son Chris and his wife, Vickie; Mary Ann and Bob Moll; Mary Ann and John Dooley with their daughter who came to visit that day; and Bob Carr, who made a phone connection with his freshman roommate Cliff Joslin. Also attending were Jackie and Jack Kudzma MBA’70, Marilyn and Leo McCarthy, and June and Bill O’Rourke as well as Dot and Bob Pickette, Dave Rafferty, George Rioseco, Al and Camille (Colasante) St. Pierre, and Gail and Bill Sweeney. At the last minute several friends were unable to attend due to unexpected illness or forgetfulness. They will remain nameless. However, our host, Brian Angelo, offered to pack up their lunches, and we had delivery service. It was fun, and we were glad to deliver. • I heard that John Croke passed away in February. John served in the Army Reserve and worked for IBM as a marketing manager for 30 years. He was a very proud BC grad and equally proud that son John and his wife, Beth, are members of the Class of 1985. I have to add that his granddaughter Jane Croke graduated in
2014 and went on to earn a master’s degree in 2016 from BC. I talked with John a few years back, and he asked for Dave Rafferty’s number so they could catch up. It is now sad to note that Dave has joined John, passing away in March. • On a lighter note, I talked to Connell School of Nursing alumna Helen Connors Connolly. She is so proud of her identical twin granddaughters, Shayla and Shannon Flannery, who both graduated from Regis with degrees in nursing. • And further good news: Bernie Mahoney, MS’60, was honored to have an endowed research fellowship set up in his name at the University of Mary Washington by a former student, Marilyn Black UMW ’69. The Bernard L. Mahoney Jr. Student Research Fellowship in Science will be awarded yearly to a worthy student in a natural or physical science discipline at UMW. Bernie, who holds a PhD from the University of New Hampshire, retired in 2002 after 39 years of service as distinguished professor emeritus in chemistry in Fredericksburg, VA. • Remember that the last of the activities planned for our reunion year will take place on Cape Cod at the Wianno Club on August 2. • Meanwhile, for our next issue, please drop a note about yourself and your family or a bit about your retirement. Thanks in advance. And now that we have celebrated our 60th reunion, let me know of any future activity you might like me and the board to look into. • Please remember in your prayers John Croke, Dave Rafferty, Jack Nee MBA’66, Carol Brady Vigliano, and their families, as well as my husband, Roland, who passed recently. Also remember those classmates who are facing difficult times. • Enjoy the summer! Correspondent: Joan Downing Lachance joanchnc@comcast.net 62 Nicod Street Arlington, MA 02476; 781-646-7029
NC 1958 Although she left Newton before graduating, Mary Azzara Archdeacon says she is thrilled and grateful that many friends want her to return to BC and celebrate our 60th reunion. She will miss those who cannot attend, particularly her roommate, the late Martha Dwyer Laurance, who was very dear to her while she was at Newton. She loved Martha and her family. Mary recalls that after Martha graduated, they traveled in Europe for two and a half months with an international student tour group. • Rosemary Stuart Dwyer reports that a memorial service for Yori Oda, who died in February, was held at the Boston Children’s Museum in April. The Saturday-evening event included tributes by the CEO of the museum, the American consul-general of Japan, the executive director of the Japan Society of Boston, and a professor emeritus from Harvard. Yori, a graduate of the Sacred Heart School in Japan and honorary member of our class, had devoted her life to promoting cultural exchanges between the United States and Japan. Among her gifts to Boston was the Japanese House exhibit, which has been on display at the museum for over 30 years. 53