Chat Spring 2013

the alumnae magazine of chatham hall

the alumnae magazine of chatham hall

the alumnae magazine of chatham hall

the alumnae magazine of chatham hall

the alumnae magazine of chatham hall

the alumnae magazine of chatham hall

2 letter from the rector \ 3–11 chat with the rector: getting things done with flair 12–13 chatham hall in Cuba \ 14–15 at that time, on that day 16 freshman leader in residence: Lois Lowry \ 17 stitch in the niche

chat

Gary Fountain, Editor

Laura Rand ’06, Managing Editor

Design by Christine Walker

Printing by Collinsville Printing Company, Martinsville, VA

chatham hall

administration

Gary Fountain, Rector

Robert Ankrom, Director of Communications

board of trustees

18–19 Lee Library \ 20 book review: Life on Mars \ 21–25 campus news

26–27 sports news \ 28–29 reunion \ 30–44 class notes \ 45 tales from chatham hall 46 what’s cooking? \ 48–49 HerStory: alumnae voices

ex-officio members

Ned Edwards, Chaplain

Melissa Evans Fountain, Director of the Office of Advancement

Martha Griswold, Academic Dean

Emily Johns, Dean of Students

Earl Macam, College Counselor

Ronald Merricks, Chief Financial and Facilities Officer

Robin Revis-Pyke, Director of Admission and Financial Aid

Nina Johnson Botsford ’72, Chair

Lucy McClellan Barrett ’53

Katharine Reynolds Chandler ’68

Jerry E. Clark P’04

Laura Brown Cronin ’72

J. Belk Daughtridge P’13

Sarah Martin Finn ’74

Patricia R. Frederick ’57

Jane M. Garnett ’73

Douglas R. Goldstein P’12, P’16

Stacey M. Goodwin ’83

Susan Gillings Gross ’98

Katherine Coleman Haroldson ’75

Julia Morris Kashkashian ’75

Robert G. McIver P’10

Lisa Rosenberger Moore ’59

Robin Peake Stuart ’69

Dora M. Thomas P’02, ’04

Penelope Perkins Wilson ’41, P’67

The Rt. Rev. Herman Hollerith, IV P’15

Mary C. Freed ’86, President, Alumnae Council

Cheryl Tuck P’13, President, Parent Advisory Committee

trustees emerti

Boyce Lineberger Ansley ’64, P’90

Polly Wheeler Guth ’44, P’70

Robin Tieken Hadley ’57

Chat is published by the Office of Advancement and is distributed to alumnae and those who have shown a continued interest in Chatham Hall. For comments and suggestions, or to request a copy of Chat please send an e-mail to lrand@chathamhall.org

Contributing Writers: Kately Clark, Mary Edmonds, Gary Fountain, Catherine M. LaDuke, Dasia Moore, Laura Rand, Lauren Weller, and Ana Carol Wilson

Photography Credits: Robert Ankrom, Geoff Braun, Gary Fountain, Catherine M. LaDuke, Laura Rand, Lisa Richmond, and Don Wood

Chatham Hall complies with applicable federal and local laws prohibiting discriminationon the basis of race, creed,color, age, sex, disability, religion, national origin, or any other legally protected category.

800 Chatham Hall Circle

Chatham, VA 24531 434-432-2941

www.chathamhall

letter from the rector

Dear Friend of Chatham Hall,

Late one Wednesday afternoon last fall, I was sitting at my desk, and an e-mail arrived from one of my students with the subject heading “Watch the Video.” So, I did.

It begins with a view of The Niche, empty, with four highpitched voices echoing in the background, “Doooctooor Fooouuuntain, we need three eggs!” Then some explanation: the girls had finished auditioning for the musical, were hungry, wanted to bake brownies for themselves, and had all the ingredients, except for…three eggs.

Each girl pops in and out of camera view, identifying herself—elfishly, tenderly, humorously. “It’s Kelsey! It’s your advisee! It’s your favorite freshman!” Then more on the desperate need for brownies, followed by a moment of panic: “We have only thirty seconds!” Silence. A quick “We’ll pay you back in brownies…” Dark.

There you have it—four Chatham Hall girls, their anxiety from auditions over, hunger setting in, and their solution thwarted by the lack of eggs. Who, they asked, is the likely candidate to have the eggs? I, of course, sprinted to The Rectory and had the eggs for them within five minutes. I e-mailed, “Got them.” They appeared at the door to my office, stunned. “Do you keep eggs in your office?” Off they went…

One hour later, on the desk in my office, there were three warm brownies.

Three or four years ago, when we were considering marketing phrases for the School, I offered, “Chatham Hall girls get things done!” They do. They know how to approach a problem with creativity, intelligence, wit, humor, and, well, heart. They invite you into their solution. They get their eggs. What other girls would have sent that video late one afternoon? And what Rector would not have sprinted for the refrigerator?

Getting things done—that is the theme of this issue of CHAT The ways in which Chatham Hall girls look at problems, issues, challenges, assignments, and create their equivalents of “We Need Three Eggs!” How they go above, beyond, wider, deeper, farther, because that is what Chatham Hall girls do. And their teachers.

All the best,

Getting Things Done with

Flair

Sofia Rose ’15, Schuyler Mitchell ’16, Alex Rains ’16, and Sasha Seliverstova ’13 have breathed in the air of experimentation at Chatham Hall during the last couple years. With iPads, we teachers can build upon the ideas of some of the successful, exciting projects that have been around for a bit (like the Journal Project in Modern European History, about which Sofia speaks) and expand into the world of digital multimedia. New documents are arising that blend analysis and research with the visual—new interdisciplinary eDocuments. The iQuest program allows students to undertake experiential learning projects that are not covered in their classes. New forms of thinking. New forms of creating. New forms of experiencing and learning.

The possibilities of these projects and programs were the subject of my conversations with these four students. History, literature, research, film, photographs, drawing, and acting appearing in new combinations. Mod Journal. eXtreme iPad Poem. EXPLORATION. ALICE. iQuest. Here they are, in the students’ words. And how they got things done, with flair.

They know how to approach a problem with creativity, intelligence, wit, humor, and, well, heart. They get their eggs.

Victoria Fitzgerald ’13 (“advisee”), Kelsey Woody ’15 (“Kelsey”), and Catie Lewis ’16 (“favorite freshman” and video director)

Sofia Rose ’15

Gary: Tell about your eXtreme iPad Poem from our English class last year.

Sofia: My poet was e.e. cummings. I was attracted to his poetry because I connected to and associated with his themes of childhood and adolescence. So, I chose his poem “anyone lived in a pretty how town”—it’s about how growing up can take the color out of your life. When you’re a child, things are so vivid and alive, and then, as you grow up, life can become a cycle, a routine. I liked that idea and wanted to elaborate on it and make it more relatable.

You researched cummings’ life, wrote a paper relating it to this poem, annotated and memorized the poem, wrote your own poem in response to cummings’, and presented a visual response—a dance—to your work. All published as an iBook on your iPad. Well, I came up with the idea of choreographing and performing a dance for the visual element. That decision turned my

Modern European History

World War I Journal Projects

work from being just a multi-dimensional sort of project into something that I could connect to immediately—it brought things together for me. Through dance I can be more directly emotional. Seeing a poem in a different light with moving bodies rather than just in my mind is more there, it’s more physical, it’s more real for me. It was my way of building an emotional connection for my viewer and reader with the poem.

I remember that my dance in response to the cummings poem tells the story of growing up through people who are in love. The dance starts with them being connected and moving together in partnership, and as the song goes on, they start to become involved in their own lives, get caught up in the routine, and they break away from each other. The love that makes you come alive as a child is gone by the end of the dance.

I also produced a photographed section having to do with my own poem, “A Pebble to a Pond.” I played with images of self-reflection in a pond embodied by different poses by my partner in the video, Claire Gardner. All of this, then, came together in an electronic book that had writing, video, and photography—a new kind of book, I guess. I was able to get at cummings’ poem in multiple ways. It was definitely an eXtreme poem. Quite an experiment for our class.

Have there been any other projects that let you take off in that way?

The journal I wrote for Modern European History this year. World War I is not something that Mr. Reichelderfer teaches completely himself. He allows us to learn about the War by writing a journal based upon the lives of fictional people who “lived” it. I did a lot of research, but I came to understand this period when I developed a connection with the characters in my journal. I read a number of different accounts of soldiers and of nurses from World War I. I read sections of The Beauty

and Sorrow which has powerful entries by people from World War I, soldiers and nurses and ambulance drivers. I added pictures to the journal, as well as a poem and a range of descriptions of being on the war front and what it’s like to see everything collapse around you. It was actually very hard to turn in this project because I felt as if I was turning in myself. It wasn’t my experiences, but it felt like my experiences by the end of writing it. My main character was a British Red Cross nurse, named “Poppy,” who worked in France during the war. She left behind her mother, who had to work in a shell factory to sustain herself; her brother fights on the front, as well. She falls in love with a soldier whom she treats for shell shock. She learns to treat him through a kind of psychotherapy, but she doesn’t know that it is psychotherapy at the time. She talks to him about his dreams. A number of the journal entries are his dreams from being on the front or being in the trenches as written down by Poppy.

What happens to Poppy and Phillip?

He recovers, although he continues to have episodes when a noise will trigger a memory and he’ll start screaming, but he and Poppy move to a house on the outskirts of London and they have a child by the end of the journal. Poppy was eighteen when she became a Red Cross nurse and Phillip was in his early twenties. They missed out on their years of just being crazy and young, so when they get back from being in the War, they get into the Flapper era and live out what they missed, at least a bit.

Working on anything right now?

I’m excited about my poetry book, which I am producing for my creative writing class. I write an assigned poem for Mr. Barnhardt every week as well as working on my own individual poems. I’m putting my poems together with my photography— photography from Cuba, home, and photography

Through dance I can be more directly emotional. Seeing a poem in a different light with moving bodies rather than just in my mind is more there, it’s more physical, it’s more real for me.

class. If the Web site I’m using can accommodate video clips, this project will probably have dance, as well. I know for a fact that some of my poems will work well as a dance piece. I wrote one from the point of view of a ballet barre as a strict teacher and mother figure.

My photography class got me going in this direction. I did an emulation project on Jordan Matter, a photographer in New York City who captures everyday situations and activities through dancers. And I did that with Claire because she bends in every direction. I have a love for street photography and photographing people, and for experimenting with Photoshop. I loved creating pictures of Claire leaping from city hall with a newspaper or brushing her teeth in the bathroom on Pointe. Also, I have written some poems set in Cuba based upon my trip there with the School. I wrote a poem from the point of view of Hemingway at his estate in Cuba, based upon a time when he was going through depression after his divorce

and drinking a lot. I have pictures of his study from my visit, and my poem is set in his study. Other pictures and poems are coming together in unexpected ways. I have one childish poem about a rainy day, and I could connect it with a picture of my baby brother.

Cuba was a remarkable experience for me. I was interested in being in a different realm, because I like putting myself in, well, not uncomfortable situations, but in different places where I have to re-define some things in my life. I like feeling out of place and then re-establishing what is important to me. My photography in Cuba ranges from murals to street art to very interesting architecture. There are these different eras living in Cuba, buildings from different time periods right beside each other. There’s a lot of that in my work. Walking around Old Havana is almost like some big metaphor about life, about everyone living together, and about it not mattering what time period you are in. There is this unusual way of living that comes from these people living secluded on this island. It’s hard to explain but I can show it!

See pages 12 & 13 for more pictures from Cuba

Schuyler Mitchell ’16 Alex Rains’16

Gary: Let’s begin by talking about your EXPLORATION

Schuyler: Our assignment was to “explore” in a singular project a common theme in the Rhosdesian novel Nervous Conditions the South African play “Master Harold”... and the Boys, (we had read both in English class), a piece of art or a photograph that we had seen in an exhibition of African-Americn art at the Muscarelle Museum at the College of William & Mary (a trip we made for English class), and works by a South African photographer whom we had researched. I selected Jurgen Schadeberg—his black-andwhite photographs have so much emotion.

I took my inspiration from a video that we watched in class as an example of how creative we could be—“Cosmic Coco and Oorutaichi,” an advertisement for a very creative art exhibition. The video included drawings that were animated, and I liked the look of them. I began to think about how still objects work in a video. I then decided that I didn’t want to do a straight voice over—I wanted to play more with my ideas. So I decided on poetry. I wrote an introductory poem, and then a poem for each of the pieces of literature and art. Then, when I was writing these poems, I realized there needed to be more explanations, so I added a small amount of analysis to each work. I took photographs and video clips. I also added drawings. And things started coming together. Hope developed as my theme, and drawings of branches, representing trees coming back to life after winter, took shape.

The title of all of this was the key for me. I had never had a project called an EXPLORATION. I had written papers in English, and I was looking forward to having the chance to do something more out of the box, more exploratory. Also, I surprised myself as I explored. I’ve always been cynical, so, to be honest, when I started writing about hope, I didn’t believe myself. As I kept exploring this idea more and more, I realized that I did think there was hope inside the stories and images, and I became hopeful for the characters. I remember that you don’t view the ending of Nervous Conditions the same way as I did. You aren’t as hopeful as I am.

Then the two of you worked together on ALICE, your project on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. How did that come about?

Alex: I’m pretty sure we just made eye contact in class once things had been outlined. Then there was the issue of the topic. We had a few options that we had selected from the list of suggestions, but we were not satisfied with anything. So we sat in the dark and listened to weird music one night.

S: We tried to work on our project during study hall but we kept getting off topic. We were having a hard time focusing. So, one night we were in the Tea Room. We turned the lights off, and we cranked up the Chill station on Pandora, lay on the floor, and the idea just came to us.

A: We decided to explore Carroll’s reality through fantasy, showing how Alice was based upon real characters and events.

S: We knew that we wanted to make a video and decided that instead of doing a voiceover, we would act out our thoughts.

Cuba was a remarkable experience for me. I like feeling out of place and then re-establishing what is important to me.

When we started talking about it more and more in class, I saw how very clever Carroll is. Little things were interesting.

I remember when I was reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, I knew that there were double meanings to everything. I had never liked the book, but when we started talking about it more and more in class, I saw how very clever Carroll is. Little things were interesting. For example, the Lorie in the story was Lorina, Alice’s sister, and at one point Lorie says, “Well, I’m older than you, so I must know better.” That’s because she’s the older sister in real life. The Dormouse tells a story at the tea party about three sisters, Elsie, Lacie, and Tillie. Elsie is L.C. (Lorina Charlotte) and Lacie is Alice anagrammed.

A: I was fascinated to learn in our research that Carroll uses the Duchess as a metaphor for his opinions about the adult world and adult morals, and his belief that people tend to over complicate things. We portrayed this with Schuyler as the Duchess, digging her chin into my neck. I liked how our Queen of Hearts scene came out. I talked to myself, or, rather, Alice talked to herself. We filmed it originally with me looking at nothing, and then we filmed it again, also with me looking at nothing. When we put the footage together, the two parts of Alice were having a conversation.

S: We should mention our challenges. One day we were filming a scene in Curtis’ garden, and Cookie Break happened. I was dressed like the White Rabbit with ears, white socks, a white shirt, and glasses. Alex was in her Alice Halloween costume that her parents had sent from home. The whole school came out to the Arcade for Cookie Break, and there we were. It was a bit embarrassing.

We also had to be resourceful. We used the iPad as a prompter because we couldn’t memorize our lines—there were too many. In many scenes we ended up angling the camera so that the iPad or laptop wouldn’t get into the shot. So when it looks as if I’m staring into the distance, I’m actually reading an iPad.

A: Schuyler, as Lewis Carroll, would be reciting a monologue as she was walking across the Arcade. I was simultaneously holding up the iPad, videotaping, and trying to walk steadily.

We don’t know what Carroll was thinking when he wrote Alice, but I think we did a pretty good job of taking a guess, and the story started making a lot of sense. Originally, we were thinking about exploring two worlds, but in the end we realized we actually had explored four worlds: Lewis Carroll’s Oxford world, the world of Alice Victorian life, and the modern world. In the final scene, we are in my room talking about Alice We then begin talking about our English teacher—you! (Laughter) We mention that Alice in Wonderland has so many hidden meanings but it could just be nonsense. I said, “I bet Dr. Fountain would beg to differ.”

S: Originally we weren’t planning on doing that piece at the end. We were thinking we would end it with Alice looking in the mirror and seeing her other self, but then we remembered that we needed to address how our research and project had made us think differently about the book. We were acting, but the acting did make us think differently about many topics.

A: We also said “a lot of topics” instead of “many topics” just to fool you—and see if you would catch our intentional grammar mistake. You didn’t correct it!

S: Alice is a satire on society. Carroll obviously couldn’t say negative things about the Queen and he wasn’t able to portray his supposed love for Alice, so he does both through fantasy. If Carroll could hear us now, I think he would be smirking.

Sasha Seliverstova

Watch Schuyler and Alex’s videos here:

ALICE Part 1

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R414YDEkRuA

ALICE Part 2

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EROr4Q_2KMg

EXPLORATION

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y-16RTiq7I

Gary: How did you get started on your iQuest?

Sasha: In AP Human Geography we were assigned to projects about different religions, and I decided to explore religious pilgrimages in the Christian faith. El Camino de Santiago is one of the big ones. The religious basis is that St. James, one of Jesus’ apostles, came to Spain to convert the Spaniards. After he returned to Jerusalem, he was murdered and his body was sent back to the Iberian Peninsula for burial. It has a very interesting history, but that’s basically the significance of why pilgrims travel the Camino de Santiago de Compostela; the final destination is the city of Santiago de Compostela, where pilgrims visit the Cathedral of St. James and are able to pray in front of his crypt. I understood iQuest to be an independent study with an experiential component, and I came up with the idea of undertaking the pilgrimage to understand more deeply what it is like.

There are various places to begin the journey, but we started in Ponferrada because we had a time limit of about ten days. We didn’t know how much we could walk, so when I was planning, I was thinking ten miles per day, but then we actually did about 25–28 kilometers each day. We ended up walking 204 kilometers, more than 125 miles.

What was it like participating in this tradition?

It was so different from anything else one would undertake. It’s not a vacation. Six of the nine days we walked in the rain. I felt so removed from society. On a pilgrimage, you don’t care about the superficial things. You carry a couple changes of clothing with you—everything on your back. You wash everything yourself. You live on bread and cheese for the majority of the time. You’re removed from all the aspects of regular everyday life. Everyone is in this one Camino community, I guess. It was just wonderful to be independent and to be an individual, and yet to be a part of something bigger.

On a pilgrimage, you don’t care about the superficial things. You carry a couple changes of clothing with you—everything on your back

You make friends who wander in and out of our life on various days. I met one man who had walked the route twenty times. I traveled with my mother and Mr. Tyburski. They would walk ahead sometimes. I would walk ahead sometimes. Then we would walk together and talk, or we would walk alone. There was a lot of time to think about the things we all need to contemplate in our lives, something that the high speed of modern day society doesn’t always allow. Also the three of us grew closer and talked about how we felt about a range of issues.

MORE i QUEST

Kendahl Walz ’13

“I’ve been working on my iQuest since June of this year when I started an internship in a lab at a paint company. I began making my own cosmetics when this school year began. I started by trying to create foundation, and now I am working on making lipstick. Although both involved much trial and error, it has ultimately been very successful, and I have achieved my goal of making the perfect red lipstick!”

What did you learn?

I am not a religious person, but I do feel that I’m a spiritual person. I like to soul search or think about life in general, and to think about who I am and whose I am, as Dr. Edwards says. The cultural and the spiritual motivated me to go.

I guess I just came to terms with my life. Chatham Hall exists to create young women. Everyone who graduates is a young woman. We’re older, we’re more mature, we’re more independent. Our level of critical thinking has increased. But Son

Lois Lowry Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2012

Son is the fourth and final installment in The Giver series by Lois Lowry. The book follows the life of a young girl, Claire, who lives in a “perfect” society. Claire’s government controls every aspect of life in order to ensure there is no chaos. Claire is assigned the occupation of Birthmother. A Birthmother is merely a vessel who is supposed to have no emotional attachment to her child, because the child will be taken away and given to a set of spouses. Claire gives birth to a son, and begins to feel more connected to him as time passes. In Claire’s world, love is nonexistent. However, Claire realizes that she loves her child. This book is filled with adventure, drama, and intrigue, and proves that love can triumph over anything.

– SCHUYLER MITCHELL ’16 AND ALEX RAINS

we’re still 17, 18, 19. We’re still very young. We still have the world ahead of us. I guess I came to terms with how young I am, how I still have the world ahead of me, and how I still have a lot to learn, a lot to grow, a lot more independence to acquire. Also I think the Camino gave me real internal peace. When I was by myself in nature or when we finally reached Finisterre, the end of the world, and I was sitting by a rock with the ocean in front of me, it was the end and it was peaceful. I felt everything that I had accomplished. It was something that was important for me. When I come into another stage of my life, whether that be university graduation or after marriage, whenever that happens to me, when my kids go off to college, I don’t know, I hope to do it again.

Is there one incident that sticks in your mind as particularly meaningful?

The hike up to O Cebreiro. We were going to stop in a town before we got to the mountain, but it was one of those days when we realized we’d only walked ten miles, and everyone else was going to the top. We decided to stick with the people. We made it. Plus, I realized that I was very proud of my mother. The only reason she went was for me. She didn’t have any personal or spiritual goals to receive from this other than to spend time with me. I was very proud of her for doing that for me. Also, I was proud of myself, and she told me that she was proud of me too.

She said before, when I was younger, I hadn’t had as much internal motivation as she saw that I have now.

We had made a group of about ten friends—people from Denmark and Germany, a guy who had just graduated from Wake Forest, a retiree from Great Britain, and others. We traveled together. We stayed in albergues together, in large rooms with bunk beds. You get to know each other very well. You know who snores. So the last night, before we headed into Santiago, we came together to have a pilgrim feast. We went to the supermarket and bought everything we needed. We cooked it together—garlic bread, salad, pasta and fruit. My new community.

This trip answered many of my questions. My last year has had many ups and downs, and a number of unexpected things have happened. My iQuest helped me come to terms with some of these things and helped me find God, I think, in a way, my own God, I guess. It gave me some internal peace to be happy with who I am and who I have become and what I believe.

’16

There was a lot of time to think about the things we all need to contemplate in our lives, something that the high speed of modern day society doesn’t always allow.

Chatham Hall exists to create young women.

Everyone who graduates is a young woman.

We’re older, we’re more mature, we’re more independent. Our level of critical thinking has increased. But we’re still 17, 18, 19. We’re still very young. We still have the world ahead of us.

CUBA

After six successful years in South Africa, Chatham Hall expanded service abroad opportunities to Cuba this year. Students combined exploration of the dynamic, transitional culture of Cuba with service learning.

In Cuba we saw:

“The perseverance of the people trying to make it with what they have, which is very little. It was like going back in time.”

“An old Woolworth’s—the paucity of goods was a stark reminder of the realities of Cuba and Communism. Plus, the guide (Hoji) and I had a very interesting conversation about the Cuban Missile Crisis.”

“The economic apartheid and lack of pride in communal, stateowned property.”

One early October Saturday morning I took a walk around campus, saw the fog and early morning light, and ran back to my house to get my camera. Rounding the Chapel, I saw the horses in the pasture and started excitingly “shooting.” While I appreciated the fog, the golden light, and the horses, it was the serenity and peacefulness of the scene that most impressed me. For twenty-eight years Chatham Hall has been my workplace, but, more important, it has also been my home; a most beautiful home in fact, a place where my daughters grew and flourished in safety and support, and where my family and I took many unforgettable walks.

-Don Wood

presentingCHATHAM HALL

NED EDWARDS, Chaplain

National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES)

Black and white photography remains my passion, even in the digital age. Environmental portraits are my preference, in the spirit of Paul Strand.

-Geoff Braun (A bookseller in Damascus; 1975: Likely No Longer)

This triptych is from a series titled “Fallen Fruit.” There is an apricot tree beside the road that leads from Tesuque to Santa Fe, New Mexico. When the apricots fall, they are caught by the branches of a thick bush. There they balance among layer upon layer of branches. A study of depth and of focus, of the defined and the undefined. I felt as if I were looking into galaxies as I gazed into that bush, at that time, on that day.

–Gary Fountain

My work as a photographer is always evolving, but one idea stays the same. I always try to give my audience the opportunity to look at everyday subjects in new ways. I want to give the person viewing my work a new experience. A person may pass by the subject many times during the day, but I want to shoot that photograph that makes you stop and take notice. -Catherine

M. LaDuke

I love photographing people—trying to get at something see in them that others might not. I’m also a huge fan of film and am fascinated in the framework and set-up that might go along with a portrait. Working at Chatham Hall has certainly helped me to develop my eye and has given me plenty of room to play—the girls are always so open to try different things. It means so much to me to get to document their time here. I take that responsibility very seriously. It’s funny—I’ve had girls say, “What will do when I go off to college and there isn’t someone following me around capturing everything I do on film?” -Robert

Ankrom

(Annie Na ’10)

Ned Edwards, Chaplain, presented at the National Association of Episcopal Schools in Baltimore, Maryland last November. He was a part of a “Deep Dive” session on Single Sex Education entitled, Educating Boys, Educating Girls: What Single-Sex Schools Can Tell Us About Contemporary Gender Issues. Each individual presented in an area of expertise and then was a member of a panel discussion about gender issues during adolescence. Ned presented on “Spirituality and the Adolescent Female Brain,” looking at practices and programs that are compatible with the developing brain function during girls’ adolescence. Gary Fountain, Rector, was a part of a panel on Episcopal Identity in Boarding Schools chaired by the Head of NAES, Rev. Dan Heischman, DD. Gary spoke about Episcopal identity at Chatham Hall.

EARL MACAM, College Counselor

The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS)

Earl Macam, College Counselor, ran a session, In Loco Parentis-College Counseling to Parents in a Boarding School Environment, at the November TABS conference in Washington, DC. The Session focused on how to include and involve parents in their students’ college search process even while they are not present.

DENNIS OLIVER, Science Department Head iPad Summit USA

Dennis Oliver, Science Department Head, presented Energize your Science Program with iPads at the iPad Summit USA in Atlanta on April 12. We are in our second yearof a 1:1 iPad program at Chatham Hall. Drawing upon examples from our Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Anatomy, and Physiology courses, as well as our summer camp activities, Dennis demonstrated how other schools can enhance their curricula by using science-based apps, e-publishing, flipped classes, and probe interfaces all through the iPad.

Director

Coalition

Preparing Today’s Girls to Shape Tomorrow’s World, in June. Drawing on the success of our iPad program, they will speak about the iPad as a dynamic tool for empowering girls to take leadership in their own education.

at that time on that day

Rector Gary Fountain, Academic Dean Martha Griswold, Athletic

Catherine M. LaDuke, and Science Department Head Dennis Oliver will present at The National

of Girls Schools 2013 Annual Conference, Launching Future Leaders:

Freshman Leader in Residence Lois Lowry

By Kately Clark ’16, Lauren Weller ’16, and Ana Wilson ’16

What is a Leader in Residence?

Simply put, she (or he) is a role model. The Freshman Class hosted author Lois Lowry in March as their Freshman Leader in Residence. While on campus, Ms. Lowry participated in an interview with the writers for The Columns as well as us—the writers for the article in the CHAT She also dined and sipped sweet tea in The Rectory with the Freshman Class and read to us the first chapter of her Newberry Award winning book The Giver

During our interview with her, we asked Ms. Lowry, “How do you develop a plot and story line? Is your writing methodical?” Ms. Lowry responded with a quick, blunt, but nevertheless charming response: she writes from the perspective of a character, which gradually develops into a story line, rather than simply developing a plot. It is admirable—and ever-so alluring—that Ms. Lowry becomes so close to her characters that she becomes one with them, writing through their eyes. It is clear that perspective is an essential element in the writing of Lois Lowry. However, she made clear she has no conscious connection between her personal life and the writing.

While the entire experience with Lois Lowry at Chatham Hall was spectacular, perhaps the most influential and looked-forward-to event was by far

Chatham Hall’s Stitch in the Niche group,

her lecture to the School. Venus Williams, this year’s Chatham Hall Leader in Residence, seized the opportunity to discuss the importance of determination, resulting in a powerful talk that had serious impact on many people. So, to say that students were excited to hear what the award-winning Lois Lowry had prepared would be an understatement. On the afternoon of her talk, students sat bustling and excited to listen and learn all they could from her. They did not have to wait long before Lowry walked across the stage, receiving a huge ovation. As she became acquainted with a projector she had not encountered before, the talk began, igniting feelings of nostalgia in many.

Ms. Lowry’s talk included many pictures of herself as a child, along with her sister and parents, giving us an amazing, storybook-like look into the memories of the great novelist. This talk about her childhood was of course composed of memories—a subject with with which Lois Lowry has expressed a fascination. Anyone acquainted with The Giver can recall how the entire book is based upon the handling and importance of memories. In the interview, Ms. Lowry explained how she came up with the idea for her award-winning series: “I’ve always had a fascination with memories…I remember going to visit my father, who had Alzheimer’s, in the hospital and bringing with me an old family scrapbook. I showed him the family pictures, and I remember him asking me who my sister was…It was astounding that he had forgotten his child who had died, but I drove home that day contemplating memories and decided I wanted to write a book about memory.”

Lowry herself mentioned sad memories in her own life, and she admitted that while she did not write her famous

series thinking of her dead son or sister, there was most likely a subconscious part of her that gave her the fuel to write The Giver While Venus Williams brought a lesson on perseverance to our School, Lowry reminded us of the importance of our past and how we can use it to grow and accomplish things or to recover and bring back to life a lost story in the back of our minds.

Lois Lowry had a major impact on everyone whom she met, even those who had not read her books. Despite stating that she had no idea what she wanted her legacy to be, she left something with the students of Chatham Hall. She had the creativity and will power to turn her childhood memories into a story, and to turn that story into a book. A book that has influenced many people to pursue their dreams of writing. In her books, Ms. Lowry raises topics such as religious persecution, dystopia, and euthanasia. Despite having received much criticism—and even anger bordering on hatred—about her choice of topics, she continues writing, because writing is her passion. She inspired the students of Chatham Hall to be creative and passionate. She inspired us to push the boundaries of society. She inspired us to be daring. That is her legacy.

URBAN KNITTING (yarn bombing, yarnstorming, guerrilla knitting, or graffiti knitting) is a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted yarn or fibre rather than paint or chalk.

known for its extensive charity knitting and crocheting, has recently expanded its efforts to include Urban Knitting around well-known parts of the campus. Stitch in the Niche members have spent a total of 654 hours this year knitting chemo hats and lap afghans for cancer patients at the Alan B. Pearson Regional Cancer Center in Lynchburg, baby hats and lap afghans for Lynchburg General Hospital, hundreds of squares for Warm-up America, and hats for people in Cuba.

Lowry reminded us of the importance of our past and how we can use it to grow and accomplish things or to recover and bring back to life a lost story in the back of our minds.

Lee Library

Over the course of the academic year, Lee Library has begun its transition into a technology oriented, collaboration friendly, 21st century learning space. Students have embraced the project, testing sample furniture, studying renderings of the space, and offering feedback on likes and dislikes. Renovations to the space will begin following Commencement.

As seen inLee Library

wordy nails

Dr. Fountain’s English I preparing for iBooks Author poetry projects

Dr. Fountain, Mrs. Fountain, and Trustee Lisa Rosenberger Moore ’59 check out carpet samples for the renovated space

Ms. Couch’s English Class collaborating on group psychology ghost stories via iPad screen station

Mr. Barhardt’s Creative Writing, Poetry, and Songwriting meetings

Our Librarian, Carolyn Stenzel, has been appointed Chair of the Virginia Association of School Librarians Executive Board Committee on Independent Schools. She will work with other independent school librarians in Virginia to develop strong library programs across the state.

This is a DIY project from Student Library Assistant Robin

Emmons ’14

Step one, cut out a page of a discarded book to make it fit your cuticle. It is better to cut off a little extra than for the piece to be too large. The piece can be too long and you can trim it later.

Next, apply a clear coat to your fingernails. Let dry. Apply another coat and press the worded paper on your nail.

Cut the paper to fit the top of your nail. Now, press down on the paper making sure it fits the curve of your nail. Let dry. Continue to make sure the paper conforms to your nail.

Lastly, cover in a very thick top coat of clear to protect the words. I also suggest putting the top coat under around the tips of your nail, without getting it on your nail bed, to try and make the paper stay longer. The less stiff the paper, the better.

The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate

Robert D. Kaplan Random House 2012

As a geography teacher, I am always pleased to see the subject mentioned positively in reviews of books and recommended reading lists. When the author of a book dealing with geography is also highly regarded in both journalistic and diplomatic circles, as is Robert Kaplan, my excitement is palpable!

The first half of The Revenge of Geography largely reviews the often-overlooked theories of geopolitics associated with the 19th and 20th centuries. Ideas about strategic locations, sea power and deep harbors, industrial resources, and territorial control of seacoasts abound. Kaplan quite rightly assumes that most readers will not be familiar with these ways of thinking, and so explains ideas in a fairly step-by-step fashion. The reading is easy to follow and useful in today’s conflicted world.

The second half of the book examines America’s role in current geopolitical issues involving primarily Russia, China, India, and Iran. Since Kaplan is critical of past and present U.S. policies and actions, and since he projects his geopolitical reasoning into the future, this part of the book is far more provocative

Ms Davis’ AP Bio working with data bases to research social and ethical scientific issues and current events

We donated approximately 2000 books to the Pittsylvania County Public library and approximately 100 books to the Campbell County Public Library.

The Faculty Book Club meeting in the Tea Room to discuss

Students

Yolanda Mantilla ’15 and Katie Thomas ’15 work with alumnae and trustees at an iPad workshop during Reunion Weekend

Life on Mars

campus news

Tracy K.

Smith | Graywolf Press, 2011

WINNER OF THE 2012 PULITZER PRIZE FOR POETRY

Tracy K. Smith’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Life on Mars begins with an upward and outward gaze: “Is God being or pure force? The wind / Or what commands it?” (“The Weather in Space”). Placing the reader in her shoes, with her feet very much of this world and her mind exploring it and the universe beyond, Smith invites us to consider our time on earth, where we go after death, the beauty and wonder of that which we do not know, and the pain and horror of that which we do. An assistant professor in creative writing at Princeton University, and daughter of an engineer who for many years worked on the Hubbell space telescope, Smith divides Life on Mars into four sections. The first section could easily have been entitled “Pop Culture and Space.” Through its dozen poems, Smith interweaves references to 2001: A Space Odyssey (“My God, It’s Full of Stars!”) with an homage to David Bowie and his Space Oddity/Ziggy Stardust phase (“Don’t You Wonder, Sometimes?” and “Savior Machine”). She tops off these allusions with a tip of the hat to Charlton Heston’s incarnation as a lost astronaut in Planet of the Apes. Standout poems include “The Universe is a House Party,” in which we welcome “with indefatigable hospitality” alien beings from afar, and “It & Co.,” wherein the mysterious “It” (is “It” the universe? God? the meaning of life and death?) remains “like some novels:/ Vast and unreadable.” “My God, It’s Full of Stars!” is like a glorious message in a bottle cast into space (the Hubbell telescope itself?), floating, hoping to make contact with something or someone. At the poem’s conclusion, contact is made when the telescope transmits its photographs to earth; in those images, “We saw to the edge of all there is–/ So brutal and alive it seemed to comprehend us back.”

Smith pays tribute to her late father, Floyd William Smith, in the elegy that comprises all of Part Two. “The Speed of Belief” acknowledges the difficulty in letting those we love die, but the even greater difficulty of trying to continue life without them:

Part Three’s opening poem, “Life on Mars,” begins with the hypothesis that “dark matter is like the space between people / When what holds them together isn’t exactly love.” Smith pursues the visible darkness of humanity in the series of poems that follow–poems that feature families hurting each other, strangers killing each other (“They May Love All That He Has Chosen and Hate All That He Has Rejected”), and public apathy towards humanitarian or political crises (“Solstice”).

Life on Mars concludes with playful, humorous, and ultimately lovely concrete imagery from the everyday world: toddlers in an upstairs apartment disturbing the peace (“The Universe as Primal Scream”), a dog having a puppy dream (“Aubade”), and grass bending and standing in the wind (“Us and Co.”).

Smith’s collection is refreshing for a number of reasons. With their simple language and informal tone, her poems welcome rather than intimidate the reader. Moreover, her poems ask questions but do not insist upon answers; this seeking without necessarily finding makes the poet just like the rest of us who are trying to figure out “life, the universe and everything.” (Thank you, Langston Hughes and Douglas Adams.) Finally, her ability to make things work–to make an elegy to a beloved father fit in with the quest for understanding ourselves/others/outer space through references to technology, iconic films, and popular music–well, that is daring indeed and great fun. Anyone who can look up and see “Some thinhipped glittering Bowie-being” in the starry night-scape of New York City is okay by me.

–MARY EDMONDS, ENGLISH DEPARTMENT HEAD

We welcomed Tracy K. Smith to Chatham Hall April 11 as our 2012-2013 Writer in Residence. Students spent time in creative writing workshops with Ms. Smith, and later gathered to hear a reading from Life on Mars. Listen to Tracy K. Smith’s April 6th interview on NPR here: www.npr. org/2013/04/06/176337714/ does-poetry-still-matter-yesindeed-says-npr-newspoet

Avenue Q: School Edition, Winter Musical Victoria Betances ’13, Kilraine Pinyard ’15, Molly Penny ’14, and Yiran Wang ’14

I didn’t want to believe What we believe in those rooms: That we are blessed, letting go, Letting someone, anyone, Drag open the drapes and heave us Back into our blinding, bright lives.

Venus Williams Acing Life

In November,

Chatham Hall welcomed Venus Williams as its 2012-13 Polly Wheeler Guth ’44 Leader in Residence. Ms. Williams and her older sister, attorney Isha Price, spent two days with thrilled students, faculty members, and visitors to Chatham’s campus.

A renowned athlete and over six feet tall, Venus Williams could have easily been intimidating. She was actually the exact opposite—soft-spoken, polite, and remarkably approachable. Both sisters quickly adapted to Chatham Hall’s community. By the time Grace Li ’13 and I met with Ms. Williams for an interview—about five short hours after her arrival—she was already lounging comfortably in the Tea Room, eager to answer any of our questions.

For half an hour, Grace and I interviewed one of the most well-known women of our time. Occasionally, I had to pause and marvel at the fact that I was actually having a conversation with Venus Williams, a person who was a household name of my childhood, a person who had designed shoes I bought in the sixth grade. A legend was in front of me, but it seemed as if I were talking with a friend.

Ms. Williams was profound in her ideas of leadership and success. She spoke of how it is necessary to practice succeeding in life: “You literally do have to learn how to win.” And how did she obtain this vital practice? In part, she learned how to win by, well, losing. Twenty career titles and four

Dasia Moore ’14

Olympic gold medals do not come without a few letdowns along the way. When asked about the challenges in her career, particularly her 2012 season, Ms. Williams replied, “I fell a lot, more than I thought I would, but it was all about setting goals. […] There’s no genie coming to save you.”

Again and again she stressed the importance of discipline, determination, and dedication. These “3 D’s” were borrowed from one of Ms. Williams’ biggest inspirations…her younger sister, Serena. This is another remarkable aspect of Venus Williams’ character: she learns from everyone. Her parents, four sisters, and wellknown leaders are all guiding forces in her life. Chatham Hall students and faculty even managed to make the list. “To see young women with opportunities is encouraging,” commented Ms. Williams. She also expressed gratefulness for allowing her an opportunity to tap into different parts of herself while answering our questions. With all of her athletic accolades, it is easy to see why people often view Venus Williams simply as an accomplished tennis player. This, however, is a very limited view. She is also a designer and owns an athletic clothing line, EleVen, and an interior design company called V-Starr. In addition to her various careers, charity and activism are also important parts of Ms.

I had to pause and marvel at the fact that I was actually having a conversation with Venus Williams, a person who was a household name of my childhood, a person who had designed shoes I bought in the sixth grade. A legend was in front of me, but it seemed as if I was talking with a friend.

Williams’ life. Not to mention that she and her family are avid karaoke singers. With so many things on her plate, Venus Williams is highly qualified to answer one of the questions most prominent in Chatham Hall girls’ minds: How do you find balance in a busy life? Her advice is to choose work that you enjoy, so that you can look back and smile. Ms. Williams also stated the importance of drawing the line and taking a break, since balance is the re-energizing force that can keep you going through hectic days.

Does Venus Williams plan on resting anytime soon? Not at all. She and Serena are already looking forward to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. When she does settle down, Ms. Williams hopes to travel the world as a tourist and spend real downtime in cities she has rushed through during tournaments, especially Rome. She also wants to continue to design clothing and spend more time with her sisters and dog. Most important, she wants to help others. During her closing remarks, she asked the Chatham Hall community and 94 visitors this question, “If you haven’t helped others along the way, then what legacy have you left to the world?”

Long after Venus Williams’ departure on November 14, Chatham Hall was still invigorated by this personal and poignant Leader in Residence.

Ever since she was a very little girl, Elizabeth Hollerith ’15 and her father, The Rt. Rev. Herman “Holly” Hollerith, IV, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia, have been building Matoaka, a replica of an 1880’s steam launch. Holly began the design phase of the boat in 2000, and has been working on it bit by bit ever since. Elizabeth started out holding tools, and eventually progressed so that by age 12 she was using the brazing torch. Elizabeth’s intuitive mechanical sense allows her to help out when working on some complex aspect of the machinery.

Congratulations to Leslie-Claire Blossom ’15 for winning a commendation as a “Superior Delegation,” representing the United States of America at Appalachian State University’s High School Model UN Conference April 15.

Composed of eight students from the United States and China, Chatham Hall’s Robotics team defeated the other 27 teams at the regional FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) competition held at Norfolk State University this year. Chatham Hall also won the Judges Award, which recognized the team for its unique efforts and performance. The team started designing and building their robot, called Terrorpin, in September.

Thank you to Trish Blackwell ’01, Certified Personal Trainer, motivational speaker, and author, who spent time with students during our Wellness Weekend in March!

Check out Trish’s website at www.trishblackwell.com for resources on how to love the skin you’re in.

Occasionally,

Left to right: Victoria Bongard ’16, Lian Chen ’15, Torey-Bates Samuel ’16, and Leslie-Claire Blossom ’15

Sara Young ’15 and Ann Li ’15

Catie Lewis ’16, Alex Rains ’16, Gigi Byrd ’13, Amber Huggins ’16, Trish Blackwell ’01, Giovanni Paz ’16, Memi Pearsall ’15, Maddison Meeks ’15, and Lauren Weller ’15

Summer Programs

Chatham Hall’s commitment to intellectual growth and creativity extends beyond the classroom and the academic calendar. Each summer, resident faculty and staff offer a series of programs designed to educate and enrich campers’ experiences at Chatham Hall. Summer Programs are designed to introduce campers to the benefits of Chatham Hall including its facilities, technology, and exceptional teaching staff. This summer, Chatham Hall will see the return of the Summer Investigators Camp, and the Riding Camps. There will also be two new additions, Sustainability Camp and Ballet Dance Camp.

Summer Investigators Camp integrates the study of Biology, Chemistry, and Technology during the process of becoming crime scene investigators. With guest speakers including a CSI unit and a retired FBI investigator, this camp is full of hands-on experiments, problem solving activities, and opportunities for developing campers’ curiosity. Contact Dennis Oliver at doliver@chathamhall.org for more information.

Riding Camps have expanded this year to include a one week boys camp, following the one and two week girls camps. The Riding Camps are an extension of the experience Chatham Hall girls receive during the academic year. Campers ride twice a day, participate in un-mounted ground lessons, and celebrate their favorite animal with crafts and games designed to encourage connection and creativity. Contact James F. Morris at jmorris@ chathamhall.org for more information.

Sustainability Camp helps campers develop a basic understanding of the infrastructure that supports our modern lifestyle and exposes campers to gardening, methods of food production and distribution, electricity generation, and Virginia ecology. Experiential learning opportunities are offered through field trips to a local dairy, a sustainable beyond-organic farm, an urban farm, and a safari park. Contact Amy Davis at adavis@chathamhall.org for more information.

Introducing the Ballet Dance Camp this summer, Chatham Hall will give local dancers the opportunity to receive daily instruction in classical ballet movement. Dancers will participate in all aspects of planning for a performance including costume design, sets and lighting, music, and much more. Contact Brittany Jackson at bjackson@chathamhall.org for more information.

Chatham Hall is proud to announce that 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist Melanie Smith Taylor will be on campus for an intensive riding clinic June 6–9. Melanie is a recognized judge for hunter/jumpers, hunt seat equitation, and hunter breeding. She designs jumper courses and teaches clinics around the country. taylormadehorsemanship.com/melanie/

Instead of sending your table scraps to the landfill, where the food decomposes in trash, you can let your apple cores and coffee grounds mature into a rich compost, which then returns their nutrients back into the earth. To find out more about how to compost, go to howtocompost.org.

Congratulations to Ana-Christina Zentner ’16, Interscholastic Equestrian Association National Champion in the JV Novice Flat!

sports news fall & winter 2012–2013

Another exciting fall and winter Chatham Hall sports season

• The field hockey team fell in the semi-finals of the Blue Ridge Conference Tournament.

• The volleyball and basketball teams, under the direction of new head coach Katie Wood, both had solid seasons in terms of skill improvement and a new system of play.

• First year cross-country coach Hunter Barnhardt brought his talents as a successful collegiate runner to the team. A second place finish at the Danville Metro Championships and a solid showing at the Blue Ridge Conference championships led to eight runners competing in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association State meet held at Woodberry Forest School.

• The swim team picked up big wins against Martinsville High School and conference rival North Cross School to open the season. The Turtles finished fourth at the Blue Ridge Conference Championships.

• The Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) riding team grew to fifteen members this year.

RIDING

Only in the second year of competition, the Chatham Hall Interscholastic Equestrian Team experienced great success during the show season. Coached by Director of Riding James F. Morris and Assistant Director Samantha Fleming, the team won numerous championships and qualified both team and individual riders for regional competition. Four individual riders qualified for Zone Finals, hosted by Chatham Hall in March in the Mars Arena.

Ana-Christina Zentner ’16 qualified to compete at the National competition in Syracuse, New York in April.

The Chatham Hall team and the following individuals competed at the Zone 3, Region 4 Finals in Natural Bridge, Virginia:

Varsity Open Fences Lois Anne Daughtridge ’13

Varsity Open Flat Lois Anne Daughtridge ’13 and Kendall Woodlief ’14

Varsity Intermediate Fences Molly Baskin ’14

Varsity Intermediate Flat Maren Sherrill ’13

JV Novices Fences Jane Hawthorne ’16, Memi Pearsall ’15, Drew Sherrill ’14, Mary Madison Laffitte ’14, Ana-Christina Zentner ’16

FIELD HOCKEY

Carol van Doren ’15 Sasha Seliverstova ’13, and Anne Meuche ’15 were named to the Blue Ridge Conference Field Hockey All-Conference Team.

Anne Meuche ’15 and Stryker-Ann Vosteen ’14 were named to the BRC All-Tournament Field Hockey Team.

Senior field hockey players Kendahl Walz ’13 Sasha Seliverstova ’13, and Meg Roth ’13 were named to the 2012 Gladiator by SGI/NFHCA High School National Academic Squad for their outstanding commitment to academics in the classroom and their performance on the athletic field.

Madison McAdams ’14 competed at the National Field Hockey Festival in West Palm Beach, Florida and the National Indoor Field Hockey qualifier in Lexington, Kentucky. Madison also played with her hometown field hockey club Texas Pride, out of Houston, Texas.

BASKETBALL

Gigi Byrd ’13 was named to the BRC Basketball 2nd Team All-Conference.

JV Novices Flat Ana-Christina Zentner ’16, Drew Sherrill ’14, Memi Pearsall ’15, Mary Madison Laffitte ’14, Jane Hawthorne ’16

JV Beginner WTC Emily Simanskis ’15, Tabea Fahr ’15

The following Individuals qualified and competed at Zone 3 Finals hosted by Chatham Hall:

Over Fences Competition Lois Anne Daughtridge ’13

Novice Flat Jane Hawthorne ’16

Novice Flat Ana-Christina Zentner ’16

JV Beginner WTC Tabea Fahr ’15

Ask any student what the most popular young adult book of 2012 was, and you’ll likely get the same answer: The Fault in Our Stars. It is not only the most frequently checked out item from Lee Library, surpassing even our very popular DVDs, but was the New York Times #1 Bestselling Children’s Chapter Book for seven consecutive weeks after its release. Why do people love this book so much? It speaks to teens respectfully. Rather than dumbing down content, vocabulary, and themes, it endeavors to make meaning out of the crazy, tragic world in which many teens find themselves. Focusing on the growing relationship between two terminally ill teenagers, The Fault in Our Stars poses questions about purpose, the importance of memory, and the dynamic and complex connections between people. If you have ever wondered what young adult literature is all about, The Fault in Our Stars is a great place to start!

– CAROLYN STENZEL

Follow Chatham Hall riding and athletics on Twitter @RideChathamHall and @TurtleAthletics for all the latest updates

Chatham Hall received the Pioneer Athletics 2012 Field of Excellence Award for the hard work and dedication that goes into the upkeep of exceptional playing fields.

Thanks to Ruth Frick Cox ’37 for sending in this riding ribbon she found tucked away in her desk. A great addition to our archives!

VOLLEYBALL

Kilraine Pinyard ’15 collected BRC Volleyball All-Conference Honorable Mention.

The Fault in Our Stars John Green Penguin 2012

Check page 25 to see how Ana-Christina did at Nationals!

Reunion 2013 May

Catherine McCormick, Dee Guillory, Stacey Goodwin, Sonya Cummings Penny

5th, Class of 2008

Row 1: Lauren Tipton, Zoe Bennett

Row 2: Kate Thomas, Maggie Oakes, Ellen Cartmell, Lea Lane

10th, Class of 2003

Row 1: Lydia Beresford, Mary Giddings Dunlap, Sybil Cole Young

Row 2: Whitney Worthington Jones Allen, Averil Liebendorfer, Martha Loftin, Nan Lewis

Row 3: Mary Katherine Evans Rordam, Mary Elizabeth Wilkes, Sarah Arnn Parrish, Nan Futrell Liles, Jennifer Hinson, Quette Page Gilbert

15th, Class of 1998

Row 1: Lori Palmore Heath, Liz Hutchinson, Rose Ward Kreger, Kerry O’Neill Irwin

Row 2: Jennifer Jackson Moulton, Monekia Brown Sheppard, Dede Mante Pearson

25th, Class of 1988

Tiffany Moore Duerr and Anne Prouty List

50th, Class of 1963

Row 1: Joan Gunter McCauley, Hallam Hurt, Mary Michael, Susan Overbey Funderburk, Jean Armfield Sherrill

Row 2: Elizabeth Muhlfeld Ingram, Judy Carter, Dicke Tredway Sloop, Jonye Green Briggs, Susan Beekman Clough, Jane Everhart Murray, Cille Pilling

Row 3: Helen Gregory Wise, Gini Willson Welch, Amabel Barrows Allen

60th, Class of 1953

Susan Elder Martin, Lucy McClellan Barrett, Margot Bell Woodwell, Judy Ruffin Anderson, Barkie Billings Supplee, Mary Catherine Sours Plaster, and Didi Silliman Stockly

Tish Berlin, Grace Houghton Myers, Lala Harrison, Hunter Estes Barrat

45th,

Row 1: Lucy Williams Maish, Trina Robinson Secor, Glad Schaff Markunas, Kathi Carter Jacobs

Row 2: Muffy Dent Stuart, Kathy Reynolds Chandler, Terry Overbey Stafford

20th, Class of 1993

Row 1: Rachel Vice Parrott, Sarah Jenks, Susanna Hollingsworth Barnwell, Mary-Stuart Day

Row 2: Gen Loftus Helms, Emily Blair Harvey, Joanna Edgell, Nelson Ervin Holland

Row 3: Elizabeth Talmadge, Kerrington Ramsey Molhoek, Anna Robinson, Andrea Cannon Little

40th, Class of 1973

Row 1: Linda Morgan Stowe, Margaret Sugino, Kerry Cogburn Tietjen, Kristin Caldwell Schad, Virginia Cates Bowie

Row 2: Frannie Wallace Robertson, Martha Stevens Brown, Jane Garnett, Jake Darby, Elizabeth Hairston Steere, Ellie Wotherspoon

Row 3: Elizabeth Kirk Unger, Isabelle Selby

55th, Class of 1958

Row 1: Molly Buck, Floy Schroeder Ervin, Wissie Thompson, Margaret Horner Walker, Anna Lineberger Stanley Row 2: Gray Baird, Leila McConnell Daw, Ellie Silliman Maroney

65th, Class of 1948

Doris Beasley Martin

30th, Class of 1983

35th, Class of 1978

Class of 1968

class notes

please touch

Nancy Hilliard Joyce ’91

Asheville, North Carolina

My TacTiles are completely customizable, movable, hand-painted, wooden blocks with embedded magnets attached to a steel plate. They can be manipulated so you become the artist. TacTiles came out of a feeling of wanting people to touch my art, and wanting to give back. Both my grandmothers passed away in hospice care, and when I would go and visit them, I felt so helpless and useless. I’ve always had an affinity for the elderly, so I thought, “How can I bring happiness to them.” Really people only care about family at that point. They just want to see family and be loved. But there is that generational gap between grandparents and younger family members and visitors. And so I thought, “well how can they interact together?” That was when the TacTile was created… trying to bridge the gap between generations.

I am in the process of partnering with several assisted living homes on something I call, “ Project Touch Generations.” I donated a few TacTiles to a couple assisted living homes, and then they started getting purchased by other homes. One home uses them in their physical therapy room. They have them hung on the wall, and men and women have to use their muscles to push up to work with the puzzle and then they pull back down. I thought that was a brilliant idea! That same place uses the tic-tac-toe version in their community auditorium. Children come in to visit and the TacTiles give them something to do with the elderly. It is an icebreaker, and allows them to relate more easily. The idea is to bring awareness back to those who raised us and have forged the way and paths before us within our own family trees.

What am I trying to communicate with my art? I have a collection of paintings called Celebration of the Weed. These paintings are about the unwanted… the misunderstood. If you learn and read about dandelions, which I have since I’ve started doing these paintings, you’ll learn that they have medicinal effects. They do so much for us, and people disregard them because they are not annuals that we’ve actually put into our yard. I’ve always been kind of an outsider, whether I wanted to be or not. So, I do think of myself as a weed. If you look at these flowers, and you take enough time, which is why I’ve done them microscopically, in a Dr. Seuss kind of way, they are actually unassumingly fascinating. I recently did a huge installation in Greenville, South Carolina. It’s 12 feet by 6 feet, and it’s a triptych. I have always had a fascination with people looking at art. I sometimes will go into galleries and museums, and I prefer to watch the people watching art, rather than looking at the art itself. I do this because I love the subjectivity of people’s opinions. One person can come in and say, “I just love that, it’s fabulous,” and the next person who comes in, or the husband, will either disregard it, think nothing of it, not be interested in it, and then find a different piece that is completely different and say, “no, that is good art.” So I did this big painting in Greenville, and it is basically a study of the subjectivity and sociological study of art. It’s a painting within a painting. It is now in the

lobby of, ONE, one of the biggest mixed-use hub buildings in South Carolina.

The first time I realized that creating was something I had to do was around the age of twelve. My parents had just had my little sister. They were busy taking care of the new baby, and so I had to kind of do my own thing. I found this Benetton ad of this gorgeous African American girl that I was just intrigued with, and I basically sat for eight hours straight and drew this picture of the girl. Sometimes now, I paint deep into the night because I have children. At least two or three nights a week, after the kids go to bed, I go to my basement and I

paint there until very late. When I work at night, I’ll usually have four or five canvases out at once. They could be related or totally unrelated, but I have very little patience for waiting for paint to dry, and sometimes you have to let paint dry so you can go back over it, so I have multiple canvases out so I can keep the move on.

This has been a passion that I can’t ignore. From that day with the Benetton ad, I was pretty dead set on the fact that I was an artist, but my parents were pretty dead set on me actually doing else. They couldn’t be happier that I am proving them wrong, but it took me a while, and I had to go a circuitous route to get there.

Visit Nancy at her studio in the Mill Gallery in the Cottonmill Studios in Asheville’s River Arts District

Visit Nancy’s website at www.nancyjoycegallery.com

To see TacTiles at play go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgfTRcQvwoU

I have always had a fascination with people looking at art. I sometimes will go into galleries and museums, and I prefer to watch the people watching art, rather than looking at the art itself

And so I thought, “well how can they interact together?” So that was when the TacTile was created… trying to bridge the gap between generations.

keeps me busy indoors and out, and my family lives nearby, so I’ve been very lucky. Greetings to everybody in the great Class of 1946.

47Carol

39Barbara Mallory Hathaway Would love to hear from classmates!

Mary Speer Marr October 2012—Just had lunch with my neighbor and Chatham Hall roommate Bunny Mallory Hathaway ’39. We both are very fortunate health wise—so far!

41Edith Gwathmey Grassi

I love keeping up with Cookie Robinson Greene ’41 and her daughter, Nellie Greene ’70 I now have two great grandchildren, how can I be so old?!

Harriett Sayre Noyes 1941 alumna alive and well.

class of ’43

45Kathryn Reed Smith Our grandson graduated Summa Cum Laude from Williams College in 2011. Our granddaughter made us great grandparents in February 2012— a darling baby girl.

46Eleanor Owens Earle I am able to see a lot of my Chatham roommate, Arvia Crosby Morris ’46, who is near me in Rhode Island where her son, Spencer (also my godson), lives. The snow does not interfere because she is only 15 minutes from my daughter Caroline’s house, where I am visiting her and her family this winter. I shall spend at least a weekend, maybe longer, with my sister, Louanna Owens Carlin ’55, in Brooklyn. Fondest regards to my classmates.

Joan Miller Tait I retired from the Housatonic Valley Association at the end of 2011, after 29 years with them. I miss the work but not the 50 mile round-trip to Cornwall Bridge from Bridgewater! My old (1853) salt box

Babcock Davenport ’47

2013 finds the classmates with whom I’ve spoken doing well and leading productive and pleasant lives. I look forward to hearing from others whom I did not reach. Eleanore Walton Bequaert ’47 today is a writer, active at the Duke University Chapel, and in good health. Annette Shelden Dykema ’47 volunteers at a therapeutic equestrian facility for disabled individuals in Brattleboro, Vermont. She is planning to find a second home in the Boston area. Joan Kurtz Ferguson ’47 volunteers at the hospital in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In the Philadelphia area, Gainor Ingersoll Miller ’47 is involved in many activities at the retirement community where she lives. I learned that Cecily Hogg Morrow ’47 is still teaching figure skating, has two great-grandchildren, and a daughter who lives in Bradenton, Florida near where I live. Cecily and I plan to get together some time soon here in Florida. Annapolis, which she loves, is still home for Cordy Ruffin Richards ’47 She sings in a choral group and she and I are planning a trip to the Dalmation Coast next Summer. Esther Coke ’47 particularly enjoys her volunteer work at the New England Historic Genealogical Society on Newbury Street in Boston, where her focus is on special collections projects. In Washington, Connecticut, Adelaide Comstock Roberts ’47 is busy with gardening and other volunteer activities. Beverly Brady Roche ’47 is recovering from a back injury. Her two children live near her on Long Island and a granddaughter lives in a cottage on her property and keeps her company. Another granddaughter is a competitive sailor. Beverly has retired from the real estate business. I learned Hester Fogg Saxon ’47 has three children, one in Atlanta and one in the Denver area. Her son excels in tennis at Special Olympics competitions around our country.

In Covena, California, Mervyn Adams Seldon ’47 is still painting and is now the Gallery Director at a new cooperative gallery in Pomona, California,

which showcases paintings by a group of artists. Nancy Evans Gruner ’47 and her husband, Harry, have moved to a retirement community in Verona, Pennsylvania, where they are enjoying a whole new lifestyle. I am still singing and enjoying the cultural life of Sarasota, Florida, and my friends in the community and in the retirement community where I live. In my local paper on January 20, 2013 there was an article stating that Chatham, Virginia, sits on one of the largest lodes of Uranium in the USA. Do you think that the radiation that we must have received in 1947 has resulted in the longevity and productivity of the Class of 1947?

Marjorie Flory I recently moved to a retirement community in Vermont, where I plan to spend just over half of each year, keeping my New York apartment for the winter months. This is a beautiful place, and at least one other Chatham alumna lives here: Laurie Valentine ’49 My new address in Vermont: 4108 Wake Robin Drive, Shelburne, VT 05482, telephone: 802-985-0077.

48

Trygve Norstrand Cooley

We are moving into Moorings Park, a retirement community here in Naples, in May, and are looking forward to it.

Margaret Ryburn Topping Life is good and very busy with this active Asbury retirement community I am in, and keeping up with our extended family (now 28) that is all over the place! Very different as a widow after 60 years of marriage, but then life is full of challenges. I have really enjoyed helping to be a class agent as have had some contact with so many of our class and other old Chatham friends! Besides talking to Harriet Simons Williams ’48 once in a while, I also see Joan Lewis Jewett ’48 and her husband occasionally who live here in DC. She is about to have a hip operation which hopefully will be well behind her by the time this Chat comes out. Also had a wonderful visit with Kay Kidde ’48 in September on Long Island. She is still publishing short stories and articles

and very busy with her non-profit for women. Dee Dee Lineberger McKay ’48 and her husband Peter have moved to a new home in a retirement community in the Charlotte area which as many of us already know, is a HUGE downsizing effort! Ann Ward Morgan ’48 and her husband are spending more and more time in North Carolina where two of their daughters live, and one of the nicest surprises was on my last visit to Vero Beach (where I grew up) to find Ginny Plews Robey ’48 who is living there to be near one of her daughters and her family. I am impressed with how active those of us that have been blessed with longer longevity still are! Hope to follow up this year with many others of you that I have heard from and hopefully will have seen some of you at our reunion! Our 65th!! Can you believe it?!!

49Elisabeth McGinty Laigle

I graduated from Chatham in 1949. I went to Rice University (then Rice Institute) in Houston (an old family tradition) and met George Laigle, a Junior mechanical engineering student, during my first few months. You might say it was love at first sight, as we became a couple before the year was over. We have just celebrated our 60 years of marriage, and are still enjoying the wonderful life we have shared for so many decades. We have four children (now middle aged), two boys and two girls, and five grandchildren, ages from 23 to 10. We have always lived in Houston, where both of us were born, and have lived at our present address for 46 years. We have lots of extended family close by, including my three brothers and their families, and our home is still the main family gathering place. George and I have traveled to many parts of the world, many trips with our whole immediate family of 14. We are signed for another trip to Alaska this summer with a Rice Alumni

group. Through the years, I have kept in touch with several of my best Chatham friends and roommates, who all live in the Northeast, and enjoy the Chatham alumnae gatherings in Houston from time to time. Our health is good for our age, and we hope to continue to enjoy the good life in the years to come. My life at Chatham Hall will always be one of my treasured memories.

Eda Williams Martin Since retiring, have particularly enjoyed the many cultural events in this area—opera, local theatre groups, the Virginia Symphony and Williamsburg Symphonia, and art galleries. Living in a college town with Colonial Williamsburg in the middle is ideal! Am proud of Chatham for inviting Gloria Steinem and Venus Williams as Leaders in Residence there.

51Ann Cochran McCandless Denny and I are doing fine in our condo in Clayton. Our children are fine, our dog is fine. I play bridge and am president of a foundation which gives money to organizations that contribute to the health and welfare of senior citizens. We still have a garden and only travel “a little” bit now, not as much as we used to.

Sarah Shartle Meacham The siren call of a retirement community beckons. I will be a good soldier when a place opens up for me and march right in.

Jeanne Gundry Rand I am still living on the North Shore of Oahu. My house is almost as near to the water as you can get without actually being in it. A visit from Gary Fountain was one of the best things that happened to me last year. How lucky Chatham Hall and Chatham girls are to have him as Head Master!! I am grateful for the education that I received at Chatham Hall. I attempt to pass some of it on. It is not always received with gratitude. Aloha to all. P.S. Remember to laugh!!!!

Kent Brain Rogers We had two wonderful trips this year—one to the Balkans, a beautiful part of the world, with a group of friends and another to the U.S. Northwest that brought our entire

family—all seventeen of us from ages 8 to 82 together, particularly enjoyable since our kids did all the planning. But, perhaps most exciting was to see our thirteen-year-old grandson, Tajin Rogers, win the National History Bowl on a two hour television program that had 32 middle school students from all over the country competing. He represented Virginia and West Virginia.

Christina Sawtelle Teale Chathamites abound in Maine, and it was good to see so many of them at Wissie Thompson’s ’58 lovely lunch in Kennebunkport in August. Daughter Sarah was recently up for an Emmy—she was co-producer for an HBO documentary “The Weight of the Nation,” about obesity in America.

52 Ann Kirkpatrick Runnette

We are living half the year in a retirement community on Hilton Head called CYPRESS and like it very much. The summers are spent at our house in Dorset Vermont. We are both well, and I am taking the family to the Greenbrier for John’s 80th birthday.

53Olivia Hutchins Dunn Hi!

This is to let you know the BIG news from the Dunn family. Son John’s book Loopers, which is being published by Random House, will be coming out in May. His first, and hopefully a best seller...at least among the golfers. It’s all about his “life” as a caddy and a writer. Other news is that my house in Fairfield, Connecticut will be put on the market as I write this...just in case anyone might be interested????? I look forward to being with a whole lot of you, my dear friends and classmates, for our....WOW... 60th... can you believe THAT? Let’s make it the largest reunion ever!

Winston Case Wright ’53

I will not be there in the spring for our 60th Reunion, but I send my love to all who attend.

54

Duke and I went to Martinque in the winter and to Budapest, Paris, and Brittany in the summer. Seven

Caroline Ramsay Merriam

Bunny Mallory Hathaway ’39 and Mary Speer Marr ’39, both 91 years of age, enjoying a New Year’s Eve party at a friend’s house

Elisabeth McGinty Laigle ’49 and husband George Laigle at their 60th Anniversary celebration on August 30, 2012

Look for the Esto Perpetua lantern icon to see which classes celebrated Reunion in May 2013

grandchildren are doing well. Three great grandchildren, one born in June. Now Duke is having chemotherapy for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Caroline Young Moore Still travelling a great deal—Panama Canal in January and Norway and England in June. Family is well. All here for Christmas in Aspen, Colorado. John, at 78, is still ski teaching!

55Susan Embree Parker Retired at last from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, but finding more to do than I dreamed of. Including “organizing trips for friends” as my late husband Fred used to do! Cheers!

56Jacqueline Cannon Brown In August of 2012, my daughter Amanda married Matthew John Love in Cleveland, Ohio.

Josephine Noel Dietz Our family had a big celebration in the Smoky Mountains right after Christmas for my 75th. All eight grandchildren from ages 7 to 20 were there. Hard to believe the class of ’56 is that old!

Sue Wolf Moore These days my “3R’s” are reading, riding, and ranching, but I maintain a keen interest in events at Chatham Hall.

57Ann Staples Waldron In March this year I am heading to Turkey. Stay on the go is my motto!

58Leila McConnell Daw I had a solo show of my work January 31 that ran through March 14 at SUNY Suffolk County Gallery West—Captree Commons. Also, a show I co-curated and also participated in, Are We Where Yet?, opened February 7 and ran through March at A.I.R. Gallery in Brooklyn. Are We Where Yet? was an exhibition that explored sense of place while mapping passages and connections to culture

Cynthia Blair Miller ’57

I moved to Greenville, South Carolina in 1977. I have been a professional photographer here ever since. I am lucky to still be working at what I love, aerial photography from a helicopter (with no door, hence no distortion), and we flew two weeks ago. I enclosed pictures of the “crew”: the pilot, Scott, the fight attendant, Michele (my daughter), and me, the photographer. Fun to fly with my girl! I have five grown children, all spread out, and six grandchildren. Everyone is in good health, which is our greatest gift. Isabelle DuCharme Child ’37 is doing very well as you can see from the photo, and we are together almost every week. We have such fun “riding” after lunch. I hope to take her up in the helicopter this spring. She has been a dear friend for over 30 years and has a big birthday coming up!

and community. I presented work at the College Art Association Annual Meetings In the Hilton Hotel in New York on February 15. And maybe best, I won a sailing charter in the British Virgin Island in March, and will take a week off with Nigel (husband), one son, and two grandkids to do that! Whee! We love sailing.

Wissie Thompson Have just returned from a lovely stay in Vero Beach, Florida with Lee Porter Page ’59. While there, I had a wonderful time seeing several others: Lala Mapes Maresi ’59 Betsy Baldwin Montague ’59, and Peggotty Worthington Gilson ’59 I missed not seeing Janie Huntley

Webster ’57 this year. Actually, it has been a banner year for me for seeing old Chatham friends. I see Ellie Silliman Maroney ’58 as often as possible either at an Orchestra concert in Philadelphia, in Wilmington, or up here in Berwyn. And last summer in Kennebunkport, I also saw Floy Schroeder Ervin ’58, Molly Buck ’58, Sally Saltonstall Willis ’58, Carroll Taylor Clark ’58, Eve Moses Thorson ’58, Carolyn Malone Bonier ’58, and Kate Hodges Champa ’58 plus so many other wonderful alumnae who also came to our gathering. I stayed with Tootie Greene ’57 last October in Warrenton, Virginia and spent some time with Ashby Cothran as well. 2012 was also amazing year for me as I was able to travel a great deal. In the spring, I went to Britain and then to Florence, where I lived for most of the 1960s. I go there every chance I get. In late spring, I also went on a trip to five Baltic ports:

Helsinki, Stockholm, Riga, Tallinn, and several wonderful days in St. Petersburg. Glad that I had had a chance to read Massie’s Catherine the Great beforehand and have started his book on Peter. It is quite wonderful at this age to be exposed to new places, people, and cultures. After the Baltic, we flew to Oslo, on to Bergen, and from there took the mail boat up the western coast of Norway to Kirkenes and to the North Cape. In 2013, I have been back to both Britain and Florence. This seems to be my window between retirement and incapacity, so guess that I am trying to do what I can while I can! I can’t wait to see as many of you as can make it to our 55th in May! Incredible that it has already been five years since our sublime 50th!

Peggotty Worthington Gilson ’59 was featured in an article, It’s Never Too Late to Dream in the Summer 2012 issue of Vero Beach Magazine. It begins like this: Peggotty Worthington Gilson, a resident of Windsor, evolved into an architect by a long and circuitous route. Her mother’s brother, John M. Johansen, was a member of the Harvard Five, a famous group of architects who studied under Walter Gropius at Harvard and designed modern houses in New Canaan, Conn., in the 1950s. After her family moved to New Canaan, 9-year-old Peggotty bonded with her Uncle John who became her mentor, friend and inspiration. On her way home from school she would stop by his office. She was enchanted by architectural forms and created three-dimensional sections of horse stalls and aerial perspectives of farms. “I was born to look down on things,” Peggotty says. “I drew a picture of a chair in perfect perspective when I was 2 years old.” To read the rest of the article, search for the Summer 2012 issue of Vero Beach Magazine here https:// www.verobeachmagazine.com/Vero-Beach-Magazine/Store/

59Belinda

Brackenridge Still selling New York City real estate. I have been with Douglas Elliman company for over 20 years! Keep in touch with many friends from ’59. Facebook as well as direct contact. It is really wonderful to keep our ties from ages ago.

Margaret Cushing 2012 was my year to travel to Italy, Croatia, Morocco, Paris, and Corsica. I also launched a website, www.margotcushingtravel.com.

Claire McIlvain I have just retired last fall to enjoy gardening, making jewelry to sell, volunteering, and enjoying friends. I see a lot of Frances Johnson Lee-Vandell ’60 and Gray Baird ’58.

Lee Porter Page I look forward to a visit from Wissie Thompson ’58 this winter in Vero Beach, Florida, and a get-together with several other members of the class of 1959 including Peggotty Worthington Gilson ’59, Lala Mapes Maresi ’59, and Betsy Baldwin Montague ’59

60Mary Duncan Bicknell John and I are doing fine. He has been sick for a while with a difficult cancer, but has many good times with croquet, golf, and bridge. We are enjoying living in two places—Houston and Sapphire, North Carolina. We are fortunate that our sons, John and Doug, have wonderful wives and children. We get to see them a lot which is wonderful. I would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy 2013.

Margot Steenland Cater I am blessed with good health as are all my family. We have two grandchildren living near us in Houston, Texas. We have traveled a lot since my husband’s retirement in 2000. I play duplicate bridge and have administered an outreach ministry (with two other volunteers) to give emergency assistance to Houston’s working poor in times of crisis. Life is good!

Simone Crockett visited Austin, Texas and saw Lisa Wolcott Morehead ’60

Audrey Sawtelle Delafield Went to a lovely luncheon hosted by Wissie

Thompson ’58 Sally Saltonstall Willis ’58, and Floy Schroeder Ervin ’58 in Kennebunkport in August 2012. Great fun and so lovely to see so many faces from years ago.

Susan Huntington Fisher Just finished a five year stint as a Flag Officer at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club. Two years of that was as Commodore, which basically means the head of a six million dollar business and house mother to 550 members and employees. As the first woman, I had some gender related challenges as well as what goes with the territory of a “not-for-profit.” Came to see my role as a steward of the values of the Club, allowing for the unfolding of everyone’s ideas, discerning and implementing the good ones. Now, as it all stopped dead when my term was up, I’m taking stock and wondering what’s next, “nothing” being a good answer as well. Off to ski this season and enjoy family and friends, as well as take care of stuff that has been neglected for five years. Daily meditation and spiritual studies continue to be helpful and happifying.

Cynthia “Chilla” Blair Miller ’57 and daughter Michele with their pilot friend, Scott

Photo by Chilla Blair Miller ’57

A photo of Isabelle DuCharme Child ’37 taken by her dear friend, Chilla Blair Miller ’57

Work by Leila Daw ’58 in an exhibition in Brooklyn called Are We Where Yet?

Ann Staples Waldron ’57 in a Moroccan caftan standing in front of her Southwest Harbor house in 2012

Peggotty Worthington Gilson ’59, photo by Denise Ritchie

Lucy Wise Iliff ’60 and family

Susan Dwelle Baxter ’60 and family at baby William’s baptism at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Margaret Lloyd Keuler I celebrated my 70th birthday by taking children, spouses, and grandchildren to the Yucatan Peninsula. We stayed in a villa in Akumal where we could snorkle around a reef and also with sea turtles. We drove to several ruins and the Sian Ka’an Biosphere. We had a terrific family time.

Marjorie Canby Lallemand and husband, Pierre, spent a month in China for his work. Also went to the south of France in fall with the children and grandchildren.

Frances Johnson Lee-Vandell Spent

two weeks in February doing Hurricane Sandy easework in New York City for the Red Cross.

Eliza Wolcott Morehead travels a lot, like to Japan in fall 2012 to see children and grandchildren.

Katharine Watson Just this fall, I have joined the Board of Trustees of the Maine College of Art, a wonderful institution which will be taking up most of my volunteer time and my resources. This opportunity leads me into a new world of art, of contemporary creativity and young artists, and wise discussion of the role of art in our lives. So far, I am thrilled with this and hope to be of real help to the College.

62 Eugenia Richardson Nash

I loved being at my 50th reunion last May. I wasn’t sure I would come since I was still undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer. I’m so glad I made it. We all re-connected and had such fun seeing each other.

Rose Bryant Woodard After twenty plus years of teaching in two different elementary schools, I’m enjoying retirement

in our new very old house in Hingham, Massachusetts. Latest on-going project: finding new ways to conserve energy, resources and take care of our “fragile earth our island home.” I’m in better shape than ever—staying out of the car!

Highlight of 2012: my 50th reunion at Chatham Hall! Thank you so much.

50th Reunion

63Jane Webb Crawford

Looking forward to our big reunion in May! 50 years! Who knew?

Gini Willson Welch Looking forward to our 50th Reunion at Chatham. We shuttle back and forth between Stonington, Connecticut and Dennis, on Cape Cod, but in February, we head to Rincon, Puerto Rico for two blissful months of walking on the beach and watching the sun set over cocktails on the deck of the condo. Retirement is deliciously dull.

64Buffington Clay Miller George and I are now back living in San Francisco, where our two sons live as well. Our son Buck works at Google, his wife Christine works at Twitter, and our son Joe is a mobile game developer. George and I keep very busy in retirement. We ski at Squaw Valley all winter and play golf and tennis in Sonoma all summer. This fall we went scuba diving in the Maldives and this spring we will go diving in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Our wine, Emeritus Pinot Noir, is the third most popular pinot noir in the U.S.

65Susan Farwell Houston Life here in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont continues to zip along. We still maintain our farm, yet find time to hike, ski, rock climb, and ice climb. With global warming the seven month winter is now only six months. Come visit!

the ESU student I probably wasn’t part of regular Alumnae. Once the Alumnae web site was started, something triggered a communication to my UK address... it seems I was a lost member! So I became “a Found Member!” and as a consequence, planned to return to Chatham in 2008 for our 40th reunion. I live in Australia, so...to me, this meant: catching up with Candy in person finding and getting back in touch with Mary Stone Smith ’68 visiting others of my extended US family who I haven’t seen in person for 40+ years, etc. Sadly, in Jan 2007, Candy died following a 5-year battle with Pancreatic Cancer. Since Graduation, Candy’s family (all four generations) and mine have become inter-twined. I won’t go

Lucy Williams Maish ’68

into all the details except to say that I credit Nancy Heyward ’62 (Candy’s older sister) with saving my mother’s life when she had bowel cancer and I couldn’t be in England to help my mum. My parents were visiting us in Oz when Nancy phoned me with the news about Candy. My immediate response: I would be at Candy’s funeral. Mum and Dad looked at me and said “we said our goodbyes when we were with her in Canada this year. We will be part of our choral group singing Elijah on the day of her funeral and cannot attend...here’s some money for your ticket.” Someone was smiling on me! So...I hopped a plane to Toronto and sent Candy on her way with all the good wishes from

What a year!

Adelaide McKenzie Moss Hello classmates! I am here in Abingdon, Virginia. Love it here—a great town for retirees (shhh...!). I am doing art as much as possible. Great theater here, a cool place to live. More later...

Diana Morton LePage ’61

Diana has a book of drawings, “Drawn to the Light” on her website meherstudio.com under the Galleries 2012 section. Diana and husband, Bill, spend their summers at the Myrtle Beach Spiritual Center in South Carolina, where Diana will be showing watercolors and charcoal paintings from August 2–31, 2013.

66Margie Hastings Quinlan I spent a lovely October weekend at Chatham with the Alumnae Council—my first visit to Chatham in about forty years. It was lots of fun, I thoroughly enjoyed the other women on the Council, and I left confident that Chatham remains a wonderful place for young women to study and mature together. I also got my hands on the recipe for peanut butter sauce which was a big hit with the family over Thanksgiving weekend.

68Marilyn Evans It seems that some years after graduation I fell off a vital distribution list and so heard very little of Chatham, except via Candy Heyward ’68 and family. I had assumed that as

I have loved spending time with Chatham Hall buddies! Muffy Dent Stuart ’68 was my right-hand gal at my son Parker’s wedding to Molly in McCormick’s Creek State Park in Spence, Indiana in October! She thought of things I’d forgotten and helped me organize the fun rehearsal dinner! She was there for me as we wept at the wedding and then danced to Motown hits and “Rock me Like a Wagon Wheel” at the reception! What a BLAST! I have seen and laughed in person with Trina Robinson Secor ’68, talked to Laurie Nussdorfer ’68, got Christmas cards from Janet Tremaine Stanley ’68, Annie Clarke Ager ’68, Sue Monzani Johnson ’68, Mary Norris Preyer Oglesby ’68 Helen Sloneker Patch ’68, and Esta Baker ’68 I have chatted on Facebook with Lian Mattingly ’68, Terry Overbey Stafford ’68 Debbie Legros Newcomer ’68, Babs Fenn Van Hoosier ’68, Kathy Reynolds Chandler ’68, Cecily Fowler Grand ’68 Lee Wulsin Roberts ’69, Betsy Stout Foehl ’67, Louise Boyd Cadwell ’67, Georgia Cadwalader Bennett ’67, Huntley Friend, Alice Cromer, Ann Beal, Ellie Wotherspoon ’73, Polly Wotherspoon ’67, Talmadge Ragan ’69 Tucky Stout Pogue ’69, Carol Harlocker McBee ’69, Kathy Arey Carroll ’67 Tina Bossidy ’67 Kit Ivey Ward ’69, Lisa Bayard Tallman ’66, Debbie Humphreys Jones ’67, and on and on... Alumnae Council friends, Centennial Committee friends. My point in listing all the wonderful connections and chats is to say that there is NOTHING like seeing and hugging you in person or talking to you on the phone but it is also great to connect, even briefly with my CH pals, through the magic of Facebook. Don’t fear it... you can make it as private as you want. It has been a joy to even slightly touch base with all of these interesting, active, lively, amazing women! We can support each other in times of pain, Boyd fell and has a new hip.... and cheer each other on in times of great success and JOY! I have also loved seeing my daughter Cary Dunn Maish Brodie ’97 every Sunday for dinner with her husband, but I am also “friends” with a few of her classmates and enjoy watching their children come along an seeing a glimpse of their lives, as well. The woman doing Cary’s taxes ended up being the sister of Polly Smith ’70! SMALL WORLD! There are NO friends in this world like old friends and no friends like Chatham Hall friends! CHEERS!

Jo Alice Laughlin Kelly ’60 and family

Gini Willson Welch ’63 and Lucille Pilling ’63 parasailing in Puerto Rico in February 2012, they planned a repeat for February 2013, plus a few more adventures

Gini Willson Welch ’63 and husband

Lucy Williams Maish ’68 and Muffy Dent Stuart ’68

Adelaide McKenzie Moss ’60 celebrating Christmas with neighbors and husband, Dyer

(continued on p . 36)

our Class of 68. I was treated as a royal guest, staying in Candy’s home with her husband, Norm, and their adopted child Petra—we became good friends. I had the chance to meet all of the Heyward family again plus children..even though I was only there for three days So...I hope I represented you well. The down side was that I couldn’t make it to the 2008 reunion and I was sad about that. However, I still dream of a trip over...perhaps it will be for our 50th reunion...perhaps before...who knows what’s around the corner! Please know that if you’re ever thinking of a hike down-under, you are always most welcome in our home. I would be delighted to hear from you, walk down memory lane, hear about achievements, family, etc... I’m also on Facebook as Marilyn Evans with a profile picture of Linus or Snoopy (a hang-over from my year in the US!)

Laurie Nussdorfer I had great visits with Nellie Greene ’70 Mary Dykema Orazem ’69 Corinne Rafferty ‘68, Nancy Remley Whiteley ’68, and Peggy Perkins Sise ’67 in 2012!

69Ann Watson Hi Everyone, we’ve had a very cold winter here in Vermont but things are starting to warm up. I’m currently very involved in Paul Ferrini’s Real Happiness work. http://paulferrini.com. I’m leading a local study group for his book The Keys to the Kingdom, and facilitating two weekly phone calls. The purpose of which is to give and receive unconditional love and acceptance. I invite everyone to check out Paul’s website. It’s wonderful

work that incorporates the teachings of Jesus, Buddha, and Krishna. I’m also painting and journaling and getting outside in the Champlain Valley almost every day. Etsy site for handmade books, cards, and art: http://www.etsy. com/shop/thistlehillstudio Blog at: http://thistlehillstudio.blogspot.com/ Love to all, Annie (aka “Watson”)

70Ninna Fisher Denny Please come to the Chatham parties in New York and Washington, DC, May 15th and 16th, respectively, honoring the alumnae of the Greatest Generation. The class of 1970 is leading the charge. Cheers!

Helen Mirkil I’ve finished a book I’ve been working on for four years and have found a publisher (small but wonderful). My book should be coming out by late April. Thirty poems and ten drawings. And I have been asked this year to be a “community” judge (there are two of us) for the Montgomery County Poet Laureate. There is also a “celebrity” judge.

71Lizette Smith I’m moving to Savannah, Georgia in late spring. Husband, John, and son, Smith, are coming with me.

class of ’73

74Mary Reed Spencer Hard to believe that we have been in the Atlanta area almost 15 years! I am the Dean of Student Life in the Upper School at The Lovett School. My husband, Andy, is also at Lovett where he serves as the Chief Advancement Officer; between us we are involved with the school at all

levels. I was thrilled earlier this year when Chatham Hall alumna Ginny Evans ’07 joined Andy’s staff where she has made an immediate and visible impact managing the school’s ‘online presence.’ Our two children are both in college at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; S.E. (Sarah Elizabeth) is a junior majoring in exercise and sports science with a double major in biology, George is a freshman hoping to major in environmental studies with an emphasis on marine sciences. Loving the empty nest and finding it completely surreal that we are 39 years away from senior year at Chatham. Esto Perpetua!

concert....150 of us there. Plans are also in the works for us to perform the Requiem by Berlioz in 2014. Three concerts are planned, one in Ridgewood, New Jersey, one at Carnegie Hall, and one at the Palace Theater in Waterbury. Eric, my director, wants to get the concert costs funded, ticket revenues would go to the Wounded Warrior Project. Summer plans for 2014 are to take this work to Paris! Im in! Do any Chatham Hall Alums want to be on the mailing list? For further info, please visit the website www.ctchoralsociety.org. Mr Whittington, look at me now! Besides that I am a nursing instructor at a local university... I have been doing that for a number of years.

school youth ministry at my church, Miami Valley Community Church (http://miamivalley.org/index.html) and working “resource” in the local emergency department at Sycamore Hospital. In the photo, pictured left to right are Jimmy (13), me, Bobby (15), and Bob. Danny (21) is currently in Florida, but leaves February 5th to work and study in China. Jeff (20) is an infantry soldier in the US Army currently stationed in Ft. Drum, New York. I still stay in touch with Louisa Young McClanahan ’80. I had a nice lunch with Lisa Glover ’78 in November and also recently found out that classmate Jane Redd ’80 lives nearby.

75Joan

Preston Lyon McGregor ’71

In October 2012, Camille Agricola Bowman ’71 and Preston Lyon McGregor ’71 toured New England and met up with many classmates and Chatham friends.The first stop was Stamford, Connecticut where we dined and spent the night with Lisa Vilas Weismiller ’69 We then traveled north to Maine and met up with Sue Wentworth Meub ’71 and Anne Burnett ’71 for a lobster dinner prepared by Sue and freshly caught by Sue’s son-in-law. Next stop was Brunswick, Maine where we spent an afternoon with Liz Cary Pierson ’71 After a week of travels, Camille dropped Preston off at the Boston airport and Camille went on to Cape Cod where she visited with Ida Little ’67 We all had fun telling stories and reminiscing! Here’s to our Class of 1971, in particular, that we might visit each other more often, especially at our Chatham Reunions (at least the 50th??!! Start saving your souvenirs for that reunion. I have promised to copy “Wheels” so we can all laugh over the rules that were in place when we came to Chatham). Join u s all on Facebook! There’s a pretty good crowd from our class, and keeping up virtually is certainly a pleasure! Beware classmates—we may be headed YOUR way. We’re thinking a trip to South Florida might be next! Heads up!

Below

Below

Ida Little ’67 and Camille Agricola Bowman ’71

Womble Stone Had fun going out to hike with Julia Kashkashian ’75 and a college friend of mine she had met. We were up on Chair Mountain 9000 feet. Julia was a great friend and coaxed my weaker oxygen inhibited self up a few mountains. Great fun! This Christmas, or actually afterwards, I went to New Orleans for my sister, Gwyn Womble Dunn’s ’78 son’s wedding. We stayed for New Years too.

76Celia

Lippitt Snow I’m a self-employed Speech Language Pathologist in Wilmington, North Carolina. Becky Harrison Wood ’76 Martha Wynn Weissinger ’76 and I visited Elizabeth McGee Cordes ’76 in New Orleans last October. So much fun!

class of ’78

80Allison Sutton Fuqua My younger daughter, Sarah Randall Fuqua, was honored by the North Carolina Terpsichorean Club and recently named a 2012 Debutante. She is a junior at University of South Carolina. My oldest daughter, Caroline, is a senior at Clemson—last semester she lived in Florence, Italy and studied at University de Lorenzo, and Randy, Sarah Randall, and I went for about a two week visit and traveled to several spots in Italy—it was awesome!

Below

Camille Agricola Bowman ’71, Preston Lyon McGregor ’71, and Lisa Vilas Weismiller ’69

Catherine Sperry I got elected to the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Choral Society. I am in charge of the mailing list which consists of 1000 people. November 10, 2012 I sang at the Beacon Theater in NYC as a part of the Voices United Concert...600 of us singing...Picture the song “Bridge over Troubled Water”...four part harmony... being sung by 600 people! Totally cool!

December 10, 2012 was the Christmas Concert at St. Malachy’s/The Actor’s Chapel.... 49th and Broadway NYC...160 of us...Connecticut Choral Society and New Jersey Choral Society along with the Choir from St. Malachy’s...I smile just thinking about it! Plans are in the works for all of us to go to the Berkshire Choral Festival next summer. July 4, 2012 I sang in London as a part of an Olympics

Theresa Walsh Marchioni I am currently serving as director of the middle

On January 19, 2013, Justin Bieber made the city of Greensboro believe. He came out of the darkness and smoke, suspended above the crowd. The only sound was the screaming of the excited fans while he looked over us all, as we waited for him to touch the stage. As soon as he did, lights, fire, and music exploded and the concert began. While his outfits were questionably fashionable, and his pants were exceptionably low, nothing took away from the incredible show he put on. Flashing lights and loud music distracted from the quick outfit changes that were essential to the different sets that represented his “All Around the World” theme, centralizing around the idea of believing in yourself. The show made young and old fans alike realize that Justin Bieber is growing up and turning into a true performer.

Annie Watson ’69 and daughter Emily sharing a bread baking session

Studie Johnson Young ’70 fishing with Martha “Mott” Givens Nichol ’70 in Sun Valley in September 2012

Left:

Middle: Sue Wentworth Meub ’71, Preston Lyon McGregor ’71, Anne Burnett ’71, and Camille Agricola Bowman ’71

Right:

Top Right: Camille Agricola Bowman ’71 and Liz Cary ’71

1976 Cece Lippit Snow ’76, Becky Harrison Wood ’76, Martha Wynn Weissinger ’76, and Elizabeth McGee Cordes ’76 at Bouchon restaurant in New Orleans.

Terri Walsh Marchioni ’80 with husband Bob and sons Jimmy (13) and Bobby (15)

Allison Sutton Fuqua ’80 and her younger daughter, Sarah Randall Fuqua

Justin Bieber’s Believe Tour Greensboro Coliseum

Trisha Blackwell ’01 Life is beautiful!

81Deborah Berlin Got married on December 23, 2011 to Dr. Sue Aery in her home church, St. Peter’s in Essex Fells, New Jersey—planning to make it legal in one of the states who have made it to the 21st century. Both of our moms were with us and our New Jersey family too. Sue is a chiropractor and I’m still designing and installing gardens.

82 Jennifer Jarrell Tkalec Still living in Tampa and enjoying being empty nesters! In October we purchased Anthem Games, a card and gaming store, so with my full-time marketing job and a retail operation, we stay plenty busy. If I accomplish nothing else in my life, knowing our Support Our Troops Program is in full swing makes me prouder than anything. Taking customer donations of the simple things we take for granted, like toothpaste and soap and hearing back from the young troops overseas makes me tear up every time. Would love to hear from any Chathamites to catch up and stay in touch! You can find me on Facebook as Jennifer Tkalec. Ann Wilson, I’ve misplaced your address and phone number, would LOVE to reconnect. GO PURPLE!

porated CapEast.com, a Hong Kongbased company that distributes a line of super fun, funky, colorful flip flops in a variety of innovative shapes.

84SherryThompson

86Caroline Sloan Living it up in Portlandia. Charles is five now. Saw Emily Sinclair ’85 a while back, and that was great.

class of ’88 25th Reunion

92Elizabeth Blocker Tonelis I am still working for Fed Ex in South Carolina. We have a beautiful, healthy seventeen-month-old son, Miles, and we are about to embark on our second restaurant. If anyone is in Columbia, South Carolina and hungry for Italian/ Mediterranean food please come see us!

93Sarah Metcalfe Glenn

83Claudia

Gonzalez de Petri We’ve been living in Hong Kong for 4 ½ years. We’re now empty-nesting but are never bored having surrounded ourselves with three dogs and two cats. Our twins are now in college; Ines is studying Hotel and Hospitality Management at Roches in Switzerland and Alexia is studying Law in Edinburgh. We loved having them home for Christmas! This picture was taking during their visit during one of our many jaunts around the island. On the professional front, I recently incor-

I have been working for United Airlines for 23 years. I live in Los Angeles and Sydney Australia. I mainly fly back and forth to Sydney, out of Los Angeles and San Franciso. I have had a GREAT career as a International Flight Attendant, living in the following cities: New York, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Berlin, and Los Angeles. I am slowly starting to cut back on my flying and focus on my home life with my long time boyfriend, Shawn, a French Canadian. We will be moving to possibly Vancouver next year as well as a secondary home somewhere in the USA. I have travelled to more than 75 countries, vacationing and working. A great education in itself. One that enhances my Chatham experiences. My favorite place of all time to travel is Southeast Asia. I love the food, people, and little simple pleasures we all forget or take for granted. I have enclosed my photo, and pretty much look the same. So please look out for me on any International flight out to the Pacific. I am the one with the happy smile on my face.

I kept myself busy in 2012 developing my own business “Uncaged Confidence,” an online fitness and motivation resource (www.trishblackwell.com). In June of 2012, I published my very first book The Skinny, Sexy Mind: The Ultimate French Secret, which is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble. com, as well as on Kindle. I am also happy to announce that I am marrying the love of my life, Brandon Synan. He proposed in Paris and we are getting married in Bora Bora this June; I feel like I am living out a fairy tale.

Hello to fellow classmates! I hope that everyone is doing well and getting excited about our 20th high school reunion. Sadly, my husband and I will be unable to attend since our first baby is due in May. We are thrilled about this event and just starting all the necessary preparations for our little one. We are still living in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am in my 11th year of teaching and hope to return to teaching after some bonding time with our baby. I wish everyone my best and can’t wait to hear all about the reunion.

really special and I am so grateful for the opportunity to return and show Bella new additions to the school, and my old room, and the dance studio. Which I was surprised to see a picture up on the wall of me in panache all those years ago. Chatham Hall is truly moving forward but it hasn’t forgotten it’s past...I felt just as home there in November as I did 18 years ago!!!

class of ’98

named Helen, and our son, Michael, was born on the first of this year!

Johanna Waschmann

99Alan

’89

On my trip back east (taking a break from LA), I reconnected with several Chatham sisters who were gracious enough to host me or meet up. It was as if no time had passed! So amazing and wonderful to see them all again after 20+ years (ahhh), meet their families, and see their cities through their eyes. Hope to see more CH gals soon!

94Sandy Van Haaften Heasley I just want to drop a note and say Hi to everyone. In November Bella and I drove out to good ole Chatham Hall to meet Venus Williams. We really enjoyed listening to her speak and meeting her. I will have to say what I enjoyed most was showing Bella Chatham Hall. So much there has changed but it is still has the Chatham Hall feeling that I love. As soon as I walked in to the door so many feeling and memories came flying back to me. Made me realize how special it is to share all of this with my only daughter who may be there one day. Chatham Hall is

Crowe After going through some major life changes, I decided to move to Belgium. Every day is definitely an adventure living as an expat! I live in a town called Oudenaarde, which is located in the Flanders region. I split my time between working as a freelance writer, mainly focused in professional cycling, and mastering the Dutch language. I’d love to get together with any other Chatham grads who are living in Europe!

Sharon Lu I just want to wish everyone and their loved ones lots of peace and happiness in life; and that heaven always blesses you for whatever you do. With love, Sharon

01Eileen Lehner Stone Hello!

I’m currently living in Oklahoma City while my husband is finishing his residency. We have a 3-year-old named Mary Beth, an 18-month-old

After having studied in Munich and Madrid, I moved back to my hometown, Hamburg. I am working as an international brand manager at “Beiersdorf,” which is known for its international brands like NIVEA, Eucerin, and la prairie. In parallel, I am designing jewelry and plan my own website/online-shop. My boyfriend and I have been happy for 5 years—the picture was taken at my sister’s wedding though :-). Currently I am learning Italian, and this summer I will join a jewelry design course in Milan. I would love to hear from you, and please get in touch if you visit Germany/Europe (FB: Hanni Waschmann).

02 Michelle Thomas Supko Brian and I were blessed with the birth of our son, Tanner Dennis, on Feb 1, 2013. He was 8lbs, 20 inches, and a terrific joy for our family!

Claudia Gonzalez de Petri ’83 and family

Claudia Gonzalez de Petri ’83 recently incorporated CapEast.com

1985 Mary Blair Motley ’85 with her daughter Caroline and son Jack

Nini Hadjis

Nini Hadjis ’89, Shannon McGee Darilek ’88, Angela Benavides Bartels ’88 in San Antonio, Texas

Nini Hadjis ’89 and Angela Benavides Bartels ’88 at San José Mission, San Antonio Nini Hadjis ’89 and Nancy Evans Wahmhoff ’89 in Houston, Texas

Right: Nini Hadjis ’89 with John Gordon and Holly Carter Gordon 90 in New Orleans, Louisiana

Nini Hadjis ’89 and Holly Carter Gordon ’90 at Jacques-Imo’s Restaurant, New Orleans

Nini Hadjis ’89, Laine Friend Moore ’89, Donie Martin Carlson ’87 in Birmingham, Alabama

Ginger Lindsay ’89, Lilly (Ginger’s daughter), and Nini Hadjis ’89 in Atlanta, Georgia

Nini Hajis ’89 and Lloyd Henson Hannon ’89 at Vanderbilt University

Nini Hadjis ’89, Jennifer Morris Davidson ’89, and Sarah Jenks ’93 in Cincinnati, Ohio/Bellevue, Kentucky

Nini Hadjis ’89 and Lloyd Henson Hannon ’89 in Nashville, Tennessee

2001 Left: Bayley Fannin Hochradel ’01, Victoria Litos ’09, Heather Yepez ’10, Sandy Van Haaften Heasley ’94, and Sandy’s daughter Bella pose for a photo with History and Social Sciences Head Geoff Braun before Venus Williams’ keynote address here on campus

Trish Blackwell ’01 and fiancé Brandon Synan

Sandy Van Haaften Heasley ’94 and daughter Bella with Venus Williams

Lucie Therese Ibarra with her adoring fans, Auntie Hannah (Hannah Haymes ’12), Grandma Haymes (Cheryl Haymes, Chatham Hall math teacher extraordinaire), Mommy (Abi Haymes Ibarra ’04), and Tia Erin (Erin Haymes Huan ’05)

Tammy Varela ’03 and Cheri Bentley ’83 with Athletic Department Head Cathy LaDuke before Venus Williams’ keynote address at Chatham Hall (Tammy came all the way from Mexico City!)

03Jennifer Hinson is working in the Admissions Office at Buckley Country Day School in Roslyn, New York and is happily living in Manhattan. She is so looking forward to seeing other ’03 graduates, teachers, and friends at Reunion.

Sybil Cole Young My husband, Ryan Young, and I were married last May, and I am enjoying a full and wonderful life being a mother to my two incredible children. My daughter, Anne Cailin, is an inquisitive bookworm, and my son, Paul, is a rough and tumble two-year-old; the little ones keep me on my toes! After

Fielden Willmott ’03

The last few years have been a whirlwind! Following the Willmott family trait of pursuing hobbies to an extreme level (a few years ago Dad became interested in flying and wound up building an airplane), I took my love of sewing and hats to the next level, and ventured to New York to study with internationally famous Couture Milliner, Anya Caliendo. What an incredible experience! My life was forever changed, and I returned home to Lexington, Kentucky (Derby hats, anyone?!) to open my own studio. I spent a year in a shoebox-sized collective artist space, and was a Finalist at Bad Girl Ventures, a Cincinnati-based program designed to help educate and find funding for female entrepreneurs. I competed for and won a small business loan, which helped me to move my studio to a beautiful, downtown store-front. Now I am in the process of setting up my new space, building my Derby and Spring/Summer inventory, and designing my website. Next fall I am getting married to Eric Scott Sutherland, a writer and event organizer at the Hunt Morgan House in downtown Lexington. Tarey Jelks ’03 will be one of my bridesmaids, and we are asking everyone to wear a hat! Wedding planning has been great inspiration for my Millinery—I expect a bridal line will debut sometime in coming seasons. Lots of love and best wishes to all Chatham Hall girls, far and near! And if you need a hat, you know who to call...

Marguerite

almost ten years of job hopping and soul searching, I have finally found my calling in life: to become a Physician Assistant and use my knowledge to care for underserved low income populations. I am currently pursuing a BS in Biology and BS in Health Sciences at Guilford College in preparation for entering PA school. 04

Logan Andrews I recently got married! Yay! The fun thing is that we met while I was at Chatham. Britton Andrews attended North Cross in Roanoke (who we played in every sport). The ceremony was August 4th in Roswell, Georgia.

Abigail Haymes Ibarra Jorge Ibarra and I got married in Fredericksburg, Virginia on April 28, 2012. We celebrated with several Chatham girls but sadly didn’t get a picture of us all together! Maggie Logan Andrews ’04, Megan Hyler ’04 Allison Rosser ’05, and Jennifer Hills ’04 were in attendance, in addition to my sisters Erin Haymes Huan ’05 and Hannah Haymes ’12 and my cousin Baleigh Hicks ’15 Jorge and I welcomed our little girl Lucie Therese Ibarra on January 7, 2013. The newest Haymes girl is proud to wear her purple!

Ann Pope I have been living in Charleston for almost five years and I am currently working at Blackbaud. I was recently promoted to Senior Customer Support Analyst for two of our products, The Financial Edge and The Education Edge. I have had the pleasure of helping David Lyle (Chatham Hall Director of Technology) with issues pertaining to our software. It is nice to finally return the favor and help him out after all the IT help he gave me while I was a student!

06Laura Rand

Congratulations to my best buddy, Katarina Greve ’06 for graduating from Karolinska Institute, one of the world’s leading medical universities. I have no doubt that she will be one of Sweden’s finest doctors! Katarina was able to come visit me at Chatham Hall for a week during her Christmas break from an internship at UCLA’s School of Medicine in December. I loved having my roomie on campus with me again...a blast from the past if there ever was one. It’ll be my turn to visit her in Sweden next time. I can’t wait to see you again, my far away friend!

Amanda Smith Hey! I am continuing to live the perfect swamp-monster lifestyle in Gainesville Florida. I absolutely

adore Florida and its bizarre reptilian inhabitants! Currently employed as a manager of a local and independent coffee shop, I also just acquired a warehouse studio space for my ongoing costume and sculpture installation project “The Dust Chapter,” and I had three publications accept my poetry at the end of 2012. I just got accepted and plan on attending Texas tech for my M.A. in poetry!

Saskia Thiessen

I found a great job in Berlin in Germany and have been working for Sony Music for 1.5 years now, frequently talking to US film companies regarding soundtracks—so in a way still keeping in touch. New Year’s I spent at the North Sea, where this photo is from (quite a windy situation).

Ginny Evans moved from Richmond, Virginia to Atlanta in August 2012 to continue her communications work in independent schools at The Lovett School. She loves her new city and living around the corner from sister Mary Katherine Evans Rordam ’03.

Elizabeth Thomas ’03

young alumnae gathering in Nashville, Tennessee 2006 Laura Rand, Katarina Greve, Schay Goss Barnhardt, Courtney Atkinson, and Abby Murnick, all from the Class of 2006, gathered for Lessons and Carols and Christmas Dinner on campus in December

Caroline Finke ’07 and her Old Girl, Nicole Fox ’04, gather at the home of hostess Mary Beth Hamlin P ’07 to celebrate Christmas Eve together for the ninth consecutive year

Anne Cailin, age 6, and Paul, age 2, children of Sybil Cole Young ’03

Chatham Hall girls at Maggie Logan Andrews ’04’s wedding Row 1: Abigail Haymes Ibarra ’04, Jordan Nyberg Ferris ’04, Maggie Logan Andrews ’04, Taylor Logan Ladd ’97 Row 2: Ashley Hockensmith ’05, Danielle Thomas ’04, Ann Pope ’04, Michelle Thomas Supko ’02, Kenzie Logan Graffeo ’02

Maggie Logan Andrews ’04 and Britton Andrews after their wedding ceremony

2005 Ashely Lipscomb ’05, Sonal Patel ’06, Lelan Dunavant ’05, Gabbee Dickinson ’05, Michelle Thomas Supko ’02, and

at a

Katarina Greve ’06 and Laura Rand ’06 outside their old dorm room in Dabney

Ginny Evans ’07 with sister Mary Katherine Evans Rordam ’03

Aemelia Hudson In 2012, Aemelia finished up a nine month, slightly confusing, career as a Preschool Teacher, International Real Estate Associate, and Public Relations Specialist. After spending an absolutely amazing reunion weekend in Chatham, with all of the lovely ladies of the class of ‘07, and taking a short trip to the UK & France with her mother, Aemelia returned to her beloved Charleston to begin a new job as the part-time Digital Content Manager at The Local Palate, a southern food & food culture magazine. As of January, Aemelia became the full-time Web Editor for The Local Palate and she couldn’t be more pleased to put her love of all things culinary, literary, and technological to good use.

Michelle Pfeiffer After depleting my savings account, I got the chance to travel to London this past summer for the 2012 Olympics. What an experience it was to watch Olympic riders compete at Greenwich Park! I moved to Newark, Delaware where I am a Retreat Coordinator for one of the largest residential summer camps in North East, Maryland, and have started to look into getting a Masters in Landscape Architecture and Design. Would love to hear from Chatham girls in the area!

08Jennifer Rappaport In May

I graduated with my BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Illustration. I am currently living in New York City and working as a fine artist out of Madart Studios in Brooklyn, New York, taking on freelance and commissions opportunities. In January I had my first solo exhibition at the Giacobetti Paul Gallery in DUMBO. Hopefully I will be attending graduate school in the fall to continue my exploration of painting! I hope to make it to the reunion.

Shop the online store at chathamhall.org/bookstore/

The Vineyard Vines Collection

Lauren Tipton ’08 2012 was a splendid year! Highlights included: graduating Phi Beta Kappa from W&L with a BS in Neuroscience; getting accepted into medical school; being honored at the Jed Foundation’s annual gala at Gotham Hall in NYC where I presented alongside Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Senator Ted Kennedy, and New York City’s Council Speaker Christine Quinn; and writing my first article in a publicly distributed magazine! Lea Lane ’08 was my PBK UVA counterpart (so proud of her!) and our frequent chats and life-long best-friendship are deeply cherished. Like Lea, Zoe Bennett ’08 has been a brilliant force (yes, force-makes sense if you know ZLB) in my life and I’m happy to report her wit is as sharp as ever! Meeting Caitlin Heston ’09 for French treats in DC was a delight and the nursing field is extremely blessed to be welcoming that vivacious lady into their ranks! My beloved tradition of writing and receiving letters from Kate Burns ’09 (who is now a senior at Georgetown and medical school bound as well) continues. Her savvy musings on recent articles of mutual interest make me yearn extensively for our next coffee (or wine) centered rendezvous. Lastly, I’m in the process of planning a European adventure to stay with Nicola Van der Put ’09, who is currently living/in school for psychology in Salzburg, after she visited me in little Lexington, Virginia during my junior year.

Chelsea Hermann Heading back to school at Goucher after the most amazing and unforgettable five months abroad in Prague!

Charlotte Rettberg Sarah Hilber ’10 and Kathryn Bennett ’11 came to visit me in December and we spent a great day in Düsseldorf, Germany.

obituaries

Virginia Briggs Peters ’32 died September 6, 2012.

Julia Watkins ’35 died November 3, 2012.

Joan Morgan Rhett ’38 died December 29, 2012.

Joan Brewer ’41 died August 28, 2012.

Anne Owens Shippey ’42 died August 31, 2012.

Mary Schmidt ’47 died January 11, 2013.

Bonnie Bond ’50 died October 13, 2012. She is survived by her cousin Lee “Pixie” Edwards Anderson ’53

Martha Battle Stathers ’60 died January 28, 2013.

Nancy Clark Tune ’61 died November

13, 2012. She is survived by her sisters

Jane Clark Reeder 53 and Sarah Clark Langager 61 She was predeceased by her sister Pat Clark Gurwith 58

Mary-Stuart Baker Kimmel ’62 died January 1, 2013.

Nancy Remley Whiteley ’68 died February 2, 2013.

Nancy Burgess ’78 died January 23, 2013.

Geneva Glover Smith ’78 died January 16, 2013.

Robert L. Hopkins died November 10, 2012. Robert was employed at Chatham Hall as the Business Manager from 1961–1968. He is survived by his wife, Louise Gilliam Hopkins ’50

Mrs. Archer H. Overbey died October 28, 2012 at the age of 103 years old. She is survived by her daughter Mary Catherine Sours Plaster ’53 and great-granddaughters Amy Keller Webber ’97 and Elizabeth Keller ’00.

Richard “Yankee” Chilen Sandmeyer died September 9, 2012. He was the grandfather of Amanda Booth ’14. He also worked for ARA Food Service at Chatham Hall several years ago.

Dr. Allen D. Tate, Jr. died October 13, 2012. His wife, Nora Tate, passed away on June 14, 2012. Mr. and Mrs. Tate were the parents of Sallie Grace Tate ’81 Robert Ward, Jr., husband of Amelia “Mimi” Walker Ward ’66 died November 5, 2012.

tales from chatham hall from our last issue

Thanks! to Mary Shoup Gardner ’51 for calling in with information about this photo. The girls pictured are seeing off a group who were going on a senior history trip to Charlottesville. The girls waving also went on the trip, but rode on a second bus. Mary remembers these history trips fondly…the chance to get off of campus was a great treat! Mary is in the red skirt and white sweater. She still has the sweater!

Georgia O’Keeffe is pictured here, can you spy her?

Adele Cornwall recently saw Lila Nelson ’10 and Laird McIver ’10—all were at Ole Miss for a fall football weekend!

10

12Anna Porter Took an Interim Trip to Mexico in January. Such a blast!

This picture came to us through the family of Cora M. Wetmore, the Chatham Episcopal Institute (CEI became Chatham Hall in 1927) vocal music teacher during the 1904-1905 school year. This is the entire student body along with faculty members.

Please send your entry to Laura Rand ’06, Managing Editor of Chat 800 Chatham Hall Circle Chatham, VA 24531, or by email to lrand@chathamhall.org.

hall

social networking with chatham

network with other chatham hall alumnae

Find us (Chatham Hall Alumnae) on LinkedIn

join chatham hall alumnae on facebook Search for Chatham Hall Alumnae and find out about alumnae gatherings and news!

follow us on twitter @chathamalumnae Register for our online alumnae directory to stay connected

• A complete, passwordprotected, searchable alumnae directory

• Search for alumnae by class, city, state, country, or profession

• Register for Reunion and other events online

• Review your giving history and donate online

• Edit your own profile, which automatically notifies Chatham Hall of your changes

Visit the Chatham Hall Website and click the Alumnae tab to register

The Chatham Hall community extends its deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the following alumnae and friends of the School who have recently passed away.

Laird McIver ’10 found this turtle while studying abroad in Spain this semester

Lauren Tipton ’08 and parents at the Jed Foundation Gala in New York City

Lauren Tipton ’08 and Lea Lane ’08 at Lauren’s graduation from Washington and Lee

Sarah Hibler ’10, Charlotte Rettberg ’10, and Kathryn Bennett ’11 in Düsseldorf, Germany

This photo of The Rev. Dr. William Yardley, Rector from 1949-1971, and Mrs. Helen Yardley with The Rev. Dr. Edmund Jennings Lee, Principal and Rector from 1928-1949, and Mrs. Lucy Lee was most likely taken during the transition in administrations in 1949.

HerStory

alumnae voices

Share the stories of your life

Sarah Shartle Meacham ’51

Recorded during Reunion 2011

I always say I came to Chatham when I was twelve and a half years old. I came most specifically from a rural school in Ohio, a township school. It was at the end of the depression in the late 1930s and things were very, very poor. You could see why President Roosevelt put so many programs in. They were rather desperate times. Children were ill-clothed, ill-fed, and there were many diseases. School would often be closed for a long time.

There were eight girls in my first class from all over, which is one of the hallmarks in my memory. We had an impressive life in Chatham. We came from the far ends of the country. One of my classmates came from San Francisco, another from Colorado, many from Texas, lots from Philadelphia, New York, Maine, and Illinois. It was ubiquitous, the content of the school. We were taught by women, single women mostly. And the single women were very, very, very anxious that we succeed. At that point the dean of the school, Miss Virginia Henry Holt, was a Smith graduate, and a great many graduates of the school went on to Smith. She despaired of me, and I went to a lesser school, Bennett Junior College, but a very important school for me.

While I was at Chatham, I studied Russian with Madam Gagarine, Latin with Miss Stewart, History with Miss Habermeyer, Algebra with Miss Broughton, Religion with Miss Thompson, Biology with Miss Hensleigh, and many others. Wonderful, wonderful teachers. Because I was not such a hot student, I spent a lot of time in consultation with the various teachers I just mentioned.

I want to make a very plain point, and that is that we cannot always have the best and brightest in the student body at a school. We really need to educate across the board because some people, like me, don’t flower as quickly as others. We need fertilizer. We need good seed to be planted. And at this school I think I got the equivalent of a university education. At Bennett I studied biology my first year (it’s only two years) and music my second. And the great part of that education was that I found out I would neither be a biologist or a veterinarian, as I was heading, or a musician. I didn’t have the talent needed and I didn’t have the zeal.

I eventually married a man who was going to Harvard for his Ph.D., and I lived an academic life for 35 years. He was a British historian and we traveled every seven years to England. We lived in Cambridge for ten years, during which time we bought a house on the island in Maine, which became our summer house, because academics have no money but lots of summer time and vacation time. And every seven years we would go back and forth to England, where I had a

classmate from Chatham, and we cemented our friendship, which was quite a long friendship at that point.

I ended up in Austin, Texas, where my husband taught at the University of Texas. And I began working at an elementary school. I had always had a fascination with children’s literature. I worked there as a volunteer for a long time, and then they signed me up, not to be the librarian, but to assist the librarian who was there.

In the meantime, at night and on the weekends, and every other moment I could get, politics was becoming more and more interesting to me. The McGovern Rules had come in. Women began to run for political positions far more than they had in the past. In Austin and the surrounding area was a possy of marvelously talented political women—Sarah Weddington, who argued Roe versus Wade in front of the Supreme Court, and Wilhelmina Delco, who was the first black woman to run for the Texas State Legislature. And, above and foremost, Ann Richards, who became the first Governor of Texas. She not only became Governor of Texas, but she was also a very close friend. We worked on her campaign for county commissioner and her campaign for Texas State Controller, and along the way, wonderful things happened.

While I was working full time in politics and also at the school, I began to take courses at the little university in Austin called St. Edwards University, and at the age of 50, I got my BA in education, because that seemed to be where all my labors seemed to end up. I started a little children’s library in the house that we own on the island in Maine. We first had about 150 paperback books. I would read aloud to children every afternoon in three segments–the smaller picture books to the youngest children, and the next segment would be fairly more advanced small chapter books, and then big chapter books for the older children. It was quite magical. The children would all come at five o’clock and sit, and their mothers all loved me because they would be out of their hair for a while.

The HerStory audio recording booth is open during reunion weekend to record your story

I’ve renovated this room at the house on the island, putting better lights in and a table and rebuilding the bookcases. We have over a thousand volumes now, and I have replaced at least 300 of them in the last five years.

I credit Chatham with what I said about educating the least of us. I think that I was allowed to be a real person here and learned to be a real person. Some of it I call a “parentectomy,” which is when you leave your families and you go forth and you find who you really are without the props of family around you. It didn’t mean I didn’t love them. It was sort of a handy exit.

I couldn’t have told this story without Chatham and I hope that what stays with what I have said is what I will now say for the third time: educate everybody. Thank you.

To hear more alumnae stories, look for HerStory recordings on our website www.chathamhall.org

Cowboy Junkies, The ArtsCenter–Carrboro, North Carolina

This Canadian quartet debuted with Trinity Sessions in 1988 and have gone on to release sixteen albums since, the most recent being Nomad Series–four connected albums dealing with different states of wilderness and travel. Cowboy Junkies have established a reputation as a stellar live act. I recently took a group of Chatham Hall girls to see them perform at The ArtsCenter, and though I haven’t seen them myself since my own college band opened for them in the early 90s, they didn’t disappoint.

Margo Timmins’ vocals were as haunting as ever, and the band displayed a weathered tightness that lent great weight to their impressive catalogue. Best of all, the girls enjoyed the show and left with respect for this great band.

– ROBERT ANKROM

I think that I was allowed to be a real person here and learned to be a real person. Some of it I call a “parentectomy,” which is when you leave your families and you go forth and you find who you really are without the props of family around you.

Be a part of Chatham Hall’s oral history project.

Above The Class of ’51 as freshmen (1947–1948). Sarah is in row two, second from the right

Below: Sarah, in a vintage riding kit, with her mother, Geneva Sanders Shartle

800 Chatham Hall Circle

Chatham, Virginia 24531-3085

www.chathamhall.org

Collinsville, Virginia Permit No. 57

CHATHAM HALL SuMMer CAMpS 2013

RidingInvestigators

Session I: July 7-20 for girls age 12-16

Session II: July 21-27 for girls age 9-12

Session III: July 30-Aug. 3 for boys age 10-16

Join us for an exceptional riding and residential experience to help improve your riding with our Director of Riding, James F. Morris.

For a Camp Application or more information, please contact Samantha Fleming sfleming@chathamhall.org or (434) 432.5605

ScienceSustainability Ballet Dance

July 14-26 for girls grade 6-8

Dennis Oliver, science department chair, leads his acclaimed camp where girls have a a real-life experience assuming the role of forensic investigators solving a mock crime.

Campers make use of the school’s state of the art facilities while integrating areas of science, mathematics and computer technology.

For a Camp Application or more information, please contact Dennis Oliver doliver@chathamhall.org or (877) 644.2941

July 7-13 for girls grade 6-9

Sustainability Camp will explore the distribution networks that stock our grocery shelves and trace the path electricity takes to our front door and show students how fun and important environmental awareness can be, engender in them a sense of ownership in the world that supports us, and encourage a deep, enduring respect for the environment.

For a Camp Application or more information, please contact Amy Davis adavis@chathamhall.org

June 10-14 for girls grade 6-8 (morning session) and for girls grade 8-10 (afternoon session)

Half day sessions are offered for beginner/ intermediate (morning session) and intermediate/advanced (afternoon session) led by Brittany Jackson, Chatham Hall’s Director of Dance.

For a Camp Application or more information, please contact Brittany Jackson bjackson@chathamhall.org

For more info on all camps, please visit www.chathamhall.org.