DEVELOPMENT
DEVELOPMENT
off the Ambien and explained that it had been known to cause people to do things they did not remember. She is now on Xanax which helps the panic attacks. Her granddaughters are growing up too fast—Anna Edward is 15 and Mary Maxwell is 7. Ann Gelzer Black and her husband have put their house on the market with the possibility of moving to a cottage at the Presbyterian Home Retirement Center or a smaller house elsewhere. They are busy with their children and grandchildren and life in general. I know the feeling, Ann. I was thrilled when I found an e-mail from Sylvia (Claudette) Lockee Taylor. She wrote a little about what had been happening to her. She taught school for 31 years retiring in 1995. Her name change came when she worked at Lockheed when she first went to Texas. She and her husband, John Taylor, have been married 53 years, have two sons, Jay and Jeff, who both went to Baylor and are CPA’s and have their own CPA firm. Both sons are married. There are 3 grandchildren, Samuel, Mary, and Ellen (who was adopted from China). They celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2007 with a family cruise including even the grandchildren and repeated it all again with another family cruise in July 2010. She has actually done all of the grandchildren’s pictures in needlepoint which took a year for each child and has now started on one for each of her sons and their wives. What a feat!! Sylvia does a lot of volunteer work—with the Salvation Women’s Auxiliary and the church. Sounds like she has a great life! I received a short note from Rosie Ravenel Bee after July 4th. She said they had a great family time on the 4th. They saw most of their children and grandchildren and all enjoyed the fireworks. They, too, thank God for all the freedoms we have in this country. All my family is well! Two children both live in Lexington, SC, and work in the school system—son, Tommy, teaches history at the high school and is the baseball coach, married with 2 children, a boy and a girl, and wonderful wife who works part-time with her dad and drives the kids; daughter, Carolyn, is an elementary guidance counselor, married to a great boy she met in college who is the principal of a middle school, with 2 children, a boy and a girl. The older daughter, Martie, lives in Georgetown, has 3 grown children, boys, Eric and Lee, and daughter, Anne. Eric is married and has a daughter, 3. I retired, as you probably remember, in 2000 from teaching school among other things, then quit teaching in 2005. I still substitute some in high school. My latest venture is entering politics—I am a candidate for the State House of Representatives from our district. I really don’t have much chance of winning, but we’re trying to get people interested in voting again, and didn’t think the person running should not have any competition. The rest of the time, I’m doing all the things you get to do when you retire and people know you might be available!! Don’t forget to start planning to come to the reunion next year!! Barbara Ward Mishoe
1957
Lynn Williams Oates
3417 Oates Highway Lamar, SC 29069 843-332-3040 | lwoates@peoplepc.com Dear Class of ’57, Here it is...news time again and me with no news! Well, I have gleaned a little news so you will not have to hear about EVERYTHING I have done!!!!
6 | WINTER
2011
A LUMNI ISSUE
I see Ann Gay Blakeney Duvall and Almena “Mena” Gainey Galloway once a month at a high school lunch. Ann Gay is doing good--still working part time at the Florence Library. Mena visits children and grandchildren often as she slowly recovers from Joe’s death. Had a note from Frances Bishop Wray after the last Commentary issue--hope this info is still appropriate. She and Joe live on Lake Lanier near Tryon, NC. Joe has back problems (2 surgeries) but they continue to volunteer for various mission projects. (Their volunteer work makes me feel like a “slug”!!) They enjoy their 5 grandchildren and do some traveling. I had a marvelous trip to Bavaria, Austria and Slovakia in Feb. Would go again in a heartbeat. Also had a great trip to Santa Fe with Coker. Lyn does wonderful trips--come join us if you can--but plan to be spoiled!!! Have another Western trip in Sept. to some of the canyons. In between my trips, I have 2 granddaughters getting married in Aug. so I have a busy summer ahead of me. Let me know what is going on in YOUR life and you won’t have to read about MINE!! Love Lynn Lynne Daniel Ivey sent this in to the alumni office “Ms. Marian Duke Daniel, 74 passed away peacefully Thursday, April 15th, 2010, at Trident Medical Center in Summerville SC. Ms. Daniel graduated with honors from Coker College in 1957 with a BA in English and Vocal Performance. She was active in Student Government, the Glee Club and in English Department activities, and was Coker’s May Queen in 1957. She received her M.Ed. with a specialization in reading and learning disabilities from The Citadel” We send our sympathy to Lynne and the Daniel family.
Class rep or co-rep needed
older daughter, Phyllis, who lives with her husband, Mike, near Des Moines, IA. Another granddaughter, Katy, is finishing high school classes through Provost Academy, an online charter school sponsored by the state of South Carolina. Katy is looking forward to receiving her high school diploma soon. Summer is a busy time at the Caldwell’s with a garden, flower beds, grass and fruit trees growing full blast. Two of the peach trees have finished producing for this year and two more are on the way. They have had an abundance of blueberries again this year and friends and neighbors are lucky enough to enjoy those with Lamar and Lucy. Lamar wrote that “I’m still partially blind from Macular degeneration and have a back full of arthritis but doing well otherwise” and is looking forward to hearing about his classmates in the spring. Annette Cooke Stokes wrote that Gordon continues to improve, though she had to tease him about “you almost made it 6 months without going to the hospital”. He needed to have his hernia repaired after two trips to ER on June 4. After all the heart problems near the end of last year, they were delighted to get that fixed. They went to Cancun, Mexico with their daughter and friends in March, a lovely and interesting trip. Then April took them to THE Master’s in Augusta, GA, where they visited Annette’s sister and enjoyed two wonderful days at the Masters. Although Annette does not play golf, she was very impressed. They are enjoying having their second grandson and his girlfriend visit for a weekend and the seven year old triplets were scheduled to arrive for a week. Life gets more interesting every day. In August, they are planning to head for Washington DC for a week of exploring and “getting my brother’s son married.” They are hoping to visit the National Cathedral, which they have never seen. Annette continues to serve as President of the Lago Vista Women’s Club, the largest civic club on the north shore of Lake Travis, near Austin. The club gave $11,000 in scholarships this year! “It is a never-ending miracle.”
Gabrielle (Gaby) Morandiere
1959
1958
Substitute Class Representative 300 East 54th Street # 7-K New York, NY 10022 212.832.7462 | gaby.morandiere@verizon.net Dear Coker ’58 Classmates, Well, we have made it through a really chilly winter and a very warm summer continues. Our new president, Dr. Wyatt, must have his hands full with Coker’s busy schedules. The alumni office has asked me to act as a temporary class rep for your class, the very idea of which delights me. But I am letting everyone down as somehow all the projects I have been tackling lately have needed to be finished before this past week. I have let your class down and I apologize. Briefly, let me ask you to please let me hear from you from time to time. This fall I shall try to reach a lot of you, but please remember that your classmates and Coker need to know how you are faring. Of course, it is always delightful to hear about you and any friends with whom you keep in touch. If you would like to speak by telephone, I will happily call you back. Please remember to give to Coker when you are able, no matter the amount. Everything helps. Lamar Caldwell and Lucy Singletary Caldwell ’54 have been married for 54 years and are proud to share the good news that their 19 year old granddaughter has received a four year scholarship to Iowa State, beginning her freshman year in August. She is the only child of their
Pat Crawford Fields
1713 Scenic Valley Lane Knoxville, TN 37922 865-675-3013 | JCF97@prodigy.net
Holly Mims Westcott
7813 Harpeth View Drive Nashville, TN 37221 | 615-673-7949 hmwestcott@att.net Though our class had its wonderful fiftieth reunion in 2009, March of 2010 was reunion time all over again for me. I drove to South Carolina for a reunion with high school classmates and took advantage of the trip to reconnect with Coker classmates as well. Obliged to take a detour via Johnson City, TN, I called on Betty Crawford Moore, who offered me a wonderful lunch. Of course, I got recipes for everything. In addition to Betty’s company, I enjoyed that of Belle, her beautiful Bassett Hound. Betty had recently been to Winnsboro where an in-law (I won’t try to explain the exact connection) invited her to a book club meeting at Laurens McMaster Livings’ house, not realizing that Laurens and Betty have such a long history together. On the Monday before my return to Tennessee, Molly Creadick Gray picked me and daughter Lauri Yeargin up at the Gravatt Camp and Conference Center near Aiken, which Lauri serves as Executive Director. We made our way to Barbara Dibble Dixon’s house in
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