1975 After a fantastic reunion last April, Susie Dunklin Guerry and I volunteered to take over as class reps from Rose Patrick Smith who had done a fantastic job all these years. Since Susie lives in Hartsville, she will handle any local meetings required of class reps. I will be the gatherer of class news and the one that will bug you about getting it to me! As you can see, we have lots of news to share. Trips, retirements and grandchildren seem to be a common theme. Susie Dunklin Guerry once again graciously opened her home to our class for a pre-reunion get together back in the spring. A fun time was had by all. Penny May Nobles even joined us to remember our times at Coker. Susie has been enjoying her retirement and has travelled far and wide this year. Although Bert has not retired yet as Principal, they have found time to travel in their motor home. They also welcomed into their home this past year a beautiful Chinese exchange student, Lingxin, who became their daughter of the heart. After graduating she invited Susie and Bert to come and experience a once in a lifetime tour of China. She shared her home and family with Susie and Bert while they experienced what it is like to live in China. Lingxin is back in the states now at Purdue University studying computer science and will be celebrating Christmas and spring break in Hartsville with them. They experienced another great trip to Alaska this past summer which Susie highly recommends. They are now preparing to leave on for a 17 day cruise in the west Mediterranean to tour Rome, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Florence, Portifino, Valencia, Gibraltar, and Southampton, just to name a few! Many miles and experiences to remember this year. Diane Roden Dinneny has had an interesting year in real estate working all hours of the day and all days of the week. This is kind of funny since Owen decided to take early retirement from Merck and Co. after 19 years. His plans are to become a consultant while saving time for more golf. I helped our daughter, Kate find a nice condo which she purchased in March. She is still enjoying being the Youth Services Librarian in a public library. Our youngest daughter is a graphic designer for Aerosoles shoe company which she loves, although the commute is quite long. She designs all their catalogs which some of you may get in the mail. We are off on a family vacation to Cancun in October which I am sure will be great fun. Reveley Wilson Thomy has also retired from her school district and was hoping to have more free time than she had. She is just as busy but now with family. Her son, Wil and Heather, now have three sons which they are all enjoying. Their daughter, Mary Alice and husband, are now living in Lake City which they love. Her son, John, works as a Samsung Rep at Best Buy in Columbia and loves his job. Reveley’s dad is now in a Florence nursing home at the age of 97. Greg’s dad passed away this summer at 100 years old! Greg and Rev have been travelling more and have spent time at the beach and mountains. Deborah Scarboro Snyder states there is not a lot new in the Snyder home. Her daughter Hannah did graduate from college and her husband, Tom is an artist that has shows throughout the Charlotte area. Debbie says she got together with Lu Anne Baker Ellison in Columbia after our spring reunion. LuAnne is still working full time and enjoys her beautiful granddaughters. She had no flood damage but her daughter’s house was heavily damaged. Miriam Anderson is super blessed to have three grandchildren; Cooper who is 4, Jake, 3 and Ella, 1. She is still teaching art at Berkeley High School where she loves working with teenagers. Her husband, John is a real estate agent and they live outside of Charleston. Floy Henry Fanning has been teaching for forty years and still enjoys it! Her husband, Rick, enjoys exercising at the YMCA and doing traditional archery.
Her daughter, Kimberly, graduated from Lander University and is a wellness coach at the YMCA. Her other daughter, Jennifer, married Christian Long and teaches K-4 in Irmo. Carolyn McMillan Dunn sends news that Columbia, where she lives with her husband, was hit hard by the floods but they were very thankful that we were safe and sound. Her big news is that she retired on Sept. 29th. Still hard for her to believe she worked for 36 years as a flight attendant. Any more flying will just be for fun...if she can ever get on an airplane! Carolyn is looking forward to spending more time with her mom, whose memory is failing and with their grandkids in California. Kathi Pleasant Luther says all is well with her family. They were not hit as badly as others in the state with the floods. Her three sons and two daughter-in-laws are doing great and her six year old grandson is the most adorable fella you have ever seen! They are so lucky to have him close by so they can go to his sports games and school events. Kathi is still working part time doing reading intervention. Carlotta Johnson Wiggins says all is well. Her husband, Johnny, is still working full time for John Deere. This past summer he ended up in the hospital for five days after a spider bite on his leg. Scary at the time but all is good now. They have a grandson that they enjoy spending time with. Bertie Gibbons Nesbitt writes that she has been married to the love of her life for forty years now. They have four children and nine grandchildren. Bertie is still teaching, 35 years and counting. Two of her daughters are also in education. She sees Jackie Squires every now and then and says she is still beautiful and full of life. Bebe Prosser Beasley is happy to report she is a new grandmother to little Audrey Ann. She babysits for her daughter and son-in-law four days a week in Raleigh. Bebe is loving it! On a sad note, our thoughts go out to Ruthi Henderson Mobley on the passing of James Bradley Mobley in August and also to the family of Janice Tinsley Marshall who passed away in April. We also hope that everyone was safe from the flooding in October. Diane and Susie
1986 Hello Coker friends, I hope this finds all of you happy, healthy, and prosperous. Can you believe it has been 30 years since we all lived together on the beautiful campus of Coker College. It is time to celebrate the foundation that Coker helped us build so let’s all plan on catching up with each other during Homecoming this year. Be there or be square. I recently heard from one of our classmates, Teresa Baker and discovered that we have more in common than just our names. We both share a passion for sports and animals. She was gracious enough to share her life story since our years together at Coker and here is what she had to say. After graduating in 1986 with a BA in Dance, Teresa spent that first year working as an Admissions Counselor at Coker College. She then enrolled in the Master’s Degree program at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. She received her Master of Science Degree in Physical Education with a concentration in Dance in 1989. After graduation from JMU, she worked as Company Manager for the Battery Dance Company in New York City. While in NYC, she had opportunities to teach dance to under privileged youth, taught a dance fitness class at the American Express Corporate Fitness Center in the World Trade Center, and performed with Battery Dance in NY and on tour. Upon her return to the Columbia area, she taught
as a Guest Artist in Residence at Coker from ’91-‘92. While teaching as the Guest Artist, she assisted Nancy Bolden with the Coker College Dance Theatre Company Classes and also ran the youth dance program at Coker College during this time. In the fall of ’92 Teresa was offered a position with the Beaufort County School District as the first full-time dance instructor in the county. Now she is celebrating her 23rd year of teaching at BHS. She was selected as the Dance Educator of the Year for the South Carolina Dance Association in 1998. Teresa is married to Al Wallace, a Citadel graduate and retired physical education teacher. They have three boys, Ross (23), Rome (17) and Rhogue (12). When not teaching, coaching or directing for performance events, you will find Teresa cheering on one of her children in their various activities, spending time with the animals on her “hobby farm” or enjoying time reading and relaxing in Beautiful Beaufort by the Sea. Hope to hear from you soon. We want to hear what everyone of you has been doing for the last 30 years. So come on Cobras talk to me… Peace, Love, and Happiness~ “Trigger”
1987 Hello, Everyone, I received the following information from our classmate and friend, Jan Powers Fort: I am directing Indigo Choral Society in Georgetown and Electa Anderson Small ’85 is in the group as well. This is the county's community chorus. Also, Anthony and I will celebrate 30 years of marriage at the end of October. In Mosser family news, my maternal grandmother passed away on May 1. She’d just celebrated her 96th birthday in April, and I’m so glad Emily and I were able to attend her birthday lunch. Grandma had a good, long life, and we are so thankful for that. Donald and I attended the SC state fair this month. We had a good time looking at exhibits, visiting the animals, and eating fair food. It’s a good thing we don’t eat that way frequently! We are enjoying having Emily (class of 2015) live nearby, and having her stop by to visit frequently. She moved in with a friend shortly after graduation and just got her own apartment this month. She’s doing well with her new job as an Associate Recruiter at MAU. Emily is also a class representative for the class of 2015. Donald is still enjoying playing his ukuleles. He’s actually very good at it and has a big collection of instruments. Some are high pitched (soprano) and others have a more mellow tone, almost like a guitar. He has a camping trip planned this month with a group of fellow ukulele enthusiasts. He will be sleeping in a tent, so hopefully it won't be too cold. I am enjoying scuba diving, though I haven’t gotten to do much of it since certifying last fall. Emily and I dove with a group at Clark’s Hill last month, and we are participating in an underwater pumpkin carving contest at Lake Murray on Halloween. The Wateree Dive Center (our home dive shop!) is hosting the event to raise funds for breast cancer awareness. Emily and I are also going to Bonaire in June 2016 with a group from Wateree Dive Center. My big news is that I’ve been accepted to the Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA. I will be doing the majority of my work through distance education, but will have some residence time on campus as well as internships and practicums. I’m really excited about this. If all goes according to plan, I will start school in January. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or whatever holidays you and your loved ones celebrate. Feel free to connect with me via Facebook or e-mail to share any THE OFFICIAL M AG A ZINE OF COKER COLLEGE
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