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Converse Magazine Spring 2003

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CONVERSEBULLETIN Editor

Beth Farmer ’96 Senior Writer

Eric Lawson Associate Editor - Alumnae

Bobbie Daniel ’71 Graphic Designer

Jeanna Hayes Production Assistant

Donna Gardner Converse Club News

Elizabeth Simons The Converse Bulletin is published three times a year for alumnae and friends of Converse College by the Office of Communications, Converse College, 580 East Main Street, Spartanburg, SC 29302-0006, (864) 596-9704. Converse College does not discriminate in admissions or employment on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, sexual orientation, religion or disability. Converse admits only women to undergraduate programs and services in accordance with its historical mission.

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SPRING 2003, Volume 115, No. 3 Copyright © 2003 by Converse College Cover Image: (At 3:00) Marlee Beckham ’02 and fellow astronomy students. (At 6:00) New construction for Phifer Science Hall began late February 2003. Photo taken by Rachel Jones ’04, Converse College Communications Intern. (At 9:00) Marsha Gibbs, donor of the Gibbs Scholarship, with Gibbs Scholar Natalie Atkins ’04 of Rome, GA.

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From the President

4

We Need You Now!

14 The Campaign for Converse

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Campus Construction

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Shining on Stage

12

3-Dimensional Art Collaborative Research

14

Converse News

18

Planned Giving Thank You, Alumnae

20

Alumnae News Alumnae Award Winners Alumnae Board Slate

26

Life Events

28

Honor and Memorial Gifts

30

Class Notes

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CONTENTS

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Nevertheless, even as I try to sort out my emotions in this very difficult personal time, I find myself turning to two sources of strength and I encourage you to do the same. First, I am so grateful to my family and friends — especially the Converse community — for the moral support and encouragement they have given me during this time. Hardly a day goes by when someone does not ask me how Paul is doing and what they can do to help. I am most grateful for family and friends who have surrounded me with the love and support that is literally sustaining me. Second, I turn to my faith in God day after day and night after night. I, like Rabbi Kushner, am convinced that “bad things happen to nice people.” But my faith in God and His love sustains me, and I hope your faith will guide and sustain you and our nation’s leaders.

Nancy Gray

D

uring the month of March, my husband and I traveled to Fort Campbell, Kentucky to send off my oldest son, Paul, who is a first lieutenant in the United States Army’s 101st Airborne Division. At the end of our visit, Paul was to be deployed with other members of his brigade to the Middle East. However, at the eleventh hour, Paul was told that their flight had been put on hold “for an indeterminate period of time.” As we sat among his packed bags, an initial response of gratitude and relief flooded over me. I hoped that perhaps he would be spared, after all, from having to fight in a war against Iraq. However, reality very quickly took hold again and I realized that he was still going to have to go to Iraq and fulfill the responsibilities his country was asking of him. It was not a matter of if he went, but when he went, and my feelings of uncertainty and fear for him quickly returned. Being the mother of a son who is leaving for war is the most difficult thing I have ever faced in my life. You, too, may have a child or husband in the military and are experiencing the same range of emotions. Regardless, I think all of us in these times are confronting feelings of uncertainty and fear as we worry about friends serving in the military, growing

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In the midst of the difficult times in which we live, Converse is completing its highly successful “Campaign for Converse: Building for the Future.” With our international tension and economic uncertainty, you may wonder why this campaign is even significant. Yet, if you think about Converse history, she has come through difficult times in her own past and in the nation’s past. Perhaps there is no greater test of the character of an individual or an institution than how one responds under pressure. After having served at Converse for three and a half years, I am more convinced than ever that Converse has made and continues to make a tremendous difference in the lives of her students. Sustaining this for the next century depends on the willingness of her alumnae and friends today to support the college financially and through the referrals of new students to the Admissions Office through good times and bad. I ask you to join with me to do what you can to support Converse; every small gift and good word matters. We may not be able to change the national or international situation, but we certainly can make a difference in our own homes, churches, and at this college that means so much to us and makes such a difference in the lives of our young women. May God bless you.

CONVERSE COLLEGE RANKS #13 AMONG SOUTHERN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, #5 BEST VALUE According to U.S. News & World Report, Converse College continues to distinguish itself as one of the top educational institutions in the South. In the magazine’s annual “America’s Best Colleges” issue, Converse ranks 13th among Southern colleges and universities that offer master’s degrees and as the 5th Best Value in the South. President Nancy Oliver Gray said the rankings reflect the college’s continued ability to compete successfully against larger institutions in providing a quality education. “Converse has made significant progress in academic quality, campus enhancement, and institutional leadership over the last three years,” she said. “I am pleased our dedication to quality is reflected in the 2003 rankings.” HOW DO THE RANKINGS WORK? U.S. News uses a methodology that rates the quality of institutions based on widely accepted indicators of excellence. Indicators of quality include: Peer Assessment The U.S. News ranking formula gives greatest weight (25 percent) to the opinion of those in a position to judge a school’s academic excellence. Retention Retaining a high number of students from year to year is a good indication that a college is offering the classes and services students need to succeed. Faculty resources Research shows that the more satisfied students are about their contact with professors, the more they will

learn and the more likely it is they will graduate. Class size, faculty salary, the proportion of professors with the highest degree in their fields, the student-faculty ratio, and the proportion of the faculty who are full time are all considered in this assessment. Student selectivity A school’s academic atmosphere is determined in part by the abilities and ambitions of the student body. SAT/ACT test scores, the percentage of freshmen who graduated in the top 25% of their class, the ratio of students admitted to applicants, and the ratio of students who enroll to those admitted are all considered. Financial resources Generous per-student spending indicates that a college is able to offer a wide variety of programs and services. This category measures the average spending per student on instruction, research, student services, and related educational expenditures. Alumnae giving rate The percentage of alumnae who gave to their school during each academic years is a measure of satisfaction. To be considered for the Best Value raking, a college must have earned a spot in the top half of its category. The Best Values rankings are based on three variables: ratio of quality to price, the percentage of undergraduates receiving financial aid, and the percentage of the college’s total costs (tuition, room and board, fees, books, and other expenses) covered by the average need-based grant to students.

THEPRESIDENT

FROM THEPRESIDENT

international tensions, uncertainty of what the future may bring, and our own safety and security. One minute we are hopeful, and the next our hopes are dashed. As Abraham Maslow told us in his work on the hierarchy of human needs, it is difficult to function at higher levels when our basic needs of security and safety are threatened.

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NOW

Help us finish the job by June 30, 2003.

HELP MAKE IT HAPPEN!

40% PARTICIPATION - A REACHABLE GOAL

HOW CONVERSE RATES AGAINST PEER INSTITUTIONS Davidson College

53%

Randolph Macon Woman’s College

52%

Furman University

46%

Hollins University

45%

Agnes Scott College

45%

Sweet Briar College

44%

Salem College

44%

Wofford College

37%

Wesleyan College

36%

Erskine College

35%

CONVERSE COLLEGE

32%

Columbia College

30% 24%

Data collected from U.S. News & World Report 2002

EVERY 90 ALUMNAE WHO GIVE TO CONVERSE WILL RAISE THE GIVING PARTICIPATION BY 1%. 4

Source so f

ENDOWMENT

WHAT IS THE CONVERSE ANNUAL FUND?

$2 MILLION

TUITION AND FEES

$12 MILLION

CONVERSE ANNUAL FUND

The Converse Annual Fund is the portion of the $3 MILLION operating budget not covered by endowment income or tuition and fees. These dollars must be raised every year to provide scholarships and support other essential needs such as faculty salaries and the library. Converse hopes to reduce its future dependency on the annual fund by increasing the endowment.

48%

Smith College

Presbyterian College

90% of Donors give gifts of less than $1,000, proof that every gift – no matter the size – makes a difference!

Every year, Converse gives $5 million in scholarships to bright young women who contribute greatly to the community of Converse. Approximately $3 million of this funding comes from the Converse Annual Fund and must be raised every year from alumnae and friends of the College in order to make these scholarships possible.

ome Inc

THE CAMPAIGN FOR CONVERSE ENDS JUNE 30, 2003! Your alma mater needs you now more than ever. We have successfully raised more than $75 million, but two critical areas remain “EVERY ALUMNA HAS THE CHANCE in which your help is needed by June 30: the TO MAKE AN IMPORTANT IMPACT BY Converse Annual Fund and the Kresge Challenge. We still need $1.4 million in order JUNE 30, 2003.” - BILL BARNET, CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN to meet the Converse Annual Fund goal. And this year, we have a rare opportunity to earn $750,000 for campus construction from the Kresge Foundation if we increase the number of alumnae who give to Converse. Together, we can make it happen!

Converse Annual Fund

LET’S CLIMB THE CHARTS FOR ALUMNAE GIVING! The number of alumnae who give is an important indicator of alumnae faith in their alma mater. Major donors are eager to lend their support to institutions where alumnae are giving alongside them. Philanthropic organizations invest their dollars in institutions that show strong support from alumnae. U.S. News & World Report and other key ranking organizations give higher ratings to institutions that are strongly supported by alumnae.

“IF EVERY ALUMNA WILL GIVE $125 TODAY, IT WILL TOTAL THIS YEAR’S REMAINING NEED OF $1.4 MILLION.” - ELISE WARREN, ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

CONVERSE ANNUAL FUND GOAL:

$3 MILLION

NEEDED BY JUNE 30:

$1.4 MILLION

WE NEED YOU NOW!

THE CAMPAIGN FOR CONVERSE BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

WE NEED YOU

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THE CAMPAIGN FOR CONVERSE BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

I WILL

The Kresge Challenge for Campus Construction

CONVERSE ANNUAL FUND

HOW CAN YOU HELP CONVERSE EARN $750,000?

· · · · ·

Converse received a challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation that will earn the College $750,000 towards construction of Phifer Hall if we meet the requirements by June 30, 2003. Not only does this challenge provide significant funding, but it also indicates an impressive stamp of approval from the Kresge Foundation. We need many new donors in order to meet the challenge and demonstrate our capability for broader institutional support.

GIFTS OF EVERY SIZE COUNT — INCLUDING BRICKS FOR PHIFER!

HELP!

Founder’s Circle: $25,000+ Leadership Circle: $10,000- $24,999 President’s Circle: $5,000-$9,999 Reverence Tower: $2,500-$4,999 Service Tower: $1,000- $2,499

❑ My gift:

THE KRESGE CHALLENGE

· · · ·

Honor Tower: $500-$999 Loyalty Tower: $250-$499 Friendship Tower: $100-$249 Converse Fund: $1-$99

$ ___________

KRESGE CHALLENGE — CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

NEEDED BY JUNE 30:

Gifts support construction for Phifer Science Hall, renovation of Belk Residence Hall, and Montgomery Student Activities Building.

254 GIFTS

FROM NEW DONORS

❑ My gift:

$ ___________

❑ My personalized brick(s) for the Phifer Walkway ($125 each) $ ___________ Brick message:

Make checks payable to Converse College, or charge your credit card by providing information below: Name ________________________________________________________________________________

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Card type:

Visa

MasterCard

Discover

Give a brick in your name, or someone else’s, for the Phifer walkway.

Detach this form and mail to: Converse College Office of Institutional Advancement 580 East Main Street Spartanburg, SC 29302

JUNE 30, 2003

WE NEED YOU NOW!

Card number ________________________________ Expiration Date ____________________________

✁

ONE WAY TO SUPPORT THE KRESGE CHALLENGE IS TO GIVE A BRICK FOR THE WALKWAY LEADING TO THE NEW PHIFER SCIENCE HALL.

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CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION PHIFER SCIENCE HALL IS UNDERWAY! Construction of the new 36,000-square-foot, three-story Phifer Science Hall began in late February 2003 and is projected to open in the fall of 2004. This campaign project reflects Converse’s commitment to preparing women for the everchanging world of technology and scientific innovation. The building will house the natural sciences (biology, chemistry, and biochemistry) and partially house the computer science department. In December 2001, The Kresge Foundation in Troy, Michigan, approved a $750,000 challenge grant for construction of Phifer Hall. Converse must receive 254 gifts from new donors by July 1, 2003, in order to receive the grant. Phifer Hall will be prominently located on the inner quad of the campus between Montgomery Student Center and Blackman Music Hall (see diagram at left). The building is designed to have two facades, one facing the center of campus and the other facing Pine Street. The project includes a tower reminiscent to Wilson Hall and a new plaza on the Pine Street side of Phifer that will provide open green space where students can gather and relax. It is likely that a fountain and/or garden will be special features of this plaza to make it as welcoming as possible. New parking and reconstruction of the entry road from the Drayton Avenue end of campus are also part of the project.

(left) The double room suite will feature two double rooms with walk-in closets adjoined by a bathroom (below right) The renovation of Belk Residence Hall (below left) Drawing of the exterior of Belk Residence Hall

THE TRANSFORMATION OF BELK RESIDENCE HALL INTO SUITES Converse’s on-campus living requirement is a valuable part of the student experience. The sense of community that comes from students living together on campus is not only integral to the Converse experience, it is also a factor that makes our residence hall offerings much more important in attracting students. The Belk Hall renovation will offer upperclass students the opportunity to share apartment-style living space with suitemates. Belk Hall formerly housed single and double student rooms with hall bathrooms. After the renovation, it will contain double suites (two bedrooms with walk-in closets) adjoined by a bathroom, double rooms with private baths, and single rooms with private baths. Many other new features will be incorporated into the renovation, such as Thermo-pane windows, heating and A/C, lighting, carpet, color scheme, lobby furniture, and landscaping for the front patio. The hall will open for returning students this fall (2003).

The entry to the building on the first floor will be a two-story open area leading to a tiered auditorium. The botany laboratory, herbarium, greenhouse, and computer science laboratory will be located on the first floor. Additional biology and computer science laboratories and faculty offices will be located on the second floor. The third floor will house organic, analytical, physical and environmental, and general chemistry laboratories. Additionally, faculty offices, research laboratories, and a study room will be housed on the third floor.

(top) Arial rendering of the Phifer project and surrounding campus (above) Construction began on Phifer Science Hall in late February 2003 (right) Rendering of Phifer Science Hall

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Anna Steenerson ’03 sang the role of Pamina during the January 31st performance of “The Magic Flute.” Performing for the Metropolitan Opera is a dream come true for any vocalist. And on November 16, Anna Steenerson ’03 took one more step in turning that dream into a reality. On that day, the Mauldin, SC, native and 18 other vocalists from throughout the state gathered in Columbia (SC) to audition for the Metropolitan National Opera Council. At the end of the day, Anna was among only three participants chosen to advance to the regional auditions in Atlanta. Only one person will be selected as winner at the regional and go on to compete in the National Semi-Finals in New York in March. The Met uses the auditions program to discover new talent and to search for possible participants in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. As she stood center stage, Anna was well aware that the ears trained upon her voice belonged to judges who were accustomed to hearing the best. “One judge has had a wonderful career in singing and teaching, and has sung with the NYC Opera,” says Anna. “Another judge casts for the Washington Opera, and the third is a world renowned accompanist and vocal coach.” Because an audition for The Met can be a tremendous career opportunity, nervous butterflies would have been natural. And while she may have been just a bit anxious, Anna recalled advice from her voice teacher at Converse College, Dr. Beverly Hay. “She simply told me to ‘sing like I was going to win.’” Anna, a soprano, first sang the aria “Quel guardio, il cavaliere” by Donizetti, which ends on high E-flat. “I chose the piece with the help of Dr. Hay,” said Anna. She knows it well and has performed it often. The judges selected the second piece, “Qui la voce” by Bellini. “It’s the newest and hardest thing I’ve ever attempted,” Anna says. Rhoda Paschal, Director for the SC District of the Metropolitan National Council Auditions, could not have been more pleased with the group’s selection of Anna. “Anna will make an absolutely delightful representative of the state,” Rhoda said. “She is so gifted and has obviously been welltaught.” 10

Shining on Stage Converse Opera Theatre Productions Prepare Music Students for Professional Careers Converse Opera Theatre presents at least one fully-staged opera each academic year, as well as an opera scenes concert. This spring, the production was Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” accompanied by the Converse Symphony Orchestra. The experience offers both vocal and instrumental students the opportunity to participate in a professional production where they gain firsthand insight into the workings of auditioning, casting, staging, costuming, lighting, producing and directing, technical theatre, and orchestra preparation. Their opera experience at Converse provides a valuable career edge as they enter the professional world of musical performance.

Tharanga Goonetilleke ’05 performed the role of Pamina during the February 2nd performance. As recently as two years ago, Tharanga Goonetilleke was studying at CMS Ladies’ College in her native Sri Lanka for a career in medicine. Those plans changed after a chance encounter with Converse professor Dr. Douglas Weeks in December 2000. “I was on a three-country tour of South Asia,” said Dr. Weeks, “and my last stop was with the Sri Lanka Symphony Orchestra.” Tharanga was scheduled to participate in the same performance. “I went to the first rehearsal and was absolutely blown away by this tremendous soprano,” he recalled.

Above: Joseph Hopkins, Dean of The Petrie School of Music, as Papageno; and Anna Steenerson ’03 as Pamina. Below: Oleg Klymentyev, graduate student in The Petrie School, as Sarastro; Tharanga Goonetilleke ’05 as Pamina; and members of “The Magic Flute” chorus.

After the rehearsal, he approached Tharanga and encouraged her to consider devoting more time to her vocal talents as a student at Converse. “Because Converse has one of the finest voice programs in America, and since Tharanga had never traveled outside of her country, I thought that the school would make for a perfect fit,” he said. At the time, Tharanga was not quite sure what to make of Dr. Weeks. “I thought he was just being nice,” she says now. “But I really did not give it much thought until I received application materials from Converse,” she said. “At the time, music was just something I did on the side because I still planned to pursue a career in medicine.” Tharanga was initially offered a scholarship package of $15,000 from Converse. That left roughly $6,000 needed to cover tuition, room, and board. While Tharanga increasingly warmed to the idea of coming to Converse, she felt the financial situation might prove too high of a barrier to overcome. “There was no way I could come up with the $6,000 myself,” she said. “But the choir director of the Ladies’ College and others who had seen me perform saw that this was a tremendous opportunity for me, and as a group, they gave me the money I needed.” Beverly Hay, professor of voice at Converse, recognized Tharanga’s extraordinary talent from the moment she stepped on campus. Dr. Hay wanted to make sure that a full scholarship package would be offered so that she could stay past her freshman year. “I worked hard to exhaust every scholarship opportunity we had to keep Tharanga at Converse,” Hay said. “We finally found an anonymous donor who also recognized her vocal talent, and felt that keeping her at Converse was a wise move.” 11


STUDENTS AND FACULTY TEAM FOR

RESEARCH GRANTS

3-Dimensional

When the Indochinese arrived in the US, they immediately had to adjust to a culture very different from their own. Those who could not adjust to the culture shock often alienated themselves and formed small ethnic enclaves. As the first generation of immigrants has grown older and has had children here in the US, a generational conflict has developed. The members of the first generation want their children to remember and respect Southeast Asian values, but, having grown up in the US, the younger generations are striving to be more Americanized. The difference in viewpoints is leading to a communication block between the generations.”

Romana. My primary goal was to explore her changing image as a model of female religious devotion in the years from her death in 1440 to her canonization in the 17th century. Through the numerous texts and images, I was able to document Francesca’s roles as earthly mother and holy mother to the order of Oblates she founded, wife of a Roman nobleman and bride of Christ in her visions, humble caregiver of the poor in her home, and priest-like miraculous feeder in her convent.”

Toni Hicks ’03 of Chesnee, SC, collaborated with Dr. Edna Steele, Assistant Professor of Biology, to study a parasite that affects certain fish: “I studied a parasite known as Ascocotyle that infects the heart of a fish called the mummichog. To study the effect this parasite had on the mummichog’s heart, I used histology methods to obtain thin sections of both infected and uninfected hearts. I was only able to identify a few areas where the muscle fibers appeared to be stretched. In these areas, the muscle fibers appeared thinner and nuclei were elongated compared

to those seen in the normal hearts. The results of my project indicated that the morphological effect of the parasite on the mummichog’s heart was minimal. A possible explanation is that the bulbus arteriosus is an elastic part of the heart, so it may be able to stretch and accommodate the parasites without actually being damaged. One last interesting part of my research was examining individual parasites obtained from the infected hearts. After removing the live parasites from their metacercarial cysts, we were able to identify the species as Ascocotyle tenuicollis.”

Kathryn Arrants ’06 works meticulously on her sculpture of Huff.

Tiffany Simons ’05 of Cleveland, TN, worked with Dr. Bob Muzzy, Chair of Sociology and Information Science, to study health care for rural women in her home state: “I found that women’s health care is very poor in the four counties I studied. Of the four counties, only two have hospitals and there is less than one health care professional per 1000 women in all four counties. The infant mortality rate and the rate of low birth weight are also high in all four counties.

Both rates are used as a measurement of the quality of health care. My research found that even though women of childbearing age, 15-44 years old, make up a significant percentage of the population in rural counties, they are not provided with adequate health care to meet their needs. It is not only the counties I studied that showed this problem; Tennessee as a whole is suffering from inadequate health care, particularly in the areas of Obstetrics and Gynecology.”

Tiffany Simons ’05 and Dr. Bob Muzzy

“Sculpting the human body with an in-studio model is essential to understanding art in three-dimensional form,” said Wingo, who has studied sculpture extensively in Italy, and has had works displayed throughout the US. “In this course, our students are able to stretch their understanding of additive and subtractive techniques.”

“For six months, I conducted primary text research in the Vatican, Marco Besso, Angelica, and Nationale libraries while exploring numerous churches and museums in search of 17th century images depicting the life of Saint Francesca

Toni Hicks ’03 and Dr. Edna Steele

The course is entitled Figurative Clay Modeling, and has been a Winter Term offering at Converse for the last several years. It is divided into two sections, both of which are taught by professional sculptors. During the first section, Lalage Warrington leads the students into a concentrated session devoted to the structures of the human skull and face. Winston Wingo takes over for the second half of the course, and guides sculpting of the human figure with the help of another live model.

Mayo Mac Boggs, Sculpture Professor and Chair of the Department of Art and Design, has designed the clay sculpture course to be the first course of a bronze-casting program. “Having a small bronze foundry as an integral part of this experience is an invaluable opportunity for our art students,” he said. “If our students want to pursue cast bronze sculpture after college, they must know the process and language of the business. I think it is absolutely essential for our students to have the tools they need to successfully compete in the male-dominated field of the bronze foundry.”

“In the mid 1970s, a large group of Indochinese faced political oppression as Communist groups came to power and the Vietnam War ensued. Cambodians, Laotians, Vietnamese, and Hmong escaped these conditions and came to America. Though often unnoticed, many of these Indochinese groups have settled in Spartanburg. Through my research, I spent a great deal of time getting to know many of these people. Heather Barclay ’03 of Florence, SC, teamed with Dr. Corrie Norman, Assistant Professor of Religion, to explore the life of the late medieval saint Francesca Romana. Most of Heather’s work was completed in Rome, Italy:

As Opal continues to sit fixated in his chair, students approach him and measure the exact distance of his temples from his ear lobe, and precise length of his nose. Lalage Warrington, who has been teaching clay sculpture for more than 15 years, emphasizes that exact precision is key in sculpture. “A sculpture artist,” she explains, Sculpture instructor Lalage Warrington (center) assists students in the Figurative Clay Modeling class as model Opal Huff maintains “must take account of every feature of his fixed pose. the model. Every curve and every edge, no matter how insignificant it may seem, will have an effect on At 3:00 in the afternoon, Spartanburg resident Opal the way the subject appears.”

Huff walks into studio 104 of the Milliken Fine Arts Building, politely greets everyone, and then takes his seat in the center of the room. For the next few hours, he will stare straight ahead, trying to move as little as possible as he is surrounded by Converse students determined to model his image into a mound of clay.

Kristen Arthur ’05 of Cowpens, SC, collaborated with Dr. Joe P. Dunn, Chair of History and Politics, to study the Cambodian population in Spartanburg:

Heather Barclay ’03 and Dr. Corrie Norman

Kristen Arthur ’05 and Dr. Joe P. Dunn

the course is just enough to give the students a taste for working with clay. For many of the students, eye coordination is the first hurdle to overcome as most are accustomed to working in two-dimensional mediums. Before taking part in the course, art therapy major Catherine Rowland ’06 had worked strictly with painting and charcoal drawing. “I had never worked in three-dimensional art before,” she says. “In clay sculpture, the artist is forced to pay great attention to the smallest detail. For example, to get a shadow effect in a drawing, an artist simply draws a shadow. But in sculpture, the actual cause of a shadow - such as an indention or body part must be taken into account.”

Throughout the summer of 2002, four Converse College students rolled up their sleeves and dove headfirst into various thought-provoking areas of research. Topics included Indochinese immigrants, health care for rural women, fish parasites, and the life of a medieval saint. The research projects, funded by South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (SCICU), were collaborative in nature as the students teamed with Converse faculty members.

Because Winter Term is shorter than the other academic calendars, 12

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CONVERSENEWS

Child Abuse and Neglect Class Offers Students Insightful Opportunity By Kathryn Brackett ’03, Converse College Communications Intern Children need to feel loved and safe in their own homes, but some aren’t so fortunate. Some children are frightened, Brackett neglected, even beaten. But what causes the abuse? What factors lead up to the violence? These are among several questions that Dr. Monica McCoy explores in her “Child Abuse and Neglect” class. No other schools in the area offer this course, but Converse students have the opportunity to explore the topic every winter term. “Child abuse is a common problem,” Dr. McCoy says. “My main goal is to correct misconceptions, to teach students to know the difference between an accident and abuse.” In 1999-2000, 8,365 investigations of reported abuse or neglect took place in the Palmetto State. Evidence was found to support 7,065 of those cases. Dr. McCoy attempts to explain such statistics and to teach students how to critically examine the phenomenon of child maltreatment. She also explores parental factors, contextual influences, the developmental consequences of maltreatment, and spends time going over the legal system. She believes that students need to know what they are

CLUBEVENTS

14

legally mandated to do if they meet a child in an abusive situation. Converse students pursuing careers in education benefit from the course because they receive fundamental training in order to identify and question child abuse victims in the outside world, plus they learn who can help if there is a problem. But the class isn’t simply limited to education majors. Future counselors, doctors and nurses also find it helpful. “It’s an applied course,” Dr. McCoy says. “Everyone needs to be aware of the risk factors.” Students apply what they learn through videos, pictures, reaction papers, and news coverages. In one reaction paper, students write a response to the movie Bastard Out of Carolina, a film based on Dorothy Allison’s novel. They write from a personal opinion approach and support their views with current research and/or theory.

Converse Aims to Join Elite Ranks of Steinway Schools The Petrie School of Music has embarked upon a course to become the 30th All Steinway School in the world, joining the likes of The Juilliard School, Yale, and Oberlin Conservatory. “Becoming an All Steinway School will define us as one of the premiere schools in the world for piano performance, quality, and music in general,” said Joseph Hopkins, Dean of The Petrie School of Music. “We have met with Steinway representatives and created a plan to purchase 12 new Steinway pianos,” explains Dean Hopkins. “We have also made a commitment to create a maintenance endowment specifically for the Steinways; repair and rebuild studio, performance, and practice instruments; and purchase protective equipment for the instruments.” The school is seeking donor support to meet this need. Donor support can also be expressed through donations of Steinways or estate gifts.

Over the course of six weeks, students explore a heartfelt yet important topic. They learn to approach child abuse with a meticulous eye and to make accurate conclusions based on factual information. In essence, and most importantly, students come away wearing a critical lens.

Students Learn from Renowned Sculptor and Internationally Acclaimed Author Winter Term offers a special opportunity to plan student experiences that enhance classroom learning. While many students were participating in study/ travel, those who remained at Converse had the opportunity to interact with two prestigious guest artists. Renowned sculpture artist Elliot Offner, president of the National Sculpture Society, served a two-week term as visiting artist for the

Term. Kennedy is the author of Department of Art 13 books, including Unreal City, and Design. Offner The Book of Angels, and Realism instructed Converse & Other Illusions: Essays on the art students and Craft of Fiction. His short stories, critiqued their work. poems, essays, interviews, He also presented a reviews, and translations of public slide lecture Danish works have appeared in highlighting his hundreds of anthologies and thoughts on sculpture Elliot Offner, sculptor periodicals in the US and in the 20th century. Europe, including O’Henry Prize Works by Offner are Stories 1994, Pushcart Prize XV, The displayed in numerous public European, North American Review, Kenyon collections, including the Hirshhorn Review, Southwest Review, American Poetry Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Review, and many others. Among his Brooklyn Museum, and the Museum of responsibilities as writer-in-residence, Fine Arts in Springfield, MA. He has Kennedy taught “Advanced Tutorial in won prizes from the National Sculpture Creative Writing,” a course that Society, the National Academy of combined weekly one-on-one tutorials Design, and the National Institute of with a series of master class workshops. Arts and Letters. He also gave a public reading at the Cleveland Hall Alumnae House. Internationally acclaimed novelist, storywriter, and critic Thomas E. Thomas E. Kennedy, author Kennedy served as the Sara Lura Mathews Self Writer-inResidence for the duration of Winter

“Leaning Herron” by Elliot Offner

Greensboro, NC October 10, 2002

Gastonia, NC October 23, 2002

Greenville, SC October 29, 2002

Camden, SC November 6, 2002

Alumnae met for wine and cheese and a fashion show at Mack and Mack. Smack Mack ’70 and her sister, Robin Mack Davis (owner), hosted. Polly Butler Cornelius ’91 is the Converse Club Chair in Greensboro.

Alumnae met for lunch at the City Club. Dr. Tom McDaniel spoke to the group on “Converse Today: What’s New?” Lyn Farmer Smeak ’78 is the Converse Club Chair in Gastonia.

Elise Wall Johnson ’71 and Jill Rushforth Coker ’72 hosted alumnae for wine and cheese. Special guests were President Nancy Gray, Joseph Hopkins (Dean of the Petrie School of Music), and Dr. Jeff Willis (Andrew Helmus Distinguished Professor of History).

Jane Ferguson Watson ’64 organized an alumnae luncheon in Camden at Springdale Hall.

(l to r) Janice “Smack” Mack ’70, Brook Lowry ’93, Aleene Sample, Lottie Payne, Dolly Culp Jennings ’62, Polly Butler Cornelius ’91, Ginny Legare ’70, Stephanie Crofton ’96, Anne Doar Stowe ’50, Nancy Hewett Harris ’62, Jackie Mapp Farlow ’58, Robin Mack Davis, Melissa Daves Jolly ’69.

(l to r) Lisa Royster Carstarphen ’80, Lyn Farmer Smeak ’78, Beth Wilkerson Sytz ’82, Alison Culp Cookson ’80, Melissa Daves Jolly ’69, Lou Warren Fuller ’52, Mary Sanders Parsons ’46, Dr. Tom McDaniel, Margaret Gaston Bates ’53, Kevin Jenkins Plonk ’84, Page Parsons Sherer ’71.

CLUBEVENTS

(l to r) President Nancy Gray, Jane Ferguson Watson, Bill Barnet (Trustee and Chairman of the Campaign for Converse).

(l to r) Dean Joe Hopkins, Jill Rushforth Coker ’72, Elise Wall Johnson ’71, President Nancy Gray, Dr. Jeff Willis. 15


CONVERSENEWS

Coming Soon:

The January Term In 2004-05, Converse College will initiate a new academic calendar. The two regular terms (fall and spring) will be lengthened to allow for up to 14 weeks of classes, while the winter session will be trimmed to four weeks and become formally known as the January Term. “The new start date for the fall term brings us in line with other colleges and universities,” said Dr. Jeff Barker, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “This will allow us to more easily pursue joint study/travel and other collaborative arrangements.” THE NEW CALENDAR AT A GLANCE: • Fall Term will begin approximately one week prior to Labor Day with exams being taken Monday-Thursday in the third week of December. Winter Break will begin at the end of exams, and will extend through Jan. 2. • January Term will begin around Jan. 4 and continue for 20 class days. The 20day period includes time for exams. The standard course load for students in the January Term will be one fourcredit-hour course. Students may take up to five credit hours, with a combination of one, two, three, and four-credit-hour courses. Faculty members are encouraged to experiment with innovative teaching styles and topics in designing courses for the January Term, as this will be an

CLUBEVENTS

excellent time to offer interdisciplinary and team-taught courses. • Spring Term will begin on or about Feb. 2, and will end on the Friday of the second week in May. Reading Days will be observed that weekend, and exams will be held Monday-Thursday the following week. Commencement Weekend will take place on the weekend following the end of exams. Other advantages of the new system include: • More contact hours, class sessions, and instructional weeks in the regular terms; • Increased variety of innovative courses during the January Term; • An improvement in the academic experience for the student as she takes a normal course load of one four-hour course during the January Term; • The opportunity for new course offerings in the January Term by faculty members. The 2003-04 academic year will serve as a transition year for the school calendar. “During this time,” says Dr. Barker, “the faculty members will need to encourage and assist in the development of courses for the January Term. They will also need to examine the student course load issues. In particular, it will be necessary to adjust the normal student load and conditions for student overloads so that students will be able to complete the credit-hour requirements for degrees in four years.”

Columbia, SC November 13, 2002 March and Anne Richardson Seabrook ’82 hosted a cocktail party in their home for alumnae in Columbia.

(l to r) Libby Anne Kepley Inabinet ’86, Ann Casey (Director of Donor Relations), Ginger Crawford Phillips ’97 (Director of the Converse Annual Fund), President Nancy Gray, Susie Sparrow Dekle ’96 (Columbia Club Chair), Melissa Daves Jolly ’69 (Director of Alumnae), Anne Richardson Seabrook ’82, March Seabrook. 16

Converse Partners to Help International Students The Ford Foundation of New York has awarded four women’s colleges a grant of $92,125 to identify urgent problems faced by international students. Converse College, Salem Academy and College, Agnes Scott College, and Bennett College will take part in the collaborative project. “International students continue to face barriers as they seek access to higher education here in America,” said Converse President Nancy Gray. “These barriers, which are even stronger with recent global events, sometimes actually prevent international students from enrolling at American colleges and universities.” The college presidents will work together to identify urgent issues and seek solutions to problems involving the matriculation of international students. They will share their findings with other colleges and universities and will provide advocacy on behalf of international women students. Emphasizing the importance of helping female students in particular, President Gray said, “Educated women have more earning potential, have better employment opportunities, have confidence to compete in the workplace, and make more informed health decisions.”

Apprenticeship with Charting New Territory: Greater Spartanburg The Individualized Philharmonic Major A new partnership between the Greater Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra (GSP) and Converse College will allow exceptional Petrie School of Music students to win a professional orchestral contract while pursuing their Converse degree.

Individualized Majors (IM) are becoming popular at many colleges throughout the country because they offer students the opportunity to create a customized liberal arts education that fits their career goals and interests. The IM will be available to Converse students at the beginning of the 2003-04 academic year.

Under the agreement, apprentices will perform with the GSP in five concerts and participate in corresponding rehearsals, earning an additional $1000 in scholarship aid each year above their current music or academic scholarships. Apprentices will also participate in the Converse Symphony Orchestra and/or the Converse Wind Ensemble. The experience will help build a valuable list of professional credits and extensive repertoire for the student’s resume.

Students with interdisciplinary academic interests that are linked in three or more departments may design a degree program that reflects those interests. This opportunity is for highly motivated students who will work with their academic advisors to establish the curriculum. They must also receive the approval of the department chairs in the areas of study. The Curriculum Committee will have final approval of an IM candidate. IM students will be encouraged to incorporate collaborative undergraduate research and honors work into their course of study.

Converse Alumnae Share Memories of War By Courtenay Mims ’04, Converse College Communications Intern played for the USO (United Service On March 3, Mrs. Bessie Organizations) as an accompanist in Rice Ball ’44, Mrs. Japan and the Philippine Islands. “I Virginia Manning Moses have lived through wars, but these ’44, and Mrs. Ann girls have never done this before.” Davidson Marion ’47 shared their experiences While she was a student, Ann also from World War II with Mims supported the war effort by becoming a current Converse faculty member of the Converse College and students. These wartime Auxiliary Corps. The purpose of this experiences helped students to organization was to organize all understand the impact a war might have activities connected with the war on on our lives. campus. “We looked to the upper classmen for support during this unsure “The students of today have read more time,” said Ann. “Most everyone knew and seen more pictures of war than we someone in the service.” were ever exposed to,” said Bessie, who

Golden Club Luncheon November 24, 2002

Charlotte, NC December 11, 2002

Past Alumnae Association Presidents Nelson and Jane January 24, 2003

The Spartanburg Golden Club met for lunch in the Bain Room. Dr. Jeffrey Barker (Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Professor of Philosophy) and Mr. Joseph Hopkins (Dean of the Petrie School of Music) were the speakers. Members of the Converse Granddaughters Club attended and helped with the luncheon.

Boatwright Schwab ’77 hosted a Converse Christmas party in their home. (seated) Jane Spratt McColl ’60; (l to r) Patty O’Herron Norman ’69, Nelson Schwab, President Nancy Gray, Bill Barnet, Jane Boatwright Schwab ’77.

While her husband actively served in Europe, Virginia saw the horrors of war first-hand. “I saw bombed buildings and women looking through garbage cans for food,” she said.

(l to r): Ann Davidson Marion ’47, Bessie Rice Ball ’44, and Virginia Manning Moses ’44

CLUBEVENTS

The Past Alumnae Association Presidents luncheon was held in Stackhouse Parlor. (l to r) President Nancy Gray, Vicky Vann Meyer ’71, Jane Jackson Avinger ’62, Elise Warren ’75, Martha Thompson Vermont ’47, Melissa Daves Jolly ’69, Mary Lib Spillers Hamilton ’57, Sue Wyatt Holmes ’72, Mary Helen Garrison Dalton ’46, Kathryn Aderholdt Portwood ’66, Charlotte Smeak Verreault ’79. 17


Your Legacy to CONVERSE

Meet Andrew Watkins, Director of Development Andrew Watkins joined the Converse College community as Director of Development in November of 2002. “I am excited to join the team at Converse,” he said. “The philanthropic support of Converse’s alumnae and friends is amazing, and I am honored to have the opportunity to work with so many extraordinary people.” Prior to Converse, Andrew served as Director of Development for Student Affairs at Clemson University, where he took leadership roles in securing private funding initiatives for The Michelin Career Center and The Fike Recreation Center. Prior to Clemson, Andrew worked at Limestone College and Walt Disney World. He received his Master’s in University Administration as well as his Bachelor of Science in Economics and Political Science from Florida State University. Andrew’s wife, Kristin, has been Assistant Dean of Students at Converse for four years. Andrew likes to play the guitar, compete in marathons, play with his toddler, and looks forward to redecorating his neighbor’s home in April (look for Andrew and Kristin on The Learning Channel’s “Trading Spaces” on June 28, 2003!). Welcome Andrew to Converse when you meet him at an upcoming Converse event! 18

For many who love Converse College, there comes a time when their thoughts turn to the future of the college and their role in ensuring the continuation of the Converse tradition. These thoughts may be stimulated by a class reunion, a gathering of Converse friends, or even preparations for retirement. Whatever the cause, people so moved inevitably ask themselves “how can I make a lasting and meaningful contribution to Converse?” For many Converse alumnae and friends, the most practical and satisfactory way to provide for the College is through your will. A bequest allows you to retain full control of your assets, but also gives you the satisfaction of knowing that Converse will eventually benefit from your generosity. To include Converse in your will, first talk with your attorney, who can provide advice on the specific wording of your bequest. Second, contact Converse College’s Office of Development and let us know you have included Converse in your will. We will send you a form to complete that tells us how you want us to use your gift. We will also ask you to include a copy of the relevant part of the will - just the part that addresses what you are doing for Converse. The third step is to mail it all back to us. The fourth and final part of the will process is the feel-good part. You should feel great about doing something this wonderful for Converse. In conclusion, a great way to make an important statement for Converse is to include the college in your will. You should speak with your attorney, and let the development office know of your plans. When you’ve done all of these things, Converse College will recognize you in the Legacy Society. And if you do this before June 30, 2003, you will be given credit for making a planned gift in the Campaign for Converse. Thank you for thinking of Converse College.

Special Thanks to

Alumnae

Who Helped Recruit Students in 2002-03

Twenty-five percent of enrolled Converse students result from alumnae referrals - evidence that alumnae efforts are truly critical to recruitment! Converse sincerely appreciates the efforts of the following alumnae who have helped during the 2002-03 academic year and expresses a special thanks to any alumnae who were inadvertently omitted from this list or of whose efforts we are not aware.

WROTE LETTERS TO ACCEPTED STUDENTS Sandra Sherard Bethea ’67 Adele Penland Boyce ’87 Miriam Creech Brice ’86 Karen Clarke ’70 Carrie Hill Coleman ’96 Polly Butler Cornelius ’91 Nancy Bain Cote’ ’79 Linda Whitnel Crimm ’66 Wallace Davison ’89 Karen Abele DeVore ’84 Kaysi Hasden Dixon ’94 Mary Helen Richbourg Earle ’85 Heather Eldridge ’97 Catherine Cranford Elliott ’96 Gelene Duncan Ellsworth ’63 Deanna Fults ’00 Harriet Messer Goldsmith ’69 Betty Arthur Hardaway ’71 Shelley Hardin ’00 Winnie Brown King ’90 Rhett Boyd Leake ’96 Wanda Moore McDowell ’91 Elisabeth Kinney McNiel ’89 Neal Millikan ’01 Candy Moore ’93 Mindy Thompson Orman ’71 Linda Frierson Perrow ’81 Lynda Layman Redding ’88 Grazier Connors Rhea ’74 Erin Rich ’98 Kendall Armstrong Robinson ’95 Marianna MacIntyre Taylor ’81 Shanie Tate Vafiadis ’92 Elise Warren ’75 Kelli Waters ’89 Lydia Wood ’92 Angel Stewart Young ’94

Andrew Watkins Director of Development Converse College 580 E. Main Street Spartanburg, SC 29302 (864) 596-9018 andrew.watkins@converse.edu

BROUGHT STUDENTS TO VISIT CAMPUS

Note: Prospective donors should not make final gift decisions without first consulting their personal legal and financial advisors.

FL Ann Lanier Jackson ’86 Melissa Carlton Salko ’92

Elise Warren ’75 Blanche Gramling Weathers ’78

HOSTED STUDENTS FOR DINNER

HOSTED PROSPECTIVE STUDENT PARTIES Charlotte, NC Karen Preacher Plettner ’92 Columbia, SC Lelia Freeman Byars ’79 Dallas, TX Liz Topp Klammer ’80 Kay Ferguson Theis ’78 Greenville, SC Susanne Jones Norwood ’94 Mary McDaniel Ridgeway ’90 Houston, TX Betsy Gant Wittenmeyer ’80 Sumter, SC Leigh Edmunds McLaurin ’96

ATTENDED COLLEGE FAIRS Memphis, TN Helen McClain Earney ’93 Kathy Toy Knowles ’93

HOSTED/PROVIDED ASSISTANCE TO GUIDANCE COUNSELORS AL Elise Warren ’75 FL Karen Clarke ’70 Beth Wood Sessums ’87 SC Deadra Jefferson ’85 TX Wallace Davison ’89 Kendall Armstrong Robinson ’95

INTERVIEWED CANDIDATES FOR MILLIKEN SCHOLARSHIPS Palmer Davison Ball ’84 Elizabeth Blanchard Joyce ’89 Erin Rich ’98 Angel Stewart Young ’94

REFERRED PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS Elizabeth Bouknight Barber ’99 Martha Paxton Beale ’49 Patty Seegars Bellus ’80 Mary Rainey Belser ’69 Sandra Sherard Bethea ’67 Elizabeth Wingard Boggs ’98 Adele Penland Boyce ’87 Lelia Freeman Byars ’79 Sally Harmon Caughman ’68 Kay Watt Clark ’78 Karen Clarke ’70 Claudia Barton Coleman ’82 Edith Hopkins Collins ’81 Anne Simmons Conder ’90 Polly Butler Cornelius ’91 Nancy Bain Coté ’79 Linda Russell Cranford ’69 Mary DeGraw ’02 Ann Llewellyn Ditto ’46 Alice Miller Dorn ’98 Jane Klatte Easler ’98 Katherine Hester Field ’52 Margaret Hines Fisher ’66 Margaret McElroy Goatley ’84 Gillian White Goodrich ’68 Bet Kenan Hamilton ’83 Shelly Hardin ’00 Shana Munn Herndon ’92 Harriett Moses Hollis ’79 Lawson Edwards Hough ’90 Peggy Hall Hughes ’72 Tabatha Huskey ’02 Rebecca Roland Hyleman ’99 Ann Lanier Jackson ’86 Deadra Jefferson ’85 Adelaide Capers Johnson ’69 Jenny Cockfield Johnson ’75 Susu Phifer Johnson ’65 Melissa Daves Jolly ’69 Jill Taylor Jones ’76 Kari Killen ’00 Lizz Topp Klammer ’80 Nelwyn Alanna Landreth ’99 Emeline Thomasson Loughlin ’82 Bev Lang MacBain ’50 Wanda Moore McDowell ’91 Georgia Mixson Miller ’79 Lathrop Hart Mosley ’96 Kerri Olson ’02 Ann Carol Hall Price ’61 Katie Doyle Proctor ’97 Harriett Reid ’95 Grazier Connors Rhea ’74 Sharon Kay Sellers ’93 Marilyn Mateer Sherrill ’53 Haidee Clark Stith ’76 Beth Strickland ’93 Janice Long Thoroughman ’55 Emily Jackson Vallarino ’65 Elise Warren ’75 Kelli Waters ’89 Blanche Gramling Weathers ’78 Laura Haws Williams ’74 Caroline Wyrosdick ’00 19


Call for Nominations:

Canadian Rockies Train Tour

VP of Institutional Advancement

June 29 - July 7, 2003 Double occupancy: $3,099; single: $3,949; triple: $3,049 Includes round trip air from Charlotte, cancellation and waiver insurance, hotel transfers, departure tax, and some meals Come to the heart of the Canadian Rockies, where majestic scenery combines with luxury resorts for a trip you’ll remember forever. We’ll tour the beautiful provinces of Alberta and British Columbia and enjoy a stay in the famed Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Then, it’s all aboard for an exhilarating, 2-day train ride through the Rockies to Jasper. Keep your camera poised for photo opportunities at Maligne Canyon, the Icefields Parkway, Athabasca Falls, and Peyto Lake. Weather permitting, enjoy a thrilling coach ride across the Columbia icefields. You’ll end your trip in Calgary, home to the world’s largest rodeo – the Calgary Stampede.

Italian Vistas October 25 - November 6, 2003 Double occupancy: $3,499; single: $4,199; triple: $3,469 Includes round trip air from Charlotte, cancellation and waiver insurance, hotel transfers, departure tax, and some meals This tour is the perfect way to experience Italy. We will start in Rome, a city famous for its rich history and incredible art, visiting the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and Vatican City. Other tour features include a visit to the ruins of Pompeii, the romantic Isle of Capri, and the artistically rich city of Florence, home to Michelangelo’s David. Also included are visits to the Leaning Tower of Pisa; Venice, with its intricate system of canals; and Italy’s fashion capital, Milan. The tour culminates with a trip through the Lake District of Italy, crossing into Switzerland for a stop at the resort town of Lugano.

German Holiday Market: Cruising the Main November 29 - December 7, 2003 Double occupancy $2,095 per person Includes round trip air from Atlanta to Frankfurt, Germany; seven nights aboard the M/S Swiss Pearl; all meals aboard ship. Escape the frantic pace of the holiday season, and discover the time-honored traditions of Germany. We will be treated to a welcome reception by the Captain of the M/S Swiss Pearl and will make ports of call in Miltenberg, Wertheim, Würzburg, Bamberg, and Nuremberg. We’ll explore the village of Miltenberg and the historic town of Nuremburg, home to Germany’s oldest Christmas market. We will take part in a traditional German Christmas dinner, The Alumnae Association Board Meeting enjoy an organ concert at Amorbach February 1-2, 2003 Abbey, delight in an excursion on the The Converse College Alumnae Association legendary Romantic Road, take guided Board met on campus for the winter meeting. walking tours, and enjoy a wine tasting (l to r, front row) Gelene Duncan Ellsworth ’63, in a local tavern. Sandra Sherard Bethea ’67, Polly Hill Woodham ’51,

This position reports to the President and will directly manage the areas of Communications, Alumnae, and Development. A bachelor ’s degree is required along with experience in leading an advancement team, a record of successful fund raising and management, excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and an understanding of a small women’s college. An advanced degree is preferred. This position is responsible for completing a successful comprehensive campaign with $75 million now raised and for planning, organizing, and implementing the future college fund raising efforts. To apply or nominate an individual for this position, please contact Human Resources at HR@converse.edu.

Armed Forces E-mail Network Many people in the Converse community have expressed an interest in forming an Email network of support for those who have loved ones in the military. The Alumnae Office is responding by compiling a list of alumnae names, E-mail addresses, and the names of loved ones who are currently serving. The list will be E-mailed to all members so they may communicate with each other. If you would like to be included, please E-mail your name and the name of your loved ones who are currently in service to alumnae@converse.edu.

CLUBEVENTS

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Mary Alice Ingram Busch ’50, Dicksie Brown Cribb ’46, Bette Hubbard Wakefield ’50, Robin Langston Gorman ’66, Carroll Sibley Clancy ’71. 2nd row: Grazier Connors Rhea ’74, Wallace Davison ’89, Nancy Bain Cote ’79, Mary Helen Richbourg Earle ’85, Mindy Thompson Orman ’71, Harriet Messer Goldsmith ’69, Marianna MacIntyre Taylor ’81, Adelaide Capers Johnson ’69, Elise Warren ’75, Betty Arthur Hardaway ’71, Linda Whitnel Crimm ’66. (back row) Bobbie Daniel ’71, Jane Manning Hyatt ’93, Candy Moore ’93, Erin Rich ’98, Heather Eldridge ’97, Melissa Daves Jolly ’69. Also present, but not pictured: Berry Bate ’75, Lydia Wood ’92, Elisabeth Kinney McNiel ’89.

Alumnae Board Reaches Out to Converse Students in Need The Alumnae Board is making an important impact in the lives of several Converse students. During the fall and winter terms, ten students who had special circumstances of financial need were helped by funds raised during a silent auction held by the Alumnae Board at meetings last year and this year. Each member of the board contributed one item that others could buy at the auction. A few examples of this fund’s impact are: an undergraduate student who does not have insurance was helped to purchase a prescription following a medical emergency; a student received help with book purchases after her father lost his job; a single mother who has recently had difficulty collecting child support received help purchasing textbooks for her Converse II classes; a commuting student who is completing her education despite a very difficult personal situation was assisted with book funds. “The silent auction was an opportunity to do something for Converse that goes beyond the traditional extent of board support,” said Elise Warren, president of the Alumnae Association. “The stories of those we have helped have touched all of us deeply, and we plan to continue this new tradition annually at our meetings.”

CLUBEVENTS Following are a list of alumnae events from which no photos are available: Converse-Wofford Hospitality Tent October 5, 2002 For Wofford’s Homecoming Weekend, ConverseWofford couples met between Old Main and the Milliken Science Building on the Wofford campus. Spartanburg, SC December 2, 2002 President Nancy Gray hosted a drop-in for alumnae and friends before “The Festival of Lessons and Carols” in Main Hall. Dallas, TX December 8, 2002 Sid and Kay Ferguson Theis ’78 hosted a wine and cheese party in their home. President Nancy Gray attended.

Austin, TX December 9, 2002 Wallace Davison ’89 organized a dinner at Bistro 88 for alumnae to meet President Nancy Gray. Houston, TX December 10, 2002 Betsy Gant Wittenmeyer ’80 planned an event at Nino’s Italian Restaurant for alumnae in Houston to meet President Nancy Gray. Ft. Lauderdale, FL January 26, 2003 Kathy Webster Davis ’86 organized a luncheon at the Lauderdale Yacht Club for alumnae in the Miami and Ft. Lauderdale areas to meet President Nancy Gray. The club chairs in Ft. Lauderdale are Kathy Webster Davis ’86, Shalise Huggins DeMott ’92, and Maggie Crawford Kelsey ’92.

CLUBEVENTS

Orangeburg, SC February 19, 2003

Linda Frierson Perrow ’81 organized a luncheon at the Orangeburg Country Club. (l to r, front row) Melissa Daves Jolly ’69, Linda Frierson Perrow ’81, Anne Jagger Johnston ’52. (middle row) Freda Stokes Summers ’60, Bessie Wolfe Hill ’48. (back) Andrew Watkins, Sara Bull Perrow ’55, Virginia Ellison Evans ’48, John David Johnston, Edith Anne Evans Charping ’74. Also present, but not pictured: President Nancy Gray, Debbie Elliott, Katherine Callaway Patterson ’77, Blanche Gramling Weathers ’78, Susan Dukes Webber ’70.

Dear Friends, It is spring...time for redefining our sense of possibility. As I write my last column as your alumnae association president, I reflect on the past few years at Converse and am filled with pride to have witnessed what has been accomplished here. We are in the midst of a great renaissance and are truly building for the future. Our alma mater has been revitalized! In these final few months of our campaign, it is important for Converse to have your personal commitment of support. Every gift of every size makes a difference. Please be generous so that we can reach our goals. With your help we will succeed! Every institution needs a strong foundation and we, the alumnae, must provide the strength. We build upon a grand tradition. Your loyalty, dedication and involvement strengthen our future and growth in both facilities and potential students.We must all be ambassadors for Converse College every day. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Converse alumnae for their support and friendships during my term as president.The alumnae board and the alumnae office staff have been incredibly active and given countless hours of hard work to support our College. As Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” Take every chance to show your feelings and love for our alma mater. Join us as we “spring” into the future for generations to come! Our journey into the future will be very special for all involved. Help Converse reach her greatest potential! Fondly,

ALUMNAENEWS

ALUMNAENEWS

Travel with the Alumnae Office

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CONVERSE 100 AWARD BYAH THOMASON DOXEY ’48

MAE KILGO SPIRIT AWARD ELAINE FINKLEA FOLLINE ’58

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNA AWARD JANE HARTLEY ’68

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD WALLACE EPPES JOHNSON ’63

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD SUSAN MARRASHMINNERLY ’73

CONVERSE 100 AWARD BETTY REYNOLDS OARE ’63

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC AWARD KATHLEEN VANDEKIEFT ’73

STAR AWARD BLANCHE GRAMLING WEATHERS ’78

First presented during the College’s Centennial, the Converse 100 Award is given to alumnae who clearly represent the qualities of character and achievement that Converse alumnae hold as their ideal. With her selfless giving to community service projects, Byah Thomason Doxey ’48 is recognized with this award.

The Alumnae Association’s Mae Elizabeth Kilgo Spirit Award is presented to a Converse graduate who has kept the spirit of Converse College visible to other alumnae and her community through her continued loyal service to Converse. While earning her Bachelor of Arts in English at Converse, Elaine Finklea Folline ’58 was a member of Crescent, Gavel (Converse’s chapter of Mortar Board), the Student Christian Association, and the Student Government Association. She also served a term as editor of Y’s and Other Y’s.

Captain Jane Murray Hartley ’68 is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumna Award. On June 4, 2002, Capt. Hartley was named Commanding Officer of the US Coast Guard Marine Safety Office in Wilmington, NC. In accepting the post, she not only brings a wealth of experience, but she also becomes the first female Captain of the Port in the Coast Guard.

For her active involvement in her community, church, and state, Wallace Eppes Johnson ’63 is the recipient of the Community Service Award.

Each year, Converse salutes an alumna who has dedicated herself to excellence in her profession and has distinguished herself by notable achievement over a continual period of time. As a 1973 graduate of the Converse theatre tradition, Susan Marrash-Minnerly has continued to devote her life to theatre and its various aspects.

Betty Reynolds Oare ’63 has been chosen to receive the Converse 100 Award for her embodiment of the qualities of character and achievement that Converse alumnae hold as their ideal.

The Career Achievement in Music Award is presented to Kathleen Vandekieft ’73. She was lead soprano of the Augsburg Stadttheater (Germany) for nine years and has sung concerts and operatic roles throughout the US and Europe. Kathleen has won a series of prestigious awards and grants from institutions such as the United Nations, Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera, Belevedere Competition in Vienna, SC Arts Commission, Munich National Opera, and Internationale Concorso di Musica in Vercelli, Italy. She is also a past Grand National Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and she serves on its National Roster as a judge, lecturer, and recitalist.

An alumna who has actively and admirably served Converse in the area of recruitment is given the Converse Star Award. This year’s recipient is Blanche Gramling Weathers ’78.

After graduating from Converse, the Wilmington, NC, native moved to Fayetteville where her husband worked in the plywood and manufacturing business. While in Fayetteville, Byah was a tireless advocate for Converse. As area representative for recruiting students to Converse, it was not unusual for her to host Fayetteville area high school students in her home to tell them of the opportunities the college presented. She also played a key role in a capital campaign during Dr. Carmichael’s administration, with four North Carolina counties in her charge. While on a trip to Spartanburg in 1983, she joined the Friends of the Petrie School of Music and made numerous airline trips specifically for the performances at Converse. From 1998-2000, Byah served as Golden Club Representative on the Alumnae Association Board. Byah’s devotion to the First Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville resulted in her service as Circle Leader, Bible teacher, Vice President of the church women’s group, and hospitality chair for the church synod.

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Byah has three daughters (Byah, Kent, and Margaret Ann) and two sons (Sandy and Jim). The three daughters attended Converse.

Since graduating with honors, she served as president of the Columbia (SC) Area Chapter of Converse Alumnae and was one of the original recipients of the of the Converse 100 Award. In addition to actively participating in all alumnae events in the Columbia area, she also voluntarily recruits future students to the school, and contributes financially as a Tower of Converse. Elaine’s community activities are numerous and varied. She is a co-founding member and past president of the Friends of the Richland County Public Library; she served as President of the Junior League of Columbia from 1973-74 and continues to serve as a sustaining member; she is a member of The Columbia Museum of Art, Historic Columbia, Columbia Green, The SC State Museum, and Riverbanks Zoological Society. She is also actively involved with Trinity Episcopal Cathedral where she is a member of the altar guild and past docent chairman.

Capt. Hartley accepted her first active duty assignment in Wilmington in 1984. She has since served at the Office of Health and Human Services at Coast Guard Headquarters, (Washington, DC); the Marine Safety Office Puget Sound (Seattle, WA), where she served as both the Chief of Environmental Response and Chief of Port Safety and Security. In 1988 she was transferred to the 13th Coast Guard District Office in Seattle to serve as Chief of Reserve Training. Capt. Hartley served with the 2nd Coast Guard District as head of the newly formed District Response Assist Teams. She then served as Executive Officer at Marine Safety Office in Duluth, MN, until her reassignment to Coast Guard Headquarters in 1997 where she worked in the Reserve Policy Development Division and the Coast Guard Personnel Command. Capt. Hartley’s personal awards include: Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medal, Coast Guard Commendation Medal (two awards), Coast Guard Achievement Medal, Commandant’s Letter of Commendation, and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal (two awards).

In 1957, she began playing viola with the Spartanburg Symphony. She stayed with the Symphony through its transition to The Greater Spartanburg Philharmonic, and continues to perform with them to this day. In the 1960s, she co-founded the Converse College Youth Orchestra to provide an opportunity for music students to perform at a time when there was no strings program in their school system. Wallace has served on the boards of The Ellen Hines Smith Girls’ Home, The Charles Lea Center Foundation, The Spartanburg County Historical Association, The Spartanburg Little Theatre, The Ballet Guild of Spartanburg, The Artists’ Guild Board, The Music Club of Spartanburg, the Development Committee of the Converse College Alumnae Board, and the Annual Fund Committee. In 2000, she chaired Dance in the Woods, which benefits Spartanburg County’s arts, science, and history groups through the Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg. She currently serves on the boards of The Music Foundation of Spartanburg, The Board of Visitors of the Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, The Spartanburg Technical College Foundation, and The Healing Arts Committee. As a member of the Episcopal Church of the Advent, Wallace has been involved in capacities such as the choir, altar guild, vestry, and treasurer of the Women of the Church.

A native of Charlotte, NC, Susan earned her MFA in acting and directing from the University of Virginia in 1981, and has served as an Assistant Professor of Theatre at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and West Virginia State College. She also works in regional theatres as a performer and actor, and performs in commercials and industrial films. In 2002, Susan was named Artistic Director for the Charleston (WV) Stage Company. She is only the second person to hold the position since the company’s founding in 1990. Her latest theatrical project, “You Might As Well Live,” is a one-woman show based on the life and work of Dorothy Parker. The show is the result of three and half years of research, and premiered professionally in 1997 with the Charlotte Repertory Theatre. From there, it went to the Off-off Broadway Third Eye Repertory for a limited engagement. Susan continues to perform the show, and even brought it to Converse in March 1998. Susan and her husband Doug live in Charleston, WV, with their son Nathan.

A native of Tryon, NC, Betty and her husband Ernie are living in Warrenton, VA. Her community service activities include membership in the Fauguier (VA) Community Theater, serving on the Development Council for Annual Giving for Fauquier Hospital, and singing with the Warrenton United Methodist Choir for approximately 35 years. Betty has also been involved in equestrian endeavors. She is licensed by the USA Equestrian Federation and travels throughout the US and Canada to adjudicate. She serves on a number of equestrian organizations including the National Hunter/ Jumper Council Board of Governors of the USA Federation, the Virginia Horse Shows Association Board of Directors, the Board of the Warrenton Horse Show and the Warrenton Hunt, and Chairperson of the USA Equestrian Hunter Breeders Committee. In 2002, Betty received the President’s Award for service to the Warrenton Horse Show, and the Susan Hagan Award from the Virginia Horse Shows Assn. for sportsmanship and involvement in the horse community. Also in 2002, Betty won the USA Equestrian National title for amateur Owner Riders 36-yearsof-age and over. She was named Show Hunter Horseman of the Year by The Chronicle of the Horse in their Feb. 2003 issue. Betty and Ernie have two sons, Morey and Reynolds, and one granddaughter, Reilly.

The SC Arts Commission recently named Kathleen as Music Performance Fellow “in recognition of her creativity, imagination, and artistic excellence.” She has been on the Commission’s Roster of Approved Artists and Community Tour since her return to the US in 1985 while continuing to make return trips to Europe for guest performances. Kathleen has taught at Converse College, Wofford College, and the University of South Carolina. Formerly Associate Professor of Voice at Presbyterian College, she is a charter sponsor and currently Co-Director of the Metropolitan Opera National Council SC District Auditions. Often on SCETV and NPR, she continues to perform with orchestras and in concert with pianist Charles Fugo, teaches, and gives master classes across the Southeast. Kathleen is married to Dr. John T. Wright and is mother to Domenick, Ian, Erika, and Remi.

Now living in Bowman, SC, Blanche regularly accompanies 8-10 local high school students for a visit to Converse. “We normally come on a Friday evening and stay for the weekend,” she says. “I coordinate our visit with the Office of Admissions so that the girls are able to experience an indepth tour.” In actively recruiting students for her alma mater, Blanche is motivated by her own Converse experience. “My experiences at Converse truly helped me become a better person,” says Blanche. Blanche is confident in knowing what she wants in life and where success is found. “Since marrying my husband Hugh twenty years ago,” she says, “I’ve been a homemaker, wife, and mother of three boys (Gill, Edward, and Julius). I teach Sunday School, and lead the color-coded hand bells for little children. I gather women together for Bible studies and bring couples together for Christian fellowship. I have never felt that success is defined in the size of a paycheck or an impressive title ... all that I have ever aspired to be, I have been privileged to become.”

ALUMNAENEWS

ALUMNAENEWS

2003 ALUMNAE AWARD WINNERS

23


of ia, SC · Columb ent with husband d of · Co-Presi nts’ Association re a P C S y e th em aval Acad the US N oup Kitchen at S r, e · Volunte n St. United Washingto hurch tC Methodis ter” for the Lit e ti n u A lub, “ · Garden C Columbia recycling skits to g presentin children

burg, SC · Spartan rg County bu · Spartan ent Corporation m f p lo e v e D Director o Associate · Former ns Volunteers at Admissio ollege C Converse iedmont Chapter er, P · Volunte erican Red Cross of the Am

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burg, SC · Spartan c Affairs e bli u ior Leagu · State P tative, Jun n se re p e R burg ty of Spartan partanburg Coun S t, n e · Presid lliance Medical A D.S. from E , D E M · BA, Converse 24

, SC · Camden ith Realty, s Sm · Realtor, g in historic home in z le li a is rl ci e a sp t, C Consultan · Fashion , Ltd. n Collectio amden Historic C · Member, s Commission, Landmark nior League, and Ju n Columbia esda Presbyteria eth B f o ir o ch Church

ADE 90’S DEC TATIVE N REPRESE E CRANFORD CATHERIN 6 ’9 ELLIOTT

on, SC · Charlest MFA in Interior of g · Pursuin Savannah College t a n g si e D esign Art and D harleston Junior C r, · Membe d Harbour Club League an tive Committee ecu Young Ex epresentative and ss R · 1996 Cla ung Alumnae e former Yo ve, Converse Colleg ti Representa ssociation Board A Alumnae

ADE 70’S DEC TATIVE N E S ’ ’79 REPRE AIN COTE NANCY B

burg, SC · Spartan air: Records and Ch · Former n Committee, io it n g co Re CARE, Reunion, s Converse ssociation By-Law A Alumnae cement Chair, ior Pla · Former and President, Jun Treasurer partanburg fS League o sident, Spartanburg re P r e ’ Club · Form ol Parents Day Scho

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, NC · Asheboro eadership and L r, o ct Way of e ir D · for United ts if G cy a Leg County Randolph ent and Director, d si on · Vice Pre l Boards Associati o o ch S NC City Asheboro · Member, ard of Education o Schools B rree Education Fe · Director, n o Foundati

ADE 60’S DEC TATIVE N REPRESE USON G JANE FER 4 ’6 N O S T WA

E DEGREE GRADUAT TATIVE N REPRESE MAN SCOTT ’01 G O R K N JA

ADE 60’S DEC TATIVE N E S E REPR E WATTS CAROLIN 4 MORRIS ’6

ADE 60’S DEC TATIVE N REPRESE SSELL LINDA RU D ’69 CRANFOR

LUMNAE YOUNG A TATIVE N REPRESE ILL CARRIE H ’96 COLEMAN

HOOL MUSIC SC TATIVE N E REPRES TE ’75 BERRY BA

le, NC · Ashevil ent m p lo e v e r, · D e membe Committe lumnae A e rs Conve on Associati iron, in r to · Sculp d bronze copper, an e re r · 1990 Ca ent Award e v Achie m Recipient

al le, TN · Nashvil roker for Prudenti B in te tt ia co il · Aff and S with husb · Partner hy business of p photogra d families for 30 an n re d chil years ille, TN air, Nashv · Club Ch

ADE 50’S DEC TATIVE N REPRESE L WOODHAM ’51 H POLLY IL

, NC · Asheville Club Chair for e rs e v n lina · Co orth Caro Western N ith Hospice, er w merican · Volunte ’ March, A cer rs e th Mo n a C , ciety Cancer So ciety So t h rc a se e R Methodis r, e m United · Bethlehe nday School teach u Church S ipant, children’s ic choir part or ct e ir d ir cho

MENT DEVELOP EE MEMBER T IT COMM H KINNEY ELISABET 9 MCNIEL ’8 C

ille, S hop · Bennettsv ager, Shiness Gift S an -m er st n · Ow Again Coalition lt; · Pee Dee and Sexual Assau & ic es st iv e h m rc o A D dent, State r, Past Presi ndation; Treasure ou History F ivic Center Fdn. ro C Marlboro Rotary Club, Marlbo f o in r er e ic b ff o Cham · Past Council, of Area Arts d Colonial Dames an , ce er e m te m it Co mm ee Dee Co America P

ADE 40’S DEC TATIVE N REPRESE PUTNAM O J BETTY ER ’49 CARPENT

rdton, NC · Rutherfo The t, n · Preside ny of o h p m Sy rd County ge o rf e Ruth e verse Coll n · 1999 Co ievement Career Ach ner in Award W y the NC db te ci 9 9 9 1 · Music Federated r fo e Clubs hed Servic Distinguis

LARGE MBER AT E M D R A BO AM ICE INGR MARY AL 0 BUSCH ’5

, SC · Florence Charles Ingram t, n e d · Presi ompany n Lumber C cLeod Foundatio M r, st e e b u m G e d n ·M Trustees a Board of mittee m , o C ommittee House Steering C · Member, ouse Campaign Hospice H

ALUMNAENEWS

ALUMNAENEWS

AND RECORDS ION CHAIR IT RECOGN UNCAN GELENE D H ’63 T ELLSWOR

2003 E A N M U AL E T A L S BOARD

ADE 80’S DEC TATIVE N E HARD REPRES H BLANC ELIZABET 9 JOYCE ’8

ADE 70’S DEC TATIVE N E S E REPR OMPSON MINDY TH 1 ORMAN ’7

25


Helen BEGG ’21, December 25, 2002. Bernice HASELDEN Berry ’22, November 29, 2002. Fannie SMITH Pepper ’23, October 15, 2002. Sarah Eliza SWYGERT ’26, September 29, 2002. Mary Francis WALKER Moore ’26, December 14, 2002. Edith COVINGTON Cavenaugh ’27, November 27, 2002. Elizabeth ESKEW Nuckolls ’27, October 11, 2002. Eliza BARRON Macaulay ’29, January 2, 2003. Rebecca JONES Nisbet ’29, November 12, 2002. Marjorie SMITH Fowler ’29, January 12, 2003. Helen SHERRILL Makepeace ’30, October 17, 2002. Lucile MOORE Thompson ’31, January 21, 2003. Eunice Sease DOMINICK Vaughan Senn ’32, November 23, 2002. May MAULDIN Moore ’32, January 13, 2003. Mary Lowndes BARRON Smith ’33, November 2, 2002. Elizabeth GILMOUR Lake ’33, November 28, 2002. Mary Lib HARLLEE Ingle ’33, November 13, 2002. Belva HUDSON Austell ’34, June 4, 2002. Annelle TEAL Tiller ’34, October 28, 2002. Frances CLARK Munnell ’36, November 1, 2002. Grace BEACHAM Freeman ’37, October 28, 2002. Ruth DESPORTES Metcalfe ’38, September 23, 2002. Vivian McCullough PATE ’39, December 29, 2002. Elbert “Billie’ GOODWIN Williams ’43, July 1, 2002. Edith PELL Quincy ’46, September 2002. Mary Frances BARNETT Wiles ’52, November 22, 2002. Frances LINDLEY Fralin ’54, January 21, 2003. Peggy POOLE Zeigler ’54, November 18, 2002. Eugenia DALY Palmer ’55, December 24, 2002. Shirley HARDEMAN Parler ’55, October 7, 2002. Mary Elizabeth “Betty” CURTIS Stanton ’57, November 3, 2002. Grace MERCER Ginn ’59, November 3, 2002. Sandra Holland BONNER ’68, ’70 MAT, January 18, 2003. Emily WHARTON ’70, October 22, 2002. Georgianne HONEYCUTT Dunaway ’72, December 3, 2002. James Harold HENDRIX, Jr. ’74 MAT, November 27, 2002. Ruth Joan MILLARD ’80 MED, November 25, 2002. Margot DEXTER-Senterfeit ’82, January 23, 2003. Tricia Lynn HUFFMAN ’92, October 17, 2002.

SYMPATHY

To Elizabeth JONES Cookman ’37 on the death of her sister, Rebecca JONES Nisbet ’29, November 12, 2002. To Betty MURPH Timmerman ’44 on the death of her husband, Harold Lee Timmerman, January 12, 2002. To Betty CHREITZBERG Crenshaw ’45 on the death of her husband, Rev. Dr. Bryan Crenshaw, November 18, 2002. To Miriam CARMICHAEL Lingo ’46 on the death of her husband, Dr. Shirley Lingo, January 2, 2002. To Dorothy HARTIN Rhame ’46 on the death of her husband, Joseph Burns Rhame, November 22, 2002. To Marshall AIKEN Sturkie ’48 on the death of her husband, Daniel Onan Sturkie, October 3, 2001. To Lou WARREN Fuller ’52 on the death of her sister, Nell Warren Alridge, November 10, 2002. To Ann NUCKOLLS Cook ’54 on the death of her mother, Elizabeth ESKEW Nuckolls ’27, October 11, 2002. To Ellen MCLAUGHLIN Rose ’56 on the death of her husband, Reginald Rose, April 19, 2002. To Rosann FERGUSON Hooks ’59 on the death of her husband, James Edward Hooks, September 11, 2002. To Tink MACAULAY Carney ’59 on the death of her mother, Eliza BARRON Macaulay ’29, January 2, 2003. To Connie HERBERT Vinson ‘60 on the death of her son, Ralph Broom, Jr., September 23, 2002. To Frances MOFFETT Thackston ’60 on the death of her father, Judge William S. Moffett, Jr., August 20, 2002. To Betty LAKE Orr ’61 on the death of her mother, Elizabeth GILMOUR Lake ’33, November 28, 2002. To Lorraine MAHAFFEY Waterfall ’61 on the death of her mother, Esther Mahaffey, September 15, 2002. To Terrell COOK McMillan ’62 on the death of her mother, Grace Abbot Cook, July 18, 2002. To Marian MCGOWAN Nisbet ’62 on the death of her mother-in-law, Rebecca JONES Nisbet ’29, November 12, 2002. To Peggy CLOTFELTER Allen ’65 on the death of her father, David Harold Clotfelter, June 12, 2002. To Priscilla GOWEN Graybeal ’65 on the death of her mother, Priscilla Mullen Gowen, December 27, 2002. To Marjorie MARTIN Pierce ’65 on the death of her father, William Heston Martin, October 26, 2002. To Kaki WILLIAMS Swann ’67 on the death of her mother, Elbert “Billie” GOODWIN Williams ’43, July 1, 2002. To Frances STODDARD Loudon ’72 on the death of her mother, Betty Boyd Stoddard, December 18, 2002. To Nell CLOTFELTER Milner ’75 on the death of her father, David Harold Clotfelter, June 12, 2002. To Ann STODDARD Paquin ’75 on the death

of her mother, Betty Boyd Stoddard, December 18, 2002. To Marion ROGERS Coxe ’76 on the death of her father, Frank Esby Rogers, Jr., September 9, 2002. To Leslie SCOLES Provence ’77, ‘81 MED, ’00 EdS on the death of her mother Ellen Davis Scoles, October 19, 2002. To Albert “Al” L. Jeter ’79 MED on the death of his father, Mobley Lewis Jeter, November 8, 2002. To Beverly BROWN ’83 on the death of her mother, Mrs. Ralph A. Brown, January 27, 2003. To Glenn EDMUNDS Jeffries ’83 on the death of her father, Robert P. Edmunds, November 11, 2002. To Paul F. Millard ’86 MED on the death of his mother, Ruth J. Millard ’80 MED, November 25, 2002. To Elizabeth CAUTHEN McLean ’88 on the death of her grandmother, Elizabeth GILMOUR Lake ’33, November 28, 2002. To Catherine Lake CAUTHEN ’89 on the death of her grandmother, Elizabeth GILMOUR Lake ’33, November 28, 2002. To Pam PAGE Bean ’89 on the death of her father, Ronnie Page, July 8, 2002. To Maria MACAULAY Sellers ’91 on the death of her grandmother, Eliza BARRON Macaulay ’29, January 2, 2003. To Winnie SWANN Dunn ’94 on the death of her grandmother, Elbert “Billie” GOODWIN Williams, July 1, 2002. To Ethel Stella GOLDBERG ’95 on the death of her husband, Dr. Maxwell H. Goldberg, November 14, 2002. To Jaime POWELL ’99 on the death of her father, Jimmy Powell, January 12, 2003. To Meredith COLLINS Price ’01 on the death of her grandfather, Walter Dean Collins, December 17, 2002. To Marion YATES ’01 on the death of her father, Joe Yates, December 15, 2002. To Summer STRICKLAND ’02 on the death of her grandfather, Marshall E. Strickland, Sr., July 23, 2002. To Paula TRIMMIER ’02 on the death of her grandmother, Hattie Turner Trimmier, January 13, 2003.

MARRIAGES

Jacqueline HACKLER Hayes ’60 to Richard Emery Hollis, January 18, 2003. Julie STAGGS ’86 to Thomas Richard Wayman, November 22, 2002. Denise LANGRICK ’90 to Robert Wayne Wiland, August 27, 2002. Ingrid Suzanne DURHAM ’93 to Thomas Edward Jenkins, September 28, 2002. Catherine Russell CRANFORD ’96 to James Dennis Elliott III, December 7, 2002. Andrea Jennie WYROSDICK ’96 to Thomas Marion Creech, Jr., October 26, 2002. Lourdes AVIGUETERO ’98 to Daniel Sisk, October 19, 2002. Angela Marie SMITH ’98 MED to Jon Gregory Lucas, September 28, 2002. Michelle Slater FAW ’99 to James McIntyre Ward, October 12, 2002. Louisa Covington JORDAN ’99 to Charles

Hill Morris, Jr., September 14, 2002. Angela Marcella VANCE ’99 to Isaac M. Porter III, September 7, 2002. Audrey CHAVOUS ’00 to Chad Keith, June 15, 2002. Molly DAVIS ’00 to Mark Veness, September 28, 2002. Kathleen Louise HARRY ’00 to Rex Alderman Maynard, Jr., September 14, 2002. Jacquelyn Hill JAMES ’00 to Clinton Brogdon Galloway, December 7, 2002. Amanda Kathryn MALPHRUS ’00 to Stuart Michael Moore, December 28, 2002. Sherrie MANN ’00 MED to Billy Ray McBride, Jr., July 20, 2002. Alyssa Laurin MULLIS ’00 to Darren B. Fowler, December 14, 2002. Rachel Marie NEWELL ’00 to Charles Webb IV, August 10, 2002. Laura Elizabeth CAIN ’01 MED to Druen Blake Mahony, December 7, 2002. Sharon Diane SIMMONS ’01 to Jonathan James Berry, September 21, 2002. Nina WILLIAMS ’01 to Nacasio Everett, January 4, 2003. Holly Anne TRNAVSKY ’02 MAT to Donald Christopher Banke, September 14, 2002.

BIRTHS

Owen William Quoc-Nang Shortt, September 11, 2002, son of Bruce and Lan NGUYEN Shortt ’82. Madeline Wheeler Rothfield, March 6, 2002, daughter of Kenneth and Caroline DALE Rothfield ’83. Margaret Hartshorn Bengtson, November 14, 2002, daughter of Jeff and Elise NEIL Bengtson ’83. Lydia Yee Wong, November 12, 2002, daughter of Tony and Elizabeth “Buffie” TRONNES Wong ’85. Claire Elizabeth Sasser, December 6, 2002, daughter of Mac and Anne TRENNING Sasser ’87. Lainie Mills Langehans, October 28, 2002, daughter of Michael and Beth ADKINS Langehans ’88. Davis DeKalb Warren, March 14, 2002, son of Randall and Sydney JORDAN Warren ’88. Claire Ashlyn Tolan, April 17, 2002, daughter of Stefan and Merritt MCCOY Tolan ’88. Campbell Shaw Flagg, June 18, 2002, daughter of Stephen and Stephanie CATION Flagg ’89. Charles Cary Pick, Jr., December 31, 2002, son of Charles and Christina CUMMINGS Pick ’89. Chole Lorraine Gilbert, October 22, 2002, daughter of Gig and Lori MORRIS Gilbert ’89. Elizabeth Gale Brooks, August 27, 2002, daughter of Chip and Laura HEGGEMAN Brooks ’90. Stephen McDaniel Ridgeway, December 10, 2002, son of Stephen and Mary MCDANIEL Ridgeway ’90. Sarah Calhoun Sellers, December 6, 2002,

daughter of Tim and Maria MACAULAY Sellers ’91. William Weston Jones Newton, October 31, 2002, son of Weston and Rose BUYCK Newton ’92. Peyson Montgomery Pearce, December 4, 2002, son of Lee and Anne Hayes DRINKARD Pearce ’92. Brendan James Richter, July 30, 2002, son of Scott and Karen STEPP Richter ’92. Caroline Everett Little, September 14, 2002, daughter of Ned and Ashley THOMAS Little ’92. Reid Michael Smith, November 14, 2002, son of Heyward and Missy WYSONG Smith ’92. Elloise Trop Bethea and Sanders Lilla Bethea, September 6, 2002, twin daughters of Rob and Joy ADAMS Bethea ’93. Mary Elizabeth Harris, January 10, 2003, daughter of Trey and Jill DAVIS Harris ’94. Allison Amelia Todd, September 10, 2002, daughter of Russ and Laura WALTERS Todd ’94. Meredith Grace Stoner, August 29, 2002, daughter of Scott and Melody CLEGG Stoner ’95. Margaret Calloway Harper, December 17, 2002, daughter of Mikell and Ashley EVANS Harper ’95. Clayton Haywood Odom, June 23, 2002, son of Woody and Eugenia FULLER Odom ’95. Meredith Page Taft, December 30, 2002, daughter of Jim and Heather GRAHAM Taft ’95. Charles Henderson Pickens, November 25, 2002, son of Ben and Melissa HENDERSON Pickens ’95. Olivia Marion Mowat, September 26, 2002, daughter of Robert and Ashley MCCABE Mowat ’95. Sarah Wells Tankersley and Claire Durham Tankersley, October 28, 2002, twin daughters of Scott and Kerri SHINN Tankersley ’95. James Gordon Graham, October 4, 2002, son of Adam and Meredith COLEY Graham ’96. Andrew Walker Ross, Jr., December 20, 2002, son of Andy and Erin JONES Ross ’96. Kincaid Elizabeth Burford, December 11, 2002, daughter of Ken and Jinny MYERS Burford ’96. Cameron Tekla Crotts, September 26, 2002, daughter of Rodney and Jennifer NELSON Crotts ’96. Edward Franklin Cardona, March 31, 2002, son of Chuck and Nina COUCH Cardona ’97. Randolph Brock Connelly, September 12, 2002, son of Darrell and Eleanor SMOAK Connelly ’97. Kathryn Rebekah Dailey, April 1, 2002, daughter of Brian and Leigh-Ann EZELL Dailey ’98. Marianna Fawcett Converse, September 21, 2002, daughter of Justin and Anna HABISREUTINGER Converse ’98.

Jacob Todd Smith, February 7, 2002, son of Travis and Amy OWENS Smith ’99. ZacharyWimberly Friend, June 21, 2002, son of Bill and Rebecca WIMBERLY Friend ’99.

ADVANCED DEGREES

Angela PARSONS ’96, Juris Doctor, George Washington University Law School, May 2002. Shayle ABELKOP ’98, Master of Education in Instructional Technology, University of Georgia, December 2002. Christy CHRISTIAN ’98, Educational Specialist, Samford University, December 2002. Marti GLENN ’98, Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, Lesley University, December 2002. Margaret MCCLARY Moss ’98, Master of Arts in Christian Education, Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education, May 2002. Carol CANCIENNE ’99, Master of Speech Pathology, University of South Carolina, August 2002; Master of Education, University of New Orleans, December 2002. Elizabeth MOORE ’00, Master of Arts in Teaching in Special Education, University of South Carolina, December 2002.

CAREER CHANGES

Gayle NASH ’62, Owner, Curves for Women Weight Loss and Fitness Center, West Chester, OH. Jane JOHNSON Williams ’78, Oncology Nurse, Scotland Cancer Treatment Center, Laurinburg, NC. Perry TISON Kirven ’78, Director of Admissions, Coker College, Hartsville, SC. Candice MCSWAIN Morgan ’86, Head of Interior Design, DesignStrategies, Greenville, SC. Maryann BROWER Fowler ’92, Social Services Director, Rosecrest Retirement Center, Inman, SC. Lydia WOOD ’92, Manager in Sales Compensation, BellSouth, Atlanta, GA. Carrie HILL Coleman ’96, Marketing and Research Assistant, Spartanburg County Development Corporation, Spartanburg, SC. Jennifer JONES Medlock ’96, Business Development Representative, AERIE Engineering Corporation, Greenville, SC. Angela PARSONS ’96, Law Clerk to the Honorable Joseph C. Visalli, New Jersey Superior Court, Cape May, NJ. Fran JORDAN Sullivan ’98, Pharmaceutical Sales Representative, Columbia Labs. Carol CANCIENNE ’99, Speech-Language Pathologist, Chinchuba Institute, Marrero, LA. Nelwyn Alanna LANDRETH ’99, Legal Assistant, Johnson, Smith, Hibbard, Wildman Law Firm, Spartanburg, SC. Shea STELLER ’01, Director of Creative Services, Hope Rose, Inc., Spartanburg, SC.

LIFEEVENTS

LIFEEVENTS 26

IN MEMORIAM

27


GIFTS

HONOR&MEMORIALGIFTS OCTOBER 23, 2002 - JANUARY 31, 2003 HONOR GIFTS

28

MR. & MRS. TRAVIS G. ADAMS Allan G. Anderson Jr. SARA REBECCA AIRHEART ’76 Mrs. Sara Stonesifer Airheart ’49 MR. & MRS. ALLAN G. ANDERSON III Allan G. Anderson Jr. MR. & MRS. C. WILLIAM ANDERSON Allan G. Anderson Jr. C. WILLIAM ANDERSON, JR. Allan G. Anderson Jr. CARMLE CLEO ANDERSON Allan G. Anderson Jr. CELIA ANDERSON Allan G. Anderson Jr. ELEANOR MCLENDON ANDERSON Allan G. Anderson Jr. LOUIS H. ANDERSON Allan G. Anderson Jr. MRS. MARION M. ANDERSON Allan G. Anderson Jr. SUE K. ARLEDGE Allan G. Anderson Jr. MR. & MRS. KARLO L. BAKER Allan G. Anderson Jr. MARY PAULLING BENNETT ’55 Allan G. Anderson Jr. MR. & MRS. ROBERT M. BENNETT Allan G. Anderson Jr. MR. AND MRS. STEVE BILBY Allan G. Anderson Jr. CHARLOTTE POWE BOURNE ’49 Allan G. Anderson Jr. JENNIFER ELIZABETH BRADSHAW ’02 Mr. and Mrs. James S. L. Bradshaw KRISTIN PAIGE BRADSHAW ’97 Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Bradshaw T. LA MARR BRIGMAN Allan G. Anderson Jr. VALERIE ALLISON BROCK ’03 Mr. E. T. McLean, Jr. MRS. THYIA BROWN Mrs. Priscilla Brown Willard ’62 ALLENE CUDD BURGESS ’38 Ms. Julie Catherine Weston ’91 BYRD AUSTELL THOMPSON CASSIBRY ’31 Mr. & Mrs. Edward C. Austell Mr. & Mrs. Robert Rhett Austell, Jr. MR. AND MRS. BUDDY CLARK Allan G. Anderson Jr. DR. & MRS. B. E. COGGESHALL, JR. Allan G. Anderson Jr. MR. & MRS. J. C. CRAWFORD, JR. Allan G. Anderson Jr. JANIS I. DENGLER Mrs. Joe Ann Lever MR. & MRS. H. P. DUVALL IV Allan G. Anderson Jr. ANNE M. EBERSBACH Mrs. Elise E. Manning MR. & MRS. H. MALLOY EVANS, JR. Allan G. Anderson Jr. ELIZABETH SHELDON FOWLKES ’36 Ann Fowlkes Gilreath SARA F. GAINES Allan G. Anderson Jr. MR. & MRS. C. ANTHONY HARRIS, JR. Allan G. Anderson Jr. MR. & MRS. L. C. HITE, JR. Allan G. Anderson Jr. NELL HIGDON HUDSON ’63 Mrs. Julia Adams McLaurin ’63

MR. & MRS. EARL H. HUGGINS Allan G. Anderson Jr. MR. & MRS. CHARLES R. JACKSON, SR. Allan G. Anderson Jr. MR. & MRS. ED JACKSON Allan G. Anderson Jr. MR. & MRS. WILLIAM RUSSELL JENNINGS Allan G. Anderson Jr. GEORGE DEAN JOHNSON, JR. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur F. Cleveland SUSAN PHIFER JOHNSON ’65 Mr. and Mrs. Arthur F. Cleveland WALLACE EPPES JOHNSON ’63 Mrs. Gelene Duncan Ellsworth ’63 MELISSA DAVES JOLLY ’69 Mrs. Juanita Shropshier JUDY JONES Mrs. Sherrerd Hartness Patterson ’81 MR. & MRS. JOHN W. JUSTICE, JR. Allan G. Anderson Jr. MR. & MRS. JAMES D. KELLEY Allan G. Anderson Jr. MR. & MRS. BREVARD KENDALL, JR. Allan G. Anderson Jr. MR. & MRS. ROBERT R. KENDALL Allan G. Anderson Jr. MR. & MRS. HUBERT M. KIMREY Allan G. Anderson Jr. ELEANOR SAUVE LABORDE ’92 Mrs. Frances Hasell LaBorde ’58 E. CLIFTON LANCASTER Dr. and Mrs. J. D. Bray Louise M. Cosens Ms. A. Angela Lancaster Mr. and Mrs. William P. Lancaster Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Ward ALIA ROSS LAWSON Mr. and Mrs. R. E. Browne III Ms. Wallace Eppes Johnson ’63 Dr. & Mrs. Nathaniel F. Magruder Mrs. Juanita Shropshier MRS. JOE ANN LEVER Mrs. Anne Monsen Daniell ’75 Dr. Kirsten Suzanne Kerr ’94 Mrs. Jennifer Jones Medlock ’96 Mrs. Catherine Hawkins Thompson ’88 HAZLE G. MADSEN Otis D. Gorman GAYLE G. MAGRUDER Mrs. Lucy Wilde Warren ’72 CDR. EDWIN MALLOY, JR. Allan G. Anderson Jr. DR. THOMAS R. MCDANIEL Mr. and Mrs. David Bomar Smith Ms. Elizabeth Holliday Smith ’02 MR. & MRS. ANDREW MCLEOD Allan G. Anderson Jr. MARTHA ANDERSON MEUNIER ’54 Allan G. Anderson Jr. MR. & MRS. BILL MILLIGAN AND WILL Allan G. Anderson Jr. CHERYL ROSANNE MOORE ’03 Mr. and Mrs. Lane Moore KELLY LAYNE MOORE ’00 Mr. and Mrs. Lane Moore DR. & MRS. JOSEPH K. NEWSOM, SR. Allan G. Anderson Jr. REV. & MRS. STUART NICKLES, JR. Allan G. Anderson Jr. MARIA REBECCA PERRY ’03 Mr. E. T. McLean, Jr. VIRGINIA CRAWFORD PHILLIPS ’97 Dr. & Mrs. John Robert Crawford III TAMMY HUSKEY POKORA ’89 Mrs. Gelene Duncan Ellsworth ’63 LOUISE H. REID

Allan G. Anderson Jr. MR. & MRS. R. S. ROGERS III Allan G. Anderson Jr. HEATH RUFFNER Allan G. Anderson Jr. SYBIL O. SANDERSON Allan G. Anderson Jr. VERA LYNN KELLUM SHEETS ’79 Rev. and Mrs. E. Owen Kellum Jr. SARAH SHEALY SMITH ’86 Mrs. Ann Cullen Hancock Catington ’86 MR. & MRS. JAMES A. STREATER Allan G. Anderson Jr. DR. & MRS. JAMES C. THRAILKILL Allan G. Anderson Jr. SEN. STROM THURMOND Mrs. Floride Owens McKoy ’69 MR. & MRS. DANIEL L. TILLMAN, JR. Allan G. Anderson Jr. FRANCIS M. TILLMAN Allan G. Anderson Jr. MR. & MRS. J. H. WANNAMAKER, JR. Allan G. Anderson Jr. DORIS BLACKWELL WHITEHOUSE ’42 Mrs. Alice Barron Pearce Stewart ’75 MR. & MRS. JOSEPH H. WITHERSPOON, JR. Allan G. Anderson Jr.

MEMORIAL GIFTS

JERRY M. ARLEDGE Allan G. Anderson Jr. ELIZABETH ROWLAND BAKER Mrs. Martha Paxton Beale ’49 ELIZA “DAISY” SINGLETON BARRON 1904 Mrs. Nancy Barron Smith ’57 NANCY HARRISON BARRON ’32 Mrs. Nancy Barron Smith ’57 MRS. MARION P. BENNETT Allan G. Anderson Jr. JOHN T. BROWN Mrs. Christine Williamson Pringle ’93 MR. LEVI MOFFITT CECIL Mr. Richard F. Cecil, Jr. JIM & TOOTSIE CLARKE Ms. Mary Karen Clarke ’70 PATRICIA PECHÉ CORNELIUS ’62 Mr. William F. Cornelius Jr. DR. JERRY H. CROMER Dr. Charles D. Ashmore Ms. Christina Dawn Baker ’00 Mrs. Palmer Davison Ball ’84 Mrs. Debbie Richardson Barrett ’81 Ms. Mary Jane Goodwin Mrs. Pamela Ellis Hall ’77 Betty B. Howard Dr. Jerry J. Howe Dr. Woodrow W. Hughes Jr. Dr. James A. Hymas Mrs. Gail Rawls Jeter ’77 Mrs. Peggy McKewen Kyzer ’74 Dr. & Mrs. Nathaniel F. Magruder Dr. & Mrs. Samuel B. Pratt Mrs. Eleanor Stanley White CORNELIA WATSON DASHER ’65 Mrs. David W. Pruett DR. LAWRENCE DAVIDSON Mrs. Carolyn Porter Schrader ’69 JEAN C. DUVALL Allan G. Anderson Jr. DR. & MRS. JOHN ERVIN Allan G. Anderson Jr. VICKI S. FUNDERBURK & WALL Allan G. Anderson Jr. GENEVIEVE MILLS GALLIVAN ’44

Mr. Harold F. Gallivan Jr GEORGIA LEE MULDROW GILMER ’30 Mrs. Tolly Gilmer Shelton ’56 DR. MAXWELL H. GOLDBERG Dr. Charles D. Ashmore Mr. & Mrs. R. E. Browne III Ms. Mary Lindsay Dr. & Mrs. Nathaniel F. Magruder Mrs. Jade Gale Northrup ’76 Dr. & Mrs. Alfred O. Schmitz Dr. Malinda Maxfield Tulloh WILLIAM P. GRIGGS Allan G. Anderson Jr. MILDRED ROCHE HAMLIN ’48 Mrs. Robin Robins Watson ’48 MR. & MRS. TONY HARRIS Allan G. Anderson Jr. FRANCES HAYNE HASELL ’22 Mrs. Frances Hasell LaBorde ’58 DR. WALTER HESS Dr. Nina Zouck Waite ’68 FANNIE LOUISE VERMONT HOLCOMBE ’32 Ms. Charlotte Redding Mrs. Temple McMillan Starr ’92 CATHRYN VANN HOLMAN ’39 Mrs. Cathryn Holman Callahan ’65 TRICIA LYN HUFFMAN ’92 Dr. and Mrs. Anthony E. Harris Ms. Michelle Collins Harris ’98 MOODY HUGHEY Mr. William M. Croes THOMAS. B. INGRAM Allan G. Anderson Jr. ELIZABETH GILMOUR LAKE ’33 Miss Janice ‘Smack’ Mack ’70 Mrs. Patsie Davis McLeod ’35 ELISABETH LEWIS LANGSTON ’33 Mrs. Robin Langston Gorman ’66 ELIZA SINGLETON BARRON MACAULAY ’29 Mrs. Jane McCutchen Brown ’60 Derrick, Ritter & Williams, P. A. Mrs. Frances Hasell LaBorde ’58 Dr. Bess Macaulay Lawton ’50 Mr. & Mrs. Wilkes D. Macaulay Mrs. Ann Davidson Marion ’47 Merrell & Jahn P.A. Mrs. Nancy Barron Smith ’57 MR. & MRS. WILLIAM MANNING MALLOY Allan G. Anderson Jr. ELIZABETH LUCAS MARCHANT ’36 Ms. Elisabeth Lucas Marchant ’68 ELIZABETH WORKMAN MAXWELL ’42 Mrs. Janet E. Shuart Brown ’42 MARY FRANCES WALKER MOORE ’26 Mrs. Frances Hasell LaBorde ’58 PATIENCE RAY MORGAN ’63 Mrs. Patricia Sloan Pace ’63 BESS TOLLY MULDROW ’08 Mrs. Tolly Gilmer Shelton ’56 FRANCES CLARK MUNNELL ’36 Ann Fowlkes Gilreath REBECCA JONES NISBET ’29 Mr. & Mrs. Walter S. Montgomery, Jr. CARRIE CATHCART OWINGS ’33 Mrs. Margaret Johnson McIntosh ’69 Mrs. Patsie Davis McLeod ’35 DR. FRANK T. PLATT Dr. Marion P. Holt HOLLY JOHNSTON RICHARDSON ’78 Ms. Josephine B. Abney Ace Glass Company Incorporated

Ms. Lucinda J. Bach Mrs. Dottie K. Baity ’78 Mr. William L. Ball III Mr. John Stevenson Beckham, Jr. Mrs. Martha Anderson Bywater ’78 Dr. & Mrs. Robert Lee Carter Mrs. Marion Rivers Cato ’65 RADM & Mrs. Robert W. Chewing Clemson University Foundation Mr. & Mrs. E. B. Coggins Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Duane Dewey Mrs. Ellen Jones Donkle ’78 Mrs. Marian Potts Foster ’78 Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Fdn. The George Allen Committee Mrs. Sherry Anne Blumer Gettys ’78 Mrs. Dada Pittman Glaser ’78 Grace Episcopal School Ms. Kathryn A. Hook Mr. & Mrs. Adam M. Jacobs Mrs. Elizabeth Thomas Johnson ’78 Mr. & Mrs. Hooks K. Johnston, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Skip Jones Ms. Jean Kennedy Killey Mrs. Perry Tison Kirven ’78 Mrs. Martha Haslett Ladd ’78 Mr. & Mrs. Henry S. Laffitte Ms. Deborah Lamb ’78 Mrs. Jane Taylor Lassiter ’78 Mrs. Elizabeth Pennell Lowndes ’78 Dr. & Mrs. Nathaniel F. Magruder Mr. & Mrs. F. Courtney Mallinson, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. William E. McIntosh Mrs. Floride Owens McKoy ’69 Mr. & Mrs. Charles C. Mickel Mr. & Mrs. David M. Milligan Ms. Martha Page Morton ’78 Mr. & Mrs. Paul B. Murray Mr. & Mrs. Brett R. Roach Mr. & Mrs. Tim D. Rodriguez SCRA Mrs. Martha Marks Shaw ’78 Miss Jo Ellen Shiver ’78 Mrs. Marianne Bray Stout ’85 Mrs. Suzanne Hughes Sullivan ’78 Kent D. Talbert Mrs. Kim Stevens Tolleson ’78 Mrs. Kirstie Waugh Tucker ’96 Mrs. Blanche Gramling Weathers ’78 Mr. & Mrs. John B. Wells MANLEY R. SANDERSON Allan G. Anderson Jr. EMILY SUE WHARTON SCHMIDT ’70 Mrs. Joe Ann Lever Miss Janice ‘Smack’ Mack ’70 FRANCES SANDERS SCHUMPERT ’54 Mrs. Ann Schumpert Foster ’83 MARGOT DEXTER-SENTERFEIT ’82 Marguerite W. Seigler MR. & MRS. I. B. SHEARER Mrs. Joe Ann Lever MARY LOWNDES BARRON SMITH ’33 Mr. & Mrs. Jack Smyser Folline Mr. Joel A. Smith Mrs. Nancy Barron Smith ’57 THE REV. ROBERT W. SOUTH Mrs. Margaret Smith South ’37 LYNN R. STALNAKER Mrs. Hallie Park Foster ’47 THOMAS WALKER TAYLOR Mrs. Margaret R. Taylor ’58 DENNIS B. THORNTON Ms. Barbara T. Bishop LOUISE HARRIS TUCKER ’29 Mrs. Jane Tucker Pullen ’62 BETTY TYM Mrs. Mary Helen Garrison Dalton ’46 Mrs. Joe Ann Lever J. W. WOODWARD Dean Joe Ann Lever PEGGY POOLE ZEIGLER ’54 Mrs. Mildred Roberts Robards ’54

FACULTY & STUDENT

FACULTY

Accomplishments

Dr. Anita Davis (Education), has a new book titled North Carolina During the Great Depression: A Documentary Portrait of a Decade. Her book, Images of America: Chimney Rock/Rutherford County (NC) was the number one best-selling book in Rutherford County for 2002 and Real Heroes: Rutherford County Men Who Made the Supreme Sacrifice During World War II was the number three best-selling book. Dr. Joe Dunn’s (History) “Teaching Islamic and Middle East Politics: The Model Arab League as a Learning Venue,” was the lead article in the current issue of The Journal of Political Science. He served as Chair and Commentator of session “Very Deliberate Speed: The Response to Brown vs. Board of Education, 1954-1970,” Citadel Conference on the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina March 2003.Plans are for Southern Women at the Millennium: A Historical Perspective on the Twenty-first Century, to be published by the University of Missouri Press by the end of this year or early next year. The book is from the Converse Academic Symposium in March 2001, co-edited by Dr. Melissa Walker, Jeanette R. Dunn, and Joe P. Dunn. Dr. Patricia Foy (Music) evaluated a peer institution’s music education program for the South Carolina Department of Education. On February 6-9 she attended the South Carolina Music Educators Association conference in Charleston and presided over the 3rd General Session which featured Dr. Willie Hill, national President of MENC. Economics instructor Roger Luttrell co-authored the 2002 edition of an eight-hour continuing education program for CPA’s entitled, “Accounting and Auditing Update and Review.” He presented the seminar 33 times in nine different states to over 23,000 fellow CPAs. Mary Nicholson (Theatre) received The South Carolina Theatre Association’s Lifetime Service Award. Mary is the second person in the state to receive this award. “Just Like Job,” written by Dr. Scott Robbins (Music), received first prize in vocal music in the 2002 Composers Guild International Competition. Featuring Maya Angelou’s poem of the same name, the work was commissioned by the South Carolina Music Teachers Association and premiered at Furman University in 2001 by Petrie School of Music faculty members. “The Wounds

We Live In,” featuring music by Scott Robbins and poetry of Rick Mulkey (English) was performed in January at the Florida State University 11th Biennial Festival of New Music, one of the most prominent contemporary music festivals in the United States.

Dr. Woodrow Hughes (Economics and Business) was selected for participation in the Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program. The title of the program is “East Central Europe and the European Union: A Case Study of Poland as a Leading Candidate for Membership.” The group will visit seven cities in Poland this summer to discuss the topic with Polish scholars, business leaders, financial sector analysts, public officials, and others.

STUDENTS The following Converse seniors have been recognized by Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities: Ashaah Balkhi, Heather Barclay, Valerie Brock, Melanie Brown, Andrea Ezell, Kristi Faris, Kate Ford, Holly Gilmore, Chelsea Jaccard, Maria Perry, Avery Tomlinson, and Carrie Tucker. Several Converse students were recognized during the South Carolina Theatre Association convention (SCTA) and the state-level Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) for their outstanding work. Libby Long ’05, Evie Durant ’05, and Lindsey Blunt ’05 (from Theatre/Converse’s “Five Women Wearing The Same Dress”) were nominated to compete at the regional KCACTF festival (held in Savannah, GA this February) for the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship. Anna Browning ’04 and Kristin Danko ’05 passed through screening auditions and will be able to audition for professional theatres at this year’s Southeast Theatre Conference (held in Arlington, VA) in March. Anna Steenerson ’03, soprano, was one of three district Metropolitan Opera Auditions winners who competed in Columbia November 16. She will now compete in the Regional auditions to be held in Atlanta. The winner from the Regional will compete in National Semi-Finals this March in New York. Anna sang Norina’s aria from Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and “Qui la voce sua soave” from I Puritani of Bellini. Graduate tenor Andrew Bolden was a winner of the highly-coveted encouragement award. He sang “Ah mes amis” from Donizetti’s La Fille du Regiment and “Un aura amorosa” from Mozart’s Così fan Tutte.

TO MAKE A MEMORIAL OR TRIBUTE, please send the following information to: The Converse Annual Fund, 580 East Main Street, Spartanburg, SC 29302 or give online at www.converse.edu Please inform (Name) _____________________________ Address _________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ That a gift has been made to Converse College In memory of ____________________________________ In honor of _______________________________________ Occasion ________________________________________

By (Contributor’s Name) __________________________ Address _________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Phone ___________________________________________ Enclosed is my gift of $ ____________________________ Make checks payable to Converse College.

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Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2003 Representative: Mrs. Blanche Dennis Cantey 420 Joseph Walker Drive West Columbia, SC 29169 Golden Club Class Fund Chair: Mrs. Ann Ratterree Herlong ’51

1933 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

0%

100%

8% You won’t send me the news Of what happens to you So I keep on telling What I have in my view. My body is so old My mind is still churning. I don’t want to stop now With my love of learning! I still want to go on With my thoughts like today Then will you take me, Lord In your own special way! The Alumnae Office received a number of great pictures of Kitty King Carow and her family as she moved south to be near her NC branch of the family. She is now residing at College Pines in Valdese, NC, near her daughter, Anne Carow Lian ’68.

CLASS OF 1946

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2003 Representative: Mrs. Mary Helen Garrison Dalton 3064 Ridgewood Road, NW Atlanta, GA 30327, 404-355-0434 E-mail: mhdalton7@aol.com Golden Club Class Fund Chair: Mrs. Ann Ratterree Herlong ’51

1946 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

0%

100%

21% Betty Lewis Burnett in Sumter, SC, still rides horses and considers that her best form of exercise. She gave me some encouragement about making plans to come to the Converse Reunion Weekend. Let’s get a big group together this year and exchange stories. Remember we are not getting any younger! Marguerite Nichols Goon and her husband enjoy living in Albuquerque, NM, where he practiced medicine before retiring. They have a son in Dallas, TX, who has adopted two adorable little girls from China, ages 2 and 4. Needless to say Marguerite visits Dallas every few months. She also goes to Portland, OR, to visit her 14 year old grandson. Betty Jean Adams Christman and her husband live in Gainesville, GA. They make a trip every December to New York with friends as well as travel to Florida. Their son publishes the 30

Atlanta Home and Life magazine, and they have two grandsons, ages 18 and 20. Jean C. Griffin always wanted to be a doctor but courses were not available to her at Converse in preparation for medical school. She became a medical technician and worked for a group of doctors for many years. Now that she is retired, she enjoys golf. Mary Poston Taylor in Conway, SC, has an unusual hobby - she collects gunpowder flasks of which she has 65 or 70 and displays them in her home. They are hard to find now, so if you see one, you might want to notify her. She has found some of them in her travels in England and France. Carol Thomas Stewart spent Thanksgiving in California with her son and his family and spent Christmas in NY with her daughter. She is also active in her church and chairs the hospitality committee. Shirley Shepherd Johnston and her daughter traveled to China last year. She said she stayed home this year and got a cat. Sarah Fant Jones lives in an older home in Union, SC, and is busy renovating and redecorating it. Margaret Ogburn Leckie lives in Winston Salem, NC. Her two children and her four grandchildren live there also. Margaret still enjoys playing bridge. Bettie Haughton McLaughlin and husband Ted have recently moved to The Cypress, a popular retirement community in Charlotte, NC. Last fall they enjoyed a trip up the Hudson River. Elizabeth O’Sullivan moved to Savannah, GA, a few years ago after having lived in Spartanburg most of her life. Mary Cannon Pridgeon, retired after 30 years of teaching school, said her house has become too big for one person so she is moving to White Oak Estates, a retirement community in Spartanburg. Dot Hartin Rhame continues to enjoy playing bridge and going to the beach with friends. Pauline Thomson Rice has six great-grandchildren! She spends a lot of time at her home at Wild Dunes. Evelyn Thorne Rogers and her husband are retired and living in Clemson, SC. Evelyn taught school for 29 years and her husband was at the University of Montana and Clemson University. Bill Vincent, husband of Katherine McElroy Vincent, plays the cello with the Anderson Symphony. He broke his hand last spring but he is back playing for his 14th season. Rosa Strait and three of her artist friends spent two weeks painting and sketching in the Umbria region of Italy. Since she has given up tennis, golf has become her sport of choice. Elizabeth “Bea” Wright had a great trip to Hawaii recently with all of her family. Corbin Crafford Hume wrote from Louisville, KY, that she enjoys reading the Converse publications and news of her classmates! She spent Christmas in Atlanta with her daughter and family and plans to be at Pawleys Island in June. She also has a daughter in Denver and one in Louisville as well. In January we (Jim and I, our three children, and six grandchildren) went to a Dalton family dinner in Charlotte, NC. Of a possible 43 attendees, 33 were there and we had a great time. I hope you will be able to attend the Converse Reunion April 25-27! Please give me a call. Until next time, let’s all hang in there!

CLASS OF 1948

th 55th Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2003 REUNION Representative: Mrs. Anne Davis Rigby 1821 Runnymede Road Winston-Salem, NC 27104, 336-722-5861 E-mail: annedrigby@aol.com Golden Club Class Fund Chair: Mrs. Ann Ratterree Herlong ’51

55

1948 CLASS PARTICIPATION 0%

GOAL: 40%

CLASS OF 1951

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2003 Representatives: Mrs. Pat Riley Lanier 3230 Marne Drive, NW Atlanta, GA 30305, 404-233-5640 E-mail: PRLHSL@aol.com Mrs. Eunice Sullivan Pracht 1180 Haywood Road#232 Greenville, SC 29615, 864-627-0318 Golden Club Class Fund Chair: Mrs. Ann Ratterree Herlong ’51

100%

27% This is a big spring for us with our 55th reunion coming up. Hope to see each and every one of you there. Byah Thomason Doxey recently spent time in Georgia helping to take care of new great-granddaughter, Byah. She also had a visit from Jane Nowell Cameron, Jo Graham Allegood, and their husbands. Mary Barker Warren enjoyed her daughter and three grandchildren at Christmas. She planned a visit to Ocracoke in February. We understand that Jane Epps deWitt’s husband retired from the Presbyterian ministry in Michigan, and they moved to Columbia, SC, where he has taken a church. Beverly Sloan Shuler says she now has a grandson after eight granddaughters, three of whom are at Clemson. Betty Styron Guffin Emailed that she was in Charlotte, NC, in February for a performance of Carlisle Floyd’s Cold Sassy Tree and saw Ermine Floyd Matheny there also. Toy Watkins Manget and Fairfield have enjoyed watching their grandson, Luke, break all kicking records on the Georgia Tech team. They have nine grandchildren in all. Skippy Herbert Hale is doing well, still in Jacksonville, FL, but summering in Waynesville, NC. She sees Mary Young Cousar ’47 and Ann “Bones” Davis Klinker. Marian Ritchie Johnson and her family spent a wonderful Christmas at the Homestead. Jeanne Barrett Evans is still in Chattanooga, TN. Husband, Jack, a former Converse music student, is a retired ENT physician. Their daughter is a missionary in Ethiopia, and Jeanne and Jack plan to visit her soon. Dede Smith Gunter has a busy productive family, both children and grandchildren. She and Dan are moving to a cottage in a retirement complex. Eoline Garvin Few and Richard have moved to their Kiawah home permanently, leaving Greenville, SC, after many years. Rebecca Wright Scanlon had a stroke two years ago and is now in an assisted living facility. She has her own apartment and is able to get out with her son, Steve, and his family. Julia Pinnix Elrod is still in Greensboro,NC, with two daughters also there and one in Raleigh, NC. She is in contact with Jean Love Hambright who now lives in Beaufort, NC, but comes back to Greensboro for visits. Julia says Jean is as pretty as ever. May Bynum Sharpe is still in Sumter, SC, and keeps in touch with many in that area. This is not all the information I gleaned – it is meant to whet your appetite for returning to Converse for our 55th! We need to see and talk with each other. Sorry I couldn’t call everyone, but greeting each of you in person is what counts.

1951 CLASS PARTICIPATION 0%

GOAL: 40%

100%

29% Feeny Dunlap Galloway and husband, Jimmy, traveled to London and The Lake District before spending four days in Prague. Ann Ratterree Herlong enjoyed visiting at Litchfield with Libby Hamer Chandler and husband Dr. Jack Chandler and delighted in seeing Nancy Reep Tait whose son, Carl, was in the same Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, TX. Ann hopes to return in 2004. Doris Marley Laird and husband, Bill, traveled to Rome, Italy, this past year. Clara Chiles MacKenzie and husband, Allen, after 35 years in Cleveland, OH, have retired to Roebuck, SC, just outside of Spartanburg. They have four children and seven grandchildren and travel extensively. Sissie Snow McAlister wrote that the biggest honor of her life was being inducted into the Shaggers Hall of Fame with her twin brother, Bubba! Her 50th anniversary was in November. Ann McCaskill Leonard and her husband, Ray, stay busy and are glad to be in good health. Daughter Leslie moved to Scott AFB in Illinois this past summer to join her husband on active duty in the Army. Leslie’s oldest daughter is in graduate school in Columbia while working for Ann Carol Hall Price ’61. Her younger daughter is a sophomore at Wofford. Ann’s son, Walt, has a busy dental practice in Spartanburg and also has a daughter who is a freshman at Wofford. Ann continues to enjoy singing in the choir, doing garden club work, and helping with the Aftercare program at her church. Jo Chenault Mattes wrote that she and husband Ray have moved from Kill Devil Hills, NC, to Kissimmee, FL. She enjoyed seeing Dot Wyatt Adams and Bob earlier this year. Ann Gwathmey Badgett had gallery showings of her paintings. She has a collage of her son at different ages currently hanging in galleries around Asheville, NC. Betty Gore Harrington and husband Tim are in Midlothian, VA, and have recently moved into a new condominium for seniors in the Bellgrade area. She says they are quite content leaving their former home of 38 years. She continues to enjoy singing with their senior choir, The Golden Notes. Margaret Curry Flowers and her husband continue to spend the winter in Florida. Nancy Blakely Boatwright wrote that she lives in the pretty little hamlet of PeapackGladstone on the Gladstone side in Far Hills, NJ. She has three children and seven

grandchildren and makes an annual trip to the Isle of Palms, SC, each year. Suzanne Derieux Huff is retired and lives in Ashland, VA. She has two daughters and three grandchildren. “Life is good,” she says! Polly Hill Woodham has been nominated to serve as a 50’s decade representative on the Alumnae Association Board. Son Will, a CPA in Hartsville, SC, has been named a partner with Moore, Kirkland, and Beuston. Georgia Free Laney sent news that she is doing fine these days. Eunice Sullivan Pracht has authored four books, one receiving national acclaim, and continues to tutor, write, travel, and participate in local theater. She is extremely proud of the accomplishments of her family and to this day enjoys her photographic memory. Her son, Chris, is a national estate auctioneer and returned to The Hole in the Wall Camp in Asheford, CT, for his 13th year. Grandson Christopher, a political science major at the College of Charleston, served on the staff of Judge Alex Sanders, who ran for the United States Senate in November. Editor’s note: The Alumnae office has regrettably received the resignations of Dot Wyatt Adams and Eunice Sullivan Pracht as class representatives. If anyone is interested in assisting with class notes, please notify Bobbie Daniel in the Alumnae Office at 1-800-584-9098.

CLASS OF 1952

Name of Student _____________________________________________ Street address _______________________________ City _______________________________________ State ________________ Zip code _______________ Telephone __________________________________ Name of High School ____________________________________________ Year of High School Graduation _________________ Areas of Interest _____________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Any Relationship to Converse? ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________

Join the Converse Network Please check areas in which you are interested. _____ Alumnae Board

_____ Converse Clubs _____ Serve on an Alumnae Telephone Committee _____ Assist Admissions with Student Recruitment _____ Provide an Internship Opportunity for Current Students

1952 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

Refer a Student to Converse

_____ Development/Fundraising _____ Class Representative

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2003 Representative: Mrs. Suzie Earnhardt Smith 370 Montgomery Drive Spartanburg, SC 29302, 864-582-2415 E-mail: sesmas@charter.net Golden Club Class Fund Chair: Mrs. Ann Ratterree Herlong ’51

0%

(This form is available online at www.converse.edu)

100%

_____ Host Reception for Prospective Students _____ Attend a College Fair _____ Call Prospective Students _____ Provide Contacts with Hiring Personnel

2 22% I talked to Lou Warren Fuller and she told me how much your letters and calls have meant to her expressing sympathy and encouragement in the tragic loss of her son, Frank, and recently her only sister, Nell Alridge. As always, Lou is looking forward optimistically to a better year – her health is much improved. Martha Jordan Fields is living in Charleston, SC (which has recently been proclaimed the most “mannerly” city in the USA). She is doing volunteer work at one of the hospitals in Charleston. Gladys Lamb Barber tells me she has all her children and grandchildren living there in Atlanta, GA. So, you know how busy she is; but she is well and enjoying life. On a less serious note, it occurs to me that we, the “Golden Girls” have some common interests and activities such as taking care of our “super grands”, keeping retired husbands out of the kitchen and Arthur (arthritis) out of our bones. I am sure many of you do interesting and exciting things. Let me hear from and about you before our next issue.

Alumnae Information Update Please include relevant dates and information in order for your life event to be published. Please type or print all information. Name (first, maiden, last) ____________________________________________ Class year __________________________________ Street address _______________________________ City _______________________________________ State _______________ Zip code _______________ Home phone ________________________________ Work phone ________________________________ Email ______________________________________ Vacation address Street address _______________________________

CLASSNOTES

CLASSNOTES

CLASS OF 1933

City _______________________________________ State _____________ Zip code _________________ 31


(no engagements, please) Name (first, maiden, last) _________________________________________ Class year _______________________________ Spouse’s full name __________________________________________ Date of marriage __________________________________________

CLASS OF 1953

th 50th Reunion REUNION Alumnae Weekend, 2003 Representative: Mrs. Marilyn Mateer Sherrill 114 Briarwood Court Spartanburg, SC 29302, 864-583-8066 Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Frances Kirkwood Graham

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1953 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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14%

Birth/Adoption Announcement (please circle) Mother’s name (first, maiden, last) __________________________________________ Class year _______________________________ Father’s name __________________________________________ Daughter’s/Son’s name (first, middle, last) __________________________________________ Birth date ________________________________

Career Change Title _____________________________________ Company ________________________________ Street address ____________________________ City ____________________ State ____________ Zip code ________ Work phone _____________

Advanced Degree

With the terrible ice storm and power outage in Spartanburg in December and two snowstorms in January, a late Thanksgiving then Christmas holidays, I somehow failed to have any real news. But I will have news of each of you after our reunion in April! I hope you have made your plans to attend and have contacted old buddies. Those of us in Spartanburg – Becky, Jane, Liz, Phyllis, and I – are so excited over seeing each of you. Don’t miss this special opportunity to reminisce and renew old friendships. Please call me if you have questions. Remember? “We are the class of ’53! United we stand....”

Date awarded ____________________________ College/University ________________________

CLASS OF 1954

Death Announcement (attach additional sheet if necessary) Name of deceased (first, maiden, last) __________________________________________ Class year _________ Date of death __________ Place of death ____________________________ Surviving relative _________________________ Address of surviving relative _________________________________________ __________________________________________

Mail or fax this form to: Converse College Alumnae Office 580 East Main Street Spartanburg, SC 29302 Fax: 864-596-9735 You can recommend a student by sending an email to info@converse.edu. 32

GOAL: 40%

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2006 Representatives: Mrs. Ida Rose Bruton Dillon 4751 Blair Court Winston-Salem, NC 27104, 336-765-4084 Rev. Carolyn Byers Blackwell 2108 Coley Forest Place Raleigh, NC 27607, 919-787-5963 E-mail: cbdb78@nc.rr.com Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Betty Jane “B.J.” Woodward Grant

1956 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

100%

34%

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2004 Representative: Mrs. Bet Shepherd Ancrum 35 Honeysuckle Woods Lake Wylie, SC 29710, 803-831-0205 E-mail: bancrum@bellsouth.net Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Frances Owen McDaniel

0%

CLASS OF 1956

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1954 CLASS PARTICIPATION Degree earned ___________________________

I could hit the trails the way they do! These days I’d rather do it like Betsi Rowland Heriot and Dick, who take the leisurely approach to camping, with their motor home. Betsi wrote that they spent Christmas at Pawleys Island for the second year in a row. They have a new grandbaby, daughter of Russell and his wife, and the first grandchild to live close enough for them to watch her grow up. This time next year we’ll be getting geared up for our 50th Class Reunion, so “Ladies, start your diets!” We want everybody to be on hand!

100%

23% One of the first Christmas cards of the ’02 season was a photo of four extremely attractive children – two young girls and two little boys who are the grandchildren of Margaret Jackson Bundy and husband Charlie. They look like delightful little people, and I wish more of you would send pictures. Margie Williams Erich slowed down between trips long enough to E-mail that her big trip this spring will be a riverboat cruise in Belgium and Holland at tulip time. Margie rarely slows down, crisscrossing the US often, it seems to me. She occasionally visits with Nancy Sibley Dunn in Spartanburg or at Nancy’s Montreat home. Nancy writes that Converse is really moving forward these days, and the parlors in particular are beautifully appointed now. (Wonder if the draperies are still heavy enough to hide behind with one’s date for a goodnight kiss?) Nancy’s Converse roomie, Jo Taylor Bomar, and Lee haven’t let age slow them down at all. Their big adventure this year was a trip to China, Tibet, and Bali; plus, they come east at least once a year in addition to traveling, hiking, and golfing all over the West. Gosh, it’s been over 20 years since

We hear Ida Rose Bruton Dillon is a legend! She has been with Prudential Carolinas Realty in Winston-Salem, NC, for 10 years and achieved the Chairman’s Circle Award every year for the first five years, qualifying her for the Legend Award. She has now received the 10-year Legend Award for her spectacular sales performance. This prestigious honor was presented to her in Las Vegas in March. Her son, Lloyd Dillon III, is working with her now and they are making quite a team!

CLASS OF 1957

th 45th Reunion REUNION Alumnae Weekend, 2003 Representatives: Mrs. Jack (Elaine Finklea) Folline 740 Kilbourne Road Columbia, SC 29205, 803-254-9503 Mrs. Bud (Nancy Hayes) Wilkerson 2122 Norton Road Charlotte, NC 28207, 704-376-4776 Converse Fund Class Chair: Ms. M. Searle Rowland

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1958 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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13% I was so glad to hear from several of you during the holidays. Ann Baum Cary was surprised to learn from our December Wrap Up that she had moved to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. She has visited there once-but husband, Miles, is a native Richmonder-and would never leave their home in which they

Hood Cavan. Trish’s daughter, Kara, still working with Chanel, has two sons ages 22 months and 5 months and Grandma babysat for ten days while the family moved to Charlotte. Trish told her Greenville buddies, who were amazed that she babysat so long, that those boys were far cuter than the good friends! Son Billy Campbell is back east in Washington and president of the Discovery Network, with eleven channels. Meet us at the reunion and learn the latest news!

CLASS OF 1959

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2004 Representatives: Mrs. Anne Argo Sanders 1045 Woodburn Road Spartanburg, SC 29302, 864-585-2968 E-mail: argo@argoco.com Mrs. Jane Torkington White 4607 177th Avenue SE Bellevue, WA 98006, 425-562-0787 Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Sally Mason Maynard

GOAL: 40%

100%

Jackie Mapp Farlow sent from Greensboro a precious Christmas picture of all her family at the beach last September. She and Wray look handsome as ever, and the granddaughter looks like Jackie –with a giant white bow-ribbon! Jackie writes that they have two new grandsons, born in April and May. She is looking forward to seeing her Converse friends at reunion. Jackie noted that last spring was bittersweet as her mother died just before Easter. Daisy Barron Leland wrote from Charleston, SC, about a treat planned with Anne Ferguson Caughman. Ferg brought three of her friends to Charleston and they all toured the McBee House at Ashley Hall. After lunch they toured the Manigault House. Searle Rowland wrote the address of her new apartment in Christopher Towers at Columbia’s trendy Five Points. The new ocean scene painting she entered in the State Fair Art Exhibit won a Purchase Award ribbon. (Her third award!) She is also doing some houses in watercolor from old and new photos and note cards from the paintings, too. Trish Hemingway Campbell is coming to the reunion with Betty

been volunteers working through the Presbyterian and Methodist churches in Kenya, Cambodia, and Indonesia. In Kenya they spent a total of four months in two trips where Thad worked at a hospital in the small village of Chogoria. Carolyn set up housekeeping – quite primitive, to say the least: slept under mosquito nets, drank water from rain run off into a cistern, washed clothes in a bath tub, and learned to shop daily as there was no refrigerator. She taught keyboard to nursing students and was an ESL tutor to these students. The summer of 2002 was spent in Cambodia and Sumatra teaching ESL in Methodist seminaries in both locations. Carolyn indicated that relationships established with these developing countries have been extremely gratifying. Winnie Harris Hobron wrote from her home in Las Vegas that this was her first Christmas alone in 40 years as her husband Bob died earlier in the year. She had ankle surgery in September and is now in physical therapy.

CLASS OF 1960

1959 CLASS PARTICIPATION 0%

21%

1957 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

CLASS OF 1958

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Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2007 Representatives: Mrs. Patsy Cox McMillan 530 Azalea Lane Florence, SC 29501, 843-669-6094 Mrs. Sylvia Craver Gandy 283 Molasses Lane Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464, 843-884-4001 Converse Fund Class Chairs: Mrs. Carolyn Fulmer Alexander Mrs. Jane Powell Crowder Mrs. Mary Lib Spillers Hamilton

0%

have lived for 30 years. I received a picture of her, Miles, and their adorable five grandchildren. They traveled this past year to Italy and are planning New Zealand and Australia in 2003. Langhorne Lewis McCarthy wrote of the tragic news of her son, Jody, who was killed in July when an 18 wheeler veered off I-77. He was a civil engineer working for the highway department inspecting a culvert. Our sincerest sympathy goes to her and Joe. They have nine grandchildren – the oldest is a freshman at Furman University. Lucia Manos Morfesis and her husband Peter have retired to Charleston,SC, and live West of the Ashley. Harriet Mahaffey Wilson has been happily consumed with doubling the size of her beach home at Alligator Point. It was built before her first grandchild was born and now she has nine. They were all there for Christmas. Sylvia Craver Gandy and I traveled to New York City in November. We went Amtrak and were only nine hours late on arrival. We enjoyed the plays and tea at the Plaza. Sylvia had her seven month old twin grandsons and their parents for the Christmas holidays. After their visit, she had to go to bed for three days to recoup. Sylvia, Ruth Gray Wheliss, and I are planning to get together again this spring. Let us hear! Patsy

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20% News from Anne: Judy Brewer Bradshaw has completed her house in Palm Beach, FL. Her daughter, Dargan, has moved to Spartanburg and has a lovely and very popular tapestry/ needlepoint shop. Ruth Junker Mitchell is still traveling the far east for Cushing Academy and makes frequent trips to Spartanburg to see Alia Lawson. Eliza Macaulay Carney is the volunteer coordinator for the ABCDRN. Tink was Director of WHEAT (World Hunger Ecumenical Arizona Task Force) from 1982 to 1995, and now ably represents ABCDRN at national gatherings, such as that of the National Community Building Network and Call to Renewal. She focuses her activities on helping people active in church life to understand the asset-based community development approach and adopt it to their “mission.” The ABCDRN has received significant financial support from the Presbyterian Church (USA). It is a treat to see Jo Ellen Bryson Webber performing so often in Spartanburg. At last reunion Beverly Higginbotham Balentine and Anne Argo Sanders were about to be first time grandmothers and way behind our classmates. Both now have 3 1/2 year old little girls who are keeping them straight. Beverly’s daughter is a tennis pro in Atlanta. Sister Marshall Goode continues to paint and have splendid exhibits. She is also busy with Gallery 5 in Rock Hill, SC –exquisite works by appointment. Gayle Bell Durham sold her antebellum home in Camden, SC. Last year they lived on a sailboat cruising the Intercoastal Waterway from Norfolk, VA, to Key West, FL, and up the west coast of Florida to Punta Gorda. They have now bought a house and are living in Punta Gorda. News from Tork: She received not one but two Christmas letters (2001 and 2002) from Carolyn Turner Kelly. Carolyn and her physician husband Thad have

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2005 Representative: Mrs. Donna Culbertson Fritz 105 Sunline Place Spartanburg, SC 29307, 864-579-3986 E-mail: maximum1983@cs.com Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Donna Culbertson Fritz

1960 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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20% I had a nice long letter from Diane Schenck Phillpott indicating that she and husband Eric are really enjoying retirement, their children, Eric III, Erin, Jason, and their grandchildren. Diane is running two ladies church groups, attending literature club meetings, and she and Eric often chaperone children on field trips and other fun outings. Eric is very active in their church and is commissioned to provide communion and visitation to shut-ins, a very rewarding service for him. Diane and Eric have taken many wonderful trips this past year, one special Christmas present they gave their family was a week long Caribbean cruise for 14 on the Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas. Virginia Dyson Hooper had a wonderful visit with Dottie Waters Bryan, Jo Hartness Guinn, and Anne Acker Childs at Betty Sykes Henderson’s home in Montreat, NC. They met for lunch at Betty’s home and enjoyed seeing all of her handiwork throughout her house and then took a tour of Montreat. They had a great visit and remembered our fun days at Converse. Virginia heard from Miranda Burnett Miles at Christmas and said that she is still in Wilmington, NC, and doing well. She had also been in touch with Frances Moffett Thackston. I recently spoke with Jennie Lou McGee Miler who still lives in Melbourne, FL, but has purchased a second home in Greenville, SC, and spends some time there in connection with her business,

CLASSNOTES

CLASSNOTES

Marriage Announcement

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CLASS OF 1961

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2006 Representative: Mrs. Betsy Blythe Frazer 324 Nottingham Drive Chapel Hill, NC 27517, 919-402-0409 E-mail: elizbf95@aol.com Converse Fund Class Chair: Vacant

GOAL: 40%

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2007 Representatives: Mrs. Dixie Crum Stone 9419 Owl Trace Drive Chesterfield, VA 23838, 804-748-4755 E-mail: dixiestone@comcast.net Mrs. Mareon Chapman Stall 125 Kellett Park Drive Greenville, SC 29607, 864-288-2447 E-mail: baldstall@earthlink.net Converse Fund Class Chairs: Mrs. Marjorie Coddington Cannon Mrs. Mareon Chapman Stall Mrs. Dixie Crum Stone

GOAL: 40%

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14%

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13% Mitzie Shomo Emory’s eldest son Nelson was married last April in Richmond, VA, to an occupational therapist. In October, Bob retired from dentistry. In November, she and Bob visited friends in Fripp Island, SC, then headed for Bermuda to help middle son Andrew and wife with second son, Huston Luke, born October 28. In February, they skied in Vermont, and in April, traveled to Italy. Mitzi says they frequently visit South Carolina since Bob’s dental school roommates, all Wofford graduates, who were in their wedding 38 years ago, are mainly in the Florence-Dillon area. Betty Lake Orr ran into Piedy Mahaffey Waterfall last summer at a wedding and enjoyed catching up. Sylvia Harley Arant has a second grandson, Thomas Gabriel Hotard, born last February. Her father’s movie tapes were recently put on video, and there we were in front of Cudd on moving-in day freshman year. Penny South Kosztolnyik’s husband, Zoltan, retired from Texas A & M in January after 35+ years. His fourth book, Hungary under the Early Arpads 890s to 1063, was recently published. Boo Bargamin Kral says she has little news – just travels to Mississippi to see grandchildren and to Florida. Construction on Jeanie McMillin Van Winkle’s retirement house in Tennessee is progressing apace! I was delighted to have a short note from Sara 34

CLASS OF 1962

1962 CLASS PARTICIPATION

1961 CLASS PARTICIPATION 0%

Bookhart DeLapp, who lives in Lexington, NC, but am hungry for more news! The big news from Don and me is that we traveled to Ireland last August for the wedding of elder son Bill to Clodagh Tait, a lecturer in early Irish history at University College, Dublin. The wedding service was at 2:30 PM in a lovely stone Protestant chapel near Cork, followed by a reception dinner and dancing to a band and then a DJ. We finally collapsed and retired at 2:00 AM, but the party continued for another two hours!

Marian McGowan Nisbet and her husband Olin continue to live in Charlotte, NC. Marian is still designing after 33 years of owning her own business, Interiors Unlimited. Working out of her home, she helps folks all over the South and in New York and is doing lots of vacation homes. Olin is retired from Sterling Capital Management, the firm he started 30 years ago, but he still goes to the office every day. Their sons are also in finance. Chip and his family live in New York, and he owns his own business. Chip’s son (8) plays ice hockey and Marian and Olin went to see him play for the first time while they were in New York in January. Their granddaughter (10) is in gymnastics. Son Bill and his wife live in Mt. Pleasant, SC , and he is in mortgage banking. Marian and Olin bought a 1780’s house on Tradd Street in downtown Charleston, SC, as a second home and go down every three weeks or so for a vacation. Both Cantey Brabham Carpenter and her husband Bill are happily retired –he fr om medicine and she was a guidance counselor. Bill loves building in his workshop, teaching Sunday School lessons, working in a community garden and helping to build Habitat homes. Cantey is an elder in their church and has helped establish a Stephen Ministry program, which had been her dream for many years. This is a lay ministry which equips people to give care to those who may be experiencing difficulty. Cantey says it’s exciting to see friends “bearing each other’s burdens.” Daughter Ginger and her husband, Byron Espino, have two children, Patrick (5) and Natalie (2), and live in Apex, NC. Their other daughter, Reid, lives in New York City and

works for Hill and Knowlton Public Relations. Cantey and Bill spend most of the summer at their log cabin in Cedar Mt., NC, where they enjoy the great hiking trails as well as the wonderful music at the Brevard Music Center and the Flat Rock Playhouse is only 30 minutes away. Claudia McCollough is the Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Coastal Carolina University near Myrtle Beach, SC. She says she loves teaching and has had the advantage of watching Coastal Carolina’s exciting growth. She is looking forward to retirement in two years and being able to spend lots of time with her children and grandchildren! Son Thad was married last summer and is living in Urbana, IL. Daughter Renken and her husband Kevin, an Air Force pilot, have been transferred to Charleston, SC, and daughter Rebecca and her husband and their two children now live in Columbia, SC. After 33 years, Michael Holt Crawford, who lives in Summerville, SC, has retired from teaching elementary school. Now Michael enjoys working part time at Peartree Toys. They carry unique toys that are a cut above what is carried in the typical large department store. Daughter Martha and her husband live and work in the Charleston area. Son John is a dentist in the Navy, stationed at Camp Lejuene, NC. He and his wife Glenda, also a dentist, hope to move to Greenville in June. In her spare time Michael loves to visit Edisto Beach, SC, with friends. She also enjoys walking, reading, playing bridge and volunteering at her church, Summerville Presbyterian. Gene Wilson Upmeyer and her husband are in Belleair, FL. Oldest daughter, Kerstin and her husband live nearby. They have spent a lot of time flying back and forth to California to prepare for and welcome their first grandchild born in January to their youngest daughter, Karin. Pris Brown Willard and husband Henry are doing well in Wilmington, NC. Son Chip was married last spring, daughter Harriett resides in Prince George, Canada, with her family and Schirmer is enjoying single adulthood. Gayle Nash has retired from Eastern Michigan University after 25 years as a professor in special education in the hearing impaired area. She moved into her new home in West Chester, OH, earlier in the year and continues to breed and show Golden Retrievers. See the Life Events section (Career Changes) to find out about her new endeavor! I (Dixie Crum Stone) had a wonderful vacation in January with my son Walt, my sister, and her two sons. We went to Munich, Germany, Salzburg and Innsbruck, Austria, St. Moritz, Switzerland and Venice, Italy. The others did a lot of skiing while I saw a lot of gorgeous mountains and beautiful old cities.

CLASS OF 1963

th

40

40th Reunion REUNION Alumnae Weekend, 2003 Representative: Mrs. Margaret Charles Stubbs 545 Alexander Circle Columbia, SC 29206, 803-738-2402 E-mail: stubbs_m@bellsouth.net Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Nell Higdon Hudson

1963 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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20% I hope you are planning to come to our 40th reunion April 25-27. There are many activities planned for the weekend, not the least of which will be our class dinner on Saturday night! We will have a wonderful time catching up with each other and hopefully get tons of news for the next class representative to report. Remember that a class representative(s) will be selected during our class meeting on Saturday morning! See you in April.

CLASS OF 1964

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2004 Representatives: Mrs. Anne Mayo Elliott 116 Pineville Road Spartanburg, SC 29307, 864-583-7982 E-mail: ellam@charter.net Mrs. Henrietta Hughes Ouzts 805 13th Avenue NW Hickory, NC 28601, 828-324-2893 E-mail: peterouzts@hotmail.com Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Righton Hodgkin McCallum

1964 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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12% News of mini class reunions and grandchildren is about all we can glean from those of us in the Class of 1964 who are now some 60 odd years old. We have hit another “landmark” year. The daughter of Judy Fessey Bradley was married in Savannah to David Johnson of Spartanburg bringing together Tennessee as well as Spartanburg classmates. Nancy Eakin Dickins, Anne Herbert Daniel, and Lida Black Bross all hailed from Tennessee, joined by Anne Mayo Elliott and “B” Kennedy Durham from Spartanburg. Truly a grand event, it was good to see everyone looking so well and having much fun at this fine celebration. In the newest edition of “Poe on the Go” we see where Nancy Eakin is leading a “tented safari designed to offer complete privacy, ease of logistics, and a good measure of free time for game viewing, walks and relaxation.” Any energetic takers? In the meantime Nita Gay Hughes Gladstone reports twin grandsons, born December 29, 2002, as they were en route from visiting their daughter, Julie, in Boca Raton, FL, having expected the arrival of these precious boys a week before Christmas. Giving up, Nita Gay and Don headed home, only to turn around in Savannah to go and meet these new arrivals. Nancy Rand McInnis Waddill called early in the fall to visit and reported on her two grandchildren, Edmund (1) and a baby girl Lyles, born in June and named Henrietta Rand.

CLASS OF 1965 Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2005

Representative: Mrs. Marjorie Martin Pierce 210 Ramblewood Drive Mount Olive, NC 28365, 919-658-1254 E-mail: spierce@esn.net Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Ginger McKinney Jernigan

Lillian “Mickey” Utsey Harder ’67 MMus

1965 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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13% From DeWitt, AR: Warren and Mary McKinley Jennings added two more grandchildren to their family when daughter Jean had twin boys last September. Mary’s husband is president of the First National Bank of DeWitt, and their son Warren is president of the First National Bank of Stuttgart which he opened last October. Granddaughters Fran (9) and Sara Wallis (7) are tearing up their granddad’s runway with the go-cart they got for Christmas. Mary is still a big deer hunter. From Mendham, NJ: George and Linda Frank Johnson enjoyed their Tucson, AZ, trip last fall and later celebrated Christmas at the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City. Son Ross, who lives nearby, works with Met Life, and son George is working in Austin, TX, in an advertising agency. Linda is busy with tennis and golf and some charity boards. She gets into NYC a lot with her theatre group. From Virginia Beach, VA: Jim and Tris Gowen Graybeal took a jazz cruise in the Caribbean last November and then spent three days with Franky Dunlap McMahan in Key West, FL, who entertained them with her unique style. From Lexington, KY: Anne Rogers Gregory is one of the first recipients of the Milestone Award given by UBS PaineWebber to recognize financial advisors who have in excess of 100 million dollars under management.

CLASS OF 1967

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2007 Representatives: Mrs. Sandra Jones Husted 11Vance Street Lexington, NC 27292, 336-248-4934 E-mail: rlhusted@lexcominc.net Mrs. Marsha Sams Thrift 2898 Monticello Drive Winston-Salem, NC 27106, 336-723-3748 E-mail: mthrift@triad.rr.com Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Sandra Sherard Bethea

In 2002, Lillian “Mickey” Utsey Harder ’67 MMus received the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Award, the official Governor’s Award for the Arts. The award is given each year by the SC Arts Commission and the governor to honor outstanding contributions to the arts in the state. In 1972, Mickey joined Clemson University as a music teacher. She’s been at the school ever since. “When I first joined the staff,” she says, “Clemson really did not have that much to offer as far as the arts were concerned.” But she kept teaching her students and encouraging the administration to bring more artists to the school. In 1986, she and her husband Byron established the Lillian and Robert Utsey Chamber Music Series. “Our goal was to expose audiences in this region to artists of international caliber.” The concerts are presented at no cost to audience members and are regularly featured on National Public Radio’s Performance Today. In 1996, Mickey was named Director of the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts at Clemson. Fundraising is chief among her responsibilities as director. “When I first began fundraising for the Brooks Center, I was told by a consultant that we would be lucky to receive $7,000.” According to a Clemson report, however, the Center receives $300,000 on average per year.

1967 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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17% My, how the holidays come and go so quickly, but what a wonderful opportunity to hear from friends and catch up with everyone’s recent happenings. We have an exciting bit of news about Lucia Cleveland Johnson and her husband, Rick! In the event you have not already heard, they are popping with pride

Mickey’s commitment to the arts extends throughout the state. She has served on the Coker College Board of Trustees and Board of Visitors, the Board of the SC Presenters’ Association, and as president of the SC Music Teachers Association. Her interviews with performing artists can be heard regularly on the SC Education Radio program Your Day.

CLASSNOTES

CLASSNOTES

Milertronics. We are going to try to get together, and Jennie would love to hear from any of you that are in the Greenville area. I was in Columbia, SC, for the January wedding of Jackie Hackler Hayes and Richard E. Hollis, a 1958 Wofford graduate. Liz Hayes Bradshaw and Martha Dowling Redick were also at the wedding, and it was great renewing friendships from our college days for such a happy event. Jackie and Richard had dated in college and were reunited this past year after 45 years. They are living in Spartanburg. We wish them many happy years together. After 18 years in Myrtle Beach, SC, Martha Twitty Erwin and husband Bob have returned to Greenwood, SC. Bob retired from the Nelson, Mullins, Riley, Scarborough Law Firm and plans to begin a retirement career in mediation. Gail Key Leonard and husband Bob are in High Point, NC, where he enjoys selling furniture for Craftee. If you are looking for furniture, Gail says give him a call and he will give you the best price. He also delivers anywhere – even has a customer in Ireland! Please let me hear from you.

35


Jones Husted and her husband enjoy making the long trek up to Sewanee to visit their daughter, Carty, who is a junior. Marsha Sams Thrift is still teaching art lessons in her home to both children and adults. In her spare time she is enjoying her new puppy, travelling, scuba diving and hiking with friends and has gotten back into painting since joining a weekly plein air painting group and attending various art workshops.

CLASS OF 1968

th 35th Reunion REUNION Alumnae Weekend, 2003 Representative: Ms. Robbie L. Taylor 409 Rocky Lane Cayce, SC 29033, 803-796-1530 E-mail: rltofsandscape@webtv.net Converse Fund Class Chair: Ms. Marianne Stribling

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1968 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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11%

Caroline attended a memorial service in Durham, NC for Linda Newsom Silva’s mother and was able to visit with Linda.

CLASS OF 1969

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2004 Representatives: Ms. Ashley Fine Nagle 301 Kirk Lane Media, PA 19063, 610-565-4483 E-mail: avfnagle@quixnet.net Mrs. Harriet Messer Goldsmith 121 Rockingham Road Greenville, SC 29607, 864-277-4893 E-mail: maghmg@aol.com Mrs. Charlotte Smith Purrington 2723 Riddick Drive Raleigh, NC 27609, 919-781-3142 E-mail: cspurring@aol.com Converse Fund Class Chairs: Mrs. Harriet Messer Goldsmith Ms. Ashley Fine Nagle

1969 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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I’m looking forward to sharing both current events and fond memories with you April 2526 at our 35th reunion. It’s hard to believe that we were the legendary sixties generation who opened windows and doors of opportunity for our successors. Who knew? You may recall that some of us were quite a handful for the rigid Mrs. Buckner, keeper of the golden keys and tenacious code enforcer of Morris Dormitory. You may also recall a special professor, a devoted roommate, an original idea, a special innocence that occasionally whisks you back to those precious years. Converse was a special part of our maturation, and I’d be thrilled for you or you and your spouse, significant other, partner, or friend to join us for a delightful trip down Memory Lane. Helping with this special reunion will be my last duty as your class representative. I’ve enjoyed staying in touch with you for the past five years, and I wish you all health, happiness and love. Martha Regan Szczur has a new position at the National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine. After 30 years with NASA she traded aeronautics for medical informatics, after completing her MS in Information Systems Technology. Susan Montgomery Riley and her husband, Ward, are excited about the arrival of their first grandchild, a girl, born to son Nat and his wife in December. Nina “Vicki” Zouck Waite was presented the Silver Beaver Award for her volunteer Service in Cub Scouting by the Pacific Skyline Council of the Boy Scouts of America. She is also librarian at the Los Altos High School library in Los Altos, CA. Caroline Cottingham Mitchell of Winston-Salem, NC, has seen a number of classmates recently. Zan Slaton Hogan, Caroline’s roommate, is in the West Palm Beach, FL, area. She designs jewelry and is busy with grandchildren. Caroline visited with Liza Robb Bryan in Atlanta, GA, where Liza has her own interior design company and Elisabeth Marchant who is president and CEO of the Leader Publishing Group, Inc. in Atlanta.

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17% Maxie McDuffie Haltiwanger and Jim are living in Columbia, SC, where Maxie is the marketing director for a state wide law firm. Their son, James, is a senior at Clemson and their daughter, Katherine, is a junior at Wofford. Maxie put me in touch with Dottie Grantham Deglmann-Schwarz who is now dividing her time between her home town of Easley and her husband Rainer’s home in the Alps. Rainer is a journalist, who writes about travel for German and Swiss publications, so they travel quite a bit. Rainer was writing about adventure travel but now focuses on luxury travel, skiing and small ship cruising. Dottie, who once had an aversion to exercise, now skiis, hikes and walks! For those of you in the Carolinas, you’ll remember that December gave us a horrific ice storm-on the same weekend as the wedding of Linda Russell Cranford’s daughter. Catherine, a ’96 Converse graduate, and family took it all in stride. The bridesmaids’ luncheon and rehearsal dinner had to be moved from the Country Club as it had no power. Candles and fires in fireplaces in her grandmother’s house, site of the reception, and a tent with generators, heaters, and lights made for a wonderful time. Linda says that after that, “I can put a man on the moon with one hand tied behind my back.” Nancy Fowler Willis writes that her daughter is a freshman at East Carolina in Greenville, NC, enabling her to reconnect with Pell Pickett Fulp who also lives in Greenville. Pell and her husband run a golf and ski shop there. Nancy has kept up with our exchange student, Marijke Knipscheer, who has restored a town house on one of the canals in Amsterdam and works in The Hague. Nancy is still working in the cytology lab at Nichols Institute of Quest Diagnostics in Chantilly, VA. Also in Greenville, NC, is Myra Hodges Hill and her husband John. Myra is a teacher’s assistant in the Pitt County schools. Their third grandchild, John

Charles Tubaugh, was born in July. Ann Barrow Weiler lives in Tryon, NC, after eight years of living in Asheville and, before that, in Maine and Massachusetts. After a 20-year career as an organizational development consultant, Ann is back at Converse enrolled in the undergraduate art therapy program which is the only undergraduate art therapy program in the Southeast. Ann’s husband stepped away from his consulting career in the mid 90’s and is now a full time sculptor. (Jackie Noyes is a proud owner of one of his pieces.) Lizette Boone Steinbrueck and her husband, Charlie, have been in Denver, CO, for 20 years and are the proud parents of one daughter. Their daughter and her husband also live in Denver and have made the Steinbruecks the proud grandparents of a granddaughter who is just turning one. Margaret Shore Roark writes that she and her husband are in the grandparent business with two little boys, ages 3 and 6. The Roarks have signed up for the Converse alumnae trip to Canada in June and encourage other Class of ’69 alumnae to go! Patty O’Herron Norman, and her husband Tommy are in Charlotte, NC. Patty is as busy as ever, including serving on the Converse Board of Trustees! Patty writes that Nancy Bradford Conner and her husband Charles are dividing their time between Telluride, CO, where Charles, after retiring, decided to open an art gallery, and the Isle of Palms, SC. Patty sees Dee Moses Schwab in Charlotte and says she is a very active volunteer in their community and state. Deborah Hutaff Greene sends news from Columbia, MO, that she is the proud grandmother of three beautiful grandchildren: Grace, Joshua, and Justin. Ashley Fine Nagle writes that Quay Brown Curlee (Mary Frances Brown) finished at USC and went on to earn her master’s in social work and is in Columbia, SC, in the Department of Mental Health. Quay’s daughter, Beth, has followed in her mother’s footsteps and recently was named the Social Work Graduate Student of the Year. Her youngest daughter, Emily, is a senior at the Darla Moore Business College of USC and has a daughter, Alexis, age 4. Ashley saw Mary Graham McMillan in Durham, NC. She is working on a house and garden that she recently bought. Ashley is still substituting as a teacher assistant in special education classrooms and working with a group to save a local rustic Girl Scout camp from sale to developers. Her daughter, Cynthia, is in biomedical graduate studies at UNC and her son, Andrew, is in his junior year in business at Pennsylvania College of Technology. Mary Rainey Belser and Clinch are in Columbia, SC. Mary is finishing her second year as chairman of the Converse Board of Trustees. She encourages all of us to support The Converse Annual Fund. This year, in particular, we need to meet the final qualifications for the Kresge grant! The Belsers’ son, Duncan, is finishing Vanderbilt with an MBA in May. Their daughter, Callie, graduates from UVA in May and their son, Freeman, is in his second year of law school at USC. And now a word from me – all of this news was gathered from E-mails! It is so simple and a wonderfully easy, quick way to stay in touch with one another! Please make E-mailing me your news

a priority! I am so thankful and proud of our classmates Patty O’Herron Norman and Mary Rainey Belser for their commitment to Converse. They spend hours and hours working for our college. I would love to see our class at the top in participation in the annual fund. Big gifts are always wonderful, but participation is truly important. Remember, 2004 will be the 35th anniversary of our graduation. Start making your plans now and stay in touch! Harriet

CLASS OF 1970

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2005 Representative: Miss Janice “Smack” Mack 6 Indigo Cove Greensboro, NC 27455, 336-282-0520 E-mail: mackjs@att.net Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Martha Williams DeCaro

1970 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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13% As I write this column in early January, I am wishing each of you a year filled with good health, happiness, and meaningful endeavors that help others. A lot of this news was gathered from holiday cards and/or conversations with some of you. Retirement from the classroom was the news from several classmates. Jan Rorbeck Dees and Barbara Holman Stith retired at the end of the year and joined Patty Downes Johnson on the list of former educators. Barbara’s son, Boyd, attends a prep school outside of Philadelphia, and he is already over 6 feet tall. In her retirement, Jan has taken up rollerblading (you go, girl!). Patty and her husband Steve went to the Brittany and Normandy regions of France last spring. Karen Clarke sent a card showing the rough life on the beach. She is doing well in Tampa. Karen and Jan had their annual holiday mini-reunion with Gloria Roberts Howell and Brenda Williams Ketchey. Jan reports that they could have been asked to leave the restaurant from having such a great time! Both Sue Fan Smith Ferguson and Marion Brooke Philpott moved to new homes. Marion downsized since she now has an empty nest. Sue Morpeth Clark and Thayer Cheatham Willis each sent greetings and said all was well at their respective ends. Thayer sent a photo of her two darling children, Julianne and Clay, who are keeping her young. Susan Dukes Webber also sent greetings from Orangeburg: son Billy is completing a fellowship at Duke and is preparing to live in Charleston, SC, son Chris is a professor at Limestone College. Eileen Nolen Rampey has found a new calling in Spartanburg. She is on the board and very involved with the Citizens Scholar Mentoring Program. This program pairs adults with promising and focused high school students from economically challenged homes. Eileen has found a lot of

satisfaction in this endeavor. Perry Hicks Jordan stays busy with civic activities and with her exercise program; daughter Liz is a freshman at Yale, and daughter Sara is a high school soccer and basketball addict. Since both are my goddaughters, I keep up with them. Lynnie Hicks Mitchell also stays busy with her many activities; both daughters are in college – Mary Lyons, a senior at Old Miss and Laurie, a junior at NC State. I am lucky to be godmother to both. Lynnie and I shared an interesting experience in July; we both had hand surgery the same week on our dominant hands due to injuries. Afterwards we “competed” for the best handwriting with our non-dominant hands. Classmate Howard Brown Millican could barely read our writing when we each sent Howard support for her effort in the local multiple sclerosis bike ride fund raiser. Howard paired with her son David as they trained hard and each rode 93 miles for the cause. Ginny Legare now goes by her maiden name and has moved back to Greensboro, NC, with her husband. Ginny has become a stylish model and promoter for my sister’s clothing line, Mack and Mack. She was one of the models at the Greensboro alumnae chapter event held at Mack and Mack headquarters. A card from Lynda “Smitty” Smith Swann showed a happy family at daughter Parker ’s high school graduation; Parker is now a freshman at Baylor in Texas, daughter Lanier works for a NC congressman on Capitol Hill, and Smitty is an empty nester. Ann Joyner Cross not only is an empty nester, but also both children are now out of college; Eleanor works in DC and Oliver is in Atlanta, GA. Ann is doing great and stays busy working part time for husband Roane and doing volunteer work. Ann and I have been able to get together a few times in Winston-Salem, NC. We lucked out one summer day and rounded up Smitty, Lynnie, and Nancy Jane Stedman Calloway. Nancy is back in school working on her dissertation for a doctorate. Dottie McDowell Adams and husband Keith are in Richmond, VA. Son Keith Jr. (26) is working at Circuit City’s corporate office in Richmond and son Scott (24) is a first year medical student at Wake Forest Bowman Gray campus. As for me, I stay busy with my job and volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity, teaching church school, and serving on the Session at church. Life is not dull. I do not write an article for this column in every issue because I have no news to report other than what I get on holiday cards. Please send me a note or an Email (note I now have an E-mail address!) and let me know what is going on in your life, and I’ll then be able to do a column for the next issue.

CLASS OF 1973

th 30th Reunion REUNION Alumnae Weekend, 2003 Representative: Vacant Please send news to Converse College Alumnae Office, 580 E. Main St., Spartanburg, SC 29302. Election will take place Alumnae Weekend, 2003.

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as parents of Brad Johnson, quarterback of the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers! They attended all the events and festivities and are especially proud of Brad and his accomplishments. Lucia said it has been quite an experience! Martha Kavanaugh Hunt writes that she is still handling PR out of a home office for the 230 Atlanta-area McDonald’s restaurants. Son Hank, 25, tried the pro golf tour for a year but is now much happier as a financial consultant for New York Life (and there is always plenty of corporate golf). Daughter Shawn lives in Jackson, WY, and recently had twins - a boy and a girl! Martha had dinner with Betty Holliday McLeod when Betty and daughter Frances were in Atlanta for a wedding. Martha reports that Betty has never looked better in her whole life – still lives in Florence, SC, with husband David. Ann Armour McCoy is looking forward to retirement from teaching this spring and plans to move to Ocala, FL, this summer to be closer to family and friends. She is always on the go and so enjoys her travels with friends. Anne Jones Holloway’s son, Byrd, graduated in December from Virginia Tech as a civil engineer and is presently in a job search. Her daughter, Carter, graduated from St. Margaret’s in Tappahannock, VA, last spring and is now attending Virginia Tech. Anne Bennett spends much of her time involved with her church activities, Delta Kappa Gamma, caring for her mom and making scrapbooks of old photos and ‘tin types’ of the Bennett clan and early Virginia Beach. She enjoys her two goddaughters, one recently married and the other (Anne Jones Holloway’s daughter), recently graduated. Cherry Able Goldson is intrigued with her latest new creative project, stained glass, while supporting Charlie’s travelling and never-ending golf. Daughter Karen is in New Orleans as a hospital rep with Takeda Pharmaceutical, and Emily is still in St. Pete keeping everyone’s credit straight at Certegy. Marion Allen Stowe wrote that she missed the Converse reunion because she was expecting not one but two grandchildren last spring (she already has a 2 year old grand). A recent past chairman of the Farmville Library Board, Farmville Literary Club, church circle and a member of the downtown partnership, Marion is now taking a pause from volunteer work so she can be more flexible with visits to enjoy the various early stages of development of her grandchildren. Jane Witherspoon Hope’s son, William, was married in August in Greenville, SC, where he is a resident in surgery. Suzanne Smith Jordan and Jenny Kimbell Bunn hosted a luncheon for the bridal couple for out-of town wedding guests and among those attending was Betty Lou Stringer Walston. Jane’s other son, Harold, received his law degree from Harvard and is an investment banker in New York City. Elvy Talley Bryan wrote that family obligations kept her from attending the reunion. After a year of illness, she is nearly back to full strength, and is getting back into her two loves, gardening and golf. Elvy’s son Tab and his wife are still in Texas. Sandra

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1973 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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17%

As president and CEO of the Sloss Real Estate Group, Cathy Sloss Crenshaw ’75 is at the forefront of a reawakening for the city of Birmingham, Alabama. Under her leadership, the company has redeveloped property and buildings that were virtually abandoned not too long ago. “I love cities,” she says. “I believe cities are the best representation of civilization because they are where people come together.” Among the early projects for the Sloss Group was Pepper Place, an old building previously used to make syrup for the Dr. Pepper soft drink. “When we bought it, Pepper Place consisted of one building. It has since grown into a market center of eleven buildings that houses shops, eateries, and a very popular farmer’s market that attracts over 3,000 people every Saturday.” Other success stories include the development of One Federal Place (the location of the new Federal Reserve Bank, restaurants, and retail shopping); Hope VI (12 blocks and 663 mixed income, mixed housing units); and the renovated Rust Engineering Building, which is now home of the Birmingham chapter of the American Red Cross. These redevelopment projects are especially impressive when one realizes that businesses and people were leaving the city in droves for the suburbs. “I can remember seeing blocks and blocks of abandoned rusty buildings.” But with her love for cities and a mind that was very capable of seeing possibilities in the place of abandonment, Cathy led the Sloss Group and the city on a march towards renaissance. In 2002, the Birmingham Business Journal recognized Cathy as their Business Person of the Year. 38

Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Elizabeth Taylor Horres

We hope that the weekend of April 25-27 is marked on your calendar as that is when we will gather at Converse to celebrate our 30th reunion! The detailed information was mailed to you a number of weeks ago. Mary Nell Rogers Brandt has graciously agreed to host our class dinner Saturday night and there will be many other fun activities throughout the weekend, including the election of a new class representative. If you have not received information or if you have questions, please call the Alumnae Office at 800-584-9098. We look forward to seeing you!

CLASS OF 1975

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2005 Representative: Mrs. Avan Yates Moore 1894 Ferry Lake Road Tifton, GA 31794, 229-387-7917 E-mail: aymoore@friendlycity.net Converse Fund Class Chairs: Mrs. Melanie Smith Kearse Ms. Elise Warren

1975 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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8% By the time you read this we are well into 2003 and wondering what the year will bring both to the world and to each of us personally. I have realized more and more in the past year and a half how much I treasure the relationships I have been lucky enough to enjoy over the years. Perhaps some of you feel the same and look back at our Converse years and think about how carefree they were. Let’s all keep each other informed so that we can hear about how our lives change as we “mature”! In case you didn’t recognize it, that was a shameless plea for news. Betsy Wigington gets a gold star both as a news reporter and a world traveler. She sent a wonderful card with a photograph of elephants decked out for Christmas wearing wreaths. I assume this was from her three weeks safari to Africa. She says this was her best trip ever! She should know because in the span of one year she traveled to Paris to buy antiques, went on the safari and then to Highlands to maybe house hunt. After that came a trip to the Napa Valley, and finally a Thanksgiving trip to St. Martin. Betsy reports she works to travel! She also had some news of other classmates. Carolyn Cathey Brinson and her daughter, Catherine spent the summer with Betsy while Catherine did an internship. I understand that A.B. Pearce Stewart has been ill, but is now doing well. Our thoughts are with you, A.B. Thank you so much Betsy for all the info. I’ll be checking my E-mail regularly for any new scoop. Libby McKnight

Engler writes that daughter, Elizabeth, is a junior at Clemson where she is a Kappa and Rally Cat. Libby says she is getting to Sea Island more and more these days and loving it! Polly Ann Maxwell Cleveland sent a picture of those good-looking children: Christopher (21), Cameron (20), and Melonye (15). Ruthie McCutchen Knight sent a card with a picture of her three beautiful girls. Bailey is a freshman at the College of Charleston. Ruthie says she seems very happy there and we all remember Ruthie’s fondness for Charleston. I heard from Joy Joyner Poe. Those handsome sons of hers are busy. Warren is a junior at Wake Forest and spent the fall studying in London. Thomas is a senior in high school and trying to make a decision about college. His football team won the state championship this fall. A cousin of Kathryn Perry Bumgardner lives in Tifton and I got the scoop on Kathryn and her family. They still live in Dillon, SC, where her husband is a minister. Oldest daughter, Anne, is a senior at the College of Charleston and daughter, Salley, is away from home at school for the first time. Son, Wynn, is an avid hunter and outdoorsman and stays busy with the Boy Scouts. If I got any of this wrong, Kathryn, call Nan! Cary Seigler Walker received the Daniel Master Teacher Award at Christ Church Episcopal School in Greenville, SC, where she teaches English and is curriculum coordinator in the Middle School. This award is given annually to teachers in the lower, middle, and upper school to recognize excellence in the teaching profession. As for my family, we had a quiet family Christmas between Tifton and Macon. All the children were home except Robert. Since he is a church musician, he doesn’t get home until January but that is always a nice after Christmas treat. We did get to New York to see him during December. The city was all dressed up for the holidays and just beautiful. I hope to hear from so many of you next time that I have to write for days and days to get it all recorded!

Jackson Gandy sends news that daughter, Elizabeth, is graduating from Wake Forest in May and son, Wilson, plans to go to Wofford It was fantastic to hear from Lynn Edwards Hrubik in sunny southern California. She and husband Tom celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. Lynn home schooled her children for 10 years but now her two youngest are in private school and she has more time to herself. Tom continues to manage his land holdings. Kristin (21) is a senior at Oral Roberts University. Jeff (18) graduated from high school with sixty college units and is taking a year off for fun and exploration of colleges and careers. Lauren (14) is on the drill team/cheerleading squad. Justin (11) has already designed his own web page featuring exotic sports cars. Lee Taylor Boyd moved to the countryside of Camden, SC, last year and lives near Lisa Taylor Towell. Lee is a RN and works part-time at Baptist Hospital in Columbia and husband, Blake, continues his work with Sonoco Paper Products Company. Blake III graduated from Wofford and is working for Bank of America in Columbia. Daughter, Margie, loves horses and qualified for the Regional Dressage Championships and did well. She enjoys going to the barn of Lisa’s husband, Jack, and exercising horses for him. Lee also indicated that Lisa’s oldest, Liza, graduated from the College of Charleston last spring and is also a professional trainer for hunter/jumpers. Ned is at Hampden-Sydney and is a big fox hunter. Hardin (14) shows hunter/jumpers and has won a number of blue ribbons across the southeast. Lisa stays busy with horse shows and clients and is also a volunteer for the Camden historical area. Mackey Tarrant is back in Columbia, SC, after 4 1/2 years in Florida. She will continue in her multi family real estate development business. Haidee Clark Stith is still consulting in policy analysis and development. Her daughter, Evelyn, is now four. Keep cards and E-mails coming. Mid May is the next deadline. Much love, Leah

CLASS OF 1976

CLASS OF 1977

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2006 Representative: Mrs. Leah Colley Welty 24 Briarwood Terrace Fairmont, WV 26554, 304-367-0344 E-mail: workoutleah@ma.rr.com Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Janny Rawls DeLoache

1976 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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11% News from Jean Miller Stimpson indicates her daughter, Virginia, married last September in Mobile. Her son, Billy, continues to enjoy working in New York. Sands is a freshman at Auburn and Nancy is a freshman in high school. Lindsay Bridgforth Hodges’s husband, Dave, continues his work in his architecture business and teaches at a local college. Daughter Mary Dudley (15) is a cheerleader and on the golf team. Elizabeth (8) enjoys playing the piano. Rachel

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2007 Representatives: Mrs. Chris Wood Lynn 124 Greenbriar Road Spartanburg, SC 29302, 864-573-8900 E-mail: clynn@churchofadvent.org Mrs. Robbie Dana Reading 38 Huntwick Court Columbia, SC 29206, 803-782-2659 E-mail: mdr119@sc.rr.com Converse Fund Class Chairs: Mrs. Pamela Ellis Hall Mrs. Gail Rawls Jeter

1977 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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10% Boy, has the Class of ’77 come alive with info! Thanks so much for keeping in touch, especially via E-mail. Keep those “cards and letters” coming! Irene Robertson Long wrote from Mississippi that she is trying to keep pace with

her three children and their sports activities. She has a daughter in ninth grade, a senior son, and a daughter who is a sophomore at SMU. Pud Talton Glover wrote from Selma, AL, that she had missed our April reunion for a standing beach trip with Pam Grayson Baugh. They’ve been doing this since 1985. Pud teaches geometry at a private school in Selma where all three of her children – Thomas (16), Carrie (14), and Jody (9) – are enrolled. Pam teaches 6th grade in Birmingham and has two children, Boo(16) and Richard(12). Pokie Tripp is also teaching in Birmingham. Lucy Hudson Stembridge wrote from Atlanta, GA, that she is still singing, receiving her Master’s in Vocal Performance from GSU. She sings with local church and community groups and gives private lessons. Apparently, talent is in the DNA because her 14 year old daughter, Gwen, is in all-state chorus and active in musical theater. Nancy Nix Jones wrote a newsy letter about the gang from 4th Pell. Julie Killian Garrett completed the Family Therapy degree at Converse and is the Director of Family Therapy at Generations Group Home. She plays tennis when she can or isn’t working on college plans for twin seniors, Margaret and Manning. Donna Wilson Dornes took her children Lindsey and William to Tennessee and Florida this past summer-seems she can’t stay away from the southeast. Nancy and Susie Beckham Jackson went to Saluda to see Paula Wagner Gay who was teaching cooking classes at Camp Greystone. Paula is still in Saudi Arabia and working on an MBA, specializing in non-profit business. Nancy is back in Atlanta, two courses away from her EDS in school psychology. Her youngest, Harrison, is in kindergarten and Hunter is finally an “official” teenager. Becky Koon is still active in theater. She’s in Charlotte, NC, where husband Steve is the founder of Charlotte Repertory Theater. Becky has produced and is starring in a one-woman show, “Shirley Valentine.” They have a daughter, Maggie (9). Bet Tarrant forwarded a letter from Gail Rawls Jeter in Columbia. Her husband, Russ, is an attorney and they have two children, a junior at AC Flora and a 7th grader. Both boys’ activities keep her hopping. Gail works with DHEC and is only able to volunteer with the garden club and Converse. She urges all of us ‘77’s to give generously! Pam Ellis Hall and Jimmy sent a precious Christmas picture. Their “baby” basset hound is 13 years old. Wendy Barton Benson also sent a card showing off her lovely blonde (what else?) daughter, Caroline. Betsy Dennis Daniel writes from Columbia that oldest son, Bill, is a freshman at USC where he pledged SAE fraternity. Younger son, Beattie, is a freshman at AC Flora High School. News from Patricia Barnes indicates that her oldest daughter, Rebecca (13), danced the lead role of Clara, en pointe, in the Columbus, OH, Youth Ballet production of The Nutcracker. Katherine Graves King had a busy fall. She was traveling in Europe for eleven days planning medical education meetings. She has two sons, Hamilton and Collier. Collier will be at the College of Charleston this spring so Kat assures me we can have our own reunion on Parents’ Weekend. If Robbie or I don’t have your correct

E-mail address (and there’re a lot of you!), please send it. It’s so easy to stay in touch like this! We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

CLASS OF 1978

th 25th Reunion REUNION Alumnae Weekend, 2003 Representative: Mrs. Lucy Carter Ault 5 Ottaway Drive Greenville, SC 29605, 864-233-0365 E-mail: aultlc@pickens.k12.sc.us Converse Fund Class Chairs: Mrs. Lib Laney Peebles Mrs. Kay Ferguson Theis

25

1978 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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12% Can you believe that 25 years have passed since our graduation?! Join us April 25-27 to celebrate those good times and what Converse has meant to us. You should have received a letter with all the details of the weekend including our class dinner that Libby Pennell Lowndes has graciously offered to have at her home and additional weekend registration information. If you have questions, please call me or the Alumnae Office. I look forward to seeing each one of you!

CLASS OF 1979

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2004 Representatives: Mrs. Hunter McClintock Bell 209 Harvest Lane Greenwood, SC 29649, 864-223-0006 E-mail: bell@emeraldis.com Mrs. Cecilia Lowry Stevenson 123 Union Sreet Camden, SC 29020, 803-432-1889 E-mail: camdentire@charter.net Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Cecilia France Arthur

1979 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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8% Happy Spring! When everyone reads this, hopefully we’ll all be warm! News from Anna Simmons Jones in Virginia is that daughter Jessica has adjusted to college life at Longwood University and son Scott is a sophomore in high school enjoying golf and lacrosse. Anna has recently accepted a position as Education Coordinator for Headquarters USMC, and so far so good! Anna says they are blessed with good health and happiness. Nancy Bain Coté and her family went on a great trip to Alaska last summer. Paula Wagner Gay ’77 and her family joined them, and a good time was had by all. Nancy sees Margaret Horne Darr, Charlotte Smeak Verreault, Mary Butler Wyant, and Monta Moody Anthony and is proud to say Ellerbe Page Halligan is daughter Abby’s Sunday School teacher! Beth Ardrey

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Cathy Sloss Crenshaw ’75

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CLASS OF 1980

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2005 Representatives: Mrs. Sarah Holloway Moore 1761 Sandy Ridge Way Birmingham, AL 35244, 205-428-0289, E-mail: moorehousehold@aol.com Mrs. Lee Anne Davidson Williams 100 Parkdale Drive Spartanburg, SC 29302, 864-585-1009, E-mail: lawchopper41@hotmail.com Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Susan Secord Marion

1980 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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8% Happy spring, everybody! I certainly enjoyed all the holiday cards and letters and darling 40

photos of everyone’s children. The prize for longest letter goes to Tam Gibson Weatherly. She and her husband Billy live in Bennettsville, SC, with their two daughters Sarah (16) and Laurin (14). Both girls attend the same high school where Tam and Lee Anne Davidson Williams graduated. Tam is working at the health department where she has been for 18 years! Both girls are presidents of their class at school. Sarah is a member of the Beta Club. Laurin is into sports, playing volleyball and basketball. Tam and Billy spend a lot of time on the road going to games and youth group travels. I also received a newsy letter from Allie Patterson Walker. She and her husband Richard live in Florence, SC, where they just finished building a new home. Her twins, Jane and Allie, are 17 and starting to look at colleges. Both girls spent their summer working as “staff in training” at their childhood camp, Gwynn Valley. Allie also participated in the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership training program at the Citadel. Jane serves as class secretary and participates in several Youth-in-Government programs. Lawson (12) is currently working on his Eagle Scout! Meredith Martin Gardner writes that she and husband Bobby enjoy living in Jacksonville, FL. Daughter Caroline is a sophomore at The College of Charleston and daughter Claire is a sophomore in high school. Meredith is working on her general contractor’s license so she can remodel houses and sell them. Hopefully for profit, she writes! She and Bobby enjoyed the Wofford Homecoming as Bobby and his classmates celebrated their 25th reunion. Denny Smith Powell sent news from Lake Wylie, SC. She and husband Al enjoy living near the lake where they work hard and play harder! Al owns and runs the River Rat Restaurant and they invite you to stop by if you are ever in the area. Denny is a nurse at Gaston Memorial Hospital, having been there for 20 years. Oldest son John (21) works at the restaurant and goes to school full time. Patrick (18) will graduate from Forestview High School this spring. Laura Shearin sent news from Flagstaff, AZ, where she is working for the Grand Canyon National Park as a concessions specialist. “We’re the people who oversee all the National Park concessioners (hotels, mule rides, river runners, etc.)” Laura’s job is to write the contracts for the Grand Canyon concessioners. In her spare time she plays in several folk dance bands. She says they play for contra dances that are rather like square dances. Laura is also learning the accordion so as not to have to haul a piano around! (I’ve always wanted to take one of those mule rides to the bottom of the Canyon!) Keep those cards, letters, and E-mails coming! I always love to hear from you! Sarah

CLASS OF 1981

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2006 Representatives: Mrs. Carla McKelvey Clausen 4069 36th Avenue North St. Petersburg, FL 33713, 727-526-0733, E-mail: garyandcarla23@msn.com Mrs. Susan McDonald Davis 5 Woodhill Road

Birmingham, AL 35213, 205-871-2741, E-mail: Tdavis1026@aol.com Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Kim Waugh Gravlee

1981 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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7% Greetings, fellow class members! I received a great Christmas letter from Kim Waugh Gravlee who reports that she is teaching preschool again, and decorates homes on the side. Her daughter Haley (18) is studying art at Columbia College and sons Max (15) and Alex (12) and husband Steve are doing great! She wants us all to try to donate – however large or small – to the Converse Annual Fund this year, and give a brick for the new walkway! The percentage of our class that gives is as important as the amount when it comes to seeking grants for the college! Linda Frierson Perrow and husband Drake have two sons, John and Cameron, and Linda continues her work at Pulliam Morris Interiors in Columbia, SC. Ruthie Jones Soliday sent a cute picture of son Shriver and said they were doing well. I am gathering from her return address that they have moved to Charleston, SC, from the plantation! Laura Zipperer recently celebrated 13 years of employment with the American Cancer Society where she is currently the Director of Fundraising Planning in the national office. Sally Jeter Hammond’s son, Matthew, has spent a semester this academic year studying in Switzerland! Libby Campbell Patterson and Russell are building a new house in Hilton Head, SC, and will be having the whole class down for a reunion upon completion! Carla and I really want to hear from you all, so WRITE! Take care!

CLASS OF 1982

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2007 Representative: Ms. Kelly Posey 116 Timber Ridge Court Woodstock, GA 30188, 770-475-6392 E-mail: poseyk@mail.forsyth.public.lib.ga.us Converse Fund Class Chair: Ms. Becky Cassidy

1982 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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6% I am happy to report that Becki Rand Barnett and her family were safely evacuated from their home in Abidjian, Cote d’Ivoire, during the recent civil unrests. I hope now that things are beginning to calm down there and that Becki and her family will be able to return to their home soon. Katherine Agee reports that she and her husband are doing well in Hurricane, WV. They have both worked for Kraft Foods for many years. Melissa (Jones) Fontaine has married a handsome trumpet player named Frank Briscoe. Ruth McAvoy served as her maid of honor.

Frank is in the army and will be stationed in Germany beginning in March. Melissa has the prettiest saying at the end of her E-mails. I’m including it at the end for all to enjoy. Amy Caroline Whisnant sent me a postcard from her latest singing gig in Italy and a lovely Christmas card also. Amy, when are you coming to Atlanta to sing so I can hear you? On a sad note, I am sorry to report the passing of classmate Margot Anne Dexter. She and I had many good times together as roommates, coworkers, and fellow musicians. She passed away on January 23 after a hard fought battle against breast cancer. Many of her Converse friends were at her funeral including Sharon Roddy Waters and her husband Keith, Dee Black, Ann Grimball Peebles and her daughter Laurie, and Cathy Albert Terrell ’81 MMus, dorm mother to many of us our freshman year in Pell. In memory of Margot, let me take this opportunity to urge all of you to have a yearly mammogram. As always, please send me your news at the addresses or phone number listed above. What! No star, and you are going out to sea? Marching, and you have no music? Traveling, and you have no book? What! No love, and you are going out to live? ~ French Proverb

CLASS OF 1983

th 20th Reunion REUNION Alumnae Weekend, 2003 Representatives: Mrs. Kimberly Gilstrap Bell 10141 Thomas Payne Circle Charlotte, NC 28277, 704-844-9423 E-mail: Rkmbell@aol.com Mrs. Elizabeth McDonald Dunn 906 Sheridan Place Birmingham, AL 35213, 205-871-5419 E-mail: JNDUNNJR@aol.com Converse Fund Class Chairs: Mrs. Lou Pittman Lindsey Mrs. Ellen McKay Lowry

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1983 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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13% Don’t forget that this is the year for our 20th reunion; I hope April 25-27th is on your calendar! By now you should have received information from Kim and me about the reunion weekend plans! Many thanks to Karen Correll Edwards and Lou Pittman Lindsey for planning the class dinner! Karen took time out of her busy schedule to send a Christmas card with a photo of her two children, Alex (8) and Madeline (5). Beth Ann Jones Julseth wrote that she and her family are doing great. She is still in Hilton Head, SC, and working for the Colleton River Development Company and husband, Ron has an accounting business. Daughter, Carter (7) is in 2nd grade and keeps Beth Ann running with soccer and ballet, and 23-month-old son, Hunter, is still small enough to tag along! Beth Ann reports that Tammy Boatwright is also in Hilton Head and is married to Dan. Her daughters are 14 and 12. On a sad note, I spoke with Barbara Lindsay Hines early in October and her brother, Bruce had a heart attack and died in his sleep. Barbara is holding up well and I’m sure being strong for

her parents. We are all thinking about you, Barb. I am pretty sure she will be at part of the reunion. A surprise card arrived from Mary Walker Norfleet Fry. She and husband, Kirk, and daughter look great with the wind in their hair from the beach. In addition to human family, MW reports that they have two dogs, two birds, and hermit crabs (number unknown). They were heading to Ohio for a visit with Kirk’s family for the holidays. The Christmas card photos of Addie and Trace Cannon, Kappy Derrick Cannon and husband Bobby’s children are precious-Addie looks just like Kappy and Trace like Bobby. My “Hall” friends, Jane Reynolds Hall and Hall Haynsworth Bickmann both sent Christmas cards. Hall and husband Hank are still in Greenville and they have two daughters. Jane and husband Tim have three children and their photo was cute with all of them laughing hysterically! Kim Gilstrap Bell and I have been conversing about the reunion. She sounds like all of us, hectic and busy with children and family, etc. But happy and healthy! She has done most of the calling, etc. for the reunion plans and should get all the kudos (if everything goes according to plan, of course!). Thanks for all the letters, calls, E-mails and help these last five years. Kim and I appreciate it and wish for our successors (to be elected at the reunion) good luck and lots of mail! All my red devil love, Elizabeth McDonald Dunn

CLASS OF 1985

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2005 Representatives: Mrs. Vandy Major McFaddin 52 Orchard Circle Columbia, SC 29206, 803-782-0204 E-mail: vandymc@aol.com Mrs. Krisila Newman Foster 225 Mountain Range Road Boiling Springs, SC 29316, 864-814-4476 E-mail: randyfoster@charter.net Converse Fund Class Chairs: Mrs. Mary Helen Richbourg Earle Mrs. Susan Peel Hollingsworth

1985 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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6% News from Krisila: I couldn’t believe it when I heard from Frances Hardwick Draper. She is living in McDonough, GA, with her husband of 12 years and their daughter Mary Shields. Frances said that Mary Shields is only three years old, so it will be a while before they find out if what her mother always said is true! (“I will get my revenge on you, my dear...you’re going to have a little hellion just like yourself to deal with some day!”) Aileen McCormick Emailed that she is still in Phoenix, AZ, and still at Houston’s Restaurants, but is now in her second (and final) year of the Executive MBA program at ASU. Melissa (Missey) Yergey Daly E-mailed that she is doing great. Since college she had some serious weight issues and finally made the decision to have gastric bypass surgery. To date she has lost over 150 pounds

and is so very happy. She even sent us a before and after picture which was forwarded to everyone on our E-mail list. Happy Smith Mason sent a great picture of her family at Hilton Head. They are currently in Gainesville, GA, where Mike is working and live right beside her parents. Happy had a solo in six performances of her church’s “Living Christmas Tree.” Her dad said all those voice lesson investments finally paid off! Happy’s pastor is from Orangeburg and she loves to hear his SC stories. Rosemary Orr Houston sent a great picture of her four boys: Alex (10), Drew (9), Justin (6) and Bradley (2). She and her family have recently moved to a new house in Easley, SC. Other pictures and cards were received from Rachel Cauthen Rohrer and her two nearly grown children: Kathryn and Philip; Teresa Shuman Clements and her three girls: Eileen, Abbey and Olivia; Tammy Gossett Graves in Massachusetts; Susan Morris Graham in Florence; Denee Walsh Gribbins and her three: Elizabeth, John Ross and Caroline; and Tricia Rogers Meadors and her four: Blakely, Maggie, John and Perry. I see Susan Morris Graham’s twin, Sandra Morris Welch, in the car pool line at school. Her daughter, Elise, is in the 7th grade at my school. And as for the Foster family, we are rocking and rolling. I was selected Teacher of the Year for my school and then District Teacher of the Year. After 18 years in banking Randy has opened his own insurance company and all is going well! News from Vandy: I recently heard from Floria Thomas Washington. She is still in Tulsa, OK. Her oldest, Malcolm, is a freshman in high school and her youngest, Kamilah, started middle school this year. She is still with Whirlpool Corp. and just became a certified Innovation Mentor in addition to her responsibilities as an HR manager. She stays very busy working with her husband in their church. She says that being a pastor’s wife, Sunday School teacher and Youth Choir Director has been quite an experience over this past year. Kim Durham Kennell Emailed and said due to her husband’s new job, they recently bought a house and moved to Chapin, SC, near Lake Murray. She is teaching preschool again at Mt. Horeb Lutheran. Marie Elam Soutter sent a Christmas picture of her family. They are living in Raleigh, NC, and have two daughters-Shelby, in 1st grade and Cassidy, in junior kindergarten. Marie continues to work for Weyerhaeuser and her husband, Alan, is a Team Manager at Network Appliance. From the looks of her Christmas card it appears that Ellen Lanford Asherman has her hands full-there are four boys in her household! Who would have ever thought that Ellen would have a house full of boys? Kelley Maloney Liggitt sent a precious picture of her children, Kent and Kate, at the beach. Karen Link Domenico’s card was her children, Will and Katie, at Disney World with Mickey. I can’t even describe Blair Harper Hurlburt’s card. You just have to know that her children, Patrick and Bailey, have a wonderful sense of humor just as their parents do. Suzanne Crosswell Short sent a very patriotic card with her children, Michael, Sullivan, Sarah Katherine, and Laughton, in a decorated golf cart. Marsha Cubbage Somheil’s card included her children,

CLASSNOTES

CLASSNOTES

Simpson sent news and a handsome picture of her three boys. She has a Clemson junior (Benjamin), one going to Clemson in the fall (John), and one in middle school (Alex). Suzanne Bridges Coggins writes that after LOTS of hard work and long hours she earned National Board Certification in Early and Middle Childhood Music. To celebrate she and husband Jack are planning a weeklong cruise to the Caribbean in March. Suzanne sees Jacquie Gray Vick regularly at church and heard from Elizabeth Yielding Ezell and Libby Cuttino Tilson at Christmas. Sarah Mercer Tinnon is in Atlanta and sees Kent Walters Pryor from time to time. Says Kent hasn’t changed a bit! Why does that not surprise me? Mary Alice Davis Peterson is living in Charlotte, NC, where she is teaching private piano lessons and is also a private tutor for the area high school’s mentally handicapped students. Donna Naismith Justice writes from Pinehurst, NC, that her oldest son, John (17) had the good fortune to visit Ireland as a member of the US Nike Jr. Golf Team. Not only did he have the time of his life, they won the tournament! Her other son, Sam (15) is the lead singer in a band he has recently formed, and spends his free time after school and on weekends writing songs and making “showbiz” connections. Jan Cole Daulton of Dallas, TX, writes that she and Betsy Reppeto Bond see each other often, and are the “oldest” moms at their children’s schools! Jan’s three children are Neal (9.5), Mary Cole (8) and Carter (4) all of whom keep her very busy. The Daulton family enjoys vacationing at Blowing Rock, NC, each August and it gives Jan the opportunity to reconnect with the area, culture, and people of her college days. As for me (Hunter) I am as busy as ever being wife to David and mom to Anne-Miller (16). I am involved in the play school at our church and recently joined a new venture with two friends. I help make and sell a delicious appetizer called Lotus Chips. We sell to over 200 stores all over the US – it’s been quite an experience. Catch the April issue of Family Circle magazine to read how all this got started. Let us hear from you.

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After earning her chemistry degree from Converse, Dr. Carrie Davis Cousar ’88 went on to become the second female interventional biologist to graduate from Emory University. She is now a doctor at the Anderson (SC) Area Medical Clinic. “Interventional radiology provides an option other than open surgery for the patient,” explains Dr. Cousar. “We use X-rays, ultrasound, and other medical images to guide surgical instruments directly into problem areas. These procedures are generally easier for the patient because they involve no large incisions, less risk, less pain, and shorter recovery times.” More common interventional radiology procedures include angiography to diagnose blockages and other blood vessel problems; central venous access, which is the insertion of a tube beneath the skin and into the blood vessels so that patients can receive medication or nutrients directly into the blood stream or so blood can be drawn; and stents, which are small flexible tubes made of plastic or wire mesh and used to treat a variety of medical conditions such as holding open clogged blood vessels or other pathways that have been narrowed or blocked by tumors or obstructions. The majority of these procedures can be performed on an outpatient basis. For the Lexington, SC, born Dr. Cousar, her profession is the realization of a goal she’s had since childhood. “Even as a child, I knew I wanted to study science and medicine. A typical day for me now involves seeing about 30 patients, analyzing over 300 X-rays of other patients, and consulting with other doctors who are seeking advice.” 42

Christopher and Mary Margaret, and their two dogs. Kim King Dixon sent a precious picture of her two boys, Drew and Robert, with Santa. Lisa Beckman Ashmore’s card was of new big sister, Kathleen, holding her new baby brother, Beattie. Julia Ivey Cagle’s card was precious of her three children, Lela, Adeline, and Mavis. All that know Adeline were amazed that Julia was able to take the picture with a bow in her hair! Deans Richardson Fawcett sent a picture of her children at the beach. It takes a lot of organization to get six children to dress alike and pose. Joan Anderson Kirkpatrick is working at Shorter College in Rome, GA, as the Executive Assistant to the Provost. She also works part-time as a reference assistant in the Rome library and as a GED instructor at the county jail. Tem and I had a wonderful Christmas. I wish that I had more news about us, but everything is about the same as it was. I guess I don’t adapt well to change! I continue to urge you to E-mail Krisila to let her know your E-mail address. We have a good little networking system going on. Join us! Thanks for all of your Christmas cards. Keep us posted!

CLASS OF 1986

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2006 Representatives: Mrs. Katie Gibson Fritze 4536 Nandina Drive Columbia, SC 29206, 803-787-7189 E-mail: DJFritze@aol.com Mrs. Jennie Player Lambe 1882 Parrish Drive Columbia, SC 29206, 803-782-1795 E-mail: JPLambe@bellsouth.net Mrs. Monica Rowland Loving 3124 Grace Hill Road Columbia, SC 29204, 803-787-8198 E-mail: mlmurmur@aol.com Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Ann Lanier Jackson

1986 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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9% Brenda Barron Geier and her family have recently moved to Madisonville, LA, where they built a new home. They are planning a trip to South Carolina this summer for a vacation at one of our beaches. Jill Radford Ferrell and her husband Tom are living in Winston- Salem, NC, where she enjoys her job as a kitchen designer. Laura Green Hollowell and her family live in Spartanburg. She is busy with her two daughters with her oldest one about to get her driver’s license! Laura is still working for Camp Greystone, and there is a great picture of her family on the camp web site. Dinya Floyd is living in Atlanta and working for a textbook distributor. She keeps in touch with Katie Whitfield White who along with husband David and their three children also lives in the Atlanta area. Ramona Bowman Grant and her family are living in Greenville, SC, where she is busy with her church work and activities of her three children. Please drop us a note for our next

issue. We’d love to hear from you! Katie, Monica, and Jennie

CLASS OF 1987

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2007 Representative: Mrs. Martha Lynn Mercer Gaskins 213 S. Farr Avenue Andrews, SC 29510, 843-264-5388 E-mail: mlgaskins@sc.rr.com Converse Fund Class Chairs: Mrs. Martha Lynn Mercer Gaskins Mrs. Ashley Kilgore Wimmer

1987 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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8% Thanks so much to all of you who sent news and holiday cards! Donna Mason Burnside sent a picture of her daughter and two sons. Donna often sees Cindy Kuhlke Cannon and Lynn Dye Smith, as their children attend school together in Augusta, GA. Barbara Councill Bonner is living in Charlotte, NC, with her husband and three children. Anne Trenning Sasser is also living in Charlotte with her husband Mac, son Ben (3) and new baby Claire. Anna Taylor Poole is teaching piano in the Alia Lawson Pre-College program at Converse. She is teaching part-time, which gives her time to spend with her daughter, Libby (2). Christy Davis Stoner sent a picture of her daughter, Cassidy, who looks just like her! Christy and her husband Mickey live in Albemarle, NC. Catherine Frick Eldridge writes that she and her husband David spend their spare time gardening at their home in Prosperity, SC. Tami Stevens Garrett sent an adorable picture of her children, Grayson and Mary Ashton. Tami is living in Pauline, SC, where she teaches 3rd grade. Teresa Gagnon Maino is teaching at St. Mary’s School in Greenville, SC, where her children, Chris and Marie, also attend. Allison Ingram Scripps visited Margaret Cone Moran at her new home in Philadelphia, PA, for an historical and hysterical weekend of touring and talking! Shee Shee Ferry van Inwegen writes that one great thing about living in Poland is its close proximity to wonderful travel destinations. Since living in Warsaw, she and her family have visited Copenhagen, the French and Swiss Alps, London, Spain, Corsica, Amsterdam, and the Czech Republic. Laura Chappell Bauknight and husband John took their two children on a holiday trip to New York City. Andrea Hoover Burden and her husband took their son to Las Vegas. Andrea says it’s a great place to go with kids! Rebekah Jennings Murphy and Sherrie Moss Board spent some time over the holidays at Litchfield. Wallis Crum Bond and two year old Charlie also vacationed after the holidays at Litchfield. I spent a great weekend in Charleston, SC, with Beth Woods Sessums, Elizabeth Finlay Vingi, and Rachel Hean Dobson shopping, eating, and talking! Beth is living in Tampa, FL, where she teaches kindergarten at the school her two children attend. Rachel lives in Macon, GA, and

is busy with her two children, Elizabeth and Henry. Elizabeth and her family live in Mt. Pleasant, SC; with three boys, she says she is always on the go! We had lunch with Nancy Davenport, who is always fun! Nancy and husband Michael are working in her family’s optical business. Nancy and Jane Harlan Beson spent a weekend in Augusta, GA, with the Converse crowd there. Andrea Lyles Hueble is busy with her two daughters in Greenville, SC. January 8th marked Elvis’ birthday and the ninth wedding anniversary of Tom and Adele Penland Boyce, so what better way to celebrate than to have a rock ‘n roll Elvis anniversary party! Molly Levy Campbell (aka Col. Parker) put them in touch with an extraordinary Elvis impersonator who entertained past midnight! They all had a blast with Molly and husband Paul, Teresa Gagnon Maino, Terri Minton Lessenberry, Janet Bean, Susan Sanders Ford, and Connie Gerald Smith ’89. The house was jammed and the neighbors were puzzled when Elvis and his bodyguards appeared at the previously unassuming Boyce residence! It is heartwarming to hear about these lasting Converse friendships! Keep visiting each other, and keep me posted on the details!

CLASS OF 1988

th 15th Reunion REUNION Alumnae Weekend, 2003 Representatives: Mrs. Becky DuBard Grantland 4811 Devereaux Road Columbia, SC 29205, 803-782-6795 E-mail: RDGrantland@mindspring.com Mrs. Ashlin Blanchard Potterfield 2617 Heyward Street Columbia, SC 29205, 803-779-4716 E-mail: ashlinp@aol.com Mrs. Linda Layman Redding 141 Cabell Way Charlotte, NC 28211, 704-362-2402 E-mail: thereds@carolina.rr.com Converse Fund Class Chair: Ms. Laura Graham

15

1988 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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8% Converse friends, we are still keeping our friendships alive and well, even 15 years (yes, fifteen years) after our graduation! Your recent cards and letters indicate that many of you stay in touch in spite of very busy lives. The number of you who are coming to our April reunion is exciting; we can’t wait to see you there! Linda Layman Redding and Dave rang in 2003 with Sydney Jordan Warren and Randy. Laura Graham came up from Mt. Pleasant, SC, and recently hosted a post-holiday get-together at her parents’ home in Columbia, SC. Kim Davis Buchanan, Margaret Linn Moise Weishuhn, Page Poston Sullivan, and Becky Dubard Grantland had the opportunity to admire Charlotte Rose Littlejohn, daughter of Alice Fuller Littlejohn and her husband, Kenny. Kim Buchanan is Charlotte’s godmother. Though we are sad to note from Kim’s Christmas letter that

she, Furman, and their three girls will soon be moving from the Columbia area, we are happy to report that Furman will be pursuing his calling to the Episcopal priesthood. Maybe Kim will one day return to her adopted hometown as have Page Poston Sullivan and her husband, Michael. Michael accepted a position as Canon of Mission at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia last summer. Page is a talented teacher, serving in the tutoring center at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, where Mattie is in 1st grade and Jack is in pre-k. Speaking of school, Jordan Cox, son of Latan Chambers Cox, is in 1st grade with my daughter Grace. Got lots of great info from Stacie Olexy Sharp, who is happily busy in Jackson, MS. In spite of some illness and injury in her extended family, Stacie has a ball with her children, son Jackson (6) and daughter Addison (4). Though the kids keep her hopping with activities and homeroom mom duties at their school, Stacie has managed to play on two tennis teams and has been named Most Valuable Player for two seasons running. Stacie also serves as secretary of The Cancer League, a group of 100 women who raise funds for the American Cancer Society and support cancer services and patients in any way they can. Stacie also volunteers at the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society! In her ‘spare’ time, she enjoys performances of the Mississippi Chorus, in which her husband, Dennis, sings. And she works part-time at a children’s clothing store, reporting that she reinvests her earnings in the store in the form of beautiful clothes for her kids. On the Converse front, Stacie stays in close touch with pal Cindy Bell Phillips ’86. Our own Cindy Hume Kirschner spends her days working “part-time” at DuPont as a senior research chemist. She also happens to be director of religious education at her church, CCD teacher for 5th and 6th grades, Cub Scout den leader, Catholic School board member, and coach for her son Evan’s “Odyssey of the Mind” team. Did I mention that she and Rich have a full house with two sons, Evan (8) and Ryan (6), and one daughter, Caroline (2). Barbara Dekle Lauff sent a great picture of twin sons, Reid and Cole, now six. She, Fred, and the boys are thriving in Atlanta, GA. Ginny Agee Spiers’ holiday greetings pictured son Ben (2) and daughter Siena (5). The photo was taken in Italy, where Ginny, the children, and husband Garrett spend about three months every year. Ben and Siena appear in an ancient water trough/communal bath in front of an equally old wall. Ginny beautifully sepia-tinted the photo. Ginny and Garrett were also in on some Christmas secrecy; to my delight and great surprise, my husband John presented me with one of Garrett’s Italian countryside paintings for my gift this year. My Lexington neighbor, Krisy Mohr Mills, stays busy with her two boys, Evan (7) and Adam (3), who are into both school and sports. Husband John is assistant principal at Lexington Elementary; Krisy works part-time as a school counselor at Midway Elementary, where Evan attends 1st grade. Ashlin Blanchard Potterfield stays busy as partner in her law practice, but she, John, and Linsy were able to get away to Italy this year. Their Christmas photo was taken

in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Ashlin caught up with Kristi Klim Holler, who is burning up the roads in Rock Hill, SC, with her two sons, both Harry Potter fans. Please know how much Ashlin, Linda, and I have loved hearing from you all over the past five years. Thank you for including us in your lives. See you all at our Reunion in April!

CLASS OF 1989

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2004 Representatives: Mrs. Kathryn Chapman McAlpin 130 Pine Knoll Drive Trussville, AL 35173, 205-467-0299 E-mail: mcalpink@aol.com Mrs. Angie Williams Cash 4024 Glenlake Trace NW Kennesaw, GA 30144, 678-355-1111 E-mail: cashco1000@mindspring.com Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Savannah Elizabeth Joyce

1989 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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7% We have heard from so many classmates – keep it coming! I received a picture Christmas card and letter from Bartlett Spencer Bassett. She and husband Wyatt have been back in WinstonSalem, NC, for five years. They have three boys – Elliott (11), Spencer (9) and Huntley (7), and a little girl, Ann Yancey (2). She talks often to Elliott’s godmother, Catherine Cauthen who is selling real estate in Charlotte, NC. According to Elisabeth Kinney McNiel, Emily Linder Johnson is in Davidson, NC, and works part time as a real estate closing attorney and frequently sees Catherine. Elisabeth is finding that being a mother of three, Lee (9), Margaret Jane (6) and Light (9 months) rewarding and busy. She still enjoys managing her gift shop, Shiness Gift Shop in Bennettsville, SC, on a part time basis. I received an E-mail from Leah Andrews Mumford. She is still working in interior design in Boston, MA. She traveled to Scandinavia and Europe this past fall for business! She said it was a dream come true to see all the historical buildings and the beautiful cities of Frankfurt, Cologne, Copenhagen, and Paris. She has two beautiful children, Alden (10) in 5th grade and Kelsey (7) in 2nd grade. They are both avid snowboarders and are loving all the snow they have gotten – 24 inches in two days! Leah has also found a new love...golf! When she does not have snow, she is usually on the course. The kids enjoy golf as well, so they have a lot of fun. Mandy Turner is working as a library assistant for a large law firm in Greenville, SC. She has joined a volunteer group called Hands On Greenville which is geared toward people who work full time. Kim Odom Newton sent news that she celebrated the new year in the mountains. She stays busy in Montgomery, AL, with husband, Robb, and son, Will. Angela Weatherred Halstead has recently been promoted to Senior Technical Account Manager with Milliken Chemical in

CLASSNOTES

CLASSNOTES

Dr. Carrie Davis Cousar ’88

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CLASS OF 1990

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2005 Representatives: Mrs. Stephanie Train Harwell 2768 Smithsonia Way Tucker, GA 30084, 770-934-9452 E-mail: harwellfamily@mindspring.com Mrs. Melissa Sanders Burns 113 Sherborne Drive Spartanburg, SC 29307, 864-583-4340 E-mail: melissab@emilyray.com Mrs. Mary McDaniel Ridgeway 404 McDaniel Avenue Greenville, SC 29601, 864-242-9496 E-mail: ridgewaymary@hotmail.com Converse Fund Class Chairs: Mrs. Sheri Starnes Balcerzak Mrs. Lawson Edwards Hough

1990 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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reports that Alicia Smith Brown and Paul took their son to New York City before Christmas. Pam Moren Conner reports that Caitlyn is in a 3K program three mornings a week which gives her and Caroline a chance to go to the YMCA. She has also joined an organization called Mothers of Preschools (MOPS) and enjoys their field trips each month. Keep the great news coming. Have a wonderful Spring!

CLASS OF 1991

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2006 Representative: Mrs. Dorsey Daugette DeLong 932 Glenbrook Drive NW Atlanta, GA 30318, 404-351-3377 E-mail: g.delong@attbi.com Converse Fund Class Chairs: Mrs. Molly Chappell McPhail Mrs. Maria Macaulay Sellers

Miriam Drennan has rediscovered wheelthrown pottery and says David Zacharias would be proud. She continues to stay busy with her children’s book manuscripts and is currently working on a project for a television production company in New York. She stays in touch with Kim Underwood Crumly who is back in Atlanta where Jonathan has joined a law firm. Cathy Anderson Henry is teaching a twoyear old preschool class at the school her children attend while Davis is overseeing a huge expansion at one of their brick plants. She reported that Lucy Durr is living in St. Croix. Rebecca Lesto Shunk and her husband traveled to China where Rick taught a short course on angioplasty. They experienced many exotic soups including duck beak, turtle, shark fin, and real bird’s nest soup. Rebecca spent her first Christmas in California and said she was a little homesick. She and Rick work at the San Francisco VA Hospital. Mary Kenyon Robards Jones received the Nancy Mayer Dunbar Leadership Award which is given to the Junior League member who demonstrates tremendous leadership within the Columbia Junior League for her work as the Smart Matters Curriculum Chair. Claire Bramlett and Julie Hennecy visited Spain in October and enjoyed wonderful weather, great food, spectacular sights and friendly natives. Claire said she finally found a use for the Spanish she learned at Converse. Meridith Moorhead traveled to San Juan after the holidays. Deidre Park recommends the Atlantis Club Resort at Paradise Island in Nassau where she went with the Florida Bar Association. She is completing a big project with the nursing home/medical malpractice liability insurance crisis in Florida. Gwynne Brown Goodlett reported that she and her family have moved to rural Northeast Georgia with Toby’s job at First Citizens. Lisa Lyle Fields is working at Spunky Munky in Spartanburg and has started a part-time business of home decorating. Sheri Starnes Balcerzak heard from Adele McLean Acres who is still working in California. She also

CLASS OF 1992

1991 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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called Smart Jane, was there. Edie Scott was also there between jaunts back and forth between Atlanta, GA, and Mobile, AL. She has her own business, and splits her time between doing web site usability studies and breaking into the filmmaking business! I understand her name could be spotted in the credits of a travel documentary on Mexico. Becky Ford is living in St. Augustine, FL, and is a professor of philosophy at Florida Community College South Campus in Jacksonville. As for the DeLongs, we have a little girl ready to begin kindergarten in the fall and are currently building a house, just down the road a piece! We need your prayers! My best to you and yours.

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10% I truly apologize for the class notes (or lack thereof) in the last bulletin. At the time they were due I was concentrating on an upcoming trip to Murrell’s Inlet to “reunion” with about 18 classmates, with Laura Johnston Stacy as our hostess. It was a beautiful weekend, with folks like Tracy Williamson Dart coming from Boston, MA, Melanie Alley Tharrington traveling from Raleigh, NC, and Sonya Harmeyer flying in from Alexandria, VA. There were too many Georgians and South Carolinians to name! On a boat trip we took, we felt like contestants in the Miss America pageant! It was indescribably wonderful and truly a highlight of 2002. Beverly Moore Sessoms is teaching 2nd grade at St. Joseph’s School in Columbia, SC. That is also where Beverly Maybank Burgdorf has taught art for several years. Sonya Harmeyer was the head of a research team at the Government Accounting Office and released a report to Congress in the fall. It will have many uses and make the issue of teacher quality of a high priority to Congress. You may have seen the children of Laura Johnston Stacy and Elizabeth Wagstaff Middleton in spring publications and advertisements for Kelly’s Kids children’s clothing! It was good to see Hope Woodward Sloan in the fall at my church for a baptism. Lucy Elliott spent Christmas in Ireland and London. Backtracking a bit, I understand that Katy Stevison married Dan Schmelka in Chicago last June and honeymooned in Paris. In attendance to celebrate were Heidi Knedlik Straughn from Birmingham, AL, Heilig Miller from Durham, NC, Lynn Balaguer Colston from Baltimore, MD, Beth Bowling Tredo from Dallas, TX, Ginnt Lomel from Charleston, SC, Lisa Gentry Postec from Brussels, and Polly Butler Cornelius from Greensboro, NC. Also there was Tina Fuller Abbott from New Orleans, LA, who has since run her third marathon in Houston, TX in January. Jane Dempsey, who opened a retail gift and home decorating store in Spartanburg in October

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2007 Representatives: Mrs. Ashley Thomas Little 315 Hampton Creek Court Columbia, SC 29209, 803-783-5207 E-mail: WeezerATL@aol.com Mrs. Anna Wimberly Pierce 521 Spring Creek Way Marietta, GA 30068, 770-321-6505 E-mail: mpierceman@aol.com Converse Fund Class Chair: Mrs. Elaine Anderson McDowall

1992 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

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6% Anna Wimberly Pierce tells me that Natalie Audish Underdown along with Troy Blanton McCormick, Elizabeth Pressley O’Connell, and April Leonard Tegeler hosted a girls’ weekend at Natalie’s home in Charlotte, NC, right after the New Year. The other Connies there were Chesley Wood Sneed, Paige Pooser Merrill, Susannah Gramling Hubbell, Rebie Mays Bland, Elizabeth Lesto Zadig, Marcy Hindes Swan, Cami Burton Hutchinson, Ashton Bozard, and Ashley Burnside Brantley. Sounds like a great time was had by all! Andrea Rigg Clarke and Daisy Bouknight are serving on the 2002-2003 Junior League of Columbia Board of Directors. Andrea is the Nominating Chair and Daisy is the Vice-Pres. for Communication. Rose Buyck Newton tells me that her husband Weston was elected Chairman of Beaufort County Council. Does that make Rose the First Lady of Beaufort County? Laura Blume Botta is still doing graphic design, specializing in catalogs and helping her husband, Fabian, with their restaurant in Winston-Salem, NC. It is appropriately called Fabian’s. They are also building a house on the Pamlico Sound on Hatteras Island. Catherine Adams Gallagher was excited to move into their newly built home in January. While waiting for the rained delayed construction to be over, she and Mark took the kids on a vacation to Disney World for two days and then down to Miami, FL, where they cruised the Western Caribbean for seven days. Catherine celebrated her birthday while on board and says she highly recommends the trip, birthday or not! Leslie

Morton Harmon is working in the Newberry County Schools as a vision and hearing specialist. She also enjoys being a Mary Kay consultant in the Chapin and Columbia areas. Sarah Bearden recently moved back to Columbia, SC, and is working at the Epilepsy Foundation. Cindy Jerles Brown writes that her new business, Fauxdallions, was launched in January. She has a beautiful brochure of her faux finished ceiling medallions that she would love to share with fellow Connies in the design business. Jennifer Mahaffey Normanly along with husband Brian and son Jack (16 mos) live in Athens, GA. She works part-time writing grants for a regional economic development agency. Lydia Wood took a long needed vacation to St. Maarten after starting a new postion with BellSouth. Lydia also took a little trip to visit Marci Meadows Hyla in her hometown of Jacksonville, NC. Marci writes that her husband Bret deployed in January and will be away for the duration of the conflict in the Middle East. At the same time, they are waiting on the adoption of a baby girl from China in the next few months. Marci is sure to have her hands full with Blake (7), Genevieve (7 mos) and a new baby while Bret is out of the country. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Karen Stepp Richter is now in the Graduate School Office at the College of Charleston doing admissions and recruiting. Jill Burnett Dickerson is still in private practice in Durham, NC. She writes that her son Drew (2) is all boy and likes anything with wheels or a cord. Gretchen Bishop is in Simpsonville, SC, teaching 4K at a child development center. Her school recently received a First Steps grant for a pilot 4K program. She and Vicki Jones Bishop visit often and keep in touch with Akiko KiyosawaNakamura. I also heard from Carla Atkinson. After she took a leave of absence due to a serious illness, she went back to Converse the following year. She graduated in ’96 with a BMus in Vocal Performance. Carla is living in Atlanta, GA, now and is a member of the Capitol City Opera Company. Leslie Handley Byars is in Nashville, TN, teaching chorus and drama at the Ensworth School while husband Thomas is in his second year of pediatric residency at Vanderbilt. It was so nice to hear from Tway Autrey Carter. Tway transfered to Georgia after our freshman year but writes that she loves to read the column of our alumnae news. She writes, “There is truly something incredibly special about the sisterhood of Converse. And while I was only blessed with it briefly, it will remain with me forever...it is all because of the people.” Tway says she stays busy with her daughter Elizabeth (4) and son Samuel (17 mos) but finds time to sing in the chancel choir and also be involved in various other ministries in their church. Be sure to check the Life Events section of the magazine for additional news about our class. We want to hear from everyone, so please write us.

CLASS OF 1993

10th Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2003 Representatives: Mrs. Laura Faulker Bettger 635 East Lane

10th

REUNION

Auburn, AL 36830, 334-821-6336 E-mail: lgbettger@auburnschools.org Mrs. Leslie Fowler Benson 1315 Benson Lane Newton, NC 28658, 828-465-6299 Mrs. Shannon Givens Jaynes 3449 Hildon Circle Chamblee, GA 30341, 770-986-8634 E-mail: Shannon.Jaynes@mindspring.com Converse Fund Class Chairs: Mrs. Shannon Givens Jaynes Ms. Candy Moore

1993 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

0%

100%

7% It is hard to believe that we have been out of Converse for 10 years! We’re looking forward to seeing you for our 10th Reunion Weekend April 25-27. Information concerning the weekend and how to register has been mailed to you. If you have questions, please get in touch with one of us or call the Alumnae Office. We hope to have a great turnout for the class of ’93 and we want you to be a part of it! See you April 25th!

CLASS OF 1994

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2004 Representatives: Mrs. Katie Abbott Kluttz 11 Sovereign Drive Hilton Head Island, SC 29928, 843-681-7478 E-mail: katiekluttz@yahoo.com Mrs. Angel Stewart Young Post Office Box 6638 Spartanburg, SC 29304, 864-342-1819 E-mail: angel_s_young@yahoo.com Converse Fund Class Chair: Ms. Jada Wood

1994 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

0%

100%

5% Hello, fellow 1994 alumnae! We hope this finds you well. We also hope that you’ve had a chance to visit the college lately. If not, try to do so soon...so many great things are happening on campus! Since we graduated, there’s a new clock in the main hall tower and a new physical activities center, two of the cottages on back campus are no more, the art building has gotten a major facelift, Belk is being overhauled, Andrews now houses the writing center and student wellness offices, and there’s been a groundbreaking on a new science building. Amazing stuff happening! In January, I (Angel) had the chance to interview some of the candidates for the leadership and Milliken scholarships to be awarded to the incoming class. What a terrific experience! It gave me a real look at what incoming college students today are like, what they care about and what they like about Converse. It also hit home that if I know a young lady who would be an addition to the campus and who would really benefit from the Converse

CLASSNOTES

CLASSNOTES 44

Spartanburg. Her territory is the midwest so she is traveling quite a bit. She did get the chance to spend a weekend in Chicago with Mary Katherine Peele this past summer and met several of Mary Katherine’s friends that she taught with in Mexico. They did the Taste of Chicago festival, saw a show and shopped. Mary Katherine is teaching in Atlanta, GA. Also back in Atlanta is Bev Ross Wilhelm. Before she moved back in December, she came to Atlanta for a weekend in October. I, Kathryn Chapman McAlpin, went out to dinner in Atlanta with Bev, Mary Katherine and Glenda Surrell Weaver. We had a nice time catching up with each other. Later that weekend, Bev and I took our kids over to Glenda’s house where we had six children under seven years of age! Lisa Wimberly Allen sends word that she and husband Dean are doing well with Jonathan (3). They still live outside Boston in Weston, MA, where Lisa is the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Weston. Dean was recently named Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Andover Newton Theological School. Lisa reports that everyone is having fun with his name-he is now Dean Dean! Christina Cummings Pick is in Atlanta with Charles, Madeline (2) and New Year’s Eve baby Cary (see births). Small world – she and Charles were at the Auburn-Georgia game this year and sat next to Kim Odom Newton’s father! I received an adorable Christmas card from Judy Bean Slack, Matt, and the triplets. They are enjoying living in Louisiana. Wendy Wolfenden Miller E-mailed that she is busy with her two boys, Will (4) and Ben (2). She is still working as a part-time accountant. They travel from their home in San Francisco to ski in Lake Tahoe, where they have a condo. She and husband, Jay, love to watch Will as he learns to ski and are amazed how fast he learns. Sonya Fry Graham sent a short note saying that her kids are growing up too fast. Both are taking karate and she has started her own business. Here is some news from Angie: I (Angie Williams Cash) received an E-mail from Joy Mongeau Davis. She and husband, Brad, are living in Chesnee, SC, where they are the proud parents of an Alaskan Malamute named Klondike. She is still working for Michelin Tire Company where she is a B2C Project Manager. I received a Christmas card from Pam Page Bean who is doing well and daughter Meredith (3) is growing fast. On my personal end, I have reached Ebay’s Shooting Star status which is a huge milestone for an Ebay seller. At this time, there are less than 300 sellers in all of the millions of Ebay users that have qualified at that level so I am extremely excited. I purchased a second home in December to move my business entirely into so it is finally out of our living space! After living among boxes of inventory for three years, this is a welcome relief. I also flew to Ebay headquarters in January to participate in their VOICES conference. VOICES takes a small cross-section of active Ebay community members and brings them in to discuss problems, concerns and resolution for the site. It was good to hear from so many of you. Be certain to check the Life Events section for more news of our classmates. Please take the time drop us a note!

45


Mrs. Kendall Armstrong Robinson Ms. Lynn Sari

CLASS OF 1995

Pam Hughes Foster received her pilot’s license in July and is now qualified to fly single engine airplanes. She has also joined the Greenville Women’s Club and is looking forward to becoming active in their civic activities. Elizabeth McLean Brown just opened an interior design/gift shop in downtown Mount Airy, NC. She reports that her hottest selling item right now is Heidi Ruehl’s creation, the “Shades of Light” lamp candles! Elizabeth also spent time over the holidays with Meredith Coley Brown and her baby. Meredith is still in San Antonio, TX. Heather Stead traveled to Mobile, AL, in February to see Allison Stafford Mitchell and participate in the baptism of Allison’s baby to whom Heather is godmother. Heather also traveled to Charlotte to spend a “girls weekend” with Stephania Nivens, Angela Gosnell, and Jennifer Jackson. Jennifer Jones Medlock is enjoying some down time since her job territory changed. She now stays

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2005 Representatives: Mrs. Ray Piper Bryant 723 Brockbank Road Charlotte, NC 28209, 704-561-0718 E-mail: Snoopy1ray@aol.com Ms. Harriett Reid 105 Ansel Drive Clinton, SC 29325, 864-938-9943 E-mail: Hareid@backroads.net Mrs. Amanda Pyles Denney 105 E. Augusta Place Greenville, SC 29605, 864-235-1086 E-mail: HDenney5@charter.net; Mrs. Sarah Johnson Hartung 509 Watford Avenue Greenwood, SC 29649, 864-227-6471 E-mail: hartung695@earthlink.net Converse Fund Class Chairs: 46

1995 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

0%

100%

3% Becka Hoehn reports that she has opened a business in Port Royal Plantation on Hilton Head Island selling lampshades and repairing lamps. Stop in and visit her if you are in the area. Ashley McCabe Mowat and daughter Olivia visited in the States in January. They were able to get together with Ginger Davies Gardner and her two little boys and Whitney Drinkard Warlick and her little boy for a visit. Amy Heymann Singleton is currently the attending emergency medicine physician at Lenoir Memorial Hospital in Kinston, NC. Kathleen Mooney Bradshaw is working with Discovery Toys as an educational consultant and instructional assistant in Chattanooga, TN. Husband Dusty is the manager of Beas, a family owned and operated restaurant that has been in operation since 1950.

CLASS OF 1996

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2006 Representatives: Mrs. Catherine Cranford Elliott 158 Stono Drive Charleston, SC 29412, 843-406-4851 E-mail: crcranford74@yahoo.com Mrs. Pam Hughes Foster 245 Chancellors Park Court Simpsonville, SC 29681, 864-963-9582 E-mail: pam@usmedals.com Ms. Jenny Williams 542 Palmetto Street #3 Spartanburg, SC 29302, 864-573-6018 E-mail: jennywilliams_99@yahoo.com Converse Fund Class Chair: Ms. Heidi Ruehl

1996 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

0%

in the upstate instead of flying to California every week! In addition to teaching, Jennifer Nelson Crotts has begun her own business as an Independent Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay Cosmetics. Cindy Greene Goldsmith began doing design work from home in October and wrapped up some major design projects this year. Mary Ellen Kastelic is now settled in her new home and continues her work with Bank of America as a recruiter. Kirstie Waugh Tucker enjoyed a trip to Europe with her family over the holidays and said it was a wonderful break from life on “The Hill”. Jenny Williams, Kristin Johnson, Leigh Edmunds McLaurin, and Carrie Hill Coleman were involved in Catherine Cranford Elliott’s wedding during the ice storm of the century in December, and Charlotte Smith braved the weather to attend as well. Charlotte recently returned from Burlington, VT, where she participated in the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon, the Governor’s Cup half-marathon in Columbia, SC in October, and the Kiawah Island Half Marathon in December. If anyone sees a flash of lightning, it must be Charlotte. Be certain to check the Life Events Section in The Bulletin for additional news about the class of 1996.

CLASS OF 1997

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2007 Representatives: Ms. Catherine Alexander 782 E. Butler Road #913 Mauldin, SC 29662, 864-234-7648 E-mail: calex0916@earthlink.net Mrs. Gretchen Barwegen Bagwell 86 Thunder Ridge Lane Acworth, GA 30101, 770-975-9294 E-mail: gbagwell@bellsouth.net Mrs. Shannon Gosnell Bishop 331 Gramercy Boulevard Spartanburg, SC 29301, 864-576-1069 E-mail: shannonbishop2000@yahoo.com Converse Fund Class Chairs: Mrs. Kim Varnadore Bearden Mrs. Sarah George Corley

100%

7%

1997 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

0%

100%

7% Hi, ladies! I hope this newsletter finds you enjoying a great spring. Nina Couch Cardona is still on the air each evening on Nashville Public Radio. She is also singing in the choir at Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville. Converse bridesmaids in the July wedding of Katie Fort Smith included Caroline Taylor, Kim Varnadoe Bearden, and Emily Grady Leineweber ’96. Other Converse classmates in attendance were Heather Eldridge, Jennifer Schwartz, Ginger Crawford Phillips, Stephanie Shelley Lake, Rachel Chartrand Berry, Allison Partridge, and Meredith Nock Partridge ’98. Lisa Spratlin Hoffmann and her family moved into their new home at the first of the year. Be certain to check the Life Events section for more news of our classmates.

CLASS OF 1998

th 5th Reunion REUNION Alumnae Weekend, 2003 Representative: Ms. Betsy Pringle 305 Mallard Court Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464, 843-216-1184 E-mail: SEGPringle@yahoo.com Converse Fund Class Chairs: Mrs. Olivia Lee Thornton Carney Mrs. Clayton Kearse Walton

5

1998 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

0%

100%

8% Heather Godsey and Alex Gavalas wrote about their Converse mini-reunion at Ann Gerber’s beach house over Christmas. Erin Rich, Helen Walker, Shannon Campbell, Brooke Champion Farmer, Elizabeth Current Hook, and Alison Palmer Johnson joined them in Little River, SC. Heather then spent New Year’s with Stephanie Easterday in Chicago. Alex continues to enjoy her job as the Member Relations Director at the Harbour Club in Charleston, SC. Brooke Harris Thompson sent precious pictures of her two children, Jonathan (2) and Katherine (1). Aubrey Newell Corcoran and her family are living in the Washington, DC, area. Becca Smith Caswell and her husband, RJ, are living in Chattanooga, TN, where he is a counselor at McCallie School, a boarding and day school for boys. Becca is working part-time as a parent advisor for Tennessee Infant Parent Services, a job that entails weekly home visits to families with small children with special needs. She also devotes a lot of time to the Junior League of Chattanooga and serves on the Board of Directors for two local nonprofit groups. Chase Nugent Dunn is back in school in Spartanburg studying Interior Design and also remains busy with family life and remodeling her house. Katy Sheppard lives in San Ramon, CA, (outside of San Francisco) and is in graduate school studying counseling psychology with specialization in transpersonal psychology. Shayle Abelkop lives in Athens, GA, where she hopes to continue her studies towards a Ph.D. in Instructional Technology from UGA. Christy Christian wrote from Alabama that she is teaching 2nd grade in the Mountain Brook City School System. Margaret McClary Moss and her husband, Jim, are living in Savannah where she teaches preschool at a local Presbyterian church. Several of our class members have made recent moves! Laura Matthews Pappas and her husband, Mike, are now in Perry Hall, MD (outside of Baltimore). Mike passed the bar and Laura continues her job in sales with Entertainment Publications. Jennifer Reese Boyd moved to Birmingham, AL, with her husband and baby daughter. Ginger Benton moved to Charleston, SC, and is working at the Medical University of South Carolina as a Project Coordinator/Interior Designer. Michelle Harris moved to Columbia, SC, at the beginning of the year and is continuing her graduate school studies. Chrissy Lockaby Fortner and her family also moved to Columbia.

As soon as Autumn Gorsuch Cerventez has time to settle in New York, she and her family will be moving again! Upon completion of her husband’s internship with IBM, they are off to Oklahoma City in the late summer for their next assignment at Tinker Air Force Base. Paige Eubanks is in Mobile, AL, and is the Development Officer and the Director of Stewardship at Spring Hill College, a private Jesuit institution that is almost 200 years old. Paige hopes to complete her MLA from there in the near future. In her spare time, she volunteers and is a Step instructor for the YMCA. Also keeping up with a great work out regime is Kristen Pruitt Taylor who is now a certified instructor at Gold’s Gym in Spartanburg. She also continues to teach art in Spartanburg County School District 7. Dori Davis Helms filled me in on her June 2002 nuptials. Her Converse bridesmaids were Jenny Robbins Bunton, Kaysie Davis ’03, Kelli McCraw Parrish ’99, and Anna Browning ’04. Also in attendance were Laura Earnhardt Turner, Stacey Benton Kennedy, and Sheila Kirby Gentry. Olivia Thornton Charney was married in September in a beautiful ceremony in Nantucket. The Converse wedding party included Pagent Presley, Clayton Kearse Walton, Natalie Spigner, Angela Mills Greiner, Marti Glenn, and Olivia’s mother, Julie Blakeley Thornton ’68 MAT. Fran Jordan Sullivan sang at the wedding, and Kay Liner Little, Melanie Kearse ’75, Kari Killen ’02, and I attended the wedding. Olivia and Felix honeymooned in Barbados and have since taken a trip to Ireland. They will reside in Westport, CT. The following weekend, Angela Mills Greiner was married in another beautiful ceremony in her hometown of Pawleys Island, SC. Converse bridesmaids were Emily Smith, Kristi Hines Hagood, Fran Jordan Sullivan, Olivia Thornton Charney, and I. Also in attendance were Betsy Beauchamp, Laura Matthews Pappas, and Kellie Walker ’97. Angela and David honeymooned in Cabo San Lucas, and they will make their home in Denver, CO. As for me, I am approaching my four-year anniversary with Blackbaud, a software company in Charleston, SC. I am in Product Development, and a recent promotion keeps me very busy! In my spare time, I chair a committee for the Junior League of Charleston and Marti Glenn and I share responsibilities on the board of a local nonprofit agency, the Charitable Society of Charleston. I do appreciate the Emails and the news. The Life Events section of the magazine also has additional news of our classmates. If you know of a classmate’s E-mail address, please send it to me! Many of you have indicated you will be at the reunion and I cannot wait to see all of you April 25-27th!

CLASS OF 1999

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2004 Representatives: Ms. Rachel Bishop 1718 Sugarfork Road Franklin, NC 28734 E-mail: munchkin408@aol.com Ms. Jennifer Nockels

Colleen McCormick Zralek ’95

Colleen McCormick Zralek ’95 loves art. She has studied it, created it, and traveled the world to experience it. And now she wants other people to share in her love with art. In the spring of 2002, she created Art Odysseys, a personal travel company that provides learning adventures with a focus on the indepth study of the visual arts. The 2003 itinerary includes trips to Tuscany, Berlin, Venice, and Spain. “I know these places very well,” she says. In fact, as she spoke with The Bulletin, she had just returned from Tuscany and Berlin where she scouted various locations for Odyssey trips. “I’ve designed trips that focus on small groups, individual attention, and thoughtfully designed itineraries. I want these trips to provide the traveler with what I have experienced: memories and inspiration for a lifetime.” Although the separate trips are designed for adults, Colleen has also designed a special trip especially for college students, which will count as course credit. In addition to developing her own company, Colleen remains devoted to her own art and to teaching others. Among her recent shows, she received Juror’s Choice award by juror Robert Stackhouse at the Hunter Museum of Art (Chattanooga, TN). She currently teaches at Watkins College of Art and Design in Nashville, TN, and Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN. To learn more about Art Odysseys, log onto www.zralekstudios.com.

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CLASSNOTES

experience, I would like for her to have the opportunity to participate in a weekend similar to this one. Our class continues to amaze us. The wonderful things we’re doing and have been a part of since our graduation are astounding! Ashley Gross Millinor just won another top sales award for her company, Prentice Hall. Her hubby Ashley has a new job in Spartanburg, and both starred in the television commercial for the Red Cross benefit, “RetroFest.” (What a wig HE was wearing!) Dr. Sarah Rueff will soon be composing her very own “LA Story.” She received a fellowship to work in that posh city for the latter part of this year. Elizabeth Burnette Killen, hubby Tommy and son Will have relocated to Charlotte, NC, not too far from her little sister. Cheryl Frees Rogers and her hubby have relocated to another home in the Shandon area of Columbia, SC. Cheryl continues her work on the faculty at USC-Columbia and will soon be finishing her dissertation for her Ph.D. Sara Samuelson is also a faculty member at North Greenville College in Travelers Rest, SC. Betsy Potter has moved on from her job at Bic to spend more time with daughter Catherine and work part-time. Her hubby Brian has returned to practicing law full-time in Greenville, SC. Dawn Barnard continues to grow her accounting expertise and is currently working on an Indian reservation! We don’t know exactly when Jennifer Hull gave up Texas to move closer to her SC girlfriends, but we are happy to hear that she is back. Kelly McLeod has purchased a home in Converse Heights not far from our old stomping grounds. She continues to stay involved in her church and work at the SC School for the Deaf and Blind. Lizabeth Bannister Thompson continues to teach; she’s changed schools in Hartsville and now teaches at a magnet school for academically gifted students. (Can you imagine a better fit?!). Melissa Horne Campbell and husband Philip are currently living in Canberra, Australia and loving every minute of it. Melissa is employed by the US Embassy there and Philip is a maritime analyst with the US and Australian Navies. She indicated that even though they are living halfway around the world, she still bumped into a Converse graduate living there! Please keep us posted on your news!

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CLASSNOTES

235 Mosspoint Circle #16 Spartanburg, SC 29303, 864-583-5236 E-mail: nockels@aol.com Ms. Tricia Tulchin 4601 66th Street W #521B Bradenton, FL 34210 Converse Fund Class Chair: Ms. Katharine Dod

1999 CLASS PARTICIPATION 0%

GOAL: 40%

100%

2% It was a busy summer for Carol Cancienne. After graduating with her Master’s from USC, she spent part of the summer in Birmingham, AL, doing an internship and the other part of the summer in Scotland babysitting several children and enjoying the beautiful Scottish countryside. She returned home to New Orleans and is a speech-language pathologist at an oral deaf school while working on yet another Master’s degree. We are glad to hear that Jaime Powell is recovering nicely in New Orleans after her accident. Becca Rowland Hyleman and her husband Zach are now in Lawton, OK, where he is enrolled in the Army Field Artillery’s Captain Career Course. They will be there until August when they will move to his next duty station. If you are still in Sparkle City, you may have seen me, Jennifer Nockels, in the Spartanburg Little Theater’s production of “The Curious Savage” in March. I had a wonderful time doing the play and hope to do more. I look forward to hearing from and about you.

CLASS OF 2000

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2005 Representatives: Ms. Kari Killen 6 Lachicotte Road Pawleys Island, SC 29585, 843-237-3007 E-mail: killenkari@hotmail.com Ms. Susanna Knight 1012 Falls Brook Drive Conyers, GA 30094, 770-860-1576 E-mail: susannaknight@hotmail.com Ms. Kiley Rikard 1012 Falls Brook Drive Conyers, GA 30094, 770-860-1576 E-mail: kileyrikard@hotmail.com Converse Fund Class Chair: Ms. Chanel Beck

2000 CLASS PARTICIPATION 0%

GOAL: 40%

100%

3% Hello, class of 2000! We have not been getting our information out to our friends and we apologize. Laura Phillips has recently returned to Atlanta, GA, and is working at the Ritz Carlton in sales and marketing. Meredith Sims is back in the USA and has returned to Converse for her Master’s in Education and is rooming with Jessica Eggimann who is now the Associate Director of Admissions at Converse 48

(keep the recruits coming girls!). Allyson Lowder, Elizabeth Anne Fuller, and Kari Killen were bridesmaids in Jacqueline James Galloway’s December wedding. Elizabeth Moore continues to live and work in Columbia, SC. Jamie Frick Stacy is still living in WinstonSalem, NC, and working at La Cache. Britney Jeffords is living in Charlotte, NC, where she is the assistant manager of a women’s boutique, Luna. Deanna Fults is in her final semester of law school at Tulane in New Orleans, LA. She continues her work at the Tulane Domestic Violence Clinic and has accepted a job working with the Alabama Attorney General. Shelly Hardin was maid of honor in Molly Davis Veness’ wedding, and Deanna Fults was a bridesmaid. Kathleen Harry Maynard is now living in Belton, SC, and teaching pre-school. We are so proud of our class and all we have accomplished; please keep the information coming. Have a great spring.

CLASS OF 2001

2001 CLASS PARTICIPATION GOAL: 40%

st 1st Reunion REUNION Alumnae Weekend, 2003 Representatives: Mrs. Debi G. Campbell 1824 Blackstock Road Pauline, SC 29374, 864-573-6808 E-mail: converseclassof2002@yahoo.com Ms. Erin Jennings 628 Magnolia Lane Peachtree City, GA 30269 E-mail: manhattanoboe04@yahoo.com Ms. Kathy Seay 304 Shoally Ridge Drive Spartanburg, SC 29316, 864-494-3347 E-mail: kathy.seay@converse.edu Converse Fund Class Chairs: Ms. Sallie Legare Ms. Carrie Page

100%

3% Spring salutations, Red Devils! Susan Powell is enjoying her interior design job at Workplace Strategies in Winston-Salem, NC, and is involved with IIDA and the Junior League. Cassandra Jefferies is interning with United States Magistrate Judge Stephen T. Brown this semester and has become a full member of the St. Thomas Law Review. Rebecca Crandall is on the Journal of Law & Technology and will be dividing her summer between two law firmsRoberts and Stevens in Asheville, NC, and Coats and Bennett in Cary, NC. Jessie Staska is an active member of the La Leche League of Spartanburg and the Mom’s Club of Spartanburg with Jaina. Stephanie Livesay made the dean’s list at Appalachian School of Law. Andrea Boltz has returned to familiar territory with her move back to Spartanburg, SC. Rebecca Ray is a full-time student at Eastern Michigan University, where she’s currently rehearsing for a part in The Vagina Monologues. She also works full-time in admitting at a local ER. Other major events are occurring in the lives of our fellow classmates so stay tuned for the next installment of ’01 notes!

1

2002 CLASS PARTICIPATION 0%

Next Reunion Alumnae Weekend, 2006 Representatives: Ms. Laura Massey 80 S. Van Dorn Street, Apt. E414 Alexandria, VA 22304 E-mail: masseylm@hqmc.usmc.mil Ms. Stacey Mulligan 1301 S. Scott Street, Apt. 621 Arlington, VA 22204 E-mail: staceyamulligan@hotmail.com Ms. Kathy Anne Poore 1942 Cedar Lane Road Greenville, SC 29617, 864-246-1633 E-mail: Kathyanne01@hotmail.com Converse Fund Class Chair: Ms. Bridgett Vergara

0%

CLASS OF 2002

GOAL: 40%

100%

4% Hello, Pink Panthers! Thanks to everybody who replied to the E-mails! Sarah McMullen is working for an international adoption agency in Greenville, SC, as a case manager for their Guatemalan adoption program. She travels to Central America about once a month. Garrison Howard and Leigh Anne Mitchell are also living in Greenville, SC. Garrison is the music teacher at Mountain View Elementary School, and Leigh Anne is teaching sociology and world geography at J.L. Mann High School. Ellie Cook is working for Milliken in Pendleton, SC, and has recently moved from Greenville, SC, to Pendleton. Stephanie Roach is living in Georgia and working as the merchandising coordinator for Beaulieu Rugs (Dalton, GA), which is a division of Springs, Inc. Elizabeth Oswalt has been the pottery intern at the N.C. Pottery Center in Seagrove, NC, since June. Kerri Olson is the office manager at Manley Group Incorporated in Savage, MN; she is living in Minnesota but her heart is still in SC! Tiffany Thornton is living in New York and will be playing the role of Faye Templeton on the national tour of the musical “George M!”. The tour began on January 3 and will close in April. Michelle Evans Jarrell is a graduate assistant in the Petrie School of Music and is pursuing a master of music degree in vocal performance from Converse. Amy Schmidt was featured in the Business News section of the November 2002 issue of Rug News magazine. She is a designer with Radici USA. Amanda Lentz is now in Costa Rica on her one year placement with World Teach sponsored by Harvard. She will be teaching English in a Spanish school and living with a Spanishspeaking family. Katie Landon and Kathy Seay are living in Boiling Springs, SC. They have a new hobby-Jazzercise! Katie is an intern for Young Life in Spartanburg and is working with Dorman High School, Gable Middle School, and Dawkins Middle School. Kathy is an admissions counselor at Converse. She spent almost eight weeks recruiting in Texas this fall and can’t wait to go back this spring! We hope to see each of you at our 1st reunion April 25-27!


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Converse Magazine Spring 2003 by Converse University - Issuu