CLA SS NOTE S
The class of ‘61 gathered in NYC in October 2014. L-R: Valerie Phillips Parsegian, Amanda Cluett Fry, Margaret Miller, Barbara Mahony Kent, Jameson Adkins Baxter, Mary Lake Polan, Jeanette Stoner DeLucia, Cabell Smith Tower, Michael Gage, Susan Doyle Knowles, Victoria Thompson Winterer, Lezah Fisher Pinnell
participate in what is yet another sign that life presents us with many changes—and not merely for those who are seniors. Another example of this comes from our own class, when Sudie Doyle Knowles, Lezah Fisher Pinnell, and Cabell Smith Tower got together (and sent a wonderful photo) of their celebratory drink at the St. Regis Hotel in NYC, after the birthday luncheon which I mentioned earlier that Mary Lake hosted. (When Cabell returned to NYC for the Matisse Cut-out exhibit which she said was wonderful, she and Jeanie Stoner Delucia got together at Jeanie’s loft/performance space in Tribeca. Also present at the luncheon was Val Phillips Parsegian, who was on her way to Rehoveth, Israel, for a reunion at the Weitzmann Institute of Science, which is where she and Adrian spent the early part of their marriage. Yes, Val and Adrian have been married the longest of all our classmates and that is one of the few things that has not changed in more than 50 years!! Barbara Mahony Kent was also at the luncheon and wrote me about how much she enjoys seeing her grandchildren and babysitting on a regular basis. In going through my diaries during my EW years (looking for memories of my brother), I came across the most fascinating entry re: Alva Katz Daffner recorded in October 1958: “I went to Alva’s house one Saturday, sometime after Yom Kippur. According to my diary, we went to see Damn Yankees with her mother, because we were not allowed to go to the movies by ourselves. We met a boy; he is real cute, named Richard Daffner. He USED (?) to like Alva!”
Richard is Alva’s husband of many years, so I guess he came back to “liking her.” On another subject, both Alva’s mother and father are still alive and thriving. Her mother recently moved into a senior living facility, leaving her friends, etc., in Louisville to be closer to Alva in Pittsburgh. Another senior mother whom I feel close to is Ruth Rabb, Emily Rabb Livingston’s mother, who still lives in her own apartment on Park Avenue in NYC. (When Emily was at EW, they lived in the San Remo on CPW and how well I remember getting ready for our graduation dance at the Colony Club (sponsored by Cabell’s parents). Perhaps sharing all these memories will jar some of yours and you will share them. I had hoped to see Ruth after the wedding of Mark Winterer and Lauren LeShane, but she was too busy (and not with doctor appointments!). BTW, speaking of the wedding (again), what a marvelous surprise to run into a friend of Sudie Doyle Knowles who had, on her recommendation, been working for Mark in his “ReCover” green roofs business— devoted to installing roofs that are compatible with our environment. Speaking of the environment, not a topic I devote a lot of time to, for better or worse, I have had some great exchanges from Jill Casler Colver. In a discussion of pigs, along with Halloween decorations, Jill shared the following with me: “Living here in the Midwest, I am well aware of how animals are treated prior to landing on our plates. My neighbor is coordinator of a CSA (community-supported agriculture) and I buy from there when possible as well as have a small
garden. I hardly eat meat and my poor spouse and son have had to put up with some strange meals over the years. I do eat seafood, and the CSA has a source for wild Alaskan salmon and other natural fish. We are one mile north of a pig factory farm and have to endure many days of stink plus I am constantly reminded of the miserable lives pigs must endure until they’re hauled off to the slaughter house. Iowa rivals North Carolina in pig factory farms. Iowa also has many chicken factory farms where the poor creatures are crowded into cages until they’re spent laying eggs; then they’re shipped off for soup. Alright, once again I have written almost book-length class notes—and I could go on…but enough. Oh, yes, I just had a note from Ginna Pratt Malcolm who wrote, “My life is purrfect.” and Judy Hayman Pass (whose mother is not only still alive, but enjoys many of the jokes I send to Judy via email). She and Suzanne Niemann (who also lives in St. Louis) had contact. Another EW graduate has a mutual friend who was a flute player at Washington U. When Suzie and I were students there and had written to ask how to get in touch, I was happy to once again see the EW network loom large and fluid. (It’s not just me who receives these messages….) One more note: Adele Adest Yellin ’65 has taken the Grand Central Market in downtown LA and completely transformed it from a purveyor of everything from fish to spices in bulk form to a modern food mecca—selling everything from first-rate butcher cuts (fabulous pork bacon and great stewing chickens,
Spring 2015
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