ALUMNI
NEWS
1940s Betty (Whitney) Crisci ’49 published over 375 articles and 21 short stories during her career, which began in 1951. Her husband, Francis, officially retired from the pastorate in 1990, and the couple moved to Sarasota, FL. Shortly thereafter Francis was asked to hold worship services in their mobile home community, and their ministry is thriving.
1950s Marjorie Buck ’50 sold the last copy of her book Amuzgo Lessons, which sold over 3,500 copies since its original printing in 1976. Marjorie is working with Wycliffe Bible Translators at their Mexico branch. Last year she had the opportunity to visit with friends and family in the Northeast. Sylvia (Burgess) Lloyd ’58B and her husband, Robert, are enjoying retirement, though Robert works part-time for CAM International updating their Spanish website. They live in Siloam Springs, AR, and enjoy spending time with their grandchildren. Thomas ’59B and Carol (Brown) ’58B Buckley are celebrating 50 years of marriage and missions work in the church planting field. In 1959 the Buckleys began their work with the American Mission for Opening Churches. In 1996 they founded a new mission, Church Planters to America, located in Almond, NY. Thomas is the resident director.
1960s Reunion: Classes of 1964 and 1969
Grace (Pitt) Collies ’60B and husband Lyle celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary October 4, 2008. A luncheon was held on the waterfront in Mystic, CT. Nancy (Chapman) Morgan ’60 was in attendance. Nancy and Grace were in each other’s weddings and were roommates at Barrington. Carolyn (Averill) Bontkes ’63B and husband William are working with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Brazil. In February they ended a yearlong furlough in the United States. George Cottenden ’64 retired in July 2008 from the pastorate of Trinity Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Hatboro, PA, after 27 years behind the pulpit there. He served for 41 years in various pastoral and missionary services. He and wife Barbara (Benson) ’64 live in North Wales, PA. Barbara retired several years ago from kindergarten teaching and stays busy with church and community activities. They have three grandchildren and two more on the way.
30 STILLPOINT | Summer 2009
Carlynn Reed ’68 is the codirector of Imagiscape Theatre with Jonathon Neville. They perform a two-person show about caregiving, Heal Thyself. Her son, Kirk, and husband, David Reed ’68, are disabled. Imagiscape will soon be releasing a documentary about the transformation of their homes through a unique theatre process. www.imagiscape.ca Richard Slater ’69 is the associate conference minister of the New Hampshire Conference, United Church of Christ. Prior to this position he was for 25 years the pastor of First Congregational Church of Lebanon, NH. Richard and his wife, Nirmala John, have four children and two grandchildren.
1970s Reunion: Classes of 1974 and 1979
Nanette (Love) ’74 and Dana Moran are moving to China. They welcome people to visit their website, www.loavesandfishesintl.com, to see updates on their travels and work in the mission field. Karin (Coonrod) Geballe ’76 serves on the Board of Directors for Compagnia de’ Colmbari, an international collaborative of performing artists based in New York City, NY. It is dedicated to creating free artistic public spectacles from old and new works from diverse traditions and cultures. James Kerr ’76 and his wife, Mara, were featured in a story entitled “Jim and Mara Kerr Cavern View Antiques Howe’s Caves, New York,” in the May 2009 issue of The Maine Antiques Digest. Ron Barnes ’77 received a Doctor of Ministry degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in May 2006 and presided over the wedding of his son, Dylan, in July 2006. Jerry Bouts ’78 retired from the U.S. Navy after 28 years of service. He works with the United States State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement as a foreign affairs officer. The position entails coordinating U.S. government initiatives to assist Mexico in their efforts to deal with criminal cartels and the drug trade. Kevin Michael Slater ’79B lives in Richmond, VA, with the Chair of Labyrinth Group Global.
1980s Reunion: Classes of 1984 and 1989
Philip C. Eyster ’80B founded Eagle Projects International in 1989 and has since served as president. Each year he leads projects to dozens of underdeveloped countries for missions
and humanitarian aid work with hundreds of volunteers. Phil and his wife, Marcia (Gammon) ’81B, have five birth children and adopted two girls from China. They make their home in Maine and Prince Edward Island, Canada. www. eagleprojects.com Paul ’81 and Lucinda (Rowe) ’79 Bentley returned home for a short time between assignments in Bolivia. Their work abroad is with a radio station broadcasting in the Quechua language with an estimated listening audience slightly over 1,000,000. Matthew McKinnon ’84 taught math, computers and English alongside Brazilian nationals for 17 years in São Paulo, Brazil. He and wife Simone have six children, all boys. The McKinnons have returned to the United States to work with youth stateside and are living in Mt. Holly, NJ. They welcome you to visit their website, www.mckinnonclan.info. David Fenrick ’87 was appointed director of Intercultural Unity at Northwestern College, St. Paul, MN, where he also teaches intercultural studies. Samuel and Eun-Soo Folta ’87 are on a yearlong furlough from missions work in China. They have spent the past six months visiting congregations along the Northeast coast. They will return to China later this year and are in search of missionary associates to return with them to teach English. Stephen Vantassel ’87 published his dissertation, Dominion over Wildlife? An Environmental-Theology of Human-Wildlife Relations, through Wipf and Stock. Greg Johnston ’88 received his B.A. in technical management from Southern New Hampshire University. Greg works for Microsoft and lives in Rockport, MA, with his wife, Karry (Parker) ’88, and their children: Ian, 17, and Abagail, 11. Cheryl (Shehan) Lavornia ’88 graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in May with a Master of Divinity in Urban Studies. Cheryl is on the pastoral staff at Evangelical Covenant Christ Church in East Greenwich, RI.
1990s Reunion: Classes of 1994 and 1999
Claudia Landau ’90 graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA, with a master’s degree in theology in 2004. After graduation she served as a hospital chaplain in Albany, NY. An article featuring her ministry as an interfaith chaplain was recently published in the Schenectady, NY, Daily Gazette.