Class Notes

1950s

Alice Miller Henry-Taylor ’52 “I’ve outdone myself during these past few months! I digitized my20 photo albums from 1948- 2006! My car upholstery was repaired, the recall taken care of, and a fabulous detail! Plumbing issue handled and my carpets cleaned. Have walked six miles per day—with every phone call, I started walking! Many picnics in local parks, armed with all the cleaning gear and measured distance. I resumed my volunteer work a month ago with people who had been isolated for two months. As we come into what’s being called the ‘new normal,’ I pray that each of us stays healthy and virus-free and, hopefully, the world will at last discover peace.”

Juliette Cevola Becker ’56 Ph.D. “I celebrated my 82nd birthday in September 2019. In honor of this new decade that I am in, I have taken my art in a different direction. My recent painting, a self-portrait, really shows how I have changed. I am not really sure what inspired me to go that way, but something inside pushes me to continue exploring new ways of expression. As I have carried with me every day since I first walked into the main hall of Mayfield in 1952, I have lived by the motto ‘Actions Not Words.’ I hope to be able to continue to create throughout the rest of my life. Turning 80 was a pivotal moment for me. I had just retired from private practice that I shared with my husband, Vance, in California. We had made an intentional decision to move to Washington when we retired. So, we sold our home and practice and made the giant move to Gig Harbor, Washington, to start a new adventure. It has not disappointed. Moving across a few states after 79 years was no easy feat. But we are very happy here. The pace of life is different where we live. People, in general, are friendly and kind. They greet you at stores here and acknowledge you. It had ceased to be that way in Newport. The pace of life had become strained and difficult. While we lived in such beauty, it was marred by the constant urge of others around us to succeed at any cost. Maybe it is because we are now in the winter of our lives, but it seemed too much to tolerate anymore. We miss our friends and family but are content with the choice that we made. It has invigorated our lives. My husband has written a book and is now working on his second. He spent the first two years taking creative writing at the University of Washington. I have become enmeshed in the vast art colony here. I paint almost every day and have tried all different kinds of mediums and methods. It gives me great pleasure and stimulates my brain cells. I have even entered several art shows and contests. My new friends are all artists. All this to say to you Mayfield alums who followed me, live by the motto. It will serve you well. Mayfield had the most impact on my life than any other school I attended. It has allowed me to succeed in areas that I never thought possible. It taught me that there is new life constantly being generated deep inside me. All you have to do is reach out and find it and make it your own. Congratulations Class of 2020. You graduated in a historical moment in time. While you were not able to fully experience the traditional Mayfield graduation, it seems every effort was made to give you as close to that experience as it could be. Mayfield always comes through with their traditions. They may seem unimportant now, but as you grow in maturity, you will find they bring you much comfort and confidence. You have challenging times ahead, and your education will be your fortress.”

Sheila McNiff, SHCJ ’56 “I was a flower girl for Lorena Jarrett ’45 while in pre-school at ‘little Mayfield.’ The following year, I was a flower girl for Alice Piper Cestari ’46. The graduation was on the stage of the school auditorium. Each graduate had a flower girl who was wearing a long white First Communion dress. I don’t remember if the graduates were wearing the same white dress. Red roses were carried by each young woman, and the class may have had five graduates. We knew all the students at Mayfield in those days— around 90 students in grades K-12! This year, in 2020, I was in awe of the women who were graduating. They carry the hope of the future. Now, they believe that playing an active role in shaping a future full of meaning is essential and our prayer continues that they will be sustained by all of us.”

1960s

Penelope Wright ’61 “I am writing to comment on the motto ‘Actions Not Words,’ and express my gratitude for attending Mayfield and experiencing the influences of Cornelia Connelly. I was taught by the nuns of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus for grades four through eight at Assumption of the B.V.M. School and grades nine through 12 at Mayfield Senior School. Her example helped form my moral core, which affects my life, experiences and choices to this day. I probably exasperated the nuns many times. In sixth grade I made spitballs to spit at a boy in my class. The black crepe paper I used turned my mouth green. Sister Philomena washed my mouth out with soap—not a pleasant experience! In 10th grade I took my younger brother’s coonskin cap to school. This was the heyday of Davy Crockett. I don’t know why I took it in. Apparently, I hung it on one of the sconces in the library and forgot about it; it became overly warm from the light bulb and began to smolder during the night and filled the convent with smoke. My mother received a late-night phone call. I had a serious talk—or listen—the next day with Mother Wilfrid. I was not known for my scholastic or behavioral prowess, but I did receive the Bank of America Future Promise in the Arts award at graduation. I think ‘Actions Not Words’ is shorthand for the works of mercy—visiting the imprisoned, feeding the hungry and so on. I remember the sorrows in her life, for example, losing a child and the difficulties with her husband, Pierce Connelly. I have had (as many people have) experiences of sorrow and loss as she did. But I am grateful for them—they have provided conduits for an understanding of the many people in this world who suffer. I have had the privilege of working with the mentally ill and disadvantaged and trodden-upon people. ‘Actions Not Words’ has become part of me. That is why I’m writing to express my gratitude.” Teresa Kaufman Hall ’63 Wally and I celebrated our 50th Anniversary in 2019!

Sally McFadden Gordon ’67 “Just wanted to bring you up to date with what is going on with me in the hope that my fellow classmates will do the same. I am still living in Napa and, on occasion, run into Paul Moser, my prom date from Loyola High School, who has been a winemaker in the Napa Valley for many years. That being said, I am still happily married to my artist husband, Steve Gordon. His website is thegordongallery.com. We are feeling a bit guilty about how nice sheltering in place has been for us and how fabulous our garden looks this year. I went back to UC Davis to be certified as a life coach and have been practicing for the last two years. What a great transition from restaurant owner! I am still listening to the same things that my customers came to me about, but now I know what to say to make a difference. Our son, Gabriel, is still in Portland with his lovely girlfriend, and we miss seeing them both.”

Pamela McCarroll Thies ’67 “I maintain friendships with many classmates, including Kathy Wickman Setina ’67 and Paige Merrill Baker ’67. My dear husband, Kent, and I have been married for 44 years and are loving retirement. We have three children and two grandchildren, and all but our daughter Madeline reside in Portland living happy, healthy lives. Madeline lives in San Francisco but visits us frequently. We still have candlelight family dinners with flowers, something my children remember fondly from childhood. We most recently rode horses in Argentina and then boarded an icebreaker and docked on the Antarctic for 11 days of solitude. We also managed to ride horses on the banks of the Zambezi River, helicopter into Victoria Falls gorge, mountain bike on safari in Botswana and ride around the Cape of Good Hope and up the western cliffs of South Africa. We are lucky indeed!

Class of 1969 celebrated their 50th reunion at the home of Wendy Baker Hein ’69 last fall.

Kathleen Clary Miller ’69 “It may not have been a lovely luncheon at Fashion Island, where we usually meet, but on July 15, 2020, at noon, Erin Moore ’69 gathered those of us who were able to attend from the Class of 1969 on a Zoom call. Each of us spoke of our experience with COVID-19: What had we been up to, or not? How did this new world make us feel? The overriding response was ‘grateful.’ Despite the hardships, the loneliness in some cases, the loss of touch from family and friends, the difficulty of working from home in some cases, we all felt gratitude to be well, safe, and with each other on the day. A couple of us have now survived breast cancer, lost husbands, even faced the death of a classmate—we each revealed the challenges we’ve faced since last we gathered. Seeing the faces we love and trust brought us great joy in a time when joy is not front-page news. Erin moderated, making sure that each person told her story, stories that continue no matter how many years pass, regardless of the circumstances we are living in. We raised a glass to Leslie (Lahua) Hees Engl ’69†, our free-spirited girl, and left our screens feeling a little more hopeful—and a lot more loved.”

1980s

Monica Lomenzo ’81 “I hope and pray that you and yours have not been egregiously impacted by this worldwide pandemic. As the restrictions ease and we all breathe a sigh of cautious relief, I thought this would be the most appropriate time to let you know what is new with me. Immediately prior to the stay at home orders here in Southern California, I agreed to do some consulting with the artists estate of the former Sister Corita Kent and the Corita Art Center in Hollywood. (www.corita.org) If you are not familiar with the story of Corita Kent, she was an educator, artist and social justice advocate who spent her time teaching at the then Immaculate Heart College and her later years working in Boston. One of her more well-known pieces of artwork is the beloved National Grid Boston Gas Tank commission, the largest copyrighted piece of artwork in the world, and then there is her beautiful LOVE stamp. For the past few months the focus has been on how we, those affiliated with the Corita Art Center, can find and fulfill opportunities to bring forth a collective spirit, shining through messages of love and hope that will be needed as we map a new future and look to heal. Corita and the Immaculate Heart community really captured the Mayfield motto of ‘Actions Not Words,’ sharing a message of peace, hope, love and justice. I am so proud to be part of this, particularly in these tumultuous times.”

Donell Aure Thomas ’83 “Aloha from Maui. After teaching in SoCal for 20 years I made the move to Maui and found a job teaching. It’s my second year teaching PE and Health at Lahaina Intermediate School. My students took first, second and third place in Maui County in the Aloha PE Project and took third and fourth in the State contest. My first-time competitors placed in the top three in the history of the contest. I also wrote a grant proposal and was awarded an Outride Riding for Focus Specialized Foundation grant for a class set of mountain bikes, plus equipment and training, for my school. Even though I’m a high school/ college teacher by nature, teaching middle school is survivable. I’m just hanging out here on Maui trying to figure out this surfing thing.”

Mary Workman Hatton ’85 “I’m excited to begin my new journey as the Director of Development for the Sisters of Social Service in Encino, an order of beloved sisters who champion local and global works of peace, advocate for marginalized people at the grassroots and legislative level, support economic development and community empowerment and provide direct social services to those on the margins of our world. I have been affiliated with the Sisters of Social Service all my life. In fact, it is the order of sisters who ran Holy Family Adoption Agency for many years, from which my brother and I were adopted as babies. I am forever grateful to Sister Bertile SSS, (may she rest in peace), my birth mother (may I be blessed to meet her one day) for knowing of these dedicated and loving sisters, and to my parents, who were supporters of the Sisters all of their married life, and provided me with an incredibly loving, supportive and faith-filled upbringing.”

Charlotte Reid ’86 and her event planning firm Reid-Rodell were featured in a May 21 article in Forbes magazine titled “3 Inspiring Small Business Stories on How To Survive During Covid-19.” In the article, Charlotte talks about having to reinvent her business model to help people celebrate virtually during the pandemic: “As creatives, we have had to dig deeper to provide our clients with creative, warm, and memorable options.”

Molly Cameron Burns ’89, Jenny Gorman Patton ’89, Cristina Thais Vittoria ’89, Dori Wagner O’Donnell ’89, Chelsea Ashworth Prekker ’89 and Julie Bitonti Cunningham ’89 enjoyed connecting via Zoom in April during the pandemic.

1990s

Jenny Wilson Nieters ’90 became the team acupuncturist for the San Francisco 49ers in 2019. Jenny is a doctor of acupuncture and Chinese medicine who uses sports acupuncture for athletic performance and recovery.

Gabrielle Porter Taylor ’90 and Simone Porter Johnson ’96 enjoyed the speakeasy at the Mayfield Rhapsody in Red benefit!

Marina Engen Kohler ’99 and husband Jason recently moved to Pasadena by way of San Francisco, where they lived for many years. With a career in museum work, Marina is delighted to be part of The Huntington Library’s advancement team. In 2019, they welcomed their daughter, Alexandra Sophia Kohler, and celebrated her first birthday this July with family via Zoom! Their hearts are filled with love and joy.

2000s

Kathryn Nishibayashi ’01 “I’m getting a Master’s in Divinity and taking classes at Bloy House, The Episcopal Theological School in Claremont.” Jaime Engler Stoney ’01 and husband BJ welcomed their second daughter, Kate, in December 2019. Big sister Olivia is almost four!

Joan Christodoulou ’04 “This last year was quite a busy one — I got married and recently had my first baby, Niki. I also accepted an Assistant Professor position at Palo Alto University in the psychology department and will be starting in the fall.” 10

Liv Amend Steingart ’04 “My husband, Elliot, and I welcomed our son, Luther Jay Steingart, on October 25, 2019.” 11

Allyson Laurance Velasco ’04 “At least I closed out 2019 happily before going into world quarantine! Almost three years ago, I met Rick Velasco in the customs line in Barcelona airport, while I was living in NYC and he was in Austin. He’s been a blessing since that absolutely random meeting. We spent the next years grabbing time through overlapping EU business travels and splitting weeks in NY, Texas and California. We tied the knot in NYC last November, celebrating with a small group of family and close friends, and followed up with a wedding in December in Riviera Maya, Mexico. We’ve settled in San Francisco since the new year, and I hope to be able to get to a Mayfield reunion now that I’m back on the West Coast!”

Katie Symes Summers ’06 married Jonathan Robert Summers on December 14, 2019, in Pasadena—the Mayfield gates may have been open that morning. L-R: Gaby Sapetto Del Gesso ’06, Katie McClain ’06, Alexandra Papademetropoulos Brenneck ’06, Becky Dryden Sprinzen ’06, Katie Symes Summers ’06, Sarah Symes ’08, Jacqueline Andrejich Bertole ’06, Ali Miller ’06 and Maureen Clougherty ’06.

Katie Brugman ’08 was awarded the 10,000th Ph.D. from Caltech in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at 10 a.m. on June 12, 2020! Her dissertation topic was “Pezo-1 function in Caenorhabditis elegans.” She says Ms. Peters was a huge inspiration, as were all of her Mayfield teachers. 14

Brittany Banis Buckley ’08 married Scott Buckley during a small family gathering on May 9, 2020. “We felt so fortunate to be able to celebrate our marriage in a safe, beautiful manner amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. My sister’s (Lauren Banis Burchill ’12) husband, Scooby, was so thoughtful in his words as he officiated the ceremony, and each of our parents and siblings showered us with blessings, prayers, readings and/ or their own words of what they hope for us and our marriage!”

Jeania Ree Moore ’08 “I was ordained as a Deacon in The United Methodist Church, thus finally completing the ordination process in The UMC! I returned briefly to California for the ordination, which was a socially distanced worship service—quite an experience. I am also leaving my job and Washington, D.C., later this summer to move to New Haven, CT, to begin a Ph.D. at Yale in Religious and African American Studies!”

Jessica Mennis Viets ’08, the great-granddaughter of Charles and Vera Strub, flew out from NYC for the March 7, 2020 Rhapsody in Red benefit in honor of the Strub family and the 100th anniversary of Strub Hall. Jessica had planned another trip to Pasadena in June to deliver the commencement address for Mayfield’s Class of 2020, but instead recorded a message from her apartment that appeared as part of the virtual ceremony. To hear her message to the Class of 2020, visit www.mayfieldsenior.org/2020.

Malissa Balderama ’09 is the Development Assistant at St. Philip the Apostle School and is pictured here with Mayfield alumnae sisters Katie Clancy ’11 (Kindergarten Teacher’s Associate) and Leah Weidman ’11 (TK through 3rd Librarian) at the St. Philip drive-through graduation celebration.

Haley Hoffman English ’09, her husband, Nick, and daughter, Emily (1), joyfully welcomed George Henry English on May 18, 2020, in Pasadena. 19

2010s

Natalie Ferguson Cross ’10 wed Austin Cross on June 15, 2019. 20

Caley Moffatt Orwin ’10 “2019 was a monumental year, highlighted by our wedding in August in Pasadena. My husband, Ben Orwin, and I met freshman year at UCLA. Nine years later, we were married at the San Marino Community Church, followed by a reception at The Athenaeum at Caltech. We are now living in the San Francisco Bay Area and I recently joined Athleta as a senior marketing manager. We visit my family in South Pasadena often and hope to go back for the Class of 2010’s 10-year reunion!”

Madisyn Spence ’10 moved to Amsterdam in June to work at the Dutch bank ING, leaving her previous position at JPMorgan Chase in NYC. “My fiance, Carlo, and I are really excited about our move to the Netherlands! We’re looking forward to exploring Amsterdam, especially taking our dog, Monty, for walks along the canals.”

Nevada LaCroix ’15 “I just graduated from UC Berkeley this past May and moved to San Francisco, where I have a job working at a COVID test site at St. Mary’s Cathedral. We see over 500 patients a day and assist in nasopharyngeal swabs. It’s been really exciting and rewarding work!”

Maggie Ireland ’16 graduated from Santa Clara University in June with a double major in studio art and communications. 23

Nina Kasputis ’16 graduated from Catholic University with a degree in business management. She started a new job in June at Lockton as an associate account manager. Kathy Aicher ’80 helped Nina get a summer internship there last year.

Alison O’Neil ’16 “I am so grateful and proud to announce that I officially became an alumna of the University of Notre Dame—something that has been a dream of mine since I was a kid. This marked the conclusion of an absolutely incredible four years. During my time at Notre Dame, I was lucky enough to complete two majors and a minor (even after changing my major a quarter of the way through sophomore year!), travel abroad to two different continents, attend two academic conferences and present at one of them, and participate in student journalism and a variety of interesting and engaging campus jobs. Just as importantly, I got to develop friendships that will last a lifetime: relationships forged by everything from academic collaboration to dorm socials, and strong ties with professors who have mentored and inspired me. After graduating cum laude with a double major in history and political science, I am excited to announce that I will be moving to Atlanta to teach middle school social studies with Alliance for Catholic Education! I am so incredibly grateful to everyone who made this possible and looking forward to continuing my education with Notre Dame.

Katherine Tighe ’16, Elizabeth Nail ’18 and Annie Tighe ’19 have been working over the past few months to print 3D face masks and shields for frontline health care workers at medical facilities including Keck Medicine of USC. All three are mechanical engineering majors—Katherine just graduated from Duke, where Annie is still studying, and Elizabeth is at UCLA, where she also works as a makerspace technician.

Charlotte Watkins ’16 graduated (virtually!) from USC in May. 28

Alix Winschel ’16 graduated magna cum laude from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in May with a B.A. in cinema studies and a screenwriting minor.

Ingrid Yue ’16 graduated cum laude from Loyola Marymount University’s College of Business Administration with a B.B.A. in marketing.