CLASS NOTES
63
NMH
DIANE SEWALL CHAISSON 25 Williams Rd N Grafton MA 01536-1237 diane@meadowlarks-farm.net WILLARD THOMEN 417 Nicholson St Joliet IL 60435-7043 wthomen@stfrancis.edu
From Diane: I write this column almost two weeks after reunion and am still basking in the glow of so much appreciation from all of you who attended and worked on the event. I have always said I am a behind-the-scenes doer, and I guess it was proven by the fact that I am in only one or two reunion pictures. I must say that the process of producing the 50th reunion was a long and complicated one, but it wasn’t one accomplished without the helping hands, ideas, and decisions of many. We owe a lot of thanks to Bill and Nancy Browning Freiheit for their expertise with planning and producing five previous reunions. They have been great hosts over the years, with attention to details and keeping our class reputation as true originals intact. We also owe Mimi Woodcock Karlsson for always making sure we have plenty of high-quality snacks for our social times. Will Thomen has been a rock and a team member in planning sessions and communications for 30 years. We have traveled together to observe ’62 for nearly that long to make sure ’63 reunions are really representative of our class, not just cookie-cutter reunions. A magnificent job of raising a class gift was done by Debby Eaton Peck, John Gamel, Margaret Breitkreutz Black, and Chris Frederick (see Will’s report). Other active planning committee people were Don Glascoff, a co-chair; Debby Jenks and Holt Anderson for the magnificent yearbook and website; Heidi Herrick Davis for history, farm interest, and fun; as always; Mardi Coyle Kildebeck (Vespers CD); Margery Attwater Mosher (“Dost Thou Remember” email run); and Rob Liotard. The 50th reunion contingent was 91 classmates and 46 brave spouses/guests. The terrific Northfield turnout (50) was in part thanks to the 11 women who agreed to contact those in their dorms with encouragement and reminders to fill out profiles, update information, and try to track down the lost. Thank you Bobsie Rowe Betjemann, Margaret
Heidi Herrick Davis ’63 and Richard Odman at the farm program seminar during reunion
Breitkreutz Black, Dee Freund Borden, Katie Steinmetz Dater, Heidi Herrick Davis, Mimi Woodcock Karlsson, Margery Attwater Mosher, Liz Martin O’Toole, Sue Hines Rohrbach, Nancy Howard Stone, and Cheryl Orstein Wilson. The
only member of the above group missing at reunion was Nancy Howard Stone. Hope to see you in ’18. Other Northfield ’63 attendees were: Suzanne Abbott Harris, Stephanie Ashton Upton, Sue Austin Ricketts, Jacquie Ballou Sullivan, Susan Browning Christman, Nancy Browning Freiheit, Mardi Coyle Kildebeck, Sue Curry Barnett, April Dennis Lyon, Judy Dubben Ryland, Debby Eaton Peck, Elizabeth Edgar, Elise Elderkin, Karen Eldred Stephan, Carol Fishman Czaja, Harriet Goff Guerrero, Karen Gretz Dennis, Paula Hamar Getnick, Tory Hawkins, Sue Hemenway Nealon, Jeanne Hoffman Berger, Debby Jenks, Sheila Langdon Garrett, Carole Leonard Parks, Jervis Lockwood Anderson, Carolyn Lowe Sanderson, Felice Merritt Gelman, Molly Hogan (Nancy Dorr), Linda Olson Coblentz, Leslie Pfeil Brown, Carol Plummer, Faith Richards Madore, Jean Rodger Preis, Diane Sewall Chaisson, Kathy Shordt, Betsy Sigler Roman, Mardi Swett Gordon, Carol Waaser, Renee Warnock Cowenhoven, Catherine Watson Brewer, and Barbara Young.
Just a quick comment about returning Northfield girls: Several of those who returned for the first time to NMH post-sale of the Northfield campus have spoken to me or emailed me about how this reunion helped them put that loss behind them. Some went on personal tours of the old campus to rekindle memories, visit favorite spots, etc., but what they came away with was that it was the people and the shared memories that were the most poignant. Jean Rodger Preis writes: “The Mt. Hermon campus is beautiful. This was the first time I had really looked at it, walked it, and tried to think of it as my school. It will never replace the Northfield campus, but it’s not a bad second act. The hymn sing was the best.” We all had opportunities to speak with current students, from singers to greeters to cafeteria workers and golf cart drivers carrying us aging hippies up and down the hill from farm to chapel. What we found were wonderful young people who believe and exude the education of the “head, heart, and hand.” We were also impressed by the knowledge and commitment to the Moody legacy by the new
John Gamel ’63
head of school, Peter Fayroian. He read our reunion yearbook from cover to cover and really knew who we were. Now, everyone plan for ’18, but make sure you write your current news to me in the meantime. A message to everyone from Ann Wight: She was sorry she could not attend reunion, but wanted to send her greetings and best wishes to everyone. I mailed her a yearbook and other materials from reunion and a Sacred Concert CD. She lives in Concord, N.H., and enjoys visits. From Will: Forty-one of our illustrious Hermon classmates made it back for our golden anniversary celebration (June 6–9): Holt Anderson, Chuck Bates, Larry Bernstein, Bob Bowers, John Brock, Eric Erlandsen, Chris Fredrick, Bill Freiheit, Tom French, John Gamel, Bill Garwood, Don Glascoff, Dave Gregory, Steve Hazard, Dave Hilliker, William Holden, Whiting Houston, Peter Jenks, Lloyd Jones, Rob Liotard, Bill Meyers, Robert Milk, Henry Prescott, Dave Robinson, Leonard Santos, John Schadegg, Jay Scheck, John Schumacher, Dave Stephens, Tim Sullivan, Kurt Swenson, Will Thomen, Alan Thorndike, Bill Utley, Pete Waasdorp, Coll Walker, Al Wall, Rick Watson, Warren Webster, Rick Weisman, and George Whitehead.
Festivities began Thursday afternoon in Social Hall, our class gathering place for Thursday and Friday, with an abundant array of delicious hors d’oeuvres, cheeses, snacks, desserts, beverages, and a full bar (most of it provided by Mimi Woodcock Karlsson and Dee Freund Borden). Class mementos included a CD of our ’63 Sacred Concert. The school provided a lobster dinner exclusively for our class that evening. On Friday, Don Glascoff, Carol Waaser, Heidi Herrick Davis, and Rick Weisman were among the presenters at the alumni seminars. Don’s “Making Films: Changing the World One Frame at a Time—How Documentaries and Factual Features Are Changing the World” included excerpts from his two latest films: Uprising, telling the story of the Egyptian revolution from the perspective of its key organizers, and In My Lifetime, which focuses on the creation and devastating effects of the first atomic bombs. Heidi co-led the “NMH Farm Tour and Conversation about Sustainability,” particularly as it is brought to bear here at NMH, with Liam Sullivan ’05, the NMH farm director. Carol’s “Seeing the World by Bicycle” gave a stunning visual tour on how slow travel is the best way to see the world. Rick’s “Sustainable Development: New Paradigm for Poverty
Jervis Lockwood Anderson’63, Jeanne Hoffman Berger ’63, and Carol Waaser ’63
fall 2013 I 63