CLASS NOTES State Trooper), Tim (a wildlife biologist/ornithologist who works with shore birds on the Georgia coast), and Ben (a musician, artist, teacher, who with his wife works with them in L’Abri). They are blessed with six grandchildren ranging in age from 2 to 6, and they hope to be at reunion. Pam Johnson Smith has not been in touch with Northfield friends for many years, but writes that age 65 brought wisdom and more, and she wishes to reconnect and hopes that anyone who visits Mount Desert Island, Maine, will look her up in Southwest Harbor. This former alto, who is now a mezzo, sings in a small community chorus, in a hospice group called Evensong (which sings at the bedsides of folks in their homes, nursing homes, retirement homes, and hospitals), and in a superb choir in St. Saviours Episcopal Church in Bar Harbor, Maine. Her bumper sticker reads: “When words fail, music speaks.” Free time is spent walking in Acadia National Park, reading voraciously, and always trying to live outside her comfort level… she recently traveled to Ecuador as part of the local Hancock Medical Mission. Pam shares her home with a good friend of many years and has two sons. She and son Benjamin (35) are bound by Words with Friends (a potentially addictive game like Scrabble) on their iPhones. Her elder son, Jonathan, lives in Colorado and is the father of Eli (3). Pam writes: “I continue to work in my private massage practice and have the privilege of working with caregivers who are seeing to the well-being of their loved ones in hospice care. It is work that is profoundly moving and always humbling.” Another classmate who would enjoy a visit from anyone in the area is Marcia Eastman Congdon in Tucson, Ariz. This past year, she and husband, George, who winter in Arizona and summer in N.H., sold their home in Milford, N.H. Daughter Nancy Congdon ’89, who had been living in the New Hampshire home, relocated to Arizona and now lives only eight miles away. Their son John Congdon ’94, father of Julia (4) and Ryan (8), lives in Worcester, Mass. He recently received the Martin Luther King Chancellor’s award for integrity at UMass Medical School. Marcia continues to crochet for charity and create silver jewelry. George sells his wooden wares at three craft fairs each month. Marcia and George will be at reunion. Sue Creasy Case writes from Wisconsin that she is wrestling with when to retire. She is responsible for the multistate bar exam used to license lawyers across the country. Husband, Bob, who retired in ’01 from his career as a college professor, keeps busy gardening and building furniture. Their five grandchildren range in age from 4 to 22. The oldest has graduated from college and is gainfully employed, with benefits, every parent’s and grandparent’s dream come true. Vivien Gall Gibney, Joanne Westin, Wendy Moonan, and Jean Thompson sent me news tidbits. Vivien and husband Noel are retired, travel often to “escape the dreary, British weather,” and sadly are unable to attend reunion. Joanne has been retired from teaching biology at Case Western Reserve for four years, but she subbed for a semester
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and found it was a luxury to concentrate on just one course. In the summer, Joanne now has time to run a children’s gardening program. Wendy, owning one of the only homes in her Long Island, N.Y., area not to lose electricity during Hurricane Sandy, put up several friends, who stayed six days. Wendy continues to write for Architectural Record and is a consultant to 1stdibs.com, an online marketplace for antiques, vintage couture, jewelry, and real estate. Travel is her middle name—Italy, France, England, and San Francisco were mentioned in her communication. She will be at reunion, as will Jean Thompson. Jean is using retirement to read, to complete quilting projects she began years ago (as well as starting and finishing a few more), to visit family (in person, on the phone, and via the Internet), and to enjoy her pets. On the winter solstice, Kathy Childs Jones, Kathy Marsh, and Kathy’s sister Dorothy Marsh Haney ’60 met for dinner in Boston and afterward walked to Emmanuel Church in Boston’s Back Bay to enjoy Christmas Vespers. At the church they were joined by Randy and Alison Phillips Cushing. Randy is working fewer hours for Mass Mutual so that he and Alison can travel; they visited Florida, Honduras, Guatemala, Switzerland, and Puerto Rico over the last year. Virginia “Weegee” Look Brooks also attended the Boston Vespers and estimated the audience to be 500, considerably more than when she attended several years ago. Weegee is still at Harvard as a major gifts officer, a job she loves, and is a grandmother, which is another job she loves. Joan Thacher Tiffany’s important personal news is the November birth of her granddaughter, Alden Tiffany Bell, who happens to live down the street from her in Boston. A recent retiree (September ’12) from HewlettPackard, Faye Lavrakas wasted no time in enjoying the freedom of retirement. Last year she did one of the must-dos on her bucket list. She went to the Santa Fe Opera and Indian Market Week, where she saw Native American crafts from numerous locations; ’13, will include more trips, a visit from Kathy Marsh, and lots of playtime with grandson Jacob (6), who lives nearby. Faye will be at reunion, and you may get a call from her, since she has volunteered to help with preparations. As a retired educator, I, Pam Street Walton, am giving you an assignment. Your task is to reflect on your Northfield years and the traditions/escapades that shaped your future and/or made you smile. In December, as I listened to Christmas Vespers on the NMH campus, I closed my eyes; I remembered our junior year Vespers in Sage Chapel. “What Strangers Are These” was being sung. There was a long, silent rest just before the final phrase…and then came that clap of thunder. What a remembrance. Now it’s your turn. We need your recollections for our 50th reunion yearbook. From Bob: Brian Farrell is still in the real estate business in New York City. Brian has been in contact with Chris Van Raalte, who is in San Francisco. If you would like to connect with Brian or Chris you can email Brian at bfarrell@bhsusa.
com. Brian is coming to reunion and is convincing Chris to make the trip East. J.D. Sloan and wife Carly Wade ’62 have moved to Newbury, Vt. Carly has retired from teaching, but J.D. is still snapping the shutter whenever he can. J.D. has agreed to help me with the reunion yearbook. Thank you, J.D.; other volunteers are needed and welcome. Charley Mansell and Pam have a new grandson, Miles, born September ’12. Their other two grandchildren, who live in Singapore, were with them for Christmas, so life is good. Joan Thatcher Tiffany emailed that Dick Trull, Dick Starbuck, and Jim Rubenstein are alive and living in the Greater Boston area. (Come on guys, send me some news before the 50th. It’s been too long.) By now you have received the yearbook questionnaire and hopefully returned it. We want everyone to contribute. Our website, www.northfieldandmounthermon1964.com, continues to grow. If you haven’t joined, or have had problems, please contact me either by phone, 802-447-0231, email, or snail mail. Communication is the key word for ’13.
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WENDY SWANSON-AVIRGAN 106 Blueberry Dr Stamford CT 06902-1828 wsavirgan@aol.com HENRI RAUSCHENBACH 2 Endicott Lane, PO Box 1064 Brewster MA 02631-7064 henri.rauschenbach@gmail.com
From Wendy: We received sad news in August that Mary Lea Driftmier Zamora died 4/24/12. Following Northfield, Mary Lea received her bachelor’s in sociology from Boston U. and master’s in nonfiction writing from the UNH. She most recently worked as a prevention support specialist for St. John’s County, Fla., teaching parenting and conflict resolution to families in or near crisis. She had recently served as board member of the Florida Coalition of Peace and Justice, was a member of Catholic Volunteers, co-facilitator for JustFaith at the Cathedral-Basilica, and co-facilitator for JustMatters Prison Reform Module. Deepest condolences on behalf of the class to Mary Lea’s husband, children, and brother. Linda Ames Nicolosi wrote in December: “The Wall Street Journal ran a most interesting editorial 12/29/12. on the sale of the Northfield campus titled ‘When New England Progressives Won’t Tolerate Evangelicals.’ The Journal says: ‘Once a center of 19th-century evangelism, Northfield, Mass., is unsettled by the prospect of a school with religious aims.’ The author says that the foundation that bought the campus for purposes of donating it to a Christian school—Hobby Lobby—was able to acquire the campus for only $100,000, something I think few alumni knew. But more important, Hobby Lobby has been unable to find a school to donate the campus to, not only because of the