stay connected... fixated like everyone else on Hurricane Irma’s devastating assault on Florida, where quite a few of our classmates or members of their families have seasonal or year-round homes. It would likely be weeks before they could know Irma’s full impact on their homes and lives. Earlier, after Harvey struck Texas and flooded much of Houston, I had contacted Tom Keefe, who, with his wife Susan, lives in Houston while spending several months each year in Hawaii. Tom replied from Hawaii, “Happily I can report that there were no flooding issues at either our home or the homes of Susan’s three daughters, all of whom live in the fairly immediate Houston area.” Let’s hope there will eventually be some happy news from Florida as well!
1951 ABBOT Anne Bissell Gates 11684 N. Mineral Park Way Oro Valley, AZ 85737 520-664-7245 annieb@tedgates.com
I called Sylvia “Muffy” Finger Marlio (muf.marlio @gmail.com), my first Abbot roommate in Sherman Cottage. I hadn’t heard from Muffy since graduation, then found her at our 50th Reunion with her husband Gerard. It was great renewing our acquaintance. She’d attended Smith College, majoring in economics, then worked in New York, first for AT&T and then for Exxon in their treasury departments prior to her marriage. Muffy and Gerry lived in Paris for 14 years. They also had a winter home in a golfing community in southern Spain. After leaving France, they spent three years in New York and eventually settled in Marion, MA, a sailing community on Buzzards Bay. In the late 1980s they lived for a year in Curaçao, making wonderful friends there when Gerry managed a small bank. Sadly, Gerry passed away three years ago. Muffy still spends winters in Spain, enjoys time with her two sons and their families in England, and also with her daughter and her family in Switzerland. She has a granddaughter and a grandson. In addition to being an avid golfer, Muffy plays bridge and is now involved in 6-wicket croquet. She says she’s still struggling with the rules, which are more complicated than those of golf! A delightful chat with Paula Holden Palmer (yodel5555@gmail.com) produced the following revelations: “I figure I must be the class late bloomer since I’ve recently published my first book at 83. The Mysterious Builder of Seattle Landmarks, Searching for My Father, is a memoir about the father I discovered in my seventies. After much detective work, the story launched this spring under my birth name of Paula Pederson. A fall update and a winter audio book are planned. “As helpful PR along the way, I’ve taken up blogging, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and written two unpublished novels that languish in my storeroom.
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Andover | Winter 2018
Earlier years included administrative office jobs, fundraising, medical, and defense writing. “Abbot had a huge influence on my life. I especially remember Miss Wilkinson’s English, Miss Roth’s American history, Mlle. Arosa’s French, and Miss Friskin’s music. I felt they stretched me by demanding more than I thought I could give. Also I’ll never forget my terror during my required week of reading the news in Chapel. “Mike Palmer and I divide our year between Phippsburg, ME, and Davidson, NC. We’re the proud parents of five kids, five grandkids, and five granddogs, all in Maine this summer.” Paula says she’s doing well, but her book leaves her stressed. She has been involved with tai chi for years, plays golf, and takes aerobics classes. While at Abbot, she roomed with Shirley Young, and they have stayed in contact over the years. She recently celebrated Shirley’s 80th birthday in Vail, CO. Paula also reports that Shirley’s mother recently passed away at the age of 111! Our condolences to Shirley for her loss! I finally tracked down Pat Driscoll (Patreeza@ gmail.com), who still lives in Haddonfield, NJ. Now a widow, she’s the mother of a daughter and four sons, grandmother to 11 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild with another on the way. One son, Ethan, and his family live with Pat, and another son, Peter, and his family, live next door with their families. She has been battling Parkinson’s for the past five years but says she’s doing well, currently involved in physical therapy swimming, which helps a lot. She’s still driving, so is able to get out and about. She’s also had both knees replaced. Pat graduated with a double major from Hood College, studying English, history, religion and sociology, then attended Harvard Business School and worked for two years before her marriage. Pat, Paula, and Muffy have stayed in touch. After her marriage, Pat and husband Jerry spent five wonderful years in Kanpur, India, where her third son was born. Jerry was director of a USAID project to develop an MIT-type technical university, IIT India, founded by then-Prime Minister Nehru, who realized that if India was to compete in the world, students must have the latest scientific education. This elite university system has been so successful that several U.S. startup company heads, as well as many of our CEO’s, have been trained there. Pat loved India and still has many good friends there. (Google the Leslie Stahl interview from a CBS ’60 Minutes’ program devoted to the Indian Institute of Technology.) A note today from Paula: “Muffy came for the weekend. Had a super time getting back in touch thanks to you—tramping through the woods, eating seafood and Muffy’s scrumptious cheese biscuits. Muffy was not only an Abbot friend, we were also roommates at Smith, and Muffy was a bridesmaid in our wedding 60 years ago!” It feels really good to renew acquaintances and get current news from old friends! Do write or call. —Anne
PHILLIPS George S.K. Rider 22 Curiosity Lane Essex, CT 06426 860-581-8199 ridercrawford@gmail.com
Summer is going past in a blur and 1951 continues to make news! Ed Nef traveled to Andover in July for the culmination of Project ’51, which he devised, organized and executed with many helping hands. Through this innovative initiative, PA students learned how to design and construct a prosthetic lower limb for a young woman amputee from Mongolia. The recipient travelled to campus to receive her new leg. The joy of the occasion was evident. Many of the students toiled for over a year to produce the foot using high tech 3D printing technology. Mike Barker, director of academic research, information, and library services, and also the project director, said the lower leg prosthetic is believed to be “the first of its kind designed by high school students.” The students’ reward was watching the beaming young lady walk almost normally. Ed says, “We hope 3D printing technology will tremendously lower prosthetic cost so that it will become affordable!” The cost of producing a prosthetic foot could someday drop from as high as $20,000-$30,000 to under $1,000. Hooray to the students at Andover! Hanger Inc., a U.S. manufacturer of prosthetic devices, provided valued technical support. Andover offered a practicum this past year on prosthetics to its students, which might lead qualified students to a course for credit on prosthetics. Our class, led by Bob Doran, contributed to the Discretionary Fund for the Director of the OWHL (library), with the help of Nicole Cherubini, director of development, to make this initiative happen. This project is part of ’51’s ongoing legacy! John “Doc” Castle’s response: “Exciting, cutting edge, socially important work!” Alex de Lahunta wrote, “I know the Hanger organization well. I have a prosthetic right pelvic limb below the knee following an amputation about six years ago. I live part time in Portland, ME, where the Hanger organization has an office and plant. They are a super outfit. This story from Andover shows what can be done when bright progressive folks get together!” Hans Duerr: “Now that’s exciting. Congratulations Ed!” Billy Lee: “What a wonderful program you initiated at PA and wonderful that you are further promoting it. Proud of PA, particularly because of guys like you, Ed!” John Scheiwe: “Tip of the proverbial hat to Ed and a hearty acknowledgement for the energy and drive so evident in his successful participation in this wonderful effort!” Bryan Hitchcock: “Thanks for the update. Brings some tears to the eyes of this old poop!”