THE SALVE SISTERS: 50 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP

During the fall of 1968, two young women entered their new Miley Hall dorm room. While originally thinking they had nothing in common, Elizabeth Ann Seton Beaudin ’72 and Jacquelyn Lane Taylor ’72 were surprised when they became fast friends.

“When I met my roommate Jackie Mae Lane from City Island, New York, I could tell that she was worldly-wise and a born leader,” Beaudin recalls. “I sensed an eyeroll too, when on that rst day, she saw me - a very nerdy girl with glasses.” Endless hours of chatting about families and high school turned into deeper conversations about the culture of the Vietnam War and the evolving-world for young soldiers and relatives.

e roommates reminisce now about the time when Taylor convinced Beaudin that they should take their bikes out to Ocean Drive. Unknowingly, the girls ventured onto a 10-mile trek around Newport and although they joke that they weren’t the most athletic twosome, they felt accomplished at the end.

“Perseverance along with laughter always won the day,” says Beaudin with a smile.

roughout their four years at Salve Regina, the two students bonded with nine other women who have stayed close friends, despite life changes and physical separation. While at Salve, they frequented La Forge and the Newport Creamery and shared many nights singing karaoke at Hurley’s. ey even occasionally danced on the tables. For this group of women, the times were full of self-exploration while deciding which careers they would pursue. After moving into Ochre Court their junior year, they solidi ed what would become lifelong friendships and since then, the “Salve Sisters” have kept their support for one another as a priority.

“ e walk to O’Hare Academic Center was beautiful, no matter what season it was,” shares Taylor. “College was a special time for moving closer to adulthood [while still having] the freedom of learning and developing friendships.”

Re ecting on her best friend, Taylor proudly says that Beaudin “has had a remarkable career since leaving Salve. I think it is a very interesting story about what was possible for a young woman to accomplish at a time when women struggled for recognition.”

Following graduation, Beaudin planned a trip to visit her roommate Leslie Friend Keiser ’72 in Madrid. Little did she know this trip, which was supposed to last two weeks, would last almost two years. It was there that Beaudin began

(Continued on page 62)

Linda A. Amoriggi Melis ’72 and Nancy Judge Whalen ’72 each received the Exceptional Volunteer Award for their work in planning a successful 50th anniversary class reunion in June 2022. Nominated by their classmates, the two worked tirelessly to ensure that the reunion milestone was an event to remember.

1977

lm and sculpture mix with cooking, sewing and creative writing focusing on projects that require minimal supplies and expense for students, teachers and parents.

1980

Catherine Duarte Souza ’80 retired in 2019, after 39 years of teaching and working for the New Bedford Public Schools.

1981

Richard Curry ’81 is a special investigator for the Department of State in the Santa Barbara, California, area. Following his retirement after 34 years in federal law enforcement, he spent four years living in London, where he enjoyed traveling through Europe with his three sons. Curry shared that Salve will always hold a very special place in his heart.

Salve is…friends becoming family.

1989

Joya Granbery Hoyt ’77 published “Expressive Arts Your Way,” a full-color glossy workbook lled with lively and inspiring lesson plans for children and adults. Geared toward middle school age groups through adults, lessons in visual arts , dance , music,

Americo Carchia ’89 was sworn in as a New Haven probate judge on Jan. 2. In attendance at the ceremony were members of the Class of 1989, including Mark Epright ’89, Robert McHugh ’89,Josephine Figueroa Silecchia ’89 and Jodi Sylvester ’89.

Yvonne Conti-O’Brien ’89, a retired middle school Spanish teacher, is the founder and owner of Red Rooster Cookie Jar, located in e Villages, Florida. Her business was featured in Lake & Sumter Style Magazine and won two categories – Best Dessert and Best Bakery – in the Best of 352 (North Central Florida’s area code) during summer 2022. Conti-O’Brien has created more than 100 di erent cookie recipes, all mixed by hand. She o ers a Cookie of the Month Club and nationwide shipping at rrcookiejar.com.

1990

Michael Terra ’90 received the 2022 Doris Duke Historic Preservation Award from the Newport Restoration Foundation for the exterior restoration and belfry reconstruction of the Trevett School on ird Street in Newport. e owner of Teaticket, LLC, a Newport-based property management and design and build rm, Terra took great care to replicate the belfry and preserve the original character of the school.

1992

Dawn Tourgee Correll ’92 is a behavior technician in the Cranston (Rhode Island) Public Schools, working in a specialized high school with children who have mental disorders. She is the proud mom of three beautiful daughters – Cassandra, Jordan and HaleyLynn – and extremely proud grandmother of Lisa and Eli.

Bridget Kennedy ’92 received the Alumni Achievement Award during Reunion Weekend in June 2022. Kennedy’s career has provided the opportunity to share her unique skills across a variety of roles. She has served as a sta nurse in a hospital setting, a travel nurse caring for homebound patients, and supported her local community as a school nurse in South Windsor, Connecticut. When the pandemic struck in 2020, Kennedy assisted at various local testing sites, providing vaccinations to more than 1,000 patients, all while working full-time managing a busy home care nursing team, conducting onsite patient visits, and being the mom of three boys.

Bobby St. John ’94 is the author of “Growing Up in Penny’s Creek,” which was published by Fulton Books in March 2022. e ctional story features 13-year-old Morgan O’Riely and his friends as they get caught up in a mystery when the children in town go missing.

1953