76 class notes
1973
Barbara Smith O’Brien barbara.obrien@candyusa.com We publish notes for each class once a year—oddnumbered class years in the spring and even-numbered in the fall. Look for your class notes in the spring issue!
1974 Sally Fay calgal75@aol.com
Let’s start with Angela Tirrell who tells me that she just returned from Europe and, “through a quirk of fate” finds herself, “dating an Englishman which has tied me anew to many friends and family in Europe, whom I had missed a great deal. What luck!” She continues that she is “planning to zip to New Zealand in November for a large opera house event in Hawkes Bay, where new wines are presented by all the area wine makers and my paintings—in poster form—will be auctioned off! A number of commissioned paintings are the labels for a wellregarded, young wine maker, who is ardent about my work. It’s wonderful to paint for friends! Even better, I will be accompanied by my 88-year-old father, as New Zealand is a bucket list dream of his!” Another surprise is that Jeanne Vibert Sloane is no longer at Christie’s! Jeanne writes that “after a happy 35 years in the for-profit world at Christie’s, I now turn my attention to the nonprofit world. These activities include teaching a course on silver at the Bard Graduate Center, writing a book on a private silver collection, and developing my work in architectural preservation. I enjoy serving on the boards of the New York Landmarks Conservancy and the Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts. My most rewarding project is running a charitable foundation that protects a 100-year-old building by architects Delano & Aldrich here in New York.” Next up, Wendy Tayler, who, believe it or not, has been living in Costa Rica for almost 26 years now! Wendy sold her farm in 2015 and moved to a townhouse in a beach resort
Celebrating the 60th birthday of Melynda Miller Olsen in Monterey: 1974 classmates Suzanne Turner, Melynda Miller Olsen, Betsy Pollock Scimone, Anne de Lorimier Eggleton, and friend, Verona Mhoon
community, “because all five kids are up and grown, and living in the States, Canada, and Costa Rica.” Wendy reports that she is “silk painting full time.” Wendy is working on some big contracts in Costa Rica, and in addition to those, she has commissioned pieces for customers all over the world. “It is my passion and my studio is my happy place.” Wendy enjoys sports, listing, sailing, snorkeling and horseback riding, as activities outside her studio that keep her thriving. She will be “a first-time grandmother the first week or so of August, so will spend much of that month in Los Angeles.” Olava Menczkowska “continues to live in Carmel and has several assistants working Beth Barker ’74 in Africa
with her in The Studio at Pebble Beach. Now expanding into health and wellness, she is looking forward to Catalina’s new programming and continues to work with both students and alumnae from the school. Also, ballroom dance has become a new passion which she hopes will carry her into the next decade or two!” Patricia Lundgren Partridge, otherwise known as Tricia to us, tells me this: “I continue to live in Healdsburg, CA, a small town in the wine country of Sonoma County. I still work in geriatric nursing, and am health services director of an assisted living community in Santa Rosa. I’ve reconnected with Leslie Barbieri Rea, who lives with her husband in Santa Rosa. I also see Cindy Bondeson Grier and her wonderful husband, Andy. My son, Gregory, married the love of his life, Virginia, last October at the beautiful St. Dominic’s Church in San Francisco with a memorable reception held at the Fairmont Hotel. They live in Larkspur not far from me.” Then Tricia says with some glee, “They’ve decided to make me a grandmother in mid-November. My daughter now lives in Denver and my son, Willie, lives in San Diego, two nice places to visit.” Suzanne Dragge Icaza, otherwise known as Susie, is delighted to be a grandparent and is beaming to have a new grandson! Susie has “turned the corner” well! This is how she feels about life: “Turning 60 feels great! I have had a wonderful year: discovering that I am a designer and completing a whole house remodel on Carmel Point (done and gorgeous), throwing two weddings, loving a new grandson and learning to paddleboard (much more difficult than enduring an 85 week remodeling project or putting on a wedding for 180). I’ve had fun catching up with Cindy Bondeson Grier, her husband, Andy, and their sweet dogs, as well as, Kelly Burke on visits to Carmel.” Susie writes back a quick addition, “I am so grateful for my blessed life. It would be wrongheaded to be anything but positive.” Carolyn Hartwell O’Brien reveals how she has so gracefully stepped into this next age bracket with her report. “This is the year most of us turn 60. It doesn’t seem so long ago that we were living and learning together at Santa Catalina, and as I reflect on life thus far, I continue to be grateful for the friendships and experiences I carry with me from those days. In addition to spending time with my family, I’m focused on building my consulting business, MissionBridge Philanthropy, working with individuals