1970 Continued I am certain you have noticed the remarkable weather heralding climate changes, rapidly rising tides threatening the entire coastlines of our county and much of the world, unspeakable worldwide political events, and a groundwork being set to undermine the quality of our land, water and air without recourse or recompense for a profit benefiting a miniscule minority, which most importantly, does not include me! Our class has always been at the forefront of change, involvement and purpose; each ripening to challenges in their own times and ways, so my faith in all of you to keep on “trucking” is boundless. Meanwhile, my farm is still on the market; ever the optimist, I continue to wait for this time of testing patience to pass. Meanwhile, my daughter Kirsten and her hubby Kevin are working in CA. (See her online shop at http://store.insouciantstudios.com.) They also are waiting for me to sell the MD farm and move there, too. (Although, I think their motivations are closer to them wanting to raise chickens and sheep for wool when I buy another farm.) How small my world has become these days…I am beset with a burgeoning feral cat population that apparently have little to no self control, and worse they have learned to drop off their kittens who look into my kitchen sliding glass door with such woebegone faces that I find myself now with 3 feral cats living in my mud room and one recovering from being spayed in my garage. Apparently, my current job is to open dozens of cat food tins and bags of cat chow, thereby proving that I am no better in the self-control department than they are. (My title, obviously, is cat-astrophy.) My only hope is that they will grow up and marry a nice, rich fat cat! (Alternatively, if any of you is desperate for a new challenge, can I interest you in a nice kitten…?) Feel well and be happy!
1971
Lisa Stockwell 1221 Monroe Street Santa Rosa, CA 95404 lisabstockwell@gmail.com In a year when we have all turned another corner to face a new decade, classmates came together to share news through our email threads and on our Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook but haven’t joined the group, look for “Westover School Class of 1971.” It’s been wonderful to hear from and see old friends, many for the first time since we walked out the doors of Westover and into the rest of our lives. Ours was an experience we’ve all questioned over the years, given the times we were there. But there’s no question that it created bonds that remain 42 years later. I think the values that Westover
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promoted then and now—the ability to think, do and be— rubbed off. Ours is a smart, accomplished, and incredibly generous group of women. And it’s wonderful for me to see old friends and acquaintances reestablishing connections. This year, in March, eight of our classmates gathered in Jupiter, FL to celebrate our 60th birthdays with a mini-reunion. We had such a great time we vowed to do it again—and again. Karen Kjorlien Phillips (a senior financial advisor with Merrill Lynch) and Nancy Reighley Cavanaugh (member of the Westover Board of Trustees) were incredible hosts. The three of us had lunch with Suzanne Hooker Ainslie in Palm Beach before the rest of the group gathered. (Suzanne is in real estate and gave us a tour of her newly built home as the final paint was being applied to the walls.) Our weekend group included Julie Bassett Aronson (an interior designer in NJ), Susan Hicks Jernigan (who is retired and splits her time with husband Steve between Vancouver and Mexico), Tanya Kazanjian (now living in Charlotte), Sarah Carleton Wechsler (notes below) and Francene Young (who is not only Westover’s President of the Board of Trustees but is now devoting her time as an Episcopal priest to a parish in the Houston area). Liddy Schneidman Lindsay had planned to join us but had to cancel at the last minute. (Liddy’s artwork can be seen at LiddyLindsay.com.) Others who checked in but couldn’t make it included Katy Angstadt Rahe, Ann Bickford Keller, Susan Clark, Jules Connolly Means, Maria Deegan Murdoch, Lloyd DuPont, Francie Fifield, Cary Montgomery Stetson, Hilary Higgins Parker, Tammis Rehill Lazarus, Debbi Rowland-Caplan, Shelley Sagar Payer, Jane Watson Stetson, and Peg Urvoas Urvek. It was wonderful to hear from everyone! I had the pleasure of seeing Karen again in Sept., when she came out to visit CA for the first time in decades. She is bearing the loss of her son Chris with incredible strength. We spent the day with Heidi Swan Helvestine, who works as a medical assistant for an orthopedic surgeon in Marin Co.—when she’s not keeping up with her 5 kids (now all launched). I think we may have convinced Karen that CA is worth more frequent visits! In other news (in their own words): Ann Bickford Keller: “No matter what has happened all these many years, I do think our hearts all have a very common place — together in our experience at Westover — for better or worse. There is a unique bond. I’m still living in Buffalo, NY. My daughter, Annie, is working in health administration in Boston and going for her MBA at Boston C. My son, Tom, is living in Buffalo and working in marketing for a large wholesale company.
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Alumna of Note: Julia Davis ’13
Bryan, my husband, is facing new challenges as part of the greying administration in a large corporation. I am working part-time for a small medical practice and keeping my brains active and challenged and adding to the retirement account. I’m thankful that we are all healthy and in good shape.” Sarah Carleton Wechsler: “I would say that turning 60 was not nearly as bad as turning 50. I have a SR and JR in high school so it’s a crazy time of life for them –and me, by association!” Debbi Hartigan Rowland-Caplan: “I have not been able to attend any of our Westover gatherings because of geographic distance, so the email links and all of your great messages have helped to bridge the passage of time since our days at Westover. I truly wish you all a healthy and exciting 7th decade, too.” Hilary Higgins Parker: “Retirement is glimmering at the end of the proverbial tunnel. In the meantime we are still ticking along in academe. Tom is in his 34th year at Woodberry Forest School teaching, coaching and mentoring. I’m still working part time in the development office, working on a long term archival project; when I am not doing that I am volunteering for our local five-county hospice, where I am in my 12th year on their Board of Directors. I don’t get to do as much patient volunteering and grief counseling as I’ve done in the past, as my Board position is pretty all consuming, but I’ll get back to it once I rotate off the Board in June. Our son Warren still works in the music business as the production manager for Charlottesville’s Jefferson Theater, owned by Dave Matthew’s Band’s management company, Red Light Management. In addition to that, Warren and a couple of friends started their own record label, WarHen Records, LLC, which produces limited edition vinyl records. It’s still a fledgling label, but it’s doing well considering it’s a side business. Needless to say music has taken over his life and ours! Keeps us young! I love keeping up with everyone on Facebook, and especially love that my JR year roommate Martha Daily Iacovelli and I both have homes in Chatham, MA, where we get together every summer.” Elizabeth McCabe Keith: “Thanks for persuading us to share our lives, or pinches of them, and dropping them all into the gumbo we know as class notes. All is well here in LA; the weather is lovely, the sugar cane crop is harvested, and the fields are burned off, which scents the air with warm notes of caramel and sends wispy cinders of ash into our courtyard! Our daughter Mariah was married to Nathaniel Morgan on August 10th in Salisbury, CT, and the event preparations were my main source of entertainment for nearly a year. We imported a Cajun band and danced to the fiddle and accordion, ate good crawfish etouffe and ‘gator balls’, and carried on in high fashion. Mariah is a senior account coordinator at an integrated tech ad agency in Portsmouth, NH; Nathaniel is a graduate student at Antioch/ Keene in Environmental Ed.
Julia Davis ’13 has been awarded a Character Does Matter Scholarship by the Travis Manion Foundation in recognition of her outstanding community service. She was one of four students to receive their scholarships at the 2013 “If Not Me, Then Who …” Gala in December in Philadelphia. As a Community Service Representative during her senior year, Julia delivered a Character Does Matter presentation at a class meeting. In her presentation, she shared the story of her cousin Chief Petty Officer Brian R. Bill, a highly accomplished Navy SEAL from Stamford; his fallen SEAL teammates, and other troops killed in action with Bill on August 6, 2011, in Afghanistan. She and her classmates then completed community service projects, creating and fundraising for care packages and letters to send to troops in Afghanistan, as well as a walk to support Multiple Sclerosis research and treatment. A freshman at the University of Connecticut, Julia plans a career in the United States Navy.
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