45th Reunion MARY RANDOLPH DICKSON BALLINGER ‘66 Wheeler was a good school for me in many ways. I lived at the Farm my first year and that was special. We all had fun on our drive in and out of town. Mr. Morgan was especially supportive of me. Six of us lived in his house for one year and I felt very privileged to get to know him better at that time. I am afraid my thing was sports not classes and I loved that aspect of the school. Mr. Morgan did encourage tennis for me and even had me go to Don Budge`s tennis camp in Jamaica one summer. Now what headmaster would do that! I loved the Gold Team. I loved the friendships I met there some that have continued strongly into the present. When you are a boarder and you live there for five years you become very close to your friends. Once I left Wheeler and went to college I woke up to the joy of learning and have to assume that Wheeler instilled that in me on some subtle level that just took a while to awaken. Since those days I have had a lifetime of activities and a wonderful marriage. I have been in the real estate business for a very long time, long enough now to retire, and I have been very involved in my community forever in so many ways. I have to credit Wheeler and sports and the Golds for encouraging me to nurture leadership skills that carried on. I really hope that so many friends will come back to Wheeler this fall as I want to see so many of you. It has been too long!! Mary-Randolph Ballinger aka Randy Dickson
“I have to credit Wheeler and sports and the Golds for encouraging me to nurture leadership skills . . .” JUDI KELLENBERGER STELLA ‘66 Before coming to Wheeler for my freshman year, I attended Lincoln School. My adoptive mother, Esther Kellenberger, came to Wheeler in the 1960’s to teach Latin. I believe Wheeler offered more of a financial scholarship than Lincoln - hence the change of schools. The adjustment was a challenge, but I gradually made friends at Wheeler. Teachers and courses that made an impact on me during my four years were: my English teachers Mrs. Ryder and Miss Alden who was tough but fair, art history with Mr. Seeley (I recall spending my free time in his art studio,) and Miss Erlenmeyer, and her four-hour a night homework assignments, who taught me so much about France. Still to this day I love to travel and try to make it to Paris once a year. As for traditions and activities I remember most, I recall Field Day at the Farm and May Day where we danced around the May Pole. I feel very fortunate to have had such a wonderful educational background. And after decades of volunteering, teaching college courses and working fulltime, I now job share an office management position at a small law firm in Boston. I work 2 ½ days per week which is just perfect for me. I have four children, 23 to 34 years old, and four grandchildren. I have lived all over Massachusetts since moving to Boston in 1968 (Watertown, Belmont, Dover, Milton and Randolph). The past 24 summers have been spent on Cape Cod. Life is constantly changing, and I am constantly on the move. What I am most proud of is finding my birthmother and my seven siblings; a story I hope to write about someday. When I was at Wheeler, I knew the day students better than the boarders. So it was great having so many boarders return to Wheeler for our 40th. We had thoughtful conversations about Wheeler and I found their perspectives very interesting. I would love to reunite again this year to continue these conversations. I encourage everyone to return to Wheeler this October for our 45th. If you haven’t been back to visit in a while, you will be greatly surprised at the many changes.