class notes
Catherine Widgery ’71, Gary J. Niels and Kathy Zillweger Putnam ’71 in Boston. April—an amazing experience, and an incredible eye-opener about how the legislative process works. wendyannh@comcast.net
1972 Molly Cannon Stevenson and her husband, Bill, are looking forward to new chapters in their work lives, as well as an adventure! Bill has had two hip surgeries with very good results. He is now walking without pain and major disability. His department was eliminated after 25 years with the same employer. Molly is still consulting and providing interim management to nonprofits. Her company has a new affiliation with Skystone Ryan, a national fundraising consulting firm. Her daughter, Sophie, is in Kindergarten; her daughter, Mamie, is a freshman at Reed College in Portland, OR; and her son, Will, is in the music industry in Sacramento, CA. “Classmates: Please let me know if you are going to be in Colorado. I thought that our class reunion was delightful!” MStevensPIP@aol.com
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1969 Alice May Succop Burger writes, “Our 40th reunion is fast approaching!! I have been back in Pittsburgh for 25 years and am in touch with classmates Joanie Musgrave Wickham, Sheila Rollit Tetler, Mimi McCloskey, Linnea McQuiston Pearson, Peggy Thomas McKnight, and Susie Simon Weiner. Several times a year I have lunch with our history teacher, Miss Ginny Sheppard ’41, who lives near me. In June 2008 my oldest daughter, Alissa, graduated from Knox College, and Meredith, my youngest, graduated from Mount Lebanon high school. Our home continues to be full with our dogs, Morrie and Lucy. My husband, Elmer, and I just celebrated 34 years of marriage. And yes....I am still working as a CRNP/CNS. Hope to see many of you in 2009.” amsb723@aol.com
1968 Margie Balter is thrilled that her debut CD, Music from My
Thistletalk Autumn/Winter 2008
Heart: Solo Piano Pieces by Margie Balter, was named the winner of “Piano Album of the Year” by the LA Music Awards 2008. Her CD was recently added to the playlist of XM Radio, on Fine Tuning (channel 76) hosted by Ben Smith, and was also featured in “the A-list” of the October issue of the Verdugo Monthly. Margie’s track “First Baywatch” can now also be heard on Women of Substance radio. Please show your support by listening to the station at: http://www.live365. com/stations/breenoble mbalter@dslextreme.com Wendy Franklin is delighted to have been recently re-found by WT and looks forward to being in touch. She has lived in NYC since 1981 and has recently resigned from a 20plus year career in investment banking. Apparently not a day too soon! She specialized in financing public sector transportation projects such as airports, toll roads, highways, and mass transit. Over the summer, Wendy decided that the “writing on the wall” was getting pretty large and that, if she was serious about trying for a second career, she had better get started. She jumped at an opportunity to help out at an organization called Surgeons of Hope (a direct offshoot of Doctors without Borders established to do pediatric cardiac surgery in poor countries). She is a full-time volunteer four days a week and finds the work completely fascinating. She has become a flyfisher and continues to love living in New York. wendyfranklin10@gmail.com.
Kathryn Rich and husband, Fred Sherman, live near WT. Katy’s oldest, Elizabeth Beaman (Vanderbilt ’00), is Vice President of American Paintings at Sotheby’s in NY. Daughter Madeline Whitehill, is a full-time caregiver at The School for Blind Children and part-time Chatham University student. Alexis Sherman (Skidmore ’06) is finishing a Master’s degree in Middle Eastern studies at BU, and Nate Sherman ’04 and recent graduate of Clark University, lives in AZ. Katy is an interior decorator and Fred, who works at Magee and Children’s Hospitals as a pediatric/fetal cardiologist, is the honoree for The Children’s Home gala in March 2009. katyrich@ earthlink.net
1967 Suzanne Gurzenda highly recommends Vanuatu as a cruising destination. It would make an interesting vacation spot, but some of the places have pretty primitive accommodations. The volcano (Mt. Yasur) on Tanna is amazing. They stood on the rim and watched as it erupted. “I guess there are no lawyers in Vanuatu!” The snorkeling and diving were incredible! airyfairy@juno.com Margaret “Mouse” McDowell Lofberg reports that all the McDowell girls, Lucy McDowell Karys ’68, Barbara McDowell ’69, and Martha McDowell ’73, attended the June 21, 2008, wedding of her oldest son, John Putnam Lofberg, to Lisa Kristianna Mack. Sadly, Coco