Allison’s blog:http://turningwiththeearth.blogspot.it/
Allison’s Anthropology Websites:http://jablonko-maring.pacific-credo.fr
Allison’s films are distributed by:www.der.org
SUE VAUGHN HIMES
“had a wonderful trip this fall to the Amazon! From Lima, Peru, we flew to Iquitos and boarded a riverboat on the Amazon in late October, the beginning of the rainy season. After a cloudburst the day we boarded the boat, we saw only a few sprinkles during the rest of the 7 days. And there were very few mosquitos. What we did see were several different groups of monkeys and other animals and about 40 species of birds. Plus we fished for piranhas and ate them as an appetizer. I had an anaconda wrapped around my shoulders – on purpose. In addition to the Amazon, we were on the Maranon River and several smaller tributaries. We learned about the culture by visiting in family homes in small villages along the rivers.
Our next trip is a week over the New Year on N. Captiva Island near Sanibel, Florida with the whole family. No cars are allowed on the island; instead we’ll use golf cars. This was planned last summer before Laura knew that Walmart was transferring her to Bentonville, Arkansas. They have just moved there so they and we will be going to Florida from the Midwest. Miguel is in 4th grade and Amelia, in 3rd. We are delighted to have them only a four-hour drive away. And Bentonville has the spectacular American art museum, Crystal Bridges, which is attracting visitors from all over. Vaughn, Martie, Jamie and Anna still live in Issaquah, Washington. Jamie is a high school junior and Anna is a 5th grader. Jenny still lives in Fairfax, Virginia, works for the school district and does free lance playing. When we’re not off gallivanting, we continue with volunteer activities: AARP Tax-Aide program and a local food pantry. Dick’s responsibility at KU is coming to a close so, except for going to occasional seminars and playing handball, he goes to campus less frequently.
SANDRA KLAMKIN SCHOCKET
Sandy moved to Ohio 12 years ago to live closer to her son and daughter-in-law. “They now have two girls, 12 and 8 so I get to see them pretty often. For the past 12 years I have been a volunteer docent at the Toledo Ohio Museum of Art. It is a competitive program to be accepted into and training is two years. Given Toledo’s reputation as a dying rust belt city, people are always amazed at the beauty of the Toledo Art Museum and the quality of its art. I have made many good friends among the docents and the art education I have received would compare to an MA in art. In the small world department, the assistant director of the museum, quite a young man, has a mother who was MHC 68.
ANNETTE FOISIE
Annette Foisie writes: “Sad news that my husband Lou Sarto died in August, after 8 full strokes; the blessing was that he was accepting and peaceful, and we were together all day, every day. Now I am returning to my church work, as a tertiary with the International Order of St. Luke, and am now able to get back to my plein air painting, which I love.My California landscape work was featured in a recent issue of Southwest Art magazine.”
KATHY BATEMAN DRISCOLL
and John just returned from a wonderful cruise in France, Spain and Portugal(Lisbon). “We were on another interesting one in Jan. in the eastern Caribbean. We are really enjoying the time to travel and hope to do a riverboat cruise next spring. Enjoyed a visit with SALLY (DUMPER) WISEMAN and Bob a few weeks ago. They live live in Williamsburg and are enjoying golf, tennis and traveling. They are doing great! As is PHOEBE ROYCE GILCHRIST who was here in August. She is in Baltimore and volunteers at the Aquarium there. It’s so nice to have reunions with such great MHC friends.”
CHARLOTTE BARTON SORNBORGER
had previously shared the news of her 2014 award for “Outstanding Environmental Advocacy”. and now writes that she was named Rhode Island “Distinguished Naturalist” for 2014 by the RI Natural HIstory Survey. “I am greatly honored by all the attention, but in my remarks mentioned my good fortune to attend Mount Holyoke College, renowned for its top notch science programs and outstanding teachers, who inspire young women to pursue vocations or careers in science. . . ” Over the summer and fall of 2014, Char and Marty traveled to California and Colorado to visit two sons and their families. “Thankfully, our youngest son lives in Connecticut with his family, so visits are more frequent. “
SHEILA (SAM) MAKI KORHAMMER
formerly from Williams Township and Easton, PA, died Oct.14, 2014 at her home on Dataw Island, S.C. She is survived by her husband, Alan, sons, William and Richard and their wives, daughter Heather and her husband, a sister and eight grandchildren.
Sheila served on the Easton School Board, (’73-’79), the Board.of Trustees for Northampton Community College (’74-’86), held many positions at the state and national levels and received the prestigious M. Dale Ensign Award in 1988 for her outstanding service as a community college trustee. She wrote for our 50th reunion that she “continues to enjoy running her own Consulting Company – Assisting colleges/universities with President/Administrative searches.” LINDA (TAFFY) TAFT LITTON and MARGARET (PEGGY) TROTTER FELIX and her husband flew to South Carolina for a memorial service (apparently planned by Sheila, herself, along with her children, sister and husband). About 70 family and friends shared stories and paid tribute to Sheila’s many accomplishments and her courage in dealing with her long illness. Taffy writes that “it was an uplifting experience . . and a satisfying closure to the life of a kind, creative and earlier energetic woman.”
MARGARET (MEG) CLAYTOR WOODBURY
and David are traveling as much as possible. ? North Carlina early July for Meg’s family reunion, on to Boston later that month for Dave’s meeting (and a short lunch with Katie Butler Jones ’57 and husband Hubey), Glacier, Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper Parks, Canadian Rockies, Vancouver and Seattle in August. Heading to California and Hawaii in October. All have been great change from the medical, Physical Therapy, and prescribed exercise program when home.”
AMY WEADOCK BAHR and MARY (EDGY) EDGERTON SLOAT
recently spent three days painting on Cape Cod, “It was a wonderful water color experience. Bruce and I were in Vietnam and Indonesia last April for the month. Beautiful area. We loved the Flores Islands and inland Bali.”
ANTONIE (TONY) LANGR CLOSE
Tony died 7/19/14. She graduated Salutatorian from Northville Central School (NY) in ’54 and entered MHC. Hilda Brody Greenbaum remembered Tony positively from freshman year in Lakeside. She graduated with a Bachelor’ degree in Educ from the Univ. of Rochester and taught in Mayfield Central School from 9/72 -11/13. Antonie is survived by her husband, Harland Close
PEG TROTTER FELIX
participated this June in a 5-K run put on by the NJ Sharing Network, the center for organ donation for the whole US! “We participated because our son was fortunate enough to have had a living donor for his liver in 2012 – a wonderful college friend was his donor. The beautiful stories we read about the different donors who have saved lives through their various gifts of life, were so moving. About ten of us participated in the event, wearing bright red shirts that read in the front: “Matt’s liver is faster than me” and on the back, ‘Thanks P.K.’ (his donor). “
MARY EDGERTON SLOAT
and Bruce and spent April ’14 in Hanoi, Vietnam; Java, Bali, and Flores, Indonesia. High light of the wonderful trip was seeing 11 Komodo Dragons in the wild.
PAT SKILLIN PELTON
is back in New England. “As much fun as living in Florida for eight years was, being near my sister and husband, enjoying their company and that of many new friends, and enjoying sub-tropical gardening and birding and the wonderful cultural life Vero Beach and St. Augustine offered, it’s a great joy to be back in New England and being near two of my four children, who live in this Holyoke -Easthampton area. . . . This is a lively area. I’m renting the front part of an little old farmhouse a block from the center of Easthampton . . . I’ve turned into my grand-father, loving to sit on the front porch enjoying the breeze and watching the world go by. Also enjoy working in the gardens, being organist at the church until my daughter, who is the music chairman, finds someone else, and having a more leisured life in which to read and engage in a little of the culture around me.
I love being more a part of my very active children and grand-children’s lives. Love having people stay with me as they-re passing through the area, including my roommates from Holyoke and Abbot,. . .
Went to my 60th Abbot re-union, which took place at Andover, because Abbot was swallowed up into Andover as part of the boys’ school becoming co-ed in the 70;s.. . . We saw an interesting documentary done by a well-known graduate of Andover. He interviewed women at the 2013 reunion. They were wonderful! One “salty” l04 year alumna, who stated she was sent to Abbot to keep her away from a boy friend, said she felt she was in prison when those gates closed behind her, but has since felt grateful. . .
I enjoy walking the campus (MHC) occasionally. It’s beautiful! Always has been, but in a much wilder way than when we were there in the fifties. . .”
(JANE) ELIZABETH NILAN DAVIS
SUE STEINBERG ROSEN
just got back from their granddaughter’s graduation from the University of Rochester. “Ariana graduated with distinction as a Biomedical Engineering Major. She will take a “gap” year while applying to Medical School. What a thrill it is to see one’s grandchild graduate from college! Ari will go to Israel with Birthright in June.” Sister, Alexandra “Lexi” ,is finishing her freshman year at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and cousin, Axel, is moving up to Middle School in Boulder, CO. The Rosens will be going there for the celebration. They spent 6 weeks in Santa Monica this winter to be with daughter and son-in-law who moved there recently. “What a great time to be away from the Berkshires.”
CHARLOTTE BARTON SORNBORGER
shared exciting news that the “. . .RI Save The Bay gave me an award for Outstanding Environmental Advocacy in recognition for my work with the Barrington Land Trust (including the 25-year terrapin population study) – given to “one tenacious advocate who embodies leadership, commitment and action on environmental issues”. In my acceptance remarks, I noted the exceptional science education I had received at Mount Holyoke. Nothing like tooting my own horn, but I am very proud of it and thankful for the wonderful background I had at MHC, thanks to the superb faculty.
Marty and I paid a short visit to Misty Gideonse at her home in Maine a few weeks ago; it is a treat to see her beautiful garden!
MIRELLA JONA AFFRON
entered MHC in ’53, spent her jr. year in France, another year in Europe, returned to So. Hadley and graduated, with the class of ’58. After completing a Ph.D at Yale in French literature in ’64, she spent most of her career at the College of Staten Island/The City University of New York as a faculty member, then chair of the dept. of Performing and Creative Arts, Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, and finally Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs. After retiring in 2002, Mirella has been looking after 3 grandchn. from time to time. Son, Matthew, is Curator for Modern Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and daughter, Beatrice Jona Affron, ho is a conductor and the Music Director of the PA Ballet. “Since retiring, I have continued to write. In 2009, Rutgers University Press brought out Best Years: Going to the Movies, 1945-1946 (co-author Charles Affron); in September 2014, the University of California Press will publish, again co-authored with Charles Affron, our institutional and performance history of the Metropolitan Opera titled Grand Opera: The Story of the Met. The announcement of this forthcoming publication, with a short description and short bios of Charles and me can be found on the UC Press website: http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520250338.
DEBRA KOFF FREEDMAN
writes of being in transition . . . They’ve sold their Longmeadow home after 56 yrs., are moving to CT/ beach house (30 East Walk Clinton CT 06413. ), overwhelmed with the task of packing years of accumulated stuff, sorting and storing personal things, deciding what is going into storage for another move several years down the road (the beach house is not conducive to year round living and Florida would only be for a few months in the dead of winter.) and dealing with the huge workshop Ned has used all these years with power tools, wood, nuts, bolts, etc.and Debra’s hobby art stuff (water colors, oils, acrylics, papers, brushes, etc etc….
She is still working (a renovation of the Marriott Courtyard near Amherst) and spends several hours each day at the office. “I am truly swamped, but thank G-d I am in remission from 2 bouts of mantle cell lymphoma and a broken femur.” Ned is doing well after his stroke several years ago.“In short, the kids and grandkids are well. We have 2 grandsons in their first year at college (Max Freedman at Hamilton and Jason Queen at U of Maryland). Our oldest Tabi has not married, but has Weimaraners (hunting dogs) for company. She teaches skiing n the winter, and is looking for an IT job in NYC. That is it in a nutshell.”
MEG CLAYTOR WOODBURY
and Dave had a lovely river cruise from Prague to Budapest on the Danube.. MARCIA (MUFFIE) TAYLOR SEIFERT and Phyllis came in the day after their return “. . .and we had a grand old time despite Michigan’s loss to Nebraska. (We were earlier honored to be guests at Muffie’s son Carl’s wedding in the Sierra mountains of northern California.) “ After a week in Hilton Head with Katherine Butler Jones ’57 and husband Hubey last July , the Joneses joined them in Mich. right after Thanksgiving. The Woodburys were in their FL condo 12/17-4/10, defintely a northern.winter to miss.
PEG TROTTER FELIX
writes about some interesting trips (eg Istanbul to Rome) “but most recently, a new knee – a joy I imagine quite a few classmates share with me!
BIBI MOMSEN
has moved (with her dog) closer to her daughter, to a continuing care retirement center in SE Portland (13021 SE River Rd., Apt 104P Portland OR 97222). “It’s a very comprehensive place where you really don’t ever have to drive as there is a small grocery store on campus, and they have shuttle buses to other places. . . I have met residents who have been here for 15 years and who have never cooked as the dining facilities are excellent! So far I’ve met a resident whose mother went to Mt. Holyoke, but don’t know if there are other Holyoke grads here. The grounds are ablaze with color in flowering bushes and trees, and there are plentiful birds – even a golden eagle whose nest is just north of this complex.”
SUSAN THOMAS
is “off to ME for the summer and northern Italy with Ann Pardo, MHC Class of ??? in early September, then back to school for the academic year. At this moment, my oldest grandson is playing lacrosse at Lawrence Academy, my youngest son will march in the Patriot’s Day parade in Concord, the triplets graduate this June, off to Colby, Tufts and one undecided at this instant. Youngest granddaughter off to Holland for spring vacation, my eldest son in law is running for State Treasurer. and on April 14 my eldest daughter was sworn in as an Deputy Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights.
PRISCILLA (PRILLY / KATE) MYRICK DIAMOND
and Pete have been living in New York City January to June where she’s doing research on a painting and her husband is consulting at the NY Fed and NYU Stern Business School and Economics Dept. She loves the astounding resources here, the beautiful view across SoHo of lower Manhattan and the opportunity to hang out with SALLY CARR and LINDA (TAFFY) TAFT LITTON beloved former roommates. “Enjoyed 55th reunion very much and thanks everyone who worked so hard to make it wonderful.”
LAIRD TROWBRIDGE’S
book of poems, “Barefoot Walking”, is being published by Finishing Line Press in and will be accessible through Amazon.com . She’s also working on a Humorous memoir – “Five Star Sundays; Two Star Monday” about growing up a minister’s daughter in a funny/not so funny family. There will be nice memories and loud laughs about life at Mt. Holyoke. She and Reid, are doing well. One daughter is now Prof .of Contemporary Poetry at Univ. of Mich. The other teaches English in Asheville, NC.
Camden conference on the Global Politics of Food And Water
ANNE ENSWORTH WHITNEY
passed on the sad news of the recent death of LOUISE ENGLE DOVE’s husband Bill. “He had Parkinson’s for many years, and was in a living facility for the past few years. It has been a difficult time for the family. Louise went over every day to see Bill and read to him, or took him photos, or just sat and visited. Her devotion is an example for us all. I know cards from classmates would be meaningful.
All is well with us. We did get to Pittsburgh for Christmas in the “Class of ’36 house”. We were recently in Berkeley CA visiting our daughter Katherine and her family. We also stopped to see daughter Emily ’89 on the way to Peterborough NH for the memorial service for Nancy Perkins ’50 who was pres. of the AA when I was VP. The priest started her homily with the quote “Go where no one else has gone. Do what no one else has done”. Then she asked anyone who knew the quote to stand. There were several of us MHC grads who recognized Mary Lyons words. She went on to use those words to capture Nancy’s extraordinary life. She was a good friend and I will miss her. Our 2 couples have become good friends over the years.
On a happy note, LYNNE JONES OSBORNE came to listen to our choral society’s winter concert. It is wonderful to be able to share today’s experiences with a classmate.
NANCY TYNER DERBY
and Roger spent their 23rd summer on MacMahan Island, ME with visits from children and their families. “In January we sold our home of 35 years and moved to a condo nearby. . . I continue to be active in parish activities at All Saints’ Pontiac, Michigan. Our wonderful Rector and her partner are Holyoke grads. We had a very pleasant Mountain Day together last fall.” We still hike and play tennis and are looking forward to a trip in February to the Palestinian Territories and Israel.
CAROLYN JACOBUS FOWLER
sent a holiday card reporting a commencement at St. Lawrence (eldest grand-daughter) and Ed’s 60th Reunion at Princeton. Travel in 2013 included Alaska with 2 grandchildren. and their parents and a September cruise on the Adriatic ” . . .starting in Rome with visits in Brindisi, Ravenna and Venice — then Greek/Roman historic site visits in Croatia, Montenegro and Albania — ending in Athens.”
TOMMIE BORTON WARDER
Tommie Borton Warder moved to Georgetown of Philadelphia in Penllyn, PA. “… a beautiful condominium place with lovely green space, a pool, tennis courts and lots of dogs and friendly people.” She is still working for Lindy Property Management as Activities Coordinator at two of the Lindy buildings. “I am very grateful for my work, which feels perfect for me. It’s a good thing, as I hope to be doing it for a long time! “Tommie continues to sing with Vox Ama Deus (classical, baroque, renaissance music on period instruments)- remember her with the V-8’s and the glee club!. “Music is pretty much where I live and where I feel most connected with spirit. I am hoping to do that for a long time as well.” One grandson graduated from college and just passed his Series 7 and 63 exams so is a fulL-fledged stock broker at Laidlaw in NYC. A granddaughter is in her second year at East Stroudsburg wanting to major in communications. Tommie’s youngest grandson is a junior in high school, playing hockey and lacrosse “. . . as his Grammy did back in the day, though it is ice hockey and a much rougher brand of lacrosse.” Her older son, Scott, moved to Redondo Beach recently and works as a consultant for Sunergos.
“Life is good. I am grateful.”
Tommie stays in touch with roommate JUDY PERRY McCAFFREY, Peace Whitman Baxter (59), Babbie Baldwin Miller, Shirley Whittesey Kuhn (61), Sally Deming Love (59) and her freshman roommate, CINDY CARPENTER McFADDEN (who sent a rich account of the last reunion and the book that went with it). “Old friends are the best, aren’t they?”
We are staying in touch with Tam, hoping she will take her place at the turkey table in 2014.”