60th REUNION QUESTIONNAIRE RESULTS
Taken from presentation at Saturday Night Dinner
With the caveat that the results reflect the 82 (about 1/3 of class) who chose to respond

• We are a happy optimistic group of mature women, basically content with who we are. The thing that came across loud and clear was the wish for more energy
• 86% are in excellent or good health
• 91% say their finances are good – some excellent, others OK
• All but a few are active, many still exercising and participating in various sports
• Almost all of us use the internet, primarily for email followed by research and games including bridge
• Our favorite decade was during our 60s, second being our 80s. Least chosen were our 20s and 30s.
• Reasons had largely to do with enjoying having family that was in the appropriate stage for that time of our lives.
• Second was satisfaction with whatever work we were engaged in
• Our greatest satisfaction came from our relationships followed by pleasure in our children and grandchildren. When we were working professional achievements ranked high, and was replaced by friendships during retirement.
• We spend our time in a variety of ways.
• Reading was most common followed by gardening and volunteer work.
• Exercise and sports were high on the list with a wide variety being listed. Walking was number one with yoga, swimming, tai chi, pilates, tap dancing, skiing, golf, tennis and pickle ball mentioned.
• Again, family ranked high.
• Also mentioned were bridge and the arts including painting, playing instruments and attending theater, movies, opera and concerts.
• Handicrafts covered a wide variety including knitting, beading, ceramics and collage.
• We remain involved in educational and community activities.
• Travel was noted by a few with more than a few having enjoyed many years of travel but having decided to stay closer to home now.
• Our favorite memories were varied with the most mentions going to dorm life with the associated friends, bridge and conversations in the smoker as well as Milk and Crackers. This was followed by the beautiful surroundings both on campus and in the valley, with Mountain Day a common refrain. Many cited favorite faculty members. Some specific events mentioned included:
• Watching my daughter graduate from Holyoke 30 years after I did
• Sitting at the feet of THURGOOD MARSHALL at an Amherst lecture
• Listening to ROBERT FROST lecture in Chapin
• Sliding on kitchen trays in the snow outside Lakeside
• Arriving as a nervous freshman and being pulled out of my room by upperclassmen for a conga line up and down the halls.
I resurrected some of the responses to the question: “What was the most outrageous thing you’ve done?” from the Questionnaire that I had done for our 45th reunion and found these among the answers.
• I’ve done a lot of outrageous things
• I hope it’s still ahead of me
• I swam in a crocodile infested billabong in Australia
• I drove in an ostrich race
• I remarried an ex-husband
• I divorced and re-married without telling anyone
• I had affairs with much younger men
• I sat alone in a hole in front of a dump truck for hours to keep it from illegal dumping until the truck owner agreed to ‘cease and desist’.
• The Winner Was: I met my lover at the airport in only a mink coat

Modesty aside, we’re still a terrific group of women, going strong, having fun and making a difference to our families and the world!!

Respectfully submitted,

Bonnie Machson Cohen