Claudia Flisi (nee’ Engelman)

People are starting to ask me if or when I want to “retire”.  Writers never retire; they expire propped up in front of the keyboard. I continue to write for the International New York Times, some travel websites, and a lot of European industrial publications you have never heard of unless you work in robotics,  packaging, cylindrical bearings, or metal mechanics. One ongoing project is revising, i.e., redoing from scratch, my professional website. Another is writing more publishable fiction; quite different from interviewing robots.

I continue as vice president of the Mount Holyoke Club of Italy with my PIC (partner in crime), Ellie Shulman Bartolozzi, ’85, who is president.  We are both looking around for successors, since new blood is needed, in spite of our continuing energy and enthusiasm. We need a “new new thing” in the wake of the MHC European Symposium we had organized in Torino in September 2011.  Comments by attendees suggest that it was the most successful European Symposium in the school’s history.   Not too many from our class (Barbara Schmidt Kelly the most prominent) but a large representation from the class of 65, to which my older sister Mary (Degner) belonged.  It was gratifying that many from her class remembered her, though Mary died in 1996.

Spare time:  dog walking, following the exploits of my bachelor sons in Hollywood (but not TOO closely), and traveling with Fernando, my husband of– yikes — 41 years.   Our most recent foray was three weeks in Myanmar last month.  Another goal is to chalk up 100 countries visited.  I am pretty close but need to shorten the number of days/ time visiting each destination if I want to reach 100 before senility sets in.

I continue my volunteer work with Democrats Abroad to ensure that policies followed in the early part of the last decade do not return.    When you live abroad, enjoying universal health care and the safety of stringent gun control laws,  and observing the ugly repercussions of unfettered capitalism,  you  become VERY sensitive to the responsibility Americans have at the voting booth.

Sally Bliss Davis

On the return trip from visiting our daughter and new granddaughter in San Francisco, Sally (Bliss) Davis (69) and husband Bob made two “Mount Holyoke stops”. We had a great visit with Carol (Foy) Graham (68) and husband John who served as wonderful tour guides around Chicago where we had never been but certainly will visit again thanks to their knowledge and enthusiasm. From there we headed up to South Bend and Notre Dame to see Marzy (Tolmach) Bauer(69) and husband Joe. We all attended the Notre Dame v. USC game which was exactly the kind of “big time college football extravaganza” (complete with Notre Dame win) that Bob and I have had on our not exactly “bucket list”. It was wonderful catching up with old Holyoke friends–has me looking forward to our 45th! (Is that possible?)

Julia Halevy

I haven’t written in so long, my life has changed several times over.  After living in Italy for thirteen years, getting my doctorate there and birthing my first three children, all in Florence, I moved back to the States, where I lived in Western Mass for a couple of decades and then moved to Boston, which, much to my own surprise, I absolutely love.

Currently, I’m serving as the Provost and Academic Vice President at the Boston Architectural College (in Boston).  Long story about how a psychologist/family therapist gets herself into a position like this one, but I’m really loving it.  I’ve been quite happily at the BAC for about five years.

I am married to Don Brechner, VP of Behavioral Health at Harrington Hospital in Southbridge, MA.  I have five kids, three step-kids and six grandchildren, ranging in age from eight to seventeen (2 girls and 4 boys).  My oldest granddaughter will be going to college in the coming fall – hard to believe!  While our grandchildren all live with their parents in Massachusetts and Connecticut, others of our children live farther away – New York, Denver, Sarasota, and London, while my youngest, a software engineer, has recently moved from Montreal to Boston.  (My younger daughter has just left Africa for life in London, after several years living/working there. In Sudan, she worked on a UN task force to create the government of the new nation (unfortunately, now very shaky) of South Sudan, and subsequently in Kenya on a British task force assisting in the stabilization of Somalia.)  This would get a lot longer if I described the various wonderful lives of all the children, so I’ll stop here.

My husband, Don Brechner, and I have traveled more extensively over the past few years.  We took a wonderful trip to South America and Antarctica for my 60th birthday, visited Istanbul, meeting my then Sudan-based daughter there for a great vacation, and last year visited the same daughter in Nairobi – an amazing trip.  Of course, we’ve been back to Florence occasionally to visit friends and family. We’re headed to Costa Rica next.  We’re beginning to plan for retirement in 5 years or so with a long list of travel ideas and plans.

Hoping to get to our 50th reunion and enjoying the news of 1969 classmates!

Charlotte Davis

After almost 30 years in Charlotte, NC, Charlotte Murray Davis and husband John are back in Woodstock, CT, enjoying our second winter of cold and snow. We are living in the house John’s family built in 1960 (very functional passive solar). Almost 7 acres and a beautiful view. Flower beds that hadn’t been weeded in 7 years! We are at 69 Prospect St, Woodstock CT, 06281. Our mail goes to PO Box 237, East Woodstock, CT, 06244, until our little PO disappears, probably sooner rather than later. Would love to hear from classmates!

Helene Sage

I have been a bit buried here, in the wilds of northern New Mexico (but near Santa Fe). My husband Paul Bornstein and I moved here 6 years ago- it is such a beautiful spot, and the outdoors has always been a strong lure for us both. Paul died in September, and I lost my Thoroughbred horse this spring- a rather terrible year. Paul and I were together for nearly 40 years, and science was really fun then, when grants were plentiful for basic science.
On a brighter note, I continue to consult with a group , formerly at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, but recently moved to U NM in Albuquerque (Cancer center). Our work is focused on targeted drug delivery and has been very successful- several FDA approved anti-cancer drugs are in patients now, with more to come. I moved from the Benaroya Research Institute in Seattle to NM with an NIH grant, which I kept for its final 3 years- and we were able to finish up projects and publish papers, all very gratifying.

I have written several books, non-science, on Native American Horse Gear and on Bridle Rosettes: Two Centuries of Equine Adornment. When my father died on his Montana ranch in 2001, he had his WWII diary sent to me- it has been buried for 60 years, and somehow I knew he wanted it published for people to read (and appreciate the service of these men). My father was a B17 bomber pilot – and I had a lot to learn about the War and the 8th Air Force, but it was wonderful to have the opportunity. All the books have done well, and a 4th one on a Montana silversmith is about to go to press.
Another horse has helped me to regain footing and I hope to show him next year- he’s very pretty!

Winter is here, lots to do to winterize a place like this one- and it seems there is always some construction project going on. Well, enough for now. Hello to all my classmates that remember…Helene

 Marilyn Bruno

I moved last October to San Diego, CA from Coral Gables, FL when I heard that daughter Cynthia Burzell (’01) was pregnant with baby Amanda Jane, who was born on April 6, 2013 (future Class of ’34).  Cynthia and I also achieved new milestones for Aequor, Inc., a biotech company we founded in 2006 (www.aequorinc.com).  Cynthia discovered new chemicals derived from marine microbes (that she also discovered) that have remarkable applications in industry and medicine.   A dear MHC Classmate is an investor and we are networking with an MHC alum in the Green Chemistry space, so this is truly a pioneering venture of Uncommon Women.

Leaving the Miami area meant that I had to give up my cherished volunteer work:  certified Medicare counselor, Board member of the Coral Gables Sr. Advisory Board and Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention.  Most wrenching was leaving the extraordinary women from the Classes of 1926 to 2013 who make up the MHC Alumnae Group of SE Florida, which I helped to found in 2008 as Fearless Leader.  We supported the MHC Admissions Office at College Fairs and Book Awards, recruited students, held events for new admittees and newbies, supported the Posse Program, identified new internship opportunities, offered our homes to students interns,  interviewees, and Speakers, mentored, helped to bring MHC’s Art Museum to the Miami Convention Center for Art Basel — and more.   As the Alumnae Association’s Clubs Committee rep for clubs/groups from Delaware to Louisiana, I tried to share the Miami Group’s collaborative work model, where each project had a team and nobody got burned out.   I still routinely pass along ideas to MHC’s Development Office, and some have resulted in closer MHC connections at the State Department, in China, at the new National Women’s History Museum in D.C., etc.   I wish everyone in ’69 would use their professional and personal networks to find ways to raise the profile of MHC in their communities and share their Time Treasure and Talent with MHC.

Alison Tarleau Bourey

This past summer my family had a great adventure. We took  three generations of our American family (eight of us with children and grandchildren) to meet three generations of their family in France.  Each of our family got to plan some part of the trip and we all had fun exploring, schmoozing and just having the opportunity to spend time with one another.  Our goal for 2014 is introduce our far flung family to New York City.

Jan Oakley Lewis

I recently returned home to Oregon after having spent 3 years in Rochester MN. I waited for 2 years to receive a lung transplant at Mayo Clinic then spent a year there recovering. About a month before I got my call saying they had a lung,I had been told I should think about returning home because there probably would not be a lung available in time and I might want to spend my remaining time with my family. Fortunately for me some wonderful person whose blood type, size, and antibody levels matched mine had made arrangements to donate in case the unforeseen happened. It’s so good to be alive and be back with my family as an active participant. My family lives in town and includes husband Justin, two daughters and their families. Seeing the changes in our four grandchildren ages 5 to 13 has been amazing. I am so grateful for the opportunity to share in their lives.
I would encourage anyone who can, to be an organ donor. The wait for organs is often long and not everyone is as fortunate as I was. There is a long waiting list for heart, lung, liver, kidney, and pancreas among others. The transplant costs for the donor are covered by the recipient’s insurance. In addition to solid organs, skin, bone, cornea and other tissues can be donated to give others a better life. You can sign up on Facebook .

Aina Kayanan Harkey

In 2010, my husband Don and I moved to Chapel Hill, NC from Davidson, NC.  Two college towns, Davidson having been established in 1837 (and even smaller than MHC), and Chapel Hill, home of the University of North Carolina, basically Davidson on steroids.  Could not be happier!

About a year ago, Kim Fleer Rainey came down from Philadelphia for a girl’s weekend. She liked the area, I sent her a link to the available houses in my neighborhood this past October, and within 2 months, she and John (Wesleyan ’67) bought one and moved in! After 44 years we are in the same ZIP code.  Woohoo!

We are now both gainfully retired, and I am trying to get her started up again playing tennis.  It is great having an old friend around, especially since my husband Don is still working in New York City and comes home (or I go up there) every few weeks or so.  I do have one more grandchild to report (4 boys from 5-15) and I finally got a girl…..they are soooo different from boys.  A perfect drama queen who will be a hoot to do girl things with.

Wishing you a very safe, prosperous and healthy 2014.

Margaret Haynes

(professional name Margot Haynes)–30-year old daughter Erin Wang is a professional cellist and part-time French school teacher of Music in San Francisco (passion for French shared with her mother);  son Sherwood Wang age 25 has worked two years as a Actuary in E. Lansing, so we get to see one another more often.  Stepson in TX, two step-daughters in Michigan.

After Masters in Teaching from Johns Hopkins (1971), teaching in Taiwan 6 years, both French and English, Masters in Teaching of English as a Second Language at Southern Illinois U. in 1979, and Ph.D. in Comparative Reading (interdisciplinary Arts and Letters degree from Michigan State U. in Psychology, Linguistics, and English, comparing reading of Chinese and English), I taught for 22 years at Delta (Community) College in Bay County, Michigan, working with Developmental Reading and Writing for American students who seemed flummoxed by literacy requirements of the late 20th century.  Raised two kids, remarried in 1996 to Bruce Froelich, taking on 3 stepkids on weekends.

In 2010 retired to Montague on the shores of Lake Michigan and heavenly weather of all sorts, gardening, body surfing in the big lake, snow shoveling, and various volunteer activities ranging from librarian work at a K-1 inner city school one morning a week to driving for Red Cross Senior Transport one afternoon each week.  Occasional writing for newspaper is very satisfying, though political monopoly in Michigan and the War on Women offset pleasures with lots of frustration.  Still miss Mount Holyoke College roommate Susan Houston, who passed away in 1997 from a brain tumor.  We had shared Tours and Paris together in 1967-68.  I was fortunate to spend two weeks in Paris December 2013 to help care for a 94-year-old friend of my mother’s who was ill.  Her gradual recovery and the smell and feel of the city are recent joys to be celebrated, along with a strong marriage, activist community, and a warm hearth at home.

Cathy Campbell

In October, Robert Christenson (Cal State L.A.) and I spent a week in San Juan in conjunction with a professional conference.  To describe San Juan in one word, HUMID!!!

We are both looking forward to coming to our reunion – it will be a first for him.

See you in May.

Sally Fairbanks Carlton

I would love to give you some news for the Quarterly…I retired from my School Psychology job in June and we went to Southern Italy, the Puglia district, to celebrate in October. We also celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary early while we were there. We recently adopted a small older dog from a shelter! His name is Boston and I am getting daily aerobic workouts thanks to him.  I am happily finding more time for watercolor painting and de-junking my home, and I took on a small part-time job in August. We were happy to see Julia Dutton Petterson and her husband at Tanglewood not too long ago when Diana Krall was performing! I also recently visited with Sarah Bertinuson Berkowitz, Christine Stone Thomforde and have been in touch with Lorraine Bialek Goldstien (who promises to come to her first reunion this year!).

Jean (Deej) Collins Patterson

I haven’t ever (I don’t think) contributed to the Quarterly news…didn’t think there was too much exciting in my life.  But I figured that retirement from teaching for over 20 years might be reason to celebrate.  I had anticipated spending more time with my husband, Jim, as well as pursuing all the other projects and passions I had had to put aside.  Very unfortunately, my retirement was totally overshadowed by Jim’s death on July 8, which followed his sister’s untimely death a month earlier.  So this summer has been one of grieving, as I try to make some sense of my life.  It’s been pretty much turned upside down.  I’m learning how to take life a moment at a time.

Andrea Hornett

Have been on the phone with Barbara (Vasia) Michelchenko Bogart (’70) discussing the miraculous recovery from a heart attack by Betty Borer (who resided with us in Ham Hall).  The EMTs visited Betty in the hospital because they had never tried to jump start a heart so many times!  Fortunately, our little energizer bunny is well and home resting with her three daughters and grandkids doting on her.

Vasia is in Scottsdale writing grants to help hungry kids and I am educating undergraduates (the little darlings) at Temple University in Philadelphia.  Perhaps you saw our awesome marching band on ABC’s Good Morning America or in Rolling Stone.  We also offer courses (snark).

Since my foray into higher education lo these past 16 years, I have had cause many times to reflect on not only what we learned but how we learned at MHC.  Our education is a gift that keeps on giving and an increasingly rare luxury.  I’m very grateful for it. I am very proud that Mount Holyoke seems to be able to retain that essence of a learning community and hit the refresh button all at the same time.

Happy Reunion!

PS: My granddaughter, and immense source of joy,  is 13 now.  How did that happen?

Polly Hyde Crawford

My big news this year is that our daughter had twins – a boy and a girl – 5 months ago – our first and possibly only grandchildren. They live in Charleston, SC (as does our son) and we still live in the northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia so its frustrating not watching the day to day changes.  We see them about every 6 weeks. Its fascinating to see how different they are from each other at this early age. Walker is more mercurial. Alex, the girl, is much more laid back. Its tough to find a few minutes between feeding when they are both happy and entertained but what fun we’re having with them!

My husband, an electrical contractor, is ‘trying’ to retire. I’m not holding my breath.  I do the books for his business and for several other businesses.  I also am a volunteer financial counselor for a non-profit catering to low income folks.  I am active in garden and investment clubs and I try to play tennis 3 days a week to keep the old joints flexible.  We still go to mid-coast Maine for 2 months in the warmers months.

I still keep up with Peggy Huff Holloway and Anne Randall Godfrey, mostly via email.
Knock on wood that we still have our health!