Eileen Abrams Pettersen is living at Coburg Village, Rexford, N.Y., is still driving, and has a great-granddaughter. She and Wanda Tomasik Methe of Cohoes visit each other on a regular basis. Family and friends surprised Adrienne Iorio Caruso with a 90th-birthday celebration. Adrienne lives in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is doing well and remains active. Rita Shapiro Schwartz of Hillsboro Beach, Fla., enjoys spending time with her four children and three grandchildren, participates in a yoga program called “sit and chat” and volunteers for the AARP program “Carfit.” Julia Genovesi Fassett of Cherry Valley, N.Y., celebrated her 90th birthday with a gala party. She has three children and five grandchildren. George Poulos of Rye Brook, N.Y., is doing well, enjoying his four children and three grandchildren. Wilma Diehl of Massapequa, N.Y., no longer travels but enjoys many visitors, and keeps up with Albany news. Rosemary Ryan McGraw of Voorheesville, N.Y., spent the summer in Lake George. Her daughter and son-in-law live with her, and she spends time with three great-grandchildren. B.J. Chase and Chuck, Clara Sylvestri Beninati, and Annalee Levine Ginsberg have updated mailing addresses; your class councilor can provide this information upon request. Joan Sittner Sherwood of Richland, Wash., reports the Central Protestant Church has been placed on the Washington State Historic Building registry, a project she has worked on diligently. Class co-councilor Gari Deliganis Paticopoulos recently traveled from Florida to New Jersey to attend a grandson’s graduation at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She traveled to Albany to see her great-grandson. There are now four generations in her family. Eleanor Holbig Alland will celebrate her 90th birthday with a family reunion on Cape Cod. She enjoyed lunch with Jane O’Brien O’Brien, Jean Spencer Bourgeois ’49, Dolores Donnelly ’54 and her brother, Bob Donnelly ’52. Sadly, your class councilor must report our class members nMary J. Giovannonne Caruso, Irma Rosen Toplansky, Ruth M. Hurr, and Arlene Lavender Kaplan have passed on.
Class notes councilor: Eleanor Holbig Alland, [email protected].
Bob Kloepfel was very saddened by the death of close friend Nolan Powell, who passed away in February 2016. Bob is still fixing computers. Bonnie Adkins recently celebrated her husband Lee’s 90th birthday at a surprise dinner with family and friends. Bonnie and Lee celebrated the college graduations of three grandchildren from RPI, the University of Florida and McGill University in Montreal in May, and enjoyed a 14-day bus tour of nine national parks in June. They spent four days at the annual New England United Methodist conference in Manchester, N.H. Bob Baker will celebrate his 90th birthday in October, and his wife, Isabel Cooper Baker ’48, will be 89. Bob jokingly reports that they spend all their time going to doctors. They have 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Jerry Dunn fell and fractured two ribs in Spring 2016. His wife, Shirley Wiltse Dunn ’50, wrote a book about Fort Crailo, a historic building in Rensselaer. The book is published by Black Dome Press. Jean Pulver Hague sadly reports that her husband, who had been ill for some time, passed away in April. One grandson graduated from Clermont McKenna College in California, and another is attending the University of Michigan. One granddaughter graduated from the University of Connecticut and will be pursuing a Ph.D. in psychology at Rutgers. Another granddaughter made Jean a great-grandmother this year. Bob Kaiser and Mary Ann celebrated the birth of their first great-grandchild, Audrey, in February. In April, they attended a four-day family celebration of their grandson’s California wedding. Jack Kirby reports that his entire 35-year math-teaching career was spent at Brockport Central School, where he held the position of department head for 27 years. His wife, Jeanne Ashcraft, died in 1983. They had one son who was an editor for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Jack later married Sally, who taught French at the same school, and they are happily settled in Sarasota, Fla. Jack plays trumpet in the Suncoast Concert Band, which holds a concert every other Sunday September through May. He describes the 65-member band as “mostly professional” (he’s one of the non-professionals), average age 74. He is the oldest member. Bob Kittredge escaped unscathed from a serious automobile accident while on his way to donate blood. His mini SUV was rear-ended by a Lexus, and both cars were demolished beyond repair. Bob reports that rumors of his demise have been greatly exaggerated. After a successful 12-year run, his son David had to close his San Francisco restaurant, a place the Kittredge family will miss as it was a common location for get-togethers and celebrations. Freddy Laemmerzahl Miller traveled from Stillwater, Okla. to Tampa to attend a granddaughter’s wedding. In May a tornado hit Stillwater, but Freddy was unharmed. Ursula Neuhaus Schiff’s entire family celebrated her 90th birthday in Sarasota. Betsy and Jake Schuhle visited their granddaughter in the D.C. area over the Memorial Day weekend and had a great time sight-seeing. They will celebrate their 68th wedding anniversary in September. Jake will turn 92 in October. Anne Sulich Raser had a memorable Mother’s Day with her son Richard, who took her to the Kirk Douglas Theater in Culver City, Calif., to see Samuel Beckett’s Endgame. Joe Zanchelli and Joyce Zanchelli ’52 celebrated their grandson’s graduation from Eastern University in Wayne, Pa., in May, and celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary with a weeklong family get-together at Blue Water Farm on the banks of Chesapeake Bay, Md., in June.
Class notes councilor: Joe Zanchelli, [email protected]
Lila Lee Harrington continues to be involved in several activities at Prestwick Chase, Saratoga Springs, N.Y. She had a wonderful two-week visit with her daughter, Leslie, in Scottsdale, Ariz., in May. They viewed Western art at the Phoenix Art Museum; spent three days in Sedona, Flagstaff, and the Grand Canyon; and visited Williams, Ariz., where their attempt to experience zip-lining went awry due to rain. “It was on my bucket list,” said Lila. Just before Christmas, Lila came down with a serious case of shingles and took two months to recover. She is no longer driving, and is trying to adjust. She found other ways to get around, including friends; the Prestwick Chase bus; and the Office of the Aging, which takes her to doctors’ appointments in Glens Falls, N.Y. She keeps in touch with Maggie Hosking Winne and Jeanne Bowen Walsh. Maggie visited Lila in July. They enjoyed the “Upbeat on the Roof” concert at Skidmore College. They’re planning a September trip to the coast for their “lobster feed.” Lila is also planning a trip to Quebec City, visiting relatives in Vermont along the way. Malcolm Slakter and wife Nancy live in Hawaii. Their granddaughter graduated from Northwest Guilford High School in Greensboro, N.C., and will attend college in the fall. Their grandson, David, also a student at Northwest Guilford, attended MIT’s Summer Launch Program this year. Malcolm celebrated his 87th birthday and his and Nancy’s 30th wedding anniversary this summer. They will celebrate Nancy’s birthday in the fall. Harold (Sparky) Vaughn continues to work on an anti-human trafficking project focused on Thailand and Laos that involves the rotary clubs of Bangkok and Washington D.C., the NOMI Network, and Thai-based Alliance Anti-Trafficking. He is writing a book centered around the 15th-century Congiura dei Pazzi and the 20th-century Grande Guerra Battle of Caporetto. Harold will be in Syracuse for a family reunion and his 90th birthday in September, and plans to spend one month in Florence, Italy, in the fall. With the help of a defibrillator, Audrey White Hartman leads an active life following a major heart attack in 2013. She went on a Danube River cruise with her sister, her brother and his wife last summer. Audrey’s granddaughter, who works in a hospital in Ohio, is expecting Audrey’s second great-grandchild in December. Audrey’s grandson is studying for a PA at Baylor Medical School in Houston. Her granddaughter lives in a condo with him and is exploring graduate schools in Houston. Audrey’s last grandchild is a freshman in college. Audrey keeps in contact with Elly Adams Rapacz, who lives in Ocala, Fla. Shirley Wiltsie Dunn was honored with a proclamation of appreciation by Today’s Mohican Nation. She is the author of three books about the Mohicans: The Mohicans and Their Land, The Mohican World, and The River Indians: Mohicans Making History, and is the editor of three books of conference papers on Native Americans for the New York State Museum. Shirley has been recognized by the New Netherland Project and was honored as a Fellow by the Holland Society of New York. Her critically acclaimed publication Fort Crailo and the Van Rensselaers, The Dutch Colonial Origins of Greenbush & the City of Rensselaer chronicles 350 years of the Capital Region landmark.
Class notes councilor: Harold Vaughn, [email protected]
Jane Minckler Jennings spent a week at her granddaughter’s home in Lynchburg, Va., in April and enjoyed the summer on Block Island. Her grandson’s wedding is in September. Bert Jablon and wife Myra visited Philadelphia as part of the Road Scholar program. Vickie Eade Eddy still spends summers in Olean, N.Y., and winters in Yuma, Ariz. She has grandchildren in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida and New York. Madeline Weitlauf Huchro finished chemotherapy and is back to good health. Kitty Kloser Irons’ son, Joe, is in the process of getting his book, Phalanx Against the Divine Wind, published. The book is about the naval ware in the Pacific during World War II. Joe was recently featured on the cover of national magazine Pharmacy Today, and his work with Rutland Hospital was highlighted in the publication. Kitty’s granddaughter was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and graduated magna cum laude from St. Michael’s College in Burlington, Vt. Jeanne Hayes Coyne attended the graduation ceremonies of three of her grandchildren this past spring. Al Stevenson finally retired and is in good health, despite a bout with pneumonia. He plans to spend some time with family in upstate New York. Maureen Davis Mullin of Santa Barbara, Calif., reports that her whole family – three sons and their spouses, and seven grandchildren – live nearby. Maureen retired from teaching and plans to volunteer as an English teacher for Spanish-speaking individuals in a local hospital, and in a low-income housing complex. She plans to visit a friend in Berlin, Germany, and spend a week with family at Yosemite National Park. In her teaching career, Maureen taught some now-famous celebrities, including Josh Brolin and Joan Baez. John Bowker has been suffering from medical issues after being bitten by a virus-carrying mosquito in Cuba. He is slowly recovering and will begin outpatient rehabilitation. Following successful surgery, radiation treatment and four rounds of chemotherapy, Shirley Feinstein Rosenbaum is in the clear and has returned to substitute teaching and playing in the orchestra. She is membership director of the League of Women Voters. Shirley recently attended the bar mitzvah of her grandson, who attends a Spanish immersion school and plays cello. Her granddaughter plays violin and is spending the summer in France. Tom Holman is enjoying life in Naples, Fla., and St. Maarten. Jean Greenshields Burns was re-elected to the governing board of Friends of the New York State Library. Joyce Leavitt Zanchelli received multiple joint replacements during her second knee replacement in February. She and husband Joe celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary with their entire family on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland in June. This year’s Class of 1952 Scholarship recipient was Megan McGrath ’17, a math and statistics major. If you give to UAlbany and would like your contribution to benefit the 1952 scholarship fund, please make that specific request. Save the date for our 65th-year class reunion Sept.15-17, 2017.
Class notes councilor: Joyce Zanchelli, [email protected]
Hello, Red Devils! Your class councilor recently enjoyed lunch with Hank Koszewski of Hawaii, who was on his annual visit to the mainland to visit his older sister. Priscilla Jones Bour is retired from teaching in Phelps, Brighton, and Penfield schools in New York State. She had a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Paris in 1955-1956. Priscilla lives at St. John’s Meadows in Brighton, N.Y., and was a church organist for 60 years. In her letter, Priscilla told me about life at the senior independent-living residence and I became interested enough to visit with my son. I was so impressed, I requested notification when an apartment becomes available. I later visited Priscilla, as we had not seen each other since our college graduation! Jordine Skoff Von Wantoch spent time with her daughter in Honolulu. Jordine and her late husband, Harvey, spent their honeymoon in Kaua’i in 1967. She recently was in New York for the opening of Bright Star, a show originated at the Old Globe Theatre, San Diego. Jordine, who is on the board of directors at the Globe, had cocktails with Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. She would like to invite any Red Devils in the San Diego area to the Old Globe. Doug Nielsen and wife Gail celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary this past April. He remains active at church and is involved in his Masonic lodge. He and Gail enjoy traveling to see family, volunteering at the local public library, teaching school groups at Erie Canal Park, reading, tending to their annual garden and staying active in their town’s historical society. They visit their two great-granddaughters regularly to read and play with them, and enjoy their mother’s “wicked latte.” Herb Their and wife Marlene enjoyed a summer cruise from England to St. Petersburg, Russia. They are co-chairs of the Israel and World Jewry Committee at Temple Isaiah, Lafayette, Calif. Herb writes a weekly column, “Good News from Israel,” that is distributed electronically and in print to their 900 member families and those attending services on Friday nights. The purpose is to present the positive side of the news from Israel that never seems to appear in the media. Herb’s recent work can be found on our class Facebook page. Louise Petfield Burns still plays piano and occasionally sings a solo at church. She says her range is much more limited and most definitely much lower than in college days! Louise enjoys knitting hats for charity. Two of her daughters visited her in Colorado this year. Louise hopes to travel back East this fall as it’s been several years since she’s seen her brother and his family. The views of Pikes Peak and the front range of the Rockies keep her in Colorado. Jean Ogden Hardick and husband Frank are doing okay, taking their meds and doing what they can. They took their 19-year-old granddaughter to Glacier Park in Spring 2016. Donald Stine lives in “warm and friendly” Arizona. He holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in divinity. He enjoys reading about U.S. presidents and continues to support various organizations, including the National Park System, Salvation Army, Environmental Defense Fund, American Indian College Fund, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and the Presbyterian Church. Owen Smith reports that his grandson retired from his position as a software engineer at Facebook at the age of 28 and is “now one of those people who owns an ending of ‘aire’ as a descriptor.” Owen continues to support Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Schenectady Symphony, Union College concerts, Troy Chromatics and Albany Symphony through donations and attendance. He travels to Belgium and France, where his daughter has a summer home. Pearl (Peppy) Mintzer Sanders reports life has been good to her. She loved going to SUNY. She and her husband, Harry, have been married for 62 years and their family consists of four children, 10 grandchildren, and two great-grandsons born this year. Peppy and her husband have traveled a great deal and have gone to all continents, but not to the North and South poles. Harry works daily at his architectural office, now run by their son. Pearl’s favorite professors were Dr. Ralph Baker, who she believes would be very upset with the current presidential campaign. Marie Hoffman is enjoying the lovely weather. She recently thanked veterans at her town’s Memorial Day parade. Her most memorable life event was the birth of her son, and also her election as the first woman to serve as town justice for her hometown of Poestenkill, N.Y., in 1995. She later was elected to the town board. Bob Hughes served on the town board of Wayland, N.Y. Joan DeVinny Bitely is enjoying life in a 55-and-over community where she serves on several committees and plays tennis. She doesn’t get to see her two children too often as one lives in Chesapeake, Va., and the other in Houston. She visited Antarctica, Argentina and Brazil in January. In the past, Joan spent a month on a safari, went to Machu Pichu and the Galapagos, and visited the Canadian polar bears. She hasn’t yet visited Asia. Joan sends her best wishes to all! Rosie Keller Hughes continues to struggle with her new widow status. After 61 years of marriage and four years at NYSCT, she is lonely for her wonderful companion. She is experiencing what so many of you already have, but will survive. Rosie stays busy helping people with genealogy research, writing a blog about widowhood, and contemplating a move to senior independent living. Let us recognize and salute those members of our class who have served in the military: Vince Aceto, Raymond Acker, Bill Adams, Doug Adamson, Glen Armitage, Tom Benenati, Peter Bon, Ed Bonahue, Glen Brenzel, Al Brown, Lt. J. Buschmann, Bob Cerwonka, Morton Cohn, Robert Daly, Rudy DeSantolo, Al Farley, Richard Ferzian, Joseph Francello, F. Raymond Gibb, Henry Hastings, Bob Hausner, Bill Hawkins, Bill Helmer, Rod Hilsinger, George Hudson, Bob Hughes, Dick Jacobson, Bill Jennings, Carroll Judd, Dan Kelly, Hank Koszewski, Gary LaGrange, Mike LaMarca, John Lannon, Joe Lombardi, Lloyd Loop, David Martin, Stanley May, Frank Mayer, Bill McCormick, Doug Nielsen, Colleen O’Grady Keirch, Don Putterman, Gerald Roberts, Fran Schatzle, Jordine Skoff VanWantoch, George Smalling, Tom Soule, Fran Streeter, Al Sweitzer, Louis Vion, Glen Walrath, J. Paul Ward, Jane Zilin, and Maryanne Zilin. This list was compiled from the veterans page on the Albany website: www.albany.edu/alumni-vets/veterans-a.php. If your name is not included, please email [email protected]. Visit the Class of 1953 Facebook page to post old photos and chat with old friends: www.facebook.com/groups/688873657809259/. Correction to the Spring 2016 Class Notes: Robert Hughes died on Jan. 13, 2016.
Class notes councilor: Rose Mary (Rosie) Keller Hughes, [email protected]
Bernice Shoobe retired as class co-councilor. Ilse “Anne” Kohn Sichel and husband Marty moved to North Hill, a retirement community in Needham, Mass., three years ago. They enjoy swimming a half-mile at the indoor pool three times per week, watching movies and listening to Great Courses lectures, and frequenting live performances or talks. Marty retired from teaching at the University of Michigan and is happy to live back East. Patty Zylko Prindle is enjoying summer at her Peck’s Lake camp in the Adirondacks. She spends the rest of the year at her home in Guilderland, N.Y. Patty retired from teaching math and volunteering at the Adirondack Research Library. John Parsons and wife Kimie still reside with their oldest son in southern Maryland, though they are considering moving to Lake Gaston on the Virginia/North Carolina border. They do not travel much, but continue to play bridge. Francis Rodgers and John Allasio report they are in good health. Beverly Dodge Brousseau celebrated the arrival of her second great-granddaughter. She and husband Armand haven’t traveled much due to health issues. Armand still plays golf and Beverly quilts. John Granito and wife Dolores White Granito ’53 live on Pine Island, Fla., and enjoy summers at Keuka Lake, N.Y. They attended a granddaughter’s destination wedding in New Orleans in April. They traveled to Lisbon and took a Viking river boat cruise on the Douro River in Portugal; the itinerary included a trip to Salamanca, Spain. John and Dolores are planning a trip to Iceland. Cuba is still on their bucket list. They stay busy with friends and family, which includes eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. They celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary in August. Gladys Smith O’Meara is living in Bailey’s Glen, an over-55 community in Cornelius, N.C. Jim Thompson and wife Carol spent most of the summer in their travel trailer at Tupper Lake, N.Y. His son, retired Navy Capt. Scott Thompson ’91, is civilian counsel to the secretary of Defense at the Pentagon. James has two grandchildren in the military. James still meets Bill Floyd for lunch in Albany. He had to miss the Zongrone wedding anniversary celebration due to a colleague’s funeral services. Pat Manning still lives in Florida and volunteers with a nursery school and Hospice patients. She reviews books for School Library Journal. Pat spends six weeks in Italy every year. She enjoys going to superhero movies with grandson Alex. Both granddaughters will be in college this fall. Raymond Wolfe is doing well, but is unable to attend reunions due to his hearing. Art Stone sold his business, is retired and living in the Hamptons and Fort Lauderdale. He’s still happily married and looks forward to another reunion. Howie Fenenbock attended a granddaughter’s wedding. He plays poker and bridge twice a week. Mary Ann Frascatore Corsi and Carmen are still in Montclair, N.J. Their children and grandchildren live nearby. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on the Amalfi coast with family this summer. They are members of the YMCA and enjoy visiting New York City on the weekends. They usually spend a month in the winter in Naples, Fla. Naoshi Koriyama’s Japanese Tales from Times Past was published by Tuttle Publishing. He co-translated the book with Seisen University professor Bruce Allen. Naoshi will turn 90 in November. He is in good health and plans to give a lecture on poetry at Toyo University, Tokyo, in October. Alice Whittemore Damp and husband Ed are not as active as they would like. Their three daughters live in Utah, Massachusetts and New York. They try to get together every two years. They do not have any grandchildren (yet).
Class Notes Councilor: Joan BolzPaul, [email protected]
Elizabeth Foley is the recipient of the Class of 1955 Scholarship. She is a student in UAlbany’s special education and literacy graduate program, and holds a bachelor’s degree in English from UAlbany. Elizabeth tutored in Albany schools, was a facilitator for Arbor Hill Community Center and served with the Middle Earth Peer Assistance Program. Nan McEvoy DeMichiell lost her son, Robert. He was a widely published pop-culture artist in New York City.
Class Notes Councilor: John Orser, [email protected]
Your class councilor was contacted by the University and asked if we would like to use the money in our class treasury to fund a project. A scholarship to the School of Education in the name of the Class of 1958 has been established. The School of Education awarded scholarships to three students pursuing careers in education in May. More info: www.albany.edu/education/scholarships.php.
Class Notes Councilor: Susanne Russell Williams, [email protected]