Jean Pulver Hague of Atlanta retired in December after providing counseling services and student advising for many years. A fire near Elsa Moberg Cox’s home in Oceanside, Calif., was contained just before her community suffered any damage in December. Bob Kittredge and Diana traveled to their daughter Susan’s home outside San Diego for Thanksgiving. Their son David is battling cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy. Bob celebrated his 90th birthday in January. Anne Sulich Raser’s granddaughter passed the exams required to become a certified actuary. Anne has been participating in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study for more than 24 years. She completes an annual health questionnaire and shares medical records with the UCLA Medical Center; findings are published regularly. She enjoys participating in WHI’s research. Bob Kloepfel still visits Russ Bailey every Thursday. Bob reports that Russ isn’t doing too well. Gloria Maistelman Herkowitz attended a family wedding in Woodbury, Long Island, last fall and spent time with her four grandsons and four great-grandchildren. Richard Foster has had several serious falls but still plays bridge and the piano. Ursula Neuhaus Schiff and her 16-year-old dog, Abby, are doing well. Ursula’s sons live in California and visited her this winter. Her younger son, retired from a career in computer science, is now pursuing an education degree and hopes to teach math full time. Her oldest grandchild has moved to Chicago, where he is studying the motion-picture industry. Freddy Laemmerzahl Miller traveled to Branson, Mo., and watched five shows, and celebrated her grandson’s graduation from the University of Arizona in December. She spent Christmas in Arizona and celebrated her brother’s birthday and New Year’s in Virginia. Bonnie Lewis Adkins and husband Lee sold their home in Middlebury, Conn., in early September, and with the help of many relatives, moved to a nearby continuing-care complex (contact your class councilor for mailing address). Bonnie states they are very happy in their “new digs” and are making many new friends. They will soon have a total of seven great-grandchildren. Joe Zanchelli and Joyce are still very happy living in the Saratoga Springs area. They stay busy volunteering with six different organizations. (The UAlbany Alumni Association class councilors group is their favorite!) Jerry Dunn and wife Shirley Wiltse ’51 are approaching “senior status,” and decided to move to an independent-living apartment in East Greenbush, N.Y. (contact your class councilor for mailing address). They celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary and Jerry’s 90th birthday last year. Of their four children, two are retired from positions with New York State, one is teaching in Vermont, and the other teaches in Virginia. Jerry and Shirley have nine grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. In 1970, Jerry organized a golf group of eight players that grew to 24 over the next 46 years. He has many fond memories of living in Sayles Hall Annex, where he met many great friends. Class Councilor Joe Zanchelli wishes you great health, and hopes to see you at our 70th reunion in 2019.
Class notes councilor: Joe Zanchelli, [email protected]
Irwin Baumel and Elise DeSeve are doing well. They live in a retirement community in Brea, Calif. Irwin is working on a large improvement project in his industrial park. Ruth Marschner Boynton and Dick celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary in September. Their children are doing well. One son is a pharmacist with a wife and two children. The other son is a Lutheran minister married to another Lutheran minister; together, they have two children. Ruth and Dick’s daughters are a professor in the School of Journalism at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and a school counselor with one child. Lila Lee Silva Harrington caught the flu on the plane to Scottsdale, Ariz., in January, but it didn’t ruin her two-week visit with Leslie. In July, Lila and Leslie “got their lobster fix” while visiting relatives in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Lila attended her family reunion at Chautauqua Lake near Buffalo. She visited Leslie in Arizona again in September. Lila’s sons are doing well: Keith works at Fidelity Investments, Tim works at Corning Glass Works, and Todd is doing computer conversions at Horizon. Lila keeps in touch with Maggie Hoskings Winne and enjoys a monthly lunch with Joe Zanchelli ’49 and Joyce ’52. Lila celebrated her 90th birthday in February. Marjory Lyons is still writing memoirs, and does book reviews at the library and at her church. She continues to teach a Friday writing class that her students refer to as “Marjory’s Friday Writers.” Marjory co-wrote Think You Can’t Write? Think Again! A Foolproof Guide to Getting Your Book Written at Last! with her student, author/lecturer Beverly Johns. Rhoda Riber Mones and Mel are planning to move to Virginia at the encouragement of their son, who currently lives there. They have enjoyed living comfortably in San Diego for 31 years. Malcolm Slakter and Nancy of Hawaii are dealing with age-related health issues. They keep in touch with their three children and five grandchildren through texting, email, phone calls, Facetime, and the occasional visit. Two of their children are retired; the youngest has two children in college, and a 16-year-old and a 13-year-old at home. Harold “Sparky” Vaughn spent five weeks in Firenze, Italy. Five of his eight children visited. Sparky’s son Eric was unable to join his siblings due to work with Congress. Sparky continues to work on an anti-human-trafficking project; progress of the collaborative effort between the Rotary Club of Washington, D.C., and the Rotary Club of Bangkok has been affected by the death of the highly respected king, his successor son, and the role of the generals. Audrey Hartman White traveled to Orlando and met up with her brother from Olympia and her sister from New York City, as well as other family and friends. Two of Audrey’s grandchildren live in Houston and, fortunately, escaped the flood. Sean is in the PA program at Baylor, performing rotations in Houston-area medical institutions. Jeanne Bowen Walsh passed away Aug. 8, 2017. Basil Karpiak died Sept. 29. Contact your class councilor for the mailing addresses of family members, should you wish to send your condolences.
Class notes councilor: Harold “Sparky” Vaughn, [email protected]
Members of the Class of 1952 gathered in September to celebrate our 65th-anniversary reunion. Many of us met up at the Albany Marriott Friday evening, September 15; several joined us for a college trivia quiz (won by Mary Anne Lanni) and the reunion luncheon the following day. A total of 16 class members attended the reunion (24 in all, including guests): Joan Roeder Barron; John Bowker; Victoria Baldino Driver; Jeanne Seymour Earle; Helene Patlen Gordon; Tom Holman; Jane Minckler Jennings; Anna Morrissey Karpiak; Joan Bennett Kelly; Mary Anne Fitzgerald Lanni; Marilyn Smith Mackey; David Manly; Evelyn Knapp Stewart; Virginia Maurer Tracey; Marilyn Johnson VanDyke; and Joyce Leavitt Zanchelli. The highlight of the weekend was the luncheon. Dave Manley recited his Prayer of Remembrance, and attendees enjoyed a slideshow of memories from past reunions. Mary Anne Lanni recently had lunch with Jean Greenshields Burns, Anne Sullivan Morgan, Ruth Dunn Reid and Kathy Ryan Ivimey. Kathy recently returned to the Albany area. Vickie Eade Eddy’s son, Brig. Gen. Christopher Eddy, is the author of The Secrets of Leadership Found in Movie Quotes, available on Amazon. In 2018, Vickie will become a great-grandmother for the first time. Madeline Weitlauf Huchro and her husband sold their Florida house in September 2016. While visiting their son in Charlotte, N.C., Madeline fell and had to go to rehab until June. They are now in Westport, N.Y., with their daughter, experiencing a northern New York State winter. Both of Tom Holman’s residences were impacted by Hurricane Irma. His condo in Jupiter, Fla., had minor damage, but the small hotel in St. Maartens, where he spends the winter, was severely damaged and is still being repaired. Tom hoped to return to St. Maartens in the winter. Jeanne Seymour Earle is retiring from her job at the library. She hopes to reactivate her neighborhood association. Nancy Frey Pettinelli moved to Missouri to be close to one of her sons. She reports that things are “different” in Missouri, such as the disregard of driving laws and the cost of things being two or three times more than they were in the east. Shirley Rosenbaum plays violin in the Morgantown Community Orchestra. Her grandson performs in the Kentucky Youth Orchestra and recently won first place in a cello contest, and her daughter teaches music to young children. Shirley’s son-in-law, a physics professor, plays the piano. Kitty Kloser Irons is having trouble with her eyes, which has limited one of her favorite hobbies, reading. She was hoping to receive a Kindle for Christmas. Joyce Leavitt Zanchelli and Joe ’49 are stubbornly remaining in their large house because they love hosting their growing family whenever possible. The Zanchellis welcomed their grandson Michael’s wife, Ashley, to the family at a beautiful wedding in Washington, D.C., last May. The family now totals 19.
Class notes councilor: Joyce Zanchelli, [email protected]
The Class of 1953 Red Devils will celebrate our 65th-year reunion in October. 2018 during Homecoming Weekend! Please contact your class councilor if you’re interested in joining the reunion-planning committee. Irene Brezinsky McDonald moved to a retirement community following Dan’s death. “It’s an adjustment for sure, but safe with many activities. The biggest adjustment, as many of you know, is the death of one’s spouse.” Doug Nielsen and Gail moved to a two-bedroom apartment at The Hearth at Liverpool, a senior-housing facility in Liverpool, N.Y., to live closer to their granddaughter and her family. They recently welcomed great-grandson Samuel Clancy. Another Nielsen granddaughter has been in China for the past year teaching English and taking courses in Chinese at Beijing University. She is the fourth generation of teachers in Doug’s family. Peggy Smith Stafford is living with her daughter Kathryn and son-in-law in Penn Yan, N.Y. She is being cared for by her daughter, and enjoys seeing the lovely birds in their backyard. The family has started the process of building a home in North Carolina. Herb Their’s daughter Holli was elected to the Tiburon, Calif., town council in November. His oldest granddaughter will graduate from Texas A&M in May, and his younger grandson will celebrate his bar mitzvah in August. Herb is working on two STEM-based modules that focus on energy in students’ lives and are for use in middle-school classrooms. Understanding and Using Energy and Technology and Energy and Efficiency in Lighting and Life will be published by Lab-Aid this year. Herb would be pleased to send further information about those topics to anyone interested. Contact your class councilor for Herb’s mailing and email address. Joan DeVinny Bitely’s two great-grandchildren recently moved to Japan with their mother and their father, who’s in the Navy. Joan went on a Baltic cruise last summer and visited St. Petersburg, where she “saw those beautiful decorated eggs!” She is still involved with several groups, including Friends of the Library and Elderstudy of UMW, and manages to fit some tennis in, as well. Joan sends “best wishes for good health to all my ol’ classmates.” Your councilor’s freshman-year roommate, Linda Hopkins McGrath, spent two weeks in California with her son Tom for Thanksgiving. Family members from Rochester and Brooklyn joined them. Linda, along with several other classmates, was in Florida during Hurricane Irma. “Hurricane Irma came through Naples with a vengeance, with winds up to 164 mph. It was quite an experience.” She noted the strengthening winds and first signs of damage, the eerie stillness in the eye of the storm, and the devastation to come. Linda’s home had minor damage; large trees were uprooted at the golf course nearby. She says people are still struggling to recover and rebuild following the storm. Caroline Gazulis Johnson has a son and twin daughters. She lives in the Tampa area, across the street from a male friend she met last year. Caroline says, “I have traveled the world and my bucket is empty, so I play bridge, poker, and blackjack.” She would love to reconnect with classmates who happen to be in the Tampa area. Millie Foote Frandino Sheerin and Jim of Cape Cod would love to attend a 65th-year reunion while they’re still able to see and drive. Seven of their family members live in the Albany area, so it’s easy for them to visit. Millie is a docent for her town’s historical-society site. She reports that one grandson will graduate from Clemson, another from Ramapo. Two other grandsons are sophomores at UConn. A fourth great-grandchild is due in June. There are 34 members in Millie’s immediate family, and they are all doing well. Millie recovered from a fall down the cellar stairs and is back to walking 2.5 miles each day. She and Jim go to trivia nights and are happy to report that their “brains are still working somewhat” following recent first-, second-, and third-place finishes. Millie keeps in touch with Ruth Dunn Benishin Reed, and hopes that Ruth and her daughter will be able to visit when Millie and Jim travel to Florida in April. Joan Allen Balfe and husband Art introduced Millie and Jim to the area. Rev. Dr. Donald M. Stine passed away Sept. 5, 2017; his obituary can be found on the Class of ’53 Facebook page. Rosie Keller Hughes of Fairport, N.Y., joined the historical society and enjoys its programs. Last year, she visited friends snowbirding in Florida, and spent time with nieces and nephews in Vermont. She may not be going on as many Road Scholar trips. “It’s not easy to travel alone after so many years as a member of a twosome,” she says. Rosie is looking forward to attending her granddaughter’s wedding in Brooklyn in 2018. Classmates are encouraged to send news and updates about yourselves, or fellow Red Devils, to your class councilor. Visit the Class of ’53 Facebook page to stay in contact and receive the latest reunion news. Come on, Red Devils! Let’s make this a reunion that will be remembered!
Class notes councilor: Rose Mary Keller Hughes, [email protected]
Your class councilor is pleased to pass along news from classmates. Art Lennig is doing well, taking care of day-to-day matters while wrestling with the ogre of creativity. In August, Nancy Bush and Nancy Fleming traveled to South Carolina to view the solar eclipse from the path of totality. Nan was named head of her church’s education and spirituality component, making her the leader of 11 committees as part of a major church reorganization. Bob Ashfield recently gave up his home in Houston for a support facility in College Station. In July, Charline Clymer Stettler and Professor F.W.O. Stettler left wintry New Zealand to visit family in the Adirondacks and celebrate the birth of Charline’s third great-grandchild. In September, Dee Montalbano moved from her longtime home in Boulder to a new townhouse community in Eugene, Ore., to be near her daughter. “I am loving my new digs,” she says. Dee is still passionate about mature women’s issues and regularly conducts writing workshops solely for women. She intends to return to her own writing soon.
Class notes councilor: John Orser, [email protected]
Class members who were able to gather in Albany for our 60th-year reunion had a wonderful time catching up with each other and reminiscing. We missed our dear classmate Ben Lindeman, who was closely involved with planning our activities and passed away shortly before the reunion. Attendees enjoyed the welcome reception at the University Art Museum; the cocktail hour at the reunion hotel; and a luncheon at Treviso, an Italian-American restaurant. Joyce Schueler Thomas lives in downtown San Mateo, Calif., on the San Francisco Peninsula near Stanford University and Silicon Valley. “One son lives in the East Bay; my daughter lives and works in Washington, D.C.; and my youngest, the father of two lovely grandchildren ages 4 and 1 ½, lives in Santa Cruz.” Joyce previously lived in Berkeley, Marin, and Vancouver before returning to the Bay Area 40 years ago. She returned to work as a substitute teacher in 1984, then worked at a news office at Stanford before she began freelancing as a copy editor. She has several clients from Stanford and UC-Berkeley, and has edited books on Asian economies and national oil companies, and one historical novel. Joyce has gone on several Princess cruises. She enjoys reading and manages to fit in some dancing and swimming. She has been back to New York State only twice – to Albany in 1997, and to New York City in 2003. June Frankland Baker sent good wishes from Richland, Wash. Jane Slezak is running the family business in Amsterdam, N.Y., and serves as a volunteer instructor for the Literacy Zone. She retired after teaching chemistry for 25 years at Fulton-Montgomery Community College. John Rookwood lives in Charlestown, R.I. Bob Reuss and Pat moved to Venice, Fla. Helen Konefal Bartlett of Walden, N.Y., retired from teaching. She has done volunteer income taxes for the elderly for 14 years. Helen visits her son in Alaska frequently. Betty Sigety Leidigh lives in Lake Mary, Fla., and is a bookkeeper for her son’s business. Marcia Levine Weinberg lives in the Albany area and enjoys visiting her grandchildren in Chicago and the Boston area. Sandra Lagai King and her husband have traveled extensively. She spends time in Florida while maintaining her home in Wanaksink Lake, N.Y. After retirement and many years of volunteer activities, Joan VanDusen Johnson continues to play bridge the way she learned in college. Barbara Ellers Traxel stays busy with senior-citizen activities, gardening, reading, and attending concerts. John Benton of Minnesota says, “Life is good.” Mary Furner of Santa Barbara, Calif., retired from UCSB’s history department. Howard Bagley remembers when it snowed 6 inches the night of the Bunny Hop in April 1957, and the gang at O’Heaney’s. Carol Kinghorn has had a busy professional life and enjoys painting portraits of colleagues and family. Nancy Schneider Sochia lives in Canton, N.Y. Your class councilor, Sheila Lister Bamberger, would like to thank all who attended the reunion.
Class notes councilor: Sheila Lister Bamberger, [email protected]