Catharine Smith Dunn
610-691-5653
kittysmithdunn26@gmail.com

Renie Quynn Collmus G’05 and I were the only two members of our class who attended our 70th reunion.  My daughter, Lindi, from New York City, and Renie’s granddaughter, Rachel, class of 2005 enabled us both to come, and we had a great time catching up.  Renie is living at Homewood Retirement Center in Frederick and her hair is still mostly black!!!  It was interesting to hear about Rachel’s experience in the Peace Corps after she graduated.  She served in Lesotho, South Africa and met the man, another Peace Corps worker, she married when they returned to the USA. My daughter, Lindi, a retired Occupational Therapist is now an usher at the Metropolitan Opera and enjoyed seeing the campus.  I did learn from someone who works at Hood and who had seen Elizabeth Jones Hesse that Jonsie is in good health, still living in her home in Annapolis and driving her car. I called Mary Lib Reeder Tiller, my roommate, to tell her about the weekend.  She lives in Fairfax, VA with her son, Richard and wife Christine.  She had a bad fall last winter and is still recovering from the after effects.  It was wonderful to be back and see the beautiful campus, meet the new president, enjoy eating in the Ronald J. Volpe Athletic Center, and having Strawberry Breakfast in Coblentz, followed by the chapel service….and then home, grateful for the years I spent at Hood College and the friends I made there.

Catharine Smith Dunn
610-691-5653
kittysmithdunn26@gmail.com

Greetings to the class of 1947. This is my swan song as reporter….definitely! I have enjoyed being in touch with so many over the years, but macular degeneration is a real challenge. Phyllis Peak Sullivan has a husband going through it, too, but so far has been doing better than I. They are traveling, enjoying warm Florida weather and visiting grandchildren and enjoying a great granddaughter. In the near future, they hope to downsize and move into a retirement center in Virginia. Louray Forney Huang, P’83 was to be envied this winter. She is spending time with children in Hawaii and though she has little energy, she has a helper to drive her places and do some cooking. Mel Weir Peter spends winters in Florida and has many family visitors, but not Elizabeth Jones Hesse this year. Mel was looking forward to a college graduation of a granddaughter and a wedding of a grandson. I think Mel must have the record of grandchildren-12 and great-grandchildren-10. Another grandson is a freelance journalist, living in Greece and writing a novel about Afghanistan. Mary Lib Reeder Tiller entertained me and my two daughters this past August when I was visiting with my daughters in Alexandra, Va. Mary Lib’s son is also an author and I was able to get a copy for my Kindle which I can read by enlarging the print size. In spite of needing crutches, she is able to do gardening and still lives in the same house she has had for many years. In spite of seeing with difficulty, I am still singing with the Lehigh Univ. Choral Union and had the thrill of singing at Carnegie Hall. I still usher for special programs at Lehigh Univ. and best of all, baby-sit my year-old great-grandson several days a week. One other nice connection is my relationship with four other Hoodlums  …my sisters-in-law, Dorothy Crosland Dunn, class of 1946, Polly Harvey Dunn, Class of 1950, Carolyn Dunn Shellenberger, class of 1951 and sister, Molly Smith Sperandio, Class of 1957.

1947
Catharine Smith Dunn
kittysmithdunn26@gmail.com

Madeline Aldrin Crowell has moved from Oklahoma to Croydon, Pa., to be with her daughter who teaches there. Maddy has the class record for number of family members! She had five children, but lost a little girl many years ago. She now has 10 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. One grandson is in Italy with the U.S. Army and the others are in Oklahoma. Since living in Pennsylvania, Maddy has been able to see Joan Stanton Fitting who lives in New Hope, Pa. Jo and her husband are still in their own home living a quiet life. A close second in numbers to Maddy’s large family is Mel Weir Peter. She is still living in Ohio, but spends some winter months in Naples, Fla., where she gets to see Elizabeth Jones Hesse. Mel has four children, 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Louray Forney Huang, P’83 is living with her daughter in Maryland and enjoys workouts, luncheons and church. Her son Stuart bought a condo in Hawaii and hiked to the base camp of Mount Everest. Another son and wife went to the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu. Three children now live in Hawaii. She reported that Phyllis Tibbitts Lind celebrated her 90th birthday with a party given by her sons. Lois Trimble Copeland reported her husband’s death three years ago. She has moved into a retirement center and enjoys the no cooking, no housework aspects of that lifestyle. Her two daughters live in New Hampshire and Phoenixville, Pa., one son lives in Florida and one is in Sayre, Pa. Lois does not drive anymore due to macular degeneration. Shirley Diedrich Ball lives in Cumberland, Md. She taught high school after graduating from Hood, had three daughters and lived in California, Virginia, Texas and finally West Virginia. Mary Lib Reeder Tiller is suffering from sciatica, but still gardens from a chair. Her son Richard lives in North Carolina with his wife, two daughters and a son. He has just authored a book, “Tough Conversations With the Heart of Jesus,” which I just bought from Amazon for my Kindle Fire reader! Phyllis Peak Sullivan and Sully spent February in Florida and came home to a granddaughter’s graduation from James Madison Univ.; a grandson’s baseball game for the state championship (they lost) and a week at the beach with the whole family! Sully still sees the retinologist for macular degeneration and can still read and drive during the day. They became great-grandparents to a little girl in February for the first time. Marty Knouse Schaeffer continues volunteer work in the library at the center where she lives. She read a report in the Baltimore’s Sun paper some time ago about the closing of the Cozy Restaurant in Frederick. She said it had a questionable reputation, so maybe it does not ring a bell. Renie Quynn Collmus, G’05 still meets for a monthly lunch with Hood ’47 friends. Her eyes are about the same; no more shots in one eye, but one shot in her other eye every five weeks. She has a grandson in the U.S. Navy who is currently in Italy and will eventually be on his way to Hawaii. He plans to go to Dubai for several months first. His brother is at the Pentagon, while a granddaughter is teaching in Nicaragua for three years. Another grandson is teaching at a high school in Damascus, Md. As for your correspondent, Kitty Smith Dunn, I am a member of the “macular” club, but I am still driving, singing with the Lehigh Choral Union and looking forward to singing at Carnegie Hall in November. I have given up other volunteer jobs in favor of babysitting my 5-month-old great-grandson, Orion Christopher. I look forward to our annual family week at Avalon, N.J. In May, I went to Charlottesville, Va., for my grandson’s graduation. He is now studying for the bar exam and has a job with a law firm in Washington, D.C.  His brother is going to Colombia in August for a two-year stint with the Peace Corps. I would still be happy to give the reporter job to anyone. It is really fun to catch up with classmates.

Louray Forney Huang is slow and lazy but teaching Sunday school and lifting weights. She was looking forward to a family reunion in Hawaii at Christmas. Her son who teaches law at the Univ. of Hawaii climbed to the base camp of Mt. Everest. Lorraine Ihlefeldt Bulba attended her 70th high school reunion and visited Washington, D.C. to visit the Smithsonian Museum where her granddaughter works. At her reunion, she saw Peggy Thumma Startzman who also called to tell me that Lois Groh Unger was at the same class reunion. Lois has given up golf due to arthritis, but walks with her husband for exercise. Peggy walks, plays games on the computer and visits with her two children who live near her. Marty Knouse Schaeffer went to see Les Miserables at a local dinner theater and their waiter/actor turned out to be a graduate of Hood’s class of 2005. Mel Weir Peter was returning to Naples, Fla., after her summer in Shaker Heights, Ohio. She enjoys living there close to two daughters. She was hoping to see Elizabeth “Jonesie” Hesse while she was there. Phyl Peak Sullivan and her husband went on a cruise up the East Coast stopping at Bar Harbor, St. Johns and Halifax. They planned to go to the Outer Banks in November and after the holidays head for Florida. In March, they will become great-grandparents! Phyl is giving up golf and maybe choir, but is healthy and Sully’s Macular degeneration is not any worse. Harriet Green Scott enjoys living in the Baptist home (even though she is an Episcopalian) and keeps busy with the food bank and playing bridge. She has also given up golf. Renie Quynn Colmus spent three weeks in Germany with her daughter and family; Cathy came back with her for a three week visit. She is still driving and gets shots in her eyes for Macular degeneration. She meets Hood friends for lunch every month: Louray Forney Huang, Vera Peters and Phyllis Tibbitts Lind who use a wheel chair. Elsbeth Graf Smith, a high school classmate of mine (Kitty Smith Dunn) in Lancaster, attended our 70th reunion. She lives near Lancaster in a “grandmother’s apartment” while her daughter and son-in-law live in the main house where she and her husband raised their five children––one lives in Colorado, two in California, one in Maryland and one near her. Peggy Lashinsky Thompson lives in her home with her son who is a lawyer; a daughter is close by. Peggy’s training as a medical technologist comes in handy as she has diabetes. She has a walker and keeps occupied reading and watching TV. Mary Lib Reeder Tiller also uses a walker to get around, but is still a master gardener. She has neighbors who are very helpful. Joan Staunton Fitting is retiring as an archivist for her Solesbury Township, but belongs to a book club and goes on long walks with her husband and new dog.  She keeps in touch with Madeline Aldrin Crwell who lives in Oklahoma, but visits the East Coast to see her daughter.  She and Jo get together at that time. Maddy is in good health. Sally Golden McDonald lives on the farm that she and her husband worked for many years. All the animals are gone except for the cats and a peacock. Sally’s five children are scattered from California to New Hampshire and Massachusetts. One daughter lives with Sally; she has five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She is a great reader and goes through four to five books a week. Nancy Fox Moorehead lives in Pensacola, Fla., 45-minutes away from one daughter. Another daughter lives in Atlanta, Ga., and a son lives in Baltimore, Md. After living 50-some-years in the Philadelphia area, Nancy moved into a retirement community in Florida to be closer to a daughter. One of her memories from living in Pennsylvania was representing Hood at the installation of the President of Rosemont College. Hood sent her the cap, gown and Hood to wear to the ceremony. Laura Eaton Butler moved into a retirement home a year ago and has been without a computer. Don has very advanced emphysema and needs more care than she could give. It is a different life, but they are adjusting after 30 years. Laura retired as a docent at the Huntington Library and art gallery and misses it. She said her legs are starting to go. Don has Macular degeneration and they visit the doctor frequently. Ginger Dyer Smith lives in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., and playing 18 holes of golf three times a week. She travels to see her son and four daughters who live in California, Massachusetts, Florida, South Carolina and Virginia. She has been a eucharistic minister at her church for 30-years and a lay reader for 28. She sees Lois Piper Dagleish who also lives in Myrtle Beach and said she is in good health and keeps busy. “Your reporter, Kitty Smith Dunn, remains in her home with a son and a married granddaughter nearby who is expecting her first child in January which will give me my third great-grandchild. The other two little boys live near Philadelphia. With my vision problems, I am cutting back and giving up doing taxes. My bell choir folded due to lack of interest, but I am still singing with the Lehigh Univ. Choral Union and visiting at a local hospital weekly for the pastoral care office.  Thanks to all who provided news––I grieve with all those whose “Hoodlums” left this life. I remember talking with all those whose names were listed in the last bulletin. We add to that list Betty Grissinger and Julie Allen Hancock.”