1960
Barbara Bailey Reinhold
breinhold@charter.net

Karen Nordberg Sanders
knsanders60@yahoo.com
55th reunion, June 5-7, 2015

Best wishes to all my classmates! We are not getting any younger, but we are doing the best we can—right? We were all sad to learn of the March death of Betsy Bennett Wiegand after a short battle with esophageal cancer. Some of you probably attended her funeral. On a lighter note, Gretchen Beckhelm has “delightful memories” from Hood’s cruise through the waterways of Holland and Belgium where she visited with Judy Hodges Weaver ’60 and her little sister Courtney Gurley Sieck ’62. Paul and Marcia Newson White left stormy Massachusetts and spent January to March doing fun activities and visiting Marcia’s brother in Florida. Marcia enjoys Yoga. The Whites spent Easter with their daughter Kristin’s family. In May, Don and I, Karen Nordberg Sanders, enjoyed a visit with John and Maryann Whitehead Scherzo, touring the Seattle area with expert guides! The guys also played golf, while Maryann and I toured museums and much more. I love the Chihuly Glass Museum! The Scherzos had recently returned from a trip to Italy with their daughters. Patti “Cookie” Cook Bingemer and Chuck had a fun trip to Hawaii. Cookie sings in her church choir and also plays the bells. She belongs to a book club and a bridge group. She is also in touch with classmate Mary Jane Sunday Whelan who suffers from Parkinson’s disease and hopefully has been admitted to her choice of an assisted living, First Colonial Inn, after being in rehab following several falls. Sunny’s son Dan looks after her. Ann Sampson Adams and Tom sold their Florida home and bought a villa in Del Webb at Lake Oconee (south of Atlanta), to be close to Ann’s daughter who recently underwent a mastectomy. Ann enjoys the indoor pool and other activities. Tom plays tennis and pickleball. Avery Burns, who lives in the D.C. area, said, “Politics and congress are driving me crazy. I have never seen a more ineffectual do-nothing bunch of people!” Avery enjoyed her family in Michigan over New Year’s. Luckily, she made it out on the last plane to leave Detroit for 10 days! Pam Skells Ladley wrote from her home on the Olympic Peninsula, where she and Art have lived since 1978. Pam stays busy with local community activities, their church and family. When Pam wrote in late March they were about to leave on a 20-day ship and land excursion via the Azores, Lisbon, Gibraltar and Spain. Sounds fun! In October, they hope to see Marty Evans Marcello and Tom Marcello on their way to or from Art’s 60th U.S. Coast Guard Academy reunion. Marty and Tom live in New Hampshire. Helen Price Ballantine, P’83 wrote that she, husband Bob and their daughter Carolyn Ballantine True ’83, M.A.’12 attended the memorial service “of our dear friend and classmate Betsy Wiegand. The service was absolutely beautiful, with lovely tributes by family and friends, among them our Hood President Ron Volpe. My family and Bet’s shared a long history and she will be sorely missed, not only by us, but all who knew her.” Helen is glad their brutal winter has gone! Speaking of President Volpe, I am sure I am not alone in being disappointed by his recent resignation. He has done so much for Hood and he will be hard to replace. Don and I are not as busy as we once were after having spent a little over three years in Golden, Colo., in a 55-plus neighborhood near our youngest son’s family. We looked forward to a trip over the July 4thweekend to visit Don’s three siblings, where we will also see our three children, nine grandchildren and four great-grands! Where has the time gone? We sing in our church choir, a larger Lutheran Chorale (which tours Colorado in August), and Don plays trombone in a community band and subs in a dance band. Having been a travel agent since 1991, Don heads up a cruise each year. In October we fly to Barcelona and then head back to Florida on our first trans-oceanic cruise. Like some of you classmates, we are active in neighborhood activities: luncheons, dinners, picnics, book club and much more. As a nonswimmer, I have exercised in the water for 25 years. Water Zumba is my current favorite! Thanks to each of you who responded to my plea for information. Our doors are open to those who would like to visit the mountains. Our current home is the smallest we have had, but it does have a guest room! Have a great summer!

News updates:

Betsy Paul Crawford wrote, “Richard and I have been married 56 years (miracle, right?). We have two sons, seven grandkids and one great (only 4-months-old) and we’re thrilled! We live in Gwynedd Valley, Pa., for five months and Vero Beach, Fla., the other seven. We have two Christian radio stations that we are still actively running. He does the managerial stuff and I keep the books. I did not think I would still be working at age 76, but it keeps me out of getting into too much trouble. My sister Nancy Paul Stimson ’57 visited a few weeks ago and we attended her granddaughter’s bridal shower. I also recently attended my granddaughter’s wedding in Pittsburgh. So, life goes on and we are thankful for everything!”

Gretchen Beckhelm reported, “In July after a delightful stay with John and Maryann Whitehead Scherzo in Seattle, I cruised the inside passage of Alaska on the 40-passenger Alaskan Dream.  It was a “dream” vacation.  In September I rented a condo in Leland, Michigan for two weeks and visited with family and friends there. Now I intend to plant my feet on home turf for a while.”