1951

Eleanore Jackson Knott
843-681-8580
weknott2@gmail.com

Mary Lou Hoffman Huff is almost back to normal after enduring a broken wrist for 10 weeks. She has spent some of that time trying to dispose of things she has saved “because some day I might need them.” Most of us can probably identify with that. Tink Smith Garrity and her daughter from Phoenix were happy to drive down to Tucson to have lunch with Cathie Strachan Upp in April. Cathie’s daughter Debbie had passed away after a long battle with cancer, but Cathie is slowly returning to her activities and finds helping others does help a little. Previously she had been very involved in volunteer service. She did enjoy a trip to her youngest granddaughter’s graduation from Texas Christian Univ. Lois Vars Mason also reported sad news of her husband of 20 years, William B. Mason, passing in March.  He was a financial planner but has been in charge of worldwide distribution of bananas for United Fruit in Boston. It was sad to read the editor’s note in the last issue that Sara “Sally” Weaver Langie, P’83 had passed away.  We had been roommates in Shriner. After a few more appointments, Walt and I will be driving north as usual.  We enjoyed our winter visits to Florida and look forward to spending the rest of the summer with family and friends in New England.  These trips do seem to get longer but we are very blessed to be able to go. I enjoyed talking with Betsy McCain McAlpine after she and Harry returned from our 65th reunion.  Although she was disappointed in the small number of classmates who were able to return, she and Phoebe Brown Ford, Mary Louise (Ludie) Reed Hall, Lois Vars Mason and Molly Wood Tully had enjoyed being together for their class dinner, many college activities, and much reminiscing. Please think about sending me some news of your activities to share with classmates. Molly Wood Tully wrote, “We may have been few in number but we made up for it in spirit~~Five Brave Members of the Class Of ’51 gathered in Frederick over the weekend of June 10-11 for our 65^th, and I think we held our own in noise level, hilarity and celebration…  Those who participated were – of course, first and foremost Betsy McCain McAlpine and her faithful backup, companion and husband Harry who might as well be a class member for all the spirit and hands on participation he provided.  Lois Vars Mason greeted us to hear the new President give an update on the college and we all joined together for lunch after in the dining hall. Others were:  Phoebe Brown Ford, who came by train from Greenwich, CT and joined Molly Wood Tully in Washington overnight and for the trip to Frederick.  We picked up Ludie Reed Hall who now lives in DC at a retirement home (Thomas House).  None of us had seen Ludie since graduation (I believe she married Lee Hall before graduation and did not walk down the aisle with the rest of us. Ludie has traveled the world as her husband was working for Time Magazine.  She has a son and daughter who both live relatively close to DC and are a great support to her.   We all stayed at the Hampton Inn which made carpooling easier. We enjoyed the evening dinner and speeches in the new Volpe Athletic Center, a huge gymnasium, and he personally had a special hug for each of the ’51 members. Strawberry breakfast was the usual gourmet feast, and we all said our goodbyes and took off til the next reunion.  We’re sorry there weren’t more of you but realize that at our age we’re probably lucky to be alive let alone attempt challenging trips to such outlandish places like Frederick, Maryland.”