1967 May Mumma Ohman may.mumma.ohman@gmail.com
Wonderful to hear from so many of you! This is the full—uncut—Class of ’67 report! Enjoy! So much more here!
Knowing I was taking over for Pat Rosner Kearns, in January 2019 Ginny wrote to give me a first entry. At that time, Ginny Price Bracken wrote that she and husband Chuck (Brack) continue to enjoy their busy retirement in the wonderful “golfing, boating, living” community of Cypress Landing in Eastern North Carolina. A bonus is that Ginny’s sister-in-law, Susan Bracken and her Hood Little Sister Marilyn Mundy also own homes in the community!
Later, Ginny wrote to share news of the passing of Vivian Lamberson Manis. Ginny and Cheryl Wray Kirk attended Viv’s memorial service in Hagerstown in April. Laura Seymour Carlson had sent wonderful photos that were part of the slide show to remember Vivian.
Kris Campbell Joyce “In spring, we had a nice brief visit with Pam Higginbottom Carey and her husband Hugh in their home near our son’s in Baltimore, Maryland. We were there especially to see our fast maturing grandchildren Emma, now a high school senior, and her brother Ryan, 15. Our son Keir and wife Joy seem to be navigating these teen times well. BJ and I just returned from a trip to Florence, Italy, for my teaching and art which I continue to enjoy After 10 days in Florence, we went to Austria for 12 days to see the family I lived with in 1961-62. We have stayed in touch but we needed some lengthy time together to catch up on this phase of life!”
Pat Anderson Branning “Lives and writes in Beaufort, South Carolina and is the author of 7 best selling books on the Coastal South, a series titled, Shrimp, Collards and Grits. Pat’s books are available on Amazon, her website www.patbranning.com and fine gift stores throughout the Southeast.”
Barb Cummings Stacks writes “Several of us live within 10 minutes of each other. Linda Carlson, Barb Schmidt MacGregor, Peggy Narducci Phillips, and me, Barb (Babs at Hood) Cummings Stacks. Last year, thanks to Carol Brink and her wonderful, creative skills, we traveled together to join many other ’67 classmates in Manchester By The Sea outside Boston. Our trip was 3 hours up and 3 hours home. We talked non-stop the entire trip. Visiting and continuing to share Hood and life memories with all of our other classmates over a great potluck lunch in Manchester truly provided for us ROOTS!!! We loved that experience and we have continued getting together! In September, we are hosting a potluck luncheon at my home in Essex, also a very special place to relax, reminisce, and continue to recall our roots! On a personal note, we are all well, active, and loving our retirement! Our grown children, grandchildren, travel, exercise, and volunteer passions keep us ‘young”! We have much in common!”
Barb Wood Spellman “My oldest granddaughter just finished her freshman year at Northeastern in Boston. My husband John and I spent a great time in North Carolina last fall [2018] visiting Ginny Price Bracken and her husband Chuck. Of course we spent time with Susan [Bracken] as well while there. Ginny managed John’s dental practice for many years so we had lots to talk about. We also saw Sharon MacDowell Sheaffer and her husband John in May at the 50th reunion of our husbands’ the University of Pennsylvania Dental School class.”
Angela Milea Mogin “Mike and I have been attending graduations this summer. Our youngest grandson graduated from kindergarten in May and in June we were in Los Angeles to attend the high school graduation of our eldest grandchild. Mattie will attend U. Cal. Berkeley next fall, much to the discomfort of her father and one of her aunts, who are Stanford graduates. The family will be colorful if nothing else. Berkeley, blue v. Stanford, red.”
Ginny Munson Hammell “I married a widower May 25. Tack (Henry Gordon Hamby, retired AF pilot). He has 3 sons and 7 grandchildren. I got great relatives in the deal! Only a couple of Hoodlums could make it: Marianne Kearney, Emily McNaughton (69). It was lots of fun but we were both exhausted.
“We flew to London 27 for a D Day tour. (Tack’s Dad dropped paratroopers over St. Maire Eglise.) In the fall [2018] we were in Italy for a 5 day cooking program. (Plus Tacks a FAB cook.) We spent the winter in Boca Raton and did an Eastern Caribbean cruise. Traveled 3 weeks in Spain in April.
“Big D Day tour. Wonderful. Added two days in London (fab Indian food), three days in Paris and 1 day in Biarritz. (In my racing through farmers market rammed my knee into a wall, still recovering,)
“It will take us all summer to get organized.
“Tack is very fond of Frederick and Andrea. We are out there every other month.”
Susan Wadia-Ells “I have been struggling with finishing my twelve year Busting Breast Cancer book project. And am finally happy to announce that the book will be out in paperback and eBook format this fall. This has been a mysterious and magnificent experience, as I stumbled over the new metabolic theory of cancer, just after it was published in 2012.
“The author of the new theory… Boston College biologist Thomas Seyfried, has now mentored me for the past five years… as I have created this first book on breast cancer prevention, based on the new metabolic theory. Once women are willing and able to follow most of the prevention steps described in the book, we could/would/should/will see breast cancer rates in the U.S. drop by literally 80 percent.
“This is also a women’s empowerment book… as each chapter explains why corporate sponsored breast cancer awareness groups and our federal cancer agencies are funded and controlled by the breast cancer treatment industry… with none of these groups focused on effective preventions… just on mammograms/detection and treatment for all!!! Hence… women must think for ourselves… and protect ourselves from this diseases… that is not at epidemic levels in the U.S.
“My website is just going up now… see www.bustingbreastcancer.com. Am currently raising $$ for a legal review and the final 5k in production costs. I will be setting up book-signings and workshops around the country… and beyond beginning in October. Would love to connect with Hood ’67 folks throughout the process.”
Meredith Cook Held “I am still working as a realtor in the north Texas area. I’m a past president of our local association and am still involved at the state and national levels, serving on both Boards of Directors. I love what I do so I have no intention to retire any time soon. I do get to travel as part of my responsibilities so I spent a week in Boston last November (hadn’t been back since I left there in the 70s) and will be in San Francisco for a week this November. In my ‘spare time,’ I love to read, play with my dog and generally relax with my husband of 39 years. Where did the time go?! If anyone is traveling this way (Frisco, Texas), I’d love to see them.”
Laurie Seymour Carlson shared “I am thoroughly enjoying retirement and am lucky enough to live near my oldest (12 years old) of three grandchildren. So I spend a good amount of time with her. I also enjoy walking, reading, needlework and my small patio garden.”
Debbie Smith Aldrich reports “I continue to love beautiful Newburyport and the ocean. I have an incredible group of terrific friends, who meet every Wednesday. (Sort of like that group on 3rd floor Meyran). I’m very active in my church, currently a Deacon, Assistant Collector, Altar Guild and Personnel. Spent a wonderful week at Myrtle Beach with my daughter and granddaughter (9 years old) enjoying the beach and ocean. Life is good.”
Johanna Van Wert Thompson writes “Michael and I continue to live in Williamsburg, Va. Our 3 children and 8 grandchildren are only an hour from us so we see them often, although several are in college. We just returned from Massachusetts., seeing Sally Raube Chandler and Gretchen Hahn Anderson and husband Tom on the sad occasion of Jim Chandler’s Memorial Service. It was good to catch up with them. We still love our traveling days and did the Panama Canal in the spring and are visiting the Canadian Maritimes this fall. We love visitors, so please come see us in Williamsburg.”
Meredith Howard Parham checked in to tell us “Bruce and I are still living in the not-so-frozen north after more than 30 years. The entire huge state has fewer than 750.000 intrepid souls. Retirement is turning out to be very busy—I play harpsichord and recorders (both Renaissance and Baroque) with numerous groups. This past year I went to New Zealand and played recorder and Irish whistle on the North Island—what a beautiful country! And this past spring, I spent a week in Portland, OR, at an early music workshop at a retreat on the Columbia River gorge. Other than spending too many hours practicing, I tend our flowers (the summer’s never-ending daylight does amazing things to Alaska gardens) and walk/hike in the local parks.” (Meredith hopes to see Ginny Price Bracken and husband Chuck when they travel to Alaska on a cruise in July.)
From Nancy Esau Jeschke says “I have been retired after 40 years of teaching since 2007. I was somewhat hesitant at first because I loved teaching high school. My husband had retired the year before and was really having fun, that pushed me into retirement. We travel a couple of times a year. We really enjoy Viking, have been to the Mediterranean, Baltic, France, Germany, Portugal and Spain. One of our favorite trips has been to Australia and New Zealand. Our son is a patent attorney and has 2 children—Evie (5) and Ethan (2). Our daughter is a technical writer and has Derek (15) and Kellen (6). I volunteer at the local animal shelter with cats. It makes me feel like a social worker—matching personalities of people with the right cat! I also golf with friends and with a couples group. Other than heart bypass in 2009, life has been good. I see Gail Williams, Lucille Van Baaren (’68) and Barb Wilson.”
Leilani Chen Viney “My husband Terry and I still live in my hometown of Milburn, NJ. He still works from home and I retired in 2011, but have maintained my Registered Dietitian credential, always thinking I might embark on a second career. Ballroom dancing has been my hobby and passion for decades, and I continue to compete with my teacher (pro/am couple) and occasionally with my husband (amateur couple). I’m also on the Board of the Ruth Gottscho Kidney Foundation. My Hood roommate, Gwenn Sterling Engle, and I still stay in touch. My son, Jonathan Cryer, has a medical practice in Ithaca, NY; his wife, Marnie, is on the faculty at Cornell. They have two lovely kids that I’m so proud of.”
Judy Lehman Ballinger ”As for news, it seems a lot of the same. I am still living in West Reading, painting silk in my 3rd floor studio, spending time with 9 growing-up grandchildren, serving on the usual too many committees, and imagining that there will be more time for personal vacations next year. Blair and I did make a trip to visit roomie Cheryl Wray Kirk and husband Gene on the Eastern Shore last fall, but I missed getting to Ginny Munson Hammel’s wedding last month. I am having my major solo art show this June, “Art from my African Sketchbooks: Works on Paper and Fabric.” It has been a lot of effort and revival of skills I first learned at Hood; a pleasure, but I look forward to a less intense July. Mostly, this season I miss the home I no longer have in Cape May. Gathering with daughters for a week in August is not enough ocean for me! We made up for no ocean with wonderful mountains in April with clan Ballinger gathered in Utah to celebrate my aunt, Ruth Austermuhl Battenberger (Hood ’40) 100th birthday. It was a nice place and time to turn 74 and not feel old.”
Beth Hobby Costello “For four Junes, I have been lucky enough to spend time with Susan Bracken, Ginny Price Bracken and her husband in Chocowinity, N.C. Susan and I take the ferry to Ocracoke Island to an incredible music festival… all good fun, good food, crazy golf cart rides, and time on a beautiful beach. These get-togethers have enriched my life so much—I hope we’ll have many more Ocrafolk Festivals to attend. Life is rewarding for me as I hope it is for everyone from the class of ’67!”
On a wonderfully positive note—Cynthia Newby writes “Continuing to serve on the Hood College Board of Trustees, so pleased to share that enrollment is way up—over 300 coming in the freshman class for fall of 2019.” [Thank you, Cindy!]
Linda Carlson shared “I am another CT alum living on the shoreline here in Chester for the past year. Both of my children, Karen and Dale, live within 2 miles of me… if only we all had that arrangement. I serve on the Chester Democratic Town Committee and campaign for local candidates whose views match mine. I am also fortunate to live close to several alums planning a regional Hood reunion luncheon on September 18. Sending my best regards to all!”
May Mumma Ohman– On a personal note, my husband Earl and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary last August [2018]. Our daughter Karin, husband Austin, and our son Jack threw us a surprise party. Family and friends were there—including Susan Bracken, Ginny Price Bracken and her husband “Brack” (Chuck)! Wonderful!
As your new class reporter—it was wonderful to “hear” so many of your voices. I know the Hood magazine class report was terribly reduced—in order to meet the publisher’s constraints and requirements. It is so nice to have a second forum where all our words can be shared!
And, closing with thoughts from Diane Smail Robertson, “If I lived a more exciting life, I would have many more interesting things to report, but I find that life here in Virginia is filled with just the everyday occurrences that we all encounter one way or another… rejoicing in and watching grandchildren grow, spending time with family and friends, being grateful for good health and the blessings that God has given me. In the last year or so, we have cut down on travel a bit, but we still manage our annual 2-week trip south to Charleston, a place that feels like a ‘second home’ to us after all these years of visiting. Life is good and we are thankful.”
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