As always, thanks for responding to my plea for news! Betsy Widerman Hyle checked in from Island Heights, located across Barnegat Bay where the iconic images of a Jersey shore roller coaster sat submerged in the ocean! Betsy and husband boarded up and stayed. No power for a week and some trees were down. To Jeanette, Sara and Elaine, Betsy was touched by your relentless efforts to track her down to make sure all was well. New Jersey’s first lady Mary Pat Christie set up a relief fund. Check out www.sandynjrelieffund.org. Thanks, Betsy! Dot Herdle Files and Eben continue to sing with two choirs, and Dot has joined a bell choir. A full house for the holidays were to include daughter Carolyn serving in the U.S. Navy.

Christine Sullivan Hampton checked in for the first time! Was not so bad, was it? Youngest daughter Mary is a sophomore biology major at Elon Univ. in North Carolina. Older daughter Kate graduated in 2011 from the College of Charleston in South Carolina and is in a master of education counseling program at Mercer Univ. in Macon, Ga. Husband Chuck is a tax attorney (wills, trusts and estates). Christine’s mom Anna Mary Messerly Sullivan ’42, P’74, visited for the holidays from her home in central Pennsylvania, and she is still going strong! Kathy Poloni Triwahjudi and husband Steve sustained minor damage from Sandy, but went 15 days without power. Son Anthony kept his ice hockey skills and musical talents honed with summer camps in New York and Vermont, respectively. Kathy’s mom has adjusted well to an assisted living facility in the Poconos. Condolences to your family on the loss of Steve’s brother who died suddenly in Indonesia. Monica Desiderio remains busy as an interpreter for conferences and the California federal and state courts. This year’s highlight was interpreting at a conference held at the Getty Museum in Louisiana with regard to the challenges of conserving murals, specifically America Tropical by Hispanic artist David Siqueiros. His mural was painted decades ago for its subject matter and has undergone a massive restoration. Travels took Monica to China, Portugal and the Yucatan Peninsula, where she attended a flora/fauna conservation conference to earn credits for her state interpretation certification! Sweet!

Vicki Raeburn Benton shared that husband Leigh will run in November 2013 for his fourth term in county service. He remains busy as a Gemological Institute of America jeweler. Son PJ very much enjoys work as Windsor’s New York crime scene unit detective. Florida son Chris is chief operating officer of Beachside Physical Therapy and runs between four offices; he even seems to find time to tend to his own patients. Vicki tutors, child care sits and volunteers where ever there is a need, and loves spending time with her four grandsons––two kindergarteners and two second graders! Guy and Martha (Marty) Mulford Gray ’69 were a step ahead of Sandy and had their boat out two weeks prior! Guy continues his love of boat restoration by recently wrapping up work on a ’61 lightning sailboat, but is she sea worthy Guy? Liz-Anne Arant Allen continues in her field of financial planning for retirement, involved with church ministries, reads voraciously, draws and paints. Liz-Anne is supporting organizations geared to military families, wounded warriors, reintegration of former military into the civilian life, and reintegration for those requiring assistance of service animals. Liz-Anne’s brother-in-law, age 60, became totally disabled this last year from unexplained brain seizures, so trips to Ventura are more frequent to help out the family. Liz-Anne’s daughters are flourishing and happy charting their own paths.

Peggy Bull Larsen and husband Michael celebrated their milestone birthdays by going to Rome, Florence and Tuscany. Peggy enjoys her work coordinating special events at Goucher College in Baltimore and regional events for the college’s president. Peggy passed along news of B.J. Schuler’s ’73 death. B.J. had been battling cancer. She retired in 2010 after 30-plus years of teaching high school biology. Our condolences to the class of ’73. We share your grief and loss. More information is available by searching for Betty Jean Schuler of Pitman, N.J., in Google. For those affected by Hurricane Sandy, we hope your lives have returned to some state of “normalcy”––your new normal, ready for new memories! Remain healthy! I may be reached at sallyleland@sbcglobal.net, 29 Cushing Briggs Road, Freeport, ME 04032 or (207) 865-0280.

Class Reporter:

Sally Johnson Leland
(207) 865-0280
SallyLeland@sbcglobal.net