1974

Joyce Manbeck MacKellar, M.S.’00
301-964-6677
joycemackellar@yahoo.com

Patricia Kidd
609-737-3656
pat.kidd@hotmail.com

First of all, we all send our heartfelt thanks to Sally Johnson Leland for doing a great job as our class reporter. Pat Kidd will be covering news for the summer issue and I, Joyce Manbeck MacKellar, will be responsible for winter issue news. Keep us informed! Elizabeth Guertler Godfrey, M.A.’80 has written a memoir of her father’s rash adventures, her parents’ intense romance and how their secrets affected her life. It is entitled “The Pigeon And The Seagull, My Passionate, Imperfect Parents” and is available on Amazon. Patti Loser Godwin and husband Joe recently enjoyed a vacation in Greece. Since retiring and relocating, Patti can often be found enjoying the beauty of nature as she hikes and kayaks in Northern California and Oregon. Vicki Raeburn Benton writes that she and husband Leigh took a seven-day cruise along the Rhine from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam this past August. They then spent three days in London before heading home. The UniWorld Castles Along the Rhine tour was fantastic! “The ship had only 100 passengers and to say we were spoiled beyond our wildest imaginings by the 40-plus crew would be an understatement! The accommodations were great, the food was superb and the tours of the castles and vineyards—wow! If anyone ever wants to do the Rhine…book on UniWorld. It has it all over the others! Leigh is up for reelection in November, so this was our last trip for a while. He is already gearing up for the campaign. I continue to proctor medical exams at Touro College. I love it!” Vicki’s son, Chris, has left his COO position at Beachside and is now working/partnered with Top Tier Sports Medicine. They recently opened an office in Melbourne, so he is there when not on tour with the LPGA. His wife, Jess, and the kids are doing well, too. Jess does contract OT work from home and the kids, Cam, 12, and Jace, 10, enjoy baseball, soccer and golf. Vicki’s other son, PJ, is still a crime scene investigator/detective for the New Windsor Police Department. When he’s not working or on call, he coaches the travel ice hockey team for son Ryan, 9. PJ’s oldest, Marty, 11, is also an avid hockey player and on the Pee Wee travel team. Needless to say, there are times when PJ is going one place with Ryan while wife Lisa is heading to a different state with Marty! Lisa continues to run her jewelry business (Lisa Wicker Designs LLC) and loves every minute of it. Nancy Kemp Cline recently served as a docent for one of the homes on the Frederick Holiday House Tour. Her garden club decorated one of the homes for the tour. Always a great way to kick off the holidays! On a very personal note, I was very unexpectedly diagnosed with ovarian cancer in June 2014. After three surgeries, months of hospital stays and chemo, I have just finished treatment for my first reoccurrence. In September, I had the opportunity to attend Camp Mak-A-Dream in MT. They offer, free of charge, retreats for various cancer patients, but two retreats are strictly for women with ovarian cancer. It was a fabulous experience, and I got to zip line, something that I have been wanting to do. Because of my health issues, I retired from Frederick County Public Schools as a reading intervention teacher at Middletown Elementary and from Frederick Community College as an adult ESOL teacher. Since then, I have opened an eBay business that has far exceeded my expectations. I am so appreciative of each day, the wonderful support of my husband, Butch Nieves, my daughter, Shannon, and son, Brock, as well as many friends. Beth Guertler Godfrey has always been one of my biggest supporters throughout this journey. I am blessed!