Ellen-Marie Samsen Knehans, P’18
760-371-2353
emknehans@mchsi.com

Greetings fellow Hood alum! It’s a beautiful fall weekend here in New Jersey. I was hoping last weekend to attend Hood Homecoming but the weather did not cooperate! Here are the updates from the Class of ’84! Jenny Muir reports that she has moved back to South Jersey after living in Idaho since 1990. She has switched careers after 30 years in the administrative field and got her M.Ed in Education from Holy Family University in Philadelphia. She is currently working as a Pre-K teacher and would love to network with any teachers in the South Jersey area from Hood. Her e-mail address is jenny08088@yahoo.com. Jenny is also a “Puppy Raiser” for the Seeing Eye and is currently raising a 1 year old German Shepard for the program. Jenny has also visited with classmates Evelyn Hoban, Holly Goss Betts and Heidi Crammond Maidamast ’83. Jenny also enjoys spending time with her sister Bess Muir ‘79. Robin Winkler-Pickett is back at Hood earning another degree, this time an MBA to go with her MS. Robin continues to work at the NCI and recently took on the responsibilities as Scientific Operations manager. Robin reports that she works with another Hood alum, Jami Willette-Brown. Robin’s son Eric is a Sgt. in the USMC, stationed in Maryland. Daughter-in-law, Val, is an art teacher at Green Valley elementary. Robin’s youngest son Adam is excited to have just secured his first full time job! Beth Rosenberg reports that effective February 2015, she has been promoted to the position of Community Development Block Grant/Housing Finance Programs Manager with Loudoun County Government. In this position, she manages Loudoun County’s Community Development Block Grant Program and a professional staff of five others that help low and moderate income residents to purchase homes, prevent and reduce homelessness, manage grants that serve at risk families and children and provide community outreach services. Caludia Nichols Nealley had also hoped to attend Hood Homecoming but she and her family, husband Mark and daughter Maggie attended their son’s Homecoming football game at Carnegie Mellon that day. Claudia reports all is well in Frederick! Susan MacKenzie reports that her daughter graduated from Denison University in May and then moved to New Zealand. She is taking a gap year before applying to grad school in Geoscience. Sue is working as a Commercial Interior designer for a Healthcare Architectural firm. Susan Sutton Bartolotto reports that she is living in Rochester, New York. Husband John is working for Zaxis. Daughter Emily is 21 and taking classes at Monroe Community College and looking to pursue a career in the Hospitality field. Sue’s daughter Hannah graduated from high school in June and also attends Monroe Community College. Sue’s son Johnny is in 8th grade and plays football and lacrosse for his middle school teams. Sue has gone back to work full-time with the Fairport Central School District. Sad news to pass along in this column is the passing of a fellow classmate, Vince Coates on October 9, 2015. We send our sincere condolences to his family and friends. For anyone who would like to honor Vince, Hood has established the Vince Coates Memorial Fund for Student Interns. Contributions can be sent to: Office of Institutional Advancement, Hood College, 401 Rosemont Ave, Frederick, MD 21701.