Ann Kowitski Barber sends news from New Hampshire: My big sis, Beth Sheppard Kline’s daughter,  Kirsten married Tarcisio Ferreria on August 23rd on Cape Cod and I had the honor of officiating! It was a perfect day in every way! Who could have predicted that 40 years ago? After, I spent the week on the Cape and had a great week with my sister, Carol. Two weeks later, I spent 3 days at National Harbor on the Potomac.  Had 2 great days in DC sightseeing and spent the third with Kelly Walfred Miller. We had a great day of catching up on everything!  I had gone down to accompany Elizabeth on her drive home after her 10 weeks at GWU Hospital where she did a rotation for her DPT program. She loved DC life and had a great experience at the hospital. Graduation will be May 2014.

Denise Swan Isacson sent a quick update:  The Isacsons can be found outside Savannah in Richmond Hill, GA:  Denise just completed 35 years at Delta; Örjan continues to work at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute; Liv is a senior at Campbell University just south of Raleigh, NC.  Not sure where we’ll be once she graduates – might be time for a change!

Greg and Kas (Kluth) Rohm are celebrating our older daughter’s first wedding anniversary (where does the time go!). Other daughter is civil engineer up in NYC where her “rents” love to visit and see the sights.  In between Greg’s multiple business trips during the week, they’re enjoying spending time in Fenwick Island on the weekends where the land is level and perfect for bike riding.   Kas is still working for the school system in Baltimore County for a few more years…then who knows!

Wendy Gahm says her family has had some busy times! Daughter Natalie (class of ’07) continues to pursue her degree in Entomology at OSU, working hard as always! Son Joshua came home in August to marry his bride Megan and drive back to Tucson and enjoy life together! Daughter Stephanie made me a grandma on October 15th, giving birth to Lily Angela Gardner! My hubby Steve, and I are enjoying our Food Truck business’s second year, and I continue working hourly with CCPS! Fun times! Hope everyone else is doing well!

The Comer family is spread out again!  Margaret is pursuing a Masters Degree at Jesus College, Cambridge, Jacob is tutoring the SAT and interning at Living Classrooms, Anne is singing and acting her way through high school at the Baltimore School for the Arts.  I visited Hood last Sunday and it looks wonderful…lots of activity and amazing students!  The class of 1977 is also amazing and I know you have lots of exciting news to share….send it over anytime!  My email is ecomer@eacarchaeology.com

This online news application is great!  Just send me an email with your news, and I will post it to the site so we can keep in touch!

I recently saw Martha Homnack Armenti and her husband, Bob, at the Maryland Historical Society.  Their son, David, is the Student Research Center Coordinator and was working with the Baltimore School for the Arts on a series of Civil War scenes entitled Torn Asunder: Civil War Midstream.  Our daughter, Anne, was one of the performers.

Martha sent some news: “Last fall, my husband and I were thrilled to participate in Hood’s second annual Blue and Grey tennis tournament, a benefit to support the Hood tennis team.  It was a very special honor to play on the beautiful new courts. The morning and afternoon were full of competitive tennis, and I had the pleasure of reconnecting with and playing against Dr. Len Latkovski, who is as smart and interesting a player as he is a professor.  He invited us to Hood for an October showing of a documentary on life in Russia after the dismantling of the Soviet Union.  While it was disturbing to hear the testimony of witnesses and victims, it was inspiring to see strong examples of bravery and heroism.

My husband and I continue to enjoy our teaching careers and, this June, I will again score AP Literature exams in Louisville, KY. Over the years, it has been rewarding to see some of my high school students go on to attend Hood.  In fact, last fall, I stopped in to visit one of my very special students, Jordan Robinson, ’15, who is majoring in English and living in my freshman dorm, Shriner!

This spring, Bob and I joined Sharon Thorpe Kourtz and her husband, Paul, in Washington, D.C., for dinner and the musical Hello Dolly at Ford’s Theater.  For several years now, Bob and I have subscribed with Rachel Quynn Knudson ’78, and her husband, Scott, to the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center.  I am delighted to be able to enjoy these rich, lifelong friendships with Hood classmates. Any Hood friend traveling to the Maryland/D.C. region–please don’t hesitate to contact me: (marmenti55@hotmail.com)!”

Ann Barber wrote to say: “Elizabeth has started her final year working on her doctorate in Physical Therapy. She’s assigned to GW Hospital to do a clinical at the end of the summer. I’m looking forward to visiting her and spending some time in D.C.! We spent a nice, but cold, week together in Myrtle Beach over her spring break. Otherwise, I am working and every day is busy.”

Wendy Gahm shared this news: “I retired from teaching in July 2012 to start a new career with my hubby – we are beginning our second year in business! “Back to the Garden” is our 24-foot-long mobile kitchen, and we have been having a blast cooking at various locations and events! Check out our website (it’s about to be revised, but will be fully revised by July) www.backtothegardenfoodtruck.com, and see what you think of our healthy and delicious food offerings! Other news – my son Josh is in Arizona in the Air Force, studying meteorology, and is engaged to a wonderful girl; my daughter Natalie is in Oklahoma with her wonderful guy, pursuing a second bachelor’s degree in entomology; and daughter Stephanie and her hubby are going to give me a granddaughter this coming fall! Other than all of that, we like to hang around the house with our four St. Bernards! Hope everyone else is enjoying themselves!”

In May, I met Doug in Dunhuang, China, to see the Mogao Caves.  They are an amazing treasure!  The Comer family celebrated Jacob’s graduation from Brown University over Memorial Day weekend.  Margaret is tutoring for C2, an SAT prep center, and will enter Cambridge University (Jesus College) in the fall for her master’s degree.  Anne will travel to Spain this summer with Rustic Pathways.  My mother’s book, Catoctin Furnace: Portrait of an Ironmaking Village, was published this spring by History Press.  She graduated from Hood also, and I am so proud of all her accomplishments.   I just wish she were alive to enjoy the success.