Aleece Mathews Stanton has moved into an apartment at Homewood Retirement Center in Frederick. She reported that there are at least 12 Hood alumni there, including Evelyn Stup Orndoroff who is in assisted living. Aleece also reported that son of Dottie Phair Freed has opened her home as a museum displaying her memorabilia. This sounds like a reason to visit Frederick! Nancy Meminger Barry also lives in a retirement home in Carlisle, Pa., and is now a great-grandmother. Nancy, who was preparing to spend Christmas with her daughter in California, found the retirement community a “good place” when her husband died three years ago. Another retirement home resident is Dorothy Humes Eldred, who has lived at Wake Robin in Shelburne, Vt., for 17 years. She enjoys a view of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks as well as the occasional trip to Manchester. Dotty enjoys needlepoint and keeping up with the new books coming out by volunteering in the library at Wake Robin. An exception to the retirement home trend is Mary Umbarger Corddry who said, “I am still active enough to live alone in my home on two acres in what remains of open farmland in my native Harford County, Md.” Mary continues her strong interest in outdoor activity and the theater, ballet and symphony. Mary commented, “I feel that I have been three different people in three different lives. The beginning; the middle, married and working life; and the end. The last one has so far been good.” Betty Winebrenner Clem is “the last one in the family” but enjoys her condo at the beach and traveling, especially Caribbean cruising. A cruise was her Christmas holiday plan so that her 16-year-old granddaughter could accompany her without missing school. I, Jane Seymour Wilson, am one of the retirement home dwellers. All the activities here at Ashby Ponds are resident-generated. I am involved in gardening, both outdoors and windowsill. I help with a library entirely stocked with donated books, DVDs, magazines and other media, and a weekly and quarterly publication. Family and friends are nearby, giving me an excuse to visit the real world.

Class Reporter:

Jane Seymour Wilson H’71
(703) 724-1467
jw101224@gmail.com