1970

Marj Menchey Berkheimer
mench49@gmail.com

I’m pleased to be your new class reporter but saddened that it is because Karin Ninesling Infuso, our loyal reporter, died in December 2019. I know that Karen “Kari” Blair misses her dear friend terribly…

My first reply came from Marty Hassell with the very happy news of being newly married! Marty and Ellen Anthony (Vassar not Hood!) were married on June 2, 2019. Linda Allan and Deborah Parsons ’71 were at the wedding. Much happiness and best wishes to them! Leslie Wenger Fitzgerald wrote from Savannah, GA where she and Steve have been living since 2000. They left NJ when McGraw Hill shut down the department she and Steve headed. They are enjoying the quieter, slower pace of the south and now operate a business intermediary office. Although busy with work, Leslie has returned to painting – look for her website: www.LFitzgeraldArt.com. Lauren Frankel wrote from Pasadena, CA where she is involved with organization development consulting. She met up with Phyllis Goodnow, while attending a wedding in Maine. She also keeps in touch with Martha Herbert Bounoure and Georgeanne Madouros Contoyannopoulos who are both overseas and Millie Smith Steinbrecher ’71 who is near Pasadena. Lauren shares the joy of being a new grandmother with Peggy Muncie. Her daughter and wife live in Minneapolis where Lauren often visits to see baby Juna. Elaine Hubert writes from Vermont but spends much time in Californian with daughter Laura and her children, Bodhi (3) and Bella (6 months). ((There is definitely a grandmother theme in this newsletter!))  Elaine and Myra Holsinger traveled together on a Hood alumni sponsored trip to the UK. (I have also been on one of these trips and encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities). Peggy Muncie became a grandmother on June 23rd . She is “over the moon with happiness”. Peggy and Stephen live in Greenville, SC . She will be looking for ideas and help for the Chapel Service on Reunion Weekend. The 50th Class is traditionally in charge of this lovely service. Please plan this event into your reunion weekend plans. Cindy Besancon Walsh wrote from Spokane WA. She and husband, Dan, retired there to be with their son and grandkids. Their outdoor activities include camping, fishing, golfing, horseback riding, and “rock hounding”. She finds gems in the mountains and creates jewelry! She recently vacationed with Sally Miller Keehn ’69. Nancy Schneider Alder is using her ECE degree with taking care of a niece’s baby. She has also been fostering kittens, volunteering at a surgical center, nursing home, and church and helps to care for her 95 year old mother. That’s a lot of admirable help given! Myra Holsinger writes that she and Marie Oliver Brackbill and Ellen Sands Smith get together at Ellen’s home in Easton MD for eating, talking, shopping, and watching Marie knit. I’m sure the food includes wonderful Eastern Shore seafood! I’m adding thanks to Myra as well as to Linda Allan for their many hours spent guiding our college as trustees. Donna Newman plans to be at our reunion, but she can’t believe its number 50! She says the 2018 was her fun year- 4 different beaches, domestic and Caribbean, 3 week Mediterranean cruise, couple of weeks in Paris, and a month in Asia? WOW! 2019 is the year homeowner obligations and repairs. Donna, I’d like to hear more about that month in Asia! Christine Goodwin Oster writes: no news here, just living in the woods, making pots, and frequently visiting our family in the DC area. As for me, Marj Menchey Berkheimer, Life is VERY Good! Phil and I have a home in Naples, Florida and have become snowbirds. We enjoyed hosting friends and family the past winter and learning about southwest Florida and its flora and fauna. Mary Rife James, hosted Hood Alums at her beautiful home in Naples in March. I also see Linda Allan and Myra Holsinger at Hood Trustee events on campus. I am now on the Board of Associates with Ellen Sacks so I feel very involved with Hood. You can be proud of your alma mater! Sam aka Mary Ryan Reeves and I see each other constantly in Frederick. We are already planning our 50th reunion for June 5-7, 2020. Sam and I will be co-chairs, Peggy Muncie will lead the Chapel Service (with volunteers), Linda Allan and Myra Holsinger will be heading the fundraising. Sam has designed a beautiful scarf in the Hermes style, bordered in yellow – our class color. We’re hoping you’ll buy and wear it proudly as we enter the reunion luncheon! Sam hosted Linda Israel Lamm ’69, for her 50th reunion last month. Sam and John also attended several reunion events especially enjoying the Campus Tour. I attended many events last month with Molly Stuart’69, my roommate in Terrace House my junior year along with Barbara Hoagland Zeigler ’69. Susan Taylor Shoch ’69, and Barbara were the co-chairs of their reunion. The Class of ’69 had a big turnout at the reunion and was a wonderful weekend. Please mark your calendars now for our 50th! Let Sam and me know of ideas and suggestions you might have. We have set up a Facebook page, Hood College Class of 1970. Please follow us as we plan and post plans for next June. Also add your comments and pictures.

Karin Ninesling Infuso
910.400.5137
kinfuso@aol.com

Christine Bradley Pecor is an adjunct faculty member at Frederick Community College.  She and her husband have 9 grandchildren and try to attend their various sport activities.  Chris and Bob enjoy travel, especially cruise travel, and have visited Yellowstone NP and Mount Rushmore.  Deborah Clancy Butler retired from her pastoral position at a church in CA, and she and her husband relocated to Washington State where her husband established a yacht-rigging business. Her two sons still reside in CA.  Deb keeps in touch with Hood friends via Facebook.  Dana Eser Hunt still works for a Cambridge, MA public policy research firm.  Her work focuses on problems related to opioid addiction and trafficking, which “unfortunately” keeps her busy.  Lauren Frankel spent a week in Nimes, France to attend the wedding of Martha Herbert Bounoure’s younger daughter.  Georgeanne Madouros Contoyannopoulos also attended, and they had “a grand visit”.  Lauren is busy with her consulting work providing executive coaching for independent schools and non-profit organizations.  Lauren’s daughter and her wife live in Minneapolis.  Lauren loves the Twin Cities and enjoys her visits there.  Rosalyn Goddard Phillips and her husband have lived in CA for over 43 years and recently celebrated their 46^th anniversary.  They are retired and enjoy hosting house concerts for touring folk musicians.  Roz’s primary hobby is playing clawhammer banjo in an Appalachian string band. Roz and her husband enjoy traveling, to Europe, in the USA, and to various music festivals.  Their son and daughter both live in CA.  Mary Holmes Dague and her husband married in 1970 in Coffman Chapel with Dr. Smith officiating and Marty Hassell singing.  They are still happily married and have two sons.  Mary’s tinnitus and hearing loss ended her dance teaching career years ago, but she remembers the dance program at Franklin and Marshall College that she helped start in 1970.  After receiving an MA in dance, Mary taught at F&M which now offers a major in dance.   Elizabeth Houghton Fulmer and her husband continued their motor home tour of the US National Parks. So far, they have traveled and driven 55,000 miles.  This Thanksgiving, they will do something different and celebrate the holiday on a Panama Canal cruise.  Susan Jones O’Donnell downsized this year to a patio home not far from her previous home in CO.  She is active in the outdoors and also has a mountain home.  Sue retired from federal service in 2012 but does some consulting for the Office of Personnel Management.  Sue travels, recently to Italy and Croatia, plays duplicate bridge, and takes lessons to overcome the Smith Hall version of bridge.  Sue has been in touch with Laura Martin Shafer and Margaret  Muncie.  Sally Lottich Thompson still lives overlooking Puget Sound and sells real estate in Seattle. Sally loves her beautiful city with its intellectual, empathetic, progressive values, “especially in this day and age”.  Sally’s older daughter lives in NC with her author-husband and two children.  Sally’s younger daughter lives in San Francisco and has a career in retail design and management.  Sally will travel to Denmark in December to visit Dikte Kirchheiner Holm who was a foreign exchange student while we were at Hood.  Dikte and her husband and daughters live in Ribe, a Viking port established a thousand years ago.  Margaret Muncie and her husband travel a lot, mostly short trips to visit family and friends.  Peggy’s daughter and her husband had to evacuate their Coconut Grove, FL home during Hurricane Irma and spent 8 days in SC with Peggy. Peggy and her husband went to Steven’s 50^th reunion of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale and to Peggy’s General Seminary Board meeting in NYC.  They also enjoyed a UNC-Miami U football game with both daughters and son-in-law.  Donna Newman is fully retired and has “stepped up” her traveling.  She went on a land tour of the Baltic countries and St. Petersburg, Russia, saw a lot of the countryside, and was able to interact with local people.  The tour guide was 20 years old when the Soviet Union collapsed and offered “amazing perspectives” on Russian life.  Karin Ninesling Infuso and her husband recently traveled to SD, MT, and WY including Yellowstone NP and Grand Teton NP.  They stayed in historic lodges and saw lovely scenery and much wildlife.  The highlight of the trip was an exquisite 8-inch snowfall in Yellowstone NP.  Karin and her husband enjoy retirement and the time it allows for civic groups, book club, MahJong, and their delightful 2 year-old grandson.  Karin sees Ada Karen Blair as often as Kari’s busy schedule allows.  Anne Parkin Pierpont sent sad news of her husband’s passing in January 2017.   He and Anne struggled for several years with his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease, and it was a “sad way for a robust and wonderful person to die”.  Because he was a conductor and composer, the funeral included his music.  Jeanne Bryant Wyland, Anne’ roommate at Hood, attended the service. Anne and her daughter grew closer through the ordeal, and we send our condolences to them.  Nancy Schneider Alder traveled to WI in a 4-seater prop plan to visit childhood friends.  Nancy’s grandchildren are in the 5^th to 7^th grades, participate in numerous sports, and get good grades.  Nancy keeps busy with volunteer activities in Gettysburg, PA.  Ruth Sands Smith e-mailed from Easton, MD where she, Myra Holsinger, and Marie Oliver Brackbill were gathered to celebrate Myra and Marie’s birthdays and reminisce about Hood.  They visited Wye Mills and the Old Wye Church because Ruth is on the board and is an administrator there. Marie works part-time in a library, and Myra is a docent at the Library of Congress. Vickie Smith Diaz and her long-time partner met Sandy Doucett Greenberg and her husband for lunch in Annapolis, MD.  Sandy, a talented knitter, created 2 blankets for Vickie’s first grandchild and a shawl for Vickie.  Vickie and her daughter will cherish those thoughtful gifts from a long-time thoughtful friend. We are sad to report the passing of your class reporter and friend, Karin Ninesling Infuso.  Karin passed away on December 14, 2017. We offer our sincere condolences to Karin’s family and friends.

Karin Ninesling Infuso
910-400-5137
kinfuso@aol.com

Cindy Besancon Walsh left her “beloved Colorado” eight years ago to care for family members in Florida.  She was able to move to Spokane, WA, one year ago to be closer to her son and his family.  Cindy spends her retirement time on golf, fishing, camping, and playing with her grandchildren.  Ada Karen Blair participated in the Women’s March on Washington in January, the day after the Presidential inauguration. She joined a group of women from rural NC who, while standing on the National Mall, watched the crowd grow to unexpected and unprecedented size.  It was a “defining moment” to be a part of more than a million women who demonstrated their concerns for the environment, human rights, and women’s issues.  Susan (“Sandy”) Doucett Greenberg and her husband met Margaret Livingstone Frisk and her husband during their annual trip from FL to MA.  Joining them were Kathryn Grant Heinen and Ann Rechsteiner Phillips and their husbands.  They were grateful for this time together; Sandy maintained keeping in touch after “fifty years and counting is so important”.  Sandy is also in contact with Vickie Smith Diaz.  Roberta Dudley Maguire enjoys retirement with “five grandchildren, soon to be six”.  She recently returned from a trip to Germany and Austria with Joanne Loughrey Flahive.  Ellen Farrand Carpenter reported she has a four-year-old grandson and five-month-old granddaughter.  Ellen recently made a surprise visit to her Hood roommate, Lallah Pierpont Brilhart, whom she hadn’t seen since graduation. They recognized each other immediately.  Elizabeth Houghton Fulmer drove 5,500 miles in a motor home and visited nine national parks in CA, TX, and NM.  After six weeks, she flew home to Florida and will continue the trip in the fall.  She states that “retirement is great”.  Margaret Livingstone Frisk reports that her husband will retire in July after teaching for 13 years at Florida Atlantic University and after working for 26 years at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and 9 years at the Naval Research Lab.  Marge and her husband will continue to summer in MA and winter in FL.  Marge’s sad news was of Lucy Rupp Sterner’s sudden and unexpected passing in April.  Lucy was Marge’s roommate during junior and senior year at Hood and was a bridesmaid in Marge’s wedding.  Lucy’s sister graduated from Hood in 1975.  We send condolences to Marge and, especially, to Lucy Rupp Sterners’s family.  Joanne Loughrey Flahive sent news of an eighteen-month-old grandson who is a “total delight”.  Joanne and Roberta Dudley Maguire went on a ten-day trip to Germany and Austria with a small group that included an author of a WWII novel. They visited places in the novel including Buchenwald, Nuremberg, and Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest.  Joanne and her husband will travel to Santa Fe, NM, this summer and will be joined by their daughter, son-in-law and grandson.  Margaret Muncie enjoys her “semi-retired life” which includes three trips a year to NYC to serve on the Board of Trustees of General Theological Seminary.  Peggy recently hosted a gathering of Hood alums at her home in Greenville, SC.  Hood President Chapdelaine and Nancy Gillece also attended and met with the alums.  Donna Newman spends much time on various beaches and will visit the Baltic capitals and St. Petersburg, Russia, in August.  Karin Ninesling Infuso and her husband fill their retirement days in NC with gardening, a community book club and civic groups, and an adorable, almost two-year-old grandson. Karin visited Florida for vacation and to see a long-time friend and colleague and travels with her daughter and grandson to workshops for teachers of exceptional children.  Karin joined Karen Blair on the historic Women’s March on Washington in January and sees Karen and her husband, who live nearby, as often as possible.  Mary Ryan Reeves visited with Ellen Sacks P ’09 when Ellen participated in a panel on “Women in the Law” at Hood. Sam’s trip to Cuba was a cultural opportunity during which she saw “completely inspiring art”.  Sam designed an “I Love 70” tee shirt that is available on Zazzle.com.  Nancy Schneider Alder reports that her five grandchildren will enter grades 5-7 in the fall, and two will become teenagers.  She is proud of their success in school and their involvement in numerous sports.  Vickie Smith Diaz “had the honor” of walking her daughter down the aisle at her wedding on Mother’s Day. For Vickie, it was a “fabulous Mother’s Day”.

1970

Karin Ninesling Infuso
910-400-5137
kinfuso@aol.com

Classmates sent information about children, grandchildren, travel, new commitments and new challenges. Congratulations to Janet Bear Ander who welcomed a “beautiful” new granddaughter to her family in September. Janet also has a 15-month-old grandson.  Jeanne Bryant Wyland sent a short email with “big news” that her son was accepted and is planning to attend Hood. Congratulations to her family, also. Jody Davis Eakin has retired to the Villages in FL where she enjoys many activities including golf and duplicate bridge. At a holiday party, she met four Hood alums and Penny Hain who worked in administration while we were at Hood. Jody’s sister, the Rev. Gail Davis Williford ’68 retired from a church in Houston, TX, and the congregation dedicated a large outdoor labyrinth in her honor. Ellen Farrand Carpenter offered bittersweet news. She recently visited Lallah Pierpont Brilhart and has two grandchildren, a 4-year-old grandson and a granddaughter born just weeks ago. Ellen’s husband died suddenly in August, and she now must decide if she will remain in her longtime MD home or relocate to the waterfront house near St. Petersburg, FL, that she and her husband purchased for their retirement. Ellen’s son lives in Miami, a reason to relocate, but she will take some time to decide. We send our sympathies to Ellen. Elizabeth Houghton Fulmer sent news of travel to Cuba on the ninth cruise ship allowed to dock in Cuba. Betsy will celebrate her 45th wedding anniversary in Australia and New Zealand. She is a student again at U. of Central Florida and Rollins College. Betsy’s daughter and her partner of 14 years had a “joyous family wedding.” Marj Menchey Berkheimer married Phil Berkheimer in September. She and her husband visited friends in Texas and New York and took a behind-the scenes trip to the Tournament of Roses and the Rose Bowl in January 2017, one of the destinations on her husband’s “bucket list.” Marj and I wondered if a member of the Class of 1970 could suggest a better term than “bucket list.” The Rev. Margaret Muncie is still happily living in Greenville, SC. She would like to know if any Hood alums will go to Washington, DC, in January 2017 for the Million Woman March. Donna Newman still works “a little” in nutritional counseling and frequently visits various beaches. She went to her 50th high school reunion in Towson, MD, and was able to visit her sister who lives nearby. In recent months, Karin Ninesling Infuso and family attended a lovely Gramercy Park wedding in NYC, a trip to coastal South Carolina, and a vacation in the North Carolina Mountains. She is enchanted by her darling 17-month-old grandson and sees Ada Karen Blair and her husband every chance she gets. Ellen Sacks, P’09 attended her 50th high school reunion and found it “wonderful and strange.” She was saddened to learn that classmates had passed away. Mary “Sam” Ryan Reeves attended her 50th reunion on Long Island, NY, at the same time. Ellen welcomed Sam and her husband to her home in Brooklyn for “a great visit,” the first time in NY after many visits with Sam in Frederick, MD, and Bethany Beach, DE.  Nancy Schneider Alder also attended her 50th high school reunion. Her grandchildren, now in the fourth to sixth grades, “are growing up so fast.” Nancy enjoys attending their various athletic events and wishes her classmates a healthy 2017. Vickie Smith Diaz will go to Florida after the holidays and stay there until April. Her daughter plans to be married during Mother’s Day weekend at an outdoor ceremony in VA. Vickie loves her role as Mother of the Bride and enjoyed shopping for wedding gowns in NYC. Thank you to the classmates who sent information for this column. Please inform the college if your email address changes, so I can be in touch for the next column deadline. Have a healthy, happy 2017.

1970

Karin Ninesling Infuso
910-400-5137
kinfuso@aol.com

Classmates sent news of happy retirements, continued or second careers, interesting travel, and beloved grandchildren.  Janet Bear Ander joined the ranks of “grandmotherhood” with the birth of a grandson; for her, the experience is “awesome.” Marj Menchey Bernstein continues traveling with her partner.  A recent trip to Cuba was “amazing”, and they plan a trip to the canyonlands of the Southwest in recognition of 100 years of the National Park system.  She recently attended her 50^th high school reunion and enjoys activities on Hood campus and off campus with Sam Ryan Reeves.  Ada Karen Blair and her husband took a spring road trip to join former colleagues at two conferences in Mississippi. One was a literary and cinematic conference in Natchez, and the second was The Conference for the Book in Oxford.  Christine Bradley Pecor, M.A.’88 moved to a new home and enjoys one-story living.  She recently returned from a trip to Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and Salt Lake City. Chris welcomed a grandson in 2015.  Jeanne Bryant Wyland and her son visited several colleges with lacrosse programs.  Her son liked Hood and the lacrosse coach the most and verbally committed to attend Hood in 2017.  Jeanne is excited that her son might be the third generation of her family to attend Hood.  Jeanne keeps in touch with Linda Kramer Evans, Anne Parkin Pierpont, Sandra White Harper, Barbara Pepi Danella, and Cynthia Smith Kinney.    Lynne Britt Demers Becker finished consulting at the U. of Houston.  She enjoyed the work and being close to her oldest daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter.  She and her husband are cruising the eastern and western Caribbean but will travel to Connecticut for Lynne’s 50^th high school reunion.  Dana Eser Hunt works in Cambridge, MA as public policy research scientist focusing on substance abuse and criminal justice policy.  She likes her job and does not anticipate retirement anytime soon.  She has two adult daughters; one is a health policy analyst and one is a clinical social worker. After two Master’s degrees and several career changes, Ellen Farrand Carpenter enjoys renovating her homes in MD and FL.  She uses her captain’s license to sail and dive, a favorite pastime.  Cynthia Forbes sent an e-mail about herself and Lucie Picard Allen.  They will celebrate their 50 years of friendship with a ten-week cruise beginning in Spain and ending in Australia.  Cynthia retired as a senior analyst with the Government Accounting Office.  She lives in Atlanta, GA and has traveled to all 50 states and all seven continents. After the trip, she will have visited 100 countries.  Lucie retired as a financial director after 30 years, lives in Pittsburgh, PA, and has two children and two grandchildren. Christine Goodwin Oster lives in Montana and continues her second career as a potter. Her summer will include an Alaskan cruise with her children and grandchildren and attending her 50^th high school reunion.  Elaine Hubert had an “interesting life” in the past six months.  She broke her leg while decorating for Christmas, and her house caught fire while she was hospitalized.  She and her husband feel lucky to be alive and glad that their golden retriever got out of the house in time.  Elaine’s leg is mostly healed, and they will be back in their house soon.  Elaine sends word of a “gorgeous” new grandson.  Lynn Johnson Houze had difficulty sending news for this column, but Marianne Clark Cordyack helped resolve the problem.  Thank you to both for your perseverance.  Pamela Nesbit enjoys the quiet, often overlooked joys of nature and family.  Karin Ninesling Infuso and family spent a week in Orlando, FL while her daughter attended an international conference on learning disabilities. They also visited Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown, VA to introduce Karin’s darling baby grandson to the National Park system.  Ethelyn Riley lives in Columbus, GA and is retired from teaching.  She has two children and six “beautiful grandchildren”.  Ethelyn takes each grandchild on a trip to celebrate his/her 13^th birthday.  The child chooses the destination; this summer Ethelyn will travel to NYC with her granddaughter. Nancy Schneider Alder will attend two 50^th high school reunions, one in Green Lake, WI where she attended school from K-10^th grade and one in Gettysburg, PA.  Nancy enjoys seeing her five grandchildren who live in Pittsburgh and Shippensburg, PA.  Lisa Smith Roney is happily retired but does some consulting work and is on the Board of Directors of Amigos de las Americas.  She and her husband traveled recently to Turkey and Greece and Australia and New Zealand.  She has two granddaughters who live in Philadelphia and Rockville, MD.  She plans to attend our 50^th reunion in four years.  Thank you to the classmates who contributed to this column.

Karin Ninesling Infuso
910-400-5137
kinfuso@aol.com

Nancy Schneider Alder volunteers at a local hospital, church, and nursing home and sees her five grandchildren as often as possible. Her daughter recently was married on the beach with perfect weather. For Marj Menchey Bernstein, the highlight of the summer was an Alaskan cruise with her partner and his family. After the cruise, they took the “breathtaking” Rocky Mountaineer train across Canada. Marj will travel to Naples, Florida in January for a Hood event and will attend Andrea Chapdelaine’s inauguration as Hood’s president. Ada Karen Blair and her husband, a long-time Minnesota Twins fan, visited Minneapolis, Minnesota, seeing the new Twins Stadium was on her husband’s “bucket list”. Kari was busy selling a house in NC and will close this fall. Kari lives 30 minutes from Karin Ninesling Infuso and enjoys seeing Karin’s daughter and grandson. Marianne Clark Cordyack reported on the reunion of her Hood friends Joanna (Dody) Corey Crutchley, Marianne Fisher O’Meara, Veronica George Freiberger, and Susan Pendell Johnson at Carolyn Johnson Houze’s home in Cody, Wyoming. The group started meeting in 1996 and planned to meet every five years. But the reunions, filled with talking, shopping, eating, and sightseeing, became an annual event in 2012. This year’s reunion included Yellowstone National Park, since Lynn’s house is only 53 miles east of the park. Vickie Smith Diaz loves retirement and spends 5-6 months in Florida enjoying outdoor activities and shell collecting. She will return to Maryland for the holidays, host Thanksgiving for her daughter and her boyfriend, and travel to NYC. Lauren Frankel still runs her consulting firm working largely with non-profit agencies. She is active in Planned Parenthood of Pasadena and completed three years as board chair. Her daughter Elizabeth is married and lives in Minneapolis which allows Lauren to explore the Twin Cities. Lauren was sorry to miss our reunion, but she was visiting Martha Herbert Bounoure and her husband in Nimes, France. They also spent a few days in Barcelona, Spain. Myra Holsinger visited Elaine Hubert and her husband in South Burlington, Vermont and enjoyed the view of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains. Denise Howard Mason reports that she is still working full-time but also travels with her sister Donna-Sue Howard, Hood ’74. In July, they spent 3 weeks in the Black Hills and the Badlands. Denise visited Pine Ridge Reservation and met with several descendants of Chief Red Cloud. Denise received veterans’ recognition at Mount Rushmore with a female Army veteran who served in Iraq. Denise hiked around Devil’s Tower and participated in a dinosaur dig. Her sister made a significant find and is recorded as the finder. Karin Ninesling Infuso and her family took a trip to southern California that included Los Angeles, a short cruise to Mexico, and the Pacific Surfliner train to San Diego. They visited a college friend of her husband, whom he had not seen in 46 years. They planned to visit Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone NP, and Grand Teton NP but cancelled the trip because their first grandchild arrived six weeks early. After two worrisome weeks, mother and baby boy are fine. Margaret Muncie traveled to New Mexico with her husband to visit friends from his college days at Miami University in Ohio. They will take a trip to Amsterdam and a tulip time river cruise next April. Peggy fondly remembers our reunion; when she looks at the photo book we gave her, she is reminded that she had “great classmates at Hood”. Pamela Nesbit and her husband continue their anti-bullying program at a school in Wisconsin. She is inspired by the students and states the work, is “life changing”. In May, Marianne Fisher O’Meara also became a grandmother to a baby boy and loves the grandparent experience. Anne Parkin Pierpont mentioned our reunion and is amazed that none of us ever “really age”. After 26 years, she still works at Stuart Day School in New Jersey where she runs the after-school, summer, and auxiliary programs. Her husband’s health has declined, and Anne works hard to balance his needs with her own. Anne’s daughter is a free-lance film producer. Anne thanks the classmates who attended the reunion with special thanks to Marj Menchey Bernstein for hosting a lovely reception and to Mary “Sam” Ryan Reeves and Marj who are “the glue that keeps us together”. In July, Sam Reeves became a grandmother to a baby girl. She attended a Hood gathering in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, hosted by Linda Allan and saw Ellen Sands Smith there. Ellen Sacks and her husband visited Sam at her beach house in South Bethany Beach, Delaware. Thank you to the classmates who sent information for this column.

Karin Ninesling Infuso
910-400-5137
kinfuso@aol.com

Approximately 30 members of the Class of 1970 attended Hood Reunion 2015. Despite clouds on Friday, the weather was warm and breezy. The campus was flower-filled and beautiful, and the Ronald J. Volpe Athletic Center, where meals were served, was attractive and air-conditioned.  Hood Alumnae staff provided amenities such as table settings, servers, golf carts and bus transportation which helped everyone have a comfortable time. Marj Menchey Bernstein hosted a Seven-0-A-Go Go cocktail party on Friday night in her beautiful new home where we reconnected over wine and appetizers. During the Saturday luncheon, Margaret “Peggy” Muncie received the Distinguished Alumni Award. Her classmates applauded her inspiring remarks and sang the traditional Hood tribute “To Peggy.” President Volpe was surprised with a Distinguished Alumni Award and his response was emotional and touching. The dinner on Saturday night was notable for an excellent menu of filet mignon and glazed sea bass, an open bar and a musical combo that played during the evening. Strawberry Breakfast on Sunday included the traditional berry, cornflakes and ice cream menu as well as eggs, waffles, sausage, potatoes, fruit and pastries. As we finished breakfast and departed for Chapel Service or the journey home, we agreed that Reunion 2015 was the best reunion yet, and we hoped that more of our classmates would attend our 50th reunion in 2020. Various classmates offered personal comments about the weekend. Space restriction limits this content, but please read the complete column on the Hood website. Linda Allan, M.S. ’78 remembered classmates who have died and celebrated those in attendance. She is already thinking about our 50th reunion gift. Linda Ayers was glad to see classmates and loved visiting the campus which is “more beautiful than ever.” Ada Karen Blair appreciated the chance to see classmates again and noticed Hood’s attention to details that made the weekend so memorable. She enjoyed the Saturday morning coffee with comments by President Volpe and President-elect Chapdelaine. Marie Oliver Brackbill attended the functions with long-time friend Ellen Sands Smith. Jeanne Bryant Wyland attended the events and made us smile wearing her Hood blazer on Friday. Sandy Doucett Greenberg had a “terrific time” at the reunion with friends Nancy Schneider Alder and Vickie Smith Diaz. Sandra White Harper has not visited Hood in a long time but has “fond memories” of her time there and stated the campus is “beautiful.” Marty Hassell played and sang with us at Strawberry Breakfast and hopes to see us again next reunion. Linda Kramer Evans said the campus is “more beautiful” than it was 45-years-ago and was “delighted” to attend the reunion with her former roommate Susan Spiro. Ann Lefko Heslin, pleased that Hood is doing “fantastically well,” wishes all classmates would visit the campus. Myra Holsinger, our class agent, offered information about our 50th reunion gift.  She was glad to see classmates, especially Elaine Hubert.  Elaine called the reunion a “wonderful chance to touch base with old friends and get to know some classmates better.” Marj Menchey Bernstein, a gracious hostess on Friday night only four weeks after she moved into her new home, declared Reunion 2015 was “GREAT!”  Karin Ninesling Infuso wished she had more time to explore the new areas of the campus and enjoyed connecting with people she did not know well 45-years-ago. Anne Parkin Pierpont rekindled friendships and made new ones and was proud that Hood honored Peggy Muncie, “a wonderful role model” for all of us. Barbara Pepi Danella enjoyed interacting with classmates at the events. Mary Rife James commented on the memories that “came flooding back” of her “extraordinary experience” at Hood. She is “eternally grateful” for the career that Hood afforded her. Mary “Sam” Ryan Reeves shared her thoughts about the out-going and in-coming presidents and stated our reunion was an “awesome” weekend.  Ellen Sands Smith commented on the wonderful “camaraderie” of the classmates who forged new friendships during the “terrific weekend.” Nancy Schneider Alder missed being in Coblenz Dining Room, but thought the Ronald J. Volpe Athletic Center was a nice venue. She is glad that Coffman Chapel and the Onica Prall Child Development Lab are still the same. Vickie Smith Diaz enjoyed a “wonderful visit” that included walking around the “lovely campus” with friends. As the weekend progressed, classmates talked about absent classmates who attended reunions in the past as well as classmates not seen in many years. All attendees hope to see many members of the Class of 1970 at our 50th reunion in 2020.  

Karin Ninesling Infuso, Class Reporter
kinfuso@aol.com

Once again, I relied on e-mail messages for this column. Members of the Class of 1970 are busy with new homes, new businesses, volunteer work, and travel.  Nancy Schneider Alder continues to volunteer at her church and local hospital and sees her five grandchildren as often as possible. She looks forward to our reunion in June. Lynne Demers Becker spent several months in the Netherlands with her husband and, upon their return to the US, traveled to Arizona and Florida.  She worked for the University of Houston on a fund-raising initiative, but after the four month commitment, the university asked her to stay on for several more months.  Marj Menchey Bernstein visited her junior year roommate, Molly Stuart ’69, in Colorado.  She also saw Maureen Clancey ’69 in California, and spent time with Ellen Sacks at Sam Ryan’s beach house.  Marj will host a cocktail party at her new home during our reunion in June.  Ada Karen Blair relocated from Maryland to North Carolina in May 2014.  However, her retirement was short-lived; she is finishing the re-decoration of a new home and bought a small store in her town.  Just what she will do with the store is still to be determined.  She and her husband will go to Sarasota, Florida for Major League Baseball spring training.  Melinda Brown Condon and her husband sold their house on Cape Cod and bought a house on a lake in New Hampshire.  She and her husband then sold their home of 37 years in just three weeks and are spending the winter on Pine Island, FL kayaking, swimming, boating, and fishing.  Marianne Clark Cordyack sent me several e-mail addresses of classmates to update my list. Thank you, Marianne.  She keeps in touch with and sees her long-time Hood friends. Ronni George Freiberger is one of those friends.  Ronni, who is looking forward to our reunion in June, and her husband moved to coastal New Hampshire to be closer to their daughter and son-in-law;  their son will be married in 2016.  Ronni, Marianne Cordyack, Dody Corey Crutchley, Marianne Fischer O’Meara, and Lynn Johnson Houze visited Sue Pendall Johnson at Sue’s Florida home.  Marty Hassell retired last year and has enjoyed having time to travel and visit friends.  She went to Alaska last year and visited Linda Allan in Florida.  Linda was a great host and suggested places where Marty could  photograph “stunning wildlife”.  She is looking forward to our reunion in June.  Myra Holsinger traveled to London, Thessaloniki, Greece, and Istanbul with Elaine Hubert. They had a wonderful time visiting friends in Greece, and the trip to Istanbul was a first visit for both of them.  Karin Ninesling Infuso and her family traveled to Italy and Paris, and her daughter Kate fell in love with Venice.  Kate teaches exceptional children in a rural school in North Carolina, enjoys the challenge of her profession, but sees every day the impact of poverty on children’s ability to learn.  Karin’s husband is a member of a civic group that raises funds for the under-funded public schools in NC.  Karin and her husband will travel to Florida for MLB spring training with Kari Blair and her husband.  Karin plans to attend the reunion in June.  Denise Howard Mason is a proud grandmother who sends photos and information about her granddaughter.  Pam Nesbit and her husband are members of Waswagoning Players, a theater group that presents a program called “Standing in a Good Way” to community groups in Wisconsin.  The program weaves song, dance, and personal stories to combat bullying.  Donna Newman spent several weeks scuba diving in Cozumel and plans to visit Key West soon.  She is also doing a lot of contra, ballroom, swing, and tango dancing.  Mary Ryan Reeves still supervises Hood art student teachers.  She and her husband escaped part of the winter with a visit to Boca Raton, FL where she saw Linda Israel Lamm ’69.  Many classmates who sent information for this column mentioned our reunion in June. Please plan to attend. Thank you to the classmates who sent information for the column.

In closing, I am sad to report the passing of Elizabeth Walker and send condolences to her family.

1970
Karin Ninesling Infuso        
kinfuso@aol.com
45th reunion, June 5-7, 2015

The information for this column arrived via email, telephone conversations and a holiday letter.  A. Karen Blair  retired from her longtime position at Towson Univ. in Maryland. She and her husband George left Maryland and moved to Troy, N.C. in May 2014. They are living in a house she renovated and redecorated while she completes the renovation of a second home. After beginning her college education at Hood, Karen DeLeeuw Noon transferred to Northwestern Univ., but she still keeps in touch with Hood through this magazine. She has three children and six grandchildren and has a “good life” in Raleigh, N.C. Lynne Britt Demers Becker  reported that her two daughters are expecting their second children. Lynne was “honored and delighted” to receive the Association of Advancement Services Professionals’ Lifetime Achievement Award.  She officially retired on her 65th birthday. She married Harry Hogan and they travel to the Netherlands and to Texas to visit Lynne’s daughters and to the British Virgin Islands to sail. She maintains that “life is good.” Martha Hassell retired in June 2014 after 33 years as dean of students at New England School of Photography. Marty plans to continue teaching a course in the history of photography and serving as a member of the program advisory committee at the school. However, she wants to travel while she is still healthy and fit. She celebrated her retirement on a cruise on the largest cruise ship in the world and will travel to Alaska in August.  Shortly thereafter, she will plan a hiking trip in New Hampshire. Ann Lefko Heslin went back to work last year at the Howard County Maryland Department of Social Services. Her daughter Laura has a master’s degree in sociology and works at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Her son John was named Drill Sergeant of the Year in the U.S. Army, completed Ranger School and is stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. Anne’s daughter Sara graduated from Salisbury Univ. and works for a computer science corporation in Texas. Anne also reported that she has four grandchildren. Kimberley Moore Pressler cares for her father who is 94 years old but also makes time to perfect her bridge game. Her husband is busy with his construction business and recently worked on the remodel of LaGuardia Airport in New York. She and her husband traveled to St. Croix, the Galapagos and to India for a tiger safari. Kim’s children and grandchildren live and work in Honolulu and Kailua, Hawaii and St. Croix. Margaret Muncie still enjoys living in Greenville, S.C. She will travel to NYC in November and is “very humbled and excited” to be the 2014 recipient of the General Theological Seminary Distinguished Alumni/ae Award. Donna Newman is working part time with a group of physicians on a nonpharmaceutical solution to the metabolic syndrome. Donna still loves to travel and recently returned from a two-week sailing trip in the British Virgin Islands.  Karin Ninesling Infuso still enjoys retirement in Moore County, N.C. Although not a golfer, she watched with interest the preparations for the men’s and women’s U.S. Open golf tournaments in Pinehurst, N.C., and attended the women’s championship round. Karin’s daughter Kate is certified to teach exceptional children and recently completed a graduate course in teaching reading comprehension and a course in American Sign Language. After a year of successfully managing health concerns, Karin and her husband are traveling again with a family trip to Italy and Paris.  Anne Parkin Pierpont is contending with her husband’s health concerns, but she feels “blessed” by a great job, friends and “a beautiful daughter.” She looks forward to our class reunion in 2015. Mary “Sam” Ryan Reeves and her husband John traveled to Peru and Bolivia; Machu Picchu was on their “bucket list” and it did not disappoint. Sam and Marj Menchey Bernstein will host a cocktail party at Sam’s house during our 45th reunion. Sam, Marj and Ellen Sacks, P’09 are planning a souvenir to commemorate the occasion. Ellen is still working and living in Brooklyn, N.Y., with her husband and her dog. Her children live nearby. She would love the ease of a house on one level, but that type of house does not exist in Brooklyn. Ellen will vacation this summer in Bethany Beach, Del. She rents Sam Ryan’s beach house and enjoys spending some time with Sam. I want to thank the classmates who sent news for this column. I encourage other classmates to update their email addresses and send information for the next column.

Members from the class of 1970 send word of grandchildren, retirement, travel, volunteerism, and in some cases, continuing careers. Ada Karen Blair is planning to relocate to North Carolina and is renovating a retirement home for her and her husband. She and her husband visited New Mexico in October and attended the “magical” Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.  She spent several days in Santa Fe and enjoyed the Canyon Road shops and Taos Pueblo, the oldest continuously inhabited community in America. Jeanne Bryant–Wyland still works part-time in a middle school in Darien, Conn., and her husband is still assistant headmaster for the Harvey School in Katonah, N.Y. Their son William now 15 and a “great joy,” is a good student, loves sports, especially lacrosse, and is on his way to being an Eagle Scout. Jeanne visited with Barbara Pepi Danella and Sandra White Harper and keeps in touch with Linda Kramer Evans and Anne Parkin Pierpont. Marianne Clark Cordyack organized a mini reunion at her home in Reston, Va.  Dody Corey Crutchley, Marianne Fisher O’Meara, Ronnie George Freiberger, Lynne Johnson Houze and Sue Pendell Johnson spent five days shopping and visiting museums and Marianne’s studio in W. Va. Christine Goodwin Oster still loves making pottery.  She celebrated her 65th birthday at Sam Ryan Reeves’ beach house; her children live in the D.C. area and were able to participate. Marj Menchey Bernstein loves retirement and the freedom to do what she wants.  Without the demands of work, she truly enjoyed the beauty of this past autumn.  She volunteers with the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition and Hospice.  Margaret Muncie continues her work at a counseling center and is satisfied with a new endeavor, taking piano lessons. Her husband is well, one daughter is studying to be a master sommelier and another daughter and son-in-law are very involved in the athletic staff development at Univ. of Miami. Karin Ninesling Infuso and her husband traveled to New Mexico with Kari Blair and her husband and enjoyed Santa Fe, the “city different.” When Karin’s daughter finished her graduate program at Univ. of North Carolina and student teaching in May, the family celebrated with a cruise to the Caribbean. Karin’s daughter is now employed as a case manager and teacher of Exceptional Children. Kathleen Owen Gurley lives in Vass, N.C., is on the faculty at Fayetteville State Univ., and plans to retire in a year.  She continues her interest in horses and shows two horses as show hunters. In addition, she served on the board of the Carolina Horse Park. Mary Ryan Reeves is busy supervising art student-teachers at Hood and mentoring Marj Menchey Bernstein in her recent retirement.  At her beach house in Bethany Beach, Del., Mary entertained Ellen Sacks, Christine Goodwin Oster, and their husbands. Ellen Sacks is still working but now allows herself a few urban breaks such as taking taxis instead of the subway. At the end of May, Ellen attended the funeral for Phyllis Goodnow’s father; we send our condolences to Phyllis and her family. Later in the summer, Ellen visited Phyllis and her husband in their house in Brunswick, Maine and spent time in Bethany Beach, Del., with Sam Ryan. For Nancy Schneider Alder, retirement in Gettysburg, Pa., includes volunteering at her church and a local hospital and leading a women’s Bible study group.  Her grandchildren are in elementary school and she attends their activities as often as possible. She vacationed in Green Lake Wis., and visited with Phyllis Ackley Dowd and Vickie Smith Diaz.  Lisa Smith Roney has been retired for five years but stays busy with water aerobics and classes at American Univ. She consults on immigration policy and volunteers with Amigo de las Americas. Lisa is delighted with her 10-month-old granddaughter and will soon welcome a second grandchild. Linda Walls Bradley still teaches an intermediate Montessori class, “a joy and challenge” in Spokane, Wash. Her daughter Catherine recently graduated from an occupational therapy master’s program at the Univ. of Washington and was married in October 2013.  Linda’s new son-in-law is a child psychiatrist; the couple resides in Seattle.  Linda’s son and his wife and Linda’s other daughter, her husband and their two children enjoyed the wedding which took place on the coast of Washington state. Thank you to the classmates who offered information for this column. In closing, I regretfully report that three members of the Class of 1970 passed away in 2013. We send our condolences to the families of Elizabeth Keitel, Nancy Merrill Foehl and Helen Mullan.