1977
Elizabeth Anderson Comer
443.463.6437
ecomer@eacarchaeology.com

Elizabeth “Betsy” Stevens Watson died on November 21, 2018. Betsy’s obituary described her as “the light and life of everything she touched. She was always positive and encouraging, funny and insightful, and had a profound love for her family and friends.”  Our sincere condolences to Betsy’s family and her many Hood College friends. Nancy Armstrong Crochet passed away on June 19 from complications associated with her three and a half year battle against lung cancer. On July 14, a celebration of her life was held at her son’s restaurant in Philadelphia with husband Mike and sons Ed and Mike, and friends and family gathered.  There was an open bar, great food, and a lot of laughs as we remembered the awesome wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, and friend that we were lucky enough to know.  Denise Swan Isacson writes “just crossed 40 years with Delta. I clearly remember Nancy Armstrong Crochet from our Hood days.  Her obit photo could be her Hood yearbook photo – she hardly aged!  Getting ready to go to Stockholm for about 5 weeks -Örjan has been there since Father’s Day.  Liv just got her Masters in Marketing from Stockholm Univ’s Business School.  Now, after she returns from Singapore and Bali, she’ll focus on securing a J-O-B.” Sharon Thorpe Kourtz writes “I enjoyed a long weekend in NYC in the fall.  Times Square has improved immensely since my last visit in the early 1990s.  We did the normal tourist bus tours and took in three plays.  I’m looking forward to a cruise in February.”  Ann Kowitski Barber’s says “My first grandchild arrived 7/23/18:  Jack Bryan DellaGrotte! Elizabeth and her husband live 3.5 miles away so I am babysitting one morning a week and whenever they ask! It’s the best thing having a grandchild! Last spring I took a Collette Tour and had a marvelous time while visiting Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Krakow, and Warsaw. Beautiful countryside, marvelous cities and many points of historical interest.  Just returned from a week at Marco Island, FL! In between all of this I still have a busy law practice!” Kas Kluth Rohm reports:  “Greg and I are enjoying life in a seriously refurbished 1940’s house in Lutherville, Maryland. Why didn’t anyone ever tell us being grandparents was going to be so much darn fun!  We have a one-year-old grandson, and this little guy has changed our lives! We’ll be celebrating our 42nd anniversary in a month, and we fondly recall all those weekends when husband Greg drove up to Frederick to visit the beautiful Hood campus so many years ago!” Adaline C Smith says “Megen Mack Opsahl, Faith Voth Stone, Kim Anderson McDonald ’78, and I have been getting together since we left Hood. In 2017 we enjoyed an Alaskan cruise together with our husbands, and we met this year (without husbands) in Nashville.  Megen has been living in the Seattle area for the last 15 years with her husband Mike, who is an infertility specialist with his own practice.  Their son Kevin is a writer for a newspaper in Utah and Matt, who was just married this year, is a graphic designer living in Boston.  Faith married Rick Hoffman in 2015 and moved to Florida. Their next big trip is to the Galapagos Islands.  Adaline has been living in Boston with her husband Gene where they both work in the pharmaceutical industry.  Their oldest daughter, Monica, was married this year, and Darrin and Ginger are both back in school working on advanced degrees.  Kim just moved to Williamsburg VA with her husband Brad and enjoys traveling (frequently to India) and visiting her growing number of grandchildren.  Their son Tyler is a Naval Officer currently stationed in Hawaii with his wife, Mary, and 3 children.  Poor Kim has to force herself to visit them in paradise quite often. Their son Luke and his wife, Rose, are living in Virginia, so they are close by and Kim can get a lot of “Mimi” time with her grandchildren! Kath Weslock was on campus in June and it was abuzz with excitement!  All were getting ready for reunion – tents were up – bars being set up (of course!) and there was a level of anticipation about the returning graduates.  Record numbers were expected for reunion 2019!  She reminded us to start planning for ours because it is literally around the corner!  Mark your calendar for June 2022! Kathy reminds us all that more than ever, the college needs our support.  “We have a wonderful President, terrific faculty and administration and they need our support, both in terms of our attendance at events as well as in financial contributions.  I know I’ve talked to some of you who, like me, have competing colleges that ask for help – and, we’ve come to the conclusion that Hood needs it more than others with large endowments and have begun to rethink how we allocate between our charitable contributions. You’ll hear a lot more from the college but I just wanted y’all to hear it from me that I have never been prouder of Hood or to have been a member of the class of 1977.” Kathy is correct on all accounts! News from the Comer family: Anne received her B.A. from Bard College and Margaret received her Ph.D. from Cambridge University, both in 2019!  Jacob is juggling his writing career and work trips to the Federated States of Micronesia, working on NASA funded grants.  If you are near Catskill, New York, stop by the Thomas Cole National Historic Site and take a tour.  You may have Anne as a tour guide as she has a yearlong fellowship at the site!  I so enjoy being a member of the Hood Board of Associates!  It gives me an excuse to visit campus, hear about exciting new programs, and meet amazing students!  We have hosted several excellent Hood students for internships at the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society, Inc. and one recent graduate, Alyssa Watson ’19, is our first emerging professional board member!

Elizabeth Anderson Comer
ecomer@eacarchaeology.com

Our Class of 1977 news begins on a sad note.  Elizabeth “Betsy” Stevens Watson died on November 21, 2018 at Summit Place in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Betsy’s obituary described her as “the light and life of everything she touched. She was always positive and encouraging, funny and insightful, and had a profound love for her family and friends.”  Our sincere condolences to Betsy’s family and her many Hood College friends.   Memorials can be made in Betsy’s name to METAvivor at www.metavivor.org.

Sharon Thorpe Kourtz wrote to say: “ I enjoyed a long weekend in NYC in the fall.  Times Square has improved immensely since my last visit in the early 1990s.  We did the normal tourist bus tours and took in three plays.  What fun. I’m looking forward to a warm weather cruise in February.”

Ann Barber’s news includes the following: “My first grandchild arrived 7/23/18:  Jack Bryan DellaGrotte! Elizabeth and her husband live 3.5 miles away so I am now babysitting one morning a week and whenever they ask! He’s a joy and a big boy! He’ll be 5 months and it’s the best thing having a grandchild! Last spring I took a Collette Tour and had a marvelous time while visiting Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Krakow, and Warsaw. Beautiful countryside, marvelous cities and many points of historical interest.  Just returned from a week at Marco Island, FL! In between all of this I still have a busy law practice! “

Kas Kluth Rohm sent some news:  “Greg and I are enjoying life in a seriously refurbished 1940’s house in Lutherville, Maryland. Why didn’t anyone ever tell us being grandparents was going to be so much darn fun!  We have a one-year-old grandson, and this little guy has changed our lives! We’ll be celebrating our 42nd anniversary in a month, and we fondly recall all those weekends when husband Greg drove up to Frederick to visit the beautiful Hood campus so many years ago!”

Adaline C Smith sent the following update: “Megen Mack Opsahl, Faith Voth Stone, Adaline C Smith, and Kim Anderson McDonald (Class of 1978) have been getting together since they left Hood (less frequently in the early years and more frequently more recently).  In 2017 we enjoyed an Alaskan cruise together with our husbands, and we met this year (without husbands) in Nashville.  Both trips were just fabulous!  It was great fun being together, spending time remembering fondly our days of Hood and making new memories.  We all lived in the Maryland area for so many years and were able to visit Hood regularly, however, now we are all over the country.  Megen has been living in the Seattle area for the last 15 years with her husband Mike, who is an infertility specialist with his own practice.  Their son Kevin is a writer for a newspaper in Utah and Matt, who was just married this year, is a graphic designer living in Boston.  Faith married Rick Hoffman in 2015 and moved to Florida.  However, they rarely stay in Florida long and have been traveling all over the world.  I think their next big trip is to the Galapagos Islands.  Adaline has been living in the Boston area with her husband Gene where they both work in the pharmaceutical industry.  Their oldest daughter, Monica, was married this year, and Darrin and Ginger are both back in school working on advanced degrees.  Kim just moved to Williamsburg VA with her husband Brad and enjoys traveling (frequently to India) and visiting her growing number of grandchildren.  Their son Tyler is a Naval Officer currently stationed in Hawaii with his wife, Mary, and 3 children.  Poor Kim has to force herself to visit them in paradise quite often. Their son Luke and his wife, Rose, are living in Virginia, so they are relatively close by and Kim can get a lot of “Mimi” time with her grandchildren!  A 2019 get-together is currently being planned!

News from the Comer family: We are looking forward to two graduations in 2019.  Anne will receive her B.A  from Bard College and Margaret will receive her Ph.D. from Cambridge University!  I so enjoy being a member of the Hood Board of Associates!  It gives me an excuse to visit campus, hear about exciting new programs, and meet amazing students!

1977
Elizabeth Anderson Comer
443-463-6437
John Bennett, Elizabeth Frank Bennett’s husband of 37 years, informed us that our classmate Elizabeth Marie Frank Bennett passed away on July 31, 2017 from leukemia. Her obituary follows:
Elizabeth M. (Frank) Bennett, age 62, of Acton died Monday, July 31st at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She is the beloved wife and survived by her husband of 37 years, John Bennett of Acton, MA, her son Michael (also of Acton), and her daughter Katherine of Wallkill, NY. She is survived by her sister, Kathy Robinson of Pittsburgh, PA and her brother, Ken Frank of Ayer, MA and numerous nieces and nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles around the country.
The daughter of Emma Frank and the late Arthur C. Frank, she was born in Cleveland Ohio and raised and living in multiple states through her life until moving to Acton in 1972. Graduating from Hood College in Frederick, MD with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, she was engaged in biological research for nearly 20 years, resulting in the development of monoclonal antibodies in use around the world today to cure a wide-spread tropical disease.
An energetic, vibrant, passionate and active woman, she loved to sing, singing as a soprano with the Sounds of Stow and the St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church choir for many years. She loved her cats, breeding and showing Maine Coon cats. She loved jigsaw and word puzzles, flowers and gardening, outdoor walks, reading and travel while hating the cold and losing at board games. She loved her church, her church family and especially her own family. Beth touched so many, in so many different roles, and was loved by all.
Burial services will be private. A celebration of her life will be held at 2pm on Saturday, September 9th at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church, 435 Central Street in Acton, MA with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please make a memorial gift to either The Leukemia Research Foundation (www.allbloodcancers.org/ways-to-give) or to the Mass General Cancer Center (https://giving.massgeneral.org/cancer/)
The family would especially like to thank the doctors, staff and especially the nurses at Mass General Hospital, especially those on Lunder 10 and the Blake Building Intensive Care Unit. They did more than care for her as a patient, they cared for her as a person. We are so grateful for their service.
http://www.actonfuneralhome.com/book-of-memories/3011541/Bennett-Elizabeth/obituary.php
John can be reached at bennettjb@verizon.net.

Ann Kowitski Barber is heading to Berlin, Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, Budapest, and Vienna for 2 weeks very soon. “Trip of a lifetime! Most exciting is my first grandchild is due in July. This should be a great summer! Moved last summer into a 55+ condo community that was about 2 miles from my house. What a joy not to shovel, worry about plowing or mowing. Best decision ever as I am still working – and I love what I am doing.”

Kathleen Weslock “After many years in corporate America, I’m taking time off to figure out how I want my life to look like in the Back 40. So I moved down to the farm in Pennsylvania from Connecticut. I’ve let jobs chose me, not vice versa. So this is a very cool, albeit unnerving time. Stay tuned for news as it will be a new adventure. In the interim, Hood asked and I accepted to serve as a Trustee. I’m honored and humbled. It helped make all of us who we are, and how we have made our mark on society. I’m thrilled to be a part of the planning process and know our new President is world class. I’m an empty nester with both of my grown boys working in NYC. Both are entrepreneurs, one in real estate and the other in food. Good for them. Can’t imagine our reunion was only a year ago. Rubina Patel, we need you to get us organized so we can make our 50th even better, and come up with an amazing gift for the college……Be well, Hoodlums.”
Sharon Thorpe Kourtz retired from Fairfax county in January. She wrote: “My dad died following a stroke in February, and my mom died of a stroke 23 days later. They will be buried Memorial Day.”
Elizabeth Anderson Comer: I am off to New Zealand to visit Anne (our youngest daughter). She just completed a semester studying in Wellington and will begin her senior year at Bard College in September. I am still digging and volunteering at Catoctin Furnace …and trying to keep up with Margaret (28) and Jacob (27)! I enjoy being a member of the Hood Board of Associates! It gives me an excuse to visit the campus and hear about exciting new programs. We had a Hood student intern this past semester at the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society. A history major she was incredibly hard working and talented! Clearly a typical Hood student!

Elizabeth Anderson Comer
410-243-6767
ecomer@eacarchaeology.com

Our 40^th reunion weekend was delightful in every way.  Classmates at reunion included: Terri Pyle Reed, Barrie Briscoe Reightler, Sarah Kingman Matthews M.A.’80 , Elaine Patry Jones, Sue Bradley Wogatske, Ruth Ann Oyer Shaffer, Martha Homnack Armenti,  Barbara Crum Barnette M.A.’86, Ann Nicodemus Thompson, Diane Gurney Pratt, Diane Campbell McKenney, Dawn Cramer Stein, Sharon Thorpe Kourtz, Dale Hilgartner Cirillo, Jayne VanVliet Davilli, Deb Davis Hewson, Amy White Morgan, Kathleen Weslock,  Rubina Patel, Gretta Tomb, and Elizabeth Anderson Comer.  Terri captured the weekend perfectly: “Reunion was a wonderful weekend! Classmates from coast (Elaine from Maine) to coast (Diane Gurney Pratt from Washington) and as far south at Texas (Diane Campbell McKenny) came to celebrate 40 years. Both Dianes and Dawn Cramer Stein even brought their husbands! We certainly have some good looking grandmothers in our class.  I can’t believe Ann Nicodemus Thompson has 4 grandchildren and Barbara Ann Crum Barnette has 6.  I started the weekend with dinner at the Thompson’s, which included a homemade apple pie (thanks to Barbara Ann).  We chatted until after 11 and then I relived dorm life (but wished they had put us up in Coblentz, since there is a sink & mirror in every room there)!  For those who haven’t been in the area lately – Frederick and Walkersville are no longer separated by farm fields.  In fact, it’s hard to tell where one stops and the other begins!  We had a terrific lunch at Brewer’s Alley (organized by Diane Campbell McKenney) – and Amy White Morgan and Rubina Patel represented us at the college luncheon (and collected Hood chocolates for each of us).  Our class kicked off the dance party after dinner on Saturday (and the DJ even played The Streak in tribute to our freshman year).  After Sunday’s strawberry breakfast most of us attended the chapel service where Ann Nicodemus Thompson showed off her talents on the pipe organ.  The service (conducted by the class of 1967) used the hymn Be Thou My Vision, which was one that Sharon Thorpe Kourtz played to honor her husband Paul at his memorial service in February.  (I felt that it was like Paul was letting Sharon know that he was there with her this weekend.)  Rubina Patel honored our class with a brick on the walkway near the new fountain, declaring that we are the best.  (The 40th Anniversary is the ruby anniversary – so it was an appropriate and generous gift from our dear sweet Ruby!!)” The campus was stunning and the friendships were warm and enduring.  Amy summed it up perfectly:” What a wonderful weekend!  The 40 years magically slipped away.  Here’s to some wonderful Hood women!”  Classmates sent news to share: “Katherine Kluth Rohm and Greg just finished renovating a 1940 house in Lutherville, Maryland and are happy to be closer to town again.  Just returned from a whisky-tasting trip to Scotland (if you haven’t been and love whisky, gorgeous scenery and hiking, book your trip now–but watch out for the sheep in the road!).  Sadly, could not join the 40th reunion, but hope everyone had a wonderful time reminiscing. Cheers to all!” Diane Gurney Pratt and husband Rick have lived in Richland, WA for 35 years. “We absolutely love the Pacific Northwest . . . such a beautiful part of our country! Our three sons Nathan, Brad and Stephen are now living on their own within Washington State.  It is wonderful that they live so close to us.  And now, we are thrilled to have three grandchildren who delight our hearts. I continue to work in finance at our church. I love the work and the people.  Rick is a senior engineer at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory where he works on energy and national defense projects.  In July Rick and I will celebrate our 40th anniversary.  I will always treasure the memories from this past reunion weekend.  It was very special!  Hopefully many of us will be able to return back to Hood for the 50th reunion in 10 years.” Sharon Thorpe Kourtz is very appreciative of the support from her Hood family following the death of her husband (Paul) in February.  Her son, Collin, is a Novice Brother with the Capuchin Order of Franciscans. Our 40th reunion was a blast! …fun to catch up with friends…we missed seeing several classmates who couldn’t attend. Next time BTOBS…life is too short to miss these milestones! We have great plans for our next reunion so please don’t miss it!

1977

Elizabeth Anderson Comer
410-243-2626
ecomer@eacarchaeology.com

Not surprisingly, news from the Class of 1977 contained several mentions of the recent election. Ann Kowitski Barber wrote, “I volunteered for a few months for Hillary. It was exciting to be part of it, and am disappointed she didn’t break the glass ceiling. Hopefully, we’ll see a woman president in our country during our lifetime! Meanwhile, I keep working and look forward to some time in FL in February! My daughter, Elizabeth, was married Sept. 4 to Bryan DellaGrotte and had a lovely ceremony at our church followed by a reception at the Bedford Village Inn surrounded by family and many friends. They live three miles away and for now have two cats named after Boston Bruin legends! ‎Bryan works for the DOC in MA and Elizabeth is now a lead physical therapist for Lawrence General Hospital.” Kas Kluth Rohm and husband Greg will be celebrating their 39th anniversary in two months, and where did the time go? “We’ve just moved to our fourth fixer-upper after renovating a 1941 house in Towson, MD. This may be the last construction project…or not! Greg is still travelling regularly for work, and Kas finally has a short, eight-minute commute to work in the superintendent’s office for the public school system.” Kathy Weslock says she is thankful for Facebook…“Class of 1977 is quite active and always good to catch up on events, children, grandchildren (perish the thought), pets and just life. I will miss the political banter that went back and forth amongst these very smart Hood women, but I am sure we will have plenty of fodder for the next four years. Speaking of which, while I am not back in NYC, I am in Westport, CT, which is close enough to get me into the city every once in a while. Both of my children, now grown men, live there and while they never have time for mom, I can pop in for a coffee or just have to make a pit stop on my way to PA! I still have the farm in PA and a home in Silicon Valley. I work way too much for Frontier Communications to get to either, but at least I’m at the beach here, which is good fun!” Kathy also wrote, “I have a friend whose mother was in Class of 1950. I was looking at her yearbook just last weekend, and struck by, while many things have changed, the tradition and history are still so relevant. What also struck me was that their wishes and hopes for the future were very similar to ours. Do you think the Class of 1950 could have ever envisioned a woman as president? Bet not. So, think how far we’ve come after all.” Martha Homnack Armenti and husband Bob returned to the Cape for the fall “shoulder season,” their favorite time of year there. “The air is fresh, the landscape beautiful and we enjoy our friends here and indoor and outdoor activities we can do together with them.” They will return to Baltimore in December. Terri Pyle Reed writes, “We’ve had several exciting things happen this year. Our daughter (and only “child”), Emily, graduated cum laude from Wilmington University’s College of Technology, with a B.S. in information systems management; she turned 25 that same week in May. This fall, she started a full-time position in her field working for Tera Technology Group, here in DE. Donald and I are so proud of her achievements after a rather rocky start, and thrilled that she is still local. I have recently ‘retired’ from teaching toddlers at the University of Delaware, but continue to ‘teach’ guests while providing garden tours at Winterthur Museum and Country Estate (a 175-room home filled with American decorative arts, situated in a 60-acre naturalistic garden located on a 1,000-acre estate in the Brandywine Valley). I’m still blessed to have my octogenarian parents living independently, about 11 miles away in Maryland, and together we worship in the historic Methodist chapel that my maternal great-grandmother attended in the late 1800s. Donald and I celebrated 33 years of marriage, and we enjoy ‘trailer’ camping and car shows (with our 1940 Chevy) when we’re not busy with our volunteer fire company. I enjoy the connection that I continue to have through Facebook with so many Hood friends. I’m looking forward to 2017, our class reunion and Emily’s wedding in October!” Denise Swan Isacson sent an update from…“Tokyo-Narita where we’re 14 hours ahead…making me totally discombobulated! Anyway, we’re on Hilton Head, SC, these days. Hurricane Matthew pounded the island, taking down a gazillion trees. Lots of damage to homes, but our condo was lucky. The recovery and rebuilding period will take time, but everyone is staying positive! Before the storm, my three best friends from junior year abroad in Strasbourg (1975-76) came to celebrate our 40th anniversary. We had fun making new memories to add to the old. Just completed 38 years with Delta; husband Orjan is retired and goes between Hilton Head and Sweden; Liv, 24, is in Greensboro, NC, at the Fresh Market Shoppes headquarters. Her older sister, Jonina, 37, and family are in Stockholm so we try to see them a couple times a year…especially since Iris, 21 months, is growing like a weed! Hope to see fellow classmates at our reunion in June 2017.” I’m (Elizabeth Anderson Comer) busy managing EAC/Archaeology, Inc. and researching the slave cemetery at Catoctin Furnace. The Reich Laboratory of Medical and Population Genetics at Harvard University has just agreed to complete genome/nucleotide data for 10 to 12 of our individuals…very exciting! I’ll see you all June 9 and 10 at our reunion!

1977

Elizabeth Anderson Comer
410-243-2626
ecomer@eacarchaeology.com

Kath Weslock hinted that Gretta Tomb had some wonderful big news but was too shy to tell!  It seems our Dr. Tomb is the recipient of the Department of Veterans Affairs 2016 Veterans Health Administration’s Clinical Excellence in Dentistry award!  According to Steven Speroni, DMD, Chief of Dentistry at the VA Medical Center in Bath, New York, “Dr. Tomb has received this National  Award for demonstrating excellence in the areas of Veteran centric care, customer service, technical skills, interpersonal effectiveness, clinical efficiencies and organizational stewardship.  Dr. Tomb truly is an excellent clinician, supportive colleague and compassionate provider. We are so fortunate as a facility to have her on staff in Bath . I whole heartedly agree with  Dr. Arola’s comments about how deserving  Dr. Tomb is in receiving this recognition.  I congratulate Dr. Tomb for being  the first VA dentist to receive the national award for Clinical Excellence in Dentistry .” Congratulations to Gretta ! Martha Homnack Armenti and Bob sent a note from Hyannis.  I am including some passages and I think you will agree that it is lovely: We were participants in the process of natural selection:  we selected from the unfamiliar and then established routines.  This year was one of verbs (listening, watching, noting, trying),  a year of recovery from decades of rising and shining, from all kinds of people-produced pollution, from assaults on peace of mind.  This year was  a year of reflection, time to pull from the past and present and possibly inform the future, a transitional year. (Aren’t they all?) But now, tulips are at their peak.  Forsythia is on its way out.  Returning from Costa Rica, Baltimore Orioles, here called Northern Orioles for abandoning Maryland’s oppressive summers for this milder climate, are now nesting in open woodlands up and down the Cape. So, are we returning to Hyannis to teach again?  We are not.  We are returning to Baltimore and not seeking re-employment there or elsewhere.  We are elated, grateful and excited.  To make this decision, and it wasn’t easy, we considered the overarching picture and remembered (in spite of how we feel and look–like you, of course!) our ages. Not trying to be morbid, but we see that most of the mountain range is behind us.  We, like you, have witnessed shocking and tragic fates of those we have known and loved.  Considering the accumulation of evidence, the decision became clear. Torches are being passed and we’re enjoying the view. Further, some of you already know that the first generation Z Armenti baby was born during your blizzard on January 22 to David and Lisa and we are all thrilled. We remain surprised by the question that some of you who have learned our plans to return to Maryland have asked, “What are you going to do?”  Please do not think that we worked because we needed something to do.  I, for one, as you know loved teaching.   To anyone who thinks about asking us or anyone that question, hear the words of a wise Cape yoga teacher who reminds her students in every session, “think about being, not about doing.”  Not wanting to get overly zen-like, think about Bob (who has promised to go to one yoga session with me–picture that!) who has, as long as I have known him, rather seemed to find work an interruption to what he really wants to do–read, listen to music, sing, bike, travel, cook (oops, no!), play games, enjoy his family, watch sports, pray for the Cleveland Indians, support the liberal cause; however, he has not let his career “get in the way of [his] education” and now, he won’t have to. His halcyon perspective inspires.  Existence could be likened to a garden:  we may divide and cultivate the sections– the physical, social, spiritual, environmental, humanitarian, cultural, the intellectual–that make us whole.  Cultivation of our plants can happen in infinite ways.  So, we are looking forward to further tending and enjoying our gardens–with you, of course!”  Thank you Martha and Bob for sharing with us! I stand (yes I have a stand up desk thanks to Barrie Briscoe Reightler!  She sold me on the idea several years ago at the Grand National Steeplechase in Baltimore and I thank her every day…try it and you will see) and cobble together this column.  I have lost track of the years I have done this but truthfully I love the reconnection with you all!  I hold down the fort in Baltimore as Doug travels the globe (apologies to Denise Swan Isacson but I tried to steer him to Delta instead of United) trying to protect World Heritage sites as the president of ICAHM. Many years ago I realized one of the archaeologists needed to be a little closer to home and offspring and I never regretted that realization and attendant decision!  Anne (our youngest) just finished her freshman year at Bard.  Margaret is pursuing her Ph.D. in Heritage at Cambridge and Jacob is working with Doug at Machu Picchu, Nazca Lines, and Meroe, Sudan.  Anne and I joined Doug and Jacob in Peru during spring break and spent 2 nights on a floating island in Lake Titicaca! I have some fascinating projects including Catoctin Furnace and just returned from a research trip to Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire.  Thanks class of 1977 for all your news…send me more!

Elizabeth Anderson Comer
410-243-2626
ecomer@eacarchaeology.com

Denise Swan Isacson wrote, “In June 2014, I achieved my “goal” of having a little place in my adopted country of Sweden and a little 2-BR condo here in the U.S on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. This coming November, I’ll mark 37 years with Delta – with no end in sight as the job is still too much fun! My husband retired from GA Tech/Savannah last year and keeps quite busy with consulting projects, golf/tennis and traveling. We just returned from a week in Croatia celebrating our 25th anniversary. Liv (23) recently got a promotion at the corporate headquarters of The Fresh Market Shoppes in Greensboro, North Carolina. My stepdaughter, Jonina presented us with a beautiful granddaughter, Iris on 10 March. In June, my mother (91!) and I were able to meet Baby Iris in Stockholm on our way to Reykjavik, Iceland. Katherine Kluth Rohm and Greg Rohm are both still working in Maryland renovating an old fixer upper they just purchased closer to town in the Towson area. They spend as much time as they can in Delaware were they enjoy lots of bicycling. Their family is gradually spreading across the country so they also enjoy traveling for visits and sightseeing. “Still marveling at how our kids got to be grownups so quickly!” Martha Homnack Armenti and husband Bob sold their home in Roland Park and moved across the street into a condo in preparation for a post-retirement adventure–teaching in an international school. “In June, we retired from our long and wonderful careers at City and Poly, then we accepted teaching assignments at Sturgis Charter School in Hyannis, Massachusetts. I’m teaching only two sections of sophomores so there’s time to explore the Cape. We bought used bikes to ride to and from work and we’ve discovered the Cape Cod Bike Trail which winds between pine trees and along cranberry bogs soon to be harvested. Classmates who want to make the Cape a destination, please let me know! marmenti55@hotmail.com We’re holding onto our Baltimore condo so we can return as we please and again next summer when the school year is over. We’re not sure how long we’ll be up here in the long run. The renewable contract is just for a year. Labor Day weekend Sarah Kingman Matthews and Barrie Briscoe Reightler joined Elaine Patry Jones in Boothbay Harbor, Maine for 5 days of fabulous weather, sightseeing, storytelling and loads of lobster eating. “We stayed at Burnt Island Lighthouse which Elaine has re-purposed as an educational and tourist facility using only private funds. Staying on the island couldn’t have been more quaint and fun! While there, we read an email from Jayne VanVliet Davilli and also talked with Ruth Ann Oyer Shaffer who had just celebrated the birth of another grandchild. Elaine is in charge of the Maine Sate Aquarium and sets up marine educational programs for schools all over the state of Maine. Barrie is the director of publications for Maryland Horse Breeders Association. Sarah is recently retired and very busy with a variety of volunteer activities. She often visits with Professor Kay Graf (Food Science and Marriage and Family Professor) who is now 93. The three of us can’t wait to do this again and hope our kayaking and hiking skills will still be up for it!” Sharon Thorpe Kourtz shares: “It was fun being in a Washington Area Hyundai commercial in June… Paul and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary (and my 60th birthday) by taking a breathtaking “Sea Puffer” cruise to Alaska in July…Our son Collin is serving with the Mercy Volunteer Corps in the emergency room at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore… It was delightful to share a summer afternoon catching up with Martha Homnack Armenti. It is amazing how the years fly by… The Kourtz family participated in a Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Walk at the Baltimore Zoo in mid-September… Paul and I still enjoy Irish ceili and set dancing… I am a receptionist for Fairfax County—two miles from home! I hope to retire in 2018.” Here is some news from me…Elizabeth Anderson Comer: Anne is a freshman at Bard in Berlin and loving the city. We are leaving to visit her tonight and then attend Jacob’s Cambridge graduation next week. We will see Margaret there as well as she is beginning her Ph.D. at Jesus College. I love my archaeology career and also volunteer at the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society. Really fun…check it out at www.catoctinfurnace.org. We are having some great events and need volunteers so contact me if you have extra time and love history! Send some news my way so we can keep up the class of 1977 tradition of never missing a column!

Elizabeth Anderson Comer
410-243-2626
ecomer@eacarchaeology.com

Ann Barber wrote, “The fall was very exciting! Elizabeth’s boyfriend proposed while they were vacationing in Italy. They’ve decided to have their wedding September 2016 after buying a house in November. And, I had a fabulous trip to South Africa. The first week we stayed at Zulu Nyala Safari Lodge. Seeing the animals in the wild was more exciting than I could have imagined. Then, we flew to Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls and then back to South Africa to Cape Town for a week. We had a great driver who took us to see everything we wanted. The sights and people were amazing. It’s a long flight, but well worth it. It was the trip of a life time. The winter here in New Hampshire has been filled with snow and cold. Bring on spring!” Ruthann Melching Arneson, P’12 sent this news, “After nearly 20 years as an education specialist for the local Head Start agency here in Huntington, W.Va., I left in June to take a position at Marshall Univ.  I am now an assistant professor in early childhood education. I am still working on finishing my doctorate in curriculum and instruction, but hope to finish that by the end of the year. My husband has been at Marshall in the College of Education for 28 years. We are enjoying working together. My daughter Emma is finishing her master’s degree in biology at Marshall after graduating from Hood in 2012. Our son Ethan is doing well as a junior in high school.” Dale Hilgartner Cirillo wrote, “In my life, we’ve had some changes… on Oct 21, 2014, my youngest son Matthew and his wife Cara had a little girl, Layla Brynn Cirillo! She is our first granddaughter and quite adorable! In June 2014, my eldest son Jonathan and his family Christi, Nathanael, Joseph and Samuel came back from a Navy Tour in Japan! They are now in Chesapeake and loving all the snow that they are getting at the coast!  My father Colonel Peter Louis Hilgartner died January 8, 2015. He was ready to go be with the Lord in heaven! We had him 87-years on this earth and we were very blessed!!! His memorial service was amazing with 10 relatives, son, grandsons, nephews and son-in-laws being honorary pall bearers. His funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, with full military honors, will be at the end of June. We are looking forward to great weather and a lovely service at the Old Post Chapel. Jim and I continue to live outside Warrenton. I am now a teaching assistant in an ID, intellectual disabilities class in Marshall, Va. I love Marshall Middle School and the students and staff! Jim and I live in a 100+ year old house on Grace Episcopal Church Casanova’s property. We have some chickens, a few guinea fowl and we love to work in our vegetable gardens! We have a lovely congregation and live in a beautiful area! I hope all is going well with everyone! Blessings!” I (Elizabeth Anderson Comer) am still conducting archaeological projects and working as a volunteer at the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society just north of Frederick. Margaret received her MPhil from Cambridge Univ. in January and we had a great time observing the ancient traditions that are part of the ceremony. She is a Gates Cambridge scholar, so she will be returning in the fall for her Ph.D.  Jacob is also there getting an MPhil in land economy. He joined the rowing team and has been trying to explain “bumps” to me…. since the Cam is too narrow for boats to race side by side, they bump each other to advance! Anne is finishing her senior year at the Baltimore School for the Arts and trying to decide where to go next year. This past weekend we got to hear her sing as part of the 2015 High School Honors Choir at Carnegie Hall. Very exciting!!! Send some news my way so we can keep up the class of 1977 tradition of never missing a column!

1977

Elizabeth Anderson Comer
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! Ann Kowitski Barber  sent the following news, “Elizabeth graduated with her doctorate in physical therapy from the Univ. of Hartford last month! It was a beautiful day with 19 family members and friends attending the ceremony and celebrating in Connecticut with her. Two weeks later, my nephew graduated from medical school and my family was together again to celebrate with Christopher.” I missed the Grand National this year so I missed seeing Barrie Briscoe Reightler. Barrie celebrated 30 years with the Maryland Horse Breeders Association––30 years of designing a monthly magazine! Last year she was recognized by the American Horse Publications as an AHP Champion (sort of like their hall of fame). Congratulations! Barrie sees Pat Loper Bennett and hears from Sarah Kingman Matthews, M.A. ’80 and Elaine Patry Jones. They are “threatening” a Labor Day weekend get-together in 2015 to celebrate their 60th birthdays! Doug and I, Elizabeth Anderson Comer, just returned from celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary hiking Hadrian’s Wall in the United Kingdom! I highly recommend it––great history, scenery, exercise, pubs, museums and weather! Yes, great weather in Northern England! Please send class of 1977 news, my inbox is not full enough!

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