Greetings to all! Thanks to those who shared their news this year; it is always my pleasure to pass it along.

Erin Diehl married Andrés Conde on June 16, 2019 and gave birth to a baby girl, Carlota Marie, on May 16, 2019. They are living in Madrid, Spain and Erin can be reached by email at diehle@hotmail.com. One month earlier, Robin Deniker Morgensternand husband Chad Morgenstern along with their four daughters welcomed baby girl #5, Daisy Mae Harper Morgenstern, on April 4, 2019. And rounding out the baby news this year, Jen Stange Knieriem and husband Jason embraced their first baby, Simon, last October and cannot believe how much he’s grown already! Kinya Deshields McNeil shared her personal success in Toastmasters International (http://www.toastmasters.org/about/all-about-toastmasters),an international club geared towards helping people become effective public speakers and leaders. She is curious to see if there are any other Hoodlums who are involved. TI has a curriculum with various projects/paths to complete. Once completed, members receive different levels of distinction. Kinya joined the Midtown Masters (District 46) club on June 1, 2015 and received her Competent Communicator (CC) award on December 20, 2018.  She has now migrated over to the new Pathways curriculum and will be pursuing the Innovative Planning path. Congratulations to all of you! Last but not least, Melissa Collis Logan wrote that she enjoyed catching up with Amy Estell at the Strasbourg Alumni reception held over Reunion Weekend. Their taste buds relished in revisiting some delicious Alsatian wine and food while the Hoodlums reminisced about their days in France and at Hood. For those who could not make it, Melissa highly recommends attending if they hold another such event.

I am grateful to all who share their news worldwide and look forward to hearing from everyone again. I hope this finds you all well in your respective corners of the Earth!

Last winter brought Steven and Rhea Bel-Jon Calkins a spectacular adventure. They flew to the Pacific coast of northern Baja in a Piper Cub and spent 3 magical days meeting and touching grey whales in one of their birthing lagoons. Then to the Sea of Cortez near Bahia de los Angeles to glamp under horizon to horizon stars and swim with sea lions. Rhea has been busy with the NGO.  She volunteers with Mujeres en Cambio revamping the donor and student scholarship systems and writing a partnership proposal to a Canadian fundraising organization. She is thrilled to say they were accepted.

Cheryl Cuddeback is still in real estate but with a new brokerage firm. Her daughter, Samantha Mendl, just graduated from Hunter College, NY this year. Anne Cuppia class of ‘74 and Cheryl are heading over to Billie Weiss‘s class of ‘74 digs in Ocean Grove, NJ. They’ll stay out of trouble, obviously!

Sue Shorb-Sterling has sad news to report. Her ten year old granddaughter, Norah Brubaker, died from septic shock in April. She was an active, healthy fifth grader who loved to read and was musically talented. Her family is coping as best as they can to accept this great loss. As her cousin stated, “Life is not fair!” Sue is reminded that our children and grandchildren are to bury us, and not the other way around. Sue grieves not only the loss of Norah’s life, but the loss of her future as well.

 Peg Yanarella Hosky is glad to say that all is well in Washington DC. They continue to enjoy running their successful marketing firm, fedinsider.com. Their children, while in their 30s now, are all local, much to Peggy’s delight! Her garden and it’s several thousand purple iris flourishes, and she reads and knits voraciously.

Joyce Klugh Wilson retired in Williamsburg, VA, after 25 years of teaching in Fairfax County. She recently returned from a lovely two week cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. Joyce is a member of the LGA9 golf league in Ford’s Colony and volunteers often, especially for elementary school vision screening with the James City Lions Club.

Jane Ludwick Viprino is still working but hopes to retire sometime soon. She is the supervisor of the laboratory at a large veterinary clinic in the Reading, PA area. In addition Jane volunteers at the local Berks Jazz Fest that is held in the spring.  Quite a big event. Jane has a son who just married in February. She will be a Nana by the end of the November and is so excited. The big gender reveal was just at OBX on the beach. It’s a Boy!!! The whole family has been going to the Outer Banks for over 30 years. Her sister, Nancy Warrenfeltz class of ’76, was up from Florida and her family also gathered there. Always a busy and fun vacation.

Thank you to everyone who continue to shared their news. I am still designing retirement plans for small businesses. My mom has been working hard recovering from her stroke but really struggles with the feeding tube. If she could only eat life would be so much better for her. Northern California is already into “Fire Season”. Love seeing all of the wildlife outside our house, but worry too much about potential fires. Hope everyone has a great end to 2019. Wishing you, your families and friends the best! Debbie Page Rath

I can’t believe I heard from only three classmates for this 2019 Winter Column. But the Summer 2018 column was a good representation, so I guess I can’t complain.  Here is the input – and I won’t even have to edit the column much because we didn’t write 750 words.  Tsk! Tsk!

Barbara Thomas Yinger: Just got back from Woodstock, NY, enjoying being with daughter Laura and her family from Indiana, Louisville and NYC.  Our grandson owns a cabin there and it creates a nice family get-together place.  That included getting better acquainted with two of our great grandchildren, a two year old and a one year old.  In early June I spent a morning with our “local” four year old granddaughter to accompany her and about 10 other day care friends on a two hour nature hike.  Both experiences were Energizing!!!!

Elsie Lyon Hinkhouse: It’s been a fabulous time at Morning Star, a senior living facility in Boise, ID where I have lived since Jim’s passing. I have met Kuulei Mobley Green, a 1959 Hood College classmate. Neither of us remembered each other but share many other remembrances of classmates and wonderful times at Hood. Kuulei is a retired Episcopal priest, another great connection we have.  In addition I’ve had a fabulous time in Boise.  My youngest daughter Amy and her family live here…the reason why we moved to Boise and I spend lots of time with her and her family.  This year my daughter, Ginger, from the Seattle area and her husband were here for 5 days, and my daughter Julie, her husband and two daughters from Cypress, Texas visited 5 days.  I’m blessed to be in Boise!  Love to all my “57 classmates.  Elsie

Carol Harkness Kilrea: You are such a sport to do this; hope all is well! Lots going on in my life – last of my 14 grandchildren graduated HS and is off to Kelly School of Business @ Indiana University – # 13 finishing his 2nd year @ ND where he made All American in x country running – # 12 finishing up @ Penn State and # 11 completing her degree @ Iowa!! All the rest working in Chicago – have apartments and in various degrees of relationships – Keegan got married last summer so we all welcomed Matt – a great guy!! Beverly Shores has just been named our 61st National Park (we are within a much larger area) and also been named Indiana Bird Town by the Audubon Society! Bill and I traveled to Mexico this winter and a month in Florida – we are now packing up for a family gathering in Hilton Head followed by a trip to Scotland- so very excited! My Fitbit pushes me forward and thankfully we are both healthy and able to “ get on with things” – wow!! Have I rattled on!  Guess you will have to edit this Molly! Take care and thanks again! Hugs Carol

Molly Smith Sperandio: Dealing with a hip replacement in January and subsequent rehab and therapy kept me from participating in one of my favorite volunteer jobs – that of being a Tax Consultant for the 2018 Tax Year during the months of January – April. If I had done my studying when I got my books in November, I probably could have done some of it, but a minor fall which tore up my arm and a bout with pneumonia kept me from it.  And after that little infection, which I had never experienced before in my lifetime, I can understand how people die from that disease!  I’m still walking with a cane, but that did not keep me from enjoying my annual drive to Willow Valley, PA in April to spend time with my sisters, bro-in-law and some nieces; a trip to CA in June for the high school graduation from Sacramento Waldorf School of the 7^th of my 8 grandchildren, Sophi; and another annual drive to Bethlehem, PA in June for our 38th Smith family reunion.  We live on.  All is normal!

As always, the class of 2012 has lots of exciting news and updates! Katelyn Brady (Vu) married Shane Brady (c/o ’11) and lives in Virginia Beach, VA where she works as an attorney with Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, LLP. Carley Altenburger completed her MA in the History of Decorative Arts at George Mason University and recently accepted the position of Assistant Librarian for the Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera at Winterthur Museum. Cara Clements celebrated her daughter’s first birthday and is looking forward to a new position in the Montgomery County Public Schools system. Edwin Franco is the owner of a small real estate business in partnership with Keller Williams Capital Properties in Springfield, VA. Courtney Fraser has two nephews and a niece and is a consultant for both ‘Usborne Books and More’ and ’31 Gifts’. Samantha Gertner celebrated her engagement to Francis Nebenburgh III last summer. They are getting married next spring in St. Martin where they shared their first date. Samantha’s private grief consulting business continues to grow. Lauren Hagan was promoted to senior digital marketing strategist at Immersion Active, a digital-first marketing agency in Downtown Frederick. Kelly Harris is working as a special education teacher at Bancroft. She has been married for almost 10 years and has 2 beautiful daughters, Sofia (5) and Charlotte (2). Rachael Harris had a baby, got married and is teaching special education. Jessica Henry is working at Vertex Pharmaceuticals and loving life in Boston, MA. Jose Sanchez Hernandez is defending his thesis for the completion of the Biomedical Science Master’s degree at Hood College this July. He recently won “The People’s Choice Award” in the 2019 3MT competition and is loving his job at the Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research. Troy and Lauren Hubbard live in North Carolina where he is finishing post-doctoral studies at the National Toxicology Program branch of NIEHS and Lauren teaches 8^th grade history in Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools. They are expecting their first child in October. Mike Lancaster is living in Southern Maryland designing maps for the Marine Corps. Eric Leviton is continuing his service in the Air Force and was recently promoted to Staff Sergeant. He completed a year tour in Turkey and now lives in Germany. Natalie Lewis resigned as Accounting Associate at Nymeo Federal Credit Union in Frederick, MD and as June 3rd became Staff Accountant for Maryland Oral Surgery Associates Management office in Rockville, MD. Scott Mauer worked as a historical researcher for a New York Times best-selling author and is now a technical writer for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)Elizabeth [Ulmer] Page celebrated the birth of their first daughter in May and is teaching at an independent all-girls school in Columbus, Ohio. Conor Pracher shifted his computer monitor about 6 inches to the right and is still working at Hood as the women’s soccer coach. Molly Polling and her fiancé got a kitten to keep their cat, Escher, company. They have been working in their garden and are looking forward to their wedding in September. Doug Raftery stepped into the role as General Manager, Business Operations of Reno 1868 FC, a professional soccer team in Nevada in April. Michelle [Kuehl] Randolph married her husband Dane in Asheville, NC in May. They also are expecting their rainbow baby this year. Ashley Nokes Reidenauer was married in October and is working for an outpatient mental health clinic in Greenbelt. Kaitlin Hughes Retallick received a promotion to Primary Patent Examiner at the United States Patent and Trademark Office last September. Drew Roderuck bought his first house and is currently working at the National Aquarium in Baltimore as a Herpetologist. Kenneth Rupert was the winner of the 2019 Pitch Competition, published the Financial Self-Defense Training Guide and is now offering Financial Wellness Training as a part of the Financial Black Belt Academy. Bonnie Seabolt just finished her 6^th year as a 3^rd grade teacher and is continuing her education at Hood College. David Stanker is enjoying life to the fullest! Laura [Saad] Voelker has moved to Silver Spring, MD with her husband, Bruce, and is a 1^st through 3^rd grade science teacher at an independent school. Taurean Washington will be having a solo art exhibition at the Hood College art gallery in Tatem Hall on November 21^st. He and his wife are expecting a baby boy in August.

1969 Class News – Summer 2019

It’s been gratifying to hear all the positive comments regarding our Alma Mater from the attendees our 50th Reunion. Sadly, due to various reasons, some of us had to miss. Both Kip Cantagalli Dumaresq and Christy Lundt Lambertus had back surgeries. Christy later reported a successful outcome and looks forward to a pain-free future and more travel this fall. Par Etzel Parker and her husband were busy celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, as were Karol Bedyk Strang and Bill, who spent two months touring Europe – including a couple of days at the French Open. A baby granddaughter is due in mid-July. The excuse for Ginny Monaco Hatfield and me is that we both had daughters getting married this summer, precluding a trip back East from LA for Ginny, and Seattle for me. The school year is not quite complete for Susie Oliver Schneider. Ruth Coston Perencevich was unable to attend due to competing 50th reunions – her husband won the draw! Lila Wisotski was involved in a mixed voice choral performance that entire weekend and had to beg out. Bad timing for Christine Diehl as well, as her church was celebrating a 300th anniversary. Chris finds life on the southern shore of Connecticut still awe inspiring. She will continue part-time teaching in the Fall. Margaret Dunkle also regrets missing our reunion. She states that “my two years at Hood were very important to me and my development as both a feminist and a thinker.” Carole Downing Staton reports that husband Roy has finally joined the ranks of the retired. Son Andrew is deployed to Afghanistan again but hopes to be home by the holidays. Among those attending our reunion was Donna Holst Carr, who lives near Frederick and has been married to the same guy for 50 years! They have two sons and expect two grandchildren this year. She particularly enjoyed catching up with Joanne Ingoldsby Peters, who is currently concentrating on improving her golf game and plans to go to Greece in the Fall. Linda Israel Lamm, Sue Korff Hammer and Marty Silcox Hankins rounded out their circle. Marty volunteers with Master Gardeners, works behind the scenes at Shiloh Pottery and continues her political activism. Pat Warren Carlson sat down with Dr. Chapdelaine and agrees with Joanne’s assessment that she is the right person to lead Hood into the future. Carol Crofoot Hayes gave high marks to Susan Taylor Shoch for arranging a great off-site dinner and amazing slide show. She bonded once again with Maureen Clancy Shiftan, Debby Jones, Joan Esselen Foot, Char Blum Moors, Nazi Safavi and Molly Stuart. Post-reunion she took her twin six-year-old granddaughters to Jamaica! Linnea Linden Morettini loved re-connecting with Janie Pickard Hahn, Karla Leum Stoner, Judy Baab Sunderlin, and Karen Baab Harley. The only disappointment was the status of Coblentz – renovations are desperately needed! Rave reviews also came from Cheryl Brown Dreiling. She traveled in April with her sister, Melanie Brown Hughes ’76, to Andalucia (southern Spain) on the AHI Hood sponsored trip. Most enjoyable, she says. Sue Korff Hammer sent word of the death of Libby Marckwardt. Our sympathies to her family. I, Sayre Roney Steere, continue to love my new life here in the Pacific Northwest. Our baby girl, Doris, was married July 5th in a lovely outdoor setting. Our three granddaughters were Junior Bridesmaids. The following day our girls hosted a brunch for Dave and me to commemorate our 50th anniversary which took place a week later. We’ve become avid hikers and “pickleballers” and I recently took up Mah Jongg. We highly recommend our Trilogy “over 55” community where constant activities abound.

I so enjoy hearing from my fellow alums – even if you don’t have any news, a “Hood hello” is always welcome! Now the news…

Rachael Miskill Brown, ‘96, ’06 and he husband, Roger, will celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary this April! Congratulations! She continues to work as a private tutor – she really enjoys seeing young people grow in their confidence and understanding.  Rachael is still helping at a volunteer-run library, and one of her Goddaughter’s, Charlotte, will be volunteering there soon as part of her Duke of Edinburgh’s Award certificate. Her Mum came to the UK for Christmas this year and they spent 10 days in Wales with Roger’s Dad. She was also able to meet with Christina Eversole, ‘01, for their Grandma’s funeral February 2018.

Meika Dorsey Cowley is happy to report that she is 5 years free of breast cancer, as of December 20, 2018. Her journey with cancer began in 1994, and she will never forget the love and support with which our sisterHood (including students, administration, faculty and staff) lifted her during that time. That was the first of three battles with cancer. She is forever grateful for the blessings, and she and her husband Manus want to share their joy and light with the Hood family.

Christie Spencer Katora reports that she went back to school, earned her secondary English teaching certification in 2016, K – 12 ESL in 2017, and just graduated with her master’s of education in comprehensive special education, 7 – 12 in December 2018. Congratulations!

If you have not donated to Hood this year, please consider doing so. A little can go a long way. One gift. Any size. Visit www.hood.edu/giving.

Patricia E. Kidd
pat.kidd@hotmail.com
Lots of news from Dot Herdle Files:  she directs her church choir and plays keys in the praise service.  She and husband Eben are enjoying travel to see relatives and sights around the US, Europe, and South America.  They both are active in the Austin Disaster Relief Network to deploy to help victims and to train new volunteers.

Dot has enjoyed a heavy travel schedule:

In 2018 went to Costa Rica, Washington (state), Virginia, North Carolina, Connecticut, Rhode Island

In 2019 plan Galapagos, Equador, Holy Land, Egypt

In 2020 plan Germany, Switzerland, etc

ADRN held a preparedness conference at which we volunteered.  We deployed to help victims after Hurricane Harvey, other Texas flooding & fires.  ADRN is being held as a model for inter-church cooperation to do more than any one church (even a mega church) can do alone, and is helping other communities nation wide set up church networks for disaster victim assistance.

Our 3 children are all grown.  One is a commander in the Navy (currently in Virginia), and is the only one married, and has our only grandchild (girl, age 4).  The other two are in Texas: one works in technology, and the other works for the government.  She’s “downsizing” in the animal department and says: our critter count is down from dozens to one each horse, cat, and dog.

Linda Hess Conklin is an artist with an impressive CV of gallery exhibits (lindahessconklin.com).  Pretty nice use of a Hood English degree!  She says:  I’m thinking of possibly relocating to the Eastern Shore since my daughter attended Hopkins and seems to want to stay in Maryland. Any college contacts or info about that would be great.

Please keep that news coming!

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!