Summer 2020 News

It’s been a challenging few months for us all, but “69ers” are weathering the storm in fine fashion. Christy Lundt Lambertus, in South Florida, is still able to go to her office each day to keep in touch with clients. She’s grateful for good health, but “bummed” that two major trips had to be cancelled. Ginny Monaco Hatfield also missed out on a trip to Poland in May, but on the bright side, is thrilled to be expecting her first grandchild on August. Regular golfing outings, as well as decorating a new townhouse in Lewes Beach, DE has kept Pat Warren Carlson on an even keel. She’s also supplementing her granddaughter’s 5th grade curriculum with integrated lesson plans. Innovative Marty Silcox Hankins initiated “Virtual Shopping” in order to keep Shiloh Pottery in business. She enjoys yoga and a knitting group via Zoom and feels fortunate to be sequestered on her 40-acre farm. She has also reconnected by phone with her big sister, Ann Truell Bennett ’67. Sally Miller Keehn and husband Dave sold their home in Allentown, PA in January and moved to Leeds, MA – a mere 10-minute drive from their daughters. She’s nurturing a latent artistic ability by painting a mural on her new basement wall! Timing was not great for Margaret Dunkle as she had planned a trip to China in April to teach and tour. But now she can focus on sending her research papers on the History of Women in America to Harvard’s Schlesinger Library – and working with local officials to build a community center named after Calvert County’s own Civil Rights leader, Harriet Elizabeth Brown. As president of her 60-member chorus, Lila Wisotski was most distressed at having to cancel three major choral events. And while also mourning the loss of her brother, she finds joy in gardening and bird-watching. As founder of the WellRefugeeCenter, an agency focusing on health and mental health, Kathleen Connors has been hard at work during the pandemic. Her organization is the only multi-lingual Help Line (beyond English and Spanish) in the state of Georgia to provide clients with assistance for financial security, as well as food for the elderly and disabled. After 50 years on the job, Susie Oliver Schneider has finally retired from the teaching profession. She says that doing distance learning this spring via Zoom was a far cry from how she taught back in 1970, before computers had even been invented. Joanne Ingoldsby Peters has become a Zoom expert, using it for quilting classes, book group, ladies lunches, qi gong practice and happy hours. Jean Winn Swan laments that three major trips didn’t happen – but her garden has never looked better! With Jean as illustrator, husband Bob is writing fairy tales in which their grandchildren are the main characters. How clever! Carole Downing Staton sorely misses her grandchildren but is grateful that via Zoom she can “see” her family on a regular basis. Peggy Jackson Wyckhouse met the challenge by converting her classes at N. Orange County community college district to “distance education.” She also teaches weekly cooking classes for senior and convalescent centers. Dave and I – Sayre Roney Steere actually timed a trip just right, returning from snowy Lake Tahoe on March 14th, the day the lockdown went into place. Since then I’ve been doing lots of hiking, gardening, virtual fitness classes, jigsaw puzzles and “solo” Scrabble. We ‘ve cheated a few times and visited with our girls who, fortunately, live only an hour or so away. Our youngest – the newlywed, is expecting a baby in October. We’re thrilled to announce, “it’s a BOY”!