Spring 2011 - Baldwin School

20
claSS noteS
BARBI HUNTER CHAFFEE writes,
“I have now survived over 2 years with
metastatic breast cancer and hope to keep
on trucking. Saw CORBIT, JEAN-
NIE DANGERFIELD, PATSY KAY,
SUSIE TIERNAN, JEAN REESE, and
NANCY-BETH GORDON this past
year. Great fun was had by all.”
1968
Your class is currently in need of a
class secy. If you would like to fill this
role, please contact Kaitlin Devine at
kdevine@baldwinschool.org. Until then,
please send all news for the Echoes to the
Alum Off.
1969
Di Hole Strickler
dhstrickler@gmail.com
1330 Sunset Circle
Charlottesville, VA 22901
After a couple of 70 degree days, winter
has reappeared – what do groundhogs
know anyway…. GAY RICHARDS
STRICKLER writes “all we care about
in the Strickler family is our new granddaughter,
Maggie.” Margaret Alyse Lutze
(Margaret the 5th) was born Nov. 9 and
is “a beautiful and wonderful baby!” Is
there any other kind? RICKI COFFIN
WIDLAK writes that, like many of us,
she is “losing, caring and crying for parents.”
A reference in previous class notes
to the Carolinas Medical Center in
Charlotte, NC, where CATHE HETOS
SKEFOS’ daughter Chrystan is an intern
in emergency medicine, reminded Ricki
that her granddaughter entered the
world at that facility. Ricki’s daughter
lives in South Charlotte. LESLIE
LANGWORTHY BELLER reports that
she and her brother share the care of her
mother who “is an immobile happy little
Yoda of a lady.” During husband Alan’s
four month sabbatical last spring, they
snowshoed in New England; toured
the hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria;
traveled to Asia with destinations that
included Kyoto, Shanghai and Tokyo;
ventured to Eastern Europe (Prague,
Vienna and Budapest); and ended the
sabbatical on a Long Island beach body
surfing. Daughter, Elizabeth, joined them
for part of the Asian excursion, while
son David and fiancé participated in the
tour of Eastern Europe. Leslie continues
to be on the boards of the Brooklyn
Museum and the Prospect Park Alliance.
ANNE MORRIS TAYLOR and
husband, Eric, are making more time for
fun in the form of hiking, skiing and ad-
venture travel. Last summer saw them in
Peru and experiencing a magical Machu
Picchu sunrise. This summer they plan
to climb Mt. Washington with the kids.
Son, Matt, recently joined Apple in California,
and daughter, Alissa, is a graphic
designer who also plays violin in an
acoustic band in D.C. Chrystan Skefos
lived with the Taylors two summers
ago during an internship in D.C. Anne
writes that it “was great fun connecting
with Cathe again, meeting her husband
Harry and getting to know Chrystan.
Definitely felt the Baldwin bond.” Hey
classmates, that says it all. LIZ FRENCH
GERKIN is busy as Registrar at Oberlin
College. She and partner, Will, started
a community garden in their neighborhood
and are “pouring over seed
catalogs and waiting for the snow to disappear.”
She volunteers for a grassroots
organization called RESULTS, which
addresses global hunger and poverty
issues. Lucky Liz is part of the grandmother
brigade with granddaughter
Ramona, age 6, and grandson Truman,
age 4, who live in Bloomington, IN.
MEG ALEXANDER DOWNEY is still
managing editor of The Tennessean in
Nashville and is successfully navigating
a commuter marriage with husband,
Ed, who practices law and financial
planning in Millerton, NY. “She felt
like she was reliving the ‘60s this past
year” by seeing Paul McCartney, Eric
Clapton, James Taylor and Carole King
in Music City. JILL WHITE SULLI-
VAN and husband, Dowd, visited Meg
last spring. Meg “welcomes all guests.”
Jill writes of fabulous weather on a
recent vacation in Florida with husband
Dowd. While there Jill visited BARB
ROTHFELD MAROD and husband
Ed in Palm Beach Gardens: “Fabulous
weather and great fun being together
again.” SUSAN LORING traveled to
the Southwest (Phoenix, Sedona and
Tucson), and took a western Caribbean
cruise that included a side trip to Belize
for snorkeling. Son, Brian, recently
became engaged; a wedding date has
been set for October 2011 in Austin,
TX. Armed with his MBA this spring
from UT, Brian will join a private equity
group in Austin. Susan is planning a trip
to Israel in March. KATHY LOWER’s
husband, David, is planning to retire
this month, but the potential sale of his
company may result in his staying on for
a year or two in London. Kathy says the
snow has been fantastic for skiing this
season, an activity she enjoys with her
grandchildren (ages 12, 9 and 7). Kathy
is also active in the HOA where her
mountain cabin is located, undertaking
fire mitigation efforts since “wildfires
are a fact of life in Colorado.” JUDY
PROWDA reports from the Upper West
Side of Manhattan that in addition to a
private practice specializing in art law,
copyright and entertainment law, she
serves as an arbitrator and mediator. She
is also a professor at Sotheby’s Institute
of Art in NYC where she teaches Art
Law and Ethics & Policy in the Art Profession.
In March she and her students
will travel to Maastricht (Netherlands)
for an Art & Antiques Fair. In her
spare time (okay, where do you find
it?), she is a violinist in the Broadway
Bach Ensemble. She dined with BARB
ROTHFELD and her daughter in NYC
last summer, and recently attended a
Baldwin visit to the King Tut Treasures
with GINNY BUTERA and CHRIS
RANCK. Not too long ago DI HOLE
STRICKLER broke down and joined
Facebook. NINA NEWLIN “friended”
her and provided this update: “I earned
my doctorate in Leadership and Innovation
a couple of years ago and am
now working as the Mathematics and
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics) supervisor for
Kent County (MD) Public Schools.”
Nina’s daughter, Elizabeth, married last
summer and her other two children live
in Lancaster County, PA. Nina hears
regularly from VICKI FARNHAM
MORGAN who is still teaching in
Albuquerque, NM and has two beautiful
granddaughters. DI HOLE STRICK-
LER reports that son, Will, earned his
2011 PGA Tour card last fall. As a result
she has happily been fired as his manager.
He is being represented by IMG
and has signed an equipment/clothing
contract with TaylorMade-adidas Golf.
Thanks for all the news and please keep
it coming.
1970
Barbara Barr
bbarr@glorianilson.com
95 Parker Avenue
Manasquan, NJ 08736-3021
LISA NISSENBAUM writes, “I had
a lovely visit with KATHY TAYLOR
and CLAIRE DEMPSEY this summer.
I also had a great time visiting SARAH
SHIFMAN LAY in NYC. She was in the
States for her son’s wedding.”
1971
Kathryn A. Roth
kroth27@gmail.com
1002 Pebble Drive
Greensboro, NC 27410
336-292-1002
The class of ’71 continues to have
mini-reunions whenever we can. Please
be sure to get in touch with your
classmates when you are planning to
travel! We had another fabulous Stone
Harbor weekend last Sept at the house
ANDREA HAMMERSCHMIDT
FELKINS shares with her sister JUDY
HAMMERSCHMIDT ’72. ELLEN
MCNEARY BRIGGS writes “Son Tom
still a computer programmer in
Amsterdam, son Steve still pursuing MD
PhD at Albert Einstein in NYC, husb
Peter still teaching at Bryn Mawr
College, dog Lizzie makes sure we get
lots of exercise and laughs.” TINA
DAVIDSON has been commissioned by
two-time Grammy Award-winning
violinist Hilary Hahn to write a new
piece for acoustic violin and piano. As
part of the In 27 Pieces: The Hilary
Hahn Encores project, Davidson’s new
work will be performed on tour over the
2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, then
recorded. Davidson, whose work has
been characterized by the press as “real
music, with structure, mood, novelty, and
harmonic sophistication - with haunting
melodies that grow out of complex,
repetitive rhythms”, will compose two
versions of the encore piece for Ms
Hahn, the first for violin and piano, and
the second for solo violin. Tina will be
in residence with The MacDowell
Colony, the nation’s leading artist colony
for the month of Feb 2011, working on
her opera, Pearl, as well as other recent
commissions. CHERI DEAL writes that
“Anyone wanting to call me or interview
me about the Canadian Healthcare
system - and that includes your kids who
may have to do research for their work
or studies - please feel free to call or
write to me.” Cheri also wrote that dtr
“Jacqueline (20 y) went to Europe for 4
weeks with 3 friends - her first trip
planned and paid for by herself - to
celebrate her college successes and her
newfound adulthood (she has an
apartment with 3 other friends near the
downtown in Montreal, and is studying
creative writing and literature at
Concordia University). She keeps us
constantly amused and incredibly proud
of her growth. We still have our 21 y old
son Christian with us at home. . .he has