Fall 2011 - Wheelock College

Jane Steele Milchen ’51/’69MS moved to Amherst,
NH, after her husband Al’s death. She lives in her
own wing of her daughter’s home, has given up tennis
after 70 years, takes trips with church and Red
Hats groups, plays bridge three days a week, and
keeps up with grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Jane visits often with Sally McKey Pieksen,
who has hopefully told Jane all about Reunion.
Congratulations to Joan Wiggin, who wrote that
she received a lovely pewter bell in honor of 40 years
as director of her church’s handbell choir.
Our next class reunion—the 65th—is only five
years away! Do some long-range planning, but in
the meantime, stay in touch by snail mail, email,
telephone—so that we’ll keep information coming
in Wheelock’s Class Notes for the Class of 1951!
1952
Ann Sibley Conway
reunion 2012
June 1–3
1953
Libby Gerow Peterson
“Living in two places makes the year speed by, making
both areas too short,” writes Ruth Flink Ades,
who lives in Sarasota, FL, for seven months and at
the beach in Padanaram, South Dartmouth, MA,
for the remainder of the year. She and husband
Alan enjoyed another very busy summer in the
North with all 15 of their grandchildren: “They
keep us all running!” The oldest are in college, and
the youngest, daughter Andrea Ades Woolner’s
(’88) two, are 2 and 5. Ruth wrote in early July,
when she and Alan were about to leave to visit the
southern National Parks out West and were planning
their 43rd trip to Israel for the fall. Patricia
Russell Amendola and husband Warren are “completely
happy and content” with their lovely home,
their boat (The PAT-SEAS), and their cocker spaniel,
Patch. Their three boys are all close by, and their
six grandchildren, ages 8 to 34, are great! Pat and
Warren’s main interests now are gardening, golfing,
and especially family and friends.
“I’m climbing up from three operations in the
last year,” Peggy Ann Benisch Anderson writes.
“My goal is to walk alone and drive again.” She
talks with some Colchester girls frequently, and all is
well with them. “We don’t mention the word ‘age,’”
she says. Peggy Ann’s oldest granddaughter, Brooke
Anderson, has applied to Wheelock for her master’s
degree and a scholarship. “Don’t forget annual giving
every year,” she adds, “and that, yes, girls, our
60th Reunion is coming in 2013—save the date!”
Cynthia Cranton Dygert still enjoys living in the
Southwest and having all three children and two
great grandchildren nearby. She has done a little
traveling and has loved entertaining friends and
family from the East during the winter months. “It’s
always fun to visit with Janet Knightly Jones and
her husband, Bob,” she writes. “We eat together at
Judy McMurray Achre ’58 and Marcia Potter Crocker
’58 enjoyed a spring lunch together in Venice, FL.
one of our many favorite restaurants once a month.”
Cynthia still works in downtown Phoenix three
days a week and finds being in the midst of all of
the ASU students—and ASU’s growth—exciting!
Hearty congratulations to Alicia Eager, who
recently got married for the first time! Alicia met
Dudley Davis at Regency Oaks, the Clearwater, FL,
retirement community she moved into in 2001,
and they were married Feb. 12. They spent their
honeymoon in Sarasota and then took another trip,
to China aboard the Diamond Princess, in April.
(Google “Alicia Eager Regency Oaks” to see the
March 16 St. Petersburg Times story.) Betsy Dewey
Giles and husband Ed celebrated their 58th wedding
anniversary this year and are happy and well!
In July they were headed to a family wedding in
Oregon and also planned to spend some time touring
in that area and go up into Washington to visit
more family. “In talking with Peggy Ann Benisch
Anderson,” Betsy writes, “we both agree that our
60th Reunion isn’t far off. Hope we get a great
turnout in ’13!”
We are sorry to have to pass on the sad news
that Josepha Loskill Jenks’ husband, Ken, passed
away in February from a massive stroke. “We
had 40 wonderful years together,” Jo writes. “We
shared many interests and particularly loved to
travel. We have been to many places far and wide,
and I will always treasure our years together.”
Regina Daly Lundstrom and husband Robert
have enjoyed living in Wisconsin and seeing their
Chicago-area children more often, but they do
miss Cape Cod and think often of their wonderful
10 years there.
I (Libby) was so very happy to hear from you
all and enjoy catching up on “the news.” I had
another chip taken out of my heart when I lost my
Japanese Chin, “Nikki,” in the spring. She was my
pal. I enjoy keeping in touch with my Wheelock
pals. It is a blessing! I flew up to George and Sue
Terry Curry’s in July and spent a wonderful week
with them at their lovely home in Merrimac, MA.
The weather was quite warm but every minute was
delightful, from seeing daughter Jane’s new horses
and farm to having lobster rolls on the coast of
Maine. My son, Joe, and his wife, Joanne, joined
us from their home in Denver for two of the days.
Joanne’s parents live in Beverly, MA. It was a visit
full of fun and recalling old memories.
1955
Penny Kickham Reilly
Nancy Cerruti Humphreys
Anne Vermillion Gleason and husband Ted
now live in an apartment three blocks from the
Washington National Cathedral in D.C. Both
retired from “various teaching jobs,” they still find
time to write, and Anne recently self-published a
book of poetry titled Pay Attention. Their youngest
daughter and her family live nearby, and they have
two other married daughters—and seven grandchildren
who make them very happy. Anne and
Ted’s travel is now limited because of a muscle disease
Ted has, so they welcome friends to visit them.
“This carries much love to all,” Anne writes. “I am
ever grateful for my Wheelock education which led
to very special teaching experiences both here and
in Boston.”
Louise Baldridge Lytle is “feeling very much
at home” in her retirement community in Verona,
PA, especially now that more and more people
she has known for a long time are moving there,
too. In addition to enjoying serving as editor of
the quarterly publication to which the residents
contribute original prose and poetry, she also still
reads to the health care residents occasionally. In
the spring Louise traveled to North Carolina to
help her daughter celebrate her birthday and see a
new puppy! This fall she took a cruise from New
York City to Montreal. When Kathleen Rooney
and husband Douglas weren’t traveling (to Portugal
and Florida) in late 2010 and early 2011, they were
spending time with children and grandchildren
and participating in “interesting, sometimes challenging
volunteer activities.” She adds: “While our
health remains good, our nephew was diagnosed
with metastatic kidney cancer. This was stunning
news. Because he and his family live in town, we are
blessed to be able to help. We just never know. He
has successfully completed two surgeries and radiation,
but the future is far from clear.”
1957
Joan Patterson Brown
Class NOTes
reunion 2012
June 1–3
1958
Margaret “Maggie” Weinheimer Sherwin
Nancy Buhrendorf Grindlay phoned one day and
I (Maggie) chatted with her for almost an hour.
She and her children and grandchildren spent
Christmas in Hawaii. The grandchildren (all boys)
are ages 23, 11, and 9, and, along with their parents,
are located in North Carolina, San Francisco,
and Las Vegas. Marcia Potter Crocker and Judy
McMurray Achre and their husbands enjoyed a
spring lunch together in Venice, FL. Seems they
never ran out of conversation! Molly McBride
Felton will eventually be moving to the Portland,
Wheelock Magazine 43