Class Notes

In times like these, there’s a lot to be said for apredictable fixed income. Through my charitable giftannuity, I enjoy a better and safer return than myother investments are producing these days—plus taxsavings and the satisfaction of benefiting ConcordAcademy. A gift annuity is a smart way to go,particularly now.—Wendy Arnold ’65ter Rachel’s store, and managing a largevegetable garden to feed the family andprovide for our winter larder. Perry and Ienjoy our singing groups.” To honor her70th, Ann wants to visit three sons inCalifornia. Cal Adams Christy gigglesthat “nothing has changed. Except whenI look in a mirror, some old bat gets infront of me and all I can see is HER! Ican’t seem to discourage her from stayingwith us.” Polly Graham Coreth hasthe honor of being elected Chancellor ofthe U.S. Priory of the Order of St. John,a century-old humanitarian mission supportinghealth care and hospitals inJerusalem. The medical staff is Jewish,Palestinian, and Muslim, assisted by visitingU.S. doctors. I hope Helen HardcastleGates recovered speedily fromher hip replacement surgery. Helen andChris have lived in their Brookline homefor 42 years and have seven grandchildren.Like many of us, Helen divides hertime between home, exercise, volunteerwork, and grandchildren. Like the Boydens,they summer in Vinalhaven, ME.Diana Wilson Hoven enjoys Seattle andtraveling with her daughters, theirspouses, and four grandchildren. Thereis a wonderful new man in her life, andshe hopes he will soon stop being basedin Texas. She is tutoring children in alow-income neighborhood and servedjury duty on a high profile local case.Carol Swanson Louchheim completedeight years as a local housing commissionerhaving learned, as the nation has,a great deal about the power of a smallgroup that always votes “no.” She isdelighted with what they achieved,including saving several families fromforeclosures. The Louchheims had aIf this idea interests you, please contactthe Advancement Office at (978) 402-2240 or visitconcordacademy.org/plannedgiving.great autumn trip to visit friends and seewhere they used to live in Vermont andthe Hudson Valley; she says Storm Kingand Pepsico sculpture gardens are not tobe missed. Alexander Fuller Anderson-Spivy is doing well in a rough year forwriters. “I have been writing (paid) for anonline art magazine, artnet.com, and tryingto get my definitive biography ofBaron Adolph de Meyer published.” Shewrote the text for Facing India, a book ofbeautiful photographs available online.“The six grandchildren, 5 to 18, flourish,and their parents are all employed. I amvery thankful for this.” Marcia Synnottcontinues as a historian working on severalwriting projects and presenting atconferences. She serves on the board ofthe Fort Devens Museum in Devens,MA, which commemorates the fort’sservice to our country, and she lectureson its “godmother,” Rep. Edith NourseRogers, the longest-serving woman inCongress.1958Class Secretary: Caroline Murfitt-Eller,carolineeller@comcast.netThe class of ’58 joins in conveying itssincere condolences to the family of ourclassmate, Elizabeth Moses Baker, whopassed away in July 2009, and to AliceHawkes Roberts and her family on theloss of her husband. Alice wrote, “It hasbeen quite an adjustment and will takeme a while to sort out my life and hispaperwork, but I am not planning any bigchanges in location.” She carries on withher vocations as a priest and hospicechaplain, which she loves, and plans totravel and see children, grandchildren,and old friends more frequently in thefuture. Hazel Demille Angeledei maintainsher interest in music, church, andfamily occupations. In December, shetraveled to Venice and is planning a tripto Germany; she visited Sarah Whitneyin Boston in 2009. Hazel writes, “I willmiss Betty Moses Baker’s smile andgood humor more than I can say.” JuliaCullinan Ballerini reports that her bookon early French photographs of Egypt,The Stillness of Hajj Ishmael, was publishedthis spring. Congratulations Julia!In addition, she sent out her first shortstory for possible publication in 2010 andhas her first novel in the works. She isvery pleased that her son has returned toNYC and lives nearby after nine years inLA. She continues volunteer teachingEnglish to immigrants and refugees andis enjoying a full and happy life. NancyCushman Fairbanks is singing in theSkidmore Chorus, which reminds her ofMiss Loring. While attending a recentperformance of Brahms’ GermanRequiem, she found it almost impossiblenot to sing along with every note. Nancyenjoyed a visit with Jane VanceMcCauley and husband Dick this fall, andskiing with her grandchildren this winter.Elizabeth England Fisher had a wonderfulsummer north of Seattle at her homeon the water and is fortunate to live nearher two oldest granddaughters. Sheheaded south in her motor home in earlyOctober for a visit with her grandsons inSalt Lake City and continued to Texas tospend the winter near her youngestgranddaughter. She returns to Seattle forthe summer and welcomes CA visitors.Sarah Sargent Leiser spent fourmonths traveling from London to NewDelhi, then China and Mongolia, visitingher twin nieces, who live in India andMongolia. She took a spectacular trip onthe Trans-Mongolian Express from Beijingto St. Petersburg. She also visitedher sister in North Carolina on her farmwith 40 alpacas, as well as her daughtersand their families. Jane VanceMcCauley’s 22 year-old grandson graduatedin May from Bucknell: “I amstunned to think we have a grandchildthis old. We love all our time with ourseven grandchildren and feel so blessedto be nearby and able to be a part oftheir lives.” Jane chairs the Board atEvergreen Cove Holistic Learning Center,where the 2009 budget came in $12,000ahead of projections in spite of the lasttwo years’ economic difficulties. Shealso serves on the board of Pets onWheels and has reconnected with theWomen’s Giving Circle in Columbia, MD.Kathy Rogers McQuarrie continues tolearn as an individual and couples therapist.“The learning I am now doing hasto do with how to help change happen,taking into account information about thefunctioning of the brain. This work is fascinating.”She is experiencing the delightof three grandchildren; struggles withthe results of knee damage from a caraccident that curtails running, ridinghorses, yoga, and gardening; but swimsoften and notes the general feeling thatthis “is a kind of dodgy time of life.” CarolineMurfitt-Eller traveled in Arizonaduring 2009 with her sister, Diana MurfittMeyer ’55, visiting national parks,investigating many Indian sites, floatingdown the Colorado River, and horsebackriding in the desert with snakes and jackrabbits. Caroline summered with familyin Maine and spent as much time as possiblewith her daughters and grandchildren.A month in England visitingresplendent gardens, castles, and cathedralsand absorbing the literary and physicallandscape capped her year of travel.Gretchen Becker, Sylvia ChanningPope, and Sally Farnsworth Blackettemailed that all is well but have no newsto report. Many classmates wrote theyare looking forward to a 55th reunion.Let’s plan on it! Nancy Wolfe Steadretired after 45 years in real estate andwatched her 401K become a 201K. Afterthree easy months in Florida, she isseeking new avenues of involvement inVermont. Both her son Skip and daughterJulia were married within the last twoyears — Julia has a baby girl and Skipand his wife are expecting a daughter inJune. “It is wonderful to have a nucleusof three generations, all in Vermont.”Aside from her belief that PresidentObama’s leadership would spark all of usto rise to the occasion, she writes of herconcern for the future of the country, ourchildren, and our planet. Joellen MaloneyToussaint continues full-time workat the Wellesley Library and is a newsreporter for a local cable channel. Shespent a warm vacation in Aruba inMarch.1959Class Secretary: Mary Poole,maryfpoole@gmail.com2009 was the year of our 50th reunionand we all had a ball. Our true thanks goto Holly Dickson Chaplin for all theeffort put into making our Friday dinnerperfect. Also, many thanks from RosemaryWilson and Mary Poole to JuliaTerry for keeping us on track . . . no wondershe was our class president! Wemissed those who could not make it andare thrilled with the new and renewedfriendships that grew out of our gathering.Life has gone on since then. AinslieBaldwin is still in California; her husbandis continuing to work through June 2011.Her condo is installing solar panels(hooray!), and she is in a book club and isa Second Harvest partner. Elizabeth45C O N C O R D A C A D E M Y. O R G S P R I N G 2 0 1 0