Bridging the Gap

Winter 2016 

Bridging the Gap 

Alumnae invest in educational equality 

Inside: Choosing the 901 

WINTER 2015 | 1

Aristotle said, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no 

education at all.” St. Mary’s students benefit from this wisdom daily in Chapel, the Bridge 

to Caring, service learning, and the Community Fund. We even find the heart in our exams. If you 

had been in the Rose Theater for the Juniors’ semester exams, you would have witnessed the 

newest expression of how our teachers encourage the heart of our students and enable them to 

find their unique voices. 

Just before Christmas break, I had the great pleasure of listening to the Juniors each deliver 

a four-minute speech in the style of a TED Talk. As each student walked onto the carpet and 

into the spotlight, the audience of parents and teachers heard a confident, compassionate, and 

courageous voice. The two evenings titled “Voices of St. Mary’s” began as a combined history and 

English assignment that asked the Juniors to express how the curriculum has educated their heart 

and not just their mind. English teacher Caroline Goodman, history teacher Holly Hensarling, and 

librarian Jeanine Akers worked as a team to ask: How do the facts and stories in your courses 

speak to your own experience and how can that make us better human beings? 

Students connected Beowulf, Wuthering Heights, Julius Caesar, 9/11, and the Holocaust to 

their own experiences with fear, racism, stereotyping, courage, creativity, and faith. Listening to 

these voices, it is clear that St. Mary’s is dedicated to letting each girl pursue her individual 

potential. It is also clear why our young women pursue the careers of service and teaching, and 

choose to call Memphis home, connecting to their community. You will find their stories 

highlighted in this issue. 

The heart is at the heart of an Episcopal School education. This kind of integrity of mind 

and soul and body has never been a more important as we prepare young woman for an often 

polarized, terrorized, and fragmented culture. By 

not ignoring this vital connection, our students 

and graduates are able to teach and serve others 

mindfully and whole-heartedly. 

Head of School 

On the first day of the semester, 

Head of School Albert Throckmorton 

encourages Middle and Upper School 

students to focus on the destination 

while also enjoying the journey. 

2 |

The Varsity Volleyball team revs up for state competition, capping its best season in school history. 

Winter 2016 

The magazine of St. Mary’s Episcopal School is 

published twice a year as a service to all alumnae, students, 

parents, faculty, staff, and friends of the school. 

Head of School 

Albert L. Throckmorton 

Director of Advancement 

Leanne Kleinmann 

Director of Alumnae 

Rainey Ray Segars ’05 

Director of Communication / Editor 

Sally Walker Davies 

Photography 

Lisa Buser 

Contributors 

Courtney Shove ’96 

Cara Modisett 

Shari Ray 

Zina Kumok ’07 

Owen McGuire 

Letters to the Editor: 

Please address all correspondence to: 

Sally Walker Davies 

St. Mary’s Episcopal School 

60 Perkins Extended 

Memphis, TN 38117 

swalkerdavies@stmarysschool.org 

901.537.1489 

Unless otherwise noted, all photos, with the exception of 

select photos in Class Notes, are by Lisa Buser. 

On the Cover: 

St. Mary’s alumnae (L-R) Patti Person Ray ’65, Jessica Johnson 

’94, Grace Jensen Knight ’05, Courtney Taylor Humphreys ’01, 

and Lucy Foster ’10 are helping build a better Memphis through 

the Memphis Teacher Residency. 

————————— 

Parents of Alumnae: If your daughter no longer maintains an 

address at your home, please notify Director of Alumnae 

Rainey Ray Segars ’05 at 901.537.1424 or 

rsegars@stmarysschool.org 

The mission of St. Mary’s Episcopal School is to provide a 

superior educational experience for girls which will encourage and 

enable each student to reach her individual potential. 

St. Mary’s Episcopal School does not discriminate on the basis of race, 

religion, or national origin in the administration of its admission, financial 

aid, educational, athletic, extracurricular, or other policies. 

In This Issue 

2 Bridging the Gap 


7 Choosing the 901 

Zina Kumok ’07 chats with five alumnae about why 

they ultimately chose to call Memphis home. 

10-13 College 101 

New faces, new spaces, advice for college planning, 

and an update on the SATs. 

14 To Be or Not To Be Ophelia 

In the first of a series of essays by St. Mary’s faculty, 

Upper School English Teacher Shari Ray explains that 

there’s no way her students should ever be an Ophelia. 

16-21 Campus News 

Alumnae 

22 Honoring Gigi Gould ’70 

23 Class Notes 

44 Milestones 

/St.MarysEpiscopalSchool 

@StMarysMemphis 

/StMarysTV 

@stmarysepiscopalschool 

WINTER 2015 | 1

---------- Choosing the 901 ---------- 

Bridging the Gap 


By Courtney Shove ’96 

St. Mary’s alumnae are a testament to the 

value of a good education — something that 

all children deserve, regardless of socioeconomic 

standing. Committed to helping bridge 

the educational gap in Memphis, a group of alums 

from across the decades are working to improve 

public education through the Memphis Teacher 

Residency, commonly known as MTR. 

2 | | St. Mary’s EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

St. Mary’s alumnae (L-R) Patti Person Ray ’65, 

Jessica Johnson ’94, Grace Jensen Knight ’05, 

Courtney Taylor Humphreys ’01, and Lucy 

Foster ’10 are helping build a better Memphis 

through the Memphis Teacher Residency. 

WINTER 2015 | 3 

WINTER 2015 | 3

--------------------------------------- Choosing the 901 --------------------------------------- 

Founded in 2008, MTR is a faith-based teachertraining 

program that seeks to provide quality education 

to students in six low-income areas in Memphis. 

After successfully completing a year of graduate 

coursework and an in-classroom internship, residents 

receive a master’s degree in urban education through 

a partnership with Union University. After receiving 

their degree, MTR teachers commit to working three 

additional years in a Memphis urban school. So far, the 

program has 239 graduates (those who have completed 

the four-year commitment) and 231 teachers currently 

on staff in Memphis urban schools. 

The Veteran Teacher and Administrator: 

Patti Person Ray ’65 

After spending 25 years of her life working in public 

education, Dr. Patti Ray just can’t quit it. Even during 

her 15-year tenure as Upper School Head at St. Mary’s, 

she taught Union University students training to be 

public school teachers. Now, 

though technically retired, she 

continues to teach in every area 

of Union’s graduate education 

program. 

Since 2009, Ray has been 

teaching two MTR courses: Secondary 

Methods and Intensive 

Content Studies, which are both 

Patti Person Ray ’65 taught in the first half of the 

residency. Outside of class, she 

makes herself available via text message, phone, and 

email and is delighted that her students reach out to 

her for ideas and other support. 

She credits MTR’s extensive support system for the 

success of its teachers. What sets it apart from similar 

programs is the common motivation among the 

residents and their shared Christian call to bring about 

social justice through education. 

“MTR offers courses that are enlightening as to 

the challenges that students face in urban schools,” 

Ray said. “The students are exposed to Memphis itself, 

because so many aren’t from here, and the importance 

of raising the education level.” 

The bottom line: MTR residents don’t have to go it 

alone. They are clustered together in various schools 

and even live together in Georgian Woods Apartments. 

Each cohort also learns about Memphis and its history 

and gets involved in the neighborhoods where they 

teach. 

“The city of Memphis depends on the success of its 

public education,” Ray said. “At the root of it all, I’m a 

teacher, and that’s still what I’m doing.” 

The Prepared Newbie: Lucy Foster ’10 

For Lucy Foster, living in Georgian Woods last year 

as an MTR resident was unexpectedly significant. Not 

only was it her first “adult” apartment, but the complex 

is also where her grandmother lived when Lucy’s mom 

Lucy Foster ’10 

4 |


was born and where Lucy’s mom, Nancy Johnson Foster 

’71, had her first apartment after college. 

In her cohort of 67, Foster said only five or six were 

“local-grown Memphians.” The rest were from all over 

the country. Her roommate was a young woman from 

Corona, California, who had never been to the South 

before. 

Foster, who is in her second year of teaching 7th 

grade at Soulsville Charter School, describes the Memphis 

she knows now as “cooler” than the one she knew 

growing up: “Memphis seems exciting, especially to 

new people. A lot of young people are coming here, and 

it feels like Memphis is onto something.” 

She said she has found tremendous support 

through MTR and that her mentor teacher, who happens 

to be a Teach For America graduate, was phenomenal. 

Foster now teaches on the same team as her mentor, 

who is mentoring an MTR resident again this year. 

The Coach and Encourager: 

Courtney Taylor Humphreys ’01 

Growing up, Courtney Humphreys could not have 

located Orange Mound on a Memphis map, yet she 

lived within a few miles of the neighborhood. Now, her 

work has her rooted there. 

A part-time MTR staffer, 

Humphreys serves as a coach 

for 11 teachers at Hanley 

Elementary, a charter school 

in Orange Mound. 

She and husband McKee 

both have MTR connections. 

McKee was part of 

the second cohort, and after 


completing his residency, he 

taught 8th grade history for three years at Soulsville 

Charter School and Cornerstone Prep. He now teaches 

5th and 6th grade history at Presbyterian Day School, 

where Courtney taught for four years before connecting 

with MTR in 2012. 

“MTR has been a real gift for both of us,” Courtney 

said. “We have developed friendships with people who 

didn’t grow up like us, and that has totally enriched our 

lives.” 

She supports MTR teachers through regular classroom 

observations and debriefing sessions and provides 

feedback on the residents’ online journals. She 

also teaches a Math Content Methods class to elementary-education 

residents. Outside of work, she enjoys 

having them over for dinner and getting to know them 

better. 

In her mind, the strength of the program lies in its 

Christian perspective. Courtney feels good knowing she 

can tell new teachers that their ultimate worth is not 

wrapped up in their students’ test scores or in a failed 

observation. At the same time, she doesn’t negate the 

challenges of working in high-needs schools. 

“Seeing all kinds of dysfunction and brokenness 

doesn’t mean that you have to get out, that you’ve 

chosen the wrong profession,” she said. “It might mean 

that you’ve chosen exactly the right one.” 

The Guinea Pig: Grace Jensen Knight ’05 

Grace Knight was a member of MTR’s first cohort, 

which consisted of 23 residents. Now, six years later, 

there are 67 residents. Knight remembers being a 

college student at Auburn University and having an 

awakening in the middle 

of the night — she needed 

to pursue urban education. 

The next thing she knew 

she was talking to MTR 

founder David Montague 

while driving from 

Memphis to Auburn. 

“I remember hanging 

up the phone and telling 

Grace Jensen Knight ’05 

my now-husband that this 

WINTER 2015 | 5


program seemed like it was created specifically for Memphis in 2011 and began working at MTR in 2012. As 

me,” she said. “It was exactly what I wanted to do after a coach, she supports her teachers by visiting them in 

finishing college.” 

their classrooms, offering feedback and ideas, and even 

Knight was placed at New Hope Christian Academy looking over student essays or preparing test questions. 

during her resident year and remained on staff there 

“So often, everything that teachers learn, they learn 

for four more years. She was a kindergarten teacher for the hard way,” she said. “What’s great about MTR is that 

three years and a learning specialist for two. After taking 

time off to start a family, she now works part time coach for all four years, and really relevant coursework, 

the teachers have a mentor during the residency year, a 

as the admission events coordinator at St. Mary’s. 

which means they don’t have to figure out from scratch 

“I believe that the only thing that will really change how to teach their students well and how to lead a 

Memphis is education, so I believe MTR is leading 

classroom well.” 

the city in real change,” she said. “It may not be fast 

Johnson underscores that MTR’s vision is about 

change, but I believe it’s coming when our students all restoring communities, not just schools. Teachers alone 

have access to good education.” 

can’t bridge the education gap, so MTR encourages its 

staff to get to know other people and organizations 

in their schools’ neighborhoods. The residents study 

The Master Teacher/Juggler: 

Memphis history, take part in local cultural events, and 

Jessica Johnson ’94 

really commit to the areas in which they teach. 

In many ways, Jessica Johnson is a professional 

To that end, MTR has focused its efforts on 31 

juggler at MTR. Juggler of job responsibilities, that is. 

schools in six neighborhoods: Alcy Ball, Binghampton, 

A full-time employee, she coaches English teachers at 

Frayser, Graham Heights, Mitchell Heights, and Orange 

Kingsbury High School, Melrose High School, and GRAD 

Mound. Johnson said the feedback from schools has 

Academy; teaches English Content Methods and an 

been positive — that MTR teachers are team players, 

instructional planning seminar; and serves as the organization’s 

development director. 

humble, hard-working, and eager to learn from and 

work with their colleagues. 

“I always loved school,” Johnson said. “I loved 

“I think about how I benefited from St. Mary’s not 

St. Mary’s, I loved my college experience, and I valued 

only academically but 

the school communities 

also personally, in terms 

and the chance to grow as 

of character and community,” 

Johnson said. “I 

a thinker and as a person. 

That’s something I 

think we (at MTR) are in 

want for all kids, whether 

a unique position to grow 

they go to an independent 

school or go to their 

people and strengthen 

communities, and that’s 

neighborhood school.” 

my motivation to be in 

After graduating 

schools.” 

from Princeton University, 

Johnson taught 

Courtney Shove ’96 is a word 

game enthusiast and maker of 

high school English in 

homemade vanilla who recently 

Connecticut for seven 

moved back to Memphis — for 

the second time — to be closer to 

years. She moved back to 

family and to work in communications 

at Memphis Opportunity 

Jessica Johnson ’94, with teacher Janessa Jordan, at Soulsville Charter School. 

Scholarship Trust (MOST). 

6 |


Choosing the 901 

By Zina Kumock ’07 

St. Mary’s alums can be found all over the world, teaching, working, and putting their Turkey values to use. 

But what about those who return home, or decided to stay in Memphis for their schooling? Zina Kumok ’07 

chatted with five alumnae about why they ultimately chose to call Memphis home. 

lives for ourselves outside of the 

city. And then, when the calling 

comes, we return, bringing some 

of that global perspective back 

to Memphis, to create something 

fresh and new. 

Are you involved with 

St. Mary’s? If so, how? 

Morgan Beckford ’06 

I am an Annual Fund class agent 

for the Class of 2006, so I try to stay 

current on what’s happening at 

the school, so I can relay it to my 

fellow 06ers. I have been back to 

Chapel on numerous occasions to 

sing, speak, advertise Opera Memphis 

student performances, and 

introduce classmates. 

Morgan Beckford ’06 

Fellowship Coach, 

Memphis Music Initiative 

Was returning to Memphis 

something you consciously 

thought about? 

Studying and working in the Washington, 

DC area after college taught 

me a great deal about the accessibility 

of classical art forms and the 

teaching artistry needed to keep 

them alive. When I got the opportunity 

to bring that knowledge 

back to Opera Memphis, I jumped 

at the chance. 

Why do you think it’s 

important for alumnae to work 

and live in Memphis? 

I do think that some of us alums 

are very much like Galapagos 

Island sea turtles. We leave the 

“St. Mary’s Beach” at 18 and swim 

out into the world. We create 

incredible, purpose-filled, dynamic 

Audrey Bourland Hurst ’03, 

Owner of Audrey Hurst 

Weddings 




Upon graduating from Ole Miss, I 

completed a nine month Fellows 

program in Memphis. It was during 

that year that a love for Memphis 

WINTER 2015 | 7


Why do you think it’s important 

for alumnae to work and live in 

Memphis? 

From graduation in 2012 to now, I 

have seen Memphis come into its 

own and watched the community 

rally around the hard work and 

uniqueness that characterizes this 

city. This is the time to be in Memphis 

— job opportunities are bountiful 

and the pride of the community 

is incredibly contagious. As 

St. Mary’s alumnae, we have a lot 

to offer to this community due to 

both our roots and our education. 

Are you involved with St. Mary’s? 

If so, how? 

Audrey Bourland Hurst ’03 

was re-ignited through a completely 

different set of eyes than 

my years as a child and young 

adult. 



Memphis? 

Community and connections can 

certainly be created and cultivated 

wherever one lands, but there is a 

huge value in having an immediate 

network available. 


If so, how? 

I have served on the Alumnae 

Board for the last four years as 

well as leading a bible study for 

five years for St. Mary’s girls who 

are now Juniors. They were just 7th 

graders when I met them! 

Melissa Byrd ’12, 

Registration 

Coordinator for 

Start2Finish Event 

Management, intern 

at ALSAC St. Jude, and 

current University of 

Memphis student 

Was staying in Memphis 



As much as a high school 

Senior can, I had mapped out 

where I saw my career path 

heading after college, and 

Memphis was that place. 

Because St. Mary’s had 

gotten me involved in the 

community, I had already 

begun the networking that 

I knew would only deepen 

during college. 

I am not as involved as I would 

hope — but in 2014 I had a great 

time spending an afternoon 

with the graduating Seniors and 

answering any and all questions 

they had about college. 

Melissa Byrd ’12 

8 | | St. Mary’s EPISCOPAL SCHOOL




Memphis? 

Having grown up in Memphis, we 

as St. Mary’s graduates are uniquely 

equipped to use our talents to 

better our city. We understand 

Memphis in a way that outsiders 

may not. Any time I see something 

positive happening in Memphis, it 

feels like a small personal victory, 

and affirms for me that I’m in the 

right place. 

Susan Cooley ’70, 

Donor Grants Officer for the 

Community Foundation 




Susan Cooley ’70 

When I moved to New York, I did 

not think about returning to Memphis. 

I wanted to live in NYC for so 

long and finally things had come 

together for me to go there, plus 

I had a sister there to make the 

transition easy for me (I was 38 

and single — still single — when I 

moved). 

I kept up with SMS friends here in 

Memphis, especially Susan Hall 

Wilson from my class, and it was 

coming to visit her when she was 

recuperating from surgery in 1990 

that started my thoughts about 

returning to Memphis. My sister 

had died, my other sister was 

here in Memphis with her children 

(nearly grown by then), and I felt 

the Lord drawing me back to 

Memphis while here visiting (and 

seeing other alums). 



Memphis? 

For support and encouragement at 

a younger age, it would be great, as 

it is for me now. I imagine nowadays 

the young women can do that 

through social media/Internet/cell 

phones — none of which existed 

back in 1990! 

Dr. Abby Yandell Talbot ’03, 

Third-year Ob/Gyn resident 

at the University of 

Tennessee Health Sciences 

Center in Memphis 




When I interviewed with UT 

Memphis, I found myself practically 

leading the driving tour, pointing 

out all the places that had shaped 

me (including St. Mary’s), and it 

was so obvious that this is where I 

needed to be. 


If so, how? 

Does it count if I tell everyone I 

meet that they need to send their 

daughter to St. Mary’s? At this 

point, I’m more of a sideline 

supporter, but once I make it 

through residency I’ll be more 

involved again. 

Dr. Abby Yandell Talbot ’03 

Zina Kumok ‘07 is a Denver-based personal 

finance writer. She writes about a blog 

about paying off her student loans at 

debtfreeafterthree.com. 

WINTER 2015 | | 9

VICKI ENGELHART-THOMPSON: 

NEW DEAN OF COLLEGE COUNSELING 

By Cara Modisett 

The summer of 2015 brought a few changes to the first floor of the Taylor Building in the Upper School, both in terms 

of staffing and space. A new student services center (see story on page 13) was created through the reconfiguration of 

the hallway, the Upper School Head’s office, and the college counseling offices. 

Vicki Englehart-Thompson joined the St. Mary’s family as the new Dean of College Counseling, taking the helm from 

the retiring Mimi Grossman. Englehart-Thompson, Lee Avant, registrar and college counseling coordinator, and Chancey 

Thompson, assistant dean of college counseling, are redefining the college process at St. Mary’s as well. The college admission 

process and all it entails is as important as ever, and seemingly changing by the minute. With an emphasis on advance 

planning, in-school application boot camps and more, the college counseling team is not only ready for change, they are 

well ahead of it. 

Vicki Engelhart-Thompson’s background in education is diverse, both as a student and as an educator and administrator. 

She went to a Catholic elementary school, a strong public high school, and then to Louisiana State University and the 

University of New Orleans for her undergraduate and master’s degrees. In her career, she’s worked at two all-girls schools, 

one all-boys, and one co-ed. 

“I think there’s really something about same-sex education. I think it’s good for boys — I think it’s even better for 

girls,” she says. She’d known about St. Mary’s long before she came to work here, and she’s finding the students here openminded, 

warm, and kind. “They celebrate each other’s differences.” 

“I love how these young women speak up. I don’t think they’re afraid to be curious, or even to be wrong.” 

Thompson is not completely new to Memphis; some years ago, she began dating her now husband, Carey, who is vice 

president of enrollment and communications and dean of admission at Rhodes College. They waited until they both had 

empty nests (his daughter, Mary, is a 2015 graduate of St. Mary’s) to marry, and she moved to Memphis in summer of 2015. 

As for the faculty and staff, “it was very clear to me early on that everyone really cares about these kids.” 

Seniors Hibah Virk and Hannah Meacham discuss their college admissions process with Dean of College Counseling Vicki Englehart-Thompson. 

10 | |

COLLEGE PLANNING: STARTING EARLIER 

Some changes are in the works when it comes to college 

planning. St. Mary’s is expanding college preparation to 9th 

and 10th grades, as parents “wanted more, and they wanted it 

earlier,” according to Englehart-Thompson. This fall, Freshmen 

and Sophomores attended class information sessions about the 

high school experience, how to approach their high school academics 

in preparation for college, and how to research college. 

In August, Seniors attend “boot camp”, which includes practice 

interviews, work on the Common Application, and a focus on 

essay writing. That program will become more concentrated in 

2016, with the goal of helping students become “their best selfadvocate,” 

she says. 

St. Mary’s always takes its underclassmen on yearly college 

tours around the country. This year, exclusively for Sophomores, 

they’re adding local schools - Rhodes, Christian Brothers 

University, and the University of Memphis - to the mix, 

so that students can have a close-by look at the differences 

between small, large, public, private, and faith-based higher 

education. In October, 22 alumnae working in nonprofit 

management, finance and investment, banking, law, restaurant and culinary work, real estate, and more, held practice 

interviews for Seniors to help them prepare for admission and scholarships interviews. 

“What I have really enjoyed so far about working with students and their families - there seems to be less anxiety 

about finding the perfect college,” and more focus “on finding the right college,” says Englehart-Thompson. It’s about 

following individual inspiration, discovered through classes, and also through volunteering and extracurriculars. 

That focus on “fit” for each student is apparent in the diversity of schools St. Mary’s girls are attending: In 2015, 55 

graduates entered 46 universities and colleges, with more than $10 million in merit scholarships. 

“The experience they’re getting here,” says Englehart-Thompson, “is helping them to put the pieces together.” 

College counseling team: Lee Avant, Chancey Thompson, and Vicki Englehart-Thompson. 

THE SATs: WHAT’S NEW 

“Practice, practice, practice.” That’s the mantra of Chancey 

Thompson, assistant dean of college counseling. St. Mary’s offers 

plenty of opportunities to do that, beginning in the Sophomore 

year with PSAT preparation and testing and it’s paying off: 

The St. Mary’s class of 2016 has 17 National Merit Semifinalists 

and Commended Students out of a class of 64. 

More and more colleges are opting for “test optional” and 

“test flexible” in their admissions (go to fairtest.org for more 

information). For their part, the testing companies are revising 

the standardized tests in an attempt to “better reflect what’s 

being taught.” 

St. Mary’s recommends that Juniors take both the ACT 

and the SAT in February and March, respectively, for a baseline 

score. “We’ll help them decide which is their better test,” 

says Englehart-Thompson. 

The new SAT that debuts in January 2016 will be returning 

to the 1600-point model, combining reading and writing 

back into one score, and with a math test that is more in 

keeping with student curricula. (“It’s not an IQ test any more,” 

notes Englehart-Thompson.) The essay will be optional and 

not part of the reading/writing results. It’s recommended that 

students write the essay, because some colleges will ask for it. 

The ACT includes English, math, reading, and science 

sections, and also includes an optional essay. 

WINTER 2015 | 11

The College Search Top 10 

Vicki Engelhart-Thompson, dean of college counseling, and Chancey Thompson, associate 

dean of college counseling, offer their advice for college applications and research. 

1. Look for the right school, not the 

“best” school. 

CT: “Throw away the U.S. News and World Report 

rankings. A lot of it has nothing to do with the 

undergraduate experience.” 

VT: “Consider women’s colleges — keep them 

‘on the radar’!” 

2. Be well-lopsided. 

John Gaines, director of admission at Vanderbilt 

University, had that advice for 9th and 10th grade 

students when he visited this fall. 

CT: “‘Well-angled’ or ‘well-lopsided’ is just as good as 

‘well-rounded,’ sometimes better.” 

VT: “Students don’t have to take the most rigorous 

course in every track to be competitive.” 

CT: “Depth is more important than breadth.” 

3. It’s not about the name. 

VT: “A good college education can be gained 

anywhere — it’s what you make of it.” 

4. Think about costs. 

CT: “If it’s your goal to go to medical or law school, to 

graduate school, choose your best financial option 

at the undergraduate level.” Many schools have 

honors programs and other opportunities for 

smaller classes and more intensive study. 

5. Plan your conversations. 

VT: “College is not all that families should discuss 

during Senior year. Make a plan for how you will 

communicate about the college application process 

and stick to it so that it doesn’t overwhelm family time!” 

6. Don’t reinvent the wheel. 

VT: “Use the Common App. It’s your best friend.” 

In August boot camp, “we walk them all the way through 

the Common Application,” an online application that’s 

accepted by 400 schools. The essays will differ for each 

school, but this eliminates a lot of repetition in the other 

parts of the application. 

7. Love your college list. 

VT: “A student should be happy to go to any of the 

colleges on her list.” 

8. Testing is not the be-all and end-all. 

VT: “If you don’t test well you will still go to college. 

Many schools have started to weigh testing less in 

their consideration of students for admission. 

Check out fairtest.org.” 

9. Visit, visit, visit. 

VT: “College visits are very important to the development 

of a college plan - you really can’t picture yourself 

in a place without going and experiencing it. Take a tour, 

sit in on the admissions presentation, ask questions of 

your tour guide, eat in the dining hall, attend a class if 

that is an option!” 

10. “Keep calm. We got this.” 

CT: “We don’t teach - we’re fully focused on the kids, on 

getting to know them. We build a lot of check points — 

they’re not going to fall through the cracks.” 

12 |

New student services center offers 

open spaces and focused services 

“Children grow with light.” 

That’s part of the philosophy behind the OASIS, 

a new and bright re-visioning of space in the 

Taylor Building at St. Mary’s this fall, says Leigh 

Mansberg, assistant head of school. 

OASIS is the acronym for the Office of Academic 

Services and Inspirational Support, which 

houses college counselors, registrar, chaplain, 

director of studies and Upper School head, along 

with a common space designed to welcome 

students and visitors both — coffee, computer 

workspace, comfortable armchairs and the Living 

Edge Conference Room (named for the beautifully 

crafted local—wood table at its center). 

St. Mary’s mission statement is on the wall at 

the entrance. Look closely — the two spotlights 

above it illuminate the words below in the shape 

of a heart. “That was an accident,” says Mansberg, 

but an appropriate one. 

OASIS is “a place for the in-between things… 

the things that don’t have a container,” says the 

Reverend Katherine McQuiston Bush ’93, St. Mary’s 

chaplain. The offices have bright windows, sofas, 

round tables where families can meet in private 

or students can come in for testing or a listening 

ear. The common area is open for students seeking 

quiet study time. The message behind it, she says, 

is “We value you and your presence.” 

The “inspiration” in the name is important. 

“In my opinion, inspiration is where it’s at,” 

says Mansberg. It’s “at the heart of finding potential. 

If you feel supported, you can feel inspired.” 

The physical space of the OASIS is part of a 

school-wide increasing of collaboration and 

communication across departments and grade 

levels, so that the student and family experience 

is consistent and supportive from age two to high 

school graduation. 

“There are a lot of ways to be a St. Mary’s girl… 

a lot of ways to put the pieces together,” says Bush. 

“There are a lot of us to help the girls see that.” 

Cara Ellen Modisett is minister of communication at Church of the Holy Communion. 

She has worked as an editor, college writing instructor, classical pianist and public 

radio reporter, producer and announcer. She moved here from Virginia in summer 

2014 and loves exploring the city of Memphis. 

MacKenzie Campbell ‘16 and Hannah Meacham ‘16 chat with Dr. Dalton Lyon in the lighter and brighter first floor of Taylor, home to the OASIS and the Living Edge conference room. 

WINTER 2015 | 13

To Be or Not To Be 

Ophelia 

For all of my St. Mary’s girls and the women in their lives. 

By Shari Ray 

Each October I open up the dog-eared, smudgy pages 

of my copy of Hamlet to once again teach a new batch of 

budding girl-scholars this magnificent story – a tragedy of 

such epic depths that many call this the greatest of all plays 

and Shakespeare the greatest of all playwrights. 

Of all the deaths that inevitably come at the conclusion 

of a great tragedy, it is Ophelia’s stays with me after the 

book is stored away for another year. Ophelia’s death lingers 

with my girl-scholars as well; it is her sad story that finds 

its way into college essays and Senior speeches, and it is for 

her we weep. 

Alas, poor Ophelia. She drowns herself. She is found 

floating in the brook, arms full of wildflowers. 

But why? That is always the question. The answer is 

this: There is simply so much Ophelia lacks. 

Ophelia lacks support. Poor Ophelia has no women 

in her life. No women with whom to bounce ideas around, 

no mother to ask her important questions, no laughter and 

secrets with female friends for Ophelia, tucked away in her 

lonely Danish castle on the hillside. She is completely alone. 

Ophelia lacks knowledge. No books instruct her 

-- women were illiterate. No older women passing down 

stories laced with humor and wisdom at the washing tub 

or the cooking table. No mother. Everyone demanding of 

her, everyone pushing. While poor Ophelia sits alone in her 

closet with only her sewing to keep her company. 

Ophelia does not find her voice for she lacks 

opportunities to find it. Poor Ophelia never asks questions 

— no one has ever given her permission or opportunity to 

do so. She is constantly instructed and lectured by father, 

her brother, and even her boyfriend Hamlet, but she is never 

asked a question and she never asks one. “I shall obey, my 

lord,” is her only resting place, and it does not serve her well. 

Quiet, blind, verbal obedience is not the recipe for successful 

womanhood, even way back in Ophelia’s day. 

Ophelia lacks strength. No woman has shown her 

strength. She is surrounded by only male dominance and 

the verbal abuse that leads to quiet servitude and fragility. 

Our Ophelia is very fragile. The only woman who could stand 

up for her, Gertrude, doesn’t. Thus our pretty Ophelia fades, 

like the wildflowers she clutches. She fades out of sight, 

quiet and demure, pretty, thin, well-dressed — many mothers 

would hail her as a paragon of beauty and grace. With 

her little sad smile Ophelia heads to the brook, mumbling 

to herself snippets of old tunes, and goes quietly mad. Just 

before she takes her own life. 

Dearest Students of Mine: 

Please don’t try to go through this life alone. You need 

people, you need other women. Seek them out if they aren’t 

seeking you out at the moment. Be courageous to do this. 

Make amends with your mother, if you can. 

You have been taught to find your voice. Do not forget 

this teaching. Ask your questions well, firmly, with dignity and 

intelligence. Demand only when you must, but then do so with 

courage and forthrightness. Surround yourself with people you 

respect and trust, people who listen to you and to whom you 

listen. Don’t worry if these numbers are few -- they will be. 

Cherish the few trustworthy voices and tolerate the rest, but 

do not listen to unkind, mean voices. Separate yourself 

14 | |

from these. 

Help who will be helped and leave the rest. It’s all 

you can do. I learned this the hard way and it took me 

too many years. 

Girls, I ask us: Where are the strong women? Strong 

women stand up for themselves and for other women. 

Strong women ask for help and call on other strong women 

when they fall down. Strong women have names like Rosa 

Parks and Malala Yousafzai and Eleanor Roosevelt. They 

also have names like Elizabeth and Polly and Whitney and 

Kat and Ashley. They are you, my dears. 

You are the strong women. Quiet heroes, strong 

women, helping each other. Helping Ophelia. 

We know what to do, now we must do it. 

To be or not to be Ophelia? Absolutely not. It’s out 

of the question. 

Shari Ray is the Senior English teacher and English Department Chair. 

This is the first in a series of essays by St. Mary’s faculty about teaching, 

learning, and life. 

English Department Chair and Senior English Teacher Shari Ray in the classroom. 

WINTER 2015 | | 115 

5

Campus News 

NATIonal Merit 

National Merit Scholarship 

Semifinalists 

MacKenzie Campbell 

Bebe Chancellor 

Katie Hieatt 

Harlan Hutton 

Catherine Norwood 

Annie Parker 

Swarna Sakshi 

Maire Sweeney 

Commended Students 

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation recognized 17 Seniors from the 

Class of 2016 at St. Mary’s Episcopal School for their academic achievement, with 

eight students named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists and nine students 

named Commended Students. Each year, the National Merit Scholarship Program 

honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential 

for success in rigorous college studies. Semifinalists score in the top 1 percent of 

all juniors nationwide who took the PSAT in the fall of 2014. 

Chalmers Benson 

A’Doriann Bradley 

Molly Cline 

Meghan Lancaster 

Hannah Meacham 

Kathryn Miesse 

Lily Norwood 

Mary Elise O’Brien 

Elizabeth Waggoner 

Spotlight on Theatre: The Lion King Jr. 

In early October, a crew of 3rd and 4th grade thespians performed The Lion King Jr. under the 

leadership of Director of Plays Jenny Madden and many Middle and Upper School student volunteers. 

The production proved to be so popular that an extra showing was added to meet ticket demand. 

16 |

New Members of the St. Mary’s 

Board of Trustees, 2015-2016 

Campus News 

Edward (Ed) Chin is senior 

regulatory affairs program 

director at Medtronic, Inc. He 

earned a bachelor’s degree from 

the University of Tennessee at 

Martin. Ed went on to earn a 

Bachelor of Science in pharmacy 

from the University of Tennessee 

Health Science Center and 

an MBA from the University 

of Memphis. Ed and his wife, 

Rose, are parents of recent St. 

Mary’s graduate Chelsea ’14 

and current student Rachel ’17. 

Laurita Jackson is a managing 

partner with 1Source, an office 

and facility supply company. 

She graduated from Howard 

University with a bachelor’s 

degree in electrical engineering 

and received an MBA at 

the University of Michigan. 

Laurita and her husband, 

Darryl, have two daughters 

who attend St. Mary’s – 

Jean ’17 and Joy ’19 – and 

a son, Jarrett. 

Christina (Tina) Fockler earned 

her bachelor’s degree in 

psychology from Princeton 

University and a Master of Science 

in counseling from the 

University of Memphis. Tina 

serves on the board for Facing 

History and Ourselves, as well 

as the Circuit Playhouse, Inc. 

She and her husband, Bob, are 

parents of alumna Katherine ’06 

and son Ted. 

Ellen Clark Moore ’73 attended 

Vanderbilt University and 

graduated with a Bachelor of 

Arts degree. She has volunteered 

with multiple organizations, 

including LifeSource 

Blood Services and Grace 

Presbyterian Church. Ellen is 

a former recipient of the St. 

Mary’s Gold Cross Award. She 

and her husband, Alex, have 

three children: John, 

Margaret, and Charlie. 

Robert Fogelman is president of 

Fogelman Investment Company. 

He earned his Bachelor of Arts 

degree at Middlebury College, 

a master’s degree in liberal 

studies at Dartmouth College, 

and an MBA from Vanderbilt 

University. He has also received 

an honorary doctorate from 

Memphis College of Art. Robert 

and his wife, Bradley, have a 

daughter at St. Mary’s, Eliza ’29, 

and a son, Foster. 

Jody Shutzberg is a former 

pediatric oncology nurse 

at Children’s Healthcare of 

Atlanta. She earned a 

Bachelor of Science degree 

at the University of Georgia 

and a Bachelor of Science in 

nursing at the Medical College 

of Georgia. Jody and her 

husband, Larry, have three 

girls at St. Mary’s: Becca ’19, 

Jessy ’19, and Abby ’17. 

Dr. Malika Tuli Goorha attended 

the University of Virginia, 

University of Tennessee, and 

University of Missouri-Kansas 

City where she earned her 

bachelor’s and master’s degree. 

She works as a dermatologist 

with the Mid-South Dermatology 

Group. Malika and her husband, 

Salil, have two daughters at 

St. Mary’s: Aanya ’29 and 

Avi ’26. 

WINTER 2015 | | 17

Campus News 

New FACulty and Staff 

Back Row: (L-R) Liza Fletcher, Grace Jensen Knight ’05, Vicki Englehart-Thompson. Middle Row: (L-R) Alan Pennington, John Bartholomew, Lake Bailey, Kate Fairless, Christine Mudalige, 

Jill Samuels ’92, Gwen Alexander, Kate Stakem. Front Row: (L-R) Sharon Donovan, Brennan Adrian, Lindsay Hammond, Christina Block, Amy Bagwell, and Jenny Levi. 

To start the 2015-2016 school year, St. Mary’s welcomed a group of new faculty and staff members to the family! 

Brennan Adrian is the first ever 

North Campus counselor, serving 

ECC and Lower School students. 

Gwen Alexander serves on the 

Upper School science faculty, 

teaching anatomy and physiology, 

chemistry, and biology classes. 

Amy Bagwell is a new member of 

the Senior Kindergarten team. 

Lake Bailey is a new to the ECC 

faculty as a Junior Kindergarten 

teacher. 

John Bartholomew has served the 

St. Mary’s athletic department as 

the varsity lacrosse coach since 

January 2014 and has been hired 

full time as the assistant athletic 

director. 

Christina Block is starting a new 

role as the director of learning 

support for students in St. Mary’s 

Place through 5th grade. 

Sharon Donovan works in the 

business office as the new student 

billing coordinator. 

Vicki Englehart-Thompson is 

the dean of college counseling, 

heading a reorganized college 

counseling office. 

Kate Fairless has been assisting 

with JV and Varsity Soccer since 

2014. She is now the soccer coordinator 

and serves on the Middle 

School science faculty. 

Liza Fletcher comes to St. Mary’s 

in a dual role, serving as a Junior 

Kindergarten teacher in the ECC 

and sports information specialist 

for the athletic department. 

Lindsay Hammond joins the ECC 

specialist faculty as the music 

teacher. 

Grace Jensen Knight ’05 returns 

to her alma mater as the event coordinator 

for the admission office. 

Jenny Levi is a member of the 

Upper School faculty as the new 

physics teacher. 

Christine Mudalige has coached 

Middle School Soccer and 

Lacrosse, and now joins the 

Upper School faculty as health 

and fitness instructor. 

Alan Pennington has served 

St. Mary’s as a consultant for 

seven years and now joins the 

technology staff full-time as network 

and systems engineer. 

Jill Samuels ’92 joins the Middle 

School faculty as a member of the 

5th grade team. 

Kate Stakem comes to St. Mary’s 

as the new director of studies in 

the college counseling office. 

18 |

Campus News 

This Season in Turkey Nation, Fall 2015 

By Owen McGuire 

The St. Mary’s athletic department just 

completed what can be considered the 

most successful fall season in school history. 

For the first time ever, all four fall varsity sports 

(volleyball, soccer, cross country, and golf) 

competed at the state level in the post season. 

The Varsity Volleyball team finished the 

season with a 23-8 record. During the regular 

season, they finished in 5th place in the River 

City Tournament, the program’s best finish ever. 

In the regional tournament, St. Mary’s took 3rd 

place. At the tournament, head coach Kari 

Varsity Volleyball players celebrate a point during the state tournament. 

Duncan was named Coach of the Year. Junior 

Carmen Freeman was named first team all-region, with 

Seniors Margaret Cowens, Mary Elise O’Brien, and Wesley 

Richards receiving all-region honorable mention. After 

defeating Zion Academy in sub-state play, the team traveled 

to Murfreesboro for the state tournament. The team 

suffered elimination after losing against Harding and St. 

George’s. Cowens, Freeman, and Sophomore Alexis Jamison 

were named Best of the Preps by The Commercial Appeal. 

Volleyball Best of Preps honorees (L-R) Alexis Jamison, Margaret Cowens, and Carmen Freeman. 

Varsity Soccer ended the season with a 5-11-2 record. 

The team won the first round of the regional tournament Ashley Murrah placed 9th overall. At the state championship, 

St. Mary’s placed 8th. Junior Abby Baskind was the 

before being eliminated. 

Sophomores Olivia House, top runner for the Turkeys at state. At the Junior Varsity 

Evie Laney, and Martha championship meet, Sophomore Hannah Matthews 

Kay Williams were named finished 11th overall. 

to the all-district team, and Varsity Golf finished 

House was also named to a successful season with 

the TSCA all-state team. a record of 25-11-2. The 

Sophomores Ellie McGhee Turkey golfers won the 

and Evelyn Roberts made regional tournament and 

the all-region tournament advanced to state. At the 

Soccer Best of Preps honorees Ellie McGhee and 

Martha Kay Williams. 

Golf Best of Preps honorees Aubrey Guyton and Megan Tang. 

team. The team fell in the regional tournament, 

first round of sub-state competition. The Commercial Appeal Freshman Megan Tang had the lowest score in the 

named McGhee and Williams as Best of the Preps. 

tournament, and Junior Aubrey Guyton had the third lowest 

score. At the state tournament in Murfreesboro, the 

Varsity Cross Country enjoyed a strong season. In 

September, the runners placed 3rd out of eight teams at the team came in 2nd place and both golfers finished 6th and 

Frank Horton Invitational. They came in 3rd at the regional 7th respectively. Guyton and Tang have both been named 

meet, which qualified them for the state meet. Junior Mary Best of the Preps by The Commercial Appeal. 

WINTER 2015 | 19

Class Notes 

Gigi Gould ’70 Forges New Path 

Class Notes 

Gigi Gould ’70 with class of 1970 friends (L-R) Lynn Schadt Thomas, 

Susie Hudson, and Susan Hall Wilson. 

During her 15-year tenure as Assistant Director of 

Advancement/Alumnae and Special Events, Gigi 

Gould ’70 rejuvenated the way St. Mary’s maintains 

relationships with alumnae. As a school with 2,700 

graduates, finding ways to stay in touch with everyone 

is not simple. What may be daunting to some, 

however, was simply all in a day’s work to Gigi. 

After graduating from the University of Mississippi 

and living in Biloxi where she raised her two 

children, Louis and Heather (who teaches 2nd grade 

at St. Mary’s), Gigi eventually found her way back to 

Memphis and St. Mary’s in 2000. As Gigi herself says, 

she spent 40% of her life at St. Mary’s. 

During her tenure, St. Mary’s enjoyed a complete 

revitalization of the alumnae association; Alumnae 

Weekend became a highly attended event, with each 

year breaking the previous year’s attendance record, 

thanks to Gigi and her compatriot, Lisa Morrow 

Morten ’76. Gigi’s dedication to the alumnae program 

and the school resulted in fun gatherings that 

brought together not only alumnae, but many friends 

of the school – both here in Memphis and far away, 

from the many out-of-town alumnae gatherings to 

the 2015 trip to France. Parties hosted in Memphis 

were typically filled to capacity, and other out-oftown 

events allowed alumnae across the country 

to meet and mingle with each other and often with 

Gigi and Head of School Albert Throckmorton. Gigi’s 

myriad other contributions to St. Mary’s include 

strengthening alumnae giving in support of the 

Annual Fund, creating a strong and active Alumnae 

Board, directing the Council of Advisors, and 

scheduling alumnae speakers for Chapel. 

Gigi Gould will always belong to St. Mary’s – both as 

a graduate and as a very dear friend – and we are all 

the richer for her service to the school. We wish her 

well as she joins her family’s business in Memphis. 

–1940-1960 

Elizabeth Taylor Shindler 

elizshnd@gmail.com 

Sarah Loaring-Clark Flowers 

’47 said all is well at Trezevant 

Manor. She enjoys all of the 

activities and loves being 

there with so many St Mary’s 

friends. Betsy Ross Rucks ’47 

has initiated a new program 

at Trezevant Manor called 

“Trezevant Explores” featuring 

many venues of music and 

speakers on history or current 

events. Master gardener Sue 

Gray Burgess ’52 is a member 

of The Historical Society of 

Marietta, Ga., and is in charge 

of the lovely gardens of a home 

built in 1850. She plans to compare 

gardening notes with Kitty 

Perry Taylor ’53, who is known 

for her beautiful gardens in 

Collierville. Kitty said she has 

a new laptop and is having fun 

learning all the new techniques 

involved. While Naomi 

Gray May ’47 is in rehab in Little 

Rock recovering from a fall, 

she is using this time to learn 

new computer skills from a tutor. 

Anne Perry Stamps ’57 is 

looking forward to a visit from 

her daughter in Pensacola. Punk 

Aycock Davidson ’57 is on her 

way to Raleigh, N.C., for her 

grandchild’s birthday party. 

Mary Walton Glass Walker ’54 

is celebrating the arrival of 

her fifth great-grandchild. Her 

sister, Lynne Glass Rice ’57 was 

there after a marvelous trip 

to Atlanta where she enjoyed 

visiting with many of her 

friends. After nightfall, Mary Joy 

Prichard Knowlton ’57, an avid 

gardener, was recently out in the 

dark of night with her flashlight 

to see the white flowers of her 

lovely Cereus plant, which only 

blooms annually. Mary Joy expects 

to have knee surgery in the 

coming months in the Memphis 

area. Elizabeth Taylor Shindler 

’57 is recovering from spinal 

surgery in Cleveland, Tenn. She 

is now on the upswing. 

–1962 

Carolyn Bullard 

wildcom@aol.com 

–1963 

Tina Heslep Ciliberto 

ciliti@aol.com 

Eight of us were able to meet at 

Jenny Emison Ewing’s home on 

Watts Bar Lake near Ten Mile, 

Tenn., to celebrate our 70th 

birthdays together. Asimoula 

Julia Alissandratos came from 

S. C., Sara Sorsby Dennis and 

Tina Ciliberto arrived from 

Calif., Jackie Whiteleather from 

Colo., and Patty Ozier Riffel from 

Ark. They were joined by Memphis 

classmates Donna Lansing 

Plumer and Canon Thomas 

Hall. Joyce Wilkerson Kaplan 

and Carolyn Collier Johnson 

were unable to attend and were 

much missed. We also missed 

our late classmates Evelyn Perry, 

Ann Rooke Archer, and Ginger 

Lee Sayle, but were grateful to 

have so many of us together. 

We shared good conversation, 

memories, laughter, and amazing 

food along with Jenny and 

Ward’s incredible home and 

hospitality. We ate our meals on 

the open back porch overlooking 

one of the large lawns and the 

lake, including BBQ from Corky’s 

contributed by the Memphis 

alumnae as well as Jenny’s 

mouthwatering preparations. 

Julia contributed a homemade 

baklava to the festivities. We 

celebrated with a special dinner 

one night with cake and candles, 

birthday hats and beads. We also 

had a wonderful outdoor yoga 

class, swimming and kayaking 

on the lake each day, and a trip 

to Sweetwater for lunch and 

antique shopping. One evening 

we were treated to a sunset boat 

ride, seeing beautiful birds on 

the peaceful lake. The evening 

ended with a campfire, s’mores, 

and singing. What we lacked in 

talent, we more than made up 

for with enthusiasm. It was hard 

to say goodbye to each other, but 

20 |

the reunion was so enjoyable 

that we decided to meet again 

in 2016. How special that our St. 

Mary’s connection brought us 

together. It is amazing how old 

friends who haven’t seen each 

other in years pick up threads 

of conversation as if it has only 

been a short time being apart—a 

certain kind of ease from knowing 

each other when we were 

young. Our class sends thanks 

to St. Mary’s for encouraging our 

connection and to our classmate, 

Jenny, for hosting the best possible 

reunion. 

–1964 

CLASS SECRETARY NEEDED. 

Contact Rainey Ray Segars ’05, 

Director of Alumnae, at rsegars@ 

stmarysschool.org. 

–1965 

Julia Malone 

julialmalone@gmail.com 

Downsizing seems to be the 

theme for members of the halfcentury 

class! Susan Hoefer 

Foster and husband Brad have 

sold their house in Memphis 

and are spending more time at 

their Montana home. They’re 

keeping a Memphis apartment 

for visits with daughter Laura 

’94, son-in-law Josh and two 

grandsons. “Even more exciting,” 

says Susan, is that son Charley 

is engaged to Whitney Baer ’00, 

a “wonderful” St. Mary’s grad, 

and they’ll be moving to Helena, 

Mont. More from Montana: Sally 

Pace Gingras and husband Paul 

have downsized from their Big 

Timber ranch to a condo in 

Bozeman. They are back in Palm 

Beach for the winter, however. 

Also in Florida, Ellen Rumsey 

Bellenot reports that she is 

“sorta trying to downsize too” 

but adds, “The problem is that I 

keep looping back to old tricks 

and so I know I’m going to need 

all of those felted wool sweater 

sleeves and the O rings and the 

wire and the paints. Eventually, I 

did let go of the leather and the 

basketry stuff.” Susan Taylor 

Thompson just put her house 

of 26 years on the market and 

will move into a new Tuscan 

villa across the lake. She adds, 

“I have had no other life this 

summer except to get a third 

Shar Pei, named Pearlie, now 

six months old and not worth 

a nickel,” but who has her own 

story with a daily moral on 

Susan’s Facebook page. Kathy 

Sweany Bertram downsized 

her work schedule, spending a 

month in Wyoming, returning 

to Tennessee for two weeks of 

work, then back to Wyoming for 

two more weeks with Jack and 

the dogs before coming home. 

Doc Bertram says she’s lucky 

to have so much flexibility. Liz 

Pryor MacEachran says her 

alpaca business had a good year, 

and “we have not replaced our 

sells with buys, so our numbers 

are down, which suits us,” she 

reports. She has four grands 

in Colorado, and youngest son 

Daniel and his wife Jil are expecting 

their first in Cambridge, 

Mass., which is “nice and close.” 

Marion West Hammer’s clan is 

also expanding. She’s looking 

forward to a new grandbabe in 

early April. This will be son Dan 

and his wife Lindsey’s second. 

Marion remains among the 

employed, teaching part time 

and still enjoying it. Patti Person 

Ray claims to be semi-retired 

but looks to be still fully engaged 

in education, teaching at Union 

University, chairing dissertation 

committees, and supervising 

Practicum Programs. She’s 

on the board for the Gestalt 

charter schools in Memphis. She 

continues to teach Global Issues 

online for St. Mary’s and is planning, 

with Cathy Hoover Allen, 

the next alum trip, which will 

be to Italy in October 2017. Julia 

Malone, your class secretary, is 

delighted that so many are sending 

us your news. We do wonder 

where in the world Lucy Minor 

Glasebrook might be since we 

heard during our 50th reunion 

that she was traveling with 

National Art Gallery curators 

searching for contemporary art 

in the Far East. 

–1966 

Diane Taylor Newton 

dianetaylornewton@live.com 

–1967 

Bette West Bush 

bbush11@att.net 

Right after I submitted our class 

news last spring I heard from 

Debbie Boehme Salter about the 

birth of her second grandchild 

Mason Cromer McMillan, born 

February 23, so now granddaughter 

Elyse (3) has a precious 

baby brother. With daughter 

Elizabeth and family living in 

Atlanta, Debbie is able to help 

out with the kids. Across the 

pond Jeannie Whitman Esdaile 

and Christopher celebrated their 

second anniversary. In addition 

to her career as retail manager 

for Purdey’s in London, she plays 

organ/piano in “two tiny churches” 

and sings with a “fabulous 

choir” that will perform Verdi’s 

Requiem at the Royal Albert 

Hall in the spring. This fall she 

enjoyed a visit from sister Nancy 

Whitman Manire ’64. Our other 

British classmate Lee McGeorge 

Durrell was a guide for “Gerald 

Durrell Week” in May in Corfu 

where Gerry’s family spent many 

vacations when he was a boy in 

the 1930s. She spent the rest of 

her summer lecturing at Durrell 

Conservation Academy, meeting 

journalists and potential donors, 

and planning fundraising activities 

including the American 

Friends of Durrell event in New 

York in November. Anne Hyde 

Dale asked to revise her news 

after sending it because, as she 

said, she “didn’t want Mrs. Curry 

to make (her) stub her toe!” 

Since retiring, she and husband 

Jamie live in Montreat, N.C., until 

they finish building their home 

in Black Mountain, N.C., in the 

spring. They enjoy volunteering 

with Habitat for Humanity. Also 

on the East coast Lynn Clark 

White reports from Lynchburg, 

Va., that her poodle puppy is 

huge and still growing. She encourages 

all of us to make every 

effort to attend our 50th class 

reunion in 2017. This summer 

Classmates from 1963 gathered at Jenny Emison Ewing’s home to celebrate 

turning 70. Pictured, back row from left: Patty Ozier Riffel, Canon 

Thomas Hall, Jackie Whiteleather, Julia Alissandratos. 

Front row, from left: Donna Lansing Plumer, Jenny Emison Ewing, 

Tina Heslep Ciliberto and Sara Sorsby Dennis. 

WINTER 2015 | 21

Class Notes 

Janie Allen Till and husband Bob 

went back to Greece where they 

lived for many years and experienced 

firsthand the economic 

crisis and the thousands of refugees 

arriving daily. Back home in 

Colorado she still teaches sixth 

grade and enjoys her six grandchildren 

with another granddaughter 

due in February. Susan 

Seelbinder enjoys country 

living in Hardeman County with 

her menagerie on the Phunny 

Pharm. Ana Pearson Jensen still 

works fulltime at Blue Cross 

Kansas City and also finds time 

to teach an online class and 

take classes at a Bible college. 

In the fall Lynn Bledsoe Buhler 

took a great trip to Santa Fe, a 

“wonderful city.” She laments 

that granddaughter Mary Taylor 

Buhler, St. Mary’s third grader, 

now is in the grade where 

homework begins. Jean Stitt 

Otto spends her retirement from 

nursing walking, hiking, and 

attacking a long list of house and 

yard maintenance projects with 

renewed vigor. She loves “misty, 

green western Washington,” but 

she and her husband also enjoy 

wintering in Tucson. Susan 

McNeely Nicholas has stayed 

busy helping with her niece’s 

wedding where there was such 

a large contingency of St. Mary’s 

girls that they “almost did not 

fit in the picture.” She loves that 

her four beautiful grandchildren 

live in the area and is thankful 

that her treatments for bone 

cancer continue to work. 

–1968 

Jan Cone Davis 

jannoni5@aol.com 

I hope everyone is doing well. 

Carolyn Mayo is about ready to 

move into her new condo. This 

has been a major undertaking, 

and she says she will never 

move again! Carolyn’s family 

recently welcomed the first baby 

born into the family in 30 years – 

a special delivery for sure. Holly 

Rogers says she has no plans for 

retirement anytime soon. If she 

has her mother’s good genes, 

she needs to save enough money 

for a long life! Holly enjoys her 

job and has time for fun in the 

evenings and on weekends. 

Marilyn Schwinn Smith was in 

Memphis briefly last winter to 

attend her aunt’s funeral. She 

left in the nick of time before 

that big March 4 snowstorm 

shut down the city. Marilyn was 

invited to join the Anglo-Russian 

Research Network. She says you 

can Google it for a “not so good 

picture.” Marilyn and husband 

Sean are empty nesters at last. 

Pam Joyner Evans and husband 

Hank “2” had a wonderful time 

on their Scandinavian cruise. 

The cruise included stops in 

Norway and St. Petersburg. Pam 

was nice enough to send me 

pictures of a few stops, because 

Hank “1” and I will be taking a 

similar cruise in about a year. 

My family has been enjoying a 

year of weddings. My son Chris 

was married in June and my 

daughter Jennie in May. I’ll have 

experience as both mother of 

the bride and mother of the 

groom. What a difference! I am 

also a reading coach for two second 

graders at Caldwell-Guthrie 

Elementary School in North 

Memphis, and volunteer in the 

library at my granddaughter’s 

school in Germantown. I substitute 

from time to time at SMS 

Lower School. Love to all! 

–1969 

Pam McNeely Williams 

Usafa2@scbglobal.net 

Connie Loveless Friend retired 

from full-time teaching two 

years ago but still works part 

time as a Title 1 reading tutor for 

Shelby County Schools. Daughter 

Katie ‘02, who works for Teach 

for America, has relocated from 

Cleveland, Miss., to Olive Branch, 

Miss., and Connie is thrilled 

to have her closer. Son Joey is 

still with Raymond James in 

Memphis. I almost cried when 

Cristina Brescia Michta ’70 and husband Andrew at daughter Chelsea’s 

Masters graduation from Cambridge University in the UK, July 2015. 

Connie closed her letter, Love, 

Cido! Anne Short Born in Beaufort, 

S.C., says if anyone wants 

to visit the Lowcountry she’d be 

delighted to show us around. 

She and her husband love traveling 

to Savannah, Charleston, and 

Hilton Head for the day where 

the food is just fabulous. Janie 

Hicks Jeter reports that she and 

husband Sheldon have a new 

Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy 

named Sunny, for Sheldon’s solar 

energy work. Marta Richards 

spends a great deal of time in 

Richmond where her son’s family 

lives, enjoying her toddler 

grandson Benjamin Massony. 

She is practicing animal law and 

representing dog rescue groups 

and shelters, and fostering many 

dogs for Friends of the Animals 

in Baton Rouge. My family had 

visits from our daughter Ellen 

LeVaughn Kowalchuk ‘96 and her 

children, Mary, Lydia, Sam, Elizabeth, 

and Tim for a summer visit 

and then for my niece’s wedding, 

Jessica Walker ’04 to Chris Wiley, 

this past fall. Elizabeth, our 

granddaughter, was the flower 

girl and it was one of the most 

beautiful weddings I have seen. 

Madge Logan Deacon was the 

wedding coordinator for Calvary 

Episcopal Church (Memphis) 

and it was great seeing her! Our 

son and daughter-in-law, Matt 

and Hannah Williams, who are 

stationed at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque 

N.M., were also able 

to attend, as was our oldest son, 

Scott Williams, who is a juvenile 

probation officer in Harrisburg, 

Ark. Be sure to update your 

information with St. Mary’s and 

I certainly hope all of you have a 

very healthy an happy new year! 

–1970 

Cristina Michta 

cristina.michta@gmail.com 

Let me just say that I love my 

job as class secretary, mostly 

due to the fact that I love my 

22 |

classmates. Betty Coe Cruzen 

Manuel and husband David 

will be grandparents of granddaughter 

#2 in late December/ 

early January (son Edward and 

wife Haddy of Ft. Worth). Betty 

Coe took her Mother to Centralia, 

Ill., in September to visit her 

mother’s “home place” and Coe 

relatives. Kathy Baker Penn and 

husband, Bob, welcomed their 

first grandchild, Kate James. 

Mom Sarah and family live a few 

blocks away in Dallas. Denise 

DuBois Taylor writes that the 

Taylor household is in travel 

mode. Denise spent a week in 

Paris this summer, traveling on 

a sibling trip with brothers Dean 

and John. Husband Sledge is 

Chairman of the National Cotton 

Council and travels worldwide 

frequently. Son Will spent 

a week in Portugal as part of 

his doctoral studies in astrophysics 

at Brown University. 

World traveler Susie Hudson 

reports that she will be going 

on a river cruise in December to 

the Christmas Markets along 

the Rhine River, and has seen 

Canada, Florida, and Germany in 

one year. Gigi Gould is thrilled 

that her first grandchild, Lily Eva 

Hengen, daughter of son Louis 

and his wife Jill, has arrived. Gigi 

is now working as Financial Aid 

Director for Gould’s Academy, a 

division of Gould’s Salon and 

Day Spa. Susan Hall Wilson is 

joyously busy these days leading 

Sam Harris is the grandson of Susan 

Hall Wilson ’70, and son of Susan’s 

son Sy and his wife Claire. 

Bible Study for 2nd graders at 

church and taking care of new 

grandson Sam Harris as often as 

possible. Proud parents are son 

Sy and daughter-in-law Claire. 

Evelyn Anderson McGehee 

sends everyone greetings from 

Alabama. She and husband Bill 

are enjoying their six grandchildren, 

and are looking forward to 

building a house on Perdido Key, 

Fla., this year. Jill Tanner Flournoy 

is helping husband Tom with 

their family business, Tom’s Tiny 

Kitchen, selling pimento cheese 

made in Memphis. It is now 

sold in six states, with hopes to 

expand beyond that soon. Jill is 

also working on new product 

development for the company. 

Peg Dixon recently moved into 

a 115 year-old house in the historic 

Irish Hill neighborhood of 

Louisville. Peg enjoyed two trips 

back in the spring, to Massachusetts 

for a friend’s CD release 

party, and another to New Mexico 

for a gathering of dog rescue activists. 

Linda Stratton Hancock 

and husband Cary enjoy the 

most important aspects of life: 

children, grandchildren, and a 

family beach trip. Linda enjoys 

working for Dr. Ryu three days a 

week. Your loyal secretary is enjoying 

life as a in Newport, R.I., 

while husband Andrew is teaching 

at the Naval War College. 

Daughter Chelsea completed her 

Master’s at Cambridge in July 

and the graduation (all in Latin) 

was lovely. Your loyal secretary 

is enjoying life in Newport, R.I., 

while she is at Oxford working 

on her doctorate. 

–1971 

Carolyn Cockroft 

carolyn1973@verizon.net 

Deborah Abernathy and her 

mother are moving forward after 

the death of Debbie’s father 

in September. Marty Jones 

combined a visit to daughter 

Elise in Los Angeles with two 

real estate conferences in 

other west coast cities. With 

husband Fred she toured Peru, 

including Machu Picchu, and 

spent six days in spring rafting 

on the Colorado River in the 

Grand Canyon. The highlight, 

however, was daughter Julia’s 

graduation from Tulane and the 

end of college tuitions. Avery 

Malone Kaserman’s family is 

about to go for a week to Amelia 

Island, Fla., to photograph egrets 

and other birds. Jenny Jones 

Wardwell retired a year and a 

half ago and now has more time 

for bridge. She is volunteering 

at the Isabella Stewart Gardner 

Museum in Boston, and is 

spending longer stretches with 

both Fred’s parents who live 

in New York and Maine, and 

with her parents in Memphis. 

Speaking of retirement, my last 

day work was November 6—a 

28-year career. I will miss the 

people, but I look forward to 

being more involved with my 

church activities—such as our 

pastoral care outreach, vestry 

and music ministry—and giving 

more volunteer hours to the 

cat shelter where I adopted 

my Marigold. And maybe, just 

maybe, I will finally have time 

to do more writing. 

–1972 

Christine Mayer Todd 

ctoddmem@aol.com 

Meg Jemison Bartlett’s mother, 

Peggy Bodine, celebrated her 

90th birthday and still gets 

several of us together for 

Meg’s birthday each year. Ms. 

Peggy reminds us, “Don’t mind 

growing old, it is a privilege 

denied to many.” Meg’s son 

Marshall is meeting interesting 

celebrity chefs as he expands 

his www.homeplacepastures. 

com pork business. Meg and 

her husband Mike are creating 

a USDA processing and packing 

plant for pork, beef, lamb, and 

goats, the only one in their 

area. Son Jemison is living in 

Charlotte, N.C., and works for 

Wells Fargo on agricultural 

portfolios. Meg’s daughter May 

lives out west and is anxious 

to find out where she and her 

husband will be after he finishes 

his sports medicine MD. Meg is 

anxious about the placement, 

too, because she wants to be 

near her beautiful grandchild, 

Cate Speed. Also having fun is 

Susan Ossorio, who loves to 

babysit in Aintree Farms and 

substitute teach at Farmington 

Presbyterian’s preschool as 

often as she can. Jane Gordon 

Simmons has two beautiful 

grandchildren and works 

as a wedding coordinator at 

Heartwood Hall in Rossville, 

Tenn. It’s an antebellum 

home, barn, and garden where 

she coordinates everything 

with humor, patience, and 

grace. Hunter Oppenheimer is 

working with x-rays and bone 

density scans. There is no 

one who could put someone 

at greater ease during a 

stressful time. Her daughter 

Emily is working on an MBA 

at University of Memphis and 

son Haiz is living in Asheville, 

N.C., where he works with 

the school system and is 

studying computers. On the 

weekends he is a rafting guide 

on the Nantahala and French 

Broad Rivers. Anne Remmers 

Phillips is loving her new 

grandson and is a consummate 

kindergarten teacher at Idlewild 

where she works hard to 

keep my old principal Randy 

Thompson happy. I know she 

is doing a fabulous job. Peggy 

Williamson lives in Brownsville, 

Tenn., in author and adventurer 

Richard Halliburton’s house. That 

may explain why she is reading 

voraciously. Her two daughters 

live in New York City. Peggy loves 

her son-in-law because he, too, 

is a reader. Musette Sprunt 

Morgan is working every day 

to help her son Worth Morgan 

in his 5th district race for 

City Council. She and others 

in our class have been doing 

some sign twirling for Worth. 

WINTER 2015 | 23

Class Notes 

I have a part-time dream job 

at Calvary Episcopal Church 

serving as community ministries 

coordinator (outreach). Carroll 

is making beautiful sculptures 

and he and I are still spending 

weekends at Snow Lake. Caroline 

is in graduate school at Pratt in 

New York studying city planning. 

She, like Jane’s daughter in 

D.C., is learning about the real 

estate business as both girls 

recently became licensed. May 

Todd is a filmmaker working for 

Indie Memphis and exploring 

film-making opportunities. Our 

class seems to be facing this new 

decade of our lives with renewed 

spirit as we embrace change and 

challenges. 

–1973 

Olivia Montgomery 

olivia@dogsrulememphis.com 

The class of 1973 turned 60 this 

year! Harriet McGeorge spent 

hers on the Island of Jersey 

(Old not New) with her sister 

Lee McGeorge Durrell ’67. Lee, 

Harriet, and Milner Stanton 

are on the board of American 

Friends of Durrell, a non-profit 

organization which helps saves 

species from extinction. The 

aforementioned Milner was 

kind enough to remind me 

that, as of this writing, she 

had not yet turned 60. Brat! 

She also took a fabulous trip 

to Scandinavia and Russia last 

summer. Anne Atkinson Fields 

and her husband Mark spent her 

60th at the Greenbrier Resort, 

while Deborah Caldwell Halvis 

celebrated the event in a beach 

bungalow on Saint Lucia with 

hubby Jim. Ginger Hicks Smith 

and Miles went to Tampa where 

they had a surprise party for 

somebody else, while Beth 

Brady Belcher had her very own 

surprise party. Terry Maguire 

Elzinga has really been on the 

road. Last year, she and husband 

Ken cruised through the Panama 

Canal, and traveled to Africa 

to visit a couple of Christian 

missions they’re involved with 

through 100 Fold, a non-profit 

architectural firm which does 

work to promote the flourishing 

of people around the world. In 

the past, she has also travelled 

to Cambodia and Thailand with 

100 Fold. This is Bron Gayna 

Schmit’s 37th year in education, 

including 16 years as a principal. 

She and her mother stay busy 

updating their house, and every 

three months Bron gets together 

with Ginger, Lawrie Canale 

Peyton, Janie Hicks Jeter ’69, 

and Cathy Wilson LaMon for 

dinner. Olivia Montgomery is in 

her third year of attempting to 

grow tomatoes. The first year she 

planted them in the wrong spot 

and nothing grew. Last year, a 

beautiful location … a beautiful 

crop … and just before she was 

to pick them, the birds ate every 

one! This year she’s armed with 

netting and a fake owl. 

–1974 

Beth Williford Carson-Wallace 

ewcarson@hotmail.com 

Donna Osborne Bradley teaches 

five classes and continues to 

work on completing her PhD. 

She is now in two departments 

at Webster University, St. Charles 

Community College, Columbia 

College, and Lindenwood 

University, all in and around 

St. Louis. She drives 400 miles 

a week! The Top Ladies of 

Distinction honored her with an 

“Unsung Heroine” award, along 

with 26 other amazing women. 

Husband Larry is nearing 

completion of his BA in Human 

Services, and Donna is a part of 

a group called Angel Moms of St. 

Louis, a group of mothers who 

have children who passed away. 

Their support and her faith will 

forever sustain her. Lucy Gerald 

Cook’s son, Jeff, graduated 

from Elon University in N.C. 

Jeff is now at ABC News in the 

Washington Bureau. Middle 

child David is a sophomore 

at Duquesne in Pittsburgh, 

married to a pediatric intensive 

care nurse and has an unpaid 

job with a high school football 

team as an assistant coach. 

Daughter Rebecca works for two 

foundations. Recently, Minette 

Allen Kinney’s oldest son 

and husband were in the yard 

wearing head flashlights so they 

could better see the armadillo 

they were tracking. Her youngest 

son also caught a 10-pound bass 

and a 5-pound bass, at the same 

time, on a single hook. Minette is 

expecting 25 family members for 

Thanksgiving and while moving 

clutter to the attic, she found her 

Barbie – the clothing case had 

a Nixon/Agnew bumper sticker 

across the front. Desi Franklin’s 

son Alex graduated from UT 

Knoxville with a business degree 

in marketing. He is working as 

an ad sales account rep. He has 

now gotten an apartment in 

Midtown Memphis with some 

friends and is off the payroll. She 

is still in house counsel at First 

Tennessee where she continues 

to learn to be a banking lawyer. 

Kathy Amend Teeters became 

a first time grandmother to 

a precious little boy by son 

Trey. They named him Trevor 

Nathaniel, his middle name after 

her late father. She retired two 

years ago to move her mother in 

with them and be her caretaker 

and is so blessed to have a 

wonderful husband who helps to 

keep her in line. 

–1975 

Laurie Walpole 

lauriewalpole@hotmail.com 

A number us in the Class of 1975 

are still basking in the glow of 

the wonderful reunion we had 

in April, but thanks to those who 

wrote in! Jill Jemison Margolin 

wrote from Nova Scotia in a 

cabin overlooking the ocean. 

She was celebrating her birthday 

after spending two weeks in 

Maine helping her mother 

recover from a broken hip. Jill 

and husband Peter traveled to 

Portugal earlier in the year, and 

then to California to witness 

classmate Nora Wingfield 

Tyson’s change-of-command 

ceremony on the U.S.S. Ronald 

Reagan. As Rear Admiral (3-star) 

and Commander of the Third 

Fleet, Nora is responsible for the 

Pacific Ocean from California to 

the International Date Line. No 

wonder Nora didn’t have time 

to write! Jennifer Jones is living 

the life I want: that of a traveler! 

She started with the North East 

American Tribal dance camp 

and will go on to Flagstaff, North 

Rim Grand Canyon, Zion, Joshua 

Tree, and White Sands. Margaret 

Nettleton Bell has been visiting 

colleges with daughter Hayley 

and looking for retirement 

homes for herself and husband 

Ron. Hayley is a junior at 

Hutchison and is active in 

theatre, chorus, and technology. 

Sally Hummel Chumney has 

been in Chattanooga for five 

years and finally got together 

with Margaret Flowers Ferguson 

for lunch recently. Sally is 

a nurse practitioner and is 

expecting her 3rd grandchild 

in December. Whitney Jones 

DeVine reports kids (she has 

four) bouncing back home, 

with their stuff everywhere, but 

that life is good and full. Susan 

Apperson is breeding hedgehogs 

and planning her outfit for 

Anne May Farst’s daughter’s 

wedding. Susan also reports 

that she recently went to a hot 

party in Santa Monica with Rob 

Lowe, Khloe Kardashian, and Tori 

Spelling. Well, I can’t top that! 

–1976 

Allison Brown Coates 

acoates@stmarysschool.org 

Virginia Donelson Curry had 

a mastectomy in July, and 

feels blessed to be in the 20% 

of people who don’t need 

additional treatment. Her 

reconstruction will be complete 

by the end of 2015. Kim Brown 

Mullins’ husband is Virginia’s 

24 |

oncologist! Edie Loeb is still 

living in San Diego, still single 

and still an aunt to one quarter 

of the population, thanks to 

all of her siblings, including 

sisters Gee Loeb Sharp ’83 and 

Meg Loeb Milligan ’80. Julie 

Davidson Barton is happy to 

let us know their son John is 

engaged to Carolyn Powell. 

Val Zepatos Gosney and her 

husband Mark are celebrating 

32 years of marriage. Their 

oldest daughter Katherine got 

married in October. Bekah is 

home from a year in Romania 

as a missionary and back in 

school. Their son Mark Stephen 

is a senior at ECS and probably 

headed to UTK next year. Jessie 

Walker ’04, daughter of Josie 

McNeely Walker, married Chris 

Wiley at Calvary Episcopal 

Church. Kathleen Person 

Longoria, Jan Valentine Wiygul, 

Mary Walton Walker Allen, and 

Anne Espenshade Kaminsky 

enjoyed celebrating with family 

and friends. Jessie works 

as Major Gifts Officer at the 

American Red Cross, and Chris 

is a geologist with Brownfield 

Restoration Group. Lise 

Barzizza McCormack’s family 

celebrated the wedding of her 

oldest child Mac in September 

to Ashley Brooke McCormack. 

All of Lise’s siblings came with 

their families, including her 

sister Celeste Barzizza Stallings 

’84. Molly graduated from 

the University of Arkansas 

in 2015 and is now working 

as a Marketing Consultant 

for a firm in Fayetteville, Ark. 

Burkley Mann Allen was reelected 

to her second term as a 

Metro Council member and is 

looking forward to serving with 

Nashville’s first female Mayor. 

Happy empty nesting to Kaky 

Ossorio Wakefield and Walt! 

Their boys Will and Michael are 

loving life as freshmen at UT 

Austin. Wyeth Outlan Burgess 

and Ed are also empty nesters. 

Their daughter is in medical 

school at UT. Wyeth enjoys her 

work at Belmont University 

and teaching horseback riding 

at Camp Nakanawa during 

the summer. She has run 

into Burkley, had tea with 

Nancy Muse, and seen Chris 

Cowan Norris ’74 in Nashville. 

When Wyeth is visiting her 

mom in Collierville, she sees 

Mary Walton Walker Allen 

at church and always goes to 

Watty Brooks Hall’s store. B.J. 

Fiser Jones is going to be a 

grandmother for the third time 

in the spring. Their daughter 

Maggie is finishing Specialty 

Internship and Certification in 

May and son Andrew is getting 

married in June B.J. is staying 

busy mentoring an empty 

nest group and a sweet group 

of young women involved in 

urban ministry in Atlanta. She 

comes to Memphis about once a 

month to be with her mom, and 

is grateful for the outpouring of 

love from the SMS community 

when her dad passed away 

last January. Martha Flowers is 

enjoying her new job at Semmes 

Murphey Foundation. Austin 

is a senior in college this year 

and Buckner is a junior. Allison 

Coates is teaching in the 2- and 

3-year-old program at SMS. Her 

daughter Lindsey is living in 

Orlando, where she is a mental 

health counselor. Sam is staying 

busy working in Memphis with 

Coates Company, a lawn and 

landscape company, and he and 

Annie Shackelford are getting 

married in the fall. 

–1977 

Janey Butler Newton 

janeybnewton@gmail.com 

Lucy Walt Wepfer now has 

a cowbell and is learning to 

“Hail State” now that daughter 

Annie is attending Mississippi 

State University. Daughter Joy 

is in Richmond working for 

Capital One and son Walt is 

getting married in December. 

Lisa Britt Colcolough caught 

up with Leslie Eason Shuford 

and Billy recently and said how 

great it was to see them. So sad 

to share that both Leslie’s and 

Lisa’s sweet fathers died earlier 

this year. Leslie’s daughter Katie 

lives in Brooklyn and works in 

independent web design. Son 

William is recently married and 

settling into a new home and 

married life with wife Blakely. 

Golfing buddies Jekka Ashman Pinckney 

’78 and Lisa Francis Turner ’78. 

Lisa and John are enjoying 

football season at Princeton, 

where son Britt is starting right 

tackle for his senior year. Lisa 

had a good visit with Marilyn 

Rhea Cheeseman whose mom 

is a close neighbor of Mrs 

Britt. Marilyn and Van are busy 

on the farm growing crops, 

raising chickens and ducks, and 

developing new products. Sara 

Muirhead Shanley appreciates 

everyone’s thoughts and prayers 

during this past difficult year. 

She has taken time off from 

working and bought a house and 

Friends from the class of 1978 attending the wedding of Rebecca Anderson Eby ’06. From left, Kathy Daniel 

Patterson, Katie Tully Dickinson, Kathy Edmonson Riley, Andrea Gilliom Anderson (mother of the bride), Debby Waltz 

Hays, Stephanie Riggs Markham and Tracy Walko Balton. Photo credit: Kathy Daniel Patterson 

WINTER 2015 | 25

Class Notes 

reports that she and her boys 

are doing well. Laura Sanderson 

Healy’s daughter Lucy chose 

Ole Miss, where she pledged 

Chi Omega. Anne Cole Billings’ 

daughter Mimi is also a Chi O at 

Ole Miss. Laura’s husband John 

is consulting on a hotel project 

in Mobile, Ala., so Laura has 

explored that area as well as 

travelling recently to the UK and 

enjoying London theatre and 

lots of old friends. Jane Dailey 

Duell is also in a travelling 

mode having been to Memphis 

to visit sister Catherine, to Ft. 

Myers in Fla. to visit daughter 

Anna and precious grandson, 

to University of Arkansas to 

see daughter Lily Jane who is 

freshman there. Valerie Hoyt 

has had a few visitors in NYC 

recently. Adele Orgill Wellford 

and Val caught up over a fun 

lunch, and Barbara Cape O’Brien 

visited Val at their country 

house where they hiked and 

bicycled and enjoyed bonfires. 

Molly Townes O’Brien is another 

globetrotter: She wrote to me 

from Frankfurt, Germany, after 

visiting her sister Anne Townes 

Daw ’87 in the UK and then on 

her way back home to Australia. 

Gretchen Perkins Thorogood 

says her grandson Addison is the 

light of her life. She is teaching 

at St Bartholomew’s preschool 

with Mrs Goza’s daughter, 

Susan Goza Magruder ’70. Alicia 

Harwood Baker loves being 

grandmother to baby James, the 

son of daughter Allison Baker 

Shields ’10 and husband Joseph, 

who live in Houston. And, what 

a delight to catch up on the 

scoop from our own “Vicka 

Lynn” Victoria Bartlett Snider. 

Victoria graduated from Tulane 

Med School and School of Public 

Health and practiced Child and 

Adolescent Psychiatry. She lives 

most of the time in Cape Town, 

South Africa, which she raves 

about, but keeps her house in 

New Orleans. Lynn Hitchings 

Albano says this has been a year 

of adjustment since her mother, 

Mary Catherine Lynn Hitchings 

’47, died late last year. She and 

Peter get to Florida frequently. 

–1978 

Tracy Walko Balton 

tbalton@cannonwrightblount.com 

As our nests continue to empty, 

the news shifts from busy 

working/mothering lives to 

ones filled with exciting travel 

for either us or our children. 

Debby Waltz Hayes enjoyed 

her mission trip to Honduras 

and hopes again visit Ghana in 

2016. At home she still teaches 

preschool at her church and 

coaches the Harding crosscountry 

team. After 27 years 

as a pastor, Tandy Gilliland 

Taylor has retired, but her kids 

are the travelers! Her son Sam 

worked two summers as a 

river raft guide, then spent six 

months backpacking in South 

America after graduating from 

Davidson College. Daughter 

Emily studied in Peru last year. 

Stephanie Riggs has also retired 

and is busy planning a big 

home renovation while visiting 

colleges with son Riggs. Tabitha 

Francisco McNabb taxied, tubed, 

boated, walked and was bused 

all over London in May. She and 

Sunita Sheth enjoyed dinner the 

last time she was in town. We 

would love to hear more about 

Sunita’s hiking trip in Japan. 

Kate Wellford Pritchard, Bailey 

Johnston Farrin, Leigh Harwell 

Vogler, Carol Fri Robinson, Katie 

Tully Dickinson, and Heather 

Holmes Andersen took a 55th 

birthday trip to Lake Summit. 

Kate’s daughter Estes Gould 

’08 is working in Colorado at 

the Aspen Institute, while Meg 

Gould ’11 is in Botswana on 

a Princeton fellowship. Son 

Wellford is headed to Cuba for 

a semester at the University 

of Havana. Dee Dee Clay 

Wike feels settled now in their 

Virginia home after almost two 

years. She works at Bethany 

United Methodist, near a lovely 

beach on the York River. Laura 

Vookles continues to manage 

art exhibitions while serving 

on the Board of the Greater 

Hudson Heritage Network and 

competing in regional poetry 

slams. Son Evan broke his leg 

badly and graduated high school 

on crutches. As a self-described 

“old” mom, Laura says he helps 

her continue to deny her actual 

age. Jekka Ashman Pinckney 

and Lisa Francis Turner play as 

much golf together as possible. 

Several of us had a ball at 

Andrea Gilliom Anderson’s 

daughter Rebecca’s ’06 wedding. 

Andrea’s meticulous planning 

(and a gorgeous bride of course) 

resulted in one fantastic event! 

Kathy Daniel Patterson, as 

always, worked hard as the 

official photographer. Steve and 

I celebrated our 5th anniversary 

on a fabulous Rhine River cruise 

this summer. And sadly, as we 

age, our parents grow older as 

well. Lisa, Kate, Jekka, Katie, and 

I each lost a parent recently. 

From all of us, thank you so 

much for your kind thoughts. We 

appreciate your support. 

–1979 

Elizabeth Brown Dunn 

Elbdunn56@yahoo.com 

The ladies of ’79 seem to have 

a lot of new empty nesters. 

Sandy Weaver Clark has both 

of her sons at her alma mater, 

Indiana University. Robin Rader 

Stein and husband Gil have 

been traveling a lot. Hannah, a 

junior at TCU, joined them for 

fall break. Recently they spent 

some time in Washington D.C., 

where they toured the National 

Cathedral and guess who was 

their docent… Lenelle Morse! 

They skyped Sandy Weaver 

Clark so she could join in the 

day. Lenelle’s son Jonathan 

just became engaged. He lives 

in Seattle and will be married 

next year. Gina Barron Huck 

also has a wedding in 2016. Her 

son Barron is engaged. Terry 

Lupo Lebedevs will be a 

grandmother soon. Her daughter 

Hannah is having a baby girl 

Ruby in October. Her son Rob 

is in marketing and sales at 

The Boat Center in Memphis. 

Her daughter Camille lives in 

Lakeland, Fla. Terry is working 

at Gastro One as a triage nurse. 

Husband Peter is working 

out of Atlanta as an assistant 

tennis tournament director. 

Susan Browne Law has another 

child here in Memphis. Ben 

moved here and is going to law 

school. He lives downtown in 

a great old building. He and 

Meg, her youngest, love being 

in Memphis. Meg is a personal 

trainer at Midtown Yoga. 

–1980 

Margaret Graham 

msgraham62@comcast.net 

We missed several of our 

classmates at the reunion back 

in the spring, including Sarah 

McLaughlin Terry, who was 

absent because of the chance 

to show off some of her quilts 

and fabric creations at a crafts 

show and fair. Sarah teaches 

beginning sewing and a few 

other classes at Sew Memphis. 

We also missed Helene Norcross 

Rayder, whose daughter Virginia 

has started college at Sewanee. 

Another new empty nester is 

Meg Loeb Milligan, who has 

changed to her husband’s last 

name after four years of marriage. 

She moved her last child 

Amelia to Eugene, Ore., to start 

freshman year at the University 

of Oregon. Meg is excited that 

sister Gee Loeb Sharp ’83 will 

also have a daughter attending 

Oregon. Meg and her husband 

Bill will be spending most of 

their time in Colorado now, but 

she still has her home in Texas. 

At least two other classmates 

have a newly empty nest at 

home: Josie Gilliland Williams’ 

son Fletcher is at Ole Miss, and 

Molly Francis Roberts’ daughter 

Bette is at Samford. Molly 

26 |

Mary Long Merritt ’82 and Carol Gilliland Jordan ’82 both have daughters 

at Vanderbilt who are both Chi-Os. From left, Annie Bradford, Carol, Mary, 

and Katherine Merritt at Parents Weekend in September. 

Dr. Catherine Robilio Womack ’82, front left with daughter Elizabeth ’07 

after her Alum Chapel talk, and classmates (from left) Mary Kavanagh 

Day, Sarah Willmott Cowens, Elizabeth Simpson Alrutz, 

Andrea Weiss Tomes, and Lisa Cook. 

has finished her cancer treatment 

and is feeling well. She 

continues to run the office at 

Regent’s School in Oxford as well 

as help with husband Marty’s 

business, Sporting Life Kennels. 

Rachel Darnell-Heath, one of 

the talented artists from our 

class, will be the Louise T. Archer 

Artist-in-Residence at St. Mary’s 

in January, teaching classes as 

well as mounting an exhibit in 

Levy Gallery on campus. She is 

also showing her artwork at the 

L. Ross Gallery on Sanderlin in 

Memphis as well as in galleries 

closer to her home near Santa 

Fe. I’m so proud of our creative, 

talented classmates! 

–1981 

Carey Stanton 

careystanton@me.com 

–1982 

Elizabeth Simpson Alrutz 

esa.sms@gmail.com 

Many thanks to Lee Anne 

Roehm for her 14 years 

of service as our Class 

Secretary. Daughters Anna 

Katherine and Elizabeth are at 

St. Mary’s, Senior and Junior, 

respectively. Hallie Peyton and 

the Roehm family visited Meg 

Beeson Wallace’s family in 

Michigan this summer and had 

a great time catching up and 

reminiscing. We have two brides 

in our class! Leslie Johnson 

Hughes married Jesse Owen 

in January and has moved to 

Augusta, Ga. Daughter Martha 

is at Presbyterian College. Mary 

Kavanagh Day also married 

in January and has Elizabeth 

Thrasher Kantor to thank for 

setting her up on a blind date 

in 1984. Mary remembers that 

Elizabeth’s grandmother had a 

party during the debut season 

and set up the invitees by height. 

Mary’s date was Dan Daniel 

and they dated for a while back 

then. Now, 30+ years and 5 kids 

later, it was love at (almost) 

first sight. Mary says, “Of all the 

life-changing things that have 

happened because of being part 

of Class of ‘82, this is the most 

unexpected!” Angela Reed Yakel 

commutes weekly from Texas 

to Utah for her work as a physician 

adoption program manager 

for an enterprise electronic 

medical records program at 22 

hospitals across the state. Gail 

Jones Mallery is still in Dallas in 

the mortgage lending business, 

and asks that we check out a pet 

project, bontonfarms.org. Cindy 

Kremer Bodker’s daughter graduated 

from Michigan and moved 

to New York for a publishing 

program at NYU and is now job 

hunting. Carol Gilliland Jordan 

was in Guatemala in the mountains 

at Lake Atitlan for over two 

months last winter. Son Jeremy 

graduated from Vanderbilt 

Summa Cum Laude and has 

moved to Seattle to work for 

Microsoft. Daughter Annie is at 

Vandy where she is in Chi O with 

Mary Long Merritt’s daughter 

Katherine and the moms got 

a good visit recently. Carol, 

Elizabeth Beck Fioravanti, and 

Christy Ragen Goss spent a 

girls’ weekend together and 

had a great visit. After her 

divorce, Carol changed her 

name to Carol Jordan to honor 

her grandmother. Sherronda 

Whitmore Johnson was the 

stage manager for A Box of Yellow 

Stars at Theatreworks, part of 

the Women›s Theatre Festival of 

Memphis. Bravo, Sherronda! As 

for me, I have become an empty 

nester. Liza graduated from St. 

Mary’s in May and is a freshman 

at Northwestern joining Jim who 

is a senior. Doug and I love having 

them together. 

–1983 

Bonnie Lopez 

bonlopez@aol.com 

We have been on the move! 

Cissy Bruce Jackson is doing 

white-collar criminal defense 

work, and has written an article 

for the first issue of a new 

magazine, Portico, Mountain Brook. 

Son Will is a sophomore at UGA, 

and daughter Sarah Frances is 

investigating colleges now. Posey 

Saunders Cochrane wrote to 

acknowledge this monumental 

year for most of us. Kristi Dart 

Tsakir and husband George will 

celebrate their 30th wedding 

anniversary in May! She has 

been a 3-year-old kindergarten 

teacher for more than ten years. 

Daughter Alyssa graduated from 

North Georgia College and State 

University with a degree in Art 

Marketing and a concentration 

in Graphic Design. Son Nick is 

pursuing a degree in Music and 

Technology at Atlanta Institute 

of Music. Kristi stays in touch 

with Laurie Bell Lewandowski 

and Beth Jennings Kuhn. 

Margaret Jones Fraser reports 

that daughter Sara is a Freshman 

at SMS and a classmate and 

friend of Emily O’Toole, daughter 

of Jeannie Beauregard O’Toole. 

They attended a Freshman 

retreat led by Upper School 

Counselor Allison Wellford 

Parker. Beachamp Hebb is 

engaged to Mads Hansen. They 

will marry in Norway where 

his large family resides. Eppie 

Lunsford-Ozen is sharing her 

time between London, Istanbul, 

WINTER 2015 | 27

Class Notes 

and the U.S. as son Ellis Kaan is 

in NYC studying film. Daughter 

Emily is in 9th grade in London 

with Eppie and Ergun. Sudha 

Nimmagadda Ganguli reports 

that she and her parents love 

watching her girls study at SMS. 

Kathryn Carpenter Swords is 

immersed in teaching art at 

Ensworth in Nashville where 

son John (15) is pushing hard for 

his hardship license while sister 

Sara is applying to colleges. Lela 

Bellows Simpson-Gerald says 

life without son Max at home is 

very quiet! He is studying engineering 

at Alabama. Lela is still 

very happy working at Buckman 

and has had nice visits this year 

with Liza Johnston in Atlanta 

and Catherine Trippeer Jameson 

in Memphis. Jenny Jon Jarratt 

began a new job at UPS as the 

Enterprise Account Manager in 

Global Freight Forwarding. She 

and Beth Jennings Kuhn made 

a road trip to Atlanta to see the 

Rolling Stones. Elise Kilpatrick 

Atkins is moving to Washington 

D.C. for husband John’s job. 

Currently, she and daughter 

Amelia Rose (8th) are still in 

Oxford until their house sells. 

Gee Loeb Sharp is very much enjoying 

her empty nest, but wakes 

every morning at 3:30 to meet 

fitness clients by 5:00. She and 

Gene will celebrate her 50th with 

a trip to Prague to meet up with 

Marshall who is spending his 

junior year abroad with U. Penn. 

Mimi is at Oregon rooming with 

her cousin, the daughter of Gee’s 

sister, Meg Loeb Milligan ’80. 

Cynthia Hodges Cobb hopes to 

see Brandon Garrott Morrison’s 

daughter Jane as Cynthia and 

son William visit UNC Chapel 

Hill. Her oldest son, David, was 

able to spend some “guy time” 

in Destin recently with Bonnie 

Lopez’s husband and sons. 

Margie Bailey Sutton spent time 

in North Carolina visiting her 

parents. Son Dawes is captain 

of the city championship soccer 

team, Doug is a sophomore in 

high school, and Britt is in 6th 

grade. Margie loves working as a 

psychiatric nurse at an inpatient 

treatment center for mentally ill 

children and adolescents. Joan 

Mauldin Hurst has worked in 

the White House for four years 

with the Office of the U.S. Trade 

Representative. Daughter Katie is 

in 9th grade; son Matt is in 2nd. 

Bonnie Bolton Lopez teaches the 

youth and leads a women’s Bible 

study at church and also teaches 

a weekly seminar on English 

grammar and writing to ten 

other homeschooling families. 

Daughter Lydia is finishing her 

Masters in Deaf Education this 

spring at Wash U. and is engaged 

to be married in June. Son Phillip 

is in his senior year at LSU, and 

his wife is expecting their second 

child in May. 

–1984 

Vanessa Allen Dobbins 

vdobbins3@yahoo.com 

After spending her adult life 

devoted to oncology, Smitha 

Gollamudi stepped away from 

her medical career to focus 

more on her children while 

they are still at home, her rich 

life outside of medicine, and 

herself after enduring two back 

surgeries. Devi is an 11th grader 

and is gifted in cross country, 

art, and a citizen of the world. 

Chander, 8th grade, is focusing 

on squash competitively and is 

heading for Eagle Scout. After 

practicing Pediatric Emergency 

Medicine, with all of its stresses 

and sadness, Kristine Griffith 

Williams also made a career 

change. She left the ER to 

start her own private general 

Pediatrics practice (upa.wustl. 

edu). She and husband Kevin 

recently celebrated 16 years 

of marriage and completed a 

massive house remodel. Oldest 

daughter Margaret is a freshman 

at Visitation Academy and plays 

varsity field hockey. Second 

daughter Caroline, 13, loves field 

hockey, their new puppy, and 

texting. Katherine, a fifth grader, 

is a great writer who loves 

soccer and swimming. Emma 

is 8. Alison Potts Hollewand 

and family are enjoying beach 

weather in Australia. Daughter 

Izzy will soon be finishing sixth 

grade in Brisbane. Both husband 

Mike and Alison enjoy the 

freedom of having their own 

businesses. Alison asks that we 

follow her Facebook page about 

meditation and living from 

instincts: Alison Potts – Innate 

Being. Kelly McCracken enjoyed 

a wonderful vacation to Napa & 

Sonoma, and hopes to arrange 

a class dinner soon for us local 

SMSers. Carrie Jaeger Carpenter 

and family are fostering four 

beautiful children, siblings, age 

3 to 11. Their quiet house has 

livened up quite a bit. Daughters 

Carolyn, 23, and Taylor May, 21, 

opened their Knoxville home as 

a safe home for teenage girls. 

They obtained non-profit status 

and became legal guardians of 

two teenagers. Taylor May is 

a junior at UT and Carolyn is 

marketing director for Theona’s 

Girls, a company that sells goods 

made by Haitian women. Oldest 

child Justin moved to Seattle to 

work for Amazon and youngest 

Emma Kathryn is a senior at St. 

George’s. Carrie had a chance 

to visit with Cathey Turner 

Alexander and Celeste Barzizza 

Stallings where they laughed 

like they were still in high 

school. Martin and I are doing 

well and recently celebrated our 

21st anniversary 

–1985 

Polly Piper Rickard 

ppiperaustin@gmail.com 

Lucy Cheek Gordon and Michael 

spent time in Rome, Florence 

and Venice and 10 days in the 

small town of Arco on the northern 

tip of Lake Garda while their 

son Clay (14) represented Team 

USA at the World Rock-Climbing 

Youth Championships, finishing 

13th in the world. Madeline, 

in her third year at Georgia, 

has found her own way to Italy; 

she will study abroad in Cortona. 

Claire, a freshman at the 

University of Arizona, pledged 

Kappa and is studying Communications 

and Psychology. They 

celebrate 23 years of marriage. 

Heather Kirkpatrick Wheat is a 

legal assistant in Dallas for an 

Estate and Partnership Planning 

firm. Rory (16) plays competitive 

baseball. NealeyClare (13) is a 

theatre kid and vocalist and was 

diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes 

years ago. It’s been a difficult 

journey but she fights like a 

champ. Reagan Grace plays softball, 

soccer, basketball, tennis, 

and the French horn. Colleen 

Kavanagh launched three new 

ZEGO bar flavors on a crowdfunding 

site to raise funds for 

production and awareness. She 

still champions allergy safety in 

public school nutrition programs 

and continues to do social 

justice work. Liam is applying 

to colleges. Kelsey, a freshman 

volleyball player and Evie,11, are 

great. Trecia Knapp Tapolsky 

volunteers at church and on the 

San Francisco Ballet Auxiliary. 

Melissa Thrasher Peeler and 

Michael are psyched to be empty 

nesters soon and they celebrate 

their 25th anniversary. Mary is 

a first-year medical student at 

Johns Hopkins and Anna is a junior 

nursing student at Alabama. 

Margie is a Junior at SMS. On a 

college visit to W&L, they were 

privileged to have lunch with 

Scott Simmons, Mary Gowen 

Simmons’s oldest son, who is 

a freshman playing baseball for 

W&L. Jeanne Rae Fenster’s son 

Sam is a freshman at Rhodes. 

Menashe is 13, and Andy took 

him to Isreal as a bar mitzva 

present. The twins are 12. 

–1986 

Jean Vaughan McGhee 

jeanvmcghee@hotmail.com 

Jen McDearman is still enjoying 

life in NYC while working 

as a copy director for HBO and 

28 |

Leigh Gordon Wright ’86 and daughter Allie and Irene McDonnell Ayotte ’86 

with daughter Mary. 

singing and performing with 

her band Bobcat. We need to 

work on getting them into 

town to perform for us during 

reunion weekend this spring. 

Molly Mednikow is settling in 

as a new resident of Portland, 

Ore., where she attending the 

Lewis and Clark Law School. 

Kathryn Haggitt Garrison and 

Molly had a chance to connect 

while Kathryn was in town 

on business. Camille Lyon 

Majors became a mom again 

back in February; Evelyn Mary 

“Evie” is now entertaining big 

brother Bobby who’s 3. Recently 

Camille’s parents sold their 

house of 48 years in Memphis 

and have moved up to Richmond 

where her sister Natalie Lyon 

Horne ’93 lives. Leigh Gordon 

Wright and her family have 

recently made the move back 

to Tuscaloosa, where she has 

continued to work part-time for 

the same radiology group for the 

last 17 years while raising John 

and Allie. Recently Leigh got to 

catch up with Irene McDonnell 

Ayotte and her daughter Mary 

who were in town visiting 

Alabama. Elizabeth Cashman 

Dickinson is busy supervising 

as her son Robert is buried in 

English and Latin at MUS. She 

says it makes her appreciate 

all she learned from Ms. O and 

Ms. Stidham. Her son McRae is 

a 6th grader at PDS this year. 

Lynn Cashman Thurlow is still 

the Director and Lead Teacher 

for the Montessori School 

Pre-School in Summerton and 

homeschools her four children 

(3rd grade to 10th). Kim Malone 

Scott has written a new book, 

Power is Dead, which has been 

bought and will be published by 

St. Martin’s Press in 2016. Kim’s 

children Battle and Margaret 

are now in the first grade. Mary 

Helen Pender Moore and her 

family are getting settled in 

their new house in Knoxville. 

Her kids Ashley Kate and Joseph 

are both in middle school. She is 

still working part-time in several 

pediatric dentist offices while 

the kids are in school. Traci 

Sherman Keller is still working 

as the Middle School Dean 

of Students at Harpeth Hall in 

Nashville while trying to keep up 

with her boys. Traci recently got 

to catch up with Kara Finnegan 

Finnigan and Leigh Gordon 

Wright, who were in town. Kara 

has two middle school children, 

Maya and Hugh. Susan Whitten 

Graber and her husband Blair 

took a belated honeymoon to 

Italy this summer. She is looking 

forward to Thanksgiving 

this year, as it is the first time 

she will have Anthony (eldest 

stepson) and his family for that 

holiday in five years. Irene, Liz 

Whitsitt McEwan, and Elizabeth 

Cashman manage to keep in 

touch because our boys are all 

in school together at MUS. Liz’s 

oldest son Hastings has even 

started driving my son Davis to 

school in the mornings. Shawn 

and I are continuing to grow 

Hollywood Feed and now have 

40 stores in the Mid-South. I 

echo what Lynn Thurlow said 

about a foot in two different 

worlds as Carmen is learning 

to read and Ellie is starting to 

look at colleges. Ellie is also 

playing soccer for SMS and is 

now in third year Latin, stirring 

up memories of Ms. Stidham! 

Finally, we are heartbroken for 

Hayes Peyton Olson, who lost 

her son Will in an auto accident 

in Batesville, Ark., in October. 

Our prayers are with Hayes and 

her whole family, including sisters 

Chalmers Peyton Valentine 

’80 and Hallie Peyton ’82. 

–1987 

Allison Tonkin 

4altonk@gmail.com 

Thanks to all of you for the very 

sweet wishes on the birth of 

Andras’ and my son Chip! We 

are thrilled Chip could make his 

debut with the help of our gestational 

surrogate. Thanks also for 

all of the great parenting advice, 

even from folks like Margaret 

Alexander Cone whose “little 

ones” are now 19 and 16. Beth 

Reynolds Bowen and family 

visited South Africa. Son Tom 

(8) plays baseball and Ella (12) 

dances. Beth teaches preschool 

for fun. Janelle Zarecor Ranieri, 

very active in the PTO, serves 

on the board of the Attention 

Center which she helped start. 

After much Lake Erie-house 

fun, John John (7th) added cross 

county to his usual hockey. Lucy 

(10) plays volleyball and is a 

great student. The family will 

visit Puerto Rico where John 

still works. Gail Borod Giacobbe 

and family traveled in France 

this summer — thank goodness 

for all that SMS French with 

Nanette Quinn! Gail still enjoys 

working at Microsoft where she 

recently launched the new Skype 

experience for Windows 10. 

Josh (1st) and Libby (Pre-K) keep 

Paula Jernigan very busy. They 

love their homegrown honey. 

Kim Justis Eikner and Flip both 

enjoy work at MUS. Kim begins 

rehearsal for her first play in two 

years, The Other Place, at Circuit 

Playhouse. For Science, Nora 

James (SMS 6th) has Kim’s 5th 

grade homeroom teacher Mrs. 

Brundige! Brooks (MUS 11th), bitten 

by Mom’s theater bug, participates 

in MUS and SMS plays 

and is looking at colleges. Laura 

Halle Nunnally’s Lizzie (11th) 

is now visiting colleges, and 

Anna is in 8th. Courtney Morris 

Monaghan’s Stuart (16, SMS 

10th) is driving, and Ellie (5th) 

loves being across the street at 

SMS middle school. Tom is “battling 

through” MUS 8th grade. 

Missy Huettel Carter’s Joe loves 

Ann McCarroll McWaters as 

his MUS English teacher. Missy 

saw Laura at Seaside and often 

sees Courtney in Memphis. Gigi 

Gaerig McGown, senior counsel 

litigation at International Paper, 

was appointed to the Memphis 

Bar Association Board of Directors. 

Ryan (SMS 6th) is buddies 

with Kim’s Nora James. Thomas 

(Lausanne 2nd) loves soccer and 

husband Will still designs/builds 

wood furniture at his downtown 

shop. Jay and Kristina Schultz 

Weir and sons Jake and Charlie 

swam with Caribbean dolphins 

in Anguilla. They ran into Ann 

Driscoll Prince in the Atlanta airport 

on the way home! In NYC, 

Mary Louise Mooney goes home 

only for sleep, as stage manager 

and assistant director of Doric 

Wilson’s Street Theater, about 

the Stonewall riots. ML also 

WINTER 2015 | 29

Class Notes 

acts/reads in a feminist poetry 

is still hunting, she is still a 

day! Mary Anne Kish Seibert 

Oh, and Caroline’s son is already 

program with her other theater 

nurse, and Mary Taylor loves 

writes with some big news— 

looking at colleges. As for Mirm 

company. 

being in Ms. Falls’ class at SMS. 

they’re building a house in Little 

Kriegel, she’s digging this gig so 

–1988 

Anna McQuiston Holtzclaw 

anna.holtzclaw@gmail.com 

Frances Coughlin Fenelon 

Anna Holtzclaw shares that 

Caroline became a 4th grader at 

SMS this year, and Anna is enjoying 

being a St. Mary’s parent. 

It has been emotional knowing 

that Caroline is starting friend- 

Rock. Alexis Zanone continues 

living the dream on Four 

Seasons currency… she spent 

two weeks at both Four Seasons 

in the Maldives, will be visiting 

the Four Seasons Florence and 

she doesn’t have to self-report. 

–1991 

Camellia Koleyni 

ckoleyni@yahoo.com 

reports that Nora started 5th 

ships that will be a part of her 

sandwiching a trip to Memphis 

It’s exciting to think that our 

grade at Harpeth Hall, and Nev 

life when she is her mother’s 

in between. Ali Reaves Smith 

25th class reunion is just around 

is in 7th grade with Laurie 

age. Anna hopes Caroline is as 

is working full-time now at her 

the corner, on April 22-23! 

Smith Hooper’s ’90 daugh- 

lucky to have such good class- 

veterinary clinic. Son Cole is in 

Until then, the Young family 

ter Lela. Francis recently had 

mates and friends. 

JK and her big news is that she’s 

(Jennifer Breazeale Young plus 

10 of Nev’s friends over for a 

sleepover, and says “it looked 

and sounded so much like 

Moriah’s backhouse that it made 

me stop in my tracks. Miss those 

days and everyone so much!” 

Kelly Allen Bauch is running 

Bluebird Photography Studio in 

Austin, Texas, where she has 

lived for 10 years with Brandon 

–1989 

CLASS SECRETARY NEEDED- 

Contact Rainey Ray Segars ’05, 

rsegars@stmarysschool.org 

–1990 

Mirm Kriegel 

mirmkriegel@gmail.com 

about to become a doting aunt! 

Tricia Hood Thomas didn’t have 

much news to share except for 

this bombshell: “I’ve started 

talking about retiring since that’s 

only 15(ish) years away, which 

is less time than we’ve been 

out of SMS.” Thanks for that, 

Tricia. Rachel Lightman is having 

a ball with her 12-year old 

husband Chris, son Christopher, 

and daughter Baker) had an 

incredible time visiting various 

cities in Japan this past summer. 

Baker’s elementary school 

had an exchange program with 

another elementary school in 

Mito, Japan just prior to the 

trip. Baker attended elementary 

school there and spent 10 days 

and their two children. Julia is 

OK folks, here’s how we’ll keep 

Colin and her 1-year-old Griffin. 

living with a Japanese family. 

in 5 th grade and loves art and 

this interesting… I made a 

She’s thrilled to be teaching 

She did great, according to her 

piano, and Jackson is in 8th and 

public promise to my esteemed 

fourth grade girls this year after 

proud momma! Jennifer’s son 

loves football. Amy Weinberg 

classmates that I’d make stuff up 

spending three long years with 

Christopher loves playing tennis 

Pearce’s boys are in 5th and 

if they didn’t write in. I warned 

eighth grade boys. “Fourth grade 

for Baylor while Baker is busy 

2nd grade. Trey is busy with 

I’d draw a deserving name out of 

brings back fond memories of 

with her soccer and volleyball. 

baseball and his social calen- 

a hat, and the (un)lucky winner 

my year with the great Carmen 

Megan Saxon Murphree shared 

dar, and Luke splits his time 

would be PUNK’d. This may well 

Vaughan!” Big news from Hilary 

the sad news that her incred- 

between karate and Minecraft. 

become a theme/meme for the 

Davis Robinson: She has left 

ibly sweet grandfather passed 

Katherine Florendo is practicing 

Class of ’90. Slackers beware. 

SMS to be Head of the Lower 

away at age 98. She feels so very 

at St. Luke’s and is the Medical 

Ellen Rawlins Uzarowicz writes 

School at the Bodine School, 

lucky to have had him around 

Director for the NICU at their 

that she, husband Piotr, and kids 

which serves kids who struggle 

for as long as she did, though it’s 

east location. This is her first 

are still happily in Hollywood. 

with dyslexia. Beth Kreamer 

still so painful for her and her 

year as a professional bikini 

She’s still designing clothes but 

West and her family have re- 

family. If you’d like to learn more 

competitor. Chuck has moved to 

is excited to be costuming her 

turned to Alabama after living in 

about the game of bridge, Alex 

KU and has better hours. Carol- 

first music video, which she 

Houston for a bit while husband 

Turner is your contact. She’s 

Ann is a sophomore taking hon- 

describes as “ridiculous fun.” 

Phil underwent medical treat- 

living in Memphis and working 

ors everything and is in the choir 

Anne Copper DiFronzo’s twins 

ment. They’re both enjoying life 

at the American Contract Bridge 

and GSA. Sixth-grader Mary-O 

Dominic and Olivia turned 2 in 

back home with their children, 

League (which is essentially the 

is a 3-sport athlete: volleyball, 

September and daughter Sofia is 

ages 10, 7, and 3. Beth, we’re so 

governing body for the game). 

basketball, and soccer. Charlie 

in third grade. She’s still working 

thrilled to hear this. Elizabeth 

Alex also went on the say “Every 

is in 2nd grade and loves his 

part time for Cultural Care Au 

Robbins is now starring in her 

time I turn on the news lately, 

climbing classes. Leigh Vaughan 

Pair and living in Great Falls, Va. 

own burlesque show in Vegas. 

Heather Pearson Chauhan is 

Jaimes’ kids Windland and Luke 

Kristen Thompson Keegan is 

She’ll be featured at the Bellagio 

being interviewed or consult- 

started 4th and 2nd, and she 

traveling a lot and selling turkey 

in the spring, so be sure to check 

ing on a matter. From what 

has a new role practicing and 

foot necklaces in addition to 

her out if you’re wandering the 

a few friends have said, her 

teaching Palliative Medicine full 

her hair ties (not as gross as 

Strip! Taylor Holden Taylor was 

new practice Exceed Hormone 

time at the Medical University 

it sounds—they’re freshwater 

thrilled to report that her wom- 

Specialists www.exceedhs.com 

of South Carolina in Charleston. 

pearl and actually look super 

en’s tennis team won Nationals 

is a game-changer.” Heather’s 

Betsy Carnesale Wiseman and 

cool). She’s currently work- 

in Palm Springs. Missy Kramer 

practice is in Memphis. Margaret 

Lang welcomed baby Peter to 

ing at SMS in JK for a teacher 

Taranto, Kasha Winker Shaw, 

Chesney has expanded her law 

the world on July 13, 2015. He is 

who’s on maternity leave, which 

and Caroline Archer Baker all 

practice (Rogers Berry Chesney 

named after Betsy’s dad. Jennifer 

means she gets to see Shelley 

wrote in to say ‘hi!’ so I wouldn’t 

& Cannon, PLLC in Memphis) to 

Miller Buhler writes that Jon 

Kuykendall Herzke every 

make anything up about them. 

include her listing as a family 

30 |

mediator with specialized training 

in domestic violence issues. 

When she is not hard at work 

helping these families going 

through such difficult times, she 

spends as much time as possible 

with her niece, Jane McDonald, 

daughter of Julia Chesney 

McDonald ’96. Alison Taylor 

Nooks’ summer started off on a 

positive note with various family 

members visiting. They also had 

“mini-vacations” to San Antonio, 

Texas and Omaha, Neb. Then, 

unfortunately, her father had a 

significant fall in July, which resulted 

in two different brain surgeries, 

followed by rehabilitation 

in Memphis and Missouri. Now 

Alison’s father has moved into 

their home in Missouri. They are 

so thankful for the support and 

prayers of family and friends. We 

are still living in fun Nashville. 

I’ve been busy with medical trips 

abroad and doing some urgent 

care locally. Take care everyone! 

–1992 

Alison Roesler Coons 

alicoons@hotmail.com 

Bren Boston Padawer has 

started a new job this year as the 

Director of Pain Management 

and Sports Medicine at the 

Akasha Center for Integrative 

Medicine in Santa Monica, Calif. 

Find more information about 

Bren’s great work at www. 

akashacenter.com. Rebecca 

Hornstein Doede also started 

new role in September in recovery 

and resolution planning 

at Morgan Stanley in New York. 

Her adorable Henry and Evelyn 

are thriving, and recently she 

enjoyed spending time with 

both Asma Dilawari and Kelley 

Grant MacDonald, including 

a fun shopping expedition in 

Brooklyn. Leslie Pettit Canon 

said to tell everyone hi from 

Denver, where she and Harmon 

are still busy making cookies 

and raising four kids. Hester 

Shipp Mathes is having fun as 

Curate at Holy Communion and 

loves being on the same campus 

as all the Turkeys. She enjoyed 

catching up with Jill Samuels 

who is teaching 5th graders this 

year and recently bumped into 

Wendy Taylor on the Square 

in Oxford, Miss. Hester also 

had fun catching up with Aarti 

Goorha Bowman at a Super 

Women of Business awards 

luncheon, and Mary McDonnell 

Schell at Holy Communion’s 

Book It 5K race. Aarti is still 

living in Midtown and working 

at the bank. She joined the SMS 

Alumnae Board this year and 

loves seeing fellow alums. Her 

nieces are in SK and 2nd grade at 

SMS. Melissa Anderson Kirkby 

recently went back to work parttime 

as a private trust advisor 

for a family in Nashville. Melissa 

enjoyed catching up with Brandi 

Haines Torchia and Jane Laster 

Finneran in Memphis over the 

summer and getting their kids 

together. Life is crazy as usual in 

Alison Roesler Coons’ household. 

When she’s not busy as a 

“band mom” for THE Houston 

High School Band, she’s hard at 

work in her position as Director 

of Engagement with Girl Scouts 

Heart of the South. Every day she 

gets to tell the world how Girl 

Scouts builds girls of courage, 

confidence, and character, who 

make the world a better place – 

just like St. Mary’s does! 

–1993 

Kristen Mistretta Wilson 

kemeliem@aol.com 

Amelia Treadwell Howard 

loves her new job as a Teacher’s 

Assistant in the Pre-K at 

Christ Methodist Day School in 

Memphis, where daughter Anna 

Laura is in 4th grade. Her son 

George is in 7th grade at MUS. 

Kim Lupo shared that she and 

Deb made a big move in June 

and are now living in Portland, 

Ore., where they bought a cute 

townhouse right on the Willamette 

River. Kim leads Global 

Total Rewards for Nike and 

travels across Europe and China 

to meet her new team and learn 

the business. Congratulations 

to Alexia Fulgham Crump and 

husband Kevin, who welcomed 

their daughter Catherine Elaina 

Crump on July 23, 2015. Alexia 

says that while she is exhausted, 

she loves being a mommy. Kathryn 

Brookfield is having fun raising 

three little monkeys, and celebrated 

her 40th birthday with 

her sister, parents, and friends 

in Florida. Kathryn is planning to 

see Katie Moran Lindenschmidt 

over Thanksgiving and can’t wait 

to get home to Memphis. Lee 

Raines Buchmann and her family 

moved to a new home in Denver 

this summer, and are looking 

forward to ski season and hopefully 

a big snow year. Jo Cowles 

Ellis lives in Atlanta with her 

husband John and four children, 

Anna (12), Logan (9), Bethany (7), 

and Alexis (5). She is a Director 

of Product Development 

for First Data. Congratulations 

to Alison Simmons Boyd and 

husband Oliver, who welcomed 

Katherine Avery Boyd on April 

23, 2015, more than five weeks 

early. Big brother Mason makes 

Katherine laugh, but mostly just 

ignores her, especially when 

there is a car or truck in sight. 

Congratulations to Sam Petrie, 

who recently launched her own 

business called Clover (www. 

cloverartisans.com) offering 

artisan-made home decor handselected 

from around the world. 

Best of luck to Sam! Courtney 

Mainardi Burger reports that all 

three of her children are finally 

at the same school, with William 

in kindergarten and twins 

Ellie and Alexis in 3rd grade. 

Beki Rafter is house-hunting in 

Atlanta with her partner Jamie, 

as well as celebrating her dad’s 

retirement and her mom’s 70th 

birthday. Beki continues to run 

Georgia WAND and is involved 

in supporting Black women’s 

leadership in environmental justice. 

Deena Raja Bittles and her 

family moved to St. Petersburg, 

Fla., in August because her husband 

took a job at All Children’s 

Johns Hopkins Medicine as a 

Pediatric Radiologist. Deena is 

still working with her firm that 

is headquartered in Nashville as 

a Senior Fixed Income Portfolio 

Manager. Carrie Evans Hanlon 

moved within Memphis this 

summer to a home that she 

worked to renovate. Her son 

James, 6, plays every sport he 

can and makes her smile each 

day. Carrie continues to love 

her job with Hobson Realtors. 

Kristen Mistretta Wilson and 

her husband Jake were overjoyed 

to welcome their third son 

Matthew in June. Big brothers 

Jacob (6) and Alexander (4) are in 

awe of their baby brother. She’s 

stopped practicing law for now 

and has adjusted to living in 

Baton Rouge, La. 

–1994 

Edith Ritterband Goody 

edithgoody@aol.com 

Mary Evelyn Stevens Fore follows 

her three girls’ schedules 

and helps her husband with 

some “behind the scenes” office 

work. She gets to catch up with 

Laura Foster Gettys when they 

both drop off their kids in JK 

at GSL. My head began to spin 

when I learned of all Joann Self 

Selvidge’s activities. Her film 

“The Keepers” about zookeepers 

at the Memphis Zoo will be 

released in early 2016 and was 

the opening night gala film at 

the Indie Memphis Film Fest, 

where it won the Hometowner 

Feature Award! Joann is consulting 

with the Memphis Convention 

& Visitors Bureau, and says 

her kids are doing well and 

looking forward to a new kitten 

to bring into Daddy’s new studio. 

Sigrid Longsworth Orr moved to 

Cleveland, Tenn. (Chattanooga 

area), at the end of June and 

loves being back in the South. 

She’s working towards her Tennessee 

Art Educator license for 

K-12 and says there’s not much 

WINTER 2015 | 31

Class Notes 

time to study while working as 

an assistant teacher in the local 

high school and participating in 

the formation of the Cleveland 

Arts Center. Sarah Gross Little 

enjoys being an active trader in 

the market and is taking time 

to learn more. I’m thrilled to 

hear Karrie Cummings Hendrikson’s 

announcement of her 

two boys, of whom she hopes 

to have full adoption by February. 

She’s “completely in love, 

and totally overwhelmed” by 

the 5-year-old and 23-monthold 

boys. Speaking of new boys, 

in June, Leigh Wilson Jacobs, 

introduced her second son Finch 

to a struggling older brother. I’m 

sure Finch’s godmother Jessica 

Johnson will shower lots of love 

onto both boys whenever she’s 

around. Leigh shared news for 

Hallie Dinkelspiel Label who 

welcomed her daughter Katie. 

Babies abound as Jamie Morano 

Re is expecting her first child 

around Christmas. She’s keeping 

busy placing staff on international 

medical exchanges, 

reforming the VA, and combating 

the infectious disease epidemic 

in Fla. Queen bee Evie has dictated 

Halloween costumes for 

mama bee Sarah Lacy and crazy 

fuzzy brother bee Eli. Sarah’s 

company PANDO has been doing 

well, but she worked herself to 

exhaustion, ending up in the 

hospital! Thank goodness, she’s 

feeling better. Her niece Ramie 

Bell ’13 has taken some time off 

from college to help out with her 

kids. Sarah Cole-Turner Vincent 

said her daughter would’ve been 

envious of our 4th b-day party. 

She has bought and refurbished 

a house. Let the visitors arrive! 

She enjoys her job, which 

allows her to combine her tech 

expertise with speech pathology 

to change children’s lives. 

Expect the next note to come 

from Kathryn Leigh DeRossitt 

who has excitedly accepted the 

opportunity to be class secretary. 

It’s been a wonderful experience 

and I look forward to hearing 

from and about y’all soon! 

–1995 

Carrie Sue Casey Hanback 

carrie.sue.casey@gmail.com 

Lee Davidson Holt’s little girl 

Dorothy is named for husband 

Kevin’s sharp-as-a-tack, 99-yearold 

grandmother, and is what 

her aunt Shannon Davidson 

Pflasterer ’94 calls a “trick baby” 

because she eats well, sleeps 

well, and plays well – she’s 

setting Lee and Kevin up for a 

major trick at some point. Carrie 

Sue Casey Hanback’s kids are 

at fun ages (Belle, 4, Hank, 2) 

and both of them enjoy wearing 

heels around the house 

and are Nats baseball fans. 

She moved into a new office 

at the Department of Defense 

that focuses on innovation and 

leadership development. Carrie 

caught up with Tricia Graue, 

who gave her a book of artistic 

chicken photos that they 

agreed Allison Roberts would 

love. Kathryn Wiseman just 

became Director of Global Public 

Policy at Walmart, and recently 

visited China and embraced 

the “ridiculous American tourist” 

role. Leigh Walker lives in 

Franklin, Tenn., and started 

working as a Project Coordinator 

for Community Health Systems. 

In Birmingham, Hallie Bourland 

Wagner’s second child William 

is a delight, while big brother 

Walter may perhaps be entering 

“three-nager” territory. Elizabeth 

Richardson Fitzgerald is still 

teaching gifted 9th grade English 

in Memphis, keeping up with 

Erin (sixth grade), and photographing 

weddings. Ebony Welch 

is the new Development Services 

Coordinator of Jackson Academy 

in Jackson, Miss. Megan Waters 

Albonetti is going strong with 

her freelance editing and being 

a mama. Ann Wood Ray is 

getting recertified in nursing 

and is also considering a career 

change in the future. And Sarah 

Trosper Olivo and her husband 

may move to the suburbs after 

living in the Big Apple for over 

15 years. Liz Jenkins moved 

from L.A. to San Francisco and 

is plotting out her next professional 

steps. She is excited 

about Dhevi Kumar Broecker’s 

impending bambino. Liz had 

recently visited Dhevi, and 

reports how she, husband Arndt, 

and little Ranga are enjoying 

Seattle. Simone Kiersky Coyle 

reports that time is starting to 

fly, with Evan (6) in first grade 

and Elise (4) in junior kindergarten. 

Elizabeth Cochran Hill’s 

little Suzie Marie (3) is obsessed 

with gymnastics and has started 

ballet and tap. Brother Wally (1) 

started preschool, and Elizabeth 

is subbing for preschool teachers. 

Katherine Crone Wilson 

was promoted to Associate 

Director of Marketing Operations 

at Troutman Sanders LLP, the 

firm where she’s worked for the 

past eight years. Fellow Atlantan 

Katherine Arnold Gatza took her 

two girls – Elizabeth (7) and Anna 

(5) – on their first Disney World 

trip. Sarah Carlson Landers is 

still in Lawrence, Kan. Son Chris 

is a junior in high school and 

considering colleges and life 

goals. Sonia Torrey realized the 

Peach State is where she wants 

to be begin school in Atlanta in 

2016 for a Master’s in counseling. 

Sonia was also accepted into 

the Boston Marathon for 2016, 

after a summer of running and 

visiting with Natasha Heflin 

Davis and Ragini Gupta, among 

others. Sonia also spent a night 

in Rector, Ark., with Elizabeth 

Richardson Fitzgerald and her 

daughter Erin. Morgan Chiapella 

Roselle is in her last year as her 

kids’ Cubmaster and on the hunt 

for a job to fit her new Master’s 

degree. Natasha Heflin Davis’ 

daughter Amelia started kindergarten 

and little sister Tessa was 

thrilled to start pre-school. Lisa 

Mulrooney Coombs describes 

married life as one of bliss. How 

cool that Elizabeth Richardson 

Fitzgerald took the photos at 

her pretty wedding. Jada Love 

Thompson got married in 2014 

and had a ridiculously cute 

baby this year, Brett. She is in 

Jackson, Miss., and gearing up 

to finish her Psychiatric Nurse 

Practitioner studies. Murff Oates 

Galbreath has learned how to 

simultaneously be the mother 

of three children and take a 

shower. 

–1996 

Jaime Newsom 

jaime.newsom@gmail.com 

Lauren Brooks Poindexter is 

excited to be finishing her MSN 

degree and is looking forward 

to becoming a family nurse 

practitioner. Her daughter Emily 

is in 2nd grade at SMS and is 

on the soccer team with Emily 

Farrow Robbins’s daughter Lilly. 

Courtney Shove moved back 

to Memphis in August and is 

happy to be the new director of 

communications at Memphis 

Opportunity Scholarship Trust 

(MOST). Julia Chesney McDonald 

still enjoys being president of 

the St. Mary’s Alumnae Board 

and has recently joined the 

board of Ballet Memphis. Brooke 

Meggan Wurzburg Kiel ’98 in South 

Africa with husband Daniel (who 

is working on a research project), 

Sadie ’24, and Ben. 

32 |

Douglas Looney welcomed baby 

girl in June. Brooke writes that 

Wynnie is so sweet and her 

twin sisters love her! Georgina 

Okerson has moved to Crawley, 

England, and has released another 

game, Black Closet, set in 

an all-girls religious school. As 

she says, “don’t worry, it’s mostly 

not true.” Maesie Speer is leaving 

Portland and moving to the 

Cascade Mountains of central 

Oregon to manage an arts center 

called Caldera. She will be living 

on-site with Jesse and their cats. 

She knows that it is a big move 

but says that she and Jesse have 

dreamed about living in a rural 

area for quite a while. Bernice 

Chen also has a new addition – 

a baby girl. She is enjoying her 

time staying at home but will 

return to work soon. Sharlene 

Sidhu Keithley is finally a Girl 

Scout! She has taken on leading 

daughter Saira’s Daisy Troop, in 

addition to being son Rajan’s 

Cub Scout Bear Den leader. 

She is still working remotely 

for the family business, Desoto 

Children’s Clinic, and she’s active 

on the board of a local nonprofit, 

the Colorado Children’s 

Campaign. 

–1997 

Hollye Ferguson Stigler 

hollye.stigler@gmail.com 

Let’s start with news from 

our classmates on the West 

Coast: Congratulations to Hala 

Khuri on her engagement this 

summer — Hala is planning 

her upcoming wedding and still 

loves teaching in the Bay Area. 

Also in San Francisco, Rebekah 

Hanover Kurzweil’s son Leo 

is 4 and Quincy is almost 

one. Elaine Guerra Cotter and 

her family have been living 

in Los Angeles for just over a 

year and are really enjoying it. 

Her daughter Zoë is 8 months 

and is working to keep up 

with big sister Sophie. Their 

hotel business has expanded 

to North Lake Tahoe, Boulder, 

and Calistoga. Rose Indriolo 

Englert and her family live in 

Portland. Her daughter Ramona 

is 15 months and walking, climbing, 

running, talking, and giggling. 

Rose has been promoted 

to a director level position at 

CareOregon. Congrats Rose! On 

the East Coast, Ashley Wilson is 

having fun with now 6-monthold 

Hudson. They enjoyed traveling 

this summer and also visits 

from Celia Watson and Jeanne 

Herzog. Ashley’s architectural 

work has been moving quickly, 

she recently broke ground on a 

state-of-the-art robotic surgical 

center as well as working 

on several new residential 

properties. Autumn Witt 

Boyd started her own law firm in 

February, focusing on copyright, 

trademark, and small business 

advising and working with 

mostly women entrepreneurs. 

Her twins Sam and Tyson are 

almost 4. She and Melissa 

Ohsfeldt and their families met 

for a visit at the Chattanooga 

Aquarium this summer. Melissa 

recently transitioned to work for 

a new company, doing a similar 

role. Her four kids are doing 

well. Orinda, age 1, is walking 

and Charlotte in 4th grade and 

starting to study literature 

Melissa remembers well from 

our SMS days! My family is 

enjoying having a baby again, 

Amelie is six months old and 

a delight. I had a fun surprise 

a few weeks ago and bumped 

into Liz Fraim Evans and her 

beautiful family on the beach 

along 30A in Florida. It was a 

quick visit, but made me excited 

about our 20-year reunion...not 

too far away! 

–1998 

Laurin Maddox 

laurinmaddox@gmail.com 

Lots of job transition news this 

time around. Jennifer Fong is 

enjoying her new position as 

project manager for CBRE and 

spent her birthday in Tahiti. 

She completed a 125-mile trail 

race in Tahoe and is training 

for two half marathons. Nupur 

Sidhu Bal started her own firm 

with another partner this year. 

Allison Martin Nolen writes that 

she recently started a new position 

as a nurse on the pediatric 

hematology/oncology unit. Amy 

Sellers transitioned to a new 

position as the VP of Digital and 

Product Marketing for Carena, a 

healthcare technology company. 

She is also working on a startup 

project called dopl, a mobile restaurant 

that provides accurate 

restaurant recommendations. 

Ann Frizzell Pretzer completed 

teacher training for Suzuki Violin 

Book 1, so all you Memphis 

parents, feel free to contact her 

if you are interested in lessons 

for your kiddos! Ashley Bellet 

started her first semester in 

the Theatre PhD program in 

Madison, Wis. She is also teaching 

on campus and working in 

a pottery shop for fun. Laurin 

Maddux started a new position 

as the Regional Clinical Director 

at Strategic Behavioral Health. 

She is enjoying traveling a lot 

with this new position, especially 

to beautiful Colorado for 

hiking in the Rocky Mountains. 

Anne Claire Bellott Jordan 

writes that Emma is enjoying 

kindergarten this year. She also 

went to visit sister Elizabeth 

Bellott ’15 at NC State. Erin Lyttle 

Do loves being mom to two St. 

Mary’s Turkeys! Monica Wilson 

Barton writes that she is working 

hard at State Farm Corporate 

Headquarters in Illinois. The 

Barton family has had a busy 

year, moving to a new home and 

welcoming Wyatt, who turned 

one recently. Lauren Webb 

Mitchell and husband Luke are 

enjoying being parents to Henry 

who is walking and teething 

and keeping them on their toes. 

Allyn Jaqua Lowell keeps us 

all in stitches through her blog 

posts and Facebook posts. She 

writes that Erin Wade has “given 

me the greatest gift possible by 

becoming a pediatrician who 

returns my frantic phone calls 

at 11pm and doesn’t charge me.” 

Allyn and husband Zach chase 

their adorable twins Hunter 

and Grier when not frantically 

texting Erin. Erin Wade started 

her Pediatric Residency at the 

University of Louisville. Meggan 

Wurzburg Kiel writes her news 

from South Africa, where husband 

Daniel is working on an education 

research project. Meggan 

and Daniel are homeschooling 

Sadie and Ben through this 

adventure. Meg Kinnard writes 

that she and Adair love their 

new house, especially swimming 

in the pool all summer long. She 

has also been traveling on behalf 

of her family, doing work to keep 

her grandfatherr’s legacy alive at 

UT Martin. Patience Chambliss 

Wiggins and husband Chris are 

expecting a third boy soon. 

–1999 

Kelly Buckner Dallas 

kellybdallas@gmail.com 

Congratulations are in order for 

Marynelle Wilson McNamara 

who married a fellow attorney, 

Doug McNamara, in Washington 

D.C., on June 21, then honeymooned 

in France. We also 

have a few new babies! Rachel 

Bearman Plevak welcomed 

Oliver back in January, and Lily 

Shu welcomed Audrey in May. 

Rachel writes that she’s still 

living in Atlanta and working 

as a prosecutor. Lily has been 

living in Beijing and working 

for McDonald’s for six years. 

Libby Lawson Foster is also 

still living abroad in Oaxaca, 

Mexico, before wrapping up 

her year of learning Spanish. 

Angela Lam is also on the move 

having just relocated from San 

Francisco to Chicago. It’s been 

a good move, but she’s nervous 

about the snow! On the other 

hand, Elizabeth Hatzenbuehler 

Hibler loves the snow living in 

Denver and can’t wait until ski 

season. She’s still working as a 

WINTER 2015 | 33

Class Notes 

Thirteen St. Mary’s girls attended the wedding of Susan Buckner Rose ’01: (from left) Daphne Trainer Bahl ’01, Hayley Bower Gerber ’01, 

Caroline Gardner ’01, Kate McCalla ’01, Kemper Kelso Brennan ’01, Susan Buckner Rose ’01, Kelly Buckner Dallas ’99, Jenny Maddux Stenberg ’01, 

Emily Harris Halpern ’01, Erin Bower ’99, Courtney Taylor Humphreys ’01, Collin Wilson Buckner ’05, Mia Wilson ’19. 

Registered Dietitian providing 

nutrition counseling to highrisk 

families. Hilary Dinkelspiel 

moved to New York last year and 

has recently purchased a new 

home. She also passed the New 

York bar exam and completed 

the Ironman Copenhagen. Way to 

go, Hillary! Laura Freeman Rouse 

is in Nashville and undergoing a 

house renovation, which should 

be complete by Thanksgiving. 

She was recently in town visiting 

Jenny Jones Savage and got 

to see Rebecca Fones Rhea and 

Anne-Morgan Brookfield Morgan 

and their precious girls. Lillian 

Askew Everdell also made a trip 

to Memphis with her daughter, 

Charlotte. Anne-Morgan, 

Jenny, Rebecca, and I along with 

Caroline Palazola Conrad and 

Palmer Adams Burt were all 

able to get to visit with Lillian. 

It was such fun! Anne-Morgan 

is still at Eli Lilly and busy with 

her two girls. Anne Elise is loving 

SMS and is excited to be a flower 

girl in her godfather’s wedding. 

Melissa Reedy Buchanan is still 

in Atlanta working as a Realtor 

while also chasing around her 

two boys, Brooks and Reed. 

Ashley Gaillard Clark writes that 

she’s enjoying her role at Silicon 

Valley Social Venture Fund and 

just celebrated Oliver’s 2nd birthday. 

She loves getting together 

regularly with Sidney Hawkins 

Gargiulo and Brittany Blockman 

Pelletier. Meg Parker is counting 

down to her November wedding 

in New Orleans. Courtenay 

Adams, along with Rebecca, will 

be there celebrating with Meg. 

Allison Davies Ford recently 

had a getaway to Captiva Island 

after moving into a new house 

in Jacksonville. She writes that 

Shepard is now in kindergarten 

and Hill is too cute for words. 

Erica Smith has exciting news of 

her engagement! She is planning 

a wedding next fall and will have 

Libby, Courtenay, and Allison 

in the wedding party. Annie 

McLaren Neufeld is expecting 

her first child in November! 

Annie will be returning to work 

as Pastor of College and Young 

Adults in her same church in 

Pasadena. Coincidentally, I am 

expecting our third child and 

have the same due date as Annie 

We’re having a boy this time and 

are thrilled. 

–2000 

Whitney Baer 

whitney.baer@gmail.com 

We begin with a “thank you” to 

Katie Garrett Harris for 15 (wow!) 

years of secretary duty. Katie 

lived in Oxford, England, this 

summer, enjoying the history 

and gorgeous parks. Louise (8) 

started 2nd grade at SMS and will 

sing in the Christmas Pageant 

this year! Also across the pond, 

Ellis Dixon is teaching English to 

adults in Lisbon while continuing 

freelance fashion design. 

Stateside, Jessica Swanson Fila 

quit her job as a pastry chef and 

started working as a substitute 

teacher in Milford, Conn., while 

she works towards her Masters 

and Certification in Elementary 

Education. Kate Wichlinski is 

working for a photographer 

in NYC and is training for the 

marathon next year. She got to 

hear Patti Smith read Ginsberg’s 

Howl to commemorate the 60th 

anniversary of his first reading. 

Lauren Weinrich Bernstein 

and Justin just bought a place in 

Maryland. Lauren is working for 

EverFi, a technology company 

that teaches students critical 

thinking skills in topics like 

financial literacy. Tami Sawyer 

is a driving force for change 

in Memphis and beyond! She 

founded PowerBox, the black 

business directory/website and 

started a new job as the Director, 

Diversity & Leadership at Teach 

for America Memphis. She was 

the sole female speaker when 

Minister Louis Farrakhan addressed 

over 2100 Memphians at 

the Cannon Center. From a longoverdue 

vacation, Kat Gordon 

reported that Muddy’s is doing 

well and they are getting their 

ducks in a row for the holiday 

season. Lexie Hicks Johnston 

saw Emily White in Chicago 

for a fun weekend together. 

Lots of exciting news about 

mini-2000ers! Courtney Routt 

Worthman wrote in to share that 

34 |

she and Michael are expecting 

a baby boy in February. Amy 

Reinhardt Robinson has a new 

baby, James Dardis Robinson, 

who arrived on July 9th. Mimi 

started at St. Mary’s Place this 

year and absolutely loves it. 

Amy will be the godmother for 

Courtney’s baby. Mary-Kathryn 

Millner Herrington was surprised 

by the early arrival of 

Logan Hart Herrington, who has 

stolen the hearts of the family. 

Lessie Calhoun Rainey is still at 

the DA’s office and loving it. Baby 

James is doing great. Lisa Ansley 

Clapper continues at Morgan 

Stanley and loves it despite this 

crazy market. Robby graduated 

from law school, and Lily is 

continuing to amaze every day. 

Sarah Montgomery Prudhon is 

working to finish up the didactic 

portion of grad school and starts 

clinical in January. Etta Louise 

is 18 months old and words just 

cannot describe how amazingly 

fulfilling she makes life every 

day. Megha Karkera Kanjia is 

settling into Houston, and loving 

life with little Kish. Carrie 

Lawson Wills really likes working 

in the cardiac ICU. Carrie 

says Lela is a super fun kid and 

they have nightly dance parties. 

Charley and Whitney Baer got 

engaged in June in San Sebastian 

(thanks for recommendations 

Liz Palomo!) and then decided 

to relocate to Montana! She is 

still working for UM’s Institute 

for Intelligent Systems. She will 

finish the grants/cross-country 

commute for the foreseeable 

future. 

–2001 

Lauren Anderson Stone 

laurenandersonstone@gmail.com 

Well ladies, here we are fifteen 

years later…wow! Kristen 

Beasley McGlasson is now the 

Literacy Coach for K-2 at Promise 

Academy. Kristen and Michael 

welcomed Nicholas Edward 

McGlasson into this world on 

August 27th, 2013, and this 

past June, Christopher Watts 

McGlasson was born. Caroline 

Gardner left the world of beer 

at MillerCoors and moved back 

to banking at BMO Harris in 

Chicago. Caroline enjoyed seeing 

a number of classmates at Susan 

Buckner Rose’s wedding this 

summer. Susan married Cullen 

Rose on August 1 at Calvary 

Church, with a reception at 

Annesdale Mansion in Memphis. 

Courtney Taylor Humphreys 

also enjoyed catching up at 

Susan’s wedding. Courtney and 

her family moved to Midtown 

and are really enjoying it, especially 

now that Baby Humphreys 

#3, Ann Emerson, is here. Anna 

Snyder Rojas and Philip are also 

anticipating an arrival in April, 

and Jane is excited to be a big 

sister. Nishta Mehra and Jill were 

thrilled to finally get married 

in July after 13 years! Her mom 

and Shiv were witnesses to the 

intimate ceremony. She reports 

that they still can’t believe it’s 

real and that they can file taxes 

jointly and all kinds of other romantic 

stuff. They honeymooned 

in Santa Fe earlier this fall. 

Elizabeth Laws also got married 

to Byron Fuller in October. 

Royce Miller lost her mom, Faye, 

this summer, which has been 

incredibly tough because they 

were so close. Morgan Raines is 

now at the London office of the 

American law firm, Greenberg 

Traurig Maher LLP, in their commercial 

property department. 

Louise Chandler Biedenharn 

took some time off after Dorothy 

was born, but is currently with 

Glankler Brown as a contract 

attorney. Louise and I have 

both run into Sarah Matthews 

Pietrangelo and her little Louise 

at the zoo. Louise P. introduced 

my Anderson to the farm train, 

and it’s now a must-see attraction. 

Luisa Peredo Ewing 

and family are still in London, 

though they moved from a flat 

to a house this summer. She 

had a baby girl, Adriana Sophia 

Camelia Ewing, in July! Ashley 

Ayres Bryant, Josh, and Mac 

welcomed baby Cole in June. 

Ashley says that Mac has totally 

fallen into his new role as big 

brother. Now if Cole would just 

sleep…I feel her pain on that 

one. Clifton, Anderson, and I 

welcomed Waring in August. He 

is a really sweet, smiley baby, 

and we just adore him. I can’t 

wait to see many of you in April 

at our 15th reunion! Seems like 

only yesterday we were reenacting 

Les Miz scenes in the parking 

lot on Black Friday. 

–2002 

Polly Klyce Pennoyer 

polly.klyce.pennoyer@gmail.com 

The Class of 2002 continues to 

thrive and expand! Several of our 

classmates had a fun and actionpacked 

weekend in Nashville to- 

At a baby shower for Mary Austin Mays Smith ’03, who later had a boy, were Ginny Taylor ’03, 

Margaret Ann Klinke Mays ’03, Mary Austin, Sarah Machin ’03, Elliot Machin ’06, Lizzie Gill ’03, 

and Bethany Mays Owen ’93. 

Suzie Loveless ’03 (left) and Katie Friend ’02 

at London Bridge. 

WINTER 2015 | 35

Class Notes 

Lauren Lazar ’04 celebrated her 30th birthday with classmates (back row, from left) 

Shea O’Rourke Quraishi, Sarah Carter, Sasha Castroverde, Brittany Johnson 

Hernandez, Marion Phillips, Supriya Sarkar. Front row, from left: Camille Wingo, 

Shelby Deeney, Elizabeth Stevenson, Lauren Lazar, Lauren Arnold, 

Taylor Fisher, Elise Addington Dugger 

Classmates from 2004 celebrate together: From left, Kristin 

Barry Gibson (with Gracie), Blair Carter Tait, Laine Peeler, 

Lucy Harris Collins, and Martha Ferguson Burke. 

gether, including Nicole Osborne 

Steck, Lisa Mabry, Elsa Monge 

DeGroot, Ann Burruss, Rebecca 

Sawyer, and Elizabeth Campbell. 

Nicole continues to enjoy work 

in marketing at Glaxo-Smith 

Kline. Lisa is finishing up her last 

year of a radiology fellowship 

in Birmingham, before moving 

to Atlanta for another radiology 

fellowship at Emory, specializing 

in mammography (overachiever); 

in between all of her radiology 

work, she is excited to be wedding 

planning. Elsa now oversees 

marketing for Central and South 

America for Chili’s international 

restaurants from Dallas. Ann is 

still in Memphis, where she has 

begun work as a multi-sensory 

tutor for children with dyslexia 

and other specific language 

disabilities; she even works for 

SMS sometimes. Ann is also 

knee-deep in wedding plans 

as well. Elizabeth is finishing a 

fellowship in endocrinology and 

starting her job search; while 

she was home in Memphis, 

she ran into former classmate 

Christina Leatherman! Small 

world. Lindsey Coates is still in 

Orlando, where she has joined 

the staff of Summit Church, and 

as part of her work she leads 

regular church services at the 

Orange County Jail. Catherine 

Ferguson Conger and her family 

are still in S.C., where they have 

just moved into a new house 

they built. Meanwhile, Wendi 

Muse continues to circle the 

globe, with stops off in São Paulo 

and Rio for research, New York 

for teaching and PhD work; she 

is working as a TA for a course 

on the African Diaspora at NYU. 

Naree Chan and husband Alby 

left Boston for Taipei, Taiwan, 

where he is working. Naree does 

legal work is starting a small 

jewelry business on the side. 

Our New Orleans contingent 

continues to thrive as well: 

Rachel Andersen is fostering 

baby squirrels (of course) and 

making sculptures on the side, 

all while working with special 

education students at a charter 

school. Laura Hettinger continues 

to work as a paralegal 

and to nurture her creative 

side with freelance calligraphy 

and painting projects. Kelsey 

Freebing went to NOLA to visit 

Laura and George. When she’s 

at her normal post, Kelsey 

works for Ernst & Young in 

D.C. Katie Friend reports that 

she took an amazing European 

vacation with her cousin, Suzie 

Loveless ’03; stateside, she 

continues to work for Teach for 

America in the Delta. Also local 

is Leslie Guinn Jerkins, whose 

third kiddo George was born 

in May. Her older two, Juliette 

and Molly, have both started at 

SMS this year, and Leslie is now 

back at work at her ad agency 

post. Newly local is Whitney 

Long Neal, who moved back 

to Memphis over the summer. 

Emily May Lequerica continues 

to enjoy married life and 

teaching at PDS. Hillary Burkett 

is happily settled in Knoxville, 

working as a senior healthcare 

consultant and enjoying spending 

time with her two (adorable!) 

dogs. Anna Coplon Suen 

and husband Garrett welcomed 

an adorable baby boy named 

Brandon in July. They are still in 

Madison, Wis. Anna, maybe y’all 

should move home too! Farther 

west, Melissa Lawson Romero 

and husband Carlos share their 

Colorado home with two dogs, 

four chickens and an adorable 

(bilingual!) two-year-old daughter 

Etta. Melissa is finishing up a 

clerkship at the Colorado Court 

of Appeals, and next up for her is 

a District Court federal clerkship. 

Farthest west of our correspondents 

was Marley Baer, who 

finished up an MBA program 

at Vanderbilt in the spring and 

moved out to Los Angeles, where 

she is now having a “magical” 

experience working for Disney, 

as well as wedding planning. 

I’m continuing to work as a 

financial regulatory lawyer for 

Davis Polk in NYC, and Robbie 

and I continue to live in New 

Haven, Conn., where he is in his 

last year of divinity school. Our 

daughter Victoria continues to 

thrive, daycare illness notwithstanding. 

Keep the news flowing, 

my dears! It’s always a joy to 

hear from so many of you. 

–2003 

Laurence Goodwin 

slaurencegoodwin@gmail.com 

Suzie Loveless is still working 

as Manager of Alumni Affairs for 

Teach For America and trying to 

travel as much as possible; she 

recently spent 15 days exploring 

Ireland, Wales, and England with 

her cousin, Katie Friend (’02). 

Musette Morgan is living in New 

York and working on lots of large 

landscape and portrait commissions 

at the moment. She’s 

been in Memphis a lot lately 

supporting her brother Worth’s 

campaign for a seat on the City 

Council. Louise Schumacher 

Timmons is busy working with 

designers and architects at 

Jerry Pair in Atlanta and looking 

after her little girl, Anne 

Parkes. Jessica Pfeffer is teaching 

“Introduction to Queer Studies” 

at Tufts this fall as well as 

“Women, History, and Culture” at 

Suffolk University; she continues 

to work on her PhD. Lizzie Gill 

is working away at her business, 

No Limits Tutoring. Sarah 

36 |

Braden just moved to St. Louis, 

and is working on her Masters 

of Arts in Theological Studies 

from Covenant Seminary. Julia 

McMillen is graduating from 

residency in family medicine 

at the UW in June, and will be 

doing primary care for people 

of all ages, prenatal care, and 

delivering babies at a clinic. 

Anna Schwartz Shabtay and her 

family are moving to Houston 

in December. Sarah Machin 

has coined my favorite phrase 

ever this round of classnotes – 

“adulting like champions.” She’s 

currently working as a geologist 

for an oil company in town 

called Continental Resources. 

Nicole Henderson Trenholme 

moved to Columbia, Mo., for a 

residency in Emergency and 

Critical Care at the University 

of Missouri’s Veterinary School. 

Jessica Scott Fowler and Ben 

spent three weeks in Europe this 

summer; she is still working for 

Boosterthon. Her job is actually 

based out of Atlanta, so she travels 

there once a month, oftentimes 

getting to stay with Kelly 

Sandefer Dennis. Chloe Lackie 

Zingaro is working with patients 

with borderline personality 

disorders and self-harm issues 

at her psychotherapy practice 

in Dallas. Brianna Winsett 

Chapman just bought a second 

flower shop this fall where 

“they still use Rolodexes and no 

computer.” Finally, in other news, 

the little ones have arrived! 

Congratulations to Mary Austin 

Mays Smith and Scott on the 

birth of their little boy Davidson. 

Mary Austin is enjoying her new 

job working with two other pediatric 

dentists at Brink and White 

Pediatric Dental Associates. 

Anna Taylor Halton and Andrew 

welcomed their baby girl in July. 

Anna says baby June makes her 

“laugh every day.” Katie Hobson 

Novikoff and Chris are enjoying 

spending time with their Lizzy in 

St. Louis and still working with 

the urban non-profit Rebirth, 

while Anne Taylor Tipton 

Manning and Reid welcomed 

baby Eleanor in September. 

–2004 

Shea O’Rourke Quraishi 

sheaquraishi@gmail.com 

We have much to celebrate! 

Shona Strachan Singer and husband 

Scott welcomed their first 

daughter Maggie Irene Singer in 

October. Martha Ferguson Burke 

and husband Chris welcomed 

their first daughter Elizabeth 

“Lizzie” Ann Burke in October. 

They look forward to spending 

Christmas in Memphis and hope 

to see some SMSers! Angela 

Wilcox married Tommy Palmer 

in September, with airplane 

tricks to the Top Gun soundtrack. 

Jessica Walker married 

Chris Wiley in October and 

honeymooned in Jamaica. Lucy 

Harris married Joshua Collins in 

October, with Martha Ferguson 

Burke, Lori Goldstein, Blair 

Carter Tait, and Piper Gray as 

bridesmaids. Natalie Hartmann 

is enjoying living in Atlanta and 

working as a physical therapist 

in the inpatient rehab setting at 

DeKalb Medical Center. Sarah 

Carter just passed her exam as 

a Certified Pediatric Nurse and 

continues through her third and 

final year toward a Master of 

Science in Nursing at Vanderbilt. 

Caitlin Carr is enjoying her 

first year as an OBGYN resident 

physician at the Cleveland 

Clinic Foundation. Kristin Barry 

Gibson continues to work as a 

nurse in Charlotte, N.C., in the 

Electrophysiology Lab and enjoys 

being mom to Gracie and to a 

baby boy due in December. She 

looks forward to seeing lots of 

SMSers at the upcoming weddings 

of Laine Peeler. Lauren 

Arnold is spending a year getting 

a Masters of Public Health 

at Columbia’s Mailman School 

of Public Health before finishing 

her last year of medical school 

at Columbia. She’s also excited 

that her sister Mimi Arnold ’06 

recently moved to NYC with 

her fiancé. Connor Trott is a 

board-certified physical therapist 

at Baptist North Mississippi 

Outpatient Physical Therapy. 

Kaitlin Ridder Jaqua is surviving 

her second year of urology 

residency at Indiana University 

in Indianapolis. Rachel Bearman 

is enjoying her many adventures 

as the solo rabbi of Temple B’nai 

Chaim in Connecticut. Sasha 

Castroverde was promoted to 

Assistant Director of Harvard 

University’s capital campaign. 

She enjoyed seeing so many 

SMS friends for Angela Wilcox’s 

wedding in Memphis and Lauren 

Lazar’s thirtieth birthday in 

Dallas. Victoria Luke Morich is 

wrapping up her MBA at Georgia 

Tech and will be graduating in 

May 2016 with concentrations in 

Strategy and Entrepreneurship. 

To procrastinate studying, she 

spends time spoiling her three 

nephews in Atlanta and helping 

her sister, Jennifer Luke ’02, plan 

her wedding. Camille Wingo 

recently moved to Dallas, where 

she lives around the corner 

from Lauren Lazar and Taylor 

Fisher and works in marketing 

at Frito-Lay. Piper Gray still 

works in New York as a senior 

copywriter at Warby Parker. 

Clare Patterson and her husband 

Nathan are moving to Tampa, 

Laine Peeler ’04 shares her wedding 

day with Blair Carter Tait ’04. 

where he will be starting a job as 

a staff pharmacist and she’ll be 

applying to physician’s assistant 

schools. Elizabeth Jemison is 

Assistant Professor of Religion 

at Clemson University teaching 

American religious history. She 

and husband Andrew both enjoy 

spending time with Elizabeth 

Stevenson, who just began her 

seventh year teaching kindergarten. 

She enjoyed summer 

trips to Nantucket and Colorado, 

where she saw Shelby Deeney, 

who still loves living in Denver 

and looks forward to skiing this 

winter. Marion Phillips plans 

to visit for a ski vacation in 

February. Martha Guinn Carter 

and husband Dudley went to 

Yellowstone this fall and had 

a blast; it was the first vacation 

leaving daughter Jane with 

her grandparents. Zoë Kahn is 

studying for her LCSW licensing 

exam and looking forward 

to joining private practice in 

Los Angeles. She plans to take 

more time off to travel following 

the exam and will be 

visiting Lawrence Taylor Elliot, 

Lauren Brooks Foti, and Natalie 

Hartmann in December. George 

and I are in Tampa settling into 

our first house and preparing for 

our first puppy, thus fulfilling all 

of my animal-nut tendencies. 

Love to all! 

–2005 

Sarah Atkinson Ball 

sarah.atkinson.ball@gmail.com 

Lauren Wiygul Riley 

lauren.w.riley@gmail.com 

Heather Nadolny is still in the 

D.C. area serving as Technology 

Associate for two campuses of 

the DC Prep Charter Schools. 

Rainey Ray Segars and husband 

Coleton moved to and from NYC, 

and Rainey has started working 

at SMS as Director of Alumnae. 

She and Coleton joyfully welcomed 

their son Teddy Taylor 

in October; they are looking 

forward to what they hope will 

be a quiet, predictable 2016 as a 

WINTER 2015 | 37

Class Notes 

With Jenny West Fagan ’06 after her Alum Chapel talk are, 

from left, Erin Sandefer ’07, Jenny, and Morgan Beckford ’06. 

After possibly St. Mary’s first underwear Alum Chapel talk, Karen Stein ’09 (center), 

an executive at SPANX, posed with classmates (from left) Wallis Tosi, 

Bailey Bethell, Claire Riley, and Jordan Reeve. 

family of three. Falconer Robbins 

graduated from Columbia with 

a Master’s degree in social work 

and recently started work at 

the Issroff Family Foundation 

as the Foundation Coordinator 

in NYC. Her focus is “grant 

making for small grassroots 

organizations in Africa that 

provide service and support for 

youth and children.” Elizabeth 

Tipton Musick graduated from 

law school at the University of 

Montana in May and started a 

job at Oracle at their campus 

in Bozeman, Mont., in August, 

where she is negotiating Public 

Cloud contracts. Barbara 

Phillips Hunsicker was promoted 

to Vocational Advisor 

and Coordinator of Presbyterian 

Ministries at Fuller Seminary, 

and joined the Cathedral Choir 

at First Presbyterian Church of 

Hollywood. Abby Schwimmer 

Fox married Sean in May at 

the Memphis Waterworks, 

sharing the day with Emily 

Templeton Gray, Erica Evans, 

Katie Brookoff, Laura Jennings 

Yacoubian, Megan Bailey, 

Elizabeth Batchelor Calkins, and 

Emily Schwimmer Cohen ’04. 

Abby and Sean live in Atlanta 

and discovered that Nelie 

Zanca ’03 lives in their apartment 

building! Emily Templeton 

Gray will participate in the St. 

Jude Ride fundraiser this fall, 

with Megan Bailey as a teammate. 

Grace Jensen Knight 

and husband Ethan welcomed 

baby Joshua; Grace is working 

in the Admission Office at SMS 

and dropped this knowledge 

on us: our class has the most 

alums working at SMS of all the 

classes! Impressive information 

gathering, Grace—did Alison 

“The Source” West Pettus 

have anything to do with that? 

Lauren Kennedy Dake says 

“recently, I won the battle of 

Mom vs Margaret’s pacifier— 

a welcomed victory.” Lauren 

looks forward to hosting a baby 

shower for Lauren Wiygul Riley 

with Laura Montague Haltom, 

Collin Wilson Buckner, Kate 

Messenger Mendez, and Sarah 

Atkinson Ball. Catie Jane Berger 

is getting married in April and 

is then “probably going to settle 

down and get a cat. You know, 

typical life stuff.” Lizzy Rhea 

Cook and husband Stu have 

moved back to Memphis. Sarah 

Atkinson Ball spends a good 

chunk of her free time trying to 

hang out with the Memphians 

of this group. She relishes the 

opportunity to be in public with 

SMS middle school teacher i.e. 

local celebrity Lauren Wiygul 

Riley and bask in the glow of 

Lauren’s limelight. Sarah and 

Erica Evans frequently lunch on 

Main Street, where every fourth 

passer-by knows Erica and joyously 

exclaims at her presence. 

Sarah has managed to keep her 

self-esteem despite all her celebrity 

friends. 

2006 

Becky Bicks 

beckybicks1@gmail.com 

The class of 2006 is up to exciting 

things across the globe, and 

we can’t wait to reunite soon 

for our 10th reunion! Rachel 

Johnston-White married Iain 

Johnston-White on June 24 in 

Cambridge, UK. The wedding 

was attended by Katie Camille 

Friedman, Mansi Narula, 

Morgan Beckford, Aasiya 

Mirza Glover, and Frances 

Leslie. Rebecca Anderson married 

Alaric Eby on October 10 

at Calvary Episcopal Church 

in Memphis. The wedding 

was attended by Ellen 

Bransford, Grace Wheeler 

Davis, Courtney Foreman 

Guilfoile, Elizabeth Harris, Holly 

Hendrix, Elize Mercer, Minor 

Moore, Elizabeth Anderson ’09, 

and Zuzanna Stepniakowska 

’09. Meredith Robinson loves 

her job at Syndicatebleu creative 

staffing and recruiting agency. 

She still lives in Brooklyn 

with her dog, Arsenic. Aasiya 

Mirza Glover has moved to 

NYC with her husband and 

son and is working at the law 

firm Debevoise & Plimpton. She 

is also expecting a daughter, 

who is due in November. Evie 

Lyras is enjoying the bright and 

sunny weather in LA, where 

she works as a marketing 

director for a startup and visits 

with Morgan Robbins, Kristi 

Ryan, and Chandler Ford. Lulu 

Wilson is an interior designer for 

the Richmond office of MOI Inc., 

a commercial furniture dealership. 

She was also the Maid of 

Honor in her sister Marynelle 

Wilson’s ’99 wedding in 

Washington, DC. Catherine 

Smith Denman is working as 

the librarian and technology 

integrationist at the Memphis 

campus of St. George’s. Minor 

Moore is busy with a class 

of 16 energetic 3rd graders. 

Mamie Kostka is now officially 

a licensed Landscape Architect 

in Tennessee. Her new roommate 

in Nashville is Katherine 

Fockler, who works at the 

Buntin Group as a brand manager. 

Jenna McNair is teaching 

therapeutic riding lessons at 

Trinity Farm in Lakeland. Lauren 

Bowden is currently a first-year 

MBA at University of Virginia 

Darden School of Business. Kim 

Johnson Radant is still living 

in Detroit with her husband 

Matt and loving her new job as 

a middle school counselor for 

38 |

Grosse Pointe Public Schools. 

She said it was great to see so 

many ’06ers at Ellen Page’s wedding 

in July! Katie Camille 

Friedman is still doing PhD 

research in the Netherlands. 

Jenay Gipson Boggs is enjoying 

married life and her fourth 

year teaching kindergarten in 

Binghampton. Lizzie Harris is 

now working in wholesale insurance 

as an Associate Broker at 

Burns & Wilcox Brokerage in 

Dallas, and she is a member 

of their Emerging Leadership 

Program. Elizabeth Braden is 

in her second year of Princeton 

in Africa. She has traveled to 

eight different countries on the 

African continent this year. The 

program sends recent college 

graduates to work in serviceoriented 

position in Africa 

for a year. Past participants 

include Elizabeth Jemison ’04 

and Katie Camille Friedman. This 

year Meg Gould ’11 is a Fellow 

serving in Botswana. Becky 

Bicks spent most of 2015 traveling 

and writing across Scotland 

and Scandinavia. She was lucky 

enough to catch up with Nikki 

Jones on a short trip to London 

in August. 

–2007 

Caitlin Clark 

Caitlin.michaela@gmail.com 

Caitlin Colcolough 

caitlin.colcolough@gmail.com 

Zina Kumok just moved to 

Denver with her husband and 

dog and is a full-time freelance 

writer specializing in personal finance. 

Chelsea Cook is finishing 

her last two years of law school 

at Stanford University. Before 

school started, she packed 

her car with her belongings 

and her dog and they roadtripped 

across the USA. Hallie 

Flanagan is in her first semester 

of law school at University 

of Memphis. She spent the 

weekend with Suzanne Ray 

and Anna Bearman celebrating 

Alexandra Mims’ bachelorette 

weekend. Alexandra got married 

in November to Andrew Pike. 

Charlotte Eagle is living in D.C. 

working for an art conservation 

firm cleaning and restoring 

paintings. Caitlin Colcolough 

is still living in Charleston, S.C., 

working full-time for herself 

making films. She does mostly 

weddings and small promo 

videos, and gets to work with 

Cameron Colcolough Reynolds 

a lot too. Erin Fowler and 

Caroline Fentress travelled in 

New Zealand for two weeks in 

September, living out their 8th 

grade Lord of the Rings fantasies. 

Caroline also just started a new 

job in downtown LA as a producer 

at a mobile gaming studio. 

Caitlin Clark is living the busy 

medicine intern life in Kansas 

City, but loving her new home 

and new city. She even ran into 

Victoria Rizk, who was interviewing 

for fellowship positions, 

while working at the hospital. 

2008 

Katelyn Ammons 

katelyn.ammons@gmail.com 

Margaret Liddon 

margaret.liddon@gmail.com 

Edie Miller 

Edie.r.miller@gmail.com 

Elizabeth Holt is enjoying 

Memphis and her new 

job in fundraising at ALSAC/ 

St. Jude Children’s Research 

Hospital. Also in Memphis, 

Margarett Frisby is working 

at First Tennessee Bank in 

Corporate Communications 

as the Employee Engagement 

Manager. Cristen Garrett is in 

her 3rd year at Emory Medical 

School. Memory Madden moved 

from Atlanta to Austin, Texas, 

and is working for a commercial 

real estate company. 

Rachel McLemore is busy with 

her PhD in History in Oxford. 

Rachael Holley just started 

improv classes and took her 

first trip to Colorado for Jessica 

Farris Zafarris’s wedding with 

MC Holliday, Mary Catherine 

Chase, and Georgina Leslie. 

Congratulations to Caitlin 

Smith who got engaged this May 

and moved to Birmingham. Tina 

Xie got engaged in December 

2014, and is now traveling 

around Southeast Asia, getting 

into architectural design. 

Katherine Xie is thoroughly 

enjoying herself on the wards as 

a third year medical student in 

Cleveland. She loves her time in 

the operating room and wants 

to be an orthopedic surgeon. 

Nicolette Overton completed 

her Masters in Journalism this 

May. Divya Moolchandani is 

looking forward to graduating 

with her Masters in Health 

Administration in December 

and is enjoying living in DC 

and getting to see Nayha 

Patel, Sarah Wortham, 

and Jenny Guyton. Jenny had an 

exciting beginning to fall, getting 

engaged in The Grand Caymans! 

Mary Ward Pollard is busy 

planning a June wedding while 

finishing her clinical psychology 

doctoral dissertation. Hanna 

Gordon Oysel and Franck welcomed 

family from France who 

loved seeing America for the first 

time. Anna Wheeler is so happy 

to have Margaret Liddon in 

Nashville and enjoys working 

at First Presbyterian Church 

and volunteering with Preston 

Taylor Ministries. Along with 

moving to Nashville this summer, 

Margaret also got engaged! 

Ayana Fletcher-Tyson just 

began the Reading Specialist 

Masters Program at Peabody at 

Vanderbilt. Also in Nashville, 

Anisa Allad is enjoying her 

second year teaching middle 

school special education. She 

had an amazing time in NYC 

visiting Morgan Jordan, Saba 

Dilawari, and Lane Feler for 

her fall break. Ariel Mason 

passed the bar this summer 

and is working as an attorney in 

Nashville. Meg Fowler started 

her first year at Vanderbilt Law 

School in August, and is grateful 

to have her Vandy upperclassman 

Elise Heuberger ’10 as a 

constant source of support and 

inspiration as she begins this 

new and challenging journey. 

Edie Miller is now in graduate 

school at UAB in Birmingham 

and working part-time at UAB 

Hospital. Estes Gould recently 

accepted a position as Program 

Coordinator for the Aspen 

Institute’s Ideas Festival. Annie 

Ostrow Anderson is starting her 

fourth year in her PhD program. 

She is serving as a project 

assistant for a top tier journal 

and as the teaching assistant 

mentor. Kathryn Feder Cooper is 

enjoying her third year of 

teaching kindergarten in Boston. 

Her summer was filled with love 

and joy as she celebrated her 

marriage to Alex Cooper. 

–2009 

Bailey Bethell 

bailey.bethell@gmail.com 

Sylvia Brookoff 

sbrookoff@gmail.com 

Reagan Bugg is enjoying clinical 

rotations in her third year 

at Mississippi State College of 

Veterinary Medicine. Alex Tyler 

is working as a Search Marketing 

Specialist at iProspect, a 

global digital marketing agency 

in Fort Worth, Texas. Sasha Joyce 

is living in Memphis while she 

completes her Masters in Urban 

Studies with a concentration 

in Youth Development via a 

blended program with Eastern 

University. Lavanya Mittal is 

in the process of finding a new 

parka for the long, dark winter 

on the horizon. At med school in 

da Bronx, she is on her radiology 

clerkship. Sam Baumstark is 

starting her second year working 

at Cedars-Sinai as a software 

analyst and loves living in Pasadena, 

California. That is all to 

report, as she has unfortunately 

just discovered the black hole 

that is Netflix. Bailey Bethell is 

studying in the Physician Assistant 

Program at UTHSC in Memphis. 

Wallis Tosi recently got a 

WINTER 2015 | 39

Class Notes 

puppy named Quinn after our 

beloved Madame Quinn! Jordan 

Reeve is still living in Nashville 

working for Caterpillar Financial, 

and she recently started a new 

position in the credit department. 

Claire Riley recently 

visited Christine Petrin in D.C. 

and Zuzanna Stepniakowska 

in Seattle before heading to see 

her students in Madrid. Sylvia 

Brookoff had a brief stint as the 

world’s first Senor Frogs mascot. 

Next up is the Carnegie Deli 

pickle and she has the turkey 

costume to thank for this weird 

interest in mascots she’s developed. 

Natalie Jacewicz spends 

her days watching whales while 

pursuing a Masters in science 

communications at UC Santa 

Cruz. She received a fellowship 

from the National Association of 

Science Writers. 

–2010 

Rachel Stuart 

rachel.stuart@ptsem.edu 

Callie McCool is loving her 

second year at Baylor College 

of Medicine in Houston. Also 

currently living in Houston 

is Allison Connell, who has 

enjoyed being able to travel 

around the country for work. Sri 

Pulusani and Mary Stevenson 

are enjoying their time as firstyear 

med students together at 

UT. In NYC, Ann Yacoubian is 

also preparing for the medical 

field with graduate premedical 

studies at Columbia and 

working as a medical scribe 

and translator in an emergency 

room in the Bronx. Liz Damoc 

is working in Dallas on medical 

device sales for Smith & 

Nephew and is now in the OR 

for trauma and extremities. 

She is also preparing for the 

Dallas Marathon in December. 

Ali Fishman is finishing her 

last quarter of portfolio school 

while working at an advertising 

firm and experiencing Chicago 

Cubs baseball in person. Carey 

Segal is still sailing the high 

seas, performing as a dancer and 

aerialist for Royal Caribbean’s 

40 | 

newest ship, the Anthem of the 

Seas. Also travelling the world 

is Rachel Green, who graduated 

from Indiana University this 

May and received a Mitchell 

Scholarship, under which she 

is pursuing an MA in Conflict 

Transformation & Social Justice 

in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her 

dissertation topic is the impact 

of social conflict on women. 

Kathryn Fowler has graduated 

from clown school and is now 

pursuing a career in advanced 

pyrotechnics. She hopes to one 

day marry a very wealthy man 

whose trust fund can support 

her slowly developing collection 

of antique train sets. Elise 

Heuberger is enjoying spending 

her second year at Vanderbilt 

Law with first-year and fellow 

SMS alumna Meg Fowler ’08. 

Elise is currently working in the 

Tennessee Attorney General’s 

office as an extern and looking 

forward to her summer job 

plans. Cara Greenstein is 

becoming famous — her blog 

Caramelized was recently 

recognized in The Commercial 

Appeal’s 2015 Memphis Most 

awards as the Best Blog! At 

Emory, Nica Cabigao is pursuing 

her Masters in Public Health, 

with a concentration in Health 

Management. In her spare time, 

she frequently visits friends 

and family in Chicago and 

Memphis, and she especially 

enjoys spending time with 

her niece, Olive. Hensley Loeb 

moved to Nashville in February, 

where she is working at JLL, 

the second largest real estate 

company in the world. On her 

days off from school, Lauren 

Echlin serves as a substitute 

teacher at Holy Rosary in 

Memphis. Also still in Memphis 

is Allie Pryor, who is scribing 

in the Le Bonheur emergency 

department while working at 

another year of nursing school. 

Alex Fountain is pleased to 

be returning to Memphis from 

her previous work in Colorado. 

She will be working at St. Jude 

Children’s Research Hospital. 

Folake Thomas is celebrating 

Alumnae from the Washington, D.C., area gathered with Head of School 

Albert Throckmorton recently. From left, Erin Fowler ’07, Mary Peeler ’11, 

Sarah Jemison ’11, Emma Farris ’15. Photo credit: Marinell Throckmorton 

another semester of teaching 

8th graders. Lauren Pelts is 

at the University of Memphis, 

pursuing her Masters in Speech 

Language Pathology. In San 

Francisco, Sami Rosenthal is 

working at a clean tech software 

company called Opower. Kayla 

Rosenberg is enjoying producing 

her new YouTube show “Child 

Therapy,” a web comedy series 

in which people discuss their 

problems with a therapist, 

who happens to be 6 years old. 

Allie Baker Shields graduated 

with her Masters in Nursing in 

August and just got certified as 

a Primary Care Pediatric Nurse 

Practitioner. She is also pleased 

to report that she and husband 

Joseph welcomed James Curtis 

Shields II into their family on May 

29th! Rachel Stuart loved being 

back in Rochester this summer 

for her first field education 

placement at Asbury First 

United Methodist Church, and is 

settling into her middler year at 

Princeton Seminary. Sims Munn 

Bowen got married in August 

and moved to Birming-ham. 

She’s working for a non-profit 

that works with inner city kids. 

–2011 

Meg Cornaghie 

mary.cornaghie@bcm.edu 

Meriweather Adams loved 

her internship with Hollywood 

Feed this summer and has 

recently started a hand-lettered 

print and stationery business 

at handletteredwithlove.com. 

Sarah Jemison loves living 

in D.C., where she works in 

charter school administration 

and recently got to see Lauren 

Harrington, Louisa Boyd, and 

Meg Cornaghie. Lauren just 

got engaged to the man of her 

dreams and began the Capital 

Fellows Program in Washington, 

D.C., where she takes seminary 

graduate level classes while 

working at the Federal Reserve 

and learning how to blend 

her faith with her vocation. 

After graduating from UVA, 

Louisa moved to D.C., working 

on a Phase II clinical trial for 

the National Human Genome 

Research Institute. She hopes 

to start medical school in the 

fall and is enjoying this year 

off from school. Meg Gould is 

teaching at a secondary school 

in Gaborone, Botswana, through 

a one-year fellowship called 

Princeton in Africa, spending 

her time doing old and new 

hobbies like (coaching) soccer, 

ultimate frisbee, adventuring, 

and looking up math videos. 

Teresa Hendrix is working in 

Memphis as a Digital Marketing 

& Public Relations Coordinator at 

Speak Creative. She also recently 

adopted a dog named Tracy Rene 

from Real Good Dog Rescue. 

Margaret McClintock has started 

working at an online media 

company called StyleBlueprint 

in Nashville and is loving it.

Allyson Patterson adopted a 

snuggly kitten named Sasha 

(so fierce) and works for an 

architecture firm called Planning 

Design Research in Houston. She 

looks forward to returning to 

Nashville to see her artwork in 

an exhibition this fall, and she 

sees Meg Cornaghie in Houston 

regularly. Meg graduated from 

Rice in May and is deep into her 

first semester of medical school 

at Baylor College of Medicine in 

Houston. After graduating from 

UNC in May, Mary Peeler spent 

the summer traveling around 

Europe with her sisters and 

friends from undergrad. She 

just started her first semester of 

medical school at Johns Hopkins 

in Baltimore. Erika Steuer moved 

to Albany, N.Y. and started a job 

as the Director of Fundraising 

& Public Relations at an allboys 

charter high school. Sam 

Taylor graduated from Ohio 

State University in Mechanical 

Engineering, Summa Cum Laude. 

Sam has accepted a fellowship 

from the University of Texas 

in Austin, and is pursuing a 

PhD in Mechanical Engineering 

with a research emphasis in 

Additive Manufacturing and 

Design. Susan Waggoner is 

back in Memphis working at an 

ad agency and enjoying all the 

new, fun things Memphis has 

to offer. She regularly sees Lucy 

Wade Shapiro, who is also in 

Memphis and is working at the 

Church Health Center. Whitney 

Wortham loves living in NYC 

with Virginia Preston, next 

to a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream 

store. Whitney still wear socks 

with her sandals and loves 

graduate school. Maria Zoccola 

is spending the year studying 

writing for her masters in rainy 

southwest England. 

–2012 

Chandler Roberts 

c.roberts@tcu.edu 

Ellery Ammons 

Ammer-16@rhodes.edu 

Jodie Struminger is currently 

serving as the Director of 

Outstanding Alumna Award Nominations 

It’s time to nominate someone amazing for the 

Outstanding Alumna Award presented at Alumnae Weekend, 

April 22, 2016. The nomination process is new – and simpler! – 

this year: ALL alumnae, no matter what their graduating 

year, are eligible. To make a nomination, 

go to www.stmarysschool.org/alumnaeawards. 

The award honors an alumna’s faithfulness, service, curiosity, 

courage, compassion, leadership, and kindness. 

Outreach for Wash U’s Dance 

Marathon and is looking forward 

to choreographing a piece for 

the student showcase in the 

spring. Alix de Witt is making 

the trek through David Foster 

Wallace’s Infinite Jest to complete 

her English major requirements. 

Carol Elsakr is helping conduct 

clinical trials of PK treatment 

for congenital Giygas syndrome, 

and hoping her work will be 

published in a medical journal. 

Sara Kim had the opportunity 

to continue working with her 

summer internship at the 

International Association of 

National Public Health Institutes. 

She is currently applying to 

public health schools and jobs. 

Lauren Pate is enjoying her 

last year at Notre Dame and is 

currently applying to law school 

for fall of 2016. She is enjoying 

being the 1st floor RA in her 

dorm. Megan Guyton spent her 

summer interning in the External 

Relations Office at British School 

of Brussels. Brooks Wingate 

started University of Tennessee 

College of Pharmacy in Memphis. 

Melissa Byrd is busy continuing 

her work with St. Jude both on 

campus and in her third year 

interning at ALSAC, finishing 

up her Public Relations courses, 

and cheering on her University 

of Memphis Tigers. Lesley 

Stevenson greatly enjoyed the 

honor of getting Jimmy Fallon’s 

coffee this summer and seeing 

all the Broadway musicals she 

could afford. She hopes to see 

some Turkey friends at her Alum 

Chapel Talk on January 5. Liz 

Carter has started her fourth 

year at UTK in Architecture 

and English-Technical 

Communications. She is 

interning as a science editor 

at the College of Veterinary 

Medicine and loves getting to 

advance her editing skills in 

such a different field. Chandler 

Roberts is enjoying her last year 

of Nursing School at TCU and 

loves working on the floor at a 

local hospital. Ellery Ammons 

researched urban branding with 

the Rhodes Institute for Regional 

Studies over the summer and 

is loving every moment of 

Senior year. Ramie Mansberg is 

working on her senior thesis at 

the University of Texas about the 

power of high school athletics in 

helping build resilience. 

–2013 

Anna Utley 

aeu0002@tigermail.auburn.edu 

Anna Stukenborg 

aestuken@go.olemiss.edu 

Sukriti Mohan is working at a 

free clinic and autism residential 

center. Liv Stevens is in Vienna, 

Austria, for the semester 

learning German and eating 

lots of kuchen (cake). Elianna 

Landau is studying in Seville 

and living with a host family. 

Alexa Fila has moved on from 

Newk’s and is now working in 

the computer and electrical 

engineering office on campus 

at UAB. Rachel Chu is living 

in Sewanee’s women’s center, 

which is one of the only studentled 

college women’s centers in 

the country! Emily Rosenthal is 

excited to be doing Semester at 

Sea next semester. Katie Heard 

is going into her final year and 

looking for a job #adult. Nikki 

Cox is collaborating with Dr. 

Federico Vaca on a project that 

will be published in the Journal 

of Traffic Injury Prevention. 

Emma Less is currently majoring 

in strategic communications 

and minoring in film & media 

studies and arts administration 

at TCU. Zoe Van Deveer is 

studying abroad in Prague and 

was elected VP of finance for 

Pi Beta Phi at Richmond. Becky 

Park is studying in Seoul, Korea, 

this semester. Claire Fogarty 

is experiencing the classic 

existential crisis of “what do I 

want to do with my life?” Lida 

Kruchten changed her major 

to management information 

systems and is working as a law 

clerk. Anna Peeler just started 

nursing school and is working 

as an EMT and got to give Alexa 

Fila her flu shot. Grace Bettis is 

starting a chapter at Arkansas 

of Lamba Alpha Episilon, 

a national criminal justice 

society. Mashal Mirza is still 

battling her way through premed 

classes, debating on med 

school or becoming a YouTube 

sensation. Hana Roussey is 

still a nursing major and has 

already given her first shot. 

Francie Saunders is an ecology 

major and evolutionary biology 

major with a new business 

minor and will be studying in 

Tanzania in the spring. Lillian 

Norcross is a marketing major 

with a minor in general business 

at Arkansas. Anna Taylor is a 

microbiology major, working 

nights as a medical scribe and 

will start working in a micro 

lab next semester. Catherine 

Moore has started pharmacy 

school. Sophie Skouteris loves 

having her sister in Fayetteville 

now, and just applied to be an 

assistant for the Razorbacks 

Sports Dietitian. Caela Rhea 

is l majoring in Psychology 

at UTK, hoping to get a PhD 

in either clinical or forensic 

psychology. Ellie Harrison is 

double majoring in psychology 

and sociology at Tulane. Grace 

Akangbe is a pre-med and music 

double major at Rhodes and 

enjoys cheering and is starting 

a music therapy program at 

the Refugee Empowerment 

WINTER 2015 | 41

Class Notes 

Program. Sarah Spiers is the 

Diversity. Natalie Meeks 

is also working in the consulting 

volunteered at Jenny Madden’s 

editor in chief of Emerson’s game 

declared Integrated Marketing 

branch of Tulane’s American 

theatre company, Voices of the 

theory and criticism magazine 

Communications as her major 

Marketing Association and helps 

South, this summer. She is pur- 

and the co-creative director 

at Ole Miss, and Phoebe Fulmer 

promote campus clubs and 

suing theatre at Sarah Lawrence 

of an animated short. Helena 

worked as a counselor at Camp 

organizations. Bailey Archey is a 

College. Sara Brown spent her 

Anderson enjoyed an internship 

Illahee in N.C. this past summer. 

member of a student recruiting 

summer interning with Blue 

at the Irish Repertory Theatre in 

She is currently a member of the 

organization for the Honors 

Moon Bedding. She is a Tri Delta 

New York this summer and has 

community service organization 

College at Mississippi State, 

at Ole Miss and is enjoying cam- 

transferred from the Playwrights 

Sewanee Women Engaging and 

and Abby Huber is currently 

pus youth group RUF. Carleigh 

Horizons Theatre School to the 

Empowering Community. Mary 

serving as the Spirit Coordinator 

Ebbers is studying Neuroscience, 

Experimental Theatre Wing 

Allison Pritchard interned at 

for Alpha Gamma Delta at the 

Physics, and Studio Art, work- 

at Tisch. Kim Taylor switched 

A Step Ahead Foundation this 

University of Memphis. She is 

ing in digital arts. Kianna Davis 

her emphasis at TCU to pre- 

past summer and is a DJ on a 

also the recruitment director on 

is a volunteer at the Children’s 

dental. Hannah Stein just 

local Sewanee radio station, and 

the executive board for Up ‘til 

Healthcare of Atlanta and an 

began working at two different 

Martha Upton has declared a 

Dawn and is now a Non-Profit 

employee at the Clifton School. 

elementary schools and still 

Kinesiology major at Arkansas. 

Development and Administration 

Yue Wu says she’ll try rowing, 

loves working at Kendra Scott. 

She is hoping to be a pediatric 

major with a Spanish minor. 

orchestra, and sailing when she 

Callie Wallace misses Madrid 

physical therapy intern at the 

Rosemary Dunn has transferred 

begins her study at Cambridge. 

and is hitting reality hard as 

American Heart Association. 

to the School of Nursing at the 

Natalie Dean has joined Kappa 

an accounting and integrated 

Elle Prosterman is a leader for 

University of Memphis and has 

Kappa Gamma at Wisconsin, and 

marketing/communications 

Young Life in Greenville, S.C., and 

also pledged Kappa Delta. Ellen 

participated in Humorology, a 

major. Rachel Ostrow is still in 

loves her sorority KD at Furman. 

Clarke is now a Finance and 

musical that benefits its phi- 

mechanical engineering and 

Nicole Sanford was initiated into 

Public Relations double major at 

lanthropy. Kylie McDowell is 

attempting to balance AOPi and 

Phi Eta Sigma at Furman, and 

the University of Alabama and is 

in sustainable urban environ- 

her biomedical research. Lucy 

Sarah Steuer spent the summer 

also a part of Capstone Agency, 

ments at NYU Tandon School 

Newton has officially declared 

directing Peter Pan in Hebrew 

a student-operated public 

of Engineering and works as 

a major in general business 

at a summer camp. She is now 

relations and advertising firm. 

a nanny. Gretchen Vogt is St. 

with a minor in international 

studying theatre, music, and 

Lacey Chaum enjoyed working at 

Mary’s first D1 fencer. This sum- 

relations and will be graduating 

sociology in London during the 

Sullivan Branding this summer 

mer she worked in a research lab 

from UAB in August. Landon 

fall semester. Maddie Rhodes 

as an account services intern 

at St. Jude. This summer Maggie 

Hopkins spent her summer in 

is still enjoying being on the 

and recently joined a for-profit 

McAtee enjoyed standing by her 

London interning for a nonprofit 

golf team at Rhodes and her 

consulting group at U Penn. 

sister Abby McAtee Gatliff’s ’11 

arts group that deals with prison 

art. Devon Simms is majoring 

in economics and finance with a 

minor in philosophy. Anna Utley 

spent her summer in Memphis 

interning for York Binkley 

Interior design and working at 

team has celebrated multiple 

wins this year. Gabrielle Taylor 

is giving stock pitches for a 

paper portfolio with Wellesley 

Investment Portfolio Initiative 

and is busy fundraising and 

event planning as the Chair of 

–2015 

Michelle Chu 

mchu@oberlin.edu 

Emma Farris 

efarris@gwu.edu 

side as she married Cort Gatliff. 

Maggie is a Chi Omega at Auburn 

University and is working with 

Open Hands Overflowing Hearts, 

raising money for childhood 

cancer research. This summer 

Madeleine Lee visited Yue Wu 

Madewell. Anna Stukenborg 

the Kathleen Daly Committee 

We are excited to begin class 

in Scotland. At NYU, Madeleine 

spent her summer in Cape Town, 

for Ethos. Miles Schaeffer 

notes for the Class of 2015! 

loves film school and has joined 

South Africa, where she bungee 

has declared an Evolutionary 

After being asked to recite no 

the club lacrosse team. This 

jumped, sky dived, and cage 

Anthropology major at Duke 

fewer than 50 digits of pi, Ami 

summer Chelsea Chin went to 

dived with sharks! 

and is currently working in 

Agrawal was selected to be 

Nicaragua for a mission trip. At 

–2014 

Miles Schaeffer 

lillian.schaeffer@duke.edu 

Lacey Chaum 

lchaum@sas.upenn.edu 

a research lab studying the 

functional anatomy of primates. 

Hallie Katz is serving as the vice 

president of Challah for Hunger 

at USC in L.A. and is enjoying 

her time on the club lacrosse 

team and in her sorority, ADPi. 

a part of Cornell’s Concrete 

Canoe Team. Camille Brown 

has joined the University of 

Alabama at Birmingham’s mock 

trial team and the Black Student 

Awareness Committee. Kaylan 

Pugh traveled to Brazil for 

St. Louis University, she rushed 

Alpha Delta Pi and volunteers 

with Ronald McDonald house. 

Ivy Leet is participating in boxing 

and recycling at Eckerd, majoring 

in French and Marine Biology. 

Lynley Matthews continues her 

Adair Smith spent the summer 

Gurbani Singh joined the Emory 

basketball during the summer 

swimming career at Columbia 

interning with the stylist Avena 

Entrepreneurship and Venture 

and is now playing at The Ohio 

University where she is involved 

Gallagher in N.Y. and is now 

Management club and is helping 

State University, majoring in 

with St. Jude’s philanthropic or- 

working on New York Fashion 

with HackATL, the largest start- 

Neuroscience. Emma Farris is 

ganization, Up ‘til Dawn. Brooke 

Week shows and photo shoots. 

up hackathon in the southeast. 

majoring in International Affairs 

Saharovici joined Chi Omega 

Adira Polite is a columnist for 

Dena Frisch is an intern with 

at George Washington University, 

at Missouri and was selected to 

Bowdoin Orient and works 

the Jewish Studies department 

where she was selected to 

be on the Journalism Student 

for Bowdoin Resource Center 

at Tulane and is currently 

Student Government Freshman 

Council. Mary Jane McCaghren 

for Gender and Sexuality 

tutoring Hebrew students. She 

Advisory Council. Olivia Bernabe 

is a member of the Sewanee 

42 |

Milestones 

Tennis team and was selected 

to the Carey Fellows Business 

Program. Jane Morrison 

joined Kappa Delta at North 

Carolina, and is involved with 

the Core Team of the Carolina 

Challenge, which plans an 

entrepreneurial competition. 

Tongta Muangsiri 

has started cheerleading at 

Rangsit University in Thailand 

while pursuing a pre-med 

major. Mimi Sharp is studying 

environmental science at 

University of Oregon. Abbie 

Warr is involved with community 

outreach with the Bonner 

Leader program at Sewanee 

and is improving her rowing 

skills on the crew team. 

Ashton Terry is in the honors 

program at the University 

of Memphis, and recently 

traveled to Sparta, Ill., for 

trap nationals. At Savannah 

College of Art and Design, 

Samantha Wischmeyer is 

in Expressions Dance Club, 

Design Club, and SCAD Radio. 

Mary Thompson is a first-year 

host at University of Puget 

Sound, and volunteers at a 

community outreach program 

called Pathways. Liza Alrutz 

is working on costumes for a 

Tennessee Williams show at 

Northwestern, pursing a major 

in theater. Katherine Harwell 

is on Student Government 

Diversity Affairs Committee 

at UTK and is considering 

a major in Global Studies. 

Olivia Grace Tennyson spent 

summer hiking in Montana 

and is now enjoying her 

English classes at University 

of Richmond. Meredith Wells 

is considering pre-med at 

UChicago. Liza Curran is 

a Chi Omega at Ole Miss 

and volunteers at Lafayette 

Humane Society. Emily Shores 

is a Delta Zeta at Clemson 

and is in the pre-med group 

Alpha Epsilon Delta. Nessa 

Steinberg is in the engineering 

program at University of 

Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 

meeting recruiters from Rolls 

Royce, Caterpillar, and Yahoo. 

Kiraney Loving is writing articles 

for Bowdoin news about 

events on campus. Mary Allen 

is involved with the Centre 

women’s lacrosse team, 

intramural tables tennis, 

and Diversity Student Union. 

Michelle Chu is a Dining 

Loose Ends Coordinator with 

Oberlin’s Student Cooperative 

Association, allowing students 

to cook their own food with 

local produce and writes for 

the Oberlin Review. Mary 

Caroline Newman is loving 

soccer at Birmingham 

Southern College. Pooja 

Moolchandani is at USC 

and is involved with the Los 

Angeles Community Impact 

organization that helps local 

businesses. Courtney 

Caradonna is at Tulane and 

loves TUSTEP, Tulane’s first 

service dog training program. 

Madeleine Bradley is a Tri 

Delta and nursing major at 

Ole Miss. Ayanna Martin is 

part of the Ron Brown Scholar 

program at Vanderbilt, and is 

affiliated with the National 

Black Lawyers Student 

Association. Carmen Saab 

is on the Williams tennis 

team and Freshman Student 

Council. Hannah Pfrommer 

is an Alpha Phi at University 

of Colorado Boulder, studying 

Integrative Physiology. 

McKendree Walker is on 

the photography team of 

the Bridge, Rhodes’s student 

newspaper given to 

homeless vendors for profit. 

Meredith Isom is enjoying 

Howard, participating in the 

Tennessee club, HU College 

Democrats, and is volunteering 

for Howard Fashion Week. 

This summer Olivia Landau 

interned at the Downtown 

Memphis Commission 

and went on a month-long 

backpacking trip in the Four 

Corners. At USC, she is a 

Gamma Phi Beta and is enjoying 

her classes. 

Births/Adoptions 

Allen Chip Tonkin- 

Nemeth, son of 

Allison Tonkin ’87. 

James Curtis Shields II, 

son of Allie Baker 

Shields ’10. 

Katherine Avery Boyd to Alison 

Simmons Boyd ’93, April 23, 2015 

Cole McCormick Bryant to Ashley 

Ayres Bryant ’01, June 22, 2015 

Caroline Lawrence Bunker to 

Catherine Vaughn Bunker ’09, 

October 20, 015 

Elizabeth Ann “Lizzie” Burke to 

Martha Ferguson Burke ’04, 


Bethany Hannah Wen to Bernice 

Chen ’96, June 22, 2015 

Linden Frances Chiles and Jack 

William Chiles to Lisa Bratton 

Chiles ’93, Nov. 16, 2015 

John Miller Dallas to Kelly 

Buckner Dallas ’99, Nov. 13, 2015 

Catherine Elaina Crump to Alexia 

Fulgham Crump ’93, July 23, 2015 

Henry Joseph Eick to Allie 

Stephens Eick ’07, October 8, 2015 

Adriana Sophia Camelia Ewing 

to Luisa Peredo Ewing ’01, July 

28, 2015 

June Taylor Halton, Anna Taylor 

Halton ’03, July 11th, 2015 

Logan Hart Herrington to Mary- 

Kathryn Millner Herrington ’00, 

August 5, 2015 

Ann Emerson Humphreys to 


on October 29, 2015 

Dorothy Holt to Lee Davidson 

Holt ’95, April 29, 2015 

Finch Dupuy Jacobs to Leigh 

Wilson Jacobs ’94, June 26, 2015 

Joshua Graham Knight to Grace 

Jensen Knight ’05, June 12, 2015 

Davidson Scott Smith, 

son of Mary Austin Mays 

Smith ’01. 

Catherine Elizabeth Label to 

Hallie Dinkelspiel Label ’94, 

July 14, 2015 

Gwyneth Brooks Looney to 

Brooke Douglas Looney ’96, 

June 2, 2015 

Eleanor Fishburn Manning, Anne 

Taylor Tipton Manning ’03, 

September 23rd, 2015 

Christopher Watts McGlasson to 

Kristen Beasley McGlasson ’01, 

June 14, 2015 

Elizabeth Roberts Novikoff to 

Katie Hobson Novikoff ’03, 

August 5th, 2015 

Oliver Frank Plevak to Rachel 

Bearman Plevak ’99, January 14, 

2015 

James Dardis Robinson to Amy 

Reinhardt Robinson ’00, 

July 9, 2015 

Teddy Taylor Segars to Rainey Ray 

Segars ’05, October 22, 2015 

James Curtis Shields II to Allie 

Baker Shields ’10, May 29, 2015 

Audrey Huang to Lily Shu ’99, 

May 2, 2015 

Maggie Irene Singer to Shona 

Strachan Singer ’04, October 11, 

2015 

Davidson Scott Smith to Mary 

Austin Mays Smith ’03, 

September 25, 2015 

Waring Hargrove Stone to Lauren 

Anderson Stone ’01, 

August 6, 2015 

Continued — 

WINTER 2015 | 43

Milestones 

Brandon Aaron Coplon Suen to 

Anna Coplon Suen ’02, 

July 9, 2015 

Brett Matthew Thompson to Jada 

Love Thompson ’95, 

April 27, 2015 

Allen Chip Tonkin-Nemeth to 

Allison Tonkin ’87, 

August 14, 2015 

Marriages 

Matthew Richard Thomas Wilson 

to Kristen Mistretta Wilson ’93, 

June 9, 2015 

Peter Carnesale Wiseman to Betsy 

Carnesale Wiseman ’88, 

July 13, 2015 

William Morris Riley to Lauren 

Wiygul Riley ’05, 

December 11, 2015 

In Memoriam 

Janie Paine ’44 

• 

Joy Powell Smith ’47 

Abby Schwimmer Fox ’05 was married in May in Memphis. Celebrating with 

her were Elizabeth Batchelor Calkins ’05, Emily Schwimmer Cohen ’04, Erica 

Evans ’05, Megan Bailey ’05, Abby, Katie Brookoff ’05, Emily Templeton Gray 

’05, and Laura Jennings Yacoubian ’05. 

Rebecca Anderson ’06 to Alaric 

Eby, October 10, 2015 

Susan Buckner ’01 to Cullen 

James Rose, August 1, 2015 

Mary Kavanagh Day ’82 to Dan 

Daniel, January 9, 2015 

Ashley Edge ’08 to Scott Adams, 

July 25, 2015 

Kathryn Feder ’08 to Alex Cooper, 

July 19, 2015 

Kate Foster ’07 to Dr. Sean 

Lindsay, December 5, 2015 

Leslie Johnson Hughes ’82 to 

Jesse Owen, January 17, 2015 

Rachel Johnston-White ’06 to 

Iain Johnston-White, 

June 24, 2015 

Elizabeth Laws ’01 to Byron 

Eckart Kaendler Fuller, 


Nishta Mehra ’01 to Jill Carroll, 

July 2, 2015 

Alexandra Mims ’07 to Andrew 

Pike, November 14, 2015 

Abby McAtee ’11 to Cort Gatliff, 

July 11, 2015 

Sims Munn ’10 to Michael Wray 

Bowen, August 8, 2015 

Lisa Mulrooney ’95 to Glen 

Coombs, May 23, 3015 

Meg Parker ’99 to Cory Prewitt, 

Nov. 14, 2015 

Abby Schwimmer ’05 to Sean 

Fox, May 23, 2015 

Catherine Coleman Vaughn ’09 

to Bryan Thomas Bunker, 

June 6, 2015 

Kathryn Annette Waggoner ’09 

to Pearce Alexander Edwards, 

September 12, 2015 

Jessica Walker ’04 to Chris Wiley, 


Angela Wilcox ’04 to Tommy 

Palmer, September 26, 2015 

Marynelle Wilson ’99 to Doug 

McNamara, June 21, 2015 

Lucy Harris ’01 to Joshua Caleb 

Collins, October 31, 2015 

Nishta Mehra ’01 with wife 

Jill Carroll and their son Shiv. 

Graduate Degrees 

Elizabeth Jemison ’04, Ph.D. in 

the Study of Religion, Harvard 

University, May 2015 

Nicolette Overton ’08, Master of 

Science in Journalism, Boston 

University, May 2015 

Falconer Robbins ’05, Master of 

Social Work, Columbia University, 

May 2015 

Camille Wingo ’04, Masters in 

Business Administration, 

Duke University, May 9, 2015 

44 |

$1,500 per student. It allows Turkey athletes to experience the power of team, the thrill of victory, and the importance of sportsmanship. It keeps everyone plugged in, connected, wired in, and online 24/7. 

Your gift empowers girls to become coders, builders, engineer wannabes, science nerds, and math whizzes. It equips our libraries for exploration, problem 

A girl is a work of art. 

G. Perez B. Zafer 

Our girls are painting a bright future. 

D. Onyeagocha B. Walker 

They count on us - can we count on YOU? 

Make your gift to the 2015-16 Annual Fund Today! 

Online: www.stmarysschool.org/give Or, call Angie Gardner at 901-537-1421 

Amedeo Modigliani inspired the featured artwork created by Middle School students. 

WINTER 2015 | 45 

give them every opportunity to soar. It keeps our campus and students safe and sound. It enables each family to receive a tuition discount of approximately 

solving, and global research. It allows dancers to dance, singers to sing, actors to act, musicians to play, and artists to create. It helps us hire the best teachers, pay them competitive salaries and benefiits, and

Class Notes 

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