Bridging the Gap

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