Bridging the Gap

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
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