magazine

Class Notes
56
“We never know where life will lead us,
do we?” writes Mary Lee Prescott-Griffin, who
published her 10th, 11th, and 12th fiction titles
in the fall of 2015. She continues to teach at
Wheaton College (MA) with a special interest
in her research on the impact of mindfulness
on readers and writers. This all happens in her
“spare time” because she also has the joy of
four grandchildren in her life. If you’re looking
her up on Amazon, look for M. Lee Prescott.
After spending the summer in New
Hampshire, Cat Austin Franks returned to
St. Croix and her busy life engaged with
children at a Waldorf preschool and kindergarten,
directing a local children’s choir,
and storytelling. Cat spent time with Kandy
Dwyer, laughing, remembering, and appreciating
the lifelong friends she made at
Wheelock. Mary Dickerson Pierson writes
that she and Peter continue to enjoy living in
the mountains in Grafton, NY, and gathering
their family together. Chase lives in Los Angeles,
and his daughter, Isa, is 15. Josh and his
family – including Lena (6) and Cole (2) – live
at the Fay School in Southborough, MA. They
have also taken in a sweet foster baby for a
few months. Mary continues to teach early
childhood music part time at Pine Cobble
School in Williamstown, MA, and runs the
Character Education Program for the school.
She also enjoyed taking some Healing Prayer
classes recently and is involved in Healing
Services nearby.
Janet McEvoy Price and her husband have
been living in Madrid the past two years. This
will be Rick’s last overseas posting, and they
will be headed back to their home in Falls
Church, VA, in another year. Madrid is a wonderful
city and they have loved living there
but have felt far from their two daughters
– one in Idaho and the other in Colorado. Before
their move, Janet was an ESOL teacher
with the Falls Church City Schools, working
with preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade
children. She loved it.
Karen Metanias Riordan will retire in the
coming year and will be moving to Cape Cod.
She and Ed are feeling the need to be closer
to her mom and their girls and grandchildren.
They had six as of early last fall; their oldest
is in second grade, and two others are in
kindergarten. Anne Bridge was planning to
retire Dec. 31, after 22 years in nonprofit fundraising
for Stoneleigh-Burnham School. She
is looking forward to some quality time with
her weaving, hand spinning, sewing, and
other fiber-related projects. Anne has two
grandchildren who live nearby. Her grandson
Leighton’s fifth-grade teacher signed her up
to help in her classroom this year; his sister
Annie is in middle school. Anne was planning
to take her fourth trip to Melbourne, Australia,
last November to visit son Eliot; his wife,
Leigh; and baby granddaughter Grace.
Liz Hile Lindsay and husband Durwood
are also figuring out life after retirement.
They plan to split their time between a house
on a lake in Maine and a condo in Florida.
She’s busy with grandchildren, church, moving,
and renovating. We got to see them for
an overnight, and they both look terrific!
I (Bonnie) have also retired. And now
I find out what people meant when they
said they couldn’t figure out how they ever
had time for a job! I’m loving being with my
husband, Terry; our four kids; their partners;
and our eight grandchildren. Our oldest
grandchild turned 5 last summer, so getting
together with our family requires stamina,
creativity, resourcefulness, and lots of love.
We just bought a house with one of our
daughters, her partner, and their two kids,
ages 5 and 2. Life is wonderful!
Everyone who wrote to me talked
about the last Reunion and how much fun
it was. Our next one will be in June of 2017!
See you there!
1976
Angela Barresi Yakovleff
REUNION 2016
JUNE 3-5, 2016
As we approach our 40th – yes, 40th! –
Reunion, we’ve heard from a few of the 1976
classmates. “Change” seems to be the word
of the year for many!
Gayle Griswold Goldberg had to leave her
job with Londonderry School in Harrisburg,
PA, after 21 years. Husband Joe got a new job
in Old Town, Alexandria, VA. Now settled in
Old Town where they can walk everywhere,
they couldn’t be happier. And to make the
move even more wonderful, they are closer to
daughter Madelaine and 1-year-old granddaughter
Lucy! Gayle’s son, Evan, is engaged.
Gayle is looking forward to Reunion. She says,
“What can be better than getting together in
Boston and seeing good friends?”
Bonnie Page ’76/’92MS has an exciting
new job. For the next two years, she will be
the full-time president of her local union, the
Malden Education Association. This means
that she is not teaching anymore! She tells
us, “It’s a real shock to my system not setting
up my room and planning the curriculum.”
But she is very excited about this new venture.
Bonnie is enjoying travel with husband
Troy. They’ve managed to visit Hilton Head,
Kauai, Oahu, and San Francisco this past
year. Bonnie can’t wait to see everyone in
the spring. Plan on coming to Reunion! Nora
Ray Richards ’76/’91MS and husband Joe are
in their 25th year of the Sandpiper Nursery
School in Falmouth, MA. They are a continuously
accredited, Reggio-inspired preschool
for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children. Nora says:
“We feel so lucky to be able to live our professional
dreams! We hope to see you all in June
at Wheelock!”
I (Angela) left the classroom in January
2015 after 39 years of teaching. My husband,
Matthew, and I managed a trip to Boca
Raton in the midst of a six-week stretch of
single-digit weather. What a great reprieve.
I visited San Francisco with my son and was
able to visit with a close high school friend
whom I hadn’t seen since our freshman year
in college. In the spring I visited Karen Berg
Ezzi and her husband, Dave, in Asheville, NC.
Much of the summer I spent at our cottage
in northern Vermont on Lake Champlain. My
husband and I went to Montreal often. We
love the international fireworks displays that
are held there every July. In June I officially
retired. Like Bonnie, I have found it a huge
transition no longer being in the classroom.
While many friends were setting up their
classrooms in August, I was enjoying time
at our cottage. I have spent lots of time with
family and friends while I look toward the
next phase of life. I’m truly looking forward
to Reunion in June. Let’s have a great attendance
from the Class of 1976. It’s always
a wonderful weekend reconnecting with
classmates. Be looking for more information
from Wheelock and do come.
1977
Margaret Smith Lee
Lisa Brookover Moore
Louise Close reports that life is good and
there have been some big changes in her
life. They have bought a house in Fort Myers
Beach, FL, and are also buying a home in
Osterville, MA (on the Cape). (They are now
Florida residents but will be in New England
for the summers and early fall.) Louise also
has resigned from the Wheelock Board of
Trustees and is focusing her efforts in the
realm of mental health issues and awareness,
specifically bipolar disorder, which affects one
WINTER 2016