Visiting Classmates in Delhi

I am having a good visit in India - best of all I've seen Deepak Dayal and Raj Isar.  Deepak took me and my friend Lori to a new place in Defence Colony Market, Kathpputli (Rajasthani puppet), which was a gourmet delight.  Hoping we can see him again this weekend for an Arpana fund raiser.  Then another special visit with Raj Isar yesterday to Sanskriti Kendra a private museum and artist's colony.  With a somewhat iffy internet access this is all I can manage for now!

The 50th Reunion

Thursday, July 14, 2016.  A glorious beginning to the 50th Reunion was crossing on the Edmunds Ferry to Kinsgton ... finding others and enjoying the views and fresh Washington air.

Jack Hinz  and Vikki Vrooman at the railing.

Susan DeVol with Ruth Morris with husband Harvey Paige

Vikki Vrooman, John Chaffee and Phil DeVol

Ashwini Gupta, Richard and Suzy McCulloch Friedericks, and Sherry Sergeant Cox

Suzy, Sherry, Dave Rugh and Linda Garst Gupta

2015 Jottings from the Quadrangle ...

Jottings 2015 for Class of 1966

News from the class begins with plans for our 50^th reunion next year in Port Ludlow, WA July 15-18, 2016 which we hope many will attend. 

CATE WHITCOMB  traveled to India in Jan 2015 to attend the Jaipur Literary Festival and to bury her dad’s (BILL WHITCOMB ’42) ashes in Chhatisgarh at the home church of the UCC Mission which was her dad’s wish.  She and husband JACK HINZ (S) hosted a big khana (also her dad’s request) for 1800 church members at the service which was officiated by 7 CNI clergy.  She returns to India yearly to work on the archives at Woodstock along with MARGO WARNER CURL (’67).  Cate has visited with classmates ARUN KAPUR, HARISHWAR DAYAL, JOHN CHAFFEE, LEE FEIERABEND, and VIKKI VROOMAN during the past year.

HELKE WOLFF FERRIE moved with two dogs and six cats to Manitoulin Island June 1 of 2015 and is busy with the renovations and an addition, interrupted only when friends and family visit. Their house (named Dilmun - Sumerian for paradise) is totally off grid. Bob will open his psychotherapy practice in September and HELKE has several writing projects cooking. 

CLAIRE BLICKENSTAFF BEERY enjoys  semi-retirement at Santa Rosa Junior College and her second year of marriage to Bill Haigwood.  They are active members of their Unitarian Universalist congregation in Santa Rosa, CA where Claire is a regular musician.  Bill is working on his 5th novel .   Claire’s extended family is grieving the death of Lex Crane, husband of Claire’s mother, Ginny (now 92).  

DAVID RUGH volunteers as a naturalist on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State where he lives with Ruthe (married 41 years). Dave is now a lead naturalist for the Jefferson Land Trust, assisting with teaching, presentations, field trips, monitoring wildlife, and stewardship.

DONALD CAMP is gainfully employed this fall, as the South Asia Advisor at the US Mission to the UN in New York.  By Christmas, he will be home with wife Betsy and the family in Falls Church, VA.    In January 2015 he in south India, visiting my Peace Corps village and seeing friends in Chennai.

MARY ELLEN FRITSCHLE NOGGLE retired from her Social Service job August 2015 and is currently a part time secretary at her church. Her 6 granddaughters are a joy and delight.

RUTH YODER DYAL had an Incredibly eventful 6 months  - in June son Jon graduated and now has MD behind his name.  He is doing a residency in Emergency Medicine and International Health- plans to do Disaster Relief @ the world eventually.  Husband Jim had health challenges during the summer but is recovering. Ruth still practices both OB and Gyn, but may need to cut back on the OB to spend more time at home.

PAUL SPOTTSWOOD has retired after practicing medicine for 40 years, 30 of those in Kenosha, WI.  Lydia and he look forward to traveling to visit friends and family as well as volunteering at church and local homeless shelter. 

WAREEN REES and his wife and will celebrate 47 years together in December.  He feels to have their children near, and helps take care of the youngest three.  For his birthday they had a family get together at a slot car track and had a wonderful time.  He gets the family together as often as possible and to cook a family meal for all 13.

FRITZ GOETH retired from ESCO as a mechanical engineer in 2013 after 37 years with the company.   94 days later, he was called back to work on projects and then retired again on 31 Aug 2015.  Wife Maureen retired from a career in residential loans in 2013.  Fritz does projects around the house, helping young people get into West Point, and helping raise the grandson who is 8 and just started 3^rd grade. 

 

SHERRY SERGEANT COX big news is they are grandparents to Claire Elaina Toombs, born to younger daughter, Stephanie and will be grandparents again in Feb 2016.  Older daughter Sarah and husband Tony are in Turkey with the Air Force.  Both Sherry and husband Steve had health issues but keep busy with church, work at the health food store.

SUZANNE MCCULLOCH FRIEDERICKS and RICHARD FRIEDERICKS, in retirement, have focused on family and remodeling their home. Richard & son David went to Nepal with a team of firefighters from Portland, OR after the earthquake last April to build a temporary shelter for a village health center. Richard's father, Carl, died on July 3rd at age 94. A memorial service to celebrate his long life of service in China, India, Nepal and Khygyzstan as a doctor and medical professor was held on Aug 15. 

KAREN SMYRES WOLNER and her husband just became 4th time grandparents to Samuel Robert, son of their daughter Kim and husband, Caleb Judy. Our family has grown to 10 members in just 7 years.  Hard to imagine!    Both of Karen's parents passed away in 2014 and ashes were interred this year in Penney Farms, FL.  Some of both ashes will be taken to India in the future. Karen and John continue to enjoy retirement and grandparenting.  

LINDA GAMBLE MCKENDRY and husband Jim recently purchased a beautiful holiday trailer and are exploring the various Provincial campgrounds in Alberta. Their farm is for sale, and combined with selling the house in Calgary, they plan to purchase a small acreage near Calgary and Linda's dream is to have a timber frame house in the Rocky Mountains or in view of them. 

MIRIAM HAQQ PRABHAKAR has been in the US since July visiting family and friends and sharing with churches about the work with AIDS/Leprosy.  4 Haqq sisters took a Viking Cruise on the River Danube to eastern Europe, an interesting 10 days.

PHIL SPOTTSWOOD and wife Michele and celebrated 30th anniversary this past April.  They live in Lexington,  KY.  close to children and grandchildren.   Michele works in the postoperative unit at Univ. of KY and  Phil drives a school bus.  

JUDY SCHEUERMAN BENDER reports 3 grandchildren.  Youngest son is a Major in the USAF and still on the east coast.   Other 2 children live in the west .  Their daughter is still working for their former company for 25 years and oldest son is producing music and lives in Seattle.

KATHY COLEMAN YORK took a trip to New Zealand and Australia.  They go to Florida in November for five months in Sarasota, to escape the cold and mountains of snow in Canada.

MARGARET COLLING WICKS and husband Bob are almost retired. Margaret is a council woman in the Town of Colesville. Daughter  Mary is executive director of Maison Fortuna orphanage in Henchi, Haiti. Paula is a physical therapist at the Florida Hospital in Orlando. Their two grandchildren go to the Christian International school in Orlando.

VIRGINIA TAYLOR from 1999 to 2013 was caregiver for both her mother and father who lived to be 99 yrs.  Last October she went with several family members to India to participate in the 100 year anniversary celebration of her grandparents' first arrival in India in 1914 as medical missionaries.  It was a grand occasion over several days at the Bhogpur Children's Home (Dehradun valley)which was established for untainted children of Leper parents in 1945.  She was able to visit Woodstock and attend brother  Fred's (’69) and sister, Alison's (’71) class reunions.

Cate Whitcomb, Class Secretary

Sports Day 1956?

Here is a picture taken by Marlin Schoonmaker's dad in 1956 I think ...

Front left to right, with her back turned Ginny Ebright, Mary Merchant, Evelyn Bryant, Dean Rempel, Charles Roland, Phil Schoonmaker, laying down Raj Isar, Miriam Haqq, (hands over face maybe Linda Gamble), Lee Feierabend. Standing, Karen Smyres, Cathy Whitcomb, Mary Wyon, Claire Blickenstaff, Tim Kenoyer.