Here is our news for 2014 ... unedited except to add your names.  
 

1.       Claire Blickenstaff Beery

2.       Donald Camp

3.       Harishwar “Deepak” Dayal

4.       Janet Edlefson

5.       Lee Feierabend

6.       Richard and Suzy McCulloch Friedericks

7.       Mary (Fritschle) Noggle

8.       Linda (Gamble) McKendry

9.       Linda Garst Gupta

10.   Miriam (Haqq) Prabhakar

11.   Carlton Hoke

12.   Rajan Kose

13.   Pete Peterson

14.   Warren Rees

15.   David Rugh

16.   Judith Scheuerman Bender

17.   Sherry Sergeant Cox

18.   Karen Smyres Wolner

19.   Paul Spottswood

20.   Phil Spottswood

21.   Betsy Taylor

22.   Lucy Seely Varnell

23.   Cate Whitcomb

24.   Helke Wolff Ferrie

Rajan Kose:

Rajan moved to Yellow Springs, Ohio in the spring of 2013. (Ruth Morris Paige and her husband Harvey have lived there for 27 years.) He not only loves the small village aspect of the town but also enjoys being close to Ruth again. He still works part time on his graphic design business, travels often to visit family and enjoys making Indian meals for friends. Life is good.

Linda Garst Gupta:

Thanks Cate!  Just lost what I was writing...hope it didn't mail twice.  We have had a somewhat eventful year although we didn't make our usual trips abroad and will miss our annual trip to India.  Our youngest son, Rajesh, got married in March.  We made a summer trip to Colorado and will wait to go for skiing next spring due to conflicts in grand kids vacations.  Really enjoyed watching the X- Games in Colorado.  Our daughter, Meghna,(SAGE'94), moved from Atlanta TO Boca Raton in the summer.  We miss her but have made two trips to Florida!  Our son, Rahul, joined my husband's practice three years ago and is now Chief of Anesthesia and therefore, Ashwini's boss!  They are expecting our 4th grandchild in a couple of weeks.  We are planning a cruise to Panama Canal in December and that should be the most of our news for this year.  Best wishes and thanks for your interest in our family.  We look forward to news from fellow classmates.  Linda Garst Gupta

Paul Spottswood:

I have begun working part-time as of last week, no night, weekend or holiday calls just day work.  I am already enjoying the extra time off.  I plan to continue on this schedule for two more years.  Otherwise, I am healthy.  My son continues to teach law at Florida State University.  My daughter Erin has just received her PhD. from Cornell and has been hired by Portland State University to teach computer mediated communication.  My daughter Jayne continues to work on the mobile digital user experience team for Sears in Chicago.  Finally, Lydia continues to volunteer at the church.  We feel blessed and wish you all a happy and healthy year.

Cate,

Carlton Hoke:

The big news for our family this year was a wedding.  Alden, our youngest son, was married to Heather Witmer on June 28, 2014.  They were sweethearts in Junior High School.  Sometimes it takes a while for people to get together.

Carlton

We’ve been spending a lot of time this summer out on our boat, including a long trip in July to the Broughton Islands, up near the north end of Vancouver Island.  My husband Frank retired a year ago, and is keeping busy with some consulting work and house and boat projects.  I’m still enjoying my private practice as a counselor, and plan to continue for a while but scaling back the number of days per week.  I’m looking forward to our 50^th reunion!

 Janet Edlefsen

Judith Scheuerman Bender:

Jottings…wow it really is that time of year again.  Hard to believe isn't it?

This year has brought sadness and happiness. Sadly one of our daughter-in-laws was diagnosed with breast cancer and is on a journey of a lifetime.  Ups and downs, but coming along pretty well for a 32 year old. My husband Larry is now 4 years without cancer so that is a blessing this year.  My brother Jerry also has had his fight with cancer and has been really doing well until recently and we are waiting for results and are praying that he does not have cancer again. I started on Oxygen last year, but otherwise feel pretty good.  (Too many years of smoking and finally quit a little over 8 years ago before the oxygen.) At least I can go places and do things.  My brother Jeff is living in the Philippines and is happily married with a young son. My sister Jean lives in Vancouver Washington just a few hours from me.  She is happily traveling and doing walk -a -thons all over the world.  Lucky girl.  My granddaughter is turning 3 this month and that one is really hard to believe.  I swear to you she was a tiny baby just yesterday. She is just an incredible little girl.  Wow how time flies! I have two grandsons  that are also a delight and make my heart sing.  My daughter’s son who is 17,  is really into learning Japanese and I can’t understand a word he says but it sure sounds good whatever the words are.  My oldest son’s son is also 17 (3 weeks apart from the other one)is also  a gem.  He survived a very bad head injury 3 years ago and has made a complete recovery and doing a lot with his life as well.  I have truly been blessed with such a wonderful family and even though we have had to struggle with ups and downs our ups are fantastic! Life is fabulous and I cannot wait to see as many of you as possible in 2016! Thank you for being such an incredible part of my life and helping make me who I am today.  Love you all!!!  Judith

Miriam Haqq Prabhakar:

It was a terribly hot summer this year in AP,  a blessing to get away to cooler weather for a while.

2014 has added to my joys of being a grandparent again, with the birth of Micah Amir in March. I am in the in NC, getting acquainted with him and reacquainted with Isaiah Aleem who is now 3 and a ball of energy.

Still working on where to retire, US or India?  Being busy in AP is great. Will be back in India early Oct.  My father turned 94 and it was great to see him and all of the siblings over the Labor Day weekend. 

Great to hear from each one of you.

Miriam (Haqq) Prabhakar

Helke Wolff Ferrie:

Who would have thought that preparing for retirement is that much work! I envy Richard and Suzi for having done it! We are in the process of making our cottage on Manitoulin Island, where we have vacationed since 1978, into an all-season home ready for move-in next spring. It is located on the edge of the Niagara Escarpment and overlooks Georgian Bay and the Killarny mountains. Bob will continue working on the island with PTSD patients, but only three days a week. I have plans for another book. My last one, Ending Denial - The Lyme Disease Epidemic in Canada, became the catalyst for a federal bill passed this year mandating proper testing for Lyme in Canada and an educational program for doctors in this country to become as Lyme-literate as their US colleagues. The US Congress passed an even more comprehensive bill on behalf of US Lyme patients this year also, so we are finally getting some traction on this fastest growing of all infectious diseases. - All our children are now middle-aged (the youngest is 43), which is very sobering! Two of our granddaughters are entering graduate school and the third one has started university and will soon leave us. Our great-grandson Omar, now 2 years old, talks a mile  a minute and provides endless entertainment. Having raised our own 10 adopted and three home-made children as well as three grandchildren, we will now be on our own in the glorious wilderness of northern Ontario. We enjoyed this huge 45-year long tamasha, but it is never too late to have a great honeymoon!  The attached picture is from the joint birthday party celebrating Omar's first (born Valentine's day 2012) and my 65th birthday (Feb. 5, 1948) last year.

Cheers, Helke (Wolff) Ferrie

Hi... It's Linda (Gamble) McKendry, still in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. My parents passed away 69 days apart over the winter/ spring of 2012/13.  We miss them but God worked everything out and after a medical crisis in Jim's life that began two days after we burried Dad, life has settled down a lot.  I still have clients that drag me out of retirement to do projects for them in commercial design consulting, and I've become the resident Face Painter at a local Farmer's market that is mostly indoors year round!  It's fun and very rewarding to use my artistic gifts in this way... the only art I know of where you get paid as you do it!  No two canvases alike, and always moving!  Our farm is up for sale as will be our house so we can

purchase something more suitable to our 'retirement' desires.  I want a view of the amazing rockies, or at least the foothills and a forrest!  Must be a childhood longing!

Sherry Sergeant Cox:
      I did not mean to wait until the last minute to write you but we have been fairly busy awaiting the birth of our first grand-child! We are so excited!  We have been helping Stephanie and John somewhat with painting and flooring projects in the little house they just bought so we can get them moved in before the 5 Oct. birth date.  So anyway here goes my 3 - 4 sentences.  Steve has now worked for a year at the Health Food Center, he really enjoys it and its nice getting free products and a  discount as well.  Sherry continues helping out with International students learning English, an Iraqi lady in particular, Bible studies,  singing in choir and going to the gym.  Sarah and Tony continue with the Air Force in Mississippi, Tony finished his Masters and may be going to Turkey next spring and Sarah stays busy at home making beautiful handmade Christmas ornaments.  And our really big news is that we are going to be grandparents in just a couple weeks as Stephanie and John are expecting their first child,a girl!     Sorry Cate, I always have a little trouble keeping it concise.  Enjoyed seeing your picture at the Grand Canyon, too bad you weren't able to swing through OK on your way, we would have loved to see you.  I do talk to Linda Gupta every once in awhile but otherwise haven't kept in touch with anyone.  I am looking forward to our class getting together in a couple years.  I know a lot can happen in that time but I know the importance of planning ahead.  We will keep you posted on the new grand-baby even though it will be too late to get into the Quad this year.  By the way, I was one of those who did not receive my Quad but Linda kindly sent me hers.  Hopefully, that won't happen next year.
      Take care and stay in touch.
       Sherry

Harishwar Dayal:

My jottings would be nothing but Arpana, Arpana and Arpana! Therefore, I have attached our Annual Report 2013 for everyone's persual. I don't really do anything else. Nothing much to say otherwise except for my fondest love to the entire CHEPBUH Family, including children and grandchildren and ALWAYS the open invitation for all to visit whenever in India!

If you feel this is OK to send please do forward it, otherwise let it be. Because it is certainly not a short update! (Cate is the web master for the www.arpanaservices.org site ... so here is the link click here.)

Look forward very much to when we will be together, which is rapidly coming closer!

Much love to you and Jack. Both of you look wonderful in the picture! God bless you both!

Deepak

Mary (Fritschle) Noggle: 

The past year has been a challenge. We lost my oldest brother Dan on March 15 to esophageal cancer. I never expected to lose both my brothers and now be my dad's oldest surviving child. My dad is 96 and going strong. He lives in assisted living near both Ruth, my younger sister and me in Appleton WI. He preaches every Saturday night and leads weekly morning devotions  It is such a joy. A huge blessing. I welcomed my 6th grandchild this year and they are all girls ranging in age from 4 months to 12 years old.I continue to work in long term care in Wisconsin helping people stay in their homes but hope to retire next year. I so enjoy all the news and am looking forward to the reunion in 2016. Mary (Fritschle) Noggle. 

Donald Camp:

I’ve been away from the Woodstock family for a long time but your class mailing list has been great for getting reconnected with people I knew back in 10^th grade.   John Chaffee and I came very close to being in the same city at the same time this month, but we missed by a week.  We’re planning to get together somehow.  And being back in touch electronically with Arun has been great.

 I’m (mostly) retired from the US State Department but they hire me back every autumn to work at the US Mission to the UN, where I am now.   I’m the South Asia Advisor at the US Mission so I work with delegates from India/Pakistan/Nepal and the like.    On weekends, I hang around the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art and eat idli/dosai on the street.  This weekend is “Diwali in Times Square" (rather early, admittedly).  And Prime Minister Modi will be here in a couple of weeks, for a huge tamasha in Madison Square Garden.  So, except for the weather, I might as well be in Delhi.

I’m hoping to be back in India in January, visiting my Peace Corps village in Tamil Nadu, but that has yet to be set in stone.   Most of the year, my wife and I continue to live in the Washington DC suburbs, where there are more recent Woodstock graduates in our neighborhood. 

Cheers, Donald Camp

Richard and Suzanne McCulloch Friedericks:

We did it. We retired and moved back to Port Townsend, WA from Hong Kong. It’s been a couple months and we’re still settling in but its very, very good. Being in Asia was great, of course, because we were able to travel. Last October 2013 we went to revisit the Punjab with Suzy’s brother David. We also had a great time with Harishwar in Kharnal. We made our annual Christmas trip back to LA and Oregon to see the grandkids. In March we were both able to go to Nepal for the wedding of one of our close Nepali friend’s son and Suzy stayed on to join the High School Interim group I lead to Nepal every year. In April we went to Korea for a week. By June 18 we were back in the USA. Our shipment arrived a month later and since we’ve been back we put in bamboo floors in our house, got all new appliances and a new Subaru Forester. We’ve also had plenty of time with family in Portland and everyone came to Port Townsend for our 40th wedding anniversary. We look forward to our class reunion in 2016 - hopefully here in Port Townsend.

Richard and Suzy  

Pete Petersen News for 2014,

Sheri and I moved to Fayetteville AR to be closer to our son and daughter-in-law who live in Fayetteville and closer to fishing and camping of course. 

Northwest AR is home to Walmart and Tyson Chicken so the Univ of AR and the Arts have received loads of money for academics, museums, and charities while they pay their employees minimum. There are several Indian restaurants catering to the Indians that work at Walmart.    I volunteer at our library and local mental health sites and take univ classes for fun. Sheri is pretty active substitute teaching.   Our son, Sean teaches Social Studies and Debate in HS in Springdale, AR and Suzanna is a MD working as a hospitalist at Wash Regional.  I had aortic valve replacement last year which I blame on hiking at Woodstock and running(ha!), so I'm fit again to travel some more!    We live on 2 acres overlooking the White River which feeds all the lakes that border AR and MO.    Did Padre Island North, TX on the Gulf this spring with our small RV and really enjoyed camping on the beach, birds and fresh shrimp.   Had a visit from Jim(akaBlue) and Laurie Ginn. Blue was my Hostel roommate jr and sr years.   We will hit the East Coast next spring or fall, then Europe and Turkey next year or next.  A cottage on the Irish  coast for a week is one of many things on our bucket list.

Enjoy everybody's news.

Chepbuh and Namaste y'all, Pete

Lee Feierabend:

Every year I mean to send jottings but attempting to depresses me because I get reminded of all the things that I could have done but didn't, or places I have missed, or how trivial my problems are compared to others, and so this year I finally have something I am excited enough about to overcome all those thoughts.  I am finally moving "back home".  We bought a condo in Madison, Wisconsin.  I am commuting to work in Louisiana every other week because you cannot work in Wisconsin without board certification but that same increased standard is why Sandra is doing better with her lung problems.  She is still on oxygen with exertion but able to get out and about again.  All but my brother Bruce are in the Madison area now as well several Woodstock "family" members so we are looking forward to being here even if retirement is just something I can envy others getting to do!  Looking forward to 2016 reunion!!!!

Phil Spottswood:

Phil and wife Michelle moved to Lexington, KY.  Our new address is 1135 Richmond Rd., Lexington, KY., 40502.  We moved to Lexington to be near our children and grandchildren.  We live with our daughter Abby and her husband Jeremy and their two children, "little" Phil and Laura Craigen.  Michele works as an ER nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital (part of the UK medical system).  I work for God's Pantry, a non-profit agency that delivers bulk food, produce, bread and other essentials to the food banks in central and eastern Kentucky.  What a blessing to be able to continue to serve the Lord as I serve His needy children and adults in an area of great poverty.   Blessings to all.  Phil

P.S.  I do hope that we ALL commit to our 50th reunion at Woodstock in 2016.  I have already begun to save my money for the trip.

Philip J. Spottswood

David Rugh:

Thanks Cate for hunting down these recalcitrant jottings. Here's mine again, in case the previous email was swallowed by the Grand Canyon:

"DAVID RUGH is developing skills as a naturalist on the Olympic Peninsula. He volunteers time on protected properties, studies wildlife, and serves on the Guiding Committee of a local Natural History Society. At home he continues to build woodsheds (five at the last count)."

Also, I've added a photo showing Ruthe, me, and Chris Green at the Woodstock Reunion in Baltimore. We look happy.

-Dave

Hi there classmates!

I sent a pithy blurb to Cate for the Quad, but, inspired by these friendly paragraphs from so many of you, it seems only right to tell more:  2014 has not been a year of great transitions. Ruthe and I live on the Olympic Peninsula, spending most of our time in our custom-made home in 28 acres of deep forest (which we hope you will visit in 2016!) My focus continues to be on natural history (wildlife, ecology, etc.), a passion begun while wandering the Tehri Hills. There have been 40+ naturalist events, i.e. field trips or lectures, so far this year, including setting bait and cameras in a program to see if fishers have returned to the area; these furry animals – smaller than a wolverine, bigger than a mink –  were trapped to near extinction in WA and have now been reintroduced.

Not much travel to report for us:  just a few trips to visit relatives and friends in PA and MD, including the Woodstock annual gathering.

-Dave

Lucy Seely Varnell:

I regret I cannot be there for our class reunion. My husband and I retired this past January and we love it. We have five grand children which keeps us very busy, with after school pick up etc.We also have a disabled son from 13 years with the U.S. Army with very severe Crohn's disease. He has had 3 major surgeries already. He made the Audie Murphy Award within 4 years of service and was ranking real fast and loved the service, but was disabled by the Army with great pay, but sad to leave. My husband and I have been doing a lot of traveling when we can to see sisters and brothers. 7 siblings is a lot. Joyce, Joan and I will be traveling to Austria, Germany and Switzerland next June. My husband will stay behind to help our disabled son. I hope you all have a great reunion. Love to each of you, Lucy

Karen Smyres Wolner:

This has been a momentous year to say the least.  In April our son Jason and daughter-in-law Lisbel welcomed Anjelica Ana, a sister to 3 year old Manny.  Needless to say, we were thrilled.  Sadly, a month later on May 14th we lost my dad.  Not unexpected but hard all the same. My mother then passed away on August 9th.  We had already arranged for the memorial service to be on August 16th so it became a service for both of them.  Fitting, as it was the day following Independence Day. About 25 family members celebrated the 15th with a Hindustani dinner while celebrating their lives.

On Labor Day weekend, our daughter Kim, son-in-law Caleb, and 2 year old grandson Nathaniel moved to Albany from the DC area. It is so wonderful to have them live just a few minutes away.  

What with all the trips back and forth to Florida to check in on my folks and then to settle their affairs, we haven't been able to plan any other traveling.  However, we have some things on our bucket list for next year.  Hopefully, I will be able to report on them for the next Jottings!

Looking forward to our 50th reunion. Can't believe it has been so long!  Are we really that old?!

Warren Rees:When I read what some of y’all did this year, my life feels tame. I had my second grandchild graduate from high school. I pick up my third grandchild from school in the afternoon, and every Monday I take my youngest two to school and preschool.  I miss being a world traveler, but first I would have to get a passport, I posted my last passport picture on Facebook, it looks very similar to my senior year book picture probably because it was taken in the summer of 1965. I get immense satisfaction, unlike the Rolling Stones who couldn’t get no satisfaction, in being an important part of my grandchildren’s lives. December Marie and I will celebrate our 26^th wedding anniversary. I am looking forward to our reunion.

Betsy Taylor:

great to hear news from all of you.

I've been busier than I would like.  I'm on the national steering committee for the US Extractive Industries Transparency Initiativewhich brings me to DC every several months (since many of my family are in the Baltimore / Washington area, that makes the trips also personally meaningful).  I'm working on several collaborative research projects with the Alliance for Appalachia -- to build community-based vision & action for post-coal economies.  On a completely other and possibly ADD track, I'm trying to nurture interfaith discussion on the Israel / Palestine situation, building on really terrific work of Presbyterian Church in developing study guides.  Herbert & I also occasionally get away to Asheville NC for a break, but wish I had a bit more time to ponder & to porch... Happy Trails all!  Betsy

Betsy Taylor


Claire Beery:  In the spirit of catching up, here's my news from Sonoma County. Last year was a big one for me - I got married. Hopefully many of you will get to meet my husband, Bill, at the reunion. Our one year anniversary was yesterday. We used to work together 15 years ago and re-met at a professional training. It¹s nice to be married again after 18 years. Took me three times to get it right! We live in Rohnert Park near Santa Rosa.

I¹m semi-retired. Ended my job as Director of programs at a family social service agency doing parent education, childcare consultation and related work. Now I get to focus exclusively on my life as a college professor teaching Child Development. I recently created a brand new course that focuses on working with children and families going through stress and loss in their lives (something I know about for sure).

Bill is also semi-retired now and able to give more time to his writing. Here¹s a link to one of his works: http://counterculturecreations.com/.

My kids are all doing well. Willow (Rosenthal) is 42, married, and still a leader in the urban farming movement living in Berkeley. You¹ll find her on any number of websites on the internet. Mira (Rosenthal) is 40 and gaining national recognition as a poet and translator (of Polish poetry!). She
received the great honor last year of being short-listed for the Griffin Poetry Prize (out of Toronto). She has her own website. Zoe is 24 and exploring the best fit for her career in sound engineering. She lives in Oakland. She graduated from San Francisco State in 2013 and has been working as an intern at Skywalker Sound for the past year ­ a real prize to intern at one of the top companies in the world. She's also a dancer.

Mira and husband Greg brought two granddaughters into my life: Tillie (5 and in kindergarten) and Lulu (2) They live in Jacksonville, Florida which, of course, is sad for me. But Skype keeps the world small. Here are two photos from my wedding: one of me and all my girls (Willow & Zoe on my right, Mira on my left).

Really looking forward to the reunion of our "family" in 2016.

Love, Claire

This is from the WOSA reunion in Port Townsend I think 1994.  Front, l-r: Richard Friedericks, Claire Blickenstaff Beery.  Back l-r: Suzy McCulloch Friedericks, Cate Whitcomb, Judy Scheuerman Bender, David Rugh.
:

Carlton Hoke sent these photos from 1962. 

 8th Grade graduation ...

 Carlton, Dean and John Conrad.

 The class flag ... blue and white.

 DeVol in front of Ridgewood?

 Ethan Stein..his father was the architect of the India Habitat Center and the American School in Delhi.

 Deepak, Phil and Richard.

 Deepak and Phil ...BFF.

 Junior Choir with Miss Gerber.

Arun, Cathy and Deepak with others watching Sports Day.

Read all about Raj Isar and his distinguished career.  I'm ordering his 5 volume series The Cultures and Globalization series for the Joy Rugh Memorial section of the Woodstock library.  Here's the link here.

Class of 1966 Jottings for 2013

 David Rugh is involved in naturalist programs on the Olympic Peninsula; he graduated from a naturalist training course sponsored by the Jefferson Land Trust of Washington State."

Phil DeVol was honored as a Distinguished Alumni at the WOSA-NA annual meeting in Maryville, TN for his  “exemplary work in different countries around the world on poverty issues, the design of adolescent treatment programs, improving retention rates of new hires from poverty and the challenges of chemical dependence.”    

Cate Whitcomb was elected President of the League of Women Voters in Evanston and chaired a celebration committee for women having the vote in Illinois for 100 years. 

Suzy and Richard Friedericks: The highlight of summer 2013 was the Friedericks Family Reunion in Port Townsend, WA. This was the largest gather - 33 people - of the clan in 15 years or more. Carl (92) and Betty Ann (90) were guests of honor, of course. All of their children, Richard (class of ’66), Anne (class of ’67), Charlie (class of ’70), and Jim (class of ’72) were there with most of their children and grandchildren. Richard’s and Suzanne’s (class of ’66) three children David, Ethan and Elizabeth; and six grandchildren were all there. Anne’s husband Richard and son Malcom and family were not there but son Jericho and his wife Cass were there with their twin daughters were there. Charlie was there with son Carl. Jim’s and Diane’s four children were all their with a spouse or significant other except for one of them and none of them have children at this point. One of Richard's cousins and her husband also came from Philadelphia. It was four days of celebration in fabulous Northwest summer weather. 

In other news, Suzanne and Richard were in Hanoi, Viet Nam over Tet (New Year) in February followed by a walking tour on the Naksendo Trail in Japan over Spring Break. You can see pictures of all these events on Richard’s Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30312225@N03/sets/

The 2013-2014 school year has begun and this will be our last at Hong Kong International School. We will move back to Port Townsend, WA in the summer of 2014. We look forward to a visit to India this fall where Suzanne and her brother David McCulloch (class of ’70) will visit places they lived as children in the Punjab. We hope also to visit Harishwar (Deepak) Dayal’s (class of ’66) Arpana foundation on our way. 

Phil Spottswood : Dear Cate,
    As always, thank you for being so faithful in collecting Chpebuh material for the Woodstock alumni magazine.  I will send mine well before the deadline.  Glad to hear that all is going well.  My family and I are in the middle of moving from Lafayette, IN. to Lexington, KY.  Two of my children and their families live their now and Michele (Nana) wants to be closer to the grandchildren. .

Linda Gamble McKendry:   Mom passed away Dec. 21, 2012, Dad passed away February 27, 2013.  Two days after his burial, my husband had: Heart surgery for an aneurysm, quit smoking, began radiation treatment on his larynx, and in the middle of that had a cerebral haemorrhage... OK... sounds terrible and it was quite stressful... but NOW Jim has recovered with a clean bill of health... I have all this FREE time and am picking up a few projects and enjoying 'retirement'.... currently called being 'retreaded''... Love 'n Prayers... Shalom, Linda Gamble McKendry

John Chaffee’s wife, Barbara Hunter Chaffee, MD, MPH,  passed away on March 5, 2013, after a long battle with breast cancer.  Several classmates, Rajan Kose, Ruth Morris Paige, and Phil DeVol  attended the funeral in Binghamton, New York.

Sherry Sergeant Cox:  Dear Cate,

         Sorry it has taken up to the last minute to get this off to you.  We've had quite a bit going as well these last 3 weeks, trip to San Antonio, entertaining new neighbors,  a week-end church retreat in which we housed a couple  and then more entertaining.  However, one big change has happened in our lives just within the last week so I'll incorporate that into the categories.    Hope you are getting all accomplished that you need to before your trip to India.  Hope that is safe and exciting.  I must admit I'm a little envious!  So here goes:  There have been no marriages or births in our immediate family.  3.  Graduations:  Our daughter Stephanie's husband John graduated from the OK Highway Patrol Academy in July after 20 weeks of training.   He will be working for now in Comanche County where we reside so we are most thankful to continue to have them nearby.  4.  Significant Life Accomplishments:  Stephanie continues working as an ER nurse at the county hospital. Our older daughter Sarah and her husband, Tony live in Biloxi, MS where he is a Capt  in the Air Force.  He is an instructor in air traffic control and Sarah is currently working at a bank and enjoying it.  The big change for Steve and me has been his forced retirement from working with the American Red Cross after 33 years last October.  We did not see it coming so it was quite a shock.  He just turned 60 so was not planning to retire for awhile but God had other plans.  In the long run it has been a blessing as it had gotten very stressful.  For 10 months he has continued to look for some kind of employment and just this last week got a part-time job working at a health food store which so far looks like a good fit.  He would still like something more substantial with benefits but for now it gives him more purpose.  He has also been volunteering at the Ft. Sill Natl. Cemetery, helping out at church with some repair projects, doing a Bible study, going to the gym and many odd jobs around the house.  I, Sherry continue with the same activities as the last few years; choir, Bible study, teaching English to an Iraqi lady, going to CO on a mission trip, helping with crafts for VBS, selling Mary Kay and accompanying Steve to the gym.  My Dr. said I need more strength training for my osteoporosis!  Otherwise we are thankful for so many blessings and happy to be together and healthy.     5.  Deaths - Even though some of these occurred last year  in the last year and a half when I lost my mother we also lost 3 brothers-in-law including my sister, Cindy's husband who died last Oct. from esophageal cancer just 3 months after diagnosis. It's been a really rough year for her. 

            Well, I guess that about covers it.  Hopefully, I haven't been too wordy.   I hope you've had a good response.  I'm hoping the next class reunion I can make it, I've missed seeing everyone and it's hard to believe we are all 65 or older!    Take care.   Love, Sherry

 Judith Scheuerman Bender: 

My jottings are not as much as many of you have. I live on an Island surrounded by water in the Northwest. It is called Hat Island (Gedney is the name on the map) with my husband and enjoy the quiet and peace here. We watch the Eagles.  About March, we see the whales as they swim by. A small group of Porpoise went by earlier this year as well. 

Our health has been fair for the age we are at and I feel truly blessed. Our children and grandchildren are also doing well. 

I was nominated to be Communications Chairperson and Editor for our small Island newspaper which is absolutely great fun for me! There is a great group of people here who are on the committee and are so talented that my job is made easy and even more fun! 

I will be going to New Mexico in October for a reunion with the class I was with in Karachi Pakistan and then plan on another reunion next year with Missionaries we called "Aunties and Uncles". I wonder how many of us did that growing up where we did?

Judith

Claire Beery and Bill Haigwood were married September 21 in Santa Rosa, California...old friends who reconnected three years ago and discovered the love that had been hibernating.  Claire’s mother, Ginny Crane (a lively 90 years old) was the ring bearer and granddaughter, Tillie Domber (a lively 4 years old) was the flower girl.  Claire’s daughter’s Willow Summer, Mira Rosenthal and Zoë Leverant and many other family and friends celebrated with Claire and Bill.  Willow lives in Berkeley with husband Lew and has a new career teaching in a Waldorf based preschool.  She also continues as a national leader of the urban farming movement.  Mira completed her two year Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University – which meant a return to Jacksonville, Florida with her family (husband Greg Domber and daughters Lulu (1) and Tillie) where Greg is a history professor at The University of North Florida.  Mira continues writing and publishing poetry as well as translating Polish poetry.  Her second book of translations (Colonies) was published this year.  Zoë received her BA in May in Broadcast Engineering from San Francisco State University.  Her focus is audio for video (i.e. movies) and she immediately landed her dream job at Skywalker Ranch of Stars Wars fame.  

 Frances Hilliard Dawson:

As my jottings do not fit into any of the categories mentioned, I did not submit anything. I am taking advantage of the class e-mail list to send the short description of a recent trip. Included are a few pictures. In August I flew to Calgary to visit my daughter, Kathleen and family. Michael joined me there and we drove back to Colorado Springs together. Copied below are highlights:

We postponed our departure from Calgary until Kathleen had returned from school.  It is always hard to say goodbye, especially to the little ones.

The day was glorious, deep blue sky, fluffy pure white cumulus clouds, with the odd alto cumulous that reflected the orange of the sun. Travelling south of Calgary is big sky country and though we traveled under a sunny sky, to the west over the Rockies we could see storm clouds drenching the foothills.

We had packed enough to feed us for the rest of the day, so made uninterrupted progress to our destination, Izaak Walton Inn, Essex, Montana, 60 miles east of Kalispell bordering on Glacier National Park and Great Bear Wilderness Area, a 1,000 acres of wilderness. It was dark when we traversed the Blackfeet (this is American usage; in Canada, the tribe is referred to as the Blackfoot) Reservation and skirted the edge of the park on a very winding road. Seemed a much longer journey than when we covered the some of the same route the following day. The only place open for refreshments when we arrived at 10:00 p.m. was the bar. I had a cocktail made from a local cucumber based gin, “Whistler Andy”. Interesting.

Izaak Walton Inn was built in 1939 for the use of railroad personnel and anticipated as the entrance to Glacier Park, which did not happen. The personnel who lodged there were responsible for the helper engines situated at Essex to assist the freight trains over the Continental Divide at the summit of Marias Pass.  Now the Inn caters to outdoor and rail fan enthusiasts.  About 6 cabooses and one engine have been converted to sleeping quarters.

The next day we spent in the Park. Enveloped by the heady scent of pine on the cool clear air as we entered alpine territory, we marveled at the white water dashing over rocky stream beds and amazing glacier sculpted mountains: razor sharp ridges or arêtes, horn/pyramidal shaped peaks and gigantic blocks of “basement” rock bereft of sedimentary deposits.  This park merits days to savor the many different terrains. We had one, so only a few stops. McDonald Lake was our introduction to the subalpine zone: Western Red Cedar and Hemlock, Birch, Furs, White Spruce and Horsehair lichen. A family of Red-breasted Mergansers entertained us as we explored the shore. Logan Pass at 6646 ft is Alpine territory.  We ate our picnic contemplating the surrounding peaks and alpine meadows. The “terracing” or ridges of gravel (eskers) left from stream-beds inside or on the surface of valley glaciers leading up to Reynolds Mt. (9,125 ft) are covered with evidence of the time when this land was covered by the Belt Sea and is some of the best preserved sedimentary rock in the world. Frozen ripples in sand and strings of cyanobacteria from a time that has too many zeros for me to grasp. All truly awesome.

Our attempts at birding the next day were disappointing, though we did discover a great location, Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge, located in Flathead Indian Reserve, Montana for migratory birds; we were just too early, season wise.

We stumbled on another marvel the following day at a rest stop in Idaho, between Idaho Falls and Blackfoot on I-15, Hell’s Half Acre. It is basaltic lava plain located on the Snake River Plain high desert at 5,351ft. Molten rock came from 30 to 50 miles below the surface through fissures last about 4,100 years ago.  Steppe like vegetation is claiming this area that started cooling 3,000 years ago. The large jagged cracks and caves are being colonized by lichen, moss, sage bush, juniper (twisted and ancient looking), rabbit brush, prickly pear cactus and I think I saw a Rocky Mountain ninebark.

We cut across Colorado beside the Colorado River marveling at the variety of rock formations. Some mountains had almost been buried in their own rubble, which still retained the horizontal coloured lines of the original striations of rock. As we approached Denver storm clouds loomed ahead broken by strikes of lightening. To the east a complete double rainbow kept us company and at one point one end of the arc came down right in front of the car. It moved as we moved, so we decided that it was pointless to start digging!

As we have often noted wherever we travel by road in the US, all the roads and rest stops are excellent. The Bureau of Land Management has created two trails with interpretive signs at Hell’s Half Acre. Starting in Montana and carrying on in Idaho every town and village seemed to have not just one but several casinos. And we had several nice chats with people, a lengthy one with a couple from Billings, Montana. 

Five days, so we were on the move most the time, and so are tempted to revisit parts when we will be able to linger.

Harishwar "Deepak" Dayal: Dear All,

A rarest of rare opportunity to catch up with Chepbuh family, is being looked forward to with great pleasure and excitement.  Richard, Suzy, Cate all at one go! Some kind of a bonanza! Richard and Suzy will spend the day and night of the 29th with us at the Ashram and also make a very quick village visit to our Women Empowerment programme in rural Haryana.

We will meet again on 5th October in New Delhi over a South Indian meal. There will be a lot to talk about and with Cate with us we are sure to get all the updates on the Chepbuh family. 

I would like to reiterate that there is a special joy in meeting childhood friends, and therefore, anyone planning a visit to India - especially New Delhi and Woodstock - please do inform in advance so that we can get together.

God bless and with love

Harishwar

Cell: +91 98 186 006 44

The official words sent to the Quad~!

 

 Marriages:

Claire Marie (Blickenstaff) Beery and Bill Haigwood were married September 21, 2013 in Santa Rosa, California...old friends who reconnected three years ago and discovered the love that had been hibernating.  Claire’s mother, Ginny Blickenstaff Crane (a lively 90 years old) was the ring bearer.

 
Significant Life Accomplishments:

David Rugh is involved in naturalist programs on the Olympic Peninsula; he graduated from a naturalist training course sponsored by the Jefferson Land Trust of Washington State.

Phil DeVol was honored as a Distinguished Alumni at the WOSA-NA annual meeting in Maryville, TN for his “exemplary work in different countries around the world on poverty issues, the design of adolescent treatment programs, improving retention rates of new hires from poverty and the challenges of chemical dependence.”   

Cate Whitcomb was elected President of the League of Women Voters in Evanston in June 2013 and chaired a celebration committee for women having the vote in Illinois for 100 years. 

Judith Scheuremann Bender was nominated to be Communications Chairperson and Editor for our small Island newspaper which she finds absolutely great fun!

In Memoriams /Deaths:

Linda Gamble McKendry’s mother, Lydia Gamble, passed away Dec. 21, 2012, Her father, John Gamble, passed away February 27, 2013.  Two days after her father’s burial, her husband Jim had a severe health crisis but has made a good recovery.

Arun Kapur’s mother, Kamla Bery Kapur (’42) passed away in November 8, 2012 and his father, passed away on June 24, 2012.

John Chaffee’s wife, Barbara Hunter Chaffee, MD, MPH,  passed away on March 5, 2013, after a long battle with breast cancer.  Several classmates, Rajan Kose, Ruth Morris Paige, and Phil DeVol attended the funeral in Binghamton, New York.

Front on the floor - Maya (5) and Kai (2) belong to Ethan and Jody Friedericks, two sets of twins are next! Finley (4) and Tsai (4) sit on either side of Mia (10) and Bella (10). Finley and Tsai belong to David Friedericks and Stacey Borgman while Mia and Bella belong to Jericho and Cass Tabor. 

First seated row: Jim, Charlie, Carl, Betty Anne, Anne, Richard with Sylvie, (2, David and Stacey's youngest child) 

Next row (3rd): Megan (daughter of Jim and Diane), Diane, Carl (son of Charlie), Cass Tabor, Jericho Tabor, Jody (wife of Ethan), Suzy.

4th row: Peter (youngest son of Jim and Diane), Jessica (Peter's wife), Patti (Richard's cousin), Patti's husband Dan Cirotti, Ethan (Richard and Suzy's middle child), and Chris Nelson (Elizabeth's husband).

Last row: Hanna (Eric's fiancee), Eric (eldest son of Jim and Diane), Marc (middle son of Jim and Diane), Adelle (2) with Elizabeth (daughter of Richard and Suzy), Stacey and David (eldest of Richard and Suzy).

Enjoy this great photo of the Friedericks family reunion summer 2013.

Jack and I just returned from the WOSA-NA reunion held at Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee.  It was a special occasion for our class because Phil DeVol was honored with the Distinguished Alumni award from Woodstock. Here are pictures from the weekend and the ceremony.