C’55
Sol Gittleman shares, “Dick Semeraro passed away. He was a pitcher on Doc Young’s last baseball team and Lew Watts’ first, then NYU’s labor lawyer for many years. I also heard from Nish Nijarian C’55, T’59, G’82, who, like the rest of us, is in his 90s, after a career as a teacher and minister. Is anyone else around from the days we were called “The Circuit Riders” and ate off Navy surplus trays in Bowne Hall Cafeteria? Nish and I were on Drew’s first soccer team. I retired ten years ago and have been living with my wife of 69 years at Brookhaven in Lexington, MA, after teaching for 52 years at Tufts. Anyone from the College Class of ’55, waddle up to your computer and report in.”
C’58
Rolf Ahlers shares, “During this past year, 2025, I continued to write my new book on Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi (1743–1819). Jacobi is now considered to be the ‘gray eminence’ of the philosophical movement called ‘German Idealism,’ according to Michael Theunissen. Jacobi research is one of the most intense areas in that specialized field of philosophy. I have worked in this field since my earliest Drew years. My interest focused intensely on Kant, Jacobi, Fichte, Hegel, and Schelling during the History of Philosophy course I took at Drew’s Brothers College. We used the two-volume work by Jones on the History of Philosophy. Yes, not only Kant, but especially Hegel fascinated me; I remember clearly Jacobi’s critique of Kant to this day. And I worked, lecturing and publishing in this field, all my life. My contributions to the general field and to Jacobi research, in both my mother tongue, German, and English, have been recognized by the professional community. So it happened that my contributions were sought by the Leipzig Center of Jacobi Research. I was asked to write several essays by the directors of the new Jacobi Wörterbuch Online. I decided to write these in English rather than German to make them available to a broader audience. All Germans speak and read English, but only a few anglophone writers speak and read German. My own Jacobi book makes slow progress. I have been interrupted by health problems—14 months ago, I had a heart arrest due to hypoxia caused by a viral infection. Two months later, I suffered a regular heart attack. I was hospitalized for weeks and weeks. Now officially ‘rehabilitated’ by our local heart center, I try to focus my daily work on Jacobi. I continue to receive books to read and review in my field of specialization, German Idealism and Jacobi research. Doing this work fills me with great satisfaction. I have begun to connect all the dots in my ‘life and times.’ They are essentially identical to the content and writings of the German Idealists and their historical and cultural consequences from 1819 to 2026. Those consequences range from Jacobi’s identification of idealism with nihilism to various forms of nihilism in our present time. They first manifested themselves in the great proponents of nihilism, from Feuerbach to Nietzsche, Bakunin and other Russian nihilists, to Soviet and post-Soviet nihilism, to the nihilism of Trump’s stress on the principle that might makes right. As a five-year-old, I witnessed, in front of our Grundig radio in Hamburg on my fifth birthday, June 22, 1941, the start of ‘Barbarossa,’ Nazi Germany’s great ‘Ostfeldzug,’ Germany’s Eastern Europe campaign stretching from the north of Norway down to Turkey. Nothing was more nihilistic than that Barbarossa Ostfeldzug. If Soviet Russia continued in that nihilistic mode, Putin’s Russia does not really deviate from those nihilistic Soviet assumptions. And Trump’s sheen of faith, the veil he displays publicly, hides nothing but his nihilism.”
Llew Pritchard shares, “Here are my class notes for my sisters and brothers who are members of the Class of 1958. I have followed the emails that have arrived in my mailbox from Drew with wonderful frequency about the exciting new programs implemented by President Hillary Link. She is doing a marvelous job leading our beloved alma mater in perilous times for private higher education. Brava to her for seeing to it that Drew will thrive and survive. At age 88, I reside in an assisted living facility called Aegis, located on beautiful Rogers Park in my hometown of the last six decades, Seattle, WA. I now have emeritus status at my law firm, where I was a senior partner for over 50 years. It has been a tough year following the passing of my beloved wife, Jonie Ashby Pritchard C’59, whom I met at Drew Forest in the fall of 1955. We were married in Princeton Chapel on June 20, 1959, and began our lives together in Durham, NC. I attended Duke Law School, and Jonie worked as a member of the Duke faculty assigned to the graduate program at the Duke Library. After a tough battle with cancer, she entered hospice here at Aegis. There was a marvelous celebration of her life at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle, where she was a vital member of the Episcopal community for decades. In our Salad Days at Drew, we learned to play bridge at the coffee shop in Faulkner House. Now I play bridge three times a week here at the old folks’ home. I also attend evening concerts of the Seattle Symphony, where I served as president and chairman of the board for over 20 years. I currently chair the life directors of this symphony and promote my beloved band throughout the community. I also maintain an active interest in politics inculcated by Prof. Smith at Drew. I am working actively to defeat the programs of terrible Trump, whom I regard as a dangerous fascist to our American democracy. If any of our Drew family venture west of Hoboken, I would love to entertain you here in Seattle.”
C’59
I’m glad to report some news for a change. Joan (Patchen) Naab says that things are about the same. She and her husband Geoff took their last main trip down the Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans. She states that she can now say she has been in all 50 states; Mississippi was the missing state. Her last comment was, “We really do have to downsize one of these days.”
Jack Dempster wrote that, having lived for 37 years at their home in Venice, FL, they decided it was time to move into a retirement facility. Their plan was answered when they discovered a place named Grand Living, also located in Venice. They now enjoy a great relief from all that home ownership entails.
Ann (Schulz) Smiley is still accompanying the Shawangunk Reformed Church choir with challenging music chosen by their director, a New York State School Music Association teacher whose groups regularly get the highest grades at festivals. She adds that she is too heavily into “translating” her husband’s grandfather’s daily diary entries by adding pertinent information, maps, photos, etc., to make reading interesting for all their children, grandchildren, etc. She is also doing a lot of research on other matters. Needless to say, not a dull moment, especially as her husband is struggling with some serious medical issues.
Every now and then I get a phone call from Pete Headley; the last time was to wish me a happy 89th birthday. We’ve been working on making a list of both living and deceased class members just for our own knowledge. It isn’t easy, as some in our class are what could be called “missing.” Pete and his wife Jodi (Della-Cerra) C’60 retired 21 years ago to Johnson City, TN, and recently celebrated 66 years of marriage. Pete rode his motorcycle for 77 years, but macular eye disease caused him to put his cycle up for sale. He is a member of the Rolling Thunder organization, whose mission is to assist veterans and stand honor guard at their Mt. Home National Cemetery for burials. Pete recently was privileged to be a guest on an Honor Flight of Appalachia trip to Washington, DC. He stays in touch with Jack Dempster, Phil Lindenmeyer, and Ron Pennimpede on a regular basis.
Carole (Horncastle) James continues to be a caregiver to her husband, Dick C’56, T’59, and is happy with their move 16 years ago to a continuing care community. She finds that she has excellent support there. She plays bridge, goes to exercise class, and attends lectures. She is still able to be active at their UMC. Their family just celebrated the first birthday of their great-granddaughter, and they look forward to the wedding of a grandson in Boston in July.
Your secretary (Ellen deLalla) still lives in the same home my father built 79 years ago and commiserates with the Dempsters about home ownership problems. I use a cane a lot due to pain in my left hip, but I still drive, sing in my church choir, knit, visit medical offices, and pay others to mow, rake, plant, and plow, all of which I used to do by myself. A friend calls it “the rages of the ages.” We all know what they are.
Send me your news, please!
C’60
Nancy (Marshall) Stroh shares, “Life continues—slower, but still rewarding. I am very happy at Pennswood, a local Quaker-influenced CCRC with lots of educational, enriching opportunities. Personal interests: part-time clergy supply, cheering on Phillies baseball, family time, which included a trip to Winchester, VA, where one son is CEO of a museum there, and then a fall trip to Denmark, where my State Dept. son is working.”
C’61
The Class of ’61 finds the 65th anniversary still active, with its smaller and limited energy.
Nancy “Nickie” (Clement) Richards still designs stained glass windows, participates in the Yankee Peddler festivals in Canal Fulton, OH, each September, keeps her house going, her church going (Calvary UMC, 25 miles away), and finds her grandchildren “amazing” and fun. Her daughters live 3,000 miles away in opposite directions—London, UK, and Hollywood, CA. Her son hosts a radio show (Running Late), broadcast from Cleveland every Saturday night, which she listens to when it is rebroadcast the next day.
Barbara (Yin) Fern, who is recovering from knee replacement surgery and doesn’t drive much, plans to visit the fairy cottage in the Poconos, where she can sit on the screened porch, play games, and visit with the family.
Marvel Kay (Richards) Mansfield reports she is “hale, hearty, and traveling.” This summer she will go to Slovenia, traveling in a car with a driver and a guide and friends. Kay worries that AI will cause folks to have their papers and books computer-written without employing her copywriting skills and wipe out her travel budget.
Sheldon Lerner writes as a retired surgeon and urges the “live well and retired” who travel through California to visit his home in La Jolla.
Marian (Dickinson) Fielder doesn’t drive at night and misses the lectures, concerts, and discussions at the Politics and Prose bookshop, but participates in a book group chaired by Senator Chris Van Hollen’s staff members.
June (Kamen) C’61, P’90 and I (Dave Cowell C’61, P’90) are reducing our commitments, like the Library Board and the leadership of the Grover Cleveland Birthplace Memorial Assoc., while keeping our book club and antiques shops and Local Assistance Board and Women’s Club membership active.
C’63
Spring has finally arrived here after a most unusual winter, with 53 days of at least some snow on the ground here in central Maryland. The reward has been beautiful blossoming flowers and trees that make a wonderful antidote to the news.
Neil Greenberg is still in Knoxville, TN, and still teaching at the university, although as Professor Emeritus he can now focus on his favorite course (a seminar about the integrative biology of art and aesthetic experience: https://neilgreenberg.com/art-organism/). His wife Kathy is deeply into church activities and the League of Women Voters. They always find time to go on a road trip to visit family and friends and former students for a couple of weeks in NYC, about six weeks in the Colorado Rockies and Santa Fe, and then spring break in Florida. Next year they will likely stretch into Vancouver after giving a lecture on his work in Sicily. When in New York, they jog over to campus to admire the changes. They are busy, healthy, happy, and wish the same for Drew classmates. Happy to correspond if not visit.
Ellie Crocker reports she is doing fine and is thankful she is well. She exercises in the pool twice weekly at the Y; meets weekly with friends for coffee and conversation; and tries to keep in shape with exercises and walking. She is doing much reading, mainly mysteries, and still hears from Sue Ellen DuBois Culhane. For the first time in 25 years, Ellie has not traveled to Belgium to visit a close friend; hopefully, she will go either next fall or spring. She also recently marched in the local No Kings parade.
Phyllis (Bailey) Lurvey writes that for the first time since she left Western Mass. for Drew at age 17, she is an hour from her hometown and living near extended family again. New Jersey, Nebraska, Ohio, the Boston area, then New Hampshire beckoned in between. Those 84 candles on her last birthday cake got her attention, combined with three years of widowhood and finding she must walk with a cane. So, she now finds herself the owner of a brand-new snug two-bedroom condo in an over-55 Del Webb community on Chauncy Lake in Westborough, MA, where she hopes to “age in place.” Best of all, their youngest son and family are about ten minutes away. Phyllis says it has “been a bittersweet move after being in New Hampshire for 28 years and among people and places and memories they dearly loved. But so far, so good. Great people here, too, though it’s such a busy, diverse, and cosmopolitan atmosphere here compared to ‘Cow Hampshire.’ There have been moments of culture shock! After being married to a husband since 2020 with UCC clergy credentials, and therefore an active member of the UCC, I’ve now returned to my Methodist roots again and love the vitality and welcome of the growing, active church my son and family attend here that I’m about to join too.” She closes by saying it is “always good to hear about my classmates, some of whom are in touch on Facebook. Memories of each other, our Drew years, and the values that were transmitted there remain precious and alive.”
David Pingree writes that spring is becoming visible in Southeastern PA, where he, while semi-retired, continues to be engaged as a part-time consultant for an IT company doing business with state governments. He is also doing his best to stay in shape by working out a few days each week. However, his scales will never again see his Drew baseball playing weight of 150. Speaking of Drew baseball, David recently had the pleasure of reminiscing with Dave Bodden of Drew Athletics regarding Drew baseball in our era, including Coach George Davis, former coach and Classics Professor Sherman “Plato” Young, and former Drew baseball star Robert G. “Prof” Smith, each of whom he had the pleasure of getting to know while at Drew. If anyone is in touch with classmate and fabulous first baseman Alan “Pete” Petty, please give him David’s regards.
Jeff Gillman says he and Marie made it through another winter with no drama. Family and extended families are all well. Approaching their 60th wedding anniversary in July, they will celebrate with a stay at a resort in Quebec province on Lake Champlain with some friends and their co-anniversary day with another couple. Jeff is still getting out to play golf once a week with his old guys’ group. Morris County has five very good courses with very inexpensive rates for senior residents. Regarding families: their son, Eric, has started a consulting business. Daughter, Stephanie, is part of an administrative team at an Episcopal church in Ridgewood, NJ. The grandkids are their pride and joy—one is finishing freshman year at Syracuse as a music major; another is in his junior year at Worcester Poly Tech majoring in Robotics Engineering (also spent seven weeks in New Zealand on a school project to build up interest in vegetation conservation in their state parks); and lastly, a rising freshman will attend UMass Amherst, goal: business degree. Jeff spoke to the Slippens recently. Mike Slippen is not as mobile as in earlier years. Also, Jeff is on the distribution list for Japanese-style brushwork done by Sandy Schatz, retired radiologist turned fabulous artist.
Dan McFadden reports the McFaddens are doing well, all six of them. His personal news includes a knee replacement six months back. The recovery has been a little frustrating at times, but now he’s coming downstairs with increasing ease and not in need of handrails. Dan’s now getting back to pickleball games several times a week, so he is very happy to have gotten that done. Shortly, Dan will return to a bachelor’s life for a few months. His wife, Barbara, is headed to Nepal for a volunteer stint teaching at the Kopila Valley School; this school was started by an amazing young New Jersey woman, Maggie Doyne. For an inspiring story, check out www.blinknow.org. If he can bear the thought of a really long plane ride, Dan might join Barbara for a few weeks. He still gets back to Drew on occasion, as they are only a few miles away. It is still the beautiful place we all remember.
Gerie (Snell) Schumann keeps in touch with Judy (Hurdy) Swann and hopes she made it to Florida for a little respite. Gerie says she is “getting the gardening itch, but it is too soon! Saw some nice-looking wallflowers at the market yesterday, but have read up that they like more alkaline soil than I have, so not sure I will waste my money trying. Maybe put them in a container so I can control pH better. It has been a long time since I studied chemistry with Doc Scott. He was a good teacher. I think everyone liked him.” Gerie did not suffer much serious damage during the blizzard but was very happy to have a generator. They lost power for 65 hours, and she opened up business for sleepovers, hot showers, phone charging, laundry, and food. It was very cozy! She remains very sad that Ward Landrigan passed away. “He was a dear friend to both Bill (Schumann C’64) and me, and we kept in touch over the years.”
Candy Ridington and I grew up together, as our fathers both came to teach at Western Maryland College (now McDaniel) in 1938, so it is always a treat to hear from her. She and her husband, Jack, are still in their home in Bethesda. They have had some medical issues, but nothing to seriously cramp their style, she hopes. Candy belongs to a small piano group where they meet once a month at each other’s homes and play whatever pieces on which they are working. Their piano skills vary—and that is the point, that all are welcome, whatever the level. She closes by noting, “thank goodness my mother saw to it that I had piano lessons” with Ellen’s mother!
As for me (Ellen (Earp) Baker), our son is doing statistical work from home in Reston, VA, for the national organization of Meals on Wheels. Our older daughter is working as a discharge nurse for a hospital in Leesburg, VA. She and her husband have a small farm near Charles Town, WV, and have four sheep, 34 chickens at last count, a guard dog, plus two other dogs and assorted cats. Their daughter is the mother of our great-grandson, named Wyatt because the dad is a fan of my eighth cousin Wyatt Earp! Younger daughter is still teaching math at the Horace Mann School in the Bronx.
That is the latest news from the Class of ’63. Please let us hear from the rest of you so we can keep in touch.
C’64
David Leslie shares, “Jan and I moved to Clark Lindsey Village in 2024. We live a few doors away from Pat and John Jordan T’63, both of whom studied at the Drew Theological School. John and I compare notes about the luxurious accommodations in the DTS dorm. I recently received a nice note from Alan Petty C’63, a rare reconnection. Our son Coulter lives not too far from Alan in Swarthmore, PA. Coulter works with the National Chess Federation in area schools. Our son Tom is the Ralph E. Johnson Professor of Design at the University of Illinois—ergo our move to Urbana. We continue traveling (Caribbean over the holidays), but we are staying closer to home than formerly—nothing international scheduled.
Paul C. Friday shares, “I retired in 2017 as Emeritus Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. I was widowed from my wife of 37 years, Leah, in early 2021. In fall 2022, I attended my 62nd high school reunion (delayed two years due to COVID) and reconnected with Christine, my ninth-grade Latin class partner, who was also widowed. I moved back to NJ in 2023, and Christine and I married last September 2025. I’m now living in my hometown of Burlington, NJ.”
C’65
It is truly a joy to hear from classmates and learn about their activities and how they are spending their time after age 80. Wow—can it really be that long ago that we frolicked in the Forest? Sadly, though, the news is thinning, probably because our numbers are shrinking. According to our own Bob Smart, who has compiled the numbers (see below), 44 of our classmates have now passed on. We remember them fondly and send condolences to family and friends.
On a happier note, here’s what is happening with the classmates who responded to my request for news:
Barbara (Cox) Koehler reminds us that, for many of us, our time at Drew resulted in lifelong friendships. The one that stands out for her is Linda Blain, whom she met during their freshman year together. Linda and her roommate, Marjorie Taft, invited Barbara to join them in a room in Rogers House (they needed a third roommate). Both “Taft” and Linda left Drew at the end of their sophomore year (Barbara says she’s pretty sure she was not the cause of that!). Since that time, their lives diverged and converged over the years. Linda left to study nursing at Cornell in New York City, and Barbara entered Cornell Medical College two years later. Their dorms were a block apart. Linda remained at New York Hospital following graduation and even served as Barbara’s recovery room nurse after her minor surgery there. Barbara was a maid of honor at Linda’s wedding when she married Bob Temmler C’67, and Linda was there when Barbara married her husband, Bob. Not only did their families vacation together at a camp in the Adirondacks, but they also attended each other’s daughters’ weddings. Barbara adds, “In spite of years and miles apart, we were always close in spirit. When we did manage a rare in-person visit, it was like we were never apart.” Sadly, a few years ago, Barbara had the honor of speaking at Linda’s memorial service. She notes, “I am so grateful that we were able to have long phone conversations during the final years of her illness. I am also so thankful that we started our lifelong friendship at Drew, a beautiful place for a beautiful friendship.”
And from Kathleen (Murray) Henry comes news that she now lives in South Yarmouth, MA, on Cape Cod, in a retirement village. She reports that they have water aerobics and daily exercise classes, in addition to “beautiful dinners” served in the dining hall every day. In describing her accommodations, she says she has a large two-bedroom, two-bath apartment overlooking a lake and welcomes Drew graduates to visit. Kathy says her son Shawn is CEO of Whale Spotter, a Massachusetts company that uses the latest technology to keep whales safe from vessel strikes. She also has two grandchildren who are in college, as well as one who already graduated and a grandson serving in the U.S. Coast Guard. Kathy notes that, while she is officially retired, she still preaches several times each month. She also visits the Maine coast each summer, where she has a cottage on the water. Kathy adds that she was very disappointed that we didn’t have an in-person 60th reunion but is looking forward to our next Zoom meeting (see details from Bob Smart below).
Naomi Shapiro, who never fails to send me an update, writes that she is still living in Springfield, NJ, with her partner of 30-plus years, who continues to write grants and compose music. Naomi is still teaching cello but has only two students at this point. She also participates in two book clubs while continuing to exercise and walk daily. Naomi admits she is very upset with the current state of affairs both nationally and internationally and says she reads historian and professor Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter every day to help quiet the chaos. Naomi and Stan have also joined their community pool and are looking forward to making use of it this summer for more exercise and interaction with neighbors.
Apparently many of us are taking advantage of communities geared to people our age. Rusty Martin writes that he and his wife, Susan, have moved to Kendal on Hudson, a Quaker-sponsored retirement community in Sleepy Hollow, NY. He admits it was difficult to sell his childhood home in Mamaroneck, NY, but that they are enjoying their new community. One of the benefits, he says, is the magnificent panoramic view they have of the Hudson River from their living room window. Rusty continues to be involved with Drew via his membership on the Board of Trustees’ development committee. He also continues to serve as executive director of the British Schools and Universities Foundation, a New York City-based charity that supports more than 300 British schools and universities.
It was so nice to hear from Carol (Mims) Dukes this time, who reports that she has been retired for 20 years as a school social worker in Upper Darby, PA. In 2013, Carol moved to Bellingham, WA, to be closer to her son Jon, his wife Lilly, and their newborn son, Remi. She has continued to travel overseas as well as explore all that the Pacific Northwest has to offer, including mountains, ocean views, walking trails, and bluegrass concerts, along with some wine sipping. She notes that grandson Remi is now 12 years old and almost taller than she is and that it has been a delight to “grow up” together. Carol’s son is also a social worker in their county and received his MSW degree from Smith College, making his mother proud that he is keeping up the family tradition. His wife Lilly is an administrator at the Spring Street International School in Friday Harbor, where Remi goes. Carol sends her best to everyone and encourages all our classmates to keep the joy and the adventure going.
From our intrepid Bob Smart comes a valuable update: “It is hard to believe that 60 years have passed since we graduated from Drew. Because it is now more challenging for many of us to travel to New Jersey, I agreed to host two Zoom meetings of our classmates in recent months. These were fun, free-flowing conversations of about 90 minutes each, in which we got a chance to chat and laugh and catch up on what we have been doing since graduation. Nobody took attendance or notes (too bad), but among the participants at one or both of the meetings were John Allen, Harry Brand, Stewart “Phil” Covert C’65,T’79, Peggy Domber, Sandy (Chere) Groom, Nancy (Schnaars) Hall, Isabelle (Miller) Kanz, Rusty Martin, Arthur “Art” Mittler, Nancy (Trout) Ozsogomonyan, Marie (Shepherd) Painter, John Parcels, Joyce (Brunelle) Pazianos, Dave Schlansker, Jon Schweiger, Naomi Shapiro, Bob Smart, Barbara (Eichhorn) Stevens, Ann (Leary) St-Cyr, and Marilyn Stoner. The next Zoom meeting will be held on the first Sunday of May at 5:00 PM EDT.”
Bob also prepared an online update of the yearbook prepared by Drew at the time of our 50th reunion. He notes that some classmates have asked how many people were in our class. That is a moving target, so it is hard to come up with a number. We began our years at Drew with a little over 200 members. At Commencement on June 5, 1965, 168 graduated. Another eight of our classmates graduated in 1966, and 17 of our classmates transferred to other colleges or did not complete their degree work at Drew. Another common inquiry was how many classmates have passed away. This again is a moving target, since the only information we receive is from Drew or from online obituary services. However, from those sources, we can confirm that the following classmates have passed away since graduation:
Joseph Abbott, Betsey (Werner) Abell, Walter Achtert, Priscilla (Evans) Addis, Jo Ane Anderson, Meredith (Walling) Anderson, Harold “Hal” Barney, Amy (Anderson) Beveridge, C. Scott Bickell, Frank Brooks, Bob Cohen, Deedee Corradini, Stewart Crank C’65, P’92, GP’17, Danny Daniels, Susan (Frazer) Deatherage, Karen (Bratsenis) De Bartolo, Bob deVeer, George Englehardt, Mary Fortunato, Bob Hirschman, Allen Hood C’65, P’92, Patty Howell, D. Wayne “Donald” Howie, Donald Kanzaki, Richard Lehne, Faith Longstreet, Frank Macaulay, Angela (Mankiewicz) Jones, Joel Merchant, Bill Owen, Linda Hoffman-Peterson, Henry Porter, Sergio Roca, John Singer, Isabelle Smith, Stephen Spiegel, Bob St-Cyr, Anne (Hargreaves) Wendt, Doug Wicoff, Patricia Wolff, Bob Woolley, Mark Yerburgh, Barbara (Buchan) Zeilenga, and Crane “Fritzi” (Ferris) Zuvich.
Meanwhile, Bob has just completed a monthly travel series—a five-year series of programs—at the active senior retirement community where he lives. Now he’s about to begin a series of programs about travel highlights, as well as beginning to write an autobiography.
Classmates may remember that Art Valenzuela retired as Emeritus Professor of Government and Foreign Service at Georgetown University in 2014 and then joined global law firm Covington & Burling, where he remained until 2020. Apart from his distinguished career in government and academia, Art has continued his research, writing, and speaking on constitutional reform and democratic governance, a topic very much in the news today. In fact, Art writes, “These are difficult times that consume a lot of our attention. Like many other classmates, I am trying to find the best way to help reverse the authoritarian tendencies in our country…” He adds that we are certainly living in a world that may be more perilous than the one we faced when we were in college and many of us were deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Art sends his best regards to all and says, “Let’s hope for an end to the tyranny we are facing and see how we can help bring it to an end.”
Susan Morrison shares that she is a retired United Methodist Bishop living in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. After retirement, she became very active in the community, but post-pandemic she says she slowed down to let the “younger” retirees take over. She says she is still protesting (what is happening today), and it all got started at Drew with protesting the local barbershop in Madison and going to Alabama. She notes that, “you can’t take a child of the sixties out of me!”
Your secretary (Nancy (Schnaars) Hall) continues to live with her significant other in Southport, NC, a few miles from the beach at Oak Island. This is apparently a very desirable locale, since the population is growing significantly and developers don’t seem to want to waste any available land. We’re down to one condo at this point (but still two cars) and continue to downsize. I volunteer two days a week at the local hospital, and we both belong to the local Moose Lodge. We enjoy frequenting the many restaurants available to us while trying to eat healthy, stay active, and cultivate the friendships we’ve made here. Once a year we travel to mid-coast Maine to escape the heat and humidity and catch up with the friends I left behind.
C’66
Donald R. Marcy C’66, P’91 shares, “Still living in Madison and still helping buyers and sellers realize their real estate dreams. Three sons, five grandchildren—everybody happy and healthy…so far. I’d love to hear from any of my old classmates or Rugby Club teammates. Looking back, ‘those were the days…’”
C’68
Richard Hall shares, “After 30 years of traveling no farther than Ontario, my wife Kathy Sexton Hall C’70 and I hopped on a plane to Ireland on October 1—the first day of the government shutdown that affected TSA and air travel. My 79-year-old brain could no longer face driving on the right (that is, the left) side of the road, so we spent two weeks on Irish trains and Ubers to visit Dublin, Killarney, and Cork. Sightseeing included many museums and churches, plus a visit to a small town where one of Kathy’s ancestors grew up. Of course, there was wonderful food and Irish whiskey all around. On the fifteenth of October, we flew back from Dublin with Global Entry cards to smooth the way and, surprisingly, no problems caused by the continuing government shutdown. Hope all your travels are equally peaceful, and hoping to rendezvous for our 60th reunion in two years.”
Julian Karpoff shares, “I continue to be comfortably retired in Lewes, DE. Regrettably, MaryJo, my wife of 40 years, passed away last year, succumbing to Parkinson’s disease after many years, which is a real curse. By and by, I met Janis, who also recently lost a spouse, and we decided to pitch in together. She joined me in Lewes, and we moved to a new(er) house. We are just back from a cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong. I still have my sailboat, which is almost ready to go back in the water for the season. I continue to do a little lawyering. The new house has a full basement, which facilitates tinkering. And I have four grandchildren, all above average. Anyone who wants to go sailing on the Delaware Bay should stop by.”
Susan Strandberg Burhouse C’68, P’00 shares, “My seventh Disney cruise with my son and family was a Christmas 2025 Caribbean cruise on the Disney Treasure, where my grandson performs with Mickey as a host-entertainer. That fun was followed by a few magical days in February at Disney World with my daughter and family. Good thing I had those wonderful times because on March 5, I had unexpected double bypass open-heart surgery. After five days in the hospital and eighteen days in rehab, I was grateful to come home, where my recovery seems to be going well. 2026 won’t be quite the year I had in mind.”
C’69
Betty (Hazard) Nolte sends, “Kia ora! Hello! Jerry and I are on a 31-day Road Scholar trip to New Zealand and Australia. There are 24 in our group, and we are learning a lot and having fun together. We started in Auckland and are in our 6th stop, which is Wellington. It is almost time to move to Sydney. Life is good!”
Priscilla (Leach) Stoner wrote, “I retired from clinical research about 14 years ago, after my husband died. Moved to middle Tennessee about five years ago and travel whenever I can. Did Turkey last fall, probably Norway next … or maybe Argentina. Life goes on and is pretty good in Tennessee.”
Anne (Huckins) Wilson, aka Huck, says there is nothing new in her life. She is still working the polls, and she warns us that her cat is driving her crazy.
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Gary Zwetchkenbaum writes, “Suzie and I are both working full-time while still finding time to travel. Suzie has been working in radiology for over 40 years. She currently works for RADNET, a public company with over 2 billion in annual revenue. Suzie visits 100 doctors weekly, facilitating their patients’ radiology requirements. Over the last 20 years, I have created Plum Tree Consulting LLC to service public and private companies, raising capital and building market awareness. Suzie and I take two cruises each year, in the winter to the Caribbean and late summer to Europe and the Mediterranean. Suzie continues to assist me during industry conferences in Las Vegas, Florida, and Atlantic City.” Gary looks forward to hearing from classmates and offers his cell phone number (please contact [email protected]).
Orlay Johnson writes, “Nothing new from me. Happily retired from NOAA as a salmonid geneticist/biologist, I both volunteer and work at Seattle’s excellent aquarium. My daughter lives in Olympia, WA, and my son works for Maxar, a rocketry company, in California. Still going to the YMCA daily and love working in the garden. Pretty boring—but fun to live in the Seattle area. Love to kayak and walk on our great beaches.”
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Fran Edwards C’69, G’71 moved from the San Jose area to Vegas in 2022, and is still unpacking. At home, she and Dan have been busy doing internal renovations and building a 1,200-square-foot garage for Dan’s car hobby. He built a Cobra from the ground up and works on other cars too. Fran and Dan went to LA to present papers on climate change and transportation, and they visited the site of the 2025 wildland fires in the Pacific Palisades and Malibu. Frannie enjoys her raised-bed garden of cacti, currently putting on a show of beautiful blooms.
Jane (Dugdale) Bussard writes, “A lot has happened in my life in the past eight months. My husband did battle with five kidney stones; we sold our home, downsized, moved to an independent-living cottage in a continuing-care community a little closer to two sons, and I shed my cataracts and some squamous cells (and gained five pounds). We are finally settling in here at Quincy Village, decorating the walls with pictures. Now that I have new glasses, I am regaining use of two eyes. Relief! And there is more fun ahead as our great-grandchild count is up to five this spring.”
Gerry Levinson sends his thoughts. “Heidi and I are training each other. I am becoming more knowledgeable and aware of dachshunds, as she is becoming more accustomed to the expectations of the two-legged creatures with which she is living. Otherwise, this is becoming a year of medical events, dental and visual. I continue to speak with classes of public school students about my family’s Holocaust experiences. Both Ann and I participated in the three No Kings demonstrations, and we stand up/out locally for the continuation of democracy against the current tide of amoral, self-centered, undemocratic Trump behavior. I am waiting for Drew to take a stand. As I did when I taught, I promote these two concepts: 1) Asking questions is a sign of intelligence; smart people ask questions. If you ask questions, what can you get? 2) And, be curious: think of the W’s—who, what, where, when, wonder… not obsessively, but from time to time.”
Katherine “Ellen” Stringer asked me to share her recent Facebook post, in which she wrote: “My beloved husband of 25 years, Jonathan Marc Baldwin, died on Easter Sunday, due to cardiac arrest. I am heartbroken, as are his family and many friends here in Big Indian and the Clearwater organization. Jon and I met through Yahoo personal ads in 1999. Our first date was a scorching bike ride around Sandy Hook on the Fourth of July. We shared many interests, including camping, hiking, bike riding, New York City, folk music, and a love of animals. We traveled widely in both the United States and Europe. He had a quiet, gentle demeanor most of the time. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him. His obituary can be found on the E.B. Gormley Funeral Home website. May he rest in peace.” Our sympathy goes out to Ellen and Jon’s family.
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Stephen Goldstein shares, “Not much to offer. Living in VT, near Burlington, for 13 years. A mile from the lake. At 78, with some health issues, I have not much mobility. My stepdaughter and stepson, and his wife and 5-year-old son—our joy—live nearby. I Zoom with my sons every week. Life is good as the world suffers DT.”
Gail (Purdie) Nourse, Ruth (Tuttle) Riley, Chris Stewart, and Ann (Travis) Ingram write, “The four of us have enjoyed getting together occasionally for the past five or six years to catch up on our lives. Gail first initiated Zoom calls during the COVID shutdown and later, since we all have nearby homes, we started meeting up for lunch in the Boston/Cape Cod area. Our lunches have been informal interludes where we enjoy updating each other on our travels, families, and other interests. It’s astonishing that it has been 56 years since we all left Drew! So much has happened during those years and yet, when we get together, it seems like no time has passed at all. We have all lived full lives, but it feels like we are all the same people as we were when we graduated!”
Kathy Sexton Hall and her husband, Richard P. Hall C’68, spent two weeks in Ireland in October. Kathy wanted to visit Kilgarvan, where her great-grandparents were born. After visiting the National Library of Ireland to get some specific details, they hired a driver to visit the town. Although the church her relatives attended was torn down in the early 20th century, and the cemetery where they were buried was in ruins, Kathy and Richard and their driver did enjoy a visit with the church secretary at the modern church that had replaced it. It turned out she lived in the exact townland (Milleenatagill) where Kathy’s grandparents had lived. It’s not listed on current maps, but she was able to give the driver all the local landmarks. They also spent time in Dublin, Killarney, and Cork, visiting the local sites and drinking Guinness. If you ever are in Killarney, they highly recommend Foley’s Townhouse on High Street.
Paul Dezendorf shares, “This winter, I went to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia on a State Department Fulbright grant to help establish a master’s in public administration and improve undergraduate public administration content and teaching. I also had time to visit an international retail center on the Afghanistan border, as well as take a ski lift up almost two miles in the highest mountains in Central Asia. Lots of interesting adventures and wonderful people. I’m still doing landscaping on my four acres just outside of Asheville, NC, and enjoying five grandchildren. Anyone visiting western North Carolina is invited to contact me to get together.”
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We first heard from Carla (Dabrowski) Kramer: “In November, just before Thanksgiving, I had my right knee replaced—in plenty of time to rehab in time to dance for my friend’s 50th Jubilee ceremony in the Humility of Mary Nuns in July! She chose one of my favorite pieces, Ever We Praise You, that I choreographed about ten years ago for a ‘traveling’ prayer service we danced for our music director at the time. Throughout that year, we took the prayer service to many Ohio sites as well as several in Pennslyvania, dancing six pieces within the service. What a wonderful experience, doing it for so many! So all four of us are looking forward to reprising this piece to honor one of our original dancers, Sr. Margaret! Still teaching the AARP Smart Driver program for seniors—a terrific review class covering new innovations on the roadways as well as state-specific law changes. An overall great program.”
After retiring from a long and glass-ceiling-breaking career with Naval Intelligence, Gail Harris reports: Since September 2019, Gail has been studying music at Juilliard. In the summer of 2023, she was asked to write two new compositions that were performed at a two-week-long concert event in Narnia, Italy. Since then, she has been invited back to the festival four times. This summer, she has been invited to attend a prestigious program at the European American Alliance Music Institute.
Dale O’Brien also checked in: “We had a visit from our friend Dennis Ingoglia and his wife a couple of months ago. It is so difficult to believe the last time I saw Dennis was on the day we graduated. It was great to see him and realize he married UP. They toured the Palm Springs area and traveled to Joshua Tree, and we enjoyed dinners with them as well. We swapped stories of those with whom we remain in contact from Drew. Not once did Dennis attempt to lobby for my vote on the student senate, so he clearly has closed that chapter.”
Rhonda Rush gets the prize for most remote reporting: “I am birdwatching in Tanzania. We are finishing a 14-day trip over the northern and eastern park of the country. I love seeking, finding, and then identifying birds. We saw mammals too.
Kathy (Finley) Vandiver also provided an update: “I have been working at MIT for the past 20 years. (That’s hard for me to believe too… it’s been that long!) Luckily, I have Principal Investigator (PI) status, and I won a five-year NIH teaching grant, leading with university colleagues in teaching a five-day short course in genetics and environmental health. This keeps me very busy, traveling all around the country with my team of instructors about four times per year. (Luckily, I managed to save my federal grant funding by changing some of the forbidden words in my grant title.) The genetics is particularly fun to teach because I have designed 3D hands-on models of DNA’s nucleotides and protein’s amino acids in partnership with my husband, MIT Prof. J. Kim Vandiver, who is a mechanical engineer. Here is a YouTube video used to engage middle- and high-school teachers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMUeVgtBFPA. If you’d like to learn more about the advanced levels of instruction possible with the hands-on models, see: https://edgerton.mit.edu/DNA-proteins-sets (MIT makes the sets available below our cost to make them; we are a nonprofit for now.)”
Greg Grandquist provided these reassuring words: “Oh the weather outside is frightening🎶…We’ve escaped into our 85-inch TVs and YouTube Premium, vicariously following Itchy Boots around the world, sarcastically laughing with Tim Dillon, and screaming aloud with Meidas Touch. We saddle Perplexity as it’s the friendliest of the AI dragons and soar into battle. Yes, winter is here. But Election Day is coming. 🖤”
Doug Stephens is on the go, again: “Jan and I leave Wednesday for another long-distance hike in the UK: Hadrian’s Wall Path. Hope they will serve us Americans in the pubs.
As for me (David Little), my big news is a glorious trip to Antarctica in January with Mark Lescault, Polly and Steve C’71, T’74 Stetler, and Keith Halperin and his wife. Highly recommended!
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Mike Corbett, baseball MVP and basketball player at Drew, continues to play and coach pickleball. He says pickleball was a game played primarily by seniors until recently. Mike won a U.S. National’s Bronze Medal in 2011, earned 20 career gold medals, and played on a State O65 Title Team last season. Previously, he played on the U.S. Paddle Tennis circuit for 15 years.
David Green, of Madison, NJ passed away peacefully in January 2026 in Morristown, NJ. He was 75 years old. Born in October 1950, in Jersey City, NJ, Dave was the son of Methodist pastor Roy Chester Green and Edythe Frances Stafford Green. He spent his childhood in several communities, including Jersey City, Bound Brook, and Phillipsburg, NJ, as well as Port Jervis, NY, where he graduated from high school. Dave went on to attend Drew University in Madison, NJ, while working in security for Mrs. Dodge at the Dodge Estate in Madison. In 1973, he joined the Madison Police Force, serving for 20 years before retiring as a Sergeant in 1993. He went on to continue his career in Corporate Security at Jersey Central Power and Light, from which he retired in 2012. Dave also faithfully served as a Certified Lay Servant at United Methodist Church in Madison, NJ. https://danglerfuneralhomes.com/tribute/details/4490/David-Green/obituary.html See In Memoriam.
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The Class of ’74 is turning 74.
Dr. Lawrence Spinelli is retired after a long career in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government. Larry shares that our London Semester leader, Sir Patrick Duffy, passed away at the remarkable age of 105. He was the longest-living member of Parliament. Sir Duffy worked with our former Political Science Professor Julius Mastro C’50 to establish the London Semester program. Arlene (Csehi) Spinelli C’75 was also on the London Semester with Larry. Larry and Arlene reside in Arlington.
Janet Booth, our class astrologer, has expanded into interior design. She has totally redecorated her home in Connecticut and created a small art gallery within. Janet is busy as President of the Astrological Society of Connecticut. Janet will be presenting at the United Astrology Conference in Chicago in September. She enjoys Zumba and qi gong for fun.
Ellen (Wise) Lang C’75 and I (Mark Lang) still reside in Orlando. Ellen is working diligently to build a new Holocaust Center for Hope and Humanity in downtown Orlando. They are breaking ground this year. I am a 49-year lawyer still trying cases, who runs a lot. I also train and show dogs in AKC Obedience Trials.
Please send news and notes to me at my email address on this page.
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Nancy (Baughman) Csuti is now fully retired and stays busy with travel, volunteer work, friendship, and learning. When she is home in Denver, she volunteers one day a week at the Museum of Nature and Science and one day a week at the Eldorado Canyon State Park. Her 2025 travels took her and her partner Stu to Paris for language school, hiking in the Pyrenees, Seattle, Montana, Wyoming, and the Pacific Northwest. They spent six weeks exploring the Peloponnesian mainland of Greece, including hiking Mt. Olympus. Later, Nancy reunited with Peace Corps friends who she met 46 years ago in Colorado. She ended the year staying with an old friend in Antibes, France, where they took intensive French.
Because they enjoy interacting with other adults and children, Karen (Marx) C’77, P’08 and Lloyd “Lou” Hyman C’77, P’08 continue working three days a week — Lou at Ace Hardware and Karen as a substitute teacher for Talbot County Maryland Public Schools. Lou continues his volunteer work of many years with the skipjack Nathan, which sails from the city marina, and he serves on several local boards of directors. Their son Louis lives in nearby Easton, MD, and works with special needs students at a Talbot County elementary school. Their daughter Elizabeth, her husband, and three children live in Ponte Vedra, FL. I was saddened to learn that in January 2026, Karen lost her 101-year-old father, Karl Nils Marx C’49, P’77, GP’08, of Morris Township, NJ. After enrolling at Drew, Mr. Marx was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and served in the 8th Air Force, 486th Bomb Group as a Technical Sergeant from March 1943–October 1945. After completing his service, he earned his BA at Drew. Karl met his wife of 67 years, Mary P’77, GP’08, while on leave in England. More about his interesting life can be found here: https://danglerfuneralhomes.com/tribute/details/4484/Karl-Marx/obituary.html See In Memoriam.
After retiring as a middle school science teacher, Melissa “Missy” (Grintz) Key has been immersed in being grandma to two granddaughters and two grandsons. Her husband still works and they live in Chapel Hill, NC. Their last major trip was to Norway, including Svalbard, which they found interesting and memorable. They are going to the Dordogne region of France this summer. Missy also does woodcarving, knitting, reading, and is learning how to play the piano.
Donna Berman C’77, G’99,’01 has been Executive Director of the Charter Oak Cultural Center in Hartford, CT, for 25 years. Charter Oak is a multicultural arts center practicing social justice through the arts in several ways. Its City School of the Arts provides over 1,000 underserved Hartford young people ages 1–18 with free, high-quality classes in the arts. They offer three arts-based programs for people in the unsheltered community that provide educational and employment opportunities, and they present professional, multicultural arts events from which no one is ever turned away for lack of funds. The organization believes that the arts are essential to the soul. In addition to her BA, Donna returned to Drew to pursue her PhD and holds a PhD in Religion and Social Ethics. In her dissertation entitled Nashiut Ethics: The Articulation of a Jewish Feminist Ethics of Safe-Keeping, Donna developed a method for doing Jewish feminist ethics. In 2022, the Charter Oak Cultural Center started the Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz Justice Institute at Charter Oak, named for Donna’s PhD advisor and beloved teacher, to keep her memory alive, ensure her method of doing theological ethics is not forgotten, and showcase the work of Latinx women scholars, artists, and activists. Professor Díaz (March 22, 1943 – May 13, 2012) was a Cuban-American theologian who served as professor emerita of ethics and theology at Drew. Donna enjoyed working with Drew professors Dr. Traci West and Dr. Francisco Pelaez-Diaz on this initiative. Keeping her connection with Drew and all the gifts Drew bestowed and continues to bestow has been one of the joys of her life.
Mark Schultz C’77, P’09 is currently the Chief Administrative Officer for Wilton Rancheria, “The Capital Tribe,” in Sacramento, CA. He oversees the government operations that provide services to Tribal citizens and finds the work incredibly meaningful, especially knowing it impacts future generations. Mark and his wife Deidre P’09 will celebrate 41 years of marriage this year. Their daughter Danielle C’09, has been very successful, and Mark wrote that her time at Drew set her up well. She went on to earn her master’s from Columbia and her PsyD from the Palo Alto–Stanford Consortium and is now a psychologist with the VA in Los Angeles specializing in supporting veterans with PTSD and TBI. Mark and Deidre’s son is pursuing his PhD in Music Ethnology at Columbia, focusing on Cuban culture and Latin jazz.
After a long and rewarding banking career, Barbara (Guage) Gertzog is now enjoying retirement. She moved five years ago to Arlington, VA and lives in the historic Fairlington area with her dog Bonny. She loves living in her downsized townhouse so close to DC and two of her children. Barbara visits her daughter, her husband, and their four-year-old child in Denver, CO often. She travels frequently, especially to New York to see her family in Long Island’s Suffolk County. She and her sisters are planning a beach vacation in July with their kids and grandkids. Barbara continues to perform and direct in community theater, which has been a passion for over 25 years. She appreciates that retirement gives her more time to rehearse and learn lines. She also takes acting/improv classes when her schedule allows. Barbara serves as Treasurer on the board of the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) and is proud of their work providing clinical mental health services to children and families in adoption, foster, and kinship care in the DMV and nationwide training to therapists in supporting these communities. She will continue to find ways to contribute her expertise on a pro bono basis. Barbara is in touch with Nancy Sabol Echikson and Elyse Gittleman and has many friends in the Class of 1978.
Brenda Yanni contacted me in February 2026 after she learned that her dear Drew friend Jack Fields C’76 of Kerrville, TX passed away after a battle with cancer. Brenda kept in touch with him over the years and remembered being on the Drew London semester with him. Jack graduated from Drew with a double major in Government and History and dedicated 36 years of service to the U.S. Social Security Administration, where he built a career rooted in helping others and serving the public with integrity. He is survived by his wife Barbara, four children, ten grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. His obituary is here: https://www.grimesfuneralchapels.com/memorialpage.asp?id=27060#memorial1. See In Memoriam.
Myriam (Cordoba) De La Pena has been retired for 17 and a half years now and is settled in central Florida for a quiet life, enjoying domestic travel in their RV with her husband of 41 years, Leo. Myriam and Leo also love cruises and international travel.
In June 2023, Paul Schuman retired from 30 years of teaching in independent schools in Manhattan (Collegiate School and BASIS Independent Manhattan). He and his wife Peggy moved to Philadelphia where he spends his days tutoring math, volunteering at the John B. Kelly School library, and substitute teaching at Friends Central and AIM Academy. He also plays tennis three to four times a week at the Germantown Cricket Club. Paul was excited to share that their daughter Emily and her husband Evan are expecting their first child in August. They spend a good part of the summer in the lovely town of Eagles Mere, PA, where they have owned a cottage since 2005.
Glen Peterson retired nine years ago from General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) after 30 years. He retired as the Staff Vice President of Internal Audit and served as the Ethics Officer. He wrote that his accounting training with Economics Professor Vivian Bull and international affairs came in handy all those years later; the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) was passed in 1977. He and his wife Patricia (McGowan), who attended Drew in 1973 and 1974, married 40 years ago in Scotland. They remember meeting in the Haselton dorm. Patricia moved back home to Scotland in 1974 with her family.In retirement, Glen and Patricia have been volunteering, taken up oil painting and watercolor painting, and have been able to travel in the U.S. and internationally. They enjoy summers in Brewster, MA. Most recently, Glen and Patricia heard from Gail Kenowitz, who retired to Charlotte, NC with her husband Mike, and John Madore, who retired to Maine. Glen found his years at Drew to be very happy, and the education that he received held him in good stead in graduate school and throughout his career and in life in general. Glen and Patricia are looking forward to our 50th reunion next year.
It has been five years since Peter Schneirla and his wife moved from NYC to Key West, FL full-time, and they are pleased with the transition. He is working on completing his second book, while his first book, Flawless, continues to sell strongly. Peter wrote that there are discussions about a potential movie/series deal. Peter sold his retail business and remains involved in the buying, selling, and cutting of important diamonds and colored stones. After sharing with Peter my grandson’s passion for minerals and gems, he shared how his interesting career journey led him to his very successful career in gemology.
Tina Carter retired three years ago after working 31 years for Adobe doing tech support, mostly for Photoshop and Lightroom. She has lived in Seattle for over 40 years with her husband and however many dogs and/or cats they have at the time. Now they have two senior mutt rescues. Tina got heavily into photography and digital art when she started supporting Lightroom, then got back into drawing. Now she draws regularly, mostly from nature photos, adds watercolor to ink drawings, and paints oil abstracts based on aerial landscapes. Since October 7, 2023, she has been doing a series of paintings she calls Angry Skies. She paints and draws primarily for herself, but she loves to share her artwork, which is shown on her website: www.tina-carter.com Tina is semi-retired at 5th-degree black belt from 30+ years training and teaching karate, which she started in NYC. She loves retirement, doing what she wants when she wants. She is currently learning Hebrew, loves the challenge, and has a wonderful tutor in Israel.
Last September, Chas and I (Beth Yingling) hosted Larry Babbin C’79, Jennifer Beaver and husband Alan Tolkoff, Christine (Stack) Bell and Paul Bell C’76, Robin Stern and her husband Potter Stewart for a long weekend at our home in Falls Church, VA. Our excursions included Great Falls National Park, Arlington National Cemetery, and Washington National Cathedral. Chas made his famous Spanish paella, and we raised a glass to the life and memory of our dear friend Laura (Papa) Babbin C’78, who passed away in November 2024.
Robin and Potter walked part of El Camino de Santiago in Spain and Portugal last year, and Jenny and Alan visited Portugal with friends in 2025 too.
Paul is now retired and, in addition to helping Chris with care of their two grandchildren, has been busy contacting 1976 classmates for their 50th reunion this October. Several of us hope to meet up with Christine near Drew at that time—and maybe make an appearance at a reunion event for another roommate reunion.
Last October, I traveled to France with Kathy (Hyman) Floyd C’78, P’13. For the first few days we visited my lifelong British friends whose home in a scenic rural region of the Loire Valley is a picturesque historic water mill house. A stroll through a vibrant weekly market in the town of Amboise was a visual treat. The town is home of the Château d’Amboise, the grand 15th-century residence of King Charles VIII featuring Leonardo da Vinci’s tomb. We toured the Clos Roussely winery built in ancient caves and saw Roman ruins in the countryside. After meeting our friend Sandy Mobley in Paris, we took the train to Provence, France, where we stayed at a charming rental apartment in Aix-en-Provence and each day explored a different town, including Marseille, Avignon, Arles, Nice, Gordes, and Lourmarin, and a tour of nearby wineries. Chas and I spent Christmas 2025 with our daughter Kate, her husband Joey, and their four-year-old son Wolf and other family in Los Angeles. We enjoy having our daughter Taylor, her husband Ben, our granddaughter Marnie, 7, and grandson Link, 4, near us in Falls Church. Chas and I make frequent trips into DC to enjoy the many free museums, gardens, and monuments. I have regular lunches with Oona Stieglitz C’79 and Michelle Boyle C’75, who live in the area.
It’s not too early to start thinking about our 50th reunion in 2027. I will share the date of the alumni weekend as soon as I get it.
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Craig Stanford is still Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California. Over the past decade, his work has transitioned from animal behavior research to environmental issues and wildlife conservation, and he is very active in the nonprofit world, helping to run a foundation that buys land around the world to create wildlife sanctuaries. He travels internationally for part of every year. His older daughter, Gaelen, is a facial reconstructive surgeon, recently married and living in San Francisco; she also travels to Africa to teach surgical techniques to African physicians. His younger daughter, Marika, also lives in San Francisco and works for Google. His son, Adam, works in AI but just completed a five-month solo backpack trip from Mexico to Canada along the Continental Divide Trail.
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Sandra Craig shares, “It’s been a long time since I’ve reported in, so I don’t remember where I left off, but my career as an attorney ended with 14 years as a workers’ compensation judge in Philadelphia, a job I loved. I remarried in 2022 and retired in 2023. In 2024, we moved to Portsmouth, RI, on Aquidneck Island. All Drewids welcome! Now I am a docent at Blithewold Manor & Gardens (Blithewold.org), a historic house museum in Bristol, and also volunteer at Potter Animal League here. As I write, JoAnn Keatz is visiting for the weekend from New Jersey. We always have a blast!”
Irene (Brill) Erhardt shares her greetings to our classmates. “In 2021, we sold our home in New Jersey and moved to my husband’s part of the world. I am now living in the suburbs of Stockholm, Sweden, with my Swedish husband of 25 years. We are fully enjoying retirement, spending the winter half of the year with our family here, where we have 11 grandkids!!! Then, for the summer half of the year, we drive down to Italy with our three cats and stay in our house in Northern Italy. We spend our days working in the garden, growing vegetables, wine tasting, and helping in the vineyard. We grow grapes, make wine, and are part of the town wine cooperative. Lots of friends and relatives come to visit throughout the summer, so I can say that I run a bed and breakfast, but without the ‘income part’😊.”
