OA-Spring 2023

Barbara “Barb” Marszalek Butvilas wrote from Michigan about life without George, “This old dog has learned some new tricks.” Her family has grown with the addition of two new granddaughters, acquired through marriage, and she is looking forward to three graduations this year. She and Alice Margevich Dockus still keep up their text chain, cementing their bond and praying for many others. Georgina Iglesias Brown says that she and Ed enjoy living in Florida with family all around - a daughter, granddaughter and sister nearby. But they visit their old home state of Vermont whenever they can. She enjoys pottery and is making pieces for an Empty Bowls Project. Linda French Miller went on about the wonders of Reunion, and said she hopes more of us make It to our 60th! She spent Christmas with family in cold Wisconsin, cooking her favorite recipes from her mother and herself. I want some of that eclair torte! Patricia “Pat” Staszak Kursell and her husband visited Linda in warm Florida. And Linda is extending an invitation to all of us, as entertaining friends is her favorite thing to do. Carmen Sabater has moved from her beautiful Culebra, back to San Juan. She described the Carnival of San Sebastián, with four cruise ships in the harbor, all the festivities, wonderful music, and people dancing in the streets. We should all go sometime, says Carmen! Katherine “Kathy” Berger Hager and family have been celebrating special birthdays and recoveries of health. The whole family is headed to Austria for a visit that the grandkids will better remember now that they are older. Traveling with seven people requires lots of logistics, so Kathy asks that you wish them luck. Jennifer “Jenny” Hoffman Banker, where their daughters keep them involved in all the family activities. With grandkids in high school, college and graduate school, Jenny is honored that they still ask her for opinions and corrections on papers. Jenny tries to stay physically active and is still involved with the local community theater, while husband Ted cooks both tried and true old recipes and many new ones. She and Carole Vitale Tremaglio will be attending the Ohio Alumnae Luncheon. Carole and I are Facebook friends, and I always enjoy the beautiful photos of Cleveland she posts. Martha “Marty” Pliska Cogan sent photos of herself and Suzanne “Suzy” Spiesse McCann on their trip to revisit Paris and Istiitut Catholique de Paris, where they spent their junior year. They visited their old apartment, walked for hours, and ate lots of great food. Then they went on to Strasbourg and Coimar in search of Suzy’s ancestors but were unable to find the old village. Claire Thuning-Roberson is semi-retired, but still putting in a 15-hour week. She and Rob are enjoying their Florida residence and entertaining Woodsies. They are extending a blanket invitation to everyone! And getting in some travel, visiting family in Sedona, Arizona. Also living part-time in Florida is Mary Ellen Boyle Niederman . She has enjoyed visits from Melissa Cornelius Mates, Marilyn LaFrano Shearer and Sally Wagner Boyd . “Life is good, and we are blessed!” Also feeling blessed, with a new hip and soon a new knee, is Carolyn “Susie” Shelton Schmidt. She is looking forward to gardening again once the weather warms up. Barbara Leaf Stewart wrote exciting news of making up travel time lost during the pandemic. She and her husband visited their son in Brisbane, Australia. She hiked the West Highland Way in Scotland. She, Mary Chang Wang, Barbara “Barb” Sejda,

and their sisters went on a Viking Cruise that included the Oberammergau Passion Play. And finally, Barb and her sister went on a Birding and Cultural Tour of Cuba. WOW! Her husband Paul is slowing down because of Parkinsons, but he fights on. Barb continues to volunteer at the parks and teaches yoga. Barbara “Barb” Sejda also wrote about that cruise, and about her bus trip to several National Parks in the fall. She hopes to keep traveling for a long time! Mary Pat Kelly forwarded to me a long description of her new book, which I will have to summarize here. As a student in 1965, she wrote a letter to a young film director whose short had just won best student film. Thus began a long correspondence with Martin Scorsese, culminating in her new book. “Martin Scorsese, A Journey,” was relaunched at SMWC in October. Seven of her family have attended The Woods! Melissa Cornelius Mates asked me to share some news with you about Sister Marian Brady, who was our sophomore advisor and lived on our floor at Le Fer. She also taught logic and was Dean of Students our senior year. She went on to teach at Immaculata Junior College in DC and Catholic University, until her retirement. She has now returned to The Woods, and would love to have visitors if you are there. Her address is 1 Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the Woods, IN 47876. Sally Wagner Boyd also has retired in Florida and wrote about hanging out with the Florida people - all the usual suspects whose names keep showing up here. I guess Florida is the place to be. Sally also enjoys a group text chat with Barb, Bobbie, Alice and Doris Linne Gross , with discussions on various topics each week. Hurricane Ian did quite a lot of damage to the exterior of Ann Senesac Walters’ house in Punta Gordo, Florida, and finding materials for repairs has been a challenge. Thankfully the interior was not damaged. Meanwhile, her holidays and the winter months have been spent with grandchildren and two great-grands under the age of one. She is looking forward to a trip to Europe to visit more offspring and explore their roots in Ireland. Christine Scotten Bordenet is also living in two places at once. In Indianapolis, she and Dan get to be with their sons Matthew, Scott and Andrew and their families. And in Phoenix, Arizona, they have daughter Melissa and her family. Meanwhile Sandra Thomann Krill and husband remodeled their house to make it large enough for another generation - Daughter Suzie, her husband and two, soon to be three, grandkids. Daughter Laura, her husband and two kids, live in Summit, New Jersey. Daughter Tracy and her husband live in Washington Township, New Jersey, with one daughter in college, and one finishing up her doctorate. Son Joe Jr lives in Dayton, Ohio, with one grown son working nearby and one son in high school. Nancy Riedell Conner and her husband, Jerry, enjoyed several visits with their grandsons, now seven and one, and the rest of their family at their home in The Villages, Florida. “The little ones keep us hopping, and we’ve moved down the street to a house with more play space and a backyard great for birdwatching and gardening. We miss traveling these days but are grateful for the many activities here.” During the forced isolation time of Covid, Marilyn Leerkamp Webb ’99G began working on a quilt to keep her mind and hands occupied. It presently provides a beautiful backdrop to Zoom calls now that life is more normal. She also enjoys all the time she gets to spend at The Woods for various activities. Cynthia “Cindy” Williams Krause wrote for probably the very first time! She lived in Kansas City and Chicago early on. Then she and husband Bryan

made their home in Walnut Creek, California, for many years. Finally, they moved to San Diego after retirement. Both daughters and their families live there, and her son and family live in nearby Martinez. She invites anyone to visit if you are in that part of the country. It was good to hear from so many of you, both the ones I saw at Reunion, and those who didn’t make it this time. Marilyn Klingenberger Horrell, Mary Margaret Rightsell Rissler, Barbara “Bobbie” Norton O’Brien and I were suitemates again for that weekend and had a great time catching up. I was in Oregon, back to Indiana for my mother’s funeral, Chicago, a road trip through New Mexico, all over Colorado, New York City, then back to Oregon. The highlight was my grandson’s wedding in Texas in September. His twin brother will be married this fall, and by then, I will be a great-grandmother too. As I write this, I am getting ready for two shows for Month of Photography in Colorado, one of my own photography and books and one I am curating. It will be a big year. Love, peace and health to you all. ’68 Marilyn Beckman Ward 8116 Wolf Creek Ct Evansville, IN 47712-7623 (812) 306-4561 mari68smw@astound.net We’ve lost another dear classmate. Janice Keene Snyder passed away on December 12, 2022, after a long struggle with dementia and heart disease. Our sympathy and heartfelt prayers go out to husband Jerry, daughter Susan, son Matt and their families. I wanted to thank all those husbands who, like Jerry--amid their own grief—reach out to the wife’s classmates and share their loss. In giving us a sense of what happened, adding fond memories of time spent at The Woods, they comfort us. We can better understand. We appreciate how that friend of ours was treasured and cared for. We saw how frail Jan was when Jerry brought her to our 50th Reunion. Many of you have emailed me to comment on Jerry’s letter, without focusing on personal news of your own. You recall warm memories of Jan in college, her wonderful 53-year marriage, 35 years teaching, daughter Suzi’s nine children, or Matt’s wife expecting their first in June. For connecting and wanting to express your gratitude, Thank You, Mary McCarthy Manthei, Jane O’Brien Argento, Kathryn “Kate” Evans Creamer, Louise Ineman Bene, Patricia Chaille Eckstein, Ellen Morley Matthews, Cheryl Van Zetten and Yvonne Shepard . Carol Akers Kulesza thanks the Lord daily for being able to get out of bed. The loss of her sister, brother-in law and three extended-family members has made the last two years difficult. Carol lives each day “looking for God’s presence everywhere,” whether chatting with grandchildren, watching the squirrels bury nuts or admiring a spider’s web on one of her walks. We are so sorry for your heart-breaking losses, Carol! Cheryl Van Zetten finished 14 months of orthopedic rehab after her awful fall required reverse shoulder replacement, rebuilding arm muscles and the repair of a fractured left knee. Able to get traveling again in September, she managed trips to Scotland and Egypt. Wintering in Scottsdale, Arizona, Cheryl plans to attend Reunion--and planning more trips for 2023. Christine “Chris” Roenitz has also had to overcome some health challenges in order to return to her world touring. However, she and Cheryl have found that there are now many places in the world “off limits” or where arranging travel is more difficult. Mary Trowbridge Felter has a new

19