I
recently had the rather bittersweet privilege of reading, after her
death, my mom’s diaries. There is a very brief entry from July of 1969,
“Mount Holyoke – perfect.” She and I had taken a day trip from White Plains, NY to South Hadley
that summer before our senior year in high school to visit the campus
for the first time and for me to have an admissions interview. My mom
hadn’t attended college; it wasn’t even part of the equation for her
family when she was 18. But even without comparisons, there was
something about MHC that she just knew was right. She certainly knew of
the school’s academic standing before that summer visit; Virginia Apgar
had been my dad’s mentor in medical school and that was all my mom
needed to know. And she knew how nice MHT’s are; my older brother Bill,
who was attending Williams at the time, said, “The nicest people [he]
met in college were from MountHolyoke.”
But did she also have some inkling of the strength and depth of the
bonds that would be formed among the school’s daughters? My 26-year-old
son commented on how impressed he was to witness those bonds recently,
when MountHolyoke friends gathered around my family and me in a time of need.
When
we were at MHC, I did not think that it was my mom’s “perfect” each and
every day. Some days were, many weren’t. Even looking back, some days
were, some weren’t. I am not so rosy-eyed as to say it was all perfect.
But what MHC gave me and taught me has enriched my life each and every
day.I would even say that attending MHC made me who I am today and was
the perfect environment in which to become an adult. Furthermore, each
and every day, I am impressed with YOU, MHC’s daughters. The
friendships I formed in the 70’s have continually grown and I have
continued to develop MHC friendships and have had the privilege of
watching other’s MHC friendships grow. Upon reflection, I do think my mom had some insight and was on to something remarkable.
We are now almost halfway through our 5-year reunion cycle and are successfully reaching the goal you set out for our class to Stay Connected, to
continue to foster these remarkable friendships. This past calendar
year, we celebrated with Mini-Reunions in Chicago, in DC, and at Rancho
la Puerta. The venues were different one from another, but there were
common threads to these gatherings of ‘74’s: well-organized and
gracious leadership, under the guidance of KG Lewis, Cathy Trauernicht,
and Linda Murray Johnson respectively, fabulous food, lots of walking
and exercise, fun things to see and do, and most importantly, lots of
time to talk, catch up, and make new friends!
The
overwhelming response to each of these Mini-Reunions has been that we
need to reune more and that YOU need to come! Write the dates for our
next two Mini’s on your calendar now: December 8-10 in NYC and April
27-29 in South Hadley, and let us know that you will be coming!. We will continue to post updates with all of our Staying Connected activities via this, our class web page, via e-mail, and, if you send in theresponse forms mailed to you in early October, via “snail mail.”
Enjoy your local friends, and join new and old ones at our Mini’s! See you there.
It
has been very rewarding to see the number of classmates who responded
to our class president’s Fall 2006 letter, and sent in their class dues
- only $30 for five years. What a bargain!These women joined the ranks of other classmates who have responded after similar appeals.
As
of mid-January, 76 Uncommon Women from the Class of 1974 have paid
their dues as shown below, demonstrating their commitment to the class.However, I know we can do much, much better.It is time for you (Yes,you,
the fabulous classmate looking at our website right now) to step up to
the plate also, and send your check in now, made out to ‘Mount Holyoke
Class of 1974, to this address:
Christina Carr 13312 Windbrooke Lane St. Louis, MO63146
Thanks for your immediate attention to this appeal .
Chris Carr Class Treasurer
Payment of class dues, 2004-2009 as of 1/13/07
Louise Anderson Jane Homan Antin Nancy Arcieri Laurie Averill Joyce Bartlett Leslie Bowen Pamela Broadley Deborah Buitron Helen Calvelli Sheila Campbell Christina Carr Marie Cavanaugh Debbie Chen Florence Chichester Elizabeth Clarke Kathleen Byrne Conroy Patricia Derr Joleen Estabrook Joyce Fisher Susan Frankel Liz Bayusik Galen Barbara Gay Ellen Goldstein Carol Urbansky Gould Mary Grantham Deborah Hall Judy Allen Hannon Carol Heepke Vanessa Hickey-Gales Anne Holton Gail Kaneb Carol Kangas Lisa Kelly Karla Knight Nancy Kandoian Carole LaMond Jacqueline Leavitt Debora Lemasters Deborah Lubell Andrea Lynch Janet Madigan Helen Mak Wendy Marcks Eleanor McGrath Eileen McKenna Ann Molloy Elizabeth Nelson Margaret Niemiec Janet Keyes O'Connell Susan Deford Offner Jane Olesin Debra Orgera Kate Murphy Pappas Beverly Lang Pierce Jodi Preminger Millie Hernandez Quinones Carol Roccuzzo Lynette Roche Pauline Ross Janet Rustigan Kathe Shinham Carolyn SooHoo Dena Steele Kim Carpenter Stege Carol Stokinger Patricia Struck Charron Sundman Pamela Theodoredis Denise McLeod Thomas Maria Toyofuky Catharine Trauernicht Sandra Tuttle Janet Wilkov Twomey Debbie Hinchey Vernon Karen Weston Joyce Staat Wixson Laura Yanes Jane Zimmy
Please contact Carole LaMondif you have any class news for our next Quarterly.
News of Classmates
Chris Eckstrom
Chris Eckstrom and her husband, Frans Lanting, have collaborated to produce a new book, LIFE: A Journey through Time, that has also become a multimedia show for symphony orchestra with music by Philip Glass. The show is a lyrical interpretation of life on Earth from its earliest beginnings to its present diversity. The LIFE Project is being realized through the integration of photography with the performing arts and the world of life and earth sciences, in collaboration with partners and institutions around the world. LIFE: A Journey through Time will be performed in Washington and Baltimore this month, by the BaltimoreSymphony Orchestra on February 22, 2007, at the StrathmoreCenter in Bethesda, Maryland, and on February 23, 24, and 25, 2007, at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore. If you would like more information, below are the Baltimore-Symphony-Orchestra web links: StrathmoreCenter performance http://www.bsoatstrathmore.org/tickets/seasoncalendar.asp?season=060 Baltimore performances http://www.baltimoresymphony.org/tickets/seasoncalendar.asp?season=0
Susan A. Moch
Classmate Attorney Susan A. Moch, who practices
law in Westport, CT, has done something all attorneys dream about: she
has left her mark on the laws of Connecticut by helping to make divorce proceedings fairer in
Connecticut. In 2003 she and her then partner, Thomas P.
Parrino of Westport’s Nusbaum and Parrino, tried a divorce case in which
Moch’s efforts to obtain financial documents had been flagrantly and abusively
stonewalled by her client's husband, who repeatedly refused to
provide documentation despite prior court orders that he do so. Moch was
further stymied by the trial judge’s refusal to hear her fifth motion for
contempt addressing the husband’s misconduct and order to begin the trial
without that financial documentation. Although the trial court even
remarked about the husband’s blatantly defiant, disrespectful and uncooperative
conduct, in its decision the trial court ruled that although the client had
expended substantial funds on attorney's fees to try to find the husband's
hidden assets, she should pay her own attorneys fees since she had enough
money to do so. The case was appealed and this week the Connecticut
Supreme Court ruled 4-3 to reverse the trial court's decision, holding that the
trial judge had erred when it refused to hear Moch’s motion and creating a new
exception to the prevailing law by allowing a court to make a discretionary
award of attorneys fees to any innocent spouse if that spouse has
"incurred substantial attorneys fees because of the other party's
litigation misconduct." The expansion of the
attorney's fees rules provides a financial dis-incentive for non-cooperative
spouses to engage in misconduct by hiding or diverting assets in order to
prevent them from being found or awarded to their soon to be ex spouse.
This should have the effect of making financial disclosure in divorce
proceedings a smoother process. For more information see Ramin
v. Ramin, S.C.17316, S.C. 17319 at (www.jud.ct.gov) and The Connecticut
Law Tribune, February 19, 2007, on the front page!
We
are planning lots of opportunities to STAY CONNECTED. All information
will be posted on this web site, as the plans gel. In addition, we will
use blast e-mails (“From: MHC ‘74”) and, in most cases, use “snail
mail” as backup.
Make sure YOUR name is on this list!The below are planning on having a great time
in South Hadley in April – we hope YOU will join us
there! Jane Antin,
Pam Broadley,
Nancy
Carpenter Czerw, Becky Herbig, Michelle Hurst, Carol Kangas,
Jan Cromie
Kelly, Carole LaMond, Astrid Lindstrom and Cece Scott ’60, Ann
Molloy, Deb Ogera, Bonnie Panson, Kate Pappas, Jane Zimmy
And the following classmates are still thinking about
coming. We hope this wonderful listing will entice all! Nancy Arcieri,
Marylloyd
Claytor, Marcia Gordon Goodnow, Nancy Kandoian, Cindy Love,
Andrea Lynch,
Grace Perry,
Kathy Sheehan,
Buff Spencer,
Joan Stack,
Cathy
Trauernicht
Oh, to be in South Hadley now that April’s there! Join
classmates for a mini-reunion on campus the weekend of the Kathryn Irene
Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Contest April 27-29, 2007.Established in 1923, the Glascock is the
oldest intercollegiate poetry competition in the U.S. and has launched the
careers of some of the nation’s best poets.
We are keeping the cost of the weekend up to you by
scheduling only two events that require payment in advance: a dinner at Mulino’s,
one of Northampton’s best Italian restaurants, on Saturday night ($36,
beverages extra) and a tour of the Emily Dickinson homestead on Saturday
afternoon ($7). Friday dinner will be on our own (hopefully in
groups!) in South Hadley and Sunday may feature a picnic breakfast on top
of Mt. Holyoke at the Summit House in Skinner State Park (where Emily Dickinson
was once a guest).We will do a lot of
talking in the two weeks before the mini-reunion to firm up those plans with
confirmed attendees.
We hope to have entertainment in the form of
readings/performances by our classmates.The Odyssey Bookshop will be open throughout the weekend and
will stock the judges’ books which will also be for sale at the events.We hope to get a special rate for spa treatments at
Ochoa at The Village Commons for those who need time with their inner poet.
Carole LaMond and Deb Orgera are hosting the on-campus
mini-reunion.
We need your check for the
dinner and Dickinson tour by March 1:$36 (dinner only) or $7/$43 (tour only/tour and dinner) payable to
Carole LaMond and mailed to Carole at 233 Glezen Lane, Wayland, MA 01778.
Please email Carole at CLaMond@aol.com if you plan to attend
even part of the weekend so that we can keep you updated and coordinate meeting
places throughout the weekend. Please include your travel plans - arrival time
- and cell phone.
Questions to Carole at CLaMond@aol.com or 508-358-2825.
Preliminary Schedule
Friday, April 27
Mini-Reunion
Headquarters(TBA): On campus meeting
place with schedule and campus events, contact numbers.
3 p.m.
"Life & Letters Conversation" with judges Elizabeth
Alexander, Anne Boutelle and W.D. Snodgrass in the Stimson Room of Williston
Library. This is a great opportunity to hear what the judges have to say
about writing poetry and ask questions.
8 p.m. The student
contestant reading in Gamble Auditorium.
9:30 p.m.Reception in Willits for judges,
contestants and audience.
Saturday, April 28
10:30 a.m. The
judges' reading in the Stimson Room of Williston Library, followed by the
announcement of the winner/s.
2 p.m.A 90-minute guided tour of the Emily Dickinson Museum which includes
the Homestead and the Evergreens, Main St., Amherst. “A Little Madness in the
Spring”
the EmilyDickinsonMuseum’s fourth annual celebration
of National Poetry Month turns into a sometimes serious, sometimes silly
weekend-long celebration of all things literary throughout Amherst
on April 28-29. Check www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org for a schedule of events.
6:30 p.m. Mulino’s,
Strong Ave., Northampton. Dinner and entertainment.
Sunday, April 29
11 a.m.Farewell breakfast on top of Mt. Holyoke
to end our weekend on a high note. Hikers may take the trail, others may drive
to the Summit House.
HOTEL INFORMATION
We have arranged discount rates at three hotels - you must
book by March 27 to receive the discount rate!
The Hadley hotel is a scenic drive to campus along Route 47
and is halfway between the college and Northampton. The Chicopee hotel is close
to the Mass Pike exit, but is in the mall sprawl of Route 33. The Northampton
hotel is right in downtown Northampton, close to shopping, restaurants.
Hampton Inn-Hadley 24 Bay Road Hadley, MA 01035 p: 413-586-4851 f: 413-586-8619 www.hadley.hamptoninn.com email: hadma_hampton@hilton.com $89 plus tax refer to group code RMH reservations by March 27
Hampton Inn Chicopee
600 Memorial Drive
Chicopee, MA 01020
Phone (413) 593-1500 1-800-426-7866
Rate $92 plus tax Refer to group code LMT Reservations by March 27
Hotel Northampton 36 King Street Northampton MA 01060 www.hotelnorthampton.com 413-584-3100 rate $100 plus tax refer to group code 4193 reservations by March 27
We are looking for a few good women to help organize it. Contact Jane (jantin1@partners.org) if you are interested.
We also hope to hold informal get-togethers in the form of Regional Dinners. Contact Jane if you are interested in planning one of these in your neighborhood.
The Holidays in New York mini-reunion held on December 8-10, 2006 was the crowning glory of a year that gave us four amazing events held across the country (and Mexico). The year began with Chicago and was followed by Washington, DC, Southern California (the Rancho La Puerta Spa) and New York City. Over 20 of us from the class of ’74 attended the New York
event that included: Vespers on Friday night; shopping, meeting with
friends, drinks, dinner, more concerts, theatre and lots of talking on
Saturday day and night; and ending with dim sum in Chinatown on Sunday morning. Those we know who were there for sure (Vespers was huge as it was the 75th anniversary concert and a tribute to Wendy Wasserstein so we lost track of all who attended):
From The New York City Area Laurie Averill Nancy Arcieri Mimi Raymer Doward La Vida Dowdell Paula Gerden Michelle Hurst Ellen Holliday Joan Lippert Indig Nancy Kandoian Charlotte LaRocca Lorraine Milio Grace Perry Bonnie Panson Susan Moch Poirer Cindy Polk-Allen Barbara Weiner Stoller Jere Yokoyama Wachtel Jane Zimmy
And from afar: Jane Antin Leslie Bowen Debby Hall Barbara Lemperly (who looked fabulous in smashing Chanel jacket) KJ Lewis
Attendees: Linda Murray Johnson, Jane Zimmy, Jane Homan Antin, Carole LaMond, Karen ‘KG’ Jennings Lewis
One
night at Rancho La Puerta the 85-year-old owner gave everyone a key
chain with the words ‘You Are Here.’ The sentence is a reference to
balancing the Mind/Body/Spirit connection that the Ranch emphasizes,
and, it really sums up the experience of being at the spa where we had
the fun of being together and the luxury to just “be in the moment.”
The beautiful grounds and scenery certainly helped set the tone of the
West Coast min-reunion, July 1 - 5, which was like summer camp for
adults and freshman orientation week rolled into one. Four glorious
days of pampering body and soul, exercise, friendship and fun. Linda
Murray Johnson, who lives in San Diego and is a Rancho regular, hosted
the mini-reunion. Jane Zimmy from New York City, Jane Homan Antin and
Carole LaMond from the Boston suburbs and Karen ‘KG’ Jennings Lewis
from Chicago rounded out the crew.
Jane
A. and Carole began every day with a mountain hike before breakfast
while Jane Z. often took a crack-of-dawn stroll and yes, ducked into
the office to check her e-mail from her workers in Europe. Linda got to
catch up on some sleep and Karen hit the tennis courts for an early
morning game. After breakfast on the patio where the sound of the
fountain and chirp of birds was a relaxing morning salutation, we were
off to a choice of classes and activities including Feldenkrais (Karen
swears, after 50-some years, she now knows how to walk the right way
because of her Feldenkrais teacher. She does move very regally.),
stretch and tone, Pilates, yoga, meditation, water aerobics and more.
Jane A., it turns out, is quite a dancer, taking every hip hop,
Brazilian and African dance class on the schedule. One day Linda amazed
us with a mean hula hoop during circuit training (did you know that at
the age of 8, Linda was the state hula hoop champ in Connecticut?). On
one moonlight walk back to our villa Jane Z. revealed her romantic side
when she repositioned two stone frogs by the fountain they guarded, so
that they were kissing. Karen kept us laughing with her stories (and
made a slew of new tennis-buddy friends) and Carole was often so
blissfully spacey that the others had to bring her down to earth by
calling out so she could find the group table at dinner.
We
linked up for lunch and dinner every day, and often attended classes
together. One day Jane A., Jane Z., Linda and Carole made a splash at
water aerobics complete with webbed gloves and foam noodles, another
day we took a 2-mile hike to an organic farm for breakfast and one
night we prevailed upon the evening speaker, Bill Nack of the Chicago
Tribune, to add two Emily Dickinson poems to his talk (Hmmm, did Karen
cut class that night?) to represent our alma mater. Actually, Jane A.
and Jane Z. may have worn a different piece of MHC-logo apparel every
day. In fact we were the talk of the Ranch, with guests often referring
to the five friends from Mount Holyoke College who were having a
mini-reunion (We were the envy of a Bryn Mawr alumnae association
executive director who was also vacationing at the Ranch). We often hit
the spa late in the day for a bevy of facials, massages, manicures and
herbal wraps that had us looking pretty darn good by dinner time.
Carole even had her chakras adjusted during a healing and energy
massage and hasn’t been quite the same since. We celebrated the Fourth
of July with a red-white-and-blue theme dinner at the pool, ate more
grains, fruits and vegetables prepared in more ways than we ever
thought possible, and yes, snuck in a couple bottles of wine for a
daily nightcap.
You are here. How
many of us take the time to experience that feeling after 30 years of
job and family responsibilities? The feeling that many of us last had
at Mount Holyoke when we thought more about ourselves and our dreams
than the real world? You are here. True, Rancho La Puerta was a
luxurious getaway, but each of us left the spa feeling that taking a
little time for ourselves on a regular basis, reconnecting with old
friends and making new ones, might just be the best thing we can do to
keep ourselves, and everyone around us, happy and healthy. And what
could be better than experiencing the feeling ‘You are here’ with other
Mount Holyoke women? Come to the next mini-reunion and find out for
yourself.
Attendees: Leslie Bowen, Nancy Layton Caffey,Florence Chichester, Trisha Derr, Barbara Gay,Janet Hayes,Teresa Hobgood,Carole LaMond, Sue Pease Langford,Joyce Bohannon Lott, Holly Mak, Jean McKeever, Eileen McKenna,Nancy Napier,Bev Lang Pierce, Betsy Lawson Poe,Susan Moch Poirer,Marlene Regelski,Eileen Shima Roulier, Margaret Saunders, Kathy Sheehan, Patty Struck, Cathy Trauernicht, Janet Wilkov Twomey, Cathy Whitaker, and Jane Zimmy.
Twenty-five
classmates gathered in the nation's capital over the May 5 - 7 weekend
to renew longtime friendships and to forge new ones. Nancy Napier
traveled the farthest, coming from Idaho! Our first event took place at
a new Clyde's (affiliated with the famous watering hole of yore) on
Friday evening, as we mingled in an area of the bar roped off for our
group. The next morning, we assembled for a special mini-bus tour of
Washington sites, led by an enthusiastic guide who told us fun and
fascinating stories of the capital's past. Our afternoon was "free
time" before we came back together for dinner at Cathy Trauernicht's,
hosted by the DC area classmates. Those of us attending Sunday's
morning's breakfast at the Embassy Suites Hotel were dragging a bit, as
is usually the case at the end of an active reunion weekend!
Marlene
Regelski summed up our reunion well when she said, "I felt as if I made
a lot of new 'old' friends." Having these mini reunions will make our
campus reunions all the more special. We'll know more classmates than
we did before and be better connected than we were even two short years
ago! Thank you, Jane Homan Antin and Laurie Averill, for encouraging us
to host these minis and keeping us organized and informed!! We hope
every classmate will attend at least one mini reunion before we
reconvene in South Hadley in 2009!
Eleven “Uncommon Women” enjoyed “April in Chicago" March 31 - April 2, 2006
From
March 31- April 2, eleven “Uncommon Women” from our class made their
ways to the Hotel Sofitel in Chicago. Cindy Polk-Allen and Jane Zimmy
blew in from New York, Jane Antin and Deb Hall graced our presence from
New England (MA & VT, respectively), Florence Chichester came from
the DC area and Beverly Scipio drove from Cleveland with her good buddy
Ranelle Gamble (NYU ’66). Joining our out-of-town guests were Naomi
(Bean) Dunn, Anne Holton, Faith (Johnson) Bonecutter and our hostess
Karen (KG Jennings) Lewis.
Friday
evening found most of us at the Greek Islands restaurant for amazing
appetizers and entrees we could hardly finish. We piled into cars and
headed over to the Baton Club where the sociology of the drag queens
and audience were the topic of our “Holyokian” analyses! Who knew the
majority of the audience would be straight women who rewarded the
performers with cash even though there was no stripping???
Everyone
was able to make the trek to the south side of Chicago for a delicious
lunch at KG’s house on Saturday. We went around the room, attempting to
catch up on the 30-odd years since our days at the ‘Yoke, but ran out
of time (does that say anything about how much we had to tell or how
old we are?) before we had a pleasant walk to the Oriental Institute on
the campus of the University of Chicago. Our docent, Don was extremely
knowledgeable and patient with us. We followed the “fertile crescent”
from Assyria down to the new exhibit in Nubia. After a good rest, we
went to Trattoria 10 in the theatre district for Italian where we were
joined by Faith’s husband, Bruce and their lovely daughter Hannah.
Towards the end of dinner (to which we were treated by guess who??),
Jane Zimmy informed us that we could have a new dorm named after our
class if we could raise $7.5 million. She pointed out that roughly 50%
our class gives to the Annual Fund, but if we could get 100%
participation, we might be able to pull it off! After saying goodbye,
some of us went to Wicked, some went to the Mamet play, Romance, at the
Goodman theatre and others hit the clubs!
For
those who did not have to leave early Sunday morning, a leisurely
brunch at Ina’s (the Breakfast Queen) was a perfect finish to an
enchanting weekend. We all promised to keep in better touch. It felt so
good to meet women we didn’t know and connect with those we did. It is
amazing how so many of us still have so much in common even though our
lives have taken divergent paths, we know we want to spend time with
our Mount Holyoke sisters! The following quotes came from our attendees.
“This is exactly what I needed.”
“…Listening
to each of you tell your abbreviated story over lunch was mind
boggling, and gave me goose bumps, to be included with such an amazing
group of women, and thrilled to be able to call you my friends.”
“I
wasn't ready for the reunion to end after brunch. I have always valued
my experience at MHC and the women I have been fortunate to meet and
get to know. This weekend was reaffirming of that experience."
“I can't tell you how impressed I am with this accomplished group of women.”
“I
am constantly amazed at how smart, accomplished and just plain nice Mt.
Holyoke women are. And I will be forever thankful that I not only had
the opportunity to attend the college, but continue to meet and get to
know women like you!!!”
Southern Hospitality Greeted Us in Atlanta October 7th – 9th, 2005
Inaugural ’74 Mini in Atlanta
Our
first official mini-reunion of this reunion cycle was held the weekend
of October 7 – 9 and was, by all accounts, a wonderful success.
Enjoying Vanessa Hickey Gales’s New Southern hospitality were Susan
Pease Langford, Debbie Lemasters, KG (Karen Jennings) Lewis, Joyce
Bohannon Lott, Denise McLeod Thomas, Nan Ward and Jane Homan Antin. We
dined sumptuously, and danced at Atlanta’s new hot spot, “Shout” (where
we were told by one young’un, “I wish MY mom would come out and dance
like YOU do!”) walked up and down Peachtree Street and talked and
laughed, and talked and laughed. We remembered things forgotten about
35 year old friendships and discovered new things about new friends.
The uncommon women in attendance want all of our classmates to know
what fun we had and we want ALL of you to come to our next mini’s
coming up in Spring ’06 in Chicago and DC.
Our
class tradition of holding a Christmas Vespers-evening get-together was
expanded this year, as we hosted a dinner for all of the classes of the
‘70’s. Braving a Boston wicked snow storm, Pam Broadley, Debbie (Brown)
and Donald Chen, Debby Hall, Jamie Kotch, Ann Molloy and her daughter,
and Jane Homan Antin were joined by 20 other MHT’s of the 70’s for a
wonderful dinner before attending the concert. Debbie Vernon Hinchey’s
daughter, MHC ’06, stopped in at our dinner to say hello, before she
sang in the concert. This, the 35th Vespers Concert, was especially
meaningful to our class. Vespers originated when we were sophomores,
under the direction of Cathy Melhorn and Donald Chen. Cathy began her
reign at MHC with us in the fall of ‘70, and this was her last Vespers
before her retirement this coming spring.
Other opportunities to stay connected are offered by MHC alumnae clubs. They are just WAITING to have more ‘74’s join them!Things are HAPPENING in Baltimore, Boston, Central and Northern Arizona, Cincinnati,DC, Dallas/Fort Worth, Delaware, Detroit, Genesee Valley,Northern NJ, NYC, Palm Beach, and Southwest FL. To find out what events are planned, follow this link to the Alumnae Association's Events Calendar at http://www.alumniconnections.com/olc/pub/MHO/eventcal/eventcal.cgi .
The 2nd Mount Holyoke Glee Club Alumnae International Tour China, Two Weeks in July 2007
The 2nd
Mount Holyoke Glee Club Alumnae international tour will occur in July
2007 when 56 alumnae singers from the classes of 1962 to 2009
(not-quite-alums!) and 30 friends and family depart for two weeks in China.The group will gather briefly in South Hadley to rehearse beforehand, and there will be a concert in Abbey Chapel on Sun., July 1 at .The trip is being organized by Debby Hall ’74 and Professor Emeritus of Music, Catharine Melhorn.As with the 2005 tour to England and Wales, interested participants were required to submit an audition tape and application.The group will visit Shanghai, Hangzhou, X’ian, and Beijing, with concerts planned in three of the cities.A reception hosted by the Alumnae Association is tentatively planned for Beijing.Singers
from the class of ’74 include Leslie Bowen, Florence Chichester,
Barbara Gay, Paula Gerden, Debby Hall, Vanessa Hickey-Gales, Anne
Holton, Joyce Bohannon Lott, Lynn Mordan, and Kate Murphy Pappas.
Give on-line at Alumnae Annual Giving Online http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/develop/campaign/gift/ If
you wish earmark your gift for the Class of 1974 Alumnae Association
Annual Campaign, please indicate your intension in the "Comments"
section of the on-line giving form.
Dear Classmates:
Our Class Goals this year: Gifts from 250 classmates (55% participation) and $140,000.Through mid-January, 153 Classmates have made gifts, and we have reached $104,000.18 women have made contributions at the new leadership level ($1837+).
Thank you to everyone who has made a gift/pledge to date.
Mount
Holyoke is welcoming “our” newest daughters, cousin and niece (well,
actually Nancy Marks Aricieri, Laura Carlsmith, Deb Buitron, and Anne
Burroughs Giordani get the primary honors, respectively) to the campus
this fall, as a member of the classes of 2010 and 2009. Joanna Arcieri,
Emma Bast, Kelsy Andersen, and Jennifer Soltis will be joining our
class’s other “daughters”:
Kelsey Andersen ’10 (cousin of Deborah Buitron)
Joanna Arcieri ’10 (daughter of Nancy Marks Arcieri)
Jennifer Soltis ’10 (niece of Anne Burroughs Giordani)
Emma Bast ’09 (daugher of Laura Carlsmith)
Stephanie Gaylord Forbes ‘08 (niece of Susan Gaylord)
Eleanor Martha Hannon ‘08 (daughter of Judith Allen Hannon)
Nancy Elizabeth Sherman ‘08 (daughter of Vicki Smith Sherman)
Lorin Ball Weaver ‘08 (cousin of Sally Potter Cramer). Karen McVey Loweth ‘07 (god-daughter of Deborah Hinchey Vernon)
Margaret Evans Luppino ‘07 (niece of Mary Feeney)
What an honor that we have so many uncommon young women among us!
Carole LaMondas
scribe has graciously volunteered to maintain a list of current e-mail
addresses. Please contact her with any changes or corrections.
In
an effort to better protect the privacy of the Class of 1974, we urge
you to register with the Alumnae Online Directory, a password-protected
resource. We have removed e-mail addresses from this Web page for they
are directly searchable using general Internet search engines and are
currently being mined by spammers and pfishers. Names will remain to
indicate those who would like to communicate with others in our class.
To access the online directory, you must first be registered to use the Alumnae Association's log-in services. If you are not yet registered, click here
to register now. Follow the four registration steps. You will be asked
to enter your security ID, which can be found on your Alumnae Quarterly
mailing label or obtained by contacting Information Services at ais@mtholyoke.edu. If you have questions or problems with the registration process, please contact Stacey Coleman-Litterer at scoleman@mtholyoke.edu.
Newly Renovated Blanchard site of our sock hop. Photographs by J.P.
Photograph by D. O'K.
Dancing the Macarena at the Sock Hop (sponsored by the classes of 1974 and 1969) in the Great Room at Blanchard.
Class President's Previous Letters
January 2006
Dear Classmates,
We
have known each other for two-thirds of our lives now. We arrived in
South Hadley in the fall of 1970, and together began the remarkable
journey to adulthood. Just as we made connections and new friends then,
at our 35th Reunion our class made a commitment to continue this
journey of friendship together, nurturing old friendships and making
new ones in the years to come. Sharing with friends is, I believe, one
of life’s great rewards. They can help us with all of life’s ups and
downs. They know our past and they hold a light to our future.
In
2004, we began our 5-year plan to Stay Connected with each other, not
just in South Hadley at reunions, but also at locations throughout the
country. In December ’04 and ‘05, we held soirees in New York and in
Boston to coincide with Christmas Vespers, and held a Boston Regional
Dinner to make new friends and reacquaint with old ones in the spring
of ‘05. The first of our series of planned Mini-Reunions was an
outstanding success. In Oct. ’05 our Atlanta sisters, lead by Vanessa
Hickey Gales, greeted those who attended with warm, southern
hospitality. We laughed, dined, reminisced, made new friends, shared
many stories, saw the sights, and laughed some more. All agreed that it
was a wonderful PREMIER Mini-Reunion, and we are looking forward to
three more this coming year.
Watch your
mailbox for our class letter, which will include information about our
2006 Mini-Reunions. If possible, we would like to hear from you even
sooner, without waiting for snail mail, about your plans to attend
these minis. You do not have to make a commitment yet, but we need to
know if you are interested in receiving further information on these
events. We will NOT be able to send out information to the entire
class, so do let us know that you are interested, or you will miss out
(and WE will miss your company!) Please e-mail the following classmates
to let them know of your interest:
Washington, DC, May 5-7, 2006 A "Capital" Reunion Cathy Trauernicht (cwtrau@verizon.net)
A Wonderful Spa, Rancho la Puerta in Mexico close to San Diego July 1 – 5, 2006 Linda M. Johnson (LENSWEST@cox.net)
We
will also send updates via e-mail (Do we have your address? Check our
web site to see. And do you READ your e-mail?) We will keep you posted
via "snail mail" if you let the mini-reunion hosts know your intentions
to attend, via e-mail now, and with the response forms enclosed in the
class letter you will receive in January.
THANK YOU!!!!
Enjoy your local friends, and consider joining new and old friends at our Mini’s. See you there!
Warmly,
Jane Homan Antin
August, 2005
Dear MHC ’74 Classmates,
You
reported at our 30th reunion in South Hadley that you wanted to see
each other more frequently. I am excited to report that our ambitious
schedule of Mini-reunions is up and running!
Come
and join your 1974 sisters for a weekend of Southern Hospitality in the
New South, before the mad rush of the upcoming holidays. Spend a slow
weekend with friends, both old and new, at the spa, or playing a round
of golf or tennis, or have fun shopping. Attend an evening play and
afterwards, dance the night away. Come on – we still have it in us! See
our web-site section “Staying Connected” for details.
Things for YOU to do NOW:
*
Watch your snail mail for a full packet of information, including
registration materials, complete costs, and information re: making your
own hotel accommodations via a dedicated web page.
* Start checking for your own air travel now!
*
Call your best MHC friend and your newest MHC friend and invite them
BOTH to join you for this great weekend! Be there, or be square!
* Contact Vanessa Hickey-Gales (vhgales@atlantaga.gov) hostess par excellent or me, (jantin1@partners.org) with any immediate questions you have.
Next up, Don’t Get Blown Away! Karen (KG Jennings) Lewis
(kaygeejen@ameritech.net) is planning a blow-out Chicago mini-reunion
in the spring. Possible events include special seating at the smash
hit, Wicked, a private tour of the Oriental Museum at the
University of Chicago, a visit to the world’s most extensive
Impressionist collection at the Art Institute, and a visit to the
amazing exhibits at the Museum of Natural History.
We want to be able to confirm dates and cool hotels and theatre tickets, so –
* if you are at all interested in this Windy City mini-reunion, contact Karen ASAP at (kaygeejen@ameritech.net) to let her know which of the following dates is best for you:
Possible Dates:
Mar 30- Apr 2 Apr 6 – Apr 9 Apr 27 – Apr 29
We don’t want to go much earlier because Chicago’s spring can be scarier than the Witches. If you are at all interested, please email Karen ASAP.
Looking Ahead – Also in the works are:
*
mini-reunion in Spring ’06 in Washington, DC. Cathy Trauernicht has a
committee in place, but they are seeking a classmate with connections
in the hotel industry to lend a hand and advice. Please contact Cathy (cwtrau@verizon.net) to lend a hand.
* mini-reunion at Rancho La Puerto Spa, 45 minutes outside of San Diego, in Mexico, July 1 – 4, 2006. More info coming soon.
Please remember to
* pay your class dues, $30 total through 2009, sent to Christina Carr, 13312 Windbrooke Lane, St. Louis, MO 63146
*
1974 continues to show our strength and support for MHC through our
gifts to the Alumnae Fund. Let’s keep up the great support. Each gift
is important and appreciated.
* watch our website for more information on all of the above.
Warmly,
Jane Homan Antin
Dear Classmates,
I
surprised my older brother, Bill, by crying when I opened his 2004
Christmas gift to me. He had a dozen old postcards of Mount Holyoke
College at the turn of the last century matted and framed for me. We
spent the afternoon together, pouring over A Memory Book: Mount Holyoke
College 1837–1987, identifying the pictures. Many are of buildings,
some no longer standing (the Pepper Box, the original Seminary
Building), others we know well (Porter, Brigham). Another is of Lower
Lake, and my very favorite, titled “Seniors Marching to Chapel,” shows
an endless procession of young women in white dresses, worn under black
academic gowns flapping in the breeze, looking not unlike us marching
with our Laurel Chain in May of ’74.
I
cried not so much because of what MHC meant to me when we were there
but because of what she means to me now. While I did appreciate the
school when I was there, I recognize her strengths so much more now.
Perhaps even more than the academic strengths that were nurtured there,
I am appreciative of the remarkable women Mount Holyoke has given me in
the form of friends; I am appreciative of you.
Among
the MHC friends I have now is one who became a fast friend the first
day of freshman year and who has remained a significant friend all
these years, sharing weddings, babysitting, and all life’s ups and
downs with each other. I have a friend now who I knew only from the
tennis court outside Mead as we tried valiantly to complete PE credit,
but years later we reconnected through our local MHC club and have
become dear friends, comparing parenting notes and enjoying the theatre
together. Another friend was in my freshman dorm, but we knew each
other only in passing. (She played bridge, I did not!) We reconnected
with each other a year ago and now we see each other once a month or
so, sharing our lives and trusting each other implicitly. And I have
continued to make MHC friends even since last May, as I get acquainted
with the Board you elected at Reunion. So I cried when I saw in the
post cards the love and the closeness of the women depicted on them and
how much my MHC friends, old and new, mean to me.
I
hope that your MHC friends are dear to you, and I hope that you will
continue to make MHC friends. In fact, nurturing old friendships, and
making new ones, is the theme our class officers have chosen for
activities planned for the years up to our 35th Reunion in South
Hadley. Seeing each other once every five years is just not enough! We
are planning ways for us to Stay Connected. We will update you with
specifics, via e-mail, our class web page, and “snail mail.” We do hope
you will join us! We are going to have a great time.
Our
first REGIONAL DINNER, held in Boston on April 7, 2005 to coincide with
Penny Gill’s Lyon Lecture served as a great kick-off for this venue of
STAYING CONNECTED. A few classmates gathered for dinner, old
friendships were renewed and new friendships kindled. All who attended
agreed that it was a success. Many other classmates contacted us ahead
of time to tell us that they were sorry that they would not be able to
join us this time, but looked forward to the next opportunity.
1974 Class History by Denise McLeod Thomas
In
the law, a document that stands up to challenges to it authenticity for
a period of at least 30 years is said to be an ancient document.
Congratulations Class of 1974, your degree is now an ancient document.
We all know that our degree is just as good today as it was when it was
awarded to us 30 years ago. It has stood up to the challenges of
additional education, career responsibilities and even the challenges
of raising a family. What has changed is the girl we each were on the
application that the Admissions Committee based its decision to grant
our admission to this college. That is where our history begins.
In
times past, our class president has stood in this place and reminisced
about our protest of the Vietnam War at Westover, the streaking on
Skinner Green, and the bell-bottom and hip hugger pants that we wore.
Certainly those events are in our history. However, today, I want to
focus on a part of our history that is very personal to me and that
represents a fundamental change in the very essence of who we were and
who we became as a class.
In September
1970, our class set a record that has never, ever in the history of
Mount Holyoke been matched. True to its commitment to creating a
diverse educational environment, the college admitted 44 African
American students in the class of 1974. Fourteen of those students were
participants in the first and only Mount Holyoke Summer Program of 1969
and 1970. The Summer Program represented Mount Holyoke’s commitment to
a group of “disadvantaged” African American students with potential. I
was one of those students. We were the best and the brightest students
that our communities produced. We didn’t know that we were
“disadvantaged.” During those summers we were introduced to unfamiliar
literature from around the world and to math problems with no numbers!
The mission of the Summer Program was to develop our writing and math
skills so that they would be on par with the typical Mount Holyoke
applicant.
I was born in Kansas two years
before the historic Supreme Court decision Brown vs. The Board of
Education of Topeka. For me, the fifth child in a family of ten people,
Mount Holyoke was somewhere over the rainbow. The ripple effect of my
acceptance to Mount Holyoke was enormous for it instantaneously changed
the destiny of three generations in my family. My mother declared, “If
Denise can go to college, so can I.” Ironically, she enrolled in a
small women’s college in the metropolitan Kansas City area. Together,
she and I became the first in our family to go to college and to earn
degrees. I became a daughter of Mount Holyoke with all of its rights
and privileges. Just a few days ago, on May 24th, our mutual birthday,
my daughter Jamila graduated from Yale University. Mount Holyoke chose
me all those years ago and that choice created choices for my mother,
my daughter and me. But more than that, it preordained a change in the
communities we have served and are serving. My mother’s work and
education in the mental health field played a small, but significant
role in the awarding of accreditation to the Western Missouri Mental
Health Center. She was a foster mother to several mentally challenged
young women, teaching paraprofessional in an inner city, public high
school, wife and mother to a whole passel of children. I have served as
Public Defender, a volunteer with the Dekalb County (GA) Volunteer
Lawyers’ Foundation where I represent indigent clients in civil
matters, Counselor and Attorney at Law, Judge, wife, mother and mentor
to dozens of young people who deserve an over-the-rainbow experience
like the one that Mount Holyoke gave to me. My daughter Jamila, through
the Teach For America Program, will teach in an “under-served”
elementary school in the Atlanta Public School System much like the one
I attended as a child in Kansas City. She wants to teach to honor all
the excellent teachers she had especially in public schools.
Despite
the valiant efforts the college made to create a diverse environment
for us, as a class, we were faced with struggles that had nothing to do
with academics but yet had everything to do with education. Most of us
had had little or no contact with people of different races. In that
respect, we were all “disadvantaged.” At first we noticed our
differences. Some of us had huge clouds of Afro-styled hair surrounding
our heads while others of us pressed long manes of blonde, auburn and
red hair on the ironing boards in the dorm. And we danced to a
different beat. We listened to different music. We had to be careful
about what we said to each other and how we said it, lest feelings
would get hurt. Feelings got hurt, often.
But
then the traditions of Mount Holyoke kicked in. We were elfed. We
participated in Student Government. We discussed in class. We learned
to swim. We declared majors. We lingered after dinner. We elfed our
little sisters. We worked on Choragus. We took a break with milk and
crackers. We performed in Junior Show. We road-tripped to Williams and
Dartmouth. We wrote senior comprehensives. We became worldly-wise. We
created new traditions. We exchanged ideas. We became US…disadvantaged
no more.
The ancient Greek philosopher
Heraclitus said something to the effect that all things are in motion
and nothing is at rest. You cannot go into the same river twice. To him
your very presence changes the content of the river and you in the
process. Likewise, Mount Holyoke changed us and we changed Mount
Holyoke. Our ancient document symbolizes that legacy of the history of
the Class of 1974.
Photographs and Summary
Friday: Back-to-Class sessions
Photograph by D. O'K.
Our classmate Melissa Kim Mosher taught watercolor techniques at a Friday Back to Class session.
Saturday: Class meeting
Alumnae Parade
Photograph by D. O'K.
Lining up for the alumnae parade. With "125 here" the class of 1974 once again had the largest reunion class.
State of the College
Photograph by D. O'K.
1904 Garden The
dorm rooms need sprucing up, but the success of the Campaign for 2003
is obvious in the new and refurbished classroom buildings and in the
landscaping. The campus is more beautiful than ever!
Class Social Hour & banquet
Fireworks 9:00 P.M.- 12:00 Midnight
Photograph by D. O'K
Fireworks lit up the sky over Lower Lake on Saturday evening. .
