Well, it’s happened — most of us are now 80!! So glad we don’t see 80 through the same lens as we did when we were students at the College. Speaking of lenses — one of the recent comments from my ophthalmologist was, “Your cataracts are growing.” Oh joy. Another rite of passage.
Since my last column, my dear husband, Dick Kern ’64, passed away. We were married 59 years, and he was respected by all who knew him and a proud graduate of William & Mary. He surpassed Grammy with the grandsons long ago — Papa was in a class by himself. We started dating when I was 17 — you don’t need to be a math major to realize that was a long time ago. Pete Nance, Mike Greenwood, Betty Bishop Griffin ’67, M.A.Ed. ’73 and Gene Griffin ’66, Ben Pomeroy ’67 and Sandy McNeill Kern ’68 were at his celebration of life in Greensboro, North Carolina. My family, old friends and new friends are my rocks.
A message from Phil Marstiller started with an episode at his winter place on Seabrook Island, which resulted in Phil getting a pacemaker. To celebrate his 80th birthday, he and Anne scheduled a train trip across Canada to Vancouver and a visit with their son on Bainbridge Island in Washington.
After Leon Bly spent 12 years researching and writing a two-volume book, it was published just in time for his 80th birthday, celebrated in Stuttgart, Germany. He was serenaded by the fire department band and the Stuttgart Music School Symphonic Youth Wind Orchestra. Leon was the band director there from 1981-2009.
Camilla Hill ’11 contacted the W&M Alumni Association with news of her mother, Cam Buchanan. Cam competed in the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Gran Fondo World Series in Cycling and was the gold medal winner in the time trial and Gran Fondo. The race is 100 kilometers (62 miles) and awards were given in Denmark. Chalk up a big win for our 80-year-old classmate! Check out the "Breaking Barriers" article about Cam in the winter 2025 W&M Alumni Magazine!
Lalie Forman Eskay and Louise Callahan Chambers ’67 live on a farm in Maryland, where they stay busy taking care of dogs, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
As I’m writing this, North Carolina and Florida are still recovering from hurricanes Helene and Milton. The eye of Milton passed over Walter Wenk’s home, which he described as a freight train and then totally quiet. Fortunately, his home wasn’t damaged. Marilyn and Dan Nase were also fortunate, though their family in the Tampa Bay area got “walloped!” David Anderson reported a roof leak and internet outage this time, but in previous storms he has lost the beach at his beach house and had sailboat damage.
Last summer, Maureen Strazdon and Vic Bary toured Croatia, starting in Dubrovnik. Then they went on a sailing trip on the Adriatic in a 24-passenger yacht, making stops in medieval cities and at Roman ruins. Inland, they visited national parks with days in Zagreb in an old hotel used by the Orient Express. The adventure ended with time in Madrid.
The COOTS (Chi O’s on Tour) dedicated a memorial brick at W&M for sister Sandy Odum Glennie. Carol Boysen, Judy Hein Harrell, Susan Embrey Coleman, Alice Annon Miri and Mary Ellen Downing Gordon-Scudder gathered around during Homecoming & Reunion Weekend, honoring Sandy.
Betty Lane Faber refers to herself as “that old lady” as she is still the church organist and music leader. Bart Watt and Melinda live outside Memphis, Tennessee, and traveled to Cuba and New Zealand. They have grandsons in Nashville, Tennessee, and are planning a January trip to the Florida Keys.
I had a great note from Linda Arey Skladany, which started with her memory of me and Mary Ellen Coleman Culp leaving Jefferson for “The Caf” with hopes of seeing that handsome football player I had a crush on. Our freshman year in Jefferson was something — wouldn’t others from there agree? I tell my grandsons we roomed alphabetically — the second floor was A-K, and those friendships have continued all these years. Linda and Barney are retired and living in Alexandria, Virginia. They spend three months plus Thanksgiving and Christmas at their townhouse on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and rent out another house— Peaceable Kingdom by the Sea.” I just had a catch-up phone call with Mary Ellen. Clyde Culp ’65 is retiring, and they are ready to relax!
Judy and Rodger Bates celebrated their 56th anniversary. Rodger retired from Clayton State University in Georgia in 2021 and is a professor emeritus. His areas of expertise are sociology and distance learning.
Carlton Hardy ’66, M.Ed. ’67 stopped in Laurel, Mississippi, on a recent road trip to Louisiana. HGTV groupies will recognize that as the “Home Town” area with Ben and Erin, where Carlton joined Laurel’s Wine Down Downtown Friday. Carlton is executor for Daniel E. Landis ’63, M.Ed. ’66 and with that estate has established a scholarship in the William & Mary School of Education in his name.
Martha Wessells Steger is off to Turkey for the Society of American Travel Writers’ annual meeting. Ed and Elaine Neam Starace vacationed in Provence and Bob Sigafoes wrote about attending a high school reunion — those are always fun but getting smaller. Dick’s class in Warminster, Pennsylvania, now has a luncheon since no one drives at night! Ruth and Spencer Timm spend most of their time in Fort Myers, Florida, where he is the treasurer of the condo board. They have a Viking Cruise on the Mississippi on their agenda.
For my 80th birthday, my son Scott and his wife took me to NYC. I was born there so it was a bit of a déjà vu trip. Our travel dates coincided with a huge rain system, so it was “interesting.” The flight to LaGuardia ended up in Philadelphia to start. Amtrak got us into the city, and we sloshed through the puddles and got our sightseeing in. I got to see my new half-sister, which was a huge treat. We met when I was there for my 75th. I impressed myself doing 23,000 steps the first full day! I got five miles to a Tylenol!