Greetings and happy 2023! It is January as I write this. Our travel bug took us to London and Portugal over the holidays. When all the (adult) kids can join us (allow themselves to be bribed) it’s magic! We started in London for New Year’s Eve and had a lovely time taking in the sights — we are admittedly Harry Potter geeks, and we finally made it to Warner Brothers Studio for the Harry Potter tour just outside London. We tried six years ago and literally missed the bus. Our expectations were high, but WBS exceeded them! The sets, models, costumes, props — they are all there. We highly recommend it for Harry Potter enthusiasts. We also made it to Portugal, first to Porto, and then on to Lisbon. Paralleling our trip were Rob Kravitz and his friend Martha, only they toured Lisbon and then Porto! It was nice to give each other pointers on what to see! Rob and Martha posted some amazing pictures of their journey on FB, which we really enjoyed. The Douro River Valley is stunning, and we visited several vineyards there, as did Rob and Martha.
Before the holidays, we celebrated the wedding of Beth Alford Wolfe’s daughter, Patrice, to Matt Burton. It was a beautiful, joyful wedding in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Beth and Tommy were glowing, as were all of Beth’s sisters and many nieces and nephews. Several of Beth’s W&M friends were there, including Katie Winter Gray, Debbi Pierce and her husband, Jim, and Brenda Bloomer Hargett and her husband, Joe, as well as their kids, Tyler and Heather, with their spouses. Not surprisingly, the reception was quite the dance party! The happy couple reside in Charleston, South Carolina.
I heard from Tom Hearn, who wrote the “past year has been good for the Hearns. Two of our three sons moved back to Charlotte, North Carolina, so everyone is back in town, not that we ever see them! Dana Disque Hearn and I spent 10 days in Venice with Bill and Meg Scott ’84 in November. Great weather and few tourists.”
He also wrote about a lovely memorial for his father, Thomas K. Hearn Jr. “My dad was a philosophy professor at William & Mary for 10 years in the 1960s and ’70s. Interestingly, he was the first recipient of the Thomas Jefferson teaching award at the College. He spent the last 22 years of his career as the president of Wake Forest University (1983-2005). When he died in 2008, he was working on a book of essays he had given over the years, titled ‘Leaves From a President’s Notebook.’ The Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina, where Dad had been very active, helped me finish and publish the book. The book can be purchased through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or the Center for Creative Leadership.” What a lovely way to honor your father.
In the news is Kathryn Lehr, who ran for office in the Colorado House of Representatives, District 49, in Boulder, Colorado, in the November 2022 election. She has lived in Boulder for 33 years. Katie also received an MBA from University of Colorado Boulder and is a small business owner.
Finally, the William & Mary Foundation announced the addition of four new members to its Board of Trustees, one of whom is our own Steve Tang. Congratulations Steve! You can read more about Steve in the spring 2022 feature "Renaissance Man" in the W&M Alumni Magazine.
That’s all the news I have! PLEASE send me your updates! I do see Facebook posts from time to time, but I need to hear directly from you on your news! Nothing is too small! What trips have you been on? What are YOUR kids doing? Have a great spring, everyone!