Class Secretary: Martha Blaisdell Mabee, 94 Fifer Ln., Lexington MA 02420

Co-Class Presidents: Virginia Hayden, 8 Eden Ave., W. Newton MA 02465; John James, 559 W. Auburn Rd., Auburn ME 04210

The class extends sympathy to Fred Downing ’40 and family of Judith Chick Downing, who died Feb. 1. Her obituary will be in a coming issue…. William Barr writes: “I retired as vice president of what was then Chemical Bank (now JP Morgan Chase) in 1985. To occupy my time, I applied to the SUNY-Stony Brook doctoral program in anthropological science to study socio-cultural anthropology and was accepted. The professors were young enough to be my children and students young enough to be grandchildren. I did all the assignments, read all the books, wrote all the required papers, took all the exams, and had a wonderful time for six years. Since a 71-year-old was not prepared to work in the Highlands of New Guinea, I ended with a lot of new information and a master’s degree.” In the 57 years he and wife Gladys have been married, they traveled extensively, and found time to raise four children (who have nine children), who live short distances away. Entertainment consists of playing bridge, golf, searching for early-bird specials, and attending “organ recitals – physical, not musical.”… Mary Bartlett Gardner moved from Portland, Maine, to an assisted living apartment in Kensington, Md., to be near her daughter and two grandsons…. Martha Blaisdell Mabee is happy to report that her eyes have stabilized, so she can drive around town and to familiar places between sunrise and sunset. She volunteers at the senior center library once a week…. Eleanor “Wes” Davis Scully and husband Robert moved to Findlay, Ohio, after Robert’s retirement in 1984. Robert died in 2001 after a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s. Wes spends her time maintaining her home, taking daily walks, enjoying fellowship with friends and flying coast-to-coast to visit her four children and their families – Cincinnati, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Naples and Boston, to name a few places…. L. Dexter Green has had some heart problems and at present is in an assisted living home. Still walks some, and on the plus side no operation except for pacemaker implant…. Ray Harvey reports that Barbara and his daughter, Heather, conspired to “drag me screaming into the world of computers. I knew I was in trouble when, on the first lesson, I found to stop you had to press start. I am thinking of nicknaming it the ‘humiliator.'” On the tennis court, he can beat any 90-year-old man (or woman). Plays golf once a week, even though boring, just to get him “off his butt… Elaine Humphrey Meader and husband Ray ’44 celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary at Boothbay Harbor, Maine, during Windjammer week, kindness of their three daughters…. Jean Keneston Fisher is busy with activities with the senior ministry at her church and volunteers at the substance abuse center unit at Mercy Hospital…. Robert Langerman reports pretty good health – would take up too much time to list all aches and pains. Still playing golf and visiting the fitness center several times a week…. Marge Lewis Forbes and Les Forbes say all is well with them, even though Marge had a hip replaced – no problems, no pain! They live in a gorgeous area; great activities there plus symphony and other music and theatre in Asheville…. Marion Ludwick “Pudge” Hewett had kyphoplasty surgery on her back in December, a miraculous cure for pain, whereby two hollow needles put cement into spaces in the spine; only an overnight hospital stay…. On a crisp Maine fall afternoon, four generations of the Jewell family gathered to celebrate donating their 110-acre farm, Keewaydin, to the Maine Farmland Trust, a project that Malcolm and Lucille “Lennie” Jewell have been working on for eight years. Malcolm’s great-grandfather built the house in 1846. In 1946, Malcolm, Lucille, and two young children moved in. There was no running water, one electric light bulb per room, and only a fireplace and woodstove in the kitchen for heat, but they were still glad to be there. The easement allows construction of a house for each of their three children. Grandson Andy, the farm manager, is already building on one site…. Helen Martin Aucoin still enjoys volunteering at Cincinnati Pops and Symphony and at the Loveland Historical Museum…. Barbara McGee Chasse reports a second grandson’s wedding in San Francisco. Once again, she spent four days visiting Ray Harvey in La Jolla, and she talked Ray into getting his first computer and worked with him to get on the Net. She’s spending a second school year as a volunteer during the literacy block at Burns School in Saco, Maine. “I fantasize daily what teaching from age 43 to 82 would have been like with computers!” To bring herself up-to-date on the philosophy of teaching that has evolved from English to language arts to literacy, she audited a course at USM’s Lewiston/Auburn campus and commuted to Lewiston on three Saturdays in her trusty Honda. Got to snap a picture of the house on Main Street where she was born. “Nostalgia is more fun these days.”… Elizabeth Moore Thompson lives at the Atrium in Kennebunk (a nice, small assisted living facility). All three children and two grandchildren live in town or nearby, so they are in almost daily contact. Betty is her usual cheery self, and knows people she has spent time with, though the memory slips away soon. She talks about Bates and wonders about on-campus happenings.…. Not a good year for Priscilla Simpson Boyan and Norm ’43, they say, but it’s OK for the moment. They are approaching their 62nd wedding anniversary in July and can still hear each other even when they are muttering to themselves, can also count backwards by sevens, and can still enjoy activities in their retirement community…. Ruth Ulrich Coffin writes that highlights of the year were attending court in Puerto Rico with daughter Susan, a great Ulrich family reunion in the spring, favored guests and their children at the Harpswell cottage and happy hosts for visiting former clerks and families last summer. In autumn, the Coffin Lecture at the Law School was a spectacular success thanks to Justice Richard Goldstone of South Africa…. Jane Veazie Nelson says Piper Shores, with 160 apartments, 40 cottages, and a waiting list for all, has been her home for over three years. It’s been a good choice with the ocean so near, lifetime care and many activities…. Erland “Hoody” Wentzell says all is going well for them in their new home. Fortunately, they built it for their old age, so it is serving him very well since having a minor heart attack recently; the doorways are large, step-in showers, all on one floor, and works out well…. Jane Woodbury Quimby moved out of her home in Wolfeboro, N.H., to join her son Gordon and wife Sharon in their home in Dover, N.H. “Their house was renovated to create a bed/sitting room and bath for me and expand the rest of the first-floor space.” They share meal times and household tasks, keep independent schedules most days, with occasional threesomes to concerts, plays, church, etc. New knees have made her more comfortable. Enjoyed a trip to Monhegan Island, Maine, with daughter Barbara, and a lovely cruise along the coast and fjords of Norway with friends…. Rose Worobel writes the passing of another year brings sad news of losses of good friends, but good news too, as her health is good and she still can travel. First was a riverboat trip from Eastern Europe to the Black Sea, and second a trip on the QE2 from Singapore to Cape Town, South Africa – both most enjoyable… Ruth Wyer Haines is finally breaking out of her lethargy after losing David ’44 in July. She plays duplicate bridge, and volunteers at c
hurch and at the Farnsworth Art Museum Library.