1975–Fall ’18 Class Letter
1975
Jondi Gumz
831-461-1120 / [email protected]
Dear classmates,
Let’s hear it for LAURIE LANDIS WOLFORD ’75 of Lone Tree, Colorado, who organized a reunion for the Alpha Delta Pi sisters at Estes Park, Colorado, and everyone got their photo taken in front of the historic Stanley Hotel. SUE CHAPMAN CARLTON ’75 and KAREN KUCKHAHN KEHL ’75 were there along with MARY JAMIESON SAMELSON ’76, CHRIS OVERLY WALLACE ’74, NANCY GROOSE TERMAAT ’76, DEB STODDARD JESSOP ’77, MADGE BUSHNELL ’77, SELMA BAYDOUN CEMAN ’74, JUDY REISINGER DAVIS ’76, JOAN MUCCI ESPOSITO ’78, PEGGY ZAREK ODDO ’76, and LAURA MCGOWAN STAHL ’77. Great job, Laurie!
MARY JENKEL DELK ’74 and her husband JACK DELK ’74 has a new home in Texas. She writes: “So far, we really like Austin and really love being near the grandkids – and retirement is pretty nice also! Our new address is 7317 Coit Rd, Austin, TX 78744. ” Connect with Mary at [email protected]
LINDA MOGICATO SASSER ’75 reports she and her husband Carey “escaped the cold winters of Chicago for good last December” and moved to Peoria, Arizona, outside of Phoenix. They are enjoying living in a resort-style active adult community, swimming, biking, and hanging out with similar-aged people who also moved here from other parts of the U.S. and Canada. Linda does public speaking (her website is www.brainandmemoryhealth.com) and markets her curriculum, BE! Brain Enrichment, to help people learn about brain health and develop their cognitive skills (like memory!) with the goal of postponing or preventing cognitive decline. Reach her at [email protected].
GEORGE LONG ’75 writes from East Greenbush, New York, “I finally retired from New York State Department of Transportation. Two weeks and I still have a big grin on my face. Now I just have to get this house in shape to sell, and the house in Vermont ready to move into, and we’re set. Anyone who wants to visit New England for the fall foliage, give me a call! We have 115 acres of woods, surrounded by more of the same, on a pond in the Vermont mountains. We’ll even throw in a tour of local microbreweries.” Connect with George at 518-477-7366 or [email protected].
SUZANNE MONROE POULOS ’75 of Evanston, Ill., attended the Ripon Alumni Weekend the last weekend in June with husband MICHAEL POULOS ’77 participating in several Beta Sigma Pi events including the oral history session. Thanks Suzanne for representing the class of ‘75. Suzanne writes, “I well remember LOUISE RENIER BOOTHBY’S ’75 comments in the Fall R Connections mentioning last year’s alumni dinner night where several of us from the ’70s joined together and had an amazing conversation just like we were back in college.
Michael and I have downsized into one condo and totally renovated our other condo next door, from a new roof down to the refinished wood and new tiled floors. Glad that’s behind us. Of course we had to lose some book storage in the process and now have 17 boxes of books to donate. Our Chicago Bar Association chorus and orchestra recently performed Rossini’s Stabat Mater. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus are performing it this weekend. All classmates and alumni are welcome to get in touch with us for a sail on Lake Michigan from Wilmette Harbor. Give us a call if you’re interested at 847-492-9800.”
SUSAN SCHREYER STANDER ’75 reports from Paradise Valley, Arizona: “Airbnb just named my casita an Airbnb Plus property. To view our home and maybe schedule a visit go to Resort Style Casita in Paradise Valley. While my husband continues to work taking care of veterans, my retirement is spent tending to the cat and the casa, and working as a precinct committee person in our legislative district. I visited MARY ELLEN WEIS DOLL ’75 and MARTHA ROBBINS ANDERSON ’75 in Milwaukee last fall, and we had an amazing visit. Some friends (especially Ripon friends) are forever.” Connect with Susan at [email protected].
STEVE SWANSON ’75 of Manassas, Virginia, writes: “Finally rejoined the family after nearly three years in Miami as a geo-bachelor. Don’t ask, long story. Barbara, Margaret, and I are taking a road trip next week to Austin, Texas. Margie is attending the Keller Williams “Young Entrepreneur” seminar. And BA and I are checking out our two properties in the Fort Hood (Killeen/Harker Heights) area. The grandkids, Athena, Colin, and Deanna, successfully graduated the school year!”
STEVE RUGO ’75 and his wife Laura de Frise report from Chicago: Their son Peter lives in Los Angeles and started his own music management business in February; for a list of upcoming shows, see keel.la. Their daughter Aubrey recently moved from Chicago to Washington D.C. to work for Booz Allen Hamilton. Steve’s architecture practice is thriving. He designs residences and more recently noted restaurants, you can see his portfolio at rugoraff.com. Laura left Christie’s after 30-plus years and is managing director for Ronald Varney Fine Art Advisers.
LITA WEISLOW KATZ ’75 writes from Silver Spring, Maryland, “My daughter Sarah is now living about 10 miles away instead of several hundred miles away — so my husband Bert and I are now the designated cat sitters when she goes on vacation. She moved here for a job at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Lab working on space probe radiation shielding.” Since Lita retired from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, aka NOAA, she accepted the job of treasurer for her synagogue. Recently, she spent an afternoon in the synagogue kitchen cooking an entry for the sisterhood’s kugel cookoff. Connect with her at [email protected].
DIANA AUSTRING ’75 posts on Facebook from New Zealand: “Luxuriating in the warmth of my wood burning stove in Waiheke Island’s winter, but heading to Perth, Western Australia, for five weeks in July to be main caregiver for my 3-year-old and 1-year-old granddaughters (Natasha and Sienna Rose; daughters of son Kris and his wife Tory); then will head up to Tombstone, Arizona, in October for three weeks to hang around with my siblings, with a likely road trip to Fort Collins, Colorado.
BECKY HADLEY ’75 of San Antonio Texas writes, “I hope to be traveling like Dee before long! I’m mostly retired, working one day a week ‘prn’ as a registered nurse in a surgical setting. Loving being a grandma to almost 2 year old grandson Micah who lives in Houston. Big event of the year is the wedding of our daughter Laura who lives in Washington, D.C. Her husband-to-be is a financial analyst for the CIA who has briefed the president several times. Another summer trip is to Martha’s Vineyard. In the process of planning lots more travel to bucket lists destinations.” Connect with Becky at [email protected].
ANN DEVENISH CASSELL ’75 posted photos on Facebook from her travels with her husband DOUG CASSELL ’74 to the Scotland, visiting places like the ruins of the Culross Abbey, used in the Outlander series.
PHIL BOLDA ’75 of Tempe, Arizona, posted photos on Facebook about his trip to Pittsburgh for the Society for American Baseball Research conference.
RUTH GALES FRECHMAN ’75 of North Hollywood, California, completed her year as president of the California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She writes, “It was a great two years as president-elect and then president. Awesome experience. I have been spending the last week organizing, so I can catch up on my real work that got put on the back burner.” See her website at ruthfrechman.com and find out more about her book, The Food is My Friend Diet.“
TIM VERNIER ’74 has written a new detective novel, Lightning’s Landing, second in the Dick Stranger series.
ROSIE GAY FATHEREE ’75 in Alpharetta, Georgia, posted photos on Facebook from her daughter, Katherine’s wedding in May.
KATHY KURKE ’75 in Ormond Beach, Florida, finished a new painting, “Moonstruck,” for the Daytona Art Show. You can see it on Facebook. Connect with Kathy at [email protected].
SHARON SCHECK SINA ’75 of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is spending time with her grandchildren this summer. See her photos on Facebook.
JULIE OLSON KEILMAN ’75 is spending time with her grandchildren and she visited Mackinac Island, Michigan, in June.
GEORGIANNE BRAVICK ’75 of Appleton, Wisconsin, had to dig out of a snowstorm on April 16. Follow her on Facebook.
LEN KACHINSKY ’75 reports from Neenah, Wisconsin, that he’s feeling better, running six miles in 88 minutes or less.
WARREN BLUHM ’75 in Luxemburg, Wisconsin asks: “When are you done? When is your life’s work complete?” Read more at https://www.facebook.com/warrenbluhmwordsmith/
NANCY LAWS KERN ’75 of Littleton, Colorado, enjoyed watching spring training with friends in Scottsdale, Arizona, and hiking on Pinnacle Peak.
SCOTT TREMBERTH ’75, who lives in Henderson, Nevada, writes: “It would have been great to visit. We are back in Green Lake, Wisconsin, for the summer. We go back to Vegas in the fall.”
I was hoping to catch up with SCOTT TREMBERTH ’75 when I attended the National Association of Real Estate Editors conference in Las Vegas. I did not realize it would be 107 degrees! Good thing the air conditioning was working. About that trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, my husband and I departed shortly before the Kilauea volcano blew up, covering roads with lava, and and forcing entire neighborhoods to evacuate. Sad to hear. In April, I had a weekend visit in Mission Viejo, California, with my sister JOY GUMZ ’78, also an economics major at Ripon. Then my sister SHERYL GUMZ ALBERS-ANDERS ’76 drove in on a cross country road trip in her VW Bug. Now I’m staying at home and baking blackberry pie, fresh picked from the back yard. GREGG PETERSEN ’78 and brother MICHAEL PETERSEN ’75 shared a neat slideshow posted on Facebook and made for his 40th class reunion made by HELEN HOLTER ’78 using photos from the Green List and yearbooks. Anyone with these technical skills, give me a holler. I’d like to see if we can do this for our next reunion, June 26-28, 2020. Until then, keep your news a-coming to [email protected]!
Your class agent,
JONDI GUMZ ’75