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Winter 2016
Bridging the Gap
Alumnae invest in educational equality
Inside: Choosing the 901
WINTER 2015 | 1
Aristotle said, “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no
education at all.” St. Mary’s students benefit from this wisdom daily in Chapel, the Bridge
to Caring, service learning, and the Community Fund. We even find the heart in our exams. If you
had been in the Rose Theater for the Juniors’ semester exams, you would have witnessed the
newest expression of how our teachers encourage the heart of our students and enable them to
find their unique voices.
Just before Christmas break, I had the great pleasure of listening to the Juniors each deliver
a four-minute speech in the style of a TED Talk. As each student walked onto the carpet and
into the spotlight, the audience of parents and teachers heard a confident, compassionate, and
courageous voice. The two evenings titled “Voices of St. Mary’s” began as a combined history and
English assignment that asked the Juniors to express how the curriculum has educated their heart
and not just their mind. English teacher Caroline Goodman, history teacher Holly Hensarling, and
librarian Jeanine Akers worked as a team to ask: How do the facts and stories in your courses
speak to your own experience and how can that make us better human beings?
Students connected Beowulf, Wuthering Heights, Julius Caesar, 9/11, and the Holocaust to
their own experiences with fear, racism, stereotyping, courage, creativity, and faith. Listening to
these voices, it is clear that St. Mary’s is dedicated to letting each girl pursue her individual
potential. It is also clear why our young women pursue the careers of service and teaching, and
choose to call Memphis home, connecting to their community. You will find their stories
highlighted in this issue.
The heart is at the heart of an Episcopal School education. This kind of integrity of mind
and soul and body has never been a more important as we prepare young woman for an often
polarized, terrorized, and fragmented culture. By
not ignoring this vital connection, our students
and graduates are able to teach and serve others
mindfully and whole-heartedly.
Head of School
On the first day of the semester,
Head of School Albert Throckmorton
encourages Middle and Upper School
students to focus on the destination
while also enjoying the journey.
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The Varsity Volleyball team revs up for state competition, capping its best season in school history.
Winter 2016
The magazine of St. Mary’s Episcopal School is
published twice a year as a service to all alumnae, students,
parents, faculty, staff, and friends of the school.
Head of School
Albert L. Throckmorton
Director of Advancement
Leanne Kleinmann
In This Issue
2
Bridging the Gap
7
Choosing the 901
Director of Alumnae
Rainey Ray Segars ’05
Director of Communication / Editor
Sally Walker Davies
Photography
Lisa Buser
Contributors
Courtney Shove ’96
Cara Modisett
Shari Ray
Zina Kumok ’07
Owen McGuire
Letters to the Editor:
Please address all correspondence to:
Sally Walker Davies
St. Mary’s Episcopal School
60 Perkins Extended
Memphis, TN 38117
[email protected]
901.537.1489
Unless otherwise noted, all photos, with the exception of
select photos in Class Notes, are by Lisa Buser.
On the Cover:
St. Mary’s alumnae (L-R) Patti Person Ray ’65, Jessica Johnson
’94, Grace Jensen Knight ’05, Courtney Taylor Humphreys ’01,
and Lucy Foster ’10 are helping build a better Memphis through
the Memphis Teacher Residency.
Zina Kumok ’07 chats with five alumnae about why
they ultimately chose to call Memphis home.
10-13
College 101
New faces, new spaces, advice for college planning,
and an update on the SATs.
14
To Be or Not To Be Ophelia
In the first of a series of essays by St. Mary’s faculty,
Upper School English Teacher Shari Ray explains that
there’s no way her students should ever be an Ophelia.
16-21
Campus News
Alumnae
22
Honoring Gigi Gould ’70
23 Class Notes
44
Milestones
—————————
Parents of Alumnae: If your daughter no longer maintains an
address at your home, please notify Director of Alumnae
Rainey Ray Segars ’05 at 901.537.1424 or
[email protected]
The mission of St. Mary’s Episcopal School is to provide a
superior educational experience for girls which will encourage and
enable each student to reach her individual potential.
St. Mary’s Episcopal School does not discriminate on the basis of race,
religion, or national origin in the administration of its admission, financial
aid, educational, athletic, extracurricular, or other policies.
/St.MarysEpiscopalSchool
@StMarysMemphis
/StMarysTV
@stmarysepiscopalschool
WINTER 2015 | 1
---------- Choosing the 901 ----------
Bridging the Gap
S
By Courtney Shove ’96
t. Mary’s alumnae are a testament to the
value of a good education — something that
all children deserve, regardless of socioeconomic standing. Committed to helping bridge
the educational gap in Memphis, a group of alums
from across the decades are working to improve
public education through the Memphis Teacher
Residency, commonly known as MTR.
22 || S t . M a r y ’ s E P I S C O P A L S C H O O L
St. Mary’s alumnae (L-R) Patti Person Ray ’65,
Jessica Johnson ’94, Grace Jensen Knight ’05,
Courtney Taylor Humphreys ’01, and Lucy
Foster ’10 are helping build a better Memphis
through the Memphis Teacher Residency.
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Choosing the 901
Founded in 2008, MTR is a faith-based teacher-
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the challenges that students face in urban schools,”
training program that seeks to provide quality educa-
Ray said. “The students are exposed to Memphis itself,
tion to students in six low-income areas in Memphis.
because so many aren’t from here, and the importance
After successfully completing a year of graduate
of raising the education level.”
coursework and an in-classroom internship, residents
The bottom line: MTR residents don’t have to go it
receive a master’s degree in urban education through
alone. They are clustered together in various schools
a partnership with Union University. After receiving
and even live together in Georgian Woods Apartments.
their degree, MTR teachers commit to working three
Each cohort also learns about Memphis and its history
additional years in a Memphis urban school. So far, the
and gets involved in the neighborhoods where they
program has 239 graduates (those who have completed
teach.
the four-year commitment) and 231 teachers currently
on staff in Memphis urban schools.
“The city of Memphis depends on the success of its
public education,” Ray said. “At the root of it all, I’m a
teacher, and that’s still what I’m doing.”
The Veteran Teacher and Administrator:
Patti Person Ray ’65
After spending 25 years of her life working in public
The Prepared Newbie: Lucy Foster ’10
For Lucy Foster, living in Georgian Woods last year
education, Dr. Patti Ray just can’t quit it. Even during
as an MTR resident was unexpectedly significant. Not
her 15-year tenure as Upper School Head at St. Mary’s,
only was it her first “adult” apartment, but the complex
she taught Union University students training to be
is also where her grandmother lived when Lucy’s mom
public school teachers. Now,
though technically retired, she
continues to teach in every area
of Union’s graduate education
program.
Since 2009, Ray has been
teaching two MTR courses: Secondary Methods and Intensive
Content Studies, which are both
Patti Person Ray ’65
taught in the first half of the
residency. Outside of class, she
makes herself available via text message, phone, and
email and is delighted that her students reach out to
her for ideas and other support.
She credits MTR’s extensive support system for the
success of its teachers. What sets it apart from similar programs is the common motivation among the
residents and their shared Christian call to bring about
social justice through education.
“MTR offers courses that are enlightening as to
Lucy Foster ’10
4 |
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Choosing the 901
was born and where Lucy’s mom, Nancy Johnson Foster
’71, had her first apartment after college.
In her cohort of 67, Foster said only five or six were
---------------------------------------
with MTR in 2012.
“MTR has been a real gift for both of us,” Courtney
said. “We have developed friendships with people who
“local-grown Memphians.” The rest were from all over
didn’t grow up like us, and that has totally enriched our
the country. Her roommate was a young woman from
lives.”
Corona, California, who had never been to the South
She supports MTR teachers through regular classroom observations and debriefing sessions and pro-
before.
Foster, who is in her second year of teaching 7th
vides feedback on the residents’ online journals. She
grade at Soulsville Charter School, describes the Mem-
also teaches a Math Content Methods class to elemen-
phis she knows now as “cooler” than the one she knew
tary-education residents. Outside of work, she enjoys
growing up: “Memphis seems exciting, especially to
having them over for dinner and getting to know them
new people. A lot of young people are coming here, and
better.
it feels like Memphis is onto something.”
She said she has found tremendous support
In her mind, the strength of the program lies in its
Christian perspective. Courtney feels good knowing she
through MTR and that her mentor teacher, who hap-
can tell new teachers that their ultimate worth is not
pens to be a Teach For America graduate, was phenom-
wrapped up in their students’ test scores or in a failed
enal. Foster now teaches on the same team as her men-
observation. At the same time, she doesn’t negate the
tor, who is mentoring an MTR resident again this year.
challenges of working in high-needs schools.
“Seeing all kinds of dysfunction and brokenness
The Coach and Encourager:
Courtney Taylor Humphreys ’01
Growing up, Courtney Humphreys could not have
located Orange Mound on a Memphis map, yet she
lived within a few miles of the neighborhood. Now, her
doesn’t mean that you have to get out, that you’ve
chosen the wrong profession,” she said. “It might mean
that you’ve chosen exactly the right one.”
The Guinea Pig: Grace Jensen Knight ’05
Grace Knight was a member of MTR’s first cohort,
work has her rooted there.
A part-time MTR staffer,
which consisted of 23 residents. Now, six years later,
Humphreys serves as a coach
there are 67 residents. Knight remembers being a
for 11 teachers at Hanley
college student at Auburn University and having an
Elementary, a charter school
awakening in the middle
in Orange Mound.
of the night — she needed
to pursue urban education.
She and husband McKee
both have MTR connec-
The next thing she knew
tions. McKee was part of
she was talking to MTR
the second cohort, and after
founder David Montague
completing his residency, he
while driving from
taught 8th grade history for three years at Soulsville
Memphis to Auburn.
Charter School and Cornerstone Prep. He now teaches
“I remember hanging
5th and 6th grade history at Presbyterian Day School,
up the phone and telling
where Courtney taught for four years before connecting
my now-husband that this
Grace Jensen Knight ’05
WINTER 2015 | 5
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Choosing the 901
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program seemed like it was created specifically for
Memphis in 2011 and began working at MTR in 2012. As
me,” she said. “It was exactly what I wanted to do after
a coach, she supports her teachers by visiting them in
finishing college.”
their classrooms, offering feedback and ideas, and even
Knight was placed at New Hope Christian Academy
during her resident year and remained on staff there
looking over student essays or preparing test questions.
“So often, everything that teachers learn, they learn
for four more years. She was a kindergarten teacher for
the hard way,” she said. “What’s great about MTR is that
three years and a learning specialist for two. After tak-
the teachers have a mentor during the residency year, a
ing time off to start a family, she now works part time
coach for all four years, and really relevant coursework,
as the admission events coordinator at St. Mary’s.
which means they don’t have to figure out from scratch
“I believe that the only thing that will really change
Memphis is education, so I believe MTR is leading
the city in real change,” she said. “It may not be fast
how to teach their students well and how to lead a
classroom well.”
Johnson underscores that MTR’s vision is about
change, but I believe it’s coming when our students all
restoring communities, not just schools. Teachers alone
have access to good education.”
can’t bridge the education gap, so MTR encourages its
staff to get to know other people and organizations
The Master Teacher/Juggler:
Jessica Johnson ’94
In many ways, Jessica Johnson is a professional
juggler at MTR. Juggler of job responsibilities, that is.
A full-time employee, she coaches English teachers at
Kingsbury High School, Melrose High School, and GRAD
Academy; teaches English Content Methods and an
instructional planning seminar; and serves as the organization’s development director.
“I always loved school,” Johnson said. “I loved
St. Mary’s, I loved my college experience, and I valued
in their schools’ neighborhoods. The residents study
Memphis history, take part in local cultural events, and
really commit to the areas in which they teach.
To that end, MTR has focused its efforts on 31
schools in six neighborhoods: Alcy Ball, Binghampton,
Frayser, Graham Heights, Mitchell Heights, and Orange
Mound. Johnson said the feedback from schools has
been positive — that MTR teachers are team players,
humble, hard-working, and eager to learn from and
work with their colleagues.
“I think about how I benefited from St. Mary’s not
the school communities
also personally, in terms
and the chance to grow as
of character and com-
a thinker and as a per-
munity,” Johnson said. “I
son. That’s something I
think we (at MTR) are in
want for all kids, whether
a unique position to grow
they go to an indepen-
people and strengthen
dent school or go to their
communities, and that’s
neighborhood school.”
my motivation to be in
After graduating
schools.”
from Princeton University, Johnson taught
high school English in
Connecticut for seven
years. She moved back to
6 |
only academically but
Jessica Johnson ’94, with teacher Janessa Jordan, at Soulsville Charter School.
Courtney Shove ’96 is a word
game enthusiast and maker of
homemade vanilla who recently
moved back to Memphis — for
the second time — to be closer to
family and to work in communications at Memphis Opportunity
Scholarship Trust (MOST).
Choosing the 901
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Choosing the 901
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By Zina Kumock ’07
S
t. Mary’s alums can be found all over the world, teaching, working, and putting their Turkey values to use.
But what about those who return home, or decided to stay in Memphis for their schooling? Zina Kumok ’07
chatted with five alumnae about why they ultimately chose to call Memphis home.
lives for ourselves outside of the
city. And then, when the calling
comes, we return, bringing some
of that global perspective back
to Memphis, to create something
fresh and new.
Are you involved with
St. Mary’s? If so, how?
I am an Annual Fund class agent
for the Class of 2006, so I try to stay
current on what’s happening at
the school, so I can relay it to my
fellow 06ers. I have been back to
Chapel on numerous occasions to
sing, speak, advertise Opera Memphis student performances, and
introduce classmates.
Morgan Beckford ’06
Morgan Beckford ’06
Fellowship Coach,
Memphis Music Initiative
portunity to bring that knowledge
back to Opera Memphis, I jumped
at the chance.
Was returning to Memphis
something you consciously
thought about?
Why do you think it’s
important for alumnae to work
and live in Memphis?
Studying and working in the Washington, DC area after college taught
me a great deal about the accessibility of classical art forms and the
teaching artistry needed to keep
them alive. When I got the op-
I do think that some of us alums
are very much like Galapagos
Island sea turtles. We leave the
“St. Mary’s Beach” at 18 and swim
out into the world. We create
incredible, purpose-filled, dynamic
Audrey Bourland Hurst ’03,
Owner of Audrey Hurst
Weddings
thought about?
Upon graduating from Ole Miss, I
completed a nine month Fellows
program in Memphis. It was during
that year that a love for Memphis
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Choosing the 901
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Why do you think it’s important
for alumnae to work and live in
Memphis?
From graduation in 2012 to now, I
have seen Memphis come into its
own and watched the community
rally around the hard work and
uniqueness that characterizes this
city. This is the time to be in Memphis — job opportunities are bountiful and the pride of the community is incredibly contagious. As
St. Mary’s alumnae, we have a lot
to offer to this community due to
both our roots and our education.
Are you involved with St. Mary’s?
If so, how?
I am not as involved as I would
hope — but in 2014 I had a great
time spending an afternoon
with the graduating Seniors and
answering any and all questions
they had about college.
Audrey Bourland Hurst ’03
was re-ignited through a completely different set of eyes than
my years as a child and young
adult.
Memphis?
Community and connections can
certainly be created and cultivated
wherever one lands, but there is a
huge value in having an immediate network available.
If so, how?
I have served on the Alumnae
Board for the last four years as
well as leading a bible study for
five years for St. Mary’s girls who
are now Juniors. They were just 7th
graders when I met them!
88 || S t . M a r y ’ s E P I S C O P A L S C H O O L
Melissa Byrd ’12,
Registration
Coordinator for
Start2Finish Event
Management, intern
at ALSAC St. Jude, and
current University of
Memphis student
Was staying in Memphis
thought about?
As much as a high school
Senior can, I had mapped out
where I saw my career path
heading after college, and
Memphis was that place.
Because St. Mary’s had
gotten me involved in the
community, I had already
begun the networking that
I knew would only deepen
during college.
Melissa Byrd ’12
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Choosing the 901
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Memphis?
Having grown up in Memphis, we
as St. Mary’s graduates are uniquely
equipped to use our talents to
better our city. We understand
Memphis in a way that outsiders
may not. Any time I see something
positive happening in Memphis, it
feels like a small personal victory,
and affirms for me that I’m in the
right place.
If so, how?
Susan Cooley ’70
Susan Cooley ’70,
Donor Grants Officer for the
Community Foundation
Memphis?
thought about?
For support and encouragement at
a younger age, it would be great, as
it is for me now. I imagine nowadays the young women can do that
through social media/Internet/cell
phones — none of which existed
back in 1990!
When I moved to New York, I did
not think about returning to Memphis. I wanted to live in NYC for so
long and finally things had come
together for me to go there, plus
I had a sister there to make the
transition easy for me (I was 38
and single — still single — when I
moved).
I kept up with SMS friends here in
Memphis, especially Susan Hall
Wilson from my class, and it was
coming to visit her when she was
recuperating from surgery in 1990
that started my thoughts about
returning to Memphis. My sister had died, my other sister was
here in Memphis with her children
(nearly grown by then), and I felt
the Lord drawing me back to
Memphis while here visiting (and
seeing other alums).
Does it count if I tell everyone I
meet that they need to send their
daughter to St. Mary’s? At this
point, I’m more of a sideline
supporter, but once I make it
through residency I’ll be more
involved again.
Dr. Abby Yandell Talbot ’03,
Third-year Ob/Gyn resident
at the University of
Tennessee Health Sciences
Center in Memphis
thought about?
When I interviewed with UT
Memphis, I found myself practically
leading the driving tour, pointing
out all the places that had shaped
me (including St. Mary’s), and it
was so obvious that this is where I
needed to be.
Dr. Abby Yandell Talbot ’03
Zina Kumok ‘07 is a Denver-based personal
finance writer. She writes about a blog
about paying off her student loans at
debtfreeafterthree.com.
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By Cara Modisett
T
he summer of 2015 brought a few changes to the first floor of the Taylor Building in the Upper School, both in terms
of staffing and space. A new student services center (see story on page 13) was created through the reconfiguration of
the hallway, the Upper School Head’s office, and the college counseling offices.
Vicki Englehart-Thompson joined the St. Mary’s family as the new Dean of College Counseling, taking the helm from
the retiring Mimi Grossman. Englehart-Thompson, Lee Avant, registrar and college counseling coordinator, and Chancey
Thompson, assistant dean of college counseling, are redefining the college process at St. Mary’s as well. The college admission process and all it entails is as important as ever, and seemingly changing by the minute. With an emphasis on advance
planning, in-school application boot camps and more, the college counseling team is not only ready for change, they are
well ahead of it.
VICKI ENGELHART-THOMPSON:
NEW DEAN OF COLLEGE COUNSELING
Vicki Engelhart-Thompson’s background in education is diverse, both as a student and as an educator and administrator. She went to a Catholic elementary school, a strong public high school, and then to Louisiana State University and the
University of New Orleans for her undergraduate and master’s degrees. In her career, she’s worked at two all-girls schools,
one all-boys, and one co-ed.
“I think there’s really something about same-sex education. I think it’s good for boys — I think it’s even better for
girls,” she says. She’d known about St. Mary’s long before she came to work here, and she’s finding the students here openminded, warm, and kind. “They celebrate each other’s differences.”
“I love how these young women speak up. I don’t think they’re afraid to be curious, or even to be wrong.”
Thompson is not completely new to Memphis; some years ago, she began dating her now husband, Carey, who is vice
president of enrollment and communications and dean of admission at Rhodes College. They waited until they both had
empty nests (his daughter, Mary, is a 2015 graduate of St. Mary’s) to marry, and she moved to Memphis in summer of 2015.
As for the faculty and staff, “it was very clear to me early on that everyone really cares about these kids.”
Seniors Hibah Virk and Hannah Meacham discuss their college admissions process with Dean of College Counseling Vicki Englehart-Thompson.
1100 ||
COLLEGE PLANNING: STARTING EARLIER
Some changes are in the works when it comes to college
planning. St. Mary’s is expanding college preparation to 9th
and 10th grades, as parents “wanted more, and they wanted it
earlier,” according to Englehart-Thompson. This fall, Freshmen
and Sophomores attended class information sessions about the
high school experience, how to approach their high school academics in preparation for college, and how to research college.
In August, Seniors attend “boot camp”, which includes practice
interviews, work on the Common Application, and a focus on
essay writing. That program will become more concentrated in
2016, with the goal of helping students become “their best selfadvocate,” she says.
St. Mary’s always takes its underclassmen on yearly college
tours around the country. This year, exclusively for Sophomores, they’re adding local schools - Rhodes, Christian Brothers University, and the University of Memphis - to the mix,
so that students can have a close-by look at the differences
College counseling team: Lee Avant, Chancey Thompson, and Vicki Englehart-Thompson.
between small, large, public, private, and faith-based higher
education. In October, 22 alumnae working in nonprofit
management, finance and investment, banking, law, restaurant and culinary work, real estate, and more, held practice
interviews for Seniors to help them prepare for admission and scholarships interviews.
“What I have really enjoyed so far about working with students and their families - there seems to be less anxiety
about finding the perfect college,” and more focus “on finding the right college,” says Englehart-Thompson. It’s about
following individual inspiration, discovered through classes, and also through volunteering and extracurriculars.
That focus on “fit” for each student is apparent in the diversity of schools St. Mary’s girls are attending: In 2015, 55
graduates entered 46 universities and colleges, with more than $10 million in merit scholarships.
“The experience they’re getting here,” says Englehart-Thompson, “is helping them to put the pieces together.”
THE SATs: WHAT’S NEW
“Practice, practice, practice.” That’s the mantra of Chancey
Thompson, assistant dean of college counseling. St. Mary’s offers plenty of opportunities to do that, beginning in the Sophomore year with PSAT preparation and testing and it’s paying off:
The St. Mary’s class of 2016 has 17 National Merit Semifinalists
and Commended Students out of a class of 64.
More and more colleges are opting for “test optional” and
“test flexible” in their admissions (go to fairtest.org for more
information). For their part, the testing companies are revising
the standardized tests in an attempt to “better reflect what’s
being taught.”
St. Mary’s recommends that Juniors take both the ACT
and the SAT in February and March, respectively, for a baseline score. “We’ll help them decide which is their better test,”
says Englehart-Thompson.
The new SAT that debuts in January 2016 will be returning to the 1600-point model, combining reading and writing
back into one score, and with a math test that is more in
keeping with student curricula. (“It’s not an IQ test any more,”
notes Englehart-Thompson.) The essay will be optional and
not part of the reading/writing results. It’s recommended that
students write the essay, because some colleges will ask for it.
The ACT includes English, math, reading, and science
sections, and also includes an optional essay.
WINTER 2015 | 11
The College Search Top 10
Vicki Engelhart-Thompson, dean of college counseling, and Chancey Thompson, associate
dean of college counseling, offer their advice for college applications and research.
1. Look for the right school, not the
“best” school.
6. Don’t reinvent the wheel.
CT: “Throw away the U.S. News and World Report
rankings. A lot of it has nothing to do with the
undergraduate experience.”
VT: “Consider women’s colleges — keep them
‘on the radar’!”
VT: “Use the Common App. It’s your best friend.”
In August boot camp, “we walk them all the way through
the Common Application,” an online application that’s
accepted by 400 schools. The essays will differ for each
school, but this eliminates a lot of repetition in the other
parts of the application.
2. Be well-lopsided.
7. Love your college list.
John Gaines, director of admission at Vanderbilt
University, had that advice for 9th and 10th grade
students when he visited this fall.
CT: “‘Well-angled’ or ‘well-lopsided’ is just as good as
‘well-rounded,’ sometimes better.”
VT: “Students don’t have to take the most rigorous
course in every track to be competitive.”
CT: “Depth is more important than breadth.”
VT: “A student should be happy to go to any of the
colleges on her list.”
3. It’s not about the name.
9. Visit, visit, visit.
VT: “A good college education can be gained
anywhere — it’s what you make of it.”
VT: “College visits are very important to the development of a college plan - you really can’t picture yourself
in a place without going and experiencing it. Take a tour,
sit in on the admissions presentation, ask questions of
your tour guide, eat in the dining hall, attend a class if
that is an option!”
4. Think about costs.
CT: “If it’s your goal to go to medical or law school, to
graduate school, choose your best financial option
at the undergraduate level.” Many schools have
honors programs and other opportunities for
smaller classes and more intensive study.
5. Plan your conversations.
VT: “College is not all that families should discuss
during Senior year. Make a plan for how you will
communicate about the college application process
and stick to it so that it doesn’t overwhelm family time!”
12 |
8. Testing is not the be-all and end-all.
VT: “If you don’t test well you will still go to college.
Many schools have started to weigh testing less in
their consideration of students for admission.
Check out fairtest.org.”
10. “Keep calm. We got this.”
CT: “We don’t teach - we’re fully focused on the kids, on
getting to know them. We build a lot of check points —
they’re not going to fall through the cracks.”
New student services center offers
open spaces and focused services
“Children grow with light.”
That’s part of the philosophy behind the OASIS,
a new and bright re-visioning of space in the
Taylor Building at St. Mary’s this fall, says Leigh
Mansberg, assistant head of school.
OASIS is the acronym for the Office of Academic Services and Inspirational Support, which
houses college counselors, registrar, chaplain,
director of studies and Upper School head, along
with a common space designed to welcome
students and visitors both — coffee, computer
workspace, comfortable armchairs and the Living
Edge Conference Room (named for the beautifully
crafted local—wood table at its center).
St. Mary’s mission statement is on the wall at
the entrance. Look closely — the two spotlights
above it illuminate the words below in the shape
of a heart. “That was an accident,” says Mansberg,
but an appropriate one.
OASIS is “a place for the in-between things…
the things that don’t have a container,” says the
Reverend Katherine McQuiston Bush ’93, St. Mary’s
chaplain. The offices have bright windows, sofas,
round tables where families can meet in private
or students can come in for testing or a listening
ear. The common area is open for students seeking
quiet study time. The message behind it, she says,
is “We value you and your presence.”
The “inspiration” in the name is important.
“In my opinion, inspiration is where it’s at,”
says Mansberg. It’s “at the heart of finding potential. If you feel supported, you can feel inspired.”
The physical space of the OASIS is part of a
school-wide increasing of collaboration and
communication across departments and grade
levels, so that the student and family experience
is consistent and supportive from age two to high
school graduation.
“There are a lot of ways to be a St. Mary’s girl…
a lot of ways to put the pieces together,” says Bush.
“There are a lot of us to help the girls see that.”
Cara Ellen Modisett is minister of communication at Church of the Holy Communion.
She has worked as an editor, college writing instructor, classical pianist and public
radio reporter, producer and announcer. She moved here from Virginia in summer
2014 and loves exploring the city of Memphis.
MacKenzie Campbell ‘16 and Hannah Meacham ‘16 chat with Dr. Dalton Lyon in the lighter and brighter first floor of Taylor, home to the OASIS and the Living Edge conference room.
WINTER 2015 | 13
To Be or Not To Be
Ophelia
For all of my St. Mary’s girls and the women in their lives.
By Shari Ray
Each October I open up the dog-eared, smudgy pages
do so. She is constantly instructed and lectured by father,
of my copy of Hamlet to once again teach a new batch of
her brother, and even her boyfriend Hamlet, but she is never
budding girl-scholars this magnificent story – a tragedy of
asked a question and she never asks one. “I shall obey, my
such epic depths that many call this the greatest of all plays
lord,” is her only resting place, and it does not serve her well.
and Shakespeare the greatest of all playwrights.
Quiet, blind, verbal obedience is not the recipe for successful
Of all the deaths that inevitably come at the conclusion
of a great tragedy, it is Ophelia’s stays with me after the
womanhood, even way back in Ophelia’s day.
Ophelia lacks strength. No woman has shown her
book is stored away for another year. Ophelia’s death lingers
strength. She is surrounded by only male dominance and
with my girl-scholars as well; it is her sad story that finds
the verbal abuse that leads to quiet servitude and fragility.
its way into college essays and Senior speeches, and it is for
Our Ophelia is very fragile. The only woman who could stand
her we weep.
up for her, Gertrude, doesn’t. Thus our pretty Ophelia fades,
Alas, poor Ophelia. She drowns herself. She is found
floating in the brook, arms full of wildflowers.
But why? That is always the question. The answer is
this: There is simply so much Ophelia lacks.
Ophelia lacks support. Poor Ophelia has no women
in her life. No women with whom to bounce ideas around,
no mother to ask her important questions, no laughter and
secrets with female friends for Ophelia, tucked away in her
lonely Danish castle on the hillside. She is completely alone.
Ophelia lacks knowledge. No books instruct her
-- women were illiterate. No older women passing down
like the wildflowers she clutches. She fades out of sight,
quiet and demure, pretty, thin, well-dressed — many mothers would hail her as a paragon of beauty and grace. With
her little sad smile Ophelia heads to the brook, mumbling
to herself snippets of old tunes, and goes quietly mad. Just
before she takes her own life.
Dearest Students of Mine:
Please don’t try to go through this life alone. You need
people, you need other women. Seek them out if they aren’t
seeking you out at the moment. Be courageous to do this.
Make amends with your mother, if you can.
stories laced with humor and wisdom at the washing tub
You have been taught to find your voice. Do not forget
or the cooking table. No mother. Everyone demanding of
this teaching. Ask your questions well, firmly, with dignity and
her, everyone pushing. While poor Ophelia sits alone in her
intelligence. Demand only when you must, but then do so with
closet with only her sewing to keep her company.
courage and forthrightness. Surround yourself with people you
Ophelia does not find her voice for she lacks
opportunities to find it. Poor Ophelia never asks questions
— no one has ever given her permission or opportunity to
1144 ||
respect and trust, people who listen to you and to whom you
listen. Don’t worry if these numbers are few -- they will be.
Cherish the few trustworthy voices and tolerate the rest, but
do not listen to unkind, mean voices. Separate yourself
from these.
Kat and Ashley. They are you, my dears.
Help who will be helped and leave the rest. It’s all
you can do. I learned this the hard way and it took me
too many years.
You are the strong women. Quiet heroes, strong
women, helping each other. Helping Ophelia.
We know what to do, now we must do it.
Girls, I ask us: Where are the strong women? Strong
women stand up for themselves and for other women.
Strong women ask for help and call on other strong women
when they fall down. Strong women have names like Rosa
Parks and Malala Yousafzai and Eleanor Roosevelt. They
To be or not to be Ophelia? Absolutely not. It’s out
of the question.
Shari Ray is the Senior English teacher and English Department Chair.
This is the first in a series of essays by St. Mary’s faculty about teaching,
learning, and life.
also have names like Elizabeth and Polly and Whitney and
English Department Chair and Senior English Teacher Shari Ray in the classroom.
W
WIINNTTEERR 22001155 || 1155
Campus News
National Merit
National Merit Scholarship
Semifinalists
MacKenzie Campbell
Bebe Chancellor
Katie Hieatt
Harlan Hutton
Catherine Norwood
Annie Parker
Swarna Sakshi
Maire Sweeney
Commended Students
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation recognized 17 Seniors from the
Class of 2016 at St. Mary’s Episcopal School for their academic achievement, with
eight students named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists and nine students
named Commended Students. Each year, the National Merit Scholarship Program
honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential
for success in rigorous college studies. Semifinalists score in the top 1 percent of
all juniors nationwide who took the PSAT in the fall of 2014.
Chalmers Benson
A’Doriann Bradley
Molly Cline
Meghan Lancaster
Hannah Meacham
Kathryn Miesse
Lily Norwood
Mary Elise O’Brien
Elizabeth Waggoner
Spotlight on Theatre: The Lion King Jr.
In early October, a crew of 3rd and 4th grade thespians performed The Lion King Jr. under the
leadership of Director of Plays Jenny Madden and many Middle and Upper School student volunteers.
The production proved to be so popular that an extra showing was added to meet ticket demand.
16 |
Campus News
New Members of the St. Mary’s
Board of Trustees, 2015-2016
Edward (Ed) Chin is senior
regulatory affairs program
director at Medtronic, Inc. He
earned a bachelor’s degree from
the University of Tennessee at
Martin. Ed went on to earn a
Bachelor of Science in pharmacy
from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and
an MBA from the University
of Memphis. Ed and his wife,
Rose, are parents of recent St.
Mary’s graduate Chelsea ’14
and current student Rachel ’17.
Laurita Jackson is a managing
partner with 1Source, an office
and facility supply company.
She graduated from Howard
University with a bachelor’s
degree in electrical engineering and received an MBA at
the University of Michigan.
Laurita and her husband,
Darryl, have two daughters
who attend St. Mary’s –
Jean ’17 and Joy ’19 – and
a son, Jarrett.
Christina (Tina) Fockler earned
her bachelor’s degree in
psychology from Princeton
University and a Master of Science in counseling from the
University of Memphis. Tina
serves on the board for Facing
History and Ourselves, as well
as the Circuit Playhouse, Inc.
She and her husband, Bob, are
parents of alumna Katherine ’06
and son Ted.
Ellen Clark Moore ’73 attended Vanderbilt University and
graduated with a Bachelor of
Arts degree. She has volunteered with multiple organizations, including LifeSource
Blood Services and Grace
Presbyterian Church. Ellen is
a former recipient of the St.
Mary’s Gold Cross Award. She
and her husband, Alex, have
three children: John,
Margaret, and Charlie.
Robert Fogelman is president of
Fogelman Investment Company.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts
degree at Middlebury College,
a master’s degree in liberal
studies at Dartmouth College,
and an MBA from Vanderbilt
University. He has also received
an honorary doctorate from
Memphis College of Art. Robert
and his wife, Bradley, have a
daughter at St. Mary’s, Eliza ’29,
and a son, Foster.
Jody Shutzberg is a former
pediatric oncology nurse
at Children’s Healthcare of
Atlanta. She earned a
Bachelor of Science degree
at the University of Georgia
and a Bachelor of Science in
nursing at the Medical College
of Georgia. Jody and her
husband, Larry, have three
girls at St. Mary’s: Becca ’19,
Jessy ’19, and Abby ’17.
Dr. Malika Tuli Goorha attended
the University of Virginia,
University of Tennessee, and
University of Missouri-Kansas
City where she earned her
bachelor’s and master’s degree.
She works as a dermatologist
with the Mid-South Dermatology
Group. Malika and her husband,
Salil, have two daughters at
St. Mary’s: Aanya ’29 and
Avi ’26.
WIINNTTEERR 22001155 || 1177
W
Campus News
New Faculty and Staff
Back Row: (L-R) Liza Fletcher, Grace Jensen Knight ’05, Vicki Englehart-Thompson. Middle Row: (L-R) Alan Pennington, John Bartholomew, Lake Bailey, Kate Fairless, Christine Mudalige,
Jill Samuels ’92, Gwen Alexander, Kate Stakem. Front Row: (L-R) Sharon Donovan, Brennan Adrian, Lindsay Hammond, Christina Block, Amy Bagwell, and Jenny Levi.
To start the 2015-2016 school year, St. Mary’s welcomed a group of new faculty and staff members to the family!
Brennan Adrian is the first ever
North Campus counselor, serving
ECC and Lower School students.
Sharon Donovan works in the
business office as the new student
billing coordinator.
Jenny Levi is a member of the
Upper School faculty as the new
physics teacher.
Gwen Alexander serves on the
Upper School science faculty,
teaching anatomy and physiology,
chemistry, and biology classes.
Vicki Englehart-Thompson is
the dean of college counseling,
heading a reorganized college
counseling office.
Amy Bagwell is a new member of
the Senior Kindergarten team.
Kate Fairless has been assisting
with JV and Varsity Soccer since
2014. She is now the soccer coordinator and serves on the Middle
School science faculty.
Christine Mudalige has coached
Middle School Soccer and
Lacrosse, and now joins the
Upper School faculty as health
and fitness instructor.
Lake Bailey is a new to the ECC
faculty as a Junior Kindergarten
teacher.
John Bartholomew has served the
St. Mary’s athletic department as
the varsity lacrosse coach since
January 2014 and has been hired
full time as the assistant athletic
director.
Christina Block is starting a new
role as the director of learning
support for students in St. Mary’s
Place through 5th grade.
18 |
Liza Fletcher comes to St. Mary’s
in a dual role, serving as a Junior
Kindergarten teacher in the ECC
and sports information specialist
for the athletic department.
Lindsay Hammond joins the ECC
specialist faculty as the music
teacher.
Grace Jensen Knight ’05 returns
to her alma mater as the event coordinator for the admission office.
Alan Pennington has served
St. Mary’s as a consultant for
seven years and now joins the
technology staff full-time as network and systems engineer.
Jill Samuels ’92 joins the Middle
School faculty as a member of the
5th grade team.
Kate Stakem comes to St. Mary’s
as the new director of studies in
the college counseling office.
Campus News
This Season in Turkey Nation, Fall 2015
By Owen McGuire
T
he St. Mary’s athletic department just
completed what can be considered the
most successful fall season in school history.
For the first time ever, all four fall varsity sports
(volleyball, soccer, cross country, and golf)
competed at the state level in the post season.
The Varsity Volleyball team finished the
season with a 23-8 record. During the regular
season, they finished in 5th place in the River
City Tournament, the program’s best finish ever.
In the regional tournament, St. Mary’s took 3rd
place. At the tournament, head coach Kari
Duncan was named Coach of the Year. Junior
Varsity Volleyball players celebrate a point during the state tournament.
Carmen Freeman was named first team all-region, with
Seniors Margaret Cowens, Mary Elise O’Brien, and Wesley Richards receiving all-region honorable mention. After
defeating Zion Academy in sub-state play, the team traveled to Murfreesboro for the state tournament. The team
suffered elimination after losing against Harding and St.
George’s. Cowens, Freeman, and Sophomore Alexis Jamison
were named Best of the Preps by The Commercial Appeal.
Volleyball Best of Preps honorees (L-R) Alexis Jamison, Margaret Cowens, and Carmen Freeman.
Varsity Soccer ended the season with a 5-11-2 record.
The team won the first round of the regional tournament
before being eliminated.
ship, St. Mary’s placed 8th. Junior Abby Baskind was the
Sophomores Olivia House,
top runner for the Turkeys at state. At the Junior Varsity
Evie Laney, and Martha
championship meet, Sophomore Hannah Matthews
Kay Williams were named
finished 11th overall.
to the all-district team, and
Soccer Best of Preps honorees Ellie McGhee and
Martha Kay Williams.
Ashley Murrah placed 9th overall. At the state champion-
Varsity Golf finished
House was also named to
a successful season with
the TSCA all-state team.
a record of 25-11-2. The
Sophomores Ellie McGhee
Turkey golfers won the
and Evelyn Roberts made
regional tournament and
the all-region tournament
advanced to state. At the
team. The team fell in the
regional tournament,
Golf Best of Preps honorees Aubrey Guyton and Megan Tang.
first round of sub-state competition. The Commercial Appeal
Freshman Megan Tang had the lowest score in the
named McGhee and Williams as Best of the Preps.
tournament, and Junior Aubrey Guyton had the third low-
Varsity Cross Country enjoyed a strong season. In
est score. At the state tournament in Murfreesboro, the
September, the runners placed 3rd out of eight teams at the
team came in 2nd place and both golfers finished 6th and
Frank Horton Invitational. They came in 3rd at the regional
7th respectively. Guyton and Tang have both been named
meet, which qualified them for the state meet. Junior Mary
Best of the Preps by The Commercial Appeal.
WINTER 2015 | 19
Class Notes
Gigi Gould ’70 Forges New Path
Class Notes
–1940-1960
–1962
[email protected]
[email protected]
Elizabeth Taylor Shindler
Gigi Gould ’70 with class of 1970 friends (L-R) Lynn Schadt Thomas,
Susie Hudson, and Susan Hall Wilson.
D
uring her 15-year tenure as Assistant Director of
Advancement/Alumnae and Special Events, Gigi
Gould ’70 rejuvenated the way St. Mary’s maintains
relationships with alumnae. As a school with 2,700
graduates, finding ways to stay in touch with everyone is not simple. What may be daunting to some,
however, was simply all in a day’s work to Gigi.
After graduating from the University of Mississippi and living in Biloxi where she raised her two
children, Louis and Heather (who teaches 2nd grade
at St. Mary’s), Gigi eventually found her way back to
Memphis and St. Mary’s in 2000. As Gigi herself says,
she spent 40% of her life at St. Mary’s.
During her tenure, St. Mary’s enjoyed a complete
revitalization of the alumnae association; Alumnae
Weekend became a highly attended event, with each
year breaking the previous year’s attendance record,
thanks to Gigi and her compatriot, Lisa Morrow
Morten ’76. Gigi’s dedication to the alumnae program
and the school resulted in fun gatherings that
brought together not only alumnae, but many friends
of the school – both here in Memphis and far away,
from the many out-of-town alumnae gatherings to
the 2015 trip to France. Parties hosted in Memphis
were typically filled to capacity, and other out-oftown events allowed alumnae across the country
to meet and mingle with each other and often with
Gigi and Head of School Albert Throckmorton. Gigi’s
myriad other contributions to St. Mary’s include
strengthening alumnae giving in support of the
Annual Fund, creating a strong and active Alumnae
Board, directing the Council of Advisors, and
scheduling alumnae speakers for Chapel.
Gigi Gould will always belong to St. Mary’s – both as
a graduate and as a very dear friend – and we are all
the richer for her service to the school. We wish her
well as she joins her family’s business in Memphis.
20 |
Sarah Loaring-Clark Flowers
’47 said all is well at Trezevant
Manor. She enjoys all of the
activities and loves being
there with so many St Mary’s
friends. Betsy Ross Rucks ’47
has initiated a new program
at Trezevant Manor called
“Trezevant Explores” featuring many venues of music and
speakers on history or current
events. Master gardener Sue
Gray Burgess ’52 is a member
of The Historical Society of
Marietta, Ga., and is in charge
of the lovely gardens of a home
built in 1850. She plans to compare gardening notes with Kitty
Perry Taylor ’53, who is known
for her beautiful gardens in
Collierville. Kitty said she has
a new laptop and is having fun
learning all the new techniques involved. While Naomi
Gray May ’47 is in rehab in Little
Rock recovering from a fall,
she is using this time to learn
new computer skills from a tutor. Anne Perry Stamps ’57 is
looking forward to a visit from
her daughter in Pensacola. Punk
Aycock Davidson ’57 is on her
way to Raleigh, N.C., for her
grandchild’s birthday party. Mary Walton Glass Walker ’54
is celebrating the arrival of
her fifth great-grandchild. Her
sister, Lynne Glass Rice ’57 was
there after a marvelous trip
to Atlanta where she enjoyed
visiting with many of her
friends. After nightfall, Mary Joy
Prichard Knowlton ’57, an avid
gardener, was recently out in the
dark of night with her flashlight
to see the white flowers of her
lovely Cereus plant, which only
blooms annually. Mary Joy expects to have knee surgery in the
coming months in the Memphis
area. Elizabeth Taylor Shindler
’57 is recovering from spinal
surgery in Cleveland, Tenn. She
is now on the upswing.
Carolyn Bullard
–1963
Tina Heslep Ciliberto
[email protected]
Eight of us were able to meet at
Jenny Emison Ewing’s home on
Watts Bar Lake near Ten Mile,
Tenn., to celebrate our 70th
birthdays together. Asimoula
Julia Alissandratos came from
S. C., Sara Sorsby Dennis and
Tina Ciliberto arrived from
Calif., Jackie Whiteleather from
Colo., and Patty Ozier Riffel from
Ark. They were joined by Memphis
classmates Donna Lansing
Plumer and Canon Thomas
Hall. Joyce Wilkerson Kaplan
and Carolyn Collier Johnson
were unable to attend and were
much missed. We also missed
our late classmates Evelyn Perry,
Ann Rooke Archer, and Ginger
Lee Sayle, but were grateful to
have so many of us together.
We shared good conversation,
memories, laughter, and amazing food along with Jenny and
Ward’s incredible home and
hospitality. We ate our meals on
the open back porch overlooking
one of the large lawns and the
lake, including BBQ from Corky’s
contributed by the Memphis
alumnae as well as Jenny’s
mouthwatering preparations.
Julia contributed a homemade
baklava to the festivities. We
celebrated with a special dinner
one night with cake and candles,
birthday hats and beads. We also
had a wonderful outdoor yoga
class, swimming and kayaking
on the lake each day, and a trip
to Sweetwater for lunch and
antique shopping. One evening
we were treated to a sunset boat
ride, seeing beautiful birds on
the peaceful lake. The evening
ended with a campfire, s’mores,
and singing. What we lacked in
talent, we more than made up
for with enthusiasm. It was hard
to say goodbye to each other, but
the reunion was so enjoyable
that we decided to meet again
in 2016. How special that our St.
Mary’s connection brought us
together. It is amazing how old
friends who haven’t seen each
other in years pick up threads
of conversation as if it has only
been a short time being apart—a
certain kind of ease from knowing each other when we were
young. Our class sends thanks
to St. Mary’s for encouraging our
connection and to our classmate,
Jenny, for hosting the best possible reunion.
–1964
CLASS SECRETARY NEEDED.
Contact Rainey Ray Segars ’05,
Director of Alumnae, at rsegars@
stmarysschool.org.
–1965
Julia Malone
[email protected]
Downsizing seems to be the
theme for members of the halfcentury class! Susan Hoefer
Foster and husband Brad have
sold their house in Memphis
and are spending more time at
their Montana home. They’re
keeping a Memphis apartment
for visits with daughter Laura
’94, son-in-law Josh and two
grandsons. “Even more exciting,”
says Susan, is that son Charley
is engaged to Whitney Baer ’00,
a “wonderful” St. Mary’s grad,
and they’ll be moving to Helena,
Mont. More from Montana: Sally
Pace Gingras and husband Paul
have downsized from their Big
Timber ranch to a condo in
Bozeman. They are back in Palm
Beach for the winter, however.
Also in Florida, Ellen Rumsey Bellenot reports that she is
“sorta trying to downsize too”
but adds, “The problem is that I
keep looping back to old tricks
and so I know I’m going to need
all of those felted wool sweater
sleeves and the O rings and the
wire and the paints. Eventually, I
did let go of the leather and the
basketry stuff.” Susan Taylor
Thompson just put her house
of 26 years on the market and
will move into a new Tuscan
villa across the lake. She adds,
“I have had no other life this
summer except to get a third
Shar Pei, named Pearlie, now
six months old and not worth
a nickel,” but who has her own
story with a daily moral on
Susan’s Facebook page. Kathy
Sweany Bertram downsized
her work schedule, spending a
month in Wyoming, returning
to Tennessee for two weeks of
work, then back to Wyoming for
two more weeks with Jack and
the dogs before coming home.
Doc Bertram says she’s lucky
to have so much flexibility. Liz
Pryor MacEachran says her
alpaca business had a good year,
and “we have not replaced our
sells with buys, so our numbers
are down, which suits us,” she
reports. She has four grands
in Colorado, and youngest son
Daniel and his wife Jil are expecting their first in Cambridge,
Mass., which is “nice and close.”
Marion West Hammer’s clan is
also expanding. She’s looking
forward to a new grandbabe in
early April. This will be son Dan
and his wife Lindsey’s second.
Marion remains among the
employed, teaching part time
and still enjoying it. Patti Person
Ray claims to be semi-retired
but looks to be still fully engaged
in education, teaching at Union
University, chairing dissertation committees, and supervising Practicum Programs. She’s
on the board for the Gestalt
charter schools in Memphis. She
continues to teach Global Issues
online for St. Mary’s and is planning, with Cathy Hoover Allen,
the next alum trip, which will
be to Italy in October 2017. Julia
Malone, your class secretary, is
delighted that so many are sending us your news. We do wonder
where in the world Lucy Minor
Glasebrook might be since we
heard during our 50th reunion
that she was traveling with
National Art Gallery curators
searching for contemporary art
in the Far East.
–1966
Diane Taylor Newton
[email protected]
–1967
Bette West Bush
[email protected]
Right after I submitted our class
news last spring I heard from
Debbie Boehme Salter about the
birth of her second grandchild
Mason Cromer McMillan, born
February 23, so now granddaughter Elyse (3) has a precious
baby brother. With daughter
Elizabeth and family living in
Atlanta, Debbie is able to help
out with the kids. Across the
pond Jeannie Whitman Esdaile
and Christopher celebrated their
second anniversary. In addition
to her career as retail manager
for Purdey’s in London, she plays
organ/piano in “two tiny churches” and sings with a “fabulous
choir” that will perform Verdi’s
Requiem at the Royal Albert
Hall in the spring. This fall she
enjoyed a visit from sister Nancy
Whitman Manire ’64. Our other
British classmate Lee McGeorge
Durrell was a guide for “Gerald
Durrell Week” in May in Corfu
where Gerry’s family spent many
vacations when he was a boy in
the 1930s. She spent the rest of
her summer lecturing at Durrell
Conservation Academy, meeting
journalists and potential donors,
and planning fundraising activities including the American
Friends of Durrell event in New
York in November. Anne Hyde
Dale asked to revise her news
after sending it because, as she
said, she “didn’t want Mrs. Curry
to make (her) stub her toe!”
Since retiring, she and husband
Jamie live in Montreat, N.C., until
they finish building their home
in Black Mountain, N.C., in the
spring. They enjoy volunteering
with Habitat for Humanity. Also
on the East coast Lynn Clark
White reports from Lynchburg,
Va., that her poodle puppy is
huge and still growing. She encourages all of us to make every
effort to attend our 50th class
reunion in 2017. This summer
Classmates from 1963 gathered at Jenny Emison Ewing’s home to celebrate
turning 70. Pictured, back row from left: Patty Ozier Riffel, Canon
Thomas Hall, Jackie Whiteleather, Julia Alissandratos.
Front row, from left: Donna Lansing Plumer, Jenny Emison Ewing,
Tina Heslep Ciliberto and Sara Sorsby Dennis.
WINTER 2015 | 21
Class Notes
Janie Allen Till and husband Bob
went back to Greece where they
lived for many years and experienced firsthand the economic
crisis and the thousands of refugees arriving daily. Back home in
Colorado she still teaches sixth
grade and enjoys her six grandchildren with another granddaughter due in February. Susan
Seelbinder enjoys country
living in Hardeman County with
her menagerie on the Phunny
Pharm. Ana Pearson Jensen still
works fulltime at Blue Cross
Kansas City and also finds time
to teach an online class and
take classes at a Bible college.
In the fall Lynn Bledsoe Buhler
took a great trip to Santa Fe, a
“wonderful city.” She laments
that granddaughter Mary Taylor
Buhler, St. Mary’s third grader,
now is in the grade where
homework begins. Jean Stitt
Otto spends her retirement from
nursing walking, hiking, and
attacking a long list of house and
yard maintenance projects with
renewed vigor. She loves “misty,
green western Washington,” but
she and her husband also enjoy
wintering in Tucson. Susan
McNeely Nicholas has stayed
busy helping with her niece’s
wedding where there was such
a large contingency of St. Mary’s
girls that they “almost did not
fit in the picture.” She loves that
her four beautiful grandchildren
live in the area and is thankful
that her treatments for bone
cancer continue to work.
retirement anytime soon. If she
has her mother’s good genes,
she needs to save enough money
for a long life! Holly enjoys her
job and has time for fun in the
evenings and on weekends.
Marilyn Schwinn Smith was in
Memphis briefly last winter to
attend her aunt’s funeral. She
left in the nick of time before
that big March 4 snowstorm
shut down the city. Marilyn was
invited to join the Anglo-Russian
Research Network. She says you
can Google it for a “not so good
picture.” Marilyn and husband
Sean are empty nesters at last.
Pam Joyner Evans and husband
Hank “2” had a wonderful time
on their Scandinavian cruise.
The cruise included stops in
Norway and St. Petersburg. Pam
was nice enough to send me
pictures of a few stops, because
Hank “1” and I will be taking a
similar cruise in about a year.
My family has been enjoying a
year of weddings. My son Chris
was married in June and my
daughter Jennie in May. I’ll have
experience as both mother of
the bride and mother of the
groom. What a difference! I am
also a reading coach for two second graders at Caldwell-Guthrie
Elementary School in North
Memphis, and volunteer in the
library at my granddaughter’s
school in Germantown. I substitute from time to time at SMS
Lower School. Love to all!
–1968
Pam McNeely Williams
Jan Cone Davis
[email protected]
I hope everyone is doing well.
Carolyn Mayo is about ready to
move into her new condo. This
has been a major undertaking, and she says she will never
move again! Carolyn’s family
recently welcomed the first baby
born into the family in 30 years –
a special delivery for sure. Holly
Rogers says she has no plans for
22 |
–1969
[email protected]
Connie Loveless Friend retired
from full-time teaching two
years ago but still works part
time as a Title 1 reading tutor for
Shelby County Schools. Daughter
Katie ‘02, who works for Teach
for America, has relocated from
Cleveland, Miss., to Olive Branch,
Miss., and Connie is thrilled
to have her closer. Son Joey is
still with Raymond James in
Memphis. I almost cried when
Cristina Brescia Michta ’70 and husband Andrew at daughter Chelsea’s
Masters graduation from Cambridge University in the UK, July 2015.
Connie closed her letter, Love,
Cido! Anne Short Born in Beaufort, S.C., says if anyone wants
to visit the Lowcountry she’d be
delighted to show us around.
She and her husband love traveling to Savannah, Charleston, and
Hilton Head for the day where
the food is just fabulous. Janie
Hicks Jeter reports that she and
husband Sheldon have a new
Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy
named Sunny, for Sheldon’s solar
energy work. Marta Richards
spends a great deal of time in
Richmond where her son’s family lives, enjoying her toddler
grandson Benjamin Massony.
She is practicing animal law and
representing dog rescue groups
and shelters, and fostering many
dogs for Friends of the Animals
in Baton Rouge. My family had
visits from our daughter Ellen
LeVaughn Kowalchuk ‘96 and her
children, Mary, Lydia, Sam, Elizabeth, and Tim for a summer visit
and then for my niece’s wedding,
Jessica Walker ’04 to Chris Wiley,
this past fall. Elizabeth, our
granddaughter, was the flower
girl and it was one of the most
beautiful weddings I have seen.
Madge Logan Deacon was the
wedding coordinator for Calvary
Episcopal Church (Memphis)
and it was great seeing her! Our
son and daughter-in-law, Matt
and Hannah Williams, who are
stationed at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque N.M., were also able
to attend, as was our oldest son,
Scott Williams, who is a juvenile
probation officer in Harrisburg,
Ark. Be sure to update your
information with St. Mary’s and
I certainly hope all of you have a
very healthy an happy new year!
–1970
Cristina Michta
[email protected]
Let me just say that I love my
job as class secretary, mostly
due to the fact that I love my
classmates. Betty Coe Cruzen
Manuel and husband David
will be grandparents of granddaughter #2 in late December/
early January (son Edward and
wife Haddy of Ft. Worth). Betty
Coe took her Mother to Centralia, Ill., in September to visit her
mother’s “home place” and Coe
relatives. Kathy Baker Penn and
husband, Bob, welcomed their
first grandchild, Kate James.
Mom Sarah and family live a few
blocks away in Dallas. Denise
DuBois Taylor writes that the
Taylor household is in travel
mode. Denise spent a week in
Paris this summer, traveling on
a sibling trip with brothers Dean
and John. Husband Sledge is
Chairman of the National Cotton Council and travels worldwide frequently. Son Will spent
a week in Portugal as part of
his doctoral studies in astrophysics at Brown University.
World traveler Susie Hudson
reports that she will be going
on a river cruise in December to
the Christmas Markets along
the Rhine River, and has seen
Canada, Florida, and Germany in
one year. Gigi Gould is thrilled
that her first grandchild, Lily Eva
Hengen, daughter of son Louis
and his wife Jill, has arrived. Gigi
is now working as Financial Aid
Director for Gould’s Academy, a
division of Gould’s Salon and
Day Spa. Susan Hall Wilson is
joyously busy these days leading
Bible Study for 2nd graders at
church and taking care of new
grandson Sam Harris as often as
possible. Proud parents are son
Sy and daughter-in-law Claire.
Evelyn Anderson McGehee
sends everyone greetings from
Alabama. She and husband Bill
are enjoying their six grandchildren, and are looking forward to
building a house on Perdido Key,
Fla., this year. Jill Tanner Flournoy is helping husband Tom with
their family business, Tom’s Tiny
Kitchen, selling pimento cheese
made in Memphis. It is now
sold in six states, with hopes to
expand beyond that soon. Jill is
also working on new product
development for the company.
Peg Dixon recently moved into
a 115 year-old house in the historic Irish Hill neighborhood of
Louisville. Peg enjoyed two trips
back in the spring, to Massachusetts for a friend’s CD release
party, and another to New Mexico
for a gathering of dog rescue activists. Linda Stratton Hancock and husband Cary enjoy the
most important aspects of life:
children, grandchildren, and a
family beach trip. Linda enjoys
working for Dr. Ryu three days a
week. Your loyal secretary is enjoying life as a in Newport, R.I.,
while husband Andrew is teaching at the Naval War College.
Daughter Chelsea completed her
Master’s at Cambridge in July
and the graduation (all in Latin)
was lovely. Your loyal secretary
is enjoying life in Newport, R.I.,
while she is at Oxford working
on her doctorate.
–1971
Carolyn Cockroft
[email protected]
Sam Harris is the grandson of Susan
Hall Wilson ’70, and son of Susan’s
son Sy and his wife Claire.
Deborah Abernathy and her
mother are moving forward after
the death of Debbie’s father
in September. Marty Jones
combined a visit to daughter
Elise in Los Angeles with two
real estate conferences in
other west coast cities. With
husband Fred she toured Peru,
including Machu Picchu, and
spent six days in spring rafting
on the Colorado River in the
Grand Canyon. The highlight,
however, was daughter Julia’s
graduation from Tulane and the
end of college tuitions. Avery
Malone Kaserman’s family is
about to go for a week to Amelia
Island, Fla., to photograph egrets
and other birds. Jenny Jones
Wardwell retired a year and a
half ago and now has more time
for bridge. She is volunteering
at the Isabella Stewart Gardner
Museum in Boston, and is
spending longer stretches with
both Fred’s parents who live
in New York and Maine, and
with her parents in Memphis.
Speaking of retirement, my last
day work was November 6—a
28-year career. I will miss the
people, but I look forward to
being more involved with my
church activities—such as our
pastoral care outreach, vestry
and music ministry—and giving
more volunteer hours to the
cat shelter where I adopted
my Marigold. And maybe, just
maybe, I will finally have time
to do more writing.
–1972
Christine Mayer Todd
[email protected]
Meg Jemison Bartlett’s mother,
Peggy Bodine, celebrated her
90th birthday and still gets
several of us together for
Meg’s birthday each year. Ms.
Peggy reminds us, “Don’t mind
growing old, it is a privilege
denied to many.” Meg’s son
Marshall is meeting interesting
celebrity chefs as he expands
his www.homeplacepastures.
com pork business. Meg and
her husband Mike are creating
a USDA processing and packing
plant for pork, beef, lamb, and
goats, the only one in their
area. Son Jemison is living in
Charlotte, N.C., and works for
Wells Fargo on agricultural
portfolios. Meg’s daughter May
lives out west and is anxious
to find out where she and her
husband will be after he finishes
his sports medicine MD. Meg is
anxious about the placement,
too, because she wants to be
near her beautiful grandchild,
Cate Speed. Also having fun is
Susan Ossorio, who loves to
babysit in Aintree Farms and
substitute teach at Farmington
Presbyterian’s preschool as
often as she can. Jane Gordon
Simmons has two beautiful
grandchildren and works
as a wedding coordinator at
Heartwood Hall in Rossville,
Tenn. It’s an antebellum
home, barn, and garden where
she coordinates everything
with humor, patience, and
grace. Hunter Oppenheimer is
working with x-rays and bone
density scans. There is no
one who could put someone
at greater ease during a
stressful time. Her daughter
Emily is working on an MBA
at University of Memphis and
son Haiz is living in Asheville,
N.C., where he works with
the school system and is
studying computers. On the
weekends he is a rafting guide
on the Nantahala and French
Broad Rivers. Anne Remmers
Phillips is loving her new
grandson and is a consummate
kindergarten teacher at Idlewild
where she works hard to
keep my old principal Randy
Thompson happy. I know she
is doing a fabulous job. Peggy
Williamson lives in Brownsville,
Tenn., in author and adventurer
Richard Halliburton’s house. That
may explain why she is reading
voraciously. Her two daughters
live in New York City. Peggy loves
her son-in-law because he, too,
is a reader. Musette Sprunt
Morgan is working every day
to help her son Worth Morgan
in his 5th district race for
City Council. She and others
in our class have been doing
some sign twirling for Worth.
WINTER 2015 | 23
Class Notes
I have a part-time dream job
at Calvary Episcopal Church
serving as community ministries
coordinator (outreach). Carroll
is making beautiful sculptures
and he and I are still spending
weekends at Snow Lake. Caroline
is in graduate school at Pratt in
New York studying city planning.
She, like Jane’s daughter in
D.C., is learning about the real
estate business as both girls
recently became licensed. May
Todd is a filmmaker working for
Indie Memphis and exploring
film-making opportunities. Our
class seems to be facing this new
decade of our lives with renewed
spirit as we embrace change and
challenges.
–1973
Olivia Montgomery
[email protected]
The class of 1973 turned 60 this
year! Harriet McGeorge spent
hers on the Island of Jersey
(Old not New) with her sister
Lee McGeorge Durrell ’67. Lee,
Harriet, and Milner Stanton
are on the board of American
Friends of Durrell, a non-profit
organization which helps saves
species from extinction. The
aforementioned Milner was
kind enough to remind me
that, as of this writing, she
had not yet turned 60. Brat!
She also took a fabulous trip
to Scandinavia and Russia last
summer. Anne Atkinson Fields
and her husband Mark spent her
60th at the Greenbrier Resort,
while Deborah Caldwell Halvis
celebrated the event in a beach
bungalow on Saint Lucia with
hubby Jim. Ginger Hicks Smith
and Miles went to Tampa where
they had a surprise party for
somebody else, while Beth
Brady Belcher had her very own
surprise party. Terry Maguire
Elzinga has really been on the
road. Last year, she and husband
Ken cruised through the Panama
Canal, and traveled to Africa
to visit a couple of Christian
24 |
missions they’re involved with
through 100 Fold, a non-profit
architectural firm which does
work to promote the flourishing
of people around the world. In
the past, she has also travelled
to Cambodia and Thailand with
100 Fold. This is Bron Gayna
Schmit’s 37th year in education,
including 16 years as a principal.
She and her mother stay busy
updating their house, and every
three months Bron gets together
with Ginger, Lawrie Canale
Peyton, Janie Hicks Jeter ’69,
and Cathy Wilson LaMon for
dinner. Olivia Montgomery is in
her third year of attempting to
grow tomatoes. The first year she
planted them in the wrong spot
and nothing grew. Last year, a
beautiful location … a beautiful
crop … and just before she was
to pick them, the birds ate every
one! This year she’s armed with
netting and a fake owl.
–1974
Beth Williford Carson-Wallace
[email protected]
Donna Osborne Bradley teaches
five classes and continues to
work on completing her PhD.
She is now in two departments
at Webster University, St. Charles
Community College, Columbia
College, and Lindenwood
University, all in and around
St. Louis. She drives 400 miles
a week! The Top Ladies of
Distinction honored her with an
“Unsung Heroine” award, along
with 26 other amazing women.
Husband Larry is nearing
completion of his BA in Human
Services, and Donna is a part of
a group called Angel Moms of St.
Louis, a group of mothers who
have children who passed away.
Their support and her faith will
forever sustain her. Lucy Gerald
Cook’s son, Jeff, graduated
from Elon University in N.C.
Jeff is now at ABC News in the
Washington Bureau. Middle
child David is a sophomore
at Duquesne in Pittsburgh,
married to a pediatric intensive
care nurse and has an unpaid
job with a high school football
team as an assistant coach.
Daughter Rebecca works for two
foundations. Recently, Minette
Allen Kinney’s oldest son
and husband were in the yard
wearing head flashlights so they
could better see the armadillo
they were tracking. Her youngest
son also caught a 10-pound bass
and a 5-pound bass, at the same
time, on a single hook. Minette is
expecting 25 family members for
Thanksgiving and while moving
clutter to the attic, she found her
Barbie – the clothing case had
a Nixon/Agnew bumper sticker
across the front. Desi Franklin’s
son Alex graduated from UT
Knoxville with a business degree
in marketing. He is working as
an ad sales account rep. He has
now gotten an apartment in
Midtown Memphis with some
friends and is off the payroll. She
is still in house counsel at First
Tennessee where she continues
to learn to be a banking lawyer.
Kathy Amend Teeters became
a first time grandmother to
a precious little boy by son
Trey. They named him Trevor
Nathaniel, his middle name after
her late father. She retired two
years ago to move her mother in
with them and be her caretaker
and is so blessed to have a
wonderful husband who helps to
keep her in line.
–1975
Laurie Walpole
[email protected]
A number us in the Class of 1975
are still basking in the glow of
the wonderful reunion we had
in April, but thanks to those who
wrote in! Jill Jemison Margolin
wrote from Nova Scotia in a
cabin overlooking the ocean.
She was celebrating her birthday
after spending two weeks in
Maine helping her mother
recover from a broken hip. Jill
and husband Peter traveled to
Portugal earlier in the year, and
then to California to witness
classmate Nora Wingfield
Tyson’s change-of-command
ceremony on the U.S.S. Ronald
Reagan. As Rear Admiral (3-star)
and Commander of the Third
Fleet, Nora is responsible for the
Pacific Ocean from California to
the International Date Line. No
wonder Nora didn’t have time
to write! Jennifer Jones is living
the life I want: that of a traveler!
She started with the North East
American Tribal dance camp
and will go on to Flagstaff, North
Rim Grand Canyon, Zion, Joshua
Tree, and White Sands. Margaret
Nettleton Bell has been visiting
colleges with daughter Hayley
and looking for retirement
homes for herself and husband
Ron. Hayley is a junior at
Hutchison and is active in
theatre, chorus, and technology.
Sally Hummel Chumney has
been in Chattanooga for five
years and finally got together
with Margaret Flowers Ferguson
for lunch recently. Sally is
a nurse practitioner and is
expecting her 3rd grandchild
in December. Whitney Jones
DeVine reports kids (she has
four) bouncing back home,
with their stuff everywhere, but
that life is good and full. Susan
Apperson is breeding hedgehogs
and planning her outfit for
Anne May Farst’s daughter’s
wedding. Susan also reports
that she recently went to a hot
party in Santa Monica with Rob
Lowe, Khloe Kardashian, and Tori
Spelling. Well, I can’t top that!
–1976
Allison Brown Coates
[email protected]
Virginia Donelson Curry had
a mastectomy in July, and
feels blessed to be in the 20%
of people who don’t need
additional treatment. Her
reconstruction will be complete
by the end of 2015. Kim Brown
Mullins’ husband is Virginia’s
oncologist! Edie Loeb is still
living in San Diego, still single
and still an aunt to one quarter
of the population, thanks to
all of her siblings, including
sisters Gee Loeb Sharp ’83 and
Meg Loeb Milligan ’80. Julie
Davidson Barton is happy to
let us know their son John is
engaged to Carolyn Powell.
Val Zepatos Gosney and her
husband Mark are celebrating
32 years of marriage. Their
oldest daughter Katherine got
married in October. Bekah is
home from a year in Romania
as a missionary and back in
school. Their son Mark Stephen
is a senior at ECS and probably
headed to UTK next year. Jessie
Walker ’04, daughter of Josie
McNeely Walker, married Chris
Wiley at Calvary Episcopal
Church. Kathleen Person
Longoria, Jan Valentine Wiygul,
Mary Walton Walker Allen, and
Anne Espenshade Kaminsky
enjoyed celebrating with family
and friends. Jessie works
as Major Gifts Officer at the
American Red Cross, and Chris
is a geologist with Brownfield
Restoration Group. Lise
Barzizza McCormack’s family
celebrated the wedding of her
oldest child Mac in September
to Ashley Brooke McCormack.
All of Lise’s siblings came with
their families, including her
sister Celeste Barzizza Stallings
’84. Molly graduated from
the University of Arkansas
in 2015 and is now working
as a Marketing Consultant
for a firm in Fayetteville, Ark.
Burkley Mann Allen was reelected to her second term as a
Metro Council member and is
looking forward to serving with
Nashville’s first female Mayor.
Happy empty nesting to Kaky
Ossorio Wakefield and Walt!
Their boys Will and Michael are
loving life as freshmen at UT
Austin. Wyeth Outlan Burgess
and Ed are also empty nesters.
Their daughter is in medical
school at UT. Wyeth enjoys her
work at Belmont University
and teaching horseback riding
at Camp Nakanawa during
the summer. She has run
into Burkley, had tea with
Nancy Muse, and seen Chris
Cowan Norris ’74 in Nashville.
When Wyeth is visiting her
mom in Collierville, she sees
Mary Walton Walker Allen
at church and always goes to
Watty Brooks Hall’s store. B.J.
Fiser Jones is going to be a
grandmother for the third time
in the spring. Their daughter
Maggie is finishing Specialty
Internship and Certification in
May and son Andrew is getting
married in June B.J. is staying
busy mentoring an empty
nest group and a sweet group
of young women involved in
urban ministry in Atlanta. She
comes to Memphis about once a
month to be with her mom, and
is grateful for the outpouring of
love from the SMS community
when her dad passed away
last January. Martha Flowers is
enjoying her new job at Semmes
Murphey Foundation. Austin
is a senior in college this year
and Buckner is a junior. Allison
Coates is teaching in the 2- and
3-year-old program at SMS. Her
daughter Lindsey is living in
Orlando, where she is a mental
health counselor. Sam is staying
busy working in Memphis with
Coates Company, a lawn and
landscape company, and he and
Annie Shackelford are getting
married in the fall.
–1977
Janey Butler Newton
[email protected]
Lucy Walt Wepfer now has
a cowbell and is learning to
“Hail State” now that daughter
Annie is attending Mississippi
State University. Daughter Joy
is in Richmond working for
Capital One and son Walt is
getting married in December.
Lisa Britt Colcolough caught
up with Leslie Eason Shuford
and Billy recently and said how
great it was to see them. So sad
to share that both Leslie’s and
Lisa’s sweet fathers died earlier
this year. Leslie’s daughter Katie
lives in Brooklyn and works in
independent web design. Son
William is recently married and
settling into a new home and
married life with wife Blakely.
Golfing buddies Jekka Ashman Pinckney
’ 78 and Lisa Francis Turner ’ 78.
Lisa and John are enjoying
football season at Princeton,
where son Britt is starting right
tackle for his senior year. Lisa
had a good visit with Marilyn
Rhea Cheeseman whose mom
is a close neighbor of Mrs
Britt. Marilyn and Van are busy
on the farm growing crops,
raising chickens and ducks, and
developing new products. Sara
Muirhead Shanley appreciates
everyone’s thoughts and prayers
during this past difficult year.
She has taken time off from
working and bought a house and
Friends from the class of 1978 attending the wedding of Rebecca Anderson Eby ’06. From left, Kathy Daniel
Patterson, Katie Tully Dickinson, Kathy Edmonson Riley, Andrea Gilliom Anderson (mother of the bride), Debby Waltz
Hays, Stephanie Riggs Markham and Tracy Walko Balton. Photo credit: Kathy Daniel Patterson
WINTER 2015 | 25
Class Notes
reports that she and her boys
are doing well. Laura Sanderson
Healy’s daughter Lucy chose
Ole Miss, where she pledged
Chi Omega. Anne Cole Billings’
daughter Mimi is also a Chi O at
Ole Miss. Laura’s husband John
is consulting on a hotel project
in Mobile, Ala., so Laura has
explored that area as well as
travelling recently to the UK and
enjoying London theatre and
lots of old friends. Jane Dailey
Duell is also in a travelling
mode having been to Memphis
to visit sister Catherine, to Ft.
Myers in Fla. to visit daughter
Anna and precious grandson,
to University of Arkansas to
see daughter Lily Jane who is
freshman there. Valerie Hoyt
has had a few visitors in NYC
recently. Adele Orgill Wellford
and Val caught up over a fun
lunch, and Barbara Cape O’Brien
visited Val at their country
house where they hiked and
bicycled and enjoyed bonfires.
Molly Townes O’Brien is another
globetrotter: She wrote to me
from Frankfurt, Germany, after
visiting her sister Anne Townes
Daw ’87 in the UK and then on
her way back home to Australia.
Gretchen Perkins Thorogood
says her grandson Addison is the
light of her life. She is teaching
at St Bartholomew’s preschool
with Mrs Goza’s daughter,
Susan Goza Magruder ’70. Alicia
Harwood Baker loves being
grandmother to baby James, the
son of daughter Allison Baker
Shields ’10 and husband Joseph,
who live in Houston. And, what
a delight to catch up on the
scoop from our own “Vicka
Lynn” Victoria Bartlett Snider.
Victoria graduated from Tulane
Med School and School of Public
Health and practiced Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry. She lives
most of the time in Cape Town,
South Africa, which she raves
about, but keeps her house in
New Orleans. Lynn Hitchings
Albano says this has been a year
of adjustment since her mother,
26 |
Mary Catherine Lynn Hitchings
’47, died late last year. She and
Peter get to Florida frequently.
–1978
Tracy Walko Balton
[email protected]
As our nests continue to empty,
the news shifts from busy
working/mothering lives to
ones filled with exciting travel
for either us or our children.
Debby Waltz Hayes enjoyed
her mission trip to Honduras
and hopes again visit Ghana in
2016. At home she still teaches
preschool at her church and
coaches the Harding crosscountry team. After 27 years
as a pastor, Tandy Gilliland
Taylor has retired, but her kids
are the travelers! Her son Sam
worked two summers as a
river raft guide, then spent six
months backpacking in South
America after graduating from
Davidson College. Daughter
Emily studied in Peru last year.
Stephanie Riggs has also retired
and is busy planning a big
home renovation while visiting
colleges with son Riggs. Tabitha
Francisco McNabb taxied, tubed,
boated, walked and was bused
all over London in May. She and
Sunita Sheth enjoyed dinner the
last time she was in town. We
would love to hear more about
Sunita’s hiking trip in Japan.
Kate Wellford Pritchard, Bailey
Johnston Farrin, Leigh Harwell
Vogler, Carol Fri Robinson, Katie
Tully Dickinson, and Heather
Holmes Andersen took a 55th
birthday trip to Lake Summit.
Kate’s daughter Estes Gould
’08 is working in Colorado at
the Aspen Institute, while Meg
Gould ’11 is in Botswana on
a Princeton fellowship. Son
Wellford is headed to Cuba for
a semester at the University
of Havana. Dee Dee Clay
Wike feels settled now in their
Virginia home after almost two
years. She works at Bethany
United Methodist, near a lovely
beach on the York River. Laura
Vookles continues to manage
art exhibitions while serving
on the Board of the Greater
Hudson Heritage Network and
competing in regional poetry
slams. Son Evan broke his leg
badly and graduated high school
on crutches. As a self-described
“old” mom, Laura says he helps
her continue to deny her actual
age. Jekka Ashman Pinckney
and Lisa Francis Turner play as
much golf together as possible.
Several of us had a ball at
Andrea Gilliom Anderson’s
daughter Rebecca’s ’06 wedding.
Andrea’s meticulous planning
(and a gorgeous bride of course)
resulted in one fantastic event!
Kathy Daniel Patterson, as
always, worked hard as the
official photographer. Steve and
I celebrated our 5th anniversary
on a fabulous Rhine River cruise
this summer. And sadly, as we
age, our parents grow older as
well. Lisa, Kate, Jekka, Katie, and
I each lost a parent recently.
From all of us, thank you so
much for your kind thoughts. We
appreciate your support.
–1979
Elizabeth Brown Dunn
[email protected]
The ladies of ’79 seem to have
a lot of new empty nesters.
Sandy Weaver Clark has both
of her sons at her alma mater,
Indiana University. Robin Rader
Stein and husband Gil have
been traveling a lot. Hannah, a
junior at TCU, joined them for
fall break. Recently they spent
some time in Washington D.C.,
where they toured the National
Cathedral and guess who was
their docent… Lenelle Morse!
They skyped Sandy Weaver
Clark so she could join in the
day. Lenelle’s son Jonathan
just became engaged. He lives
in Seattle and will be married
next year. Gina Barron Huck
also has a wedding in 2016. Her
son Barron is engaged. Terry
Lupo Lebedevs will be a
grandmother soon. Her daughter
Hannah is having a baby girl
Ruby in October. Her son Rob
is in marketing and sales at
The Boat Center in Memphis.
Her daughter Camille lives in
Lakeland, Fla. Terry is working
at Gastro One as a triage nurse.
Husband Peter is working
out of Atlanta as an assistant
tennis tournament director.
Susan Browne Law has another
child here in Memphis. Ben
moved here and is going to law
school. He lives downtown in
a great old building. He and
Meg, her youngest, love being
in Memphis. Meg is a personal
trainer at Midtown Yoga.
–1980
Margaret Graham
[email protected]
We missed several of our
classmates at the reunion back
in the spring, including Sarah
McLaughlin Terry, who was
absent because of the chance
to show off some of her quilts
and fabric creations at a crafts
show and fair. Sarah teaches
beginning sewing and a few
other classes at Sew Memphis.
We also missed Helene Norcross
Rayder, whose daughter Virginia
has started college at Sewanee.
Another new empty nester is
Meg Loeb Milligan, who has
changed to her husband’s last
name after four years of marriage. She moved her last child
Amelia to Eugene, Ore., to start
freshman year at the University
of Oregon. Meg is excited that
sister Gee Loeb Sharp ’83 will
also have a daughter attending
Oregon. Meg and her husband
Bill will be spending most of
their time in Colorado now, but
she still has her home in Texas.
At least two other classmates
have a newly empty nest at
home: Josie Gilliland Williams’
son Fletcher is at Ole Miss, and
Molly Francis Roberts’ daughter Bette is at Samford. Molly
Mary Long Merritt ’82 and Carol Gilliland Jordan ’82 both have daughters
at Vanderbilt who are both Chi-Os. From left, Annie Bradford, Carol, Mary,
and Katherine Merritt at Parents Weekend in September.
has finished her cancer treatment and is feeling well. She
continues to run the office at
Regent’s School in Oxford as well
as help with husband Marty’s
business, Sporting Life Kennels.
Rachel Darnell-Heath, one of
the talented artists from our
class, will be the Louise T. Archer
Artist-in-Residence at St. Mary’s
in January, teaching classes as
well as mounting an exhibit in
Levy Gallery on campus. She is
also showing her artwork at the
L. Ross Gallery on Sanderlin in
Memphis as well as in galleries
closer to her home near Santa
Fe. I’m so proud of our creative,
talented classmates!
–1981
Carey Stanton
[email protected]
–1982
Elizabeth Simpson Alrutz
[email protected]
Many thanks to Lee Anne
Roehm for her 14 years
of service as our Class
Secretary. Daughters Anna
Katherine and Elizabeth are at
St. Mary’s, Senior and Junior,
respectively. Hallie Peyton and
the Roehm family visited Meg
Beeson Wallace’s family in
Michigan this summer and had
a great time catching up and
reminiscing. We have two brides
in our class! Leslie Johnson
Hughes married Jesse Owen
in January and has moved to
Augusta, Ga. Daughter Martha
is at Presbyterian College. Mary
Kavanagh Day also married
in January and has Elizabeth
Thrasher Kantor to thank for
setting her up on a blind date
in 1984. Mary remembers that
Elizabeth’s grandmother had a
party during the debut season
and set up the invitees by height.
Mary’s date was Dan Daniel
and they dated for a while back
then. Now, 30+ years and 5 kids
later, it was love at (almost)
first sight. Mary says, “Of all the
life-changing things that have
happened because of being part
of Class of ‘82, this is the most
unexpected!” Angela Reed Yakel
commutes weekly from Texas
to Utah for her work as a physician adoption program manager for an enterprise electronic
medical records program at 22
hospitals across the state. Gail
Jones Mallery is still in Dallas in
the mortgage lending business,
and asks that we check out a pet
project, bontonfarms.org. Cindy
Kremer Bodker’s daughter graduated from Michigan and moved
to New York for a publishing
program at NYU and is now job
Dr. Catherine Robilio Womack ’82, front left with daughter Elizabeth ’07
after her Alum Chapel talk, and classmates (from left) Mary Kavanagh
Day, Sarah Willmott Cowens, Elizabeth Simpson Alrutz,
Andrea Weiss Tomes, and Lisa Cook.
hunting. Carol Gilliland Jordan
was in Guatemala in the mountains at Lake Atitlan for over two
months last winter. Son Jeremy
graduated from Vanderbilt
Summa Cum Laude and has
moved to Seattle to work for
Microsoft. Daughter Annie is at
Vandy where she is in Chi O with
Mary Long Merritt’s daughter
Katherine and the moms got
a good visit recently. Carol,
Elizabeth Beck Fioravanti, and
Christy Ragen Goss spent a
girls’ weekend together and
had a great visit. After her
divorce, Carol changed her
name to Carol Jordan to honor
her grandmother. Sherronda
Whitmore Johnson was the
stage manager for A Box of Yellow
Stars at Theatreworks, part of
the Women›s Theatre Festival of
Memphis. Bravo, Sherronda! As
for me, I have become an empty
nester. Liza graduated from St.
Mary’s in May and is a freshman
at Northwestern joining Jim who
is a senior. Doug and I love having them together.
–1983
Bonnie Lopez
[email protected]
We have been on the move!
Cissy Bruce Jackson is doing
white-collar criminal defense
work, and has written an article for the first issue of a new
magazine, Portico, Mountain Brook.
Son Will is a sophomore at UGA,
and daughter Sarah Frances is
investigating colleges now. Posey
Saunders Cochrane wrote to
acknowledge this monumental
year for most of us. Kristi Dart
Tsakir and husband George will
celebrate their 30th wedding
anniversary in May! She has
been a 3-year-old kindergarten
teacher for more than ten years.
Daughter Alyssa graduated from
North Georgia College and State
University with a degree in Art
Marketing and a concentration
in Graphic Design. Son Nick is
pursuing a degree in Music and
Technology at Atlanta Institute
of Music. Kristi stays in touch
with Laurie Bell Lewandowski
and Beth Jennings Kuhn.
Margaret Jones Fraser reports
that daughter Sara is a Freshman
at SMS and a classmate and
friend of Emily O’Toole, daughter
of Jeannie Beauregard O’Toole.
They attended a Freshman
retreat led by Upper School
Counselor Allison Wellford
Parker. Beachamp Hebb is
engaged to Mads Hansen. They
will marry in Norway where
his large family resides. Eppie
Lunsford-Ozen is sharing her
time between London, Istanbul,
WINTER 2015 | 27
Class Notes
and the U.S. as son Ellis Kaan is
in NYC studying film. Daughter
Emily is in 9th grade in London
with Eppie and Ergun. Sudha
Nimmagadda Ganguli reports
that she and her parents love
watching her girls study at SMS.
Kathryn Carpenter Swords is
immersed in teaching art at
Ensworth in Nashville where
son John (15) is pushing hard for
his hardship license while sister
Sara is applying to colleges. Lela
Bellows Simpson-Gerald says
life without son Max at home is
very quiet! He is studying engineering at Alabama. Lela is still
very happy working at Buckman
and has had nice visits this year
with Liza Johnston in Atlanta
and Catherine Trippeer Jameson
in Memphis. Jenny Jon Jarratt
began a new job at UPS as the
Enterprise Account Manager in
Global Freight Forwarding. She
and Beth Jennings Kuhn made
a road trip to Atlanta to see the
Rolling Stones. Elise Kilpatrick
Atkins is moving to Washington
D.C. for husband John’s job.
Currently, she and daughter
Amelia Rose (8th) are still in
Oxford until their house sells.
Gee Loeb Sharp is very much enjoying her empty nest, but wakes
every morning at 3:30 to meet
fitness clients by 5:00. She and
Gene will celebrate her 50th with
a trip to Prague to meet up with
Marshall who is spending his
junior year abroad with U. Penn.
Mimi is at Oregon rooming with
her cousin, the daughter of Gee’s
sister, Meg Loeb Milligan ’80.
Cynthia Hodges Cobb hopes to
see Brandon Garrott Morrison’s
daughter Jane as Cynthia and
son William visit UNC Chapel
Hill. Her oldest son, David, was
able to spend some “guy time”
in Destin recently with Bonnie
Lopez’s husband and sons.
Margie Bailey Sutton spent time
in North Carolina visiting her
parents. Son Dawes is captain
of the city championship soccer
team, Doug is a sophomore in
high school, and Britt is in 6th
28 |
grade. Margie loves working as a
psychiatric nurse at an inpatient
treatment center for mentally ill
children and adolescents. Joan
Mauldin Hurst has worked in
the White House for four years
with the Office of the U.S. Trade
Representative. Daughter Katie is
in 9th grade; son Matt is in 2nd.
Bonnie Bolton Lopez teaches the
youth and leads a women’s Bible
study at church and also teaches
a weekly seminar on English
grammar and writing to ten
other homeschooling families.
Daughter Lydia is finishing her
Masters in Deaf Education this
spring at Wash U. and is engaged
to be married in June. Son Phillip
is in his senior year at LSU, and
his wife is expecting their second child in May.
–1984
Vanessa Allen Dobbins
[email protected]
After spending her adult life
devoted to oncology, Smitha
Gollamudi stepped away from
her medical career to focus
more on her children while
they are still at home, her rich
life outside of medicine, and
herself after enduring two back
surgeries. Devi is an 11th grader
and is gifted in cross country,
art, and a citizen of the world.
Chander, 8th grade, is focusing
on squash competitively and is
heading for Eagle Scout. After
practicing Pediatric Emergency
Medicine, with all of its stresses
and sadness, Kristine Griffith
Williams also made a career
change. She left the ER to
start her own private general
Pediatrics practice (upa.wustl.
edu). She and husband Kevin
recently celebrated 16 years
of marriage and completed a
massive house remodel. Oldest
daughter Margaret is a freshman
at Visitation Academy and plays
varsity field hockey. Second
daughter Caroline, 13, loves field
hockey, their new puppy, and
texting. Katherine, a fifth grader,
is a great writer who loves
soccer and swimming. Emma
is 8. Alison Potts Hollewand
and family are enjoying beach
weather in Australia. Daughter
Izzy will soon be finishing sixth
grade in Brisbane. Both husband Mike and Alison enjoy the
freedom of having their own
businesses. Alison asks that we
follow her Facebook page about
meditation and living from
instincts: Alison Potts – Innate
Being. Kelly McCracken enjoyed
a wonderful vacation to Napa &
Sonoma, and hopes to arrange
a class dinner soon for us local
SMSers. Carrie Jaeger Carpenter
and family are fostering four
beautiful children, siblings, age
3 to 11. Their quiet house has
livened up quite a bit. Daughters
Carolyn, 23, and Taylor May, 21,
opened their Knoxville home as
a safe home for teenage girls.
They obtained non-profit status
and became legal guardians of
two teenagers. Taylor May is
a junior at UT and Carolyn is
marketing director for Theona’s
Girls, a company that sells goods
made by Haitian women. Oldest
child Justin moved to Seattle to
work for Amazon and youngest
Emma Kathryn is a senior at St.
George’s. Carrie had a chance
to visit with Cathey Turner
Alexander and Celeste Barzizza
Stallings where they laughed
like they were still in high
school. Martin and I are doing
well and recently celebrated our
21st anniversary
–1985
Polly Piper Rickard
[email protected]
Lucy Cheek Gordon and Michael
spent time in Rome, Florence
and Venice and 10 days in the
small town of Arco on the northern tip of Lake Garda while their
son Clay (14) represented Team
USA at the World Rock-Climbing
Youth Championships, finishing 13th in the world. Madeline,
in her third year at Georgia,
has found her own way to Italy;
she will study abroad in Cortona. Claire, a freshman at the
University of Arizona, pledged
Kappa and is studying Communications and Psychology. They
celebrate 23 years of marriage.
Heather Kirkpatrick Wheat is a
legal assistant in Dallas for an
Estate and Partnership Planning
firm. Rory (16) plays competitive
baseball. NealeyClare (13) is a
theatre kid and vocalist and was
diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes
years ago. It’s been a difficult
journey but she fights like a
champ. Reagan Grace plays softball, soccer, basketball, tennis,
and the French horn. Colleen
Kavanagh launched three new
ZEGO bar flavors on a crowdfunding site to raise funds for
production and awareness. She
still champions allergy safety in
public school nutrition programs and continues to do social
justice work. Liam is applying
to colleges. Kelsey, a freshman
volleyball player and Evie,11, are
great. Trecia Knapp Tapolsky
volunteers at church and on the
San Francisco Ballet Auxiliary.
Melissa Thrasher Peeler and
Michael are psyched to be empty
nesters soon and they celebrate
their 25th anniversary. Mary is
a first-year medical student at
Johns Hopkins and Anna is a junior nursing student at Alabama.
Margie is a Junior at SMS. On a
college visit to W&L, they were
privileged to have lunch with
Scott Simmons, Mary Gowen
Simmons’s oldest son, who is
a freshman playing baseball for
W&L. Jeanne Rae Fenster’s son
Sam is a freshman at Rhodes.
Menashe is 13, and Andy took
him to Isreal as a bar mitzva
present. The twins are 12.
–1986
Jean Vaughan McGhee
[email protected]
Jen McDearman is still enjoying life in NYC while working
as a copy director for HBO and
Leigh Gordon Wright ’86 and daughter Allie and Irene McDonnell Ayotte ’86
with daughter Mary.
singing and performing with
her band Bobcat. We need to
work on getting them into
town to perform for us during
reunion weekend this spring.
Molly Mednikow is settling in
as a new resident of Portland,
Ore., where she attending the
Lewis and Clark Law School.
Kathryn Haggitt Garrison and
Molly had a chance to connect
while Kathryn was in town
on business. Camille Lyon
Majors became a mom again
back in February; Evelyn Mary
“Evie” is now entertaining big
brother Bobby who’s 3. Recently
Camille’s parents sold their
house of 48 years in Memphis
and have moved up to Richmond
where her sister Natalie Lyon
Horne ’93 lives. Leigh Gordon
Wright and her family have
recently made the move back
to Tuscaloosa, where she has
continued to work part-time for
the same radiology group for the
last 17 years while raising John
and Allie. Recently Leigh got to
catch up with Irene McDonnell
Ayotte and her daughter Mary
who were in town visiting
Alabama. Elizabeth Cashman
Dickinson is busy supervising
as her son Robert is buried in
English and Latin at MUS. She
says it makes her appreciate
all she learned from Ms. O and
Ms. Stidham. Her son McRae is
a 6th grader at PDS this year.
Lynn Cashman Thurlow is still
the Director and Lead Teacher
for the Montessori School
Pre-School in Summerton and
homeschools her four children
(3rd grade to 10th). Kim Malone
Scott has written a new book,
Power is Dead, which has been
bought and will be published by
St. Martin’s Press in 2016. Kim’s
children Battle and Margaret
are now in the first grade. Mary
Helen Pender Moore and her
family are getting settled in
their new house in Knoxville.
Her kids Ashley Kate and Joseph
are both in middle school. She is
still working part-time in several
pediatric dentist offices while
the kids are in school. Traci
Sherman Keller is still working as the Middle School Dean
of Students at Harpeth Hall in
Nashville while trying to keep up
with her boys. Traci recently got
to catch up with Kara Finnegan
Finnigan and Leigh Gordon
Wright, who were in town. Kara
has two middle school children,
Maya and Hugh. Susan Whitten
Graber and her husband Blair
took a belated honeymoon to
Italy this summer. She is looking forward to Thanksgiving
this year, as it is the first time
she will have Anthony (eldest
stepson) and his family for that
holiday in five years. Irene, Liz
Whitsitt McEwan, and Elizabeth
Cashman manage to keep in
touch because our boys are all
in school together at MUS. Liz’s
oldest son Hastings has even
started driving my son Davis to
school in the mornings. Shawn
and I are continuing to grow
Hollywood Feed and now have
40 stores in the Mid-South. I
echo what Lynn Thurlow said
about a foot in two different
worlds as Carmen is learning
to read and Ellie is starting to
look at colleges. Ellie is also
playing soccer for SMS and is
now in third year Latin, stirring
up memories of Ms. Stidham!
Finally, we are heartbroken for
Hayes Peyton Olson, who lost
her son Will in an auto accident
in Batesville, Ark., in October.
Our prayers are with Hayes and
her whole family, including sisters Chalmers Peyton Valentine
’80 and Hallie Peyton ’82.
–1987
Allison Tonkin
[email protected]
Thanks to all of you for the very
sweet wishes on the birth of
Andras’ and my son Chip! We
are thrilled Chip could make his
debut with the help of our gestational surrogate. Thanks also for
all of the great parenting advice,
even from folks like Margaret
Alexander Cone whose “little
ones” are now 19 and 16. Beth
Reynolds Bowen and family
visited South Africa. Son Tom
(8) plays baseball and Ella (12)
dances. Beth teaches preschool
for fun. Janelle Zarecor Ranieri,
very active in the PTO, serves
on the board of the Attention
Center which she helped start.
After much Lake Erie-house
fun, John John (7th) added cross
county to his usual hockey. Lucy
(10) plays volleyball and is a
great student. The family will
visit Puerto Rico where John
still works. Gail Borod Giacobbe
and family traveled in France
this summer — thank goodness
for all that SMS French with
Nanette Quinn! Gail still enjoys
working at Microsoft where she
recently launched the new Skype
experience for Windows 10.
Josh (1st) and Libby (Pre-K) keep
Paula Jernigan very busy. They
love their homegrown honey.
Kim Justis Eikner and Flip both
enjoy work at MUS. Kim begins
rehearsal for her first play in two
years, The Other Place, at Circuit
Playhouse. For Science, Nora
James (SMS 6th) has Kim’s 5th
grade homeroom teacher Mrs.
Brundige! Brooks (MUS 11th), bitten by Mom’s theater bug, participates in MUS and SMS plays
and is looking at colleges. Laura
Halle Nunnally’s Lizzie (11th)
is now visiting colleges, and
Anna is in 8th. Courtney Morris
Monaghan’s Stuart (16, SMS
10th) is driving, and Ellie (5th)
loves being across the street at
SMS middle school. Tom is “battling through” MUS 8th grade.
Missy Huettel Carter’s Joe loves
Ann McCarroll McWaters as
his MUS English teacher. Missy
saw Laura at Seaside and often
sees Courtney in Memphis. Gigi
Gaerig McGown, senior counsel
litigation at International Paper,
was appointed to the Memphis
Bar Association Board of Directors. Ryan (SMS 6th) is buddies
with Kim’s Nora James. Thomas
(Lausanne 2nd) loves soccer and
husband Will still designs/builds
wood furniture at his downtown
shop. Jay and Kristina Schultz
Weir and sons Jake and Charlie
swam with Caribbean dolphins
in Anguilla. They ran into Ann
Driscoll Prince in the Atlanta airport on the way home! In NYC,
Mary Louise Mooney goes home
only for sleep, as stage manager
and assistant director of Doric
Wilson’s Street Theater, about
the Stonewall riots. ML also
WINTER 2015 | 29
Class Notes
acts/reads in a feminist poetry
program with her other theater
company. –1988
Anna McQuiston Holtzclaw
[email protected]
Frances Coughlin Fenelon
reports that Nora started 5th
grade at Harpeth Hall, and Nev
is in 7th grade with Laurie
Smith Hooper’s ’90 daughter Lela. Francis recently had
10 of Nev’s friends over for a
sleepover, and says “it looked
and sounded so much like
Moriah’s backhouse that it made
me stop in my tracks. Miss those
days and everyone so much!”
Kelly Allen Bauch is running
Bluebird Photography Studio in
Austin, Texas, where she has
lived for 10 years with Brandon
and their two children. Julia is
in 5th grade and loves art and
piano, and Jackson is in 8th and
loves football. Amy Weinberg
Pearce’s boys are in 5th and
2nd grade. Trey is busy with
baseball and his social calendar, and Luke splits his time
between karate and Minecraft.
Katherine Florendo is practicing
at St. Luke’s and is the Medical
Director for the NICU at their
east location. This is her first
year as a professional bikini
competitor. Chuck has moved to
KU and has better hours. CarolAnn is a sophomore taking honors everything and is in the choir
and GSA. Sixth-grader Mary-O
is a 3-sport athlete: volleyball,
basketball, and soccer. Charlie
is in 2nd grade and loves his
climbing classes. Leigh Vaughan
Jaimes’ kids Windland and Luke
started 4th and 2nd, and she
has a new role practicing and
teaching Palliative Medicine full
time at the Medical University
of South Carolina in Charleston.
Betsy Carnesale Wiseman and
Lang welcomed baby Peter to
the world on July 13, 2015. He is
named after Betsy’s dad. Jennifer
Miller Buhler writes that Jon
30 |
is still hunting, she is still a
nurse, and Mary Taylor loves
being in Ms. Falls’ class at SMS.
Anna Holtzclaw shares that
Caroline became a 4th grader at
SMS this year, and Anna is enjoying being a St. Mary’s parent.
It has been emotional knowing
that Caroline is starting friendships that will be a part of her
life when she is her mother’s
age. Anna hopes Caroline is as
lucky to have such good classmates and friends.
–1989
CLASS SECRETARY NEEDED-
Contact Rainey Ray Segars ’05,
[email protected]
–1990
Mirm Kriegel
[email protected]
OK folks, here’s how we’ll keep
this interesting… I made a
public promise to my esteemed
classmates that I’d make stuff up
if they didn’t write in. I warned
I’d draw a deserving name out of
a hat, and the (un)lucky winner
would be PUNK’d. This may well
become a theme/meme for the
Class of ’90. Slackers beware.
Ellen Rawlins Uzarowicz writes
that she, husband Piotr, and kids
are still happily in Hollywood.
She’s still designing clothes but
is excited to be costuming her
first music video, which she
describes as “ridiculous fun.”
Anne Copper DiFronzo’s twins
Dominic and Olivia turned 2 in
September and daughter Sofia is
in third grade. She’s still working
part time for Cultural Care Au
Pair and living in Great Falls, Va.
Kristen Thompson Keegan is
traveling a lot and selling turkey
foot necklaces in addition to
her hair ties (not as gross as
it sounds—they’re freshwater
pearl and actually look super
cool). She’s currently working at SMS in JK for a teacher
who’s on maternity leave, which
means she gets to see Shelley
Kuykendall Herzke every
day! Mary Anne Kish Seibert
writes with some big news—
they’re building a house in Little
Rock. Alexis Zanone continues living the dream on Four
Seasons currency… she spent
two weeks at both Four Seasons
in the Maldives, will be visiting
the Four Seasons Florence and
sandwiching a trip to Memphis
in between. Ali Reaves Smith
is working full-time now at her
veterinary clinic. Son Cole is in
JK and her big news is that she’s
about to become a doting aunt!
Tricia Hood Thomas didn’t have
much news to share except for
this bombshell: “I’ve started
talking about retiring since that’s
only 15(ish) years away, which
is less time than we’ve been
out of SMS.” Thanks for that,
Tricia. Rachel Lightman is having a ball with her 12-year old
Colin and her 1-year-old Griffin.
She’s thrilled to be teaching
fourth grade girls this year after
spending three long years with
eighth grade boys. “Fourth grade
brings back fond memories of
my year with the great Carmen
Vaughan!” Big news from Hilary
Davis Robinson: She has left
SMS to be Head of the Lower
School at the Bodine School,
which serves kids who struggle
with dyslexia. Beth Kreamer
West and her family have returned to Alabama after living in
Houston for a bit while husband
Phil underwent medical treatment. They’re both enjoying life
back home with their children,
ages 10, 7, and 3. Beth, we’re so
thrilled to hear this. Elizabeth
Robbins is now starring in her
own burlesque show in Vegas.
She’ll be featured at the Bellagio
in the spring, so be sure to check
her out if you’re wandering the
Strip! Taylor Holden Taylor was
thrilled to report that her women’s tennis team won Nationals
in Palm Springs. Missy Kramer
Taranto, Kasha Winker Shaw,
and Caroline Archer Baker all
wrote in to say ‘hi!’ so I wouldn’t
make anything up about them.
Oh, and Caroline’s son is already
looking at colleges. As for Mirm
Kriegel, she’s digging this gig so
she doesn’t have to self-report.
–1991
Camellia Koleyni
[email protected]
It’s exciting to think that our
25th class reunion is just around
the corner, on April 22-23!
Until then, the Young family
(Jennifer Breazeale Young plus
husband Chris, son Christopher,
and daughter Baker) had an
incredible time visiting various
cities in Japan this past summer. Baker’s elementary school
had an exchange program with
another elementary school in
Mito, Japan just prior to the
trip. Baker attended elementary
school there and spent 10 days
living with a Japanese family.
She did great, according to her
proud momma! Jennifer’s son
Christopher loves playing tennis
for Baylor while Baker is busy
with her soccer and volleyball.
Megan Saxon Murphree shared
the sad news that her incredibly sweet grandfather passed
away at age 98. She feels so very
lucky to have had him around
for as long as she did, though it’s
still so painful for her and her
family. If you’d like to learn more
about the game of bridge, Alex
Turner is your contact. She’s
living in Memphis and working
at the American Contract Bridge
League (which is essentially the
governing body for the game).
Alex also went on the say “Every
time I turn on the news lately,
Heather Pearson Chauhan is
being interviewed or consulting on a matter. From what
a few friends have said, her
new practice Exceed Hormone
Specialists www.exceedhs.com
is a game-changer.” Heather’s
practice is in Memphis. Margaret
Chesney has expanded her law
practice (Rogers Berry Chesney
& Cannon, PLLC in Memphis) to
include her listing as a family
mediator with specialized training in domestic violence issues.
When she is not hard at work
helping these families going
through such difficult times, she
spends as much time as possible
with her niece, Jane McDonald,
daughter of Julia Chesney
McDonald ’96. Alison Taylor
Nooks’ summer started off on a
positive note with various family
members visiting. They also had
“mini-vacations” to San Antonio,
Texas and Omaha, Neb. Then,
unfortunately, her father had a
significant fall in July, which resulted in two different brain surgeries, followed by rehabilitation
in Memphis and Missouri. Now
Alison’s father has moved into
their home in Missouri. They are
so thankful for the support and
prayers of family and friends. We
are still living in fun Nashville.
I’ve been busy with medical trips
abroad and doing some urgent
care locally. Take care everyone!
–1992
Alison Roesler Coons
[email protected]
Bren Boston Padawer has
started a new job this year as the
Director of Pain Management
and Sports Medicine at the
Akasha Center for Integrative
Medicine in Santa Monica, Calif.
Find more information about
Bren’s great work at www.
akashacenter.com. Rebecca
Hornstein Doede also started
new role in September in recovery and resolution planning
at Morgan Stanley in New York.
Her adorable Henry and Evelyn
are thriving, and recently she
enjoyed spending time with
both Asma Dilawari and Kelley
Grant MacDonald, including
a fun shopping expedition in
Brooklyn. Leslie Pettit Canon
said to tell everyone hi from
Denver, where she and Harmon
are still busy making cookies
and raising four kids. Hester
Shipp Mathes is having fun as
Curate at Holy Communion and
loves being on the same campus
as all the Turkeys. She enjoyed
catching up with Jill Samuels
who is teaching 5th graders this
year and recently bumped into
Wendy Taylor on the Square
in Oxford, Miss. Hester also
had fun catching up with Aarti
Goorha Bowman at a Super
Women of Business awards
luncheon, and Mary McDonnell
Schell at Holy Communion’s
Book It 5K race. Aarti is still
living in Midtown and working
at the bank. She joined the SMS
Alumnae Board this year and
loves seeing fellow alums. Her
nieces are in SK and 2nd grade at
SMS. Melissa Anderson Kirkby
recently went back to work parttime as a private trust advisor
for a family in Nashville. Melissa
enjoyed catching up with Brandi
Haines Torchia and Jane Laster
Finneran in Memphis over the
summer and getting their kids
together. Life is crazy as usual in
Alison Roesler Coons’ household. When she’s not busy as a
“band mom” for THE Houston
High School Band, she’s hard at
work in her position as Director
of Engagement with Girl Scouts
Heart of the South. Every day she
gets to tell the world how Girl
Scouts builds girls of courage,
confidence, and character, who
make the world a better place –
just like St. Mary’s does!
–1993
Kristen Mistretta Wilson
[email protected]
Amelia Treadwell Howard
loves her new job as a Teacher’s Assistant in the Pre-K at
Christ Methodist Day School in
Memphis, where daughter Anna
Laura is in 4th grade. Her son
George is in 7th grade at MUS.
Kim Lupo shared that she and
Deb made a big move in June
and are now living in Portland,
Ore., where they bought a cute
townhouse right on the Willamette River. Kim leads Global
Total Rewards for Nike and
travels across Europe and China
to meet her new team and learn
the business. Congratulations
to Alexia Fulgham Crump and
husband Kevin, who welcomed
their daughter Catherine Elaina
Crump on July 23, 2015. Alexia
says that while she is exhausted,
she loves being a mommy. Kathryn Brookfield is having fun raising three little monkeys, and celebrated her 40th birthday with
her sister, parents, and friends
in Florida. Kathryn is planning to
see Katie Moran Lindenschmidt
over Thanksgiving and can’t wait
to get home to Memphis. Lee
Raines Buchmann and her family moved to a new home in Denver this summer, and are looking
forward to ski season and hopefully a big snow year. Jo Cowles
Ellis lives in Atlanta with her
husband John and four children,
Anna (12), Logan (9), Bethany (7),
and Alexis (5). She is a Director of Product Development
for First Data. Congratulations
to Alison Simmons Boyd and
husband Oliver, who welcomed
Katherine Avery Boyd on April
23, 2015, more than five weeks
early. Big brother Mason makes
Katherine laugh, but mostly just
ignores her, especially when
there is a car or truck in sight.
Congratulations to Sam Petrie,
who recently launched her own
business called Clover (www.
cloverartisans.com) offering
artisan-made home decor handselected from around the world.
Best of luck to Sam! Courtney
Mainardi Burger reports that all
three of her children are finally
at the same school, with William in kindergarten and twins
Ellie and Alexis in 3rd grade.
Beki Rafter is house-hunting in
Atlanta with her partner Jamie,
as well as celebrating her dad’s
retirement and her mom’s 70th
birthday. Beki continues to run
Georgia WAND and is involved
in supporting Black women’s
leadership in environmental justice. Deena Raja Bittles and her
family moved to St. Petersburg,
Fla., in August because her husband took a job at All Children’s
Johns Hopkins Medicine as a
Pediatric Radiologist. Deena is
still working with her firm that
is headquartered in Nashville as
a Senior Fixed Income Portfolio
Manager. Carrie Evans Hanlon
moved within Memphis this
summer to a home that she
worked to renovate. Her son
James, 6, plays every sport he
can and makes her smile each
day. Carrie continues to love
her job with Hobson Realtors.
Kristen Mistretta Wilson and
her husband Jake were overjoyed to welcome their third son
Matthew in June. Big brothers
Jacob (6) and Alexander (4) are in
awe of their baby brother. She’s
stopped practicing law for now
and has adjusted to living in
Baton Rouge, La.
–1994
Edith Ritterband Goody
[email protected]
Mary Evelyn Stevens Fore follows her three girls’ schedules
and helps her husband with
some “behind the scenes” office
work. She gets to catch up with
Laura Foster Gettys when they
both drop off their kids in JK
at GSL. My head began to spin
when I learned of all Joann Self
Selvidge’s activities. Her film
“The Keepers” about zookeepers at the Memphis Zoo will be
released in early 2016 and was
the opening night gala film at
the Indie Memphis Film Fest,
where it won the Hometowner
Feature Award! Joann is consulting with the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau, and says
her kids are doing well and
looking forward to a new kitten
to bring into Daddy’s new studio.
Sigrid Longsworth Orr moved to
Cleveland, Tenn. (Chattanooga
area), at the end of June and
loves being back in the South.
She’s working towards her Tennessee Art Educator license for
K-12 and says there’s not much
WINTER 2015 | 31
Class Notes
time to study while working as
an assistant teacher in the local
high school and participating in
the formation of the Cleveland
Arts Center. Sarah Gross Little
enjoys being an active trader in
the market and is taking time
to learn more. I’m thrilled to
hear Karrie Cummings Hendrikson’s announcement of her
two boys, of whom she hopes
to have full adoption by February. She’s “completely in love,
and totally overwhelmed” by
the 5-year-old and 23-monthold boys. Speaking of new boys,
in June, Leigh Wilson Jacobs,
introduced her second son Finch
to a struggling older brother. I’m
sure Finch’s godmother Jessica
Johnson will shower lots of love
onto both boys whenever she’s
around. Leigh shared news for
Hallie Dinkelspiel Label who
welcomed her daughter Katie.
Babies abound as Jamie Morano
Re is expecting her first child
around Christmas. She’s keeping
busy placing staff on international medical exchanges,
reforming the VA, and combating
the infectious disease epidemic
in Fla. Queen bee Evie has dictated Halloween costumes for
mama bee Sarah Lacy and crazy
fuzzy brother bee Eli. Sarah’s
company PANDO has been doing
well, but she worked herself to
exhaustion, ending up in the
hospital! Thank goodness, she’s
feeling better. Her niece Ramie
Bell ’13 has taken some time off
from college to help out with her
kids. Sarah Cole-Turner Vincent
said her daughter would’ve been
envious of our 4th b-day party.
She has bought and refurbished
a house. Let the visitors arrive! She enjoys her job, which
allows her to combine her tech
expertise with speech pathology to change children’s lives.
Expect the next note to come
from Kathryn Leigh DeRossitt
who has excitedly accepted the
opportunity to be class secretary.
It’s been a wonderful experience
and I look forward to hearing
32 |
from and about y’all soon!
–1995
Carrie Sue Casey Hanback
[email protected]
Lee Davidson Holt’s little girl
Dorothy is named for husband
Kevin’s sharp-as-a-tack, 99-yearold grandmother, and is what
her aunt Shannon Davidson
Pflasterer ’94 calls a “trick baby”
because she eats well, sleeps
well, and plays well – she’s
setting Lee and Kevin up for a
major trick at some point. Carrie
Sue Casey Hanback’s kids are
at fun ages (Belle, 4, Hank, 2)
and both of them enjoy wearing heels around the house
and are Nats baseball fans.
She moved into a new office
at the Department of Defense
that focuses on innovation and
leadership development. Carrie
caught up with Tricia Graue,
who gave her a book of artistic chicken photos that they
agreed Allison Roberts would
love. Kathryn Wiseman just
became Director of Global Public
Policy at Walmart, and recently
visited China and embraced
the “ridiculous American tourist” role. Leigh Walker lives in
Franklin, Tenn., and started
working as a Project Coordinator
for Community Health Systems.
In Birmingham, Hallie Bourland
Wagner’s second child William
is a delight, while big brother
Walter may perhaps be entering
“three-nager” territory. Elizabeth
Richardson Fitzgerald is still
teaching gifted 9th grade English
in Memphis, keeping up with
Erin (sixth grade), and photographing weddings. Ebony Welch
is the new Development Services
Coordinator of Jackson Academy
in Jackson, Miss. Megan Waters
Albonetti is going strong with
her freelance editing and being
a mama. Ann Wood Ray is
getting recertified in nursing
and is also considering a career
change in the future. And Sarah
Trosper Olivo and her husband
may move to the suburbs after
living in the Big Apple for over
15 years. Liz Jenkins moved
from L.A. to San Francisco and
is plotting out her next professional steps. She is excited
about Dhevi Kumar Broecker’s
impending bambino. Liz had
recently visited Dhevi, and
reports how she, husband Arndt,
and little Ranga are enjoying
Seattle. Simone Kiersky Coyle
reports that time is starting to
fly, with Evan (6) in first grade
and Elise (4) in junior kindergarten. Elizabeth Cochran Hill’s
little Suzie Marie (3) is obsessed
with gymnastics and has started
ballet and tap. Brother Wally (1)
started preschool, and Elizabeth
is subbing for preschool teachers. Katherine Crone Wilson
was promoted to Associate
Director of Marketing Operations
at Troutman Sanders LLP, the
firm where she’s worked for the
past eight years. Fellow Atlantan
Katherine Arnold Gatza took her
two girls – Elizabeth (7) and Anna
(5) – on their first Disney World
trip. Sarah Carlson Landers is
still in Lawrence, Kan. Son Chris
is a junior in high school and
considering colleges and life
goals. Sonia Torrey realized the
Peach State is where she wants
to be begin school in Atlanta in
2016 for a Master’s in counseling. Sonia was also accepted into
the Boston Marathon for 2016,
after a summer of running and
visiting with Natasha Heflin
Davis and Ragini Gupta, among
others. Sonia also spent a night
in Rector, Ark., with Elizabeth
Richardson Fitzgerald and her
daughter Erin. Morgan Chiapella
Roselle is in her last year as her
kids’ Cubmaster and on the hunt
for a job to fit her new Master’s
degree. Natasha Heflin Davis’
daughter Amelia started kindergarten and little sister Tessa was
thrilled to start pre-school. Lisa
Mulrooney Coombs describes
married life as one of bliss. How
cool that Elizabeth Richardson
Fitzgerald took the photos at
her pretty wedding. Jada Love
Thompson got married in 2014
and had a ridiculously cute
baby this year, Brett. She is in
Jackson, Miss., and gearing up
to finish her Psychiatric Nurse
Practitioner studies. Murff Oates
Galbreath has learned how to
simultaneously be the mother
of three children and take a
shower.
–1996
Jaime Newsom
[email protected]
Lauren Brooks Poindexter is
excited to be finishing her MSN
degree and is looking forward
to becoming a family nurse
practitioner. Her daughter Emily
is in 2nd grade at SMS and is
on the soccer team with Emily
Farrow Robbins’s daughter Lilly.
Courtney Shove moved back
to Memphis in August and is
happy to be the new director of
communications at Memphis
Opportunity Scholarship Trust
(MOST). Julia Chesney McDonald
still enjoys being president of
the St. Mary’s Alumnae Board
and has recently joined the
board of Ballet Memphis. Brooke
Meggan Wurzburg Kiel ’98 in South
Africa with husband Daniel (who
is working on a research project),
Sadie ’24, and Ben.
Douglas Looney welcomed baby
girl in June. Brooke writes that
Wynnie is so sweet and her
twin sisters love her! Georgina
Okerson has moved to Crawley,
England, and has released another game, Black Closet, set in
an all-girls religious school. As
she says, “don’t worry, it’s mostly
not true.” Maesie Speer is leaving Portland and moving to the
Cascade Mountains of central
Oregon to manage an arts center
called Caldera. She will be living
on-site with Jesse and their cats.
She knows that it is a big move
but says that she and Jesse have
dreamed about living in a rural
area for quite a while. Bernice
Chen also has a new addition –
a baby girl. She is enjoying her
time staying at home but will
return to work soon. Sharlene
Sidhu Keithley is finally a Girl
Scout! She has taken on leading
daughter Saira’s Daisy Troop, in
addition to being son Rajan’s
Cub Scout Bear Den leader.
She is still working remotely
for the family business, Desoto
Children’s Clinic, and she’s active on the board of a local nonprofit, the Colorado Children’s
Campaign.
–1997
Hollye Ferguson Stigler
[email protected]
Let’s start with news from
our classmates on the West
Coast: Congratulations to Hala
Khuri on her engagement this
summer — Hala is planning
her upcoming wedding and still
loves teaching in the Bay Area.
Also in San Francisco, Rebekah
Hanover Kurzweil’s son Leo
is 4 and Quincy is almost
one. Elaine Guerra Cotter and
her family have been living
in Los Angeles for just over a
year and are really enjoying it.
Her daughter Zoë is 8 months
and is working to keep up
with big sister Sophie. Their
hotel business has expanded
to North Lake Tahoe, Boulder,
and Calistoga. Rose Indriolo
Englert and her family live in
Portland. Her daughter Ramona
is 15 months and walking, climbing, running, talking, and giggling. Rose has been promoted
to a director level position at
CareOregon. Congrats Rose! On
the East Coast, Ashley Wilson is
having fun with now 6-monthold Hudson. They enjoyed traveling this summer and also visits
from Celia Watson and Jeanne
Herzog. Ashley’s architectural
work has been moving quickly,
she recently broke ground on a
state-of-the-art robotic surgical center as well as working
on several new residential
properties. Autumn Witt
Boyd started her own law firm in
February, focusing on copyright,
trademark, and small business
advising and working with
mostly women entrepreneurs.
Her twins Sam and Tyson are
almost 4. She and Melissa
Ohsfeldt and their families met
for a visit at the Chattanooga
Aquarium this summer. Melissa
recently transitioned to work for
a new company, doing a similar
role. Her four kids are doing
well. Orinda, age 1, is walking
and Charlotte in 4th grade and
starting to study literature
Melissa remembers well from
our SMS days! My family is
enjoying having a baby again,
Amelie is six months old and
a delight. I had a fun surprise
a few weeks ago and bumped
into Liz Fraim Evans and her
beautiful family on the beach
along 30A in Florida. It was a
quick visit, but made me excited
about our 20-year reunion...not
too far away! –1998
Laurin Maddox
[email protected]
Lots of job transition news this
time around. Jennifer Fong is
enjoying her new position as
project manager for CBRE and
spent her birthday in Tahiti.
She completed a 125-mile trail
race in Tahoe and is training
for two half marathons. Nupur
Sidhu Bal started her own firm
with another partner this year.
Allison Martin Nolen writes that
she recently started a new position as a nurse on the pediatric
hematology/oncology unit. Amy
Sellers transitioned to a new
position as the VP of Digital and
Product Marketing for Carena, a
healthcare technology company.
She is also working on a startup
project called dopl, a mobile restaurant that provides accurate
restaurant recommendations.
Ann Frizzell Pretzer completed
teacher training for Suzuki Violin
Book 1, so all you Memphis
parents, feel free to contact her
if you are interested in lessons
for your kiddos! Ashley Bellet
started her first semester in
the Theatre PhD program in
Madison, Wis. She is also teaching on campus and working in
a pottery shop for fun. Laurin
Maddux started a new position
as the Regional Clinical Director
at Strategic Behavioral Health.
She is enjoying traveling a lot
with this new position, especially to beautiful Colorado for
hiking in the Rocky Mountains.
Anne Claire Bellott Jordan
writes that Emma is enjoying
kindergarten this year. She also
went to visit sister Elizabeth
Bellott ’15 at NC State. Erin Lyttle
Do loves being mom to two St.
Mary’s Turkeys! Monica Wilson
Barton writes that she is working hard at State Farm Corporate
Headquarters in Illinois. The
Barton family has had a busy
year, moving to a new home and
welcoming Wyatt, who turned
one recently. Lauren Webb
Mitchell and husband Luke are
enjoying being parents to Henry
who is walking and teething
and keeping them on their toes.
Allyn Jaqua Lowell keeps us
all in stitches through her blog
posts and Facebook posts. She
writes that Erin Wade has “given
me the greatest gift possible by
becoming a pediatrician who
returns my frantic phone calls
at 11pm and doesn’t charge me.”
Allyn and husband Zach chase
their adorable twins Hunter
and Grier when not frantically
texting Erin. Erin Wade started
her Pediatric Residency at the
University of Louisville. Meggan
Wurzburg Kiel writes her news
from South Africa, where husband Daniel is working on an education research project. Meggan
and Daniel are homeschooling
Sadie and Ben through this
adventure. Meg Kinnard writes
that she and Adair love their
new house, especially swimming
in the pool all summer long. She
has also been traveling on behalf
of her family, doing work to keep
her grandfatherr’s legacy alive at
UT Martin. Patience Chambliss
Wiggins and husband Chris are
expecting a third boy soon.
–1999
Kelly Buckner Dallas
[email protected]
Congratulations are in order for
Marynelle Wilson McNamara
who married a fellow attorney,
Doug McNamara, in Washington
D.C., on June 21, then honeymooned in France. We also
have a few new babies! Rachel
Bearman Plevak welcomed
Oliver back in January, and Lily
Shu welcomed Audrey in May.
Rachel writes that she’s still
living in Atlanta and working
as a prosecutor. Lily has been
living in Beijing and working
for McDonald’s for six years.
Libby Lawson Foster is also
still living abroad in Oaxaca,
Mexico, before wrapping up
her year of learning Spanish.
Angela Lam is also on the move
having just relocated from San
Francisco to Chicago. It’s been
a good move, but she’s nervous
about the snow! On the other
hand, Elizabeth Hatzenbuehler
Hibler loves the snow living in
Denver and can’t wait until ski
season. She’s still working as a
WINTER 2015 | 33
Class Notes
Thirteen St. Mary’s girls attended the wedding of Susan Buckner Rose ’01: (from left) Daphne Trainer Bahl ’01, Hayley Bower Gerber ’01,
Caroline Gardner ’01, Kate McCalla ’01, Kemper Kelso Brennan ’01, Susan Buckner Rose ’01, Kelly Buckner Dallas ’99, Jenny Maddux Stenberg ’01,
Emily Harris Halpern ’01, Erin Bower ’99, Courtney Taylor Humphreys ’01, Collin Wilson Buckner ’05, Mia Wilson ’19.
Registered Dietitian providing
nutrition counseling to highrisk families. Hilary Dinkelspiel
moved to New York last year and
has recently purchased a new
home. She also passed the New
York bar exam and completed
the Ironman Copenhagen. Way to
go, Hillary! Laura Freeman Rouse
is in Nashville and undergoing a
house renovation, which should
be complete by Thanksgiving.
She was recently in town visiting Jenny Jones Savage and got
to see Rebecca Fones Rhea and
Anne-Morgan Brookfield Morgan
and their precious girls. Lillian
Askew Everdell also made a trip
to Memphis with her daughter, Charlotte. Anne-Morgan,
Jenny, Rebecca, and I along with
Caroline Palazola Conrad and
Palmer Adams Burt were all
able to get to visit with Lillian.
It was such fun! Anne-Morgan
is still at Eli Lilly and busy with
her two girls. Anne Elise is loving
SMS and is excited to be a flower
girl in her godfather’s wedding.
Melissa Reedy Buchanan is still
in Atlanta working as a Realtor
34 |
while also chasing around her
two boys, Brooks and Reed.
Ashley Gaillard Clark writes that
she’s enjoying her role at Silicon
Valley Social Venture Fund and
just celebrated Oliver’s 2nd birthday. She loves getting together
regularly with Sidney Hawkins
Gargiulo and Brittany Blockman
Pelletier. Meg Parker is counting
down to her November wedding in New Orleans. Courtenay
Adams, along with Rebecca, will
be there celebrating with Meg.
Allison Davies Ford recently
had a getaway to Captiva Island
after moving into a new house
in Jacksonville. She writes that
Shepard is now in kindergarten
and Hill is too cute for words.
Erica Smith has exciting news of
her engagement! She is planning
a wedding next fall and will have
Libby, Courtenay, and Allison
in the wedding party. Annie
McLaren Neufeld is expecting her first child in November!
Annie will be returning to work
as Pastor of College and Young
Adults in her same church in
Pasadena. Coincidentally, I am
expecting our third child and
have the same due date as Annie
We’re having a boy this time and
are thrilled.
–2000
Whitney Baer
[email protected]
We begin with a “thank you” to
Katie Garrett Harris for 15 (wow!)
years of secretary duty. Katie
lived in Oxford, England, this
summer, enjoying the history
and gorgeous parks. Louise (8)
started 2nd grade at SMS and will
sing in the Christmas Pageant
this year! Also across the pond,
Ellis Dixon is teaching English to
adults in Lisbon while continuing freelance fashion design.
Stateside, Jessica Swanson Fila
quit her job as a pastry chef and
started working as a substitute
teacher in Milford, Conn., while
she works towards her Masters
and Certification in Elementary
Education. Kate Wichlinski is
working for a photographer
in NYC and is training for the
marathon next year. She got to
hear Patti Smith read Ginsberg’s
Howl to commemorate the 60th
anniversary of his first reading. Lauren Weinrich Bernstein
and Justin just bought a place in
Maryland. Lauren is working for
EverFi, a technology company
that teaches students critical
thinking skills in topics like
financial literacy. Tami Sawyer
is a driving force for change
in Memphis and beyond! She
founded PowerBox, the black
business directory/website and
started a new job as the Director,
Diversity & Leadership at Teach
for America Memphis. She was
the sole female speaker when
Minister Louis Farrakhan addressed over 2100 Memphians at
the Cannon Center. From a longoverdue vacation, Kat Gordon
reported that Muddy’s is doing
well and they are getting their
ducks in a row for the holiday
season. Lexie Hicks Johnston
saw Emily White in Chicago
for a fun weekend together.
Lots of exciting news about
mini-2000ers! Courtney Routt
Worthman wrote in to share that
she and Michael are expecting
a baby boy in February. Amy
Reinhardt Robinson has a new
baby, James Dardis Robinson,
who arrived on July 9th. Mimi
started at St. Mary’s Place this
year and absolutely loves it.
Amy will be the godmother for
Courtney’s baby. Mary-Kathryn
Millner Herrington was surprised by the early arrival of
Logan Hart Herrington, who has
stolen the hearts of the family.
Lessie Calhoun Rainey is still at
the DA’s office and loving it. Baby
James is doing great. Lisa Ansley
Clapper continues at Morgan
Stanley and loves it despite this
crazy market. Robby graduated
from law school, and Lily is
continuing to amaze every day.
Sarah Montgomery Prudhon is
working to finish up the didactic
portion of grad school and starts
clinical in January. Etta Louise
is 18 months old and words just
cannot describe how amazingly
fulfilling she makes life every
day. Megha Karkera Kanjia is
settling into Houston, and loving life with little Kish. Carrie
Lawson Wills really likes working in the cardiac ICU. Carrie
says Lela is a super fun kid and
they have nightly dance parties.
Charley and Whitney Baer got
engaged in June in San Sebastian
(thanks for recommendations
Liz Palomo!) and then decided
to relocate to Montana! She is
still working for UM’s Institute
for Intelligent Systems. She will
finish the grants/cross-country
commute for the foreseeable
future.
–2001
Lauren Anderson Stone
[email protected]
Well ladies, here we are fifteen years later…wow! Kristen
Beasley McGlasson is now the
Literacy Coach for K-2 at Promise
Academy. Kristen and Michael
welcomed Nicholas Edward
McGlasson into this world on
August 27th, 2013, and this
past June, Christopher Watts
McGlasson was born. Caroline
Gardner left the world of beer
at MillerCoors and moved back
to banking at BMO Harris in
Chicago. Caroline enjoyed seeing
a number of classmates at Susan
Buckner Rose’s wedding this
summer. Susan married Cullen
Rose on August 1 at Calvary
Church, with a reception at
Annesdale Mansion in Memphis.
Courtney Taylor Humphreys
also enjoyed catching up at
Susan’s wedding. Courtney and
her family moved to Midtown
and are really enjoying it, especially now that Baby Humphreys
#3, Ann Emerson, is here. Anna
Snyder Rojas and Philip are also
anticipating an arrival in April,
and Jane is excited to be a big
sister. Nishta Mehra and Jill were
thrilled to finally get married
in July after 13 years! Her mom
and Shiv were witnesses to the
intimate ceremony. She reports
that they still can’t believe it’s
real and that they can file taxes
jointly and all kinds of other romantic stuff. They honeymooned
in Santa Fe earlier this fall.
Elizabeth Laws also got married to Byron Fuller in October.
Royce Miller lost her mom, Faye,
this summer, which has been
incredibly tough because they
were so close. Morgan Raines is
now at the London office of the
American law firm, Greenberg
Traurig Maher LLP, in their commercial property department.
Louise Chandler Biedenharn
took some time off after Dorothy
was born, but is currently with
Glankler Brown as a contract
attorney. Louise and I have
At a baby shower for Mary Austin Mays Smith ’03, who later had a boy, were Ginny Taylor ’03,
Margaret Ann Klinke Mays ’03, Mary Austin, Sarah Machin ’03, Elliot Machin ’06, Lizzie Gill ’03,
and Bethany Mays Owen ’93.
both run into Sarah Matthews
Pietrangelo and her little Louise
at the zoo. Louise P. introduced
my Anderson to the farm train,
and it’s now a must-see attraction. Luisa Peredo Ewing
and family are still in London,
though they moved from a flat
to a house this summer. She
had a baby girl, Adriana Sophia
Camelia Ewing, in July! Ashley
Ayres Bryant, Josh, and Mac
welcomed baby Cole in June.
Ashley says that Mac has totally
fallen into his new role as big
brother. Now if Cole would just
sleep…I feel her pain on that
one. Clifton, Anderson, and I
welcomed Waring in August. He
is a really sweet, smiley baby,
and we just adore him. I can’t
wait to see many of you in April
at our 15th reunion! Seems like
only yesterday we were reenacting Les Miz scenes in the parking
lot on Black Friday.
–2002
Polly Klyce Pennoyer
[email protected]
The Class of 2002 continues to
thrive and expand! Several of our
classmates had a fun and actionpacked weekend in Nashville to-
Suzie Loveless ’03 (left) and Katie Friend ’02
at London Bridge.
WINTER 2015 | 35
Class Notes
Lauren Lazar ’04 celebrated her 30th birthday with classmates (back row, from left)
Shea O’Rourke Quraishi, Sarah Carter, Sasha Castroverde, Brittany Johnson
Hernandez, Marion Phillips, Supriya Sarkar. Front row, from left: Camille Wingo,
Shelby Deeney, Elizabeth Stevenson, Lauren Lazar, Lauren Arnold,
Taylor Fisher, Elise Addington Dugger
gether, including Nicole Osborne
Steck, Lisa Mabry, Elsa Monge
DeGroot, Ann Burruss, Rebecca
Sawyer, and Elizabeth Campbell.
Nicole continues to enjoy work
in marketing at Glaxo-Smith
Kline. Lisa is finishing up her last
year of a radiology fellowship
in Birmingham, before moving
to Atlanta for another radiology
fellowship at Emory, specializing
in mammography (overachiever);
in between all of her radiology
work, she is excited to be wedding planning. Elsa now oversees
marketing for Central and South
America for Chili’s international
restaurants from Dallas. Ann is
still in Memphis, where she has
begun work as a multi-sensory
tutor for children with dyslexia
and other specific language
disabilities; she even works for
SMS sometimes. Ann is also
knee-deep in wedding plans
as well. Elizabeth is finishing a
fellowship in endocrinology and
starting her job search; while
she was home in Memphis,
she ran into former classmate
Christina Leatherman! Small
world. Lindsey Coates is still in
Orlando, where she has joined
the staff of Summit Church, and
as part of her work she leads
regular church services at the
Orange County Jail. Catherine
Ferguson Conger and her family
are still in S.C., where they have
36 |
just moved into a new house
they built. Meanwhile, Wendi
Muse continues to circle the
globe, with stops off in São Paulo
and Rio for research, New York
for teaching and PhD work; she
is working as a TA for a course
on the African Diaspora at NYU.
Naree Chan and husband Alby
left Boston for Taipei, Taiwan,
where he is working. Naree does
legal work is starting a small
jewelry business on the side.
Our New Orleans contingent
continues to thrive as well:
Rachel Andersen is fostering
baby squirrels (of course) and
making sculptures on the side,
all while working with special
education students at a charter
school. Laura Hettinger continues to work as a paralegal
and to nurture her creative
side with freelance calligraphy
and painting projects. Kelsey
Freebing went to NOLA to visit
Laura and George. When she’s
at her normal post, Kelsey
works for Ernst & Young in
D.C. Katie Friend reports that
she took an amazing European
vacation with her cousin, Suzie
Loveless ’03; stateside, she
continues to work for Teach for
America in the Delta. Also local
is Leslie Guinn Jerkins, whose
third kiddo George was born
in May. Her older two, Juliette
and Molly, have both started at
Classmates from 2004 celebrate together: From left, Kristin
Barry Gibson (with Gracie), Blair Carter Tait, Laine Peeler,
Lucy Harris Collins, and Martha Ferguson Burke.
SMS this year, and Leslie is now
back at work at her ad agency
post. Newly local is Whitney
Long Neal, who moved back
to Memphis over the summer.
Emily May Lequerica continues to enjoy married life and
teaching at PDS. Hillary Burkett
is happily settled in Knoxville,
working as a senior healthcare
consultant and enjoying spending time with her two (adorable!) dogs. Anna Coplon Suen
and husband Garrett welcomed
an adorable baby boy named
Brandon in July. They are still in
Madison, Wis. Anna, maybe y’all
should move home too! Farther
west, Melissa Lawson Romero
and husband Carlos share their
Colorado home with two dogs,
four chickens and an adorable
(bilingual!) two-year-old daughter Etta. Melissa is finishing up a
clerkship at the Colorado Court
of Appeals, and next up for her is
a District Court federal clerkship.
Farthest west of our correspondents was Marley Baer, who
finished up an MBA program
at Vanderbilt in the spring and
moved out to Los Angeles, where
she is now having a “magical”
experience working for Disney,
as well as wedding planning.
I’m continuing to work as a
financial regulatory lawyer for
Davis Polk in NYC, and Robbie
and I continue to live in New
Haven, Conn., where he is in his
last year of divinity school. Our
daughter Victoria continues to
thrive, daycare illness notwithstanding. Keep the news flowing,
my dears! It’s always a joy to
hear from so many of you.
–2003
Laurence Goodwin
[email protected]
Suzie Loveless is still working
as Manager of Alumni Affairs for
Teach For America and trying to
travel as much as possible; she
recently spent 15 days exploring
Ireland, Wales, and England with
her cousin, Katie Friend (’02).
Musette Morgan is living in New
York and working on lots of large
landscape and portrait commissions at the moment. She’s
been in Memphis a lot lately
supporting her brother Worth’s
campaign for a seat on the City
Council. Louise Schumacher
Timmons is busy working with
designers and architects at
Jerry Pair in Atlanta and looking after her little girl, Anne
Parkes. Jessica Pfeffer is teaching
“Introduction to Queer Studies”
at Tufts this fall as well as
“Women, History, and Culture” at
Suffolk University; she continues
to work on her PhD. Lizzie Gill
is working away at her business, No Limits Tutoring. Sarah
Braden just moved to St. Louis,
and is working on her Masters
of Arts in Theological Studies
from Covenant Seminary. Julia
McMillen is graduating from
residency in family medicine
at the UW in June, and will be
doing primary care for people
of all ages, prenatal care, and
delivering babies at a clinic.
Anna Schwartz Shabtay and her
family are moving to Houston
in December. Sarah Machin
has coined my favorite phrase
ever this round of classnotes –
“adulting like champions.” She’s
currently working as a geologist for an oil company in town
called Continental Resources.
Nicole Henderson Trenholme
moved to Columbia, Mo., for a
residency in Emergency and
Critical Care at the University
of Missouri’s Veterinary School.
Jessica Scott Fowler and Ben
spent three weeks in Europe this
summer; she is still working for
Boosterthon. Her job is actually
based out of Atlanta, so she travels there once a month, oftentimes getting to stay with Kelly
Sandefer Dennis. Chloe Lackie
Zingaro is working with patients
with borderline personality
disorders and self-harm issues
at her psychotherapy practice
in Dallas. Brianna Winsett
Chapman just bought a second flower shop this fall where
“they still use Rolodexes and no
computer.” Finally, in other news,
the little ones have arrived!
Congratulations to Mary Austin
Mays Smith and Scott on the
birth of their little boy Davidson.
Mary Austin is enjoying her new
job working with two other pediatric dentists at Brink and White
Pediatric Dental Associates.
Anna Taylor Halton and Andrew
welcomed their baby girl in July.
Anna says baby June makes her
“laugh every day.” Katie Hobson
Novikoff and Chris are enjoying
spending time with their Lizzy in
St. Louis and still working with
the urban non-profit Rebirth,
while Anne Taylor Tipton
Manning and Reid welcomed
baby Eleanor in September.
–2004
Shea O’Rourke Quraishi
[email protected]
We have much to celebrate!
Shona Strachan Singer and husband Scott welcomed their first
daughter Maggie Irene Singer in
October. Martha Ferguson Burke
and husband Chris welcomed
their first daughter Elizabeth
“Lizzie” Ann Burke in October.
They look forward to spending
Christmas in Memphis and hope
to see some SMSers! Angela
Wilcox married Tommy Palmer
in September, with airplane
tricks to the Top Gun soundtrack. Jessica Walker married
Chris Wiley in October and
honeymooned in Jamaica. Lucy
Harris married Joshua Collins in
October, with Martha Ferguson
Burke, Lori Goldstein, Blair
Carter Tait, and Piper Gray as
bridesmaids. Natalie Hartmann
is enjoying living in Atlanta and
working as a physical therapist
in the inpatient rehab setting at
DeKalb Medical Center. Sarah
Carter just passed her exam as
a Certified Pediatric Nurse and
continues through her third and
final year toward a Master of
Science in Nursing at Vanderbilt.
Caitlin Carr is enjoying her
first year as an OBGYN resident physician at the Cleveland
Clinic Foundation. Kristin Barry
Gibson continues to work as a
nurse in Charlotte, N.C., in the
Electrophysiology Lab and enjoys
being mom to Gracie and to a
baby boy due in December. She
looks forward to seeing lots of
SMSers at the upcoming weddings of Laine Peeler. Lauren
Arnold is spending a year getting a Masters of Public Health
at Columbia’s Mailman School
of Public Health before finishing
her last year of medical school
at Columbia. She’s also excited
that her sister Mimi Arnold ’06
recently moved to NYC with
her fiancé. Connor Trott is a
board-certified physical therapist at Baptist North Mississippi
Outpatient Physical Therapy.
Kaitlin Ridder Jaqua is surviving her second year of urology
residency at Indiana University
in Indianapolis. Rachel Bearman
is enjoying her many adventures
as the solo rabbi of Temple B’nai
Chaim in Connecticut. Sasha
Castroverde was promoted to
Assistant Director of Harvard
University’s capital campaign.
She enjoyed seeing so many
SMS friends for Angela Wilcox’s
wedding in Memphis and Lauren
Lazar’s thirtieth birthday in
Dallas. Victoria Luke Morich is
wrapping up her MBA at Georgia
Tech and will be graduating in
May 2016 with concentrations in
Strategy and Entrepreneurship.
To procrastinate studying, she
spends time spoiling her three
nephews in Atlanta and helping
her sister, Jennifer Luke ’02, plan
her wedding. Camille Wingo
recently moved to Dallas, where
she lives around the corner
from Lauren Lazar and Taylor
Fisher and works in marketing at Frito-Lay. Piper Gray still
works in New York as a senior
copywriter at Warby Parker.
Clare Patterson and her husband
Nathan are moving to Tampa,
where he will be starting a job as
a staff pharmacist and she’ll be
applying to physician’s assistant
schools. Elizabeth Jemison is
Assistant Professor of Religion
at Clemson University teaching
American religious history. She
and husband Andrew both enjoy
spending time with Elizabeth
Stevenson, who just began her
seventh year teaching kindergarten. She enjoyed summer
trips to Nantucket and Colorado,
where she saw Shelby Deeney,
who still loves living in Denver
and looks forward to skiing this
winter. Marion Phillips plans
to visit for a ski vacation in
February. Martha Guinn Carter
and husband Dudley went to
Yellowstone this fall and had
a blast; it was the first vacation leaving daughter Jane with
her grandparents. Zoë Kahn is
studying for her LCSW licensing exam and looking forward
to joining private practice in
Los Angeles. She plans to take
more time off to travel following the exam and will be
visiting Lawrence Taylor Elliot,
Lauren Brooks Foti, and Natalie
Hartmann in December. George
and I are in Tampa settling into
our first house and preparing for
our first puppy, thus fulfilling all
of my animal-nut tendencies.
Love to all!
–2005
Sarah Atkinson Ball
[email protected]
Lauren Wiygul Riley
[email protected]
Laine Peeler ’04 shares her wedding
day with Blair Carter Tait ’04.
Heather Nadolny is still in the
D.C. area serving as Technology
Associate for two campuses of
the DC Prep Charter Schools.
Rainey Ray Segars and husband
Coleton moved to and from NYC,
and Rainey has started working
at SMS as Director of Alumnae.
She and Coleton joyfully welcomed their son Teddy Taylor
in October; they are looking
forward to what they hope will
be a quiet, predictable 2016 as a
WINTER 2015 | 37
Class Notes
With Jenny West Fagan ’06 after her Alum Chapel talk are,
from left, Erin Sandefer ’07, Jenny, and Morgan Beckford ’06.
family of three. Falconer Robbins
graduated from Columbia with
a Master’s degree in social work
and recently started work at
the Issroff Family Foundation
as the Foundation Coordinator
in NYC. Her focus is “grant
making for small grassroots
organizations in Africa that
provide service and support for
youth and children.” Elizabeth
Tipton Musick graduated from
law school at the University of
Montana in May and started a
job at Oracle at their campus
in Bozeman, Mont., in August,
where she is negotiating Public
Cloud contracts. Barbara
Phillips Hunsicker was promoted to Vocational Advisor
and Coordinator of Presbyterian
Ministries at Fuller Seminary,
and joined the Cathedral Choir
at First Presbyterian Church of
Hollywood. Abby Schwimmer
Fox married Sean in May at
the Memphis Waterworks,
sharing the day with Emily
Templeton Gray, Erica Evans,
Katie Brookoff, Laura Jennings
Yacoubian, Megan Bailey,
Elizabeth Batchelor Calkins, and
Emily Schwimmer Cohen ’04.
Abby and Sean live in Atlanta
and discovered that Nelie
Zanca ’03 lives in their apartment building! Emily Templeton
Gray will participate in the St.
Jude Ride fundraiser this fall,
38 |
After possibly St. Mary’s first underwear Alum Chapel talk, Karen Stein ’09 (center),
an executive at SPANX, posed with classmates (from left) Wallis Tosi,
Bailey Bethell, Claire Riley, and Jordan Reeve.
with Megan Bailey as a teammate. Grace Jensen Knight
and husband Ethan welcomed
baby Joshua; Grace is working
in the Admission Office at SMS
and dropped this knowledge
on us: our class has the most
alums working at SMS of all the
classes! Impressive information
gathering, Grace—did Alison
“The Source” West Pettus
have anything to do with that?
Lauren Kennedy Dake says
“recently, I won the battle of
Mom vs Margaret’s pacifier—
a welcomed victory.” Lauren
looks forward to hosting a baby
shower for Lauren Wiygul Riley
with Laura Montague Haltom,
Collin Wilson Buckner, Kate
Messenger Mendez, and Sarah
Atkinson Ball. Catie Jane Berger
is getting married in April and
is then “probably going to settle
down and get a cat. You know,
typical life stuff.” Lizzy Rhea
Cook and husband Stu have
moved back to Memphis. Sarah
Atkinson Ball spends a good
chunk of her free time trying to
hang out with the Memphians
of this group. She relishes the
opportunity to be in public with
SMS middle school teacher i.e.
local celebrity Lauren Wiygul
Riley and bask in the glow of
Lauren’s limelight. Sarah and
Erica Evans frequently lunch on
Main Street, where every fourth
passer-by knows Erica and joyously exclaims at her presence.
Sarah has managed to keep her
self-esteem despite all her celebrity friends.
2006
Becky Bicks
[email protected]
The class of 2006 is up to exciting things across the globe, and
we can’t wait to reunite soon
for our 10th reunion! Rachel
Johnston-White married Iain
Johnston-White on June 24 in
Cambridge, UK. The wedding
was attended by Katie Camille
Friedman, Mansi Narula,
Morgan Beckford, Aasiya
Mirza Glover, and Frances
Leslie. Rebecca Anderson married Alaric Eby on October 10
at Calvary Episcopal Church
in Memphis. The wedding was attended by Ellen
Bransford, Grace Wheeler
Davis, Courtney Foreman
Guilfoile, Elizabeth Harris, Holly
Hendrix, Elize Mercer, Minor
Moore, Elizabeth Anderson ’09,
and Zuzanna Stepniakowska
’09. Meredith Robinson loves
her job at Syndicatebleu creative
staffing and recruiting agency.
She still lives in Brooklyn
with her dog, Arsenic. Aasiya
Mirza Glover has moved to
NYC with her husband and
son and is working at the law
firm Debevoise & Plimpton. She
is also expecting a daughter,
who is due in November. Evie
Lyras is enjoying the bright and
sunny weather in LA, where
she works as a marketing
director for a startup and visits
with Morgan Robbins, Kristi
Ryan, and Chandler Ford. Lulu
Wilson is an interior designer for
the Richmond office of MOI Inc.,
a commercial furniture dealership. She was also the Maid of
Honor in her sister Marynelle
Wilson’s ’99 wedding in
Washington, DC. Catherine
Smith Denman is working as
the librarian and technology
integrationist at the Memphis
campus of St. George’s. Minor
Moore is busy with a class
of 16 energetic 3rd graders.
Mamie Kostka is now officially
a licensed Landscape Architect
in Tennessee. Her new roommate in Nashville is Katherine
Fockler, who works at the
Buntin Group as a brand manager. Jenna McNair is teaching
therapeutic riding lessons at
Trinity Farm in Lakeland. Lauren
Bowden is currently a first-year
MBA at University of Virginia
Darden School of Business. Kim
Johnson Radant is still living
in Detroit with her husband
Matt and loving her new job as
a middle school counselor for
Grosse Pointe Public Schools.
She said it was great to see so
many ’06ers at Ellen Page’s wedding in July! Katie Camille
Friedman is still doing PhD
research in the Netherlands.
Jenay Gipson Boggs is enjoying married life and her fourth
year teaching kindergarten in
Binghampton. Lizzie Harris is
now working in wholesale insurance as an Associate Broker at
Burns & Wilcox Brokerage in
Dallas, and she is a member
of their Emerging Leadership
Program. Elizabeth Braden is
in her second year of Princeton
in Africa. She has traveled to
eight different countries on the
African continent this year. The
program sends recent college
graduates to work in serviceoriented position in Africa
for a year. Past participants
include Elizabeth Jemison ’04
and Katie Camille Friedman. This
year Meg Gould ’11 is a Fellow
serving in Botswana. Becky
Bicks spent most of 2015 traveling and writing across Scotland
and Scandinavia. She was lucky
enough to catch up with Nikki
Jones on a short trip to London
in August. –2007
Caitlin Clark
[email protected]
Caitlin Colcolough
[email protected]
Zina Kumok just moved to
Denver with her husband and
dog and is a full-time freelance
writer specializing in personal finance. Chelsea Cook is finishing
her last two years of law school
at Stanford University. Before
school started, she packed
her car with her belongings
and her dog and they roadtripped across the USA. Hallie
Flanagan is in her first semester of law school at University
of Memphis. She spent the
weekend with Suzanne Ray
and Anna Bearman celebrating
Alexandra Mims’ bachelorette
weekend. Alexandra got married
in November to Andrew Pike.
Charlotte Eagle is living in D.C.
working for an art conservation firm cleaning and restoring
paintings. Caitlin Colcolough
is still living in Charleston, S.C.,
working full-time for herself
making films. She does mostly
weddings and small promo
videos, and gets to work with
Cameron Colcolough Reynolds
a lot too. Erin Fowler and
Caroline Fentress travelled in
New Zealand for two weeks in
September, living out their 8th
grade Lord of the Rings fantasies.
Caroline also just started a new
job in downtown LA as a producer at a mobile gaming studio.
Caitlin Clark is living the busy
medicine intern life in Kansas
City, but loving her new home
and new city. She even ran into
Victoria Rizk, who was interviewing for fellowship positions,
while working at the hospital.
2008
Katelyn Ammons
[email protected]
Margaret Liddon
[email protected]
Edie Miller
[email protected]
Elizabeth Holt is enjoying Memphis and her new
job in fundraising at ALSAC/
St. Jude Children’s Research
Hospital. Also in Memphis,
Margarett Frisby is working at First Tennessee Bank in
Corporate Communications
as the Employee Engagement
Manager. Cristen Garrett is in
her 3rd year at Emory Medical
School. Memory Madden moved
from Atlanta to Austin, Texas,
and is working for a commercial real estate company.
Rachel McLemore is busy with
her PhD in History in Oxford.
Rachael Holley just started
improv classes and took her
first trip to Colorado for Jessica
Farris Zafarris’s wedding with
MC Holliday, Mary Catherine
Chase, and Georgina Leslie.
Congratulations to Caitlin
Smith who got engaged this May
and moved to Birmingham. Tina
Xie got engaged in December
2014, and is now traveling
around Southeast Asia, getting into architectural design.
Katherine Xie is thoroughly
enjoying herself on the wards as
a third year medical student in
Cleveland. She loves her time in
the operating room and wants
to be an orthopedic surgeon.
Nicolette Overton completed
her Masters in Journalism this
May. Divya Moolchandani is
looking forward to graduating with her Masters in Health
Administration in December
and is enjoying living in DC
and getting to see Nayha
Patel, Sarah Wortham,
and Jenny Guyton. Jenny had an
exciting beginning to fall, getting
engaged in The Grand Caymans!
Mary Ward Pollard is busy
planning a June wedding while
finishing her clinical psychology
doctoral dissertation. Hanna
Gordon Oysel and Franck welcomed family from France who
loved seeing America for the first
time. Anna Wheeler is so happy
to have Margaret Liddon in
Nashville and enjoys working
at First Presbyterian Church
and volunteering with Preston
Taylor Ministries. Along with
moving to Nashville this summer, Margaret also got engaged!
Ayana Fletcher-Tyson just
began the Reading Specialist
Masters Program at Peabody at
Vanderbilt. Also in Nashville,
Anisa Allad is enjoying her
second year teaching middle
school special education. She
had an amazing time in NYC
visiting Morgan Jordan, Saba
Dilawari, and Lane Feler for
her fall break. Ariel Mason
passed the bar this summer
and is working as an attorney in
Nashville. Meg Fowler started
her first year at Vanderbilt Law
School in August, and is grateful
to have her Vandy upperclass-
man Elise Heuberger ’10 as a
constant source of support and
inspiration as she begins this
new and challenging journey.
Edie Miller is now in graduate
school at UAB in Birmingham
and working part-time at UAB
Hospital. Estes Gould recently
accepted a position as Program
Coordinator for the Aspen
Institute’s Ideas Festival. Annie
Ostrow Anderson is starting her
fourth year in her PhD program.
She is serving as a project
assistant for a top tier journal
and as the teaching assistant
mentor. Kathryn Feder Cooper is
enjoying her third year of
teaching kindergarten in Boston.
Her summer was filled with love
and joy as she celebrated her
marriage to Alex Cooper.
–2009
Bailey Bethell
[email protected]
Sylvia Brookoff
[email protected]
Reagan Bugg is enjoying clinical rotations in her third year
at Mississippi State College of
Veterinary Medicine. Alex Tyler
is working as a Search Marketing Specialist at iProspect, a
global digital marketing agency
in Fort Worth, Texas. Sasha Joyce
is living in Memphis while she
completes her Masters in Urban
Studies with a concentration
in Youth Development via a
blended program with Eastern
University. Lavanya Mittal is
in the process of finding a new
parka for the long, dark winter
on the horizon. At med school in
da Bronx, she is on her radiology clerkship. Sam Baumstark is
starting her second year working
at Cedars-Sinai as a software
analyst and loves living in Pasadena, California. That is all to
report, as she has unfortunately
just discovered the black hole
that is Netflix. Bailey Bethell is
studying in the Physician Assistant Program at UTHSC in Memphis. Wallis Tosi recently got a
WINTER 2015 | 39
Class Notes
puppy named Quinn after our
beloved Madame Quinn! Jordan
Reeve is still living in Nashville
working for Caterpillar Financial,
and she recently started a new
position in the credit department. Claire Riley recently
visited Christine Petrin in D.C.
and Zuzanna Stepniakowska
in Seattle before heading to see
her students in Madrid. Sylvia
Brookoff had a brief stint as the
world’s first Senor Frogs mascot.
Next up is the Carnegie Deli
pickle and she has the turkey
costume to thank for this weird
interest in mascots she’s developed. Natalie Jacewicz spends
her days watching whales while
pursuing a Masters in science
communications at UC Santa
Cruz. She received a fellowship
from the National Association of
Science Writers.
–2010
Rachel Stuart
[email protected]
Callie McCool is loving her
second year at Baylor College
of Medicine in Houston. Also
currently living in Houston
is Allison Connell, who has
enjoyed being able to travel
around the country for work. Sri
Pulusani and Mary Stevenson
are enjoying their time as firstyear med students together at
UT. In NYC, Ann Yacoubian is
also preparing for the medical
field with graduate premedical
studies at Columbia and
working as a medical scribe
and translator in an emergency
room in the Bronx. Liz Damoc
is working in Dallas on medical
device sales for Smith &
Nephew and is now in the OR
for trauma and extremities.
She is also preparing for the
Dallas Marathon in December.
Ali Fishman is finishing her
last quarter of portfolio school
while working at an advertising
firm and experiencing Chicago
Cubs baseball in person. Carey
Segal is still sailing the high
seas, performing as a dancer and
aerialist for Royal Caribbean’s
40 |
newest ship, the Anthem of the
Seas. Also travelling the world
is Rachel Green, who graduated
from Indiana University this
May and received a Mitchell
Scholarship, under which she
is pursuing an MA in Conflict
Transformation & Social Justice
in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her
dissertation topic is the impact
of social conflict on women.
Kathryn Fowler has graduated
from clown school and is now
pursuing a career in advanced
pyrotechnics. She hopes to one
day marry a very wealthy man
whose trust fund can support
her slowly developing collection
of antique train sets. Elise
Heuberger is enjoying spending
her second year at Vanderbilt
Law with first-year and fellow
SMS alumna Meg Fowler ’08.
Elise is currently working in the
Tennessee Attorney General’s
office as an extern and looking
forward to her summer job
plans. Cara Greenstein is
becoming famous — her blog
Caramelized was recently
recognized in The Commercial
Appeal’s 2015 Memphis Most
awards as the Best Blog! At
Emory, Nica Cabigao is pursuing
her Masters in Public Health,
with a concentration in Health
Management. In her spare time,
she frequently visits friends
and family in Chicago and
Memphis, and she especially
enjoys spending time with
her niece, Olive. Hensley Loeb
moved to Nashville in February,
where she is working at JLL,
the second largest real estate
company in the world. On her
days off from school, Lauren
Echlin serves as a substitute
teacher at Holy Rosary in
Memphis. Also still in Memphis
is Allie Pryor, who is scribing
in the Le Bonheur emergency
department while working at
another year of nursing school.
Alex Fountain is pleased to
be returning to Memphis from
her previous work in Colorado.
She will be working at St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital.
Folake Thomas is celebrating
Alumnae from the Washington, D.C., area gathered with Head of School
Albert Throckmorton recently. From left, Erin Fowler ’07, Mary Peeler ’11,
Sarah Jemison ’11, Emma Farris ’15. Photo credit: Marinell Throckmorton
another semester of teaching
8th graders. Lauren Pelts is
at the University of Memphis,
pursuing her Masters in Speech
Language Pathology. In San
Francisco, Sami Rosenthal is
working at a clean tech software
company called Opower. Kayla
Rosenberg is enjoying producing
her new YouTube show “Child
Therapy,” a web comedy series
in which people discuss their
problems with a therapist,
who happens to be 6 years old.
Allie Baker Shields graduated
with her Masters in Nursing in
August and just got certified as
a Primary Care Pediatric Nurse
Practitioner. She is also pleased
to report that she and husband
Joseph welcomed James Curtis
Shields II into their family on May
29th! Rachel Stuart loved being
back in Rochester this summer
for her first field education
placement at Asbury First
United Methodist Church, and is
settling into her middler year at
Princeton Seminary. Sims Munn
Bowen got married in August
and moved to Birming-ham.
She’s working for a non-profit
that works with inner city kids.
–2011
Meg Cornaghie
[email protected]
Meriweather Adams loved
her internship with Hollywood
Feed this summer and has
recently started a hand-lettered
print and stationery business
at handletteredwithlove.com.
Sarah Jemison loves living
in D.C., where she works in
charter school administration
and recently got to see Lauren
Harrington, Louisa Boyd, and
Meg Cornaghie. Lauren just
got engaged to the man of her
dreams and began the Capital
Fellows Program in Washington,
D.C., where she takes seminary
graduate level classes while
working at the Federal Reserve
and learning how to blend
her faith with her vocation.
After graduating from UVA,
Louisa moved to D.C., working
on a Phase II clinical trial for
the National Human Genome
Research Institute. She hopes
to start medical school in the
fall and is enjoying this year
off from school. Meg Gould is
teaching at a secondary school
in Gaborone, Botswana, through
a one-year fellowship called
Princeton in Africa, spending
her time doing old and new
hobbies like (coaching) soccer,
ultimate frisbee, adventuring,
and looking up math videos.
Teresa Hendrix is working in
Memphis as a Digital Marketing
& Public Relations Coordinator at
Speak Creative. She also recently
adopted a dog named Tracy Rene
from Real Good Dog Rescue.
Margaret McClintock has started
working at an online media
company called StyleBlueprint
in Nashville and is loving it.
Allyson Patterson adopted a
snuggly kitten named Sasha
(so fierce) and works for an
architecture firm called Planning
Design Research in Houston. She
looks forward to returning to
Nashville to see her artwork in
an exhibition this fall, and she
sees Meg Cornaghie in Houston
regularly. Meg graduated from
Rice in May and is deep into her
first semester of medical school
at Baylor College of Medicine in
Houston. After graduating from
UNC in May, Mary Peeler spent
the summer traveling around
Europe with her sisters and
friends from undergrad. She
just started her first semester of
medical school at Johns Hopkins
in Baltimore. Erika Steuer moved
to Albany, N.Y. and started a job
as the Director of Fundraising
& Public Relations at an allboys charter high school. Sam
Taylor graduated from Ohio
State University in Mechanical
Engineering, Summa Cum Laude. Sam has accepted a fellowship
from the University of Texas
in Austin, and is pursuing a
PhD in Mechanical Engineering
with a research emphasis in
Additive Manufacturing and
Design. Susan Waggoner is
back in Memphis working at an
ad agency and enjoying all the
new, fun things Memphis has
to offer. She regularly sees Lucy
Wade Shapiro, who is also in
Memphis and is working at the
Church Health Center. Whitney
Wortham loves living in NYC
with Virginia Preston, next
to a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream
store. Whitney still wear socks
with her sandals and loves
graduate school. Maria Zoccola
is spending the year studying
writing for her masters in rainy
southwest England.
–2012
Chandler Roberts
[email protected]
Ellery Ammons
[email protected]
Jodie Struminger is currently
serving as the Director of
Outstanding Alumna Award Nominations
It’s time to nominate someone amazing for the
Outstanding Alumna Award presented at Alumnae Weekend,
April 22, 2016. The nomination process is new – and simpler! –
this year: ALL alumnae, no matter what their graduating
year, are eligible. To make a nomination,
go to www.stmarysschool.org/alumnaeawards.
The award honors an alumna’s faithfulness, service, curiosity,
courage, compassion, leadership, and kindness.
Outreach for Wash U’s Dance
Marathon and is looking forward
to choreographing a piece for
the student showcase in the
spring. Alix de Witt is making
the trek through David Foster
Wallace’s Infinite Jest to complete
her English major requirements.
Carol Elsakr is helping conduct
clinical trials of PK treatment
for congenital Giygas syndrome,
and hoping her work will be
published in a medical journal.
Sara Kim had the opportunity
to continue working with her
summer internship at the
International Association of
National Public Health Institutes.
She is currently applying to
public health schools and jobs.
Lauren Pate is enjoying her
last year at Notre Dame and is
currently applying to law school
for fall of 2016. She is enjoying
being the 1st floor RA in her
dorm. Megan Guyton spent her
summer interning in the External
Relations Office at British School
of Brussels. Brooks Wingate
started University of Tennessee
College of Pharmacy in Memphis.
Melissa Byrd is busy continuing
her work with St. Jude both on
campus and in her third year
interning at ALSAC, finishing
up her Public Relations courses,
and cheering on her University
of Memphis Tigers. Lesley
Stevenson greatly enjoyed the
honor of getting Jimmy Fallon’s
coffee this summer and seeing
all the Broadway musicals she
could afford. She hopes to see
some Turkey friends at her Alum
Chapel Talk on January 5. Liz
Carter has started her fourth
year at UTK in Architecture
and English-Technical
Communications. She is
interning as a science editor
at the College of Veterinary
Medicine and loves getting to
advance her editing skills in
such a different field. Chandler
Roberts is enjoying her last year
of Nursing School at TCU and
loves working on the floor at a
local hospital. Ellery Ammons
researched urban branding with
the Rhodes Institute for Regional
Studies over the summer and
is loving every moment of
Senior year. Ramie Mansberg is
working on her senior thesis at
the University of Texas about the
power of high school athletics in
helping build resilience.
–2013
Anna Utley
[email protected]
Anna Stukenborg
[email protected]
Sukriti Mohan is working at a
free clinic and autism residential
center. Liv Stevens is in Vienna,
Austria, for the semester
learning German and eating
lots of kuchen (cake). Elianna
Landau is studying in Seville
and living with a host family.
Alexa Fila has moved on from
Newk’s and is now working in
the computer and electrical
engineering office on campus
at UAB. Rachel Chu is living
in Sewanee’s women’s center,
which is one of the only studentled college women’s centers in
the country! Emily Rosenthal is
excited to be doing Semester at
Sea next semester. Katie Heard
is going into her final year and
looking for a job #adult. Nikki
Cox is collaborating with Dr.
Federico Vaca on a project that
will be published in the Journal
of Traffic Injury Prevention.
Emma Less is currently majoring
in strategic communications
and minoring in film & media
studies and arts administration
at TCU. Zoe Van Deveer is
studying abroad in Prague and
was elected VP of finance for
Pi Beta Phi at Richmond. Becky
Park is studying in Seoul, Korea,
this semester. Claire Fogarty
is experiencing the classic
existential crisis of “what do I
want to do with my life?” Lida
Kruchten changed her major
to management information
systems and is working as a law
clerk. Anna Peeler just started
nursing school and is working
as an EMT and got to give Alexa
Fila her flu shot. Grace Bettis is
starting a chapter at Arkansas
of Lamba Alpha Episilon,
a national criminal justice
society. Mashal Mirza is still
battling her way through premed classes, debating on med
school or becoming a YouTube
sensation. Hana Roussey is
still a nursing major and has
already given her first shot.
Francie Saunders is an ecology
major and evolutionary biology
major with a new business
minor and will be studying in
Tanzania in the spring. Lillian
Norcross is a marketing major
with a minor in general business
at Arkansas. Anna Taylor is a
microbiology major, working
nights as a medical scribe and
will start working in a micro
lab next semester. Catherine
Moore has started pharmacy
school. Sophie Skouteris loves
having her sister in Fayetteville
now, and just applied to be an
assistant for the Razorbacks
Sports Dietitian. Caela Rhea
is l majoring in Psychology
at UTK, hoping to get a PhD
in either clinical or forensic
psychology. Ellie Harrison is
double majoring in psychology
and sociology at Tulane. Grace
Akangbe is a pre-med and music
double major at Rhodes and
enjoys cheering and is starting
a music therapy program at
the Refugee Empowerment
WINTER 2015 | 41
Class Notes
Program. Sarah Spiers is the
editor in chief of Emerson’s game
theory and criticism magazine
and the co-creative director
of an animated short. Helena
Anderson enjoyed an internship
at the Irish Repertory Theatre in
New York this summer and has
transferred from the Playwrights
Horizons Theatre School to the
Experimental Theatre Wing
at Tisch. Kim Taylor switched
her emphasis at TCU to predental. Hannah Stein just
began working at two different
elementary schools and still
loves working at Kendra Scott.
Callie Wallace misses Madrid
and is hitting reality hard as
an accounting and integrated
marketing/communications
major. Rachel Ostrow is still in
mechanical engineering and
attempting to balance AOPi and
her biomedical research. Lucy
Newton has officially declared
a major in general business
with a minor in international
relations and will be graduating
from UAB in August. Landon
Hopkins spent her summer in
London interning for a nonprofit
arts group that deals with prison
art. Devon Simms is majoring
in economics and finance with a
minor in philosophy. Anna Utley
spent her summer in Memphis
interning for York Binkley
Interior design and working at
Madewell. Anna Stukenborg
spent her summer in Cape Town,
South Africa, where she bungee
jumped, sky dived, and cage
dived with sharks!
–2014
Miles Schaeffer
[email protected]
Lacey Chaum
[email protected]
Adair Smith spent the summer
interning with the stylist Avena
Gallagher in N.Y. and is now
working on New York Fashion
Week shows and photo shoots.
Adira Polite is a columnist for
Bowdoin Orient and works
for Bowdoin Resource Center
for Gender and Sexuality
42 |
Diversity. Natalie Meeks
declared Integrated Marketing
Communications as her major
at Ole Miss, and Phoebe Fulmer
worked as a counselor at Camp
Illahee in N.C. this past summer.
She is currently a member of the
community service organization
Sewanee Women Engaging and
Empowering Community. Mary
Allison Pritchard interned at
A Step Ahead Foundation this
past summer and is a DJ on a
local Sewanee radio station, and
Martha Upton has declared a
Kinesiology major at Arkansas.
She is hoping to be a pediatric
physical therapy intern at the
American Heart Association.
Elle Prosterman is a leader for
Young Life in Greenville, S.C., and
loves her sorority KD at Furman.
Nicole Sanford was initiated into
Phi Eta Sigma at Furman, and
Sarah Steuer spent the summer
directing Peter Pan in Hebrew
at a summer camp. She is now
studying theatre, music, and
sociology in London during the
fall semester. Maddie Rhodes
is still enjoying being on the
golf team at Rhodes and her
team has celebrated multiple
wins this year. Gabrielle Taylor
is giving stock pitches for a
paper portfolio with Wellesley
Investment Portfolio Initiative
and is busy fundraising and
event planning as the Chair of
the Kathleen Daly Committee
for Ethos. Miles Schaeffer
has declared an Evolutionary
Anthropology major at Duke
and is currently working in
a research lab studying the
functional anatomy of primates.
Hallie Katz is serving as the vice
president of Challah for Hunger
at USC in L.A. and is enjoying
her time on the club lacrosse
team and in her sorority, ADPi.
Gurbani Singh joined the Emory
Entrepreneurship and Venture
Management club and is helping
with HackATL, the largest startup hackathon in the southeast.
Dena Frisch is an intern with
the Jewish Studies department
at Tulane and is currently
tutoring Hebrew students. She
is also working in the consulting
branch of Tulane’s American
Marketing Association and helps
promote campus clubs and
organizations. Bailey Archey is a
member of a student recruiting
organization for the Honors
College at Mississippi State,
and Abby Huber is currently
serving as the Spirit Coordinator
for Alpha Gamma Delta at the
University of Memphis. She is
also the recruitment director on
the executive board for Up ‘til
Dawn and is now a Non-Profit
Development and Administration
major with a Spanish minor.
Rosemary Dunn has transferred
to the School of Nursing at the
University of Memphis and has
also pledged Kappa Delta. Ellen
Clarke is now a Finance and
Public Relations double major at
the University of Alabama and is
also a part of Capstone Agency,
a student-operated public
relations and advertising firm.
Lacey Chaum enjoyed working at
Sullivan Branding this summer
as an account services intern
and recently joined a for-profit
consulting group at U Penn.
–2015
Michelle Chu
[email protected]
Emma Farris
[email protected]
We are excited to begin class
notes for the Class of 2015!
After being asked to recite no
fewer than 50 digits of pi, Ami
Agrawal was selected to be
a part of Cornell’s Concrete
Canoe Team. Camille Brown
has joined the University of
Alabama at Birmingham’s mock
trial team and the Black Student
Awareness Committee. Kaylan
Pugh traveled to Brazil for
basketball during the summer
and is now playing at The Ohio
State University, majoring in
Neuroscience. Emma Farris is
majoring in International Affairs
at George Washington University,
where she was selected to
Student Government Freshman
Advisory Council. Olivia Bernabe
volunteered at Jenny Madden’s
theatre company, Voices of the
South, this summer. She is pursuing theatre at Sarah Lawrence
College. Sara Brown spent her
summer interning with Blue
Moon Bedding. She is a Tri Delta
at Ole Miss and is enjoying campus youth group RUF. Carleigh
Ebbers is studying Neuroscience,
Physics, and Studio Art, working in digital arts. Kianna Davis
is a volunteer at the Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta and an
employee at the Clifton School.
Yue Wu says she’ll try rowing,
orchestra, and sailing when she
begins her study at Cambridge.
Natalie Dean has joined Kappa
Kappa Gamma at Wisconsin, and
participated in Humorology, a
musical that benefits its philanthropy. Kylie McDowell is
in sustainable urban environments at NYU Tandon School
of Engineering and works as
a nanny. Gretchen Vogt is St.
Mary’s first D1 fencer. This summer she worked in a research lab
at St. Jude. This summer Maggie
McAtee enjoyed standing by her
sister Abby McAtee Gatliff’s ’11
side as she married Cort Gatliff.
Maggie is a Chi Omega at Auburn
University and is working with
Open Hands Overflowing Hearts,
raising money for childhood
cancer research. This summer
Madeleine Lee visited Yue Wu
in Scotland. At NYU, Madeleine
loves film school and has joined
the club lacrosse team. This
summer Chelsea Chin went to
Nicaragua for a mission trip. At
St. Louis University, she rushed
Alpha Delta Pi and volunteers
with Ronald McDonald house.
Ivy Leet is participating in boxing
and recycling at Eckerd, majoring in French and Marine Biology.
Lynley Matthews continues her
swimming career at Columbia
University where she is involved
with St. Jude’s philanthropic organization, Up ‘til Dawn. Brooke
Saharovici joined Chi Omega
at Missouri and was selected to
be on the Journalism Student
Council. Mary Jane McCaghren
is a member of the Sewanee
Milestones
Tennis team and was selected
to the Carey Fellows Business
Program. Jane Morrison
joined Kappa Delta at North
Carolina, and is involved with
the Core Team of the Carolina
Challenge, which plans an
entrepreneurial competition. Tongta Muangsiri
has started cheerleading at
Rangsit University in Thailand
while pursuing a pre-med
major. Mimi Sharp is studying environmental science at
University of Oregon. Abbie
Warr is involved with community outreach with the Bonner
Leader program at Sewanee
and is improving her rowing skills on the crew team.
Ashton Terry is in the honors
program at the University
of Memphis, and recently
traveled to Sparta, Ill., for
trap nationals. At Savannah
College of Art and Design,
Samantha Wischmeyer is
in Expressions Dance Club,
Design Club, and SCAD Radio.
Mary Thompson is a first-year
host at University of Puget
Sound, and volunteers at a
community outreach program
called Pathways. Liza Alrutz
is working on costumes for a
Tennessee Williams show at
Northwestern, pursing a major
in theater. Katherine Harwell
is on Student Government
Diversity Affairs Committee
at UTK and is considering
a major in Global Studies.
Olivia Grace Tennyson spent
summer hiking in Montana
and is now enjoying her
English classes at University
of Richmond. Meredith Wells
is considering pre-med at
UChicago. Liza Curran is
a Chi Omega at Ole Miss
and volunteers at Lafayette
Humane Society. Emily Shores
is a Delta Zeta at Clemson
and is in the pre-med group
Alpha Epsilon Delta. Nessa
Steinberg is in the engineering program at University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
meeting recruiters from Rolls
Royce, Caterpillar, and Yahoo.
Kiraney Loving is writing articles for Bowdoin news about
events on campus. Mary Allen
is involved with the Centre
women’s lacrosse team,
intramural tables tennis,
and Diversity Student Union.
Michelle Chu is a Dining
Loose Ends Coordinator with
Oberlin’s Student Cooperative
Association, allowing students
to cook their own food with
local produce and writes for
the Oberlin Review. Mary
Caroline Newman is loving soccer at Birmingham
Southern College. Pooja
Moolchandani is at USC
and is involved with the Los
Angeles Community Impact
organization that helps local businesses. Courtney
Caradonna is at Tulane and
loves TUSTEP, Tulane’s first
service dog training program.
Madeleine Bradley is a Tri
Delta and nursing major at
Ole Miss. Ayanna Martin is
part of the Ron Brown Scholar
program at Vanderbilt, and is
affiliated with the National
Black Lawyers Student
Association. Carmen Saab
is on the Williams tennis
team and Freshman Student
Council. Hannah Pfrommer
is an Alpha Phi at University
of Colorado Boulder, studying Integrative Physiology.
McKendree Walker is on
the photography team of
the Bridge, Rhodes’s student newspaper given to
homeless vendors for profit.
Meredith Isom is enjoying
Howard, participating in the
Tennessee club, HU College
Democrats, and is volunteering for Howard Fashion Week.
This summer Olivia Landau
interned at the Downtown
Memphis Commission
and went on a month-long
backpacking trip in the Four
Corners. At USC, she is a
Gamma Phi Beta and is enjoying her classes.
Births/Adoptions
Allen Chip TonkinNemeth, son of
Allison Tonkin ’87.
James Curtis Shields II,
son of Allie Baker
Shields ’10.
Katherine Avery Boyd to Alison
Simmons Boyd ’93, April 23, 2015
Cole McCormick Bryant to Ashley
Ayres Bryant ’01, June 22, 2015
Caroline Lawrence Bunker to
Catherine Vaughn Bunker ’09,
October 20, 015
Elizabeth Ann “Lizzie” Burke to
Martha Ferguson Burke ’04,
October 11, 2015
Bethany Hannah Wen to Bernice
Chen ’96, June 22, 2015
Linden Frances Chiles and Jack
William Chiles to Lisa Bratton
Chiles ’93, Nov. 16, 2015
John Miller Dallas to Kelly
Buckner Dallas ’99, Nov. 13, 2015
Catherine Elaina Crump to Alexia
Fulgham Crump ’93, July 23, 2015
Henry Joseph Eick to Allie
Stephens Eick ’07, October 8, 2015
Adriana Sophia Camelia Ewing
to Luisa Peredo Ewing ’01, July
28, 2015
June Taylor Halton, Anna Taylor
Halton ’03, July 11th, 2015
Logan Hart Herrington to MaryKathryn Millner Herrington ’00,
August 5, 2015
Ann Emerson Humphreys to
on October 29, 2015
Dorothy Holt to Lee Davidson
Holt ’95, April 29, 2015
Finch Dupuy Jacobs to Leigh
Wilson Jacobs ’94, June 26, 2015
Joshua Graham Knight to Grace
Jensen Knight ’05, June 12, 2015
Davidson Scott Smith,
son of Mary Austin Mays
Smith ’01.
Catherine Elizabeth Label to
Hallie Dinkelspiel Label ’94,
July 14, 2015
Gwyneth Brooks Looney to
Brooke Douglas Looney ’96,
June 2, 2015
Eleanor Fishburn Manning, Anne
Taylor Tipton Manning ’03,
September 23rd, 2015
Christopher Watts McGlasson to
Kristen Beasley McGlasson ’01,
June 14, 2015
Elizabeth Roberts Novikoff to
Katie Hobson Novikoff ’03,
August 5th, 2015
Oliver Frank Plevak to Rachel
Bearman Plevak ’99, January 14,
2015
James Dardis Robinson to Amy
Reinhardt Robinson ’00,
July 9, 2015
Teddy Taylor Segars to Rainey Ray
Segars ’05, October 22, 2015
James Curtis Shields II to Allie
Baker Shields ’10, May 29, 2015
Audrey Huang to Lily Shu ’99,
May 2, 2015
Maggie Irene Singer to Shona
Strachan Singer ’04, October 11,
2015
Davidson Scott Smith to Mary
Austin Mays Smith ’03,
September 25, 2015
Waring Hargrove Stone to Lauren
Anderson Stone ’01,
August 6, 2015
Continued —
WINTER 2015 | 43
Milestones
Brandon Aaron Coplon Suen to
Anna Coplon Suen ’02,
July 9, 2015
Matthew Richard Thomas Wilson
to Kristen Mistretta Wilson ’93,
June 9, 2015
In Memoriam
Brett Matthew Thompson to Jada
Love Thompson ’95,
April 27, 2015
Peter Carnesale Wiseman to Betsy
Carnesale Wiseman ’88,
July 13, 2015
Janie Paine ’44
•
Joy Powell Smith ’47
Allen Chip Tonkin-Nemeth to
Allison Tonkin ’87,
August 14, 2015
William Morris Riley to Lauren
Wiygul Riley ’05,
December 11, 2015
Marriages
Abby Schwimmer Fox ’05 was married in May in Memphis. Celebrating with
her were Elizabeth Batchelor Calkins ’05, Emily Schwimmer Cohen ’04, Erica
Evans ’05, Megan Bailey ’05, Abby, Katie Brookoff ’05, Emily Templeton Gray
’05, and Laura Jennings Yacoubian ’05.
Rebecca Anderson ’06 to Alaric
Eby, October 10, 2015
Abby McAtee ’11 to Cort Gatliff,
July 11, 2015
Susan Buckner ’01 to Cullen
James Rose, August 1, 2015
Sims Munn ’10 to Michael Wray
Bowen, August 8, 2015
Mary Kavanagh Day ’82 to Dan
Daniel, January 9, 2015
Coombs, May 23, 3015
Ashley Edge ’08 to Scott Adams,
July 25, 2015
Meg Parker ’99 to Cory Prewitt,
Nov. 14, 2015
Kathryn Feder ’08 to Alex Cooper,
July 19, 2015
Abby Schwimmer ’05 to Sean
Fox, May 23, 2015
Kate Foster ’07 to Dr. Sean
Lindsay, December 5, 2015
Catherine Coleman Vaughn ’09
to Bryan Thomas Bunker,
June 6, 2015
Leslie Johnson Hughes ’82 to
Jesse Owen, January 17, 2015
Rachel Johnston-White ’06 to
Iain Johnston-White,
June 24, 2015
Elizabeth Laws ’01 to Byron
Eckart Kaendler Fuller,
October 11, 2015
Lisa Mulrooney ’95 to Glen
Kathryn Annette Waggoner ’09
to Pearce Alexander Edwards,
September 12, 2015
Jessica Walker ’04 to Chris Wiley,
October 3, 2015
Angela Wilcox ’04 to Tommy
Palmer, September 26, 2015
Nishta Mehra ’01 to Jill Carroll,
July 2, 2015
Marynelle Wilson ’99 to Doug
McNamara, June 21, 2015
Alexandra Mims ’07 to Andrew
Pike, November 14, 2015
Lucy Harris ’01 to Joshua Caleb
Collins, October 31, 2015
44 |
Nishta Mehra ’01 with wife
Jill Carroll and their son Shiv.
Graduate Degrees
Elizabeth Jemison ’04, Ph.D. in
the Study of Religion, Harvard
University, May 2015
Nicolette Overton ’08, Master of
Science in Journalism, Boston
University, May 2015
Falconer Robbins ’05, Master of
Social Work, Columbia University,
May 2015
Camille Wingo ’04, Masters in
Business Administration,
Duke University, May 9, 2015
solving, and global research. It allows dancers to dance, singers to sing, actors to act, musicians to play, and artists to create. It helps us hire the best teachers, pay them competitive salaries and benefits, and
A girl is a work of art.
G. Perez
B. Zafer
Our girls are painting a bright future.
D. Onyeagocha
B. Walker
They count on us - can we count on YOU?
Make your gift to the 2015-16 Annual Fund Today!
Online: www.stmarysschool.org/give Or, call Angie Gardner at 901-537-1421
Amedeo Modigliani inspired the featured artwork created by Middle School students.
give them every opportunity to soar. It keeps our campus and students safe and sound. It enables each family to receive a tuition discount of approximately
$1,500 per student. It allows Turkey athletes to experience the power of team, the thrill of victory, and the importance of sportsmanship. It keeps everyone plugged in, connected, wired in, and online 24/7.
Your gift empowers girls to become coders, builders, engineer wannabes, science nerds, and math whizzes. It equips our libraries for exploration, problem
WINTER 2015 | 45
Class Notes
Non-profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
60 Perkins Extended
Memphis, Tennessee 38117-3199
www.stmarysschool.org
PAID
Memphis, TN
Permit No. 810
Dated Material —
Please Expedite
Come Home to St. Mary’s!
alumnae
weekend
2016
Friday, April 22 & Saturday, April 23
FOR A COMPLETE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, GO TO:
46 |
www.stmarysschool.org/alumweekend

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