Association news & class notes
As we approach our 50th Reunion this coming spring, it’s appropriate that almost 50 of you responded. It’s been such a delight for me, catching up on what you’ve been doing, so without further ado here is your class news!
Kathy Clevenger Jones, M.Ed. ’77 retired after 40 years of teaching Deaf and hard of hearing students on the Eastern Shore and is busier than ever. She acts and directs at several local community theatres and serves as chair of the board of directors at Church Hill Theatre. Recently, she produced an original script, “The Last Time,” at Chesapeake College that was written in honor of her friends who are caregivers, with some of the proceeds benefiting hospice. When not at the theatre, she is playing and singing classic rock, with frequent trips to Florida to perform with a friend there. She and her husband, Bruce, enjoy traveling, especially road trips!
Kathy Hamilton Trezise and Tom Trezise ’75 moved to Ponte Vedra, Florida, in 2022. They were happy to reconnect with Debbie Cogan Gingrich, who not only also lives in Ponte Vedra but is a member of their new church! Kathy is still enjoying her work as a financial organizer for overwhelmed entrepreneurs. Her company, Absolutely Organized, recently celebrated 25 years in business. Kathy’s work is entirely remote now, which gives her time to enjoy the active lifestyle of their 55-plus community. Tom published his first novel, “Former Things Forgotten,” and is working on the sequel.
Bob Toner is enjoying retirement in South Boston, Virginia, near his daughter, son-in-law, and two grandsons. He just completed remodeling his basement into a semi-man cave. Bob hosted a 90th birthday party for his mom in November 2024. His daughter is running for election as commonwealth attorney in November 2025. Bob’s son is looking forward to getting married soon to his fiancée. Bob has lunch at least twice a year with his old WMC roommate Bob Kehler, who works as a physician assistant not far from McDaniel.
Bob and Dell Wogsland Elias are still loving life at Lake Tahoe, Nevada! Winters are gorgeous with lots of fresh snow, but summers are Dell’s favorite. Hiking and the beach are always a draw outdoors to enjoy Tahoe’s beauty. The big 70 was initially going to be a quiet celebration, but the family got involved to throw Dell a big theme party. What a blast! Imagine cornhole altered with toilet seats for the targets! Totally recommended as a fun party idea! The family is all doing great, though Dell and Bob often say that aging is NOT for sissies!
Jeff Heinbaugh and Cathy Clayton Heinbaugh ’77 report they are doing well. Jeff retired in 2019 so he and Cathy could spend more time with family, travel more, and participate in mission work with their church. They did that for about six months, then COVID-19 hit, which greatly curtailed those activities. It didn t keep them from buying a house in Tennessee outside Chattanooga to be near grandchildren and making it their primary residence. They are keeping the house in Maryland as a second home to visit relatives and friends. They now have three grandchildren; Evie and Calvin are 4, and Vivian is 2. Two of the grandchildren are in Tennessee and the other is in Williamsburg, Virginia. They keep in touch with David Mowry and his wife, Theresa, and visit them when they are in Maryland. Jeff enjoys doing some part-time IT consulting to stay abreast of the latest technology trends. In 2024, Jeff and Cathy went on a Mediterranean cruise with longtime friends to celebrate Jeff s 70th birthday. They stopped in at Montenegro, Croatia, and Malta. It is a great learning experience to see the world from a different perspective. They are looking forward to seeing everyone at our 50th Reunion.
Skip Chambers is still enjoying retirement from teaching and coaching basketball after 35 years. He is especially happy to have his wife, Karla, home now that she has retired and keeps him busy with a honey-do list. Their three children and spouses live close by, or no more than an hour away, for everyone to get together for family meals and find a babysitter when needed. They have eight grandchildren, ranging in age from 3 months to 14 years. That certainly keeps them busy between sports and family vacations. Skip and Karla still enjoy weekend getaways to concerts, Orioles games, and any beach vacation that they can fit in their busy schedule. He stays in touch with Karla’s brother, Dave Cole ’74, Craig Silbert ’75, and Joe Tyssowski, M.Ed. ’79.
Don Haskin and Peggy Harding Haskin are enjoying their semi-retirement. Peggy runs an online business and Don still teaches continuing education classes for electricians and serves on county and state electrical boards. In July, they celebrated 49 years of marriage. They are grateful that their sons families (with their four grandchildren) live fairly close and are able to spend a good bit of time with them. They provided day care for three of their grandchildren until they started school, and they miss them now that they are not around every day. Don and Peggy have always loved traveling and continue to do so. They have a camper van and travel around the U.S. as much as possible. In recent years, they have traveled to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula; Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks; Branson, Missouri; the Florida Keys; and Disney World. They also enjoy cruising and have taken several trips. They took a camping trip to the Grand Canyon and other national parks out west this spring and a cruise to Norway and Iceland this summer. They were excited that their children and grandchildren accompanied them on the cruise.
After over 33 years of service, Brian Twillman retired from serving as the organization development specialist and training coordinator at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). At this retirement party, many people thanked him for all he has done to enhance the workplace and work culture within EPA. While EPA has the second-highest credentialed and educated workforce in the federal government, what was lacking was the ability of people to develop and utilize their emotional intelligence skills. Brian was the founder of the award-winning EPA Leaders and Learners Mentoring Program in 2011. The program is now in the 12th round with over 500 participants from all locations across the country. It has been called the best-run career and leadership development program in the agency. Brian is grateful for his education at McDaniel, where he graduated with a degree in Sociology and Political Science before going on to Johns Hopkins University where he graduated with a master’s degree in Applied Behavioral Science.
Steve Vandegrift has lived in Austin, Texas, for more than 30 years, and is trying to figure out whether to retire. He sits on four corporate boards and runs a company he and a partner bought in Arkansas that builds mobile apps for high school athletic departments. He went fishing in the Amazon in Brazil this past spring and also went to Paris with his wife to celebrate their 70th birthdays. Besides weekly tennis and pickleball matches, he has added padel tennis, which has a new club in Austin. He finally retired from playing soccer last year, as he can no longer keep up with the 50-year-olds.
Linda Ackley Ricks can’t believe it’s been almost 50 years since we graduated! She and her husband, Robert, continue to live in Ocean Pines, Maryland. Linda has been retired from teaching for almost 10 years and enjoys playing pickleball, golf, and mah-jongg, as well as being a member of a book club. She and Robert spend a lot of time on the Western Shore as their daughter Lindsay Ricks Beil ’06, M.S. ’08 lives in Mount Airy, Maryland. She is a college and career counselor for Howard County Public Schools. They are slowly checking things off their bucket list. They took a Danube River cruise in 2023 and last year took an amazing trip to Alaska. During a trip to Western Maryland, Linda was able to catch up with Barbara Vose Armstrong in Frostburg, Maryland.
David Cooney and Robin Stifler Cooney ’77 continue to enjoy retirement in Frederick, Maryland, with enriching activities and travel. David spends a lot of time at his desk writing everything from essays to novels, and spends time outdoors on daily walks and in the air flying. Their most recent international travels have included Ireland, Italy, Tanzania, the United Arab Emirates, and India. India was extra special as they traveled with their daughter, Indian son-in-law, and grandkids, and saw the country from a unique perspective.
Brian Bodt remains in Woodbridge, Connecticut, with his wife, Carol Galloway. Brian serves Woodbury United Methodist Church and Greenfield Hill Congregational Church in retirement. He writes religious columns for the New Haven Register newspaper and had a week of devotionals published in “The Upper Room Disciplines” in 2025. He and Carol have four sons (two in Connecticut) and three grandchildren (all in Connecticut). For fun they bike, ski, and play with big and small trains.
David White and Deb Hosey White live in historic downtown Annapolis, Maryland. Deb’s latest book, “The Scottish Ruin Keeper,” has been published. It’s historical fiction set in 1800s Elgin, Scotland. David and Deb continue to travel frequently.
Mary Coker Bucy celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary with her husband, Andy, in 2024 with a trip to Maine and Prince Edward Island, Canada. They live on Lake Hickory in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. After 42 years of teaching high school mathematics, Mary is enjoying her retirement, actively involved in two quilt guilds, two book clubs, and is also learning to weave.
For the first time ever in The Hill, we hear from Joe! Joe Tyssowski, M.Ed. ’79 married Kris Chromy Tyssowski ’80 long ago, and they have two great kids. Joe taught for four years and then was a lawyer for 40 years. Now, he is basically retired but volunteers in a kindergarten class twice a week. Last year, he was an election judge. He loves to garden, ride his bike, travel, and go for walks. He joined a choir this year even though he has never learned to read music and has never really sung before.
Ann Jones writes that she and her husband, Don Koch, expect to spend the next four years alternating between hiding under the covers and attending protest marches. On the home front, she remains humble by trying to strap one of her four grandchildren into their car seat. Last year, she completed a remodel of an old house at the family farm that had been vacant since 1970. Her daughter and family now live there, part of the 10th generation on the farm. When not hiding under the covers, marching, fixing old houses, or wrangling wee ones, she still works close to full time with Baltimore County nonprofits to preserve the farms and forests in the area.
Corynne Courpas sends greetings from Westminster, Maryland, where she strives to keep her 50-year-old home and 70-year-old body plugging along. She retired in late 2020 with big plans to travel more and is happy to report that she’s enjoyed quite a few trips since COVID-19 vaccines became available. Trips have included two with McDaniel — Spain and Morocco — and most recently a culinary trip to Italy. Seeing the world through the eyes of students makes it so much more meaningful. A South African safari and a Courpas cousins trip to Greece are other highlights. The cousins retraced their heritage back to their grandparents’ little town of Kymi. Retirement has also provided more time for community service. Corynne loves her work with The Arc of Carroll County. They hope to break ground on two new group homes this spring. Of course, 2024 was full of politics. She was elected to be a delegate to the Democratic Convention and had an amazing week in Chicago. She returned home to set up a local headquarters. Carroll County is still “deep red,” but performed second-best in the state in moving to “purple.” Among her longtime political cronies is Bob Kresslein ’77. When at the convention they still (try to) party like it’s the 1970s. Corynne continues to volunteer at McDaniel as chair of the WMC Heritage Society and as a member of the McDaniel Women’s Leadership Network, where she reconnected with great college friend Julie Saulnier. They recently shared lunch with Ann Bosse. Ann brought them up to date with several other classmates. Corynne is hopeful that our 50th Reunion will bring more friends back to the Hill.
Ginny Ace Miller checked in from Florida, where she has lived for the past 12 years. She is totally enjoying the sunshine and outdoor lifestyle. Two new grandsons have joined the family since the last class news: Liam in July 2022 and Jack in October 2023. Ginny has served on the Board of Trustees at the college since 2018 and visits the college periodically. So many great things are happening on campus, and she says it is a privilege to be a part of it. It’s hard to fathom we are looking at a 50th Reunion next year and most of us have reached the 70-year-old mark. She keeps in touch with Eileen McCauley Hirsch and has enjoyed a few visits with her when she has been in Florida. Fortunately, good health has allowed her and Dennis to do some traveling, and they are looking forward to taking a cruise to the Caribbean and visiting Aruba, where they honeymooned in 1979. She hopes to see some classmates on the Hill in 2026.
Bee Price Kade and John have lived in Dennis, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod for 16 years, enjoying lots of sun and golf! Bee retired in 2020 after 44 years at Delta Airlines. She keeps in touch with several friends and sees them every couple of months. John “practiced” retirement long enough to get so good at it that he only does family tax returns now. Bee and John bought a small condo in Deerfield Beach, Florida, where they’d rented for 10 years or so. They spend most of December, January, and February there, coming back to the Cape for holidays. Bee and John were happy to have all three kids, their daughter-in-law Samantha, and their new grandson Graham Robert home for Christmas 2024!
It finally happened: Greg Sherry retired at the ripe old age of 70! He is in relaxation mode reading, working in the yard, transporting grandchildren, and enjoying sports events. Peggy Powell Sherry paints with her plein air painting group and enjoys doing creative projects with their four grandchildren. Greg and Peggy are still in Somerset, Kentucky, with their daughter and her family nearby. Their son and his family are in Franklin, Tennessee, with a lake house on Smith Lake, Alabama.
Jean Campbell DiBlasio can t believe that we are soon approaching a 50th Reunion — will anyone recognize each other? — and that she has celebrated 46 years of marriage to her WMC best friend, Fred DiBlasio ’75! She and Fred, who is not yet retired, take several trips per year, most recently to Siesta Key, Florida, and Deep Creek, Maryland. They find scenic spots to hike and bike together. She enjoys spending time with her nine grandkids, ages 4 to 13, in activities that include sports games, art, music, boating, crabbing, fishing, Play-Doh, dollies, baking, and so much more. Her hobby is photography, capturing birds around the creek, landscapes, and the occasional grandchild if they sit still long enough. Family, friends, enjoying their home and activities on the water, and her involvement with church and relationship with God are the joys of her life.
Steve Wingate and his wife, Gayle, went on a long camping trip through the Appalachian Mountains last spring and saw some amazing scenery. They have a couple of grandsons that they like to watch playing baseball. Steve has been teaching a Bible study at the jail in Westminster, Maryland, and at Grace Bible Church in Manchester, Maryland. He also does some guest preaching. By the grace of God, he published his first book, “The Simple Bible Commentary on the New Testament,” through Amazon.com’s Kindle Direct Publishing. They still like to walk around the McDaniel campus, down to “our tree,” the amazing giant ash tree on the golf course, and get ice cream at Hoffman’s.
Another first-time responder, Donna Culotta-Kehler, M.Ed. ’81 sends greetings from South Carolina! She has been a resident of South Carolina since 2016, when she sold her home in Maryland. While her primary home is in Florence, South Carolina, she is also lucky enough to have a condo in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It’s only 1 ½ hours between the two places. She has been happily retired for a while and travels as much as possible. At last count, she has been to 36 countries and all 50 states! She sees Stacey Capelle Mathis numerous times a year and Sallie Remson Whitney mostly when back in Maryland — although Sallie did come visit her in South Carolina in 2024! Overall, she still is relatively healthy and extremely grateful for that.
Sherry Martin White and her husband, Joe, have been enjoying the peace and beauty of their vacation place in Maine, where they were lucky to reconnect with some friends from WMC. Mary Coker Bucy and her husband met with Sherry for lunch on their way home from Canada. Sherry and Mary caught up with Barbara Cain Emorine on the phone. Later that week, Eileen McCauley Hirsch came up from New Jersey to spend a few days. They went kayaking and hiking and spent a lot of time reminiscing and catching up. Sherry enjoys taking wildlife photos and is volunteering at Rowan University’s fossil museum.
Sue Ogilvie Luchey retired from her full-time gig at the University of Delaware, and she and Dennis are now living the good life at the beach in Delaware. Always needing to be busy, Sue is working part time consulting on leadership and organizational development, contracting with educational institutions and nonprofits. That keeps her just busy enough to leave time for their new grandson Elliott, pickleball, volunteering with an animal rescue, and travel. Sue and Dennis have an upcoming cruise and trip to France planned with Leta Ritchie Strain, M.Ed. ’77 and Gary Strain; Pete Clark ’77, M.Ed. ’80 and Korby Bowman Clark ’78; and Pete Blauvelt ’77 and his wife, Gail. They also enjoy visiting their daughters in Chicago and Denver and have discovered a love for hiking mountains in Aspen, where they were joined by Sue Snyder LaHatte ’77, M.L.A. ’82 and her husband, Bernie, and Stephi Lambert ’73 and her husband, Mitch. Last summer, Sue attended a get-together at the beach planned by Bruzz Truitt with some alumni of Gamma Beta Chi. It was great fun to see Bruzz, Stephen Wheeler, Frank Wagner ’74, Dave Volrath ’74 and Pat Eyre Volrath ’74, Ron Staines, Rick Spink ’74, Vernon Mummert ’75, M.Ed. ’77, and a few others.
From Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Jeff Leed writes that it s been almost five years since he sold his 27-year-old environmental consulting business, Leed Environmental Inc., to Montrose Environmental, and that he is continuing to work full time (actually more than full-time) for Montrose. He is continuing to try to figure out his future plans and schedule, but at least for now, he continues to work on many challenging Superfund site assessments and remedial projects and is speaking frequently about his lead-related work at Association of Battery Recyclers meetings throughout the United States.
Bernie Gallagher, M.L.A. ’79 continues to enjoy playing golf in a couple of leagues, but he’s still not getting any better. He has returned to taking an annual trip to Cooperstown, New York, for the Baseball Hall of Fame and to visit grad school there. The five-minute walk to watch the Fredericksburg Nationals defend their league championship is a convenient perk. Local trips to Civil War battlefields and living in a colonial town keep the history bug alive as the nation prepares for its 250th anniversary.
Angelo “Don” Dea and his wife are now living in Santa Monica, California. They went out there in the summer of 2021 to help their daughter Erin with her first child, Naomi, for a few months. Then, their son Alex moved there from San Francisco and married his wife, Emily, one year later in Santa Monica. A few months have now turned into 3 ½ years. So, what was going to be an extended vacation has now become their home. They gave up snow and the beautiful seasons of spring, summer, and fall for year-round great weather and living just half a mile away from two of their grandchildren. They’ve embraced the California lifestyle, staying close to family while taking on new professional and personal adventures. Cathy and Don are enjoying the privilege of being active grandparents, from school drop-offs to bedtime stories. Beyond family, Don s professional journey in retirement continues to evolve. He started an artificial intelligence application development company and recently led the launch of GigShark.io, the first AI-driven platform focused on gig workers. This project represents an exciting step forward in the gig economy, competing with major platforms like Upwork and Freelancer. Meanwhile, his firm, UranX Group, is actively engaged in strategic negotiations with multiple cybersecurity firms, looking for growth opportunities in a rapidly changing landscape. In addition to business endeavors, Don remains deeply engaged in nonprofit work, serving as chair emeritus of Excelsior University and continuing his leadership role with America s VetDogs and the Guide Dog Foundation. He has also found profound meaning in serving as a eucharistic minister and lector at St. Monica Church. Don and Cathy have balanced work and service with leisure, enjoying local adventures in Malibu, Ojai, Topanga Canyon, and San Diego. They have also traveled to Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver and Banff in Canada. Living a mile from the ocean allows them to embrace the beauty of California while staying close to family and community. Reflecting on his time at McDaniel (Western Maryland College), Don is grateful for the foundation it provided him. It shaped his lifelong commitment to leadership, service, personal growth, and friendships, including his Delta Pi Alpha brothers.
David and Diane Johnson Cash continue to fill their retirement years with family, friends, volunteering, church, and travel. The past two years have seen them in western Canada, Quebec City, Greenland, and England, with road trips to Mississippi, Arkansas, and the Midwest. Diane was especially happy to resume her mission trips to Guatemala this year to help build additional classrooms at a rural elementary school. The grandkids, now 13, 12, and 11, are all local and continue to be a delight. Diane devotes mornings to pickleball and exercise classes, then volunteers at the county animal shelter two to three afternoons a week. David continues to create beautiful wood furniture for family and friends, calling on Diane occasionally to assist in assembly and transport. They both truly appreciate this stage of life with the flexibility to schedule their days as they wish.
Liz Creagh Martin finished up a satisfying career in education in 2022 in Richmond, Virginia. She and her husband, Arthur, sold most of their stuff and bought a little house in Pueblo, Colorado, where they are closer to her son, Joe. Liz loves retirement and spends her time sewing, baking, growing vegetables, volunteering at the local historical society, and participating in the life of the Orthodox Church.
Emily Ulmer Michelsen and her husband have been traveling to many countries since retirement in 2017: Germany, France, Spain, Czech Republic, Wales, England, Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, New Zealand, Ecuador, and Switzerland. But they started a new adventure on Dec. 11, 2024. Her son, Alex, and his wife, Halley, had twins and moved to Annapolis, Maryland. They have been very busy being grandparents and enjoying watching them grow but still find time to get out on bikes and ride locally. They hope to start traveling again in the fall.
Laura Hayner Barnes and Ken Barnes are entering their fifth year living in Keswick, Virginia (right by Charlottesville). They report that living in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains surrounded by wineries is not tough to take. Their three kids and six grandkids, ages 5 months to 11 years old, are an hour away in Richmond, Virginia, so frequent visits are easy and a source of great fun. Ken golfs regularly, dabbles in pickleball, still plays guitar, volunteers with First Tee and walks their 15-year-old Lab, Lucy, a lot. Laura is a “gym rat,” walks 15 miles a week, babysits small people to whom she is “Nana” or “Grandma B,” and is very active in their church. Post-COVID overseas travel included Scotland, Spain, and Portugal. A late February trip to Sedona, Arizona, was spectacular. Wine get-togethers with brother Rick Barnes ’77 and his wife, Kim Hockenbery Barnes ’77, who live on the same cul-de-sac, are a favorite activity. Laura visits her mother in Howard County every month and still feels a pang when she sees the “Welcome to Maryland” sign.
Julie Saulnier’s eighth decade on the planet is going well so far. She skied with her replacement knees in Vermont a couple of days this past spring, left the slopes intact, and had fun if she kept to easier slopes. She also keeps active with swimming, yoga, walking, and the occasional bike ride or tennis game. But the truly rejuvenating event of her 70s was the birth of her first grandchild: granddaughter Lyra Jean. Lyra is thriving and being with her is pure joy. Babysitting Lyra a few times per week, volunteering, singing with a choir, seeing friends and some arts performances, and reconnecting with alumni keep her busy. She still has many destinations on her travel bucket list when she can tear herself away from Lyra.
Jim and Sandy Owens Snead have lived in Atlanta (Vinings) for 20 years. Georgia was the last stop in Jim’s banking career. Retired now, he’s an amateur artist, gardener, and professional sports fan. Sandy has “retired” from full-time mom to long-distance mom to their three daughters. She enjoys Jim’s retirement most days and community volunteer work.
Rob Platky and Robin have finally made good on their plans to downsize. Last summer, they sold their Takoma Park, Maryland, home of almost 46 years and moved to a duplex in Leisure World, a 55-plus community in Aspen Hill, Maryland. In addition to taking this opportunity to thin out their household possessions, they now live only 10 minutes from their son and his family, including three of their five grandsons. Their daughter and her family still live in Louisville, Kentucky. Rob volunteers on a regular basis in the College and Career Center at his alma mater, Montgomery Blair High School, and serves as an election judge and AP exam proctor. Rob and Robin get down to their beach home in Ocean View, Delaware, as often as their schedules allow. They keep in touch with Tony Sager ’77 and Sue Fairchild Sager ’79, M.Ed. ’85 and were able to meet them for dinner recently. Rob took up playing the ukulele last year and currently plays with three different groups in the area.
Judy Warfield Price is enjoying the newfound freedom of — the previously dreaded word — retirement. After spending a good part of her professional life involved in preservation and environmental endeavors, she now likes to focus on those in need through her involvement in Rotary International. Her Centreville, Maryland, club just completed a project drilling wells to bring clean water to 22 remote villages in Northern Ghana. Weekly rehearsals singing alto in her local Queen Anne’s Chorale are also a joy, and they went to France this past June to sing in a 300-member All-American Community Chorus, performing at celebrations in Paris and Normandy honoring the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. Traveling with her husband, Robert, to visit her sons and stepchildren from New Orleans and Seattle to Minnesota and Wisconsin have kept her on the go. A few months ago, she had a great get-together with Bob Seitz ’74, and she stays in touch with Linda Ackley Ricks and Ann Jones.
Jo Miner Trepagnier sends news for the first time in 40 years (still on postcards back then). She and her husband, Trip, upon retirement, moved to New Orleans, following a five-year plan to enjoy the “Me Years,” incredible music, delicious food, and festivals. Jo is a tour guide in the French Quarter, and she meets fun people who always say yes to life’s offerings. The summers are miserable, so they travel to cooler places and spots around the world that they can explore while healthy. One new grandchild may bring them back to the Mid-Atlantic states.
Ginny Merryman still lives in Upperco, Maryland. She is still practicing obstetrics and gynecology in Towson, Maryland, but will be slowing down in one year to practice gynecology only. Her son John will be joining her practice soon. Her other son, Thomas, lives on the family farm and is gearing up to transition part of the farm to organic practices. She is now working between her vacations and travels often.
Leslie Long and Joe Mancuso have been married for 45 years. They have lived in Boston; Los Angeles; Austin, Texas; and Arlington, Virginia. As a book conservator at the Library of Congress, Leslie has been repairing broken books for 24 years, and for most of those years has taught many new staff, interns, and volunteers to do the work she loves. She lectures and writes about 19th century book design. Joe works for Alden of Washington, D.C., a company that manufactures bench-made men’s shoes. Their travels have taken them to Italy and Scotland, but they are homebodies most of the time. Leslie sings in the Library of Congress Chorale and Joe has been an actor in theatres in every city they have lived in. Together, they have produced seven successful puppet plays for the Young Readers Center at the Library of Congress. They have been in touch through the years mostly with Sharon Wood Schaeffer ’74, Linda Sixx Shields ’74, Sherry Martin White, and Andy and Mary Coker Bucy.
Susan Blackman retired in August 2024, and has been taking classes in printmaking, drawing, poetry, short story writing, and ceramics. She also enjoys going to plays, concerts, and museums. She’s in a training program to become a docent at the Carnegie Museum of Art. At her synagogue, Susan leads the Pride Tribe, the LGBTQ+ group; does social justice work; and had a singing role in the spring Purim Shpiel. She says, “It feels like college! Except I don’t have to take calculus at 8 a.m.” She is also thrilled to have a grandson, who she visits in Brooklyn (along with his parents).
Barbara Vose Armstrong and her husband John “Slug” Armstrong ’73, M.Ed. ’75 are now official snowbirds. They purchased a condo in the community of Verandah, in Fort Myers, Florida. Slug was able to spend six months there, while Barb, still working in the family insurance agency in Frostburg, Maryland, joined him January through March. Their son, J.C., and daughter, Rachel, joined them for a week in March for several rounds of golf. Family gatherings are often held at the farm of Slug’s sister, Robin Armstrong Townsend ’75, M.S. ’98, in Keymar, Maryland, just south of Taneytown. Barb was pleasantly surprised last summer by a visit from classmate Linda Ackley Ricks, who was riding the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.
Bruzz Truitt writes that he is (mostly) retired; lives in Salisbury, Maryland; spends as much time as possible at his condo in Ocean City, Maryland; and either plays or coaches tennis 365 days a year. A recent highlight was he and his wife, Debbie, celebrating his 71st birthday at an Eagles concert at the Sphere in Las Vegas. He remains in close contact with roommates Craig Hughes and Rich Gotchel ’77, plus several other WMC alumni. He and Stephen “Steve” Wheeler and Ron Staines have enjoyed getting together to fish off Oxford; meet for social events in Easton, Maryland; discuss current events; and offer advice on how the Orioles, Ravens, and Terps could be better served. They also attended an Orioles playoff game at Camden Yards last year. Several GBX brothers have now relocated to the Eastern Shore, and Bruzz organized a small reunion last August at the Ocean Pines Yacht Club, which included Steve Wheeler, Ron Staines, Sue Ogilvie Luchey, Dave Volrath ’74, Pat Eyre Volrath ’75, Bill Fries ’74, Rick Spink ’74, Bob Noland ’74, Frank Wagner ’74, and Vernon Mummert ’75, M.Ed. ’77. Bruzz also wanted to extend a heartfelt “thank you” to Greg Shockley ’83, who generously hosts the Lower Shore’s annual alumni gathering at his establishment (Shenanigan’s) on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland, every fall. Last year’s event was the largest attended on record and as always, the evening became a unique opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with those with whom we share a special bond.
Christiann Dykstra earned a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. She is now retired from a career in public library services. Christiann worked in Texas and then in North Carolina as a children’s librarian and a reference librarian. She and her husband, Tommy, live in rural northwest Tennessee. Christiann enjoys flower gardening and feeding a wide variety of songbirds that frequent her yard. She and Tommy like to travel and camp.
Eileen McCauley Hirsch writes that she is enjoying retirement, spending her time traveling and volunteering. Her church activities take up a significant portion of her day, but she also has had time to catch up with Ginny Ace Miller in Florida, and Sherry Martin White in her rustic cabin in Maine. She feels blessed to be in touch with her WMC/McDaniel friends! She travels to Costa Rica on a mission trip every other year to help those living in migrant camps, providing them with food, clothing, and other personal necessities. Other than Florida and Maine, Eileen has traveled much of the country; her sister is an avid baseball fan and has a goal of visiting all the Major League Baseball parks. At last tally, nine left to go, with Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and maybe Toronto in 2025. She checked a cruise through the Panama Canal off her bucket list in October 2024.
Rev. Elsie May McKenney is a retired United Methodist minister and a retired U.S. Navy chaplain. In retirement, she has been an active disabilities family coach and public policy advocate. She lives with her daughter, Emily, in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
Rhonda Dahl Buchanan sends news from Louisville, Kentucky, that she and Bob Buchanan ’73 celebrated their 50th anniversary this year. They were married by Dean Ira Zepp ’52, Hon. L.H.D. ’15 in Little Baker Chapel on June 7, 1975. They built a new house last year and would love to extend a warm welcome to classmates planning a trip to Bourbon Country. Bob is still teaching chemistry at the University of Louisville (UofL), and Rhonda retired in 2022, after teaching Spanish for 40 years at UofL. Now she can dedicate her time to translating Latin American and Spanish authors. She writes that she s still running races and trains for them with her yellow Labrador retriever, Jake, a certified therapy dog who often appears on her Facebook page.
Patrick Stevens was, as of spring 2025, still active as curator of the Fiske Icelandic Collection in the Cornell University Library, and serving simultaneously as bibliographer for Jewish Studies.
Dale and I continue to enjoy retirement in Florida. After a 2023 knee replacement (original torn ACL from an intramural basketball injury sophomore year plus subsequent damage), I have been able to continue playing tennis, but now pain-free. We live a mile from the beach and love to sit at the oceanside in the late afternoons with friends — and red wine. We have six grandchildren age 7 and under. Our oldest child, Matt Gingrich ’07, is a physical therapist in Raleigh, North Carolina, and our two younger sons, Dana and Trevor, are Army officers at the Pentagon, so no one lives close by. We travel frequently to see them, as well as in the U.S. and beyond. We hope to make it north for the 50th Reunion and look forward to meeting up with all of you.
Debbie Cogan Gingrich1976 Class ReporterDebraAGingrich@gmail.com