Association news & class notes
Donna Hann Fogle is the winner of the non-prize prize, being the first to respond to this year’s call for news. She relates that like many of us, this past year was marked by her 60th high school reunion. She writes that it was quite the event, and it was such a pleasure to visit with several classmates. She is finally doing a bit of traveling, with a trip to the District of Columbia in December 2022 with two of her daughters and her great-granddaughter. They especially liked the Smithsonian museums. Her great-granddaughter was hoping for snow, which she had never seen. In June, she took a family cruise on the new Disney Wish, which was so much fun. Then in September, she visited her brother in Pennsylvania and her daughter in Tennessee. It was nice to get away from the heat of the summer in Florida.
Continuing their globetrotting, Jim Gibson and Nancy took a Viking Greek islands cruise last spring. This was a return visit with lots of goat paths. In August, they did a NCL Baltic Sea cruise. They missed a trip to Lithuania, but it was replaced with a trip to Estonia, Latvia, and Poland. He observes that cobblestone streets are getting a bit much for an old guy with a cane.
Bert Horton and his wife, Faye, had a great “bucket list” 2023. In February, a trip to visit relatives in Chennai, India, allowed some additional travel: dune buggy driving in the desert sand dunes outside Dubai, riding on elephants and seeing rhinos (not the political kind) in the jungle in Nepal, and a two-day trip to the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. In July, they went north — way north at 80-degrees north latitude — to the pack ice in the Arctic. There, they saw a variety of Artic animals and birds. On the way back, this voyage was followed by several days in Iceland. There, they snowmobiled on a glacier in the clouds. What great fun! One point of reality interrupted their good times: Bert had to bail out on the hike up to another glacier in Iceland, as the climb was too steep, the path too narrow, and the drop off too far down. During this trip, they also visited Talin, Estonia, and Helsinki, Finland, which was the starting point for their trip to the Arctic. They flew north to Svalbard, Norway, where they boarded the ship going farther north. Jim Hvidding and Jeanne France Hvidding ’69 visited the Hortons at their home in Miami Beach, Florida. They had good times, catching up and enjoying a trip to the Everglades, a speedboat tour, breakfasts on the porch, and great evenings at local South Beach restaurants. Bert says that old friends are the best friends.
Giving us the latest from his world, Dave Fisher and his wife, Terry, continue to travel when they can. Their favorite is a February cruise to the Caribbean. They call it their “get the hell out of Baltimore” cruise. In the summer, they like to go to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a couple of weeks. He enjoys seeing the Crab Guys and likes to remember George Gebelein ’64 with a toast. He enjoys staying connected with such notables as Doug MacEwan ’65, Dan Pearson ’65, Mike Schlee ’65, and George Fulton ’65. And he states that since the annual Homecoming parade has now morphed into the Westminster Fallfest parade, and McDaniel is participating, the much-beloved, dearly missed, and never-duplicated Crab Guys float may make an encore appearance.
Corresponding that it is “deja vu all over again,” Gordon Diggory celebrated 50 years of married bliss with his wife, Susie. A “Praise on the Porch” service with the Spanish congregation sharing our Terrill Road Bible Chapel building. A ’60s flashback of the O’s ascending and the Yanks’ descent. Gordon keeps up his golf Wednesday with buddies from Pennsylvania, with rounds about the Delaware River/“Joisy” border. He has even hooked his grandson on golf, and his grandson has made his school golf team, and involves Gordon at local courses or hangin’ with the “old guys” by the river.
Paul Mazeroff is celebrating his 25th year of teaching Psychology at McDaniel. He stopped doing clinical work in 2017 and enjoys being around people much younger than he is.
Retired Marine Lee Asadoorian reports that all is going well in Raleigh, North Carolina. Chugging along on four cylinders, which he says isn’t bad when you started with an eight-cylinder body. He and his wife are being run ragged by his daughter Carol’s cats while she is in the Far East in the Army. Recently, Lee started trying to learn Japanese at North Carolina State. He was stationed in Japan and would like to get better at the language. His wife, Jane, continues to paint and take classes. He is sorry to hear of Richard Burris’ passing; they were once roommates.
Bobbie Vonderheide Eierman reports that after a long hiatus, she and her husband, Fred, have started traveling again. Last November, during a 10-day trip to South Africa, they spent five days living in a luxurious tent on a lake with hippos and five days in Cape Town. In May, they spent 12 days in Germany. In between their trips, they spend time with their daughter Elaine Eierman Jahn ’97, M.S. ’04 and her husband, Drew Jahn ’97. They spend a lot of time watching their grandson’s sporting activities. Their granddaughter, Molly, is a sophomore at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. They have also made several trips to New York to spend time with their other daughter, Laura, and her family, including their 6-year-old grandson, Will, and 3-year-old granddaughter, Lilyanne. They continue to take day trips to favorite photography areas in North and South Carolina.
After her shoulder “rebuild” in January and long recuperative time, Janet Bauer Carter Flora, M.L.A. ’97 and her husband, David, decided to go to Iceland in “balmy” October. They were greeted with sideways rain, snow, ice, and incredible wind. Their small group tour powered through and saw the Northern Lights, whales, vast stretches of beautiful scenery, geothermal plants, and ended with the warm, soothing water of the Blue Lagoon. She and her husband spend time volunteering with their church and community, which continues to play a big part in both of their lives. Her kids and their families are thriving and busy. As 80 comes within reach, gratitude is very present for all life sends.
Dorene Carl Pease shared that a great-granddaughter was born on April 21, 2023, and a second great-grandson was born on Sept. 1. Both live in the Illinois ’burbs of St. Louis. Sadly, she says that both her husband and son died in a close period of time. She says that in late October, she was giving the impression of being a functioning human being, but didn’t really feel like she was with so much on her plate.
Ron Gunderson and his wife, Cindy, are still enjoying themselves in Ellicott City, Maryland, by keeping busy with church and community activities. They now have 13 perfect grandchildren that are a never-ending source of joy! Fortunately, most live close by and they enjoy their many activities.
This summer started with a cross-country trip again for Darlene Justice Claypoole. She started at her daughter’s in Spring Hill, Florida, and drove to Carlsbad, California. Her granddaughter graduated from high school and started college in the fall. She spent the summer there with her daughter and family having fun at the beach, going out to dinner, and visiting the county fair. At the end of August, she started back across the country to Maryland. She did some sightseeing on the way, passing through places she had lived. In Maryland, she visited friends and her grandson and his fiancée. She did the advertising for her church’s annual fall fest. Later, she headed back down to her daughter’s home in Spring Hill, Florida. And to top it off she had surgery for her torn meniscus. She is in rehab now and all is going great.
Bruce Conway and his wife, Judy, retired and relocated 14 years ago to northeastern Illinois to be near their daughter and two grandsons. It has been a wonderful experience to share their lives. He and Judy are enjoying good health and staying active each day. They both volunteer in their community. He is the president of the board of trustees for the Kankakee Public Library and the treasurer of the area Agency on Aging. Judy volunteers at the local food pantry and at their church. They finally got to take their COVID-delayed land/cruise trip in Alaska in June, and spent three days at Graceland in Memphis in July.
After 40 years, Kris Michelsen Lakenan and her husband, Bob, are still living in Ellicott City, Maryland. Bob is still working, but Kris sold her CPA practice in 2017 and is enjoying not working — especially at tax time. Their oldest son and his family live close by and they get to see them often. Her other two sons both live in Asheville, North Carolina, now and they get to see them frequently. Luckily, they have vacations with the whole family in the Outer Banks of North Carolina every year. She has many hobbies including crocheting and card making, sometimes with a cutting machine and using Photoshop. They lunch a few times a year with a group of friends who are members of the Classes of 1960-62.
Pat Foltz Moler, M.L.A. ’78 and Charles Moler, M.L.A. ’78 have tried to catch up on their international travel. In the spring of 2023, they visited Japan, and in the summer started out in Oslo, Norway, on their way to the way north — cruising around Svalbard. Charley has had knee surgery for a torn meniscus and is much less prone to falling. In between these overseas trips, they have also explored Puerto Rico, Colorado, Maine, and many other U.S. spots. Charley plays golf regularly, and they both play some bridge. Daily trips to the gym help keep them moving. Charley is president of the board of Good Shepard Housing, a nonprofit organization providing housing for low-income people and those with mental disabilities.
Carolyn Seaman Scott, M.L.A. ’76 has settled into Carroll Lutheran Village in Westminster for the third year. Her apartment is spacious, and she can see the McDaniel water tower from her balcony. And, of course, there are many Western Marylanders there: James Lightner ’59, Ray Albert ’62, Jim Cole ’59, and many others. Her former neighbor, Nini Sloan Gibson ’68, has moved to the only house in Uniontown, Maryland, that is on the National Historic Register. She has done a beautiful job restoring it. They stay connected almost daily by comparing Jeopardy! scores. Nini runs away with the French and horse categories, and Carolyn limps in with the literature and biblical ones. Carolyn says that her eight grandchildren are a joy, and she is excited to hear of the Nursing program being introduced at McDaniel.
Charles Miller reminds us on the East Coast that Arizona continues its 20-something years of drought and record-breaking heat. But it’s desert, so what else should you expect? This year, he and his spouse, Michael, celebrated their 40th anniversary. In May, to celebrate they took a six-day car trip into Utah to visit Zion National Park and five national monuments. What a beautiful trip. To continue their yearlong anniversary celebration, in September, they took a great 15-day trip to the Czech Republic. Having been to Prague before, they explored six smaller cities in Czechia. Charles now walks with a cane, so it slowed Michael down to quarter speed. He continues to lead a Friday morning adult Bible study on Zoom.
John Greenleaf and his wife, Linda, finally moved from their home of 32 years to a 55-plus condo community in the same zip code in Central Pennsylvania. John says that it was a hard decision, but the right one for them, and they are enjoying the changes in the environment and social life immensely! He stays connected regularly with Brother Preachers from the Class of 1967, including John McCann, Jack Gage, Bob Bricker, Ed Kasemeyer, Jim Hvidding, Bill Chasey, Bill Rees, Bert Horton, Jim Gibson, and Joe Giardina. Most of them met up in the spring of 2022 at McDaniel and did a lot of catching up. Just this past August, he and Jack Gage attended the big Corvette show in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and swapped stories while browsing the high-priced sheet metal. He is still trying to play tennis (and now some pickleball), although the orthopedic issues that come with age prevent him from acting like a 39-year-old anymore.
While missing living in Arizona for 11 years, David Doss and his wife, Gail, are glad to be closer to their East Coast families after living in Fort Myers, Florida, for seven years. In September of 2022, Gail had a redo open-heart surgery to replace her aortic valve. Less than a week after Gail’s operation, Hurricane Ian made landfall in their front yard. Dave says that they considered evacuating but were restricted due to his wife’s surgery. Most of their neighbors also stayed; but no one was anticipating what turned out to be just short of a Category 5 storm. Fortunately, their home was built to the newer codes, and they had a whole-house generator. He says that they were very lucky, as they were just on the fringes of Ian and had “only” 115 mph or so winds. However, they unexpectedly had to go without running water for over a week. The storm’s aftermath prevented Gail’s visiting nurse follow-up visits for almost two weeks. At any rate, Gail is pretty much up to full speed, and they have resumed retirement routines with golf, biking, gym, etc. The Doss family has continued to use its convenient location to hop on cruise ships. A highlight was a Thanksgiving cruise out of Fort Lauderdale with all 11 family members. They particularly enjoyed everyone dining around one big table, sharing jokes/stories, and hearing the youngest say “for my starter, I will have … and for dessert, I will have two!”
My wife, Anna, and I feel a little younger when we are around our grandson Ben, 6, and granddaughter Helen, 2. We are continuing to cruise on Holland American and Viking River Cruises. Our travels have taken us to 55 countries. Like others, I have become very friendly with my cane on these jaunts. We enjoy going to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and have the pleasure of often taking Professor and Mrs. Darcy who live near us. Con at 95 is sharp as ever. We also enjoy getting together with the Crab Guys, Alice Hunycutt Stiner and husband Fred Stiner, Chris Connelly Resau and Jim Resau ’68, Charles Turnbaugh ’66 and Pat Naruta Turnbaugh ’66, and Pam and Bill Minor ’72. Boy, were there a lot of old people at my 60th high school reunion in October! It was great to see old friends again. This year, I retired as secretary of my Masonic Lodge and received my 50-year pin. I enjoy being vice president of the Masonic Charities of Maryland. Last year, the charity gave over 90 scholarships throughout Maryland and helped train teachers on how to identify and aid students with problems.
Miles Cole1967 Class Reporterwmilescole@hotmail.com