Association news & class notes
This year marks my 20th year as your class reporter. It seems like I have been doing this forever, but I still have four more years to go before I equal the record of Pat Blades Chapman, who was our class reporter before I took over in 2003. Let me start this column by thanking Pat for all her years of service to the class and for always replying to my request for an update. Thank you, Pat!
This year, I asked the members of the Class of 1979 if the COVID-19 pandemic changed their lives for the better in any way. Some people said they gained a new perspective and have a newfound appreciation for some of the little things in their lives. For others, it appears that nothing positive came out of the ordeal that we all endured.
Carl and Pat Blades Chapman are enjoying their downsized home in Easton, Maryland, which they say is one of the best decisions they have made because all of their living space is now on one floor. They are still watching their two grandchildren (ages 6 and 3), who keep Pat and Carl young. The Chapmans have done some traveling during the past year, visiting the Florida Keys, the mountains of Pennsylvania, the Crystal Coast of North Carolina (around Cape Lookout), and, of course, Ocean City, Maryland. Their children and grandchildren are close by, so they have a tradition of getting together for dinner each Sunday night.
Christine Albert Sarigianis wrote that she’s amazed that so many years have flown by since we graduated almost 45 years ago. Chris reports that the pandemic was, indeed, a difficult time for her because she was working as a critical care nurse at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore: “It was scary, stressful, and often sad. What a relief that it’s over. We still have COVID patients from time to time, but the patients that I have had usually don’t realize they have COVID because another medical condition brought them to the hospital. The COVID infection seems to now cause flu-like symptoms rather than the respiratory distress the previous strains caused.” Chris completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) in 2021. Chris reflects that the greatest gifts bestowed upon her by WMC/McDaniel College are the cherished friendships. She continues to see her dearest friend and Social Work classmate, Debi Eriksen-Boyd, at least once a month. Until I read Chris’ input for this year’s column, I didn’t realize how deeply her WMC/McDaniel roots ran. Chris’ mother, Suzanne Chambers Albert M.S. ’87, resides with Chris, and at age 92, is an inspiration as she continues to use her nursing license at her volunteer job. She also rides her tractor to help Chris on her property. In her father’s and sister’s memories, Charles Albert ’52 and Becky Albert ’77, Suzanne is enthusiastically supporting the development of a kitchen on campus for Mohamed Esa’s culture classes and food study program. Sadly, Becky, who attended WMC in 1973 and 1974, was killed in the middle of her sophomore year. Chris’ grandfather, Roy Chambers ’29, was the president of the Class of 1929 and, through his efforts, the class donated the flagpole on campus. The Alberts and the Chamberses certainly have rich history on the Hill!
It took 50 years, but Myra Birchard Wagner, M.Ed. ’80 finally returned to her home state of Virginia in 2022. She didn’t go back to her hometown of Richmond. Instead, she moved with her mother and now lives in her mother’s childhood home in the small town of Urbanna, fulfilling the retirement dream she and her husband had planned. Her husband, James, passed in 2017, and his ashes were spread around the yard and creek shore in Urbanna. Unfortunately, two months after Myra moved in, her mom passed away. Despite this huge setback, Myra has adapted quickly to country living, even though she has been a self-proclaimed “city girl” all her life. Of course, it helps to have several extended family members close by who have eased the burden of maintaining a 120-year-old farmhouse and three-acre yard, located near a creek right off the Rappahannock River. Myra spends a lot of time just sitting outside or kayaking and enjoying the view. Regarding the pandemic, being sheltered from people didn’t bother her too much. She chalks that up to the fact that she was an only child. She was very grateful for technology, though, and the ability to watch live-streamed church services, attend meetings via Zoom, perform most of her church secretary work from home, and visit friends and family via FaceTime. She wrote, “I will admit that I am glad I retired from teaching before the pandemic. I don’t think I would have handled it well.”
Wayne Birely is looking forward to retirement in late spring and hoping to see a lot of his teammates from the 1978 and 1979 championship lacrosse teams at a gathering in the spring. Wayne notes that it’s been 45 years and those are still the only two teams to have won a conference championship.
Gail Bowman Mathes wrote, “As we get older, our health comes front and center, right? My husband and I are fortunate enough to enjoy good health and a good life. Our children are both working and happy, and we can’t ask for much more than that. We are spending winter months in Florida with all the other old people and have decided there’s no other way to live. If anyone is in the Port St. Lucie area, look us up. We’d love it! We are also very much enjoying Pete Clark ’77, M.Ed. ’80 and Korby Bowman Clark’s ’78 nine grandchildren. Last year we did our second European river cruise, the only way to go! We are looking forward to a tour of Calgary, Banff, Glacier Falls, etc., with Robbie Bowman ’81, Connie Thompson Bowman ’81, Pete, and Korby next summer.” Gail wrote that the pandemic taught them that simplification is good, and that it’s OK to enjoy what’s right in front of us.
John Cochran sends greetings from Virginia Beach. In December 2021, at age 30, his daughter, Brittany, was diagnosed with breast cancer. From February 2022 through July 2023, she endured chemo, surgery, radiation, and more chemo treatments. John reports that he is thankful that she is now cancer-free. Brittany lives with her husband in Charlotte, North Carolina, which meant many trips by John’s wife, Ann-Marie, to help Brittany through the rough times — and there were many. That left John at home with his mother-in-law, whose dementia has finally forced them to place her in a senior memory care facility. John and Ann-Marie cared for her for the past four years in their home, but that was no longer the best option for any of them. In November 2022, John’s 96-year-old mother, who was living independently, had a fall. She bounced back well but decided to move from Florida to Virginia Beach into an assisted living facility to be closer to family. She has settled in, and having her close to where John lives is a blessing for all of them. John’s mother-in-law is in the same facility, which is very convenient. Although consumed with family matters, John continues to play golf, and he has stayed active with the Knights of Columbus. John is entering his ninth year with the organization, having spent the past four years as president at KOVAR Corp., a Virginia Knights of Columbus 501(c)(3) tax exempt charity that provides over $500,000 annually to assist persons with intellectual disabilities. The Cochrans finally made it to San Diego, California, in May 2022 and Hawaii in December 2022. They hope to travel more now that their nest is empty again. John wrote that he is looking forward to attending Alumni Weekend at the end of May.
Cheryl Collins Reinecker wrote to tell me that she’s doing well and that “retirement is awesome,” though she’s busier than she ever expected to be. She and her husband, David Reinecker ’77, have four grandchildren, ranging in age from 3 to 10 years old. All of the grandkids live within a few minutes of Cheryl and David. Cheryl says that she is blessed that her parents, Doris and Ashby Collins ’53, are still with us and living close by. She enjoys spending as much time as possible with all three generations of the Collins/Reinecker Clan. Cheryl is actively involved in her church, volunteering in various ways, and she continues to keep the books for the family farm. David and Cheryl’s son Andrew “Drew” Reinecker ’04 now has the majority ownership of the farm and manages most of the operations. David still works part time, but he and Cheryl try to travel regularly, including going to St. Kitts twice a year. Cheryl gets to see her WMC roommate, Nancy Swisher Rueter, occasionally and Cheryl is happy to report that Nancy is a proud grandmother and engaged to a wonderful man she met years ago at Johns Hopkins, where she works as a clinical nurse.
Alison Crispell wrote that life for her and her husband, David, wasn’t as impacted by COVID-19 as many others because David’s job was considered essential, so he never stopped working. They decided to give growing a veggie garden a shot in 2020 and became quite the canners as a result. In addition to putting up several varieties of tomatoes, peppers, and pickles, they also took advantage of the pear tree in their backyard, putting up pear butter and pear jam. Canning was something they had talked about doing for several years, and it has now become part of their late summer/fall schedule. David continues to work for CBRE, and Alison spends her time riding her horse, gardening, and traveling. Since the world opened up after the pandemic, she has been to Croatia, Southern Italy and Sicily, and Morocco.
Jim “JD” Douglas and his wife, Tracey, are still living in Olney, Maryland. JD continues to inch toward true retirement, and Tracey still works as a senior infusion nurse for MedStar Georgetown. JD has enjoyed recent Montgomery County and Howard County alumni events. He also enjoys meeting the first-year students during McDaniel orientation each fall and encourages more alumni to participate. Tracey and JD celebrated the marriage of their younger daughter, Dr. Taylor Marie Douglas, to Raul Contreras on Jan. 28, 2023, in New York City, and they have pictures of the happy couple in Central Park.
Beth Dunn is still enjoying living in Rock Hall, Maryland. “Life in the little town is very quiet in the winter, but very busy with boaters and second homeowners in town during the summer. Rock Hall has more boat slips than full-time residents,” she says. Beth is now officially the past commodore of the Rock Hall Yacht Club after serving five years as the commodore. She wrote that it was a fun position that allowed her to get more involved with the community and to meet many members.
Tony Sager ’77 and Susan Fairchild Sager, M.Ed. ’85 have had a very busy year. The lights of their lives are Caroline and Annie Sager, ages 5 and 3. Susan’s mom continues to spend her life sharing theirs and “loving on the great-granddaughters.” Susan and Tony have done a LOT of biking. They toured Portugal by e-bike, leading Susan to write that they could not have biked these hills, one after another, without the electric assist! They rode the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, the longest, largest, and oldest recreational bicycle touring event in the world, in July 2023 during the hottest time of the hottest year on record. They rode 502 miles in seven days to honor a friend. They also biked through Japan while on a 13-day cruise for cyclists. The cruise, which began just as Japan was reopening after the pandemic, started in Osaka, went to Kobe, and then took them around the three major southern islands. They have one more fabulous trip planned for 2025. Susan wrote, “We see clearly now what is meant by tomorrow isn’t promised.” Susan feels lucky that she gets to see Sally McCarl Moore; Linda Sorrentino Glaeser; Dori Babyak Chappell; Mary Gately Bodley; Mary-Louise Jones York, M.Ed. ’80; Julie Vaughan Donovan, M.S. ’12; and, sometimes, Pat Blades Chapman and Mary Anna Rice Pavlos. Kate Shirey Luette ’80 is part of her daily life.
Betsy Fogle Morrow and her husband, Ken, are enjoying retirement. They’re adjusting to being at home more and spending more time together. She wrote that it’s good — for the most part. They love spending quality time with family. Their two grandsons are growing up before their eyes — one is 9 and the other is 2½. Having them live close by and being part of their daily lives, sports, and holidays is a blessing and something they treasure. They also enjoy getting together with Bill and Terry Mott Potterton and Chris and Susan Speed Tuley Routson as often as possible. The Morrows have branched out with traveling to some new places, and they enjoyed a group trip to Bilbao, Spain, and Bordeaux, France, with some of Betsy’s former colleagues. They also enjoyed a sailing adventure in St. Thomas and St. John with the Pottertons and Routsons in the spring of 2023, and a week along the Central Coast of California. Betsy notes, “Many adventures lately seem to involve wine! But wine not?”
Jay Gardiner recently retired after spending 34 years in college athletics. He plans to continue as a consultant and travel frequently with his wife, Cindy. The pandemic was very hard on Jay. He wrote, “I suspect that, looking back, the COVID crisis expedited my decision to retire early. Retiring now also gives me time to spend with my family (four stepchildren, three sons, and six granddaughters). Life is good here in north Georgia.”
Jean Hamilton Jewell is the co-founder and executive director of Green Oaks Education and Support Inc., in Arlington, Texas. The program serves children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The organization started a college program in 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic. Her daughter, who has Down syndrome, graduated from the program in May 2023 and is now living in her own home and working at a pie shop. Jean and her husband have been married for 37 years and raised two other children, as well. Jean wrote, “No grandchildren yet, but hope springs eternal!”
The post-COVID years have brought retirement and two grandkids to Chris Holmes and his wife, Margaret. Chris has a studio at the Arts Lab of Southern Anne Arundel County, where he paints watercolors. A solo show of his work was held in December. Chris and Margaret spend their time biking and hiking with their sights set on climbing several “14ers” in Colorado, and possibly Mount Kilimanjaro; visiting the river home they built in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, two years ago; checking in on Chris’ parents, who are in their mid-90s; and spending time with family and friends, like Kurt Glaeser ’78 and Linda Sorrentino Glaeser.
Bill Jenkins was one of only two alums from our class to attend the 2023 Alumni Weekend. “Where was everyone? I hope we can put in a better showing this year,” he says. He remains active in victim rights and has presented workshops at both the Parents of Murdered Children and National Organization of Victim Assistance conferences this past summer. He is still working at Dominican University in Chicago where he teaches a course in the new Trauma Informed Leadership graduate program. All this is in addition to his duties in the Theatre Arts department, where he continues to teach and design. Bill noted that one thing the pandemic did was provide universities more robust distance learning options, which have enabled him to teach online classes much of the school year, while he and his wife enjoy their new home with 10 acres of woods, just west of Richmond, Virginia. Since they have moved back to the East Coast, they are closer to their children and family, giving them the perfect place to live, but it means that retirement will come more gradually.
Dianne Jenkins retired in the summer of 2020 from her position of executive policy advisor for the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. In February 2021, shortly after she retired, her husband of 36 years passed away. “While it’s been a tough couple of years, I also welcomed my first grandchild a few months ago, and that’s been pretty special,” she says. Dianne wrote that she was a recipe tester for a cookbook that was published October 2021. She is now exploring new endeavors like weaving and piano, and she started hiking the 1,200-mile Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin.
Patrice John Baugher wrote that the combination of the pandemic ending and Tom Baugher ’80 retiring from Raytheon opened the door to much traveling for them. On May 25, 2023, they celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary and the two finally had a honeymoon! They headed to Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany for 10 days and spent time exploring Salzburg and Innsbruck, Austria; Lindau, Germany; Italy, and the Bavarian castles Linderhof and Neuschwanstein. She wrote, “One of us loved all the history and one of us struggled to find a good IPA.” In July, they traveled to Emerald Isle, North Carolina, for a week at the beach with family. October 2023 found them back in Westminster, Maryland, for their niece’s wedding and a fabulous crab cake at RockSalt Grille: “Until you have left Maryland you will never know how lucky you are to have a real Maryland crab cake!” Closer to home, they spent the summer at Lake Wawasee and Lake Webster on their boats. One boat is for fishing, and one is for pleasure. Patrice wrote, “It’s a big change from the ocean but the closest one gets in Indiana.”
Pete Clarke ’78 and Jane Johnson Clarke had an awesome trip during the summer of 2023. They bicycled along the Danube River from its source in Bregquelle, Germany (in the Black Forest) to Budapest, Hungary. They had been thinking about this trip for a while, but, of course, COVID-19 got in the way. They traveled with two other couples, including David Fick and Lee-Ann Hunewill Fick. (The Ficks attended WMC for two years before transferring and graduating from Towson University). David handled the arrangements and mapped out their route on Ride with GPS. Jane wrote that the biggest challenge was disassembling and packing their tandem bicycle for the flight. They toured myriad castles and cathedrals, ate lots of schnitzel, and drank lots of beer. “We never lose weight on bike tours, that’s for sure! If you’ve ever considered a trip like this, our advice is: do it!”
In 2019, Karen Laue McGhee was laid off from her job as a sub-contractor to FEMA. She wasn’t idle long because, shortly after the layoff, she became her father’s full-time caregiver. He passed away at age 95 in January 2023 after being in hospice for a week. Karen wrote that she treasured the time she got to spend with him although it was mentally and physically exhausting at times. The staff and residents at the community where he was living were great. So great, in fact, that Karen decided to go to work part time at her father’s community as a security guard. Her new position means she is a first responder on evenings and weekends, and she wrote that she learns something new every shift. Karen’s husband, Ken, got a new job working for Montgomery County as a building inspector. Their son, Michael, also got a new job working at Cartridges Galore, a company co-owned by Garrett Eagan ’09. Karen and Ken have started considering where they want to live when they retire, but Karen believes it will be a few years before they make that move.
Keith Lawson’s plan to retire from the Investment Company Institute (ICI) in November 2023, after 35 years, was postponed for a few months. At the request of his boss, his retirement from ICI was changed to early February 2024. Once retired, he plans on spending more time with Robin Lee Lawson ’80 at their primary residence in Bethesda, Maryland, and at their beach house in Bethany Beach, Delaware. Keith and Robin have season tickets to both the Capitals and the Nationals. Combine their fandom of those two teams with their allegiance to the Washington Commanders and you’ll understand why they are in a state of near constant disappointment. Their family continues to grow with the November 2023 birth of their fourth grandchild, Logan Rose Lawson, giving the Lawsons three granddaughters and a grandson. Robin and Keith celebrated his 66th birthday in 2023 by traveling to London where they watched Keith’s favorite “futbol” team, Tottenham Hotspur, play in their new stadium — which contains its own microbrewery. Easing his way into retirement, Robin and Keith took a trip to Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee, in October 2023, where the history was fascinating, and the food and music were excellent! Keith hopes to see everyone at Alumni Weekend in May 2024. As an aside, Keith was too modest to mention that 2023 also saw him elected to the McDaniel College Board of Trustees. Congratulations, Keith!
Mike and Missy Bain Lewis are enjoying their retirement as much as anyone. In March 2023, they drove to Key West, Florida, to spend a month with Helene Riser Rapsas ’81 and her husband. On both the way down and the way back, they overnighted in the Cocoa Beach, Florida, area, where they found a condo on the Indian River. It was love at first sight, so they decided to settle in for a longer stay than originally planned. As Mike wrote, “We’ll be here for a while.” No word on whether this is a temporary love affair or a lifelong commitment. Mike didn’t say if they’re renting or if they bought the condo.
Dave Meyer and his wife, Cindy, weathered the pandemic reasonably well. They still managed to do some traveling. They visited New Zealand, Iceland, and Vancouver and Ontario, Canada. They were finally caught by COVID-19 on the return from Belfast, Northern Ireland, in May 2023. Dave and Cindy remain actively involved in refugee resettlement. Some of Dave’s current tasks are teaching a young Afghan woman to drive and helping a Honduran couple convert from Medicaid to private health insurance.
“I was fortunate enough to connect with many WMC friends this past year,” is how Mike Modica opened his message to me. He recently was treated to wonderful hospitality by Claudia and Ray Via at their breathtaking new residence on Daniel Island, just outside Charleston, South Carolina. In April 2023, Keith Lawson and Robin Lee Lawson ’80 were wonderful hosts for a mini reunion of Betes and Phi Alphs at their home in Bethesda, Maryland. In attendance were Ray Via, Scott Wheeler ’80, Ron Bowen, Leslie McDade Bowen ’80, and Mark “Manny” Rosenberg and his wife, Carolyn. Scott’s wife, Martha Hooper Wheeler, who was enjoying grandchild babysitting duty in Chicago, briefly joined in through FaceTime. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Keith’s appointment to the McDaniel College Board of Trustees. In April, via Zoom, Mike attended an evening with Steve Spinelli ’77, Hon. D.B.A.’09 hosted by McDaniel PIE (Program in Innovation and Entrepreneurship). Mike wrote, “I’m trying to remember what I learned … I’ll get back to you later.” At various golf outings during the past couple of years, Mike shared laughs and bad golf with Gamma Beta Chi fraternity brothers Bob Irvin ’77, Mike Cottingham ’78, Gary Walters ’77, Chuck Boehlke ’78, Judd Miller ’78, Jay Cooke ’78, Dick Love ’78, Frank Dooley ’78, Wayne Birely, Rick Morani ’81, Dale Sillyman ’80, Terry Koenig ’78, Randy Cole ’79, Eric Brown, Tom Wiederseim, Mike Goldstein ’81, Mike Spath ’78, Jere Lynch ’78, and Bob Le Sueur. Mike wrote, “Sadly, the May outing was the last time we got to see Jere Lynch before he passed away in May 2023.” Mike reports that he has four wonderful grandchildren who keep him laughing and filled with joy.
Barb Parsons Davis, M.Ed. ’80 still works as a speech therapist, but she has cut her time to three days per week. After five years in the middle school, she’s now adjusting to life at the high school level. She wrote, “It’s different for sure. I have a Deaf student, so I’m getting to use my American Sign Language again, but I’m a little rusty.” She and her husband continue to sing in the church choir as well as a community choral group. They had a wonderful summer 2023 vacation in Montreal and Quebec, which Barb highly recommends.
Rick Powell retired on Oct. 1, 2022, after 40 years of ministry, 27 of which were at Christian Temple, in Catonsville, Maryland. He and his wife, Jayna, both retired on the same weekend. Post-retirement activities have included helping with their youngest son’s wedding, playing tennis and pickleball, and traveling to Pacific Grove, California, to serve a small congregation there as interim ministers. They’ll be back in Catonsville by the time this is published and intend to help with the 45th Reunion this spring, hoping to see some of you there.
Also doing God’s work, David Range continues to serve as pastor at the Miramar United Methodist Church in Florida, now in his 19th year. He is pleased with the church’s ability to feed many who are hungry by providing alternate Thursday and Saturday food distributions. The church is part of the 24-congregation Broward Organized Leaders Doing Justice, and they recently celebrated a victory in their advocating for issuing civil citations to individuals, rather than arrests, for minor, non-violent offenses. His wife, CJ Walter, now formally retired as a pastor, happily contributes time to the church. You can see her helping lead the singing on X or YouTube most Sundays at 8:30 a.m., and she loves the people of the 11 a.m. congregation as well. Their son Ben lives with them and keeps busy as a librarian at Aventura Library, part of the Miami-Dade system. Their other son, Micah, lives in North Carolina with his wife and their son and daughter, so David and CJ highly value any time that they can spend with them.
Bill Roelke is still engaged in the practice of law in Jacksonville, Florida. With an 18-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter, Bill figures he’ll be able to retire by age 90. Post-COVID, the quality of Bill’s life has decreased due to his having to live with teenagers who know everything and who call him a “bald old man.”
Maryam Rostami continues to work as a family physician in Canada. She worked for five years in Virginia and then moved back to Canada in 2012. She would like to retire but, she reports, it is very hard to find a replacement for the practice. She hopes that will change soon. Maryam has been in touch with Sharon Lotz, and the two went on a cruise together. Maryam wrote that it was wonderful to see her.
After 25 years of teaching in Maryland and New Jersey, Mary Ellen Thornton Deitrick retired last year. She and her husband left Mount Lakes, New Jersey, after living there almost 32 years, and they now live in Egg Harbor Township in the southern part of the state. The move puts them closer to one of their daughters and her family. Mary Ellen and her husband have been blessed with seven grandchildren: three are in New Jersey, three are in California, and one is in Maryland. The Deitricks try to see the grandkids when they can. They have been busy settling into their new home and adjusting to life in South Jersey, where Mary Ellen has begun subbing in a local school. They see Beth and Dave Deitrick ’78 and their family as often as possible.
Reporting in for herself and Scott Trenner, Robin Seiland Trenner, M.Ed.’79 wrote, “Wow, how has life changed since COVID? Scott and I now have four grandchildren and are enjoying the heck out of being grandparents. Scott is still involved in Jiffy Lube, which remained open throughout the pandemic. We have some terrific employees! Our son, Chris, has been our general manager for over 10 years now.” Robin is still director of music at her church and spends her time there or with the grandchildren. The Trenners have traveled to France on a river cruise, went on the Soul Train Cruise several times, traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, several times, and went on vacations with the family at a variety of beaches. They kept their “COVID bubble” as healthy as possible. Scott still tailgates with alumni from different years; Rob Bowman ’81 and Mike Barry are two of the regulars. They were blessed to be able to attend Larry Matthew’s ’75 wedding during the summer of 2023. Robin wrote that there were quite a few Jiffy Lube peeps, like Pete Blauvelt ’77 and other WMC alumni from years prior to ours. They are looking forward to seeing as many as possible at our 45th Reunion in the spring.
Ray Via, and his wife, Claudia, are happy to report that they have completed building a home in Daniel Island, South Carolina, outside of Charleston. Their son, Matt, liked visiting so much that he and his girlfriend moved to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, about 15 minutes away. Mark “Manny” Rosenberg and Mike Modica have visited. Ray and Claudia are looking forward to more visitors in the future. Ray, as a long-suffering Washington Redskins/Commanders fan, is also happy that 2023 brought an end to the Daniel Snyder ownership debacle, and he is cautiously optimistic about the team’s future. Ray hopes to be back on the golf course in the spring after his second hip replacement surgery. Recovery has been slow, but steady.
Vince Wesley and his wife, Valerie, are happily retired in Catonsville, Maryland. Vince retired after 34 years at SunTrust Bank (now Truist). “At this writing, it’s been just over 5½ years (2,086 days) since my retirement began — but who’s counting?” Vince missed all the “fun” of the merger of the bank and BB&T and managing the work environment through the COVID years. Vince and Valerie will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary in March 2024. These days, they spend a great deal of time with their four wonderful grandchildren (ages 1 through 4), traveling, attending family gatherings, and keeping up with their 105-year-old home in Catonsville. Two of their three daughters live in Catonsville, and their oldest daughter lives in Lynchburg, Virginia. Vince is playing more golf since retirement. During a recent visit to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, he enjoyed hanging out and playing golf with Mark “Manny” Rosenberg. Vince frequently sees Doug Barnes (his dentist); Ronnie Rhodes; Scott Trenner; Robin Seiland Trenner, M.Ed. ’79; and Mike Margiotta. Ronnie and Vince get in a few rounds of golf each year. Vince also sees Mike and April Daniels Walter on a regular basis. They hang out together on the Eastern Shore or in Annapolis. Prior to the pandemic, they joined Mike and April, Tim Daniels ’82 and his wife Deb, and Anita Brown Carty and her husband Gene, for the annual oyster roast in Chesapeake, Virginia. They were able to restart the get-together after the pandemic.
Scott Beam had the dubious honor of “ringing the bell” for a second time. For those of you not familiar with the term, “ringing the bell” means an end to a long and difficult series of cancer treatments. The first time he rang the bell was in October 2020 after treatment for Stage 4 oral cancer. Scott endured 2½ years of recovery from multiple surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy after he was diagnosed in May 2020. The second time was in April 2023 to celebrate his victory over prostate cancer, diagnosed in July 2022. Scott is now cancer-free and wrote that he is blessed to have found two incredible teams of doctors and surgeons who saved his life — twice! As Scott put it, “They are ‘precious jewels’ that God sent to me to save my life.” Scott also reported that his mother recently moved to Carroll Lutheran Village. While visiting his mother, Scott was surprised to run into Dr. Jim Lightner ’59 and Dr. Darcy, both of whom are residents at the same facility. They are both doing well. Small world!
Kimberly Smith-Charette is still working as the executive partner for the academic medicine practice of WittKieffer, an executive search firm. She has not set a retirement date … yet. Golf remains the passion of the Charette family. In 2023, the family attended the British Open at Royal Liverpool (England), followed by golf in Scotland and England. Kim’s son and daughter were both getting married in early 2024. The weddings were only four weeks apart, with one in January and the other in February. Kim wrote, “And best of all, Bill and I are new grandparents to Jackson.”
Meanwhile, here in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, Carolyn and I (Mark “Manny” Rosenberg) are now enjoying life as retirees, but it was a tough couple of years getting to this point. To make a very long story short, what I thought was a severe cough caused by “Long COVID” turned out to be Stage 4 lung cancer, which was a shock to everyone since I have never smoked. But, thanks to some incredible doctors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I am now symptom-free. I must send out a special “thank you” to one of my college roommates, Jim Lamont ’80, who, through his connections at the UNC hospital system, put me in touch with my oncologist and his team. The prognosis is excellent, and I expect to hang around as your class reporter for many years to come. My diagnosis in May 2022 prompted me and my brother, Eric “Schwartz” Rosenberg ’77, to accelerate the search for a buyer for our company, Seaside Golf Vacations. As Eric reported in a previous issue of The Hill, we sold Seaside Golf in September 2022 and the three of us — Eric, Carolyn, and I — have settled into retirement. Carolyn and I have taken advantage of our newfound freedom by traveling quite a bit in the last year, with trips to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Rome and Tuscany, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. By the time this issue is published, we will have completed a 12-day photo-safari to Tanzania, and we have more trips on the horizon. Having a free schedule has allowed me to spend more time with some of our classmates, including Wayne Birely, Vince Wesley, and Steve Dyer, with whom I have played golf, and, during my quarterly trips to Chapel Hill for tests and treatment, I have had the pleasure of having dinner with Jim Lamont ’80 and Karen Bellamy Lamont ’81 on several occasions.
I also arranged and attended a mini-Bete/Phi Alph reunion in April 2022, which was attended by Mike Modica, Ray Via, Ron Bowen, Leslie McDade Bowen ’80, Scott Wheeler ’80, Keith Lawson, and Robin Lee Lawson’80. Keith and Robin graciously opened their home to the group when our initial plans changed due to an unexpected thunderstorm. Martha Hooper Wheeler, Sue Sullivan Matthews, Jan Claypoole Neel, and Sue Bornemann ’78 surprised me by sending a video of the four of them singing Rod Stewart’s “The Balltrap.” I suspect more than a little wine went into the production of that number! At the reunion, we celebrated Keith Lawson’s election to the McDaniel College Board of Trustees (congrats again, Keith!) and my remarkable recovery from cancer. That evening was, by far, the highlight of the year.
Mark “Manny” Rosenberg1979 Class Reportermark@the-rosenbergs.com910-279-5138